The Spirit of a New Transfer

Hey everyone!

It's been a great week here in the PPM and a lot of miracles came our
way. Elder Thielen and I started the transfer strong as we worked as
hard as we could and relied on the Lord for strength.

On Tuesday, we had a whole day of finding ahead of us. It wasn't the
best when we started because it was a brisk 20 degrees, but we bushed
that off and kept trying to find people who were prepared by the Lord.
But it was great! We went to Kutztown to find and we were able to
teach 5 lessons just like that, and it wasn't until later in the
afternoon until we found those opportunities to teach. It just goes to
show, the Lord will bless us in the end as long as we keep working out
hardest. It happens every time, without question.

Wednesday was so great! We were able to have a great dinner with the
Thompsons, they got Dickey's, which is the best bbq I have ever had!
Later that night we were able to meet with Tony, and talk to him about
going to the temple for the first time with Laura. It went really well
because we found out they will be going to the temple for the first
time on May 14th! We were so excited when they set that date. They are
really looking forward to it.

Thursday was such a spiritual day. We had District Meeting, and we got
a new District Leader, who is Elder Hunter. Elder Hunter has only two
transfers left, so he's pretty seasoned. By the time District Meeting
was over, Elder Thielen and I both agreed that was one of the most
spiritual District Meetings we have ever been a part of. We later
taught a girl named Shelby. Shelby is a friend of Michael Bussiere, a
returned missionary who got home a month ago. It was a great first
lesson as we taught her the Restoration and bore powerful testimony of
the Book of Mormon. Michael was a great help too since she knew Shelby
since they were kids. She committed to reading the Book of Mormon

On Friday, we went to the O's for dinner. Who are my favorite members
of the ward, next to the Kirklands. We were able to have a few good
laughs and talk about spiritual things like General Conference. Right
after dinner, the O's took us to see Sister Sherman who we haven't
seen in over 6 weeks! It was such a miracle because she wasn't able to
hold a few appointments, but this one stuck which was such a blessing.
She was so grateful to have us over and she told us that she would be
going back to church next Sunday, which we were very glad to hear.

Saturday it snowed! We thought we were out of the clear, but
apparently not. We had a similar day like Tuesday where we went
finding, but we found some luck being able to teach a few people who
let us into their home. It was a blessing to be out of the cold and
teach the Gospel. We later went to a couple in the ward named the
Amorinos for dinner. It was such a spiritual experience. We asked them
if they knew anybody who may be struggling and Sister Amorino told us
of a few neighbors who were going through a tough time who she said
she would definitely try to share the gospel with. She had tears in
her eyes after we shared our message on prophets and when we asked her
who she knew that was struggling. The Spirit was so strong at that
dinner, which I was very grateful for.

We ended the week by teaching Shelby, who had been reading the Book of
Mormon, but hadn't prayed about it yet. We committed her to pray and
read the Book of Mormon daily, which she told us she would. It was
such a great lesson and Shelby was so open to everything we teach her.
She is definitely someone who is prepared to receive the Gospel. We
also had dinner with a family named Isoms and after dinner, Brother
Isom walked us down to a few neighbors he knew who looked so open with
hearing the Gospel! It was such a miracle that I was so grateful for.
Things are really looking up in Kutztown. I have to say the work truly
has progressed since I have been here. I'm thankful for the Lord,
guiding us towards progression. Within ourselves, as well as the area.
It is because of Him things are happening, I'm just a simple
instrument in His hand. I also would like to share a quick experience.
On Sunday, we don't have studies because we have meetings for church.
Throughout the day, I just had such a strong desire to read from the
Book of Mormon. It kept bugging me over and over throughout the day,
and finally when I read at the end of the night, such relief and peace
came over me. I was so grateful for that prompting, because reading
the Book of Mormon truly gave me peace in my heart. That's what is so
special about the Book of Mormon, it truly has power to enlighten us.
It changes lives, so many have grown to love the Lord Jesus Christ
through this book. I know it is the word of God. It my hope that all
of us can study and ponder what the Lord wants us to know through the
Book of Mormon. I hope all of you have a great week!

Elder Cortes

Kutztown, PA