1st Week in the Ghetto #workin'it #northlasvegasprobs

Reason #100909 why my mission president is better than yours.... "Hola Hermana Cordova, that is what I love about you....you always go the extra mile! I'm trying to figure out the gospel connection.....Is it the Gospel is like toilet paper....everyone needs it in this life??? Was this a blessing contact....I mean bathroom contact??? What is the rest of the story...?" Oh my gosh!!!! This was his response to my toilet paper story last week!! I LOVE President Snow!!!

So this week was extremely hard. I went from knowing my old area like the back of my hand, to being completely lost. I'm proud to say I didn't cry every night. Once I met the investigators and potentials, I started to get settled in a little bit. It's so weird to be so close to not only the strip, but also the west mission. (and that super cool mountain with snow at the top) There is so much work to be done here. This is the first time that I've had the opportunity to street contact almost always in spanish! My spanish skills are being sharpened, that's for sure. It's amazing how many first lessons we've been able to teach. We are really focusing on finding, and focusing on the elect. This is a very interesting area.

My first day here we took out a member, Nancy, who is legally blind. We were already late to a lesson, but I saw a lady coming out of her house. I went over a started talking to her. I've never used the plan of salvation in a street contact before, but the spirit prompted me to. She was so interested, we set an appointment for the english elders to go teach her and her family. And we were able to pray with her!!! It was such a powerful and amazing experience!!!

Um.... We struggled to open my jalapeno jar on my second day here. We struggled with it for 15 minutes. So our companionship strengths would have to be diligence, patience, and strength. Obviously! ;)

I was watching mormon messages during breakfast the other day and realized that I was crying about chastity. #mormonmessageprobs #staychaste <-Elder Larson quote...

I got to see Hermana Allen at my last Alta Vista baptism. I was so grateful that I was able to go see Jose y Victoria enter the waters of baptism. They are so amazing. Seriously, I love them and their family so much. I was so thankful that members from both El Rancho and Alta Vista helped me find a way to get to the baptism. It was such a blessing.

#shank&rape Y'all. our area though. It's so sketch. Every time I tell a Henderson person that I'm in North Las Vegas, they always say, "Wait.... They put sisters there". HAhaha. #workin'intheghetto

At least once a day we say,"Did we just witness a drug deal?" Also we got to see the ultimate pant sag. His pants were so low, he could barely walk and we could see the part of his legs between his underwear and the top of his jeans.....

We serve in the vicinity of a pig farm.... Omgee. It smells soooo bad sometimes. Last night it was a literal wall of stink. hahaha. "Hermana, I would rather smell my armpits." Me to hermana Davis.

Hermana Davis has been out for 14 months, and so we are co senior companions. It was a little bit of a struggle for the first couple days, but all is well....

"Yeah my GPS also tells me the speed limit. It also tells me when you speed...." -Davis. Awkward... #texasdriver She can't drive because she got in an accident in a mission car a few months back, so she's blacklisted, which means I no longer have the luxury of chillin' in the passenger seat. (which is my favorite, I might hire a chauffeur when I get back.) ;)

Time is super limited here, so that's pretty much all I have time to write. I love y'all!!! Choose the right! Remember who you are, and who you represent!!! Scripture of the week: Mosiah 16:8.

Les quiero muchisimo!!!

<3 Hermana Cordova

Companion swap, we literally just traded areas and companions.....
More baptism pictures!! :)

<3 Hermana Cordova

Bye Alta Vista hello North Las Vegas

I'm going to be straight up honest. I've been crying for the last 3 days. I'm so so so sad. I love Alta Vista with all my heart. I'll be back next week to go to Victoria and Jose's baptism. I have so many amazing recent converts here, and I love love love the members. We sang a song in sacrament meeting to say goodbye, and many of our members that I said goodbye to asked me to sing to them. Hahaha. It was slightly hilarious! 

Ghetto bike got fixed up this week!! The elders who fixed it apparently went on a joy ride down hills and stairs. Elders.....

I got trapped in a bathroom this week. I couldn't open the door to save my life. Hahaha. They were all laughing at me, because they heard me struggling to open it. 

I climbed into a car trunk last p-day because the dumb elders locked their keys in the car....In the ignition, and the trunk happened to be opened, so we tried to get in through the back seat. fyi. Didn't work.

President Snow hash-tagged me again. I love him so much!!! :)

The english elders are learning sign language currently. What do they use it for? To curse at each other...... Sigh.

#moldyspagetti #mylife

A less active called us up this week. She told us that she really needed help and that we needed to get there as soon as possible. We rushed right over. I always do her dishes for her, because she is disabled. To my horror, not only did she have 2 weeks of dishes stacked up, at the bottom of the pile was a crockpot full of moldy spagetti and meatballs. I almost threw up multiple times. It was so freaking disgusting. Ugh....

"If the rapture comes you'll the first one up". "If we are standing at the gates of the celestial kingdom, I'll testify that I know what Hermana Cordova has done, and the crap that she's been through". -Hermana Allen Hahaha. #sainthood 

"Please bless the missionaries that they will eat it and be fat"-Julius' prayer at dinner on tuesday. hahah. 

I lost my planner. :( It's like my mission iphone. So I had to use an english one all week. Sad day. Especially because I almost made it through the transfer !!!

I got pizza 2 times this week! I haven't had pizza forever!!!!!!!!!! Halleluja! hahaha.

Our mission had 1031 convert baptisms last year! :) How crazy is that????!!! 

I forced Hermana Allen to visit president this week. "President I don't want to be here. Cordova forced me." "She sounds like a good companion" "She's a brat". "Don't worry Hermana Cordova, I don't believe her" Hahaha. I'm going to miss her! She's my best friend!!!! Oh btw moving to Wyoming....

That awkward moment when the branch president asks you to bear your testimony, and then you forget how to speak spanish, and you start crying because your recent converts are crying. :(

"Can we help you with anything?" "Um.....Yo necesito papel del bano." Hahhaha. So we bought Julia toilet paper! It was hilarious!!!

Julia got baptized!!!! It was magical! She was so ready! I love her. Her testimony is so strong! Voy entranarle!!! Oh course my favorite part is always when they receive the Holy Ghost! :) Powerful!!!

So north las vegas is "the promised land for spanish missionaries". I'm sad and excited. I'll let you know more about my companion. I sent a letter to y'all. I think I cried the most when I took down my picture wall, Saturday night. I'm packed and ready to go. Bye Lake Mead. Bye Alta Vista. Bye my first area! I've been here for 6 months, so I guess it was time. A lot of the members told me to come back, and of course my recent converts said I better come back after my mission! #tryingnottocryagain

I love y'all!!!! Choose the right! Remember who you are! Read my new favorite scripture in Moroni 7:13!!!!

Pray for me, my new area, and new companion!!! I'd really appreciate it! Also pray for alta vista! <3 

Bye! Write to y'all next week!!!!

<3 Hermana Cordova

Larson bestie!!!!! #bestiesforlife

<3 Hermana Cordova

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!!!!! :) 

<3 Hermana Cordova

Prank, and Favorite Elder Butcher #modelstatus

SICK #life #missionary :(

This week was so hard! As soon as interviews were over, I realized I had a fever. I literally slept for 4 days, only woke up to go to appointments! Then I threw up at church yesterday. So Hna Allen made me go home as soon as that happened!!! :( On Saturday I tried to tuff it out. I worked all day and felt like passing out! But we saw a lot of miracles. We found 1 and we had 8 MP'S, and 5 others, and a baptismal interview!!!  Hna Allen also made me delicious soup, I felt so loved. Oh man it was the worst I've been sick ever. It was awful. Hna Allen caught my bug on Thursday, so we suffered it out together. Ijole.

We watched The District a lot the past couple days. We are slightly obsessed, and we love critiquing and trying to figure out how WE can be better! :)  WATCH: German Law of Chastity of youtube (The District 2). It will change your life!

Our recent convert Ashley, "Okay. So you said I have to teach all the lessons back to you. So the last 3 times I've studied chastity every time, and then y'all don't ask me about it! It was like the 2nd lesson you taught me!!" "Oh, okay. Go ahead and teach us then!" It was the best law of chastity lesson I've ever heard. Nothing like Morano and Christiansen from the District. hahaha. She even promised us blessings!!! #impressed #goldeninvestigator #newmember #loveher

Anyway! This week is going to kick butt! We are going to get 70 street contacts, AND we are going to find at least 7!!!!!!! I'm so excited, we are super pumped!!!!! :)

We saw this guy on a scooter the other day. He had rice krispy's and marshmallows!!!! #marryme I love rice krispy treats!!!!!

Fro pick guy waved at me twice this week. #gotitgoin'on #obviously

"Give me the dumb handminton mitt so I can smack your face with it." -Allen when I wanted to play handminton because I couldn't sleep.

Then on Friday I woke up at 2 and couln't sleep....So I made brownies. They were so good!!!! #brownies Hermana Allen was so mad at me! Hahaha. The elders were in love with them. I also gave them to less active members! :)

Okay no pictures, because I was dead all week! I love y'all! Choose the right and remember who you are! Next week is going to rock! Love you tons!!!!!!!

<3 Hermana Cordova

Feliz ano Nuevo

Feliz ano nuevo!!!!

"Hermana Cordova can you plan and prepare a 6 minute training on finding this week?"-District Leader Elder Anderson

"Oh my gosh! Yes I would love to... Wait. Is this because we didn't find anyone this week?" -Me

"Uh.... Yes"-Elder Anderson.

Last week was pretty slow on the finding part of missionary work. We were working a lot with our less actives and recent converts! This week will be a lot better! Side note: I love giving trainings, I learn so much as I prepare to teach other people! :)

Um!!!! It totally snowed in Henderson/Boulder City!!! Pics included!!! It was so awesome. It was totally like Texas "snow" though...I made a snow
​ball.....Then I threw it at the elders. Good times, good times.

I came up with a new way to heat up corn tortillas. I put them in the toaster, and they were perfect! #poormissionaryprobs #iliveoncorntortillas #gettingcreative

We had a partay on New Years Eve. We had to be inside our apartments by 6pm. So we made something called Navajo Tacos, chugged sparkling lemonade, and made root beer floats. Then we watched The District until missionary midnight, 10:30, we couldn't even keep our eyes open... We are exciting, I know.... I also opened my giant Santa Biblia, and read passages from Isaiah. (hahaha. #almostfluent)

HERMANA ALLEN TOLD ME SHE LOVES ME!!!! This is a HUGE deal y'all!!!! I'm one of few!! <3 <3 I'm so happy! I might be moving to Wyoming, school is cheap there, and her family loves me (she told me that, after I talked to them on skype..).

"Please take care of our missionaries!!" -Prayer said by Ashley!!! <3

"Guess what Hermana, I lit the candle without a match..." -Allen

"How??!!!! Wait a second.....Does corn dogs have anything to do with it?"-Me

"YUP! I took my corndog stick and lit the candle with it...."

"You can be fat. You can be ugly. But you CANNOT be rude". -Sage advice from mama pecjak, given last pday.

A less active member pinched my cheek condescendingly, when I asked her if she got anything from the lesson I taught her. I was extremely peeved. The elders were there, Elder Wasden almost died, because he was trying to hold in his laugh....

Then a member who fed us dinner this week gave us an hour long lecture about marriage. Apparently we need to enjoy single life and not marry someone addicted to pornography. Uh..... Let's just say I couldn't get out of there fast enough. Soooooo awk.

I found shamrock shutter shades. Don't hate! They're awesome....I also found them in the middle of the road at a stop light, it now has a good home with Julius.....

Our car got plastic wrapped on New Years eve...... Pranked again....

The fire alarm randomly started going off when I was making guac-eggs the other day. (delish by the way) It was scary! I kept telling my companion, "I didn't even burn anything! I swear!!!" Don't worry, it was a malfunction, and we didn't have any firefighters show up at our door!!!

I almost forgot the most important story of the week!!!!!
Julia, our 89 year old investigator is getting baptized! I've been teaching her since the beginning of October. She used to always say she didn't have time to read the Book of Mormon. So one day I received a prompting. I asked her if we could start leaving notes with scripture reading assignments on them. She agreed, and said she would read them. So for the past 2 transfers Hna Allen and I go everyday and choose scriptures for her to read, and leave her encouraging notes! Saturday we were at a lesson (it's the only day we can actually meet with her, because of her work hours), she was so eager to start the lesson that she cut me off mid-sentence and said, can we pray? We of course prayed. 

I had studied so hard for her lesson that morning, I made flashcards,  prayed, and really asked Heavenly Father to help me know what she needed. At the end of the lesson, she got really quiet. She looked down at her hands, and said, "Hermana's. This whole time I've been asking for a sign. I ALWAYS pray for a sign. I just didn't feel anything, and I was about to give up. But then this week, I realized, YOU ARE MY SIGN. Everyday I get home and I find the notes or my daughter/granddaughter will tell me 'grandma here's your homework note'. I know this is what I want. I know that this is what Heavenly Father wants for me. I want to be baptized! I know this is true!"

My heart stopped. I cried. I couldn't believe that something so simple as a sticky note on her door, could change her heart, and make her want to change her life!!! The Lord works by small and simple means!!!! <3

She hugged me super tight at the end of the lesson, and kept whispering, "Gracias, gracias. Thank you for being so patient". Life changing. It was such a powerful experience. The spirit was so strong in the room,our member, Hermana Brown was touched by the spirit as well! Oh man! It was so awesome! She will be getting baptized on the 17th at 1pm! :) I'm so excited! She is so ready! 

<3 Hermana Cordova