Trip to the Volcano!

¡Hola!

I am doing good. I am loving the work! For our pday activity today we went to a volcano, called Quilotoa!! Well.. It is a lake in the pit of once was a volcanoe, but is now dormant. It was super pretty!! The old bad thing was we didn´t have enough time to go down to the lake, because it is quite the hike, but we got some really cool pictures!! I love this beautiful country and the cool places there are to get to know! 

This week I focused my studies on the Atonement, and focusing on teaching it as well to help the people have a reason to do the things. Through the Atonement we can find real peace and comfort. Also I read alot about how Christ was the only one that could do it, and that He WILLINGLY sacrificed His life for us. I have heard that many times before, but reading that this week really made me feel the love that He has for me and for the other people. I realized that as I am teaching people, when I am really focused on their needs and their concerns I can feel the love that Christ has for these people, and I truly develop a sincere love for them. I am so grateful for Jesus Christ and that He sacrificed himself for us and that through Him and this gospel we can find true peace and happiness.

Well this week was good. In our lessons we focused alot on teaching with the commitment in mind and being more specific about what and why of the commandments to get people to commit, and we saw a change. Just no one came to church.. we were a little sad about that. It is always hard being in church and no one had come.. 

Our investigator Miquel, commited to be baptized this week, really we could see a difference in him and a bigger desire to follow God and be baptized. He came to a baptism on saturday of a kid in the ward to see how it was, and he said he liked it, he was just hesitant with the goal we put with him. We commited him to pray and ask God about the 6th, and he said he would. Then we didn´t come on sunday, even though saturday he was saying he would be there. He doesn´t have a number that we can call, we just have a number of his friend that he is with alot. So we weren´t able to call him in the morning. We are planning on visiting him tonight, and we are hoping we find him. Also our other investigator that had a baptism date, was Dayana. Dayana is the granddaughter of some recent converts who is 18, and she has really been affected by the change she has seen in her grandparents that she wants to join the church as well. She is reading and praying and is commiting to all the commandments that we teach her. She also came to the baptism on saturday and was super excited to come to church. We called her sunday morning, and she didn´t answer, and she didn´t come to church. In the afternoon we called again, and she slept in.. so we are going to be seeing what we can do to help her not to sleep in. They are both great and the faith and desire they have to follow God is awesome and I am learning a lot about seeing the blessings of being a member of the gospel and having a desire to learn.

We had a really powerful lesson yesterday with a less active, Jessica. She has been holding in a lot of feelings of guilt for the past mistakes she has made, and she is so close to really coming back strong, the only thing holding her back is forgiving herself. We shared the scripture in DyC 58:42-43, and we testified to her that God has forgiven her, and as we said that a strong feeling came over me that God truly loved her and that He had forgiven her for her past mistakes, and that He was just waiting for her to come back to Him. We testified that the power of the Atonement really allows you to feel peace that you can recieve a complete forgiveness. At moments the only thing holding us back from feeling this peace completely is ourselves and our unwillingness to let ourselves be forgiven. But, if Christ has forgiven us, why can´t we forgive ourselves? We left her with the commitment to pray and ask for help to forgive herself, and she seemed a lot more hopeful :) I love this gospel and I love the Atonement! 

Yo sé que a través de la expiación de Jesucristo podemos sentir un paz y gozo inmenso, podemos sentir el amor que Él tiene para cada uno de nosotros, y podemos perdonar a nosotros mismo. Yo sé porque he sentido esto en mi vida y sé que es para todos. Y lo comparto en el nombre de Jesucristo. Amen. 

I love you all and I hope you have a wonderful week!

Mucho Amor,

Hermana Cordon

More pictures of our visit to the volcano:

The Volcano!

Me and my companion

Me and my companion

My district, they didn´t tell us about the need to wear those shirts.. 

The Volcano!

a part of our sector, I love it!

a part of our sector, I love it!

We always have to have a crazy photo, and me and my companion fell.. hahaha 

My zone, we made zone t-shirts

And the Work Keeps Going

¡HOLA!

I am just enjoying it here in Ambato with Hna Guevara, we are working hard loving the members, and loving all the people that we are meeting. We were able to meet a lot more new people this week and we have a lot of hope for them and we are excited to see their progression! 

I finally had Cuy (Guinea Pig) this week. Guinea pigs are only food here, not pets.. It was a little weird staring at the foot of an animal that I once had as a pet, but it tastes really good! haha It tastes just like chicken.. I can now say I have had a traditional meal of ecuador.

Quillanloma - there was no one around so we decided to take a quick picture!

We started visiting Dayana this week, she is 18 and was an old investigator who was going to school on sundays, and couldn`t change her schedule, but in 2 weeks she won`t be studying on a sunday again! So we started teaching her and she has a baptism date for the 13th, she is great and has a big desire for her family to be like the family of her aunt and uncle. Her aunt and uncle are the Flia Bravo, who are recent converts, who have a ton of faith and just love the gospel and put all their trust in the Lord. And when you walk into their home you can just feel the peace and love that is in their home. I love the gospel and the influence it can have on families, and hopefully we can help Dayana to have this blessing in her life and the life of her family as well. We are going to try and get to know her parents. 

We found Miquel this week! We went to buy some food for dinner and we contacted the lady that sold us the food, and she was really nice and we felt as though we should teach her, we were headed off to another appointment, but we decided to try a share a small message and get them more interested. We asked her if she could invite her brother and her friend that were there as well, her friend is Miquel. As soon as he came over he started asking a bunch of questions and saying how he isn`t baptized and that he hasn`t really had an interest in religion. At the end of the message he asked us from what church we were from, because he forgot. And we responded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints, but sometimes refer to us as Mormons. And he responded, "You guys are mormon?? Of all the churches that I have studied this is the most correct and could be the true church." That was super cool to hear! He then was saying how his mom was studying this church and thing that caught his attention most was that his mom was always super happy listening to the missionaries, he said that that was the happiest he has ever seen his mom. I know that this church brings that kind of true happiness, and I am glad that he has seen that affect in someone that he loves. We walked out feeling really good that we shared a message and we were able to get to know him. We visited him again and he had read and had a bunch of questions, and then he also came to church! He was really hesitant to come to church, because he doesn`t like churches, but he said that he felt really good in our church. 

Also Adriana we have been visiting for 2 weeks, and she is great, also came to church! On saturday we were able to visit with her and her husband which was really awesome and help him to get to understand more, he is a lot more reserved and hesitant, but it was a big step, because we were able to gain a lot more confidence. But, Adriana loved church and is progressing really well!

We saw a lot of miracles this week, and yet right now I am having a hard time remembering all of them. I wrote them in my journal, but I didn`t bring that with me, but these were a couple of the miracles we saw. I just love the hand the Lord has in the work and really good feel the love he has for every one of these people.

I love this work, I love this people, and seriously I am so grateful for the guiding hand of the Lord during this time and that we are not doing this work alone!

I love you all and I hope you all recognize the Lord`s hand in all things!

Mucho Amor,

Hermana Cordon

I had cow foot soup this week.. it was interesting.. 

My reaction looking at it.. haha

Me with the Guinea Pig

Guinea Pig...

El Libro de Mormón es la clave

¡Hola a todos!

Once again its monday, really time is flying by, a little too quickly. We had interviews with our president this week, he talked about marriage and when I get home, I think he wants me to be trunky.. don`t worry I´m not. I am convinced that I am never coming home. :) 

Me with the Waterfall

We went to Baños again for our zone activity, it is so pretty and so cool! I am in love with Ecuador. We went to el manto de la novia (Bridal´s veil) a waterfall, and it was really cool and a fun little hike. Once again we left completely soaked, but luckily Baños is humid, we were just slightly cold when we got back to cold Ambato, but I love Ambato.

We are working with some investigators that the Elders were working with before, the Flia Zambrano. They are from the coast, they moved because of the earthquake. They are really interested in our message and we are excited to see their progress. The kids are really smart and they all really listen to what we have to share, they are great. I just love how excited they get when we are in their house, hopefully they come to church next week. We started working with a less active this week, Jessica, who is really great and really searching to understand and have a reason to come back. I have learned about the importance of being humble and ready to learn from her, she is amazing and commited to come to church this sunday! I truly love this sector, ward, and these people!! I am so happy to be here in Barrio El Recreo!

My Companion & I in the bridge by the waterfall.

One thing that I learned this week, is the importance of the Book Of Mormon. The first week we met with a less active, and she told us, "in my 2 years as a member, I have never finished 1 Nephi, and thats because I don`t like to read and I never read the Book of Mormon." So we talked about the importance of the BOM and the power it has and the blessings she can recieve and we commited her to read every morning before she does anything. She, with her husband, has read everyday since :) And we have seen such a huge difference in them. They are a lot more receptive to what we have to say, they have a stronger desire to do the right things, and they really are focused on the goal of getting to the temple. We also commited Jessica to read the BOM everyday as well, she didn`t read everyday, but she was reading and she also is a lot more excited to keep learning and to keep increasing her testimony. Everytime we go into a home, whether it be an investigator, recent convert, less active, or member I ALWAYS verify if they are reading the BOM or not. And if they are not, we teach them about the BOM and read with them. I know that this is the key to having a strong testimony and that no one will be able to progress, if they are never reading the BOM. I want to encourage everyone, that if you are not reading the BOM everyday, DO IT: You won`t regret it, and you will be even more blessed and have an even stronger testimony that this really is the true church. I have seen the BOM change lives here and I am so grateful that I have grown to know this for myself.

Well I love you all and never forget that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints is the true church and that the Book Of Mormon is the word of God and has power to change your life!!

Have a fantastic week!

Love, Hermana Cordon

Adventures Up the Mountains

¡Hola!

Seriously can`t believe that it is monday again, this week just flew by! We worked hard, we got lost, and we to know more people :) We went on an adventure up the mountain this week. We got on a bus trying to go down the mountain from an area that we are working in, and in the end we went up the mountain. We noticed it wasn`t the right bus, when it didn`t turn to go down, but instead went up.. so we asked the people in front of us where the bus was going, they said to Constantino. It turns out Constantino is at the tip of the mountain, like 35 minutes in bus up the mountain.. So we went on a little adventure up the mountain, and then took the bus down the mountain :) We got some cool pictures, because it was a pretty view, and we gave everyone on the bus a good laugh, because I sure it was pretty funny to see a gringa and a latina with skirts on hopping on a bus to go to el campo (where there are only dirt roads and farm land). :) Everyone gave us a pretty weird look when we got on the bus, and we figured out why when we figured out where the bus was going. We are getting better at buses and now we know that if the bus says Constantino to not get on it.

We visited a less active couple this week, that are now coming back to church. They were saying that they didn`t go to church for over 5 months because of something a member said that was really rude. They decided that they were missing out on way to many blessings to not go to church for that reason so they decided to come back and go for God and not go for the people. And that is the key. We go to church to serve God and to learn more, and we need to always remember that the church is perfect, but the members are FAR from perfect. The Church of Jesus Christ is a hospital for the sick (people who are sinning) and Christ is the perfect Doctor. But, we all have weaknesses and things that we need to improve and we just need to remember that we are going to church for God and not for the imperfect members. I love this church and I know that it is the true church of God, and I know that I am not perfect and I have a long way to go. I am just so happy that they have decided and realized this for themselves and they are coming back to church strong :) 

A cool story, we were knocking doors one afternoon when all of our appointments had fallen through, and we

were just going door to door and no one was answering. As we were turning the corner, it came to my mind that we had unintentionally skipped a house, so I said to my companion "Lets go contact that house.. I feel as though there is a golden family in that house." I didn`t say that completely seriously, but I did feel as though we needed to contact that house. It turns out that it is a family that lives in that house, and we talked to the oldest son. They listened to missionaries before a really long time ago and he told us to come back on sunday so that we kind find everyone. They seem super interested. They weren`t home yesterday, but we set up another appointment for tomorrow and we are praying that we find them.

We had divisions this week with the Hna Leaders and I was with Hna Willson again! I love her!! We had a lot of fun working and contacting together and we were able to contact a lot of families, which was awesome! 

I love this church, I love this work, and I am so grateful to be a missionary. 

 I love you all and have a fabulous week!! Also HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!

Hermana Cordon