Week 56 - Living life in the Woodlands

This week has been slightly epic- shall we start at the beginning.

After I sent y'all the email on Monday we went and said goodbye to some of my favorite people in the whole world and we took a lot of pictures.  Then we taught some lessons, and did some contacting, and then went home where I packed a lot.

Then on Tuesday morning bright and early we went to drive to the Hafer Building, but the car wouldn't start so the Elders had to use their miraculous jumper cables to jump the car.  (I was oddly pleased that the car was trying to keep my from leaving Conroe.)

When we finally made it to Houston I said goodbye to Hermana Wallace, who is training a brand-new missionary in Conroe named Hna Nielson.  they are so cute and already doing fantastic things. :)  I always knew Hna Wallace would be a fantastic trainer and it already shows. :)  Then I met HERMANA HOMER, who is my new companion.  She is from Riverton, Utah, and she is taller than me and has really cute clothes and oddly reminds me of my cousin Avery, which is a good thing.  What's funny about it is that WAY back in the day Hna Homer would tell me all the time that one day she would be my companion (and I never really believed her) but now we are actually companions, and it is an adventure to say the least.

Last week I said that we are "whitewashing" the Woodlands, and I apologize that I didn't explain very well what that means. In the mission, usually one companion goes and another one comes in and learns the area from the missionary who stayed.  Then the missionary who had been there the longest leaves, and another one comes in, and this is how it happens for years and years.  When they decide to randomly mix it up (not very common) and they take out both missionaries and put two brand new ones in, this is called "whitewashing."  Hna Homer and I just replaced two Elders who had b den working here in the Woodlands 3rd Spanish ward, and we are the only missionaries in the whole ward.  We are starting to figure out where everything is and have gotten lost a few less times, but it really is exciting and I like it some how.  We have REALLY big dreams for this place and I am so pumped every day to work on them.  Because we are whitewashing, that also means we had to move in to the previous elders' empty apartment, and that was gross. ;)  Speaking of which, my new address is "26325 Northgate Crossing Blvd #1621, Spring, TX  77373"  If anyone would like to send me mail. :)

So what is the Woodlands like?  For those of you who do not know much about Texas, Woodlands has a reputation of being that super super super rich part of Houston that has its' own everything and is a beautifully planned city and has beautiful artwork everywhere, even on the side of the street.  There are a lot of Argentinians here, as well as Colombians, and Guatemalans.  (These are the Hispanics who are typically richer.) (If I end up with an Argentinian accent by the time I leave here that would be really interesting.)  It was really planned out, so that the Woodlands itself is literally in a forest.  You don't see any of the shop signs until you turn into them and they have all these fancy shmancy statues of deer everywhere and signs that say, "THE WOODLANDS."  The houses fulfill my lack of being able to watch designer tv shows.  It sure is different here, and yet I still like it.  Also, as we have been knocking doors we have found a surprising amount of Asians.  That is pretty cool.  The members here are also fantastic.  This week we became good friends with a lot of them, including the Good family.  The dad is from the USA and the mom is from Argentina and she makes the most amazing food.  They have a son who is leaving on his mission in three weeks to go to the Phillipines.  Also, there is the Orvalle family, who drove us all the way down to the other end of Houston for a baptism and who are going to show us how to make tres leeches cake, tortillas de arina (flour tortillas), and esalsa.  Like the Mexicans do it.  I am so excited.  Pictures to come later.

This week in English we sang "I am a child of God"in English for our English Class students, and then once in Spanish.  We told them that they didn't have toe ing along with us, but that they could if they wanted to practice.  The whole room was full of people singing that song.  I love that song so much.  It is so true.  We are children of God, and He loves us infinitely.  He always wants to hear from us in prayer, even if we don't know what to say or how to say it.  I know that we are His children and that He always wants the best for us.  I know that God gives us hard things so that we can grow.  His plans are always perfect.

Please let me know if there is anything that I can do for you. :)
Always,
Hermana McCurdy

ps. Me and Hna Sandres and Ian

ppss.  Hermana Homer and I :)

Week 55 - No Subject

Hello everyone!  I don't have very much time today because I am getting transferred and have a billion things to do in the next four hours, so this will be a short ride everyone.

We saw a rainbow.

And we found a lot.

And we got chased by some dogs.

We also learned that one of our investigators is really good at shooting a gun.  He was a little bit intoxicated when he told us this, and so we wouldn't have believed him except that his daughter won the championships for shooting guns at the Texas State Championships last year, so that's probably serious.  Sometimes it is really weird when I remember that people are allowed to have guns here. #Tejas.

Also, I am going to whitewash the woodlands, so that is exciting.

That's all I have this week.  So- please don't send me any mail until I send you my address this week and I LOVE YOU ALL A LOT, and I KNOW THE BOOK OF MORMON IS TRUE.

Always,
Hermana McCurdy

Week 54 - Sin Chistes

Chistes first.

Haha actually I am not sure if I have any funny things that happened this week.

BUT THIS WEEK WAS AWESOME!

We had interviews with President Mortensen again.  It felt so nice to be able to receive counsel from him and to talk to him.  Although he has 200 missionaries to take care of, one thing I love about him is that he knows us and our needs individually.  I have no idea how he does it.  And also he told me that I am probably getting transferred next Sunday, which means I will be leaving Conroe and going some place else.

We went on Mini-exchanges with the Louetta Hermanas on Friday so that Hna Christensen and I could swap places for District meeting*.  That way, she could come up here and observe good things that our district does.  The other district is super funny and has a lot of personality.  I learned a lot and am excited to use the new things that I learned.  I got to be with Hermana Twitchell for the afternoon, and she is a great missionary.  I hope I get to serve around her in the future too.

This week we got a call from a lady that we didn't know, whose name is Lisa.  Lisa and her husband Ramon wanted to come to English Class of Thursday.  They didn't make it to English class but instead asked us if they could come to church!  They were on time too!  We were really excited because that never happens!  We are hoping that this week we will be able to start teaching them.  So that was awesome!

We are also teaching an amazing woman named Elizabeth.  She loves the book of Mormon and as she started to read it this week she told us that she remembered it somehow!  She told us that when she was six years old her father used to read to her parts of the Book of Mormon.  We don't know what happened burr Elizabeth was never baptized, but she loves it.  I love how much she loves it.

I LOVE THE BOOK OF MORMON!!!!  I finished it in Spanish this week and I was so sad to close it at the end.  That book has changed my entire life.

I know that it is the same of a Musical that makes fun of it and I know that is sounds crazy.
I know that sometime we look at the title and think, "Mormon? Why Mormon?"

But I also know that it is the tool given to us by God to change the world and to save His children.  I know that the Book of Mormon was designed by God to be exactly what it is, because there is no other way that we can know that it is true than by having the faith to ask God exactly that.  It has brought me a greater sense of peace, happiness, and identity than anything else in this world.  All that I know about tyne Savior, about my purpose, about God's love, I know because of the Book of Mormon.  It is why I am here.

I beg each of you to read it.  It will be the most important thing you can ever do.  And if you have already read it, read it AGAIN!  Over and over again!  There is nothing that can make a larger or better impact in our lives than the Book of Mormon.

I love you all SO MUCH and I know that God does too!  I know that He wants to bless you with everything that he can, and that we only have to be willing to take the first step.

To the moon and back
Hermana Madison McCurdy

p.s.  This is Duby.  She's from Barcelona and has a cool accent.  Also there is Ashley Barrera, the fabulous Hermana Wallace, and myself.

*District meeting is a meeting we have every friday with about 6 other missionaries.  There are two districts in our zone.  There are 12 or so zones in our mission.  There are about 420 missions in the world.

Week 53 - Land of the Free Home of the Brave

So this week-
We affectionately named it "the week of the crafts".  We made handouts, painted a flag, and painted another flag.

We went to Mission Leadership Council and the power went out because it was raining hard. (Will it ever stop?) but MLC was really great :) We learned a lot.

July 1st, Friday, was my year mark of the day I left on my mission.  I wore the same outfit I wore to Mexico for kicks.  Typically, to celebrate the 1 year mark you go get something fancy for food.  I decided to get Dunkin Donuts from the only Dunkin I have found on the mission, which happens to be in Conroe. (Can you see my east coast showing?) There were four of us that celebrated our year mark on the same day (from left to right, me, Elder Pogroszewski, Elder Heiner, and Elder Sellers) and we happened to have a zone meeting that same day so we were all together.  We put candles in the Dunkin and blew it out.  Time sure does fly.

On Saturday, we went over to Maria's house and talked to her about church and her reading the Book of Mormon.  She cannot get past 2 Nephi 31 because "she is stuck there" and because "She needs to get baptized."  She has been reading it over and over again, until three in the morning some days, and this week when we asked her to be baptized she said she wants to be baptized on August 6th.  I love that woman.  It was a miracle and a half.  Everyone pray for her please, she needs help with stop drinking coffee before then.  We also found two new families while contacting this week, and one of them came to church!!

We also went on exchanges this week, which means that Hermana Twitchell was my companion for the day.  We had a lesson with another one of our investigators, whose name is Elizabeth.  When we asked her what her understanding of the Book of Mormon was (after reading sections of the introduction) she said, "So basically, God calls Profetas, such as Pedro, Santiago, and Juan.  Parts of the Bible were lost, and then because we don't have a prophet on the earth today everyone interprets it differently and that's why we have a billion religions.  And this book is what the Bible lost.  It is everything else that God wants us to know."  (After a moment of shock, as I have never seen anyone catch onto the Book of Mormon so fast, we said,) "Yes.  That is exactly what it is.  Will you read until chapter ten before the day after tomorrow?" (And then she said,) "Si, claro. Aqui las espero." (Or, "Of course.  I will be waiting for you right here.)  IT WAS AMAZING.  PRAY FOR HER TOO.

And yeah, that was my week.  I love America.  I am glad to have a rich heritage of people who sacrificed much so that we can live here today.  So that all of us can live here today.  I love you all!  Please let me know if there is anything that I can do for you. :)
Always,
Hermana Madison McCurdy

Ps.  We took some zone pictures.  Go America.  We ate donuts for our one year mark.  And also I saw my trainer, Hna Jorgensen, for presumably the last time at MLC.

Week 52 - "Tennis anyone?"

This week, some Jehovah's witnesses asked us if we wanted to go play tennis with them.  Hence the title of this email.  Haha that was awkward.

This week was awesome!  For starters, I blocked my second goal in my entire soccer career- Hna Wallace kicks a soccer ball REALLY hard.

This week we had an impromptu-ish zone meeting. (A zone is a group of missionaries that all work together.  Usually, they are made up of two districts.  In a district can be anywhere from 2-4 companionships of missionaries.  Our zone has 14 missionaries in it.). We had a counsel about our zone, the problems it was facing, and the things that we wanted to see happen in it.  It ended when we buried our misconceptions and bad feelings and thoughts out in a field behind the Stake Center to get rid of them.  We set a goal as a team that we wanted to be able to have 21 of our investigators come to church four Sunday's from now, and that we were going to set a goal of 16 for this week and work our way up to it.  We fasted and prayed and then on Sunday 21 PEOPLE CAME TO CHURCH!  It was so exciting to see!  Great things are surely happening here. :)

We helped one lady in our ward with family history this week.  She has wanted to do it for 3 years and never knew how.  We found 12 names and she printed them out right there.  She was crying so hard from happiness it was one of the best feelings in the world.  Families are forever!!  Family History is the Best!  Do Family History! ;)

We had a baptism in our ward this week for a cute little family of three.  We did a musical number.  It went well we think.

We visited with the the Barrera family this week and we showed them this cute video of a bunch of different people singing, "I Am a Child of God." (Link below).  After we had watched the video and talked about it, Hna Barrera said that she loves the song, "Soy un hijo de Dios" or "I am a Child of God" because it was the very first song that she sang when she started looking into the church, and that the first time she sang it was when she converted.  My whole perspective on that song did a 180. Sometimes I think we take this song lightly.  But the message, I believe is the most powerful thing that we can ever come to believe or act upon.  When we truly know that we are children of God there is nothing we cannot do, and nothing that we cannot become.  I know that we are children of an Almighty God who loves un infinitely.  That is why He sent His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to come to the world.  I hope and pray that we can all come to know it, live it, and become it.

I love you all!  Have a great week, and PLEASE let me know if I can do anything for you :)
Always,
Hermana Madison McCurdy

Week 51 - The week of Selfies

I entitled this email the week of the selfies because when I looked through all the pictures that I had to send to you all, they were all selfies!

LOTS OF AWESOME STUFF HAPPENED THIS WEEK!

I ate a chocolate frog, and loved it.

I saw Hermana Gutierrez in a church parking lot for about three minutes! :D  We had a Spanish Leadership Council, and I was asked to play the piano. :/  Thank you for the prayers haha I needed them, but it worked out really well!  God really does qualify us in the moments that we need help :) in fact I would say that it was a small miracle.  Also, President Mortensen, our Mission President, can be unexpectedly sassy when he speaks Spanish sometimes.  He served his mission speaking Spanish in Puerto Rico, which is so nice because he gets the culture and everything.

DANI GOT BAPTIZED!  That was a little girl that Hermana Childs and I found while we were in Katy.  I was so happy when I heard that I wanted to jump into the air and click my heels together, but I refrained.  :) I am so happy for that little girl. :)

Hna Wallace and I made up a secret handshake.

We had a Father's Day Party at the church, but we were thirty minutes late because we were in a lesson.  When we got there we were the first ones there!  For a moment we were really worried there was actually no party, which would have been really awkward because we told a lot of people.  But, it all worked out in the end, everyone just came on Standard Mormon Hispanic Time, aka an hour and a half late.  It was a great party!  The Conroe 3rd Ward has the best parties!

At church yesterday we were so busy it was a slightly stressful!  We were the Ward Pianist, Singing Time Leaders, and taught the lesson in Relief Society.  Singing time was by far my favorite.  So much for Sunday being the day of rest. ;)

We were also out knocking doors and this one lady let us right in and fed us soup with Pig Feet in it (I could literally see the hooves.  Luckily she didn't make us eat that part, because I couldn't have done it I think.)  We got to teach her family and they are super nice and we are going back on Tuesday :)

I went on exchanges with Hna Christensen.  She is super cute.  I love her!  (Exchanges is when we switch companions for a day).

Also, HAPPY LATE FATHER'S DAY!  I am so grateful for the father and grandfather's in my life!  I don't know where I would be without him!  He has always been an example for me of how to be a hard worker and a card shark (among many other things). :)  I know that he also learned those things from his dad, and that my mom learned how to show love unconditionally, make cookies, and crack jokes from hers.  I know that we are all blessed to have such wonderful men in our lives.  Just like we have Earthly Fathers, I also know that we have a Heavenly Father, who created us.  He is equally as involved in our lives and loves us even more.  I am grateful for everything that He has given me, although I do not always understand what that everything is.  Here is a link to a great video about Fathers for those of you who would like to see it.  (I don't know what happened to the link!)

I Know that our Savior lives and that He loves us.  I know that He was sent here by God, our Heavenly Father, who loves us infinitely too.  May you each have a marvelous week, and please let me know if you need anything.

Always,
Hermana Madison McCurdy

Andrea, Yo, Esmerelda, and Hna Christensen on exchanges.

Hna Wallace, Yo, y Francelia in Schlotsky's, a restaurant in which Francelia works.

The sky yesterday

Dani's baptism (I didn't get to go, but isn't she adorable?  And also Hna Jorgensen.  

She is adorable too.)

Week 50 - "Chiste que? Chiste que? Oh no! On no!" Hermano Ayala

This week.  What happened this week.

Chistes first.  I got chased by a dog.  Haha.  I kind of did that thing where I lose my ability to consciously move and what I will do is very unexpected.  In this case I did nothing and Hna Wallace grabbed the back of my shirt and pulled me out of there.  Without her I probably would have been dog food or just super embarrassed.  I am thankful for a quick thinking, caring, beautiful companion.  ;)
The sky was super pretty.

We went to a bunch of meetings this week and it is beginning to kill our miles.  We have 1700 miles for the whole month of June for the car and still we wonder if it will be enough.  We had conference calls with the Assistants, and some stake meetings in Woodlands, and then this week we have more.   Meetings are fun!  I think we are figuring out about the innards workings of stakes, missions, and wards.

Last monday after we had finished all we had to do we went to the mall to pet a baby pig.  Mondays are what we call "Preparation Day" or "P-Day" which means from 10:30-6 is our time.  Also when we were at the mall we ran into Esperanza, one of our old investigators who asked us not to come over anymore.  That, and the fact the Hna Wallace accidentally called her "Esmeralda" made it really awkward haha.  But, if you don't act like it's awkward no one knows.  Esperanza's baby is super cute though, so that was a bonus.

We volunteer at a home called "the (East Texas) Dream Center" here in Conroe.  The building used to be a hospital, but it is now a home for women that need help getting back on their feet and want to strengthen their relationship with God.  (Sometimes while we are working I like to make up stories about the things that happened in the room where we are when it used to be a hospital.)  They have a school, a store, a doctor, and a bunch of other things in there.  That is one thing that I love about Texas.  The people are super kind, always want to help others, everyone is SUPER patriotic about something, and they are not afraid to say 'Merry Christmas' or put 'In God We Trust' on their police cars.

One of our members gave us the name of someone to go teach this week, and her name is Reina Espinoza.  She is so AWESOME!  If you could please pray for her that would be great :)  We went over and she started crying about five times in the lesson but in the end she promised us that she would read the Book of Mormon because she knows that it will strengthen her family.  That is what I love about the gospel.  There is literally NOTHING, no wound, no pain, no hurt, no weakness, that the Savior and His gospel cannot heal or overcome.  I hope and pray that we can all have the courage and strength to follow Jesus Christ.  I know that in Him all our hurts will be made strengths and that there we find joy in becoming something better.

I love all of you!  Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help any of you. :)
Hermana Madison McCurdy

Hna Glavan took us out to eat.  I love that woman.  She also loves family history. 

 Coincidence?  I think not.

Look at this cool church we found!  Er, I mean, shopping mall in Woodlands. 

 #Woodlands

My cute companion with the statue.  You can't see it in this picture but she is wearing Nikes because she forgot her other shoes at home.

Our last picture as a district before Elder Bassett went home.  He's the one with the shoulder bag.  :(

And now a few words from Hermana Wallace.  She copied me in her email list and I thought these few paragraphs were interesting for a couple of reasons, so I thought I would share.  Notice Madison didn't mention it and further notice how much they sound like twins in their use of language….

Okay, now the news (in case my bitty email didn't go through last week): Hermana McCurdy and I are staying together! We got the call on Sunday night telling us she was staying, and she almost didn't believe it. I'm the first companion she's been with for two transfers besides her trainer. It's like God knew we were best friends or something.*

Then, before we got too comfortable, we got the call on Monday night telling us that Hermana McCurdy is the new STL (Sister Training Leader) in our zone! Basically that means that she's in charge of a lot of following up on other missionaries, going to other areas on exchanges, and that our companionship is supposed to be examples for everybody else. It's kind of intimidating for her, but I know she'll do a great job.

Overall the zone has a lot of new leadership. Our former district leader, Elder Pogroszewski, is now a zone leader, and we have a new district leader. I think it will be good for us, because it really pushes us to kick it into high gear. We're setting a lot of baptism goals, and we're trying to be more unified. I won't go into it too much more so it doesn't sound like an update on some company ("and overall our synergy has leveragized to be exponentially more digbotolized"), but I feel really inspired.

Ha ha, you gotta love those two- Taking on Texas one dog at a time!