Curtis' Letter, April 13, 2010

It's been an interesting week.  It almost seems weird to think that I've only been in the field for a week.  It seems like I've been here forever.  There are still a few things with which I'm uncomfortable.  I'm still not great at tracting and some people's spanish is significantly harder to understand than others, but the Lord has been blessing me immensly.  So much of a mission is just testifying of truth.  We can open the scriptures and the words of the living prophets to them, but the only thing that truly converts anyone is the Holy Ghost.  We can help bring the Holy Ghost into people's lives by testifying of truth and inviting them to read, pray, and find out truth for themselves.  I've felt powerful witness of truth every time I testify of it.  For that I'm very grateful. 

 

It sounds like you've had some wonderfully exciting times, especially with the church.  Congratulations!  I wish you all the best in those endeavors.

 

I don't know what they included in the messages they sent to you, but this is my mission address.

 

2133 Washington Blvd.

Ogden, UT 84401

 

Make sure you change it on the blog.  I do hope you're still adding things to the blog as I send them to you ;)  Don't forget to ask for help if you need it.

 

I still don't know how long I'm going to be here, but I'm learning a lot that will help me in Mexico.  Lots of lessons being taught, lots of tracting being done, lots of lessons being learned.  God is with us and will not let us fall, therefore, let us go forth.

 

I want to testify every time I write you.  I know God lives.  I know Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior and Redeemer of the World, and of me and you individually.  I know this is God's church on the earth.  I know that no unhallowed hand can stop this work.  I know there are prophets again today.  I know Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ in the Sacred Grove.  I know that God is with me.  I know I have been redeemed from my sins through no merit of my own.  We are God's children, and He loves us.

 

Con fe y amor.  Les Amo, Les Quiero.  Tengan fe.

 

-Elder Sudbury

Curtis's arrival in Ogden

Dear Sister Langford and President Olson,

Thank you for the update on Elder Curtis Sudbury's arrival.

In reference to your "P.S.", I was looking at that haircut in the picture you sent--- 

Curtis's hair grows extremely fast, and I was thinking, a couple of days ago, that he would probably need a haircut soon.  I have always cut Curtis's hair because he has about six cowlicks that make cutting his hair very interesting.  Our experience is that he usually looks slaughtered when someone else cuts it because the front right side dries looking about an inch shorter than the left side. 

Curtis' haircuts were my only worry for his entire missionary experience.  He knows the language, is well prepared, and ready to serve---but his hair---well let's just say, I had my doubts. When I saw the attached picture I knew immediately that someone had cut his hair. However, the haircut is proof that when you're serving the Lord, he blesses you. He looks great!

My only question relates to the language.  Is he working in the Spanish mission or the English mission or are they the same?

--- On Wed, 4/7/10, Utah Ogden Mission <2013665@ldschurch.org> wrote:

From: Utah Ogden Mission <2013665@ldschurch.org>
Subject: Ogden mission photo of Elder Sudbury
To: "leeann.sudbury@yahoo.com"
Date: Wednesday, April 7, 2010, 8:48 AM

Dear parents:

 

President Olson enjoyed meeting your missionary this week.  Elder Sudbury gave us your email address so we could email a photo to you.  I will be mailing you a printed copy soon.   

 

We are so pleased to have the opportunity to meet and work with him while he waits for his visa.  Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

 

Sister Langford

President’s Secretary

 

PS:  Elder Sudbury says you will be surprised at his short haircut!

Curtis arrived in the Ogden Mission yesterday, and we received this picture of Curtis and his mission president, today.  He will serve in the Ogden Mission until his VISA becomes available.

Elder Curtis Sudbury's letter - April 6, 2010 - Curtis leaves for Ogden, Utah to serve until his VISA comes through:

Yes, I'm leaving today.  I need to be at the travel office by 10 AM, so I've got a little bit of time.

 

That's so awesome that you got to host!  That's something that I know you'll enjoy doing as time goes on.  The world is filled with fantastically interesting people and you get to meet some of the most interesting ones...as Paolo Coelho put it, the people who have fulfilled their personal stories.  I do hope you enjoyed conference, I know I learned a lot.  I came to the realization that investigators are a lot like children.  They need to be coached, encouraged, and shown the right path, but then it's up to them to decide to follow your counsel or not.  Almost all of the conference talks that talked about children (and there were a LOT) I think could be applied to investigators.

 

Besides those, there were quite a few talks about the influence of women in the world.  I have seen that in my life like crazy.  Between you, Ju, Noella, SA, MA, and all my friends that have helped me become the person that I am, I've been so blessed to have the influence of righteous, loving, light-filled women in my life.

 

Don't forget to put my emails onto my blog! :P  Michelle Jones is both happy and willing to help should you need it.  Their home phone number is 801-484-4972.

 

I have a little bit of time left, so I wanted to share my thoughts.  The world is darkening.  There is a lot of evil that seeks our souls, hearts, minds, time, and lives.  It is perhaps more cleverly disguised and packaged now than ever before.  Be that as it may, we are, as Matthew put it, as a light unto the world.  We are the torch-bearers, holding the flame of the spirit against the encroaching darkness.  Despite this, we never need to lose heart.  Our God is with us, and the flame we carry is His light.  The stripling warriors said something interesting that I just noticed.  They said "Our God is with us and he will not let us fall, therefore, let us press forward" (might be a little off, I'm using the spanish version.  Our God is with us and, with faith in Him, we will not fall.

 

I'm going to take a little time to mail some of the siblings.  Enjoy!  The gospel is true.  I know it.  I've spent every day here hearing about it, but I know it for myself.  My heart burns with the flame of testimony and the Light of God and I cannot deny the truth of it.  God lives, Jesus is  the Christ.  He is Risen.  I know it.  En el nombre de Jesucristo, Amèn.

 

-Elder Sudbury

Three weeks are up!

Curtis has completed first three weeks in the mission home.  His honest opinion of the MTC is that is was a bit weird.  In fact, his two letters were very, very short, but both mentioned it is weird to put hundreds of 19-year-old boys and hundreds of 21-year-old girls together, give them strict rules to follow, and it becomes really weird really fast.

However, we are not surprised that Curtis continues to share his personal feelings about the Church:
 ".....I can only leave you my testimony.  I know this church is true.  I know Christ is our Savior.  I know this is His restored church.  I know the church blesses families.  I know that the heavens are not sealed, that God speaks and wants His children to know that He's there and that He loves them.  All is well :). 

There's a quote by Joseph Smith that is to the effect that calumny may defame, mobs may torment, and the very gates of hell may gape open before the saints, but this work will move forward.  I know that that is true.  We, as saints, are almost always required to work while all evil seeks our souls and Satan, his angels, and all Hell fight our every step, but God will prevail, the saints will survive, and all will be well.

He is amazing!