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