So much rain. That's how I would most succinctly describe this week. I think the rain came a little late this year, and last year I had already missed most of the major rainy season. But this year, don't worry, I am fully enjoying the moisture that a tropical climate is able to muster up. It is just so much rain. It reminds me of a baby who's crying, and you're just thinking "oh, she'll give up soon, she can't possibly sustain this for that long." And then she keeps going. Well, now you know. Actually, it's a really marvelous and important thing here in the northeast because without rain, the crops don't grow, and the market is so thin that there's not a buffer between sellers and buyers and so prices automatically go up for things like rice and beans and flour . . . which is all anyone eats. But it's getting better. 

 This week, Sister Smart and I laughed . . . a lot. She has such a pleasant personality. I was thinking that this past transfer has been kind of rehab for me after some of the stress incurred during my transfers with Sister Ferreira. I am most incredibly grateful to Sister Smart for helping me feeling so incredibly like myself. It is nice to be with someone who has very little influence over me, and I'm able to come into myself once again.

 Another thing I'm very grateful for with Sister Smart . . . is that she bought the Doctrine and Covenants seminary dvds. I am OBSESSED with church history. I am just about done with Our Heritage, and I just get so so excited thinking about the early saints and how this church MOVES; there is action and motion and incredible things done. These people were so hungry to have something firm and true to hold on to, and when they found out what it was - oh how they suffered for it. They sacrificed SO much. The incredible thing that happened while I was reading, was how my head just opened up, and finally I started understanding things better. The past couple weeks have raised up a few questions for me about faith, and about . . . lots of things. And studying the experiences of these Saints, it made more sense. These sacrifices took away the cushion that sometimes distracts us and takes us away from the presence of God, but when we lose these material things, wow - there is nothing holding us back from the power of God. The Lord must trust us incredibly for having put each of us in age where we're able to be so incredibly self sufficient; we have medicine, and tools, and knowledge . . . and perhaps it seems like we don't need God; we are in an age where we can be more independent than ever, an age where it seems that we can become "agents unto ourselves" all by ourselves. But that's the trick. These things are to help us be more advanced, and perform this work in a way never before possible, and THEN, we are able to CHOOSE to draw closer to the Lord. That's the incredible thing about prosperity, and about agency, it's our choice. Choices are incredible things. (use them well shall we?)

 Also, we talked to a recent convert, Davi, last night who is part of this little society - a ordem da rosacruz. Really interesting. They study the origins of the ideas of God in societies not included in the Bible. We don't really study those things frequently, and it was incredible to put the gospel in a context that is larger than the one we usually depend on, and to see that it still works. Jesus Christ's sacrifice is still infinite, and is more than even the mere word "Christianity" is able to communicate. I tried (not very successfully) to try and explain that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the doctrine of God. It is not religion, science, physics etc, it is the truth, the way things are.

It was a really good week in my head. We also got to know some really marvelous people.

We still don't know about transfers, I think I'm going (we have 5 new sisters, and 2 leaving, and Sister Smart would be a GREAT trainer.)

love love love, Sister Cornwall

Mom. Dad. i love you. I'm excited to keep working and contributing and learning about this great work.