End Of MTC

Hey all!


I'm writing this email en route to Madrid! I got my visa this week and I'll be in my assigned area within a day. The trip to go get the visa was interesting, all of the Spain missionaries got theirs this week and we had to bus to UVU to meet with a Spanish consul to receive and activate our visas. I got to meet all of the people who are heading to Spain with me for the first time, which was great! We're all pumped to be getting in the field.


The last week of MTC has been amazing. So many awesome people and cool opportunities. One if the best things about this week was the mission presidents' seminar. The MTC campus has been full of new mission presidents, members of the Seventy, and Apostles. We've had opportunities to talk with these new presidents and even Apostles as they walk from place to place.  We also were blessed with a devotional on transformational obedience by Elder Bednar. We've learned so much, and are very grateful for the opportunity to learn from these inspired leaders.


Plus, the cafeteria food got much better the day they arrived and only dipped back to normal the day they left.


Another blessing that I've received is to work with the ESL missionaries. Our branch was reorganized under a new president and they were added in. These missionaries are learning English as a second language and absolutely killing it. Some of them are native Spanish speakers, so I've been able to trade words and translations with them. I even taught an entire lesson with Elder Arce (pictured). 


We also had to step up and project our status as veterans when the new crop of new missionaries came this week. We really only had a weeks worth of experience more than them but they looked up to us like crazy. 


To finish with a spiritual thought:


Doctrine and Covenants 112:10 reads, "Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers."
A healthy relationship with God requires humility and an acknowledgement of our weaknesses. God can't help us if we are stuck in the idea that we know everything. If we humble ourselves before Him and acknowledge our faults, we open ourselves to His help.


Until next week!
Elder Curtis


Pictures
1. My trio with Elder and Sister Uchtdorf
2. A work of modern art
3. Spain missionaries 
4. Missionaries from the BYU 115th ward
5. ESL missionaries 
(Elder Cavalho: Portuguese, Elder Senateur: French, Elder Arce: Spanish)
6. Elder Wilson, my successor and metaphorical son.
7. Last American Meal (I'm not a food influencer and this is not a Subway ad)






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