Archive for May 2017

I have wonderful news, KAI GOT BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!!! And it was slightly shambles as almost everything is in the YSA, and Alex (the elders' recent convert) baptized her which was too cool, but had to do on his knees because the font was half full, and Kai felt the need to die her hair purple for her baptism, but ALL IS WELL and we are very happy misioneras.

Kai met the missionaries through a member friend in the family ward, and I've gotten to teach her since the beginning. And her progression has been remarkable. Her life has been rough but she actually blows my mind with her faith. I pretty much feel like I was just an observer in her conversion process. Gold.

Also, we were teaching her in the McDonald's by her trailer park the other day, and this dad approaches Sister Pitts and I as we're getting ready to leave, and I instantly prep myself for someone to throw anti down my throat, but instead he says, "Hello. I just wanted to thank you for doing what you do, and for allowing my daughters to see ladies like you praying in public." And I was kinda dumbfounded for a moment, but recovered quickly thanks to the SPIRIT and we were like, " THANK YOU SO MUCH" and then we notice 4 cute little girls that reminded my of my sisters (except like 10 years ago, before they borrowed all my clothes and stuff while I'm on a mission) smiling behind him and we were like WE MUST BE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT THANK YOU HEAVENLY FATHER. So that was a highlight.

Other noteworthy moments include:

-Getting separated from mi companera when she thought she knew where she was going and got off at the wrong bus stop and I literally found myself talking out lout to nobody as I was walking to find her because I HAVEN'T BEEN ALONE IN OVER TEN MONTHS.

-The fact that I had to pick all the chocolate chips out of my cookie in relief society yesterday because we decided to sacrifice chocolate (this is how I know my mission has changed me), picture included.

-Beach BBQ with all my Victoria YSA Branch besties, including investigator Sabra, our golden child, and an abandoned boat. Once again, picture included.

-Exchanges with my hero, Sister Steele who is going home real soon and very eligible and very pretty.

-Ellie and I planted some crops. (I've actually been looking forward to sending this picture all week.) Mm. The best. As are all of you. Sending all my love from Van Isle, be good and say your prayers. They work wonders.

And YEAH.

I've also been holding on to D&C 45:62 because everyone needs this.

"For verily I say unto you, that great things await you;"

Mm. The best. As are all of you. Sending all my love from Van Isle, be good and say your prayers. They work wonders.

xoxo Hermana Curtis

PS, President Burt had his last zone conference with us this week and if I was emotionally stable enough about it to write about it I so would, just give me a couple weeks to process the fact that he's leaving us and I'll give it a shot. In all honestly though, I think the times I have felt the Spirit the strongest in my entire life have been with him. I know I was assigned to labor here because of President Burt, and I will love him all the days of my life. <3

Okay so here's the thing, I could try and document all the madness that happened this week in the absolute best way, the miracles and the wonders and also the shambles and the happiest things that came our way, but I have very limited minutes here at my computer and my fingers only go so fast :(( So we will do this on a need to know basis, starting with the fact that this was quite possibly my favorite weekend of my mission! <3 <3 TRUE STORY NOT EXAGGERATING.

Church consisted of 8 members, 1 recent convert, 2 less-actives, 5 missionaries, and 5 my and Sis. Pitt's investigators. It was the HAPPIEST sweetest thing. One of them was Sabra, who is the most golden human I have ever come across, who we taught for the first time on Saturday and now has a baptismal date for June :)) She shared an experience about taking the Sacrament for the first time and looking out the window and seeing a triple rainbow and therefore knowing that everything we teach is real. Hahaha Victoria. Of course God would answer people through rainbows here.

Also Sister PItts and I spent ALL of yesterday experimenting with the bus system here. We've ditched our car (to the extent possible), partially because of our Tiwi monitor harassing us and partially because then we can literally always be teaching somebody :) Lo and behold we are soooooo not as smart as we thought we were and we accidentally took the bus all the way to the ferry parking lot. 30 minutes past where we wanted to. SHAMBLES. But all is well my friends, because we totally taught two Buddhist monks from Sri Lanka the entire Restoration and left them watching Pres. Monson's "Choices" talk on their phone as we got off the bus. YEAH GO TEAM.

I also had the most tender lesson of my entire mission with Dani, who is without a doubt the reason I came on a mission. I just didn't have a clue that she was until I got to Victoria. And as much as I want each of you to understand the emotions and the experiences that we shared, it feels like, as Elder Holland said, one of those "moments for which expression would seem desecration." <3 Ah, please pray for her.

And also KAI who is getting baptized this Saturdayyyyyy :))) More of her story to come next week friends. Hang tight.

Okay I love love love you all. I love my mission, and the fact that I at long last have a tanline from my watch. I never want to leave this place, and I will spend the rest of my life being grateful that Heavenly Father trusted me to serve as a representative of Him, His Son, and Their Gospel. Thank heavens it's so real.

Con todo mi amor!
Hermana Curtis

1. "Missionary work is missionary FUN" - Sister Pitts

2. Live shot of Sister Curtis glued to her flip phone, as per usual. Didn't have a clue those would be so essential to the work of salvation. Also, all the telephone poles here are painted differently... cause..... VICTORIA!!!!!

So, um, Skype was the greatest thing ever yesterday???? And I love love love my family?????? AH Sister Pitts and I were like floating the rest of the evening. Missions teach you real quick what's the most important, and as happy as I am to be here I miss Nan and Dad and Ava and Reese loads <3

IN OTHER NEWS I am actually living 1984 now. The novel, not the year. We all got Tiwi's, aka "Big Brother", installed in our cars, so we have to swipe a little card and log-in everytime we drive. Tiwi monitors our driving and coaches us as we drive and email President if we speed too much or drive aggressively or don't have a seat-belt on or hit a bump too hard or take a turn too fast or are out after hours and it is CRAZY hahahah. Ours is named Tabitha. We are not on the best of terms. I had two "check your speed warnings" IN THE PARKING LOT within our FIRST TEN MINUTES of her joining us. It's okay though team. I'm okay. I'm grateful for the improvement my aggressive driving has seen since the beginning of the mission, as well as for the fact that Tabitha is hating on Sister Pitts just as much as she is on me.

(Real talk though I'm grateful for anything that helps us be more obedient, I AM GOING TO BE OKAY WITH THIS.)

On the bright side, Kai passed her baptismal interview!!!!!!!! More to come on her full story next week, but she'll be getting baptized in a week and a half and that is a ridiculous miracle. God is so good to us. Sister Pitts and I are happy and healthy and accidentally finding mud runs for morning workouts which is a goooood time. We taught Tomomi without a translator for the first time ever this week and Gift of Tongues is SO REAL. We somehow picked up from a church video that "shinko" means faith in Japanese and managed to teach the most powerful lesson about the Atonement in the teeniest most broken English + Japanese. I had to employ all 7 words I know hahahha.

ALSO Christl Bradley aka one of my absolute nearest and dearest from my time as a missionary pulled one BIG time on us!! She's moved to the mainland now but showed up for one of our lessons with Dani and Sister Pitts and I very nearly fell over :))) Love love love her. Ah.

Okay I hope you all have the happiest week and that you read your Book of Mormon everyday and that you take to heart this little piece of pure wisdom that President Burt shared this week:

"Life is hard, but it's even harder when you're stupid."

Grateful for inspired humans around me all the time.

Love you all to pieces!

xxx Hermana Curtis

PS Also one of my favorite things in the world is getting calls from other missionaries like the one I got from the Zone Leaders this week that go mostly like, "Sister Curtis!!!!! Speak Spanish!!!!" and then they hand the phone to some unsuspecting Latino on the street who doesn't understand why a crazy American, French man, and Filipino in suits have stopped him on the street and then I get to talk to him about God via flip-phone.

I need every single one of you to be aware, first off, that my darling mom's birthday is today! And I miss her partially because of how supportive she was of skipping class to ski, partially because of the fact that she adopted essentially anyone who's ever come over, and partially because of the fact that she can rap the song "Rapper's Delight" in its entirety and, partially, because she introduced me to 90's hip hop, but mostly because she is the greatest mother I have ever even heard of, and my best friend, and life without Nan would be a tragedy. Seriously though, not for a second have I doubted that I got luckier than anyone. Love you Mom. Can't wait to skypeeeeee. <3

In other news, Victoria is still a wonderful time :) Also I think I've become quite accustomed to how strange a place it is, because showing my new companions around is mostly just them commenting on how hippie it is hahhah. Things that seem entirely normal to me now. I asked our member Brianne what she was doing on Saturday and she said "Goat Yoga". Yeah. You literally pay 25$ for all these baby goats to climb all over you and leap from back to back as you do yoga in the park. VICTORIA hahah I love it. Also you get sued for improperly sorting your 4 different types of recycling.

My new companions are suchhhhhh a good time (miss you tho @ sis chandler). Sister Pitts and I clicked right away, and she's a killer missionary. Sister Yeung from Hong Kong is adorable. When she gets tired while we're running she comes up behind me and locks her arm in mine hahahah I melt every time. These past couple transfers as a Sister Training Leader have also given me a million opportunities to help foreign sister study English, and I literally don't know how I would do it without having learned a language before! SO grateful. Sister Yeung started clapping when I started explaining the difference between a couple tenses to her and past participles and such and said, "Finally!!! A companion who can teach me English!" because we can't even explain our own language haha :) The best things are coming to Vic YSA.

Love you all so much! Be good, I miss you loads.

Sister Curtis

OKAY I HAVE SO MANY IMPORTANT THINGS TO TELL YOU ALL!!!!!!!

1. Transfers came wayyyy too fast this time around. Sister Chandler aka my best friend is LEAVING ME and going to Surrey aka India aka my homeland. So this is me paying tribute to her and mourning the end of our on-going game of "punch-bug". We had to lay ground rules that we can't hit each other in public whenever we see a VW Bug, because otherwise we misrepresent the Church :( Going to miss her terribly, even though she microwaves her socks and drinks pickle juice and wastes a solid 6 minutes of our lunch everyday checking on our pet caterpillars (Ammon, Aaron, Alma, Amulek, and the newest addition Zeezrom). Really though, this has been a slightly emotional weekend. No breakdowns yet, but I think we're all kind of hovering on it so send prayers por favor. The good news is Sister Pitts who I've always wanted to be comps with is coming to Vic to be STL with me, PLUS a cute little sister from Hong Kong will be joining us in a trio! Absolute madness is coming to the island. But we're ready to hit the ground running.

Okay, wait, pause. Again and again people keep telling me that I sound "exactly like myself" in my group emails, and I'm not entirely sure if this is a pro or a con???? But thank you?????? Loves.

2. ALEX GOT BAPTIZED hahaha this is the best story. He's the elder's investigator, not ours, but Sister Chandler and I were more than pleased. He bore his testimony at the baptism about how he saw the Book of Mormon musical (lol), was sickened by how happy and giddy the missionaries were in all of it apparently, then saw the elders on the street, ran up to them and was like, "I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS FOR YOU CALL ME LATER" and then they did and then a month later he was baptized. Honestly, what? Sister Chandler leaned over after he talked about how watching the musical led to him finding pure truth even though he wasn't even looking for religion and whispered, "Not today, Satan." I died. The other highlight of the baptism was Matt, who performed the ordinance, going, "Dude. Hold your nose. Dude. Dude." to Alex as he oh-so-slowly lowered him into the water. I love YSA wards hahahaha. Such shambles But so much Spirit at the same time. SO grateful to be staying here in Victoria another transfer. Sometimes in Branch Council I feel like we're reenacting Kid History... if anyone of you have seen that on YouTube... because I look around the room and it's a bunch of absolute kids in shirts and ties talking about really grown up things and describing temple trips as "rad" and such.

Okay WAIT I GOTTA GO. Shoot. Okay I'll tell you more this week. But here are some pics of goodbyes and also Sister Chandler trying to direct the elders and their photography after church yesterday.

Love you all, to the moon and back. Love Victoria. Love my mission.

Sister R. Curtis

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REAGAN CURTIS

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