Post Mission Update

I am currently college.  I have found it to be a lot different than the mission in the aspect that I focus on so many other things, and that is part of the Lord's plan.  This last week I had the opportunity to travel to Heber City, Utah.  I met a little hispanic family who are not members of the LDS Church.  You would think everyone is a member in Utah, but I guess that's not the case.  This family is from Chihuahua, Mexico.  The father is in Mexico and his family is left here to fend for themselves so they are experiencing a bit of a difficult time.  It was awesome because their member friend Travis and I, visited them.  Travis is helping her son's attend scouts and they absolutely love it.  I really do have a testimony that God loves all of his Children.  That night, Travis and I shared a scripture from 1 Peter 1: 7.  The spirit entered the room once again and I felt so happy to be continuing to help the lord find and teach those that are willing and prepared to receive a little bit more joy in their life.  I love the feeling that comes as we serve others.  I know this church is true. I say that in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Cameron Cornejo

Final Letter

Well I cannot believe this is the last weekly email.  I never thought I would be sad as the end of 2 years, but honestly, I am constantly trying to fight back the tears.  I LOVE this mission.  I love that the lord granted me the opportunity to serve through the help of so many.  I cannot describe how I feel in words, but I will just say, I know my savior lives, I know that God lives.  And he loves us.  He really does live. I say that in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

This last week i had the privelege of seening Saida and Rudy get sealed. I was sooo happy for them,  Afterwards, they brought in Kylie, Saida's little daughter.  She is the cutest little girl and as all 3 of them were being sealed, everyone was crying as it was the most powerful moment of my life.  Honestly it was the happiest I have ever been in my life.  As well as yesterday in church, we had 4 investigators come!! The family from China!! and Kris and Nia, as well as a woman named Precious from Nigeria who is a doctor!! The members just grew to love them as they helped them and fellow shipped them.  Half the ward came up and thanked my companion and I for lighting a fire underneath their bum and inspiring them to to missionary work that their life has changed for the better and they are just soo happy, but sad we are leaving... I think it was the lords way of saying, thank you for all the work we have done, it's now time to move on.

I will see you all soon,

Love

Elder Cornejo

Week 95

Wow, these last couple weeks have been extremely busy!!  It has been such a blessing to work with so many wonderful people.  Last week started off with a crazy bible bash.  It was more of an organized bible bash, but we left with good feelings and the spirit.  I think maybe one day it will help.  Then we prepared for MLC and had a great meeting with the world wide missionary broadcast.  I went to Baltimore 2 times and we just saw miracles!!  I was with Elder Scott in our recent convert's house.  It was Elder Scott's birthday and we were able to eat tres leches cake.  Literally the tastyest cake ever!!  We were able to go to the temple with Sister Christiansen "our mission president's family" and i learned soo much.  Honestly the temple just gives us asuch an eternal perspective.  This next Saturday Rudy and Saida are going to be sealed in the temple as a family with Kylie!! I am soo excited for them!  Elder Honnings (my old companion and elder southwick) are flying out to see it!! I am so happy for them.  As we worked so hard knocking tdoors, working with members and visiting part member familes, our finding efforts were on point, but we were being rejected like crazy!! I hav enever been rejected so many times in my mission.  Sunday night 8:00pm we had a miracle!  We found a family from Hatie! 5 new investigators!  The lord always provides.  Well I am out of time but I hope you have a great week! 

Love 

Elder Cornejo

Week 94

Wow the weeks are flying by. Since the library's were closed last week, then we had zone conferences all week then exchanges and then planning and church, we have not had a chance to even email.  As well as today we are going to be extremely busy and it just keep on going.  We are going to be having another worldwide broadcast where they are going to be changing our missionary schedule.  It sounds like we are not going to be planning at night.  I am soo excited! 

This last week was awesome!  I received so much revelation, just being able to do the zone conferences with President Christiansen.  They are just amazing.  I had a lot of really spiritual experiences working with the missionaries.  They are just as important as investigators!  As well we met a family from Mainland China this last week.  They are soo humble and so teachable, but they take the gospel very seriously.  They have one daughter her name is Grace.  We taught them the restoration and the plan of salvation last week and it blew their mind!  They are such great examples of the savior when he tells us to become like him.  As well we are teaching a part member named Kris and Nia Bickmore.  He served a mission and then went less active directly after his mission.  It is so crazy to see how much he has forgotten and the light that has drained from his demeanor.  But Nia just loves the Bible and the Book of Mormon.  We shared the seminary donuts story and the atonement last week and she tells us, well it looks like i just need to pick up and eat the doughnut in my life aka accept Jesus Christ and his atonement.  She read the BOM all week!  And said that her stress level went down to almost 0.  It was so sweet!  She is recognizing the little things.  Well I am out of time but I hope you all have a great week!  My challenge for you is to share your testimony with someone.  It may be small, but you know more than you think you know.  

Elder Cornejo

Week 93

Here are the pictures from the russian dinner That Ayonola made us.  She is the only one from russia!  It was awesome!!

Week 92

Well this last week was crazy!!!

Our investigator Ehtsham who had a baptismal date for the 21 of January got up and just moved to Pakistan!!?  We were like what on earth happened.. Now we cant even get in with him... So we have Keri and Tony and their family, but they just all of a sudden stopped talking to us.  Their member friend invited them over for dinner and then they called an hour before and cancelled on the member friend.. What in the world, that was on new years.  We haven't been able to have contact since... As well we found an investigator from russia,  She is russian orthodox,  She made us some delicious russian food and it was awesome,  We mentioned baptism and invited her to be baptized and with such a strong language barrier, she definatley took it the wrong way and told us she will never convert haha, but will all this crazyness, there is bound for something awesome to happen,  We met 2 wonderful part member families this week and they have soo many awesome questions!!!  I love it!!!  There are so many doubts they have and really they all stem from the mis understanding who god is.  We got a lot of questions on why god would permit people to be gay and go through such a big challenge in this life...As i thought about the doctrine behind the answer, the spirit said, they do not understand the god head.  Then as we listened, they listed so many doubts they had had about why their are so many churches as well as and pretty much why does god allow bad things to happen to good people.  The first lesson in preach my gospel is the restoration and that addresses all those concernes, but really the most important thing a person can do is ask god if he is really there, then when and i say when because he will answer, all the other doubts seem to just be resolved on their own.  As members of the church, we take for granted that we believe that god has a body of flesh and bone, but there are soo many people that don't know and all they have to do is ask, but they are scared for the answer.  I am so convinced that if we ask and are willing to keep his comandments, he is so ready to respond to us.  I am grateful for my savior Jesus Christ and all he has done to make this jourrney so much easier.  Hope you have a great week!

Elder Cornejo

Week 91

Picking up the new missionaries and dropping off the departing missionaries with President and Sister Christiansen!!

Week 90

Merry Christmas!!

Viri was baptized!!! As well we had the Christmas Conference.  These are all the missionaries in our mission.  It was a crazy day.  We helped organize the whole mission playing minute to win it as well as each zone was in charge of doing a skit.  I will have to send you some of my favorites next week.  There were some very powerful skits.  One was a shadow light show which showed the plan of salvation and it was so amazing everyone was in tears!  As well Viri was baptized the 24 of December.  It was perfect.  It was the first time i had the opportunity to baptize someone.  President Christiansen said that the Area Seventy changed the rule so the missionary could baptize one person on their mission.  After working with Carlos and Viri since June of 2015, when she asked me to baptize her, I was so excited.  She has made so much progress and we have seen them change so much. It has been such a great week.  It was an amazing way to remember the true meaning of christmas which should be focused on our savior jesus christ.  I hope you all had a wonderful christmas.  

Elder Cornejo

Week 89

Jasmine Morales was baptized!!! So she is from Mexico, her mom still lives in Mexico and they are going through a hard time.  Last night we were able to go to there house and we asked Jasmine to share her testimony of why she got baptized.  She started telling us about all the times she had felt the spirit and how she wanted to change her life.  IT was so awesome to see the gospel truly change her.  Afterwards, she said and when i was skyping with my mom tonight, it was the first conversation we had where we didn't fight... her mom, not being a member of the church said...there is something different about you, you look as though you are glowing!  And she did, she really did, and that is such a testimony to me that the gift of the holy ghost really changes those who allow themselves to be changed.  She texted us and said, Elders I am soo happy.  Thank you sooo much for teaching me these things...It was sooo awesome!!!!!!!  

Her baptism almost didn't happen,  IT snowed that morning, and we had to push it back and hour and a half so people could get there.  Never the less it was awesome!!

As well we had the most amazing experiences with Viri and Carlos this past week.. Well Wednesday, we took elder Southwick to the temple, that was amazing and Thursday we slept and went to an appointment.  As we finished the appointment we decided to drive to our next appointment we had on the plans.  As we are on the way, the spirit says turn around, you can call them... go to your next appointment... as we are on the way to the next appointment the spirit tells me, go stop by Carlos and Viri!  So we do.  She is in the middle of watching a documentary on Mormons from the history channel ironically.... We start talking and as i sit down, I sit on the book of Mormon and the bible... What!! they were out?  Were your reading them we asked?  She said yes!  Remember the crazy lesson we had with them last Sunday night.. well she was actually reading one verse from the bible and the book of Mormon a day!!  Elder Ashby promised her that if she did that she would receive an answer. That night she had a dream and in the dream, she heard a voice that told her to have more faith.  But she didn't know if it was from god, because she had had 1 other dream like that but she felt the holy ghost so strong and this time she didn't feel it... Well we talked to her and shared a couple of things, bore our testimony and it was the most spiritual lesson ever!!!!  We left and on the way to Jasmine's we are driving down the freeway...

I was in the center lane.  There were 3 lanes...  I watch this dodge viper come down off the on ramp entering the freeway.  I am driving and i told my companion, wow that is a nice car.  I'm not sure how expensive but it was pin stripped blue and white.  IT was sweet.  We drive a Nissan Altima 2016, so it was nice too... well the guy decided he wanted to race.. no i didn't race because we have a monitor that monitors our speed Its called tiwi...its the worst.  At this point we are driving about 65 mph down the freeway and as he enters on the road we are are driving parallel, side by side.  He gases it then for some reason drops back so we are neck and neck... Then he gases it again.  Out of the corner of my eye i notice something go wrong.  He loses traction and start's fishtailing!  He over corrects to the left and starts drifting the car and the car is sliding backwards on the freeway right in front of us!!!!! I am literally face to face with this car as he burns out and starts sliding, i hit the breaks and we dodge the car just in time missing him by inches and he flies into the center divider!!!!  We were literally looking face to face for half a second, smoke burning off his tires as they were melted from the friction.  I could not believe what just happened.  We pulled over, the pack of his dodge viper was crumpled in the center divider... He was shaken up but everything was ok. It was a miracle there were no cars around... The fool didn't know how to drive his own car!!!  But we were good.  Not even a scratch on our car.  Someone was watching over us!!  And something didn't like that we are helping so many people!!  The spiritual battle is unreal... 

But it gets better so Friday morning, we get a text from Viri...She says, I received my answer!!  She read a scripture in Acts and felt the spirit sooo strong... She said it was god confirming to her that her dream was true and and that it really was from god.  She told us, Elders, I want to be baptized on the 24 of December!!!  I was like nooo way are you serious!!!!!!  We've been working with them since the very beginning of my mission!!!!  It was such a miracle...  

I am so convinced that this is truly the church of Jesus Christ.  There is no way we would be able to see so many miracles and have the lord's hand in the work like it was with us this last week.  I have never been so close to the veil, but this last week i finally had a taste of how real and important the message that we share with people is.  This is the lord's only and true living church on the earth.  IT was here when Christ was, it was lost, and now it is back again.  I am so grateful to be apart of sharing the same message with people that the lord Jesus Christ himself shared.  That is the reason he came to this world, so that we can have eternal life.  I am grateful to call him my savior especially in the Christmas season when we truly remember the real meaning of Christmas.  IT is so we will have eternal life.  I am grateful eternally,  Merry Christmas

Love,

Elder Cornejo

We went to Baltimore last preparation day!! We picked up Elder Southwick and Felix threw a going away party for him!!  It was awesome!!!! I loved being there with everyone!!!  We took Elder Southwick to the airport Thursday morning.  I can't believe he's done!!

Week 88

Ok this week was crazy!!!

Jasmin is going to be baptized this Saturday!!  I am soo excited for her.  She is extremely happy and you can just see the changes that she has made.  She wants this so bad.  It's so cool to see how the gospel has changed her life..  As well oh man we had so many miracles i dont know were to start...I guess i wont... haha

The overall thing i have learned this week.  The Atonement is so real.  It literally covers everything.  We, myself included have such a little understanding of the atonement...I thought I did, but was humbled really hard.  I've wanted for Carlos and Viri to be baptized.  We have done soo much for them, study, teach invite and they just arent comming to church.. Sadly, I was so frustrated with them.  I was ready to drop them, after a year and a half of contact with them, i was ready to drop them in an instant... Elder Ashby then came in and bore the most sincere testimony that i have ever heard in my life.  He talked about how much he has seen viri grow, how much of a testimony she already has and how well she is doing.. The testimony was the most pure testimony i have ever heard in my life, and it was all by the spirit... What was an almost hostile environment turned into the biggest learning experience of my life.  Our companions are so divinly picked since the foundation of the world.. I am just in aww at how perfect the people that come into our lives are so perfect for us to grow and learn.  This plan is so perfect.  I am grateful for all the experiences i have had and the lessons i have learned.  This life is all about progression.  I hope you have a great week!

Elder Cornejo

Week 87

This week was another crazy week!  I don't even know were to begin!!

Ok so we are teaching a part member family.  She speaks spanish and we are the only half spanish companionship so we are teaching her.  Her name is Jasmin, she's 17 and her family lives in mexico but she lives with her aunt.  She's been taught for a while now an this last week, we brought over the young women's president and Jasmin decited she wants to be baptized on Dec 17!! It was awesome.  She was crying and really nervous but the spirit confirmed to her that it was true.  The young womens president after the lesson was like wow Elders that was awesome!  Thank you for that experience.  She is also the principle of one of the school systems down here so she knows like everyone!!  She later told us a miracle that happened to her.. She remembered having helped a family a while ago and just hearing that they were going thru a hard time.  She knew they lived in the area but didnt remember where... So we left and as she sat in the car she bowed her head to pray to ask for guidence on where to go so that she could find that family... Well when she looked up, the women was standing there in the window and just turned on the light so that she could see her face... So Sister Hipp (the young womens pres) went inside and met with her and the women inside wants us to go over and teach her the gospel and help her!!!!  It was such an amazing miacle to see the power and the timing in which the lord works.  Our lesson had been postponed from sunday to monday night.  Had been in the perfect moment so that Sister Hipp could see her friend.  We had feld that we should take sister hipp to the lesson with jasmin.  As we brought sister hipp to a lesson, we were able to gain her trust and she was willing to go out and do missionary work.  Now with just her alone, we've found 2 families to teach and Jasmin has a baptismal date for the 17!  I cannot believe the miracles that are happening.  

Viri came to the second hour of church and wants to be baptized on christamas eve and they are just progressing so well.  It's such a blessing to see so many miracles...

Crazy Mission story of the week, One of the spanish elders in a district that i had in baltimore had to go home early this last week.  He was from Mexico... His fiancee who was living in Mexico was murdered this last week by a stalker... Stabbed with a knife.  President called us at 12:30 pm to find him because I needed to translate for the people that had dropped him off at the airport because he desired to leave that night and didnt want to wait for a plane ticket. so he did everything backwards... Well at 1:30am we had to go get him from the office because president had to pick him up from the airport and get his greencard... cuz he's from mexico... At 3:30 am we drove him to his flight.. I'm still tired... But I reallly feel for him.. I can't imagine what he must be going thru and i count my blessings every day.  I've heard from him since and he is doing better.  I hope we can all realize the  blessings that come in and out of our lives with an eternal perspective that as we are obedient to the commandments of the lord, we will face adversity, but we can overcome it all with the help of the atonement.  Hope you have a great week!!

Love 

Elder Cornejo

Week 86

Happy Thanksgiving!  I am so grateful for soo many things.  Last Sunday we had call-outs, so we had to call all the missionaries and tell them where they were getting transferred too,  Then Tuesday, My companion Elder Leavitt finished his 2 years and went home thanksgiving morning.  I was super bummed to see him go.  Wednesday, we received the new missionaries, and chose who is going to train them and we slept for 2 hours that night.. Then had to be back to pick them up the next morning at 7.  We ran errands all day and stayed up all night Wednesday night with the departing missionaries, Elder Leavitt and his group.  I cant believe they all went home.  So Thursday morning at 3am we drove down their luggage in an enclosed trailer to the airport.  Well it had 26 departing missionaries luggage when we made it to the airport.  We drove and made it to the parking garage.  We drive slowly and the trailer smacks on the 8ft sign telling me the trailer is too big to fit in the parking garage.. Well i drive up to the garage and the trailer just barely fits inside.  I thought I was so awesome.  Well we drove thru the garage all the way to the top story where there is no roof over head.  Well we stay at the airport unload all the luggage and make a couple of trips back to pick up the rest of the missionaries.  Its finally 9am and all the missionaries are on planes to go home.  My companion and I are soo ready for bed.  Well as we are leaving the rooftop, we come down and as we are leaving the top of the trailer slams into the top of the parking garage!! Oh no!!!!  So we ask the guy if there is a different exit.  He says no... Shoot... The luggage had weighed the trailer down but without the luggage we were stuck! on the roof of the airport!!  So we decide to deflate the tires.. Still stuck... I was sooo bitter...Well we prayed and then all of a sudden a worker comes up and says, Are you stuck!?  We said yes. He says go try the other exit.. We werre like what?? So we did.  And we barely scraped thru!!! Even with the deflated tires.. We almost poped the tires.  I am so grateful they didnt pop!!  Then we get out and the air compressor is broken!!  So this guy comes hooks it up to a battery and the battery dies right as we finish filling the last tire.  Super thankful.. Well we went to the gas station to pump them up the rest of the way and i didnt have any cash!! So a guy comes up and gives us 50 cents and we fill up the rest of the tires just perfectly.  I was soo grateful...  I turned to my companion and said, wow this does not feel likes thanksgiving.  He then replied, are you kidding, I am the most thankful i have ever been in my life on thanksgiving.  It helped me to realize the true meaning of thanksgiving.  I was grateful for all the many blessings I received.  It really was such a wonderful day.  

As far as the area goes, We have been working so hard.  On the last day Elder LEavitt was here, we were able to put Viri on date for baptism!!!  After 4 years of living together, her and Carlos finally got married!!!  I am sooo happy!! Elder LEavitt and I taught them 1.5 years ago and she is so prepared now.  It is one of the greatest miracles i have seen on my mission.  So she set her date for the 24 of december which is actually christmas for the the hispanic culture,  You can see such a change in their life in the past week as they are keeping the commandments of the lord and are progressing towards baptism.  We have met a couple families from russia and cameroon.  I drank Kbass which is russian drink.  They assured me it didnt hav ealcohol in it but im not so sure... haha Anyway we have been experimenting soo many great things.  I am so grateful for all the many miracles that i have seen in my life.,  The lord is so real.  Have a great week!

Elder Cornejo

Week 85

Wow this week flew By!!  I am not even sure what happened this past week!  We finished up Zone Conferences.  So our zone conferences go from 8am to 4:30 pm and I am always the last person to instruct,  Well by that time everyone was kinda falling asleep, so in order to wake everyone up i decided to invite Elder Taviuni to try and get the Zone pumped up.  Well Elder Taviuni is from Tonga... And I had no idea what the HAwka was until he showed the entire zone and President Christiansen.  The Hawka is a football/rugby chant and it is sooo obnoxious and loud.,... after that the spirit was completely gone.... President was laughing so hard after the fact... he's never gonna let me live that one down....

The following zone conferece, I asked president at the beginning of my instruction, This zone seems pretty quiet president, what are we going to do about that.. he says, "well i dont know anything but the Hawka... I laughed and said, yeah that detracted from the spirit a little bit.  He repled yeah it only took a 3 hours for it to come back.. He was laughing.. oh man Im never going to forget that one!!  

Well we are working with Carlos and Viri, the hispanic couple.  They are getting married this friday!!! Finally!!!!!!!!!!!  And we are teaching them about the book of mormon.  Viri is waiting for an answer and she says when she gets one that is when she will believe... We are trying to help her to recognize the spirit and that she needs to "do" a couple of things but she says he is so much more open to the idea of baptism, which is soo cool because she was sooo closed off to the idea a year and a half ago when i was here with Elder Leavitt.  I just love this family so much.

We are also working with a guy named Larry.  He is so awesome but finds it hard to say no to people.  But he is awesome and we are working with him to try and help him quit smoking.  English work is such a new world.  I feel as though i am learning to be a new missionary again.  But the lord has something planned.  I really have had the best mission in the world!! 

Hope you have a great week!

Elder Cornejo

Week 84

Well this week has been extremely busy!  Probably the fasstest week of my mission!!  Time is going by way to fast.  So miracle of the week:
We were walking the streets in kind of a sketchy area..?  I say kind of because after living in Baltimore for so long nothing really seems sketchy... But ppl say that area was sketch.. IDK but anyway it was about 8:30 at night and we are just getting shut down everywhere,,.  This one lady opened her door but she was half dressed with only a towel so we couldnt go in.. That's happened to us 3 times this week!  Why would you answer the door??...Well we were just praying to see a miracle happen.. I said watch we are going to have an 8:59pmmiracle... So we get shut down a couple more times for the next 25 min and to no avail we slowly silk back to the car... There are 3 of us myself included and we almost are at our car when we at 8:59 i might add hear a voice from a nearby car!!!  There is a lady inside and she says, Are you the 3 missionaries that have come to give me a blessing tonight!!?  WE are like what in the world!!?  That neever happens... She says yes my sweet sister missionaries have been teaching me and I have been sick so they told me you would be able to give me a blessing... We said sure no problem!! So we give her the blessing and the spirit was suuper strong, so i asked her if she would come to church tomorrow.. She said she couldnt but the next week.  So we said ok well how did you feel during the blessing.. She said,.. I'm not really sure. A warmth a really good feeling!  We explained that was the spirit testifying what we have said is true.  She says she's felt it before but this time it was better!!!  So that was our 8:59miracle!! But it gets better.. So the 2 sister missionaries received a call that night from this lady and this lady gives them an account of what just happened from her perspective.. She tells the sister missionaries.. I received a blessing from your friends!!  At first i saw 6 of them in the distance.  They started to walk towards me.  I was a little scared.  But as they walked towards me 3 of the 6 disappeared... I knew that those 3 were angels and the 3 missionaries (meaning us) had angels with them!!!  That is how she new to call out to us and that we would be able to give her the blessing!!  She saw 3 angels walking beside us!!

That was such an amazing experience!!!

We'll we are teaching a spanish couple named carlos and Vir.  They are so awesome.  We are reading the book of mormon with them right now and praying that they will ask that it's true and recieve a witness!! They are soo awesome!!

We are also teaching someone named Larry.  He grew up in baltimore and has just had a hard life.  We are working with him now because he has set a goal to be baptized on Novemeber 25!  But i think he may be struggling with the word of wisdom so we are praying that all goes well! 

Well It's been an awesome week full of excitement and miracles.  I love this area so much.  These things are so true.  I hope you all have a great week1!

Love,

Elder Cornejo

Week 83

Sorry we had a crazy day!!!  I'll have to send some last minute zone pictures!  This Last week was amazing.. The weeks go by waay too fast!  The spirit is just so strong in every lesson we teach.  Each time we open the scriptures, I wish I could just freeze the moment in time.  We had the opportunity to do 2 exchanges this past week. Both were full of miracles!!  I got to drive all the way to Hancock Virginia so we could pick up a couple of the zone leaders and do an exchange.  Wednesday we had a halloween party with the ward and they wound up giving us about 60 left over hot dogs chilli and corn bread so you can imagine what we've been eating all week... I am getting soo fat!!  Then on thursday we had such an amazing lesson with carlos and Viri.  I was sooo excited!  She had told us that she didnt believe the book of mormon was true.  So we read a little bit with her and she said well the reason why i guess i dont believe the book of mormon is true is because I have never read it!  Then at the end of the lesson we invited her to pray.  She told us no.. We told her we didnt believe she knew how to pray... then she continued and she prayed!!! It was literally the first time she had ever had the confidence to pray.  She felt the spirit so strong too.  She recognized it as the spirit and it was such an amazing experience!!  They also have decided that they want to get married here in the next week!!! No way!! Miracles are happening all over!  I love it!!  After That we were soo excited!  But we have been so busy we havent had the opportunity to go back since.. It's soo hard to try and find that balance.  Friday came and I had the opportunity to go on an exchange with Elder Jeske!!  He is such a humble elder.  We wound up having 2 members coume out with us and found 4 new investigators to teach!  They are such awesome elders.  We helped their inv to recognize the spirit and instantly tears came to their eyes.  There is no doubt in my mind.  This Gospel is so true!!  So many amazing places and experiences.  I love the lord I love this church.  I love these people.  The spirit fills my whole body and it is great.  I am so thankful to be a missionary.  I love you all.  

Elder Cornejo

Oh and I completely forgot to mention we went to a Nigerian Church!!!!!!!!!!  It was absolutly crazy!!!  We walk in because we are teaching a pastor from nigheria and apparently he has been to israel and all over the world!  So we walk in and there is this african american woman just pounding on the drum set.  I do not know how it is withholding th blows.  Imagine this, there are about 3 people in the room the christian preacheret! then our inv from nigeria and a random guy waving his arm just mumbling words into a microphone There is a 98 year old women infront of us sitting down and it is just a slow beat... well Our nigerian preacher investigator asks us, hey do you know how to play the drums? Elder LEavitt says I do.. So he goes up there, re aranges the drum set and starts throwing down a beat.  Elder Ashby and I get tamboreans and we are just keeping up with the beat and singing and dancing for 2 hours!! Everyone starts going crazy!!!! The looved it!  More and more people are filing in and all of a sudden the 98 year old lady stands up!!! Then the preacher woment says hold on hold on I want yall to know a miracle just happened here a Miracles!! This 98 year old women just stood up!!!!!  I have never seen her do that!!  A MIRACLE just took place here!!!!  Then the 98 year old women turns around and says  Its because you you 3!!!!  I feel something different when you 3 are here!!!!!!!!  So then everyone just goes in an uproar!!!!  It was awesome!! We continue to sing and dance!!  Then when she preaches! she just gets soo pumped up and says I WANT YOU TO KNOWTODAY SOMEBODY's GONNA GET THEIR HEAD CHOPPED OFF.  TODAY SOMEBODY IS GOING TO GET STABBED BECAUSE OF THEIR CHRISTIAN BELIEF.  WE MUST GO INTO THE WORLLD A PREACH HIS GOSPEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  After going crazy for about 30 min we say i'm sorry we have to leave... then we get called up infront of the whole congregation and she gives us a blessing!!!  She then "Dusts" the persecution off our body's..Then sends us on our way.  One of the most memorable experiences of my mission haha

Week 82

So i have had so many crazy fun experieces this last week!  Ah the spirit has been so strong and we are working super hard.  So last Monday since we are in a trio we had to buy crazy joggers and cat shirts and that is the reason for that bathroom picture.  Tuesday night  we had one of the most amazing lessons with our investigator part member family named carlos and Viri!!  Ok so get how crazy this is, June 2015 Elder Leavitt and I taught this family.  The day before I was intermediate transfered i asked elder leavitt after an amazing lesson with them, I said why am i here now.  I cannot speak spanish.  And they are some of the most amazing people i have met!!  Well now its a year later and the spanish branch gets disolved so now there is no branch here so the hispanics come to our ward!!  And with the ward boundaries they just happen to live in our ward  boundaries!!  SO now we get to teach them again!!!!!!  What are the odds of that.  And we had the most spiritual lesson with them and Viri finally understood why we need the priesthood and ordinances.  We resolved a couple of doubts.  The lord no doubt works in such amazing ways!!!  I am sooo excited to teach them.  So now we teach in engluish and spanish!!!!!1 

Thursday we had MLC and that is just the leadership of the mission gathering together which was a lot of fun, we got to help president lead out in counceling with the leaders on how to make the mission better and more effective. it was a really neat experience. that night it was bad, we get to the door and realize that we didn't have the house keys. no bueno. So my companion Elder Ashby is like dying, mucus is just giving him the worst headache of his life, Elder Leavitt is like going to pee his pants,  and after serving in baltimore for 9 months and being with elder scott get my wallet out and bust in after about 20 min...thank the heavens we did not lock the deadbolt. but the keys weren't in the house, they were left in the cup holder of the car.. yeah. it was all in vain. but so hilarious...

I did a team up with a district leader and his companion for a day in york also. so after the exchange, the 5 of us met up at a pizza buffet and had a contest. Elder ashby ate 19 pizzas and then I had to eat 20 pieces just to spite him. We always challenge each other by saying "you wont" and it just gets way insane! that night there was no toilet paper left in the house, the man on exchanges there used it ALL. how could you use 2 whole rolls? we will never know. but we had to go to the mission office and that is only 2 minutes away and so we just planned there that night to. well after we have these random balloons in our car, so one flies out as the door opens so Elder Ashby has to chase it down. As he runs to get it, Elder LEavitt Tells me to drive off.  The last thing i see is Elder Ashby sprinting after the car.  He almost caught up but it was to no avail.  We got back and it was probably the funniest thing of life.  AS you can tell we have a ton of fun but the miracles just keep coming.  We are teaching a lot of people and hope they will be at church next week.  I hope you have an amazing week!

Elder Cornejo 

Week 81

Well this week has been one of the most crazy weeks of my mission.  We have been soo busy!!  It started off with saying goodbye to the members in the Baltimore MD stake spanish ward.  Wednesday transfers came and i felt like a lost puppy... We had to watch different car videos so I could drive the truck and the van, then take a test on those, then we were running around missionary bikes, packages and such all over the mission.  We finally got to the mission home around 7:00pm where we stayed with the going home missionaries until 5:30am waiting for president to do interviews then driving the missionary luggage to the airport then getting home around 7:00am where we just crashed until 2pm.. Thats where the real fun began!  IT has been such an adventure.  We now teach in english to American people and the culture is sooo different.  We have this investigator named Dave who doesnt belive in god.  We asked him, well what is your relationship with god.. He replies well imagine a triangle. Easy right now imagine it's blue still easy.. now imagine a circle that's yellow super easy.  Now i want you to imagine a blue yellow oragne triangle cirlce square looking thing... cant do it right... That's god for me....

Well this should be fun.  We asked him to say the prayer, he starts off with saying... Dear Spiritual dad, aka heavenly father.... it was awesome!  I love dave, he is just a punk!  I feel like he has soo many similar questions to what i had!  Now i'm on the other end and we try to start with the basics but he just asks a milliiion questions... How can we answer all these?  It's the best!!  Afterwards we had an old chinese man steal our cart from walmart, put it away, then hold his hand out for money... I was soo confused, luckily he was satisfied with $0.25...

The next day, we met our "investigator" Andre  First thing he says to me... You look like one of those big buff guys in the horror movies who was running away from the bad guy... Excuse me what?  We continue talking and he "warns me to be carful" About all the women out here in Baltimore county.  They arent like the women in california... Then right as we are testifying of the gospel, He says, Dang You look like Justin Timberlake!!!  

Wow i guess i'll take the complement...

So now my companions die of laghter and call me justin... 

Soo many great experiences this week.  LAst night we had dinner with president Christiansen and his family.  I just know they are soo inspired and truly are called of god.  This assignment is going to be great.  I am going to do my best to serve the way the lord wants and am so excited for all of the new experiences i am going to have.  OH bth we put a man from nigeria named Kunly on Date!!  Pray for him.  He is awesome!! Hope you have a great week!

Elder Cornejo

Week 80

Well I don't have much time today,

News' This last week was so great, We went to the hospital in baltimore to give comfort to a man that had diabetes and it was the most excrusiating thing i think i have ever seen in my life..This man's arms and legs stoped having blood circulate through them so they stopped working and now they have died.  So he is literally half of a rotting corps who is fully awake and active... They are going to amputate his limps here soon.. On one hand the bone is coming thru the skin.  As we gave this man a blessing the love that i felt for him was unreal and it allowed me to feel of the love that our savior Jesus Christ has for him.  Alma 7:11-14 took on a whole new meaning.  The savior literally suffered it all for us and he knows our sicknesses as well.  Well I'm getting transfered!  Ellicott City English work  Should be great!  I hope you have a great week!

Elder Cornejo

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