Happy Fourth of July!
It's been a great week here in the PPM. And on this day, I'm thankful
for those who have fought and who continue to fight to preserve the
freedom of all of us. This is also the week where I hit my year mark
being out on my mission. Much has gone on this week, yet I'm thankful
to really reflect on how it has been on my mission so far.
On Tuesday, we saw Matt for the last time for a month or so. It was
great to talk about where he's at and how much he has grown since I
met him. He also asked Elder Brewer for a blessing before he left for
an internship in Connecticut. He asked Elder Brewer to give it because
he had never met him before, and it was such a powerful blessing. He
told him Heavenly Father has been giving him signs that He truly does
exist. For me personally, I couldn't stop smiling because I knew it
was the Lord speaking directly to Matt. You just know because the
Spirit of the Lord was in that room testifying to each one of us it
was His voice. We also later taught a guy who worked at Burger King
while we took lunch. He was on his break and ate with us and he was
searching for truth. It was great because we taught a bit of the
Restoration and we got all his info so we are hoping we can get in
touch with him soon!
Thursday was the eventful day all the missionaries in this part of the
mission were waiting for. We had a short, three hour Zone Conference
to meet President Randall and his family. All the missionaries lined
up to meet the Randall family. We met President and Sister Randall and
their three children; Haley (15), Morgan (13) and Brian (8). It was a
conference that I have never experience before. Their children were
kind and had sweet testimonies and President and Sister Randall were
great. Originally, President Randall is from Portland Oregon and
Sister Randall is from SLC. They left from Provo, Utah where President
Randall served as the Stake President before he came out. They have
been all over living in Chicago, New York, Portland, and Provo. They
are such great leaders. Throughout the conference we talked about
expectations about them and us. They also testified of the
truthfulness of the doctrine of Christ shown in 2nd Nephi 31. Both are
just so intelligent in the Gospel and have testimonies that are strong
and everlasting. The Spirit truly testified to me in person that my
Mission President and his wife were are leaders and that this mission
is under their stewardship. I'm just so thankful for the Lord with
such great leaders!
Following a great Zone Conference was a great District Meeting the
next day. After that, I went to Vineland to conduct my first exchange
with Elder Curtis. Elder Curtis goes home this Saturday, so I was able
to work with him just before he heads out. He's such a fun Elder. He
has jokes left and right, but at the same time, he had a lot of love
for me. He cared about me and I knew he trusted me. The best exchanges
are when you work in unity with an Elder you see only once a week. We
testify of the truthfulness of the Gospel and the importance of
keeping the commandments that God has given us. I'm just so thankful
for the Lord giving me such great Elders to work with.
Sunday was pretty intense at the end of the night. We met with Deborah
and she was in a really frustrated mood and told us she wasn't going
to be baptized. Now, when she said that, I was floored, I had no idea
what to say. But I just had the continual prompting to keep calm and
talk it over with her. We talked with her problems and continually
asked questions that really softened her heart. She calmed down and
told us she really wanted to be baptized, she just felt stressed with
smoking. We gave her a blessing Saturday for a sickness she had and
the next day she was healed. She told us how grateful she was for us
to help her, to help her come closer to the Savior and our Father in
Heaven. When we drove home, the member that drove us asked "how did
you know what to say"? All we could tell her is that we went by the
Spirit.
Really going off that, I'm just thankful for this past year of my
mission. I'm grateful that I have the opportunity to teach by the
Spirit to others' needs. I'm thankful I have been obedient with
exactness and committed to building the church in each area I have
served in. I'm grateful to have seen growth in Moorestown, Kutztown,
and Woodstown. To see less actives become strengthened through
repentance and investigators light up with truths like the Book of
Mormon has been such a humbling experience. I know what I am doing is
not a waste. I know I am making a difference in the Lord's vineyard.
I'm thankful for my growth so far as a person, as a son of God.
Although I have changed, I know I'm not done yet. I'm excited for this
next year and to see what the Lord has in store for me!
Until then, I'm excited for the Fourth of July Party we are having at
the church. We have a booth for missionaries for the Philadelphia
temple! It'll be an exciting night for sure. I hope all of you have a
happy Fourth of July!
Elder Cortes
Woodstown, NJ
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