Shutting Down Minnesota!

Hello My Most Favorite Family and Friends.

     As you might have heard we have to email our families today because we won't be able to on Monday.   Now I'm not able to read the news or look at the weather but from what I have been able to understand the governor is basically SHUTTING DOWN Minnesota!  On Monday it is going to be -60 windchill!!!  So we are not allowed to go outside at all.  I am really grateful that we have the opportunity to email today!  What a blessing!

     So I only have a little bit of time but let me try and tell you about this week so far. 

     On Christmas Eve, as a mission, we started reading from the Book of Mormon at the very beginning.  We are supposed to read 6 pages a day.  I have really enjoyed reading from the beginning.  Today we are all supposed to be on page 72.  At first I didn't really want to start from the beginning because I liked where I was at in my reading and I didn't want to start all over.  But as I have been doing this I have seen many blessing from it.  I have been able to get different insights for different investigators that I wouldn't have if I stayed where I was.  I really do love those first stories where it talks about Nephi and his brothers going back to Jerluseum to get the plates.  It amazes me how much faith Nephi has.  How I can become as Nephi in both my faith and my obedience?  We also have a couple investigators who we have asked to start reading from the beginning and it has been good to be on the same page as them.  But as I have been reading it has been amazing to me to see how much I am able to get out of it every single time I read.  I know without a doubt that the Book of Mormon is true and I love being able to share this with everyone I can.  This book truly can change lives.  I have already seen this happen. 

     Well, as for New Year's Eve we were able to have an awesome dinner with some of the Elders at a members home.  The members actually live really far away.  They are about 45 minutes away from Stillwater.  To save our miles they were able to meet us at the church and then drive us there.  It was a really fun dinner.  They are from Norway and they both have very thick accents.  I just love all the amazing people that I am able to meet on my mission and they truly are from all over the world!

     As for New Year's Day Sister Pead and I spoiled ourselves with some sparkling cider.  Yum!

     We were also able to see Phillip I. a couple times this week.  I have probably said this before but I love him.  He is the happiest African you will ever meet.  He has every reason not to meet with us and he is so busy but he will stop everything to talk about God.  We were able to have a lesson about the Book of Mormon with him and we were able to read 1 Nephi chapter 17 with him.  It talks a lot about faith and obedience.  It was a really good lesson that we were able to apply to his life.  I really like in that chapter how it talks about the story with Moses when all the people were getting bitten by the snakes and to be healed all they had to do was to look to staff.  That was it.  But because of the simpleness and the easiness of it there were many people who didn't think it would work and who didn't have the faith.  That is something we all need to work on, faith.  It is something that we constantly need to be developing.  Like the muscle in your arm.  If you don't use it, it will become weak.  And the only way to strengthen it is to exercise it.  We are excited to finally get him to church this Sunday so he can feel of the spirit that is there.

     Today was Delores L's baptism!  It was such a wonderful experience and the spirit was so strong.  She is amazing and has been ready for this baptism for quite some time.  What a blessing to watch someone take this important step.  To be able to progress more in the gospel and begin this amazing journey.  And that is exactly what it is, a journey.  It isn't so much a destination, but it is a way of travel.  It isn't over once you are baptized but that is where it all starts.  We are so excited for Delores and we are hoping that Bryon won't be too far behind.  It was truly a wonderful day.

     I wanted to share one last experience with you.  In one of the lessons we had with Delores and Bryon L we were able to watch a fun Mormon Message with them.

 

Sister Pead, Delores, Byron, Sister Curtis

"Your Potential, Your Privileges." 

http://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2013-01-001-your-potential-your-privileges?lang=eng  This video has a cute little story about a little man who was living way below his privileges.  We have this amazing privilege, the gospel.  Yet so many people aren't using it.   We need to not limit ourselves to the "beans and crackers" in our lives but we need to live life to its fullest.  We are able to do that with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Share that Privilege with those who don't know what they are missing out on.  If only someone would have warned the little man what he was missing out on, he would have changed his ways a lot sooner!  But he didn't find out until the end, when it was too late.  So start today!  Tell someone what they are missing out on.  I know that it will not only bless their lives but it will bless yours as well. 

I hope you all have a great week and stay warm! 

That's what I'll be trying to do!!  

I love each and everyone of you.

Love,

Sister Kendra Curtis

Sister Pead, Delores, and Sister Curtis on Delores Baptism Day