Tracking in a Winter Wonderland

Hey everybody!

The first thing I have to say is that the snow finally came. It wasn't
terrible, but it finally came and it has been in the mid 20's all
week. But we have kept busy regardless!

The snow came on Tuesday night when we were driving home from an
appointment. I was so excited! The first time snow has come on my
mission! It caught us by surprise because when we went to the
appointment it was just a regular cold night. Then, we got outside and
the ground was covered in snow. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would
be driving home, we made it back safely. But that brings up part two
of the snow experience.

On Wednesday I went on an exchange with a young Elder over in Reading,
PA while my District Leader came here to Kutztown. So I was with Elder
Jones for the day (which was great because he is from Mesa as well! He
went to Red Mountain). Reading is such an exciting place. Pretty much
what they do when they don't have appointments is go street contact.
Well, it just so happened to be 2 of the 5 lessons that were set up
cancelled. So we did a total of 3 hours of street contacting. It was
so exciting because I haven't been into an area that has a lot of
street contacting. However, the snow covered the streets and the were
outside in 20 degree weather. On top of that, it felt every direction
we went, the wind blew right in our face. Even when you are bundled up
with a few layers, it's still pretty cold. But we saw many miracles
happen that day. Elder Jones knew I hadn't street contacted a lot on
my mission, so he wanted me to take the lead in where we should go. To
be in a big city, it can be a little intimidating and confusing on
where to go. But I asked for guidance and direction from the Lord. As
I prayed privately and quietly on street corners, the Holy Spirit
showed me which direction I should take. One time, we went around an
entire block and we taught a man, waiting for his bus, the
Restoration! It was so great because he wasn't there when we first
started, but after we went in a circle, he just happened to be there
and ready to listen. All in all, we taught 4 lessons on the street! I
was just so grateful to have such a great day like that over here in
Reading.

Thursday, we had Zone Training, which was very uplifting. My new Zone
Leaders, Elder Holden and Elder Jewkes, are great teachers. A lot of
it was on personal improvement and goals the mission has for the new
year. Also, I'm grateful for the Reading Zone. There are Elders and
Sisters who were in my last Zone in Cherry Hill, Elders I came out
with, and so many great examples I have had since I have been on my
mission. Later that night, we went to visit a member in a care center.
While we were waiting for the member we were going to take with us, we
talked to the receptionist in the lobby. She was so interested in what
we did and had so many questions about missionaries. In the end, we
got her contact information and are planning on having missionaries go
and see her (because she lives outside our area).

Friday and Saturday, all of our appointments cancelled. But what our
Zone was doing was to see how many pass along cards we could give with
our church address. By the end of it, we had passed out 198 pass along
cards in two days. Which is pretty hard in our area because there is
practically no one on the street to give them to. Despite the snow,
cold, and wind, I just worked as hard as I could with the Elders I was
with. I'm grateful to the Lord and allowing me to have the strength
and diligence to continue to find people. Although it may not be easy,
somehow I keep finding strength in Christ to persevere and press
forward. I pray all of you may do the same. The highest it is supposed
to get is 34 degrees. But that doesn't phase me. I am going back to
Reading tomorrow with my District Leader so I'm hoping for the same
success! We also are having a worldwide missionary broadcast Wednesday
which I am very excited for. Hopefully the week will turn around with
our investigators! May the Lord bless you in all your efforts!




Elder Cortes

Kutztown, PA

Kutztown, My New Home

Hey everybody!

Well, needless to say, it has been more busy than usual this week for

me here in the mission. I left on Tuesday Morning to the mission

office to meet my new companion. I found out that I was going to be a

refininer (a refiner is a missionary's companion right after he has

been done being trained) which is pretty important. His name is Elder

Maughan (pronounced "Maun"). He is from Logan, Utah. Like I said

before, he finished his training so he has been out for 3 months. He's

very soft spoken, but a very hard worker. It's...a little hard to find

similarities but that's alright. There really isn't a difference when

we are doing the work.

Regarding the area, it turned into an Elder area a few months ago.

It's very rural. Farmland is all over and the cities in the area are

very spread out. Of course it has been a little tough adjusting

regarding the area, the ward, and other things that came with being

transferred, but I'm adjusting! For the most part, we have

investigators that really don't want to commit to make commitments

(reading the Book of Mormon, going to church, etc.). But we are going

to work through that and hopefully these people will come closer to

Jesus Christ.

We have already have had a lot of great experiences. One is that we

knocked on a woman's door named Juliana and she told us she was Roman

Catholic, but told us we could come back the next day. The next day

she told us she didn't want to be rude and slam the door in our face,

when we came again, she didn't think it might have been a good idea to

talk. But in the end, she let us in and we talked simply about her

family. One of the things she brought up was if we had any advice in

raising her four sons. It was a perfect way to tie it into 1st Nephi

(family with four sons in the wilderness) and give her a copy of the

Book of Mormon. In the end we set a return appointment in 2 weeks! It

was so great to see the spirit work in her heart. She went from "I

don't think this is a good idea" to "give me two weeks to read". It

showed me that the Lord truly does have a way to soften people's

hearts as we teach them.

For the most part, the Elders in the past have knocked on doors. It

hasn't been effective as you'd hope it would, but we will keep trying,

especially for me thinking of new ideas for missionary work. Remember

when I said all those weeks where it has been in the 60's and 70's?

Well, this whole week the highest it has been is mid 30's.... It's

been beanies, gloves, and layers of sweaters and coats every day. But

I'm excited for this next transfer. I'm excited for this year overall.

The Philadelphia Temple open house will be in late July hopefully so

there has been a lot of buzz about that throughout the mission and the

members.

The last thing is that I had the special privilege to bear my

testimony to the ward in Kutztown. It is a different feeling bearing

your testimony to a ward you just came into in less than a week. But I

was so grateful to bear it. It showed myself no matter where I am, the

Lord is with me and I am still who I am, a son of God. It is my hope

with all of you that you recognize that special identity you have

being a son or daughter of the most perfect and glorious being in the

universe. Such knowledge allows us to be strengthened in our lives as

we perform out labors here in mortality.

I hope you all have a great week and that you turn to the Lord in your

times of joy and sorrow. By doing so, your relationship with Him will

grow and never break.

Elder Cortes

From Moorestown to....?

Hey guys!

Well, we are in a new year which is really exciting! Of course, with

this being the last week of the transfer, it's always busy. Especially

when you're packing because I'm getting transferred!

But to talk about the week, on Wednesday we went to the Davis' house

to teach another lesson to the kids. What was so special about this

visit was that we committed one of the kids, Lilah, to baptism in

February! We weren't really expecting it, but she really want to and

she got permission from her parents to make it happen! Honestly, that

made my whole day. I figured if I was leaving Moorestown, I wanted to

leave it in pretty good shape.

New Year's Eve, we had District Meeting which was pretty great. The

Assistants were in my District Meeting, and one of them is a

pretty.... serious. Not in a bad way. But it went really well! They

both said I did a great job and I felt like it was one of the best

meetings we had as a District so I was really glad we ended the

transfer strong on District Meetings. At the end of the night, we came

home early because everyone was out doing something so no appointments

and tracting was pretty pointless at that time. It was really strange

because I always stay up for the New Year and I went to bed at 10:30

(mission rules). Then fireworks wake you up in the middle of the night

and you're just so confused..... But overall it was really great!

On New Years we had a pretty busy day lined up. I did a baptismal

interview for the Zone Leaders for a man named Tom. It was really

great because before he was atheist and now he has a strong testimony

the church is true. Really, I will never stopped being amazed at the

strong testimonies these men and women have right before they are

baptized. They are just so strong! Later that day we had dinner with a

couple in the ward named the Duns. They drove us to Cherry Hill to a

tai restaurant and there was so much good food there! The best part

was the bbq pork they made. I don't what it was, but it was the best

pork I ever had. At the end of the night, we got transfer calls and I

found out I was being transferred for the first time. At first I was

thinking "okay I figured this was going to happen. Not a huge deal".

Then I was lying in bed thinking "wait, I need to pack and say my

goodbyes and I don't even know where I'm going". I wasn't stressing

out, but a million thoughts were rushing into my head. But I knew the

Lord would be with me at this time and I know He will be with me

wherever I go.

Saturday, we had a few appointments drop... So we decided to stop by a

lot of our investigators and set up appointments for the coming week,

so Elder Harris and his new companion could start the week strong.

What a tender mercy this day was. So many different people were

setting up dinner appointments for next week and we're excited to see

us come back. There was one point Amy Knapp (a less active we are

seeing) told us her son Nick asked when can he be baptized. She also

told us he has done everything we have asked him to do so far(read

pamphlets, read Book of Mormon, etc.). Although I won't be here when

the great miracles happen, I know this area will be well taken care

of, which really made me feel good.

Sunday was the big day to say my goodbyes. It was really hard to say

goodbye to a lot of close friends I have made these past six months.

What was so special was that almost all of them said we will see you

again. Which meant a lot to me. It didn't even feel like I was serving

in the Moorestown ward, but that I was a part of it, which I really

appreciated. There are a lot of people here who have a heart of gold

which I'm so grateful for. After church, so many different members

wanted us over for dinner, dessert, and pictures. It was so much fun

being around all of them. I know without a doubt, if I came back to

Moorestown, which I know I will, it will feel like home to me.

Now we're here to today. I just finished a huge meal at Buffalo Wild

Wings. All that's left is to write emails, pack, and say a few more

goodbyes. Transfers are tomorrow morning at noon. To describe how I

feel right now is a little hard. It's bittersweet. I'm excited to see

a new part of the mission, but I'm a little down to leave an area I

worked so hard to build through the Lord. I'm excited and nervous at

the same time. I've never been transferred before, but I know I will

be okay. I can't wait to tell you all about the new area I will be in!

It will be an experience i will definitely remember. But I will be

okay. The Lord has my back. You all have my back. There's no way I'm

going to falter. There's a great work to do these next 18 months, and

it is my humble prayer I can do and learn all that the Lord wants me

to learn. I hope you all have a great start to 2016!

Elder Cortes

Christmas in the Mission!

Hey everyone!

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas! It really was a special day and

I was so grateful for the spirit that was there.

Zone Conference was so great! It was this past Wednesday and it was so

fun seeing a lot of old friends, President and Sister Anderson, and

Ephraim's Rescue (movie about the pioneers). There was also a great

talent show and there were so many skits, great music, and a lot of

good jokes. We also got our gifts, which of course, was really

exciting!  We also had a lot of great meals from members and gifts we

weren't even expecting.

Christmas was just so special in so many ways. In the morning we

opened up all of our gifts which was really exciting! Elder Harris and

I had a great time with all the gifts we opened. I even received a box

of oranges at our doorstep! In the afternoon, we talked to our

families and let me

just say, I was so grateful for that one hour. I felt right at home,

and it was so great to catch up with my family. Just to hear how

everyone was doing really brought me a lot of happiness. But the day

didn't end there. We saw a couple named the Walchs. They were baptized

a little over a year ago and asked if we could give them blessings.

They were sick and we're going to have us over for dinner, but were

too sick to make anything. But I'm so thankful, on such a special day,

that I was able to exercise the power of God to help others. I truly

am thankful for such a blessing. We also met with a less active

brother named brother Orsi at the end of the night who was stressed

out and just not having a good day. It was so great to talk about the

Savior and why He was so important on Christmas. Doing missionary work

is so special on Christmas. You just get an additional confirmation

what you are doing is right.

But, this is the last week of 2015! To really look back on this year,

I'm grateful what I have went through and what is in store for 2016.

This is also the last week of the transfer, so I find out Friday if I

get transferred or not. We'll see...... Anyway, have a Happy New Year!

I hope the best for all of you!

Elder Cortes

Christmas with a change of location

Hey everybody!!!!

Wow, I can't believe it's almost Christmas! I also can't believe have

been out for almost 6 months! It's so strange how time has flown. But

it's just really exciting all around.

So for my week, it has just been busy all around during the Christmas

time. We have had 12 referrals all in the past week, which is  a lot

for a week in our mission. So throughout the week, we have just been

delivering Bibles to people throughout our area. It's been really

great to see how the Mormon.org Christmas initiative has really been

getting out there. It's been really great to see!

Wednesday, we went to a lesson to a less named Sister Punchello. It

was really great because we taught her for the first time in a few

months and talked about how Christ has changed her life. She really

was receptive and just talked about how she needs to come back to

church. What was a little plus was she let me borrow her daughter's

trumpet. Because...... I am playing a Christmas song for Zone

Conference! It's been to practice here and there for it. I can't wait

to perform after it's been so long!

Friday, all we did was street contact sharing the "A Savior is Born"

with our Zone Leaders. It was really great to share the video with

people. Their hearts just get softened after watching that. There's a

reason why missionaries say Christmas is the best time to be out

serving.

We also had our Christmas program this past week as well. It was so

great. There were so many songs and narrations, it really did invite

the spirit. Also, David Garduno, who we have given the sacrament every

week to, came to church for the first time since I have been here! It

was really exciting. He is on the way to getting a temple recommend!

He really is one of my favorite people to teach. All in all, just a

really humble guy.

Well, the weather has been the same, pretty warm. Christmas it is

supposed to be 70, which I am really excited about. It'll feel like I

never left Arizona. Just kidding! But to just leave you with

something, I am excited for Christmas to come. Throughout my studies,

I always come back to the Book of Mormon reading with Samuel the

Lamanite and his prophesies of the Holy Messiah's birth. Also, in 3rd

Nephi 1, where the believers' lives are literally on the line

depending on the Savior's coming. I ponder how much faith would we

have if we were in that same position. May we "watch steadfastly" as

the Nephites did on our Lord. Not just at this time, but at all times.

If we do so, we will have reason to "lift up our heads and be of good

cheer" as the Savior told Nephi. I pray you all have a special, safe,

Merry Christmas. There is reason to celebrate in our hearts and in our

lives. He was born so we can be born again. I testify of this as a

representative of Him.

Happy Holidays!

Elder Cortes

Mid-December

Hey everybody!

I hope everything is going well for all of you! It's getting really

busy here during the Christmas season, but that's how it should be!

Also, it's been pretty warm over here. Everyday it's in the 60's or

70's..... It reminds me of home so much! But that's okay, I guess I

will have to wait for a cold, snowy Christmas next year. But still, it

was another good week!

Tuesday, we saw Brother Kpalie, a less active member in the ward. What

is so great is that he told us that he is going to be trying to get

back to the temple. I was so excited to hear that because he has come

a long way since I came to Moorestown. He didn't go to church in the

longest time, but here he is now, trying to get a temple recommend. I

probably won't be here when he goes back, but to see someone progress

over time is one of the greatest things to experience on your mission.

Wednesday, we saw Kevin, our investigator who is Muslim. It was so

great because he cooked us dinner, which comprised of seasoned

chicken, cooked green beans, and spaghetti with meat sauce. But the

best part about it was we showed him the Christmas website the church

set up for the holiday season. There was a video he watched called "A

world without a Savior" which really touched him. It just testified of

Jesus Christ which really brought the spirit into the house. All in

all, it was a great lesson on Jesus Christ!

On Friday, I unfortunately got sick with a cold. Needless to say, it

has not been fun the past few days. But the Zone Leaders did give me a

blessing, so I'm just waiting patiently, because I know I will get

over this soon! The work went a little slow that day, but we ended the

night very well because we were invited to a ward council Christmas

party. The next night we had our ward Christmas party as well! It was

great to spend time with the ward getting ready for the holiday

season. At the ward Christmas Party, Elder Harris played Jesus in a

Christmas story a woman in the ward put on.

It's been fun getting ready for the Christmas season. Less than two

weeks now! It'll be great to see the miracles come as Christmas comes

closer and closer. I hope you all are able to get ready for the

Christmas season! Just always remember what it's all really about.

Elder Cortes

No Snow Yet, But it Still Pours

Hey everybody!

I hope you all have been doing well, getting ready for the holiday

season! We definitely have been.

Throughout the week, we have been sharing the video "A Savior is Born"

to people on the street and have given the pass along cards that go

along with it. It's been an effective way to talk to people on the

street. But it also helps us understand more and more what the true

meaning of Christmas is all about and what it means to have a Savior.

Wednesday I went up to Cherry Hill with Elder Bowman, my zone leader,

for an exchange. It was really good! Elder Bowman is.....not afraid to

be himself. But he is a spiritual giant. It was great to work with him

because you know how much he cares about his great work. Although it

was pouring, we still got a lot done in his area. We met with his

woman who has a son who is pretty much restricted to his bed and can't

talk. But it's so great to see her faith even through all her

hardships, she still presses on and shares the gospel in every way she

can.

Thursday, we had Zone Training! It was great to hear all the trainings

from the Zone Leaders and the Sister Training Leaders. We also gave a

training ourselves, which was a lot of fun and very spiritual! Later

that day we had an appointment with this woman whose name is Amy. Amy

is the only member in her family, but her husband and son were

interested in hearing about the Restoration. It was so great, her son,

Nick, told us how everything we were teaching sounded so true. I was

so glad being able to see this young man (he's 14), be open and say

what we were teaching is true. We're hoping we can set him with a date

in January, so I might not be here when he gets baptized, if I get

transferred, but it'd still be great to see Nick, and his dad, Chris

accept the gospel.

Sunday, we had stake conference, which was very spiritual. It was

great to hear from the Stake Presidency, members of the D.C. temple

presidency, and special testimonies given by two returned sister

missionaries. One of the missionaries came home after three weeks in

the mtc because she had cancer. Her address was very emotional. You

knew how badly she wanted to stay out in the mission field. It really

made me ponder how this time is so important for me,mot be out here on

a mission. I really just want to look back at my service and say I did

all the Lord asked me to do, because not everyone gets this chance

like I do, and I have to do my absolute best. Like it says in Alma

34:32, this time is to prepare to meet God. It is my hope and prayer

all of us are doing what we can to prepare to meet our Father in

Heaven at the last day. I'm grateful to be out here, especially during

the Holidays. I hope all of you have a great week! I know finals are

either here or coming up, but after that, you can just take a step

back and remember the Savior even more. I know I have as I have been

in His service everyday.

Elder Cortes