Category Archives: Jared

Elder Jared Cordon is serving in the Hong Kong China mission as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Well I Am in Hong Kong – Jared

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Wow!!!

This has been an interesting two weeks!! I got to See conference twice I finally got to Hong Kong! Met my President, my trainer, my zone leaders, and the ward. So I had one of the hardest yet greatest weeks I could have ever had! Yet through all my trials the lord has been sure to take care of me!

Alright well first that last week was crazy. It was hard saying goodbye to the teachers and the Australian Cantonesies; but I got to leave seeing conference which was just amazing! I learned a lot and mainly took out of it to step up my game. I felt as if it was a call to prep up cause things are not gonna get easier. Man was that true!! I thought my Cantonese was alright… I can basically say hello, and thats the problem because then they start talking and then I pray they can speak english. haha I met my trainer Elder Howell super cool and very excited! He has been here for 4 months and his Cantonese is amazing! So that gives me hope.

So they moved us to Cause Way Bay which is in the best Area in the mission it’s right in the heart of Down Town on Hong Kong Island. Our area includes the Wanchie chapel which is amazing the second most expensive building the church owns! Check it out online or something our appartment is right next to it. Since we are both new and there is already two Elders in this Area we are starting from scratch. No investigators, So we go finding all day long… I cant speak for my life so its a very long day.

It was such a blessing because the last two days is when Hong Kong watches conference and all the missionaries can watch it in English! I thought it was good the first time, well not as good as the second time. I didn’t understand Elder Hollands talk until this time. I started getting that depression he was talking about and it was bad, I was having a hard time those first few days. Now I look at things differently. I can’t speak any better, but I realize this is the trial of my faith. Now I will doubt my doubts before I even think about doubting my Faith!

I have been able to look back at last week and realize how much the lord has blessed me and my companion! I may not be able to talk but I was able to listen to the spirit and the four big success we have had are because I said hi and got them to stop or by letting the spirit lead me to the most random places. I know this is the lords work and he won’t let me fail. We even have a meeting with this guy I ran into on the street, Also he Speaks English!!

I am in for a long ride but I love the people and this city is so unreal!! I am not a big fan of the humidity, but its cooling down. Also I am blessed to have some really cool Elders sharing my area and appartment its Eder Parker and Elder Passie. They are the Zone leaders and have both getting close to going home so they are a big help!

I encourage everyone who is going through any hard times that are really breaking you down. To change your perspective. Doubt your Doubts before you Doubt your Faith. You may realize how much the Lord has been really helping you, and your probably have something big you can learn from what your going through.

I love everyone and hope all is going so swell!

Elder Jared Cordon

He has arrived in Hong Kong

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Elder Jared Cordon has arrived safely in Hong Kong. Enjoy the picture of him with his mission president and the mission presidents’ wife.

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Until next week when Jared sends his first email from Hong Kong. 🙂

TRAVELL PLANSS!!! – Jared

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Wait what is that?

I think.. wait what.. that’s MY TRAVEL PLANS!!! YEAH! YEAHHHH!!!!

I can’t believe its almost here!! Next time you here from me I will be in Hong Kong!

Am I ready?… NO

Am I scared?… Not one bit!

If there is one thing I have learned in the MTC is this is the Lords work and he has proven time and time again that it doesn’t matter what the language is, when his missionaries obey he will fill in whatever they are lacking. Which for me might be just about everything except for Faith.

So first I hope everyone is doing okay I know its gonna be hard not hearing about the boring MTC life but, don’t worry it will get better, I promise. This last week was a blast!! I got to Host for the first time which was so great! I had the privilege of scaring new young Elders about the Horrors of the MTC. I am sure they will be relived when they fined out everything I said was true… 😉 haha. Also another great time was TRC!! It’s lesson we give to volunteers every Saturday morning. They Sister we taught just got back from her mission to Hong Kong also like 5 others who just got back where there. So after our lesson my companion and I talked with them for a good 40 mins. All about what to expect. They gave me some great advice never let the thought of going home come into your mind for one it will take over and start wasting a lot of time; because the moment I step off the plane coming home I am gonna be wishing I was right back in Hong Kong.

Sunday might have been one of the most spiritually uplifting days of my life! Some things I wanna tell you all is: I know that Thomas S. Monson from a very young age was being prepared to be our Prophet and he is truly an inspired man of God. Go to the mormonchannel.org and watch his video! Also I have seen the most mission changing talk of my life. Sadly you can’t read because its one they only replay in the MTC. It’s Elder Bednars Doctrine, Principles, and Applications. The problem with most members is everyone only studies the Application like lets set new goals or the answer to better Home teaching is to bake a cake. Doctrine is Always the Answer, and True Doctrine understood changes attitude and behavior. When someone gives you a question like why can’t we drink alcohol, well most Mormons as well would I is to immediately give them and application response, for example, well its been scientifically proven…. well instead given them a doctrine response like go read section 89 of the D&C and get back to me. True Doctrine understood changes attitude and behavior. So I challenge everyone to know there doctrine better.

Sadly this is the time were I say farewell for longer than normal.. But don’t cry I will be back soon!

I love all of you and hope your lives are fantastic!

Love Elder Jared Cordon

So close you could almost taste it! Release your inhibition!

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Well hello there!

Alright 2 more weeks to go then Hong Kong here I come! There have been some nice mix ups this last week to remind me the importance of the MTC and other things just make me really wanna leave!

This week Elder Cederlof and I have been able to see what it feels like to truly work through the Lord with our investigators! We have been struggling along with one. She didn’t feel our messages relation to her and she wasn’t experiencing what we were saying!

So finally we buckled down and decided we need to hit straight from the source! We prepared a lesson about the love of Christ! Although it was not exactly how we planned, she felt the love of Christ! (I want to remind everyone this is not a real investigator) but, the Spirit there was!

She has been complaining about her knee hurting and making work bad for her. So we felt prompted to show her the Bible video about Jesus healing the palsy stricken man. Then we shared testimonies about Christ healing us through blessings we have received. She started tearing up, then we were prompted to ask her if she had faith enough to be healed, she started crying again, and said whimpering yes I do. After the blessing we knew the spirit was there and God answered our prayer! We then being prompted told her about baptism and how the spirit she is feeling could be with her always! We then invited her after more testimonies, she started balling again, after a long long silence she said yes!

That lesson was amazing the spirit was so strong and I could definitely feel the spirit working through me! We now know what it feels like to have our investigator experience the discussion!

Whats been hard this week is we ended up not moving to WyView. My whole branch did but us Cantonese, we are sadly getting moved to a new branch. So after saying all these goodbyes I feel like I should be on a plane right now. sadly that is not until 2 weeks. But I did get my Chinese tags with my Chinese name in Characters! I do know how to read that one at least!

Also after long discussions with the Elders from Hong Kong I can not wait! All my experiences with the Hong Kong people have really helped me develop a love for them!

The work is Hastening and as my brother said the miracle will not only be through Missionaries but also members! Open your mouth and The Lord will fill it for you!

Everyone Take Luck

Love Elder Jared Cordon

I Love my Mission – Jared

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Family, Friends, Mormons lend me your ears!

Yes the weeks are long. Yes I wish I was in Hong Kong. Regardless I am still loving it here!

First with the interesting news, they are shipping us over to Wyview for the last two weeks of the MTC. This is kinda nice I wanted to experience the other campus because then we would have apartments, and we can go eat at restaurants near by. Downsides the gym time facilities are not that great okay, they are all outside, need I say more.

Also I gave the prayer for the devotional yesterday which was cool! There where 4000 missionaries but if you close your eyes, its no big deal. Where I was sitting made it so that I was in the screen the whole time Brother Jon Tanner was speaking. (Yes he is related to the very Jon Tanner the movie is after which was cool and he produced the movie Jon Tanner, The Stone Cutter, 17 miracles, and the new one Ephraims Rescue). I thought it was cool that he is an identical twin, because me and my companion both are twins. It was a pretty good devotional although not that mission motivating!

The one I saw after that for the Sunday evening films was, Elder Bednar’s “Becoming a Missionary”, It was super good. It was mainly about how to become a lifetime missionary, so even though my mission may be up in two years. It should be weird coming back.

Also I started reading Jesus the Christ this last week. Man even though I only have a little time that I can read it. No book has ever been so compelling I am on page 225 out of 800. I feel like I have already grown so much closer to Christ. I have never looked at his Ministry in such a way. I suggest all who are not sure how to increase their faith to read Jesus the Christ (Which was written in the celestial room, by an Appostle, so I consider it scripture).

I have not had the chance to recieve amazing miracles in the same my way my brother has but, I am walking testimony of God’s miracles in how I can speak as much cantonese as I can, with honestly as little effort I have put in. I know once I get to Hong Kong it will remind me how much more I have left to learn and how loving God will be to bless me. Cantonese is really really hard, but not to hard for The Lord.

Everyone I love you, stay tuned for the good stuff, its coming in 3 weeks;)

Elder Jared Cordon

Just keep swimming! -Jared

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First and foremost the greatest thing that happened this week is I got to see my brother after a long 2 years! That may have been the quickest 30 minutes of my life! Also as far as the language goes I still kepted having thoughts that the language was growing really slowly.

Well I took some time this week and with another Elder and practiced baring my testimony! Well needless to say it is amazing how far I have come, I don’t think you realize how much you know until you put it to the test and I think my testimony could not have been a better way!

I have to say I really hope I get to serve in Macau because you get to go to bed at 11:30 and wake up at 7:30! Not to mention it looks so cool at night time!

I have started my adventure on the Character of Christ. It began one night while I read outside with the sound of BYU crushing Texas in the background! I have to say thought that It has helped me realize how much Christ has influenced the world with only so few verses about his ministry in the bible, we know very little about his minstry yet the world recognizes his life with such importance that our very year of living is based on the Years following his life. Its been ultimately decided that his existence is factual.

But non the less. I know Christ life was not easy and He was strong, so I have to be. Salvation wasn’t easy for him and it isn’t easy for us! Don’t give up do something more!

I love all of you!

Love Elder(Jared) Cordon

P.S. I am so bad at typing so my letters have been short but once I get to the field I will have more time to make this longer:)

Just chipping away at those weeks -Jared

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Dear my beloved Family and Friends,

This week was another one of those average weeks! You know one of the 12 apostles(Elder Anderson), and getting soaked in the rain afterwards! I had to farewell to my friend Elder Cheung heading to teach the wonderful Cantonese people of San Francisco. I had to give up the double bed to my roommates they think we need to share!

But man has it been a test of faith this week!

I had a point one night where I was wondering my purpose and why I am doing this, because I can’t seem to get the Language in the MTC how am I supposed to get it in Hong Kong! So I did a lot of contemplating and after everyone retired to there beds, and were softly snoring. I snuck out of the room to the janitors closet where I could be alone, I said a really big prayer out loud to my Father in heaven. I started out by apologizing for being so forgetful of all the Blessings he has given me! Then after saying some other things and closing my prayer. I sat there for a moment and just such an overwhelming feeling came over me! I knew that the lord will help me! No doubt in my mine! It doesn’t mean it will get easier! Because from the words of Elder Holland if your mission is Easy your doing it wrong! No one here in the MTC is smart enough to learn Cantonese in 9 weeks. Except maybe the spirit.

Another thing I would like to inform everyone you don’t have to get fat in the MTC cause I have lost 5 pounds already and its not like I don’t eat that! Just make sure I work out when my roommate doesn’t have giardia.

Overall here in the MTC life is good I have had to pleasure to see a lot of friends, make a lot of friends, and just grow closer to my spirit! Plus anyone and everyone should go rewatch Elder Hollands talk Safety for the Soul.

Love you all!
Elder Jared Todd Cordon

Well what another interesting week!

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Dear Loved Ones

Man this last week was one full of a lot of different events! First I didn’t say this last week, but what happened to standing while singing called to serve? No one has done it here so far so last Sunday my companion and some of the other Elders thought it would be embarrassing to start it but I did anyway and I got everyone to follow.

But man there is so much more I finally got my Lava Lava! These kids dared me to eat this huge ball of cheese found at the bottom of the ritz bitz box, lets say I will never again eat a ritz bitz! But it was so worth it because its all I wear now! I am not sure who invented pants, but it was a bad idea.

Also we had three guys who are fluent cantonese speakers from the states that were only here for a few days that were in our room man so that was a short fun party two left this morning at 2:30 so I didn’t sleep much. Then my whole branch accept us and one of the phillipino branches all left today! Man I am gonna miss all those guys so many characters in that group for sure!

Also my companion got geardia its like a stomach bacteria so that has delayed the work we had to go the doctors here which took awhile, then we had to go off campus to the lab. and miss a whole morning session of class while he slepted in! But overall it all came together when after playing some volleyball we watched the sunset together sharing detailed descriptions of the colors and pictures view.

Man even with all that going on I have still been received so many blessing! We had our TRC(training resource center) Were you get volunteers that you get to teach they could me members or nonmembers. Me and my companion did really well, we got to know the investigator, taught a whole lesson on the spirit used some scriptures and set commitments all with just what we knew so the language is moving along!

We are still far from ready its amazing that anybody could ever pick this language up in 9 weeks. Its considered the hardest language here in the MTC, to make it harder we cant even learn the written part until halfway through the mission. So they have the word leah which means like nine different things depending on the tone, but even with the same tone it means to get to know someone and the word for you. Haha I am gonna love it though its an adventure the whole time.

When I first got here I was really competitive about being the best. I would do study that would help me and I would kinda not share things but I have completely changed my mindset. Its so much nicer to just help each other grow and become part of the same team, I dont know why it took me so long to figure that out buts it been a lot nicer I am trying to be a leader and keep everyone on task. But 60 hours a week in class it can be hard to stay focused sometimes.

I know the lord gives no commandment unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them to accomplish the things which he hath commanded of them. I am not worried about the language I am just worried that I wont rely enough on the spirit. I have found countless times that if you rely on the spirit you would be amazed at how much you can accomplish.

Farewell everyone we will talk again in a week!

Love Elder Jared Cordon

PS: Sorry for the bad grammar the more I learn in Cantonese the less I know in English

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Hello hello hello!

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Hello

The MTC is a very interesting place indeed! You may have heard stories and they are probably all true! The food kills you, Sundays are like holidays, the sisters are too serious, and man the growth of the language will surprise you!

This last week was awesome! Me and my companion Elder Cederlof decided we need to rely on the gift of tongues! A companionship from the other cantonese district gave us the idea. Basically you need to have complete faith for the spirit to help you! Previously we would teach our investigator using lots of notes and reading them. But this last week we decided to go in with no help and just pray for the spirit. I could not believe the difference that made we did the whole thing, taught how to pray and the importance of obedience, I was having words come to my mind that I forgot I knew! From then on we decided that we weren’t going back it has also helped are study because we know we have to be more prepared! Also its tough here it really is, when your spending 55 hours a week in a classroom not hearing a single word in English it wears on you!

My teacher though is really amazing! He has such patience, he knows the importance of SYL(Speak your language) It must be so hard when you have 8 missionary staring at you blank faced because they have no idea what your saying! But his knowledge is amazing! He speaks 7 languages: Cantonese, Mandarin, Loa, Malaysian, Japanese, English, and I think Mong. But yeah that gives you an idea! He is also just a spiritual giant as well he does a great job and teaching the gospel principles in a way thats simple and you can feel the spirit!

But everyone here is amazing I have made a lot of friends in my Zone and in the weight room! I have a nickname here and that’s Captain Joseph Because everyone thinks I look like Joseph Smith and Captain America! I wont complain about that one! But this place is truly amazing and I learn so much here about people, the gospel and especially myself! I hope everyone is doing just splendid!

Elder Jared Cordon

1 Down… 103 More to Go!

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Dear Everyone,

This first few days in the MTC! What an adventure they have been!

The food has successfully made me and my companion spend a lot of time in the Bathroom, more him than me! It is gonna be easy to cut back, I dont know how people eat so much here! But the learning is coming a long surely! The Language is truly amazing though my teacher has not said a single word in english since I have been here! I can tell you that the gift of tounges is real because of how much I have learned! The first investigator we taught was defiantly a humbling experience though! I couldn’t understand anything she was saying and she couldn’t understand me at all! I might have accidently said something offensive haha. But today it will be another test how that language break this last day has treated me!

Sundays here are like a Holiday going to church and hearing english is like music to my ears! Also speaking of music I will be in the october Conference Choir! But sundays are great Sacrement, Priesthood and Sunday School are broken up which is kinda nice then in the evening there is a Fireside and we then will watch a recorded fireside afterwards! I have some great notes from yesterday it was so great!

My companion here is really awesome he is a twin also! and he is from centerville so right next door! His twin also not learning a language and he will be here in a few weeks! They are not Identical though, they dont even look like brothers haha! Its interesting here though because there is only 13 people learning cantonese two districts mine has 8 the other has five 3 of the people are going to Sydney australia! I Had two guys whose flight got cancelled they were going to toronto so we had two many guys in my room tell 2:00 this morning I didn’t sleep much! but I loved both of those Elders I actually knew them from BYU so that was cool! The first two names on my flag! Maybe things wont be as crazy now that we are down to 4 in the room! But we have so much junk food! like 4 big boxes just pilled high so I wont be needed to spend my money we just got all the great leftovers from a bunch of Elders who just left!

Man its crazy that Its only been 5 days I feel like I have been here for 5 weeks! It seems like by the time lunch roles around it should be dinner and then we have a 5 hour class…. But I love this wonderful opportunity to learn so its all worth it! My zone is awesome! its us Cantonese and then a bunch of people going to the Phillipines! So its a great group there is a lot more elders in my zone than Sisters but the MTC over all right now its like 50/50. Its probably because there is no sisters learning Cantonese right now, So we are like a little band of brothers!

Its been amazing here and I will be sure to be a little more thorough once I get a full week! But if you feel like your life isn’t that motivated or you need a spiritual recharge or you think your doing well enough in gods eyes. Well then go watch or read the Character of Christ! I love everyone who read this! And ill be back next week!

Sincerely

Elder Cordon