Due to the holiday, I am writing you a quick note to let you what's going on. Today is transfers and I'm leaving to go back to Tustin. I don't know if they use public libraries down there, but if so, I won't be able to write due to the holiday. So we came to the history center really quick to tell you that I'll write later today or tomorrow, depending. My new area is the Tustin Meadows ward and my new companion is Elder C, who was my district leader in Irvine. Life is crazy!
Love,
Elder Curtis
Monday, September 13, 2010
Mormon Manor (September 13 email)
Well, my life has changed quite a bit since last transfer. As I mentioned last week, I am now riding a bike instead of sitting in a car. I am also working an area with a companion who knows nothing more than I do about it. It's been an adventure, but with the help of my GPS, it hasn't been unbearable. We don't have anyone that is progressing super well, but we have a couple people with potential. We've been working on the area book quite a bit and trying to get organized so we know in what general area everyone lives in. Our apartment has like 25 members in it and is even managed by some people in the ward so that is fun. The owner isn't though, I'm pretty sure. Some people call it Mormon Manor :)
Tuesday and Friday we had lessons with a family that was less-active for some time and is coming back--mostly on account of their children. The autistic daughter got baptized two days before we arrived, and the younger son was baptized a while before that. The parents have been less-active, but are coming to church now to support their children, so I think that is wonderful. I'm sure they will be temple ready eventually with all that strengthening. The father even baptized K. Oh, and they are the J family.
We are being fed well in this area, even with two sets of missionaries working here. The members we've met so far have been really nice and I really like the people here so far. We have some great ward missionaries and our high council seems pretty good too. We met with Bishop H and our WML Bro. M this week, and they kind of helped us get going and gave a few names to us to try.
Thursday night we taught a recent convert that is a little less-active named G L. It was a good lesson and we had brother B come with us, who is a ward missionary and teaches Gospel Principles. Sunday night we taught N T , a black lady who converted a while ago but usually has to work during church. She said she has next week off though, so that's good. Brother B came to that lesson too, and we went over the lesson she had missed from Gospel Principles. We also gave a blessing to a non-member boy who broke his arm. He's a grandson of the S family in the ward, so hopefully we can start teaching him. We also have the C family and P/H that we want to start teaching.
Things are going well and Elder C is fun to work with--even if he's a little crazy sometimes :). Hope everyone is doing great.
Anyway, thanks for your prayers and support. Love you as much as my excitement for this new area,
Elder Curtis
Tuesday and Friday we had lessons with a family that was less-active for some time and is coming back--mostly on account of their children. The autistic daughter got baptized two days before we arrived, and the younger son was baptized a while before that. The parents have been less-active, but are coming to church now to support their children, so I think that is wonderful. I'm sure they will be temple ready eventually with all that strengthening. The father even baptized K. Oh, and they are the J family.
We are being fed well in this area, even with two sets of missionaries working here. The members we've met so far have been really nice and I really like the people here so far. We have some great ward missionaries and our high council seems pretty good too. We met with Bishop H and our WML Bro. M this week, and they kind of helped us get going and gave a few names to us to try.
Thursday night we taught a recent convert that is a little less-active named G L. It was a good lesson and we had brother B come with us, who is a ward missionary and teaches Gospel Principles. Sunday night we taught N T , a black lady who converted a while ago but usually has to work during church. She said she has next week off though, so that's good. Brother B came to that lesson too, and we went over the lesson she had missed from Gospel Principles. We also gave a blessing to a non-member boy who broke his arm. He's a grandson of the S family in the ward, so hopefully we can start teaching him. We also have the C family and P/H that we want to start teaching.
Things are going well and Elder C is fun to work with--even if he's a little crazy sometimes :). Hope everyone is doing great.
Anyway, thanks for your prayers and support. Love you as much as my excitement for this new area,
Elder Curtis
Hello! (September 6 email)
Due to the holiday, I am writing you a quick note to let you what's going on. Today is transfers and I'm leaving to go back to Tustin. I don't know if they use public libraries down there, but if so, I won't be able to write due to the holiday. So we came to the history center really quick to tell you that I'll write later today or tomorrow, depending. My new area is the Tustin Meadows ward and my new companion is Elder C, who was my district leader in Irvine. Life is crazy!
Love,
Elder Curtis
Love,
Elder Curtis
But he has (August 30 email)
I had a good week. How about you? Yesterday was the confirmation of Bro. W. It was a really neat experience. He kind of had a rough week and was a little troubled when he showed up to church (which he was really nervous for). He wasn't even sure if Bro. C liked him anymore (a misconception). Satan's really been working on him. He had a really neat experience during the confirmation however. He said about halfway through, he felt a cleansing power go through him starting at his head where our hands were and running down his body down to his toes. He said it was like all his worries and problems and mistakes were all just swept away and he was left whole. It was really touching to hear about. He said a month or so ago, he was really miserable and just doing terrible mentally and physically. He said none of his circumstances have changed, but he has. His whole attitude and outlook on life have completely changed for the better. Now that Jesus Christ is in his life, he feels like a new man and can face the future with optimism and hope. The Gospel of Jesus Christ has that power. It is the power to heal, to uplift, to strengthen, and to inspire. I know our Saviour lives and he loves us. He has a church on earth and He is lovingly reaching out to his children once more to gather them into His fold. This is His work and He gets all the glory. We are just instruments--useless pieces of material by themselves--but with the touch of The Master's hand, we can help Him work miracles in the lives of others and be shaped into something better along the way. We truly are clay in the Potter's hands, and stones in the river. We are tossed and turned when the current moves so strong. Like stones in the living water over time, are shaped until the edges are gone. We must build our foundation on the rock of Christ and when the storms and mighty hail of the adversary come, they shall have no power over us, to drag us down. For Christ is the sure foundation, whereon if men build they cannot fall.
Tuesday I went on exchanges with Elder H and Elder M. They are great zone leaders and I enjoyed spending a day with them and learning from them. Saturday we were able to teach S at Bro. J’s home. We reviewed the Restoration and the importance of reading and praying about the Book of Mormon. He took it really well and I think he has a good prospect of getting an answer to his prayers. He came to church yesterday and I think it was a good experience for him. Be sure to keep him in your prayers. The Zone Leaders had a baptism yesterday that we went to and it was really neat. It's a guy who has a member girlfriend and the service was wonderful. Well I hope everyone has a good week. Keep being a light unto the world! Love you as much as the 80+ doors I knocked this week!
Elder Curtis
Tuesday I went on exchanges with Elder H and Elder M. They are great zone leaders and I enjoyed spending a day with them and learning from them. Saturday we were able to teach S at Bro. J’s home. We reviewed the Restoration and the importance of reading and praying about the Book of Mormon. He took it really well and I think he has a good prospect of getting an answer to his prayers. He came to church yesterday and I think it was a good experience for him. Be sure to keep him in your prayers. The Zone Leaders had a baptism yesterday that we went to and it was really neat. It's a guy who has a member girlfriend and the service was wonderful. Well I hope everyone has a good week. Keep being a light unto the world! Love you as much as the 80+ doors I knocked this week!
Elder Curtis
Sweet and Short (August 23 email)
The Lord is pouring out his blessings upon the CAM (California Anaheim Mission). Yesterday brother W got baptized and entered into a covenant with God. It was a really neat experience and the service was sweet and short. Elder L played a musical number on the piano--a medley of Come Thou Fount and If You Could High to Kolob. It was beautiful--I'm always jealous of people with perfect pitch. A former bishop of the ward (Bro. N) baptized him and Brother C, who found him, gave the talk. He'll be confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints next Sunday during sacrament meeting.
Wednesday we had a lesson with S. He's been taught by missionaries for a while, but we haven't been in contact with him for a while, so it was good to finally teach him. Brother C in the ward is the perfect person to fellowship him and help us teach so we had the lesson at his house and he did a lot to help S. They are pretty close in age (30's) and even work together sometimes for their jobs. S didn't make it to church on Sunday, but we hope to be able to help him progress.
Thursday was fun because we had dinner with the T family. The dad, I. T., was a second string running back for BYU football. It was super fun to talk and discuss that with him. I think he was there my freshman year, but I don't remember him (Ross probably does though). Now he's about to have his second boy. He gave us some information that hadn't (hasn't?) been publicly announced yet. He said BYU is leaving the mountain west conference and going independent (after first presidency approval). I thought that was really interesting. Only three other teams are independent--Notre Dame, Army, and Navy. I'm actually happy for them--especially since Utah joined the PAC-10. Now that we are free, we can have more challenging games and maybe be better recognized. I heard we even got HD TV cameras.
Friday was not such a fun day. Mi. called and asked us to come over so she could talk to us. She told us she no longer wants to take the lessons and that she doesn't feel the Gospel is right for her and her family at this time. She was really polite though and thanked us and still wants to be friends. Sounded a lot like a GF/BF break-up to me. It makes me really sad, but I think at some future day she'll accept it into her life--perhaps when circumstances have more sufficiently humbled her.
After the Baptism yesterday we got to go to the bishop's fireside for the youth and be the teachers. It was pretty fun. We talked about missionary work, the Book of Mormon, Preach My Gospel, and how to prepare for a mission by being a missionary now. We even had them do a little activity where they studied a principle in chapter three of Preach My Gospel and practiced teaching it to another person. It was a fun time I thought.
Love you as much as all the drops of water needed to fill the font (and the drops wasted by our leaky sink).
Elder Curtis
Wednesday we had a lesson with S. He's been taught by missionaries for a while, but we haven't been in contact with him for a while, so it was good to finally teach him. Brother C in the ward is the perfect person to fellowship him and help us teach so we had the lesson at his house and he did a lot to help S. They are pretty close in age (30's) and even work together sometimes for their jobs. S didn't make it to church on Sunday, but we hope to be able to help him progress.
Thursday was fun because we had dinner with the T family. The dad, I. T., was a second string running back for BYU football. It was super fun to talk and discuss that with him. I think he was there my freshman year, but I don't remember him (Ross probably does though). Now he's about to have his second boy. He gave us some information that hadn't (hasn't?) been publicly announced yet. He said BYU is leaving the mountain west conference and going independent (after first presidency approval). I thought that was really interesting. Only three other teams are independent--Notre Dame, Army, and Navy. I'm actually happy for them--especially since Utah joined the PAC-10. Now that we are free, we can have more challenging games and maybe be better recognized. I heard we even got HD TV cameras.
Friday was not such a fun day. Mi. called and asked us to come over so she could talk to us. She told us she no longer wants to take the lessons and that she doesn't feel the Gospel is right for her and her family at this time. She was really polite though and thanked us and still wants to be friends. Sounded a lot like a GF/BF break-up to me. It makes me really sad, but I think at some future day she'll accept it into her life--perhaps when circumstances have more sufficiently humbled her.
After the Baptism yesterday we got to go to the bishop's fireside for the youth and be the teachers. It was pretty fun. We talked about missionary work, the Book of Mormon, Preach My Gospel, and how to prepare for a mission by being a missionary now. We even had them do a little activity where they studied a principle in chapter three of Preach My Gospel and practiced teaching it to another person. It was a fun time I thought.
Love you as much as all the drops of water needed to fill the font (and the drops wasted by our leaky sink).
Elder Curtis
20 Years (August 16 email)
Good noon (it's not morning or afternoon). We had two baptisms in the district this weekend. Brea third had one on Saturday, and the singles ward (Placentia 4th) had one yesterday. They were both good services. Brother Williamson's is this Sunday so I hope that goes well too. Sister Mia Farley still won't come to church, but she's still really nice and willing to listen to us. I really hope she decides to come soon, because she'd be such a good one to get baptized! Her kids are great too, and the two oldest--Nicole and Brook--are old enough for baptism (11,9).
On Monday we played tennis for our activity and are planning on doing it again today since it was so much fun. Elder Lew and I have even been doing it every morning for morning exercise. It's pretty fun. I'll have to take some pictures today. This morning we had breakfast at a member's house (the Schultz's). He's had missionaries eat breakfast there for like 20 years or more and has a log book of all their names. It's pretty cool.
This week we got to walk a dog every day because a single lady went out of town so she asked us to do that since her dog has arthritis. It was pretty fun. It was Elder Lew's first time to walk a dog. :) I never knew there was skill involved in dog walking lol. On Tuesday we had dinner with a non-member couple who have a son on a mission. He's getting home in a couple weeks from D.C. or something. They are so nice and are very kind to missionaries, but I guess it's Taboo to try and share a message with them. I heard that missionaries who did that didn't get invited to come again. I think that's a little odd--especially since they are so nice and sent us home with a whole pan of brownies.
We taught Brother Williamson twice this week and he came to church again yesterday so everything should work out for him to get baptized this Sunday. He seems pretty excited about everything. Now we just need someone else like him to teach. It was almost too easy haha. Well I hope everyone is doing well. I just realized today that I don't know my own home address or phone # so I better go memorize those :). Love you as much as the new house.
Elder Curtis
On Monday we played tennis for our activity and are planning on doing it again today since it was so much fun. Elder Lew and I have even been doing it every morning for morning exercise. It's pretty fun. I'll have to take some pictures today. This morning we had breakfast at a member's house (the Schultz's). He's had missionaries eat breakfast there for like 20 years or more and has a log book of all their names. It's pretty cool.
This week we got to walk a dog every day because a single lady went out of town so she asked us to do that since her dog has arthritis. It was pretty fun. It was Elder Lew's first time to walk a dog. :) I never knew there was skill involved in dog walking lol. On Tuesday we had dinner with a non-member couple who have a son on a mission. He's getting home in a couple weeks from D.C. or something. They are so nice and are very kind to missionaries, but I guess it's Taboo to try and share a message with them. I heard that missionaries who did that didn't get invited to come again. I think that's a little odd--especially since they are so nice and sent us home with a whole pan of brownies.
We taught Brother Williamson twice this week and he came to church again yesterday so everything should work out for him to get baptized this Sunday. He seems pretty excited about everything. Now we just need someone else like him to teach. It was almost too easy haha. Well I hope everyone is doing well. I just realized today that I don't know my own home address or phone # so I better go memorize those :). Love you as much as the new house.
Elder Curtis
Monday, August 9, 2010
A Kid in a Candy Store (August 9th email)
Hello all. I hope the summer is treating you well. Things are going great for me here in Brea. I have a great companion and a fun district and the ward is full of really good people. We had lots of success with our investigator G. W. this week. We taught him three times and he came to church on Sunday. We have a dentist in the ward that is going to help him with his teeth so he should be able to get a job pretty soon. His son that he hasn't talked to for like a decade called him and apologized, and he's just thrilled about all he is learning. He said he feels like a kid in a candy store--he can't get enough. He's been reading a ton and was super excited to read the gospel principles book he got yesterday. He said he's excited to be baptized the 21st, so everything is going perfectly.
We tried to teach a lady named Ma. this week, but she missed our appointment, so hopefully we can teach her this week. We did get to teach Mi. this week and it went pretty well. She is right on the track to get an answer, but she isn't ready to come to church yet. I guess she still has a few ties to the Catholic Church. She wants her son to have his first communion, so she kind of wants that to happen before she switches. We explained everything to her very clearly this week and how important it is for her to come to our meetings, but now it's up to her to decide, and so far she hasn't made that step yet. We hope with prayers and faith that miracle can happen. We'll see--I have faith she'll be baptized eventually. Her kids are really sweet too.
I guess the only other interesting news is that we taught D. C. again, who got baptized about a year ago or less. He's about 35, but is still trying to learn and understand. He's doing well though. The only other thing that's going on is that we are trying to work really hard with the members, to try and get them to do missionary work. I've decided lately how important that is because almost all my baptisms have happened because of members doing missionary work. That's pretty common for the work everywhere, so I'm trying to do better committing members and following up with them. I hope it makes a difference. Don't forget that you guys can, and need to, do it too--even if you live in Utah :) Utah's one of the highest baptizing areas in the world, and it's probably because of all those member missionaries! Well I love you and do so as much as all the Mormons in Utah.
Elder Curtis
We tried to teach a lady named Ma. this week, but she missed our appointment, so hopefully we can teach her this week. We did get to teach Mi. this week and it went pretty well. She is right on the track to get an answer, but she isn't ready to come to church yet. I guess she still has a few ties to the Catholic Church. She wants her son to have his first communion, so she kind of wants that to happen before she switches. We explained everything to her very clearly this week and how important it is for her to come to our meetings, but now it's up to her to decide, and so far she hasn't made that step yet. We hope with prayers and faith that miracle can happen. We'll see--I have faith she'll be baptized eventually. Her kids are really sweet too.
I guess the only other interesting news is that we taught D. C. again, who got baptized about a year ago or less. He's about 35, but is still trying to learn and understand. He's doing well though. The only other thing that's going on is that we are trying to work really hard with the members, to try and get them to do missionary work. I've decided lately how important that is because almost all my baptisms have happened because of members doing missionary work. That's pretty common for the work everywhere, so I'm trying to do better committing members and following up with them. I hope it makes a difference. Don't forget that you guys can, and need to, do it too--even if you live in Utah :) Utah's one of the highest baptizing areas in the world, and it's probably because of all those member missionaries! Well I love you and do so as much as all the Mormons in Utah.
Elder Curtis
100 Pages (August 2nd email)
Greetings from Brea. I hope everyone is doing well. This week was pretty good for me, though not easy. The work is a little slow in this area, but we did have some miracles this week. Wednesday we got a call from an older member who said he met someone in the park that is really interested. We met the next day and taught him and he is really excited about what we are teaching him. He's in his 60s probably and he recently lost everything he had (he was once a millionaire) so now he lives in his car and has all day to read the Book of Mormon. We met with him again Saturday and he'd already read 100 pages. We have another lesson tomorrow. His name is G W.
We also met a girl that's friends with a member in the ward. She came over to eat dinner with us so we taught her about the Book of Mormon and she seems accepting. Her name is A and she's 14 years old. I hope she becomes a good investigator too.
We taught a guy that was found tracting by previous missionaries this week. His name is D and he's a professional photographer. He was super nice, but I don't think he took us completely seriously. We tried to get him to pray about the Book of Mormon but he wouldn't. Maybe he'll read it and pray on his own, so at least we planted a seed.
The other investigator we have is Mi. She has four children--two of whom are over 8. She's good friends with Sister J, the ward mission leader's wife, so she's been progressing pretty well. We had a good lesson this week about the Restoration and she was interested, but is coming along a little slower than we'd like. We hope she starts reading the BOM now, but the hardest part is getting her to church because she wants to come on her own desire, not because she was invited and people are waiting for her. Keep her in your prayers. We had A at church, but G didn't come because he couldn't get a hold of his nice clothes and was already embarrassed by his missing teeth.
Anyway, besides that we just taught a few less actives and a recent convert and spent lots of time looking for people to teach. We did have good dinner appointments though--especially last night with the Bishop. His brother was visiting from Idaho and he's a bishop too so we had two bishop Lords there--it was funny. Love you as much as all the seizures I'm going to have from this flashy computer monitor.
Elder Curtis
We also met a girl that's friends with a member in the ward. She came over to eat dinner with us so we taught her about the Book of Mormon and she seems accepting. Her name is A and she's 14 years old. I hope she becomes a good investigator too.
We taught a guy that was found tracting by previous missionaries this week. His name is D and he's a professional photographer. He was super nice, but I don't think he took us completely seriously. We tried to get him to pray about the Book of Mormon but he wouldn't. Maybe he'll read it and pray on his own, so at least we planted a seed.
The other investigator we have is Mi. She has four children--two of whom are over 8. She's good friends with Sister J, the ward mission leader's wife, so she's been progressing pretty well. We had a good lesson this week about the Restoration and she was interested, but is coming along a little slower than we'd like. We hope she starts reading the BOM now, but the hardest part is getting her to church because she wants to come on her own desire, not because she was invited and people are waiting for her. Keep her in your prayers. We had A at church, but G didn't come because he couldn't get a hold of his nice clothes and was already embarrassed by his missing teeth.
Anyway, besides that we just taught a few less actives and a recent convert and spent lots of time looking for people to teach. We did have good dinner appointments though--especially last night with the Bishop. His brother was visiting from Idaho and he's a bishop too so we had two bishop Lords there--it was funny. Love you as much as all the seizures I'm going to have from this flashy computer monitor.
Elder Curtis
Pretty Surprising (July 26th email)
Hello! I am writing to you from the orange county library in Brea instead of in Irvine. Yes, I did get transferred again. So yup, area number seven here I am :). My companion is now Elder L. He's from Hong Kong, but grew up speaking English. He was in my district in Irvine for two transfers so we're already friends. It was pretty surprising. I thought I'd probably stay in Irvine another transfer and I kind of wanted to, but thinks should be good here. We do have a car, which is good because Brea third ward is on bike. I'm in Brea first ward. So I get to meet even more people and have new experiences and just keep on living the dream life =D.
I had a super good last week with Elder O. He's just a super awesome person and I really enjoyed our time together. He has just one less transfer left than me, which means he only has 12 weeks and I have 18. Man it goes fast. I was in Irvine for 18 weeks, so that's how much time I have left, which is just ridiculous, but I try to accept it and just keep treckin'. Sister A's confirmation was yesterday, so that was cool. Bro. B, who baptized her, also did the confirmation. We were invited to stand in the circle so it's fun to have some part in it. Then guess what? Me and Elder O were the main speakers! (in the lake ward). Don't worry, we knew a couple weeks beforehand so it wasn't a problem. It was fun though. The only problem was that the lady who was speaking before us ended up giving a 20 minute talk instead of a 5 minute talk. I thought my talk would be like 15 minutes, but it was actually more like 30 minutes if I had said everything I prepared for so I condensed and gave it in 15. After a musical number Elder O had like no time so he just gave his talk in five minutes. He was the "accordion speaker" meaning he had to be ready to speak super short or super long, depending on the length of the talks before him. I felt a little bad, but his talk was awesome--super short and to the point. He even had a good analogy that made everyone chuckle and understand better. I guess I'm still learning :) I haven't given a talk since before my mission though so that's my excuse--at least not anything longer than a testimony.
As I mentioned earlier, we had a really good week--the only problem is we only taught one lesson! All of them cancelled and the one we did have was more last minute. I wasn't there though because we had exchanges that day (Thursday). Luckily we taught a few too so I didn't get too lesson deprived. Elder S and Elder W were the zone leaders so we had it with them--me being with Elder W in the Newport Coast singles ward and the Mesa View ward (previously the Costa Mesa first ward). We also had Elder C with us since he is going home soon. It was a fun day--especially being in past areas. One of our lessons was actually at the home of Bro. W--first councilor in the used-to-be Harbor Hills ward, now called University Park. His daughter was a little less active, so we taught her a lesson and it was really good.
Friday we helped a part member family clean out and rearrange their garage so they could fit more stuff in it and get rid of some old stuff. It was super gross (bugs, dust, cobwebs, dead things), but we did it with the help of Brother B. Unfortunately some of our investigators and potentials have dropped us lately (meaning they don't want to be taught) so that makes me sad. The list includes O, C, and L, but we also found a really cool part member family this week so hopefully they accept to be taught the lessons. Anyway, I guess that's my last updates for Woodbridge and Lake. We did have another baptism in the district this weekend though (R) so things are coming right along down there. I hope those people are in good hands--oh, speaking of which, Elder O is training a brand new missionary there now. Anyway, I love you as much as all the lessons we had this week (well, actually a whole lot more).
Elder Curtis
I had a super good last week with Elder O. He's just a super awesome person and I really enjoyed our time together. He has just one less transfer left than me, which means he only has 12 weeks and I have 18. Man it goes fast. I was in Irvine for 18 weeks, so that's how much time I have left, which is just ridiculous, but I try to accept it and just keep treckin'. Sister A's confirmation was yesterday, so that was cool. Bro. B, who baptized her, also did the confirmation. We were invited to stand in the circle so it's fun to have some part in it. Then guess what? Me and Elder O were the main speakers! (in the lake ward). Don't worry, we knew a couple weeks beforehand so it wasn't a problem. It was fun though. The only problem was that the lady who was speaking before us ended up giving a 20 minute talk instead of a 5 minute talk. I thought my talk would be like 15 minutes, but it was actually more like 30 minutes if I had said everything I prepared for so I condensed and gave it in 15. After a musical number Elder O had like no time so he just gave his talk in five minutes. He was the "accordion speaker" meaning he had to be ready to speak super short or super long, depending on the length of the talks before him. I felt a little bad, but his talk was awesome--super short and to the point. He even had a good analogy that made everyone chuckle and understand better. I guess I'm still learning :) I haven't given a talk since before my mission though so that's my excuse--at least not anything longer than a testimony.
As I mentioned earlier, we had a really good week--the only problem is we only taught one lesson! All of them cancelled and the one we did have was more last minute. I wasn't there though because we had exchanges that day (Thursday). Luckily we taught a few too so I didn't get too lesson deprived. Elder S and Elder W were the zone leaders so we had it with them--me being with Elder W in the Newport Coast singles ward and the Mesa View ward (previously the Costa Mesa first ward). We also had Elder C with us since he is going home soon. It was a fun day--especially being in past areas. One of our lessons was actually at the home of Bro. W--first councilor in the used-to-be Harbor Hills ward, now called University Park. His daughter was a little less active, so we taught her a lesson and it was really good.
Friday we helped a part member family clean out and rearrange their garage so they could fit more stuff in it and get rid of some old stuff. It was super gross (bugs, dust, cobwebs, dead things), but we did it with the help of Brother B. Unfortunately some of our investigators and potentials have dropped us lately (meaning they don't want to be taught) so that makes me sad. The list includes O, C, and L, but we also found a really cool part member family this week so hopefully they accept to be taught the lessons. Anyway, I guess that's my last updates for Woodbridge and Lake. We did have another baptism in the district this weekend though (R) so things are coming right along down there. I hope those people are in good hands--oh, speaking of which, Elder O is training a brand new missionary there now. Anyway, I love you as much as all the lessons we had this week (well, actually a whole lot more).
Elder Curtis
The Covenant (July 20th email)
Today is temple day! hooray! How are you doing? I'm good. Sorry I didn't mention that my p-day is Tuesday this week. I suppose you're kind of used to it now though. Well the Lake ward Elders have been exceedingly blessed this week with a baptism. Sister A made the covenant of baptism Sunday the 18th of July at 5:30 pm. It was a rewarding experience to see her take that step and commit herself to following Jesus Christ. I am sure she will be greatly blessed in the years to come by such a decision. But the baptism is only half completed until she is baptized by fire and the Holy Ghost this coming Sunday. Let your prayers be with her until then. My congratulations are also with Rachelle who successfully reached the date of having lived 18 years on this mortal earthly sojourn. I am indeed proud of her for making it this far with the character and success that are hers. That many years of joy and endurance are hers is my faithful hope. God be with you and keep it up :)
Though we didn't have mounds of lessons to teach this past week it was enjoyable nonetheless. It was our pleasure to eat with the C family again on Wednesday--who were recently sealed in the temple--and teach their family visiting from Mexico. We also had a lesson with Bro. M and talked about the Ten Commandments, sneaking in the Sabbath day and law of chastity in the midst. He is continuing to attend church and increase in his commitment and excitement about the Gospel so we are happy to see that. Thursday we worked on knocking some doors and also had Sister A's baptismal interview. Thankfully everything went very smoothly.
Friday Elder O interviewed a YSA to be baptized in the Irvine Ranch Branch. Her name is M and she's kind of out there, but she has a really cool friend that is going to follow suit very soon. She was baptized at four, right before our baptism. We also taught a potential member of the Lake ward who is currently less-active in the Oak Creek ward. It was pretty good and he's at least very kind so I hope we can help him progress. His name is E G. Saturday we taught M C the first lesson (from PMG) and it was fun because he likes to talk a lot and so does Elder O. They are also both identical twins, so they had fun talking about that. We also taught Faith a lesson Saturday about reverence and it went well so hopefully she is able to implement that into her life now...We also got to teach a lesson while tracting so that was exciting. I don't think he's super interested, but it was a good experience anyways.
Yesterday we had no idea who would be home or what we could do since we always have p-day on Monday so we decided just to tract all day. It wasn't that bad and didn't end up being the entire day because Bro. B, the HP group leader, took us on some visits with him and we also had FHE in the park. It was a good day :) So now it's time to go to the temple. Hope you all have a good week--especially with that new house =] Send pictures and the plans soon so I can compare to what I drew haha. love you as much as all the Mondays I didn't email.
Elder Curtis
Though we didn't have mounds of lessons to teach this past week it was enjoyable nonetheless. It was our pleasure to eat with the C family again on Wednesday--who were recently sealed in the temple--and teach their family visiting from Mexico. We also had a lesson with Bro. M and talked about the Ten Commandments, sneaking in the Sabbath day and law of chastity in the midst. He is continuing to attend church and increase in his commitment and excitement about the Gospel so we are happy to see that. Thursday we worked on knocking some doors and also had Sister A's baptismal interview. Thankfully everything went very smoothly.
Friday Elder O interviewed a YSA to be baptized in the Irvine Ranch Branch. Her name is M and she's kind of out there, but she has a really cool friend that is going to follow suit very soon. She was baptized at four, right before our baptism. We also taught a potential member of the Lake ward who is currently less-active in the Oak Creek ward. It was pretty good and he's at least very kind so I hope we can help him progress. His name is E G. Saturday we taught M C the first lesson (from PMG) and it was fun because he likes to talk a lot and so does Elder O. They are also both identical twins, so they had fun talking about that. We also taught Faith a lesson Saturday about reverence and it went well so hopefully she is able to implement that into her life now...We also got to teach a lesson while tracting so that was exciting. I don't think he's super interested, but it was a good experience anyways.
Yesterday we had no idea who would be home or what we could do since we always have p-day on Monday so we decided just to tract all day. It wasn't that bad and didn't end up being the entire day because Bro. B, the HP group leader, took us on some visits with him and we also had FHE in the park. It was a good day :) So now it's time to go to the temple. Hope you all have a good week--especially with that new house =] Send pictures and the plans soon so I can compare to what I drew haha. love you as much as all the Mondays I didn't email.
Elder Curtis
It made me miss camping (July 12th email)
Good morning. And noon. And afternoon. And in case I don't see ya...good afternoon, good evening, and good night. hahaha. Anyway...how was everyone’s' week? It was pretty good for me. Time is just flying by. How is everyone liking summer? Does it get super hot? It usually doesn't get past ninety here, but it sure feels like it when you are wearing long dark pants and a collar ;-)
Tuesday night we got a call telling us to come to the church immediately because there was a family that wanted to know more about the church. We went and met this small Chinese family of three that wanted to learn about the church, but turned out they mostly wanted to learn English. I guess they were trying to go to English class, but went to the Lake building instead of the Bryan building. We taught them a lesson, but I guess the Chinese Elders already knew about them.
Wednesday I worked in the Oak Creek/Irvine Ranch branch area with Elder N. It was pretty fun, but not many of the lessons/appointments worked out. We did find a new less-active for them to teach though and talked to/taught a lady that evening.
Thursday we ate dinner with a young couple the Ws who are really nice. Brother W is a ward missionary so after dinner he came with us to teach Sister E, who isn't less active, but wants to learn more about the doctrine of the church/history. On Friday our dinner appointment family, the Bs, invited us to a birthday BBQ that they were invited to. It was at this little lagoon place that they have by the lake. It has a huge pool that's made to look like the lake next to it, lots of sand, grass, and some grills/ fire pits. We had some yummy food and even roasted some marshmallows. It made me miss camping :)
Saturday we ate lunch with Brother G. We also taught M C, a less active, and A--who we just read from the Book of Mormon with. It was a pretty good day. Yesterday we ate with the H family in our ward. They turned out to be the parents of C and D Fox, who are the parents of N and B. It was pretty fun. They even had a picture of Rachelle from graduation. Well, have a good week everyone. I love you as much as all the sand I got on my clothes on Friday.
Elder Curtis
Tuesday night we got a call telling us to come to the church immediately because there was a family that wanted to know more about the church. We went and met this small Chinese family of three that wanted to learn about the church, but turned out they mostly wanted to learn English. I guess they were trying to go to English class, but went to the Lake building instead of the Bryan building. We taught them a lesson, but I guess the Chinese Elders already knew about them.
Wednesday I worked in the Oak Creek/Irvine Ranch branch area with Elder N. It was pretty fun, but not many of the lessons/appointments worked out. We did find a new less-active for them to teach though and talked to/taught a lady that evening.
Thursday we ate dinner with a young couple the Ws who are really nice. Brother W is a ward missionary so after dinner he came with us to teach Sister E, who isn't less active, but wants to learn more about the doctrine of the church/history. On Friday our dinner appointment family, the Bs, invited us to a birthday BBQ that they were invited to. It was at this little lagoon place that they have by the lake. It has a huge pool that's made to look like the lake next to it, lots of sand, grass, and some grills/ fire pits. We had some yummy food and even roasted some marshmallows. It made me miss camping :)
Saturday we ate lunch with Brother G. We also taught M C, a less active, and A--who we just read from the Book of Mormon with. It was a pretty good day. Yesterday we ate with the H family in our ward. They turned out to be the parents of C and D Fox, who are the parents of N and B. It was pretty fun. They even had a picture of Rachelle from graduation. Well, have a good week everyone. I love you as much as all the sand I got on my clothes on Friday.
Elder Curtis
Progressed so Much (July 6th Email)
Happy Fourth of July. I know yesterday wasn't the fourth, but they decided to close the library anyway. Anyway, I'm doing good, and you? The last two p-days we've played basketball and it's been pretty fun. None of us are amazing at it, but we get pretty competitive and it's really good excercise. Last week on Monday we taught L A with Sister J and her nephews. Bro. J has come in the past, but didn't have to. I guess he assumed we'd do the same thing again this week, but Sister J and her nephews were at a family party so we had to call Bro. B at the last minute and he was able to come so we could teach Sis. A. We taught her about fasting, fast offerings, how to donate (tithing/fast offerings) and about obeying and honoring the law.
Tuesday we went to teach sister M, but she said she was sick. Luckily N was there as well so we taught him while Sis. M lay on the couch and listened. S M has been a big help with the teaching of his mom and of N. He brought N and his uncle to church again Sunday, but his mom didn't make it this time.
We had a good lesson with the R's again on Tuesday and Bro. B prepared a lesson on how to give talks and had everyone write a youth length talk about a different point of the gospel. It was an indirect way to teach the Gospel, but it was good I thought.
Wednesday I worked with Elder M and it was a good day. Then on Saturday I went on exchanges again with Elder E. They are two really good missionaries and it's fun to get to know them and learn from them. Thursday we taught Bro. M and it was a really neat lesson. He's progressed so much since we started teaching him in April. He went from being very questioning/skeptical to wanting to share the Gospel with his girlfriend. It was really cool to see him find spiritual comfort during the time of his mom's death, rather than turn away from God. His home teachers bought him a quad, a case, and scripture markers and he was super excited. We also finally taught Bro. M, who looks exactly like Santa Clause :) He's southern Baptist, but even they can change right?
We finally came up with a good idea to get Faith to try and read/pray more consistently and made her a bookmark that she puts stickers on whenever she reads or prays. After 7 stickers she gets a candy bar. You have to think like a child to teach one ;-)
Nothing unusual happened on the Fourth except the extra loud noises during nightly planning and a few mentions of it at church so I know that everyone is waiting for me to finish my mission to really have parties...right? It was a good week. I wish everyone well and I love you as much as all the fireworks I missed this weekend.
Elder Curtis
Tuesday we went to teach sister M, but she said she was sick. Luckily N was there as well so we taught him while Sis. M lay on the couch and listened. S M has been a big help with the teaching of his mom and of N. He brought N and his uncle to church again Sunday, but his mom didn't make it this time.
We had a good lesson with the R's again on Tuesday and Bro. B prepared a lesson on how to give talks and had everyone write a youth length talk about a different point of the gospel. It was an indirect way to teach the Gospel, but it was good I thought.
Wednesday I worked with Elder M and it was a good day. Then on Saturday I went on exchanges again with Elder E. They are two really good missionaries and it's fun to get to know them and learn from them. Thursday we taught Bro. M and it was a really neat lesson. He's progressed so much since we started teaching him in April. He went from being very questioning/skeptical to wanting to share the Gospel with his girlfriend. It was really cool to see him find spiritual comfort during the time of his mom's death, rather than turn away from God. His home teachers bought him a quad, a case, and scripture markers and he was super excited. We also finally taught Bro. M, who looks exactly like Santa Clause :) He's southern Baptist, but even they can change right?
We finally came up with a good idea to get Faith to try and read/pray more consistently and made her a bookmark that she puts stickers on whenever she reads or prays. After 7 stickers she gets a candy bar. You have to think like a child to teach one ;-)
Nothing unusual happened on the Fourth except the extra loud noises during nightly planning and a few mentions of it at church so I know that everyone is waiting for me to finish my mission to really have parties...right? It was a good week. I wish everyone well and I love you as much as all the fireworks I missed this weekend.
Elder Curtis
From the Pulpit (June 28th Email)
It was a good week with Elder O. Monday we played sand volleyball and we went to a new place so the sand was a lot nicer. That night was FHE in the park with the Woodbridge ward so we ate real quick, then went to our lesson with L A. She's doing really well and is determined to get baptized next month. In fact, yesterday in sacrament meeting she gave an announcement from the pulpit that she's going to be baptized July 18th and that everyone is welcome to come. She's got the whole thing planned out herself and already knows who she's going to invite to do each part of the service. We're excited and we'll be teaching her again tonight.
This week we taught a guy named N three different times during the week. He's the one that randomly showed up at church last transfer. He's almost 60 and he doesn't have any family, but he's really nice, humble, and loving. He's also a friend with S M , so S's been coming to lessons with us. He is from Greece and has a Greek accent and doesn't read English very well so we gave him a Book of Mormon in Greek. For some reason he thinks the world is going to end next year, but at least he accepted a baptismal date.
Wednesday was Zone Conference so we were busy until about four in the afternoon. It starts at 8:30 and they feed us lunch halfway through. Usually it is some wonderful sisters in the surrounding stake that make all the food for us. It'd be hard to make food for 70 missionaries. During lunch we always sing to them. We also sing to the people who have a birthday, and Elder G (a senior missionary) gives out awards for the first, second, and third cleanest cars. This time 2010's were disqualified though :( I got first place back in Tustin though so it's okay. In the afternoon session of conference, they draw a name out of a hat for someone to give a five minute talk on an assigned subject. We're supposed to prepare a ten minute talk, then give it in five minutes without notes. I've never been chosen, but it's still good to prepare for talks because you always learn something. At the end they have the new missionaries and the departing missionaries give their testimonies.
Yesterday was super busy. After lots of meetings/church, we taught sister M The Plan of Salvation and she was really interested and engaged in the lesson. Then we went back to the church and taught N. Then we went to teach a potential, but she had to cancel. We had dinner with the U family and taught them a lesson afterwards. It was really good--I really like that family.
Well that's it for this week so thanks for all your prayers and letters. I love you as much as all the meetings we had yesterday.
Elder Curtis
This week we taught a guy named N three different times during the week. He's the one that randomly showed up at church last transfer. He's almost 60 and he doesn't have any family, but he's really nice, humble, and loving. He's also a friend with S M , so S's been coming to lessons with us. He is from Greece and has a Greek accent and doesn't read English very well so we gave him a Book of Mormon in Greek. For some reason he thinks the world is going to end next year, but at least he accepted a baptismal date.
Wednesday was Zone Conference so we were busy until about four in the afternoon. It starts at 8:30 and they feed us lunch halfway through. Usually it is some wonderful sisters in the surrounding stake that make all the food for us. It'd be hard to make food for 70 missionaries. During lunch we always sing to them. We also sing to the people who have a birthday, and Elder G (a senior missionary) gives out awards for the first, second, and third cleanest cars. This time 2010's were disqualified though :( I got first place back in Tustin though so it's okay. In the afternoon session of conference, they draw a name out of a hat for someone to give a five minute talk on an assigned subject. We're supposed to prepare a ten minute talk, then give it in five minutes without notes. I've never been chosen, but it's still good to prepare for talks because you always learn something. At the end they have the new missionaries and the departing missionaries give their testimonies.
Yesterday was super busy. After lots of meetings/church, we taught sister M The Plan of Salvation and she was really interested and engaged in the lesson. Then we went back to the church and taught N. Then we went to teach a potential, but she had to cancel. We had dinner with the U family and taught them a lesson afterwards. It was really good--I really like that family.
Well that's it for this week so thanks for all your prayers and letters. I love you as much as all the meetings we had yesterday.
Elder Curtis
ETs (June 24th Email)
SO!....things have changed quite a bit since last week. I have a new companion today. There were some ET's (emergency transfers) yesterday so now Elder O is my companion. I'm not exactly sure why, but I guess there were some issues in Elder Os's last area--though I don't understand why that should affect him over here. It's okay though because I really love Elder O. He was in my district in Newport Beach for a long time and he was even my district leader for a transfer so now he's my district leader again--And my companion :) Elder O was awesome and had lots of success in Anaheim so I learned a lot from him in the short time we were together. I hope everything goes well for him in his new area.
We had a good week despite this weekend. On Monday we taught L A and it was a great lesson on the Gospel. Then we had dinner with the M family--S, and his non-member parents. Tuesday we taught Bro. G and had a recent convert discussion with the R family. It was good because their home teachers, Bro. D and son, taught him with a ward missionary so we were just there for support and it was great. It's awesome when the ward will take over after a baptism and help the investigators get integrated quickly so that they don't depend on us for emotional or friendship support. It was interesting because Wednesday and Friday were both dinners with part-member families. It was good, but when we tried to challenge them to read the BOM and pray about it, neither family would accept the challenge--even the members didn't really support what we were trying to do. I guess if you are married to a non-member, there's a reason--not that that makes them bad people or anything.
Saturday we taught a less-active that is eligible to go to the Lake ward. He's 33 and something he does to make extra money is he makes light sabers. I'm not talking lame plastic ones from the store, I mean sabers that cost hundreds of dollars and have all this advanced technology and stuff. His engineer friend designed this sound board of hundreds of different sounds and they have this thing on it called an accelerator (or something) that can sense when the saber is moving and adjust the sound accordingly. It's pretty cool.
So yeah, last night we got the call and Elder Os packed up all his stuff, then I went with Elder M and N for a couple hours until I met up with Elder O. It's pretty crazy, but I'm okay with it and I'm excited for this transfer. I love you as much as all the transfers in the world, Elder Curtis
We had a good week despite this weekend. On Monday we taught L A and it was a great lesson on the Gospel. Then we had dinner with the M family--S, and his non-member parents. Tuesday we taught Bro. G and had a recent convert discussion with the R family. It was good because their home teachers, Bro. D and son, taught him with a ward missionary so we were just there for support and it was great. It's awesome when the ward will take over after a baptism and help the investigators get integrated quickly so that they don't depend on us for emotional or friendship support. It was interesting because Wednesday and Friday were both dinners with part-member families. It was good, but when we tried to challenge them to read the BOM and pray about it, neither family would accept the challenge--even the members didn't really support what we were trying to do. I guess if you are married to a non-member, there's a reason--not that that makes them bad people or anything.
Saturday we taught a less-active that is eligible to go to the Lake ward. He's 33 and something he does to make extra money is he makes light sabers. I'm not talking lame plastic ones from the store, I mean sabers that cost hundreds of dollars and have all this advanced technology and stuff. His engineer friend designed this sound board of hundreds of different sounds and they have this thing on it called an accelerator (or something) that can sense when the saber is moving and adjust the sound accordingly. It's pretty cool.
So yeah, last night we got the call and Elder Os packed up all his stuff, then I went with Elder M and N for a couple hours until I met up with Elder O. It's pretty crazy, but I'm okay with it and I'm excited for this transfer. I love you as much as all the transfers in the world, Elder Curtis
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
The District
The district as I knew it (left to right): Elder Earl, Hunsaker, Nielsen, Chang, Bateman (arrived yesterday), Choi, Lew, Nuttel, me
Rachelle's Birthday (June 14th Email)
Today is transfers. Elder C is dying and Elder Os is replacing him. He's from Florida and he grew up speaking Spanish. I don't know much about him yet, but he's been out for about 14 months. Elder C is with us until tonight when we drop him off at the mission home. It's sad to see him go, I feel like he's a good friend now. It's always hard getting used to someone new, but it'll be good.
L A is doing well and plans to get baptized on Rachelle's birthday. O is doing well, but we don't have a date with him yet. Hopefully soon. The exciting thing of this week is that S M, who recently moved in, has a non-member mom who is interested in the gospel. He was baptized a year and a half ago and now his mom is becoming interested and even came to church the last two weeks. We taught her last night for the first time and we are eating dinner with them tonight. It's exciting and she seems pretty golden. Bro. M is Persian and as of yet isn't terribly interested. S is super cool though and he's not much older than me. Another lady that might be a really good potential is D A. She has a good member friend up in Northwood and I hear she's really interested, but not ready to talk to missionaries yet. So other than them, please pray that we can teach G M and sister E's friend and that F's parent's hearts may be softened to let her get baptized. Also that O recognizes an answer and has the courage/faith to be baptized.
It's been interesting to have Elder C finishing up. He had his departing interview on Friday, then went with the departing missionaries to the temple. He said goodbye to a lot of people yesterday, especially since they announced it in sacrament meeting and had him give a short talk. We couldn't see half the people he wanted to see. Maybe today we will see some of them after shopping.
Last night we ate with the one Spanish family in the ward. They are from Mexico and just got sealed in the temple on Saturday. It's so fun to have them and I'm so happy that they got sealed. Something really awesome I heard today at transfers is that a family from Harbor Hills is going to be baptized. The mom is already a member and was baptized not too long ago, but the husband and son, who were previously not too interested are getting baptized. They really wanted to go to one church as a family and were going to decide on a different one, but after Bishop N talked to them and gave them blessings they decided to keep going to the LDS church so it was really good news. They are the S family.
So I'll write again next week and tell you more. Things are going really well. I really like the area I'm in and don't mind staying :). Love you as much as all the missionaries that got transferred today (almost the whole mission!).
Elder Curtis
L A is doing well and plans to get baptized on Rachelle's birthday. O is doing well, but we don't have a date with him yet. Hopefully soon. The exciting thing of this week is that S M, who recently moved in, has a non-member mom who is interested in the gospel. He was baptized a year and a half ago and now his mom is becoming interested and even came to church the last two weeks. We taught her last night for the first time and we are eating dinner with them tonight. It's exciting and she seems pretty golden. Bro. M is Persian and as of yet isn't terribly interested. S is super cool though and he's not much older than me. Another lady that might be a really good potential is D A. She has a good member friend up in Northwood and I hear she's really interested, but not ready to talk to missionaries yet. So other than them, please pray that we can teach G M and sister E's friend and that F's parent's hearts may be softened to let her get baptized. Also that O recognizes an answer and has the courage/faith to be baptized.
It's been interesting to have Elder C finishing up. He had his departing interview on Friday, then went with the departing missionaries to the temple. He said goodbye to a lot of people yesterday, especially since they announced it in sacrament meeting and had him give a short talk. We couldn't see half the people he wanted to see. Maybe today we will see some of them after shopping.
Last night we ate with the one Spanish family in the ward. They are from Mexico and just got sealed in the temple on Saturday. It's so fun to have them and I'm so happy that they got sealed. Something really awesome I heard today at transfers is that a family from Harbor Hills is going to be baptized. The mom is already a member and was baptized not too long ago, but the husband and son, who were previously not too interested are getting baptized. They really wanted to go to one church as a family and were going to decide on a different one, but after Bishop N talked to them and gave them blessings they decided to keep going to the LDS church so it was really good news. They are the S family.
So I'll write again next week and tell you more. Things are going really well. I really like the area I'm in and don't mind staying :). Love you as much as all the missionaries that got transferred today (almost the whole mission!).
Elder Curtis
Friday, June 11, 2010
Pad Kra-Prow (June 7)
Wow, so I guess Elder C only has seven days left. That's so intense. I can only imagine what my emotions will be like my last week. We had a really good week. We weren't necessarily super successful, but it was good anyway.
We taught a guy named S M again this week, who's been a member a year and a half thanks to his girlfriend who's been a member two years. Anyway, this week he brought his mom to church who is not a member and she really liked it and wants to learn more so we're excited to teach her.
Sister C fed us three times last week since no one else signed up for those days. Monday she fed us at home. Tuesday she and her son took us out to eat at Spicey Thai and it was yummy. I got Pad Kra-Prow, if you know what that is Ross. Wednesday we taught F about tithing and fasting. We also did some service for a recent convert in the ward who is going through some hard times (Sister S).
We started teaching another member in the ward named Sister E this week and she said she has a friend who is interested in learning more so hopefully we'll teach them together this week. I hope that goes well. We also are going to teach Sister M this week after such a long time so I pray she will accept a baptismal date as well. Friday we taught two soon-to-be-actives, Sister H and Bro. M (separately), about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They were back to back lessons, but they both went really well.
We also tried to teach F and A, but they were a little too wild to learn much. I guess kids will be kids. Saturday we taught Az about baptisms for the dead, so hopefully her, the R's, and the U will start attending the temple soon, even if only for baptisms. We had another good talk with Bro. G this week, but he still didn't come to sacrament meeting--though he did bake a huge cake for break the fast. He has a testimony so it's tough not to see him coming.
I guess you know you're a missionary when you have a good friend who's older than your dad (it surprised me to learn he was that old--not that that's old or anything...:-) anyway, things are progressing and everything is good. Thanks for your continued support and letters. Ya'll're the best...if that's a word. Have a good week. Love you more than the lack of investigators we had at church.
Elder Curtis
We taught a guy named S M again this week, who's been a member a year and a half thanks to his girlfriend who's been a member two years. Anyway, this week he brought his mom to church who is not a member and she really liked it and wants to learn more so we're excited to teach her.
Sister C fed us three times last week since no one else signed up for those days. Monday she fed us at home. Tuesday she and her son took us out to eat at Spicey Thai and it was yummy. I got Pad Kra-Prow, if you know what that is Ross. Wednesday we taught F about tithing and fasting. We also did some service for a recent convert in the ward who is going through some hard times (Sister S).
We started teaching another member in the ward named Sister E this week and she said she has a friend who is interested in learning more so hopefully we'll teach them together this week. I hope that goes well. We also are going to teach Sister M this week after such a long time so I pray she will accept a baptismal date as well. Friday we taught two soon-to-be-actives, Sister H and Bro. M (separately), about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They were back to back lessons, but they both went really well.
We also tried to teach F and A, but they were a little too wild to learn much. I guess kids will be kids. Saturday we taught Az about baptisms for the dead, so hopefully her, the R's, and the U will start attending the temple soon, even if only for baptisms. We had another good talk with Bro. G this week, but he still didn't come to sacrament meeting--though he did bake a huge cake for break the fast. He has a testimony so it's tough not to see him coming.
I guess you know you're a missionary when you have a good friend who's older than your dad (it surprised me to learn he was that old--not that that's old or anything...:-) anyway, things are progressing and everything is good. Thanks for your continued support and letters. Ya'll're the best...if that's a word. Have a good week. Love you more than the lack of investigators we had at church.
Elder Curtis
She Believes The Church is True (June 1)
Hello, yesterday was memorial day so I get to write to you today. I don't have much time, but at least I get to write.
On Monday we had a lesson with L A and we watched Joseph Smith prophet of the restoration with her. It was really good and I think it helped, but she is still getting used to things. She did say however that she believes the church is true. I hope her talk with her father went well this week and that she can go ahead with being baptized.
Tuesday we taught the Bs about the word of wisdom and tithing/fasting. Friday we watched the Testaments with F and she got a little bored by the end of it, but I think she secretly liked it. Thursday I went on exchanges again in Northwood and worked with Elder H this time. It was a good day, but most of the appointments fell through.
Saturday we had a fun lesson with the R family at Bro. B's home and had their home teachers there as well. On Sunday we got to teach the youth during the third hour for the combined lesson. We talked about missionary work and had them do some role play of teaching a Preach My Gospel principle. It was pretty fun. That night we got to teach the U family again who are starting to come back to church. They are super nice and it's fun answering their questions and helping them prepare to go to the temple.
Yesterday was a really good p-day. Despite my laundry card not working, we had a good day playing ultimate Frisbee as a district, then having lunch together. I finally got the apartment cleaned too so that felt really good. We ate with the C family who are the ones to make sure we always get fed by coordinating our dinner calendar. It was a good day.
Hope all of you are doing just as well. Keep sending letters so I have to keep sorting my huge piles of mail laying around :). Thanks for all you do. I love you as much as all the bumps from my rash the grass gave me and a few other elders yesterday during ultimate. Elder Curtis
On Monday we had a lesson with L A and we watched Joseph Smith prophet of the restoration with her. It was really good and I think it helped, but she is still getting used to things. She did say however that she believes the church is true. I hope her talk with her father went well this week and that she can go ahead with being baptized.
Tuesday we taught the Bs about the word of wisdom and tithing/fasting. Friday we watched the Testaments with F and she got a little bored by the end of it, but I think she secretly liked it. Thursday I went on exchanges again in Northwood and worked with Elder H this time. It was a good day, but most of the appointments fell through.
Saturday we had a fun lesson with the R family at Bro. B's home and had their home teachers there as well. On Sunday we got to teach the youth during the third hour for the combined lesson. We talked about missionary work and had them do some role play of teaching a Preach My Gospel principle. It was pretty fun. That night we got to teach the U family again who are starting to come back to church. They are super nice and it's fun answering their questions and helping them prepare to go to the temple.
Yesterday was a really good p-day. Despite my laundry card not working, we had a good day playing ultimate Frisbee as a district, then having lunch together. I finally got the apartment cleaned too so that felt really good. We ate with the C family who are the ones to make sure we always get fed by coordinating our dinner calendar. It was a good day.
Hope all of you are doing just as well. Keep sending letters so I have to keep sorting my huge piles of mail laying around :). Thanks for all you do. I love you as much as all the bumps from my rash the grass gave me and a few other elders yesterday during ultimate. Elder Curtis
Even if it means (May 24)
Long long ago, in a land far far away...CAM! (California Anaheim Mission) Duh dadada dadadun da da da da da da da da da da da. Ok I'll stop. I had a pretty good week. Monday evening the ward had an "FHE in the park" where everyone came and brought food and played games and stuff. It was really fun and is a good opportunity to invite people. I think they have them every month or so during the summer. We had a lesson with O that night and he's doing well, he just hasn't received and/or recognized an answer yet.
Tuesday we had a lesson with L A. She is so close to baptism. She decided on a date for June 12th, but yesterday said she didn't want to do it that day because of other activities scheduled. I tried explaining that we pick the date by inspiration and that she should shoot for a day and not let anything else get in the way, but I think she wants to pick her own day now. Hopefully things work out. We are teaching her again tonight and sharing more about JS so I hope it will help her to feel the spirit strongly. I guess her main problem is still her family. Her father is visiting her this week and she's going to talk to him about it. I hope he can support her, but most of all I hope she is able to stay with her decision no matter how her family feels. After all, Christ wants us to give devotion to him first, even if it means being separated from family.
We taught F some more this week, but I think her parents want her to be older to take the step of baptism. I think Bishop P and our WML Bro. B are going to talk to the parents this week so I guess that's our last hope for now. The other neighbor P (11) is the same situation. He wants to be baptized, but his family is Muslim so I think he might have to wait until he's 18. I just hope he can keep his desire that long. Others have fallen away waiting so long.
Thursday I was on exchanges with Elder N in Northwood. It was a pretty good day and Elder C had fun with Elder H here in Woodbridge. We had a good lesson again with Sister H on Friday. She has a wonderful fellowshipper from the Lake Ward, but the priesthood holders we've brought have been kind of random. I hope to get her home teacher there this week. Saturday I had an interesting experience because a Korean family invited us over for dinner and there were only a few English words spoken the whole time we were there. I kind of just played with the kids and the dog while they were talking. It was interesting to have Korean food though. I ate everything and it wasn't all that bad :-) I even had some Kimchi which is what always smells terrible in Korean households. It tasted like ginger root that Mom always puts in her Fajitas for Dad so I didn't have a problem eating it.
So yeah, things are going well and I love you all bunches. This morning I read the papers that you put on my wall when I was home telling me why you loved me and I was really touched. Thanks so much! Love you as much as all the food we got from Brother G last night. Elder Curtis
Tuesday we had a lesson with L A. She is so close to baptism. She decided on a date for June 12th, but yesterday said she didn't want to do it that day because of other activities scheduled. I tried explaining that we pick the date by inspiration and that she should shoot for a day and not let anything else get in the way, but I think she wants to pick her own day now. Hopefully things work out. We are teaching her again tonight and sharing more about JS so I hope it will help her to feel the spirit strongly. I guess her main problem is still her family. Her father is visiting her this week and she's going to talk to him about it. I hope he can support her, but most of all I hope she is able to stay with her decision no matter how her family feels. After all, Christ wants us to give devotion to him first, even if it means being separated from family.
We taught F some more this week, but I think her parents want her to be older to take the step of baptism. I think Bishop P and our WML Bro. B are going to talk to the parents this week so I guess that's our last hope for now. The other neighbor P (11) is the same situation. He wants to be baptized, but his family is Muslim so I think he might have to wait until he's 18. I just hope he can keep his desire that long. Others have fallen away waiting so long.
Thursday I was on exchanges with Elder N in Northwood. It was a pretty good day and Elder C had fun with Elder H here in Woodbridge. We had a good lesson again with Sister H on Friday. She has a wonderful fellowshipper from the Lake Ward, but the priesthood holders we've brought have been kind of random. I hope to get her home teacher there this week. Saturday I had an interesting experience because a Korean family invited us over for dinner and there were only a few English words spoken the whole time we were there. I kind of just played with the kids and the dog while they were talking. It was interesting to have Korean food though. I ate everything and it wasn't all that bad :-) I even had some Kimchi which is what always smells terrible in Korean households. It tasted like ginger root that Mom always puts in her Fajitas for Dad so I didn't have a problem eating it.
So yeah, things are going well and I love you all bunches. This morning I read the papers that you put on my wall when I was home telling me why you loved me and I was really touched. Thanks so much! Love you as much as all the food we got from Brother G last night. Elder Curtis
They Both Need a Miracle (May 17)
Buenas Tardes! Tuve una semana buenisima! Y Uds.? Ensenamos a Hermano M y la familia Burnette en Martes y fue bien. On Wednesday we had three lessons. We taught O at two, F at four and L A at six thirty. With O we talked about the plan of salvation and he told us he has a desire to get an answer, but he hasn't received one yet. He says he reads and prays, but he hasn't had that clarifying feeling yet. I guess we'll just have to keep praying for him.
F's lesson was fun. We taught it at the park in their neighborhood and after we taught about the plan of salvation we kind of acted it out. I put each little lamination from the plan of salvation in different places on the playground and we went through it. The monkey bars were the veil of forgetfulness. We have to do something to keep those kids entertained. :) F seems to enjoy the lessons and is progressing right along, but the only problem is her family isn't too sure about her being baptized. She's only 10 so we really need the support of her parents. I hope they will let her go ahead with it. I think the bishop is going to meet with them.
L A is a lady from the Lake Ward we are working with. She's been coming to church for a long time, but has struggled in the past to decide to be baptized. I think a lot of it is that her family/other friends aren't supportive at all so it's really hard for her to abandon them and join us. She loves the church though and says she feels the spirit. We are hoping to get her baptized next month some time. F and O are scheduled for this weekend, but they both need a miracle to go through with it. Jueves ensenamos a Azita y salio bien como siempre.
On Friday we taught F the gospel and made a little story out of it with a little batman toy and his journey back home (heaven). Jesus Christ had to build two bridges to overcome his two obstacles which were pools of water (physical death and sin). The bridge over sin was a toll road that he had to pay four dollars to cross. The four dollars were faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. The road was endure to the end. It's fun to see all the many different creative ways missionaries have come up with to teach the lessons. That night we taught L H who is a less-active in the Lake Ward. We had a wonderful lesson and I'm excited for her to start coming to church more often.
Yesterday we got to teach the lesson in Gospel principals for the Lake Ward. We kind of forgot to prepare, but being missionaries and experienced, we pulled it off like we'd been studying for a week. Sometimes people don't need to know the truth hahaha. That night we finally got in to the U home. Elder G and I tried the whole time he was here, but they never were able to meet and I think half the time they didn't hear us knocking on the door. Yesterday we finally got to teach them and they are sooo nice. He's from Hawaii and she has Cuban and Spain backgrounds. It was good because we also had one of their home teachers there.
We had a fun BBQ for our activity today. Things are going great and life is good. I love you as much as the steak I had today...almost haha
Elder Curtis
F's lesson was fun. We taught it at the park in their neighborhood and after we taught about the plan of salvation we kind of acted it out. I put each little lamination from the plan of salvation in different places on the playground and we went through it. The monkey bars were the veil of forgetfulness. We have to do something to keep those kids entertained. :) F seems to enjoy the lessons and is progressing right along, but the only problem is her family isn't too sure about her being baptized. She's only 10 so we really need the support of her parents. I hope they will let her go ahead with it. I think the bishop is going to meet with them.
L A is a lady from the Lake Ward we are working with. She's been coming to church for a long time, but has struggled in the past to decide to be baptized. I think a lot of it is that her family/other friends aren't supportive at all so it's really hard for her to abandon them and join us. She loves the church though and says she feels the spirit. We are hoping to get her baptized next month some time. F and O are scheduled for this weekend, but they both need a miracle to go through with it. Jueves ensenamos a Azita y salio bien como siempre.
On Friday we taught F the gospel and made a little story out of it with a little batman toy and his journey back home (heaven). Jesus Christ had to build two bridges to overcome his two obstacles which were pools of water (physical death and sin). The bridge over sin was a toll road that he had to pay four dollars to cross. The four dollars were faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. The road was endure to the end. It's fun to see all the many different creative ways missionaries have come up with to teach the lessons. That night we taught L H who is a less-active in the Lake Ward. We had a wonderful lesson and I'm excited for her to start coming to church more often.
Yesterday we got to teach the lesson in Gospel principals for the Lake Ward. We kind of forgot to prepare, but being missionaries and experienced, we pulled it off like we'd been studying for a week. Sometimes people don't need to know the truth hahaha. That night we finally got in to the U home. Elder G and I tried the whole time he was here, but they never were able to meet and I think half the time they didn't hear us knocking on the door. Yesterday we finally got to teach them and they are sooo nice. He's from Hawaii and she has Cuban and Spain backgrounds. It was good because we also had one of their home teachers there.
We had a fun BBQ for our activity today. Things are going great and life is good. I love you as much as the steak I had today...almost haha
Elder Curtis
It was a Good Answer I Thought :D (May 10)
Good afternoon. It was good to hear from everyone yesterday, even if it was only a voicemail for R&A. I guess the next time to talk voice to voice will be when my mission is over. We had a pretty productive week so I was happy about that. On Tuesday we were able to set two baptismal dates. The first one was O. We watched Finding Faith in Christ with him and he really felt the spirit. We asked him how he felt and he said good. So I asked him why he thought he felt that way and he said because he felt the Holy Ghost so I asked him what he thought it was trying to tell him and he said "to get baptized!" It was a good answer I thought :D We agreed and set a date for the 22nd. The only problem is that he has difficulty coming to our ward at 11 because of work, so he tries to go at 9am. We don't know why he didn't come this week though. The other date we set was with a new investigator named F. She's friends with a family in the ward and has been to church and activities many times now without us knowing. She's only ten years old, but her parents are supportive of whatever she wants to do.
Wednesday we had dinner with a former investigator and his family. It was enjoyable and they were really nice, but when we talked to him after dinner he had lots of arguments and reasons why he thought we were wrong. Then we went to teach A and he was the same. We are trying to get them to focus on reading and praying about the Book of Mormon, but it is difficult. Thursday we had two lessons to people that are being reactivated, Az and S M. They both turned out well so that is good. We taught F again on Friday and watched the Restoration DVD with her. On Saturday after doing a stake service project pulling weeds (Mormon helping hands) we went to a buffet called Souplantation and had lunch with an investigator in the lake ward named L A as well as Brother Ja and Sister Je who are ward missionaries for the lake ward (well, technically bro. J is the ward mission leader). It went really well and she expressed that she wants to be baptized, but it's hard for her because her family and some of her friends are not supportive of that decision. We told her it's between God and her so she should pray about it.
On Sunday we had the confirmations of the R family and it was pretty good. They had a class for the women afterwards and gave them all little meals. The Lake Ward gave all the women a chocolate bar--though most of them there aren't mothers :) Hope everyone has a good week. Good luck with all the tests and the end of year projects and such. I don't envy you :) We played tennis this morning for our p-day activity so I love you as much as all the tennis balls I hit today.
Elder Curtis
Wednesday we had dinner with a former investigator and his family. It was enjoyable and they were really nice, but when we talked to him after dinner he had lots of arguments and reasons why he thought we were wrong. Then we went to teach A and he was the same. We are trying to get them to focus on reading and praying about the Book of Mormon, but it is difficult. Thursday we had two lessons to people that are being reactivated, Az and S M. They both turned out well so that is good. We taught F again on Friday and watched the Restoration DVD with her. On Saturday after doing a stake service project pulling weeds (Mormon helping hands) we went to a buffet called Souplantation and had lunch with an investigator in the lake ward named L A as well as Brother Ja and Sister Je who are ward missionaries for the lake ward (well, technically bro. J is the ward mission leader). It went really well and she expressed that she wants to be baptized, but it's hard for her because her family and some of her friends are not supportive of that decision. We told her it's between God and her so she should pray about it.
On Sunday we had the confirmations of the R family and it was pretty good. They had a class for the women afterwards and gave them all little meals. The Lake Ward gave all the women a chocolate bar--though most of them there aren't mothers :) Hope everyone has a good week. Good luck with all the tests and the end of year projects and such. I don't envy you :) We played tennis this morning for our p-day activity so I love you as much as all the tennis balls I hit today.
Elder Curtis
Finish Their Baptism (May 3)
That's right. Elder G got transferred. He went to North Hills, an English ward in La Habra. He was a good companion so it's kind of sad to see him go, but it's okay. My new companion is Elder C. He's from S. Korea so he's my second Korean companion. It's his last transfer so he'll leave at the end of these six weeks. That means I'll probably be here next transfer as well. I'm also the driver now.
We had a baptism yesterday! The R's got baptized and it was a wonderful service! I baptized Sister R and B and Elder G baptized S. It's so fun for them to take this step--I'm really excited for them. They finish their baptism this next Sunday when they get confirmed.
We had a really good week though. We went on exchanges on Thursday and Elder Co was with me in my area. It was pretty fun. We taught O and Az that evening and both lessons went relatively well. We will probably meet with O again tonight.
We didn't get to meet with Sister M or L and her family this week, but we did get a referral for a girl who wants to be baptized. She is 10 and is named F. She's actually been coming to church for two months already, but we never knew about it. I'm pretty excited to teach her because she seems super ready for making the commitment of baptism. Saturday for our dinner appointment we had a "picnic" in the park on a blanket. That's a first for me on my mission so it was pretty fun. It was super fun on Friday because we did some service for a young family who were moving just a block or two away so we helped them load and unload their truck three times and it was really fun. It was Bro. B and his family and they are super cool. His brother looks almost identical and was also there to help so they were joking and poking fun the whole time--it was pretty entertaining.
As I said, Sunday was really good and rewarding. We had some good meetings and then a break the fast with the lake ward and then the baptism. It was funny because in the Lake ward for Elders quorum they had a sister come in and give a class on how to make yourself attractive and desirable for marriage. It's funny to be around 30+ singles. I hope I'm never in a situation like that. I think it would be really tough. Anyway, I better go. We have to shop and unpack etc. I love you as much as all the changes this transfer brings.
Love Elder Curtis
We had a baptism yesterday! The R's got baptized and it was a wonderful service! I baptized Sister R and B and Elder G baptized S. It's so fun for them to take this step--I'm really excited for them. They finish their baptism this next Sunday when they get confirmed.
We had a really good week though. We went on exchanges on Thursday and Elder Co was with me in my area. It was pretty fun. We taught O and Az that evening and both lessons went relatively well. We will probably meet with O again tonight.
We didn't get to meet with Sister M or L and her family this week, but we did get a referral for a girl who wants to be baptized. She is 10 and is named F. She's actually been coming to church for two months already, but we never knew about it. I'm pretty excited to teach her because she seems super ready for making the commitment of baptism. Saturday for our dinner appointment we had a "picnic" in the park on a blanket. That's a first for me on my mission so it was pretty fun. It was super fun on Friday because we did some service for a young family who were moving just a block or two away so we helped them load and unload their truck three times and it was really fun. It was Bro. B and his family and they are super cool. His brother looks almost identical and was also there to help so they were joking and poking fun the whole time--it was pretty entertaining.
As I said, Sunday was really good and rewarding. We had some good meetings and then a break the fast with the lake ward and then the baptism. It was funny because in the Lake ward for Elders quorum they had a sister come in and give a class on how to make yourself attractive and desirable for marriage. It's funny to be around 30+ singles. I hope I'm never in a situation like that. I think it would be really tough. Anyway, I better go. We have to shop and unpack etc. I love you as much as all the changes this transfer brings.
Love Elder Curtis
Green Juice (Apr 20)
Good afternoon. How is everyone doing? Things have been going just great since Wednesday. We had a great session in the temple and that evening we taught Sister Rae and her sons about the plan of Salvation. They are reading the BOM like crazy and seem to be progressing very well. Their fellowshipper family, the Wares, challenged them to read half the BOM by their baptism on May 2nd and Bro. Ware promised to take them out to eat. On Wednesday Brendan (11) had already finished first Nephi. That's better reading than most of our adult investigators lol.
On Thursday we did some service with the Westpark Elders weeding a lady's flower bed. Then we went and helped a member in our ward move some storage. It was good to get some service in. That night we had our regular Lake ward correlation and lesson with Azita. We taught her the first lesson (wow, I almost wrote discussion) and it went well.
We were going to meet with Sister Grace Mendoza on Friday, but it didn't work out. It is hard to schedule with her because she is so busy--mainly on account of her two autistic children--which is frustrating because she is so ready! Anyway, an interesting thing is that she wasn't able to meet because her four year old son was having a sleep study done and it turns out he has sleep apnea. She said it was on account of his tonsils and his adenoids--whatever those are. She said his tonsils were a 4+ on a sizing scale of tonsils (scale of 1-4). Then she said she has been able to reduce his tonsils and cure a lot of issues by giving him a vegetable drink every other day that she called green juice. She gave me the recipe and I am going to try it. I wonder how big my tonsils and adenoids are.
Saturday was really cool. We had a temple tour at 2:30 and Sister Rae and her sons came to it and seemed to like it. Afterwards we had a lesson on "the big ones" namely Law of Chastity, Word of Wisdom, and Law of Tithing. They accepted to live them so I guess it went well :-). On Sunday they came to church (all three), but Shane (13) had an experience that caused him to get offended. I guess in Sunday school the teacher was overly pushy that he needed to be baptized and hence he never wants to come to church again. We will try to work it out in our appointment today, but we'll see. He's a great kid; he's just very scientifically minded and independent. Anyway, we aren't too worried--they're a great family and we think at least two of them will be baptized the last day of the transfer (May 2nd).
Yesterday's mission conference was super amazing, but I’ll have to talk more about it later. It was President L. Whitney Clayton speaking and it was so cool to have the whole mission there at once. Anyway, I love you as much as our brand new red '10 Corolla.
Elder Curtis
On Thursday we did some service with the Westpark Elders weeding a lady's flower bed. Then we went and helped a member in our ward move some storage. It was good to get some service in. That night we had our regular Lake ward correlation and lesson with Azita. We taught her the first lesson (wow, I almost wrote discussion) and it went well.
We were going to meet with Sister Grace Mendoza on Friday, but it didn't work out. It is hard to schedule with her because she is so busy--mainly on account of her two autistic children--which is frustrating because she is so ready! Anyway, an interesting thing is that she wasn't able to meet because her four year old son was having a sleep study done and it turns out he has sleep apnea. She said it was on account of his tonsils and his adenoids--whatever those are. She said his tonsils were a 4+ on a sizing scale of tonsils (scale of 1-4). Then she said she has been able to reduce his tonsils and cure a lot of issues by giving him a vegetable drink every other day that she called green juice. She gave me the recipe and I am going to try it. I wonder how big my tonsils and adenoids are.
Saturday was really cool. We had a temple tour at 2:30 and Sister Rae and her sons came to it and seemed to like it. Afterwards we had a lesson on "the big ones" namely Law of Chastity, Word of Wisdom, and Law of Tithing. They accepted to live them so I guess it went well :-). On Sunday they came to church (all three), but Shane (13) had an experience that caused him to get offended. I guess in Sunday school the teacher was overly pushy that he needed to be baptized and hence he never wants to come to church again. We will try to work it out in our appointment today, but we'll see. He's a great kid; he's just very scientifically minded and independent. Anyway, we aren't too worried--they're a great family and we think at least two of them will be baptized the last day of the transfer (May 2nd).
Yesterday's mission conference was super amazing, but I’ll have to talk more about it later. It was President L. Whitney Clayton speaking and it was so cool to have the whole mission there at once. Anyway, I love you as much as our brand new red '10 Corolla.
Elder Curtis
Friday, April 16, 2010
Burned to a Crisp (Apr 14)
Today was my day to attend a session at the temple. So, that makes today my preparation day, hence why you have not heard from me. Next week we are going to have a mission conference so my p-day next week will be on Tuesday. Anyway, things are going really well for us. We continue to teach Bro. Omid Rahimi and help him progress towards baptism. He still has the possibility to be baptized on the 24th, but it is up to him to prepare himself to do so. He had to buy a new car this week because his other one burned to a crisp (it literally caught on fire).
On Miyah's first birthday (and lots of other annual celebrations) we taught sister Renissa Dobbins, who has been taught for a while, but is still unsure of what she wants to do. We made things very clear. The bishop and one of his councilors even went over the night before to help her feel good about it, but she can't make up her mind, and it is especially hard for her to attend church when she isn't sure that it's true.
We are also still teaching Aaron the Muslim every week and he doesn't understand yet that physical things aren't important, but spiritual things, i.e. answers from God about truth. He just likes to debate about religion and the bible. Hopefully he will feel something powerful as he reads the Book of Mormon.
Sister Sharon Rae who is the friend of a recent convert in the ward came to church again on Sunday and brought her son Brendan (11), but her son Shane (13) was too busy watching sports at home. We taught them for the first time on Wednesday and committed them to baptism, but it will have to wait till May because Shane didn't go to church :P ......why is that name familiar?
We taught Azita Thursday and also gave her a blessing. She has a hard time committing to paying tithing, but she's going to pray about it. We saw her at church, so at least she is making progress.
Saturday the Westpark Elders had a baptism. I was actually on exchanges with Elder Earl in Oak Creek/Irvine Ranch Branch for the day. We had a pretty good day and Elder Gillman even taught Nicole a lesson with Elder Corbeil. She is really struggling and her mom doesn't give much support with regards to our church. Usually Nicole just goes to the Episcopal Church. Last night we taught a little family of two (mother and 14 year old son) named the Burnettes. Unfortunately we haven't taught Sister Grace Mendoza again so hopefully our appointment on Friday works out. She is going to have to postpone her date as well.
So things continue just fine here in Irvine and I lose track of time, but the work is great and I enjoy every date (of the month). Hope you all are doing well, thanks for all being so swell. Love you as much as all the letters I get from you.
Elder Curtis
On Miyah's first birthday (and lots of other annual celebrations) we taught sister Renissa Dobbins, who has been taught for a while, but is still unsure of what she wants to do. We made things very clear. The bishop and one of his councilors even went over the night before to help her feel good about it, but she can't make up her mind, and it is especially hard for her to attend church when she isn't sure that it's true.
We are also still teaching Aaron the Muslim every week and he doesn't understand yet that physical things aren't important, but spiritual things, i.e. answers from God about truth. He just likes to debate about religion and the bible. Hopefully he will feel something powerful as he reads the Book of Mormon.
Sister Sharon Rae who is the friend of a recent convert in the ward came to church again on Sunday and brought her son Brendan (11), but her son Shane (13) was too busy watching sports at home. We taught them for the first time on Wednesday and committed them to baptism, but it will have to wait till May because Shane didn't go to church :P ......why is that name familiar?
We taught Azita Thursday and also gave her a blessing. She has a hard time committing to paying tithing, but she's going to pray about it. We saw her at church, so at least she is making progress.
Saturday the Westpark Elders had a baptism. I was actually on exchanges with Elder Earl in Oak Creek/Irvine Ranch Branch for the day. We had a pretty good day and Elder Gillman even taught Nicole a lesson with Elder Corbeil. She is really struggling and her mom doesn't give much support with regards to our church. Usually Nicole just goes to the Episcopal Church. Last night we taught a little family of two (mother and 14 year old son) named the Burnettes. Unfortunately we haven't taught Sister Grace Mendoza again so hopefully our appointment on Friday works out. She is going to have to postpone her date as well.
So things continue just fine here in Irvine and I lose track of time, but the work is great and I enjoy every date (of the month). Hope you all are doing well, thanks for all being so swell. Love you as much as all the letters I get from you.
Elder Curtis
Answering Our Prayers (Apr 5)
Good morning. Yesterday when we were tracting there was an earthquake. It was in Mexico and it was a 7.2 and it was a long one! It obviously wasn't as big once it got up to us, but we were still rocking and rolling. At first I thought I was getting lightheaded or dizzy or something because I was losing my balance, but then Elder Gillman was like "earthquake!" It was pretty crazy, but it didn't do any damage where we were. It must have been pretty bad down in San Diego. But of course I would never know unless someone told me since I don't watch the news.
We had a good week and a great weekend! I love listening to the prophets and apostles. It's always a nice treat for my birthday. Priesthood session was really good.
This week we taught Omid and he even came to a session of conference. I guess he like it too. We also taught a different guy named Omar, but he's American. He's pretty nice and has visited with missionaries almost his whole life so maybe we can finally seal the deal lol. On Thursday we had a miracle when we taught a first lesson to a lady named Grace. She has two young autistic children and she's really interested, in fact, she accepted a baptismal date for April 24th! Thursday was also zone conference, but we managed to get three lessons in. After Grace, we taught two people at once. Elder Gillman went with a brother in the ward and taught Renissa, and I stayed at the church (where we had correlation) and taught a lady named Azita, who was baptized not too long ago with Brother Jackson and Sister Jester who are the ward missionaries for the Lake ward. Friday we taught a less active named Brother Graham and he says he definitely knows it is true, he just has gotten out of the habit of living the gospel so he said it would take a while to get back into it. He even served a mission back in the day.
We had two other miracle people this week. One is a lady named Brenda Congie. She lives in our complex and we talked to her on her doorstep a couple times and she really likes everything about the church (even polygamy). On Sunday she brought her husband and her son to the morning session of conference. It was really cool--we did not expect that because she said her husband didn't want her to go. I think he softened up and he was even reading from the Book of Mormon. We talked to another lady named Valeta Cox who wants her grandchildren to start attending our church (and her too I guess) so we've had some great finds. God truly has been answering our prayers.
Hope you all enjoyed conference and will try to apply at least a couple things you learned this weekend. I am so grateful for the wonderful messages that were shared. Thanks again for all your support and love and prayers. They help a lot :) Love you as much as all the great talks and miracles this week.
Elder Curtis
We had a good week and a great weekend! I love listening to the prophets and apostles. It's always a nice treat for my birthday. Priesthood session was really good.
This week we taught Omid and he even came to a session of conference. I guess he like it too. We also taught a different guy named Omar, but he's American. He's pretty nice and has visited with missionaries almost his whole life so maybe we can finally seal the deal lol. On Thursday we had a miracle when we taught a first lesson to a lady named Grace. She has two young autistic children and she's really interested, in fact, she accepted a baptismal date for April 24th! Thursday was also zone conference, but we managed to get three lessons in. After Grace, we taught two people at once. Elder Gillman went with a brother in the ward and taught Renissa, and I stayed at the church (where we had correlation) and taught a lady named Azita, who was baptized not too long ago with Brother Jackson and Sister Jester who are the ward missionaries for the Lake ward. Friday we taught a less active named Brother Graham and he says he definitely knows it is true, he just has gotten out of the habit of living the gospel so he said it would take a while to get back into it. He even served a mission back in the day.
We had two other miracle people this week. One is a lady named Brenda Congie. She lives in our complex and we talked to her on her doorstep a couple times and she really likes everything about the church (even polygamy). On Sunday she brought her husband and her son to the morning session of conference. It was really cool--we did not expect that because she said her husband didn't want her to go. I think he softened up and he was even reading from the Book of Mormon. We talked to another lady named Valeta Cox who wants her grandchildren to start attending our church (and her too I guess) so we've had some great finds. God truly has been answering our prayers.
Hope you all enjoyed conference and will try to apply at least a couple things you learned this weekend. I am so grateful for the wonderful messages that were shared. Thanks again for all your support and love and prayers. They help a lot :) Love you as much as all the great talks and miracles this week.
Elder Curtis
A Beautiful Day (Mar 29)
Hello! I hope this wonderful day finds you all in good condition--happy and healthy. I am both of those as well. I had a pretty good first week here. Monday was chaos of course, but we had a good week teaching and preaching. Elder Gillman is of similar personality to me. He is smart and works hard, being obedient along the way. He's quiet and dignified and has great insights and scripture knowledge.
This week we started teaching a less active named Shawn as part of the ward mission process. He had good questions and wants to find out once and for all if the gospel is true. We had a good lesson and are going to keep teaching him. On the other hand we talked to a guy named Mark, who once was a member, but now doesn't even believe in God anymore. He's turned into a Buddhist. He is Asian, but he uses his knowledge to justify his new way of thinking. He is extremely smart, and that is the downfall of many. For when they are learned, they think they are wise.
Now that I'm back in Irvine, I am once more in the land of Muslims (and Asians, and rich whites). Every time we find a Muslim who is interested in learning about the Gospel, they have to be interviewed by the mission presidency before we can even start teaching them. We had that one in Costa Mesa, but here they are much more common. We had an interview on Saturday and got permission to teach this guy who has a beard and everything. I guess he studies the bible multiple hours a day. We need to have another interview this week because there is this other guy that's kind of interested in learning. The first is named Aaron, and the other is Omid.
Tuesday and Thursday we actually did a lot of service. That was pretty nice, because we don't get that chance too often. Tuesday, we helped a couple who had recently moved in install a washer and dryer upstairs. We had to take the old dryer and washer downstairs and the new ones upstairs. Then on Thursday he called because the new dryer didn't work so we had to switch it back with the old one. On Thursday we also helped a less active lady pack and prepare to move. That night we also taught a less-active lady named Azita with our ward mission leader and assistant from the Lake ward after our correlation meeting with them.
On Friday a recent convert named Sister Sanchez referred us to her friend Sharon. She is pretty interested and even came to church at the Woodbridge ward. She stayed all three hours then even came to the lake ward break the fast with Sister Sanchez. She's pretty nice. Saturday we taught our investigators Nicole and her daughter Abby (what a coincidence lol) and she is interested, but it's hard for her to commit. She's a little timid, but wants to know the truth. She said she's confused. I hope she reads and gets an answer. Other people you can pray for are Renissa, Omar, Grace, James, and Jerri.
Sunday was a beautiful day outside and I enjoyed being at the church for nine hours since we cover two wards and have to go to lots of meetings and because we had a break the fast after the lake ward lol. It was a special day. Thanks for the nice package. I'm really going to enjoy everything you sent :) We are listening to conference to get excited for conference ha-ha I’m so excited for Conference =D Alrighty, hope you all have a good week. Love you as much as all the new people I met this week.
Elder Curtis
This week we started teaching a less active named Shawn as part of the ward mission process. He had good questions and wants to find out once and for all if the gospel is true. We had a good lesson and are going to keep teaching him. On the other hand we talked to a guy named Mark, who once was a member, but now doesn't even believe in God anymore. He's turned into a Buddhist. He is Asian, but he uses his knowledge to justify his new way of thinking. He is extremely smart, and that is the downfall of many. For when they are learned, they think they are wise.
Now that I'm back in Irvine, I am once more in the land of Muslims (and Asians, and rich whites). Every time we find a Muslim who is interested in learning about the Gospel, they have to be interviewed by the mission presidency before we can even start teaching them. We had that one in Costa Mesa, but here they are much more common. We had an interview on Saturday and got permission to teach this guy who has a beard and everything. I guess he studies the bible multiple hours a day. We need to have another interview this week because there is this other guy that's kind of interested in learning. The first is named Aaron, and the other is Omid.
Tuesday and Thursday we actually did a lot of service. That was pretty nice, because we don't get that chance too often. Tuesday, we helped a couple who had recently moved in install a washer and dryer upstairs. We had to take the old dryer and washer downstairs and the new ones upstairs. Then on Thursday he called because the new dryer didn't work so we had to switch it back with the old one. On Thursday we also helped a less active lady pack and prepare to move. That night we also taught a less-active lady named Azita with our ward mission leader and assistant from the Lake ward after our correlation meeting with them.
On Friday a recent convert named Sister Sanchez referred us to her friend Sharon. She is pretty interested and even came to church at the Woodbridge ward. She stayed all three hours then even came to the lake ward break the fast with Sister Sanchez. She's pretty nice. Saturday we taught our investigators Nicole and her daughter Abby (what a coincidence lol) and she is interested, but it's hard for her to commit. She's a little timid, but wants to know the truth. She said she's confused. I hope she reads and gets an answer. Other people you can pray for are Renissa, Omar, Grace, James, and Jerri.
Sunday was a beautiful day outside and I enjoyed being at the church for nine hours since we cover two wards and have to go to lots of meetings and because we had a break the fast after the lake ward lol. It was a special day. Thanks for the nice package. I'm really going to enjoy everything you sent :) We are listening to conference to get excited for conference ha-ha I’m so excited for Conference =D Alrighty, hope you all have a good week. Love you as much as all the new people I met this week.
Elder Curtis
I want to be (Mar 22)
Dear everyone,
Hold on to your chairs, this one might be a shocker--yep, I got transferred again. Transferred back to Irvine, but not Harbor Hills. We cover two wards actually: the Woodbridge ward and the Lake ward. The Lake ward is a mid-singles ward which means it's a singles ward, but for people thirty and over. My new companion is Elder Gillman from Lindon, Utah. He's pretty cool and I'm excited to work with him. I really like my new apartment and it's a nice area (like anywhere in Irvine isn't lol) so things should be great. We have a Mazda 3 for our car, but the bummer is that it's a 2006 model so it's kind of old, especially compared to the 2010 Malibu I just left. Elder Robertson actually got transferred as well because they are reducing the CM2 ward back to only one set of missionaries, so Elders Hughes and Hewlett who were in the South area of CM2 are now covering the whole ward. I hope they take good care of our investigators :)
This last week was a good one. Elder Robertson and I had some good success and lots of fun doing it. We set a baptismal date with Carl for the 10th and one with sister Peters for the 4th after conference. I don't know if they'll make those dates or not, but they are taking an important step towards making the covenant of baptism. We also made contact with John Windsor who was baptized in September, but hasn't been to church for a while due to the two jobs he has to work to stay alive. He doesn't have anywhere to live so a member in the ward is graciously allowing him to sleep there. He can't afford to fix his car, even though all he does for work is drive it because he delivers pizza for two places. I really hope he is able to get a better job soon. He said he's had some offers so I hope his life improves before too long. We also taught a guy named Chris who recently converted to Islam as I mentioned before. He has a sincere desire and is really interested in religion, but he's convinced he's found the truth. We tried to help him see that he can look at the facts and compare the Quor'an to the Holy Bible all he wants, but he won't know it's true until he reads the Book of Mormon and prays about it. That's the key and that's what every investigator has to do to gain a real testimony.
We also taught another new investigator this week who seems pretty interested. Her name is Nancy and she's a little over fifty. We taught her the Restoration of the gospel and she seemed to accept it, but she wasn't ready to set a baptismal date. We had a really good lesson with Sister Jazmyn Bower on Saturday and brought Brother Call. He's an older man and took time out of preparing for his son's wedding (which was that day) to come with us because he said the gospel is more important. It saved us because we called like half the ward and no one could come with us. I guess it was divine intervention because he helped a lot and was able to answer her questions when we couldn't. He spoke very powerfully and it was a very beneficial lesson. When I am a regular member, I don't want to be like the guy who decided to do his taxes that were due in four weeks instead of come with us. I want to be the guy that sacrifices to go teach the gospel with the missionaries, because those people have such a good spirit about them.
I'd better go so we can shop before we have to be done with our p-day (at six) so hope you all have a good week. Love you as much as all the times I've been transferred the last six weeks.
Elder Curtis
Hold on to your chairs, this one might be a shocker--yep, I got transferred again. Transferred back to Irvine, but not Harbor Hills. We cover two wards actually: the Woodbridge ward and the Lake ward. The Lake ward is a mid-singles ward which means it's a singles ward, but for people thirty and over. My new companion is Elder Gillman from Lindon, Utah. He's pretty cool and I'm excited to work with him. I really like my new apartment and it's a nice area (like anywhere in Irvine isn't lol) so things should be great. We have a Mazda 3 for our car, but the bummer is that it's a 2006 model so it's kind of old, especially compared to the 2010 Malibu I just left. Elder Robertson actually got transferred as well because they are reducing the CM2 ward back to only one set of missionaries, so Elders Hughes and Hewlett who were in the South area of CM2 are now covering the whole ward. I hope they take good care of our investigators :)
This last week was a good one. Elder Robertson and I had some good success and lots of fun doing it. We set a baptismal date with Carl for the 10th and one with sister Peters for the 4th after conference. I don't know if they'll make those dates or not, but they are taking an important step towards making the covenant of baptism. We also made contact with John Windsor who was baptized in September, but hasn't been to church for a while due to the two jobs he has to work to stay alive. He doesn't have anywhere to live so a member in the ward is graciously allowing him to sleep there. He can't afford to fix his car, even though all he does for work is drive it because he delivers pizza for two places. I really hope he is able to get a better job soon. He said he's had some offers so I hope his life improves before too long. We also taught a guy named Chris who recently converted to Islam as I mentioned before. He has a sincere desire and is really interested in religion, but he's convinced he's found the truth. We tried to help him see that he can look at the facts and compare the Quor'an to the Holy Bible all he wants, but he won't know it's true until he reads the Book of Mormon and prays about it. That's the key and that's what every investigator has to do to gain a real testimony.
We also taught another new investigator this week who seems pretty interested. Her name is Nancy and she's a little over fifty. We taught her the Restoration of the gospel and she seemed to accept it, but she wasn't ready to set a baptismal date. We had a really good lesson with Sister Jazmyn Bower on Saturday and brought Brother Call. He's an older man and took time out of preparing for his son's wedding (which was that day) to come with us because he said the gospel is more important. It saved us because we called like half the ward and no one could come with us. I guess it was divine intervention because he helped a lot and was able to answer her questions when we couldn't. He spoke very powerfully and it was a very beneficial lesson. When I am a regular member, I don't want to be like the guy who decided to do his taxes that were due in four weeks instead of come with us. I want to be the guy that sacrifices to go teach the gospel with the missionaries, because those people have such a good spirit about them.
I'd better go so we can shop before we have to be done with our p-day (at six) so hope you all have a good week. Love you as much as all the times I've been transferred the last six weeks.
Elder Curtis
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Maybe he'll even read the BOM and feel the spirit :) (Mar 15)
Hello to all...Elder Curtis speaking here, how are you?
Things are moving right along here in the Costa Mesa 2nd ward. On Wednesday we taught Jazmyn Bower. She's an investigator that's been around for a while and she has a hard time coming to church at 1 o'clock so this week we invited her to the Costa Mesa first ward, which meets at nine o'clock. She didn't make it to sacrament meeting, but she did come for Sunday school so that was exciting for us. I think she will be baptized as long as her family gives her support and she doesn't have more health problems. We are going to try and set a date this week.
We taught four lessons on Wednesday actually--it was sweet. We taught a guy (Chris) who's been Muslim for only about a month, but he's already pretty strongly converted. He wants to know why he even needs to consider joining, when Islam, according to him, is the most strict religion in conduct. It does have some intricate and specific rules, but the dedication you have to put into it isn't any greater that our church I think. Anyway, he likes talking about religion so he doesn't mind discussing it with us. Maybe he'll even read the BOM and feel the spirit. :)
Another person we taught Wednesday was Sasha who works for Sister Anderson-Davis. He got baptized in December so we are teaching the recent convert discussions. He's actually moving with the family to Utah though, contrary to what I said in a previous email, so we have to teach him three more lessons before he leaves at the end of the month.
The last lesson we taught Wednesday was Carl Makror. He is the one with the member wife who wants him to be the one to set the baptismal date. We are going to have to get over that though, because I talked to President about it and he said we are Christ's representatives so the baptismal date has to come from Him, not from us or them.
Something we've been doing lately is going through the ward list and visiting the people who haven't been marked as active or less-active. We found some really nice people from it so far. We taught a less-active family (couple) on Friday and found another cool family on Saturday so it's going pretty well. Once we visit someone we knock the doors around them. It's the better way to tract because you are being led to areas instead of trying to pick a neighborhood to tract.
Last night we taught the Collins family. The father has been less-active so he got put on the ward mission process and we've been teaching the whole family (the missionaries have anyway, it was my first lesson with them). It was a good discussion last night and we'll teach them one more time next Sunday.
I better be done so I'll let you know if I get transferred this weekend or not next week. :) We'll see if it was a temporary fill in, or an assignment that will take a while. Either way, I'll go where I'm called because I am learning from every experience that I encounter. Thank you all so much for your prayers, your love, and your letters. Lately I've been dumbfounded at how little time I have left, time flies and it amazes me every time, even though I've come to expect it. Have a good week. I love you as much as all the nifty new technology in this crazy store :)
Elder Curtis
Things are moving right along here in the Costa Mesa 2nd ward. On Wednesday we taught Jazmyn Bower. She's an investigator that's been around for a while and she has a hard time coming to church at 1 o'clock so this week we invited her to the Costa Mesa first ward, which meets at nine o'clock. She didn't make it to sacrament meeting, but she did come for Sunday school so that was exciting for us. I think she will be baptized as long as her family gives her support and she doesn't have more health problems. We are going to try and set a date this week.
We taught four lessons on Wednesday actually--it was sweet. We taught a guy (Chris) who's been Muslim for only about a month, but he's already pretty strongly converted. He wants to know why he even needs to consider joining, when Islam, according to him, is the most strict religion in conduct. It does have some intricate and specific rules, but the dedication you have to put into it isn't any greater that our church I think. Anyway, he likes talking about religion so he doesn't mind discussing it with us. Maybe he'll even read the BOM and feel the spirit. :)
Another person we taught Wednesday was Sasha who works for Sister Anderson-Davis. He got baptized in December so we are teaching the recent convert discussions. He's actually moving with the family to Utah though, contrary to what I said in a previous email, so we have to teach him three more lessons before he leaves at the end of the month.
The last lesson we taught Wednesday was Carl Makror. He is the one with the member wife who wants him to be the one to set the baptismal date. We are going to have to get over that though, because I talked to President about it and he said we are Christ's representatives so the baptismal date has to come from Him, not from us or them.
Something we've been doing lately is going through the ward list and visiting the people who haven't been marked as active or less-active. We found some really nice people from it so far. We taught a less-active family (couple) on Friday and found another cool family on Saturday so it's going pretty well. Once we visit someone we knock the doors around them. It's the better way to tract because you are being led to areas instead of trying to pick a neighborhood to tract.
Last night we taught the Collins family. The father has been less-active so he got put on the ward mission process and we've been teaching the whole family (the missionaries have anyway, it was my first lesson with them). It was a good discussion last night and we'll teach them one more time next Sunday.
I better be done so I'll let you know if I get transferred this weekend or not next week. :) We'll see if it was a temporary fill in, or an assignment that will take a while. Either way, I'll go where I'm called because I am learning from every experience that I encounter. Thank you all so much for your prayers, your love, and your letters. Lately I've been dumbfounded at how little time I have left, time flies and it amazes me every time, even though I've come to expect it. Have a good week. I love you as much as all the nifty new technology in this crazy store :)
Elder Curtis
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
A German Accent (Mar 8)
So yeah, now I'm serving in the Costa Mesa second ward. The first week here went really well. Elder Robertson is a really fun guy and I enjoy working with him. There's a family in this ward named the Davis family or the Anderson-Davis family and it's a single mother who adopted 11 kids, only one not being mentally handicapped. They all have either autism or ADD or maybe both. She has people there to help her with the kids all the time, but it's pretty amazing how she does it. Anyway, the one that's normal is 17 and is going to be baptized on April 2nd. Her name is Nadia and she was adopted from Russia. The family is moving up to Utah next month up to near Logan so she'll be baptized there, but she's not moving with them so she'll still count as our baptism. She's going to keep living in the house and another guy named Sasha, who Sister Anderson-Davis took in as well will be staying. He just got baptized not too long ago. He's from the Ukraine, but his accent sounds like a German accent to me lol. I don't know who else will live there, but it's a very wealthy family so they can definitely afford not to sell the house. She's building a new house up there with tons of bedrooms and fully equipped with cameras and intercoms etc. It's be sweet. You probably didn't want to know all that random information...moving on. Two of the handicapped children just got baptized a few weeks ago.
We are also teaching a guy named Carl who is the husband of a member in the ward. He's been taught everything and is ready to be baptized, but his wife doesn't think he's ready. She wants him to set his own date, so hopefully he does that soon and hopefully it's not in like a month or something. Also we have Amy and Jay. Amy is less active and really struggling right now. Pamera is a potential investigator and the Peters are the other family we are teaching. On Friday we taught a guy named Ali and his friends Eric and George are potentials. Ali and Chris are Muslim so they'll need an interview before we can teach them, but it should work out fine. Saturday I was on exchanges in the South Coast ward with the companion of my new district leader, Elder Cowan. We got a ton of referrals this week and Bishop Watkins is awesome so this'll be a good ward for sure. Sunday I bore my testimony and it was a good block of meetings. Everyone is really nice. Anyway, time to go. Love you as much as all the computers in this room.
Elder Curtis
We are also teaching a guy named Carl who is the husband of a member in the ward. He's been taught everything and is ready to be baptized, but his wife doesn't think he's ready. She wants him to set his own date, so hopefully he does that soon and hopefully it's not in like a month or something. Also we have Amy and Jay. Amy is less active and really struggling right now. Pamera is a potential investigator and the Peters are the other family we are teaching. On Friday we taught a guy named Ali and his friends Eric and George are potentials. Ali and Chris are Muslim so they'll need an interview before we can teach them, but it should work out fine. Saturday I was on exchanges in the South Coast ward with the companion of my new district leader, Elder Cowan. We got a ton of referrals this week and Bishop Watkins is awesome so this'll be a good ward for sure. Sunday I bore my testimony and it was a good block of meetings. Everyone is really nice. Anyway, time to go. Love you as much as all the computers in this room.
Elder Curtis
Chapter 1...again (Mar 1)
2 Elder Curtis
An account of the doings of Elder Curtis in the land of Costa Mesa 2nd. A record of his work and labor in the land and the account of all his doings, yea, an account of the joy of his heart, being in the work of the Lord--according to the writings of Elder Curtis.
Chapter 1
And it came to pass after being in the land of Tustin third for the short space of but three weeks, I was called by the Lord to serve in the land of Costa Mesa 2nd (north). For behold, there were other servants in the land that had to return to their own homes insomuch that there was a mighty change wrought upon the servants of the Lord. Therefore, after but little time I was called to go to Costa Mesa to resume my labor in that part of the land. And I was called to work with Elder Robertson, he being the missionary there. And he, having been in the service of God but nine months, remained as the junior companion insomuch that I was called to labor as the senior, being the more experienced of the two. Yea, behold I was sent to labor here that I might more fully continue in my work, having left the position of office Elder to Elder Parrish. Yea, I could not rest, insomuch that I left to preach the word of God.
2. Behold, I do not forget those whom I have served. Yea, I will relate the events of the week. For in the first day of the week we did teach Michael Clayton and did encourage him that he might strive for much learning and change. And it came to pass that he had much zeal for the word of God, insomuch that he did read much of the words of Mormon--being a prophet from the ancient days that did record a history upon plates of gold titled the Book of Mormon--translated and published by the hand of Joseph Smith, he being a prophet of old, nevertheless he being of less ancientness.
3. And it came to pass that we did teach sister Mullarkey on the second and fourth days of the week, in order that we might more fully persuade her to trust in the Lord her God, yea that she might more fully have the spirit in her life, which is the gift of God unto all those who diligently seek Him.
4. And behold, on the third day of the week Elder Lee did go to the land of Tustin fourth east, insomuch that Elder Landis did come hither to Tustin third that we might labor together for the space of one day, according to the time of the Californians. And we did enjoy our day much, therefore, we did rejoice in our maker. For behold, the Lord God is our maker, yea, even the eternal creator, whose worlds are without end and glory without measure.
5. And it came to pass, not to stay, that on the fifth and sixth day of the week, being Friday and Saturday, we did eat meat. For behold, those that were members of God's church--and there were many--do enjoy feeding the servants of the Lord insomuch that many times they do spoil them to the point of taking them out to eat. Therefore we did eat at the restaurant of Lonestar two nights in a row. And we did glut ourselves on the labors of those who worked there and those who took us there, nevertheless being very humble that we might not offend the Lord our God.
6. And we did find favor in the eyes of the Lord, insomuch that two investigators did come up to worship on the seventh day of the week in the true church of God, being called Michael Clayton and Joanie Mullarkey. Therefore, they did feel the spirit of God and did enjoy their time in the house of the Lord. Nevertheless, I being called by the spirit of God another way do cease my record of the teaching of these people, wherefore, I commence my account of the Costa Mesa second ward. And I do work with Elder Robertson he being from the city of Dallas in the land of Texas, having also lived in Portland Oregon. And it came to pass that I do write my record according to the truth, nevertheless I do not send pictures, for behold that is not possible at this time at this place. But I will send a record in the form of pictures in the coming week, insomuch that you will know the countenance of Elder Robertson. And I do finish my record. And it suficeth me to say that whosoever will put their trust in God, pushing their way forward continually holding fast to the rod of iron will come forth and fall down and partake of the fruit of the tree, which fruit is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men. Wherefore, it is the most desirable of all things, yea, and the most joyous to the soul. Therefore, my love being great towards you, my brethren, does not surpass that of God's. And thus it is amen.
ps. if anyone gets queasy after reading scripture talk every week or would rather just have me write normal, let me know :)
An account of the doings of Elder Curtis in the land of Costa Mesa 2nd. A record of his work and labor in the land and the account of all his doings, yea, an account of the joy of his heart, being in the work of the Lord--according to the writings of Elder Curtis.
Chapter 1
And it came to pass after being in the land of Tustin third for the short space of but three weeks, I was called by the Lord to serve in the land of Costa Mesa 2nd (north). For behold, there were other servants in the land that had to return to their own homes insomuch that there was a mighty change wrought upon the servants of the Lord. Therefore, after but little time I was called to go to Costa Mesa to resume my labor in that part of the land. And I was called to work with Elder Robertson, he being the missionary there. And he, having been in the service of God but nine months, remained as the junior companion insomuch that I was called to labor as the senior, being the more experienced of the two. Yea, behold I was sent to labor here that I might more fully continue in my work, having left the position of office Elder to Elder Parrish. Yea, I could not rest, insomuch that I left to preach the word of God.
2. Behold, I do not forget those whom I have served. Yea, I will relate the events of the week. For in the first day of the week we did teach Michael Clayton and did encourage him that he might strive for much learning and change. And it came to pass that he had much zeal for the word of God, insomuch that he did read much of the words of Mormon--being a prophet from the ancient days that did record a history upon plates of gold titled the Book of Mormon--translated and published by the hand of Joseph Smith, he being a prophet of old, nevertheless he being of less ancientness.
3. And it came to pass that we did teach sister Mullarkey on the second and fourth days of the week, in order that we might more fully persuade her to trust in the Lord her God, yea that she might more fully have the spirit in her life, which is the gift of God unto all those who diligently seek Him.
4. And behold, on the third day of the week Elder Lee did go to the land of Tustin fourth east, insomuch that Elder Landis did come hither to Tustin third that we might labor together for the space of one day, according to the time of the Californians. And we did enjoy our day much, therefore, we did rejoice in our maker. For behold, the Lord God is our maker, yea, even the eternal creator, whose worlds are without end and glory without measure.
5. And it came to pass, not to stay, that on the fifth and sixth day of the week, being Friday and Saturday, we did eat meat. For behold, those that were members of God's church--and there were many--do enjoy feeding the servants of the Lord insomuch that many times they do spoil them to the point of taking them out to eat. Therefore we did eat at the restaurant of Lonestar two nights in a row. And we did glut ourselves on the labors of those who worked there and those who took us there, nevertheless being very humble that we might not offend the Lord our God.
6. And we did find favor in the eyes of the Lord, insomuch that two investigators did come up to worship on the seventh day of the week in the true church of God, being called Michael Clayton and Joanie Mullarkey. Therefore, they did feel the spirit of God and did enjoy their time in the house of the Lord. Nevertheless, I being called by the spirit of God another way do cease my record of the teaching of these people, wherefore, I commence my account of the Costa Mesa second ward. And I do work with Elder Robertson he being from the city of Dallas in the land of Texas, having also lived in Portland Oregon. And it came to pass that I do write my record according to the truth, nevertheless I do not send pictures, for behold that is not possible at this time at this place. But I will send a record in the form of pictures in the coming week, insomuch that you will know the countenance of Elder Robertson. And I do finish my record. And it suficeth me to say that whosoever will put their trust in God, pushing their way forward continually holding fast to the rod of iron will come forth and fall down and partake of the fruit of the tree, which fruit is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men. Wherefore, it is the most desirable of all things, yea, and the most joyous to the soul. Therefore, my love being great towards you, my brethren, does not surpass that of God's. And thus it is amen.
ps. if anyone gets queasy after reading scripture talk every week or would rather just have me write normal, let me know :)
Chapter 1 (Feb 22)
1st Elder Curtis
An account typed by the fingers of Elder Curtis. A record of God's dealings with the people of Tustin third. Their acceptance and rejection of the message of the one Messiah who came and will come again. The struggles and joys of the missionaries in the land of Anaheim California. Their success and failures, their righteousness and wickedness in the land. The judgments of God upon the people and the great joy of the mission life. Written and recorded by Elder Curtis, or in other words, I, Elder Curtis typed these things.
Chapter 1
1. I Elder Curtis having been born of amazing parents and having grown up in the knowledge of the Gospel, did live after the manner of happiness all of my days. Yea, having seen much joy and also suffering in my day I proceed to give an account of the twentieth and twenty first year of my life. For behold I did go forth to the land of Southern California that perhaps I might be an instrument in the hands of God to be the means of saving a few souls, if it be in the wisdom of God. Yea, having enjoyed the first fifteen months of my service, I proceed to give a more in depth record of my doings. And I did repent of my great neglect in writing these things to the point of much regret and sorrow. Nevertheless, having known the goodness of God--his everlasting forgiveness and peace--I thence proceed.
2. And it came to pass that I did have a week of much joy and success, for behold, we did teach Sister Malarkey twice and did help her to see the importance of these things. And we did teach Sister Marroquin and exhort her to attend church that she might have the joy of the gospel in her life. Yea, we did have a day of much learning and growth on the fourth day of the week, being Thursday, after the accounting of time according to the missionaries. For behold we did meet as a zone and did learn from Brother Droubay, insomuch that our learning was great and the outpouring of the spirit was upon all people.
3. And I did go to the land of the singles on the sixth day of the week to be with Elder Jones, that we might preach the gospel together, that perhaps we might learn from each other. And we did go up and worship the Lord on the Seventh day, according to the commandments of God and did eat dinner with a Spanish family, having been away from the Spanish culture for much time I did rejoice exceedingly for the food and wholesomeness of the people. And behold Elder Lee did press with much force that we should leave the library that we might continue with our day. Therefore, I do close my record for this day and do give peace and love to all. And I, Elder Curtis, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, to make them mighty, even to the power of deliverance. And thus it is. Amen.
An account typed by the fingers of Elder Curtis. A record of God's dealings with the people of Tustin third. Their acceptance and rejection of the message of the one Messiah who came and will come again. The struggles and joys of the missionaries in the land of Anaheim California. Their success and failures, their righteousness and wickedness in the land. The judgments of God upon the people and the great joy of the mission life. Written and recorded by Elder Curtis, or in other words, I, Elder Curtis typed these things.
Chapter 1
1. I Elder Curtis having been born of amazing parents and having grown up in the knowledge of the Gospel, did live after the manner of happiness all of my days. Yea, having seen much joy and also suffering in my day I proceed to give an account of the twentieth and twenty first year of my life. For behold I did go forth to the land of Southern California that perhaps I might be an instrument in the hands of God to be the means of saving a few souls, if it be in the wisdom of God. Yea, having enjoyed the first fifteen months of my service, I proceed to give a more in depth record of my doings. And I did repent of my great neglect in writing these things to the point of much regret and sorrow. Nevertheless, having known the goodness of God--his everlasting forgiveness and peace--I thence proceed.
2. And it came to pass that I did have a week of much joy and success, for behold, we did teach Sister Malarkey twice and did help her to see the importance of these things. And we did teach Sister Marroquin and exhort her to attend church that she might have the joy of the gospel in her life. Yea, we did have a day of much learning and growth on the fourth day of the week, being Thursday, after the accounting of time according to the missionaries. For behold we did meet as a zone and did learn from Brother Droubay, insomuch that our learning was great and the outpouring of the spirit was upon all people.
3. And I did go to the land of the singles on the sixth day of the week to be with Elder Jones, that we might preach the gospel together, that perhaps we might learn from each other. And we did go up and worship the Lord on the Seventh day, according to the commandments of God and did eat dinner with a Spanish family, having been away from the Spanish culture for much time I did rejoice exceedingly for the food and wholesomeness of the people. And behold Elder Lee did press with much force that we should leave the library that we might continue with our day. Therefore, I do close my record for this day and do give peace and love to all. And I, Elder Curtis, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, to make them mighty, even to the power of deliverance. And thus it is. Amen.
Seattle and the next day Arizona (Feb 15)
Good Afternoon! I hope this day finds you healthy and happy. Things are going well here in Tustin third. I half-mindedly left my camera cord at home again. Sorry bout that. Anyway, this first week was pretty good. Elder Lee is a nice guy. As I said before, he is from Sol, South Korea, but he went to BYU for a year before his mission. He is much calmer and less talkative than Elder Keeler--more like me. He is really smart and stays on top of things. He is a good worker and missionary so it's been great to have him as a companion. His English (and Spanish) is actually really good and he's pretty funny sometimes too.
Being an office elder has been pretty fun so far. We went in on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday and did some work for a couple hours. It's nice to have a break from the physical aspect of the work once in a while. We are basically the Housing Coordinators of the mission--though there is a part-time senior elder that helps us. We have about 75 apartments in Orange County. That is because President wants every companionship in their own apartment. So this week we were busy signing leases/looking at new apartments and sending letters of intention to vacate etc. It's been very educational and I feel important now lol. President swore me to confidentiality from giving information to other missionaries so rumors don't fly and important information doesn't get out. I feel honored to be a part of all the back scene work. We also help with any extra assignments and the office staff needs help all the time because they aren't as technology inclined as my generation. Today we have to go in as well unfortunately, even though it's p-day, because we need to finish a PowerPoint presentation for zone conference this week of pictures of all the baptisms the mission had last transfer.
The work in this area isn't on fire yet, but we have a couple people to work with. The lady that is thinking about being baptized is Joanie Malarkey. We didn't teach her this week, but we have an appointment for tomorrow. The other investigator that is somewhat close is named Amanda. We haven't taught her yet since I've been here either so pray we can meet with both of them and commit them to baptism. Some less actives we are working with include: the Martinez family, Sister Marroquin, Sister Codromac, and Damian Taylor. Some people with high potential to become investigators are Shawn Rogers and Mario. Mario is Hispanic and we taught him a lesson in Spanish on Saturday so that was lots of fun, but we'll be passing him to the Spanish elders.
Well I guess that's it for this week. The weather was pretty crazy this week. Tons of rain on Tuesday and tons of sun and heat the rest of the days. One day I felt like I lived in Seattle and the next day Arizona. If you have any more questions let me know so I know what to say in my letters. I got to meet a famous person in the office this week that is one of my heroes, but I can't send the picture yet so I'll leave you guessing till next week who it was. Love you as much as all the apartments in the mission,
Elder Curtis
Being an office elder has been pretty fun so far. We went in on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday and did some work for a couple hours. It's nice to have a break from the physical aspect of the work once in a while. We are basically the Housing Coordinators of the mission--though there is a part-time senior elder that helps us. We have about 75 apartments in Orange County. That is because President wants every companionship in their own apartment. So this week we were busy signing leases/looking at new apartments and sending letters of intention to vacate etc. It's been very educational and I feel important now lol. President swore me to confidentiality from giving information to other missionaries so rumors don't fly and important information doesn't get out. I feel honored to be a part of all the back scene work. We also help with any extra assignments and the office staff needs help all the time because they aren't as technology inclined as my generation. Today we have to go in as well unfortunately, even though it's p-day, because we need to finish a PowerPoint presentation for zone conference this week of pictures of all the baptisms the mission had last transfer.
The work in this area isn't on fire yet, but we have a couple people to work with. The lady that is thinking about being baptized is Joanie Malarkey. We didn't teach her this week, but we have an appointment for tomorrow. The other investigator that is somewhat close is named Amanda. We haven't taught her yet since I've been here either so pray we can meet with both of them and commit them to baptism. Some less actives we are working with include: the Martinez family, Sister Marroquin, Sister Codromac, and Damian Taylor. Some people with high potential to become investigators are Shawn Rogers and Mario. Mario is Hispanic and we taught him a lesson in Spanish on Saturday so that was lots of fun, but we'll be passing him to the Spanish elders.
Well I guess that's it for this week. The weather was pretty crazy this week. Tons of rain on Tuesday and tons of sun and heat the rest of the days. One day I felt like I lived in Seattle and the next day Arizona. If you have any more questions let me know so I know what to say in my letters. I got to meet a famous person in the office this week that is one of my heroes, but I can't send the picture yet so I'll leave you guessing till next week who it was. Love you as much as all the apartments in the mission,
Elder Curtis
I'll be there :) (Feb 8)
Well, it happened--I got transferred. Now I'm in the Tustin third ward. And...I'm an office elder. Kind of random, but it'll be fun. I'll be in the mission office two to three times a week for a couple hours or so and the rest of the time will be normal proselyting. So you can just send letters to the office, because I'll be there :) My new companion is Elder Lee. He is from Korea and lived there until college. Then he went to BYU for a year and now he's a missionary. He's been learning English his whole life so he's pretty good. I'm not sure how good his Spanish is (he is called Spanish) but his Korean is pretty good! He's been out three more months than me. I don't know much about the area except they have an investigator who wants to be baptized, but has to move out of her apartment first so she can be law of chastity abiding. She's 50 I think. She'll probably have to move out of the ward so we'll probably pass her off to other missionaries.
I had a pretty good week. I'm glad I don't have so much to write about because I don't have my planner from last transfer. Anyway, Wednesday was super good going to the temple and all. Thursday was district meeting and it was good. Elder Keeler is a good teacher. Afterwards we went to one of my favorite places to eat called Chronic Tacos. It's a place I want to take ya'll to when we come back to visit. Yum. Friday we took our car in to get the oil changed and accidentally left our house key on the ring we gave to them with the car key so when we got back to change we were locked out :) We were going to do service anyway so we went to the Hawkins and borrowed some of James' clothes. We helped paint their kitchen for a while. It was pretty fun. They moved back into their house last year and are remodeling the whole thing. Saturday I was on exchanges with Elder Griffin in Corona Del Mar and we had a good day. Even though they are bike elders we didn't bike at all. We walked and got rides. We found out that night about transfers. Yesterday I bore my testimony in fast and testimony meeting. After church and meetings we visited lots of people to say goodbye and packed etc. Elder Keeler is staying in the ward and his new companion is Elder Gorrell. He has only been out five months or so including the MTC.
I did get the four letters this morning so thanks for those. You guys are the best. I did hear about the Elder who died in Romania. I was with Elder Shaw on Tuesday when some members told us about it. The crazy thing was that Elder Shaw knew the guy and I didn't. They were at BYU together. Anyway, I don't have much more time--we are at the family history library at the stake center (in Orange maybe?). But thanks for all your love and prayers. Elder Keeler and Elder Carmona had a great lesson with James Nguyen on Saturday and the west elders say Michelle Christian is doing well so thanks for all your help. I will have lots more to say about my new assignment next week. Love you as much as all the new Chevy Malibu's the mission bought to replace some old Corolla's. (Luckily I'm still in a Corolla--and it's a much newer one)
Elder Curtis
I had a pretty good week. I'm glad I don't have so much to write about because I don't have my planner from last transfer. Anyway, Wednesday was super good going to the temple and all. Thursday was district meeting and it was good. Elder Keeler is a good teacher. Afterwards we went to one of my favorite places to eat called Chronic Tacos. It's a place I want to take ya'll to when we come back to visit. Yum. Friday we took our car in to get the oil changed and accidentally left our house key on the ring we gave to them with the car key so when we got back to change we were locked out :) We were going to do service anyway so we went to the Hawkins and borrowed some of James' clothes. We helped paint their kitchen for a while. It was pretty fun. They moved back into their house last year and are remodeling the whole thing. Saturday I was on exchanges with Elder Griffin in Corona Del Mar and we had a good day. Even though they are bike elders we didn't bike at all. We walked and got rides. We found out that night about transfers. Yesterday I bore my testimony in fast and testimony meeting. After church and meetings we visited lots of people to say goodbye and packed etc. Elder Keeler is staying in the ward and his new companion is Elder Gorrell. He has only been out five months or so including the MTC.
I did get the four letters this morning so thanks for those. You guys are the best. I did hear about the Elder who died in Romania. I was with Elder Shaw on Tuesday when some members told us about it. The crazy thing was that Elder Shaw knew the guy and I didn't. They were at BYU together. Anyway, I don't have much more time--we are at the family history library at the stake center (in Orange maybe?). But thanks for all your love and prayers. Elder Keeler and Elder Carmona had a great lesson with James Nguyen on Saturday and the west elders say Michelle Christian is doing well so thanks for all your help. I will have lots more to say about my new assignment next week. Love you as much as all the new Chevy Malibu's the mission bought to replace some old Corolla's. (Luckily I'm still in a Corolla--and it's a much newer one)
Elder Curtis
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