Week 97 - June 3, 2019

Dear Family,

Well, a lot of things happened this week.  I wasn't really able to write last week because I was in Quito and we had an Auto Sufficiency class.  It's a class that all the missionaries have to take before they go home.  It was pretty cool we were able to learn some cool things.  Right after, we had the Good-bye Dinner with President and Hermana Murphy.  We did it a little early because they couldn't do the dinner later on.  They go home on June 28th, so weird.  The dinner was so awesome though.  We were able to talk about a lot of the things that are going to happen after the mission.  I love the Murphys so much, they're the best.

After the dinner, we stayed in Quito one more night so that we could go to the conference with Elder Bednar!  It was such an amazing meeting.  You could feel the Spirit so strong and the love the Elder Bednar had for us.  I really liked it because he made the meeting fun.  He didn't just give a talk, but he included us.  He asked us questions and later on he let us ask questions. But it was a once in a lifetime experience.  Here are some things that he told us.

"We chose to make a covenant with God, now we must obey."

"Don't read the scriptures looking for a question, go into the scriptures with a question in mind and you'll receive an answer."

"Pray to act, not to ask."

"Unity is a prerequisite to receive revelation."

"Repentance is not only when we do something wrong, but even when we know we could do something better."

"Men are that they might have joy, Enjoy life!  Have Fun."

"We need woman to lighten up, and men to wise up."

"Pray to see ourselves how we really are."

Such a special experience that I'll never forget.  We were not able to shake his hand... which was kind of a disappointment, but it still was one of the biggest highlights of the mission.

As well, this week kind of was a little frustrating because Israel and Jessica still haven't been able to get married... The opposition works so hard to stop such amazing families not get baptized... But we are hoping and praying a lot so that this week they can figure things out with these papers that they have to fill out.  Such a pain.. As well, we have been looking for our investigator that is going to get baptized this next coming week, and we just can't find him.  It's kind of frustrating, but we'll see what happens...:/

But another highlight is that Moises was able to get baptized this week!!  We went to go and pick him up before his baptism and he just wasn't there... I got a little upset.  We had to look for him and luckily we found him!  We got to the chapel and only two members were there and his mom and dad still hadn't arrived.  I offered a quick sincere prayer and everything turned out good, thank goodness.  Moises and his two brothers now have white shirts and ties and always tells us that they look like us, like missionaries.

5.  I think one of the most important things that I have learned here in the mission, is the importance of setting goals.  Before, I didn't really understand the meaning of goals.  I thought it was just a number that we would put on the whiteboard, but there is a quote in Preach my Gospel from Elder M Russell Ballard that says, "I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don't see goals in our life and learn how to master the techniques of living to reach our goals.  We can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential.  When one learns to master the principles of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the results he attains in this life."  I have realized that as we set goals, it truly shows the desires of our heart.  Later, we must do everything that we can do to reach and accomplish our goals.  If we do that, we will not only become more successful missionaries, but better people in every aspect.  I don't know where else on earth I could have learned the importance of setting goals, if I didn't come here.

Love,

Elder Copeland