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