Leer, Orar, y Asistir

¡Hola!

Well this week went great, alot of our appointments fell through, but we kept pushing through and we worked hard and we had an awesome week. 

Selfie with my Companion

We have 3 progressing investigators. Fernando, Patricia, and Veronica, all of which have a baptism date for the 8th. We love all of them and we are working hard with each one of them. Fernando asked us yesterday "Why can´t I just get baptized tomorrow?" Oh boy did that make us happy to hear his excitement to get baptized. I know that he is coming along and really letting the Lord change his life. Patricia is doing great and has come from being scared to be baptized to being anxious which is a great change! And I am finally friends with her little 2 year old daughter, who´s name is Paola Micaela :) I love her second name! She has always been super shy with us and would never greet us or anything, but this week she finally greeted me and took me by the hand! So cute! Veronica is doing great as well and everyday we can see a change in her. 

This week, juggling trying to visit all 3 to get the lessons in, and trying to visit the less actives and converts, we had a hard time having new lessons with new people. I was really trying to figure out what we could do differently to be able to find new people to keep the work progressing, and not just have no investigator work after the 8th. Then, on friday we had a ward activity, and the bishop came up to us and told us about a friend of his that will come to church on sunday, and then came yesterday as well! He came with his wife and they both enjoyed the church. Then yesterday we were able to visit with them and their kids. They have 4 kids who are 13, 11, 8, and 1. They are all super receptive and want to know more. They are not married, but we are excited to be working with them and we have a return appointment set up with them for tomorrow. Really I know that the work moves forward a lot more productively when the members get involved, I have a strong testimony of that now, because for the first time in several months I am working with people who are progressing, and all three of them are references from members. We just got to keep working with the members and we got to keep getting them excited to get involved in the work. I love this ward and I love everyone who is excited to work with us and to help us out. We are seeing great things here in El Recreo. 

Watching Conference

Women´s Conference was great, if you didn´t watch it, do it. Some of the things I liked was "In the end everything will make sense." Dieter F. Utchdor. And I liked the general theme and what Sister Oscarson talked about how we are essential parts in the kingdom of God and a bedrock understanding of the doctrine of Christ. I loved it and I am excited for conference this weekend!

In personal study this week I was studying a little bit of Joseph Smith´s story and I was thinking in the people we have been working with. Joseph Smith, to get an answer, went to many churches to see what they teach and how he feels. He searched in the Bible, he read it alot and really pondered on what he was reading. And he finally took it to God and prayed, with a sincere heart, real intent, and faith that God would answer him. And he got an answer, an answer that has changed my life and millions of others as well. While pondering on that, it just reinforced to be the reason we need to make sure that everyone we are visiting (investigator, convert, less active, member) is reading the scriptures, going to church, and praying to God. And if they do that they will have a testimony. Sometimes it seems so simple and so easy to do all those things, and it is. But, we need to make sure we are doing it with all of our heart and a true desire and then we will see miracles in our own personal life. No, not a vision and talk to God and Jesus Christ face to face, but something very powerful and very spiritual personally. I know that if everyone makes time, and really does all with their heart, that reading the scriptures and praying to God daily and a weekly church attendance will change your life spiritually. I testify of that in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Les Amo Muchísimo!

Mucho Amor,

Hermana Cordon

The typical cudor meal. You just have to have your rice, fries, and chicken.

We love Kinder Eggs. You can´t find them in the states, because they are illegal because they come with a little toy. But, they are delicious.

Called to serve, but written into how to pronouce it for a spanish speaker. 

Me with Deyni, a less active, and beautiful Ambato

We made mac and cheese with our mission leader and his wife, for our activity. We had a ward activity and each organization was assigned a country to present a food and a talent. So we got assigned the USA and we presented mac and cheese :) And we sang in english with the elders and our mission leader.

Baños round 4

¡hola!

Well today as a zone we went to Pailon del Diablo. It is a REALLY STRONG waterfall in Baños and seriously it is so pretty and really just puts me in awe about nature and about the creations of God. I seriously love this beautiful planet, and especially beautiful Ecuador and its wonderful waterfalls. We got completely soaked again, and so we came back super cold, so we were happy to put on nice warm clothes. Just my hair has a nice after effect of the humidity of Baños and being soaked :) 

This week I kept focusing on focusing on the spirit and really noticed a difference. This week a ton of appointments fell through, everyday. And we were found where all of our appointments, including backup plans, were null and we weren´t sure what to do. But, this week I noticed alot more of the hand of God in this work, and I am convinced its because we turned to Him more. We found ourselves praying to Him, letting Him guide us, and really trying to focus on what the Spirit was saying. And I know that if we keep doing that, we will see a huge difference. 

One miracle was that we were walking in the rain going over to try and find someone we had contacted a couple of days earlier. While walking there, we noticed some kids huddled under a poncho running to their house, and then they noticed us. They all started waving, and we waved thinking it was probably some little kids that wanted to wave to the two gringas, but then one of the kids asked us if we remembered him, and then it clicked in my mind that it was the kids of the person we were headed to. So we said yes, and we asked if they were going to their house and if their mom was home, they said yes, and then they showed us to their house. Their house was really complicated to get to and so we never would have found it if we hadn´t had run into them. They are a cute little family, and we haven´t been able to visit with them again, but we are praying that we find them this week. We were really grateful for that little "coincidence" or better said miracle from God. 

We also were able to visit with 2 other new families this week that are really great and seem like they have a lot of desire to follow God and to learn more about Him, we have been praying to find a family and we were able to find 3 this week. I know that families can help each other progress and really come to God, so I am grateful for the chance to be teaching them and helping them to know the way that can bless their family. 

We have 2 progressing investigators right now, and they are really great! One is Fernando, and he is a 18 year old boy and has a ton of desire to know God and to follow Him. One thing that really respect about him, is his prayers. He really has such sincere prayers and pours his heart out to God, and with that desire we have seen him grow over the last 2 weeks and really have come so much closer to God. The other is Patricia, she is great and has been really doing all she can to follow God and to change her life for the better. She loves what she sees in the church and she wants her daughter to grow up in the atmosphere of the church. We are excited to be working with her as well and to really see the change in her from the gospel. They both have baptism dates for the 8th of October, and we are praying for them.

Hermana Bench and I are getting along great as well. We work hard and I love her desire to work and her desire to just do that much more. She is great and I love working with her.

It was a great week and I really love this work and these people.

Con mucho Amor,

Hermana Cordon

Me with Fernando (our investigator), Gaby (a member, and his girlfriend), and Jessica (the less active we have been working with). I love them!

Us with a member that came with us for the afternoon

We had divisions this week and I was with Hna Loayza, she is great

El Recreo Round 3

¡Hola!

Great news, I am staying in El Recreo with Hna Bench to finish out the mission!! I am super excited to be able to be here for the next 6 weeks and to keep working with these wonderfully amazing people here in El Recreo. Also I am stoked to be able to keep working with Hna Bench. It also means I will have about 7 months here in Ambato, but thats okay, cause it is the best!

We went with Jessica and her Mom to feed
their animals, we forgot our cameras.
Her mom gave me her shall to put on,
because it was super windy, and she put it on
the Ecuador Way.

Jesica, our less active, is doing good. She has never come to the first hour, but has been coming to church for awhile now. So we talked to her about why we need to go to the first hour, mainly for the sacrament. She thought you had to be basically perfect to take the sacrament, so she didn´t go, because she didn´t feel worthy enough to take the sacrament. So we cleared that right up, and testified to her that the sacrament is for the imperfect people who are trying to do better. I love the sacrament, and here on the mission I have been really able to understand it on a whole new level. 

This week was sad, because we had to drop two of our investigators. I come to love every one of our investigators and I am able to learn so much from them. But, there comes a time when the person isn´t progressing and is not doing what we are asking them to do, we have to love them enough to let them go and to allow them to come back, when they will progress. I am just super grateful for the chance we had to meet with them and for all that I was able to learn from them. 

We had a service project this week, and we painted. It was fun! Fun fact: Ecuadorians think you need to put half water and half paint, so we basically painted the wall with water. And it was a white wall, that we sanded last week, and so we were putting a new white paint on it. But, it just ended up being gray.. It was kind of funny, just painting the wall and just finding gray in our paths.

Use with Deyni, a less active we are working with
that goes to appointments with us.

The members here are great, and we have been able to work with so many here. Hopefully we can just keep working with them and finding more people to work with.

Not much to share, but I love the work and I love the mission. Just keep on keeping on :)

Love you all!!

Con mucho amor y cariño,

Hermana Cordon

Our District, Elder Paiz left, but everyone else is staying

Beautiful Ecuador, the view from our front door.

Our Zone

Just Working Hard

¡Hola!

At the service project

Well time is flying by and I cannot believe that it is september already. People are so kindly reminding me of how little time I have left, but at the same time it is really helping me to use every moment I have left. I love the mission, I love this time I have to focus on the Lord and on His work and to really dedicate my time and talents. I just want to be able to completely focus on the work and give it my all, and I am so happy to be with a new missionary in this time to really keep me focused and to feed off of her new missionary energy and diligence. Hna Bench is amazing, I really do love her. I have learned so much from her and her diligence and I can see myself getting better with her example. She was sick a bunch this week, and we weren`t able to work as much as we wanted to, but we kept a positive attitude and we are excited to get out and work harder this week. Seriously I think I am learning more from her, than she is learning from me. 

This week we had a service project with our zone, and so we sanded some walls for about 4 hours. We were sanding off white paint, so we got covered in white chalk, and it looked like christmas in the rooms! haha It was fun, but I ended up coughing all day :) Pictures attached, we look great. Our zone is great and we always have such a great time together, and we are all super diligent in the work and are supporting everyone together.

Us with 2 hermanas and the cookies

Also today for Pday we learned how to make donuts from an hermana that has a bakery, and the trade off was that we taught her how to make cookies. No one here knows how to make good cookies, and so she now knows and is going to start selling chocolate chip cookies :) It was a fun afternoon.

Though we didn`t work too much this week, we worked hard and did our best. We were able to visit with 2 member referrals this week. And they are great! It really makes such a difference in the work when the members get involved and really share the gospel. All of our progressing investigators right now are member referrals, so thats cool. 

One of the new investigators is Patricia, she has gone to church 2 times in a different ward with some family. She has a little girl and she really wants to change so she can give her daughter the best life possible. She has loved what she has seen in this church and what she has seen in her family as well. She is super receptive and just loves this gospel and I love her sweet spirit and the love and patience she has for her daughter. She is really seeking to know the truth and is really searching it out in her mind. I just know that she is going to find the changes she wants to see with time, because that is true conversion: A change in your heart and mind.  

The other is Marisol, she is super nice and really likes this message as well, we only shared the first lesson with her and then she was going to come to church, but had an inconvenience so she wasn`t able to come, but we are excited to keep working with her and to see where it goes. 

Jesica, our less active, finally accepted and had an interview with the bishop, it was a big step for her and she looked a lot happier and a lot more at peace yesterday when we visited with her, she is super close to being saved! I just love her and I have been able to learn a ton from her in our time visiting with her and helping her, the spirit is super strong in every one of the lessons that we have with her. 

I love you all! Thank you for your prayers and support!

Mucho Amor,

Hermana Cordon

After the service project

Hma Bench and I at the service project

our two donuts

Me with my donut