Week 48 - Jundiapeba, São Paulo - August 31, 2015 Job is the man!!

A Birthday selfie!!

Hello my beautiful family and friends!!

This has been a week of learning and growth, like always!!!  First of all, the weather here is nuts!!  It was so freezing and raining on Thursday and now it is the hottest of hot.  

I don't have a lot of time, but thank you all for your Birthday messages!  It was a great day :)  For the first time in my life I feel old!  20 years old!!

Well we have cleaned up our teaching pool and we have a full week of new investigators to visit, teach, and mark for baptism!  I have so much faith and I am excited to see what the Lord has in store!

Last week we were looking for a less active's home and we asked the neighbor for an information.  Carolina is 14 years old and she is so sweet. She accepted baptism and has been reading her Book of Mormon daily.  She loves to learn and is so receptive.  We asked her about her parents and their religion and she said that her mom is a member of our church!  We could not believe it!!  Her mom likes us a lot and likes that we are teaching her daughter, but we will be able to really talk with her this week and help her come back to church after 14 years!!  

Also, Wendell is a young man that is a great friend to some of the boys in the ward.  He is 15 years old and has already been taught by the Elders.  On the day of his baptism he backed out and has been showing up at church for the past two weeks.  Although he has been dodging our visits the young men's president snagged him and we will be able to teach him this week!!  The Lord is so perfect how He works with each of His children.

When I was on a divison with Sister Arosteguy we read the story of Job together during our studies.  Okay, he is the most faithful and patient man I have ever heard of.  Whenever it is so hot, sweaty, and when nobody is home, I think of Job and I know I can do all things.  Even his Job's wife came to him and told him to curse God and die.  But he would not.  He could not.  He knew that if we can accept the good times with pleasure, we need to be able to accept the hard time and trust that the Savior can do all things.  We can do hard things, physically, spiritually, and mentally.  He has over come it all.  He knows better than anyone how to help us.  Let us trust and continue on!  Rosana and Jardel cut us this week.  We were really sad and feeling like we failed, but we were able to visit an amazing less active family right after, that showed us so much love.  I felt as if Heavenly Father was trying to show me that I had done all that I could to invite like Christ would and that He is pleased and proud of what we do in our day to day work.  Sometimes we feel as if we have very little success, but we can not see the clear and full picture!!  I am grateful for an all-knowing and all-powerful Heavenly Father.  He can do all things and with Him we can be a little part of this work.

I love you all and I pray that we can remember how blessed we are every single day.  We have all we need, now we need to share it with everyone else!!

Sister Cordner

xoxo

Please pray for:

Carolina

Wendell

our hours of hard work!

Yummy!!  Fish, pumpkin, rice and beans.

On a division with Sister Arosteguy (Brazilian from Kentucky) She is awesome!!

Parque Centenario playing volleyball today with the zone.

                              

                            and a big smile for ya'll cuz I LOVE YOU GUYS

Week 47 - Jundiapeba, São Paulo - August 24, 2015

Hello family and friends!!

I am grateful for the opportunity to sit down, ponder about the week that passed by and try my best to put what I learned into words for you all!!  First of all, thank you all for the emails!  The Holy Ghost truly inspires you all with what I need to hear!  Now that Mitch is off to Perth, my mom is 50 and I will be 20 this week I am a very happy missionary!!

I had the privilege of cleaning another one of the Elder's homes this week.  Suzano closed and opened with Sisters!!  When I arrived here in Mogi das Cruzes there were 18 elders and 2 sisters.  Now most of the zone is sisters.  It is a lot different!  Never again will I clean an elder's home...it was seriously worse than the other. 

We also had a zone conference this week with President Silcox, and his lovely wife.  They are amazing.  I have no words!!  They have made a big change in our mission.  Obedience is the sacrifice we make to see miracles.  "When ye do not what I say, ye have no promise."  This is true!

I have been able to see the simple and beautiful experiences this week with the spirit.  As we were walking to Bishop's house to eat lunch, we stopped by the home of a referral we received weeks ago.  Whenever we go there, she's never there!  But she was sweeping there in the front.  We taught quickly a bit of the restoration and left her with a Book of Mormon to read and pray. As we walked away Sister Pereira was able to feel the spirit very strongly.  She told me that it was the first time she was given words to say and was strengthened by her own testimony.  It was such a wonderful feeling.  To feel the spirit we do not need to have elaborate experiences that change our lives.  Sometimes we just need to recognize the peace we feel, the love we have for someone, or a simple truth that we are grateful for.  God shows His love for us through small and simple ways.  Here a little and there a little.  Line up on line, precept upon precept.  Every single day we have to look for these moments that we see His hand in our lives.  Here in Jundiapeba He has tested my patience, diligence and faith more than in my entire life.  I will never give up.  I know in whom I trust.  He is my God, my Father and everything I am.  I will do my best to be a clean vessel, a hard worker and a worthy servant.  This is His work.  We can not know the future.  Our vision is limited, but He is all knowing.  Oh how I am grateful for this simple truth.  This week we arrived home and I was being tormented by my own weaknesses, my mistakes and worries. I opened the Liahona randomly and in big letters read PACIÊNCIA. What a clear-cut answer.  I have learned that patience is much more than waiting, but doing all we can, never losing confidence or trust in the Lord, and going forward with great faith.  

This week Sister Pereira and I have felt that we need to work on the opposite side of the city.  When the Spirit talks, we follow!!  We will be doing a lot of contacts, knocking doors and asking for references!  I am very excited for our new start!!  I love you all and I hope this next week will be a great one!

Love, Sister Cordner xoxo

Please pray for:

Rosana and Jardel (that they can receive an answer and accept baptism)

Priscila and Alberto (that we catch them together and at home!)

That we can find those who are ready and willing to change and accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

THANK YOU ALL!!

Week 46 - Jundiapeba, São Paulo - August 17, 2015 Milagres são reais.

Hello my family of five at home now and Elder Cordner in the MTC!!  Wow I am so excited and I am strengthened to know I have my brother working with me as a missionary.  I am just so grateful!  I know he will be successful!!! I can not wait to see his email next week!!

This week has been amazing!  I have learned so many things and there is so much to share!!  Well last Sunday at church an old man gave us two addresses to visit.  Awesome.  I did not have high expectations but I thought wrongly that the referrals wouldn't be that great.  WOW!  How bad of me to judge!!  I was on a division with a Sister fresh from the States and we could not find the first house, so we decided to look for the other.  At the end of a dirt road was a huge grey garage door.  We clapped and an amazing family opened their door and their hearts.  A and P with their two daughters are a beautiful family.  Their daughters have the most beautiful dark skin and big green eyes!!  Brazilians are beautiful.  Our first lesson with them was simple and powerful.  They understood the importance of the Book of Mormon and decided that they are interested in getting to know more about the church!  How I am so grateful for the inspired elderly brother in our ward that talked to a worker at the gas station!!  Our Heavenly Father works in interesting ways.  When we walked away I felt so strongly that they are such a special family.  I have met them before.  I see so much light in their eyes!!  

R and her son S went to church yesterday!!  The ward conference was awesome and was focused on Christ.  R is progressing very well and is so willing to obey.  She is working on not drinking coffee and is very excited about learning!  

We also taught M this week with a future missionary named W from the ward.  Okay, he is amazing.  Last minute I felt strongly that we shouldn't teach the Plan of Salvation, but that we needed to help him understand the importance of receiving an answer.  We watched the Restoration film and read Moroni's promise.  W bore strong testimony and shared his experience of gaining an answer.  I am so grateful for the members that help us in the lessons!!  The spirit teaches through small and simple words, that's for sure.  OH YEAH... He lost his futebol game!!!!!  I knew he would lose!!!  But still he played at 11, could have gone to sacrament mtg. but did not wake up!!  But.... he lost....God heard my prayers!!

This week I was reading about the great examples of Mighty Prayer in the Book of Mormon.  Enos, the sons of Mosiah, Alma (the father) and of course Joseph Smith.  I read this verse in D&C and it penetrated my heart:

24 Behold, I say unto him, he exalts himself and does not humble himself sufficiently before me; but if he will bow down before me, and humble himself in mighty prayer and faith, in the sincerity of his heart, then will I grant unto him a view of the things which he desires to see.  

I desire more than anything in the world to help A, P, their daughters, R and her family, and M to receive the blessings of the gospel.  I desire to see them change, see the miracle of the Atonement in their lives.  I can not explain how much I want this!  I read this verse and I needed to pray with all of my heart and soul.  I have never felt such a desire to pray and plead for the Lord to help me help them.  It felt like the desire filled every inch of my body.  As I pleaded with my Heavenly Father, I prayed for the Holy Ghost when I teach, I prayed that they would keep the commitments, go to church, feel the Spirit, make friends with the members.  I prayed for everything they would need and with all the energy of my heart.  I felt so much love from my Heavenly Father for them.  He loves them so much, and will take care of them and their needs.  He wants so badly that they have their gospel in their lives as well.  It was such an amazing experience for me.  I know that the Lord can do all things.  But, also I felt that everything depends on my obedience and my diligence.  

I am so excited to work this week and to see the hand of the Lord in every moment!  Please pray for my companion.  The mission is so difficult in the beginning!!  Pray for these amazing people as well. They will be starting a battle to the baptismal font!!  Pray that I will be able to know what to say and how to help them!  Thank you for your constant prayers and thoughts.  I am so blessed to have a family and many friends that support me so amazingly!!  Have a wonderful week everyone!!

Love, Sister Cordner xoxo

Week 45 - Jundiapeba, São Paulo - August 10, 2015

Hello family and friends!!!!  I hope you are all doing well!!

This week has been so amazing!!  We have been able to see a few sparks of light starting in a few of our investigators and I am so excited!  The only problem is the lack of wanting to go to church!!  But this week is ward conference and we will invite all of Jundiapeba.  I will be expecting about two million people on Sunday.  

We are working with beautiful little family that we love!  R was a contact we made on the street.  She was smiling so big at us and I saw such a light in her eyes that I had to talk to her!  She has already been to church, and knows a few members... BINGO.  She is married (miracle), and they have two great kids.  She reads everything we leave with her to read and she is very excited about learning!!  We are very excited to take them to church on Sunday!!  I am feeling good about this one!!

M is a 22 year old man and is awesome.  He is very smart and loves his Heavenly Father so much.  He is very spiritual and very thoughtful.  We are teaching him with another young man in our ward.  I have been praying my guts out that he will lose his futebol game on Sunday so that he can go to church.  IT WILL HAPPEN.  

Well Family, I love this work, I love being here.  I am so excited for Mitch to start his journey on Wednesday!!  Everyone give him a big hug and a big kiss for me! 

I am about ready to shut down the two churches we live next to.  I wake up to the screaming and crying of a congregation every single night.  You'd think I'd get used to it!

So there is a woman that lives in our neighborhood, and she goes around screaming at everyone.  I do not even know what she says, but it is really sad.  Her little boy gets dragged around all day and is always in the same clothes always with a frown on his face.  I hate to see them because I cannot stand to see him so miserable. I always pray for him.  This week we walked by them and she was a little calmer than usual.  We were able to give him an extra juice-box and cookies we had in our bags.  I ruffled his hair a little and I hugged his troubled mother and kissed her face.  She was so happy thanking us with all her heart.  He grabbed the juice-box so quickly and I know he was very grateful.  I do not know why but I felt so much love from our Heavenly Father in this moment.  He loves every one of us so much.  We can

not even imagine how much He loves us.  How can we show our love to Him?

I hope you all have a great week!!  GOOD LUCK BIG MITCH!!  

Sister Cordner xoxo

Munk (Monk)

Macacos (Monkeys)

Week 44 - Jundiapeba, São Paulo - August 3, 2015

O Pico do Urubu 
(This is the hike they went on last P-day with the Elders, but was unable to send the pictures.)

Well family, it has been another great and sunny week!  I feel renewed and refreshed from a beautiful Sunday yesterday and I am ready for a new week!  I cannot believe that Mitch will be leaving in 9 days!  So exciting!  

These past few days I have been pondering a lot about our free agency.  It is the greatest gift we have from God.  I have seen so many different types of people using their free agency in many ways.  It is so simple.  When we choose what God wants us to, we will be happy, but when we choose any other way we will not be happy.  As a missionary we give many chances to many people to use their agency in a good way.  We invite everyone around us, and we even offer help to choose the right.  Unfortunately this week many of them have chosen not to be happy.  I get very very sad when we arrive at the chapel on Sunday expecting every one of them to come to church and... we wait... wait... and wait. No one comes.  But you know what... we do our part.  We continue to show our love and our patience, and we invite them again and again and again!!  God is so merciful and He will always give a second chance!!  We have hit a dry spot in the work here, but I feel an oasis on the horizon!!  I know that our hard work is not in vain!   He has not ceased to do miracles among the children of men. I know this to be sure.  

I love to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I love to share the wonderful news with all we come in contact.  There are beautiful families and amazing people that can contribute so much in this church.  I know that the spirit will guide us to those who are ready and excited to use their agency in the right way!!  

Family, I do not have very much to say this week.  But I do know that I need to be here.  I am the same imperfect person that I was before my mission.  I still make mistakes, but I am more aware of how to become better.  I have a whole new vision.  I know more of the love God has for each child.  He lives and He sent His Son.  I am so proud of the members in our ward and how they are sharing the gospel.  It is not easy for them, but they are trying their best to be an example of the believers.  We are receiving so many references from the members.  It is amazing!!  I feel that they are being strengthened and helped in their own missionary experiences.  I love training Sister Pereira.  I learn from her daily! Only she and her sister are members in their family.  Her parents are not even married, but I see how much she wants the gospel for them.  What a sacrifice she is giving the Lord.  Everything she does, she does with love and hope that one day her family can be sealed together forever!

I love you all forever and ever!  

Sister Cordner xoxo