Week 71 - Lockridge, Dianella Zone, Western Australia - December 19, 2016 - Merry Christmas!

It's been a good week! I got the package. Thanks Mom!

I loved the package so much! It made my week!
(Thank you everyone for sending me your picture and some 
of you sent messages!! I didn't think he would take the time 
to tape it up and THEN tape all the ornaments on, but he did!!! Yay!!)

Not much this week but we gave the training for the ward mission leaders and the bishopric and it went really well....Everyone was super pumped afterwards and we are hearing really good responses from around the stake so thats awesome! Had zone conference which was awesome. President Fife taught about being lovingly bold and how we have to help our investigators get rid of all their drugs, cigarettes and Alcohol....It was a really good training about helping our investigators keep commitments and progress!

Our Mongolian son is doing awesome! He's just blossoming into a beast! He is just getting used to the people here in Aussie land how chill city they are and all:) 

WELL, I will see you guys on SUNDAY:) Christmas Eve for you:) Can't wait!!! Love you guys:)

ELDER CORDNER

FHE with R and K - We shared a Christmas message and did the Nativity tradition.

This spider was pretty huge.....bigger than it looks in this picture!

Week 70 - Lockridge, Dianella Zone, Western Australia - December 12, 2016 - MONGOLIA

Our new son is from Mongolia! He is The MAN:) He is a convert to the Church of about 2 years because he went as an exchange student to Utah...He is super cool and he brings power to our lessons with his personal experiences of joining the church. It's pure! 

Miracle this week, K has come to church like 8 times now and he called us out of the blue the other day and told us he made the decision to be baptized! We were so pumped! His favorite number is 9 so of course he wants to be baptized on the 9th of January. haha! So we settled for that day! Now we just have to help him to continue to progress and remain strong. WE've got some dinners with members lined up for him so that should be good. 

This week has just been crazy and kinda slow as far as work goes just because of all the meetings and transport and all that so i am excited to have a more productive week. Missionary work is the best when you just hit mule mode and grind it out:)!  We have been asked by our Stake President to do a training for all the ward mission leaders and bishopric in the zone for tomorrow so that should be great! 

We started teaching a members' next door neighbor who is a devout Catholic but his dad recently died, He is pretty depressed and he's been studying a lot about the Mormon's beliefs of eternal families. When he told us he wanted to be with his family forever and his greatest desire was to see his father again, the Holy Ghost was with me in POWER with tear-filled eyes I testified of the way he could be with his family forever and Exhorted him to read the Book of Mormon...He  was looking down and i could definitely tell he was feeling some intense things... right at that moment his friend called his phone and he answered I could tell he was a little choked up...He agreed to diligently seek truth by reading and praying about the Book of Mormon. I have no doubt that if he asks in Faith with an intent to act upon an answer given he will receive his answer. 

I love this work guys:) I am so imperfect. The constant love that flows from our Father in Heaven Amazes me and causes me to Marvel! 

I read Dallin's (Mitchell's cousin who just came home this past week from Uganda) last email home and I was deeply touched by his testimony...What a Man! The spirit I felt was evidence that he really knows the things he said! Thanks for the example!

In the spirit of Dallin's testimony I want to share a brief one with all of you....

The other day I read a bumper sticker on the side of a diesel truck which read "Forget God because he has forgotten you." I bear you my personal witness that there is no greater lie my eyes have ever read or my heart felt. I personally Bear witness that at no moment in my mission and looking back on my short life at NO MOMENT IN MY LIFE has God ever Forgotten about me...He Has ALWAYS been there...And he will continue to always be there...You can always rely on God. You can trust him in face of all evidence to the contrary. I Testify That by the Power of the Holy Ghost I Know for myself and day by day I know even further that Jesus is The Savior and Redeemer of the world. He lives today He will come again. Whatever life has in store for me, I will NEVER forsake him. I will be faithful to him till the end of my mortal days. Joseph Smith is for sure a prophet of God. I have known this for a long time, I will defend his good name for the rest of my life. I love you all, This Gospel is true. My life would lose all meaning without it. I haven't been brainwashed out here. I have had experiences so personal and so undeniable they cannot be written in words. I love you all to death:) I thank my Heavenly Father each day for amazing Parents, Family, and friends that showed me the way when i was too stupid to open my eyes and look...

Have a MEAN WEEK:)

ELDER CORDNER

Elder Cordner and Elder Jackson's new companion from Mongolia.

Week 69 - Lockridge, Dianella Zone, Western Australia - December 5, 2016 - PURE

Well it has been quite an eventful few weeks. It has been a while since i have updated in detail so i will try and fill you guys in. 

R was baptized! It was an amazing experience to be a part of...Let me tell you a bit about him...

He grew up in Afghanistan but after most of his family was killed by the Taliban including his brothers and Father, he fled to Iran where he stayed and worked for many years and spent his days working as a farmer and hiding from the Muslim extremists who persecute his muslim sect...He got married and eventually made it to Pakistan with his wife and 3 kids....He has now been in Australia for over 5 years. 

From the time we met him to now, a dramatic change has taken place in his heart and in his countenance...He is happier than ever. He knows the truth, and he knows life's purpose and who to look to for strength and relief. It has been a miracle! He is such a solid convert...He has been teaching his family the lessons over skype and they are excited to be baptized when he finally gets them cleared and ready to come over. 

Me and Elder TA'ALA sang "How Great Thou Art" at the baptism and it was pretty good not gonna lie haha. He was baptized by a good friend he made in the ward Bro Pemburton who is in the bishopric....

K was at the baptism and church yesterday. He also went to a YSA event so he is looking awesome. He says he might be baptized at start of the year!

K looking sharp with Elder Jackson's name tag.

I got bit by a dog...which was soooo annoying. The owners were just laughing but i wanted to go big hoss mode and strangle the little guy...I went in the bathroom and i just had heaps of blood leaking down my thigh so that ticked me off a bit...

You know how I was eating super healthy??? Well we got into a scenerio with a Samoan family where we just couldn't turn down their food because it would have been HIGHLY offensive so after weeks of living a pure vegan raw foods diet I had to MULE DOWN the biggest amount of OILY Samoan food...It was sooooo good but they just kepty loading us up and a bit of the way through I KNEW i wasnt gonna be able to handle it I struggled for the remaining hour to keep it from coming up all over the table while we were giving a spiritual message and singing songs...it was complete war....

OH haha it was funny when we were teaching R about the Word of Wisdom. He was totally agreeing with everything and then Elder Jackson started talking about cold cereal and milk for some reason and R thought it was banned in the Word of Wisdom so he, on the spot, agreed to never again eat cold cereal and milk. Haha we explained that it was all goods and he laughed...Shows you how humble he is...He felt the spirit big time while we were teaching him and he was willing to obey whatever we taught him...Such a pure man...

Thats probably the longest letter I have ever wirtten! Wow! I love you guys so much! I am willing to conform my life to God's will at any point...God expects our love and our loyalty at every stage of our lives! Love you guys to death! Have a mean as week:) (No, he didn't misspell a bad word.  This is a pure Australian thing to say.)

ELDER CORDNER