Jan. 5, 2015

Happy new year everyone!

Sorry this email is coming late. Usually on Mondays here we go to the Laundromat first thing and do our studies there, then go shopping, then email, then lunch. But today we had an opportunity to do some service for a lady that some elders in our district were talking to. At 7:30 we went to pick everyone up and then cleaned and painted this ladies house before she had an inspection later that day. We finished around noon and then went and got some lunch then did laundry, then shopping, and by that time we were almost late to a dinner appointment. So now we are finally able to email.

Right now it's snowing pretty hard; it started a couple of hours ago and there's already half a foot of snow. What's dumb is it's only sticking to the road. Hardly any of it is staying on the grass at all. I don't get it. I still don't like snow at all.

In more important and more exciting and positive news Deosha was confirmed yesterday at church!! She and Virginia is doing very well. Virginia is soaking up her new scriptures and other reading material and Deosha loves her new CTR ring the primary gave her. Virginia helps clean the church building every week so far and is even going to go out with the other elders to teach one of their investigators. We are very pleased with how well they are doing with this new change in their lives. It is such a great joy to see.

Francisca is also doing superbly. She was so sad to see Elder Lazaro go though which is so understandable as he was pretty much the only one that taught her and introduced her to this gospel that she loves so much now. All I did was sit there and smile. She and I try an communicate with each other though I often make a silly mistake in my meager Spanish and she laughs.


I got my new companion this week. Elder Anderson is from Layton, Utah. He has fiery red hair and an extremely low voice. He is very kind and easy to get along with so far. He's almost been out a year. He's had a lot of really hard companions in his mission so I want to give him a good time with lots of work, and since we have lots of work to do and I certainly love to have a good time it shouldn't be too difficult to accomplish. We've already been rather open with each other and we're off to a good start as far as getting to know each other. He seems rather down on himself a lot which, gathering from past experiences that he's already told me, is understandable. I really want to help him boost his self-confidence.


It is so wonderful not being a district leader anymore. Haha I have certainly felt a mantle of responsibility leave me over the course of a week and it's helped me be able to welcome Elder Anderson in and focus on our area alone. There are definitely things I will miss about it and there will evidently need to be some adjusting. Elder Anderson had to laugh at me on Sunday night as I had nothing to do and was therefore very antsy. Typically on a Sunday night I would be calling my district and discussing the week with them and then reporting to the zone leaders but now I just receive one call. It's weird, but a nice weird.


I am excited for this year but I want to it go as slow as possible. However I realize the probable unlikely-hood of that. This is probably the first time I've taken the new year seriously which has caused me to have a lot of serious introspection. I am excited for the goals I have made and to look back and see how well I have accomplished them and how much closer I will have come to my ultimate goals. I definitely better understand the importance of goals now. I wish everyone good luck and God's help in accomplishing your goals this year.


I wish you all a wonderful week. Be safe. Make someone happy. Put Christ first.


Love, Elder Curtis :)