It's been such a great week and we have had a lot of fun over here in
Kutztown. The weather is beautiful and we have talked to a lot of
great people.
On Tuesday, pretty much all of our appointments fell through and we
did a good amount of finding. It was worth it though because we were
able to find a great guy named Mike. He just so happened to get home
as we were knocking on his door. He told us he wanted to improve his
relationship with God and was very thankful we were able to stop by.
It just goes to show, the Lord truly does prepare people at the right
time to hear the Gospel.
Wednesday we had a good number of appointments. We first saw Eleanor
Brinker, the woman who we do service for. She has been reading the
Book of Mormon but refuses to come to church or act on any commitments
we give her. We felt like we needed a sit down lesson with her to
really talk about where she stood with what we were teaching her. She
pretty much told us that she knew the Book of Mormon was true and that
Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, but told us she would never join
the church because she doesn't think she needs to be baptized. That
Priesthood authority doesn't matter when it comes to baptism. We were
very bold with her on bearing pure testimony of Priesthood Authority
and its importance. The Spirit was very strong and she was very quiet
at the end of the lesson. She knew we cared about her, but knew our
distinct purpose as missionaries. She has met with missionaries for
years, but I think she understood why all of the missionaries came
over to teach her. We later saw Sister Donio who was very excited
about General Conference this past weekend as well as Sarah, who we
also saw at the end of the day. Overall, it was a really great day of
teaching!
Thursday we had the last District Meeting of the transfer which went
really well as well as the last exchange of the transfer. I went with
Elder Wilson to Reading and we saw so many miracles! We found 4 new
investigators, who all seemed really prepared to receive the Gospel.
They were all people we stopped on the street and really were
interested in what we had to say. Elder Jones and Elder Thielen were
also able to find 3 new investigators as well in Kutztown. Overall, it
was a great day for both of our areas.
Friday was a little tough because the Reading Elders had their car in
the shop, so instead of meeting halfway, they had to drive all the way
into Reading to switch back. We also had to take care of some car
registration with our Zone Leaders, which only left time for our
planning for the week. We weren't able to teach or talk to anyone
about the gospel, which is always lame. But days like that happen.
Saturday went really well though! It was the first day of General
Conference and we were able to have lunch with a family in the ward
named the Walmers, where they had a sandwich bar! It was a lot of fun,
and the first session was great seeing the new members of the Quorum
of the Twelve give powerful talks. We also watched the second session
of conference with the Thompsons and more powerful messages were
given. After the 2nd session, we received transfer calls and Elder
Thielen and I both found out we would be staying while pretty much the
rest of the district was leaving. It was pretty exciting to find out I
would be staying with Elder Thielen for another transfer, since I have
done one transfer with most of my companions. We also went to
Priesthood session at the church to end the night, which is always
inspirational. Powerful words were spoken by President Nelson and the
First Presidency.
On Sunday, we watched conference with only investigators! We went to
Eliud's home to have lunch before conference. He fed us pork empanadas
as well as beef tacos! It was so delicious and it was a great
experience watching conference with someone who has never watched it
before. He had many questions and was blown away by the attendance of
people and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. It was a really good
experience. Also, hearing the Prophet was very insightful for him as
well. Later that day, we watched conference with a part member family
named the Monroes. The father is the only member in the family and
there's 5 kids along with his wife. It was a little crazy because most
of the kids are young, but overall, it was a really good experience
for the family. The children who are accountable are really thinking
about being baptized as well as the wife. It was a great last week of
the transfer. I'm glad we were able to watch and experience conference
on my mission. There were so many insights and I'm so thankful there
is a living Prophet on the earth, along with Apostles called of God to
guide and direct us in these latter days. I'm thankful for President
Monson, who is a true prophet. Although he didn't speak very long, he
spoke with conviction and power. He truly is a man of God, who I love
dearly. May we all follow his counsel as he is directed by the Lord.
Can't wait for the next 6 weeks in Kutztown!
Elder Cortes
Kutztown, PA
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