I am a Mormon Missionary!

I just love this picture (notice the pen)

Dearest Family and Friends!

Sister Simpson and Sister Curtis
on their way to the airport
early Wednesday morning

     Hey! Guess where I am right now in MINNESOTA! Can you believe it? Because I sure can't! I am really on a mission teaching actual people it is so exciting! 

     On August 21 we had to leave the MTC at 3:35 in the morning. We got on a shuttle that took us to the Front Runner that took us to Trax that took us to the airport. I was so grateful that I didn't bring HUGE suitcases because I had to drag those all over Provo and Salt Lake. My arms were tired!  Then once we were at the airport we had to do all the airport stuff check in, security, blah, blah, blah.I was really missing my mom because she usually does that for me. My one bag was over 50 pounds so I had to take 6 pounds worth of stuff out but I was able to get all checked in.

Shuttle to Front Runner to Trax to Airplane to Minnesota

     Then we finally got to Minnesota! I couldn't believe all the Lakes! I was lucky enough to have the window seat and I was so excited as I was looking down on my new homeland. 

     We all got off the plane and then we were off to claim our bags. Right there waiting for us was President Clements and his wife. They are really nice and it was great to finally get to meet them.

Then we went to the mission home and we were taught a couple last minute things and told about all the important information like safety and using our debit cards. Then the moment I have been waiting for! Finding out where I was going and who my companion was.

Fun Facts: 

Minnesota has almost 300 missionaries, 
30,000 members, and 8 stakes.

Her Greenie package was waiting
for her at the Mission Home!

     We were all sitting in the chapel, all the "Greenies" on the right and the trainers on the left. Then President Clements and his wife would read the emails that our parents mailed to them and introduce us then say where we were going. They finally called my name and then told me that I was going to Shingle Creek and that my trainer/companion was Sister Ballif. I was so excited!  My trainer is awesome I was so excited to get to know her better and find out what my area was like. Sister Ballif told me that we had the best area and that we are basically serving in Africa. Wow Africa! *Dad! Was I not just talking to you about how much I would love to go serve in Africa! Little blessing number one!

     Now for all of you (Dad) who want to go Google Maps my area I am covering Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center. Minnesota is really such a diverse area. I am mostly teaching Africans, they have all moved here from Liberia. They are all so nice and my companion tells me that I am very lucky because they will almost always listen to us. So I have been able to teach many lessons which is such a blessing.

     My companion says that she is very impressed at how fast I am picking everything up. She says that usually when you are training you have to do all the talking and then at the end the new missionary will commit them to baptism. But I talk a lot and I say most of the stuff with her. She says that I am a very hard worker and because of that it makes her always try to do her best. 

Looks like they get to drive a car!

     Now let me tell you about the mission work. So my very first lesson was Thursday morning. We went to this lady Sister Williams. She was just recently baptized so we went to go read the Book of Mormon with her. Right as we got there I realized that she was a cat lady.... Cats all over the place. I am allergic to cats! Aggh. So my whole first lesson I kept sneezing and breathing really heavy. It was not the best experience. haha

    My second lesson was MUCH better. Now before I got to Minnesota Sister Ballif got a call from this guy named Robert Conway saying that he needed to meet with us. So we were on out way to his apartment and we were looking for his house but we couldn't find it because he gave us the wrong number. While we were looking he called us and left us a voice mail. The voice mail said that he really needed to meet with us and that he hopes that we didn't forget and that if he can't meet with us today he will keep calling us until we can because he knows that we are the answer to his prayers. While he was saying all this he was very emotional. Okay what?!  This is unreal!! We were honestly only 4 minutes late. We finally ended up finding him and we then asked him how he was doing.

     He broke down. He told us that his fiancee of 16 years left him and took his 3 daughters with him. When he was walking through a park he found our Restoration pamphlet and he has been reading it ever since and that he knows that this is the answer to his prayers and that he wants to get baptized and that he wants to have the Book of Mormon that it was talking about in his pamphlet because he needs something else to read. He even said that he already stopped smoking weed and drinking.  WHOA! I couldn't believe it, we hadn't even taught him anything and the Lord has already prepared him. After hearing all that we then taught him the restoration and he loved it. Then when I asked him to commit to baptism he said “yes” again. He is going to get baptized September 21!  I am so blessed that I was able to experience this and that I am able to teach him about the gospel and how much it is going to change his life.

     The next time we met with him we were able to teach 2 of his girls, Atheana and Ariana. They are both 8 and 10. And they both want to get baptized with their dad also! Wow! They are absolutely adorable. I am so lucky to have met them. We taught them about the Plan of Salvation and it went great. Robert read the pamphlet before hand so he was basically teaching his girls with us. He even answered all the questions in the back of the pamphlet. I can't believe how much he wants this and how willing he is to change. 

     Yesterday we took him to church with us and honestly... it was a struggle. He HATED all the crying babies. I felt so bad because that isn't really something that we can fix. But he brought his girls with him and they loved every minute of it. He said that he will come back next time.   I think he is doing it so that he can keep being that great example to his daughters. 

     That is probably the only investigator that I can go into detail today. But we are teaching lots of people and I am loving every minute of it. The only rule that is killing me inside everyday is the fact that I can't hold kids.  All these little African kids are so cute and they always want you to hold them and I can't, I can't hug them or anything. :( It is really hard for me but basically that is my only struggle right now so that is a blessing. 

     I love my mission so much I can't imagine being anywhere else.  I know that I was sent here for a reason. That I personally am going to help change so many peoples lives.  I love that this is going to be my life for the next 18 months!  I love this gospel and I love that I am able to share it with everyone I meet. 

Love Sister Kendra Curtis      

P.S. Look at my FHE just like yours mom! 

Robert and his girls loved it!   SEND ME FHE STUFF!  

These are some other pictures that she emailed.  

Yet, none of her letter went with them so here they are:

(I kind of feel like a detective looking at the time the 

pictures are taken and trying to put all the pieces together)

(It looks like she got to go to the Provo temple on Saturday)

These two have taken a lot of self portraits together.
This is at a meeting Saturday Night.

      So this was taken Monday night and I think that they thought this was the last time that they would see each other. (this is most likely why Kendra is in her Pajamas)

Until we meet in 2015!

What do you know?  Look who was at breakfast Tuesday morning!

This really was their last goodbye.
Sister Elise Curtis (Kendra's cousin) left Tuesday
and is now serving in the Helsinki Finland Mission

This is one last picture of her Zone in Provo
(did she get one of the Elder's to blow a kiss?)

I have no words for this picture

(lunch on Saturday in Minnesota)

Sister Curtis and Sister Ballif

Looks like a bright sunny day in Minnesota