Week 30 - February 27, 2017

Wow!  Seven Months Down!!    

Another month down already!  Next thing ya know, I'll be at 10 calling you guys for Mothers' Day, then 12 and halfway done with my mission!  Time is picking up faster and faster each month.  This week was great!  We were teaching all day every day.  It felt like I was back at Aberdeen University!  Lisburn is a wee town of miracles and Elder Nelson and I are loving it!

Tuesday:  We had a great District Meeting, talked about our areas and how we can continue to strengthen them!  After DM, we had a lesson with Kirstie, who is doing swell, then a lesson with a 75 year old man named John who is a Protestant but likes everything we teach him.  It's funny--he gets really off topic, but all his questions he has had his whole life about his church and God we we answered in the Restoration and Plan of Salvation and I don't think he processed it all.   We then had some good finding and a lesson with Mannie and a less active named Ian who doesn't want to go to church because he likes golfing on Sundays, can't blame the guy right? ;)  Jokes.

Wednesday:  Another great day of lessons!  We showed Mannie, "The Prophet of the Restoration" movie.  It was great, such a powerful film!  Then we had some lessons with a Recent Convert named Telis who's Portuguese.  His little siblings were jumping all over us telling us they wanted to come to church, it was funny.  We then had a lesson with a less active who wanted to meet up named Julie.  She brought her 8-year-old daughter with her as well named Jorgia, who wants to learn about the church and be baptised AHH!!  We set a date with her for April 1st and also to help get Julie get re activated.  That is exciting!  We will see how that all goes! 

Thursday:  We met with Kirstie and taught her some more.  Then we had a new investigator named Amy meet with us, who said she will try and read about the Book of Mormon.  We taught Mannie again haha, just a complete legend.  We are having such powerful lessons with him.  He is excited for his baptism.  It will also be his birthday on his confirmation!  Later on in the night, we had Ward Coordination and Book of Mormon class.  Mark Ballard.  Absolute Legend.  I love that man.  When I tour my mission, the first people I will visit are my converts and Mark Ballard.  He will drop everything to come help us whenever he can!  Lotta respect for him.

Friday:  We started off the morning with a lesson with Candace!  Ah man, she is so spiritual.  We talked to her about the Plan of Salvation and she absolutely loved it!  She told us she wants to be baptized in April once she finishes all her Tai Kwon Do for good, so that gives us a good amount of time to just teach her everything and get her prepared, exciting stuff!  We later on had a lesson with a investigator named Ilkka from Sweden, turned into a Bible bash.  He said he respects us though and how bold I was with him and proclaiming the truth I know though, so fair enough!  Sometimes gotta do what you gotta do!  Another great lesson with Mannie in the evening.  We talked to him about the Word of Wisdom.  He wants to follow it, but has a smoking problem, but that's okay!  Elder N had a stop smoking program for missionaries to use from his other comp!  It was made by missionaries in Dublin in 1989, and it still works!

Saturday:  What a fun day haha.  We had a lesson with Mannie.  We told him to bring all of his smoking stuff.  The program started off with him completely ripping all his cigs in half and signing a paper and a bunch of other steps.  It was brilliant hahaha!  This program completely stops someone smoking in only seven days!  We had Mark help us with the lesson.  He used to drink a lot before he was baptized and was in the Army, so he is great support for Mannie!  The rest of the day we did some finding and set some stuff up for this coming week!

Sunday:  Church! We had Kerri and Mannie come to church, both who have the date of the 11th!  The others all couldn't make it for various reasons, which were actually legit.  Luckily the ones who are coming to their dates soon were there, so it was okay that the others missed, just gotta get them this next Sunday!  We went and visited another less active and then did some planning for our week!  I love the Sabbath! 

That was my week the best I can remember!  We, also, went to another castle, and the city today,  did some exploring . . .

 (Belfast City)

 (Touring Carrickfergus Castle.  The sign states:  "Crammed with over 900 years of history, Carrickfergus Castle has guarded the approach to Belfast Lough since 1177.  Besieged in turn by the Scots, Irish, English, and French, the castle saw action right up to World War II.")
 

 

 

 

then the Titanic Museum.  Mannie came with us.  That was well good!

 

 

 

I am loving N.I. (Northern Island).  Such a prepared place.  God is truly blessing us with miracles lately.  It is great!  I can't wait for this coming week ahead of me.  I love you all and stay safe! 😇🍀

Elder Copeland