Curtis with other missionaries

Curtis and companion at a Baptism

Letter from Curtis August 8, 2011

Hello world,
It was a hard week.  Almost all of our investigators went on vacation this week and we only had ten lessons the whole week, five of those with less-active members.  We are getting better at working as a team and supporting each other.  We're having a few difficulties finding new people to teach, but things are going well.  Élder Valenzuela is progressing as a missionary very well.  He is becoming a much better teacher and has a great desire to apply himself to the work.  We're getting along just fine.
This area is an interesting one.  The ward hasn't had many great missionaries in it for some time.  A lot of the members have become a little discouraged that there are people to find and teach.  We know there are, because we asked Heavenly Father ;).  We're working a lot with the Priesthood Executive Committee and the Ward Council in creating a ward mission plan.  They are getting really excited.  We are creating a ward mission plan that supports all of the different organizations.  Everybody's input has been great.  We truly believe that as we start working as a team here we will have great success.  We are helping the ward get rid of an old false tradition:  Missionary work is primarily the job of the missionaries and the ward members should help or support us.  In place of that false tradition, a ward mission plan helps the ward act in accordance with the correct principle:  Missionary work is primarily the job of the ward and its members and the missionaries are there to help.  It's a complete reversal of an old tradition, but we have already started to make great strides in that direction.  The Lord is blessing us immensely.
I never did get to say congratulations to Bishop Denison on his new calling.  I am excited to report to him at the end of my mission.
Well, after last week's very short letter, nobody really sent me much email, so I don't have much to which to respond.  Know that I love you all and you're all in my prayers.  I'm very blessed to have such a great family.
This week's letter is brought to you by the hymn: Behold! A Royal Army

1. Behold! A royal army,

With banner, sword, and shield,

Is marching forth to conquer

On life’s great battlefield.

Its ranks are filled with soldiers,

United, bold, and strong,

Who follow their Commander

And sing their joyful song:

Victory, victory,

Thru him that redeemed us!

Victory, victory,

Thru Jesus Christ, our Lord!

Victory, victory, victory,

Thru Jesus Christ, our Lord!

2. And now the foe advancing,

That valiant host assails,

And yet they never falter;

Their courage never fails.

Their Leader calls, “Be faithful!”

They pass the word along;

They see his signal flashing

And shout their joyful song:

Victory, victory,

Thru him that redeemed us!

Victory, victory,

Thru Jesus Christ, our Lord!

Victory, victory, victory,

Thru Jesus Christ, our Lord!

3. Oh, when the war is ended,

When strife and conflicts cease,

When all are safely gathered

Within the vale of peace,

Before the King eternal,

That vast and mighty throng

Shall praise his name forever,

And this shall be their song:

Victory, victory,

Thru him that redeemed us!

Victory, victory,

Thru Jesus Christ, our Lord!

Victory, victory, victory,

Thru Jesus Christ, our Lord!

In life's battlefield, I know who is my captain.  Jesus Christ, my Savior and Redeemer is always at my side to guide me and direct me.  I know that He has redeemed me.  I know that through Him I will be victorious.  I know that He is my Lord.  I know that the world will get more confusing and evil, but Christ will never falter.  He is our great Foundation, our Rock.  I know He lives.  I know He is my Savior and Best Friend.  He will always come first in my life.  Nothing can replace Him, for He has saved me out of a pure love of me.  We will be gathered, both physically and spiritually, to live with Him and be as He is.  I know it is true!  This is His church, made to help us become as He is.  That is what a church is for, to help perfect the people within it.  I know that it is true, I can't deny it.  No logical attack can ever shake the sure answer that I have received in my heart that it is true.  I hope to be a Witness of that all my life.

All my Love,

Élder Sudbury

PS  Mom and Dad, I'll write you a short note.  Melanie and Tim, enjoy your vacation.  SalleeAnn and Matt, I got your announcement about Abby.  She is darling.  Noella, you're going to have to teach me a few of these games when I return.  JuleeAnn, good luck with the job.  Chris, good luck with school.  Love you all!

Letter from Curtis August 1, 2011

Well, you all wrote such fantastic emails that I'm completely out of time.  I'll learn to read faster and print out some emails, please keep sending details.

This week was a little harder, not many people were home.  Nevertheless, we found one new investigator that came to church and seems to really be progressing.  Her name is Diana and her baptismal date is for the 21st.  All is well.

I wanted to share a line from a hymn, it is: I Believe in Christ.

What a simple phrase, but so profound!  I believe in the being that saved to whole world from sin.  I believe in He who wrought miracles and gave us a perfect example to follow.  I believe in the miracles, in the life, and in His promise.  I believe in Christ!

Thank you for all you do.  You all have my great love.  I'll send pictures next week.

The mission home has been rented, it's the one we found that last week.

All my Love,

Élder Sudbury

Letter from Curtis, July 25, 2011

Dear Family,

A hard week.  We have been working to try to get new investigators, but with little result.  We have a couple ideas for this week that we hope will work out.  We're offering to teach people how to hold a family home evening.  We're not sure exactly how it will work out, but we have high hopes for the week. 

We've been seeing great miracles this week.  We were able to give a blessing of healing to a woman who has had back problems for the last ten years.  We saw her this morning and she has been healed completely.  We also were blessed to give an investigator a blessing and to dedicate her home.  She had felt that there were evil spirits in her house.  I'm not sure that there were, but the Power of a Priesthood blessing gave her a great calm and she hasn't felt the great fear she had felt before since.  The Lord has truly been using us to do His work.  I feel really humbled by these two experiences.

Angie got baptized!  It was a lovely baptismal service.  The first counselor baptized her and the first counselor confirmed her yesterday.  It is always a blessing to be part of a baptism.

My companion and I are getting along very well.  I learned that I know a lot more about teaching the gospel now than I did when I started my mission.  I'm excited to be able to teach when I get back.

We're a little low on time because the letter I wrote to President Chávez was a little longer and I want to write a few individual emails.  But I am happy and blessed.

This letter is brought to you by the hymn For the Strength of the Hills

1. For the strength of the hills we bless thee,
Our God, our fathers’ God;
Thou hast made thy children mighty
By the touch of the mountain sod.
Thou hast led thy chosen Israel
To freedom’s last abode;

For the strength of the hills we bless thee,
Our God, our fathers’ God.

2. At the hands of foul oppressors
We’ve borne and suffered long;
Thou hast been our help in weakness,
And thy pow’r hath made us strong.
Amid ruthless foes outnumbered
In weariness we trod;

For the strength of the hills we bless thee,
Our God, our fathers’ God.

3. Thou hast led us here in safety
Where the mountain bulwark stands
As the guardian of the loved ones
Thou hast brought from many lands.
For the rock and for the river,
The valley’s fertile sod,

For the strength of the hills we bless thee,
Our God, our fathers’ God.

4. We are watchers of a beacon
Whose light must never die;
We are guardians of an altar
’Midst the silence of the sky.
Here the rocks yield founts of courage,
Struck forth as by thy rod;

For the strength of the hills we bless thee,
Our God, our fathers’ God.

God has been in my life so much.  He has been a guardian of my loved ones.  He has led me from place to place, school to school, and area to area in safety.  I am a watcher of the Beacon of Truth and the Guardian of he Altar of the Lord.  In the silence of the heavens I have heard this voice so often "I Am, and you are my Son."  I know God lives and I praise Him.  I depend entirely upon Him.  I know that He loves me.  I know that I must try my whole life to serve my God and my Fathers' God.  Jesus is my Savior.  I am His missionary for my whole life, and perhaps even after.

With All My Love,
Élder Sudbury

Letter from Curtis, July 18, 2011

Dear World,

 

Unfortunately I don't have all the time I would like to be able to write this week.  Allow me to explain why...

 

It is terribly uncommon for an elder to stay in the offices for more than six months.  I was no exception.  We thought that I was going to stay, as, because of an odd number of missionaries, we were to have a trio somewhere in the mission.  President got done with changes and I was still in the offices.  Monday came around and something unusual happened.  An elder from Chile had arrived at the MTC in Mexico for his instruction there.  As a result, we never received his flight plans in the offices and assumed he would be temporarily postponed.  I didn't notice his name on the MTC roster until the assistants picked him up.  That night I got a call that I was to have changes.  I've been called as an instructor (what we call trainers in this mission...President Chávez doesn't like the words "trainer" or "to train" because they usually refer to animals and don't appear anywhere in the scriptures) to Élder Valenzuela.  For lack of time I'll send you pictures next week.  The house where we were to live was not yet prepared, so we've been living in another companionship's apartment until we rent a house.  The owner of the apartment where we plan on living met with us and President Chávez this morning as we don't have a co-signer and she wanted to know why.  She was impressed with President Chávez and decided to rent us the apartment.  We're signing the contract in about fifteen minutes from right now, seeing when we can bring our stuff from the other house, and still have a district meeting in the night.  I haven't washed clothes in some time for the same reason and I'm not sure how I smell.  We'll find a way to make it work. 

 

It's been a busy week.  I always seem to get wards who don't believe in missionary work working.  I love those wards...more than that, I love proving them wrong and that God can do things there.  We have seen many mighty miracles this last week.  We have five people with a baptismal date for these upcoming weeks and are very hopeful for them.  One of those baptisms will be for this Saturday.  Her name is Angelica.  She's the ten year old daughter of a part member family.  She's very excited for her baptism, though she's a little shy.  We're excited for her as well.  God has been pouring out his spirit.  I feel we've already started to change the minds of a few people in the ward like the bishop and the counselors, and we hope to change minds of the rest of them.  We want their faith to grow and their ward to heal.  We want to be a blessing here.  The harvest here is truly white and ready to harvest in Tlalpan Ward. 

 

This letter is brought to you by: Be Still, My Soul

 

Be still, my soul: The Lord is on thy side.

With patience bear thy cross of grief or pain.

Leave to thy God to order and provide;

In ev’ry change he faithful will remain.

Be still, my soul: Thy best, thy heav’nly Friend

Thru thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

 

Be still, my soul: Thy God doth undertake

To guide the future as he has the past.

Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;

All now mysterious shall be bright at last.

Be still, my soul: The waves and winds still know

His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.

 

Be still, my soul: The hour is hast’ning on

When we shall be forever with the Lord,

When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,

Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.

Be still, my soul: When change and tears are past,

All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

 

I'm plum out of time, I have to make a program for a baptism and still get to that contract meeting on time, but I leave you with this.  I know this church is true.  This is God's church.  We believe in it and learning to perfect our lives.  I know that Christ is our Savior and loves us dearly.  I know that He wants people to have faith in His name, repent, be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end.  I know He is helping us bring that, in love, to the people in Tlalpan.  I know my Lord is on my side.  I know that He is always faithful to me, and I hope to always be faithful to Him.  I know that the waves and winds of my life are always going to be in His control.  I know that one day, if I am faithful, I will return to live with Him.  All changes will end when one day I will be with Him and my Family forever.  I will live in Joy with Him.

 

All my Love,

Élder Sudbury

 

PS I really am out of time.  I love you all, I'll write next week.  Mom, the backyard looks great ;).