It has been a roller coaster of a week, but by the end of it, I have
learned a lot and have grown in my patience and love.
Tuesday was probably the busiest day of the week. We had a number of
appointments and had little time for finding, but that's a good thing!
Especially since it rained nonstop between Tuesday and Thursday.
Probably the best part of the day was after Sarah's lesson, she
invited us to come for dinner at her college cafeteria. It felt like I
was back in the mtc. But we had a great time! I guess I got just a
small taste of what college people are like.
Wednesday, we had hours and hours of finding set up. None of our
investigators or less actives could meet with us. However, we had an
appointment set up with an investigator named Katie. My Zone Leader,
Elder Holden, and I dropped a Bible off to her that she ordered. That
was a little over a month ago and we have tried to meet with her three
or four times, but she had to cancel for various reasons. However,
when we visited that night, it was great! She was open with us about
her struggles in life since graduating college. But as we shared the
message of the Restoration, she began to feel peace. It was one of
those things where you could just tell by their countenance. I even
asked her how she felt at the end of the lesson and she told us how
relieved she felt. It was a real powerful lesson, probably one of the
best lessons I have had on my mission. We even committed her to a date
to be baptized on Easter! However, there's more to her story later.
Thursday we had District Meeting and after that, we went on exchanges
with our District Leader, Elder Jones and his companion, Elder Wilson.
Elder Jones came with me to Kutztown. We spent a part of our day
talking to college kids near KU, although we didn't get any return
appointments, it was really good to get some practice with our
finding.
Friday was a little tough to be honest. Almost all of our appointments
fell through but we did have a great lesson with Noel. However, we had
to drop his date because he and his parents didn't agree with him
being baptized. It was a little hard to hear, but totally
understandable! He still wants to meet with us and has a sincere
desire to know if the church is true.
Saturday, we helped a family move in the ward. It was really awesome
because we talked to one of the daughter's boyfriends who helped with
the move. It's so great to do missionary work while giving service. He
seemed a little interested in the gospel, which was really exciting!
At the end of the day, we saw Sister Sherman to talk about missionary
work. It was a emotional topic for her because she is a convert to the
church and has done a lot of missionary work with people in her life.
It really got her excited to go to church the next day, which is what
we were going for!
Sunday had its ups and downs pretty all day. None of our investigators
came to church and later we received a text from Katie telling us that
this may not be the path she needs to take. It was a little
heartbreaking to receive that kind of message from her because she was
so prepared and had such a great experience the other night. I
couldn't believe how much I cared about Katie in less than a week of
knowing her.... It really does goes to show that a mission truly does
allow missionaries to see others in such a different way. You really
learn the value of the Gospel and how much it truly can change
people's lives. By the end of the night, I just felt sick with the
worst headache. I just thought of what Elder Thielen says with days
like this "don't worry about the hints you can't control, just worry
about the things you can control". All I could do at the end of the
night was ask for relief for my pains and ask for forgiveness with my
frustrations. This morning, my pains and my frustration were gone. It
was such a testimony to me that the Lord truly can take away the bad
in our lives. The only perfect being that has come down on this earth
suffered and sacrificed Himself for us. From studying Isaiah 53:3-5
and Alma 7:11-13, I know the Lord knows each one of us perfectly and
is waiting for us to come unto Him. We can change and be strengthened
beyond our own strength. All we need to do is have enough humility and
faith in the Holy Messiah, as we do, our lives will be enriched as I
have experienced for myself firsthand. It is my sincere hope and
prayer all of you may do the same. Have a great first week of March!
It is starting to feel like Spring over here! I'm excited for the days
to come.
Elder Cortes
Kutztown, PA
No comments:
Post a Comment