We are as the Armies of Helaman

Hello my favorite family and friends,

     Okay let me just start off by saying that Minnesota is a strange place.  The weather is so weird!  One day we had a heat wave of 40 degrees!  Then the other day it was back in the negatives.  Then one morning we woke up and there was 8 inches of snow.  What in the world!  It has truly been all over the place!  This is really the weirdest mission we have had so many late starts and snow days.  I would have never guessed that the weather would be this bad.  But this week was a great week!

     To start off we had our District P-day and it was super fun.  We have a great District.  It is probably my favorite one.  We all met at the church and we just had a big game day!  It was really fun.  We played Lighting (I was in the top 3), we played a really fun game called 7's (ask me about it when I get home), we played Egyptian Rat Screw "I Won! :)", and the funniest game I have ever played, the bag game (ask me about it in 13 months!) haha.  It was really fun.  Then after all of our games we went to Olive Garden, my favorite restaurant, we got to go because it is in our District leaders area!  I was so happy because I have been craving it for  5 months!

     Then we went and saw the L. Family and had another Family Home Evening.  I love going over there so much!  This week the lesson was about prayer again.  We sang the prayer song with them and they could do the whole thing all by themselves!  We were so proud! :)  Then we broke down the song and we asked them why each of the different parts were important.  They had the best answers.  Then at the end of our lesson Sister Pead and I gave the kids some "Prayer Mints" (mentos).  We told the kids that every time they said their morning prayers they would get a prayer mint.  They were so excited to say their prayers.  

     Right then the 4 year old Skyler said, “If I say a prayer right now can I have a prayer mint?” 

     We said yes.  Then he folded his arms and said the cutest little prayer and he didn't forget anything.  After he said Amen, he looked at all of us and said very happy, I did it!  Then he ran up and we gave him a mint.             

     His mom was once again so happy and said, “That was the first prayer that he has ever said.  He would never say them before.  Thanks so much!”

     It is such a good feeling to see that they are actually listening and learning the different things that we are teaching them.  We saw them yesterday at church and they came up and told us that they have been saying a lot of prayers!  What cute kids! :)

     This week we were finally able to see Sharleen again.  I don't remember if I wrote about this but a couple weeks ago we stopped by her house and she told us that she didn't want to meet with us anymore.  We think that she talked to some of her friends and she got Anti-ed.  We were so sad.  But we stopped by her house last week to see how she was doing and we saw that she finally got her carpet in her apartment and that she needed some help moving her furniture around.  We told her that we would love to come over and help her move things.  She was very grateful.  As we were helping her move we asked her if we could come by some other time to talk to her about Family History work.  She said that she would like that.  We were then able to set up another time to come and meet with her.  Then we talked about Family History work and the importance of it.  We helped her set up an account on Family Search and she loved it.  Then we invited her to a Family History class that was at the Stake Center on Saturday and she loved it.  It was lucky because we were able to go with her and it was awesome.  It was really cool to see how easy it is to do Family History work now and all the different things that you are able to with it.  Sharleen loved it.  She brought one of her binders and stayed a couple extra hours so the Family History workers could help her get started.  It was so great to watch her get so excited about doing her family history work.  We really think that this is what is going to change her mind.  I have such a testimony of Family History work and even while we were sitting in that class I felt the spirit so strong and I know that she will feel it also.

Phillip I. is an honest seeker 

     This week we were able to have a couple more lessons with Phillip I.  This week we have been focusing on his Book of Mormon testimony.  Last week we were able to address his concerns about the Godhead and we know that as he gains a testimony of the Book of Mormon everything else with follow.  So we started reading from the beginning with him.  We read 1 Nephi 2 with him.  As we have been doing this he has really been getting into the story of the Book of Mormon and we really feel like this is going to help him in his conversion.  At the end of his lesson he said a really awesome sincere prayer and talked about how he wants to understand for himself the truth.  He really is an honest seeker.  That is one of my favorite things about being a missionary.  Watching each of these wonderful people search for truth.  I love being able to share the truth with those that I meet. 

We had way to much fun dressing up in African clothes.
You all know how much I love to dress up.

     

     We also got to have some lessons with Byron.  Earlier in the week we were able to talk to Delores and ask her what it is that she thinks we can do to help Byron have the desire to give up coffee.  She told us that she thinks that we might need to ease up a little bit because he feels like everyone is bugging him about it, which is understandable.  But also a little frustrating, if I could use only one word for Brother Larson it is, Stinker!  He is such a little stinker.  It’s just so funny because he knows what it is that he needs to do but he is just so stubborn.  In our lesson with him we asked him how praying about coffee went.  He said that he didn't feel bad about it so he doesn't think that he needs to stop... Then he said to us, I just don't think that God would hold someone back just because they drink coffee.  I just looked at him, with a big smile on my face and said, Better safe then sorry! :) Haha I really do love him so much and I love that I can say things like that.  I truly know in my heart that one day he will join.  One day.  All we can really do at this point is pray.  Pray that he will have a life changing experience that will make him want to start this journey.  We gave him the challenge of reading at least 6 pages a day and he has been doing it.  Just like Phillip we feel like he needs to gain that testimony for himself.  What better way then reading.

     This week we had Zone Training.  It was really good. Like I say every time we have one of these I love the chance that I have to learn.  I love to just sit and take notes on how I can become a better missionary.  They talked a lot about gratitude, working with members, and sincere prayers.  All great things that we can improve on.  Then we got to have an interview with our Mission President.  It was really neat to talk with him. As he was talking to both Sister Pead and I he told us that "He needs good leaders like us."  Wow.  What a compliment.  It really made me realize that there is so much more that I can do to become a better leader.  There is so much I can always improve on.  

     Then he asked me how I feel like I have improved over these last five months.  I had to think for a little bit.  I then said that I feel like I have improved the most in my confidence.  I feel like I have always been really good at hiding behind my smile but as I have been on my mission I have realized that I know what I am sharing is true and I love sharing it. :)

     Yesterday we were able to go to Presidents Fireside with Phillip, Delores, and a member from our ward.  It was a really good fireside and it was perfect for each of them.  There were four awesome recent converts who shared amazing conversion stories.  There is nothing more powerful then a recent convert sharing their testimony.  I love whenever I am able to go to the Presidents Fireside.  I always feel the spirit so strong.    

     There was one thing that was really powerful that I wanted to share before I go.  The Mission Presidents wife Sister Clements got up and talked to us for a little and she was very emotional and was so grateful for everyone that was there.  Then she paused for a minute and said, I have never done this before but I am going to have all the missionaries come stand up front and have them sing to you what it is that our purpose is.  We all walked up and we sang, Armies of Heleman.   It was so powerful, there where about 100 missionaries and the spirit was so strong.  I honestly started tearing up a little bit.  I love this work so much.  I love the people that I am serving and I love the opportunity to share the most important thing with those who don't remember.  Truly that is what we are doing here.  We are just helping their spirits remember what they once knew.  I love this gospel.  It was really powerful for everyone there watching it.

I have to go but thanks for everything that you do.  

I love you all so much!  Have a great week! :)

Love, Sister Kendra Curtis

Sister Ida Donley and Sister Kendra Curtis 

You can never have too much faith.

Hello family and friends!

     Yes, I was on lockdown for about 2 days and it was horrible.  We were only allowed to go to church on Sunday if a member could give us a ride.  And of course we were going to go to church it was Delores L's confirmation!  It was amazing.  One of the things that was said in the blessing was,  "Your search is finally over."  How powerful is that statement?  Wow!  But then after church we went back home and that's where we stayed for the next 36 hours!  We studied our scriptures a lot and we made a lot of phone calls.  We also organized our room so that was nice.  Isn't that crazy -60!  Where am I?  We were lucky though because it was our P-day so we were able to write letters, take a nap, do our laundry and other stuff like that.  But yes we were very excited to get out of the house.  And this week was full of so many miracles!

     This week we got to have another Family Home Evening with my favorite family, the L family. (Too bad I can't say their names ha)  But they are so cute and they are always so excited to have the "michionaries" over!  This week we had a lesson with them about prayer and why it is that we pray.  It was a really funny lesson because every time we have had a lesson with them we were teaching them about Christmas.  So this time it was throwing them off because they couldn't use the same answers that they had been.  But it was so cute we taught them the song.... ahhhh. I don't know what it’s called  (Maybe your nearest primary chorister will Know. :)  We talked about the prayer square and how you can't leave the square open and there are 4 points that you need to do.  Then the song goes, 

“I begin by saying “Dear Heavenly Father”
I thank him for blessings he sends; 
Then humbly I ask him for things that I need, 
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen”

     It was so cute they could almost do the whole thing by themselves! (I hope this makes sense.)  Then after we talked about prayer and the importance of praying, we played a game with them.  It was really funny!  Sister Pead and I came up with it in the car.  It’s just like the game Duck Duck Goose.  So you go around in a circle whispering, "Quiet time, quiet time, quiet time, PRAYER TIME!"  Then they had to hurry and run around the circle then sit down in their spot, fold their arms and say AMEN!  It was so dang cute!  I love them.

Sister Breedlove

     This week I went on an exchange with our Sister Training Leader, Sister Breedlove.  She lives in Cottage Grove so I went and spent a day there with her.  It was an awesome exchange and I was able to learn so much.  One thing that I love about Sister Breedlove is that she has so much faith.  Like I have said before I think that faith is something that we can all be better at.  You can never have too much faith.  While we were in Cottage Grove I was able to see Ruby Mower!  She used to live in my ward back in South Jordan and now she is here in Minnesota.  Sister Breedlove has been in Cottage Grove for 10 months now and when the Mowers found out that I was coming to Minnesota they kept asking her if she knew a Sister Curtis.  Long story short I was finally able to come to Cottage Grove to come see them.  But they were only able to do a lunch so most of the family wasn't there but it was still so much fun to see Ruby and Brittney!  

Ruby Mower, Brittney and Sister Curtis 

     After the exchange both Sister Pead and I had an interview with Sister Breedlove just asking us how we were doing.  While Sister Pead was having her interview I got to hang out with Sister Haung!  She is so funny!  She has only been on her mission for 3 weeks and she is from Taiwan.  She is learning English and she is really good at it.  She was honestly making me laugh so hard.  She kept asking me if I would take a picture with her, of course I would.  I  love pictures! :)

     We were able to see Phillip I a couple of times this week.  But guess what!  We were finally able to get him to church this week.  We had a great lesson with him Saturday night about Obedience and Faith.  It was a great lesson and the spirit was so strong. We talked about how we need to trust in the Lord and everything else will be okay.  Then at the end of the lesson when we asked him if he was still planning on coming to church.

     He said, "I was going to tell you about that.  I have a lot of work that I have to do and I don't know if it would be wise for me to go tomorrow.”  He is a car mechanic and had a lot of cars that he needed to work on.  

     But we looked at him and said, "Well I guess it all comes down to what we talked about today, obedience and faith.  Brother Itoka, we can promise you we are representatives of Jesus Christ and that if you will come to church tomorrow you will be able to get everything done that you need to..." 

     Before we could say anymore he cut us off and said, "Alright I will go!"  And he came! We were so excited.  We were then able to have a lesson with him after church about the Godhead with the bishop and his wife as joint teachers.  Earlier in the week we were able to find the root of the problem and why it is that we won't get baptized.  It is because he believes in the trinity.  He doesn’t believe that God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost are three separate people.  The thing I love about Phillip is that he is a genuine seeker.  He just wants to know truth.  He has an amazing faith and he just wants to learn.  We had a wonderful lesson and we were able to address his concerns and we watched a talk by Elder Holland called, The Only True God and Jesus Christ Whom He Hath Sent.  It was perfect, it was very bold and exactly what Phillip needed to hear.  We told him to pray and ask God for himself, if the Godhead is real.  We are excited to talk to him this week and see how his prayer went.

     Our biggest miracle was with Byron L.  Delores L was baptized last week so now we are teaching him.  He is honestly ready to be baptized the only thing that is really holding him back is basically that he is really stubborn.  In the past he has told us and other missionaries that he won't give up coffee.  That he knows that he could give it up but he doesn't want to, he doesn't see the point.  A couple days ago we were able to have them to the Burton’s house for dinner and a lesson.  We wanted to prepare to talk about giving up coffee, but we weren’t going to bring up coffee until next time.  Our lesson was also about obedience and keeping Gods commandments.  We talked about how commandments are God’s loving instruction for us and how they protect us.  We then talked about how God is also able to protect us through the Holy Ghost which lead right into the video that we wanted to show them next, 

Wrong Roads

http://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2013-09-016-wrong-roads?lang=eng. 

     This video shows how God doesn’t answer our prayers exactly how we would have Him but he does answer them and there is a reason for everything.  I have seen this many times in my life.  I think the biggest thing that we can do is trust in the Lord with everything that we do.

     Then last night we were able to have a lesson with them again.  And this was THE LESSON!  This was when we were finally going to address the coffee problem.  We were able to bring a recent convert who used to drink 3 pots of coffee a day.  But we wanted to ease into talking about coffee we didn't want Byron to feel bombarded.  We started off talking about prophets and if he has a testimony of them.  He said he did. Then we ask if he believed that prophets are called of God.  He said yes.  Then we talked about how God gives us commandments to bless us.  Then we asked the member who we brought how keeping the commandments and changed his life.  Hehe We knew that he would start talking about coffee.  And what do you know he did.  We were so sneaky!  He bore a powerful testimony about his conversion and how giving up coffee truly did change his life.  The spirit was so strong everyone could feel it.  We didn’t quite know how we were going to address Byron but as the member was testifying I knew that we needed to be lovingly bold.  We then ask Byron if he would give up coffee.  He said no.  We ask him what would be holding him back?  He said that he doesn’t want to, he knows he could but he doesn’t feel like it’s important.  Then we started getting really bold with Byron because we love him so much and he needed to hear the truth.  We explained to him that those 5 cups of coffee truly is what was holding him back.  Long story short, we all bore testimony of how we know this will bless his life, even his wife did.  Then we left him with a commitment.  We asked him to pray to know if the Lord wants him to give up coffee.  He said he would.  Then we asked him what he would do if the answer was yes?  He said,  “well give it up of course!”  Yea!  He told us yes, kind of.  We are so excited for him.  So this week we will ask him what the answer was?  It truly was an amazing miracle!  He is going to get baptized soon we just know it.

     This week I have really been studying obedience and why it is important to be obedient.  We have been teaching this concept to a lot of our investigators lately and I know that this is something I can be better at.  Being exactly obedient in everything!  As I was studying I came up with the definition that being obedient means to submit to the Lords will and act in faith.  Faith is one of the biggest things in being obedient and as I study I realize that I need more faith.  I need to really trust in the Lord and know that there is a reason for everything.  Even when appointments fall through and we are unsure what we are doing.  I need to look around and think, "What does the Lord want me to do right now?  How can I be a tool for him?"  I have made a lot of goals this week, to have more faith and to be more obedient and I know that as I do this blessings will follow. 

I love you all so much thanks for everything! 
Have a great week! 

Love Sister Kendra Curtis

Shutting Down Minnesota!

Hello My Most Favorite Family and Friends.

     As you might have heard we have to email our families today because we won't be able to on Monday.   Now I'm not able to read the news or look at the weather but from what I have been able to understand the governor is basically SHUTTING DOWN Minnesota!  On Monday it is going to be -60 windchill!!!  So we are not allowed to go outside at all.  I am really grateful that we have the opportunity to email today!  What a blessing!

     So I only have a little bit of time but let me try and tell you about this week so far. 

     On Christmas Eve, as a mission, we started reading from the Book of Mormon at the very beginning.  We are supposed to read 6 pages a day.  I have really enjoyed reading from the beginning.  Today we are all supposed to be on page 72.  At first I didn't really want to start from the beginning because I liked where I was at in my reading and I didn't want to start all over.  But as I have been doing this I have seen many blessing from it.  I have been able to get different insights for different investigators that I wouldn't have if I stayed where I was.  I really do love those first stories where it talks about Nephi and his brothers going back to Jerluseum to get the plates.  It amazes me how much faith Nephi has.  How I can become as Nephi in both my faith and my obedience?  We also have a couple investigators who we have asked to start reading from the beginning and it has been good to be on the same page as them.  But as I have been reading it has been amazing to me to see how much I am able to get out of it every single time I read.  I know without a doubt that the Book of Mormon is true and I love being able to share this with everyone I can.  This book truly can change lives.  I have already seen this happen. 

     Well, as for New Year's Eve we were able to have an awesome dinner with some of the Elders at a members home.  The members actually live really far away.  They are about 45 minutes away from Stillwater.  To save our miles they were able to meet us at the church and then drive us there.  It was a really fun dinner.  They are from Norway and they both have very thick accents.  I just love all the amazing people that I am able to meet on my mission and they truly are from all over the world!

     As for New Year's Day Sister Pead and I spoiled ourselves with some sparkling cider.  Yum!

     We were also able to see Phillip I. a couple times this week.  I have probably said this before but I love him.  He is the happiest African you will ever meet.  He has every reason not to meet with us and he is so busy but he will stop everything to talk about God.  We were able to have a lesson about the Book of Mormon with him and we were able to read 1 Nephi chapter 17 with him.  It talks a lot about faith and obedience.  It was a really good lesson that we were able to apply to his life.  I really like in that chapter how it talks about the story with Moses when all the people were getting bitten by the snakes and to be healed all they had to do was to look to staff.  That was it.  But because of the simpleness and the easiness of it there were many people who didn't think it would work and who didn't have the faith.  That is something we all need to work on, faith.  It is something that we constantly need to be developing.  Like the muscle in your arm.  If you don't use it, it will become weak.  And the only way to strengthen it is to exercise it.  We are excited to finally get him to church this Sunday so he can feel of the spirit that is there.

     Today was Delores L's baptism!  It was such a wonderful experience and the spirit was so strong.  She is amazing and has been ready for this baptism for quite some time.  What a blessing to watch someone take this important step.  To be able to progress more in the gospel and begin this amazing journey.  And that is exactly what it is, a journey.  It isn't so much a destination, but it is a way of travel.  It isn't over once you are baptized but that is where it all starts.  We are so excited for Delores and we are hoping that Bryon won't be too far behind.  It was truly a wonderful day.

     I wanted to share one last experience with you.  In one of the lessons we had with Delores and Bryon L we were able to watch a fun Mormon Message with them.

 

Sister Pead, Delores, Byron, Sister Curtis

"Your Potential, Your Privileges." 

http://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2013-01-001-your-potential-your-privileges?lang=eng  This video has a cute little story about a little man who was living way below his privileges.  We have this amazing privilege, the gospel.  Yet so many people aren't using it.   We need to not limit ourselves to the "beans and crackers" in our lives but we need to live life to its fullest.  We are able to do that with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Share that Privilege with those who don't know what they are missing out on.  If only someone would have warned the little man what he was missing out on, he would have changed his ways a lot sooner!  But he didn't find out until the end, when it was too late.  So start today!  Tell someone what they are missing out on.  I know that it will not only bless their lives but it will bless yours as well. 

I hope you all have a great week and stay warm! 

That's what I'll be trying to do!!  

I love each and everyone of you.

Love,

Sister Kendra Curtis

Sister Pead, Delores, and Sister Curtis on Delores Baptism Day

A mission is the best years FOR your life!

Hello Dearest Family and Friends! 

     This week has been CRAZY!  Everything was going perfect all the way up until..... Christmas.  But let me tell you about all the good parts first.

     We were able to have a lesson with a 18 year old girl named Sophia. She was actually a Media Referral that we were finally able to get in contact with.  She went on a youth trip this summer and became really good friends with a Mormon girl from Provo.  She said that they have already talked a lot and that she noticed something different about her and she wants to learn more.  We were able to have a wonderful lesson with her and she had lots of great questions.  She doesn't have a very religious background but she told us how she prayed and was able to feel the love of God.  It was cool because one of her questions was just to basically bear our testimonies to her and tell her how we came to know for ourselves that this church is true.  It was such a powerful experience and it was so easy to just share what I know.  She was very happy for us coming over.  She is going to be out of town for a couple of weeks but we were able to leave her with a Book of Mormon and she said that she would start reading it while she is gone.  We are excited to see her again and answer more of her questions.

     We also had another Christmas Family Home Evening with the L family.  We talked more about the Christmas story.  We showed them the video "What Shall We Give?" And we talked about service and the meaning of Christmas again.  We then made ornaments for the tree that we made last time.  On the ornaments we wrote down different things that they can do to serve others around them.  Then we went over the Nativity again and we pointed to the different people and asked them who they were.  My favorite was when I asked the four year old Skyler why they had to go to a stable?  He answered really loud throwing his arms in the air "Because there was NO ROOM!"  Right at that moment his mom ran over and hugged him and said,"Yes...YES!  Good job!  You are learning!" Then he was so excited and ran around the room hugging each of us saying, "I'm learning!  I'm learning!"  It was so cute!  Sister L was so happy to see all of her kids learning the true meaning of Christmas and the different parts of the Nativity.  

     Then at the end, we gave them little stockings that had little finger puppets of the nativity and then a nativity puzzle!  They loved it so much and they knew who each of the different people were!  I love that family so much!  They are so cute and they really are the best little learners.  Sister L was so grateful for us coming over and truly we are the ones who are grateful.  What a cute family!

     Okay let me get to Christmas now!  So Christmas Eve was great.  We went to District Meeting and it was fun to be together as a district and talk about mission work.  Then after words, we went and had a District Lunch.  We went and ate Juicy Lucy’s!  Juicy Lucy is a Minnesota thing, it’s a hamburger with a big ball of melted cheese inside the patty.  It was pretty good.  All the Elders loved it!  The place that we went to is the place where Man vs. Food went.  It was really fun to spend Christmas Eve together eating Juicy Lucy's. Something we will probably never do again.  We then were able to have dinner with a really fun family and it was really yummy.  It was a yummy buffet style dinner.  

     Then we went on with the rest of our night.  When we got home we were so excited to open up our Christmas Jamies!  Mine were so cute they even had little door on them. (Very clever mom!)  Sister Pead got 2 Christmas Jamies some from my mom and some from her mom.

    

     Sister Pead was so funny in her big bunny footie jamies. They made me think of the Christmas story!  Then we went to bed and we were so excited for the day ahead of us!  We couldn't wait for all of the Christmas magic and we planned every second of it out, spending time with members, playing games, skyping our families, Christmas dinner and then all of the missionaries were going to go Christmas Caroling to some less actives and some other members in the ward.

     Then we woke up and it was CHRISTMAS!  We were so excited we hurried and got our last minute things together and we were getting ready to go set things up.  Now I forgot to mention.....Long story short. We are watching a dog for 10 days.  The members who we are living with are out of town for ten days and we have to watch it for them. Now to start off with I don't like dogs all that much so we always keep the gate up so the dog can't come down stairs.  So we were excited to go open our presents but when we ran into the living room guess what! The dog sneaked past the gate and found the chocolate coins that Sister Pead sprinkled around my stocking.  Number one dogs are allergic to chocolate, number 2 this dog is diabetic!  We had to stay home all Christmas taking care of a Sick, Dumb Dog.  We almost thought that we weren't going to be able to Skype our families, but we were able to work it out.  I was so happy to talk to my family!  I love them all so much and that was the fastest 45 minutes of my life!  But I didn't care it was so great to see everyone again and to hear their voices!  I really do have the best family ever!  After we got done Skyping our families we just stayed home.  The whole day.  We couldn't leave the dog alone because it was throwing up chocolate and we had to clean it up.  At dinner time one of our favorite families came over and brought us some food and we were able to talk to them for a while so that was fun but other then that it was a really rough day.  We didn't do anything.  But honestly I was just so grateful that I was able to talk to my family.  Even though I didn't get to do any of the other fun things that we had planned at least I was able to do the most important.  Talk to my family.  

Kendra took this picture.  You can see her in the left hand corner.

Kissy face picture!  (Oh boy do we love this girl!)

     As for all of you who are worried about the dumb dog.  It is completely fine.  I will never look at it the same.  It is the dog who ruined Christmas.  You know they always say that you will never forget the Christmases that you get to have on your mission.  And I promise you this is one Christmas that I will never forget!!

     Delores and Bryon L are doing great!  Delores's baptism is this week!  January 4th!  She has been ready for such a long time.  It was funny because yesterday at church everyone was coming up to her and telling her that they were going to be there on Saturday and she was starting to get a little embarrassed because of all the people.  But it is going to be so great to have all the support there.  I know that it is going to be such an amazing service and I am so excited!  She is really funny!  Yesterday she introduced Sister Pead and I as her granddaughters.  I love her so much.  I love how easy it is to love these people!  What a blessing that I am here in Stillwater!

     We were also able to have more lessons with Phillip I.  He is so great and has been taught every lesson.  The biggest problem that we are having at this time is trying to get him to church.  He always has different excuses.  This week we are going to really focus on the importance of coming to church.  When we went to teach him one time there were 2 other Africans there from Liberia and they have been there before but this time they wanted to sit in on a lesson.  We started by watching a Bible Video, Sermon on the Mount: 

Treasures in Heaven.  

http://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/sermon-on-the-mount-treasures-in-heaven?lang=eng

This video was perfect for all of them and it was amazing that we decided to pick it because both Sister Pead and I have never seen it. But the Liberians have an amazing faith and have a great understanding of the Bible.  So it was perfect that we showed the teachings of Jesus Christ and then related it to our lives today.  Both of them want to keep learning more so we were able to set up another appointment with both of them.  We left them both with Books of Mormon and they can't wait to read and find out more for themselves. 

     I love this work so much.  I know without a doubt that this is the work of God. I see so many miracles each and everyday.  I am just so grateful that I am able to be part of it at this time.  I am just an instrument in the Lord's hands.  As I follow the spirit I am able to do as he would have me do and I am able to help share the joy that I have with those I meet.

"A mission is the best years FOR your life."  

I know that all the different experiences that I will have on my mission are things that I will be able to take with me forever.  Someone once said to me that the reason that they lowered the age for girls to go on a mission is because they need strong mothers to raise up a righteous army.  I have already seen in many different ways that this short 18 months is going to be one of my greatest tools for being a mother. What a wonderful blessing that I am able to be part of this wave of mission work.  It is not only blessing me but many others to come. 

I love you all thanks for the many prayers. 

I feel them everyday!

Love, Sister Kendra Curtis

This is the picture we took.  When ever I have the camera out and all four
of my kids are together I say, "squishy face picture"  
(they all do a quick pose, just so they can get it over with)  
Yea!!!   Family Christmas picture for 2013.
I have a feeling 2014 will be tricky with Jake serving in Jamaica.

The Best Presents is your Presence!

Hello My Dearest Family and Friends!

    Merry Christmas for the last time this year.  I can't believe it is almost Christmas!  Time really does go by so fast!  I have almost been on my mission for 5 months!  5 MONTHS!  That is too weird.  Enough small talk and on to the good stuff :)

L. Children

     This week we were able to have another fun Family Home Evening with the L family. They are so dang cute.  I love whenever we get to go over there.  This time we talked about being a child of God and then we talked about the nativity story.  We started off with the Mormon Message, I am a Child of God.  They loved it and the 6 year old, Skyler told us that he already knew this song and that he wanted to sing it by himself.  So we also got an unplanned Solo!  It was the cutest.  Then we talked about the Nativity Story and all the important parts of the story.  We also sang my favorite Christmas song, Picture Christmas!  It is so simple and so true.  The best kind.  Then we did another little craft and we made a paper tree out of their hands that we cut out then on the hands we wrote the important words that we learned.  The lesson turned out really good and they remembered a lot of it!

Thankful Christmas Tree made by little hands!

Sharleen S. at Ward Christmas Party!

     We were also able to have a couple lessons with Sharleen S this week and we also were able to get her to the ward Christmas party.  We were able to finish up the Plan of Salvation with her this week.  We brought a member to one of our lesson with her and they were perfect.  They had so many things to relate to.  They both like crafts (Scrapbooking) Yes I told her about Mom and Me.  She said she is going to look it up and tell all her friends!  HA!  They also both have abusive backgrounds and they both LOVE family history work.  One of the first things Sharleen told us about when we met her was her love for family history work.  That was actually the thing that got us a second lesson with her 3 weeks ago.  We said that we would come back and give her the church web sites so she could try using some other resources.  She also came to church yesterday and she loved it.  There were a lot of complications in the morning.  Her ride to church got sick and all kinds of things but then long story short she actually drove us to church so it worked out perfectly.  At church she felt the spirit so strong and she loved each of the different hours.  She really enjoyed gospel principles.  She even pointed out the section in the manual where it was talking about doing temple work for those who have passed on.  She truly is prepared for this gospel and we are so excited for her and for what the future holds.

     This week we were able to do quite a bit of tracting.  We were out knocking doors at some apartments and not a single person was answering the door.  We were starting to wonder if this was where we were supposed to be and the cold wasn't helping us out either.  Then we started to walk back to our car.  But in my head I thought to myself lets try one more door.  So we went to the next door and someone finally answered.  It was a mom with lots of kids running around the house.  The first thought that came to my mind is that we would have to keep it quick because she probably had to go back to watching her kids.  But we asked a couple questions about her and we found out that she was going to school.  We then asked her what she wanted to do and she told us about how she wants to be a nurse and how she wants to make a difference.  We then related that to the gospel and started teaching the restoration lesson.  She was very interested and she truly had the light of Christ.  I mentioned that to her as we were talking and she said that she has heard that before from other people.  She then mentioned how she has been going to church but hasn't felt like it was true.  Then we talked about Joseph Smith and his experience.  She was able to feel the spirit and relate to what Joseph Smith was going through.  It was such an amazing experience and she was prepared and waiting!  We then invited her to baptism and she said yes! We are so excited to meet with her this week and to be able to help her learn more. What a miracle!  I am so grateful that we continued knocking and able to meet Tasia. You never know who is going to be behind that next door!

     We had two great lessons with Phillip I. this week and we were so excited for him to come to church with us today.  He even pinky promised that he would come so we knew that this time it was going to be different. But guess what he didn't come.  We were so sad.  We went over to his house last night to see if everything was okay.  He then told us that he was ready to go but that he needed some kind of oil for his car and that he couldn't find his shoes and by the time he did he would have been too late.... Oh my Goodness!  He couldn't find his shoes.  Sometimes you can't help but laugh.  He pinky promised this Sunday that he FOR SURE will come to church.  We are going to make this happen! Next Saturday we will help him get everything layed out and then Sunday morning we will go wake him up. No more excuses! But other then Sunday mornings the lessons are going great and his testimony is growing so much.This week is the week!

Delores and Bryon L.
at the Christmas Party

     Last week we had many awesome lesson with the Larson's.  I really do love them so much!  For one of the lessons we were able to bring an awesome member to the lesson and it turned into a great discussion about the gospel.  We were talking about repentance and the ability to forgive yourself and how that is so hard for some people to do.  As we were talking about this an experience popped into my head that we just had the week before.  We knocked into this lady named Kimberly and we were going to have a lesson with her about the Restoration.  But then she got on this tangent about how she has done so many bad things in her life.  She said she knows that God has forgiven her but she will never be able to forgive herself.  Not for all the bad that she has done.  This experience was really strange when we were in the moment of it.  She didn't want to talk about it and got really stressed about it and then told us to leave.  All we were able to leave her with was our testimony about how God loves her and would never want her to feel this way.  It was very strange.  I wasn't quite sure why that story came to mind and why I should share it.  But as I started talking I started testifying of the wonderful blessing that we have as members to know the truth.  To know that we will all make mistakes in life and that God knows that.  He made it possible so we can overcome that.  He wants us to repent and forgive ourselves and the only way that we are able to do that is through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  It reminded me of Alma 36.  It talks about how Alma had made all these mistakes in life and how he felt horrible about them.  But he then remembered the love of his Savior and how he could be relieved of that guilt and shame.  He then was overcome with joy that was even greater then the pains he had experienced.  The first thing he wanted to do after that was share that joy with others so they could feel that same way.  As I testified of that I felt the spirit so strong and I realized in that moment, the crazy lesson that we had with Kimberly was able to strengthen my testimony and I didn't even realize it.  God truly does have a plan and a purpose for everything that we do and I am so grateful for the opportunity that I had to recognize that.

     One last Christmas Message for everyone.  We watched this in Relief Society and I loved it.

 What Shall We Give?

Merry Christmas!  I love you all so much. Thanks for all the prayers and support!  Have fun with your families and remember the true meaning of Christmas. 

 The best presents is your PRESENCE!

Love, Sister Kendra Curtis

Coloring pictures of Jesus

To My Dearest Family and Friends!

     Hello!  Yep it’s still pretty cold here but I am doing great!  I am super excited for Christmas!  Only 9 more days!  Sister Pead's mom mailed her a little Christmas tree so we are ready to go!  We even put our presents under the tree! (well around it) We decided that we are going to wait until Christmas to open all of our presents and I am so excited!  We are going to have the cutest little Christmas together.  We are really glad that we didn't get transferred.  Yes, transfers were today!  This transfer was only 5 weeks instead of 6 because it would have been on Christmas.  So they pushed it back and this next transfer is going to be 7 weeks long.  But Sister Pead and I are still together so we are super happy.

     This week was full of so many wonderful things! So I better get started.

  Monday was District P-day.  We wore ugly sweaters, played games, and frosted sugar cookies.  It was super fun to get together as a district and not be so "missionary" but to just have fun and play games together.  Sister Pead and I made Aunt Carson's potato soup and everyone loved it.  We doubled the recipe and told them to bring their own Tupperware and then we would give them leftovers.  Every Elders dream.

Sister Gessel and Sister Curtis 

     Then we went to the Delores and Byron L's house for dinner.  They are absolutely wonderful.  They invited us over and they invited some other people from our ward.  We ate dinner and it was wonderful. Then we went in the other room and we had a lesson about temples.  The members that were there were perfect because one couple works in the St. Paul temple and the other is getting ready to get sealed in the temple.  It was great to have both members there.  The lesson went great and it was so exciting to think about them getting sealed together for eternity.  Then later on in the week we were able to have a lesson with them about the Word of Wisdom.  I was on exchange with Sister Gessel, who is wonderful by the way.  She is an amazing missionary and she has only been out for 12 weeks.  Sister Gessel is a wonderful teacher and she is really in tune with the spirit.  The day before we had a Zone Conference and President Clements talked about teaching the lessons with confidence and with power and that is exactly what we did.  We taught the Word of Wisdom with such confidence, testifying that this commandment, the Word of Wisdom, will not only bless his life but it will also bless his family.  He agreed with everything that we were teaching except he doesn't want to give up coffee.  He doesn't see why coffee is so bad.  He then told us that he will pray about it.  That is definitely a good thing to do.  We hope that soon he will be able to see the importance of giving up coffee because it is more then just a cup of coffee but it is his eternal salvation.  This one last thing is the thing that will bring him and his wife together forever.  We are keeping him in our prayers and hopefully he will be able to join her soon.  She is still getting baptized on January 4th and they came to church yesterday.:) Yay!

Sister Pead, Sister Gessel, and Sister Breedlove (they are in the Mowers ward)

     Like I said we had a Zone Conference and it was really good.  I love going to meetings like that because I feel like I am teaching so much.  Sometimes it is nice to just sit back and learn new things and learn how to become a better missionary.  After the meeting we were able to watch a movie together, for our Christmas gift.  We watched "Miracle" the hockey movie.  It was so good.  But also it was kind of weird to watch it as a missionary.  It was funny to watch it with 100 Minnesota Missionaries because a lot of that movie actually took place in Minnesota.  We know people serving in the different cities that it is talking about.  It was really fun and also sports movies are always so inspiring.  Now we are all going to work extra hard.  There was one quote that I really liked.  It was talking about how on a jersey the name on the front is always more important then the name on your back.  I started to think of this as a missionary point of view using our name tags.  The name underneath is way more important than the name on top.  Am I doing the best I can to represent Jesus Christ?

     So this week I received a wonderful Christmas package from my mom.  In it was a Nativity with a note that said, “give this to a family, you will know which one.”  That day we were stopping by the L family, she was less active for a while and her husband just got baptized a year ago.  Right now they are going through some hard times so we were going to stop by and share a message with the mom.  As we started talking with her she started telling us how she really thinks that she should start doing Family Home Evening with her kids.  She then told us how things have been really hard the last couple of weeks and she really thought that a Family Home Evening would help bring peace into her home.  Then we suggested that she could do a lesson on the true meaning of Christmas.  She loved it.  Then instead of sharing a message with her we started planning a Family Home Evening for her kids.  We started talking about how she could ask what Christmas is all about, watch some videos then talk about Christ's birth and maybe color some pictures.  I then asked her if she had any nativities or any pictures of baby Jesus.  She very sadly said no.  Right then it clicked I knew who the family was.  I told her how I received a package with a Nativity scene in it and that my mom told me to give it to a family that needed it.  Her eyes started to water then she hugged me and said thank you so much.  This is exactly what I need.  I want something that I can put out so my kids can look at it everyday.  Thank you so much.  

Remember Him as you picture Christmas this Year!

 I am so grateful that my mom followed the prompting to put a Nativity in my package.  What a blessing to this cute family.  We were then able to come back and have the lesson with them.  The lesson went great and the kids loved it!

The L. Children having a Christmas Family Home Evening!

     Sharleen S is a new investigator that we have been meeting with for a couple weeks.  We were able to find her tracting.  She is very interesting.  She has had a lot of crazy things happen to her in life but she has a great understanding of the Savior and the love that he has for her and everyone.  We have been meeting with her lot and she has a great understanding.  We even helped her rip out the carpet in her house. (Shout out to my dad!  Thanks so much for making me a hard worker and showing me how to do so many things like ripping out carpet. :)  This last week we were also able to have a Word of Wisdom lesson with her.  She was able to recognize the importance of this commandment.  Then at the end of our lesson we asked her if she would live the Word of Wisdom and she said yes.  Right then and there she even gave us the rest of her coffee.  It was amazing to see her exercise her faith like that.

     Last of all we were able to go to a Christmas Concert last night in Crystal.  Crystal is where the Shingle Creek Stake Center is.  We were able to take Delores and Bryon L with us and we were able to enjoy beautiful Christmas music.  Then the best part.  Since it was really close to Shingle Creek I got to see so many people from Shingle Creek.  It was like a little reunion.  I got to see Sister Ballif and her new companion.  I got to see Greg and Kristi B!  The one who got baptized!  And all the other wonderful families that I love!  One of my favorites is the Kirkhams!  They have the cutest kids and when they saw me they all ran up and hugged me.  It was so wonderful to see everyone.

     Well I'm out of time but I have another Mormon Message that I want you to watch.  If you ever have time to kill I highly suggest that you get on lds.org and watch the mormon messages they are all wonderful I promise.  Maybe I'll do a couple videos :)

Mens Hearts Shall Fail Them

A Secure Anchor

Okay I love you all so much! 

Have a Merry Christmas!

Love, Sister Kendra Curtis