Another Week!

We had a lot of blessings this week. We have been slowly changing a few things in our little dupla [duo/companionship], and I think that it is rendering some good results. We have been teaching a family that lives rather high up in the area, and they are so fun. Unfortunately the sons areńt really reading the Book of Mormon, but they have a good heart. Inis (who went to conference last week) came to church yesterday, and I daresay she liked it.

One of the highlights of the week was our Noite Familiar [Family Night] Saturday. There were about 25 single adults at the house of two sisters in our Ward. We were in charge of the message. Sister de Assis has this little experiment that she loves: to represent the power of the atonement in our lives; she puts on drop of food coloring in glass of water (to represent the stains of errors) and then you pour bleach in the glass - and the red water turns clear again. We read Isaiah 1:18 and discussed that Jesus Cristo suffered . . . everything. He felt every little thing that pains us, and bled. We talked about how when we bleed, no one benefits; when we scrape our knee, or cut open our lip - no one really gets anything. But the blood of Jesus Cristo will save us. It is the means by which we receive mercy and grace - but it is not free gente [people], we have to seek out the power. In 1 John 1:7 it talks about how we need to walk in the light. And Alma 5:33-34 we need to take the sacrament to use the love he has . . . to save us. Interesting.

I love being a missionary. It is such a beautiful privilege.

love, love, love,
Sister Cornwall

[Excerpts from note to Mom]

Oh dearest Mom,

Thanks for the update. I pray for my siblings, and just hope that what I`m praying for is still up-to-date information, so thanks for reassuring that for me. Thank you for being my little mail carrier. I do love the Monrovia Ward, and I want them to know the great effects theýve had on me....

I am inspired to get to know the Bible. It is NOT the Livro de Mormon, but it is the word of God, and it helps us to get to know the Savior/Jehovah. Thanks for being a great seminary teacher . . . though Íve realized that I need a deep review of scripture mastery scriptures. (Feel free to tell your seminary kids that the doctrine taught in those 100 scriptures are the foundation and are essential to build our testimonies.)

And now for some details:

• This past week we were incredibly blessed. Wére working just about completely in Alto Maron, a 30-40 minute walk from our house. It́s a lot more middle class, and wére having success with families! One hard thing is that marriage is incredibly hard and completely complicated....
• We have lunch everyday with members (but sometimes it falls through, which -to date- is the worst thing that happens).
  
• We dońt really cook, and so we go to the grocery store and buy the little pre-made food in the restaurant place. It has been a tough and humbling road. [There is just a] lack of options. Today we were offered a lunch of potato lasagna with bacon and white rice. I thought today - what am I supposed to do? Refuse? So Ím just going along.
  

Ím trying to be good, and worthy, and most of all happy. A mission is a great thing.

Love you, Rach