Off to Apple Valley!

Dear Family and Friends!

     Holy Cow!  I just got transferred!  I wasn't expecting that.  I am going to Apple Valley and I am white washing with Sister McCullin.  I don't know her very well but I am excited for a change.  Man transfers are always so hard because I have to say good bye to so many people.  I have really grown to love this ward.  I have stayed in this area longer then any other.  I am really going to miss it but I am excited to go to Apple Valley.  Sister Noe is going to do awesome and is going to do great things for the area! 

Wonderful and her girls!

     We had a really fun Zone P-day last Monday.  For the first time on my mission we were able to get together as a zone and hang out together!  We went to Martin Luther King Park.  We played volleyball, soccer, and football!  It was really fun!  I loved the chance we had to just get together and have fun!  It was fun to be with the other sisters as well. :)

     To start off we were able to have a lesson with Desirae and her kids.  We promised them that we would start doing Family Home Evening with them.  They were so excited.  We even were able to make them a Family Home Evening chart so that each of them would have their own responsibility.  But before we went to the lesson we went over the the Wortley's house and had dinner with them. We were really excited because they have 2 cute little boys Liam (3) and Alex (2), then whole family was going to come with us to teach.  But then all the sudden Alex started acting really ornery and sad.  Then all the sudden he threw up!  Poor kid.  So then Alex couldn't come out with us and neither could Brother Wortley but Sister Wortley still came with us with Liam.  Before we left Sister Wortley look at Liam and said, "Liam do you feel sick? How is your tummy?"  

     He looked at us very happy and said, " My tummy is good I don't feel sick.  I want to go with you and the missionaries."  He sounded convincing so we started driving over there.  We then started talking about the lesson.  Then all the sudden Liam said in a very sad voice, "Ummm... I don't think my tummy is feeling very good.." 

     Oh no!  And we drove together so we couldn't split up.  We felt so bad.  We got to their house and we said a prayer that Liam would be okay.  Then we went to have FHE.  We had a lesson with them about keeping the Sabbath day holy.  It was really fun.  We had the lesson with ice cream Sundays where you have good things to put on it and bad things to put on it.  Good things being: chocolate syrup, caramel, chocolate chips, nuts, brownies.  Bad thing being: salsa, hot sauce, mustard, soy sauce, and an egg!  The kids loved it!  It was very visual for them they will never forget putting salsa on ice cream.  But it was sad because before we said the opening prayer Liam ran to the bathroom, threw up, and then crashed on their bathroom floor. Poor kid.  His first attempt at missionary work wasn't very successful. :( But hopefully we will be able to come out again and get a redo.  But beside that it went really well.

     Then later in the week Sister Noe and Sister Chapman were able to visit with her alone while they were on exchanges.  From what I understand the lesson went really well.  They were able to get her to open up a lot and she was able to bring up concerns and problems that we didn't know about.  There are a lot of problems going on in her marriage and she is scared of baptism because she is scared to change.  But she sees the good in the church and she wants it for her kids. Now our biggest challenge with her is going to be to get her to see how it can bless her life also.  How she can be healed and how the guilt and shame can be removed through the love of our Savior.  Hopefully we will be able to have more lessons with her on her own so she can be able to address her concerns without the kids there.

     This week Sister Noe and I were able to go to the temple.  It was great as always.  This was a really fun experience because this was Sister Noe's first time going to the temple as a missionary!  She hasn't been in over a year because she has always been out of the temple boundaries.  I am so blessed for the chance that I have had to go to the temple as much as I have.  It really makes me appreciate all the times I have gone.  I truly know that we can be strengthened in so many ways as we go and do the work for others who are waiting.

I am so thankful for the temple!

We love Sister Haggen!

     I really enjoyed the exchange that I went on with week with Sister Schwartz in Bloomington.  She is an amazing missionary.  Every time I am with her I learn so much.  We were able to have a lesson with their investigator named Alexandria.  She is a 13 year old girl who is going through a lot in her life.  She was, at the beginning, a little closed off.  But as we had our lesson about the Plan of Salvation she really opened up.  She was able to ask some questions and share with us some very personal things.  What has been standing out to me lately is the importance of teaching eternal truths. As we teach the basics and the doctrine of Jesus Christ then people are able to feel the love of their Heavenly Father, then they are able to feel the grace of the Savior, then they can be healed.  I know that the message we share can change peoples lives.  That these truths that we know can make all the difference. That we are all children of our Heavenly Father and he loves us, no matter what.  I love going on exchanges it is great learning opportunity and a good reminder.

     Lately I have really been feeling the urgency of my calling.  I can't believe how fast time if flying by.  I only have 5 months left and there is still so much more that I want to accomplish.  I feel like this is the part in my mission where I can either plateau or I can turn it up even more and work as hard as I can to the very end.  I want to be that kind of missionary.  I have felt like I have been letting the Lord down.  It is now time that I change.  I am going to be better on all of the little things that are asked of me and then at the end I will hopefully be able to feel that I have given it my all.   

     Just this morning I was reading in Jacob 5, verse 41 it always stands out to me where it says, "What could I have done more for my vineyard?" At the end of my mission I don't want to ask myself this question.  I want to know and feel in my heart that I gave it my all and know that the Lord is pleased with me.  The greatest part about the gospel is that we aren't expected to be perfect but we are expected to repent and to change.  I am so grateful for the gospel and that I get to share this eternal truth with those we meet. 

     Well I have to get going.  We got permission from our mission president to go to the State Fair!  I am so excited!  I will send pictures next week.  I love you all so much have a great week!

Sister Kendra Curtis

Happy Birthday!

Eva was so happy to get Scriptures.

Kendra wanted me to get a CTR ring for Eva for her Birthday!

Pizza Rev (so yummy)