Sharing Bread!

Hello Family and Friends!

     This week was full of all kinds of stuff.  It started off at Zone P-day.  It was really fun our whole zone got together and we played games.  We played basketball, volleyball, dodge ball, and kickball!  It was so much fun I really liked the chance that we had to do something fun together.  It’s fun also, because there are all kinds of people playing, it kind of reminds me of gym class. There are all kinds of people who are all interested in very different things coming together playing.  It was really fun! :)

District lunch at Olive Garden!

     There was one funny story.  As we were walking out of the library one day there was this younger women walking around with tons of bread.  Tons!
     So I thought to myself, what in the world? why does she have so much bread?  

     Right then, almost like she heard me, she turned around and said, "Would you like some bread?" 

     "Sure," I said, "We are missionaries I'm sure we could find someone who could use it.”  

     Then she saw our tags and said, "Here you can just have all of it."  She then explained that she was volunteering at a church and they were giving out a bunch of free stuff and this was extra that they wanted to throw away.  It was a pretty cool experience. We ending up with like 13 loafs of bread.  We were able to give some of them to our Relief Society President so she was then able to give them to people in the ward who needed it.  So that is the story about how I ended up with an armful of bread.

Driving in the car!

     We also had the opportunity to go to the temple this week.  I know I probably say this every time but I am truly so blessed to be close enough to go to the temple while I am on my mission.  I am so grateful for the eternal perspective and the peace that it brings.  It was fun because it was the first day of the quarter so that meant that all of the missionaries could go. There were a lot of missionaries in the session, there was also all of the senior missionary couples and even President and Sister Forbes.  It was cool to just sit around and see a bunch of familiar faces.  It made me excited for when I come home and I will be able to go with my family.

     We were able to meet with a potential that we had met the very first week that we got here, her name is Karen.  She just started her first year of college and she is working three jobs.  The Lord has been preparing her to be ready for the gospel ever since the first day we met her.  We had an amazing lesson with her this last week.  She broke down and told us all about the different problems that she was going though and we were able to watch a Mormon Messages that addressed her needs completely, "Men's Hearts Shall Fail Them." She is very busy but we are hoping that we will be able to get her to go to the YSA ward in Lakeville. 

     While we were knocking one day we were able to meet a family from Kenya with two little girls.  They invited us back and we were able to share the message of the restoration with them.  It was one of the best lessons I have ever been in.  The spirit was so strong. We were able to show the video "Because of Him" while we were talking about the ministry of Christ.  Wow! That video brings the spirit so strong.  I am so excited for when missionaries will have iPads.  It will be such a fun option to plan in videos to share with our investigators in our every day teaching.  We continued teaching and after we finished teaching we asked them how they felt.  

     The mother looked at us smiled and said, "I feel happy."  We should be going to see them later this week.  They are prepared.

     Today we were able to go to the Minnesota History Center.  It was so much fun!  We were able to go with our Relief Society President.  I wish that I would have gone to it sooner.  There were a lot of cool things that I learned about Minnesota that I never knew before.  I was able to get a lot of fun pictures too!

Minnesota

Tornado's

Look Mom!  Day of the Dead!

A tour about the Iron Range in Northern Minnesota

Ice cream parlor! 

They had a huge display on Toys!!!

(I just love this girl!  I am not sure if she had
more fun at the museum or taking pictures.)

     How great was general conference?  Right!  Wow!  I loved it.  There were so many great things said I can't wait to read through them all.  The whole time I was just thinking about how blessed we are to live in a time where the gospel has been fully restored to the earth. And because this work is so important Satan is working extra hard to prevent others from enjoying the happiness we all deserve in life.  We need to make sure that our faith is stronger then ever.  Satan is using every tool that he possibly can.  If our faith isn't rock solid, it will be shaken.  It is up to us to strengthen and lift one another.  

     I loved Elder Holland's talk and I loved the part he read from Mosiah 4, "Are we not all beggars?" 

     We all cry out at times, we all need help, we all need grace to help us in our weaknesses.  Not one of us is an exception.  We all need Christ.  Life is hard enough with all the challenges that are thrown our way.  The least we can do is help and lift each other through it. And then my favorite part was when Elder Holland said, "Because I have been given much I too must give."  I don't know if any of you remember this but exactly a year ago I wrote an email about this song.  This song always touches me because it is true!  If you look around you there are always people who have it worse. We have been so blessed!  I am so grateful for all of my many blessings.  I am grateful for the gospel, my family and for my mission!  The experiences I have had here have forever changed my life.  I wouldn't be the person I am now if it weren't for this work I am able to do.  I am so grateful that the only worries I have are about others.  I get to plan my entire day around others and how I can best help them. :)  We have something so great that needs to be shared with others!

I love you!  Thanks for your support and prayers! Keep looking for those around you who you can bless. 

"Because we have been given 

much we, too, must give!” 

Love Sister Kendra Curtis

Elder Manoa