Week 57 - There is a new Harry Potter Book?

This week while we were driving in Houston I saw a Billboard about the new Harry Potter Book and started yelling.  You might have thought it was the end of the world.  My companion was yelling too.  We are still very confused about what it is and yet oddly pleased that we don't have to suffer anxiety over these things.

This thursday was Hna Homer's birthday.  Lots of the members were super kind.  They made her cake and bought her presents and it was super cute.  Our English Class sang her happy birthday three times and then they invited us over for food.  What did I do?  I made her food and she liked it I think.  And then I helper eat her birthday candy because she told me she would feel bad if she ate the whole thing by herself.  (Thanks Jessa!)  I was very privileged to spend her special day with her. :)

We also contacted into this man who hangs signs of targets that he has shot at the gun range so that people will not rob his house.  I included a picture of the one hanging up next to his door.  He was really proud when we asked him if we could take a picture and send it home.  He also told us that we should move out west where there are no people and become self sufficient because the world is going to change and that we don't have much time left.  He was a very interesting man.

We also got to go visit Paty and Alfredo, two of my recent converts who I have not seen in a long time.  What a miracle it was to able to talk with and understand them now.  :)  They are doing good and their kids have gotten so big. :')

We got lost in one of the areas that have the BIG mansions while looking for a referral and it was very different in there.  I love this place!  I think Hna Homer and I enjoyed getting lost maybe a little bit too much because we got to look at all the houses.

We also ate dinner with the Santiago family.  Their daughter, Jocelyn Escobar, just got home from her mission in San Fernando, California.  She knows my best college friend, Lu Hopkin, and Chad Madore, and Brandon Gamble-Thompson.  We spent a fun time talking about our missions and some of my weird memories of the three of them.  It was really funny.

We went on exchanges for a day with the Louetta Hermanas.  It was really fun but I almost got know sleep because the Hna I was with has a really hard time sleeping so I sang her to sleep.  It was worth it. I love Hna Twitchell and Hna VanDyke a lot.  Here is a picture of us after exchanges this week.

This week I think I learned the most that God always wants to answer our prayers, but that we only need to have the faith to follow through with whatever answer that he gives us.  I also learned that even in hard things, if we will only try to see the baby miracles, we will always have reasons to be happy.  It's kind of like, instead of singing about "Somewhere over the rainbow," wistfully off into the distance, just be happy that there is a rainbow and then dance in the rain a little bit and take a picture.  Except in life.

I love you all and I hope that you have a FANTASTIC DAY!  Let me know if there is anything that I can do for any of you. :)
Always,
Hna Madison McCurdy

ps.  This week I was thinking about how magical it would be if God would have given us a giant string of Christmas lights that we could hang around the world and then I remembered that he gave us stars. :) God is good.

I had to include part of the letter Hna Homer sent to me:

This week was my 20th Birthday. I know. I know. I'm old. I'm not even a teenager anymore. I had a great day. Our Relief Society president had us over for dinner and she made Tres Leches. Which is the most amazing cake most americans have never tried. It's amazing. One of the ladies that comes to our english class bought me an outfit for my birthday. I was so touched. I almost started to cry. It was an awesome day! Thank you for all the Birthday wishes!!

We went on exchanges this week with the Louetta Hermanas. I was with Hermana Twitchell here in the Woodlands. We were trying to contact a couple referrals we had gotten and we ended up running into this lady. We asked if we could share a card with her....bad choice. This lady happens to be street minister (like every other person on the streets of Houston) and she was not very fond of Mormons. She started talking about Revelations 22 and about how we are going against the word of God. She kept us there for about 30 minutes just yelling to us about how we are deceived. It was actually more entertaining than anything else. Walking away from that experience i felt a lot of peace because I know that this is the true church. I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God and is a powerful testament of Jesus Christ. I know that it is through it's teachings that we can become closer to God and so much happier than we could ever have been before. I am so grateful for the Book of Mormon and the impact it has had on my life.

(study note; "My Words...Never Cease" by Jeffery R Holland. I love this talk!)

Hermana McCurdy and I are having a great time together. We get along really well. She's super bubbly and cute! I have a video i'll send you. It explains everything. 

I saw Mili at church this week! Mili is my recent convert in Woodlands who switched to an English ward after her baptism. I was so happy to see her!! She is so happy and doing so well! I'm so excited to be able to see her more often now that i'm back:)

Our area is doing well, we are white washing so we are off to a slow start, but things are getting busier and busier everyday.