"Doubt your doubts before you doubt your FAITH"

Hello Family and Friends!

     I am going to start of this week with transfer results!  I am getting transferred!  And so is Sister Callister!  No more English Sisters in the TC YSA ward.  I am so sad.  I don't feel like I am ready to go somewhere else.  There is still so much to be done!  I really wanted to stay in an area for more then 3 months.  Man the Lord must have something else in mind.  I have no idea what is going to happen with all of our investigators and the people that we have met.  I am really nervous that they are going to be lost or forgotten.  One thing I have really grown to know on my mission is the Lord's timing never seems to be the same as mine.  But in the end it all works out.  The biggest challenge for me is being patient enough to see the blessings that come.  Luckily, this isn't my work, it is the Lord's.  There are many different tools that can get the job done.  I know that the amazing people I have met won't be forgotten or lost but they will all get a chance.  At least I was able to help plant the seeds. :) 

Temple Day Lunch!

     As for me I am going to be getting transferred to Edina!  My new companion is Sister Kekauoha.  I have met her of couple times and she is super nice.  She is Polynesian and really happy.  I am excited to serve with her!  Also I will finally be with an older missionary.  It is funny because my last 2 companions were both in the MTC with me.  Now I have the chance to learn some wisdom.  I will tell you more about her next week.  As for the area, I have no idea!  But I do know that they were the missionaries who originally first started teaching Eva.  Maybe I will still be able to teach her and stop by her house.  I don't know but I am super excited!

     We had another lesson with Ashely.  This time we had a lesson with her about the restoration.  We were able to find out that she is lacking a testimony of the restoration.  We had a really good lesson with her about that and we were able to let her watch the Restoration video.  We had a member with us and we talked to Ashley about how the restoration has changed our lives.  Like I have said before the biggest problem with her is that she doesn't have the desire to change. She just likes to learn.  So at this point all we can do is keep giving her things to read because she loves reading from the Book of Mormon.  She is also going to be leaving after finals.  All we can do is plant the seed.

     We weren't able to meet with Eva this week because she had to work a lot but we are planning on seeing her Tuesday.  She has had a lot of contact with the members of the ward.  I know that it is only a matter of time before she comes back.  I am really sad I won't be there for it. 

     We had a really great lesson with the Spanish Sisters and two of their investigators, Joanna and Tannia.  We were able to watch the video, "Because of Him".  They both got really emotional during the video. Their family is going through a lot of hard things right now.  Something has happened and because of it their brother is in jail.  It is amazing to see how strong they both are through all of this.  Joanna is the one who is progressing the most and she has completely turned to God through all of this.  She expressed that she knows that God has a bigger plan for them and it is through the atonement of Jesus Christ that they will be able to get through it all.  I love this gospel.  I love the strength and understanding it gives to us all. 

     This week has been a crazy week because it was Spring Jam.  Finals are coming up so this was the University of Minnesota's last chance to party.  And boy was there a lot of partying!  It started Thursday morning and ended Saturday night.  It was crazy to see everyone and it was kind of hard to talk to people.  They were either on their way to a party or they were already partying.  Like for example we went out to go contacting Saturday morning at 10 am and people were walking around with cases of beer getting ready to #SpringJam.  Every corner we turned there were speakers blaring loud music.  There is even a street called "Frat Row" where there is about 20 frat houses.  I’ll just let you imagine that one.  It was really funny but also kind of sad.  I am so grateful that we don't have to live like that.  It really does just look lame and sound terrible.  We heard so many side conversations about people getting drunk and throwing up all weekend.  I don't know about you but that doesn't sound fun at all.  This was a huge testimony to me of how grateful I am for all of the commandments that we are given because they truly are there to keep us safe and to make us happy! 

     Aside from all the crazy partying we saw we were able to talk to some really awesome people this week. It was a kind of a strange way to sift through those who aren't ready at all.  We met a guy named Ash who is working for a service project to raise money and help people in Ghana.  We were able to share more with him and he is very interested.  We met the sweetest boy from China who doesn't believe in God.  We were able to share Joseph Smith's story with him and he felt the spirit!  He wants to learn more and feel of it more in his life!  We then talked to an older man from Nigeria who works at the U of M.  His faith is amazing!  He has all the same beliefs that we do and he will hopefully be going to church next Sunday.  We talked to a girl Lauren who is on the swim team, also searching.  Even a frat boy who knows some Mormons and sees the happiness that it brings to their lives.  

     I am really going to miss the YSA ward.  I am so grateful that I was able to spend my last Sunday there. It was the Sunday where all of the Seniors came to check it out for the first time and it was also a farewell talk.  A lot of what was talked about was trusting in the Lord and having faith.  This is one of my weaknesses and something that I am really striving to improve on.  Sometimes I am too realistic and in ways I lack faith.  There was an analogy that was shared in sacrament meeting yesterday. 

Thank goodness I was preparing to leave
(I took a few pictures just in case)

     Opposition is like a log and we are the fire.  The log will either smother us or we can light it on fire and turn it into something even brighter!  I loved this and it really put things into perspective for me.  I need to make my faith even brighter.  I can’t let it get smothered by my doubts.  Like President Uchtdorf said, "Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith." I am so grateful that I am in a church where they ask us to do hard things.  It gives us the change to be guided and to grow.  I know I have seen that in the last 9 months.  I have grown so much and I truly have been guided.  It’s all part of the refiner’s fire. 

Sister Missionaries with the Ward Mission Leader!

     I love you all and like always I am out of time!  I am sorry I can't share more!  I can't believe all the changes that are going to happen!  I know that everything happens for a reason and I am so excited to find out what it is! 

Love Sister Kendra Curtis

For our District P-day we went to the St. Paul Cathedral.