THIS IS HALLOWEEN, THIS IS HALLOWEEN

THIS IS HALLOWEEN, THIS IS HALLOWEEN

Talk about a jam packed week!! First off, I had to say my goodbyes to 2 of my dearly beloved companions, Sister Newell and Sister Bennallack. Yes I cried, but at least I didn't ugly cry! Small victories. Also to make up for the sadness of losing two amigas, I regained another. Sister Rasera (from Ribeirão Pires) is my new companion and wow is she incredible!!!

We worked ourselves to the bone this week (one night I fell asleep praying and woke up on my knees like 2 ours later lol), doing our very best to be worthy of the miracles that Heavenly father wants to do through us, and we found some seriously amazing people.One of these is a man called William. As we finished teaching him about the Restoration I felt like I had to make sure and leave a pamphlet with him, but I had given my last one out that day and knew Sister Rasera didn't have any but nevertheless, I looked in my bag and low and behold, there was a pamphlet right there inside! The Lord multiplies more than just fish and loaves these day, people!

And an even greater miracle occurred on Sunday night. It had gotten cold and started to rain and we were far from home and I asked Sister Rasera if she wanted to go home and grab a jacket, but she was like, "It's pretty out of the way and it's already late so let´s just try these last 2 people." So we kept on trucking and went to the home of a referral that we received several weeks ago. We had never been able to find Oswaldo at home and this was his last chance.

Well we rang the doorbell and what do ya know, but this gigantic man opened the door and asked us if we were the missionaries: OSWALDO!!! As we entered his home the spirit hit so hard and I knew that that"s exactly where we needed to be in that moment. As we talked to him about the gospel of Jesus Christ the spirit was whispering with increasing frequency "Invite him to be baptized!" So after meeting this gentle giant and talking to him for 15 minutes we invited him to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized, and He accepted the invitation whole-heartedly.

He told us that he had sent a message to his friend that morning saying that he thought that it was going to work out cause we kept missing him at home and then we showed up that very night. I started tearing up and testified to him that I knew that we were there for a reason and that reason was to help him and his family receive all of the blessings that God has in store for them. It was INCREDIBLE.

I hadn't felt the spirit so strongly like that in a lesson in a little while. I know that obedience brings blessings but obedience in exactness brings miracles. Heavenly Father wants to bless us and others through us, He wants to give us all that He has, but we have to shut our spiritual umbrellas and let the blessings rain down.. "I will...open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it."

I love you all so much and hope you have a marvelous week!!

-Sister Curtis

UM ANINHO!!! (First Birthday)

UM ANINHO!!!
(First Birthday)

 Well, I have about 0% capacity to accept or comprehend the fact that I've been in Brazil for A WHOLE YEAR. THAT´S 12 MONTHS, 365 DAYS that I've been out here on the grind. I've had so many incredible experiences during this sacred time. I've seen more miracles than I can count (both in my own life and in the lives of those around me), I've laughed, I've cried, and I've learned. I've grown into something and someone completely different than the 19 year old girl that left last October, almost sick from anxiety in the car on the way to the airport haha.

I'm so grateful for everything about my mission. I know that I'm where, when, and with whom I need to be, without a doubt. I can already see that for the rest of my life I'm going to be like Elder Holland and tell everyone how everything that I have and everything that I am, I can contribute to my mission. I hope that in these next 6 months I can become an even better, more humble, consecrated, loving, powerful, patient servant of the Lord; that I may find who He´s prepared for me and learn to trust in Him and have the faith necessary to always do His will, and that by doing so, His will may become my will and I can be the best instrument in His hands that I am capable of being.

Love you all lots and hope you have a wonderful week :)

-Sister Curtis

"Tá bom. Tá ruim, mas tá bom."

As Sister Newell and I were passing an old man on the street recently we overheard him talking to his friends. One of them was asking how things were going for him and he responded, "It's okay. It's terrible, but it's okay." First I laughed a lot at that response because it reminded me of something my own grandpa would say, but then the more I thought about it, the more relatable and inspiring it became. Bear with me.

This week definitely wasn't the easiest of weeks, there was a lot of rain, a lot of doors  shut in our faces, and a lot of things that didn't work out exactly how we were hoping that they would. One afternoon as Sister Newell and I were talking about some of the most important things that we've learned on our missions, I told her how one of the things I'm most grateful for on my mission are the hard days and trials that we face.

 I also remembered a scripture that I recently read in Psalms 118:24 "This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." Every day that we have truly is a gift from the Lord and a new opportunity to rejoice and do something wonderful. It's our own responsibility to seek out the good and the beauty and the hope of a better tomorrow in the middle of our not so great todays.

I'm so grateful that I've learned to be able to not just say but to feel "It's great! Things are tough, but it's great!" I know that these blessings come from the understanding that true and lasting happiness is not derived from momentary, fleeting things. Lasting joy comes from the things of the eternities, it comes from obedience to eternal principals given to us for the SOLE purpose of making us happy, forever and ever. And guess what? NOW is a part of that great forever!!

Is life always easy? No. Is it always easy to find the light in moments of darkness? No. But is it there? Is it worth it to keep striving to find that pinpoint in the blackness? YES! ABSOLUTELY!!! "Men are that they might have joy" if they seek it out. I know that our Heavenly Father loves us beyond our grandest imaginings and that He is here to help us find the path to eternal life that we are seeking. He wants us to rejoice in THIS day that He has made for us and that He'll always help us to do so.

I love you all sooooo much and hope your week is fabulous!!!

LooOooOvvVEeeE,
Sister Curtis

Howdy Folks!!!

Howdy Folks!!!

Well I think that the week has finally come where I have a chance to catch up on some of the weird/hilarious stuff that's happened recently because if there's one thing there's no shortage of on the mission, it's strange experiences!

- Fun fact: there's a lady breast feeding at the computer next to me in this LAN house as she writes emails.

- Sister Newell fell on top of my foot a few weeks ago (I tried to give her a boost up to see if she could get something we couldn't reach. It was before 7 am, nothing before 7 am is a good idea) and my foot turned kinda black, but it didn't really hurt but then it stayed weird colors for a few weeks. Looking back, I think I probs broke something small and insignificant, but it's already almost back to normal now so tudo bem!

- We had a divisão this week and so many crazy things happened, it was great! First the Sister that I was with had it in her mind to eat all of the random fruits and berries that we encountered in the street, and she was so dedicated to this task that she literally climbed on top of a car to pick some!!! WoW!!! Also she kept asking people on the street what the fruit was as she was eating it. Incredible!!!

- On this same divisão Sister Newell saw a guy get shot by the police in the favela!! WOw!!!! (I got a little jealous that I wasn't there for that one).

-Sister Newell's foot swelled up from her shoe that's almost worn out and she was like, "My foot's really swollen, it's like the size of... a bigger foot!!" And I thought that was pretty funny.

- We had a Family Home Evening with a recent convert and her family and her husband totally made me eat NINE pasteis (you can google what a pastel is), but honestly he didn't even have to try that hard because they were delicious.

Okay that's all the stuff that I'm currently remembering even though I'm sure there was more hahah. Love you all lots and hope y'all have a crazy good week!

- Sister Curtis

#LDSconf

#LDSconf

OKAY BUT HOW ABOUT THAT CONFERENCE THOUGH?!?!

I know I've said it a million times but I LOVE GENERAL CONFERENCE!!!
There´s no greater or more concentrated way for us to receive direct, personal revelation from a loving Heavenly Father than by listening to His servants acting as His mouthpieces sharing inspired messages and good tidings of great joy!!

Sister Newell and I went into Conference battle ready with notebooks, snacks, and 5 questions that we wanted answers to. We took notes and were uplifted and edified and learned so much about the importance and necessity and blessing of constant sincere repentance, about how we are not agents of change but agents of love, and it's our job to love not just our neighbors but every son and daughter of God, and about how "All the Lord expects of us is to try, but we have to REALLY try!".

In the midst off all these wonderful messages, Sister Newell was like, "Hey it's just the first day and I've already had all of my questions answered!" and I was like, "Wuuutttt, how???" but as I've studied the notes that I took and thought more about the words that I heard, little by little, the spirit has brought to my mind all of the answers and counsel that I had been seeking.

I'm so grateful to have had yet another personal, humbling experience to show me that I have a Heavenly Father that loves me completely and perfectly and wants to answer my questions and doubts and worries. Literally all we have to do is ask!! He's ready and waiting to open the door, we just have to knock!! I'd like to invite each of you to study and ponder over and over again the words of the prophet and apostles, I know that as you do so in faith and prayer, your hearts and minds will be opened and you too will receive the personal revelation that you stand in need of, I testify of that.

Love you all and hope you have a rad week!!

-Sister Curtis