but FIRST. 

MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS. really and truly the most lovely christmas weekend i have ever had. entirely different. but so much more meaningful. which i suppose you expect when youre on a mission. also please excuse the complete lack of apostrophes in this email because i accidentally switched my keyboard to french??? and all of a sudden none of the buttons actually do what they say they do?? thats all. moving on. èèÈÈǨ.

christmas eve was a dream, we woke up, hit our studies, and then headed straight to drop off a bunch of gifts for the cutest african refugee family (secretly, of course). they are darling, i'll attach a picture of sis seiter and i with some of the kiddos. we spent the rest of the day running about doing missionary work, until dinner time when cute president burt invited us and a couple other companionships to drive down to richmond for christmas eve dinner! we were very, very happy missionaries. 

 

 

we went caroling with the burts and the other missionaries who were with us, which was a real good time but also, like, zero percent successful because richmond is essentially hong kong and every door we knocked except two were chinese families who were entirely unfamiliar with the concept of caroling and were actually a little frightened. bless their hearts. i would be too, if all of a sudden twenty kids in black coats and name tags showed up singing on my front door. also, side note, all of president burts neighbors call him - the pastor - hahaha HOW CUTE. nobody gets it. thats okay. thats what were here for. #missionaries

 

 

so YEAH we went caroling through the streets of Taiwan / richmond and loved every second of it and then had the sweetest little christmas devotional and then president decided to inform me that i am officially training this coming transfer.

team.

this thursday ill be getting some sweet little hermana and teaching her how to do the work of God and speak spanish and such and i am SO excited and also slightly terrified, especially considering the fact that my trainer just left me about a week ago (...week ago... sorry lol) so SEND PRAYERS.

christmas day itself was lovely as well, we had dragged our mattresses out to sleep under our little shrub slash tree and woke up, opened our presents, and then went to both the english and spanish sacrament meetings. skyped my cute family, THE GREATEST THING IN ALL OF EVER and then had christmas dinner with a couple of the english and chinese sisters. we played the chimes :)))) wish with all my heart i could send you a video but exact obedience my friends.

ALSO ONE MORE REALLY BIG THING AND THEN I AM DONE!!!!

the christmas miracle of all christmas miracles, lorraine got baptized!! which you have yet to hear about because she is technically not my investigator since she is english speaking, but she. is. my. best. friend. hahah i love her. she has the absolute craziest past, you would not even believe me if i shared all of it with you, but she is so very converted. showed up early to the ward christmas party to salt all of the sidewalks. yeah. bought each of us a mini tree to thank us for preparing her for her baptism. GUYS THE GOSPEL IS SO IMPORTANT AND MAKES PEOPLE SO HAPPY!!! TELL EVERYONE ABOUT IT!!!

 

 

okay i gotta go, love you all more than anything. be good. christmas does not have to end.

xoxo

hna reags curtis

 

 

the highlight of the week included the spanish ward's christmas party for sure for sure, never will i ever be satisfied with an english ward party back home ever again. i mean, they turn the gym into a dance floor after eating and absolutely everyone who can walk is up there at some point! also consisted of the surrey 1st ward christmas party, quick road trip to vancouver for a baptism, zone conference (see pics for the LPHS reunion <3), my bishop getting stung by a jellyfish, and all of surrey being thrown into a panic by the snow. WHICH I LOVE. poor kids don't know how to scrape off their cars, some nice little chinese man was trying to pour pitchers of water on his windshield to get the snow off, in the negative temperatures, and i was like "sos bless his heart."

 

 

 

 

 

CAROLYN is still so solid for her baptism date in february, which means that i am currently planning a weddinggggg. kind of. ah. seriously so happy for her. i love love. and baptism.

in other news, i was at the home of la familia moro this week, who started explaining to me how strange it is that americans like cold pizza, and i was like ???? i am american???? and they were entirely bewildered because somehow they've thought that i was from france SINCE AUGUST. so for those of you who were asking about my french to spanish transition, the accent is still apparently a thing hahah. 

 

first and foremost, hermana kartchner goes back to the  real world (georgia) on monday and this week has just been all kinds of emotions and i feel like it's the end of an era. she's been my companion since i got to the field in august, and i just am not entirely sure that i know how to do a mission without her. she's incredible and so incredibly consecrated to her mission and i can't even imagine her without her nametag and i'm just beyond grateful for everything i've learned from her. ah.

we don't have transfers until after christmas, so the next two weeks will be pure CHAOS but also most likely the funnest two weeks of my mission because, in real life, RILEY SEITER AND I WILL BE COMPANERAS!!!! and also sister paxton who i adore. guys, this is every missionary's dream. who knew that when we were marching around belize on splits with the missionaries, straight out of high school, that two years later we would be running around british columbia as companions :)) but also we're covering both the spanish and the english area's so that will be pure chaos. pray for me and my spanish por favor, because last time she came to a spanish appointment with me the woman commented that in arizona (where sis. seiter is from) "hace mucho calor" and sister seiter said, "it has a lot of color?????" so yes. send prayers.

okay prepare yourself for the miracles. 

1. yamilett: white rock sisters (aka candace brimhall, my world is super tiny) found her so we dropped by to teach her. we shared the restoration and when we told her about the First Vision she looks at us and goes "you don't understand yet, but someday you will give birth to a child. and every time it will be incredible, but the first child it will be the most incredible." and we are "?????" and then yamilett says "those are the feelings i'm feeling right now" and I was like "OH THE CHURCH IS SO TRUE THAT IS THE SPIRIT THIS STUFF REALLY HAPPENED." spanish people man. hahah i love them.

2. carolyn: is not even spanish, but her boy friend is, and they have the cutest baby girl and we've been teaching them for a long time and she just loves the church and wants to be a part of it so bad but gets stressed cause she doesn't think she can feel the spirit even though she's literally so in tune with it and after a week full of hunting for people to share our message with in dumping snow and rain and whatnot Heavenly Father answered our prayers and we set a baptismal date with her!!!! for february 18th!! and they're getting married!!! and it was the absolute happiest moment!!!!!!!!!! AH such a blessing to be able to teach somebody who gets it. who wants this. who sees that life just gets so much better with the gospel in it. they're already planning to be sealed in a year and i just am so grateful to be a part of this moment for them. that sounded super missionary but it's true.

3. i got promoted to driver :)))) because sweet hermana kartchner was never properly educated on how to drive in the snow and we got in an accident with a kind asian man this week :)) but we are okay :))))) and still thrilled with the snow :))))))) don't worry mom all is well.

okay love you millions MERRY CHRISTMAS. really and truly. these are the greatest days of the whole entire year. be nice to people. look for light. do the things that Jesus did, don't just think about them. 

with all my love, 

hermana reagan Curtis

 

Hermana Curtis

Canada Vancouver Mission
P.O. Box 149
Pt. Roberts, WA   98281-0149

ps thank you thank you thank you to all of  you who sent my cute mom little scriptures and notes.... i haven't gotten to see all of them yet but the ones i have seen make my day every day and I JUST FEEL SO MUCH LOVE AND I AM SO GRATEFUL!!!

ps the english ward here is purely immigrants (zero canadians live in surrey) and the children in primary's names are literally: leech, cherubim, selvaragu, bandong, dilipper, behira, and chavz. please care.

xxx

FOTOS:

 

zone conference/lone peak reunion with sister lauren hunt and candace brimhall!

THE TEMPLE in langley ah i die. it's so pretty. and literally the House of God. and every time i see it i just wanna be in there, soaking it all in. hna kartchner, sister seiter, and sister paxton. and moi.

 

 

cute gomez family, jackie (the mom) always complains about how one of the twins "is more christian" than the other hahahha. <3

as we speak it is currently DUMPING snow here in surrey, which is a Christmas miracle in itself since i was told all we ever get is rain (we're super close to the coast, my area goes right up to the ocean) but yes i am beyond thrilled about the snow <3

Hermana Curtis & Sister Paxton

such happy things came to us this week. la familia sanchez didn't make it to church, but that's okay because cute veva and perla both did (less-actives), but mostly just because we told them that we were singing with the primary for their presentation and guilted them into coming. which, by the way, was precious. all the missionaries and returned missionaries and kiddos sang "the army of helaman" about bringing the truth to the world and i was just so very grateful to be a missionary because even after these 18 months are over i will always and forever be able to say that i gave my all and served my mission <3

sister paxton tried hummus and she threw up in my trash can :(

latinos hate the smell of curry, which is a bummer because you can just breathe in curry when walking the streets at night here.

all the clouds get trapped on the trees because they're so very tall and it's so very lovely. british columbia is beautiful guys. beautiful. even though i have yet to see any snow... which is probably a good thing because as soon as the snow comes i will be wanting nothing more than to SKI hahaha.

rosa is still solid, we're teaching a couple other cute people now like nubia and jose and mario from honduras and carolyn from the philippines who comes to the spanish ward with her peruvian bf <3

ALSO before i forget, send me your addresses if you'd like a christmas card because LESS THAN A MONTH!!!! THE HAPPIEST TIME OF THE ENTIRE YEAR!! ah. and i'm just SO excited to have christmas on the mission because it just makes everything that matters so much more REAL. in every moment we are representing Jesus Christ. and i love it. plus christmas miracles are coming, i'm sure of it.

with all my love

hermana curtis

ps reese i hear you're starting drivers ed this week??? this concerns me greatly?????

WAIT HOW COULD I FORGET?! we had la noche internacional on saturday which was the greatest ward activity in all of ever because every single member brought non member friends and they were all trash talking between the different hispano countries and singing and dancing and putting on performances and SO MUCH FOOD and it was crazy and I JUST LOVE LATINOS and i almost got up and sang the star spangled banner to represent but then withheld myself :)) if i wasn't sprinting around the whole time getting numbers and such i would have taken photos. my bad, sorry team.

love you guys for real. be good and check out the light the world christmas initiative on mormon.org because it is the absolute greatest! xoxo

 

 

other miracles include the fact that jeremy gomez, who we found out in the rain last week for those of you who actually read these, came to church. i was dangerously close to hugging him when i saw him. such a miracle. as a result of other miracles. ah. yes. so grateful.

plus la familia sanchez? our cute colombian friends? had the most beautiful lesson out of my entire 4 months como misionera with them last night. we taught about the restoration, again, which was not at all our plan. but we showed them the 20 minutes resto movie that the church has put out, and nidia (the mom), looks at the dvd cover and goes "wait. i've seen that before." turns out she BOUGHT THE RESTO DVD in a thrift store six years ago in quebec????? because she loved the picture on the front of joseph smith and the light falling around him in the first vision (sorry bear with me, those of you who have no idea what i'm talking about. i'll explain when i have more than 7 minutes left to email, my bad). anyways, yes she bought it. watched it. didn't understand it. and then this time it brought her to tears. 

guys.

 

i just am so grateful the every little piece of the church that Jesus Christ established when He was on the earth is back. for us. every piece of it. we have such a powerful message. God never forgot us. He loves us just the same as every person in the BIble, as every soul who lived during those times. of course He wouldn't leave us without that priesthood, that exact authority to act in His name. otherwise I wouldn't be seeing so many miracles. 

 

 

okay, i'm off. happy thanksgiving to the land of the free, home of the brave. forgot that was a thing, cause canada :) i love you all dearly and i am grateful in every moment for the prayers and loves and thoughts i feel coming from each of you.

 

xoxo

hermana reagan curtis

 

ps speaking of gratitude i was looking at the mountains and such out the window the other day and literally started crying because God just keeps putting me in the loveliest of places, from american fork canyon to paris to british colombia and i just don't know what the mission has done to my emotions hahah but there's that.

 

 

 

 

-the Apostle Jeffrey R. Holland's first words as he looks out at the 200ish missionaries of the Canada Vancouver mission. such truth ahhaha. there we were, literally from all over the globe, having just shaken hands with one of the 12 living apostles of Jesus Christ.

If I could somehow get my fingers to go fast enough to type all of my notes from that meeting I would, for all of you, because they are absolutely precious to me. 

Saturday morning we had mission conference for the first time in British Colombia history. With Jeffrey R. Holland. Live and in person. THIS IS HUGE GUYS. My mission is beyond massive, missionaries had to fly in, take ferries in, take 6 hour bus rides just to get to the mission home. But it was worth it to sit in that room.

 

My mind is actually spinning as I try to decide what to share with you, so please bare with me as I try to pull my thoughts together. First are foremost he told us to take possession of ourselves. To "inch forward and put your little life on the altar". It was all over the place, oh I wish you could feel the ELECTRICITY that we felt in that room.

 

I have never been so proud to be a part of this mission than when he told us we were leading the pack in obedience. I have never felt so anxious as when he gripped the pulpit, leaned over and literally yelled at us that these missions MUST MATTER TO US. They must be everything. That if we do not bring everything we have to these 18-24 months, never will we ever be able to bring everything to anything else we are asked to do in this life.

 

He told us  that "the most important thing in the universe is the saving of a human soul." He told us to "make this the majestic experience that it is". He told us that whatever, whoever we were before our missions DOES NOT EXIST ANYMORE. We made the choice to go on a mission. We are here. And every split second here will define who we are both as missionaries and as children of God. He pleaded with us to never step away, never fade in our faith. That he has no patience whatsoever for returned missionaries who go inactive because not one of us has the right to taint the legendary tradition of a returned missionary. None of us. 

He told us that this is supposed to be hard. I cannot explain my feelings to you, as I sat there on the second row in that chapel, and heard him say, "Salvation is not a cheap experience... Maybe you don't want to do this, well, you have to." We have a responsibility to share what we know. To share who we are, where we came from, why we're here, to tell the world that they are literally children of a god. Our Heavenly Father. And He wants us back. That nothing ends with the grave, that nothing about us and our existence is finite. That we literally carry within ourselves fragments of another world, of a far more divine existence. That we are here to remember. Everything that we are, everything that we can be. 

Yesterday, I finished month 4 of my mission. Honestly, the hardest 4 months of my 20 years. But not for one second have I considered walking away from this work. I am so, so grateful to be entirely in my Father's hands for a short year and a half. Never will I be able to repay Him. 

I love you all dearly, I woke up today to letters from Taiwan and New York and home and I JUST LOVE YOU PEOPLE SO MUCH. Ah. THANK YOU. I'm about out of time but this mission means the world to me and I'll tell you about our miracles next week :) For now just know that Hermana Kartchner and I are starting transfer 3 together in Surrey!

xoxo

Hermana Reagan Curtis

pics: failed soccer team reminiscent pic with the seesters of the surrey zone and also super awkward zone photo celebrating elder holland coming, please enjoy.