This has been a ccrrraaazzzzyyyyy week. Hold on to your hats!
On Tuesday, Hna Provost and I had to clean out the entire apartment and make sure we hadn't forgotten a single thing. We were driving down the highway slightly depressed when Hna Provost realized she'd forgotten her coat…..So we went back and then we really were on our way. As we were heading down to transfer meeting the songs that played on the radio were coincidentally, "God be with you till we meet again," and, "I'll go where you want me to go." (Coincidence? I think not. But it made the whole thing more emotionally compelling.)
My new companion's name is Hna Childs. She has been out 6 weeks longer than I have. She is from Oregon, plays the flute, is a master at giving me advice, and basically is an angel. Y'all would probably really like her! :) we are serving in Westgreen (the Spanish ward in Katy Texas), which is a lot like where I started my mission. The congregation is double the size of my last, and they are all recently here from Venezuela which is awesome because I love Venezuelans. (Shout out to the Nelsons!) But the best part about this place is the members! They are so willing to do anything to help us.
Conroe and Westgreen are in the same stake, which means that both congregations are part of one group of 8 congregations closeish to each other, which is called a stake. The Houston West Spanish Stake is the last completely Spanish Stake in America. And this week was stake conference! Everyone has been really excited for a long time leading up to it because President Russell M Nelson from the Quorum of the 12 Apostles was coming to dedicate the new building. We had to leave super early because a member drove us and wanted to get there in time to get good seats, so we took some bizarre back roads, and hit a possum, but the conference was amazing. President Nelson has been learning Spanish and gave his entire talk in it. He did very well. He has a really strong accent but really it made the experience better because you could see how much he was trying. All the members loved him. Especially the old Hispanic ladies who he hugged- they floated out of the chapel. The coolest part was when he stopped looking at his talk and bore his testimony. His accent was gone. Although he didn't sound native, it was not difficult to understand him in the slightest. God really does qualify us when we try our best. Also, Paty and Alfredo and their family were there. For those of you who don't remember who that is, they were a family that got baptized in August and October. I was so happy I might have also been floating like the old ladies. They were so happy to see me too, and kept saying, "Hermana! Sabes mucho Espanol!" (In shock. My Spanish really has improved quite a bit since then haha.) they are doing very well and are looking forward to going to the temple to be sealed in October.
So, did I get to meet President Nelson? Why yes I did! We had a surprise tri-mission conference this Saturday, in the Texas Houston South Mission. There were nearly 700 missionaries there. I have never been so proud to be serving in this place and with President and Sister Mortensen. Even though everyone was waiting for President Nelson to start, he walked all the way up the stand to shake the hand of the Elder playing the organ and thank him. He gave a really great talk about a bunch of different things, but he told us a really cool experience he had about the two little girls that passed away in his last conference talk (email me if you want the whole story), about our purpose, and about the temple.
I know that Russell M. Nelson is a Apostle of the Lord. I am grateful to have the opportunity to learn from men like the ones I read about in the scriptures. I will never forget hearing his testimony of the Savior, and I would like to add mine to it. I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World. I know that He died for us, but that He was born and lived for us too. I know that as we come unto Him there is no pain and sadness that cannot be undone and no happiness that cannot be found. By becoming His disciples, we become more happy. It is the great test of life, and I am forever grateful to have His help in it. I know that He loves each of you and wants to help you too. Please come unto Him a little each day by praying or by reading the scriptures, and I know it will change your life in greater ways than you could possibly see. I love you all, and I hope that you have an even more splendid week than I am going to have.
Always,
Hna Madison McCurdy
p.s. my new address is:
2002 S. Mason Rd #1222
Katy, TX 77450
ppss. The man on Elder Wagner's shoulders is Hno Ayala, our ward mission leader.
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