Hey, everyone. This week was busy like every week. We have lots of new people that we are teaching, as well as an Hermana that's close to taking the step to being baptized, which we are excited about. My comp is getting better at Spanish each day and is able to help me out in the lessons little by little. But it's been kind of fun to be able to teach almost the whole lessons by myself because I get to add my testimony so frequently in what I'm teaching and on each topic. I've been able to really teach more by the Spirit, rather than just teaching a principle with a scripture and preaching the importance of it. The depth of how I teach has improved a lot, and I've been having to use it a lot.
This week we had Elder Guifra from the Seventy come to our chapel/ meeting room here in Chicorral to see if there is a need for a chapel. He took into account the chapel, the space, and the land for the future chapel, and said he would pass along the information. Super exciting news! Slowly but surely, we are getting closer to the approval for the application! It has not been an easy process, but it's been so rewarding for myself and the members here. Last transfer, our average attendance at church was about 21, and now we are getting about 28 each week which is amazing. Closer and closer.
The next day we had a conference with Elder Guifra and his wife in HueHuetenango. We had to wake up at 5 to get there by 9. I also gave the opening prayer in Kiche in front of him, and 60+ other missionaries which was fun for me to flex my Kiche lol. But he spoke on the importance of being persistent missionaries. Because when he was younger, the missionaries that were teaching him did not give up on him, even though he thought the church wasn't for him. But through time, he accepted the gospel and is now part of the Seventy. For me, this was super cool because in areas that I have served and am serving right now, the people aren't as open to us as they might be in other zones and especially missions. Trying to teach and change Mayan cultured people is not easy at all. But it gave me hope that If I stay persistent and keep working hard, that I'll be able to continue bringing more people to Jesus Christ. I know the Lord will guide me to where I need to be and lead me to those I have been sent here to teach, as long as I am putting myself out there to everyone and working hard.
At the last second for church yesterday, both me and my comp were asked to speak. So, I spoke on the obra misional, and how everyone can bring people to the Gospel. In Alma 29:9&10, it talks about how that I might be able to be "an instrument in the hands of God, to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy." I shared this scripture and talked about how it's not just speaking to missionaries in these scriptures but to everyone who reads it. That everyone with a testimony should be using it to bring others unto Christ. We as missionaries come and go with transfers, bouncing around to new areas, but it's the members that are responsible for the bringing up of Zion, and strengthening their branch in this case. I told them that there is no greater joy than of this gospel, and they should be doing what they can to bring people to this knowledge and blessings as well. I have seen and have felt the joy of bringing people to learn more about what I know is true. Heavenly Father wants all of his children to know the truth, and it's our job to do it.
It somehow gets colder every day here, and rains even more, but the work is so exciting right now and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Love you all and email me if you haven't in a while ;)
- Elder Copeland
La Feria
No comments:
Post a Comment