November 12, 2012

This week has FLOWN by... wait, I take that back... this transfer has flown by! Today is exactly 2 months since I went into the MTC, and its also the first day of my second transfer. How crazy is that. I honestly feel like I just got here! We got the call last night that we are both staying here, which we kind of already knew because I am still in training and they usually always keep you with your trainer for 2 transfers, but you still never know what President is thinking, so it was good to get the call to reassure us that we were staying in good ole Lafayette! 

This week we did another exchange, this time with the sisters in the Lafayette 2nd ward, so we didn't have to travel that far... and no one got sick so that was a bonus! Its funny how you can be only ten minutes away from your area but feel so far at the same time. I went to West Lafayette for the exchange and Sister Stanford stayed here. After a little over 24 hours we reunited and we ran and hugged each other, and we had a lot to catch up about. Its funny how when you are with someone all day everyday and then all of a sudden you aren't, you feel like one day is a long time not to see each other. It helps that Sister Stanford and I are like the best of friends! The exchange was an interesting one. Usually sisters do one a transfer, but President called us and asked us specifically to go on a transfer with these sisters. They didn't know that he asked us though, so it was kind of a secret mission we were on to see if we could help them out anyway. The thing that was interesting though was that the sister I was on the exchange with came out to Indiana with me. So here you have two missionaries that have both been out only 6 weeks taking over an area for an entire day by themselves! We managed to do pretty well though!!!

I am getting used to the cold weather, it snowed a tiny bit this morning, but its sunny now. (Still cold though). And I'm getting used to the schedule. I'm getting used to the challenges, and I'm getting used to missionary life. The thing I am NOT getting used to is the smell... Lafayette smells SO BAD! They have some factory where they do something with corn, and it smells up the whole city. Its quite horrible. Also our neighbor/neighbors are always smoking something that smells a lot worse than any regular cigarette smoke I have ever been around... so that makes our apartment smell fantastic! (NOT!) Something the President told us one day one about Indiana is that everyone has dogs, everyone has a church, and everyone smokes... and I have come to know that is so true. Everyone has smelly dogs... and smelly smoky homes. I can't tell you how great it is to have dinner in a members home after being in yucky smoky homes all day long. I'm thinking the spirit doesn't really like smelly homes so much... but we are trying our best to bring it to them!

Remember the sisters house that I threw up in... well she is progressing very well! She was at church yesterday and when someone asked if she was just visiting she told them she was hoping to become a member soon, and that she was studying with us. She said, "these are my missionaries" and hearing that made my day! I'm someones missionary! How cool is that... We introduced her to Bryan, the guy who got baptized on my second week here, and they talked a bunch! We are going to invite her to baptism this week, so be praying for her! We are so excited!!! 

We also got a referral this week from HQ, and she seems really solid. We have an appointment with her tomorrow that I'm SO EXCITED about!!! Basically... missionary work is exciting! Smelly... but exciting! 

Thanks for your prayers and letters, I love you all so much!

Sister Cordner

November 5, 2012

Friends and Family!!!

I woke up this morning excited that it was P-day, and then realized I didn't have a ton to write home about... but I have come up with a few stories to share! 

Tuesday we had a zone conference, the three northern zones all came together and we had a very powerful training from President Collins. He is so amazing and I love hearing from him when we can. I was a little sad because everyone from my MTC district that I love so much are all in southern zones, so I didn't get to see everyone, but I did see my companion Sister Pitcher, so that made my week! 

Wednesday was halloween! The day was normal, just another day of work as a missionary, but the night was obviously different. We were not allowed to be driving when it was dark, so we had the Bishops wife come pick us up and we spent the evening at their house, and then she drove us home. We had pizza with them and then helped them hand out candy. I dressed up like Sister Stanford, and she dressed up like me (and by that I mean we traded name tags for a few hours! lol) It was a pretty fun night, but the Bishop kept forcing us to eat candy, so needless to say we were a little sick that night, as most kids are on halloween!

We had kind of an off week with members being able to come to our appointments. We had a goal of 4 member presents this week, and we didn't have any! We could have gotten I think about 7, but every appointment fell through! It was quite ridiculous! But on Friday night we prayed really hard that we would know which street to tract, because we had our Saturday appointments fall through, and we had a chunk of time to find. So we felt really good about this one street. Then we started our fast Saturday afternoon, and we were fasting for finding, because the area has been kinda dry since Bryan's baptism on the 13th. Our FIRST house on that street we picked was kind of a miracle! We ran into a young married women who was super cute. She is studying at Purdue to be an elementary teacher, and she just kind of looked like an el ed major! Anyway, she said she had to get going soon, but she kept having things to say to us. Here is the reason... she knew a mormon growing up who she thought was an amazing guy, who also served a mission so she could relate to us on that field, and she said she knew our Bishops daughter! One of the first things she said to us was that she thinks people can be religious without going to church, and then by the end she said she might have to come to church with us one day! People knowing members of the church is huge! I'm so thankful that guy was such a good example to her, and that people aren't afraid to let their friends know they are mormon. Like the conference talk, I'm Mormon, I know it, I live it, I LOVE IT! We all need to be more open about it so when the missionaries are praying to know where to tract, they will meet people who are already open to the church. She didn't come to church with us, but she is a potential and we have high hopes with her!

Miracles! We meet some other people that day, and Saturday night we meet a couple who are both interested in having us back, so we met our goal of having 2 new investigators for the whole week on Saturday night! It was almost a week of no goal meeting, but we did finally meet that couple! 

Those are the stories I thought I would share with ya'll this week! Its getting quite cold here, no snow yet, but its officially ice scraping season! I got really warm boots and some other warm clothing and I think I am prepared (although the people keep telling me I'm going to need more clothes! Yikes!)

We had 2 of our investigators come to church yesterday, and one was the one who's house I threw up in, so luckily that little incident didn't stop her progression! She left after sacrament meeting because she was fasting and feeling a little light headed and needed to go home and eat. WHAT?! We didn't even invite her to fast, she just knew that it was the first sunday so she fasted! This girl is solid! We are just waiting for the day that we come over and she says, "So when can I be baptized!" She is there, she just has a really hard time with the fact that women in our church don't have the priesthood, and it looks like the women are looked down upon in our religion! I think that is so crazy that people think that way, but I understand that its hard for her, so we are working through that.

Want to know a little secret... I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!! Everyday I wake up just happy and excited that I am in Indiana and that I am sharing the Gospel. I don't think there is a better feeling in the world than being on someone doorsteps and sharing with them the first vision. I love being in homes and bearing my testimony on modern prophets. I love giving someone the Book of Mormon and promising them that if they read and pray about it, they will receive and answer about the truthfulness of it! MAN, life is good! President Collins said it was a great time to be a missionary, and with all the baby boomers coming out soon (thats what I decided I'm going to call the youngins that are coming out) the mission needs leaders! My DL said I probably will be training at the end of my second transfer, and I told him not to even joke about that! How scary would that be! But seriously... missionary work is great, and I love the gospel SO MUCH!!! 

Keep writing to me, I love hearing from everyone! 

Sister Cordner! 

October 29, 2012

Dear friends and family...

Remember that girl who's dress slipped down while she was teaching Relief Society. Or how about that girl that fell while walking up to give her farewell talk in church. Well that same girl is now on a mission, doing some pretty horrifying embarrassing things out here in Indiana. (and the reason I'm talking about this girl in 3rd person is because I'm still too embarrassed to admit that it is me!) People have mentioned how long my emails are... well get ready for another long one... but I promise you it is worth the reading...

To tell the story we have to go back to Tuesday... We had a training for all the trainers/trainees in Peru, about an hour away from my area. We were also going to go on exchanges with the Peru sisters, so it made sense that after we were done with training, we would start the exchange. My trainer is the one in charge of exchanges, and thought that it would be a good idea to leave me in the area to take care of Lafayette 3 all by myself while she went to Peru. So after the amazing training by my mission president, the dear Sister Stanford gets in the car with Sister Pitcher and leaves me. (We have become really close, so being away from her for 24 hours was quite sad.) But Sister Donaldson seems nice enough and the two of us go back to Lafayette. That night everything goes well, we teach a family who I LOVE! Part member families are so great, I think I told you about him, he's basically a dry mormon, but we had a really good lesson with him. They asked if missionaries were allowed to go in the temple on their mission and S. Donaldson says we only get permission if a family we taught goes to get sealed. He (the dry mormon) noticed how I perked up and commented on how he should probably get baptized soon so I can attend their sealing! 

We came in that night after our lesson and dinner appointment and planned. Then the next day we did study together, and then we went out and tracted. So at this point we have covered all the things we were supposed to cover during an exchange, and we had about 2 hours before we were going to exchange back. We were at the YMCA doing our weekly service when we heard the news. Sister Stanford had gotten really sick and had been throwing up all day in Peru. She was so sick she wouldn't be able to be in the car for an hour to come home to me, so the exchange had been extended for another day. So here I am, having to take over Lafayette for a whole day longer than expected, and I start to freak out a little! We had two appointments set up for that night, we still had to find a member to come to the appointment in the morning, we had things to do and people to see and my trainer wasn't here to help me know what to do. So after our service we went home and regrouped. I made phone calls, got a member to come to the appointment, verified our things for the next day, and kinda ran the show! I got everything put together for the two lessons we had that night, and I was going to make Sister Stanford proud of me. 

Right before we are about to leave for our next appointment, I start to feel sick to my stomach. I keep telling myself its just nerves, here I am without my trainer doing everything on my own, I ought to be a little nervous, right?! We were about to go teach a part member family where the husband is LA and the wife is an investigator, I had never met them, I didn't know how she would react to two new sisters showing up, and I'm missing my companion. But I pray and tell myself that I'm being a baby and go to the appointment. 

Sister Carver is this really sweet lady who has water for us to drink and just dives in with questions about where we are from and what we did pre-mission, and then she dives into how much she loved conference and President Monson. To introduce myself I happen to say that I'm new at all this and have been out here for only about a month. She was saying all these wonderful things about the church, and my stomach starts to hurt more and more. I sip on the water she gives me, but I'm hurting pretty bad. I start to look around to see if I could see the bathroom anywhere. She is a nervous talker and she didn't give me a chance to say anything, she just kept going and going. Finally I had to go, and I just inturrupted her and asked if I could use her bathroom. She started to show me where it was, I cover my mouth, and start throwing up all over her house. I make it to the bathroom but I can't even turn around to get to the toilet. I threw up all the way down her hall way and then into her sink, that isn't draining at all. I do this a couple more times, and my companion that I hardly know is putting my hair up and rubbing my back. I'm about as embarrassed as they come. I asked her if I could help clean up and she said no. I sat there in the bathroom just sick as a dog while her and her husband and my companion cleaned up everything. She asked me if I needed to lie down and I told her we better just reschedule for next week. Seriously this lady was so nice, and she was so understanding. She asked me if I was just really nervous to teach them because I'm new and she saw me looking around during the lesson. I told her I just wanted to talk to her about conference... In the past she has been really hard to meet with, hence meeting her for the first time on my 4th week, but we were able to get a follow up appointment just a week later. 

When we get home I hop in the shower because I, like Sister Carvers house, am kinda covered in barf. When I get out I hear my companion on the phone with the mission presidents wife, who was saying that we should stay in the rest of the night. So we cancelled our other appointments, and I put my PJs on and just laid down in so much pain. I threw up a couple more times that night, but luckily in my own apartment I was able to make it to the toilet. Not that it would have mattered at that point because I didn't have anything left in me to throw up.... 

So my companion is in Peru as sick as ever and I am in Lafayette as sick as ever. We closed down 2 areas for 2 days because we got sick! How horrible is that. We finally got back together on Thursday, and the two of us just laid in bed all day long. Sister Collins (the mission presidents wife) is also a nurse and she was checking in on us throughout the day with phone calls. We didn't eat anything all day except for a few crackers and had some sprite that a member brought to us. We had to cancel everything and we were completely useless... talk about a good way to spend the Lords time as missionaries, right?! It was pretty much horrible.

Friday we slept in because we were still really sick and were told to take it easy. But we didn't want to miss district meeting, so we got up just in time to get ready to go to that. After our meeting we had the DL and his companion give us both blessings, and then we went home. We had a dinner appointment and a teaching appointment that night, and it was about noon at this point. So after our blessing we went home and ate some lunch, just a little sandwich, and then I slept for another 3 hours. When I woke up I was completely better. And so was my companion! We know it was because of the blessing too, we were so sick, we shouldn't have been better that quickly after, but Heavenly Father needed us and wanted us to get better, and the Priesthood is real!  

Was that long enough for ya....So ya, you all have my permission to spread that story around. Hopefully everyone will have forgotten it by the time I get home so I don't have to hear about it again... but I think this is going to be a story for the record books. I hope I shared enough details so you can see how horrible it was, but not get grossed out at the same time! 

The rest of the week was just a normal missionary week. Its the end of the month and since we didn't do much traveling when we were sick we have tons of miles we can use on our car. So we went to the country and did some country tracting and found formers and tried LA's when we were out there. The ward had a Halloween party, with a trunk or treat and a haunted trail in the woods. The YM put it on, and I'm not gonna lie, I thought the trail was pretty scary. I screamed a couple of times, and then the next day at church people in Ward Council and just random people told us that they heard that we got really scared! Apparently the ward here has been gossiping about how easily the sisters scare! I think the YM really got a kick out of it. 

I sure do love being a missionary though! Its getting colder which I don't like, and all the leaves are pretty much gone, also don't like that either. But we have really great things planned for this upcoming week. We met a referral on Saturday who seems really golden and I cannot wait to start teaching him, and we picked up a former who is really sweet and she's excited that sisters are in the area and wants to be taught again! I love this work and I love Indiana! I don't so much love getting sick, but I love the priesthood. I also love choir, here's a surprise to everyone... I have been participating in choirs since the MTC. I sang there and I have been in the ward choir here. We sang in church yesterday and it was amazing, and we are getting ready for the Christmas show, and since I'm training and guaranteed to be in Lafayette until December 16th, we will be here for the show! Christmas songs are just the BEST! I love them.

Anyway, thats about it. I love you guys,

Sister Cordner

October 22, 2012

First I want to make note that I'm only sending this to my parents and Keri, and not to Kyle, because he apparently doesn't have time to read my emails! If he wants it though... mom I guess you can forward this to him, and everyone else that has time for my long nonsense ramblings!!! hahahaha

Dear friends and family,

This week has been... hard! Everyone has told me how hard missionary work is, and I guess I always assummed it was hard because you wake up early EVERY day, and you are busy all the time, and teaching can be intimidating, and knocking on doors isn't the most fun thing in the world... but this week I really learned what it means that missionary work is hard. We had 5 progressing investigators in the area when we got here, and now we are down to 1. One got baptized last week, and after that everything has kind of gone down hill. We had a lot of drama with one investigator. I don't know if drama is normal for all missionary work or if sister missionaries just cause it... but holy cow drama! It ended with the sister telling us that she didn't want to read in the Book of Mormon anymore... and it just kind of broke my heart. But we ended on really good terms, we still love her and are friends with her, we just aren't going to be teaching her anymore. She is so great though, and we knew going into the lesson that it was probably going to be the last appointment... so we weren't surprised about it, just really sad.

Our other investiagtors either just can't make time for us anymore, or are so SO set on their old ways that they just like meeting with us for the educational aspect of what we teach and are not interested in becoming converted. I guess its just hard because I KNOW that this gospel is true, and that the church that Christ established when He was on the earth is on the earth today! We have the authority these people need to return to their father in heaven, and they just don't believe it or won't listen!

We did get two new investigators this week though, but one had to reschedule his first appointment to next week, and the other one we had to reschedule with him because we have a training in Peru this week and won't be able to make it when we first scheduled it. Its a little frustrating when all you want to do is teach people and appointments and things keep getting in the way of our teaching them, but I am still fairly certain these people are interested and will want to hear. One of the new gators is a dad of 4, all under the age of 5, and I took the lead when knocking on his door. I told him that we were missionaries for the church, and that part of our message helps families grow stronger together. We talked about his family and I also told him that families could be together forever... He said that is what he wants!!! So Solid! He said he was looking forward to us coming, and that he invited his gf (soon to be wife), mother and sister to hear us teach, but an hour before he had to cancel... But he said he still wants to meet with us so we rescheduled for next week! I hope he is still interested because it will have been almost 2 weeks from the time we first saw him to the time we meet with him. But I can see a marriage, baptisms, and a temple trip in the next year for this family! So if you will keep the Grey's in your prayers that would be AMAZING!

So the week was hard, and Friday was when our investigator told us she was done... but everything did turn around on Saturday. We had the opprotunity to go to Indy (thats what the natives call Indianapolis) and hear from Sister Burton, the general Relief Society President. Her message was on temples, and being Heavenly Homesick! Oh man it was so good! As much as I loved her message, the best thing was that all the sisters in the mission were there, and I got to see my MTC companions again! Sister Pitcher is in Peru and I will see her twice this week, and Sister Palmberg is in Bloomington (where I was origianallly going to go!). The three of us had so much fun catching up, and I just love those girls to death, so it was so great seeing them. We have the training in Peru this week and then we are going on exchanges with the sisters in Peru as well. So tomorrow we will drive up there, and then I will come back to Lafayette with Sister Pitchers companion (Sister Donaldson) and her and I will work together for a day, and then Sister Stanford (my comp) will come to Lafayette with Sister Pitcher and we will exchange back. Basically I am so excited for this, but really nervous. I am going to be the one taking a new sister around Lafayette, so I should probably figure out this missionary work thing we do!

I love Lafayette though, and I'm finally starting to know my way around the town. Our little Toyota Corolla is not as much fun as Christine is, but she'll do. We are slowing becoming good friends. Oh, another thought, I am also becoming pretty good friends with the canine population here in Lafayette. I decided that dogs are like humans in the way that you don't hate all of them. Some of them are actually pretty great! There is a sister in our ward and we help her walk her 3 big dogs once a week. And there is something kinda fun about being dressed up in a skirt and blouse with tennis shoes on walking dogs around the park! I think I kinda like it!!!

Okay, last few thoughts... Don't think that I'm unhappy because I said its hard work! I'm still as happy as can be, but I've been sad and frustrated at the work a lot this week. But I know that missionary work is a cycle, and we are really focusing on finding new and solid gators this week so I'm excited about that. Yesterday was Stake Conference and the Chicago Temple President was there with his wife, and they talked about preparing for the Indy temple to be built. It reminded me a lot about you fine people in Gilbert and how you can prepare for the G-Town temple! Prepare for the new temple by going to the temple! Lucky for you the Mesa is close enough, these people are traveling all the way up to Chicago, so you can go to Mesa! Go a few times for me too, because I really miss attending the temple regularly! Also my mission Pres and his wife were at conference and they spoke to everyone. They are pretty much the greatest people in the world, so it was so fun to see them. President Collins asked if we think there might be a problem with having sisters and elders out on missions at the same age.. I think he's a little worried that missionaries are going to have a harder time locking their hearts! lol

No pictures this week because, well I just didn't take any! Sorry! Maybe this week I will be better. I love the restoration, I love the plan of salvation, and I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ! I love everything about this church, and I know that I don't just love it because the bishop is nice, and the people are cool... but the doctrine is true! ITS SO TRUE!!! Man I love it!

If you could, I would love to hear from anyone about how daily scripture study has been a blessing in your life. I love teaching this and sharing my experiences with people, but I would love to hear from you. Mom, Dad, Keri... can you send me your thoughts this next week, and anyone else of course!!!

Sister Cordner

October 15, 2012

Hola friends and family,

This week has been one of the best weeks of my entire life! And I'm not just saying that! Lets start with the highlight of the whole week. Bryan's baptism! It was Saturday at 11, so me and Sister Stanford got to the church around 8:30, set up the chairs, filled the font, copied the programs, and got ready for everything! The baptism itself was amazing, and the other Elders in our zone came and brought their investigators, so that was awesome! Bryan is so solid, and he is meeting with Bishop this week to get going on receiving the aaronic priesthood. When we taught him earlier this week about Priesthood he was just saying how great that sounds and how he was excited! What an awesome guy he is! I'm so excited for him! And then on Sunday when he got confirmed was absolutely amazing! We had another investigator named Amber come to church on Sunday, so that was a great time for us to teach her more about confirmation and the gift of the Holy Ghost. She seems really awesome too, but she's going to Law School right now, so she couldn't stay all three hours because she had so much homework and things to do, but still... it was an amazing experience to see him get confirmed and to have her there!

Another girl we are working with is probably one of the sweetest girls ever! She's 26, and just really amazing. She didn't want to pray out loud or in front of us earlier this week, but we met with her on Friday and talked about prayer and she totally said the closing prayer! It was such a great prayer too! Sometimes I still think about her and just smile because of how amazing she is! We are meeting with her tonight and I honestly cannot wait. As much as I love p-days, I just want it to be over so we can meet with her! 

We have a few "eternal investigators" that have been meeting with missionaries for years and are still not baptized. Its a little bit frustrating because I feel like everything I want to teach them they've already heard, and I don't know how I can teach it better or different than the last set of missionaries, but we are working hard. One of them is married to a great member, and I think he will eventually get baptized, he just needs to know for himself that it is right, and the other is an older lady who just is more interested in reading the Book of Mormon and asking us random questions than she is actually seeking answers from Heavenly Father about the truthfullness of the book. She has been doing it for a long time, and she is in 3rd Nephi 28. Last time we visited we talked about the 3 Nephites. Theres a lesson I never thought I'd give on the mission. It was hard because she cared so much on the details, and I just had to tell her that we didn't know much about them, other than what is in this chapter. We encourage her to pray about it, which she likes because the other churches would tell her "its confusing because it got lost in translation" and we tell her to ask God about it... but I don't know if she really is.

We have a new investigator this week. She is a member referral and her sister recently passed away, so we are thinking the Plan of Salvation is going to be a great lesson! Also she is native american, and I cannot wait to teach her about the Book of Mormon. She's really into history though, so I'm afraid that she won't accept our opinion on where her ancestors came from, but she is really great and I can't wait to teach her. She also has the best dog in the whole state of Indiana. Its a little chiwawa that just climbed on my lap and just sat there while I petted it. I love that dog! (And dad, I am starting to love the dogs here!)

During our morning studies we always role play how we would teach a certain concept or invite someone to something. This past week I asked Sister Stanford if we could role play us as a companionship talking to someone instead of just Sister Cordner talking to someone, that way we could work together as a companionship. So we pretended to talk to someone whilst just looking at the wall, and then the brilliant Sister Stanford came up with the best idea ever! We made Jackie, our own personal eternal investigator. We stuffed an old BYU shirt and sweatpants with plastic bags, blew up a balloon and drew a face on it, and put a beanie on it. We named her Jackie, and we use her to help us teach lessons together! Basically we are just really cool people who talk to a balloon placed on clothes to help us be better missionaries!!!! lol

One more story before I end! There is a really great baptist women that Sister Stanford and Sister Hill tracted into before I got to Lafayette. She called us a cult and explained that she was not interested, but said they could come back to discuss it a little more. They had one lesson with her and told her she could always contact us, but she wasn't interested. Well last week she texted us and asked us if we would help her fill bags with cotton candy for a carnival she was volunteering at. We went to her house Friday morning and she had breakfast for us, and then as we made cotton candy we had a great discussion on Christ, and then on our prophet, the organization of our church, the plan of salvation, and other questions she had about our church. Even though she isn't interested in joining, she now knows that we believe in Christ the same way she does, and that we are not the same religion that has the show about Sister Wives. She totes thought we were poligimists! Crazyness!!!

Okay, basically I can't wait until elections are over and we do not look like we are inviting people to vote for Mitt Romney. I love the man, but people need to realize that we as missionaries are not out campaigning for him, but are inviting people to Christ. Its crazy how many people want to talk politics with us! We just want to talk about religion! 

Also, I know I said I would end earlier but I'm not... if you have not read the book "Our Search For Happiness" I would suggest you read it. I am reading it on my breaks now and it is SO GOOD!!! I just love it!

The weather here is basically amazing, chilly fall days. We were talking to someone on their porch the other day and started to pray with them when it started to downpour on us. Nothing like praying in someones doorway while being rained on! I loved it! It rained pretty crazy yesterday, like I thought we were going to be in a tornado warning because the wind was going cray cray too! But today is a bright sunny day and I love it. Before we came to the library we stopped at the mall and hit up Bath and Body Works. So wonderful!!!

I love you all, thanks for your prayers in my behave. Send me letters, I love hearing from everyone! 

Sister Cordner

October 8, 2012

Friends and Family!!!!

Do you like the title, it was on a fortune cookie I ate my second day in the field, I thought it was pretty relevant! Well I hope you are ready for this, because I have a novel coming your way!

First of all, I'm just going to jump ahead to conference! THE NEW AGE IS TOTALLY AWESOME!!! We were watching conference in the church building, and it was only me and my companion and the 2 spanish elders, and the 4 of us were just freaking out! We are so so so excited for the new opportunity for more sisters to serve as well as for young men to get out here faster! I can't wait for all the young teenagers we are going to be working with! I just think that this is truly inspired, and am so excited for the more sisters we are going to get because of this! I'm thinking with sisters being RMs at 20, there is no stopping what we can do! I'm so so so excited about this!!!

Okay, for the real stuff you all want to know. I got to Indiana on Tuesday and we had a great night at the mission home. Then on Wednesday we went to the Fishers building (just a church building they call Fishers) and had transfer meeting. Here I am watching all of these missionaries get called to new companionships and new areas, and I'm just sitting on the stand waiting for them to be done so they can introduce us and assign us to our trainers. Finally it gets to us newbies, and I am the last sister to be called. I am put with Sister Berrett, and we are assigned to go to Bloomington! So naturally I'm super excited to be born in Bloomington, just like mom was, and I am really excited to get to know my companion. All of us sisters go out to lunch and get back for another training meeting before we head to our areas. Before the training starts however, the president needed to see me and Sister Berrett, Sister Palmberg and her new comp Sister Stanford. Sister Stanford was in a car accident a year ago, and doesn't have driving privileges, and Sister Palmberg never got her drivers license, and they were a companionship... so we had to make an emergency transfer right then and there. Sister Palmberg is now in Bloomington with Sister Berrett, and I have been in Layfette with Sister Stanford! And before you get really bummed out that I'm not in Bloomington, I need to tell you just how amazing Layfette is! I'm in Layfette 3rd ward, which I'm convinced is the greatest ward in the state of Indiana! And I am super close to Purdue, so naturally I'm a huge Boilermakers fan now! The area is so nice, a little bit cold for my liking, but beautiful. Its actually a big nice city with a WalMart and everything! I just really love it here and even though I was sad at first that its not Bloomington, I know this is where I'm supposed to be!

The first week has just flown by! Its so weird how it has been working. Our first day we had three appointments and I'm already jumping in and teaching people! I love it! We also went tracting on my first day, which was probably the best fun ever! Some people are not interested, well most people actually, but just meeting people and talking about Purdue, or their children, or whatever we notice about them we can start a conversation about has been so fun! Not so much fun is when we knock on the door and three huge pit-bulls come running out and chase us... We thought they were stuck on us since no person came out, so we just walked away with these dogs running all around us, and the lady finally comes running out asking us to grab her dogs for her! Um, excuse me, your dog almost killed me, and now you want me to catch it! AHHH!!! That was literally my 5th house that I knocked on! I love missionary work! lol

But seriously, everybody in Indiana has dogs! Its pretty insane. President Collins joked about it on our first day here, but he wasn't kidding. I'm not sure if I'm allergic to dogs, cats, or the entire state of Indiana, but I have been having pretty bad allergies. Yesterday my eyes were so red and I started sneezing so much my companion thought I was going to die, okay not die, but she was freaking out more than I was. But no need to worry about me, I bought some claritin today and I'm feeling good! 

We have a baptism this Saturday. They have been teaching him for a while and he had his interview yesterday... and he passed!!! We are so excited for him and the covenant he is about the make with our Father in Heaven! I can't wait for the baptism, I think about it everyday, and we talk with him everyday and he is excited. Tonight we are going to be teaching him about the priesthood and how he can have it soon after his baptism. I hope he is as excited as I am, because this is the real deal, and I'm STOKED!!!

We have been eating with members in the ward almost every night. One of our first nights we went to the bishops and actually taught a lesson to Bryan there (Bryan is the one getting baptized). The bishops family is great! He is so funny, and their kids are just relaxed and sweet! Their oldest son is serving in Mexico and he went to BYUI, and so they are always talking about him. We watched conference at the church building for the first three sessions, but then for Sunday afternoon we watched it at the bishops, and they fed us snacks, dinner (at half time, as the bishop called it) and a huge brownie with ice cream on it for desert. Oh thats another thing, the members love to feed us desert! YIKES!!!

We tracted into a lady named Amy two nights ago, and I just really like her! Her daughters were outside playing and they talked to us so much! They were so cute, and they asked us if we were really sisters, and then told us how beautiful we were and how we look like we could be sisters. The girls said they loved Jesus Christ and believed in God, but haven't been to church in a while. Their mom, Amy, works a lot and is too tired on Sundays to bring them to church, so we are going to be meeting with her soon, and I can't wait! She has been to a lot of different churches and I think she just hasn't chosen one because she somehow knows that ours is the true church and she has just been waiting for us to come find her! Anyway, just keep Amy and her family in your prayers!

Lets see... what else! My zone is so awesome, we had a zone training on Friday that blew my mind. Like honestly, one of the most spiritual moments of my life! I was just so happy leaving that training. Sometimes I'm just smiling and I have no reason other than the fact that this gospel brings so much joy to my life!

My companion is probably the coolest person in the world! Me and her are SO SIMILAR! She is from Fullerton California (and she is REALLY happy that I'm not from Utah). We get along so well because we have the same ideas on so many things. I love studying with her because she is a spiritual giant, and I love teaching with her, because she is just so good at putting the investigator at ease and just talking! We have 4 investigators right now, and I have only met 1, but we have appointments to meet the others later this week! 

I told you I would be writing a novel. I just am going to end by saying that I love being a missionary! I love this gospel, and oh man, did I love conference! The doctrine of Christ was in every single talk given! I loved it!!! One of my favorites was Elder Bednars talk on conversion, its so true that testimonys can fade, but conversion is different. We are out here to convert people, not to just give them a small testimony that might fade a year or two after they join! And of course I also loved Elder Nelson's talk! Ask a missionary, because apparently we know everything! It made me feel so good to listen to him promote us like that! President Uchtdorfs talk was also mindblowing, and I related it to missionary work of course. I am not on a mission just to wait for the end to happen, I am enjoying every moment of it! And Sister Burtons talk about observing and serving was amazing. She is going to be in Indiana in a few weeks so I'm pretty excited to go to that!

Thanks for your letters family! My P-days are always on Monday's up here, so I will be writing you weekly at this time from here on out. I'm going to be in Layfette guarenteed for the next two transfers, but then after that Sister Stanford goes home, so unless they transfer both of us out (which I doubt) I will be here well into Feburary at least. My real address here is 

3111 New London Ct. #529

Layfette, IN 47909

If you write to that it will come straight to me instead of going through the mission home in Carmel first. I am off now to play some frisbee with the spanish elders. I challenged them to some ping pong, but I think we are going to take advantage of the fall weather now before it gets to winter, and then bust out the ping pong battles at the institute once its freezing. 

I love you all so much, sorry for the novel! GO BOILERMAKERS!!!

Sister Tara Cordner

p.s. Mom, Sister Collins wants to know where you got my bag, because she has the same bag, but she got it at goodwill, and wants to get a new one because hers is really old! Thanks!