Week 61 - September 26, 2022

  What's up, yall!  This week was so crazy.  I'm in HueHuetenango now and my area is "Sión" (Zion).  I'm a Zone Leader now, so our area is the west side city of HueHue.  It's a lot more city than my other areas lol.  It's a good area I like it, but its gonna take some time for me to get used to it.  Going from aldeas in Momos to now in the 2nd biggest city in the mission is crazy.  Our ward is really supportive, and some members have come with us to lessons and visits.  We get lunch from members everyday now which is so different for me too, haha.  But in just this week, I've seen how different missionary work is here in the city than it is in Momos.  A lot more calling people/ contacts, more citas, less walking, more finding new people, and people in general.  So, I'm still getting adjusted and learning, but I'm liking it.

Leaving my last district this week was tough though.  Especially the Elder that just went home.  Me and him have an interesting story of how we became friends haha.  He didn't know me before and didn't like me haha, and so for that reason I didn't like him.  But after six months in the same district and trading being each other's District Leaders, we slowly became really good friends.  On the day of transfers, right before the bus to HueHue started to leave, I told the bus driver to wait just a second because "I forgot something," because I hadn't said goodbye to this Elder.  So, I hurried to go find him to say bye. But at the same time, he saw that the bus was about to leave too and was hurrying to come saw bye to me, too.  Gave him one last hug and I actually was holding back tears.  I never thought I'd be sad to say goodbye to him haha, especially at the beginning, but now he's one of my closest friends that I've met here on my mission and am going to miss making fun of him and being together all the time.

We were able to go on divisions this week with some Elders in the zone, and I realized that I have more time in the mission than everybody else in my zone.  Pretty crazy.  So going on divisions as a ZL and being with newer missionaries is cool for me to help teach them some things, and for me to connect with them too.  Our zone is pretty small with the number of missionaries, but we cover the two most remote areas in the mission.  One is four hours away and the other is seven hours north of us.  It's about an hour from Mexico.  So hopefully I'll be able to get out there this transfer and see those places. 

I've learned a lot this week about how different missionary work depending on its area.  We teach like 5 times a day, 2 family home evenings, contact for an hour, and make like 100 calls.  I've felt like I am in a whole new mission here.  But getting used to it.  Also, the members we live right next to have a washer, so for the first time in my mission my clothes will actually be cleaned by a washer haha. 

I'm super excited to see how this transfer goes and how much I grow as a leader and doing missionary work here in HueHue. It's a lot hotter, too, which is nice coming from my last area.

 Love you all!

 - Elder Copeland

Week 60 - September 19, 2022

  Last week in Chicorral :(

Another transfer down you guys.  Another great week, too.  On Tuesday, we had a birthday party for one of the little girls in the branch, and both of the branches in my district are all just one big family pretty much.  So, to be able to see all of the people in both branches together was really fun to see and be a part of. 

Wednesday, we had Zone conference.  Seeing all of the new gringos there made me remember my first zone conference in the same building in Momos one year ago.  It's crazy how fast time goes.  

But after the conference, I had an interview with President and he told me he's going to need me in a new area/ zone.  Which means these are my last couple of days in Chicorral.  It's nice that President told me earlier because I've had a couple of days to say goodbye to everyone.  Which hasn't been too fun because of how close I've gotten to everyone here, and how much I've connected and made relationships with each one of them. 

Thursday was Guatemala Independence Day so nobody wanted to talk to us haha, but then on Friday we went to the very bottom of our area and hiked up to the CHIVARETTO letters on top of the mountain.  They're just like the Hollywood letters in Cali, just Guatemala version.  It was the best view I've ever seen.  Cool pics of it below.

Saturday, we were traveling all over helping people with events and citas and stuff, and we were at the Stake center in Momos.  There was a big youth event for all of the kids in the Stake, and so they showed the LDS video of Tyler Haws and how he chooses to go on a mission to inspire the youth here to serve.  So, it was really cool seeing Lone Peak and Momos both mixed together haha.  Never thought I'd see that.

Then later that day we came back to Chicorral for my last Family Home Evening with the Branch President and his family.  Both his family and the first counselor's family were there, so I was able to share something with them and bear my testimony on my time here in this area.  The Branch President told me some nice words and bore his testimony, but he also told me that anything I needed, that his house was my house as well, and that I am always welcomed anytime because I'm part of his family too. That right there to me makes it all worth it. It made me feel so happy that I was able to connect with them and be able to strengthen them as a family, and also this branch as well.  All while doing so, they strengthened me as well.  While looking back at my time in this area, there have been so many miracles and blessings that have happened and I have seen.  Like having a member of the Seventy come and stand inside the chapel!  Starting the process for a chapel, and seeing more and more people come to church every week and growing in their testimonies, have all been miracles that I am grateful I was here to be a part of.  I love the people here in Chicorral so much, and one day I hope to come back and see a chapel sitting right where the church land is.  That will be special.

It's going to be a busy week this week, and I'll be in a new area on Wednesday.  Crazy that my time here in Momos might be over if I don't come back down the road.  But I couldn't be happier with how this past year in Momos has changed my life. Everything's going so great and I'm so excited to see what happens. 

Love you all!

 - Elder Copeland

Week 59 - September 12, 2022

 Hey, everyone!  Hit 1 year in Guatemala this week!  Pretty crazy now to look back at my journal entries from a year ago and see how long it's been since I first got here. 

This week was super good.  We focused more this week on teaching people we've contacted and really going through who has real interest to start progressing.  We had a couple great lessons, but also a couple where the investigators just talked for hours about how they know their church is true... super fun.

One of the best experiences ever happened this week.  So, for the past two transfers or so, I've really wanted to feel the Spirit more in teaching and just in general.  So, I've fasted and prayed a lot to be able to feel it guiding me more.  I've been able to feel it and see it guiding me, but I just wanted more of it and for me to recognize it more as well.  So, last Sunday for fast Sunday, I fasted that I would be able to see or feel the Spirit strongly at some point during the week.  So, this Saturday, our last cita of the week, we had a family home evening with the Branch President's family, his parents and one other Hermana.  So, we started sharing about how acting with faith, not knowing perfectly of things to come, will guide us to where we need to be and do.  And we went around the room for some of them to share their experiences on how praying with faith and moving forward has brought them miracles and blessings.  Afterwards, I was the last one to share, and I started sharing about Cannon and how through that difficult time, during and after his life, my family pressed forward in the church, the temple, prayers, and faith.  And how after a lot of time of challenges, and not knowing of what was to come, we finally received a miracle with my baby sister, Brenly.  But as I started talking, I felt the Spirit so strongly that I couldn't talk for like three minutes.  I felt as if all of the feelings of the Holy Ghost that I had been wanting to feel, was dumped on me all at once.  I was sobbing haha.  But it was amazing.  I love talking about Cannon and so I usually don't start crying when I do, but this time as soon as I started, I just stopped and was taken over so strongly.  There is no better feeling than from the Spirit.  I talked more about how I feel so lucky to be serving a mission alongside my brother on the other side of the veil, and how he's my hero for his example to me.  It was a family home evening I'll never forget.

Elder Copeland's baby brother, Cannon

Baby Brenly

I've looked back at when I got here a year ago and the difference in myself from then until now, and I am so grateful for how much I've grown and changed in my testimony and as a person.  I know my old self would be shocked to see me now and how much more I know from the scriptures and how much stronger my testimony is.  I'm so excited to see where it is when I'm home.

I miss and love you all!

 - Elder Copeland

Week 58 - September 5, 2022

  Go Gators!

 Hey, everybody!  Hope you're all doing good.  This week was great.  We found a lot more people to teach through our contacts and have been setting up lessons with them.  We have three people right now that have received all of the lessons but are hesitant to take the step of being baptized. They are waiting for a huge sign to be shown to them which is tough because that's usually not how it works.  It's through consistent prayer and showing our faith that we receive answers.  But slowly but surely, they are getting closer.

Throughout my mission, it's been especially hard for people I'm teaching to take the step of being baptized because in 3 of my 4 areas, I've re-opened areas that haven't had missionaries for a certain amount of time.  But as of lately, I have realized that most of the work that I have been doing is planting seeds to new people.  Talking and teaching people that have never seen or spoken to missionaries in their lives. It's a big responsibility because if I don't make a good first impression to these people, then they will never want to speak with other missionaries down the road.  So, what I've tried to focus on and teach my greenie companion, is that it's important how people view us as missionaries and see what we do because one day when another missionary goes up to talk to them, they are going to think about us, and how we talked to them, and the type of people we were to them. 

In my first area Panca, two people have been baptized there that me and my comp found and started teaching while we were there.

In Nahuala, one Hermana has been baptized who me and my comp started teaching there.

And just this week in Patalup, a family of five were all put on date for baptism, who are a family that we contacted and started teaching as well. 

I know that the same thing will happen to the people here in Chicorral.  I've taken time this week to look back and see how much "seed planting" I've been able to do, and I'm thankful that I'm able to be in these areas where I can be a first impression to someone, and maybe one day they'll come unto Christ like some already.  I love finding and teaching people.  I love being a disciple of Christ.  I love being a missionary and trying as hard as I can to build up his church.  I know the Spirit is guiding me every day and I can feel it. 

Also, started reading The Book of Mormon again this week and I'm already in Mosiah.  Reading The Book of Mormon is my favorite part of the day.  Go read it!

(Also, prayers for Elder Robinson, as his Utes couldn't make it out of the swamp ;)🐊)

Love you and miss you all!

 - Elder Copeland