Officially a Missionary!

Hey Family and Friends!

     Can you believe it? I am officially a missionary now! It honestly still hasn't hit me. It kind of feels like EFY when Elise and I went together a couple years ago. We go from class to class learning about the gospel and you feel the spirit so strong. We are even having some of the classes in the same Chapel by the BYU football stadium. The only difference is all the boys aren't trying to get our number!  I love the MTC so much it really is such an amazing experience.

     My first day went great. Right after I said goodbye to my family,  the host Sister I was with took me to the place where I was able to get my name tag, Sister Curtis! The new name that I will be known by for the next 18 months!

     I have an amazing district! In the last couple days we have been able to get really close to each other. There is 9 of us, Sister Simpson, Sister Smith, Sister Hulet, Elder Ford, Elder Marvin, Elder Thomas, Elder Hughes, and Elder Curtis! No we aren't related we already tried to figure it out, he is from St. George and we couldn't find any connection. Everyone in my District is going to Minnesota but Elder Curtis is going to Tusan Arizona. He is on some medication so he had to say at the MTC for another 2 weeks.

     My companion Sister Simpson is amazing! She is from Starvalley Wyoming. I can't even tell you how perfect we are for each other. She is so nice to everyone and is positive about everything. I honestly think that if we were home we would be friends and hang out together. I have such a love for her and I really do care about her. Its funny because you hear everyone say that you need to love your companion and I honestly didn't even have to work on that, I just had an instant love for her when I met her.

     Okay now on to the next day. So right when I met Sister Simpson I told her that my cousin is on this campus and if I saw her that she would have to take a picture for me. Well this morning when my companion and I were walking back from breakfast, I saw her. I found Elise! I started running towards her calling out her name! Then she saw me and was doing the same, except I couldn't understand what she was saying. We ran too each other and gave each other the biggest hug and just started crying! I was so happy to see her. It was such a comfort to know that she is here with me going through the same thing! It was one of the sweetest moments, I have really missed her this summer. I was so HAPPY! Then when we finally stopped crying and pulled away I tried to talk to her. But then I realized that her and her companion were speaking Finnish!! I couldn't believe how good she was!  After playing some charades with her I was able to figure out that she can't speak English until next Thursday. That was also part of the reason that she was crying, because they started that day.  So now we have to wait a whole week before we can really talk to each other. But honestly I don't even care.  I know her so well that I can understand her so easily.  It  would honestly be fine if that was the only time I saw her, but it wasn't.  I see her all the time in the cafeteria. One time my companion and I sat with her at the Finnish table. It was super funny because none of them can speak English but they were trying hard to still be able to communicate with us. It is amazing how well Elise and I can communicate.  I can't wait until next Thursday when I really can talk to her about all this!

     So in our class we were able to have a teaching experience just like it would be out in the field. Our teacher showed us a video about the person that we are going to teach Ian Kyger (he is really just a teacher pretending) but we have never met him before. We found out that he lives with his dad,  is going to the community college, has a strong belief in God and goes to a baptist church. He has heard of the Mormons and Joseph Smith. My companion and I  went and prayed and asked Heavenly Father what it is that He would like us to teach Ian. We felt like we should teach him about the Restoration. So we planned a lesson and were then able to teach it to him. I was so nervous because this was starting to seem real. We were going to go knock on his door and ask him if we could talk to him. He let us in and then we got started. It was amazing how strong the spirit was and how the spirit really did help us to know what to say. We told him about the restoration, we gave him a Book of Mormon and then we were going bring up baptism. When Sister Simpson was talking I was looking through my scriptures trying to find a scripture I had just seen that talked about baptism but all the sudden Sister Simpson stopped talking and looked at me wanting me to say something but honestly I wasn't even listening to what she was saying because I was looking in my scriptures. So I just looked down and read what was highlighted. 

     It was Alma 32:21 "And now as I said concerning faith-faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things, therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen which are true." Then I just bore testimony on that scripture and I told Ian that you don't need to have a perfect knowledge you just need to have faith and we would love to keep meeting with him so that he could gain a better knowledge. 

     That was an amazing experience because I was able to read the perfect scripture even though I wasn't even looking for that one. Right then I knew that I can do this. I can go into peoples houses and teach them about the gospel. I can go to Minnesota and be successful. I can be guided by the spirit and teach people the things that the Lord wants them to be taught.

     I am so grateful for this experience I know that I am here for a reason and that I can do this. I have already grown so much and I feel the spirit in my life. I love the MTC and all that I have learned. I can't wait to apply it all in Minnesota. I know this church is true and I want others to feel that happiness that I feel.

Thanks so much for all the support I don't know how I could do this without it.

I love you all!

Love, Sister Kendra Curtis 

I love you so much and I am out of time but thanks for all you letters everyone! 

Everyone couldn't believe how many I had! You are truly the best.

( I just love this picture of the two companions in their jammies with their name 
tags on this was taken on the first night at 10:02 pm)