Nov. 3, 2014

I still can't believe how fast time goes by. It's unreal. It seems not so long ago I was enjoying Halloween with my first companion and some wonderful members in St Louis. Now a year has gone by since then and I've experienced so much in what feels like so little time.


My mission seems to be flooded with miracles. Too many to count or recall. This week alone produced several miracles of all sizes, all of them witnessing to me that God is in this work, He loves us, He guides us and He provides everything for us. He truly is a God of miracles. He is definitely a God with a plan too.


We ended up picking up four new, solid investigators this week out of the blue. One of them we found through our own efforts. One was brought to church by francisca, our recent convert. And the last two showed up randomly to church. All of them have great desires to learn more and keep coming to church. It's so great! Tom is also going to get baptized next week on Friday, so we are very excited for that!


I rode a bike for the first time on my mission this week. I borrowed another Elder's bike and equipment that he wasn't using and we proselyted on those for a while to save miles. It was fun, but also cold and not quite as fast as driving. But I did feel more like a missionary according to what my idea of a missionary was before my mission. I am grateful for our van though and I am blessed to have had a car almost my entire mission. It saves so much time.


I had the opportunity of having a discussion with two Muslims on Saturday about our different religions. One was from Egypt, the other from Kuwait. They are going to school at the University of Illinois, which is here in Urbana. (Side note: the one from Kuwait is studying to become a pilot... I thought that was rather bold of him) They were very interested in understanding the difference between Mormons and what they called "mainstream Christianity". We were of course happy to oblige. The conversation soon came to our reason for worshiping Christ and the need for a Savior and stayed there for a while. With their background they simply did not understand the need for a Mediator. We did everything we could to explain it to them but eventually it all comes down to testifying. It was a very memorable experience and I now have a much deeper knowledge of the Muslims. I was very surprised to find many similarities between us. shortly before ending the conversation, Solom (the one from Kuwait), told us that he really respects Mormons and thinks that if everyone in the USA was a Mormon then the world would be a much better place. Solom is on to something there! ;)


I also left with a greater appreciation for my Savior and the knowledge and understanding I have of Him and His gospel. He's more than a prophet, He is Alpha and Omega, the Almighty, the Prince of Peace, the Savior and Redeemer of the world. He is the Way. I know that. I love Him and I love all of you. I hope you all have a great week


-Elder Curtis