Happy Birthday! "Big Old 20"

Hey Family and Friends! 

     How's it going?  I miss you all so much but I am so happy to be here!  I love Minnesota.  I honestly couldn't imagine being anywhere else.  The Lord really does know where to send you and he has a reason for everything.  I know that is so true.  Everyone says that but I truly feel like I am able to touch so many peoples lives.  I love it!  I love the people so much.  I am honestly really stressed right now because I feel like so much has happened and I have so much to talk about with so little time.  But here I go!

     First of all, I love my family.  I am so grateful for the amazing family that I have been blessed with.  Being out on a mission I have really been able to understand just how blessed I really am.  It almost isn't fair.  I just want my mom and dad to know that I am so grateful for them and the amazing examples that they have been to me throughout my whole life.  I know that without them I could never become the person that I am today.  I am so grateful that I was raised in this gospel and that I have always had it in my life.  I can't imagine going through life without it.  I have been able to use so many family examples to testify of the truth of this gospel and how it has changed my life.  So thank you Mom and Dad.  Thank you for raising me in the church so I can share personal experiences to help strengthen others. 

     First story.  The Brueshabers.  We are meeting with this family the Brueshabers.  The mom Kristy, is already a member but her husband Greg and the rest of her family aren't.  She has been trying to get them to meet with the missionaries but none of them would ever join the discussions and if the did they wouldn't talk.  Lately they have been going through some really tough things.  They are really struggling financially and she is going through some rough depression and has been suicidal.  But she always calls us and wants to have us over to help uplift her.  We have been talking to her a lot about faith, hope and God's will.  Her 17 year old son and husband have been present ever since I have been here.  They are both talking a lot too.  They are at such a low point right now. Sister Ballif and I have really been able to uplift them and help them realize that they need God right now.  It’s amazing to see the changes that they have made.  They are keeping commitments reading their scriptures saying nightly prayers as a couple.  I am so proud of them. 

     We met with them Thursday night, we really felt like we needed to talk to them about fasting.  We know that if they are able to show their faith by doing a family fast it will really bless their family.  I know that fasting works and I have so many experiences to share.  As we were giving that lesson the spirit was so strong and I was able to share an experience that I was able to have with my family.  Its funny because I completely forgot about this experience.  I told them that my dad owns his own Plumbing business and that when he gets the checks back from the jobs that he has done, he puts all the checks into a plain white envelope and writes "Deposit" on it. Then that day my mom will take them to the bank.  But this particular day that envelope was put into the mail by accident.  My mom and dad didn't know what to do because we needed that money.  We needed that money for us and our family and we needed that money so my dad could pay his employees.  My mom and dad then got all of us kids together and told us the situation and told us how serious it was.  They then said that we were going to do a family fast.  That we needed to pray to Heavenly Father and by fasting and having faith that we could find that envelope.  I was about 13 at the time and I remember praying so hard because I knew that if I had faith that Heavenly Father would help us find the envelope.  A couple days later my dad got a phone call from someone at the post office in downtown Salt Lake City, they had found the envelope with all the checks.  We then drove down as a family and picked it up.  As I shared that experience with the Brueshabers the spirit was so strong and I was then able to testify that I know that fasting works.  That when you have that faith and you are able to show it to Heavenly Father that he will help you.  Again I am so grateful that my parents were able to include me in that experience because not only did it strengthen my testimony but now it has strengthened theirs.  They then committed to fast on Fast Sunday and Brother Brueshaber even said that he would come to church and he never does.  I love this gospel and I love seeing it change peoples lives.  I can't even explain how happy I am to be here.

     Second story. The Joloka family. Sister Joloka is an amazingly strong woman. She has 4 kids Timea, Angel, Melek, and Willy. She had a baptismal date back in March but didn't follow through because of her boyfriend.  Her boyfriend Emanuel is horrible.  He treats her absolutely terrible.  He is never home and he has cheated on her with her sister and all kinds of crazy things that I don't need to get into now.  Emanuel put in a 2 week notice that he is going to move out of their apartment and didn't tell her so now she is stuck with trying to find a new place to live.  Since she doesn't have a new apartment she isn't able to get her kids registered for school because she doesn't have an address and she has so much going on and is so stressed. She really has so much on her plate and no support from Emanuel.  We had a lesson with her Friday and we talked to her about God's Will and fasting.  I was able to share the same experience and the spirit was so strong.  I think that my experience is perfect for each of their families because typically people share experiences where they have fasted for someone who is sick.  But with mine they are able to see that they can fast for help with finances also,  and that is what both of these families need.  She also committed to fast and come to church with us.  Then yesterday when we came to get her for church opened the door and she was crying.  She said that she wasn't going to go to church today but that she wanted us to come over later today.  We went back to her house and we asked her what was wrong and if she wanted to talk about it.  She then told us that Emanuel was cheating on her with his manager who called her and was saying all kinds of horrible things to her.  She told us that she is going through so much and that she just didn't know what to do. Even though she didn't come to church with us she was still fasting. She needs help and she knows that God will help her.  She then said that her daughter who is 11 came up to her and said that she was still going to fast with her.  When her daughter said that to her it made her so happy to see the faith that her daughter had and that she was willing to help it meant the world to her. 

Kendra reading the Book of Mormon with Willy.
She asked if I would send her the Book of Mormon
Board Book that she read when she was little.

     Then Sister Joloka flipped open the Book of Mormon and started reading in 2 Nephi 31.  As she read that chapter she knew that she needed to get baptized.  That she needed to set that example for her kids and that she needed to get out of this horrible situation.  I was so happy to see Heavenly Father answered her prayer.  He is so aware of everyone and knows what is best for us.  In that moment my companion and I were both teary eyed. This was exactly what Sister Joloka needed to progress in the gospel.  I know that from here on things are going to get better for her.  We get to meet with her tonight and I am so excited to see her and her kids.  Its funny because out here on your mission you really do fall in love with the people.  I am always thinking about them and I pray for them every chance I can.  I love helping them find this happiness.

     Robert Conway.  I don't have time for that story but it seems like he dropped us.  He started to try and stop smoking.  We bought him some grape juice and orange juice because that is supposed to help and he started doing that.  But then we think he started smoking again and now he feels bad so he won't talk to us anymore.  Honestly it feels like a break up.  We are both so sad and just want him to talk to us.  Hopefully we will get to see him this week some time.

Jasmine's Puppy!

     Last story.  This one has to be fast.  We met this awesome family that lives in the same apartment complex as us.  Her name is Jasmine and his name is Jose.  She really wants to start going to church and taking her family and she is open for anything.  She came to church with us yesterday and absolutely loved it.  She brought her 3 kids and they loved it, also. We are going to keep meeting with them and at the rate she is moving,  I am seeing a baptism in the near future. 

     As for August 30th my Birthday!  It was way weird.  The day before Sister Donley, went joint teaching with us and when the Ice Cream truck drove by she bought me a birthday ice cream.  She is the sweetest lady. 

Sister Donely bought ice cream for all of these kids, she is a sweetheart

     Then when I woke up on my birthday morning. Instead of waking up to the "You are special" plate and a  decorated table, I woke up to nothing.  Sister Ballif couldn't surprise me because I am always with her.  So we hung up my birthday banner together and we made my birthday cake together.  But the Hermanas (Spanish Sisters) did sing me a spanish birthday song. (By the way in my apartment it is me Sister Ballif and two spanish sisters, Sister Andrus and Sister Petersen) 

The Hermanas singing a Spanish Birthday song!

     Then Sister Ballif took me to 50s Grill and bought me a Birthday dinner. What a sweetheart. 

     Then we went out just doing regular missionary work.  

Sister Curtis Knocking on doors on her Birthday!

      I was so excited to come home and open up my birthday package but guess what!  No packages.  The mail didn't come.  But I did get to open the card Megan mailed me a couple days ago and the package that Grandma Curtis (thanks Grandma) mailed me when I first got to Minnesota.  So thanks guys. haha...  I still haven't got anything and today is Labor Day so the mail isn't coming today either.  So maybe I'll get something tomorrow.... I guess this will become a Birthday week.  

Big old 20!

This picture was emailed to us on
Sunday night from a ward member.  

     Now last of all, I have a little challenge for you guys. Read 2 Nephi 2:8.  I love this scripture this is the scripture I read when we eat at members houses.  I want you all to share the importance of the gospel to someone you know.  Make it known to all of the earth!  I love this gospel.  I am so happy that I am going to be doing this everyday for the next 17 months.  I am so happy and I love to make others happy.  This church is true I know it with all my heart.

I love you all so much!

Write me letters :)

Love Sister Kendra Curtis     

"Looks like they got bikes!"

Nice Helmet Sister Curtis!

She wrote :  
"This is what we looked like after riding bikes all day!"