I love e-mail days...there is so much going on...

Hey Momma...

You skied!! hahaha that´s so awesome! I´m way proud of you and very happy that you could do it... and probably with much more style than anybody else on the slopes :) It sounds like you guys had an awesome week up in Utah and partied enough for me too, thank you. To answer a couple questions, Michael, the boy from my ward, is doing great. He was back passing the sacrament on Sunday and was feeling almost perfect, so I never had to go back to the hospital to give blood again... and no, I haven´t gotten sick from the first time haha so I´m sure the needle was at least pretty clean haha.

I haven´t received your package yet, but you got me pretty excited to know that one is coming haha. How it works is, if you send something to the Miami address or the mission home, the office elders pick it up from the DHL center here in Santiago and then they give it to the Zone Leaders who pass it down to the District Leaders and they distribute it on Monday during the District meeting... now the Zone Leaders are in our District, so even though my comp is the DL, we still just get it from the ZL´s on Mondays... So I´ll probably get it this next monday, so I´ll let you know next p'day in my e-mail to tell you to activate the card.

As for my week here, it´s been pretty exciting... We had our most faithful investigator, Anabel (14), come to church all on her own again on sunday, which is about a 35 minute walk from her house. She wants to get baptized really bad, so as long as she keeps this up, her baptism will be a week from saturday. I´m really excited, because I´ve been here to teach her everything, so it´ll be really cool. We´ve been really blessed this week and we´ve found two new families that are pretty excited about what we´re teaching, so that´s awesome.

We had a sweet Zone Conference yesterday and it was almost a little weird, because after the earthquake in Haiti, a large part of the discussion was based around what we should do to be ready for a disaster... but after that they based it all on love and charity which is something that I think we needed to hear... We played ¨softball¨ again today against another zone... I say ¨softball¨ because you can imagine how ¨soft¨ it stays when you have a bunch of 19 and 20 year old guys playing together hahaha but it was super fun... But my favorite part was talking with the little kids that were all sitting around watching... They think it´s hilarious to hear a gringo speak spanish, but I told one of them that I was dominican and then they let me make fun of the other gringos with them hahaha it was awesome! It´s crazy how much you learn just from talking to the kids... That´s probably one of my best sources of learning spanish here, so it´s coming along pretty well...

But I dont´ know if I´m going to be content with just spanish now... This last sunday we had a haitian man come to the ward for the second time on his own... We talked to him the first time, two weeks before, but he can´t really speak spanish very well, so he messed up the directions to his house and we couldn´t find him... But this time we grabbed somebody in the ward who knew a little Haitian Criole and we finally found the house... well more like house under construction that he is working on and lives in with a bunch of other haitian guys when they aren´t working... But it was a really humbling experience trying to teach him. I felt like it was my first week in the MTC all over again except I didn´t know the language AT ALL! We´re pretty much restricted to the most basic spanish you could possibly think of, but it helps us focus on the most important things... and it´s giving me this incredible desire to learn some French or Criole so I can teach him a little better...We´ll see...

But besides that, all is well... We´ve got two weeks left in the transfer and we´re trying to finish stronger than ever... Elder Barnum has been here for almost 7 months, so he wants to go out with a bang and I... well I just think a ¨bang¨ would be fun :) so we´re working hard.

If you would, please let Nick know that I got his letter, and it was Awesome! haha totally made my day. And tell James that he´s a stud and I just know he´s gonna dominate Czech.

I love you Mom!

Elder Cornwell

I used my leatherman!!!

Hello!
We had a great week! So much, let me start from the beginning. So last
P-day, when we got home to get ready to go back out to missionary work, our
sink decided that it didn't want to turn off, so then we had to push on one
of the handles so that it wouldn't flood and use a bowl to empty it. We did
that for about an hour and a half and then one of the great men that work at
the mission office came and helped us, little did we know that to turn off
the water is really easy! So then he fixed our sink an we got a pretty new
faucet! And he used my leatherman to help and it was great! Saved us that
evening. So then we needed to clean a lot and somehow during that process I
managed to cut my hand pretty well, but now it is great. ANd we had a lot
mold in our bathroom. And so last Tuesday, we had to pull out all the calk
or whatever it is called from our shower and then the elders came over to
help us redo it and clean it up. But while trying to remove the moldy
stuff, using my leatherman, I accidently got my finger a little bit with it.
So now I have a cut on each hand and my companions keep me away from sharp
objects!
As far as meetings go, it was a great week. We meet with the chicken
house family and the mom has a baptismal date! We are so excited and are
working hard with them. They are headed in a great direction, so we aren't
going to lose any ground hopefully. So we have a lot of baptisms coming up
and we are thinking we might have to push some back but they will all come
through. So it will be a very exciting next couple months here And
hopefully the work will just continue from there. WE are teaching a few
kids right now and it is so great.
Yesterday, I gave a talk in church! Can you believe, I still can't.
So since I have been here, which has already been a month!, I have already
born my testimony, been in a musical number, and spoke in church. it is
amazing what you can do as a missionary! I haven't done that much in an
English sacrament meeting in a long time. And I have enjoyed doing these
things too!
I just love being a missionary so much! And it is so fun to live in
Armenia. Nothing too crazy happened this last week. I sit in the front of
taxis now and tell them where to go and I always make them laugh with my
Armenian, that is fun. Transfers are next week, and Sister Furhiman is
going back to America! I will miss her so much, she has been such a great
trainer and so much fun. And rumor has it that Sister Davis might be moving
too, so we shall see. I have a lot of work this week to get this area down
better, it is huge! But it is so good! I really love it here in Shengavit!
I know that I will be here this next transfer but then after that I will for
sure leave, probably go out of the city.
It has been really warm here, this last week we had a couple really
cold days and it snowed but now it is good and warm again, so we might not
have much of a winter this year. And my feet and shoes are doing just
great!
Hope everything ended up being fun in Utah and that everything is going fine
getting back in to the routine. Excite to hear about your skiing
experience, mom.
Love you all so so much!!!
Sister corny
Ps- I don't know if you have heard yet but there were two missionaries in
Romania that died because of carbon monoxide poisoning, so terrible. But
don't worry are monitor thing works just fine, they are making sure
everyone's in the mission does.

Hey Momma...

First of all I just have to say that I love getting e-mails. Every time I read what everyone writes me I feel even more excited to go out and get to work! It´s awesome!

But anyway... I had a pretty exciting week... On Friday I went to the Hospital too!! haha you can tell Uncle Matt that, but then again maybe you shouldn´t cause I didn´t have to stay very long. Don´t worry Mom, nothing happened to me, but let me explain... There have been a lot of people here getting Dengue, which is a sickness that wipes out the... plaquetas... in your blood...sorry, I don´t know how to say it English haha sorry... I think it´s plateletts... and if not, that´s what I´m gonna call them anyway... But anyway, three kids in our ward got it in the last two weeks, and it´s not always something that bad, sometimes you´re just extra tired or throwing up for a day or two and that´s it, but one of the boys, named Michael Bretón, got it exceptionally bad and he was in the hospital for a week and a half. On Saturday it got to a point where he was in desperate need of plateletts and they couldn´t really find anybody to give them to him. Apparently your veins have to be a little bigger and thicker to handle the machine that takes out the plateletts, and it just so happens that a trait of Dominican people is that they don´t have very big veins... learn something new every day right?... well on Friday, one of the members showed up at our house at lunch time to take us to the hospital to give blood. Elder Barnum couldn´t do it because his veins weren´t big enough either, but being the oxen we are, I worked just fine... They ended up having one other available guy too, so they just tested my blood and took a little bit instead of having me do the hour long platelett process, but I´m still on standby if they need me... As of Monday however, Michael is doing much better and now he´s back at home with his family.

But I can´t lie, it made for a good day of talking to lots of people at the hospital and learning some new vocab about the body...

All in all it´s been pretty solid week in Villa Olga... We´ve been trying to find people for the past week or so more than ever because it seems like everyone that we were teaching either took a great step forward and looking forward to baptism or they decided that they ¨didn´t want to waste our time¨ so they don´t want us to come back anymore... But, that´s the mission, and what do we do? Para Adelante!

It sounds like both the little skittles are doing great, young womens and finals... what could beat that? I´m glad work is still moving along for dad, and I hope it picks up even more in the near future... because who knows, if he needs a ¨consultant¨ to go with him to south america in just under two years, I think I might know who could help him... But I´m most excited for you, Mom!! Hair appointments and skiing?! that´s awesome! I can´t tell you how excited I am for the picture. It´ll make my day I´m positive of it.

As for Haiti, we´re not really aloud to do anything from here... The Church, as expected, has been working a ton and they´re trying to build back buildings and spirits as best they can, but as missionaries here our goal is to help the people here to help the others. It´s amazing the chain of effects that can come from one act of Charity, so we´re focusing on making it a lot more than one act of charity.

I´m still here, healthier than ever and working hard. Villa Olga is quickly becoming one of my favorite places on Earth and I can´t really express to you how great and grateful I feel to be here right now. Thank you for everything you do for me. I can´t wait to here from you soon...

I love you

Elder Joel Cornwell

Making a difference!

Hello!
Well, everyone, sounds like everything is going well there. I am excited to
hear about Utah. Mom, I hope you can ski but I hope you are careful! And
sometime soon, you should send me a picture of your hair, I can open up
pictures on my email here. Livy, you will do great on your finals! I know
it. Julia, congrats on a making a basket in basketball and you made it
through the dreaded reciting an article of faith in sacrament. But those
articles of faith are so important, we give those cards out a lot.
Well, it has been another good week, I have learned a lot again. The
language continues to move a long. Every now and then a sentence just comes
out of my mouth without me having to think about it and the best thing is
that it makes sense! And I started making phone calls this week, it is fun.
I call the investigators that I know and when I say that it is me they get
so excited that I am talking to them on the phone. It is fun. Another job
I have had is to sit in the front of the taxi and tell them where we are
going. And then I get to talk to them. IT is great fun!
So this week we got a couple more investigators and some more baptismal
dates. It was exciting! So now we have seven investigators with baptismal
dates! It is so neat but a lot of work because I am pretty sure Satan is
working over time with some of them because of how great they are! So we
have had to restore, or at least try, some hope this last week. Which is
kind of hard here because we know it really will take a while to get better
here but where there is a will there is a way, and we all know that God's
will is the greatest and most im portant thing for us. So we will get
there. I know the gospel is the only, just like you said mom. It wouldn't
matter if a billionaire came here to change it, that isn't going to help.
THey just really need a new way of thinking. THese people are truly
amazing, I really do love them, but they get stuck in Soviet ways of
thinking and it is just so hard. I am so grateful though for the spirit and
the guidance it gives us. IT is amazing how my companions and I will come
out of a meeting and be on the same page of what happened and what to do
next. So many things can happen through the gospel! It is just so hard for
me to try and describe to others how much it as changed my life and how much
I know they need it. BUt I just pray for it and I know the Spirit will do
the rest.
I really love being a missionary so much! Even with the heartaches that
come, and we are almmost always muddy and tired, it is the most incredible
thing I have ever done! I am healthy and happy and safe!
funny moment of the week... A crazy Russian man told me to tell you, mom
and dad, thank you for bringing me into the world, so thank. Don't worry,
we walked quickly away from him. So this week I have decided that Armeian
AND russian men are crazy, but there are great ones too.
There are a few members we have here that are just incredible. THey know
that the Lord needs them here, even though they could easily go to America
and have a better life, they are so strong and I am just in awe of them.
They are carrying a lot of wait but I know they have a very special place in
our Heavenly Father's heart and great things in store! WE met with this
week, this darling family! THree little boys! The parents both served
misssions and the woman helped translate the Book of Mormon into Armenian.
THe man works for the church and is one of the best branch presidents we
have here. They are truly building the kingdom here, I can't wait to see
what they will continue do! but we were talking about how there really
needs to be a big change here and it is going to be this upcoming generation
that can do it! So that is our focus. The youth is such an incredible and
crucial part of the church!
I love you all so much!!!!
sister corny!

Incredible week!

Hi Momma :)
What a week!! It has been incredible and I´m going to try to get it all down before we have to go... haha we´ll see how it goes.
First, I have to say that Elder Barnum and I have been so blessed here it´s incredible. It seems like a lot of things are just happening exactly how we want them too... which surprisingly doesn´t happen too often in the mission haha... But anyway... Last week, oine of the investigators that we have been working with for quite a while really started to pull things together and came to church with both of her CRAZY little boys... they have the energy of Jed, but far worse behavior... so she really showed some commitment, and we got to set a date for her baptism! Then on top of that, another girl that we have been working with for quite a while told us that she received a real answer to her prayers and wants to get baptized too! woohoo! haha so as of right now we have four people with baptismal dates. I´m so excited for them it´s incredible!
But, ¨There must be opposition in all things...¨ so this week we have also had a family of 4, a newly-married couple and a teenage boy tell us that they´re ¨really busy right now¨ and they ¨won´t really have time to come to church¨ or anything so it would probably be better if ¨we stopped sharing¨ with them for a while... To be perfectly honest, that is one of the worst feelings ever. So at the same time, we´ve had some challenges this week as well...
However, Saturday was absolutely incredible! Elder Bednar came to our chapel here in Villa Olga, along with the other 186 missionaries in the Santiago Mission, and had a special meeting for 3 hours just with us :) hahaha it was so good!! He talked for about 2 minutes and then asked us what we´d learned from the couple of talks that we had received a week earlier to study before he got here, so the questions and comments began. And that is how the meeting stayed for the remaining few hours. I didn´t get the chance to ask a question because, as I´m sure you can imagine, everybody´s hands were in the air and we only had so much time that I was not one of the few who were picked, but I was among the lucky few that got to listen, which was even better. His real point with the whole thing was that the Holy Ghost teaches the gospel, we don´t. But we are the ones that know how to invite the spirit to accompany us, so even though our words mean very little, the feeling that we bring is sumamente importante!
It´s hard to describe all the things that I learned, but it was an incredible experience that I won´t be forgeting in this lifetime.
On top of that, not much is different... We still chugging along to try and find some new investigators, because all the ones we´ve found recently haven´t really been following through, but we keep walking...
Tell Julia that I´m super happy that she had a good birthday and I´ll be there for the one after next haha and tell Livy to not be so excited to turn 16... cause whatever boy it is, I´m probably gonna beat him up when I get home... Tell Sean that I´m going to give his information to a Peruvian girl in my ward here because she´s going to BYU, and yes, he should be excited to meet her haha but maybe wait to tell him because I don´t think she´s going until Spring.
Now for you, Mom... I will have you know that I was on my knees for quite a while last week thanking God for your health, and I continue to do so every day. I love you and can´t explain in words how I felt last week and how I still feel about the whole situation. We didn´t have the chance until Friday, but Elder Barnum and I celebrated over some Ice cream :)
I know that we have been blessed by the Lord and there is nowhere that I want to be besides here, hoping to help another family receive the blessings and feel the love that ours has. I love you Mom.
Elder Cornwell
P.S. I sent home a CD of pictures, and I´d love you to send a couple up to Nikki if you could... Pick out some good ones :)

Oh the joys of an internet cafe and a language barrier

Hello hello,
Well this is my third time typing this letter cause things keep
happening, so it may be brief, sorry. But we had a great week! First off,
I am so glad everything is good with joel. I totally know the feeling you
are talking about mom, on tuesday evening I totally knew something was up,
the holy ghost really keeps us all so connected.
This week was full of great lessons and a lot of learning. I am
starting to get to kn ow how we get to the varios places we go. THis week I
am really going to learn a lot more about that and how to buy things! I am
excited.
So this week, we worked on the chicken house more, hopefully we will
finish this week. THen, we taught that family that we are building it for
more, the kids have a baptismal date, so exciting! Now we just need to get
mom on board. Such a great family, they have gone through a lot but are
awesome because of it.
We meet with this other lady that we have been teaching since I have
been here and she lives out by them. She is a neat lady that has also gone
through a lot and has a hard situation. So we went over there and it was so
weird, right when we walked in, we could tell something was up. ANd sure
enough, we saw her, and all the light was gone from her eyes. So sad, she
was just frustrated with life. She is doing better now, so hopefully we are
back uphil for her.
THe hardest thing so far for me is to see all these people suffer and
I can't fix it all for them. But I have realized that I am doing the best
thing I can for them. I can give them the gospel! ANd it is amazing and
changes lives! It is such a privelege to do this work. I know it is God's
work and I try my hardest to do the best I can.
We had the baptism last weekend and it was so good! So excited to see
whaat this lady will do!
Armenian culture lesson of the week: Armenian men are crazy dad, I won't
bring one home, dad, don't worry. THey just think that women are here to do
things for them. Interesting thought. But once they understand the gospel,
that we are all God' children they are much better. So we are working on
that.
The food here is really good. I have oatmeal eveery morning for
breakfast, normally with apples and matzoon (its like yogurt). So yummy!
Everything is so good!
love and miss you all so much!
sister corny (that is my name now_
ps- mom can you add mrslaurie@msn.com to the email list. So that my friends
on missions can get my emails too. THanks! you are the best!

Your son has arrived...

La Iglesia De
Jesucrist De Los Santos
De Los Últimos DÍas

December 1, 2009

Dear Brother and Sister Cornwell,
Just a note to let you know that your son arrived safely in the Dominican Republic Santiago Mission. We are pleased to have him with us.
We appreciate so much the enthusiasm and desire your son has to serve his fellow man. Likely never again will he have the opportunity to serve with the vitality and energy of youth, donating 100% of his time to the Lord. We ask you to help him cherish his mission – to work hard, to fight discouragement, and to love his companion and the people he is serving.
Please do not worry about him. He is in the Lord's hands, but he will need your encouragement and support for he will experience many trials that will strengthen and profit him eternally. Weekly letters are very important in maintaining a missionary’s enthusiasm. We would request that your letters to him be uplifting, spiritually edifying, and mission-centered. Please keep him free of unnecessary worry about home and family. Details of every little problem or challenge at home are an unneeded burden for a missionary trying to devote himself fully to his Lord and Savior.
We know that you can help him give himself fully to the work through your inspiring letters and words of encouragement. We will do everything we can to help ensure that your son serves a successful mission. We thank you for having the faith to entrust him to us and, more especially, to the Lord. May the Lord bless you.

Sincerely,

Miguel A. Lee
Mission President

PS. A hard copy will be arriving soon.