Starting The Year Off Strong

Dear Family and Friends,

This week I have a simple invitation. The invitation is to study faith, from what ever source you wish, specifically how to increase faith and then what can happen with faith. Do this every day this week. Included with study is to then take time each day to share with someone your testimony of a living prophet, whether that is on facebook or in person, but it has to be specific to that person not just a wall post. Then if they ask any questions to your testimony invite them to learn more from the missionaries. That is the invitation. Let me know how it goes.

This was a good week things are going well here in the Wenatchee area. Stake president set a goal of 201 baptisms this year, and in the next six months the amount of missionaries are going to double in this area getting ready for the split. CRAZY STUFF. We have all of our investigators reading the Book of Mormon. That is the start to knowing that is is true. Reading everyday brings a power into your life that cannot be obtained by any other means, it brings so many blessings.

I am always very touched at how God fills my heart with love the very instant that I start sharing the gospel with them. I know that it is just a fraction of the love that he actually has, which amazes me even more.

Thank you all for you prays and wishes I love you all so much.
I pray for you often

Elder S Cordon.

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Shh… it’s Steven’s Birthday Saturday… send him your Love!

Dear Family and Friends,

This week was a great week that was full of new things.

It was my first baptismal interview. That was great to be able to be a part of that families conversion to the gospel. What a way to be able to help them. Elder Ping (my new comp) also had his birthday that was awesome. We also got a training on weekly planning it now takes about 7 hours to do. My comp and I also just started a new way of tracting and finding and so far have had huge success. We are growing our teaching pool and lots of people are looking for the light and we just need to show them where to find it.

I love being on a mission and so excited for all it has to offer.

Elder Steven Cordon

P.S. (Editors Note)Saturday is Steven’s Birthday. He would love to receive notes of love and encouragement. Let’s fill his mailbox with love! Here is his address:

Elder Steven Allen Cordon
Washington Kennewick Mission
8202 W Quinault, Ste D
Kennewick, WA 99336

Change

Dear Family and Friends,

So this was a great week! We had an investigator make the step of baptism. Tre has aloud the gospel to change his life in so many ways. He came from a very rough past but the gospel is such that the atonement covers everything. He has really come to know that God is truly our Father and that He loves and cares for us, also that we get to live with him again and that the Gospel makes that happen.

Tre at his Baptism

Tre at his Baptism

Seeing him grow towards God has really given me another witness of the glory that awaits us at the end of this life. We have this life to prepare to meet God lets not waste it.

We have another investigator Tim that is a husband of a member. He is letting his desire to know the truth grow inside him and it is wonderful to see. Funny story I almost met them in NY haha small world we live in.

So this week was my first week as District leader. What a GREAT opportunity I have to really come to know just how unworthy I am. HaHa I laugh because just how great it is that we are always going to be unworthy. This gospel is not a museum for the righteous it is a hospital for the sinners. We get to grow every day and perfect talents and abilities given to us to strength the kingdom of God. We are also given weaknesses so that we may humble ourselves to God and allow Him to shape us into who He needs us to be.

It was such a great experience at District meeting. The Spirit did so much teaching and confirming. The spirit will always teach to our understanding and in a plainness that allows testimony to be built on solid truth without any room to second guess. What a great blessing that we have, to be able to have to spirit as a guide.

Thank you for your prayers and support.

Love
Elder Steven Cordon

The Best Guide

Dear Family and Friends,

This was a wonderful week. It seems to be a divine truth that when you are feeling down, if you let God pick you up, in those moment you have the opportunity to learn some amazing things about what to do and where to go. I have had the amazing privilege to have three companions for my first there transfers. I am learning so much from my companions, I am able to refine myself and grow in ways that I didn’t think that I would have to.

I am so grateful to know that God is truly in our lives and knows who we are and what we need to grow to become who he knows we can be. We can try and shape our lives by ourselves or we can let God, who created the path that we need to travel. Why not let the maker guide us?

Everything that comes from God is made to build us and get us back to him. I am so grateful to be able to become who he needs me to be from this mission just as long as I let Him guide me and not try to do it myself.

Love you all so much. Thank you for your prayers and faith.

Elder Steven Cordon

Week 1– Elder Steven Cordon

Dear Family and Friends,

Well it is my first week in the mission field, and it has been pretty crazy. My trainer is 19 has been out for 3 transfers and is training as the new district leader and we are both new to the area that I am starting in. (they call it being doubled in) so it has been really crazy.

I hope that it calms down a little bit by this week so i can start getting into a regular schedule, like actually getting personal study in the mornings. (crossing fingers) The two wards that we cover are great, very friendly and we have a full feeding calender. but i think just like everywhere they could be doing more missionary work to help us out. The ward leadership has spent a lot of time coming up with some really good ideas but it is getting the members to really get those ideas moving that is falling short. I am really excited to find ways to get the fire moving with these members if they could all be as focused as the mission leaders this place wouldn’t even need missionaries except to teacher lessons and baptize.

I am currently trying to come up with new ways of getting ourselves into new investigators homes because i feel that tracting is not the most effective way of doing things. So if anyone has ideas i am open to hearing them.

The area in which i am serving (the Tri-Cities) has quite the history that i had no idea about. This whole area started from a military compound that was one of the sites of the Manhattan Project. (made the bombs dropped in WWII) And they are pretty proud of it, a nearby high school has the mascot of “The Bombers.” I got a really good laugh when I heard that, and with graduations this weekend banners of the Richland Bombers were draped all over town. Well hopefully next week I will have more to say I will have been here twice as long so hopefully.

Elder Steven Cordon

He’s Here

**Editors Note**
We received this email when Elder Steven Cordon arrived in the Mission Field last week! We wanted to share a portion of it with you. Thank you for the love and support you have shown Elder Steven Cordon as he has prepared to embark on this 2 year adventure.
A sincere thank you from his parents and family.
**

Dear Missionary Family,

We are delighted to inform you that your missionary has arrived safely to the Washington Kennewick Mission…

Washington Kennewick Mission Map

We have assigned him a companion who is an experienced, devoted, and motivated missionary. All of our missionaries understand that one of the greatest privileges available in the mission is to train a new missionary. This first companion will be a special person in your missionary’s life and will help give them a great start here.

We feel that our greatest responsibility is the care and welfare of your child. We want to assure you that we will be in regular contact with them. We will be observant of their physical health, happiness and spiritual well being. We will work closely with them throughout the mission to help them succeed and fulfill their calling as a representative of the Church and as an ambassador of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thank you for the sacrifices you are making at home to have your missionary in the field. We have seen the Lord bless the families of missionaries who are serving in untold ways. We know that His blessings will be upon you as well.

Cordon Mantle Staircase 1