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
Monday, August 9, 2010
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
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