New Companion, New Transfer, Different Miracles!

Hey everybody!

It's been a very busy week for us over here in the great land of South
Jersey, but it's also been a lot of fun. We've seen the Lord's hand
over and over, it's ridiculous. But I'm so thankful I can be out here
to serve to see it. I know this great work were are in is divine. All
you have to do is just look at the small things.

I started the week actually in Smyrna, Delaware. Elder Yeates was
picking up a departing missionary in Delaware, so I stayed with
another Elder with the Zone Leaders of the Dover Zone. At the end of
P-Day, we went out on splits and I was with Elder Pule. Now, Elder
Pule is from New Zealand and English is his second language. But he is
such a great Elder. He's been out 18 months and has a heart of gold.
He was being transferred the next day, so we went and visited members
and investigators they were working with. We also did a lot of street
contact in a suburb area because a good number of people were out. We
even helped out this one lady who met with missionaries years before
cleaning her yard full of branches. We were able to get 3 people's
contact information and a return appointment. It was so much fun. I
was actually a little sad the day had to end, but I had such a blast.

Tuesday was transfer day! So we drove two hours up to Broomall to meet
my new companion and get back to New Jersey. I was able to see
President Anderson for the last time in person in the field. He goes
home today, so this whole last week has just been absolutely crazy
getting all their stuff home and having a lot of final meetings. But
it was so good to see his smiling face one last time before he went
back to Utah. I also met my new companion named Elder Brewer! Elder
Brewer and I actually have a few of similarities we never really would
imagine. The most obvious is that he is a red head, but we also came
out together and he is from Arizona as well, but Show Low. He's also
only a week older than me. So it's been great to get to know him this
past week. We did a good amount of finding and also had a great
meeting with our Ward Mission Leader, Brother Vann. It's been going so
well getting to work with the ward. It's amazing how supportive and
helpful everyone is to the work.

Wednesday we were out finding in Woodstown and talked to this couple
named Carmen and William. They are both from Puerto Rico and they have
looked into many religions but are not a part of any belief right now.
They asked a good amount of questions about us and our missions and
why we came out. You could really tell they felt the Holy Ghost as we
told them sincerely why we came out and we love being missionaries. We
also met with Deborah who is doing so well. She's so receptive to
everything we teach her, except now all she has to do is quit smoking
and she will be ready to be baptized at the end of the month.

Thursday we had District Meeting here in Woodstown. It was my first
one I've conducted in 7 months, so I was a little nervous. But it was
so great! I have such an amazing District. It was pretty much a group
discussion rather than me getting up and preaching to everyone what we
need to do to be better. We also had a few lessons later in the
evening Brother Vann took us out to which was a lot of fun.

Friday we met with one of our investigators with a date, Elizabeth
Divacarro. It's been tough to match up our schedules the past few
weeks, but we were able to finally meet with her. She's practically
there. Her date is set in September, but we can push her date up when
she quits smoking. That's the part we are working on with her, is
quitting her smoking. That's pretty much all she needs to do, but of
course, addictions are a struggle to quit. So we will be working with
precision and care as we help her quit. We also found out some
unexpected news that Jeremy and Stacey were getting married the next
day! I can't even tell you how excited I was for that
I was so happy to hear they decided to get married right then and
there. It was a miracle from the Lord without question.

So the next day we had a very emotional morning. Every week we have a
conference call for the whole mission. It's usually on Wednesday, but
the new missionaries came in so they moved it to Saturday. Honestly,
it was such a powerful experience for me. President and Sister
Anderson bore their testimonies with such conviction and power. They
also gave us long lasting instruction. I can still President
Anderson's final words of the call: "We will always love you, and we
will never forget you". It just made so thankful for such great
leaders in my life. The Lord truly has brought people to me that help
me change for the better. After that call, we did some service tearing
down wallpaper and helping members move, then we went to the wedding!
It was so much fun and it was the best wedding I've been to on my
mission. There was probably 20 people there and a small reception
right after. After the wedding, Bishop showed Jeremy and Stacey the
baptismal font where Stacey would be baptized. I couldn't believe all
the progress they've made together. Everything is going so well with
them. We also saw a less active, Brother Morgan. He was in a lot of
pain with his back because he works long hours in construction, but he
asked us to give him a blessing and we did and it was as if the pain
in his back was gone. It was amazing! I love priesthood blessings,
they truly show God's power to help and aid others.

Sunday we closed it out by visiting a few people and the Whitfields.
We read 6 chapters of the Book of Mormon with Deborah which she really
enjoyed. She's been reading everyday and is planning on continuing to
do it. It's such a great miracle to be a part of this work. I love the
Lord and the blessings he has bestowed upon us. I love being a
missionary, we were talking to people on the street and it hit me that
I only have about a year left to do this, to proclaim the Gospel. I'm
definitely not going to waste any time that's for sure! I hope all of
you are well and safe. May the Lord bless you beyond your dreams, I
know He will, for all things are possible unto them that believe. I
love each and every one of you. Thank you for all the letters, emails,
prayers, and support. I truly do feel it everyday, and I'm so thankful
for it. I'm also thankful that Jesus Christ is my Savior. He truly
sustains me everyday. Although I make mistakes everyday, He's there to
lift me. I hope all of you feel that same lift through the power of
the Atonement.

Elder Cortes

Woodstown, NJ

Another Transfer in the Books, and a new assignment in Jersey

Hey everyone!

It's been such a fantastic week working with a lot of Elders I love
and people who are progressing through the power of the Gospel. I
couldn't ask for anything better.

It all started on Tuesday night when we met up with Elders in Delaware
so Elder Yeates and another missionary going home can drive up to the
mission home to go to the temple the next day. So as a result, I got
to bring Elder Maynard to Woodstown for the whole day Wednesday! We
had such a blast.

We started the day out with going to a town called Salem, which is
probably the most ghetto part of our area. But we saw a countless
number of miracles just talking to people on the street.
The best part of the day is when Elder Yeates got home from the DC
temple because we had a great lesson with Jeremy and Stacey to end the
night because we committed Stacey to a date in August! We may have to
push it back because they still need to get married, but she's made so
much progress since I first met her. She has come to church the past 3
weeks in a row and she's reading the Book of Mormon 5 chapters a day.
It's such a blessing for sure.

Thursday we had our final district meeting by our great District
Leader Elder Nebeker. He's getting transferred, which is lame, because
he has been one of my favorite district leaders for sure. I also went
on an exchange right after with Elder Davenport, my Zone Leader! It
went so well because we taught 5 lessons. We got to see my favorite
member we are working with, Wayne Hoglund. We had such a powerful
lesson on how hardships and trials are a part of life. We testified of
the power of the Atonement which will strengthen us through our
hardships. It's also sad, but Elder Davenport is leaving the Zone as
well. But it's been such a blast working with such great Elders for
only 5 weeks.

Friday and Saturday were crazy with Elder Yeates wrapping up sending
stuff home, visiting a good number of members and investigators, and
who knows what else. However, Sunday we ended the transfer so strong
teaching 6 lessons. We ended the night at the Whitfields', and Deborah
is doing so well. She is reading the Book of Mormon and loves it! She
believes it to be the word of God. She's on track for baptism at the
end of next month, which I am so excited for.
I also found out that night I will be the District Leader for this
upcoming transfer, and it's going to be a 7 week transfer with
President Randall coming into the mission. I'm excited to see my new
District and to see the work just grow here in South Jersey. It truly
has become a special place to me. Lot of exciting stuff happening
tomorrow! I will meet my new companion and we are going to hit the
pavement for sure! May the Lord bless you in all that you do. I'm
seeing the blessings from serving and I just keep giving it my all.
This mission truly is changing my life. I hope all of you have a great
week in this heat!

Elder Cortes

Woodstown, NJ

Seeing Old Friends and Saying Goodbye to Great Leaders

Hey everybody!

It's been a very crazy week and it will be even crazier until the
transfer is over next week. But there have been a lot of blessings and
tender mercies that have come our way which is great!

Tuesday, we met this man named Jack Auwetter. He is 85 and lost touch
with the missionaries, but he gave us a call last week and invited us
for an appointment. He's a very kind man and really wanted to start to
continue discussions with the Elders, which we are hoping will really
turn into something very promising. He's very interested in the
Philadelphia temple so we are hoping the open house and our visits
will really help him reach the goal of baptism!

Wednesday had to be the most spiritual event of the week. We had Zone
Conference which was a lot of fun. It was great driving back to Cherry
Hill to the stake center where I used to go for District Meetings and
Zone Trainings when I was in Moorestown. I saw many good friends and
past companions like Elder Maughan and Elder Maynard! There was also a
part of the conference where missionaries were selected to speak on
converted missionaries and I happened to be one that was picked out of
the group. I don't know why, but I guess I felt nervous going up
there, even though I talk to people everyday. But I was going through
my notes and saying a prayer in my heart when the Assistant who I was
sitting next to, Elder Weisler, looked at me and gave me a fist bump.
Right then I was asked to speak and it was like the Spirit took over
and it felt so great to just testify of missionary work and
consecration. But the best part of the Zone Conference had to be
President and Sister Anderson's farewell testimonies. To say the room
was filled with the Spirit doesn't even begin to describe the
tenderness and love both of them expressed to each of us. President
Anderson closed his testimony by telling us he understood what the
Savior meant by saying "you are mine". Because we are their
missionaries as well as the Lord's. Needless to say, tears were shed
throughout the congregation of missionaries. I couldn't even keep it
together when we sang our mission song because President and Sister
Anderson just had tears through it all. That's when it really hit me
that they were both really going home in a few weeks... But it was
great, each missionary got a little time with each of them on the way
out. I was just so thankful for them throughout the rest of the day.
Definitely a day to remember in the field!

Thursday we met with this former investigator the Elders were teaching
before I came here. Howard is very religious but is still searching to
know if the Book of Mormon is the word of God. It was great because
Brother Coates, our main member missionary, set up the appointment
with him and everything and even invited him to church for this coming
Sunday! It was a great appointment and we also met with Wayne Hoglund,
who is such a sincere and loving guy. He reminds me a lot of my friend
in my first area, David Garduno. During one point in the lesson, he
asked if he could be forgiven or if there was a point that God would
stop forgiving. We testified to him that God will always forgive and
that He always loves him. We also testified of the power of the
Atonement and repentance which really gave him a lot of relief. It was
such a great lesson!

Friday was strange, but overall it went very well! We started the day
of by going to Philly to do a safety and emission testing at pep boys,
which took a good amount of the morning. But we were able to also meet
with Matt, who is doing very well in reading daily to know if the Book
of Mormon is true and if God truly does exist. We had a good talk
about personal application with the Book of Mormon which he really
thought was what he needed, so that was great to hear.

We also met with the Whitfields throughout the week and committed
Deborah Whitfield, Brother Whitfield's sister, to a date in late July.
So we are really going to make sure that we will be able to make that
happen. It's been a great transfer so far and there's so much to do
this final week. Elder Yeates goes to the temple, exchanges with the
district and zone leaders, and transfer calls! It'll be pretty
exciting to see what will happen this week! I hope all of you are
doing well and are enjoying the summer!

Elder Cortes

Woodstown, NJ

Unexpected Manna, Just Like That

Hey everybody!

It's been a very busy week and these last two weeks of the transfer
are going to be even busier! But it was fun being able to have a lot
of great experience with new friends, other missionaries, and miracles
from the Lord.

So for Memorial Day last week, we ate at a members'  named the
Steckers, whose son was visiting from Philadelphia (pro cook). We
couldn't stay long, but we had the best bison burgers I have ever had.
It was so great!

Wednesday was such a powerful day to see the Lord's hand in all
things. At the beginning of the day, we saw Matt, who had been doing
well reading and praying every day for a month straight. It was crazy
because we decided to visit him even though he didn't confirm if it
was okay to come over. He had made a minor mistake and felt like all
the progress he had made in gaining a testimony was gone. But we
testified of the reality of repentance and the redemptive power of the
Atonement. It was so good to feel the Spirit just back up everything
we said, because we felt it just touch his heart. He was so intent on
listening to everything we said, it was such a great experience. At
the end of the appointment, he asked us if there were any appointments
he could come out with us that night, which we did. We later found out
he had been really pondering if he should go on a mission this past
week. So he took us to see Jeremy and his wife, Stacey. Jeremy's son,
Clayton, was also there and we taught the beginning of the Plan of
Salvation and Matt helped out so much! At the end of the lesson,
Clayton came outside to talk with us and Matt and he told Matt he
didn't know why he was telling him this, but he said that he can
overcome any sin or hardship he was going through. It was so great
because the Spirit just hit Matt like a wall. He was floored and
really couldn't stop thinking about it. The Lord definitely had a hand
in all of the events of that day, ultimately to strengthen Matt's
testimony that God does live.

Thursday we were in Vineland for Zone Training and it was great to see
and meet great missionaries representing the Lord in the rest of South
New Jersey. Later, President Sikahema (my Stake President in New
Jersey who I haven't seen since I was in Moorestown) and his wife came
to feed the Zone lunch which was a great time. After all that was
over, I did an exchange in my area with my District Leader, Elder
Nebeker. Without a doubt, Elder Nebeker has to be on of the best
missionaries I have served around so far in my mission. He's only 6
weeks younger in the mission than I am, but we just clicked so
perfectly. We visited this man named Wayne Hoglund, who hasn't seen
the missionaries in almost two years! We just called him up and asked
if we could meet him and he told us that would be great. He was
baptized in Rhode Island and moved to a town close to Woodstown named
Salem. He lost contact with the church 4 years ago when he moved here
and had no idea where the church was. He's had a good number of
struggles, but wants to come back slowly but surely!  It was a tender
mercy to meet a man like Brother Hoglund.

Saturday was a bit of a struggle at first because I experienced a
little heat exhaustion after street contacting and talk to former
investigators in Salem. But after I recovered from that, we went to go
see Tara and Sister Whitfield at the Johnson's home. It was such a
great lesson filled with the Spirit. The best lessons are the ones
where they are at member homes because they feel the Spirit so strong!
We also got an unexpected call from a former investigator who is
interested about learning about the Gospel and going to the temple
open house! The closer the temple is being done, the more people
become interested. Such a tender mercy from the Lord.

Unfortunately, we met with Tara last night at the Whitfield home and
it was disappointing because Tara had not been living certain
commandments to prepare for baptism, which she was not truthful about.
She ultimately wasn't ready and moved out of the Whitfield home today,
which was very sad to hear. It just goes to show the result of those
who do not keep the commandments of God. We will continually be happy
if we keep the commandments (Mosiah 2:41) This is so fundamental to
our happiness in this life. Some may think that commandments are
restrictions, but in reality, they are counsel given to us by a loving
God. Although, it broke our hearts, it does not break our
determination to make this area grow. We know the Lord will provide a
way for us to find the elect. As long as we do our personal best, the
Lord will bless us for our efforts.

To close, I just wish to acknowledge the passing of a good friend this
past Monday. Brother Bill Mellyn was my teacher, my friend, and a
great example of living the Gospel. I am so privileged to have had
such a close association with him at school as well as in my home
ward. There were a few times this week where I wish I could have gone
to the memorial service or the tribute at Mountain View. However, I
knew time and time again this is where I need to be and focus all of
my energy on. I have a firm testimony of the Plan of Salvation. I know
that life does not end after death. Knowing Brother Mellyn, I know he
is providing a great work for the Lord Jesus Christ on the other side
as he did on earth. It is my testimony that Jesus Christ is the Son of
God and all of us will return to live with our Father in Heaven
because of the Savior's atoning sacrifice. All we must do is follow
Him. If we do, as Brother Mellyn did, we need not fear death, for we
will know where we are going. I hope all of you have a great week in
this great month of June!

Elder Cortes

Woodstown, NJ