Week 11 - September 29, 2025

 Hi!  The Life of a Sho- Sister Missionary

(First, Taylor's new album comes out this week. Hence my title. But don't send it to me. I'm going to wait until I'm home so I can give it a real listening experience...maybe)

My week:

-3 baptism dates! (Plus 2 more that Elders found, but now they're in our area because of some border rearranging.)

-Stake Conference at home

-President Russel M Nelson 

We were able to put 3 people on date for baptism! We just need to help them prepare a little more. One, Ana. She is someone my comp and I have been with since the beginning, it's been a highlight for sure seeing her progress. We also have a good amount of really great people teaching that are progressing. A lot of which we started from 0 with because we were both new to this area. 

I really am enjoying my last 2 weeks with Sister Cavalcante. I really want her to end her mission on a good note, so we've been having a good time. Brazilians are the most service-oriented people. I'm hoping to be more like them when I return. She's nervous about going home. She really opened up to me, and it was a big reality check for me. I'm even more grateful for what my blessings are at home. She has taught me so much. I am going into my mission with a totally different perspective now. 

-was fed some beans made with sugar mixed with carrot coleslaw. 0/10. 

-started leading messages and lessons, which helps me feel more useful with the Portuguese

-mixed up the word casaco (coat) and casado (marriage) so I asked the worker, “I am looking for marriage” instead of, “I am looking for coats” … unfortunate

-started a mission scrapbook ✂️📖

I woke up on Sunday to the news that our Prophet Russel M Nelson had passed away. He was 101! A sad day here on earth, but what a great day for Heaven. I am so grateful for prophets here on earth today to guide our focus and thoughts to Christ. It's a blessing that God cares about us so much he gave us a prophet to look to for peace and direction. I am also so grateful for the Plan of Salvation that we are blessed to know and have peace in that we can be with our loved ones again. In homage to him, my spiritual thought will be my favorite talk of his. "Peacemakers Needed" If there is one talk I think everyone should read, it's this one. Peacemakers Needed

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2023/04/47nelson?lang=eng

Some of my favorite parts: 

-"The Savior’s message is clear: His true disciples build, lift, encourage, persuade, and inspire—no matter how difficult the situation. True disciples of Jesus Christ are peacemakers"

-"Contention is a choice. Peacemaking is a choice. You have your agency to choose contention or reconciliation. I urge you to choose to be a peacemaker, now and always."

-"Those who foster contention are taking a page out of Satan’s playbook, whether they realize it or not. “No man can serve two masters.” We cannot support Satan with our verbal assaults and then think that we can still serve God."

-"Charity is the antidote to contention. Charity is the spiritual gift that helps us to cast off the natural man, who is selfish, defensive, prideful, and jealous. Charity is the principal characteristic of a true follower of Jesus Christ. Charity defines a peacemaker."

This leads me to another great talk, given by my dad this weekend at stake conference. I was able to get a recording and here are my favorite takeaways. 

-Lay down your weapons of war. What can we leave behind to be less of this world? Or what can we put on to have more of the armor of God?

-1) It's ok to doubt, doubting leads to searching and pondering. The scriptures are full of people who had doubts and asked of God and received answers. 2) We should only compare ourselves to ourselves. Are we better than our previous selves? 3) It's not just OK to make mistakes, it's the plan. If we didn't make mistakes, we wouldn't need the Savior. 

-Third takeaway: I am the favorite child, I was the only one who got a shoutout.  

Next P-Day I will know my next companion. Speaking of companion, my amazing MTC companion, Sister Alvey had a hernia! She is recovering and will resume her mission asap. Love that girl.

Thats all! I love you all. Send me an email today, they make my day and week. 

🩷 Sister Copeland

Week 10 - September 22, 2025

 Olá! 

My week:

•my first zone conference 

•interviews with president

•candomblé/umbanda

•the entire mission was gifted air fryers, send me recipes!! 

In 2 weeks, I'll be getting a new trainer who will finish my last 6 weeks of training. 

Candomblé/Umbanda. This is a religion from Africa that is now common in the south of Brazil. They perform a lot of rituals, use voodoo dolls, and sacrifice both animals and humans to get what they want. Sometimes the women make their husbands act the way they want through these dolls. Which is terrible… how do I sign up? We were told as missionaries to not interact because they invite other spirits that aren't always peaceful, to say the least. Well, this week as we were walking the streets at night, we heard the drums and singing and chanting. We saw through the windows of a house lots of people and candles. I was honestly so intrigued, but my companion only let me look for a little. But she told me it's found a lot here in Santa Catarina. Which is the state I'm serving in. More common in Florianópolis. I’ll keep you guys updated with more experiences in the future. 

Zone Conference! Mixed feelings about this. Seeing other missionaries (getting to speak English) and going out to eat, loved! The president and other mission leaders are so knowledgeable and helped me feel remotivated. 

The part where I had to individually role-play 2 separate lessons by myself in Português in front of a conference room full of people who are either Brazilians or fluent in Português, absolutely hated. I was shaking, but I'm proud of myself that I was able to get through it, and honestly shocked. 

Interview: It went well, he doesn't speak much English and I don't speak much Português so there's a little bit of a language barrier. But he's great, very passionate. He then drove us to our next appointment, and I rode up front with him. I talked about açai for a solid 20 minutes because that menu is the Português vocabulary words that I have memorized. 

•During lunch with a member family, they put on Pride and Prejudice and insisted we watch. What was I to do. Made me miss my mom! & chick flicks. 

•I'm really fulfilling my missionary purpose of helping others make covenants, one being marriage. If you guys remember the man who asked us to pray for him to get a wife. Well, we have a member who wants a husband so I'm doing a little matchmaking. 

•I've upgraded from having an American accent to a Spanish one. I've been getting that a lot. : “Hermana?!” 

My companion really doesn't like Americans. I introduced her to both peanut butter and Biscoff so I'm out of ideas. She did say she liked me though. A miracle. She only ever had Brazilian companions for the past 17 months, so she hasn't ever had to adapt to an American. Sometimes it requires more patience, probably from both sides. But I am grateful for what I've learned from her. I wouldn't have changed it. She's great. 

🌸

I read a talk this week that was exactly what I needed to hear. I'll copy it here and encourage you all to read it. It's called, “Swallowed up in the Joy of Christ,” by Elder Brian K. Taylor. 

“Joseph’s change in perspective brought deepening sanctification, as reflected in this letter to a friend: “After having been enclosed in the walls of a prison for five months it seems to me that my heart will always be more tender after this than ever it was before. … I think I never could have felt as I do now if I had not suffered the wrongs that I have suffered.”

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2024/04/46taylor?lang=eng

That last line was my favorite. "I think I never could have felt as I do now if I had not suffered the wrongs that I have suffered." I have comfort in knowing that when times are hard for me, it's only for my good. God knows my potential and knows what I need to grow. He knows me personally, he knows my mission, my companion, my mission president, the people I'm teaching and the trials I will face. There isn't a trial we have that he doesn't have a way for us to get through it. He will also only ever give us trials he knows we have the capacity to handle. So if you have a trial, it's because he knows you can get through it. Coming into my mission I was very confident haha. My mindset going into it was always, I know I can handle it. Now it's, I know through Jesus Christ I can do it. I have been humbled. The mission worked, I can come home now. I realize how much I need these 18 months to change me. It will soften my heart, humble me and I'll have a greater sense of empathy. I will always cherish this time that I called on my Savior constantly. 

In order to fully get something out of a situation, I believe there needs to be some opposition. That is when we will truly appreciate the good times. So in a couple months when I'm able to speak Português, I'm more adapted, and can be the missionary I want to be, I will be even more grateful because I had to work to get there. Or as Veronica said, "If you're going to be a missionary, you better be the best missionary I know."

"Helping us find further meaning in our trials, Elder Orson F. Whitney taught: “No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education. … All … that we [patiently] endure … builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable. … It is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our [heavenly parents].”" 

Shoutout to anyone who went on a mission or is currently on one. I'm impressed by you all. 

Love you all so much, anyone who sent a message for my birthday/mission that my mom was making a book with. Thank you so much!! I read it often, it gives me a lot of joy. 

Send me an update today! 💌

Sister Copeland 🫶

Week 9 - September 15, 2025

 My week:

● Had caldo de cana 🧃 and tapioca for the first time. 7/10

● Finished the Book of Mormon 10/10

● Spoke in church 0/10

● Divisions (different area & comp for the day)

●Made a new friend in church, a young girl who was so excited to show me she's been learning English in school. 

3 weeks left in this transfer. I've been here in Jaraguá for close to a month!  There's tough moments, but I have learned so much.

Speak in church: I gave a talk in church this week. I'd compare it to when the Sunbeams participate in primary programs. Not sure how much was actually understandable. My companion informed me I pronounced a word meaning something unfortunately too close to the English word that rhymes with duck. Happens. 

Quick story- we were giving a lesson to this older couple, and they had 3 dogs, all of which had 0 neck. Pug pit bull type.  We start talking to them and the husband informs us she is hard of hearing and doesn't understand well. So he told us we have to yell. Back to the dogs, the dogs were insane. Licking us jumping on us and these dogs were hefty dogs. With no necks. But the best part was they were breathing, panting the loudest I have ever heard. So now, we are giving this lesson, while yelling. But they couldn't hear us because of how loud these dang dogs were. (Did I mention they had no neck) Picture us, in this house. With these 3 dogs, with this couple who when anytime the wife would answer a question, he'd have to answer again for her because she had no idea what was going on, trying to give a lesson while yelling, while being assaulted by these 800-pound pugs. I was in the corner silently laughing so hard at my life. 

Divisions: my first division! We got up at the great hour of 3am to catch a bus to Joinville. I was with Sister Poff, an American from Kentucky. We worked a lot, walked about 15 miles and I learned a lot. It was really nice to talk to someone in English all day, too. At first, I was dreading divisions, I didn't want any more change and to leave my normal day-to-day and was kind of nervous. But it ended up being something I really enjoyed. She took me to this boujee bakery (honestly, they're all boujee here) and while I was ordering I heard across the building, "AMERICANA" The waitress told him I was an American and he was so excited. He worked in Boston for a few years and wanted to talk to someone about America. He kept trying to make references and jokes that only Americans would know to look more like an American, but they honestly made no sense. He paid for our food, it was very kind. But it's true, being an American here, people are very intrigued. 

Misc. 

My companion and I don't argue, but obviously sometimes we have disagreements we have to work out. When this happens, we use google translate to ensure there's no miscommunication. We both pull out our phones and Siri just talks back and forth with herself for a good 10 minutes. Or charades. 

I had churrasco, Brazilian barbecue and was like, wow this flavor is so good! I was wondering what they used to season it. I looked a little closer and saw that, said flavor was now crawling. A bug, yes. 

I gave part of a lesson in English this week, and it was so weird. (He understands Português but always responds in English.) But I was able to bring the Spirit a lot easier. Felt weird though. It felt good to remember I actually do know how to speak. 

One guy we were giving a lesson to, at the end we we're going to end with a prayer, and I was going to say it. We asked if there was something specific he wanted in the prayer and he asked if I could pray for him to get a wife. I respect the effort. 

Literally as I'm writing this, a bird dropped a gift on me… flashback to London when Ella b had to wash the seeds out of my hair. 

Anyway

Another guy we are teaching went to church yesterday and we were so happy to see it from his social media story. I think he really enjoyed it! The next slide was him celebrating at a club! With some shots! Only 20 minutes apart. 😍

As you can see, the work is good here in Brazil! 

Now, something really great happened this week, I finished the Book of Mormon. I started it around the time I got my mission call in February. It was a huge comfort to me before and even more now on my mission. I felt the Spirit so strong every time I read it and I felt the love God and Jesus have for me through it. At the end, Prophet Moroni invites, and promises us that if we read, ponder and pray it will be confirmed unto us through the Holy Ghost. The feeling that I had once I read the last chapter and verse was so distinct. It wasn't a huge thing, but it was piercing. I sat in the feeling quietly and journaled about what I felt. It was a feeling very peaceful and one that I could not deny. I'm happy I did this at the beginning of my mission, because I want to share it even more now. 

Moroni 10:4,5  "4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. 5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."

The talk I gave was about walking with Christ. It depends on us, what degree of relationship you want to experience with Jesus Christ. We can be lukewarm, or we can be completely dedicated to him. Yes, God allows us to go through trials, but he never said we had to do it alone. Trials are necessary in this life to grow. But we have the gift of the Savior to do it with us. To walk with us. Think about a time in your life where you were really struggling, now picture the same time but with Jesus Christ standing by you, weeping with you. That's exactly what happens. The closer we draw near to him, he will to us. I know through covenants we can have a deeper relationship with God. That's why I'm here, to help people on their covenant path and create a relationship with their Savior. I am very grateful for this purpose. I wouldn't be able to do this if it weren't for the comfort I find in my Savior. I am very grateful for him. 

Miss and love you all so much, send me an email today. 

I know it's probably hard to be away from me. You're in my prayers.

🩷 Sister Copeland