Week 22 - Remember that time it was 80 degrees on Thanksgiving? Me too.

Hey there my favorite people!  I don't have very much time today, so I am sorry for all the typing mistakes and also for the potential depressed level of eloquence of this email. :)

Thank you for everyone who communicated with me the week!  I love getting surprise emails and letters!  You guys are the best and you can sure bet that I was especially grateful for you guys this week.

How to start… this week was a week of growth.  Growth in my teaching, growth in my Spanish, growth in my confidence and in my vision and also in my stomach.  This week I took a nap on Pday.  It was the first nap I have had in a lllooonnnnggggg time and although I was curled up in a fetal position on the couch it was quite refreshing.  BOTH OF MY BROTHERS EMAILED ME.  A black man tried to Bible Bash with us while we were out finding people.  Don't worry I handled it well, which is to say that I didn't fight with him.  Instead I thanked him for his faith and gave him a picture of Jesus.  I have helped people put up three Christmas trees (mom you should try inviting one set of the home ward missionaries and letting them help you put up the tree and decorate it).  Reina and Sherly moved to Atlanta Georgia (I might have a referral coming your way Elder Cruz) and we cried because that was really sad but is a good change.

MILTON GOT MARRIED.  WHICH NOW MEANS THAT HE CAN GET BAPTIZED. *happy dance*  Speaking of Milton, this week when we were eating Thanksgiving with him and his family I discovered that he lived in Bridgeport, CT.  It was like having a little piece of home somehow haha. The wedding was beautiful and super cute and here's a picture of them and me and Hermana Lowry.

Hispanic weddings are crazy and so fun!  They have a lot of really weird games and traditions and stuff.  Also at the wedding I discovered I have a really hard time not dancing.

I went on splits with Hermana Barrera (the Relief Society President) and we were sitting in her car and I was having a hard moment and I asked her if she could go anywhere for six seconds, where would she go?  And she told me there was no where that she would rather be than in her car in the rain and the dark becoming better friends with me.  That made me cry.  I love that woman.

I am sure that you are all wondering about what we did for thanksgiving.  Hermana Lowry made Yams and I made my great grandma McKenna's cranberry salad and then we went to the Hernandez's house and had a thanksgiving feast with them. (The picture of me and the little girl wearing crowns is them.)

And then, since they are investigating the church we taught them the Plan of Salvation.  (On thanksgiving.  How neat is that!)  Then we went to stop by the Vasquez family and they made us eat with them too.

Then as we were hardly able to walk and probably collectively 10lbs. heavier, we wanted to stop by an inactive lady's house to wish her a happy thanksgiving and her whole family was over, and they made us eat too.  I ate three thanksgiving meals.  I can't even tell you how full I was haha.  Hna Lowry was worse, though, she almost puked.  When we all went around the table and said something that we were grateful for I had so much that I was fit to bursting (literally) and couldn't find the words in English or in Spanish.  I am so grateful for my family, for Rhodric, for my parents, my grandparents, life, learning, music, Spanish, people, miracles, and most of all Jesus Christ.  The thing I think about gratitude is that not only is the cup always half full, but it just keeps getting bigger and bigger.  How wonderful.  I am also grateful for the temple, for an eternal perspective.  I am grateful for my testimony that all that I teach everyday, in English and in Spanish is true.  Oh, and of course I am grateful for all of y'all too. :)
Always,
Hermana Madison McCurdy

Dress up at the Barrera's house.

Esmeralda and Andrea trying to drive away in our car!

All the Missionaries at the mission tour.

Me wearing Ruby's super cute boots.  Even though they are a size six they fit me.

Ruby wanted to take a selfie.  She is the one that we ate dinner with first.

Hermana Lowry and I with two little darlings at the wedding.  The one standing by me asked me on my first day here if I would be her best friend.  Her name is Mia.

Week 21: Lots of Cake. Cake everywhere!

This week I learned that in Texas, when there is a tree with a purple ribbon, sash or painted stripe on it, that when you walk past it the owner of the property can shoot you.  Haha I didn't get shot or even shot at.  Just the things you learn sometimes are amazing! ;)

This past Friday was Elder Hernandez's birthday!  Elder Hernandez is an Elder in my district, and the following story is exactly why if anyone in the next two months asks you when my birthday is do NOT tell them, because so far no one knows.  In Hispanic culture, they have a thing when you have to 'bite the cake,' meaning they actually make you bite it and while you go to innocently bite the cake someone always smashes your face into it.  That being said, of course Elder Hernandez tried to hide his birthday, and of course using our ninja skills, Hna Lowry an

d I discovered when it was.  Not only did we get him once, we got him twice and it was only through luck that he didn't get it the third time.  The best part was when he picked up the plate of cake that Hna Lowry had just shoved in his face and shoved it right back into hers.  Point Elder Hernandez.

SHIRLEY GOT BAPTIZED!!  And it was amazing! (even if my piano was a little less than, but all is well in Zion.)  I don't have any pictures of us, but here is one of her and my companion.

I have always been a very gung-ho 'only 119 more days until Christmas' type of person, and that being said, being a missionary has made it so much worse.   On Christmas we get to talk to our families, and also there is just something about celebrating Jesus Christ's birth being his representative and doing the things that he did every day.  The Christmas music has already come out and Heaven knows we have not been able to stop singing it.  This last Thursday as we were listening to a random Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas CD Jingle Bells came on and I bolted upright in my seat, let out a screech and turned it WAYYY UP.  My companion was temporarily very confused as to why I was acting as though this rendition of jingle bells was the best thing I had ever heard, when I explained to her that the guy singing a long was none other than Alfie Boe, a man that I had been listening to for a long time.  I started to laugh at the irony of the situation and also the fact that he had only sang two words and I knew exactly who it was.

That got me thinking.  Can I recognize the voice of God in my life as clearly as I can recognize Alfie Boe's?  Can we understand his counsel and his blessings as they speak quietly to our hearts and to our minds whenever they come?  Do we always respond with turning our speakers WAYYY up?  I cannot always recognize the voice of God so clearly, but I am grateful that, although he is teaching me so many different things, one of the most important things is how to listen to him.  How wonderful it is to me that we have a Father in Heaven who wants to speak to us and guide us and help us :) the heavens are not closed.  Miracles are not a thing of the past!  I promise with all the sincerity of my heart that we only need ears to hear and eyes to see them.

I love you all very much!  Have a wonderful thanksgiving and stay warm and eat good pie for me because we don't eat much pie in Hispanic culture!  We bite cake!

All my love,
Hermana Madison McCurdy

This picture was on the Texas Houston Mission Blog, I borrowed it… this picture was taken at a fireside at the church

Ps. Hermana Lowry and Shirley.

Ppss. Elder Hernandez and Hna Lowry with cake in their faces.  

Pppsss.  My cute friend with cake in her face.  Cake EVERYWHERE!

Ppppssss. Don't walk past the tree with the purple on it.

Week 20 - Miracles in Houston

Well, I don't exactly know what to write about this week, but it was
certainly a great week! How about we will start from worst to
greatest.
    My address has changed. Please ask my mother if you would like the new one.
    Secondly, we had a special thing in church this week where all of
the children sang a bunch of songs about Jesus, and this person,
*points to self* got to play the piano. It was really bad haha, but I
like to tell myself that it would have been a lot worse if no one had
played the piano. Over all, it went really well! It was really sweet
to be able to hear the children talk about Jesus, how he is their
friend, and that they want to follow him.
    We are also teaching a new family that we found, and they are
crazy (especially Alex, who is three) and I LOVE them. We met them
when we were walking down a random street and knocked on their door,
and Ruby (who is 9) came running over from her neighbors house. She
told us in what seemed to be only one breath that he parents were not
home, they were at the hospital, that her mom's name was Diana, her
Dad's name is Alejandro, that they would be home on a specific day at
a specific time if we would like to come back over, and that her
mother's phone number was ***-***-****. Of course we went back over.
And after teaching us several times, Diana was telling us yesterday
how it was kind of like a miracle that Ruby invited us right back over
after having met us for 15 seconds. I know the message that we are
teaching can help them in so many ways! There are so many good people
that live here, and although I have only met a very small fraction of
them, I cannot help but love them somehow.
    The pictures that I have attached are of the baptism of a young
man named Jesus Gamez. He is from Monterrey, Mexico, and he was here
in the United States, to learn English. During that time he met us at
English class, and he had been studying the gospel with us ever since.
Jesus was supposed to be baptized on Sep 5. And then some crazy stuff
happened and he was supposed to be baptized on Oct 3rd, and then on
Oct 10. Then, some other crazy things happened and we had to cancel
his baptism only an hour and a half before it was supposed to start.
That was a really sad day. Hna Jorgensen and I almost cried, but it
was Jesus who was crying. But God gave us a miracle, and this last
Wednesday, Jesus was finally able to get baptized. His family even was
able to come from Mexico! Sunday Jesus went back to Mexico a new
person. He came to America thinking he was coming to learn English,
but really he came to learn about Jesus Christ. I do not think that I
will ever see him again, but he has touched my life in ways that he
does not know. All the people I have met, and taught, and loved here
have. How lucky I am that God has trusted me to teach his sons and
daughters here. And, no matter how long we have to wait to have the
blessings of God like Jesus did, I know that they are ALWAYS worth it.
    I love you all a lot. Have a fantastic week. :)
From the land where everything is bigger, 
Hna Madison McCurdy

Ppss. Not sure why my head is so blonde in this picture. Sorry about that haha

Ps. And this is my companion being a chicken whisperer. 

Jesus, who got baptized, with Elder Murdock

We were being superheroes

A cute dirt road I knocked doors on

 This is Conroe.  A Mexican man with a horse and a cowboy hat walking down the street in front of a Taco Bell.  It describes it perfectly somehow.

Apparently this is the good "jump" picture of her zone- the other one was bad...

This is the day I was really sick and my last day in Houston.  This is Susy and Ricardo and somehow even though I don't speak Spanish they love me.  It is probably because I tamed their mean little daughter and now she loves me.  Ricardo is shaking my hand because I apparently give really good handshakes and everyone likes to tell me I'm really strong…..nice

This is Hyrum's death mask.  I have this picture because it makes me excited because we have the same eyebrows.  

Something I drew on the chalkboard, it is our zone motto.

One of my investigators in Houston.  His name is Jose Rivas and he loves the Book of Mormon.  And I love the Book of Mormon.  And so we are friends.

The guy on the left is my Mexican father, and the guy on my right is my Mexican brother.  

They're cool.

Week 19 - We're not in "Kansas" (Houston) anymore!!

Salutations to my family, friends, and any other people that may be
reading this:
    I hope that you guys had an awesome week because I sure did! What
a wonderful time to live on this earth and to grow, and to learn :)
    I have been transfered to a cute little town called "Conroe." I
didn't realize how much my previous area was in the city until I got
to the new one, which has a town called, "Cut and Shoot," and there
are alligators. (Real alligators! How cool is that!?) Here we cover a
very small ward that covers a bunch of towns. Many people think that
this is a "hard area," but as my wise companion pointed out, "there
are no hard areas, only disobedient lazy missionaries." And it is
completely true. Speaking of my new companion, her name is Hna Lowry
and she is from Cedar City Utah. She has been on her mission a little
bit over year. She is such a hard worker and I know that I am going to
learn so much from her. I have gotten very good luck in companions on
my mission so far!
    My new skills include a variety of things. I am the only person in
the entire ward who plays a lick of piano, which means I now get to
play at everything :] I will get lots of practice! Pray for the
primary program this next week haha :) I have also gotten very good at
figuring out whether or not the house we want to knock has a dog, and
also running away from others dogs. There are a lot of dogs out here
in the 'country.'
    I have met so many new people and made so many new friends in this
short time that I have been here in Conroe. I certainly miss my old
friends in my old area, but I am excited for the new things here too.
We are teaching a variety of people. One of which is a 16 year old
girl named Paulina who loves learning about the gospel, and another
one is the Alvarado family who went with us to the temple yesterday,
and whose house almost burned down on thursday. But do not be alarmed,
it did not burn down. Everything, them, and us, just smell like smoke.
We are also teaching the family of Leticia, who decided this week to
get baptized. Wooh hoo! The work is awesome!
    I love you guys. I am so grateful for you and for your support on
my mission. I am also grateful for the scriptures, and for the
opportunity that we have to drink from them. I am grateful for my
loving Father in Heaven and for all the miracles that He helps me see
throughout the week. I know that the miracles are always there, we
just have to ask for his help to open our eyes and see them better.
Have a wonderful week, and I hope that you too can see the miracles.
And when you find one, make sure you share it with someone else,
because what good is a miracle if we don't share it?
    All my love,
-Hermana Madison McCurdy

Here is Madison's new address:
1900 Westview Blvd #526
Conroe, TX  77304

ps. This is my new companion and I as Elsa and Anna with a bunch of children.

Week 18 - I could really go for a milkshake right now :)

Salutations!
  First off, happy late Halloween! :) I actually missed the over kill
of orange and black this year (my high school colors were orange and
black), and also didn't get any candy, but it was good. Hna Jorgensen
and I had a very interesting Halloween. The Missionaries have to be in
by 6:00 on because of safety purposes and also other things, so we
wanted to go get food and then clean and write letters and other stuff
during the night. The day was slightly more complicated because for
every month we have exactly 1300 miles for the car and if we go over
we have to face the consequences aka "walking." The day of Halloween
we had only 23 miles before we went over, and at the end of the day
after major budgeting and still getting food the odometer was at
1299.7. :)
  One of the less actives we are teaching is named Gregpry Moreno.
His wife makes amazing food. His family has been here in the United
States for four generations (kind of rare haha) and he doesn't know
where he comes from, so I have been helping him do his family history,
which basically means we're buddies. He got the priesthood two weeks
ago and this week he got to pass the sacrament. Brother Moreno is
missing both of his legs a little bit past his knees and is in a wheel
chair, but this disability did not stop him from participating. One of
the 16 year old boys pushed his wheelchair as he held the sacrament
tray, and helped deliver it. There was something so humbling about
watching him do it, I realized at one point that I had tears in my
eyes. It was a beautiful sight.
  This week I made Hna Jorgensen a really cool map thingy of the plan
that God has for us. I don't think she was expecting me to be super
artistic and that it came out as a surprise haha. But it makes me
super happy every time that she uses it in a lesson. In Spanish, it is
called "el plan de salvación" or the plan of Salvation. One of the
things that I like about it is that it is also called the Plan of
Happiness and the plan of Redemption in the scriptures. Many prophets
teach about it in the bible and in the Book of Mormon. I know that
it's God's plan of how his children can be happy. It talks about where
we were before this life, where we will be after, and why we are here.
My favorite part of it is that our families can be families even after
this life. Through the plan and the promises that I make with God in
the temple, my dad will always be my dad. My mother and my sister and
one day my future children will always be mine and I will always be
theirs too. What joy this knowledge brings me! I know many of you have
heard me talk about the temple before, but that's why it is so
important. That is why the temple is so sacred: because there are
special types of promises made in there that are so central and
important in the plan of God. These blessings for our families is one
of my favorite things to teach the people here in Texas. I love
watching the peace and assurance of God's plan for us sink into their
lives and into their eyes, and it is all possible through Jesus
Christ. Can I share this with you too?
  And also, I am being transferred, which means I am going to be in a
new area and with a new companion. If anyone would like to send me
mail in the next week, it should go to 16623 Hafer Rd, Houston TX
77090. Thanks guys! Love ya :)
  Always, Hna McCurdy

Ps. This is the Temple in Houston!

Ppss.  These are all the missionaries in my Zone.

A few more fun pictures of Madison, her fellow missionaries and friends:

Me and my district with the sign of Africa at the Zoo

No big deal but this pine cone is the size of my face and we know how much I love pine cones :)

Hna Jorgensen was serenading me with the Ukelele

The Houston North Spanish Zone serious picture

This is the grouchiest, meanest little girl I have ever met.  But with patience, hard work, and perseverance, she now loves me.  Even if she doesn't look it in this picture. :)

One of my little friends

And this little girl calls me Maria because she loves the Sound of Music and I call her my Liesel.  Every time I see her we sing sound of music together. :)