"This is my Sacred Grove"

Hello Family and Friends!

     I always think that it is so funny how this first paragraph always turns into a weather update.  And guess what!  This week there was a lot of rain.  It is also the last of the month and at the end of the month we run out of miles (we are only allowed to drive a certain amount every month) so we were actually walking in the worst part of it.  The rain storms here are crazy!  There is so much water.  There is a golf course next to us that now has a huge lake that isn't supposed to be there.  It is really funny.  Those poor golfers.  The day we were out in the rain Eva came out teaching with us.  It was POURING!  We were lucky that we brought umbrellas. 

Last week when it was pouring rain here in Utah, Jonathan said, "shouldn't Kendra be out there dancing around with Chessa or her sisters and having us take a million pictures?"  So when I got all these fun rain
pictures this week in her email it made my heart so happy!!!  I am glad some things don't change!

     As for Eva, she is doing awesome.  I have never seen a recent convert progress as much as she has.  We were able to help her make her make her mormon.org page ( http://www.mormon.org/me/FY26/Eva ) and we were also able to help her sign up for institute classes.  She is taking 2 classes, one about the Book of Mormon and another about the Teachings of the prophets.  Then for our lesson we had her teach us about the restoration.  It was such an amazing and powerful experience.  She taught the lesson like she was a missionary. (She is thinking about whether or not she should serve a mission.)  She did better then most young missionaries would.  She touched every topic and bore an awesome testimony but the highlight of it all was when she was sharing the first vision, the spirit was so strong.  I started tearing up.  I am so grateful for her and for the amazing testimony that she has.  I know that she is going to change the lives of many and I am so grateful for the chance that I have had to know her and to have taught her. 

     We spent some of our service hours taking out Eva's braids.  That was a lot of work.  We still had a lot of fun together.

Sister K and I were glad to finally get a Curtis Plumbing Shirt.

     We were then able to have another lesson with Sophia, the 9 year old.  She is really good at understanding and applying what it is we share with her each week.  This last week we were able to have a lesson about faith.  We asked her what faith was?  She answered faith is to believe in something.  We said very good there is a scripture in the Book of Mormon that shares that plus a little more.  We then read Alma 32:21 

     “And now as I said concerning faith, faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true." 

     I then asked her what are some things that you have faith in that you can't see.  She answered very quickly and said, "Fairies!" Some times she gets a little silly so I gave her a look and I said, "Are fairies real?" She then said. "Yeah!  The Tooth Fairy!" Duh! What was I thinking. "Of course", I said, "I forgot." 

     She then told the funniest story she said, "One time I found a tooth that I lost but that I forgot to put under my pillow.  So that night I put it under there and the tooth fairy didn't come.  I did it the next night and she still didn't come.  I went and told my mom and then she sent the tooth fairy an email so she would know and then she came the next night.  I know that she is real because it couldn’t have been my mom because she doesn't have any money." ....HAHA! 

     Sister K and I were trying so hard not to start laughing.  We just played along and said that that was a perfect example of having faith in something.  She is so cute.  We then were able to read Alma 32 with her and we made a little wheel that showed the process of a seed growing into a tree.  She really liked it.  Then we asked her if she would show her faith and be baptized. She had a couple questions about why you get into the tub with clothes on but after we cleared up that concern she said yes to August 9th, but her mom wasn't as supportive.  She is nervous what the grandma is going to think and say.  So for now our focus is to help the mom come back to church and to recognize the importance of letting her daughter get baptized. We are hoping to find someone that she can relate to who can help her come back and feel comfortable so then she can have the blessings of the gospel back in her life and so Sophia can progress. 

     Guess what happened this week!  It was Sister Kekauoha's Birthday!  She turned 22!  It was such a special day.  She woke up and someone decorated the table for her.  I filled her in about the birthday bunny and I told her that he woke me up.  She was a little sleepy and isn't the biggest fan of pictures but I am pretty sure that it was the best birthday that she ever had!

Happy 22nd Birthday!

"Look at all the Birthday Bunnies"

     I just wanted to really quick talk about our lesson in Relief Society yesterday.  It was the best one I have ever been a part of.  The lady who taught the lesson is a Native American she was less active for most of her life but is a really strong member of the church.  She is constantly sharing the gospel with others everywhere she goes and she truly knows the blessings that come from trusting in the Lord.  The relief society President asked her if she would teach the lesson.  She was very nervous but did the most amazing job.  In her lesson she shared some really personal experiences.  She talked about how there was a time in her life where she had to go to jail and it was really hard for her because while she was in jail she had to leave her two girls with her ex-husband.  It was a really hard time for her but while she was in jail she would read her Book of Mormon every single day and she was always praying to her Heavenly Father.  In jail her testimony grew because at that point she felt completely hopeless.  She knew that she couldn't do anything for her girls all she could do is trust that Heavenly Father would watch over them and protect them.  Then all the sudden a thought came to her head that said, "I will protect them.  They are my children too." 

     She got on her knees right then and thanked him for everything he had done for her.  I was completely blown away by this lesson because this is not your typical Relief Society lesson.  But because of her sincere love for God and for others she was able to get many other women to open up and share some of those stories deep down where their faith has been tested. It was really cool because in that moment I saw these women become strong together.  We all go through different trials and struggles and many times we feel like it is something that we should be ashamed of.  But like this wonderful sister showed, it is not only something that blessed her life but has now blessed the lives of others. 

     We had our last Zone Conference with the Clements.  It was sad because it was the last time but it was so good.  Like I had mentioned, we were focusing a lot on conversion.  To prepare for our discussions we read the talk by Elder Bednar, “Converted unto the Lord”.  I learned so much about the importance of conversion and how it really is a choice if you want to be converted or not.  An Elder shared a comment of what he thought conversion was, a conviction to do the Lord's will.  I thought that was a great definition.  It really is a choice.  It is so much more then just doing what you should be because you have to, but doing something because you understand that it is God's will. President Clements asked the question, "Are you going to give it your all or are you just going to put in the time?"  This question can be asked in many different situations, whether it is me serving a mission or my personal study each morning.  It is up to me what I am going to get out of it so I better give it my all.  In a way that is conversion.  Conversion comes as we are continually repenting, showing our obedience and being diligent.  As we were talking, I was thinking a lot about my life as a missionary but really this will apply to my life afterwards even more so.  We constantly need to be converted, we need to not only know that the gospel is true, but we need to consistently be true to the gospel.  

     Then President Clements called on a couple of missionaries to come up and share their "conversion stories".  As many of these missionaries were sharing their experiences, I was trying to think to myself when I became converted... Looking back, I know I was not prepared to be a missionary.  It was never something that I was planning on.  But when they made the age change and said that girls could now go at 19 instead of 21, I knew that I needed to go.  I knew that I needed to go serve the Lord.  I knew that I needed to be a missionary.  I didn't understand at all what the title actually meant.  That I was literally going to be a representative of Jesus Christ.  I didn't know that I would have my faith tested every single day.  I didn't know that some days I would just want to go home because I was so tired.  I didn't know all of the different ways that a mission could shape and mold me into something that I wasn't quite comfortable becoming.  Change is hard.  But it is something we need to experience to become better.  

     Looking back, my conversion began here in Minnesota.  This is my Sacred Grove.  This is where is all began.  This is where I learned to trust in the Lord.  This is where I began to understand for myself the importance of scripture study.  This is where I gained an unshakeable testimony of my Savior Jesus Christ.  This is where I found the need for prayer.  This is where I began to trust the Lord in every circumstance.  I have gone through many different challenges on my mission, I have seen struggles with my investigators and hardships back home but over all the only thing I can do is trust.  I have to trust that He will take over.  As I do my part, as I am obedient, diligent and making the different changes that I need to, that he will continue to watch over and guide those who I love and care about so much.  Whether they are here in Minnesota or back home, I know that He will watch over them.  I know that this gospel is true.  It is the only way that we can have true happiness.  Never loose hope because in our Savior Jesus Christ, hope will always be there. 

Last Zone Conference with President and Sister Clements

“And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise.”  Moroni 7:41

Love, Sister Kendra Curtis

Elder Fullmer is going home
this transfer and then is going
to Utah State.  Go AGGIES!