Downtown in D-Town!

Hey everybody! It's been such a great first week of the transfer in the incredible PPM. I headed out to Doylestown this past Tuesday and it has been nothing but a blast. My new companion is Elder Morton, he's from Seattle and has been out 6 weeks. So I'll be finishing up his training this transfer. It's definitely a humbling experience training because you come back to the importance of the basics to missionary work and how it's just so important to always center that into your teaching. But it's so fun, especially here in Doylestown! I'm also a District Leader again which has been pretty fun, prepping for District Meetings has to be one of my favorite parts being a missionary because you learn so much from the preparation. Also, I only have Sisters in my District which at first to me was a little weird since it has been almost a year since I've served around sisters, but they are on top of it.  

Doylestown is nothing like Reading that's for sure. There were a lot of sketchy ghetto parts in Reading while Doylestown is a nice suburban area with a really neat downtown square with a lot of old school ma and pa shops (everything is so expensive out here so it's not likely we'd go out shopping on a P-day). Something so cool I just found the other day was that there is a Chipotle 3 minutes away from our apartment, which was my favorite back home. Needless to say, I feel right at home in Doylestown. 

With the work, we actually have found good progress so far this first week. We started meeting with a teenage girl named Skyler Winters. She was adopted by a member family a few years ago and was actually baptized in Milford but they lost her records somehow. So we are reteaching her pretty much but she is so solid. Fully active, reading the scriptures daily, goes to mutual, etc. The Lord provided a huge blessing for us right away, it's so cool. The ward is also pretty great. Apparently, there is someone in the Relief Society who is in charge of the meal calendar and she makes sure the missionaries have a full week of dinners. The past 3 weeks the Elders have had a dinner appointment every single day. So it's been a blessing all around being here.

The Lord is so good, I feel like it's easier to recognize His hand in my life since I have been on my mission. I know I couldn't do this great work without His help. I couldn't truly be successful in life really. It's a real assurance to know I have a Father in Heaven who helps me overcome my weaknesses and shortcomings and provides in multiple ways to allow us to fulfill our calling as missionaries. Truly there is power in humility. I can't wait to see what other blessings Heavenly Father has in store for us this transfer!

Elder Cortes

Doylestown, PA

Philly Bound!...Kinda

Hey everyone!

It's been a crazy week with transfers coming up tomorrow because I'm getting transferred (I'll get to that in a sec). But it's been such a great week of the Lord providing many miracles for us. The biggest miracle we saw this week was that the Lord has provided people for us to work with in Exeter for Elder Baker and his new companion. At the beginning of the week the majority of the people we were working with were dropping us left and right. Even though it was tough to see a good number of people we have been working with decide not to keep meeting with us, we had full confidence the Lord would provide more people for us to teach. As we prayed on knowing exactly what we should do, we had the idea to just make calls to people who we hadn't had contact in a while. After a few days we had a good number of people who were interested in us coming back this week and even yesterday. It was pretty amazing to meet with a man named Gilbert, who we talked to around Christmas time but he didn't get back to us have until we called him. Well, we met with him yesterday and it was a pretty powerful Restoration lesson we had with him. He had such a sincere desire to know what is truth and to find more answers from God. He was happy to accept a Book of Mormon and is excited to read. I have confidence he will be baptized in the near future, he's an incredible man of faith.

I also found out I will be leaving Reading which is pretty crazy. I'm the only one in the Reading Zone that is leaving so it makes travel plans a lot simpler. I will be heading to the Philadelphia Stake over to the Doylestown area! Doylestown is on the outskirts of Philadelphia and is pretty suburban. We have a car, so no riding the Septa for us. But I'm pretty excited, I'm going to be a District Leader again and will be finishing an Elders training, Elder Morton. I know it's going to be a blast coming up these next few transfers! The Lord is preparing people here in the PPM to receive the Gospel. I'm thankful everyday I have the responsibility and privilege to help bring these precious people the Gospel which I know changes lives for the better. I can't wait! Another chapter in the mission coming up! I'll definitely keep you posted how it starts!

Elder Cortes

Reading, PA

Holiness to the Lord, the House of the Lord

Hey everybody!

This may have to be a bit short because of the running around we have had to do today. But to day a few things, we found out Miguel won't be baptized this next Saturday, he wants more time to receive his answer. It was like that for a few of our investigators as a Zone, but to see the determination from the missionaries we are over is incredible. It was a real testimony builder for me that it will all work out for the people we love and cherish continue to work with.

But it's been a pretty great day I have to say. We went to the temple and it was incredible. The peace and the love you feel is so indescribable, so many answers were given, it was amazing. I definitely have a testimony that temples are a refuge. It was definitely a reassuring feeling and reminder how much love God has for all of us.

Elder Cortes

Reading, PA

Missions are Meant to be Cherished

Hey Everyone! 

I hope all of you have been doing well so far in this great year of 2017. We have had ups and downs, days turned inside and out, but through it all, our testimonies of Jesus Christ and His work have never been stronger. How it should be for a missionary!

Throughout the week, we helped out Elders with sicknesses, car accidents, you name it, we faced opposition left and right. But the work still continued to progress. We continue to teach Miguel who is doing incredible. He is now trying to gain a testimony of President Monson which is so exciting to just see him strive to learn what is true as we teach him. We are really praying and hoping Miguel is able to be baptized next weekend! It would be the perfect end to a great transfer here in Reading.

We also have a special experience to go with a recent convert for her endowment this Saturday. She was baptized in the Exeter ward the same time I came to Kutztown a year ago. It's going to be so exciting for her and for all of us. Elder Holden (Kaleb) will be coming back from Utah and spending the weekend here which we are so for! It will also be special for me because I haven't done an endowment session in the temple in 18 months, so I know it will be a life changing experience for me which I am excited beyond measure for. So to let everyone know, my P-day will be this Saturday instead of next Monday since I'm going to the temple. It'll just be a one time thing. 

But I have a testimony of facing opposition with hope and patience. It is because of our faith in Christ that makes it even possible for us to hope for a better world, for a better day. I know everything will work out for the best because Jesus Christ lives, and that is the knowledge which I cherish most in my life. I love my mission, it really is indescribable to learn and develop new feelings of the Gospel. I'm thankful Heavenly Father watches over all of us in our time of need. You know, I know I don't have the most time left on my mission, but I'm thankful for everyday Heavenly Father gives me to be a Missionary. It really is a life changing experience. 

Elder Cortes

Reading, PA

New Year, New Opportunities, Same Great Work

Hey everyone! 

Happy New Year!

It was a great week here in the mission field as we continued to work with old and new investigators and really seeing some of our converts progress in huge ways towards the temple. There were a few great experiences as well that I saw that really solidified my testimony in what President Hinckley calls it "a marvelous work and wonder". 

One experience was on an exchange where I went into one of the Reading Spanish areas. Now, why this was such an experience for me was because I was with Elder Warnick, who has barely been out for 3 months. So for anyone that can guess, Spanish Goldens don't exactly have Spanish down 100%. It was decided I'd be with him because I knew more Spanish than Elder Baker... So with our limited Spanish, but faith that we'd have a great day, we went to do the Lord's work. It went so well, even though we didn't know exactly how to say certain words, or understood everything investigators were saying, the Spirit was so strong by the end of every lesson. It really showed me in a big way how the Lord is willing to help out all the time, although we have weaknesses, it won't hinder from the Spirit if we are humble enough to receive it.

Mariline (the Haitian Woman who we teach) went to the hospital and we gave her a blessing of healing with the sickness she had. We visited her on New Year's Eve and we had a powerful lesson on hope and how Christ can take away our pain and sicknesses as we have continual faith  and patience with that faith. She was so concerned she wasn't going to be able to spend New Years with her 4 kids who have been gone to New York for over a week. But later that day she called us to let us know she got released from the hospital which was great! It's really cool to see Priesthood blessings come to pass that's for sure. 

Also, to start the New Year strong, we had Miguel at church again! He really enjoyed it and wants to keep coming back which is so exciting. We are excited for him to be baptized later this month. I'm so thankful for this past year in 2016, there were so many experiences that really have made me a better me. So many companions, areas, and leaders that really have changed my life. I'm really excited for this next year. It's my goal, no matter what I do or where I am, the Lord will always be involved in what I do. I hope all of you have a great start to this great year!

Elder Cortes

Reading, PA