First Week: Check!

Hello!

First week: check!

It's been difficult to adjust... not so much to the schedule or to teaching... but to finding. We don't have any progressing investigators. We've been doing a lot in reaching out to less active members. But this week we're going to need to find people to teach. It'll be a stretch for both myself and Sister Christensen. But we'll do it!

So I figured out where I'm at. I'm in the Meadows 5th ward in the Meadows Stake of Las Vegas. You can look it up on lds.org. We are only in 1 ward so there is less people than what missionaries have been used to before. We're working on have a balanced effort between finding new investigators and reactivating less active members. So far, my definition of a missionary is someone that 99% of the population doesn't want to talk to... and 1% that does... doesn't know it's us they need to talk to. President Uchtdorf once said that adversity builds character. It must become very deep over the time of a mission. ;)

I made a bunch of bullet points so I would remember what I wanted to say. Sorry if it jumps around a bit.

So I can email friends and friends can email me. Feel free to spread my email around. I have 1 hour every Monday at 10am.   trisha.cornelsen@myldsmail.net

We had a baptism on Saturday. His name is Jack. His wife was baptized in December but he was concerned about his health so he put the baptism off. The bishop said "don't worry about your health". so Jack went forward and got baptized! It was a great experience. The Spirit was strong. and I think it was a good, uplifting experience for everyone there. He was confirmed yesterday. :)

So I asked the mission office if I'd be able to get some extra money because of my food allergies and they said that they worked through it with another  missionary before and they can't. something about being fair. honestly, i don't understand it. they said that any additional money that i need will have to come from home. i'll try to just budget really well so that i don't have to pull from my account... i really don't know how it will work out. they give me $135 per month for anything that i need to buy. any suggestions of cheap food that i can eat?

The other day we ate at a members home and I had some wheat.. thinking a little bit would be fine... no. my body can't take it. if i don't advocate for myself... if i'm not strict in my diet, i will be sick all the time and won't be able to work... if i'm not able to work, i might as well come home. so i really can't cheat. the members have been very good though with accomodating my allergies. i tell them i can eat meat vegetables and rice and it's always been delicious, with  minor problems. i made a fllyer for those who are feeding us in the future about w hat i can and can't have and some common mistakes. did you know that there are many people that think flour is not wheat? I just smile and say it is :) One of the cooks at a restaurant thought unbleached flour was fine. it amazes me how people don't know what they're eating. I'm grateful that I do.

This week has been full of internal conflict. I feel overwhelmed in meeting so many new people and having so many questions and not quite knowing how to conduct myself. But then again, I know the gospel, i know how to teach it, I know who I am and my purpose.... so it's a little underwhelming to. The biggest question on my mind is not what? or why? but HOW? How do I bring up the gospel with a perfect stranger? How do I have that courage? I'm still figuring it out.

Sister Christensen is so funny. We have some similarities in our story of choosing to serve a mission so it's been good to just talk with her. She loves telling stories and just having fun.

Our bathroom sink has been clogged so last night we decided to take apart the sink to clear the clog. and we did it! i turned off the water. sis christensen took the pipe apart and we taped two plastic knives together and i pushed the gunk down. we put it all back together and it works great! She was super squimish... and i was like... eh. whatever. :) Thanks Dad :)

In Matthew 5:4, it says "blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted". I saw it in a different light this week. If we don't mourn; if we don't feel, the Savior can't reach us. But when we allow ourselves to feel, when we let our emotion start moving, He can redirect so we ccan be comforted. Let yourself mourn, so Christ can comfort you.

Pictures: the first one is Sister Partner and I waiting to get on the plane to Vegas.

The second one is Sister Christensen and I on the first night we met.

The last one... i don't find mustaches to be attractive on people... but especially on a car, it's not appetizing.

Sister Cornelsen and Sister Christensen

Sister Partner and Sister Cornelsen at the SLC Airport

Car in disguise?  Only in Vegas!

Well, I think that was everything.

PLEASE SEND ME PICTURES!!! unless you want me to forget your face and never be able to recognize you again. I literally don't have pictures of anyone.

I love you all!

Sister Cornelsen

I'm Really a Missionary Now!!

Hey there everyone!

 

I am in Las Vegas, safe and sound. My training companion is Sister Christensen. She's great. She's a year older than me and has been in the field for 6 months.

 

Yesterday I woke up at 3:30 am to prepare to leave the MTC. My flight left Salt Lake City at 8:30am and I was in Vegas by 9am. Super short flight! I got to talk to Mom and Dad and Stacey while I was in the airport and it was absolutely wonderful. :)

 

We met our mission president, President Black, and then we went to have a late breakfast in the mission home. Then we went to a nearby stake center for a bunch of orientation. It was long... but they gave me gf pizza :)

 

I met sister Christensen and then we piled our stuff in the car and we drove off! So I'm the one driving. Thank goodness we're driving! I really didn't want to ride a bike in the heat of Vegas. It was 60 degrees yesterday. It was wonderful. and bright. las vegas is very bright. I can only imagine the sweat that will stick to me in the summer.

 

We got our things settled in the apartment and then we went to visit with a part member family.... i'm having a hard time remembering their name actually. i need to work on that. but it was great getting to know them.

 

We got a little bit of food so I wouldn't starve and then it was time for bed. I've never enjoyed sleep so much in my life! I just want to sleep all the time. But there is work to be done!

 

So you should check out the Las Vegas West Mision blog. Just  do a google search for the Las Vegas West mission and you'll find it. Sister black takes lots of pictures and puts them on the blog. You may find me in a couple as she puts them up.      http://nevadalasvegaswestmission.blogspot.com/

 

Please send all  mail through the mission office... everything. packages and letters. They'll forward it to me.

 

I'm also allowed to email friends, as long as it doesn't become something i'm preoccupied with. so that's nice. :) if anyone wants to be added to the email list, let me know. I only have the family emails that i've been sending to.

 

I can't think of anything else to say. sooo toodles til next week! next week, I'll email on Monday :)

 

Love you all!

Sister Cornelsen

Flying to the Mission Field on Monday!

Hey there -
Too much to do here in the MTC to write a detailed email letter on Prep Day.
I'll send snail mail this week instead!

Sent some photos though - thanks to family who post on this blog and my Facebook account
while I'm serving my mission!

More MTC Pics.....

Sister Trisha Lynn Cornelsen
January 2013 Provo MTC

Check out the NAME TAG NAME TAG NAME TAG.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look!   Look!   Look!

Thank You!!

Hello and Thank You!!

 

 I've been getting all of your dearelder.com letters.                            

Thank you sooooooo much! Seriously, they are such a blessing. :D

Mom, I got both of the packages you sent. thank you! It got to -9 yesterday so those extra gloves were heaven sent :) the cookies were delicious and the desk decor is wonderful :) I love all of the little stories you send me. They break up the schedule of the mtc and put a smile on my face. especially the loud clatter story! :)

I get up at 6:30 every morning.... yes, Dad, I actually do get up at 6:30. there's been one or two times it's been 6:35 but I've made a goal to not get up any later than 6:30.  I'm learning that obedience is suuuuuper important. There are a lot of rules for a missionary and sometimes I think "well that's silly" but I know there's a reason for it. There's a scripture that talks about how you don't understand the reason for a commandment until you obey. then you start to see the blessings. The more I'm obedient, the more I feel Heavenly Father guiding me.

Provo Utah at -9 degrees January 2013

There was one lesson Sister Partner and I taught in the TRC that was absolutely incredible. Everything was led by the Spirit. Thoughts came like "talk about prophets" or "talk about Joseph Smith and don't leave out how the darkness came" "ask her how she's feeling" The Spirit was so strong. God was working through me. I kept following the promptings and the stronger and more clear the promptings became. I asked her to commit to baptism and she did! Her friend that came with her is going to work with the ward  mission leader to make sure she gets the rest of the lessons. After she prayed, which was beautiful, I had another prompting. I told her that she needs to get baptized as soon as possible, like within a month, because there will be opposition. but as she gives everything she has to God, She will have the strength to overcome, just like Joseph did when he said his first prayer. It was powerful.

God asks a lot of us... especially missionaries. ALL of my heart, might, mind, and strength. 100% of it. It's hard to do. But Nephi said he would go and do because he knew that the Lord doesn't give a commandment unless the Lord would make it possible for us to do it. We really can give everything we have to Him. And when we do, miracles happen. What miracle do you want in your life?

So my first week I really struggled with wanting to be here. It's such a big change! But the more I focused on my investigators... the more I've been filled.... which is really what I've needed. Christ is healing me through other people. Serving my companion has been a great way to humble me and help me to focus on what's important. Teaching investigators, even if most of them are actors, has helped me to get outside of myself. There was one investigator, Paul Frye, that was role played by my teacher, Brother Elton. No longer my teaching but that was an experience that I desperately needed. Paul and I had a lot of the same feelings towards God. A lot of them that I wasn't allowing myself to feel and express. While I studied to help Paul, inspiration came for me. Healing came for me. GOODNESS THIS GOSPEL IS TRUE!!!!!

So here's a funny story... well, frustrating story. last tuesday morning at 4 am and this morning at 12:15 am, the fire alarm in our residence hall went off... it's a faulty alarm. all of the sisters had to evacuate into the gym, I haven't been getting a lot of sleep. yeah it's not funny at all. it's a bit madening actually... but it's a story!

LVW MTC District January 2013

Here's three more things I've learned about discerning the Spirit. 1.  Don't worry if it's the spirit or not. if it's good, just do it! it'll have effects you can't see immediately but are very needed.  2.  Your thoughts naturally progress from one detail to the next. We never have a thought that just plops into our head. If you have one of those thoughts, it's from something other than yourself, either God or Satan. If it's good, do it!  3.  you would never argue with yourself. it's not possible! we're always pretty confident in our opinions. you have to argue with someone else. if you're fighting an idea, do the one that settles, that you know is right, even if it's hard. The very worse thing that would happen if you follow what you think is a prompting but it isn't, is that Heavenly Father knows He can trust you. That you WILL  go and do. then He'll give you even more guidance.

I love you all! I'm looking forward to hear what's going on in your lives. I like stories! :)

Love,

Sister Cornelsen

PS.I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!!

First week in the MTC

Hello dear family and friends!

This computers shift button doesn't work very well so excuse the lack of grammar.

The mtc has surprised me. i didn't expect to be pushed in this way. my companion, sister partner, is wonderful in her quirky way. she also has dyslexia which has made me very patient in helping her being able to talk about the restoration and other principles of the gospel. i think she knows it she just has her thoughts get jumbled soooo easily. it's taking a lot of repitition. but it's good for me too.

i feel like the mom of the district, being the oldest. sometimes it's fun :) sometimes they're just so 19. haha. but it really is a good district. and i think the lord has placed me where i can do the most good.

The first couple days i was pretty homesick but i determined, once again, that this really is where i want to be and that the lord wants me here. there's something about it that is going to arrange every other detail of my life. the trick is letting go of those details so that the Lord can arrange them. I need to give my control over to Him.

There's one line in preach my gospel that says that if you're feeling the spirit, the lord is pleased with what you're doing. that has given me a lot of comfort. i mean, i guess it'd be hard to not feel the spirit here but it's still good. he's molding me into who he wants me to be. One cool thing that I've relearned is that baptism does not cleanse us of our sins. baptism is showing our commitment and in return God gives us the Holy Ghost and he is the one who cleanses us. If you ever wonder if you're being forgiven, are you feeling the Spirit? Also, The spirit comes when we are changing. The Spirit also changes us to become like Christ. We've talked a lot about what the Doctrine of Christ is. It's that through the Atonement of Christ, we can become like Him. Everything else is a how or a why. IT'S SO AWESOME!

We've already started teaching 'investigators'. actors that are pretending to investigate the church. it's their job or their volunteer experience. but it's a humbling thing. it's so real because the spirit still testifies to me and to them. the same principles that i will use in the field, are needed in this practice. and i think that it's often tailored to what the actor and us as a companionship need as well.

I'm sure you're wondering about the food. first chance i got, within 30 minutes of arriving, i talked with the dietician of the cafeteria. Diane is very accomodating. I eat a lot of meat and rice and vegetables. other than that there's not a lot of variety but i just go into the kitchen and get my meal out of a warming oven. it has my name on it and i eat it! there are probably 20 other missionaries with diet restrictions so they're pretty used to it. moral of the story: there is food for your children when they come to the mtc :)

there is a website called dearelder.com. it has free one day delivery to the mtc so you can write a letter online and i'll get it the next day, instead of waiting til my pday on tuesday. i really would love to get tons of mail from you. if you want to send a package, which would be really nice as well, here's the address

Sister Trisha Lynn Cornelsen
MTC Mailbox # 89
NV-LVW 0121
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604-1793

our district picks up the mail twice a day. so show me the love! :D haha.

i love you all. i miss you guys but i know i'm where i need to be. i'm looking forward to when i can really walk in Christ's footsteps to do what He wants me to do in every moment. at least that's the goal :)

love,

Sister Cornelsen