Good morning! We are getting a head start today and writing a little earlier. We were going to go on a hike today, but Elder Zelnick didn’t feel well so we have extra time. Speaking of which, I’m in a threesome again. Elder Zelnick is from Ohio and is almost done with his mission. He’s a great teacher and works hard so he’s a good addition to the companionship.
This week we’ve been working with one of our new investigators Augustine. He understands the lessons really well, but he hasn’t come to church yet. He lives in the house with his sister Maria who we are also teaching. One time this week we went over and he arrived to the house drunk. Of course I had NO idea until after we left, but the other elders were like, “umm, can we come back a different day?” Maybe by the end of my mission I’ll know when people are drunk. He asked some weird questions, but other than that, he seemed normal to me.
We taught English on Tuesday and were happy that two people showed up to teach. Hopefully we’ll have more luck this week.
We did a lot more tracting this week when we didn’t have anyone to visit. We didn’t have much success, but found a couple people to go back and follow up on. We at least gave out a couple pass along cards.
We are working with this less active couple (Regina and Juan) who want to prepare for the temple, but for some reason like going to the English ward better than the Spanish ward. They have to wear little headset translators during sacrament meeting and then they go home. It’s closer to their house and they know a couple people there, but I think it’s ridiculous. We are trying to get them to the Spanish ward so they can stay for all three meetings and understand them. They could go to the temple prep class too.
We gave a blessing to a less-active lady in the hospital on Friday. She was about to have surgery. She seemed to be doing all right though. It’s funny that they have to have a lot of nurses in that hospital that know how to speak Spanish.
Yesterday we had the perfect experience to end the week. After dinner and a baptism that the other elders in our ward had, we went to the Pantoja’s house and watched “Joseph Smith, prophet of the Restoration” with them and Erasmo in Spanish. It’s not out on DVD yet, but somehow Elder Zelnick got a copy (a Spanish copy even). It was really good. The spirit was really strong and like 2/3 of the way through Silvia, their neighbor who we’ve taught once, was like, “what channel is that?” Erasmo went out and said “Estamos mirando la pelicula de la profeta Jose Smith. Venganse!” or in other words, “we’re watching the movie about the prophet Joseph Smith. Come join us!” It was so funny. So she and her kids joined us and totally felt the spirit. It was great. Silvia even shed a few tears.
Happy Fathers day Dad! Hope you liked it. I know I did. The ward had an activity on Saturday and served some really good food! Too bad we can’t call home three times a year lol. Guess you’ll have to wait till Christmas. How is the running going mom? Getting or feeling any better? Keep it up. How was the Trombone Ensemble you went to on a date? That sounds like it would be really good. How are you doing in softball Nicole? Any hits lately? Have you been practicing some more with Mom and Dad? If not shame on them. :) I thought that was so funny that you got a Rubik’s cube. I’ll help you solve it when I get home :D There sure are a lot of people getting married over there. The only one that really surprised me was Afton though. I guess that’s because she’s my age and the others aren’t.
The economy is sure crazy right now. Tons of people we work with are struggling financially. I heard that Obama spent more money in his first 100 days than all the previous presidents combined. I’m not sure he’s helping us out much. Hopefully he will eventually or somehow we’ll get out of this mess. Or we can just have the second coming. That would work too. One of the guys we found tracting said, “Let’s attack Jerusalem, then the Savior would come because he promised!” It was funny.
Guess that’s about it. Good job to Anna and Jeri for all the good missionary work you are doing! We can’t do this work without the members! Keep it up and everyone remember to pray for more missionary experiences and opportunities. I’m proud of all of you. And I know there aren’t many people in Highland to work with, but we can always strengthen and teach members too. Just your examples will help a lot of people I’m sure.
Have a good week!
Love,
Elder Curtis
Monday, July 6, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
We are "killing" him
Tomorrow we get to start working with Elder Zelnick. This is his last transfer before he goes home so we are “killing him.”
Anyway, this week was good. We finally got Erasmo to commit to a baptism date so that’s a miracle. We are planning it for the fifth of July. We also had Edith and Juan with a date as well as Edwardo who is 10, but none of them came to church so we’ll have to push those ones back. We are also hoping to set a date with Julia soon.
We tried to set one with Rigo and Michelle, but didn’t get a firm yes. We had a really good lesson with them on Saturday and told them they have to do what the Lord asks and he will provide the way for them to get baptized. They are really scared that Rigo is going to get deported though. He goes to court on July 6th. We are praying that the judge will make the right decision and that he will maybe even take Rigo off of probation. Then he could get baptized. Otherwise, it will probably not happen soon. We are sure Michelle will be good to go sometime soon, as long as Rigo gets divorced and they get married. If he gets deported that might also solve the problem, but that would be sad. That’s not what we want. Those people down in Mexico need to get to work and get the divorce to happen. Rigo is doing almost everything he can, but if they don’t do anything I don’t know that it will happen.
A less active family fed us at the mall this week. It was at a place called Gangis Khan. Julia Rico, a less active, also fed us at a place very similar a couple weeks back called Mongolian BBQ. Anyway, I wanted to tell you how cool these places are. All the food they have is frozen. You take your bowl and fill it with frozen meat, vegetables, noodles, etc. then put the oils and sweeteners or whatever you want in and give it to the cooks. Then they put it on this super big hotplate and cook it in front of you. They use these giant chopstick-like things to cook it then put it back in the bowl and give it to you. It’s super good!
We also had zone conference this week and it was really good. I always learn so much there and get uplifted and excited about missionary work.
We had some more miracles I wanted to tell you about. One of them started by us going to IHOP the middle of last transfer. We met some members there and one of them recently moved into a rest home because of a brain tumor. They asked us to visit her so one day we did. It was one of the days when Elder Sharp wasn’t feeling very good energy/attitude-wise. As he was trying to help her feel better he sort of healed himself by the advice he gave. Anyway, after Elder Sharp left we decided to go back to see the lady and watch the Testaments with her. Afterwards the receptionist was talking to us and it turns out she is a member and wants to refer her co-worker to us! There are like three members there and they have been working with this lady named Vanessa and even took her to church a couple times. Well Vanessa turned out to be GOLDEN. Unfortunately we had to pass her over to the English sisters who work in our area, but we had a great lesson with all four of us there and they set a baptism date. It’s great to see the hand of the Lord in the work!
We also just found a really great investigator that’s Spanish. He was a church headquarters referral and he’s pretty solid. This work is great, I’m happy to be a part of it. I just hope a couple of our investigators get baptized soon because I think I’ll be transferred next month.
Everyone keeps talking about their garden and I think it’s funny we kind of have one here too. Elder Fraga is growing sunflowers as I’ve already told you (I think). They are growing super fast actually and are already like 10-12” tall!
That’s pretty crazy you guys are putting in a fence. Finally Comet will have room to roam around (after he goes to the orchard of course:) !
It’s pretty cool to have an investigator with a baby exactly one month older to the day than Miyah. I can see what she’ll be like in a month. It’s the son of Rigoberto and Michelle.
Yes Ross, I did reach my six month mark. It was on May 20th. No my time at home did not count towards my mission so yes, I’ll be staying an extra transfer at least. I came back on January 20th so you can just add two months to the time it’s been since that day and that’s how long I’ve been out.
That’s cool that you’re teaching flute lessons Mom! I’m proud of you. I remember when you were teaching Stormie how to play the flute.
As I look back on my mission I am amazed at how much Spanish I’ve learned. I know I’m being blessed. I don’t even feel super scared to talk to people on the phone any more.
I’m still playing the piano in all the church meetings since there really isn’t anyone else. I even played the organ one week (without the pedals) so it’s been fun.
We also confirmed Joaquin this Sunday. The other elders had 4 others so that made a total of 5 confirmations in one sacrament meeting! It was pretty crazy. The people giving talks didn’t have to talk as long.
Anyway, I’d better be done. Elder Fraga is ready to go. It’s been a good day though. We played soccer again so I’m glad I’m getting some exercise. Hopefully that will help me burn off the 20-25 lbs I’ve gained on my mission so far.
Love you all,
Elder Curtis
Anyway, this week was good. We finally got Erasmo to commit to a baptism date so that’s a miracle. We are planning it for the fifth of July. We also had Edith and Juan with a date as well as Edwardo who is 10, but none of them came to church so we’ll have to push those ones back. We are also hoping to set a date with Julia soon.
We tried to set one with Rigo and Michelle, but didn’t get a firm yes. We had a really good lesson with them on Saturday and told them they have to do what the Lord asks and he will provide the way for them to get baptized. They are really scared that Rigo is going to get deported though. He goes to court on July 6th. We are praying that the judge will make the right decision and that he will maybe even take Rigo off of probation. Then he could get baptized. Otherwise, it will probably not happen soon. We are sure Michelle will be good to go sometime soon, as long as Rigo gets divorced and they get married. If he gets deported that might also solve the problem, but that would be sad. That’s not what we want. Those people down in Mexico need to get to work and get the divorce to happen. Rigo is doing almost everything he can, but if they don’t do anything I don’t know that it will happen.
A less active family fed us at the mall this week. It was at a place called Gangis Khan. Julia Rico, a less active, also fed us at a place very similar a couple weeks back called Mongolian BBQ. Anyway, I wanted to tell you how cool these places are. All the food they have is frozen. You take your bowl and fill it with frozen meat, vegetables, noodles, etc. then put the oils and sweeteners or whatever you want in and give it to the cooks. Then they put it on this super big hotplate and cook it in front of you. They use these giant chopstick-like things to cook it then put it back in the bowl and give it to you. It’s super good!
We also had zone conference this week and it was really good. I always learn so much there and get uplifted and excited about missionary work.
We had some more miracles I wanted to tell you about. One of them started by us going to IHOP the middle of last transfer. We met some members there and one of them recently moved into a rest home because of a brain tumor. They asked us to visit her so one day we did. It was one of the days when Elder Sharp wasn’t feeling very good energy/attitude-wise. As he was trying to help her feel better he sort of healed himself by the advice he gave. Anyway, after Elder Sharp left we decided to go back to see the lady and watch the Testaments with her. Afterwards the receptionist was talking to us and it turns out she is a member and wants to refer her co-worker to us! There are like three members there and they have been working with this lady named Vanessa and even took her to church a couple times. Well Vanessa turned out to be GOLDEN. Unfortunately we had to pass her over to the English sisters who work in our area, but we had a great lesson with all four of us there and they set a baptism date. It’s great to see the hand of the Lord in the work!
We also just found a really great investigator that’s Spanish. He was a church headquarters referral and he’s pretty solid. This work is great, I’m happy to be a part of it. I just hope a couple of our investigators get baptized soon because I think I’ll be transferred next month.
Everyone keeps talking about their garden and I think it’s funny we kind of have one here too. Elder Fraga is growing sunflowers as I’ve already told you (I think). They are growing super fast actually and are already like 10-12” tall!
That’s pretty crazy you guys are putting in a fence. Finally Comet will have room to roam around (after he goes to the orchard of course:) !
It’s pretty cool to have an investigator with a baby exactly one month older to the day than Miyah. I can see what she’ll be like in a month. It’s the son of Rigoberto and Michelle.
Yes Ross, I did reach my six month mark. It was on May 20th. No my time at home did not count towards my mission so yes, I’ll be staying an extra transfer at least. I came back on January 20th so you can just add two months to the time it’s been since that day and that’s how long I’ve been out.
That’s cool that you’re teaching flute lessons Mom! I’m proud of you. I remember when you were teaching Stormie how to play the flute.
As I look back on my mission I am amazed at how much Spanish I’ve learned. I know I’m being blessed. I don’t even feel super scared to talk to people on the phone any more.
I’m still playing the piano in all the church meetings since there really isn’t anyone else. I even played the organ one week (without the pedals) so it’s been fun.
We also confirmed Joaquin this Sunday. The other elders had 4 others so that made a total of 5 confirmations in one sacrament meeting! It was pretty crazy. The people giving talks didn’t have to talk as long.
Anyway, I’d better be done. Elder Fraga is ready to go. It’s been a good day though. We played soccer again so I’m glad I’m getting some exercise. Hopefully that will help me burn off the 20-25 lbs I’ve gained on my mission so far.
Love you all,
Elder Curtis
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
He’s a great kid and is really smart.
Hey Everyone,
This week has been interesting. We’ve had to get used to only being in a twosome. I guess the new missionaries won’t get here till June 16th. So guess what? I got to baptize Juaquin yesterday! It was a neat experience. I was grateful for that opportunity. So we had a lot of lessons with him this week to get him ready. He’s a great kid and is really smart.
Michelle finally decided to make some changes in her life. She really wants to change. So she told Rigo that he needs to leave until he’s divorced. We were happy she finally did something to get this divorce moving along. Rigo did leave but didn’t take anything with him so of course he had to come back. When he finally did come back he had drugs in his pocket and Michelle freaked out. She started yelling and throwing stuff so the neighbors called the cops and since Rigo is on probation they came right over and threw him in jail. So then Michelle and her mom Sonia (a member) had to go bail him out by paying $1600. Imagine how hard that would be for a poor Mexican family. And Sonia was upset because that didn’t have to happen. Anyway, I was excited they were separated, but now Rigo and Michelle are back together. I just hope they can get the divorce done soon so they can get married.
We got to do a little service on Saturday and help a member Hno. Urrelos clean his pool filter. Then he fed us pizza so that made me happy. We also got the mechanics to bring a carpet shampooer so we could clean our carpets. It helped a lot, but some of those stains are impossible.
Erasmo has started to notice that whenever he does something to get closer to God, something bad happens to him in his life. Last transfer he got in an accident and totaled his car and of course he didn’t have money to get a new one. He also said he is having family issues at home. Then last of all he lost his job. He blames it on the fact that he bought a bible lol. Who knows if that’s true, but he is really having lots of difficulties and so I really hope this helps him instead of pushing him away from the church. He is really looking hard for an answer of what he should do. Pray hard for him. I really hope he can pull through and make the right choice. His “home” is a garage and half the time he sleeps at the Pantoja’s house. He’s actually got a pretty good attitude so that’s good. I just hope he can make it. He’s been to lots of baptisms and goes to church faithfully. Most of the members probably think he is baptized lol. He’s really nice and makes lots of friends. I think he’d fit in really well if he decided to make the step of faith which is baptism.
Anyway, that’s about it for this week. Today has been good. We’ve cleaned our apartment, the car inside and out, played soccer with the district, and gone shopping. Now we are going to eat dinner with the Martinez family here in the mall so I better go. Have a good week everyone! Wish I could be there for the party at home! :)
Love,
Elder Curtis
This week has been interesting. We’ve had to get used to only being in a twosome. I guess the new missionaries won’t get here till June 16th. So guess what? I got to baptize Juaquin yesterday! It was a neat experience. I was grateful for that opportunity. So we had a lot of lessons with him this week to get him ready. He’s a great kid and is really smart.
Michelle finally decided to make some changes in her life. She really wants to change. So she told Rigo that he needs to leave until he’s divorced. We were happy she finally did something to get this divorce moving along. Rigo did leave but didn’t take anything with him so of course he had to come back. When he finally did come back he had drugs in his pocket and Michelle freaked out. She started yelling and throwing stuff so the neighbors called the cops and since Rigo is on probation they came right over and threw him in jail. So then Michelle and her mom Sonia (a member) had to go bail him out by paying $1600. Imagine how hard that would be for a poor Mexican family. And Sonia was upset because that didn’t have to happen. Anyway, I was excited they were separated, but now Rigo and Michelle are back together. I just hope they can get the divorce done soon so they can get married.
We got to do a little service on Saturday and help a member Hno. Urrelos clean his pool filter. Then he fed us pizza so that made me happy. We also got the mechanics to bring a carpet shampooer so we could clean our carpets. It helped a lot, but some of those stains are impossible.
Erasmo has started to notice that whenever he does something to get closer to God, something bad happens to him in his life. Last transfer he got in an accident and totaled his car and of course he didn’t have money to get a new one. He also said he is having family issues at home. Then last of all he lost his job. He blames it on the fact that he bought a bible lol. Who knows if that’s true, but he is really having lots of difficulties and so I really hope this helps him instead of pushing him away from the church. He is really looking hard for an answer of what he should do. Pray hard for him. I really hope he can pull through and make the right choice. His “home” is a garage and half the time he sleeps at the Pantoja’s house. He’s actually got a pretty good attitude so that’s good. I just hope he can make it. He’s been to lots of baptisms and goes to church faithfully. Most of the members probably think he is baptized lol. He’s really nice and makes lots of friends. I think he’d fit in really well if he decided to make the step of faith which is baptism.
Anyway, that’s about it for this week. Today has been good. We’ve cleaned our apartment, the car inside and out, played soccer with the district, and gone shopping. Now we are going to eat dinner with the Martinez family here in the mall so I better go. Have a good week everyone! Wish I could be there for the party at home! :)
Love,
Elder Curtis
Thursday, June 4, 2009
it was cute ...
Dear family,
I didn’t get transferred this week. The funny thing though is that I’m still in a threesome, or at least I will be. Elder Sharp is being moved to an English ward (he almost went home when they told him that—no joke) and we are getting a new elder here in La Habra. Elder Fraga will be staying here as well. Anyway, I guess they have a flu in the MTC so new elders are being held back for two weeks. That means one of the English elders in Fullerton that is going to be training doesn’t have a companion for two weeks so the elder replacing elder Sharp is going with him (Elder Zelnick) and then will come and be with us when the new elders get here. So not much has changed for me.
This past week has been pretty good. On Saturday our investigator Michelle held a party for her son and her brother who had birthdays this month so we went and had food and talked to our investigators etc. I even got to help with the piñata by moving it up and down while the kids tried to hit it. The piñata was Mario—it was cute. We had four investigators at church so that was a good thing. Juaquin finally came so we are going to baptize him this Sunday. Michelle decided she wants to start coming to church so we were really happy when she walked in.
Our ward mission leader moved! So now I’m the only one in the ward that can play the piano…which means I sight read lots of hymns on Sunday for sacrament as well as elder Keeler/Gillespie’s baptism. It was pretty intense, but I did all right.
Hopefully someone gets called as the new ward mission leader soon. I thought that’s pretty cool that Ross gets to do that job [ward mission leader]. I have no idea how things work over there, but here the mission leader does a lot to help us. We meet with him every week and talk about our investigators and their needs and then he talks to the ward leaders about it. That’s going to stop this transfer though. I guess they’re trying to cut back on how many meetings we have. He also helps arrange the baptisms by printing out the programs, directing the meeting, etc. It’s really nice to have someone like that in the ward helping us out that knows everything we are working with and is a member of the ward. One thing that he was supposed to do that he didn’t was to assign people to feed us every week so we can eat with less actives, recent converts, investigators etc. and so we don’t eat with the same people every week, but that’s okay. They just pass a calendar around every week and people sign up.
We started teaching some new investigators this week so hopefully things work out with them. I’m hoping we have lots of baptisms this transfer of people we’ve been working with that are getting close. I’d really like to see Julia get baptized before I get moved. Hopefully our baptism works out this weekend and we’ll already have met the mission goal for this year of one baptism per companionship per transfer. The mission as a whole finally met that goal this last transfer with 67 baptisms. I think there are less than 60 companionships. Anyway, the work is moving forward and I know great things are in the future. Keep praying for us and the missionaries around you. This is a great work and it can not be stopped. Love you all, have a great week.
Elder Curtis
I didn’t get transferred this week. The funny thing though is that I’m still in a threesome, or at least I will be. Elder Sharp is being moved to an English ward (he almost went home when they told him that—no joke) and we are getting a new elder here in La Habra. Elder Fraga will be staying here as well. Anyway, I guess they have a flu in the MTC so new elders are being held back for two weeks. That means one of the English elders in Fullerton that is going to be training doesn’t have a companion for two weeks so the elder replacing elder Sharp is going with him (Elder Zelnick) and then will come and be with us when the new elders get here. So not much has changed for me.
This past week has been pretty good. On Saturday our investigator Michelle held a party for her son and her brother who had birthdays this month so we went and had food and talked to our investigators etc. I even got to help with the piñata by moving it up and down while the kids tried to hit it. The piñata was Mario—it was cute. We had four investigators at church so that was a good thing. Juaquin finally came so we are going to baptize him this Sunday. Michelle decided she wants to start coming to church so we were really happy when she walked in.
Our ward mission leader moved! So now I’m the only one in the ward that can play the piano…which means I sight read lots of hymns on Sunday for sacrament as well as elder Keeler/Gillespie’s baptism. It was pretty intense, but I did all right.
Hopefully someone gets called as the new ward mission leader soon. I thought that’s pretty cool that Ross gets to do that job [ward mission leader]. I have no idea how things work over there, but here the mission leader does a lot to help us. We meet with him every week and talk about our investigators and their needs and then he talks to the ward leaders about it. That’s going to stop this transfer though. I guess they’re trying to cut back on how many meetings we have. He also helps arrange the baptisms by printing out the programs, directing the meeting, etc. It’s really nice to have someone like that in the ward helping us out that knows everything we are working with and is a member of the ward. One thing that he was supposed to do that he didn’t was to assign people to feed us every week so we can eat with less actives, recent converts, investigators etc. and so we don’t eat with the same people every week, but that’s okay. They just pass a calendar around every week and people sign up.
We started teaching some new investigators this week so hopefully things work out with them. I’m hoping we have lots of baptisms this transfer of people we’ve been working with that are getting close. I’d really like to see Julia get baptized before I get moved. Hopefully our baptism works out this weekend and we’ll already have met the mission goal for this year of one baptism per companionship per transfer. The mission as a whole finally met that goal this last transfer with 67 baptisms. I think there are less than 60 companionships. Anyway, the work is moving forward and I know great things are in the future. Keep praying for us and the missionaries around you. This is a great work and it can not be stopped. Love you all, have a great week.
Elder Curtis
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Guess when you work hard time goes fast.
Hola familia, como estan?
On Tuesday we had a mission conference. The son of Elder Packer who is in the 70 came and talked to us. It was really nice – he was a great speaker and I got some good notes :)
We have two investigators with a baptism date now. They are both sons of less active members. They are really smart though and it’s fun to teach them. We had their dates for the 31st, but they didn’t come to church so we’ll have to change it. I’m excited for them though. One is 12 and the other 10. One is named Juaquin (wakeen) and the other Edwardo.
This transfer went by so fast. I can’t believe that this is the last week already. Transfers are on the first so remember to send letters to the office if you don’t send them today or tomorrow. Seems like I was just saying that. Guess when you work hard time goes fast.
Julia is doing really well. She always comes to church now and is ready to change her life style. We had a great member lesson with her and Damian – who is a somewhat recent convert of 26 years. Erasmo still comes to church and enjoys everything, but isn’t ready yet I guess. Kind of frustrating. We think it must be a chastity problem. The Rico family we visit in La Habra is doing well, but hasn’t been to church since the confirmation of their nieces. The mom, Julia, says she feels it’s just “not her time” to go back. We think that’s ridiculous and have had long talks with her, but I don’t see her coming back soon.
We had four investigators at church so that was really good for us. Hermana Urrelos and one of our other investigators Juan came along with Erasmo and Julia. Nothing else that’s really new I guess. We did visit an older lady that’s English, but she’s in a care center right now. She was really discouraged because she wants to leave and plan her daughter’s wedding. She’s used to doing a lot, but now is in a care center and is restricted as to what she can do. We helped cheer her up though.
In the process Elder Sharp felt better too. He’s been kind of down and unmotivated lately. He says he doesn’t really want to be a missionary any more. He’s upset at how intense the rules are here and misses his girl friend. Also, he feels like no one want to help him with his health because they don’t let him go to the gym etc. etc. I hope he’s not like this the rest of his mission. I’m not sure how to cheer him up. He’s okay most days, just has rebellious fits every now and then. We’ll see what happens next transfer. Most likely we won’t be in a threesome anymore.
Today there was a huge stake activity that we went to at this really big state park. It was really fun with lots of food and games. That’s why I didn’t write earlier. Anyway, hope everyone is doing well. I guess I’ll find out what I’ll be doing the next six weeks on Saturday. That’ll be intense. I’ve been here long enough that I could be moved, but who knows. That’s about all I can think of to say right now so I’ll write next week. Love you all,
Elder Curtis
On Tuesday we had a mission conference. The son of Elder Packer who is in the 70 came and talked to us. It was really nice – he was a great speaker and I got some good notes :)
We have two investigators with a baptism date now. They are both sons of less active members. They are really smart though and it’s fun to teach them. We had their dates for the 31st, but they didn’t come to church so we’ll have to change it. I’m excited for them though. One is 12 and the other 10. One is named Juaquin (wakeen) and the other Edwardo.
This transfer went by so fast. I can’t believe that this is the last week already. Transfers are on the first so remember to send letters to the office if you don’t send them today or tomorrow. Seems like I was just saying that. Guess when you work hard time goes fast.
Julia is doing really well. She always comes to church now and is ready to change her life style. We had a great member lesson with her and Damian – who is a somewhat recent convert of 26 years. Erasmo still comes to church and enjoys everything, but isn’t ready yet I guess. Kind of frustrating. We think it must be a chastity problem. The Rico family we visit in La Habra is doing well, but hasn’t been to church since the confirmation of their nieces. The mom, Julia, says she feels it’s just “not her time” to go back. We think that’s ridiculous and have had long talks with her, but I don’t see her coming back soon.
We had four investigators at church so that was really good for us. Hermana Urrelos and one of our other investigators Juan came along with Erasmo and Julia. Nothing else that’s really new I guess. We did visit an older lady that’s English, but she’s in a care center right now. She was really discouraged because she wants to leave and plan her daughter’s wedding. She’s used to doing a lot, but now is in a care center and is restricted as to what she can do. We helped cheer her up though.
In the process Elder Sharp felt better too. He’s been kind of down and unmotivated lately. He says he doesn’t really want to be a missionary any more. He’s upset at how intense the rules are here and misses his girl friend. Also, he feels like no one want to help him with his health because they don’t let him go to the gym etc. etc. I hope he’s not like this the rest of his mission. I’m not sure how to cheer him up. He’s okay most days, just has rebellious fits every now and then. We’ll see what happens next transfer. Most likely we won’t be in a threesome anymore.
Today there was a huge stake activity that we went to at this really big state park. It was really fun with lots of food and games. That’s why I didn’t write earlier. Anyway, hope everyone is doing well. I guess I’ll find out what I’ll be doing the next six weeks on Saturday. That’ll be intense. I’ve been here long enough that I could be moved, but who knows. That’s about all I can think of to say right now so I’ll write next week. Love you all,
Elder Curtis
Monday, May 18, 2009
I guess that’s what I deserve for making a stupid mistake lol.
This week we are at a library in Brea because the one in La Habra is closed till June. It’s part of the same network though so our cards work just fine here. This week has been pretty good. Did I ever tell you James wrote me? I wrote him a letter when he was in the MTC and he wrote back when he got to California. It was pretty funny, because I looked up his address on my GPS and since he’s in a really close mission to us it would only take an hour and 18 minutes to get to his apartment. I was like, “Elder Fraga, we could be there before midnight and then come back in the morning and no one would ever know!” It was pretty funny. Actually there are a lot of things I could do on my mission without anyone finding out…but that’s not why I’m here.
So Elder Swenson (Kyle) came back down to California this weekend for a baptism of a family that’s been taught like 2 years or more. He even baptized one of them. I guess their main problem was that they didn’t want to get married, but they finally did. Anyway, He stayed with OJ and Merllyn so this morning they drove up and we all went bowling together. It was really fun and OJ is a really good teacher.
This week we all decided to get our hair cut and since Kyle left me some hair cutting clippers (like mom has) we decided to do it ourselves. I cut Elder Sharp’s hair like two weeks ago so I thought I knew what I was doing, but then I accidentally put on a number three when I was cutting Elder Fraga’s hair so it came out kind of short. The funny part is that then Elder Sharp cut my hair and made the exact same mistake, only with a number two hahaha. I guess that’s what I deserve for making a stupid mistake lol. We were nervous President would be upset with our hair being too short, but at interviews he didn’t even mention it so we’ll just let it grow back and be more careful next time :)
This week Elder Fraga decided to take up “gardening” so he bought some pots and dirt and planted some sunflowers. They’re small pots and I told him how big sunflowers get, but he doesn’t care. We planted a bunch in each pot and I said we’ve have to thin them when they come up, but he’s like, “no, if we make them fight each other they’ll be stronger like ‘survival of the fittest.’” Funny kid. I don’t think he’ll be able to take them from area to area after they get 10 feet tall. I guess he’ll have to give them to members.
With Elder Sharp’s special needs we got permission to go to the weight room in the mornings and work out. We also got permission to exercise for an extra half hour, or at least he did. So it’s been really nice to get up every morning and have a good workout. I usually run on the treadmill for half an hour and it seems to help. I’m hoping to lose a few pounds too :)
Dad just reminded me we had another earthquake yesterday. It was in LA County and was only a 5.0 so I didn’t even get to feel it this time :( That’s okay though. I’m excited for the big one to come. That’d be cool if it was while I’m still here—then we could just go serve people all day.
We had a really good lesson with Erasmo yesterday and told him we’ve taught him everything we can and that it’s up to him now. He needs to make the decision himself and commit to live a different life. We really emphasized baptism and we know he’s got an answer about this church, he just has to give up his old life and it’s really hard for him. He says he’s still not ready. I guess the only thing left to do is pray for him. He still comes to church and reads the BOM a lot so we really hope he can change. Elder Sharp gave him a blessing yesterday and said he’s a chosen son of God and that he has great things to do, he just needs to put his faith in God and make that blind leap. I have hopes that someday he will change, but he made it clear that it won’t be anytime soon.
Julia is still doing well. She is committed to God and has a determination to live the commandments. She is praying and thinking this week about what she is going to do. She either has to get Alvero to get divorced and get married, or she needs to separate herself from him. She’s deciding this week if she loves him enough to get married. He doesn’t seem to be very motivated himself to change so we’ll see what happens.
Our investigators Estevan and Maria disappeared so we think they moved to Utah. They kept talking about it, so I guess they finally did it.
Rigoberto and Michelle are still needing a divorce before they can get married so we talked to them and tried to help push them along. Hopefully something happens soon. They also need to start living the word of wisdom.
Anyway, things are going well here. I love being with my two great companions and learning from them and joking with them. They are great teachers and know how to use the spirit in their teaching. Elder Sharp has two girls waiting for him so it’s fun to tease him about that.
Thanks for all your support, love, and letters. Have a good week!
Love,
Elder Curtis
So Elder Swenson (Kyle) came back down to California this weekend for a baptism of a family that’s been taught like 2 years or more. He even baptized one of them. I guess their main problem was that they didn’t want to get married, but they finally did. Anyway, He stayed with OJ and Merllyn so this morning they drove up and we all went bowling together. It was really fun and OJ is a really good teacher.
This week we all decided to get our hair cut and since Kyle left me some hair cutting clippers (like mom has) we decided to do it ourselves. I cut Elder Sharp’s hair like two weeks ago so I thought I knew what I was doing, but then I accidentally put on a number three when I was cutting Elder Fraga’s hair so it came out kind of short. The funny part is that then Elder Sharp cut my hair and made the exact same mistake, only with a number two hahaha. I guess that’s what I deserve for making a stupid mistake lol. We were nervous President would be upset with our hair being too short, but at interviews he didn’t even mention it so we’ll just let it grow back and be more careful next time :)
This week Elder Fraga decided to take up “gardening” so he bought some pots and dirt and planted some sunflowers. They’re small pots and I told him how big sunflowers get, but he doesn’t care. We planted a bunch in each pot and I said we’ve have to thin them when they come up, but he’s like, “no, if we make them fight each other they’ll be stronger like ‘survival of the fittest.’” Funny kid. I don’t think he’ll be able to take them from area to area after they get 10 feet tall. I guess he’ll have to give them to members.
With Elder Sharp’s special needs we got permission to go to the weight room in the mornings and work out. We also got permission to exercise for an extra half hour, or at least he did. So it’s been really nice to get up every morning and have a good workout. I usually run on the treadmill for half an hour and it seems to help. I’m hoping to lose a few pounds too :)
Dad just reminded me we had another earthquake yesterday. It was in LA County and was only a 5.0 so I didn’t even get to feel it this time :( That’s okay though. I’m excited for the big one to come. That’d be cool if it was while I’m still here—then we could just go serve people all day.
We had a really good lesson with Erasmo yesterday and told him we’ve taught him everything we can and that it’s up to him now. He needs to make the decision himself and commit to live a different life. We really emphasized baptism and we know he’s got an answer about this church, he just has to give up his old life and it’s really hard for him. He says he’s still not ready. I guess the only thing left to do is pray for him. He still comes to church and reads the BOM a lot so we really hope he can change. Elder Sharp gave him a blessing yesterday and said he’s a chosen son of God and that he has great things to do, he just needs to put his faith in God and make that blind leap. I have hopes that someday he will change, but he made it clear that it won’t be anytime soon.
Julia is still doing well. She is committed to God and has a determination to live the commandments. She is praying and thinking this week about what she is going to do. She either has to get Alvero to get divorced and get married, or she needs to separate herself from him. She’s deciding this week if she loves him enough to get married. He doesn’t seem to be very motivated himself to change so we’ll see what happens.
Our investigators Estevan and Maria disappeared so we think they moved to Utah. They kept talking about it, so I guess they finally did it.
Rigoberto and Michelle are still needing a divorce before they can get married so we talked to them and tried to help push them along. Hopefully something happens soon. They also need to start living the word of wisdom.
Anyway, things are going well here. I love being with my two great companions and learning from them and joking with them. They are great teachers and know how to use the spirit in their teaching. Elder Sharp has two girls waiting for him so it’s fun to tease him about that.
Thanks for all your support, love, and letters. Have a good week!
Love,
Elder Curtis
Friday, May 15, 2009
Me (in Spanish): Hi is my Mom there? Dad (also in Spanish): Yes you can, just a sec
Hello everyone. It was great to hear from and talk to everyone in Highland this weekend. Sounds like things are going well. Things are good for me too. We went to Deseret Book today and I bought a new scripture case for my Spanish scriptures. It’ll be nice.
I guess the main news from this week is we had two baptisms and confirmations. Kimberly and Stacy Rico who are 10 and 11 got baptized on Saturday and confirmed on Sunday. I got to stand in for the confirmations. The baptism was kind of rushed and poorly planned, but we all got an answer in prayer that we needed to do it this weekend while they were still excited. We are really hoping this helps get their parents and their uncles/aunts back to church who are all less active. They came to the confirmation Sunday so I hope they realize it isn’t as bad as they thought.
We were able to teach two families who we haven’t seen in a long time this week --Edith/Juan and Juan/Mariela. We taught 13 lessons with a member present this week so that has really helped.
The other highlight of this week was the trip to the temple we had on Wednesday, but I probably told you about that already huh? I forgot we wrote last Wednesday. Anyway, we did a session that day, then went back to the temple on Saturday for a temple tour. We had an investigator there who is the wife of a member in our ward. It’s Brother and Sister Urrelos. The wife is from Brazil so it’s hard to understand her Spanish. I bet Dad wouldn’t have a problem though. Even my companions have a super hard time, but with the husband there (who grew up in Spanish) we are able to have pretty good lessons.
I don’t have a ton to say this week, just that the Lord is Really looking after us and keeping us safe and guiding us. I know this work is true and the message we take to people will bless their lives, not only on judgment day, but in all they do in this life as well. When we keep the commandments we can be happy, not matter what happens in our life. The Lord will protect and guide us so we learn and grow and even enjoy the experience. Hope this spring brings you all happiness and joy in life. Enjoy the stage you are at right now, because you’ll miss these times.
Love,
Elder Curtis
I guess the main news from this week is we had two baptisms and confirmations. Kimberly and Stacy Rico who are 10 and 11 got baptized on Saturday and confirmed on Sunday. I got to stand in for the confirmations. The baptism was kind of rushed and poorly planned, but we all got an answer in prayer that we needed to do it this weekend while they were still excited. We are really hoping this helps get their parents and their uncles/aunts back to church who are all less active. They came to the confirmation Sunday so I hope they realize it isn’t as bad as they thought.
We were able to teach two families who we haven’t seen in a long time this week --Edith/Juan and Juan/Mariela. We taught 13 lessons with a member present this week so that has really helped.
The other highlight of this week was the trip to the temple we had on Wednesday, but I probably told you about that already huh? I forgot we wrote last Wednesday. Anyway, we did a session that day, then went back to the temple on Saturday for a temple tour. We had an investigator there who is the wife of a member in our ward. It’s Brother and Sister Urrelos. The wife is from Brazil so it’s hard to understand her Spanish. I bet Dad wouldn’t have a problem though. Even my companions have a super hard time, but with the husband there (who grew up in Spanish) we are able to have pretty good lessons.
I don’t have a ton to say this week, just that the Lord is Really looking after us and keeping us safe and guiding us. I know this work is true and the message we take to people will bless their lives, not only on judgment day, but in all they do in this life as well. When we keep the commandments we can be happy, not matter what happens in our life. The Lord will protect and guide us so we learn and grow and even enjoy the experience. Hope this spring brings you all happiness and joy in life. Enjoy the stage you are at right now, because you’ll miss these times.
Love,
Elder Curtis
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