"Don't you have cushions on your benches?"

Hello Family and Friends!

     Oh man this week was a great one.  We were able to have zone interviews with our new mission President Forbes and his wife.  It was interesting meeting both of them.  They are from Colorado, they have 4 sons who have all served missions.  They left to the MTC the day after their youngest son got home from his mission.  She is a convert and he was raised in the church.  I can't imagine all that is going through their mind at this time.  They have so much on their plate.  He seems very different from our last mission president, President Clements.  He is very laid back and President Clements was very strict.  I am excited to get to know him better and to see the ideas that he has for the mission.  He has a very different way of looking at things but I think it is going to be really good.  It is going to stretch our minds and make us think in ways that we weren't thinking before. 

     Funny story we were able to go to the Chick Fil A with our Sister Training Leaders and someone bought us shirts!  Best purchase ever! :)

     One day Sister Kekauoha and I were out tracting. We were going door to door then we saw a younger guy (late 20s) who was working/doing construction on a house.  We introduced our selves to him, his name was Dave, then all of the sudden he started being really rude.  He whipped out his cigarettes, started smoking and was swearing a ton.  He was doing everything he could to make us leave, but we don't give up that easy.  We continued talking to him asking him how things were going and if he had ever talked to missionaries before.  He said no and we were able to find out that he was Lutheran but wasn't very active.  We then started telling him a little bit of what we believe.  He still managed to throw in a couple swear words but we were persistent.  

     Then I asked him, "So do you know what makes our church different from all other churches?"  He answered and said, "Don't you have cushions on your benches?" ....We both paused for a minute and then I said. "Yes.  We do. Anything else?"  He didn't have any other smart remarks so we went on and we were able to teach him about the Joseph Smith's story.  It was truly amazing.  As we were sharing the first vision we were able to literally watch his countenances change.  He was sincerely interested in what we were sharing.  We were able to get his number and he told us that he wants to meet again and wants to learn more.  We were so excited.  That was a really neat moment because there were many times where we felt like he wasn't "the type" and that this wouldn't mean anything to him.  When really the message we share is for everyone.  The fact that we continued to teach him even though he was showing us every reason to leave, he was able to hear something that he has never heard before.  We were able to make his day a little brighter.  The only bad part about it is that he doesn't live in our area so we have to pass him off.  But hopefully we will meet him in heaven and we will be able to talk to him about that moment. 

     We were also able to meet with a 15 year old boy named Walter.  Walter is so funny.  He is a really tall kid with black hair, very nerdy, but so sweet.  He was a referral from a couple of months ago.  We were able to stop by his house to see how he was doing.  When he answered the door he told us that he was way too tired to talk to us because he just got back from a Nerd Convention.  Haha.  He told us to come back the next day so we did.  We stopped by and before we were even able to knock on the door he came running out and said "Let's go I can't be in my house anymore.  My dog is driving me crazy!"  He is so funny.  So instead we went on a walk.  We walked all over his neighborhood and we taught him the restoration.  He is a really smart kid.  He was awesome to talk with.  At this point in his life he is really confused.  He doesn't know why there are so many churches.  He feels like there is probably only one right church but he doesn't know how to find it.  He also doesn't like how there are so many churches that are taking away the real meaning of what it means to be a Christian.  Which simply is to love each other.  Everything he was saying was right in line with what we were about to teach him.  When we taught him the restoration.  It all started to make sense.  He felt like he really could pray to Heavenly Father and that he could get an answer.  It was great.  I am so grateful to meet people like him.  Honest truth seekers who just want to know the right way to follow Christ.  We can't wait to meet with him later this week to share more with him.   He started telling us about how he doesn't understand why God would say that we have to be baptized in order to get to heaven when there was and are so many people who never had the chance to get baptized.  Sister K and I just looked at each other and smiled.   We then told him that we have the answer to that.  Next time we will tell him all about the plan that Heavenly Father has for all of us.  He is sooo cool.

     We were able to see Brother Z again.  We were able to have a really good lesson with him about faith.  Why faith is important and what it is.  Then we were able to talk about baptism and the Holy Ghost.  He asked us the question, Why would being a Mormon make my life better then it already is?  We then were able to talk about the gift of the Holy Ghost and how when we are baptized we are able to receive it, the greatest gift Heavenly Father can give us.  We then asked him what was holding him back from being baptized.  He said that he agrees with everything doctrinally but that he just doesn't feel like he has got a specific answer from Heavenly Father.  We then told him that if he was more specific with his prayers that he would get a more specific answer.  We then told him to pray and ask Heavenly Father if he should be baptized on August 30th.  We are excited to meet with him again and see if he got an answer. 

Saying Goodbye to Albert and Heidi

     We then were able to have a lesson with Albert and Heidi.  So I don't even know if I have been writing about them because their lessons are so frustrating.  We go there and we have a lesson all planed out and we aren't able to cover any of it because he asks to many questions.  He is not teachable at all.  We never get anywhere.  The only reason we keep going back is because we know that he is going to be the best Mormon ever.  But this last lesson we had with him was truly the last straw.  We had planned on talking for the first 15 minutes then letting him ask any questions but we couldn't even do that.  All he wants to do is bash us and tell us about his church.  There came a point where we asked him what he believed in and he said the bible.  He is so caught up in the text of it that he doesn't even realize that he should have faith in Christ.  We told him that we weren't going to come see him anymore because it wasn't going anywhere.  We told him that he needed some space and some time to read the Book of Mormon for himself, then we could talk.  We gave him every pamphlet that we own and we told him that we would contact him in a month or 2.  It was one of the best things that we could do for him because some people just need time. There is nothing we can say to change his mind.  We just need to be patient and let the spirit do that. 

     On Sunday we had a bunch of miracles.  Earlier this week we had some long days.  We worked all day long, but we didn't see any success.  So on Sunday morning we were very specific in our prayers.  We asked Heavenly Father to help us reach the goals that we had made.  We specifically asked for help in teaching 3 restoration lessons.  We had a couple hours before church started at one.  We were diligent and we talked to everyone met.  In that time period we were able to teach 3 people.   I was so grateful.  It was exactly what I needed.  I wasn't having the best week.  It is one of the most disappointing things as a missionary when you work so hard but don't get anything done at the same time.  I felt like we were working so hard but we weren't seeing any of our efforts.  This showed me truly how Heavenly Father is aware of us and he will help us in our time of need.

     I love you all.  I am so grateful for the gospel and for the simplicity of it.  I know that as we have faith in our Savior and we keep His commandments, everything will work out!  Have a great week everyone! :)

Love Sister Kendra Curtis

We tried riding a tandem bike to strengthen our unity. Lets just say... 

it wasn't the best. We both have our fair share of bruises.