Feliz Natal (again)

What a week! While I can´t say that we had the most spectacular week in terms of how many people we were able to find at home, it sure was spectacular in many other aspects! We had so many unique and wonderful opportunities to remember the Savior with the friends and family and children of God that we are serving and serving with and the Lord absolutely made manifest His hand in His work this week.  

One of the many miracles of the week involved the reluctant husband of one the irmãs in the ward. We´ve tried several times to try and meet with him and teach him and plan noite familiares and we show up and he always ends up saying that he has to work at the last minute and the other week after one of these not so smooth experiences, his wife and children (also members) asked us with humble and pleading hearts what they could do to help their father soften his heart. Sister Rasera shared the experience of the conversion of her father with them and we told them that while we dont know exactly what they need to do, Heavenly Father does and through prayer and fasting and consistency, the Lord will do his part to soften his heart. 

So we showed up to church on Sunday and sat down and I noticed that the irmã had arrived yet but just accounted it to the Christmas season and thought she was traveling. As Sister Rasera went to start her talk she looked at me and motioned towards the back of the chapel and i turned around and lo and behold, the irmã had arrived and was sitting down... WITH HER HUSBAND!!!! 

I know that the spirit is even stronger at Christmas than at any other time of the year because people are really turning to Christ and remembering Him and His life and Sacrifice more than at any other time of the year. But I also know that it doesnt have to and shouldnt be the only time of the year when our hearts and minds are focused on the Lord. As we commit to put the Savior first, to remember the miracle of his birth, his life, his death, and his Resurrection, we will have the company of the spirit with us and we will follow the path that he paved. I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior. I know that he was born for me, that he died for me, and that most importantly, for me he lives again. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

com amor, 

Sister Curtis 

HAVE A HOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS

HO HO HO, FELIZ NATAALLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This week was another one of those weeks where everything seemed to go exactly the opposite of what we had planned, haha. The good news is that because our plan is always going to be Plan B, even though we didn't accomplish exactly what we had wanted too, we were able to better accomplish what the Lord wanted us too. I don't know how many people we talked to this week told us, "How did you know that I needed to hear that?" or "I was praying for the Lord to send me help and I know that he sent me you two" or "Wow, I'm almost never home at this hour, I don't know how you found me but I'm glad you did".

One of these incredible people that we were able to meet knocking doors because our plans fell through is called Alzira. She's a little 80 year old woman who's been taking care of the every need of her bed-ridden husband by herself for the past 20 years. Even though she has a very difficult life, I've never met someone so humble and GRATEFUL in my life. She doesn't even have a bed to sleep in but she didn't stop smiling once from the minute that we walked in and kept telling us about how the Lord has blessed her with everything that she needs and she can't complain about a single thing in her life. She got so excited when we arrived and told us, "The doctor just left and look who arrived, the spiritual doctors!"

She told us as she stroked her husbands hair with affection, "I know that he's here because he still has a mission to complete, I just hope that I'm doing what the Lord would have me to do to complete my mission as well." It's in moments like this that I am overfilled with gratitude for the privilege to be a representative and mouth-piece of Jesus Christ and to be able to tell her with confidence, "Irmã, Heavenly Father is very pleased with what you're doing and he accepts the love and the service that you're offering him." It was a very humbling and sweet experience (and we all had a group hug and cried a little bit afterwards haha).

 I'm so so so grateful to be able to serve people the way Christ would have me to and to be able to pass along the comfort and the love and peace and hope that the gospel brings to each and every one of us. Even though I'll be passing my Christmas far from family for the second time, I wouldn't rather be in any other place doing anything else. I love my Savior Jesus Christ, I know that He died for me and that, more importantly, that He LIVES for me and for you.

Have a very Merry Christmas, I love you all oodles and oodles!!

-Sister Curtis

Birthday Surprises!!

Birthday Surprises!!

Well this week was pretty neat if I do say so myself. There were ups and downs and several extreme downpours and some really weird, funny, and spiritual experiences, including:

- While we were knocking doors one day, we rang the doorbell of someone's house. As a little old lady opened the door to attend us, an old man crossed the street and asked where we were from and if we had an invitation for him. As Sister Rasera talked to the lady, I talked to the man and then another 3rd woman showed up with an arm full of flowers and without saying a word began distributing the flowers to all present, and then the old man left and the flower lady just stood by me and Rasera and listened as we talked to the old lady and she gave an occasional "Amen" and "That's true" and then wandered off on her own without saying another word.
- Soon thereafter, we rang another doorbell and yet another little old lady came out to greet us and I asked her if she had a couple minutes to talk with us and while Sister Rasera said she heard her say that she was making dinner for her husband, I definitely heard her say that she messing around with her husband and I was like "well okay then, we'll leave ya to it!"
- Went to my first ward Christmas dinner with karaoke and rave lights! #VivaBrasil
- Sunday was a very special day for 2 reasons: 1. SISTER RASERA TURNED 20!!!! 2. Brasil had a special broadcast from Salt Lake with Elder Holland and several other general authorities and it was incredible. One of the reasons that it was so incredible was because Sister Cordon was talking about the importance of sowing good seeds if you want to reap good rewards, and she began to share a story -familiar to me- of the conversion of the Father of a family in Curitiba, and I looked at Sister Rasera and we both began crying because it was the story of her family and wow talk about a spiritual experience.

Emfim (finally), it was an interesting and satisfying week here in Saúde, and we're very excited to be preparing 2 people for baptism in these next two weeks. What better gift can we give the Lord for Christmas than our hearts, amiright??

Love ya'll lots and have a great week!!!

-Sister Curtis

I BRING TO YOU GOOD TIDINGS OF GREAT JOY!!!

I BRING TO YOU GOOD TIDINGS OF GREAT JOY!!!

OSVALDO WAS BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!!!!

And what a story I have to share with you all about this week- one of the most meaningful and memorable and miraculous weeks of my whole mission (and I'm not even exaggerating today).

Well the week didn't start out particularly well. In fact, it was one of the worst beginnings to a week I've had in quite some time. There was lots of rain and no one wanted to talk to us and the only people that did talk to us cursed us off their porches (that one was actually pretty funny, I thought Sister Rasera was gonna jump the fence and go after the lady for a minute hahaha).

So it had been a rough several days until Friday morning I studied Helaman Chapter 5 about Lehi and Nephi. They had gone to try and teach the people and got thrown into jail where they suffered "for many days in the prison". It was only moments before they were to be killed, literally at their lowest point, when they received divine intervention sufficient enough to convert an entire nation. The secret? "You must repent, and cry unto the voice, even until ye shall have faith in Christ, who was taught unto you by Alma, and Amulek, and Zeezrom; and when ye shall do this, the cloud of darkness shall be removed from overshadowing you."

So I decided to do just that and I kneeled down and offered a fervent prayer telling the Lord of the sincere desires of my heart and asking that as I do my part, that He would do His so that we could reach our goals and His goals for us as well. When I opened my eyes I looked at Sister Rasera and said "we're gonna find 6 new people today." But turns out we didn't find 6... we found 8!!! And everything went better than perfect for the following two days. We also decided to fast on Saturday so that we could meet our goal of having at least 5 investigators go to church on Sunday, one of our biggest struggles here.

Sunday morning arrived and as we were getting ready to leave for Church, I offered the prayer and thanked Heavenly Father for the many miracles that we had received and asked in faith, knowing that we had done everything within our power, for one more miracle: that we could have at least 5 people at church. As we said Amen, I felt the spirit so strongly in my heart testifying that the Lord had accepted the labor we had offered him and would fulfill His part as well.

Well we went to pick up one lady to go to church and ended up getting there late, and we sat down in a rush and started to subtly look around to see who all had come. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9...people. I looked at Sister Rasera with wide eyes and she looked at me just as shocked. My heart swelled within me and I couldn't stop the tears of gratitude from rolling down my cheeks as I prayed thanking the Lord for his goodness and mercy.

And just when you think the day couldn't have gotten any better, we had Osvaldo's baptism!!! We had to use the biggest jumpsuit in the whole stake and it ended up being a little snug for him hahaha. But it was a marvelous experience and just as he was about to enter the font, his 2 children arrived to watch him be baptized and he got so happy that they came that he started crying and I don't think he stopped until he left to go home (like I said, gentle giant).

Im so incredibly grateful for the reality of the power of faith and prayer and fasting. When we are doing our best to do the will of the Lord He will always help us along. I know that when we ask, we shall be given and when we knock, it shall be opened unto us, even if we have to wait a little while for the response.
I love you all so much and hope you have a week even half as marvelous as mine was!!

LoOOOovvVVveeeeE,

Sister Curtis