First of all I would like to give a very large thank you to everyone who wished me happy birthday. I really appreciated it, and I felt very loved. Thank you for remembering me :)
Speaking of birthdays, my birthday was so far probably my favorite birthday I have had in some time. It was a really great day. Or I had a really great attitude about it. Or both. It started out when the Canyon Lakes Hermanas came over in the wee hours of the foggy morning and we drove to a meeting in Houston. There we saw Elder Munoz, and it was his birthday too. At that meeting we got fed some really good barbeque, and learned a lot, got a new lesson plan, and decided on a new goal for this coming year in convert baptisms for the Texas Houston Mission.
First we went through by zone and then defined what we were capable of in the coming year. Then we prayed about it, and counciled about it, and changed it, and counseled about it some more, and then we came up with the goal for the coming year. President asked us all to put our hands in the air if we were committed, or bound, to doing everything for this to be possible. Someone took a picture of us all with our hands in the air, and then President said:
"This is one of the pictures they will show us on Judgement Day. It's go time."
It was incredibly epic. We made history in that moment.
After the meeting I had to start saying goodbyes to people. The strangest part about it was saying goodbye to people who I felt like I had been with forever, and that somehow that would never end.
But, if there was one thing I learned this week, it was this: Everything must come to an end. Everything, but one thing.
Then, we went back to Bear Creek where we ate dinner with the Cadmes, and they bought me a birthday cake. It was one of those moments when I couldn't remember how to speak Spanish or English because I was so grateful.
Then we had English class where in the middle of it, the Galeanos walked in with another cake, and sushi, and I also couldn't remember how to speak again. Or blow out candles.
My heart was incredibly full.
Then, on friday, which was the 30th, we had zone meeting. Hermana Gutierrez and I were already kind of stressed out because of the things that we had to do at zone meeting, which in a nutshell was all those parts that had to be just right. And then we got a text saying that President was coming to our zone meeting, and we freaked out harder. President did come to Zone Meeting and it was literally the most inspiring zone meeting I have ever been to in my entire life. I felt so pumped up after it, President was on a roll. Things got thrown down. IT WAS AMAZING. Afterwards, we had a mission-wide conference call, and President said this:
"I will not be associated with anyone who is not committed to fight with everything they've got for the salvation of the Sons and Daughters of God. And if you are not committed to that go home. You are not ready for the Texas Houston Mission."
In my head I was thinking, "these remaining four days will be the unparalleled best four days of my entire life."
And today is not over yet, but the last three certainly were.
New Years was crazy. All the Hispanics were up REALLY LATE celebrating. In fact, the party didn't even start till after eleven. There were giant illegal fireworks going off everywhere. They were really pretty. When the clock hit twelve the sky was lit up with these gorgeous huge fireworks it was pretty great.
But seriously, everyone lit off fireworks. The next morning firework remains were EVERYWHERE. It's also funny because they just stopped shooting off fireworks this morning when it started down pouring.
Then Hermana Lowry, who went home in April, came to visit on Sunday. That was fun. I love her.
They asked me to bare my testimony in church on Sunday, because they thought I was being transferred to a new area.....haha. But it was very nice. I love all these members to death.
So what did I learn?
The Book of Mormon is true.
But also, remember that I told you one thing is forever?
This week the new lesson that we learned included this scripture in it:
"He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it."
2016 was the best year of my life because I lost myself. I lost myself loving these Hispanic people in learning to speak their language. I cried for them, I cried with them, I smiled and jumped for joy and heard the marvelous shouts from heaven as they took steps closer to God and became more like Him. I lost myself as I was privileged to watch them reach their divine potential, and find a different and more beautiful type of happiness than they had ever known. I felt the deepest joy and deepest sorrow that I have ever felt. And I learned: The Love of God will endure forever. Forever. And nothing we ever do will change that. If we can love Him enough to obey Him, we will be forever too. He was born in a manger, and he died on a cross, and the eternal consequences of His life will endure forever.
He lives. He loves us. He has given everything for us. All He asks is that we drop our nets, and follow Him.
I invite you to find yourself too.
All my love, and I will see yall the day after tomorrow,
Hermana McCurdy
