"Check it Out"

Hello Family and Friends!

     Let me start of by saying... mosquito season has started.  Dang.  I don't get bit by mosquitoes usually, my dad knows that.  But here the mosquitoes are terrible.  It is Utah Lake times 10!  What else would you expect from the land of 10,000 lakes!  The funniest part is guess where the only place I get bit is... My feet!  They are so itchy right now.  We had a lesson outside with Sophia.  We drew the Plan of Salvation on the sidewalk with chalk and guess what.  I came home that night with 21 bites on my feet only!  Terrible huh!  So if anyone knows of any magical potions that stops mosquitoes.  Help a Sista out!

Cleaning out Eva's closet

     As for this great work I am doing I guess I will start off with the good news! Eva is getting baptized on Saturday!  June 7th!  Finally!!  I am so excited for her!  I have been teaching her for about 4 months now and it is so exciting to see that she is finally ready.  There is such a huge difference from the time that I first started teaching her when I was in Dinkytown.  She really knows that this is true and she wants it!  This week we were able to meet with her four times.  One of those times we were able to read with her from the For Strength of Youth pamphlet about Dress and Appearance. We were then able to help her go through her clothes and we were able to get rid of all of her clothes that were immodest.  At first I was a little nervous because I didn't know if she would be able to throw them away.  But I was surprised to see just how committed she was and how much she was able to give up.  It made me look back at myself before my mission.  I don't know if I would have been so quick to get rid of things like that.  She recognizes the importance of what she is doing and how after she is baptized she is going to be "taking on the name of Christ."  She is going to be a representative of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  I am so grateful for the great example she is.  Not only to me but to so many of her friends.  I know that this decision she is making is going to make a huge difference in many peoples lives. 

This is when Eva came
out teaching with us!
I love this girl!!

     The best part of it all is aside from meeting with her 4 times this week she also came out teaching with us.  It was in those moments, of her testifying of the truths of the gospel to a complete stranger, that I could really tell that she is finally ready to take this step.  TO BE BAPTIZED!  She really knows the blessings of the gospel and the happiness that it will not only bring her but also others.  She would make an amazing missionary!  We already got her a copy of Preach My Gospel and she is starting to study from it.  I am so grateful that I was able to teach her in Dinkytown and that I was able to continue teaching her here in Edina.  I really do feel so blessed!

This is when we were helping Amie
move.  This is the closest we have
got to getting in the water!

     This week we helped an investigator, Amie move.  She had only 2 weeks to pack up her entire house so she could move to.. Utah!  Awesome huh!  She is bound to get baptized there!  If you meet anyone named Amie who just came from Minnesota invite her to church!  She needs the gospel in her life.  Anyway it was crazy!  We spent a lot of out time this week helping her out.  She was really stressed and overwhelmed.  But was very grateful when we came over.  Sister K and I were able to help her out quite a bit and even put a smile on her face.  She told us that she will never forget us for all the help we gave her.  She also mentioned how grateful she is for the love from the people of our church.  I know she will be able to feel all of that and more in Utah. (Zion!) :)

     Here are a couple names for you to look out for in the future.  Leticia the awesome lady from South Africa.  She really wants to come to church next week with her girls.  We are excited to help her learn more.  Then Napoleon and Marabel, they are from the Philippines, they have the cutest little family.  We were able to have a couple lessons with them.  They are excited to come to church and to feel of the love of the big family that is there.  Since most of their family is still in the Philippines.  I will tell you more about them next week.

Here is another house we helped clean..
SICK! This one reeked!!

     This week we were able to meet with Albert and Heidi a couple times.  This week we were teaching them the Plan of Salvation.  It was really difficult because he gets stuck on the pre-mortal life and spirit world.  It is really hard to teach him because he wants to completely understand something before he can move on.  We were getting a little frustrated with him because we have been trying to teach the Plan of Salvation the past 3 times we have met with him. This last time it started getting very contentious and Bible bashy.  He kept quoting scriptures and telling us to "go check it out."  That we weren't saying what it says in the scriptures and that we need to "go check it out."  To go read the Bible again.  We were running out of things to say and we were getting very frustrated.  He was getting so stuck on the facts and the text that he wasn't letting the spirit teach him at all.  Then all the sudden our joint teacher spoke up and said, "Albert, you keep telling us to "go check it out," in a way that is exactly what we are telling you.  But we aren't telling you to go study for hours on end about the Book of Mormon and all of the cross references in between.  We are telling you to "go check it out" by praying and asking you Heavenly Father if what we share with you is true."  In that moment when he was speaking, I felt the spirit so strong.  I knew that there was nothing we could say to change the situation.  The only thing that could change it was the spirit.  The spirit is the real teacher.  Without it, he will learn nothing.  He needs to go pray for himself. He needs to "check it out" I am so grateful for the members and for the powerful messages they are able to share with our investigators.

     This week I was able to finish reading the Book of Mormon.  I read the challenge that Moroni gives to everyone who reads this book,

     3 “Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

     4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

     5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.”

     When I was done, I wanted to do just that.  I wanted to "go check it out."  I knelt down right there, I prayed and I asked Heavenly Father if all that I had read was true.  I cannot deny the feeling that I felt.  I felt my chest fill up with butterflies!  I felt warmth and I felt the love of God.  That feeling was the Holy Ghost testifying to me of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.  I know that this feeling is what everyone can feel.  We all have access to the love of our Heavenly Father.  He will always be as close as we allow Him to be.  I will never forget this time that I have had to be on my mission to share the love with others and invite them to change their lives.  The gospel makes bad men good and good men better.  How blessed are we!?

     I love you all so very much.  Thanks for the love and support I feel your prayers every day!  Have a great week! Don't forget to read your scriptures and say your prayers! :)

Love Sister Kendra Curtis

     Lake Calhoun with Sister K. and Sister Curtis.  We have so much fun together.  Sister K. even held some random guys fish.  Funny Stuff.  We laugh and have a lot of fun together.  

Exchanges again! Sister Smith, Sister Chapman and Me!

This is a funny drawing that
 Elder Hurst drew in out district meeting

New Minnesota Vikings Stadium! 2016! 

Some call us Pros!