Hey everyone!
I was looking at the date today and all I can say is that time flies when you're having fun. It feels like it was yesterday when the transfer started and her we are heading into week #4! We had a lot of blessings come our way as we tried to be diligent as we could be. Our Mission President set a mission goal for each companionship to talk to 20 people a day. It was great when we heard this goal because we have been striving to find as many people as we can to teach. We were both committed in striving to reach this goal.
It was such a good experience for both of us. We talked to all sorts of people, people who were very adamant about them not being interested, to people who seemed very interested. It was great to see both ends of the spectrum and really see the phrase "finding the elect" come to life for us. We didn't find anyone new to reach until we met with a man named Dennis. We talked to Dennis two weeks ago and set up an appointment for last Saturday at the church. It was pretty neat because we gave him a tour of the building and taught him the Restoration. He really appreciate the time we had together and wanted to meet again, in the middle of next month. It was really special for me because I saw firsthand the Lord blessing us, not on our time or the exact way we wanted him to, but his blessings are there. It would have been great to meet with him one more time before I left, but I certainly understand the Lord has a plan for Dennis and it's all on the Lord's time how it will work out.
We also had the privilege of meeting with Elder Kopeschke of the Seventy. It was 7 hours of training and learning by the Spirit and by the great leaders I have been blessed to work with on my mission. I also saw many old friends, Elder Harris (the first Elder I trained), Elder Maynard, and so many more. It was kinda weird because at the end of the meeting I said goodbye to a few Elders I will never see again in the mission. I'm not sure I'll see all of them later in life, but it really made me reflect and appreciate the missionaries I have the privilege to work with and learn from as I head on back to the desert in a few weeks. I can't even tell you how many lessons were learned just by being with other missionaries, but it means so much to me.
The last thing I want to touch on is just to express my love and gratitude to my Dad. Without a doubt, my Dad has to be one of the best people I have ever come to know and love. There was a brief moment in Sacrament Meeting where I just missed him and wish I could talk to him. He's really shown me the kind of person I want to be in my life. It can be from using clean language all the time, to really trying to understand others and not to make harsh judgements. I will always be grateful for my Dad, his example and love really gives me an idea on how Heavenly Father views me and loves me as His child.
Even though time won't stop, I'm putting my foot on the gas pedal and won't let up until I'm back in Arizona. I'm really looking forward to these next three weeks!
Elder Cortes
Doylestown, PA
