One Last Adventure in Doylestown

Hey everybody!

There isn't a lot to update on since Friday but I do have exciting news regarding my last transfer. We found out Saturday night Elder Morton will be leaving for Maryland and I will be finishing my mission in Doylestown. What's even more exciting is that I received a call from President Randall last night and he extended the invitation to train for my last transfer!

I am so excited to finish my mission with this opportunity to be with another brand new missionary. I feel so humbled with how much trust the Lord has in me to start this new missionary on the right foot for his mission. 

I'm excited to see what the Lord has in store for me these next 6 weeks!

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

40-Degree Weather and First Week Training

Hey everybody! How are you doing??? It's been a little crazy and all

the time busy, but that's a good thing! There's nothing better for

missionaries than work.

So to start off, I had a pretty good last day with Elder Foster on

Monday. We ate food, said goodbye to members and investigators, and

got him packed to go to his new area (Which is Honesdale in the

Scranton Zone).

Tuesday was pretty early for us. We woke up at around 4:30 a.m. and

left at around 5:30 to go to transfers and pick up some missionaries

in Camden along the way. I needed to be there at around 7:45 to get a

trained on...well training. It was good, I learned a lot and got so

pumped to train after transfers. Transfers were so fun, I got to see

so many Elders and Sisters I came out with. 3 other missionaries I

came out with are also training and it was crazy to just look back and

see how all of us have progressed since we came out. But transfers

were unpredictable, like always. I am in another trio again! (I pretty

much came to the conclusion I'll just be in trios my entire

mission).The Elder I'm training is Elder Harris. He just turned 18

last month and is from Orderville, Utah. He's a big hunter. But he's

excited to work. My other companion is Elder Thomas, he is from Provo

Utah and a big music person. He has 5 weeks left, so I'm killing

another missionary, which is pretty rough because I hate saying

goodbyes. But I'm grateful for his knowledge, he's such a great Elder

and we talk so much about music, band, songs. It's so great! I'm

grateful for both of my companions, they have so much to contribute

and really are going to be essential in moving the work forward. Right

after we got home, we went and knocked on doors in our home town,

Riverside. It was great for Elder Harris to just get the real life

experience.

Thursday, I conducted my first District Meeting. It went really well

and there was a great discussion on the Book of Mormon. I was just so

glad the Lord blessed me in leading out an effective discussion. I was

so happy by the end of it. We also did service for Brother Lopata (the

member who will die if he quits smoking). He told us he appreciated

the work we did for him so much, he told us he would go to church the

first week of November. I was so glad by the end of moving furniture,

paperwork, and boxed for four hours to hear him say that. It truly was

a tender mercy.

Friday I conducted my first two baptismal interviews. It was to a mom

and her 13-year old daughter. It is so amazing to see these people who

are ready to make changes in their lives. The spirit truly was felt as

I asked them the baptismal interview questions and they answered

honestly and openly. The best thing was when they bore their testimony

and it was so powerful to see daughters of God who are completely

committed to the gospel. After that, I got a text from a sister

missionary in Medford who requested a blessing from us. I had the

special privilege to give this Sister a blessing and I was just so

grateful for the Lord to bless me with this chance to be over a

district and not only teach and learn from them, but to help them in

any way I could.

Elder Harris invited his first person to be baptized on Saturday! I

was so proud of him. He is just trying his hardest and I couldn't be

happier about it. Everything he does in teaching, inviting, and

studying reminds me when I first started in the field 3 months ago.

He's progressing very well and I know he will be a great missionary.

We also had the fall festival where it was pretty much a get to know

you for Elder Thomas and Elder Harris with the ward.

Carmen and Spencer are both doing well and are progressing toward

their baptisms in November! I'm excited for them and their spouses as

they strive for baptism. Also, we are going to Susquehanna to see the

Priesthood Restoration Site tomorrow! We only have a few hours for

P-Day today, but tomorrow is our real P-Day for this week. So I will

respond to individual letters tomorrow. Thanks everyone for your

thoughts and prayers. I pray you all have a great week!

Elder Cortes

                       (Leo & Elder Harris)

                        (Elder Thomas playing his Ukelele)

   (Elder Thomas teaching Leo to play Piano)