I only have a moment, but I love all of you more than you know and I'll love my mission for the rest of forever.

This week was gold. We went to the temple with Simone and a few other friends for her first time to do baptisms there, and watching her (for the second time in the space of a few months) step into the water wearing white, was an entirely surreal experience. I'm so grateful. The Gospel is so simple. It's so beautiful.

See you all so soon <3

Sister Curtis

Someone just informed me that I have 8 days left in my mission. I honestly didn't know that. Things have been a whirl here, and there's so much that has to happen. I'm so, so very lucky to be a part of it. 

A few of you have asked, I will probably get to email next Monday (the day before I fly out), but not 100% sure. I return home on the 19th and my homecoming is December 31st in Highland, Utah!

Quick update on this week before I start semi-explaining where my mind and heart are at currently...

SO MANY MIRACLES. Lots of last minute miracles. Which are always quite humbling. We roamed Gastown (my favourite part of downtown Vancouver) with Mo and a few members, delivering Christmas gifts to the many homeless people. We sang carols on the street. We had Mission Leadership Council with President Wong and the other mission leaders which was SO GOOD ALWAYS SO SO GOOD. He spent easily over an hour teaching us about how we ought to receive correction, and sharing with us how the senior Brethren correct the other General Authorities. It was mind blowing. The first thing they tell you when you get that calling is, "If you can't stand ready for correction, you're no use to the Kingdom." OH OKAY. He said that President Packer, when training new 70's, would offer them a choice. They could choose to receive slightly sugar-coated correction over a span of 30 minutes, or get it hard and fast in 5 minutes. All of them choose 5 minutes. Always. President Wong, since he already is a General Authority, totally treats us like he's training us to be that someday. It's incredible. I decided that in my closing interview I just want him to straight up tell me all my weaknesses and how to fix them. Honestly, I want that. Anyways, we spent hourssss holding our breath and waiting to get thrown down upon for something after all this training on properly receiving correction. But then... he never did. He just changed the subject. And let the Spirit tell each of us, individually, exactly what we need to repent of. PRESIDENT WONG IS THE SMARTEST PERSON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

He's so cute. I'm going to miss Asians soooooo much. The other day one of our investigators, Steven the Korean, texted us and said, "Curtis!!! Yesterday I was almost died.... I had gastrointestinal and I was almost died."  Hahaha THEY'RE ALL SO CUTE!

Okay. Moving on. To things that actually really matter. I'm not going to attempt to explain my mission and what it means to me via email, because that's entirely useless. But I have a million thoughts and stories and feels that I'll be repeating liberally the next couple of months, so ask me everything please <3 

I remember picking up Hermana Archibald almost exactly a year ago on her first day in the mission field. Now we're here together in Vancouver YSA for my last days in the mission field. I remember driving through Surrey with her and telling her that our missions are the most important things we've ever done. Back then.. I still didn't have a clue what this work actually means. Why we do it. Why God trusts us to do it. 

I know that my Saviour lives. I know that by being here and opening my mouth, I am a teeny part of making the Plan of Salvation real for some of my Father's children here in BC. I love this work with my whole heart, and though I have to take off my nametag soon, I'll never step away from this. 

I know that God "is not dead, nor doth He sleep". He will not force Himself into our lives. We see Him when we want to, and when we're willing to accept that maybe He's not exactly who we thought He was. I know that His Son, Jesus Christ, lives. I don't understand how, but I know that because of Him I get second chances. 

I know that I've been very far from a perfect missionary. Or perfect anything, really. But I also know that because of the things I have seen, felt, read, learned, heard, and been on my knees for, I am more like my Saviour than I was when I first put my nametag on. 

Oh, I'm so grateful! 

My sweet friends and family, I'll see you all so soon! 

With all my love,

Sister Curtis

Speaking of companions, LIFE IS SO GOOD. I miss the Kims terribly but got to see them at Korean class this week :))) (also, Korean is really really hard). The good news is, Hermana Archibald and Sister Kovalska are killing it and we are having the time of our lives. Never are we ever bored. 

Our first night together we were fielding phone calls from sisters, planning conference calls, and attempting to unpack before crashing when Sis. Kovalska scooted real close to my face and said, "Sister Curtis, what are those things on your teeth????"

Me: "Retainers?"

Her: "What are they for???????"

Me: "Keeping my teeth straight!"

Her: "OH! Can I wear them tomorrow?"

Hna Archibald and I die, all the time. They're both adorable and I am so happyyyyy. 

This week was lots of run around with transfers amongst other things but we saw plenty of miracles, as per usual. Vancouver is the promised land, I swear. Masoomeh and her 18 year old daughter came to one of the Christmas parties! We took them on a little tour around the Church and they were thrilled. Every Persian is so prepared for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I swear. My favourite thing in all of ever to show off on church tours is the Young Women's Theme. It starts off with this,

We are daughters of our Heavenly Father

who loves us and we love Him.

We will stand as witnesses of God

at all times, and in all things, and in all places

as we strive to live the Young Women values which are

faith, divine nature, individual worth,

knowledge, choice & accountability

integrity, and virtue.

Literally HOW DIFFERENT would the world be if every teenaged/YSA aged girl understood that???? IT CHANGES EVERYTHING! Had the loveliest talk with Mo this week about how that's something that originally drew her in to learning about the Gospel. When we talk about our relationship with God, we don't talk about the fact that we are His "creations". It's only a partial truth. Absolutely, He made us. But He made u because He loves us and we are an imperfect, very mortal (temporarily), extension of Him. 

Merry Christmas loves, GO WATCH THE FIRST PRESIDENCY CHRISTMAS DEVOTIONAL ON LDS.ORG!! IT WILL MAKE YOU VERY HAPPY! 

Two more weeks to run hard here, it doesn't feel real in the least. But I'm more than grateful for all the support and thoughts and prayers and well-wishes I'm feeling from all of you. 

Con todo mi amor,

Hermana Reags Curtis

PICS:

-roaming Whistler trails with comps + Mo

-2010 Olympic Rings!

-last time getting to see Sister Lauren Hunt on the misshhhhhh

-byeeee Brian! literally all my Koreans are abandoning me

ALSO IMPORTANT THINGS!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HERMANA HEALY!

AND ALSO HERMANA ARCHIBALD! SO MUCH AMOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Speaking of Hermana Archibald, I got my very last transfer call every and MY DAUGHTER IS GOING TO KILL ME IN VAN YSA! For those of you who are unfamiliar with missionary lingo, Sister Archibald, who I trained a year ago, is going to be my final companion here in Vancouver YSA for my last three weeks of the mission :) ANNNNNND we're in a trio again with Sister Kovalska! From Ukraine!!!! Good thing I'm fluent in Korean now so I can focus on Russian. 

I actually got to go to a Korean class that the missionaries started this week and it was the BEST THING that ever happened to me hahah. Literally like 6 Korean-speaking missionaries, me, and a woman from Romania. Still can't write my name in Korean, or even the alphabet, BUT I can say hi, bye, thank you, i love you, and yes. This is all I need. 

Okay here's a miracle of all miracles for you all. I met a woman named Masoomeh from Iran last week while crossing the street on my way to catch the Skytrain. We talked for 2 minutes maybe about Jesus Christ and missionary work and she went home that day, showed her entire family (including those in Iran) a picture of me and told them that she'd just met a Christian girl and maybe wanted to change her religion. WHAT MASOOMEH?????? She brought her husband for a church tour that weekend and when we showed them a painting of Christ's baptism her husband asked to take a photo of it and said, "I feel such strong positive energy from this picture. I've never even felt this in my own mosque." This weekend they brought their 18 year old daughter to the Christmas concert and loved every second of it. They feel such a pull to learn about Jesus Christ and it's beautifullllllllll to witness. Beautiful. I've never felt so much like a "vessel". When her husband, Abraham, explained the feelings he recognised while looking at that painting, she said that those were the same things she felt during our brief conversation on the street. It was something entirely foreign to them, but so lovely and so powerful. Oh, how I love this work.

And I love each of you!

See you, like, really soon.

Hermana Curtis

(Also shoutout to Ryanne for submitting her mission papers, I also forgot my camera today sooooooo this is the only picture I have, thanks to her.)

LOVE LOVE LOVE OKAY BYE!

Okay so I slept over with the North Shore sisters last night (which involved some mad sprinting through torrential downpours, skytrains, and the seabus which is my favourite thing in all of ever) and this morning we went on the dreamiest little hike to Lynne Valley suspension bridge. Please look at these pictures. It's like Taiwan. Except in Canada. Guys, Canada is really really cool.

Updates on my life, people continually take it upon themselves to remind me how little time I have left. I got a little teary about it during weekly planning and the Kims, bless their hearts, literally turned to each other and said (like I couldn't hear them), "We need to bother her more so she does not think."

Thanks Kims <3

This weekend though was for real soooooooooo good. We got to watch the YSA Face-to-Face with all the missionaries and my Van YSA Fam which was the happiest thing ever. Literally THE APOSTLES ARE SO I CUTE I LOVE THEM. They talked about everything from how to know God is there to homosexuality to the balance between freedom to make your own choices (agency) and inspiration. It was brilliant. God is brilliant. The Church is so cool. Most of the time I'm like, "Yeah even if I didn't know this Church was true I just, like, really like this Church." So there's that. 

Ummmm, what else? Oh yeah. This week Mo walked in, sat down, and said, "This week I made my own toothpaste, and immediately it made my gums bleed." Living a waste-free life is still a work in progress. Go BC. 

Okay. I love you guys. I'm more grateful for you than any of you know. And I miss you loads. 

Con todo mi amor,

Hermana Curtis

Seriously received SOOOOOO much straight revelation. We had a ridiculous amount of meetings between Stake Conferences, Zone Conferences, Mission Leadership Council, and prep for all of the above, but it was SO GOOD. 

First of all, President Soares of the Presidency of the 70 came to ZC and MLC and I LOVE HIM. Watching he and President Wong walk in was a spiritual experience in itself. These two men are worldwide leaders, and each of us sensed something remarkable fill the room as they entered. In that moment I so clearly recognized the Spirit reach out to me and say, "These men are who they are, and are in the positions which they are, because of the small choices and sacrifices they have made consistently throughout their lives." Sister Tenney, one of the loads of sisters who stayed with us this week, stayed up far later with me than we should have after that, perched on the foot of my bed talking about the humility we see in our leaders and the straight miracles it brings. It's funny how much talking about the Gospel lights you up once you begin to really SEE it. We had a few more sleepovers this week, and even with anywhere from 5 to 9 sisters piled on the floor conversations that might have started a bit trivial turned to the Atonement and our Father's plan and everything that we hope to be in order to help Him with it. OH I LOVE MISSIONS.

There were spiritual experiences this week that I really can't communicate via email, there was a whole new level of exhaustion, there were conversations that entirely opened my eyes, and there were hilarious moments as well. I'm so grateful for this and every other week of my mission. It goes scary fast. But I also see that I'll never really step out of serving the Lord and building His kindgom. <3

I LOVE YOU ALL LOADS.

My address is still 8440 Williams Road 

                           Richmond, BC v7a 1g6  Canada

for those of you who have asked!!

xxx Hermana Curtis

OH WAIT ONE MORE MIRACLE. Kaila, who got baptized a month ago roughly.. texted us at 6:30 on Saturday morning to tell us that she was taking a bus (for hoursssssss) to the temple in Langley to go do the work for 21 names she had found in her genealogy. LITERALLY WHAT THE HECK SHE IS SO GOOD WHAT TEENAGER DOES THAT!!!!!!!!!!!! If all of you don't make time to go to the temple this week I will be bitterly disappointed. 

Okay love you all. Bye.

HALLOWEEEN was such a good time hahahah. We made cookies with Mo and taught her roomie from Singapore named Bri about God. She's lovely. She literally asked us what the "shortlist" is for Christlike attributes and how one gains them... literally no one has asked me that before. We also hit up Van Deusen gardens (gorgeoussss) with another investigator. Please enjoy the photos attached (the other email has a bunch more too).  BUT the highlight of Halloween was getting a call from the Assistants that President Wong wanted us to come over for dinner with a couple other elders and sisters ANNNNNNNDDD that he wanted Sister Kim Kim to cook Korean instant noodles for dinner with Galbi (this like wayyy expensive Korean beef). She was so mad hahahah. It apparently takes days to make, but President (and therefore the Assistants') favourite English phrase is "make it happen" so that's what we did. Most intense grocery shopping I have experienced as of yet. BUT dinner so so yum and so happy and it felt like a little family dinner, something I haven't felt in ages as a YSA missionary. President Wong is adorable. Please just picture this insanely spiritual and powerful man shuffling around in his little slippers and answering the door for trick-or-treaters while simultaneously discussing how we can better build the Lord's kingdom in Vancouver. So cute. I love him.

Other fun news!!! Elder Soares, one of the Presidents of the 70 aka a leader for the Church worldwide, is coming to visit our mission this week! He's from Brazil (shout out to you Ellen). <3

Okay that's mostly it from Sister Curtis this week. 

Yesterday in Relief Society we talked about the Saviour's peace versus the peace of the world and it was SO GOOD and SO PROFOUND. Here's the thing. The world teaches us that peace is the absence of chaos. When wars cease, when you have an empty schedule, when nobody is bickering in the background... that's their peace. The Saviour's peace is of an entirely different quality. It is not the absence of negative, but the PRESENCE of something divine. The Saviour's peace does not stand alone. It is always accompanied by patience, humility, gratitude, something along those lines. The world's peace can't counterfeit that. And it certainly can't change you and your nature as a child of God.

I love you all to pieces and I hope you remember that <3 

Thank you thank you for the thoughts and prayers and notes and support, it means everything to me!

ALSO HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MISS AVA TAYLOR!!! SOON TO BE HERMANA CURTIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

xxx Hna Reags Curtis

This week was exhausting, but happy. I felt like over and over again I was being reminded of and tugged back to the beginning of my mission, in Surrey. We were out in Coquitlam for some appointments and got to have dinner with the sweet Hernandez family, my Bishop from the Surrey Spanish ward! SUCH a tender mercy. The Kim's got to try pupusas :) Thennnnnn the next night I was on splits with the Hermanas and they got to experience just a few minutes of a Latino Mormon party as they came to pick me up at the Spanish ward's activity hahahah how I WISH I could explain their reactions to you.  

The gym was full of hispanos of all ages just dancing and dancing as they cleaned up chairs and tables and food and such and the poor, bewildered Kims got trapped right in the middle of it... SIster KimKim looked up at me and yelled, "I WANT TO DANCE. I WANT TO GO TO SPANISH WORK." hahah I died. How lucky am I? 6 months in a Spanish ward and YSA ever since that <3 

Nothing much to report other than the fact that my Korean is not improving as much as I would have hoped, but you win some you lose some. 

With all my love,

Sister Curtis

Hey friends, another week of madness and miracles in Vancouver YSA!

We survived transfer week, which since we're the only sisters in Vancouver with a car meant that I spent a solid 11 hours just in one day hauling sisters around! We have the ferry, airport, greyhound bus terminal, and mission office in our area sooooo it was a grand exercise in faith that everything works out in the end hahah. I've come to the conclusion that leadership in the lower mainland is in reality just a glorified taxi service (just kidding, just kidding).

We had a great deal of miracles though whenever we found a minute to hop out of the car! Literally half our teaching pool is Japanese currently, so that's always a good time, and I made a new Latina friend this week named Andrea! She's soooooooo good. Like, so good. We set a baptismal date with her in our first lesson and found out that her mom has been attending the Mormon church in Peru for three months! GOD IS SO GOOD. FAMILY IS SO COOL. THE GOSPEL IS REALLY NEAT. It literally pulls people together. Ah.

Simone and Kaila are still killing it, just a few weeks after their baptisms and they're both already teaching with us and fulfilling baptismal covenants like I've never seen before. Still facing loads of opposition, but it's become so clear to me on my mission that Courage is a critical Christlike attribute for anyone who wants to find their way home to our Father in Heaven. Especially in today's world.

Speaking of covenants I just WISH I had enough minutse to explain how good my studies were this week. My entire mission I have looooved personal study. I focused a lot on why every covenant involves someting spiritual but also requires us to take physical action, whether that be getting in the water at baptism, taking the bread for sacrament, or temple covenants. I still don't understand it. But it's coming.

Also recognized how real the physical blessings of the Saviour's Atonement are. I woke up Sunday morning and wanted to DIE hahah I was so wiped. I prayed so hard for strength and though it didn't come all at once, it came like a sunrise. Hour by hour I saw so clearly that His power was present and lifting me, though it was nearly an undistinguishable progression.

Love you all!

Sister Curtis

(I think these pics include Thanksgiving, the Kims with their chicken nuggets to go on chopsticks of course, and some other happy things)

Soooooooooo I spent the first three hours of PDay driving sisters to and from the ferry and then the next hour or so typing transfer information with the Assistants SO I am trying my best to put at least some detail in this email, especially because Christl Bradley fully called me out on never actually writing a real email though I promise to every week :) 

What made it even better this week was ALL MY LOVES from Kelowna YSA and Victoria YSA came to Vancouver for a conference! Mostly it felt like a high school reunion and all of us missionaries were real out of our comfort zones running around with  music on at dinner and stuff BUT seeing the people that have made this past year and a half the greatest was so so so so good. Like, so good. I honestly think I am the luckiest missionary of all missionaries to have served with these people in such incredible places. 

Speaking of which, shout out to Ellie Bissett for making me cry.

I haven't seen her since I left the island, but we had a little moment at dinner in which she looked at me and said, "I don't really know cause I haven't served, but I feel like you've had a really sweet mission." And I said, 'Yeah." And then I got all teary. Because I totally have. And now Sister Seiter is sitting next to me (friends since high school graduation and serving together) and I'm about to send her home tomorrow and I got to see ROSA this weekend (recent convert from Surrey Spanish over a year ago) and I JUST AM OVERWHELMED with how much all of this means to me. How much I don't want to step away from this world that's become everything to me. My heart, my mind, my strength in every aspect has gone into the people here and I am crazy grateful.

Don't worry though team, I still have another transfer! The other highlight from conference was the fact that we and the Elders took a solid 20 or so of the YSA downtown with us to hand out Book of Mormons and I can't even tell you how funny it was to walk into the Skytrain station with an absolute gang of very determined, very frightened Mormon kids ready to hit the streets. Also, I lost both Kims. For a very long time. But all is well now.

Other news from this week includes the fact that President Wong made us pause interviews twice, once to buy him (and cook for him) Korean instant noodles, the other to buy frosties. I love him.

Here are pictures of people and places that I love including Thanksgiving Dinner, Stanley Park, and reunions:

I LOVE YOU MUCH!

Sister Curtis

Two years in a row now this has caught me off guard, but that's okay it was still a lovely day yesterday! We spent Thanksgiving running around to meet with different leaders in neighbouring cities, met a miracle named Roshni on our way out of the chapel so we gave her a quick tour and she loved it, and ended the day with dinner at Josh's house with Simone WHO GOT BAPTIZED, Kaila WHO GOT CONFIRMED, and Elder Nowatzke and Elder Chatelain (the YSA English elders we serve with). Honestly, I couldn't have been happier. Not only did I get the first home made meal I've had in absolute ages (yay YSA branches!!!!!) from Josh the Real Life Chef, but I got to spend it with the people nearest to family for me here in Vancouver. 

Simone's day though was by far the highlight. We had been holding our breaths and praying hard constantly since we first met her until October 7th and ALL OUR DREAMS CAME TRUE. She stood up to share her conversion story at the end of the baptism and some of the elders were just shaking their heads at me as she spoke because she really and truly sounded like she could have been speaking in General Conference. (Remember to send me tickets when you're up there in front of the whole world, okay Simone????) It seems terribly empty to try and describe her story via email. All I know is Heavenly Father is as near as we will allow Him to be and making a conscious effort to step closer to Him and our Saviour changes everything. I will never understand it, but it does. There has been a visible difference in Simone since she came out of the water, and I feel like the luckiest to have been a tiny piece of it. 

To end this email I feel the need to share this President Wong quote with all of you, do with it what you will:

Pres. Wong: "Do you know what is a bananana?"

Missionaries in unison: "A banana?"

Pres. Wong: "Yes, a bananana."

Elder Garbett: "..it's a fruit."

Pres. Wong: "Okay...."

Elder Kim (yes, he's Korean too): "It's an Asian. Yellow on the outside, white on the inside. It's a westernized Asian."

Pres. Wong: "YES."

I promised this applied to missionary work somehow but at the moment I cannot for the life of me remember what that was. But this was a very important moment of Zone Conference.

OH! Also we had MLC which was brilliant beyond brilliant as per usual. President Wong made me draw mini pictures for every conference talk on a chalkboard so that was interesting. ALSO AND MOST IMPORTANTLY after using the persuasive speech skills we've developed on the street as missionaries he said yes to us going to the temple with our zone today!!!! THE HAPPIEST. It's been over a year. AH.

More good news: over heard the Kims telling the Chinese YSA sisters that I'm actually really good at chopsticks. I made it everyone.

So much love from Canada,

Sister Curtis!

PICS AND SUCH:

Please note that there are THREE Sister Kims AND an Elder Kim in this photo. Go team.