The Copeland Ramblings/

Mission Accomplished!

One of my goals for this trip to Guinea was to sort and pack up our belongings before sending them on a flight to Senegal. Let me tell you, it was a lot of work! Thankfully, that is done and over with. On Monday we took everything to the airport where it was stored until yesterday when it was loaded on a plane for Dakar.

So now what? Right now I am in the middle of selling many of the items that we left behind. I’ve been busy sorting out items that people have requested and getting them ready for pickup.

Another equally important reason for this trip was to spend some time with our dear friends in Guinea. One of the hardest parts about all of this is having to say goodbye to people we met, particularly Pastor Samuel and his family. In Guinea, indeed most of Africa, relationships have much more value than they generally do in North America. Just saying goodbye wouldn’t be sufficient, it’s very important for me to spend time grieving our departure from Guinea with our closest Guinean friends.

Tomorrow morning, bright and early I am leaving for Kindia, a town a few hours drive inland. I am taking this two day trip with Pastor Samuel and his wife Charlotte as simply a way to spend time with them. They tell me that there is a beautiful waterfall there and we will of course spend much time greeting their friends in the area. We will return late Sunday.

I also want to thank you for your part in getting me here for this time in Guinea. It has been a sad but important time that needed to happen. Thanks for your prayers, words of encouragement and financial gifts. We are so thankful that God has given us such an awesome support team! If you have any questions at all about my time in Guinea, feel free to ask them in the comments. I will of course post more pics and hopefully video later.

Sent!

There is one week left of my time here in Guinea! Thankfully, the biggest task is finished. On Tuesday I took our packed belongings to the Conakry airport to send them on a short flight to Dakar, Senegal. It’s been a lot of work of hot, early mornings but it is now completed. It was nice to get it done sooner than later so that I can spend the remainder of my trip with Pastor Samuel and other Guinean friends and neighbours. I’ve already spent a lot of time with Pastor Samuel, we’ve had a really good time together. This weekend, we, along with his wife Charlotte are taking a trip to a town further into the interior of Guinea. I’m looking forward to seeing the sites there, Samuel said that he is going to take me a great waterfall. It sure has been difficult to pack up here and say goodbye to friends but I’ve had great God focused conversations with Samuel about all of this which has been really encouraging. I appreciate your prayers as I have worked hard to wrap things up here and also say goodbye. I will depart on March 17th and should arrive home late on the 18th. I look forward to seeing you and sharing some more about my time in Conakry, Guinea.

Song that encouraged me this Sunday

This Sunday at church they sang two songs in a row that really meant a lot to me. We have really gone through a whirlwind of stuff lately… and sometimes it leaves us wanting to ask God, “WHY???” But every time I started to think that He reminded me of so many verses in the bible that so clearly state that he is in control and has the best for us in mind! His ways are so much higher than our ways and we may never understand them. But if we look to him through the tough times and we grow in our faith… that should be enough for us!

Here are the lyrics for the two songs that really reminded me of these things:

If You say go

If You say go, we will go
If You say wait, we will wait
If You say step out on the water
And they say it can’t be done
We’ll
fix our eyes on You and we will come

Your ways are higher than our ways
And the plans that You have laid
Are good and true
If You call us to the
fire
You will not withdraw Your hand
We’ll gaze into theflames and look for You

Jesus, All For Jesus

Jesus, all for Jesus,
All I am and have and ever hope to be.
Jesus, all for Jesus,
All I am and have and ever hope to be.

All of my ambitions, hopes and plans
I surrender these into Your hands.
All of my ambitions, hopes and plans
I surrender these into Your hands.

For it’s only in Your will that I am free,
For it’s only in Your will that I am free,
Jesus, all for Jesus,
All I am and have and ever hope to be.

There is nothing better than being in God’s will. We have moved to Guinea and moved home and now moving to Senegal. That sure seems silly, but I am so content to be in God’s will and it really brings peace that passes understanding!

Debra

Your Impact

Since our departure from Guinea late last October our home church, Bethel Bible Chapel in Shelburne, Ontario has been collecting donations and sending them to Pastor Samuel and his church in Enta-Fassa, Conakry. It’s been exciting to see the results of these gifts first hand! Last month Pastor Samuel was able to buy a motorcycle. This is a huge aid in his ministry. One of his biggest jobs is to travel and visit other believers who are in need of counsel, prayer or encouragement. It is very expensive for him to use his car when doing this because of the cost of fuel (it costs a large portion of his monthly income to fill the tank) not to mention that it is hard to access some areas with a car. The motorcycle is much cheaper to operate and also gives him quick and easy access to areas the are normally difficult to access. Two days ago I went for a ride with Pastor and we visited some local believers who had lost loved ones. I can’t tell you enough how much your gifts are appreciated and how they have impacted people’s lives. Thank you!

Not only did Pastor buy a motorcycle with the gifts but they were able to replace the ceiling in the sanctuary and install lights and fans, creating a bright area that is much cooler. A new stage was also put in with the gifts.

Once again, thank you for your gifts. Enjoy the pictures below. You can also see more here.

He has landed!

I haven’t heard from Norm yet… but as the picture above show… he has landed in Conakry! I wish these flight status things were a little more personal… haha.

“Your husbands flight has landed safe and sound! He is doing great and had a good flight. Now you don’t have to worry!”

Haha! Anyway, I hope to hear from him by phone within a few hours. Thanks for all your prayers! Now the real work of his trip begins!

He should be arriving soon!

I was able to talk to Norm a few times yesterday. He contacted me while he was in Paris, it was around 1:30am here. He said he hadn’t been able to sleep yet, but that he had finished his first book. He had an extra seat next to him! Praise the Lord. There had been a man sitting next to him and he was moved to another seat. Nothing makes a flight nicer than when you have an extra seat next to you! Thank you Lord!

I also got a text from him say that his flight from Paris to Conakry was delayed a little bit. He left about an hour and half late, and should be arriving in Conakry at 8:30pm Conakry time which would be 12:30 here. Please pray for him as he is going to be adjusting a lot in the next little bit. For one, when he steps off the plane he will be going from beautiful cool Southern California weather to 90 degrees and 94% humidity! And pray he will be able to have a clear mind and adjust back in to speaking only French for the next few weeks.

Pray also for all of the people coming to the airport to pick him up, that they would have a safe trip.

Please also pray that he will get through customs with no problems and also that his bags will come in safe and sound!

We are so proud of Norman for going and doing this for us. Its not an easy task to leave your family for 3 weeks and go overseas all by yourself. I know people do it all the time, but its a first for us!

Phillippians 4:4-9
4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Thank you all for praying for us! Praying is such a wonderful blessing the Lord has given us, we can talk to God! How amazing is that!! And don’t forget he is listening to every word and loving it! He just wants to hear from you and me!

Thank you Lord for all of your amazing blessings to us!

Flying…

Norm should be somewhere over the Atlantic right now. He had a great flight from LAX to Atlanta, he had wifi on the airplane! How fun was that! He had a 2 hour layover in Atlanta. He called and said that things were going well… He is reading a few books that he bought at the airport…. trying to nap and probably watching movies.

We are already missing him like crazy. But we are so proud of him for doing this for us. Thanks for your prayers!

Here on this end, things are going well. Canaan is missing daddy and wondering when he will be back, but I think he will be ok. I was a little worried about him, since he is so sensitive to things like this. I am so blessed to be staying with my parents. So I always have an extra set of hands to help with the kids and such. Today we went on a few walks and enjoyed the nice weather. Norm will be enduring some pretty hot temperatures. Please pray he readjusts back into life in Guinea well!

Keep checking back for updates!

Just dropped Norm off at the airport

Thanks for praying and please continue to pray for Norman’s travels! I just got back from the airport. We got up at 4 this morning to get the last few things done and left at 5. My sister Kathleen was kind enough to come with me to keep me company on the way home. He should be boarding his first flight in the next few minutes. He will flying first to Atlanta and then to Paris and then to Conakry. He will be traveling for over 24 hours! Pray his travels are smooth and restful for him. He is confident his travels will be a breeze since we are used to traveling with two small boys! He will probably watch all the movies available for watching and is planning on buying a book at the airport! He has a lot to do in the next 3 weeks. Saying good byes, packing, sorting organizing and selling our things that we wont be able to take with us. We were able to get a lot of little gifts for our friends in Guinea. We bought something like 35 t-shirts and lots of notebooks, pens, ties, frames, photos, etc.! Thanks for praying and we will continue to keep you up to date!

~Deb

Flying Solo

Tomorrow morning, bright and early at 5am Deb will be taking me to the airport for my flight to Guinea! It sure came fast! We’ve spent the last few days preparing which, to be be honest, has been pretty easy compared to our normal travel procedures which involve two small children. While travelling will be relatively easy, please pray for my time in Guinea. I will be very busy selling some of our belongings and packing up the rest. I also want to spend as much time as I can with Pastor Samuel and his family. It is difficult to say goodbye and definitely not something I am looking forward to. I will be flying from LA through Atlanta and Paris and finally onto Conakry. I will arrive back in LA on March 18th. I will keep my twitter account updated while travelling and in Guinea, it will probably be the best way to hear what is going on while I am gone. Thanks for the many words of encouragement that we have received along with the many promises of prayer during my trip!