Just a Short One

-I found out last week that someone that I taught in my first area was finally baptized. I was so happy. Also, this last weekend three people that I taught and loved from Kalikid were baptized. I feel so blessed to have been able to help them prepare for their special day. 

-I taught more lessons this week than any other week of my mission: 51. Crazy no? Me and Sister Foukimoana are rockin' this city.

-Last week we took an old woman on a church tour. This week we were asking her about it, and she doesn't remember it happening. After the lesson she asked us to take her on a church tour.  So we took her on another one. Hope it's the last time... 

-My Tongan companion tried to teach me how to hula dance. I'm defiantly just a white girl, it was a nice try. 

-I had to go to Cabanatuan to sign some papers for my Visa or something. I was there the same time they had the trainers/training meeting so I got to see Sister de Guzman and meet my "granddaughter" Sister Carter. The four hour round trip was totally worth it because of the 5-10 minutes that I got to talk to them. 

 

Sorry I'm short on time and things to say.

I love you all.

I love my mission.

I love God.  

Sister Abish "No middle name" Curtis

People

These are some people I want to tell you about:

-Sister Marita: We met her because we are always teaching her neighbors and family. She has a husband and four young kids. She has been to church twice now and she loves it more than her old church. Her three-year-old daughter has some sort of soars on her legs and so she hasn't learned how to walk yet. But ever since we started teaching them, her legs have been improving. Sister Marita loves the Book of Mormon and sleeps with it close to her. She prays with her children every night.  She is coming to the Relief Society activity on Saturday. If all continues to go well, she will covenant with God through baptism on March 8th. We love her.

 

-Sister Lucilia: She is a 85 year old woman who is too old and weak to leave her house. Her husband died 20 years ago and she still loves and misses him. She loves when we come and teach her, and she believes everything. She asks us to pray that she will have strength to go to church. She says she will never forget us. I will never forget her. I am excited for our reunion in Heaven. 

 

-Abish: a young woman who lives in my ward. We have the same name.

 

-Sister Esirom: One of the missionaries that lives in our apartment with us. She was only baptized two years ago. She is from Guam, from the same ward that my family used to live in 10 years ago. She doesn't remember me personally, but she remembers when my family would give her and her cousins rides to church. I love it. She is also my "granddaughter" in the mission (I trained Sister Ocampo, who then trained Sister Esirom) I just love her with all my heart.

 

-Sister Merwal: The other missionary that lives in our apartment. She is from here in the Philippines and I also love her with all my heart. She always makes me laugh. I love her story of how she came back to church after being less active for several years. (She prayed that the missionaries would come talk to her, but then when they finally would come to her house she would always hide or run from them. But occasionally they would catch her and eventually she ran out of reasons to not come to church. At first when she came to church she didn't have anyone there to welcome her. She would just sit by herself. Every week she would say to herself that she would not come back next week. But the next Sunday she would somehow end up getting dressed and going to church. She decided to test the promise of the Prophet that if she made Institute a priority she would make friends and learn more about the gospel. Of course it happened. Her testimony became solid, and it was the start of her becoming close to all the members in her ward. True church.)

 

-Sister Foukimoana: My companion. She loves mangos. A lot. I love her. A lot. 

 

-Jesus Christ: He is the whole reason I am here in the Philippines, thousands of miles away from my family. He is the reason I have purpose in this life. He is the reason I have hope for the next life. He is the reason for who I am. I love Him.

 

Love,

Sister Abish "Happy late Valentines Day" Curtis

Pictures:

1- It is common to see 3-4 people on one motorcycle. In this case it is a family.

2- Declaring the gospel to every creature

3 & 4- Marita and her daughter

5- One time when we taught we would teach a lesson, when instead they invited us to eat spaghetti and pancit at their birthday party.

6- Nanay Lucilia who I will remember for the rest of my life. 

 

-Getting ready to BBQ Filipino style. (This is what we did on Valentines night)

-The bamboo bridge that we were slightly afraid would break with our whole district standing on it. (this is on our way back from a service project)

-Proselyting in a cemetery. The work was pretty dead there.

-Me and Sister Esirom

-Me and Sister Merwal

-My companion loves loves mangos!

It is nice to invite people to come to Christ

Remember how my Sister is on a mission right now in Albania? Sometime I email her companions. This is what her last companion Motra Tengu sent me this week and I just love it:

"Actually i love my mission.It is nice to invite people to come to Christ."

This week we had interviews with President Martino. We are so lucky to have such an amazing mission president. He goes this summer, and the Philippines will sure miss him and his wife. He has really set the bar high for us, and because of that we accomplish amazing things here in the Angeles Mission. He has gone through the effort to learn enough of Tagalog to say prayers and give talks. That is not something that was required of him. He is so organized and inspired. His influence will bless generations now and in the future. 

But I will go home before him.  In our interview I asked if I could extend my mission. He explained that as much as he wishes he could grant that to me, it is not something they let him do. So I will still be coming home in May. That is coming up so soon. (Side note: I just barely told my companion this week that I am going home in May. Up till then she didn't know when I was going home. Mwaahahaa)

One day we were praying at members house. Apparently the 3 year old daughter thought that the prayer was too long because she kept on saying "Amen" over and over again to get us to end the prayer. We laughed so hard. Do you think it would be irreverent if I tried that the next time my companion is praying too long? :)

I have seen the power of members this week. The three of our golden investigators would not have come to church if it were not for a member. Go do work. 

Something else great about my great Tongan companion: She loves to put flowers in her hair. Whenever we pass flowers she always sticks one behind her ear. I may or may not sometimes do the same.  

I love doing things to come nearer to the God. I love learning about Him through scripture study and prayer and pondering about Him. And singing. Try it. 

I love being a missionary. I love the Philippines. I love my family. I love you.

Mahal ko kayo,

Sister Abish "Amen" Curtis

Pictures:

Kabahay picture, wearing our kabahay skirts

I found an accordion!

Missionaries are real life super heros. 

Planting

Something else great about Sister Foukimoana is that she is a fantastic singer (as most Polynesians are). We always sing at the beginning of our lessons it invites the spirit in a powerful way. Her beautiful voice harmonizes with my regular voice and we sound so good. Just saying :)

This week me and Sister Foukimoana were walking near one of the fields in our area (there are not very many) We saw an old man and woman planting by hand in their small field. We stopped to talk to them and watched as the tatay plowed the field with his caribou. We ended up helping them plant their eggplants for about 20 minutes. We were not dressed for such a task. Did that stop us? Nope. Did we love it? Yes! Did we set and appointment to teach Nanay and Tatay about the gospel? ...actually no. We tried to, but they are very busy. But I know we touched their hearts. And we are here to serve everybody, whether or not they accept our message. 

I want to tell you about Mila. She works for some members at a little restaurant. She has been super impressed with the members she knows. She has met a lot of missionaries, but I guess me and my companion are the first ones to be inspired to teach her. The spirit was so strong in the first lesson we had. She literally glowed. She told us how she has been inspired and uplifted by the example of her boss. We promised that as she accepted our message she would someday be that light to others. She cried as she told us about her desires to go to church with her husband and son (her husband is actually a member, he has just gone very far off tract) I felt inspired to tell her the day would come that they would come to church as a family. (I hope and pray that God will justify my words). She believes everything we teach her.   The next time we went to teach her, she had friends over and she invited her friends to listen to our message with her. It was a super good lesson. After we taught about the Book of Mormon and gave her a copy, she hugged it to her chest as she thanked us for it. When her friends had left, we reminded her of the promise we made that she would be and example to others. She just glowed when we pointed out that that promise had in part already been fulfilled. 

I just love life. Missionary life isn't perfect. It isn't always fun. A lot of times it is hard. But I love it. 

Love,

Sister Abish "Is it really already February??" Curtis 

Pictures:

1. Me planting eggplants

2. Nanay Lorita that I talked about last week (And our ward missionary Joana)

3-5 Pictures from the top of the mount where we had our personal and companionship study this P-day morning.

6. Amazing ward members.