The Lamb of God

Dearest Family and Friends!

P-Day Lunch at Eddington's
 missionaries get 50% off

     Hello!  It is so good to email again!  I always love email because it makes me realize just how much happened this week!  And holy cow so much did!  First off weather update!  It got to 70 degrees this week! Whoa!  I was in a short sleeve shirt with no tights!  Spring is almost here!!

     I don't know what you all have heard, but Dinkytown was a crazy place this past weekend!  The University of Minnesota had a couple huge hockey games going on. After the games there were some crazy riots!  Crazy! Like they flipped over a cop car and lighted it on fire crazy!  Ten people were arrested and got kicked out of the University because of it.  The next day they were prepared.  They had cops everywhere!  Cops in cars, cops on bikes, cops in the air, cops on foot, even cops on HORSES!  They were not going to let this happen again!  Now don't worry I was completely safe.  I didn't even know about it.  I was just 3 floors up in my bed listening to the helicopters flying around.  Crazy huh!

On to the work:

     This week we were able to have a lesson with Ashley.  We have been meeting with her for about 2 months.  She is doing fine.  She has been reading everything that we leave her with and continues to meet with us but we just feel she isn't applying what she is learning.  We have feel like she has ever felt or recognized the spirit before.  She always "kills" the moment when we try and point it out, and it is completely unintentional.  We really need to help her to recognize the importance of the gospel and how its not just some interesting topic that she gets to learn about but this is a lifestyle that truly will help her in many different ways. We are going to try to be more visual this week and change up some of our teaching techniques hopefully it will help.

The pretty sights on our way to find a map of the Twin Cities!

St. Paul side of the Mississippi 

     This week Sister Callister and I were able to go to many different college campuses.  We were able to meet lots of different people.  Earlier we went on a hunt for a map of the Twin Cities.  Maps are hard to find it really is a dying art!  After some searching we were able to find one.  This was really helpful because we were then able to circle where all of the close colleges were. 

What?  Auggies???

     Then we went to a couple colleges, one of them was Northwestern University.  This was actually a Christian college which we didn't find out until we started talking to a couple of people.  We were able to have a lot of great discussions with people.  It was very interesting because they knew a lot about the Bible because they are taking different Bible study classes. We were getting ready to go back to our car when all the sudden both Sister Callister and I felt like maybe we should stay a little longer.  We went back to where all the people where and there was one girl who kept standing out to us.  One girl in particular.  We went and approached her while she was sitting on a bench and we started talking to her.  We then asked her what her name was and guess what it was... Kendra!  Whoa!  My face was probably priceless.  I was completely caught off guard but I was able to recover.  We then were able to talk to her a little about the restoration and we don't know exactly what but she is really going through something hard right now.  We didn't talk long but hopefully we will get to see her next week.  I just thought it was amazing how both Sister Callister and I felt that we should go back and that she was the one that we needed to talk to.  The Lord knows what he is doing. 

Officer Bryan

     After that we had a really strange experience.  Long story short.  Sister Callister and I went to get a car wash but mostly to use the free vacuums.  Just as we were finishing up Sister Callister shut her doors and I went to go put something in the trash then a huge gust of wind came and slammed my door shut. .... We had locked our keys in the car.  We didn't have anything with us, our phone, our purses, our planner, nothing.  We had no idea what we should do.  I then remembered that just moments before I saw a cop go into the car wash.  We ran to the end of the car wash and stopped him to see if he could help us.  He then told us that he didn't have the tools to help us but he could get someone there who did. n He then looked at us and said, "Guess what I was reading about today?" He then whipped out The Articles of Faith by Bruce R. McConkie.  What?  He was a Mormon!  He then was able to call Pop-A-Lock for us.  While they were on their way he waited with us for about 35 minutes.  We got to know him a little and then we found out that he was a less active member and that he is really struggling with his faith.  He explained to us that a lot of his doubts come from the work that he does.  It has been really hard for him.  It was really cool because we were able to tell him how his main concern is whether or not the Book of Mormon is true.  Because if it is then everything else is true.  We had a really good discussion with him and we started basically teaching him the restoration.  It was going really well.  But then Officer Bryan had to get going and go do some more officer things, but he was very grateful for what we had shared with him.  We were then able to leave him with a chapter to read and we told him to get in contact with the missionaries where he lives.  He was a really awesome guy and it was cool to see how the Lord placed us in his path.  The Lord works in mysterious ways.  I personally didn't enjoy this way as much. 

     This week we had a Zone Conference.  We always learn so much, I love hearing from the mission president and the other missionaries.  What really stood out to me was the importance of the Book of Mormon.  They talked about how we need to use the Book of Mormon to address concerns that our investigators have.  It really does all come back to the Book of Mormon.  The Book of Mormon is the keystone to our religion.  Without it, we have no religion.  I know that all of this is true!  There is no way that Joseph Smith could have made it all up and then gone through all the terrible things that he did.  He was a prophet of God.  He did translated the book by the power of God. He did see God and Jesus Christ.  He did restore Jesus Christ's church back on the earth.  We know this because the Book of Mormon is true.  To me this shows how much Heavenly Father really does love us.  He wants us to know for ourselves of the truth and the Book of Mormon is the way we can do that!

     Yesterday we got to go to the Lamb of God!  It is an oratorio about the last part of Christ's life all the way up to the resurrection.  It was wonderful.  Ashley was able to come with us and she really loved it.  We have this really good choir called the Mormon Choral, they are amazing and there were a bunch of soloist who also sung in it.  Two of the soloist are in the YSA ward and some of them were in the choir as well.  I cannot explain to you how amazing it was.  The spirit was so strong and the singing was amazing.  Also it was another little reunion for me.  I saw so many people I knew from both my Shingle Creek and Hudson wards!  It reminds me of all the amazing people that I have been able to work with here on my mission.  I truly have made life long friends here!  I love Minnesota with all of my heart!

Sister Pead is such a sweetie.
I love getting Stillwater updates.

Brother Brueshaber was ushering!

     I just want to let you all know that I love you!  I love Minnesota!  I love the people I get to serve and are serving with.  I am reminded constantly that I am exactly where I need to be!

Love, Sister Kendra Curtis

It's Gnome Time!