We are the Funniest Group of Friends!

Dearest Family and Friends!

     I am just going to dive into this week because I was terrible at managing my time well on the computer this week.  I get distracted very easy.  Sorry if this email isn't as good as pervious ones.  I love taking pictures when we are driving!  What else is there to do.  

     I will start off with one of my favorite people.  Eva!  She is getting baptized on June 7th!  Can you believe it! That is so soon!  We are so excited for her.  She is so ready to be baptized.  I have been teaching her for about 4 months now and it is amazing to see the different changes that she has made.  She really wants to be baptized and she understands how it will help her life.  We had a really cool opportunity of having her come out with us to talk to some people.  She would make an amazing missionary!  She was testifying of the Book of Mormon to strangers, telling them how it will bless their lives if they stop drinking.  It was awesome.  In that moment I knew that this was finally her time.  

When Eva came and did some missionary work with us.

    

     Last Friday we had a Pizza party!  Eva, Rachel, Sister Kekaouha and I!  It was so much fun!  We are the funniest group of friends you will ever meet.  That's one things I love so much, these people I have met really are my friends.  I am never going to forget all the amazing people I have met in the past 9 almost 10 months!  They have  changed me so much and helped me to have a completely different outlook on life.  We also had a great lesson with the YSA Elders.  They came to have a lesson with us so they could get to know her better.  We talked about the commandments and we went over some of the topics in the For Strength of Youth pamphlet.  Her faith and her desire to do what it right is so strong.  She is going to be such a great example to so many people.  She has already been that to me. :)

     As I have mentioned before we are meeting with a really awesome couple Albert and Heidi.  We got to meet with them this week and we brought an amazing couple with us.  The Jakeman's, they are the cutest couple in the world!  They are everything I want to be when I get married!  They are only here for the summer, he has an internship for General Mills for the summer.  But I don't care I am so glad that they are here!  In our lesson we had planned on teaching about the Plan of Salvation.  Then we asked them what they thought of what they read and that is what we talked about for the next hour.  They want to know everything.  It was great to have the members there to help answer some of their questions.  The Jakeman’s  invited Albert and Heidi to church.  Albert and Heidi told them no because they already had plans.  But we didn't give up!  Our mission has really been focusing on "selling church."  Talking it up and making them have a desire to come.  That is exactly what we did and we told them how great it would be for them to come to church and to feel of the spirit that is there.  They still wouldn't commit but they said they probably could next week!  But then yesterday when we were sitting in sacrament guess who walked in the door!  ALBERT AND HEIDI!  We couldn't believe it!  They came!  They couldn't stay the whole time because Heidi had work but THEY CAME!  And they came completely on their own!  We are excited to see what they thought of church!  We know that the Lord blessed us because we continued to be persistent!  We are planning on setting a baptismal date with them this week.  I will let you know how it goes!

Look a bunny!

Exchanges with the STLS (Sister Training Leaders)

     This week we had exchanges with our Sister Training Leaders.  Sister Kekauoha was with Sister Edstrom and I was with Sister Chapman.  It was great!  I love exchanges because it gives me the chance to see how other missionaries work and I always learn so much.  

     Sister Chapman was in the MTC with me.  We have been saying since day one that we want to be companions.  We finally got to go on a one day exchange.  It was great!  Everyone in the mission calls Sister Chapman my mission twin. They think we look alike!

This is at Wonderful's house.  She even braided our hair.

Sister Chapman and Sister Curtis

     Okay get ready for this story you are all going to die!  Remember a couple weeks ago how we went and cleaned that nasty house?  She is a less active part member family.  She has a 9 year old daughter who isn't baptized. Recap, we threw a bunch of stuff away because it was old, expired and it needed to be in the garbage.  We then tried stopping by their house two other times and they didn't answer.  Earlier this week we stopped by with the Relief Society President and they were home.  We were able to set up a time to come back and see them later this week.  We saw them and taught her daughter, Sophia the Restoration and we invited her to be baptized.  Sophia said, "Maybe, if you don't throw away stuff we need." .....We were like What?  Then the mom was like, "Yeah, you guys threw away about 20 things that we needed when you cleaned our kitchen and I had to go out into the trash and look for it and I'm still looking through it to make sure we have everything."  That was 2 weeks ago!  She has 2 week old garbage sitting in her house.  No wonder she wouldn't invite us in!  We apologized and told Sister Lambrecht that she should have told us that we did that and we would have come back and help her look for the stuff we threw away.  Then, the best part Sophia then said, "See Mom, we should have just asked them for help and not hid from them two times."  It took everything in us to not laugh at all of this.  We apologized and we were able to set up a time to come and see them this week so hopefully they don't hide from us again.  Then on Sunday we found out that she gets offended easily!  Oh man!  I am never cleaning a house like that again!  Terrible idea.

     As for me, I have really been focusing of gratitude.  I know that as we are grateful for everything we are given and as we look for the good in different situations we are in, things don’t seem as bad.  One example, I am really grateful for this ward.  The members and the leaders are wonderful.  They are so involved in missionary work.  Our bishop and ward mission leader especially.  I know that with leaders like them it really will help hasten the work in this area.  I am so grateful to be here to learn from them and their examples.

This picture is a tradition. Every missionary who has lived
in our apartment has posted a picture like this on our
fridge.  The Elders and by some lame graffiti wall and the sisters by this cute landscape with sheep! They write their
name and how long they have served here.

     That's all I have time for this week!  I love you all so much!  Thanks for everything!

Love, Sister Kendra Curtis

This is a picture sister K and I framed to bring Unity into our home! haha

Braiding hair and Sharing the Gospel

Hello family and friends! 

     I love you all so very much!  This week has been such a great week.  Sister Kekauoha and I have seen so many miracles this week.  We have been working so hard and we have been able to meet a ton on amazing people in the process.

Desirae's children!

     This week we were able to see Eva a couple of times.  She is great!  She is still working towards getting baptized on June 7th we are so excited for her.  This week we had a great lesson we were able to talk about the plans all they way up to her baptism then we talked a little bit about her receiving the Holy Ghost.  We read with her 2 Nephi 32, in verse 8 it says, 

" And now, my beloved brethren, I perceive that ye ponder still in your hearts; and it grieveth me that I must speak concerning this thing. For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray, ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray." 

     All the sudden she looked at us and said.  I will be praying then I don't want to follow the evil spirits.  She has really been able to see the importance of the scriptures and how it really will help guide her.  

     We had another lesson with her and it was really funny. We were able to bring a member with us her name is Wonderful.  She is from Liberia and she was recently baptized last year.  She is amazing!  When we got to Eva's house we realized that she double booked herself.  She was suppose to meet with us and she was suppose to finish braiding someones hair.  Wonderful braids hair for a living so she jumped up and started helping Eva braid her friends hair.  All the sudden Sister K and I were teaching them while there was a bunch of braiding going on.  It was a really funny lesson then all the sudden Eva's friend Pinky, a non member told Eva to stop because wonderful was doing a better job and that she should sit down and listen.  It ended up being a really great lesson.  Wonderful is awesome she bore such an amazing testimony of the gospel even while braiding someones hair!  Eva was able to go to church this week.  We are excited for her it is finally her time to take these steps!

     We then were able to see Leticia a couple times this week.  She is the one from South Africa with 2 little girls.  They are so cute.  The same day when Wonderful was with us we were able to go stop by her house and see how she was doing.  She wasn't very happy and she was very overwhelmed.  We then found out that her sister who is still in Africa had just passed away after giving birth to a baby girl.  It was very hard on her.  We asked her if we could say a prayer with her and share a scripture with her.  She said yes and that there is always time for God.  We were able to share a scripture with her then Wonderful bore her testimony of how this gospel has changed her life.  It was amazing to see the light that came into Leticia's eyes as Wonderful spoke of the truths of this gospel.  Leticia then expressed how she wanted to come to church but she can't because she has to work on Sunday.  All the sudden Wonderful whipped out her finger and said, "You aren't suppose to work on Sundays!"  It was so funny Leticia told us that she will try to make it next Sunday.  Hopefully we will see her at church this week.  I know that in hard times like the ones she is experiencing all she needs is the gospel and it will bring her so much peace and happiness.

Cleaning another cat house!  This kind of service makes me so sneezy.

     One day we were out tracting and we knocked into a man named Albert.  He invited us in and he was so excited to have a discussion with us.  He told us "I have never had anyone knock on my door before."  He is from Kenya and Heidi, his wife, is from Northern Minnesota.  They have been married for 2 months and are probably in their late 20s.  They are both 7th day Adventist.  We were able to meet with them twice this week, we were able to talk about the restoration and the Book of Mormon.  Heidi seems more hesitant but Albert loves it.  He has such a pure and sincere desire to learn more! They were able to come to the President's Fireside last night.  They left before we were able to talk to them about it but we got a text from him later that night.  It said, "Not a problem Sister Curtis & Sister Kekauoha, thank you for inviting us over, I felt quite at home with the church family.  Looking forward to study again soon." Yay!  We are so excited to meet with them again and help them learn more! 

Jalisa

     This week we had a lesson with Jalisa.  She has a date set for June 14th.  We are excited for her to take this step and we know that it will bring a lot of happiness to her life.  Earlier this week we went to go meet with her and she was holding something back from us and we weren't sure what but we continued to teach her.  Then Sister K was inspired to read 1 Nephi 7:17-18

"But it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, according to my faith which is in thee, wilt thou deliver me from the hands of my brethren; yea, even give me strength that I may burst these bands with which I am bound. 

And it came to pass that when I had said these words, behold, the bands were loosed from off my hands and feet, and I stood before my brethren, and I spake unto them again."

     This verse talks a lot about the power of the atonement and how with the help of the Lord he will give us the strength to do hard things.  As Sister K was sharing this with her I looked down a couple verses and verse 21 stood out to me.

"And it came to pass that I did frankly forgive them all that they had done, and I did exhort them that they would pray unto the Lord their God for forgiveness. And it came to pass that they did so. And after they had done praying unto the Lord we did again travel on our journey towards the tent of our father."

     We then talked about forgiveness a little then asked some inspiring question then all the sudden she started opening up to us.  We were able to find the source of her problems and most of it came from recently breaking up with her boyfriend.  In that moment we told her again that the Lord can give her strength and that in Him everything is possible.  We then told her about priesthood blessings and how blessings can help us.  They can give us comfort and guidance and it comes straight from God.  We were then able to get her a blessing the next day from the YSA Elders and a member of the YSA ward.  It was awesome.  We also were able to talk to her about the Holy Ghost and how it is the greatest gift Heavenly Father has given us.  She was able to go to the YSA ward and she was able to come to the fireside.  We are really excited for her. :)

On our way to the Presidents Fireside!

     What has really been standing out to me this week is the Holy Ghost.  I am so grateful for this amazing gift that we have.  We are able to have the constant companionship that is there to comfort us, to strengthen us, to warn us, and to guide us.  I know that this is the thing that continues to help everyone after we are baptized and I am so happy to share that truth with others.

Sister K. is the best!

I love you all so much! Have a great week! 

Love, Sister Kendra Curtis

My TC YSA Sisters

Flash Back to Stillwater! 

Byron told me he is still reading the Book of Mormon 

and Delores told me that he is still being a Stinker! 
Aggghh!  Exactly how I left them :)

For Strength of Youth

Hello Everybody!

     Happy Mother's Day!  I just want to start of with a little shout out to my family!  I love you guys so much! Yesterday was so wonderful!  I am so grateful that I was able to talk to you!  You all look great!  I can't believe I only get to Skype you one more time before I come home.  Holy Cow!  Time goes by way too fast!  It seems like just yesterday I was saying goodbye to you in Provo.  Look at me know!  And even weirder!  I hit my halfway mark!  I reached 9 months!  Whoa! 

Talking to the Family - minus Jake

All 3 of us it our 9 month mark! Elder Cole and Sister Chapman

     This week has been great!  I love my new area and even more I love Sister Kekauoha!  She is my other half!  We have way to much fun together and the best part is that we have been able to see a lot of success.  We have been able to have a lot of awesome lessons with a lot of awesome people.

     We were able to have a lesson with a woman named Jenny.  She has been meeting with missionaries off and on for over 30 years.  She was preparing to get baptized next week.  We had an awesome lesson with her.  We talked a lot about trusting in God and turning to him in the hard times.  Her problem is that she has a lot of family opposition and a lot of family drama going on.  When things get hard she tends to put church at the bottom of her priorities when clearly it should be at the top.  We were able to go over all of the baptismal interview questions and she was ready.  We were ready to have her interview but, then an hour before the interview she called us and told us that she doesn't want to do this anymore.  That she is to busy and is too overwhelmed at the moment.  It was sad but it is what she needed.  Sister Kekauoha has been teaching her for the last 5 months and she really does just need some time to think about it.  It is really sad to watch people who are so close to being happy but then they literally just let it slip through their fingers. 

     We were able to have a lesson with a girl names Jalisa.  She is 21 years old and she has been struggling a lot emotionally she told her sister to call the missionaries so we could go visit her in the hospital and say a prayer with her.  We went to her hospital room and we were able to have a great lesson with her.  We started off with telling her about how she is a daughter of God and how He loves her so very much and how He is always there for us.  We then were able to teach her the restoration.  The spirit was so strong and especially as Sister Kekauoha shared the First Vision.  I then asked Jalisa how she felt.  She was quiet as she looked at the picture then she looked up at us smiling and said I have seen them before.  She then told us about a dream that she had and how she saw God and Jesus Christ.  They looked exactly how it showed them in the pamphlet.  They told her that they loved her and that they had great things planned for her.  It was amazing to watch the light come into her eyes.  We were able to give her a Book of Mormon and she was able to read from it the whole time she was in the hospital.  She came back home later that week and told us how happy she feels as she reads.  Our next step it to get her to come to church.  I think she should go to the YSA ward but we will see what will be best for her. 

     We were able to meet with Eva again.  As I mentioned before we have been working with the YSA Elders to help with getting a joint teacher to come out and teach with us.  We had an awesome lesson with a member named Kyle.  He was less active when I first got to the YSA ward and now he is coming to church every chance he can and he is always willing to come out with the missionaries.  We focused our lesson on what sets our church apart from all other churches, the priesthood and the Book of Mormon.  We watched an awesome Mormon Message called Testimony of the Book of Mormon. https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2010-03-08-testimony-of-the-book-of-mormon?lang=en g  It was such a powerful lesson, the spirit was so strong and Kyle's testimony was so powerful.  We are now having her pray about 3 different days to know when she should get baptized.  We are excited to see her this week and see which day she decides on.

     Senait is an awesome woman from Ethiopia.  She invited us in and fed us some African food.  I don't know if I have told you this yet but I do not like African food.  It is too spicy and sour.  But mom, you would be so proud.  I am not as picky now and I am good at eating stuff I don't like.  We were able to teach her the restoration.  We then went back a different day and we told her more about the Book of Mormon.  It was fun because her 3 kids were there and they loved us.  We gave them all their own Book of Mormons and we gave then all some little pass along cards with pictures of Jesus on them.  They are planning on coming to church this week.  They kids are really excited and the mom is happy to see her kids so happy about it. 

Letisha's cute girls!

     Letishia is this awesome women from South Africa. We were able to stop by her house a couple times and share some short messages with her.  Every time we have stopped by she has been on her way out but she is always willing to make a little time for God.  I wish more people would do that.  Her little girls are adorable.  Hopefully she will be able to come to church with us this week.  She reminds me a lot of all of the people from Shingle Creek.  Very spiritual and faithful but don’t have the time to meet.  It will take her a while to progress but she is totally willing. 

Our Apartment!

     Last week we met a guy named Rylee, he is African American.  We weren't able to teach him a restoration because he didn't have a lot of time but he was able to share with us a little about his family and his kids.  We then were able to introduce him briefly to the For Strength of Youth pamphlet.  He loved it and he invited us back over to share more with his family.  This week we were able to do that.  We meet his wife Michelle and his son Josh.  We had a lesson all about the For Strength of Youth pamphlet and how it has personally blessed our lives.  We then invited the son to pick a section from the pamphlet to read together.  He chose Entertainment and Media.  It went very well and the mom loved what we were sharing with her family.  It was powerful when we were able to bear our testimonies about how this book helped us in our "youth" and how it gave us those good guide lines that we could follow to keep us safe and protected from all of the different temptations of the world.  We gave them 3 more copies so they can give it to their other 3 children.  We have an appointment set up for tomorrow and we are excited to share more with them and their family.  They should be coming to church next week! We are excited to see what happens with this great family!

     One thing I have really enjoyed about this area is that we have been able to work with a lot of less active people.  We didn't do any of this in my last area because the Husted's were the ones who did all of the less active work.  There is one less active lady that I wanted to mention today.  She is awesome her name is Jody.  She hasn't been active for many years.  She has been angry with God for a really long time.  She has a really sad story.  Every time she tries to get back up something knocks her down and she was sick of it.  She cut off everything.  She was a very angry and bitter person.  But then her nephew went on a mission to Provo, Utah.  Before he left he made her promise him that while he was gone that she would help his little brother read the scriptures and that she would go to church once a month.  She has been doing it but in the process has still been very mad.  Then one day she was in fast and testimony meeting and a senior missionary got up and bore his last testimony before he was going to return home and during his testimony all of the hate that was in her heart left.  It was gone.  She knew that she was a child of God and that He loved her no matter what she felt about Him.  Now we get to meet with her and teach her the lessons over again.  She is amazing and so willing to change.  I love this gospel and I love how no matter what we have done of what we have felt we can always have a clean slate and a fresh start.  I know that this church is true and I am so grateful to share that with people each and everyday!

I love you all and I hope you have a great week! 

Love, Sister Kendra Curtis

Sharing the gospel together!

A place a member took us to eat.

A good time at Taco Bell!

Hello Edina!

Hello Family and Friends! 

     As you all know transfers were this week!  We had to pack everything up so we would be ready to move out by Wednesday.  I hate packing so much!  It takes me forever to pack for a 3 day trip it is even worse having to pack up everything I own!

Last lesson with Ashley

     We had our last lesson with Ashley this week. Jordan was able to join us, a member in the ward who just left for the MTC on Wednesday.  He is going to Taiwan.  It was a good lesson.  We were able to all bear our testimonies to her.  It was really powerful because it was the last time that she was going to see all of us since we were all leaving.  Hopefully she will continue to read from the Book of Mormon and continue to feel the good feeling that she feels when she is with us.  The Elders are going to start teaching her and then she is going back home in a couple weeks after the semester.

     Tuesday was a crazy day!  So remember how we got a flat tire last week right before we went to go email. Well we had to go get it fixed and guess what it wasn't a pen!  It was an electronic hooka!  Only in Dinkytown! So Sister Callister and I spent the majority of our day at a tire shop trying to get our tire fixed.  It was terrible. 

Eva

     Then afterwards we were able to go and see Eva one last time before we left.  It went really well.  We were able to show her the video "Because of Him".   She loved it she said that her favorite part was how it showed that we all get to live again.  I love watching this video with investigators because the spirit is always so strong and it helps them see the importance of Christ.  It was another really good last lesson with her.  I always hate last lessons because it is so sad to think you might never get to teach them again but the spirit is so strong because you are doing all you can to help them feel of the importance of the message that we share.  I love Eva!  It truly is only a matter of time before she gets baptized!  Guess what she even asked us!  So when is the next baptism thing? WHAT!  Yes!  I can't wait for her to finally take the steps that she needs in order to feel of the happiness and peace that comes from this gospel!

     Then we went back to the Institute and we were able to talk to the Elder who will be taking over all of the people that we will be leaving.  We were able to write a list of all of the people that he needs to meet with.  It was comforting to know that they won't be lost or forgotten.  Then the best news of all!  We decided that it would be best if I continued teaching Eva in Edina.  She already knows both Sister Kekauoha and I so it will be better for her to continue with her progression!  YAY!  I was so happy when I heard this!  I get to still teach Eva!

     Then we were able to have a lesson with Dona and Tyekeela!  They both are so awesome!  We showed them both "Because of Him" and again we were able to bear our testimonies to them.  It was really good because they got to hear why this gospel is important to us and how it has changed our lives.  I really do know that this church is true and it is all Because of Him! They are going to continue meeting with the missionaries when we leave.  We are excited for both of them to continue learning more.  They both have very little if any belief in God.  This was a perfect lesson for them. 

 Elder and Sister Soelberg

Sister Simpson

Sister Callister

     

The Husted's!

     Then it was a lot of goodbyes.  I hate goodbyes!  I have grown to love this ward so much!  YSA wards really are the best!  I  am going to miss everyone so very much.  They aren't just members of the ward but they are my friends that I have grown so very close to. I am already planning on coming back and seeing them again. 

Tyekeela

I will miss all of them.  These two are getting baptized in June!

Christina

Karem gave us some cute going away 

gifts! I am going to miss her so much!

Naye!

    









    

     The hardest goodbyes for me was saying goodbye to the Chinese sisters!  I love them truly like sisters!  It was really fun because the morning of transfers we were able to go with them on one last bike ride.  We went to go see all of the famous landmarks of the University of Minnesota and Dinkytown.  It was a great way to say goodbye to this great area which I have grown to love so very much!  Hey maybe I will come to the U of M when I get back from my mission!  Just kidding!  UTAH STATE!   AGGIES ALL THE WAY! 

Our last bike ride on campus!

Goodbye University of Minnesota!

     Finally!  My new area!  I don't have much time so I will do all I can to sum this up...

Sister Curtis and Sister Kekauoha

     I LOVE IT HERE!  My new companion is Sister Kekauoha!  She is Hawaiian and Japanese, but is from California.  She is so much fun.  She is 21 and she went to 3 years at BYU before her mission.  She is almost done with her mission, she goes home in 3 months!  I can just tell you right now that this is probably going to be the best transfer (hopefully 2 transfers) of my mission!  We get along so well and we have way to much fun together.  And even better then that we teach very well together.  On day one we were teaching lessons like we have known each other for a while.  I am so excited to be her companion!

     My new area is pretty nice.  There is, like all of Minnesota, a lot of diversity.  It is so exciting to be back knocking doors.  I didn't realize how much I missed it!

     We were able to have a lesson with Eva in my new area and it was so great!  We are working with the YSA Elders on her progress but things are going a lot better.  We are able to see her more then we did in Dinkytown because we are closer.  We had a lesson with her and Rachel and it went really well.  She was able to go to church this week at the YSA ward, the CES fireside at the institute and she is working towards baptism.  We told her to pray about what day she should be baptized.  We are so excited to help her along.  I am so very grateful to continue teaching her!

     Last thing!  Sister Kekauoha and I did some nasty service this week!  We went and cleaned a less active members house.  Sick!  It was the grossest thing I have ever done!  There was trash, food, cat hair, and so much more everywhere!  And there are only 2 people living in the house! Ewwww!  We were able to make a huge dent in her house and she was so very grateful.  Oh my goodness!  It was so gross.  I literally started gagging at one point.  But hey, I am glad we could help her.

This was so hard to clean...

Look all clean!

Here are my old shoes I decided
it was time to throw them away.

     Overall though, I am so happy to be here!  I know great things are going to be happening here I just know it! :)

Okay that is all I have time for today!  I love you all.  I hope you have a great week!  Thanks for everything!

Love Sister Kendra Curtis