Week 79

Well another great week here in Baltimore!  Conference was absolutely amazing.  I loved listening to all the apostles and the Prophet.  I remember sitting in the session as we watched them all in Spanish and just taking a step back and not only listening to what they were saying but paying attention to how I felt as they were speaking.  The power of the spirit was so deep in my heart that there is no doubt that these men have the authority to speak for god as if he were here.  I have been learning that as we prepare to hear the words of the prophets and for our spiritual meetings such as the sacrament, what we take away from the meetings will be so much greater.  It is all about our own personal preparation.  

Well this week was a sad week.  We had ups and downs.  The down's, We lost Misael and his Family.  We have literally been praying every day multiple times a day for this family.  Ester told us the past sunday that she wanted to be baptized and change her life.  She told us she wanted to have contact with us even if we were transferred.  Tuesday came and she said come back on wedneday.  Wednesday they werrent there... We called and texted, no answer... Saturday came... We decided to just show up at their house... Ester came in asked if we had called misael, we said no.. She said well I am sorry I have to go to work.. Her husband comes up the stairs and says that Ester just went to her evangelical church.. Misael texts and says he needs a break... We ask ourselves.. "What Happened?"  After all the miracles. After we watched the spirit testify to them,  Them cry in their seats saying they knew the book of Mormon is true and that joseph smith is a prophet.  Telling us they want to have contact forever.  and within one day we lost them??  I have been pondering this experience for a week now, trying to figure out what the lord has in mind for us to learn.  Why??  The only conclusion that I can come to is that this truly is the lord's work.  He will do his work on his time and we can only be instruments in his hands.  Our job is to invite as Elder Anderson Said in this last conference along with Elder Oaks, this is the time for members and missionaries to come together and invite.  To have missionary experiences.  It is our job as members to testify of what we know and to believe it.  Our friends may turn away, but those that accept it will be forever grateful like myself.  I have been changed by the doctrine of Christ.  I hope that each one of you will have a missionary experience this week and involve the full time missionaries.  They need your help so bad!!  Testify and your faith will grow. I promise :)

Elder Cornejo

Week 78

Well there goes another week!  Time flies!!

Well a couple of cool experiences happened this last week.

1) We were helping this less active try and gain a testimony to do missionary work.  We were trying to apply what Elder Gay had told us and let everyone know that their answer to ever question in the world is in the book of mormon!  So this la didnt really believe that the Bom was the word of god.  Her parents arent members and so we said think about what you want, read the book and try and find your answer.. Well about a week later she came up to us and said, Elders, YOU are never going to believe what just happend to me?  We said what?  She said, last night in my dream god answered my prayer!!!!  She says I was back in my country in Honduras.  I was living in the streets and it was so dangerous.  Everyone was killing each other, selling drugs, Doing bad stuff etc.. So i climed this wall to get away from it all.  I climed a wall and when i got to the top, I reached the temple that i had seen their in honduras...  There was a women there and she said dont worry, As long as you are in the temple you will be safe... She then felt the confirmation of the Holy ghost.  Afterwards the women in her dream gave her a Book of Mormon and told her she had to read it and that it was the word of god....

The lord truly works in mysterious ways.. She told us I know now what I have to do!  It was suuch a cool experience!

An update from the Garcia Family, they are getting tempted left and right.  Go figure... They all of a sudden have to work on sundays and now they are attending their old church.  We watched the change in their faces.  The desire as the Holy Ghost decended over them and they were so willing to change but they have been talking to "people"  So we pray that we don't lose them.  There always seems to be something... We had such a spiritual lesson of the restoration but they seem to believe that their is no need to repent and that everyone is a prophet and has the authority to baptize... This is definately an interesting case... She's married to another man but living with this one.... But we are staying positive, seeing miracles and trying to teach with the spirit.  I hope you all have a great week!

Love

Elder Cornejo

Week 77

Wow what an incredible week!!  We had Elder Dallin H Oaks come visit the mission.  In general conference he is so serious but when you meet him in person he is so funny!!  There is no doubt in my mind that he is a true apostle called of the lord.  The expeirence in meeting all of these apostles and talking with them is an experience of a lifetime!!

So we had a pretty cool experience with a family we are teaching.  They are literally the most prepared family i have ever met!!  They have the sweetest questions and are always wanting to know more.  So the parents are in their late 50's early 60's and Their names are Esther and Victor.  Their son's name's are Misael, Victor and Luis.  Their daughters name is Jimena.. Misael is living with his girlfriend named Andrea.  They want to get married but Andrea is married to someone else in Guatamala...  Luis is dating a girl named Paola and we are literally teaching the whole family!  The most solid right now are Esther and Misael.  IT is definatley a wild ride.  We were in a lesson with Misael last week and oh man it was the most spiritual lesson i have ever seen, had in my entire life!!  We had prepared a lesson to teach Alma 32, but the whole time Misael was just staring off in the distance...  So right after the prayer I turn to my companion and tell him hey we cant teach what we prepared...  He says, I know...  So we start talking to them and find that Misael is really struggling.  He begins to cry.  We explain that just as jesus christ we are here to suffer with him.  We begin to tell a story about to misioneras and their investigator.  Their investigator had been going through a rough time in her life.  With the burdens of school, work adn family problems, she couldnt bare add any more with learning so much about the gospel of Jesus Christ.  So one day while in a lesson, barefooted this girl just gets up and starts running away... The missioneras run after her.. At this point she is crying and says just let me be.  The misioneras say let us run with you.  So they take off their shoes and run with this girl until all three of their feet are bloodied and bruised.  Afterward this girl turns to the misioneras, with tears in her eys and says, Thank you, thank you for loving me enough to feel my pain.  At this, the spirit was so strong, Hno Xochihua (miember friend) Begins to testify and to cry about how he and his wife are going thru a tough time in their life and cannot have children..  He empathyses with mMisiael.  In the end, We read Alma 7:11-16 and Misael was applied the scripture to himself.  He was crying and thanking god for answering his prayers.  He knows he has to repent,  He knows he has to change and we had the opportunity to watch god yet again answer another prayer with the book of mormon.  This book has so much spiritural power.  Now we are praying for them to help them reach a baptismal date and change their lives... Oh man i have so many storryes of things i learned this week but i hope each of you can ask a question and then search the Book of Mormon for an answer.  The book really does come from god so any question you ask, He will answer through the book.  I hope you all have a great week!

Love

Elder Cornejo

Week 76

Wow what a crazy week!!  So we just keep seeing miracle after miracle and it is hard to remember them all.  This past week went by insanely fast!!  The Garcia family is still progressing, but they need to keep reading and praying to strengthen their converson.  Something that we have been learing is that when a person recieves their first witness from the spirit they don't need to keep praying to know if it's true, they already have recieved a witness, but to encourage them to continue looking to feel of the truthfulness of this gospel.  

I would have to say that the highlight of this week what when the seventy Elder Robert C Gay came and spoke to our zone in a zone conference.  I have never been more convinced of the truthfulness of this gospel and the pure spirit that these leaders have with them.  Elder Gay told us, you can only convert your investigator as far as you are converted.  Zone Leaders, You can only convert your zone as much as you are converted, And also Bishops and their councelers, you can only convert you're ward as far as you yourselves are converted.  That really put a lot of pressure on the leaders, but it just goes to show how converted the prophet and apostles are to be able to lead and recieve inspriation from Jesus Christ to lead this church.

Week 75

Ok so I don't have too much time but would love to tell you about one of the most crazy experience my companion and i have ever had.  Last night, We literally had 5 members all lined up to come out with us to go teach the Garcia Family but they all had to cancel..  The Garcia family is amazing.  We called Esther and she said, I am not home but my husband is and so is Andrea.. So we say ok we will go even tho we have no member to drive us...So another problem is, that it is a holiday, which means an hour bus wait..  Well we finally get to their house, knock the door, their huuge pitbul starts barking but nobody answers us.. Are you kiiding me... So we walk away thinking ok maybe next time we dont want to bother them on a holiday..  Well as we are waiting for the bus to take us back Ester and her daughter Jimena drive up and say hey elders, nobody answered the door?  We say no idk if anyone is home... She says yeah my husband is home come on over.. So as we are walking to the house we review our plan #setgoalsandmakeplans pmg... We say well she wasn't at church, we need to answer her question about what the beasts mean from Daniel chapter 7 teach the apostasy and invite them to be baptized...  So we go in and sit down with the family... We start talking about how she didnt come to church and really it is sad when we dont keep our commitments because that's what's god's asked us to do.. We then start teaching about the formation of christ's church and the apostasy and that's where Daniel's dream comes into play as he sees the 4th beast.  That 4th beast is just as undefined as it's animal... He sees the 10 horns that each resemble a kingdom that will be formed and then he sees a little horn which literally symbolizes the great and abominable church but undefinable which church he is refering to that nefi refers to in 1 nephi 22: 13-18.  We start reading that and testifying that we know that the book of mormon is true through the power of the holy ghost.  As soon as Esther started reading those verses from the book of mormon, I had the privelege of watching god work through us and through his scriptures to testify to her that the book of mormon was truly the word of god.  She instantly broke into tears as she started reading the book of mormon and found the answer that she had been looking for for so long.  We then were able to help her recognize that that was an answer to her prayer.  I have never felt the spirit so strong and throughout the lesson as this lesson. The change in her expression and the tears in her eyes, the atmosphere, everything changed. The lord truly changed her and she new it.  She felt it. She recognized the spirit and that comforted her to know that everything we were saying was true and from god.  It was one of the most amazing things i have ever seen.  She then told us that she felt that she needed to be baptized by immersion to complete what heavenly father wants of her.  She wants to go to church but is nervous that she doesnt know enough yet.  She has so much faith and has been battling cancer and it has just been a journey teaching this family... 

I cannot explain sufficiently with words how amazing this experience was.  Again we were able to witness a miracle as the spirit descended over her and completely testified of truth.  God is so real and the book of mormon is so true.  She was looking and because she was searching and asking thru prayer, god answered her.  Can you imagine if we would of gotten a ride from a member, we would of left right away.. Or if the ppl would of answered, we would have taught someone else and not ester, but god lead us to that exact moment to where we needed to be simply because he truly loves each on of his childminder.  Crazy.  I love you all.  Have a great week!!

Elder Cornejo

Week 74

Blog:

Well This is the only Picture that i have of Johnathon's baptism as of right now... the rest are still comming... hhaha We had a good time.  His Brother Joel was able to baptize him and then yesterday give him the Gift of the Holy Ghost.  Everytime i see someone enter into the waters of baptism it strengthens my testimony because i know that the spirit is so real.  That the feeling that they feel is so real and that there is no way this gospel can be made up.  Well transfers are this week.  I am staying in Baltimore with Elder Southwick!!  I am soo happy!  Literally the best area with the best companionship!!  We have a ton of fun.  Yesterday.  Misael and his girlfriend Andea came to church.  You will literally not believe this family.  Im not even kidding the spirit that we feel in each lesson the questions that they have, oh man I feel like i am sent right back to when i recieved the lessons.  She askes us about Daniel, so i literally had to go back and read the entire book of Daniel to understand where her questions come from... now they are onto asking us questions about revelations.. I have never been edified so much as i am in the lessons that we have with this family.. Last night we decided to teach the plan of salvation, the second half and you would not believe the things i learned.  Literally these lessons are so inspired that we teach..  The plan of salvation literally explains what she was reading right out of revelations... The milenium the second ressurection,  All this stuff that is in the bible it explained sooo clearly with the book of morrmon and the 3 lessons, the restoration plan of Salvation and Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I am soo convinced by the spirit and by the doctrine that we teach that if all the people in the world would just listen to the true doctrine that is explained in those 3 lessons, , the entire world would change... the reason for it being so bad is because people dont want to listen and don't want to change.  But the people that do truly are the elect that the scriptures profeci and that we will see in the first ressurection.  I am so grateful for this gospel and the happiness that it brings to families if each will abide by its precepts!!  In other words, if we love god, we will keep his commandments and DO the things he has asked being, Faith, repentance, baptism by immerson and authority, recieving the gift of the hg by authority and enduring with faith and hope until the end.  I am soo certain that if we were to share our testimonies with just one person a week, in time the angels of heaven will prepare their hearts and they will change.  There is only one way to the father and that is through Jesus Christ and obedience to those 4 commandments.  I am so gratful not only for the lives of those around me bbut for the change i have seen in my life and for the eternal progression that is to come.  I pray that each will desire the same. :)  I love you!

Elder Cornejo

We had the change to race at the autobond gocart race track today.  My homie Adrian representing the California shirt!!  It was soo fun!  It felt sooo good to be able to wear a helmet, soo close to dirtbiking, but not quite!!  

Week 73

Another awesome week.  So many things are happening here in Baltimore we can hardly keep up with them all!!  It is so crazy.  Well we have been teaching this family Enrique and Lizet.  We had one of the most spiritual lessons with them this week but they decided they were happy living where they are at right now and don't really want to change Or get married...  Plus Enrique is apparently married to another woman in Mexico and living with Lizet who is 22 years younger than him... so I guess that makes sense.. But it was super sad to decide we would have to stop teaching them for a while, but after that we literally met the coolest family ever!!  They are from Hidalgo Mexico.  They were soo close to coming to church but had to work... Dang.. But we were teaching them and the spirit was so strong, by far one of the most spiritual lessons Elder Southwick and I have had together.  It's so weird that even though we get along so well, He's one of my best friends on the mission that its still hard to find that perfect balance in teaching together, saying the right things at the right moment and so on.  But we have another lesson with them tonight.  They took out their note books and were just writing down the things we said and they just loved it!  Such a blessing...

Jonathon should be getting baptized this Sunday, so we are praying that everything goes well with that and that we can continue to see him and help him prepare for a mission here in a couple of years.  It is so amazing how many people are prepared and how close his coming must be.  Yet no one knows how close he is.  I love this mission because I have the change to see and help and learn how to work with soo many different people.  Sometimes it stinks, learning all of your weaknesses but I hope and pray that one day, I can overcome them.  Something that I have rally been studying this week is just how perfect the life of Christ really was.  He set the example by action for all of us.  Our purpose in this life is to develop faith in him and repent daily.  Repent means  return, return to Christ...  I think that is the key of life to continue repenting, developing our faith thru our actions and helping others come to the knowledge that Jesus Christ truly is our savior.  So grateful for all the people that the lord has put into my life at this time.  I hope you have a great week!

Elder Cornejo 

Week 72

Well just another great week here in Baltimore.  

Crazy thing:  We say a crazy drug deal!!!  Literally 2 feet from us, within 2 seconds the crack was passed.  I feel so bad for the people here, that's all they do.. There is no hope.  As we walked a little further down the road, we came across someone that was already feeling the affects of the drugs.. She was passed out on the bricks infront of her house, looks like she wasn't able to make it inside ontime last night... poor girl and we kept walking...

Miracle of the week we found some of the coolest people to teach.  Everything lined up perfectly!!  So we went to teach a couple of menos activos but it was like 1:00pm and nooo one was home.  So we decided we would contact the referral that some other missionaries gave us.  So we set out not having a GPS, the onlything we had was the address and we were in Baltimore!!  That's like finding a needle in a hay stack!  So we journed and all of a sudden we see a member from out ward.. he needs some help!  So we help him and realize hey he has a phone with a gps... so we look up the address and think we've got the right address and so we set out in that direction.. Well we kind of have an idea of where to go, but get lost... All of a sudden, the missionaries that gave us the referral show up and they are 45 min from their house!!  Soo crazy we find them!  So we ask the, and they give us more directions.. We walk towards the house and come across another man and talk to him for a while.  He's not really interested but loves fishing... so we continue on our way to finally come across the house we had been looking for and it turns out that they just got home!! It was so awesome!!  They are such awesome people from guatamala and the timing worked out perfectly.  It was another great reminder that everything is on the lord's time and he is always their to guide us even when it seems like we are on wrong roads.

The temple was absolutely amazing!  We had the change to go thru and it was in spanish1  And it turns out that that same day, All of the branch from Frederick was there because one of their members was preparing to leave for her mission on Tuesday.. Oh man the spirit that we felt in the temple was something that I feel like I have never experienced before!!  It was sooo strong and I understand every word in the endowment in the temple.  Anyone who goes to the temple will know by the Holy Ghost that it truly is on sacred ground blessed by someone who had the proper authority from god.  I know this church is the complete church of Jesus Christ on the earth because it has the fullness of the gospel on the earth today and I am so lucky to be able to be apart of it.  If you ask the lord he will tell you.  I hope you have a great week

Elder Cornejo