Week 52 - Jundiapeba, São Paulo - September 28, 2015 - I think I'll stay one more transfer :)

Agua de Coco!

Well family, it has been a wonderful week here in Jundiapeba, and I think I'll just stay here for another 6 weeks :)  Woohoo!  I was not transferred!  My companion is a little scared to cut the umbilical cord and get sent away, but I know for certain that she will love her new area and new companion!  Changes are great and are just what we need to grow.

Where to start...so many things happened this week!  We have had a lot of dissapointing moments that led up to an amazing Sunday.  First of all, we were able to sit down with A, M, and daughter, Ar, in the beginning of the week.  The lesson was going smoothly until we invited Ar to be baptized.  M, her mother, got a wild look in her eyes and told us that we could never come back because she believes in only one baptism and Ar had already been baptized in another church.  Okay, we tried our very best to explain to her about authority and how Christ's baptism was...but she just would not have it.  The saddest part is how much Ar has changed.  She was finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel and she was so excited.  A was also very excited about the changes he was seeing in his daughter.  For now we will not be able to visit them, but the Lord will provide a way one day.

Second, E (dream guy) picked up an infection in his intestines this weekend.  He has not stopped drinking coffee one hundred percent and needs a little more time to be more prepared.  But, I am so grateful that I will stay here for at least one more transfer to be able to see the end of the story!!  I know he has such a desire to change and be better.  

A lot of our appointments fell through this week and we have had to cut a few of our investigators, but you know what?!  The Lord knows what he is doing.  His timing is perfect and everything will turn out just fine in the end.  We have a lot of new people to teach and it will just be great!  I hope my new companion is ready to work!!

I have such a desire to be a missionary that exercises more faith, and sees more miracles.  I have been praying to be able to be a part of and witness the conversion of an investigator.  I don't know, I feel like this transfer will be different.  I want to totally give all of my hope and faith and prayers and work to the Lord.  I want to see the amazing things that I know He can do.  I know that my work here is not finished.  I have been praying to stay here, because I just feel like my work here would not be complete if I had to leave tomorrow.  I am just so grateful for the extra time He has given me.  

So many less-active members and totally inactive members showed up yesterday at church.  One of them, G, brought his wife, J, that we had lost hope in for some time.  But he had not lost hope.  I see so clearly how much he wants that she accepts the gospel.  It was so great to see them together in the sacrament meeting all together as a family.  I cannot even explain how many people there are to work with this next transfer.  I cannot wait!  Please pray that the Lord will prepare our path.  That we can receive the revelation that we need and that we can make the changes that need to be made.  Faith will be my focus on this new chapter of my mission.  This is HIS work, and not mine. The General women´s meeting was just amazing.  I love to see all of the beautiful daughters of God in the choir.  I was able to feel God's love for His daughters and I am so excited for General Conference.  I already have all of my questions ready to be answered.  Have a great week everyone and have a great conference weekend!!  Eat lots of ebilskeivers for me!! (if that is how you spell it!)

Love, 

Sister Cordner xoxo

My companion made 3 months on the mission!!  WOOHOO!

A beautiful lettuce field.  Sometimes we have to walk through the most beautiful 

farm fields to get to our appointments :)

Sister bonding with facial masks???

Mamão is just such a great fruit.  

Week 51 - Jundiapeba, São Paulo - September 21, 2015 - Every knee will bow and every tongue confess!!

BOA TARDE minha família!!! 

There is just so much to say, and such little time!!  It sounds like Elder Cordner is doing great, and is having so many experiences!!  I would love to just spend one day together in this wonderful work :) It would be awesome!

So I am pretty sure my innards are cooked from this week of pure SUN.  But, you can all relax because I put on sun screen two or three times a day!  

We have been working wonderfully together as a trio, and I am pretty sure I have not worked so hard in my whole mission.  It is so great!!  My calf muscles have increased tremendously :)  

It is so funny that of all the people we invite to come to church througout the week, the most wild ones always come.  Yesterday a man we talked to showed up so drunk at church shouting at everyone that he needed to talk to the American girl with green eyes.  QUE MEDO!!  He was saying the most strange things and I felt so bad that he just ruined the Elders Quorum lesson.  But.... we never know the plan of the Lord, maybe He led his troubled son to his church :)  

E is progressing wonderfully.  He is so excited to learn, and even though he does not know how to read, he and his son are reading daily together.  His baptism will be this Sunday!!  We will have to take care of him with our lives this week.

Even though this work is so tiring, and sometimes I feel like I'll pass out from heat-stroke on the side of the road, I LOVE IT.  I love to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I love to meet and talk with every one that I can. There are so many amazing people in this world!

This week we got a referral from a member that lives in Mogi Centro.  A and M are the parents of an 18 year old girl named Ar and V, the cutest little girl (she looks exactly like Boo from Monster's Inc.) Well, this family is super amazing.  Ar wants to change her life of drugs and homosexuality... so hard. But, she wants to be baptized and start a new life!  She is excited to read the Livro de Mórmon.  Her mom, M wants to get married and be baptized.  She knows that she "needs to prepare for the second coming" (her own words :)).  A is such a patient father.  He has been so hurt from the bad decisons his daughter has made, but he loves her so much.  None of them went to church yesterday because the girls went to town, and he had to watch futebol on the TV (soccer is such an addiction here haha!)... but next sunday will be so great :)  It is so funny how right when things start to pick up in the area... you have got to go.... I know I have so much more to learn in the next months and I am so excited to work with all my heart, might, mind and strength. On Sunday we will know who will leave Jundiapeba, and if it's me, I will be so sad.  You guys do not even know how much I love this place.  I love it here so much, because of how much I have learned, the wonderful members, and all of the amazing experiences I have had.  

I am so grateful for my Patriarchal Blessing.  This morning I studied every single line.  Our Heavenly Father is amazing.  He is so loving that He gives each one of us a special personal letter to help us on this journey.  I feel His love for me daily and I know I feel His love for the people here as well.  I love you all so much, and I hope it will be a great week!!  Thank you all for the emails.  They always make me smile :)

Sister Cordner xoxo

This is the Stake Patriarch and his wife.  They are absolutely amazing.  They live in the middle of nowhere and give us a ride to their house when we eat with them and their daughter. The drive is absolutely dreamy and their home is the cutest thing. 

Week 50 - Jundiapeba, São Paulo - September 14, 2015 - hey fam!!

Óla meu povo! Tudo bem com vocês?!!  Hello my people!  How are you? I am doing just great and I am excited to tell all of you how our week has been.  We have been getting A LOT of rain, and I have been walking in wet shoes for three days.  In the humidity nothing dries, so our toes turn into such raisins by the end of the day!  Yuck.  Many great things happened this week!  I was able to do divisions with a great woman, Sister Nogueira.  I went back to my first area, Suzano!  Her and her comp were new in the area so I was able to show many of our ancient investigators for her and her comp to teach!  It was so amazing to see H, E, and a few less actives that just showed up on the street. Little miracles. Who knows if they will be able to touch their hearts and remind them of how they felt when we taught them!  While we were there, the biggest storm hit.  It was so calm for a few minutes, but we saw the biggest mama clouds comin in... it hit hard.  All of a sudden everything turned dark and we ran into a little shop and we chatted with a few old folks... it was crazy!!  

That night all of the sisters in our zone came to the house in Suzano and we all slept together because we were going to wake up at 3:30 am to go to our mission conference.  It was the biggest ruckus.  I had pretty much 4 square feet on the ground to sleep, but it was necessary because it is really dangerous to travel that early in the morning.  Our whole zone piled into a little van and we headed to São José dos Campos again!  Okay pretty much everyone got so car sick and some of the elders were gagging, almost throwing up...okay I was laughing so hard.  It was terrible!!  We were able to meet Elder Mazzegardi, the first counelor in the Brasil Area Presidency.  He is amazing.  I have never met a more intelligent or spiritual man in my life.  We spent the whole day listening to his amazing stories, and his advice for our daily work.  The biggest thing that I learned is how much I need to have a clean life.  Vida limpa.  Every time he said these words, the more and more I wanted to be so clean!!  He taught us great ways to work with the members, and we read 2 Nefi 31 all together.  He has the Book of Mormon pretty much memorized, and we were able to understand and see things in this chapter that we had never seen before.  I can not even explain how amazing it was.  There was such a light in the room, and the spirit testified to me of every single thing he was saying.

Well we are in a trio now... Me, Sister Pereira, and Sister Nogueira.  Her companion had to go home because of problems with her knees, and we are all getting along great!  It is a little difficult to teach with three people, just because it is the first time we have had to do it, but with practice, all will be well :)  We were all set to see eleven people at church, investigators and less actives, but even though we were running all around Jundiapeba Sunday morning to wake them all up, no one was willing to go.  E (I think this is the man that had the dream about the LDS church steeple) is doing awesome.  He is so excited about the gospel!  We taught the Word of Wisdom to him and he accepted the commandment like a home-made chocolate cake!  He really has such a light in his eyes.  His life has not been easy, and still has many problems in his family, but I KNOW he wants to change.  He wants to be the example for his wife and his sons.  Even though many people here in Jundiapeba do not want to change, God always prepares those who need to right now.  He has been prepared.  

OKAY Funny story:  There is a homeless woman here that DOES NOT like me.  I do not know what I did to her, but every single time we pass her, she stops, waits until I smile and starts screaming at us and aproaching us... I can not help it!!!  I have to smile!!!  How can I be a representative of Jesus Christ and not smile?!  (haha!  this cracks me up. The picture I have in mind of this happening is priceless) Well, she has done this several times, and when I was in Suzano this week, poor little Sister Pereira and Sister Marthier were walking calmly when she saw them and started running after them!  She is a big, tall woman with two dogs, and she almost hit Sister Marthier in the head!  They ran as fast as they could, and got away in time.  But I am just so glad I was not there...I think she would have killed me!  I seriously am so scared of her!! haha but we are so protected :)

Thank you for reading this email, for your prayers, and your support.  I love this work with all of my heart.  I love the Brazilian people.  I love the members.  I love my companion.  I know with all of my heart that the Book of Mormon is a book of God.  It gives me power every single day of my life.  I believe in its promise.  I know God answers our prayers.  Have a wonderful week!!

Sister Cordner xoxo

Every single corner has one of these phone booth things.

The pizza we ate at Family Night.

Week 49 - Jundiapeba, São Paulo - September 8, 2015

Well hello my beautiful people!!  I am so happy to be writing you all after a week well spent and a lot of rain!!  I do not have a lot of time, but I have a few stories to share with you all!  

Last week we received a reference from the President of the Elder's Quorum.  He said that a man entered into the chapel while they were cleaning on Saturday and he asked him how he could be a member of the church... MIRACLE.  We were able to teach him and his family this week and he came to church on Sunday!!  In his home we were able to see how much they need the gospel!  He shared with us a very special experience.  Before he moved to Jundiapeba he had a dream with the steeple of the chapel and when he saw the steeple on Saturday morning, he knew he needed to be a member of the church.  When he asked Ronaldo what type of church it was, he said that it is the Church of Jesus Christ.  He knew it was true.  We taught him the first lesson and he got very excited about the Book of Mormon.  He explained that his grandfather always talked about a book that would come.  It would be another testament.  It would not be the new or old testament, but another- different testament.  We felt the spirit so strongly and I knew that he would accept baptism.  On the 20th of September he will be baptized!  His family has some hard things.  But the Lord knows exactly how we can help him.  What a miracle he is for us and our area.  I am just so grateful!!  

It sounds like all of you are doing well!!  Elder Cordner is workin hard in the Outback, and man I am so proud of him!!  I love you all so much!!

Let us all remember His grace.  We are nothing without Him.  I know He lives.  He loves us.  

Love, Sister Cordner xoxoxoxoxooxox

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