Standing Steadfast in the Kingdom of God

Hey everybody!

It's been such a good week here in Doylestown. A lot of blessings came our way this first week of the transfer. It was a reminder for me how mindful God really is with our situations. There's a lot on His plate to be mindful of, but at the same time He is so aware of our current situation. It's such a blessing!

Well, to start of the week, it was pretty slow the first couple of days. After we played soccer on P-day, Elder Morton had some pain in his leg. In fact, it's been around with him the past few weeks but not as aggravating as it was this week. So we talked to the mission nurse and it turns out Elder Morton may have tendinitis. So there have been times we've had to stop or even stay in because the leg was bothering him. But it was a good experience, to really learn from the Lord on the importance of patience. I know I don't have a ton of time left, but if the Lord wants us to be in here and there, I need to accept His will.

But there were still some cool experience we had in the week. For one, we had our first District Meeting with the new District. So the background about this is our Zone combined with another Zone to make a huge Philadelphia Zone. So the Philadelphia North Zone turned into the Doylestown District. So I was asked to be over 4 companionships this transfer, the biggest District I have ever been a part of. But it was pretty fun for a first District Meeting! With 9 missionaries, it's definitely not difficult to have participation going on. I have such incredible missionaries to work with in the District. Needless to say, I'm beyond excited for this transfer to work with this District. 

We also had this cool experience going to this ghetto Hispanic barrio with apartments all over. It was pretty shocking for both of us because Doylestown is a very wealthy area for the most part. So it was pretty neat to find this place of humble circumstances. I was able to use my limited Spanish for the first time in a while, since the good old days in Reading! But it was definitely a lot of fun talking to Hispanics, I haven't typically work with a lot on my mission, but they are such kind people.

The best part of the week was helping out Eugene. We did service for him for a couple hours cleaning up his backyard because he wants to start some sort of garden. So from getting rid of weeds, to moving giant pieces of stone, we got a good start on his backyard. It's always such a blessing to help Eugene. I always feel like Ammon who gave such loving service to King Lamoni when we serve Eugene. He really is doing well. He hasn't gotten to the point committing to baptism yet, but it's so amazing to see how much solid fellowship he's getting from the ward.

We didn't meet with Skylar this week because of conflicts with the families' schedule, but next time we are seeing her we will most likely have a date set for her baptism. It's looking like it's going to be a great transfer ahead!

Elder Cortes

Doylestown, PA

It Doesn't Matter How Cold It Gets, the Love of My Redeemer Warms My Heart

Hey everyone!

It's been a pretty adventurous week full of improvised planning throughout the week as well blessings from being in the service of the Lord. All I can really say is that you won't get any special experience like this anywhere else. 

Well, to start, we were snowed in all day Tuesday. It was tough because we couldn't go shovel until later because it was snowing pretty heavily until Tuesday night. So because of that, meetings had to get moved around left and right. For District Meeting, it was my call to determine if I wanted to do District Meeting over Skype or move it to a later time. Well, I thought it would be cool to think outside the box and have District Meeting in the evening. District Meeting usually is at 10:30 in the morning, but we had it at 6:30 that night. Turns out, I was the only District Leader who had their District Meeting later that evening. It was pretty cool, just because it was so different. It was such a great District Meeting, this transfer is turning out to be a pretty great one with such amazing missionaries all around. We have people from Nevada, to Nepal, to Ethiopia. Probably the best part for me this time around being a District Leader is to see how everyone works different, but how it all goes back to their purpose as missionaries to bring others closer to the Savior. 

I also went on exchanges with my Zone Leader Elder Huber! It was such a blast to catch up from the Reading days. For a good amount of the day, we stopped by a few less actives from a list the bishop gave us. One of the people was a less active lady who was living with her active dad, brother Huber. Turns out, they're related, so we had a good conversation about that. Something Elder Huber is so good at is the ability to just relate to people and just be himself and tie it to the Gospel somehow. Whether it was knocking a few doors, or talking the people on the street, Elder Huber just went with it and played it very naturally. The Lord definitely blessed me to work with Elder Huber again, I have so much to learn from him!

It's been a bit slow trying to find this past week with the fact the streets were all covered in snow and everyone was staying inside and not even willing to open the door. But we did have a miracle happen in the weekend when we stopped by this older couple who the missionaries gave service to a few months ago and they were interested in having us back. It's pretty cool how the Lord always works by faith. Blessings never run out, they keep coming if we believe and expect something to happen eventually. Of course, tough times come to all of us, and it can be disappointing, but we can never let it lead to discouragement. Faith and doubt cannot coexist in the same person, at all times, we just have to fan the flame of faith. On Sunday, our investigator Eugene asked us if we could help shovel two of his neighbors out, one was sick and the other was older. Now, Eugene is a little bit old and has had back surgeries in the past, but he knows how to pack snow away like nobody's business. Not bad for being from California. But it was pretty neat to answer his questions about the church and the Gospel. It is one of the best feelings when you give service while teaching at the same time. You just know in your heart you are doing exactly what the Lord would want you to do. Well, later that day, he called us for like 2 minutes. This is how it went.

Eugene:"So hypothetically, if I got baptized in your church, would I have to wear a tie after I'm baptized ?"

Us: "No, you can dress however you want at church"

Eugene: "Okay, that's all I wanted to know. I'm not saying I'm getting baptized! I'm just saying if I did"

Us: "Okay Eugene, we gotcha"

The Lord is so good. I'm so thankful for all the people I have the privilege to work with. Really it seems I'm teaching investigators, but they also teach me. Just knowing the people I have helped work towards baptism or to the temple, whether they get there while I'm there or not, makes me want to be the best I can be. The Lord works through people all the time to help us along the path, I'm thankful for every single person that's done that for me. I love my Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. I know they love each one of us. No matter where we are at in the path of discipleship, the arm of mercy is extended to us at all times as it says in 3 Nephi 9:14. It really is true for me when I hear the phrase "Oh the joy this sentence gives, I know that my Redeemer lives". I will never let go of my relationship with Jesus Christ, it is my hope that none of us do, even when life is hard. He will pull us through sin and adversity and carry us home back to our Father in Heaven.

 Marching onward here in D-Town!

Elder Cortes

Doylestown, PA

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

Another Transfer in the Books, and a new assignment in Jersey

Hey everyone!

It's been such a fantastic week working with a lot of Elders I love
and people who are progressing through the power of the Gospel. I
couldn't ask for anything better.

It all started on Tuesday night when we met up with Elders in Delaware
so Elder Yeates and another missionary going home can drive up to the
mission home to go to the temple the next day. So as a result, I got
to bring Elder Maynard to Woodstown for the whole day Wednesday! We
had such a blast.

We started the day out with going to a town called Salem, which is
probably the most ghetto part of our area. But we saw a countless
number of miracles just talking to people on the street.
The best part of the day is when Elder Yeates got home from the DC
temple because we had a great lesson with Jeremy and Stacey to end the
night because we committed Stacey to a date in August! We may have to
push it back because they still need to get married, but she's made so
much progress since I first met her. She has come to church the past 3
weeks in a row and she's reading the Book of Mormon 5 chapters a day.
It's such a blessing for sure.

Thursday we had our final district meeting by our great District
Leader Elder Nebeker. He's getting transferred, which is lame, because
he has been one of my favorite district leaders for sure. I also went
on an exchange right after with Elder Davenport, my Zone Leader! It
went so well because we taught 5 lessons. We got to see my favorite
member we are working with, Wayne Hoglund. We had such a powerful
lesson on how hardships and trials are a part of life. We testified of
the power of the Atonement which will strengthen us through our
hardships. It's also sad, but Elder Davenport is leaving the Zone as
well. But it's been such a blast working with such great Elders for
only 5 weeks.

Friday and Saturday were crazy with Elder Yeates wrapping up sending
stuff home, visiting a good number of members and investigators, and
who knows what else. However, Sunday we ended the transfer so strong
teaching 6 lessons. We ended the night at the Whitfields', and Deborah
is doing so well. She is reading the Book of Mormon and loves it! She
believes it to be the word of God. She's on track for baptism at the
end of next month, which I am so excited for.
I also found out that night I will be the District Leader for this
upcoming transfer, and it's going to be a 7 week transfer with
President Randall coming into the mission. I'm excited to see my new
District and to see the work just grow here in South Jersey. It truly
has become a special place to me. Lot of exciting stuff happening
tomorrow! I will meet my new companion and we are going to hit the
pavement for sure! May the Lord bless you in all that you do. I'm
seeing the blessings from serving and I just keep giving it my all.
This mission truly is changing my life. I hope all of you have a great
week in this heat!

Elder Cortes

Woodstown, NJ