Just Around the Riverbend...

Nikki is getting baptized!!! We set the date for August 31st. She loves church. it's great. :) And her parents are supportive from what I've heard. we're having dinner with them on Tuesday, i'm hoping that some of her family members, in addition to Charlene, will start to sit in on the lessons.

 

Sammie is progressing also but her family isn't supportive. it's hard on her. but I know it will work out. because of my experience with Danielle.

 

Danielle called me yesterday. they have finally moved into their new home. and they had just gotten back from a Alaskan cruise. (jealous!) the elders in their new ward stopped by. they have an appointment to teach all of them on Friday and even Dustin said he'd go to church on Sunday. I'm looking forward to their baptism :D tehehe

 

Remember Joe Holbrook? Well he passed the Sacrament yesterday!!!! I was so happy to see him do it. He did such a good job. and then he went home and passed the Sacrament to his grandmother, Sister Marquardt. She's really not doing well. but it is amazing that she has lived this long. she's a fighter.

 

it's gonna be so hard to leave this area. I love these people so much... and I can tell how much they love me. but when the time does come, they'll need someone else to teach them more things. and there's another area "just around the riverbend" that needs me too :D

 

love you all! soo sososososososo soooooooooooooooooo much!

 

Sister Cornelsen

Unlikely Places... Unexpected Blessings...

So... last Monday we taught a lesson in a gas station! 

We were filling up our gas and I saw the attendant smoking a cigarette outside.

I said hello and started up a conversation. 

She recognized us as missionaires so we started talking religion. 

She had to keep going inside to ring people up  so we moved inside also. 

Her name is Tracy. she's Jehovah's Witness. She said we could come back tonight.

It's unlike any other teaching experience I've had. 

Kinda fun because it's a challenge.

Sammie is amazing. she's been studying the Bible and the Book of Mormon together. 

Something Emily's brother said:
"When you push hard at the book of Mormon, it pushes back even harder."

The two books go so well together. I just wish people would read them. 

You can't know God if you don't listen to what He says to you.
Just like building any other relationship.

There's a piano where we are staying and I have enjoyed the therapy it gives me. :)

On Saturday we went out to eat lunch with some sisters. 

I wasn't going to get anything but then a stranger came up and said that he would buy everything! 

He said his sister was on a mission. 

Then that evening a member gave us money to have dinner at Sweet Tomatoes. 

We had already paid and were eating. 

Another stranger put 25 dollars on our table and said our meal was on him! 

Heavenly father really does take care of His missionaries. 

And people are so kind.

Hope you're all having a great week. I love you!

Sister Cornelsen

Las Vegas is HOT!

Ahahaha! yes dad. it is QUITE warm here. it reached 117 this last week. we're in a heat wave. it's was 98 this morning before email... and I thought how this feels much better... but it's still 98!!!  we have ac where we are at. and I don't think I need another blanket. :) haha it is HOT.

 

We have a new investigator! Her name is Sammie and she is so commited to following Christ. She was reading the book of Mormon before we met her and the other day she sent us a text with what she studied that day. legit. she's excited to have the lessons and i'm really looking forward to teaching her. she's 20 years old and works as a secretary. going to school in the fall.

 

we had lots of miracles during church. Sister Seward shared her testimony in sacrament meeting. It was so powerful when she talked about the Book of Mormon. Sister Babb shared her testimony in Relief Society. it was short but sincere. She thanked us for teaching them. She said she's learned the most these last few months than she has ever in the church. Sister Phillips came to Sacrament for the first time in like, 20 years. and it was just good. it's going up and up from here.

 

so many other good things are happening. the ward council is pulling together for missionary work . we just got two new ward missionaries that are FANTASTIC and it's just starting to work. it's great to be here and I love that i'll spend almost half my mission in my first area. :)

 

love you all! I love seeing all these family reunion pictures. you could totally send more! ;)

Sister Cornelsen

New Companion Sister - From HOME!

My new companion is Sister Baird! 

i'm pretty sure Stacey heard her give her farewell talk. she's from la center ward in Vancouver North Stake! she's 19. she went to prairie high school. CRAZY! she just graduated in 2012 so we were never there at the same time. but it's pretty crazy. anywho, here's us. we just took this picture right before we came to the library. 

 

Sister Baird & Sister Cornelsen

it's weird being back in just one ward without a companion that knows everyone I do. it'll come. it'll just take time.  anywho, love you all! hope to hear from you next week!

Never Too Old...

Judy got baptized! it was so awesome. it was really cool being able to watch from the side. everything went perfectly. Dillon was able to lift a 77 year old woman out of the water. :) the cooler thing was when she was confirmed on Sunday. When Bishop said "receive the Holy Ghost", The Spirit washed over me, as if I had just walked through a waterfall. and I heard the words in my mind "I love you". Heavenly Father always knows the best time to give us comfort. We just gotta be patient and know that the light will come.

 

I feel like there's too much to say. I'm getting a new companion straight from the MTC tonight. so we'll be on email again tomorrow so she can tell her family she's safe.  i'm a lot more confident this time around than before.

 

Sunday in the Meadows ward was awesome. It was all focused on missionary work. I've seen how the Ward Council is pulling together to get on the same push as the church. I strongly believe that the ward is going to explode and i'm so grateful i'm here for it.

 

I have loved serving with Sister Pulsipher. She works so hard and she is so bold. I've loved it. It would have been awesome to serve longer with her but I think it was just the right amount of time for us to learn what we needed to. Now we get to teach these new greenies what we've learned. I've been praying for my new companion that she'll be prepared for all the work that we'll do. i'm really excited. :)

 

my time is running short. I love you all. tomorrow i'll send another email telling you about brother mike and tawana. hahaha I love them.

 

have a great day!

Sister Cornelsen