A Voice From the Vineyard: 20 June 2013

Hola,

They moved up my p-day to TODAY [Thursday], so you get to hear from me a day early. Because of all the Mission Presidents coming in they moved our in-field orentation to tomorrow and to the Cougar Chapel by the stadium so they moved our p-day up a day.

This week has been amazing. My testimony has been strengthened even more and it has just been so great. Most days have been pretty normal. We didn't have too much excitement at the end of last week. A little more about my teacher leaving - he is studying at BYU to be a Special Education teacher and so now he student teaches every morning. He doesn't officially teach us. He is still around but not as our teacher. So, the short story is that we have had a few substitutes over the past few days.
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Sunday was a really wonderful day. Relief Society was amazing. Sis. Neill F. Marriott of the Young Women General Presidency spoke to us. She was amazing. At first I was a little suspicious of a Young Women leader talking to us Relief Society Sisters, but it was truly amazing. One of her great pieces of advice is to truly turn your heart = might mind and strength - over to the Lord and that if you are getting distracted you need to get right back in line and keep doing the work 100%. The other sweet thing was that she told her conversion story. It was really great and so inspiring to hear the power we have as missionaries to bless and change the lives of others. Then her husband got up and said a few quick words. The ones that touched me the most were " No matter how low you get you can always turn to the Lord". I really needed those words not because I was low, but to know that the Lord always, no matter what, wants us to turn to Him.
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I almost forgot about Music And The Spoken Word. It was Fathers Day themed and it was soooooo good. They had these cute clips of kids talking about their fathers. My favorite song was " Who will Buy" from Oliver. [See the arrangement HERE.] It was this gorgeous arrangement and it was just such a wonderful experience. Then we had devotional which for the the first time, was broadcast from the other campus. It was Stephen Allen again and he showed old Church commercials. They were funny and sweet. It was nice to have a lighter evening. Then, for our last opportunity to watch a "movie". We decided to watch Testaments. It was amazing. I had forgotten how powerful the story of Christ is intermingled with the saints in the Americas. By the end of the movie, when it says that Jesus came and will come again, all of us Sisters were sobbing really hard and everyone else turned around and looked at us. We just start laughing. Really the story was so powerful and perfectly timed for me to remember what Christ did on this earth, the power he has and sacrifices he made.
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This video made such an impact on me. In the part where Christ is in the Garden I just started balling because I really realized all the pain he suffered just for me and for all of you. I realized that all the pains I feel, especially on a mission, that I have created for myself have been things that he felt. In a moment it made me feel guilty for not realizing and using the Atonement more when He knows how to succor us personally. It is SO amazing. I know that Christ suffered and died for us to enable us to return to live with God after this life and because of the sacrifice, we as a family can all be together forever as long as we follow the doctrine of Christ and do what God has asked of us. I also know that He lives today and administers to us, but usally only when we ask.
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Monday, if you can believe, was even better. In the morning we had another substitute. He was amazing. He was full of life and really fun to learn from. He was understanding and just great. After some language study he started to have us practice teaching the first lesson in the 5-minutes-or-less. We all really struggled with it and then he asked, " Do you really get what this lesson is about?". He turned to Moroni 10:3-5 and read to us. What he made clear is that God loves us and because God loves us he has helped us throughout time to be better, to be happy. After the people rejected His only begotten Son, he still came to the earth to restore the gospel once more. This simple fact made the whole gospel shift for me. We all realized that this was now the point of this first lesson. Not apostasy or dispensations, but the love of God. It really envelopes the whole gospel. Now I understand what the basis is and then I can build on the need for every individual investigator and member from there. It was amazing. We all just finally understood what our teachers have been trying to teach us. Afterwards we found out that he is the boss of the teachers who teach Spanish and it all became clear why he was so good. It was such a wonderful experience. It was just great. That evening we had more class that was also really good.
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On Tuesday we had a substitute again. He taught us even more about focusing on the investigator. He said that teaching is the last thing we do and not the first. We need to be able to love them and realize that we are teaching a gospel that they need We are teaching them as an individual not as just a lesson. Then we had our devotional on Tuesday which I call the "cherry on top"! The first thing he said that I liked is that to Preach is the invite. It is not to throw a lesson in their face, but to invite them to find for themselves. Another thing that I liked that he said was teaching with the spirit means to understand the investigator, which means asking inspired questions. The Spirit is so essential in missionary work. It is the only way for us to be truly effective teachers. We are young adults and we don't know what we are doing, but the Spirit does, so all is well.
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Wednesday we had two interesting things. We had our first class with our new teacher and our last class with our old teacher. In the morning we had our new teacher Hermana Arbon. That is right an Hermana teacher. She is so friendly and nice. We only have her for a few days, but she seems great. It is a little odd to get someone new, especially our woman teacher when we are use to men. I am sure she will be wonderful. The sad thing was that we said goodbye to Hermano Ferguson. It was kind of a little sad for me, since it has felt like a lifetime since we have been here and he has been with us the whole time. The nice thing was that he was full of wisdom. The other sad thing was that it was our last time teaching his investigator Pablo. It was such a spiritual lesson and he committed to baptism in a few weeks because he feels so peacful when he reads the Book of Mormon. It was so great. I almost cried a few times though. The piece of adivce that I loved the most was that we need to desire to work hard for the Lord. We need the Lord to help us fulfill our desire. He talked about how much his mission changed him. It made me finally understand that the changes I have made here at the MTC are just the beginning. There is so much more work to do and so much more fine tuning for me to do in it all. The sweet thing was that he came to our session at the temple this morning and it was such a sweet expeierince to say goodbye to him in the Celestial Room.
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Today is the start of packing. I can not believe it is the time for me to really go out into the world - well Santa Rosa - and teach the gospel in Spanish. I am so excited to go out there and continue this wonderful process of sharing the gospel. It has been a rougher road, but I am now ready to be an instrument in the hand of the Lord.

So - a little about my travel plans - we leave this coming Tuesday the 25th. The rough part is that we have to check in at 4:30 in the morning at the travel office here at the MTC. Our flight is not until 8:36 and we arrive in Oakland California at 9:38. Man, am I glad that I don't have to fly all around the world. I am so excited to finally be in Santa Rosa.

It is going to be such an exciting journey. I am so excited to just go and do it even though I have no idea what it is going to be like. Next time I write you it will be from Santa Rosa California. Ahhhh - It is so weird, but I am so excited. I love you all so much and can not wait to be able to tell you my tales as a missionary out in the field.

Love ya,

Hermana Cornwall

p.s By the way, for the broadcast on Sunday, I will be wearing my royal blue collared shirt [see below] and Hermana Vance will be wearing light turquoise shirt. Also Hermana Whitely will be wearing bright pink and she will be next to us too. I am so excited to see if you see me!