TWENTY-ONE (my life feels like madness)

Okay first and foremost thank you for the cute notes and thoughts and prayers that all came my way on the 9th. It was honestly the happiest birthday I've had, and I'm not entirely sure why. I know one factor though was Simone <3 I'll start with her and then fill you all in on my life in Van YSA!

SIMONE:

Oh my heart. Found the reason I came to Vancouver. On week 1. Some elders met her the first day she moved to Vancouver. She moved here to literally start a new life. Elder Christensen was the first person she spoke to here, and he saved her life. She was on her way to committ suicide when he came and spoke to her. She saw the name "Jesus Christ" on his nametag, and though she didn't tell him anything about the turmoil she was in, it was enough to get her through that day. A week later she went to end her life again, when the elders texted her out of the blue and invited her to an activity. She came. She met the sisters. Then we officially met with her for the first time this week and she bore her soul to us and I cannot describe to you the feelings I had sitting in the middle of the gardens at UBC, looking at the ocean an dhearing her story and trying to understand what I ever did to get to be a part of all of this. Heavenly Father knows His children, what we need and when we need it. Simone didn't tell us any of this until I invited her to be baptized on October 7th... she looked at me and said "Why did you choose that day?" I told her it was just something we had prayed about and she started to cry and told us that October 7th was the first time she had ever tried to end her life, and that she needed a new birth - exactly what baptism is - on that specific day. I was SO HUMBLED and so in awe of the way God works in our minds and our hearts and the people around us. Don't be sad as you read this, this is the happiest story :) She came to all three hours of church yesterday and told me she's found an entirely new kind of light already. I AM SO GRATEFUL.

On to more light hearted things, my COMPANIONS. THE SISTER KIMS. Never have I so badly wanted to have a Go=Pro strapped to my head at all times. These two KILL ME. SIster Kim STL (Sister KimKim, the other is KimDos according to me) hates birds and loves sarcasm and their English is adorable. She was trying to explain to me why we can't go to the red zone in Vancouver as such: "yes if we look at them yes so full of drug. so sad street." Bless her heart. Sister KimDos is just as funny and our apartment is full of rice and seaweed and I've started to think in broken English please pray for me everyone. Also, Sister Kim 1 wanted me to clarify that specifically she hates how birds walk.

UMMMMMMM if I had minutes to explain the craziness and happiness of my first week here I would, but I'm off. OH BUT WAIT REALLY REALLY BIG NEWS! I am officially coming home DECEMBER 19th which is scary sooooooooooooon. Yeah.

Also Elder Hill, one of the former Assistants to the Mission President, informed me this week that whenever I called him and the other assistants they would discuss how they could "literally hear" my hair on the phone. 

Loves!

Sister Curtis