Week of December 28, 2015: Christmas + Mission = BEST THING EVER

Christmas + Mission = BEST THING EVER

Christmas Eve! 

This last Christmas was one of my favorites. I was so shocked to hear from other missionaries when they said it was the best time to be on a mission. I was dreading the time when I would have to be away from my family on Christmas, but here I am.. completely happy and grateful to have another Christmas to look forward to in Louisiana :) 

The reason why I had such an amazing Christmas is because it was centered on Jesus Christ. And all month I was able to think of others more than myself. I was able to meet new people and spend time with them, if I wasn't out here I wouldn't even know them! It is the biggest blessing to be able to feel such a remarkable Christlike love for others. And even though Christmas is over...we can still have the spirit of Christ with us always! 

Let's learn from 3 Nephi Chapter 2:  

1 And it came to pass that thus passed away the ninety and fifth year also, and the people began to forget those signs and wonders which they had heard, and began to be less and less astonished at a sign or a wonder from heaven,insomuch that they began to be hard in their hearts, and blind in their minds, and began to disbelieve all which they had heard and seen—

2 Imagining up some vain thing in their hearts, that it was wrought by men and by the power of the devil, to lead away and deceive the hearts of the people; and thus did Satan get possession of the hearts of the people again,insomuch that he did blind their eyes and lead them away to believe that the doctrine of Christ was a foolish and a vain thing.

After Christmas it is so easy to forget the signs and wonders of Christ's birth. Life continues and we make new plans for a new year. For this new year I want to invite yall to think of something that is keeping you from feeling close to Christ, and set a goal that will help you remember the light of Christ in your every day life. The atonement of Jesus Christ is here for us so that we can grow and become more like him. I am so grateful for that opportunity :)

This week we were able to get 4 new investigators. Victoria and Robert we had a lesson with on Saturday and the spirit was so strong with them as we testified of prayer and coming to know the restoration is true through asking God ourselves. Then we met Debra and Whitney on Sunday as we were contacting an online media referral. We brought Debra her bible and discussed how we can grow closer to Jesus Christ, I felt a sincere desire that they have to grow closer to their Savior. Tonight we are meeting with Josh Jay at a member's house and having a lesson with them! The Lord is blessing me and Sister Widdison so much this week :) 

Thank you for all of the letters and packages that I received this Christmas season! It meant a lot :) 

I also ate Craw fish this week...YUM!

Quotes of the week:

Elder Jensen: "Welcome to Church"

Elder Hillam: "It's the only true one so you might want to stick around"

(Voicemail) "Only true friends can call this number"

"Sweet red raspberries!"

Love and miss yall!

Sister Amanda Cornia

REALLY REALLY HOT SAUCE

This is my face after I had the most spicy 

hot sauce in the whole entire world.....my 

face is priceless hehe. Sister Widdison had 

some strong taste buds because she didn't 

even look phased!

Brother Wuertenberg reading us
the Cajun Night Before Christmas

Blue Bell ice cream
is the best ice cream
in the south and it just
barely came back!
IT'S SO GOOD

Week of December 21st - Merry Christmas Ya'll

At the Ward Christmas Party!

This week was one of the best ones I have had in the mission field. Everyone is so nice around the holidays! We were able to meet a couple individuals that are truly prepared to receive the restored gospel. Me and Sister Widdison were at the library and a guy asks "is there a temple here in Lafayette?" (that definitely caught us off guard!). We then continued speaking with him and he told us that he just moved from Texas and used to meet missionaries there! It was a beautiful tender mercy. His name is Innocence Aku and he is originally from Nigeria! He went to our ward Christmas party and even helped put the tables away! He is GOLDEN. I am just so grateful that we were at the right place at the right time to run into him :) 

Stephanie's family Christmas party

Another amazing thing that happened this week was Josh Jay. On Monday, I got a referral from Elder Gunnell! (a friend of mine serving in the Florida mission). He told me about Josh Jay and said that he was super prepared. He just moved from the area that Elder Gunnell used to be in and came to Lafayette! So it was crazy cool. We were able to set an appointment up with him for Saturday morning. When we went to his apartment there was no answer. We were super bummed and started to walk away...but something kept telling me to turn around. I ignored it and then it came back to my mind "turn around". So I turned to Sister Widdison and said that we should go see if he opened the door since we walked away. When we went to his door it was still closed. After that we just continued back to our car (going the other way). On our way, we ran into Josh! It was so awesome because we wouldn't have ran into him if we kept going the other way. So then, we had a lesson with him on his porch and it turns out he met with missionaries for years! The only thing that was holding him back was his family, but he just moved away from them. We committed him to baptism :) I am so grateful for the Holy Ghost. I am grateful that we were able to have the opportunity to meet this amazing guy who is crazy-prepared to be baptized. That was a miracle!!!

We also met this really sweet lady who was deaf this week! We had a conversation with her through her daughter, and it turns out we have a interpreter for sign language in our ward! We hope to start teaching her :) 

Another crazy thing that happened is kind of embarrassing..I sort of ran the car into a ditch. Louisiana roads are the worst! I turned the wheel slightly too soon and..we were stuck. It was so scary! Luckily southern hospitality is a real thing. This guy helped us get the car out and there wasn't much damage to the car. Plus we got to share the christmas.mormon.org website with him, so that was cool :) 

For ZTM we had a white elephant gift exchange and our mission president read us The Cajun Night Before Christmas. It was pretty funny :)

I read a talk by Elder Holland explaining the difference between enjoying Christmas and understanding Christmas. It is not a bad thing to enjoy the holidays with cheerful music and fun Christmas activities, but are we letting this over shadow our celebration of Christ's birth? Do we truly understand Christmas and keep that as our focus during the holidays? Being on a mission around Christmas time is definitely a different experience. I am truly learning how to understand Christmas more rather than just enjoying it 24/7. I remember the Savior at all times and get to share it with others. A mission experience is the best gift I have yet to receive and I feel it is the best I will ever receive. The spirit of Christmas is much more than just wrapping and unwrapping presents; it's more than decorating houses. The spirit of Christmas is the spirit of Christ, and we can carry this with us even after Christmas.

I truly hope that ya'll have a very Merry Christmas. Thank you for your emails and letters this Christmas season.

#ASaviorIsBorn

Love,

Sister Amanda Cornia

Week of December 14th: I Ate Fried Alligator

Holy cow this week has been so so crazy, but a good crazy of course :)

On Tuesday we found out that my companion, Sister Blaylock, was going to be going home on Monday for medical reasons. So this whole week was filled with getting ready for her to go home and figuring out how to ship a bike. We were still able to move on with the work though! We had Jasmine, Armoni, and Omerian (3 of the Porter's kids) come with us to the mutual activity Wednesday night! It went super well and they had a great time. It was a good experience where we got to know them a little bit more.

On Thursday we had a lesson with Ashley. She is doing good but still not progressing...we showed her the "Because of Him" video and tried explaining that Jesus Christ can really allow us to live in our lives. She has problems believing anything other than Jesus Christ's teachings, so like the Bible. I am really still trying to figure her out, I just really hope that she can feel the spirit. 

On Friday we had a lesson with the Porters (Tanya and Jasmine). They didn't read Alma 32 so we went through and read the first 12 verses with them, it went pretty well. The following day we saw Tanya and she was having a hard time so we read a scripture and committed her to read a chapter in the Book of Mormon that could really relate to her. She texted us and said that she was reading it! Conversion is really all based on God's timing, so I am definitely learning patience. 

Alligator at the UL Campus

On Saturday we ate at Don's Seafood with two women in the ward. I ATE FRIED ALLIGATOR, it tasted like chicken :) it was sooo good! 

We received a lot of media referrals (people go online and request a free Bible or Book of Mormon and we bring it to them), we were able to contact a few. It went really well! We went out with a young woman in the ward and now we have a return appointment with one and then we were able to share a message about the restoration. Her name was Rosylen. She seemed really hesitant at first but when we testified that she could pray with sincere desire and know for herself then she softened up and seemed more at peace with it :) We are going to meet with her after Christmas. 

We also got to see Alice. She is a less active and doesn't have a lot of comprehension, but in the lesson with her I was able to see her through God's eyes. It was a beautiful thing to feel Christlike love for her. I absolutely love Alice, and even though she might not be able to read very well or keep commitments/appointments, I still love her so much because she is a child of God. It was a remarkable experience :) 

For dinner we went out to Breaux Bridge and ate with the Bozemans. They're related to some members in our ward and invited us to come over (apparently it was a huge step for them). They heard Sister Blaylock's testimony on building your confidence in Jesus Christ and that really touched them. The dinner went really well and even though Sister Blaylock had to leave they still invited me and my new companion back again! The Lord has definitely blessed us so much in this area and I am so grateful for that. I truly feel he was preparing me to be able to take over the area with more peace. 

On Sunday after church, we drove to Opaleuses where we picked up Sister Widdison (MY NEW COMP) and then drove to the mission home. We ate dinner with President and Sister Hansen and then we drove home. So now I have a new companion for Christmas! She was my Sister Training Leader in my first area, so I already know her! She is super cute and really nice. We are going to get along great :)

I hope yall are having a good holiday season and I am so grateful for the atoning power that Jesus Christ has in our lives. This restored gospel is the only truth on the earth today, and I know this because I have felt it. No one can deny an answer from God :) 

Miss and love yall so much!

Young Womens with Arissa
and the Porter kids

December 7, 2015: Tender mercies, ugly Christmas sweaters, and free pizza!

Cajun Christmas!

This week was full of tender mercies, ugly Christmas sweaters, and free pizza! 

I will start with my favorite moment of the week! We have been trying to contact a referral we received from online for a while now, her name is Cathy Gray. Finally we were able to schedule a time for us to drop off this bible to her. She invited us in! Most of the time (especially for Bible referrals) we don't get invited in so this was already a miracle. She told us she was a part of this Christian Biker church and loved learning about the bible and it's teachings. Sister Blaylock felt impressed to share the Plan of Salvation with her. So we taught this lesson and talked about how this is a plan God has for us so that we all can be happy. It was really cool because she seemed to connect with our message. Her Dad had passed away so we were able to explain that he is in the spirit world right now. The spirit was so strong during the whole lesson! We are going back to teach her on Friday. I am so excited to share more with her, I really feel that the Lord has prepared her to hear the restored gospel. 

Later in the week we had a zone meeting. We had an ugly sweater contest! It was really great and we also learned a lot from other thoughts zone. Unfortunately we didn't win the contest, but our sweaters were still awesome :) 

We had another referral and her name was Wilburette. It was really funny because we had the hardest time figuring out how in the heck you pronounce that! We came to the conclusion that it was suppose to be like Wilbur (the pig on Charlotte's Web) with an -ette on the end. That's how we said her name and I think it was right because she didn't correct us haha. Anyways, we had a brief message with her about the restoration. She said that missionaries used to visit her and she really liked the Book of Mormon. So we gave her one and promised that if she read it she would feel peace in her life, she also wanted to come to church! She didn't come on Sunday, but I know she will when she isn't working :)

On Saturday we had a lesson with the Porter's and it went super well! It was the first lesson that I had been to with them where the spirit was definitely there. We watched Finding Faith in Jesus Christ with them and after discussed the impact that Jesus Christ can have on our lives. I felt prompted to share Alma 32:28 with them, so we read it. Rolland liked it so much that he asked me to read it again! We invited them to read the chapter and they said that they would! I am so grateful that we were able to have a lesson with them that had the spirit, because that is the only way to find out the truth. 

After our lesson with them we went to Walmart and ran into the Swansons (a family in our ward), they invited us over for lunch but we sadly had to decline because they were going to have the Spanish Elders over and it is against our mission rules. Instead they offered to buy us EACH frozen pizza and ice cream!!! It was a huge blessing that we received for being obedient :) even though it was really hard to turn down a meal with amazing people, we got free food out of it! 

We also met with Ashley this week and also showed Finding Faith in Jesus Christ with her. She liked it, but just related it to everything else she has seen before. She did open up to us more and so that was really awesome. She still isn't progressing but I am not losing hope on her! 

On Sunday we watched the Christmas Devotional at the Galespies! If any of yall didn't have the chance to see it PLEASE WATCH IT. The true spirit of Christmas comes from learning about Jesus Christ. I am so grateful to be here in Louisiana, especially during this time of year! My favorite part of the devotional was when Elder Bednar talked about Christmas decorations. He related the Christmas lights that we hang up to the light that Christ is in our lives. It was a simple metaphor but it really stuck out to me and now I love Christmas lights even more! 

I am so grateful for all of the blessings that the Lord is pouring out to us in this area. I am also grateful for the opportunity I have to be here. I invite yall to think about the Generous One, Jesus Christ, this season and to have him at the center of this Holiday season. I promise that if you do this, he will fill in all of the missing gaps in your lives. Through him we can have complete joy. 

I love y'all very much :)

 

Love,

Sister Amanda Cornia

Week of November 30, 2015 - Louisiana Tangents

Our lil Christmas Tree

Thanksgiving went really well and we were truly blessed to have a couple dinner appointments! I got really full and could barely finish any of my food. Also I learned a very valuable lesson, don't serve yourself a ton of something that you haven't tried yet. There was this mac and cheese dish that looked really good so I got a lot of it on my plate, but it was REALLY spicy. I had to eat all of it so I wouldn't offend anyone...my mouth was on fire for the rest of the day! Haha. 

We had a lesson with Sandra this week and it was interesting. She had a couple of tangents about aliens and apes (I don't know what it is about people and aliens here). It all started with "God is our loving Heavenly Father and we are His children". It was really entertaining, she is a great lady though. We are hoping that she can get her car fixed soon so that she can attend church, she lives about an hour away from the building! 

I am grateful to be here in Louisiana with all these crazy people. I am so excited for this Christmas season and expressing the love that we can feel through Christ. I love y'all so much and pray that we can all grow closer to the Savior this Christmas season. Have a blessed week.

A Gift to the Savior

"We are simply asking all members to pray, knowing that if every member, young and old, will reach out to just 'one' between now and Christmas, millions will feel the love of the Lord Jesus Christ. And what a wonderful gift to the Savior." -Elder M. Russell Ballard

Love,

Sister Cornia

A book at the Tabasco Factory

November 23 2015 - Humanoids, Dying Plants, and Hover boards

Hey y'all!

This week wasn't full of a lot of people, but it sure was full of entertainment. At the beginning of the week we had a lesson with Stephanie and it went really well. We talked about sacrament and the importance of it, we asked her what was holding her back from coming to church. It was a really powerful lesson and we felt like we really got through to her. (She didn't end up coming to church, which was a real bummer...free agency kills me!) After our lesson we saw that her son had this weird looking thing with wheels so we asked if we could try it. They are called Sky-walker Hover boards and they are INSANE. I don't know if yall have heard of them but you stand on this skateboard looking thing and your thoughts control the device! I know this sounds crazy and I didn't believe it either, but then I rode on it! When you think "turn" it turns, and when you think "fast" it goes fast! I have no clue how it works but it's pretty crazy stuff...I feel like all the missionaries need one of these :) 

We also went to a sister specialized training with all of the sisters in the mission! It was so good to see everyone again, and it was really uplifting. The Lord has definitely blessed me to be able to serve with such amazing people. 

We ate a shrimp and okra gumbo with a recent convert for dinner one night. Our lesson was suppose to be "God is our Loving Heavenly Father" and it turned into her theory about God's children. You always know it's a bad sign when a recent convert says "I still believe in everything the church does, but.....". She then went on to tell us how everyone on the earth is not part of God's bloodline and that there are people on the earth that were here before Adam and Eve. She called them Humanoids....so that was something I have never heard before and I have no clue where she got this theory. It definitely caught me and Sister Blaylock off guard haha. I am glad to have the knowledge, however, that everyone on this earth IS a child of God. We are all loved incredibly no matter how terrible are choices are. They will be a consequence to all of our actions but no matter what are consequence is, we will always be loved :) I don't think any of us are "humanoids", sorry for the let down. Haha. 

On Saturday we helped out with a service project called Days for Girls. It is for women in third world countries who don't have the necessities for feminine hygiene. It is a really great program to give women education about their bodies and that their lives can go on when they think that they are dying. If you have a chance to look it up, it's incredible. We just cut fabric for a while :) 

Sunday was sad because Stephanie didn't come to church..however it was still a good spiritual recharge. Sister Blaylock and I will be staying together in Lafayette until she goes home on December 28th. As we were leaving church we had a crazy member pull us aside and asked us to move her plants for her so that they wouldn't freeze. We offered to go with her right then (thinking it would be a fast job to move 10 plants), she told us that we would need to get our P day clothes and it would take a while because she had FIFTY huge plants to move. We felt bad but had to say no, because we shouldn't be doing member service in the first place. She then proceeded to tell us that she finished and left a voicemail saying "I am not calling you to make you feel guilty, although you should feel guilty...". She talked so much on the voicemail that it even cut her off! Haha. She is a very interesting person. Luckily her plants did not die. 

Later on Sunday, it was the last thirty minutes and we really just wanted to return for the night. It was frustrating because we tried door after door and no one was answering. Nothing was working out how we wanted it to. However we decided to stay out the additional time that we were suppose to and we were able to meet with this less active member! She was an interesting woman who had been through a lot. She was really grateful to have us come visit her. It was a huge tender mercy that the Lord provided us with. It showed me that we need to stay out those last thirty minutes because that is usually when all the miracles happen and when we get blessed. 

Being a missionary is no walk in the park, but it is helping me to stretch and grow into the person that Heavenly Father wants me to be :) I have truly been able to understand the atonement and how it works. I am so grateful for my savior Jesus Christ and the peace and hope he can give to each and every one of us. 

Here is a link to a video on gratitude :)

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2010-11-23-thanksgiving-daily?lang=eng 

Love,

Sister Amanda Cornia

At the Tabasco Factory

Week of November 9th -Alrigght

I hit my four month mark yesterday!!! It is so crazy that I have already spent four months here.

This last Sunday we had a member visiting from Sacramento, California. She is a convert to the church and used to be a preacher's wife. She definitely carried herself that way and was very passionate about our gospel ...and the missionaries! Haha :) We went out teaching with her on Wednesday and it was really funny. She grew up here and said "WE ARE GOIN TO THE NORRRTH SIIIDE" 

So that is exactly where we went. We met with Rachel and Alice (mother and daughter). The missionaries in New Iberia ran into some of their family and they referred them to us. We taught the restoration and it was really cool because they showed more interest towards the end of our lesson! I even saw one of them reading the pamphlet as we left :) Then Sister Robertson (the ex preacher's wife) took us out to Olive Garden! 

There is definitely never a dull moment on the north side. In our district it is the on going joke that everyone always says "alright". You can literally have a conversation with someone by just saying "alright",they also raise their pointer fingers in the air as you say it. It's pretty funny because it is true! 

Also, this week me and Sister Blaylock may or may not have gotten in trouble for coloring the Elder's hair...Our mission president called us upset about it. Whoops! It is over and done with now...and their hair still looks nice and professional. Haha. 

 I am excited because our mission is going to focus more on community service and helping out at other churches. I think it will help our work pick up :) 

Hope yall are doing well and just know the Louisiana is taking care of me! I really appreciate all of the emails/letters and support from home :)

 Alright ☝

Week of November 2nd - Feast on the words of Christ

I am starting to see the importance of feasting on the gospel. One of my favorite scriptures is 2 Nephi 31:20 that talks about that and enduring to the end.

Being set apart from the world has allowed me to see how unimportant things like that (movies, sports, and tv) really are...I do miss them but they aren't necessary. I have learned that as I have studied and learned more about the gospel of Jesus Christ, it has been easier to find myself. Entertainment is great and all but it doesn't make up who I am. This Gospel has taught me what it means to have a quality life and is a literal guide on how to live happier. That talk that y'all sent me was really amazing (His Grace is Sufficient for You). Without this restored truth on the earth I wouldn't know how to fully access the atonement. I wouldn't fully comprehend how to follow Christ. I would know nothing about Grace. I was really blind before coming out here because I didn't realize all the heartache that comes when you aren't living how you should.

I have a lot more to learn, but I am so grateful that Heavenly Father was watching out for me and told me to come on this mission. It has been the hardest thing I have ever done but it has been so worth it.

Week of October 26th - Here kitty kitty

It was a week full of ups and downs but we made it out alive! Ashley (investigator) came to church this Sunday after an amazing member lesson the previous week :) It was really cool because she doesn't believe in going to church. We are going to meet with her this week to see how she liked it. 

We went to Baton Rouge for a zone meeting and on the way back saw the tiger at this gas station, it was really cool! It has been raining non stop these past couple of days due to the crazy hurricane in Mexico. I love y'all and know that the Lord is taking care of us. Always remember that we can turn to Christ when we are in pain. Have a good week!

Love,

Sister Cornia

Week of Oct 19th - Transfers that come a few days after transfer day

Chillin with my Uke!

Hey y'all!
I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to write a group email! Life has been pretty crazy in the mission and I don't even know where to start. Our investigator Angee, decided to be baptized on October 17th! We finished the rest of the lessons with her and they were incredible. When we teach about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it becomes so clear to me that Jesus Christ is specifically there for each and everyone of us..the spirit was really strong during the lessons we taught Angee.





Transfer calls came and every companionship in my district was getting transferred except for me and Sister Tomblin! I was excited that we were both going to be able to stay for Angees Baptism. PLOT TWIST. On Tuesday morning President calls us and informs Sister Tomblin and I that I am getting transferred. It was super crazy because a normal P day turned into chaos. I had to hurry and pack everything up and visit everyone to say goodbye. It was a bitter sweet..even though I really didn't want to leave I felt that the Lord needed me somewhere else.









Some of the people that I leave behind in Leeds

Sister Ririe and I sharing some German candy
shared to us as we tracted

Goodbye to another one
of our investigators, Vickie

Goodbye to one of our investigators,Tina

Goodbye to recent converts
Nikki and Noah

Sister Bible

I was really sad to leave Sister Tomblin because she was such an amazing companion!










Luckily, I was able to see Angees baptism via Skype on Saturday, so I didn't completely miss it :) I am still sad that I won't be there to see her continually progress in the gospel..but I know that she is in good hands with the other missionaries :)




Lafayette, Here I Come!

On Wednesday I was transferred to LAFAYETTE! It is a lot bigger than Leesville and I feel a lot more at home here :) The work here is also pretty busy; we get a lot of online referrals. They have a Chic Fil A so that is always a plus :)











On Friday I ate Canes for the first time. Canes is a really popular chicken place down here; it was actually really good! We don't have as many dinner appointments down here, which is sad, but also good because I don't want to get fat haha.



My new companion is Sister Blaylock! She is from Rexburg, Idaho and goes home in 3 months! I am so excited to learn from her and she is so amazing! The Lord is REALLY taking care of me out here. We had a lesson with an investigator (Ashley) and we discussed the importance of the Book of Mormon. It was so incredible to feel the spirit there and the power of the Book of Mormon. We invited her to read it and promised her questions would be answered if she did.






This last week I was studying a lot about the Tree of Life (found in 1 Nephi chapter 8 and 11) and the significance of it. Reading it just made my purpose out here more clear and I found great importance in it. The Tree of Life signifies God's love for us, and the whole purpose of life is to stay on the path that leads to this tree and partake of the joy. This path sometimes gets really fuzzy and unclear, so that is why we are given the Iron Rod to help guide us on this path. The Iron Rod is the Word of God. If we truly cling on to the Rod by reading our scriptures and going to church, I PROMISE that we will feel of God's love. We will feel everlasting joy, a joy that cannot be found anywhere else. I am sacrificing 18 months of my life so that I can help others come to find this tree and this happiness. I know that most of you have already heard and studied out the Tree of Life, but it just stuck out to me this week and I wanted to share it with yall :) I am growing so much and am so grateful that I have the knowledge that can bring eternal happiness.


LOL Moments>>>

The other day Sister Blaylock and I were making dinner and found some biscuits in the fridge so we decided to cook them. They looked really funny but we cooked them anyway, obviously because we were hungry! So, after a century of time passed (at least that is what it felt like) they were finished. We ate them and they tasted so weird! After we ate them, we looked at the expiration date on the package and saw that they expired clear back in July...haha whoops!

On Sunday, Sister Blaylock and I along with the Spanish Elders were invited to speak to the primary kids on how they can prepare to serve missions. The sisters went first and we said our part. Then it was the Spanish Elder's turn. When the Spanish Elders were talking, Elder Quoinz was talking about praying for people instead of things he said "So if you are praying for things...stop." It was just really funny because he told a bunch of primary kids to stop praying! A look of horror came to his companion's face and then he added "Well don't stop praying, just pray for good things". Me and Sister Blaylock were laughing so hard! We will never let him live that one down :) haha

The last one was the scary/funny one! It actually just barely happened here in the library. We had just sat down to start emailing and out of no where a security guy came up to confront the guy sitting right behind me. In a very aggressive voice he said "GET UP". The guy he was speaking to responded with "Why do you gotta be so mean to me?!" and then the security guy told him again and again "GET UP" and then the other guy starts yelling "I NEED WITNESSES...THIS AINT RIGHT...THIS AINT FAIR". Then as he stands up he held onto my chair as the security guard pulled him away and handcuffed him! It was so scary!! I thought he was going to start a fight! Thank goodness we didn't die haha. Louisiana has some crazy people...

Hope y'all have a fantastic week :)

New Address:
915 S College Rd Apt. 223 Lafayette, LA 70503

Week of Oct 12th - No update this week

Transfer days in the mission usually occur on Monday. Transfer day came and went with no changes. However, on Tuesday following transfers, Amanda got a call that she was being transferred on Wednesday, so Tuesday (p-day that week) was spent packing and saying goodbye to people she had gotten to know (and grown to love) over the past few months

Week of Oct 5th - No update this week

Week of September 28, 2015

What a crazy week! It is now officially fall and luckily we are no longer having 100 degree weather haha. 

We were able to meet and teach more people, so that was awesome :) On Tuesday we had dinner with the Stevens family and they invited their neighbor over to meet with us! Her name is Judy and she is so sweet. She is looking for something spiritual about God and has been reading the Book of Mormon! She came to our bible study on post and the women's broadcast :) SHE IS GOLDEN.

Another amazing opportunity we had this week was meeting Liana. She is a mom of three kids and she has scoliosis. There family moved from Chicago and they are recovering from being homeless. We helped them out with dinner for the week; they are trying to get back on their two feet. We taught Liana the Restoration and the Spirit was definitely there, so that was an incredible experience :) 

While we were at her house I almost started crying because my heart was broken at their condition. I felt an overwhelming appreciation for all the things I have had growing up and even now. We really don't know how much we are blessed until it is taken away from us. The poverty down here is very tragic and it humbles me every day to know I have been blessed with so much.

Vickie and Jess haven't committed to much yet...but they said that they would watch the Joseph Smith Restoration video (because they love movies). I know that when they watch it they feel the truth of it :) They gave us peanut butter pie the other day and it tasted so good, and the recipe is really easy! The south is no joke big on food haha. I will come back knowing how to make the most awesome foods!

The women's broadcast was so incredible! It was the first one that I have seen that really stood out to me. The spirit was so strong! I am so grateful for the outstanding Women's organization in our church. There are a lot of different and good churches down here, but none of them have the amazing organization of sisterhood! 

I am also so excited for General Conference this weekend. The opportunity to hear the Prophet and Apostles speak is a blessing to all of us. I hope that yall have the chance to watch it, and invite others to watch it as well :) IT IS GOING TO BE SO GREAT.

Have a blessed week and I appreciate the uplifting messages yall are sending me!

Love,

Sister Cornia

I caught my first fish!  A bass.

Week of September 21st - Tracting in the Hood

Hey yall!

Everything is going great in Leesville, Louisiana. Angee still hasn't decided on a baptismal date but holy cow, she is so great! On Sunday she came to our Gospel Principles class and she already has a great foundation and love for God, I love it!! I am so excited to be with her on this journey in growing through the Gospel.

This week went by really fast! We had some opportunities with contacting people this week. We met this really sweet girl at Tina's Thrift Shop who just graduated high school. She is a Pentecostal. We shared some of the Plan of Salvation with her...she tried bashing us a little bit but I really feel like she has potential! We were driving around a neighborhood the other day and totally saw her outside mowing the lawn! There is no such thing as coincidences, so I really feel that we need to teach her.

Yesterday we tracted the hood...literally it was on Hood Lane. Hahah :) we met a really sweet older Catholic lady. I don't think she was much interested in our church but she said that she loved doing service!









While being in Louisiana I have come to realize how amazing diversity is. I am really starting to enjoy meeting people that are all different from one another. You can tell that we are all God's children. Although there are a lot of different faiths in this town, it is cool to see the light of Christ in  people! It motivates me to share the gospel even more :)

Last night we ate a Russian meal with the Mironenkos! They cooked us Borcht and Pelmeni! It tasted soooo good! Brother Mironenko is a cook in the army! He invited one of his army friends, who is also Russian, over last night. His name is Sarov! He was really cool. We shared the "Because of Him" video and the spirit was so strong! Sadly he had to leave right after, so we didn't have time to discuss it..but at least we planted a seed! He is moving back to New York so sadly, we will not be able to follow up. It was still a cool night, and no matter what the results are, it's always successful when you feel the spirit :)

This week I would like invite yall to watch the Because of Him video...even if you have already seen it WATCH IT AGAIN. This video is so great! It shows us that Christ is always reaching his hand out to us. He loves us. He will never leave us alone. All that we have to do is come unto him :)


LOVE YALL

Sister Cornia

​My district at the cutest restaurant ever! 

The bugs here are probably the worst thing ever...

Week of September 14th - Over Two Months in the Mission

Last week was my two month mark, which is so crazy! Time has been going by pretty fast. The weeks feel like days and the days feel like hours. The Louisiana life has been great and has kept me busy for sure. We have an investigator, Angee, who almost has a baptismal date :) I am so excited for her to make the step that will change the rest of her life. She is so great and makes the most amazing food for us!! I will have to watch out so that I don't gain any weight haha. 

This week we went to a zone meeting in Alexandria. It was nice because Leesville is a smaller town so they don't have a lot of food places or stores, so I got to eat Chick Fil A :)

This past week has been very trying and hard. I now know what it means when people say "a mission is the hardest thing I have ever done" because it is true! However, I have grown so, so much. And even though this has been pretty hard, I have not been going through it alone. It is a comfort to me to know that the Lord is on my side. There have been specific experiences that have happened to remind me that God is there and he DOES answer prayers...even a Louisiana missionary like me :) 

This week I want to challenge y'all to pray for something, anything. It could be for comfort, or for an answer. I promise that if you pray in faith, that God will answer your prayer because he loves each and every one of us! I love this Gospel and am so grateful for it. I love y'all so much and miss home a lot...but I know that this is where the Lord wants me right now. 

In 3 Nephi 15:9 it says "Behold I am the law, and the light. Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life."

I know that if we endure to the end, we will be able to live with our Heavenly Father again, and that will be more than worth all that we are going through now. 

Keep your heads up and feel free to email me and say hi :) I appreciate all the love and support.

Love,

Sister Amanda Cornia

Cotton fields in Leesville

Smoothy King: Louisiana's
Jamba Juice

Zone Conference in
Alexandria

Me and Sister Honey's
Paintings 

A member in our ward gave us 
these awesome face masks :)