Monday, December 28, 2015

Temple Sealings and Puppies!!!

Hello everyone!! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!!! I know I
did!! We are spoiled brats and got fed so much food and love and
presents!!! It was so wonderful to feel so much love for others.
These people are my family now, and I know I'm theirs. It makes me
heart full to bug for my chest when I'm around these people and I just
had such a wonderful Christmas!!
Thanks for everyone who sent me wonderful wishes and such!!

So this week was awesome!

Hello everyone!! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!!! I know I
did!! We are spoiled brats and got fed so much food and love and
presents!!! It was so wonderful to feel so much love for others.
These people are my family now, and I know I'm theirs. It makes me
heart full to bug for my chest when I'm around these people and I just
had such a wonderful Christmas!!
Thanks for everyone who sent me wonderful wishes and such!!

So this week was awesome!

We did a district contacting activity again and it was soooo windy!
My favorite part was watching Elder Agre (the one holding up the peace
sign) , a new missionary have so much faith as he tried speaking in
Spanish and he just did not care whether he was saying things right or
not, and it made me feel like a proud mom


PUPPIES!!
Ahhhhh!!! We went to our ward mission leaders house for dinner and their dog just has babies and we were like CHILDREN!! And then Hermana kind of sounded like our mom as she made us put the dogs away and made all of us wash our hands for a minute.


ANOTHER AMAZING THING THAT HAPPENED!
I got to go to a sealing of one of my families from my last area!! It was such a huge honor that Hermana Bautista wanted me there! She even asked me to help her through everything! And helped her put on her dress and shoes and akeup and all that jazz and she found out last minute that I was coming and she said to me " Hermana I'm so happy you are here. I thought you were going to forget  but you are here" And ahhhhh it just made me so happy to know that I am loved!! Haha  and I just wished his mom was around to give him a big hug!



We did a district contacting activity again and it was soooo windy! My favorite part was watching Elder Agre (the one holding up the peace sign) , a new missionary have so much faith as he tried speaking in Spanish and he just did not care whether he was saying things right or not, and it made me feel like a proud mom











PUPPIES!!
Ahhhhh!!! We went to our ward mission leaders house for dinner and their dog just has babies and we were like CHILDREN!! And then Hermana kind of sounded like our mom as she made us put the dogs away and made all of us wash our hands for a minute.

Merry Chirstmas to Everyone and Happy New Year too!!!

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Chicago Riots and Caroling

Alright everyone I have a crazy story to tell! Normally I wouldn't
include a story like this in a weekly email but it's just such a good
story!!
So it's a blessing to be serving in the WILMETTE SPANISH ZONE! Because
we cover the city!!
So we decided to have a zone caroling activity where we sing, pass out
free hot chocolate and Books of Mormon and pamphlets!
So me and my comp get there a little early because we needed food. And
saw the spot the zone leaders picked to set up at and saw a mob of
angry people protesting (something about a cop shooting someone 16
times)
So we called our zone leaders to tell them so we moved the spot to the
Bean at millennial park. So we set up right at the entrance. And
everything is going fine and we notice helicopters in the sky but we
just keep going. So we are having success and tons of cops show up to
the park. And we are right by the street. I'm trying to give you a
good image here. So we are by Michigan Street which is the busy
downtown street on Chicago. And we then from a distant we see that
group protestors on the street with a ton more people and their
heading down the street. Where we are. So we just keep doing our
thing. Then the cops at the park literally all stand right in front of
our table.  Blocking the entrance of the park. This mob starts running
a little faster, so we kind of panic and say "okay we need to go" so
we start packing and the cops turn around and say "no, don't go. KEEP
SINGING!" So imagine a huge crowd yelling things with signs and then
us missionaries singing silent night holy night and in between us is
cops.
So as we are all singing we kind of look at each other like "is this
the end?" "Are we going to die like this" and the crowd thankfully turns
around!
Now, I like to think that it's the power of those Christmas corals
that made that mob not charge at cops and at us. And the best part was
seeing the people's faces. As they saw protestors protesting and us
singing spiritual Hymns. A lot of people took pictures and videos of
those two very different situations going on at the same time.
We then moved our location and carried on with the Lords work!
And just so no one worries, our mission president is aware we are in
not a safe city and we are taken care of very well and kept safe!

-exchanges!! I got to be with Hermana Knowledge for a day and it was so awesome! I've learned so much from her!! She really helped me out a ton! I'm starting to realize that the Lord made me a Sister Training Leader so that I can learn from other missionaries a lot faster than I would not having the responsibilities that we have.



- Our Christmas party!! So many investigators showed up!!! And made so many friends with the members! It was sweet, sweet sight!!!

- caroling with the ward to less actives and feeling that sweet spirit as those less actives were so surprised and uplifted!!

-my companion got a dinner approved to go over to her mom’s friend’s house, who is American. And fed us very American food, and we felt so awkward. I don't know how to talk to white people anymore.


ZONE TEMPLE TRIP!!!
Ahhhh I LOVE THE TEMPLE!!
I felt the peace i really been needing lately



I LOVE MY DISTRICT



- Our relief society put together a basket of things for the missionaries for Christmas presents! So sweet of them!!
I'm so pumped for Christmas, we are so blessed!! We have so many members that love us and I just want everyone to know that I'm going to have a wonderful Christmas with my new family :)
And I hope you all have wonderful Christmas!
Let us rejoice of the Saviors birth and really make sure we remember what Christmas is all about!!

Yours truly,
Hermana Curapil


Monday, December 14, 2015

Humble Pie!!


Hola hermanos y hermanas!

We have had such a humbling week this week!
We had such a lovely week full of lessons with investigators and less
actives and not a single one of them happened!
 I love it so much when that happens!!! There's absolutely no sarcasm in that!
The reason I love it when that happens is because it's a way to be
able to show the Lord that we trust him because I know that when an
appointment doesn't happen is because the Lord needs us some place
else , finding someone else..

So we did lots and lots of finding! And you know what? We saw like
maybe only 2 possible results of our efforts.
Maaannn, we have absolutely no idea what the Lord has planned!! And at
first it was getting a little discouraging.
BUT THEN during my personal study the spirit guided me to a talk and
it's called "you know enough" from October 2008. And it's about
choosing the road of faith, and as members of the church already know
enough, so why doubt?
We know enough to know that everything will work out in the end.
That's so true. I realized that this is not the first area where I
came in and there was no real potential investigator in our teaching
pool.
I know enough to know that the Lord put me in this area so that we can
be his instruments and start finding those people who are ready.
I know that. I trust him. His work, not mine. His way,not mine .
So this week we are hoping to soldier on!

Highlights!!

- EXCHANGES! I absolutely loved being with Hermana Quintana!! She's a
new missionary and has been out for 3 weeks now. And she is the most
adequate and most humble missionary I've ever met! She's a sweetheart
and won't dare to share her testimony without letting anyone know that
God loves us!

#mycheeks
- FINDING 20 bucks on the street!!!
- FINDING ANOTHER 20 dollars on the street!
- GIVING THAT MONEY TO HOMELESS PEOPLE!
- Had another district contacting activity, and it's was funny for so many reasons. We are in Puerto Rico Ville! It's a neighborhood by the city where it's 100% puertorican and puerto rican music blasting! There was so much going on. First of all , seeing our super white American elders trying to under their accent (which I don't even understand) and also there was an a group of friends in the corner who were older people and they were all having a wonderful time by insulting each other the whole time. I guess that's how they hang out.
- Trying to stay focused and not go crazy during our 937463937 hours of a planning session for next week.
I love you all!!
Stay humble otherwise the lord will get ya ;)

Monday, December 7, 2015

Buses, Cats , Young Woman and Personal Revelation!

Hola everyone!!

It's been a great week in Logan square!!!


I went on exchange this week back to my old area with my last companion!!! So it was so fun we even got to teach some youth and get some frozen yogurt with them! The weather has been beautiful to us lately. It's perfectly cold right now and everyone is super happy! 

CHRISTMAS !!! 



Riding the bus and walking in the city is awesome!! I love bus contacting. I've been able to meet such cool people lately! 

Bus Contacting- so my companion and I got into a little rut with finding so we decided that since people aren't always outside walking in the cold we would go inside the bus to contact.  Yesterday there was a lady my companion contacted and, she is OBSESSED WITH CHRISTMAS(more obsessed then Kirsten) , this lady was born on Christmas Day and her name was Chris Carol....... She wanted to die of joy! We had a super sweet conversation and she said she was going to watch the video. 


Meetings.....

And finding a new investigator that was a former investigator. He backed out a day before his baptism. And told us that he feels more prepared for baptism and is ready to come back! His name is Jesus so please keep him in your prayers!!! 


This week has been great to prepare for this upcoming week! We are super pumped to get the work moving forward!!! So pumped to be Hermana stouts companion! 
One thing that really works with us is teaching with boldness and love! I absolutely love those two characteristics! I love being able to use the authority we have to have the right to talk to everyone and testify to everyone. 

I MET A CAT AND IT FOLLOWED US WHILE WE WENT TRACTING AND I GOT TOO ATTACHED 

And being able to teach the young woman on Sunday! The most powerful thing and my favorite thing to do on this mission. I never want a young woman to keep living her life without knowing the saviors and fathers love for them, that they are worth a ton! And that Heavenly Father needs them back in his presence!! The spirit was super strong as me and Hermana stout testified of why the savior was born for specially them. 











I read my patriarchal blessing this week in order to prepare for a meeting we had. There's something I learned that I wanna share. 
I've been mind blown lately on how much I struggle with trusting in the lord,  the past 6 months is all I've been learning to do.
As I read in my patriarchal blessing I realized that what it says is the exact opposite of what I want my life to really be like. HA! 
As I read it and thought to myself how much I don't want that plan for me or I don't want to fully commit to certain aspects of life. 
I caught myself in that negativity and said to myself " psshhh you think you know what's better for you then the Lord? Nah dude get yourself together and trust in his plan and do his will" BOOM. 
and guess what my pondering scripture was that week anyways? Isaiah 55:8-9 look it up. 
So let me testified that the Lord is very aware of us and we need to "look up to God and LIVE" 

I love you all so much and DONT YOU DARE GIVE UP ON ANYTHING. 

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Cold Feet Warm Hearts

Hello everyone!!! 

So my first week in Logan Square has been great!!!! There's A TON of work to be done here and I am so excited to start creating some beautiful things in this area!! 
I've been able to meet some members which I actually even already know and I've been greeted and welcomed so well, it's so nice and it means a lot to new missionary! 


Hightlights!! 



- we did a district contacting activity. So we set up a table with BOM and pamphlets and cards and got white boards and as people walked by we asked them what they are grateful for and made them right it down on the whiteboard. And even during the red lights since we were in a busy corner street we made sure we passed things to the cars that were wearing for the light to turn green. It was so much fun and very cold! But my heart felt extremely happy! 







-  SEEING THE BEAUTIFUL CITY AT NIGHT!!! 
- Our ward had a movie night where we watched "meet the Mormons" and it's was such a success, so many people showed up and INVESTIGATORS! 
- WALKING EVERYWHERE. Our area is in Chicago so it's very busy and tons of people outside so we decided to walk everywhere to make sure we are talking to everyone we can and its been working wonderfully!! 
- My companion finished her mission the 31st of December and has been such a great example to me on working hard and finishing strong. She's so focused and determined to work all she can before she finishes. We have a list of things we have to do before she leaves so I'm super pumped. Like getting Christmas sweaters and jumping over a gate (lol jk) , contacting in a grocery store by faking that we are shopping and so on. I think I'm the perfect comp to do this with cause "girls just wanna have fun" 


BREAKING NEWS!!! 
" A SAVIOR IS BORN "IS OUT!!! It's a new Christmas video and I get chills everyime I watch it!!! 
As missionary with iPads it's HUGE!!! We show it to everyone , everywhere at anytime! On the street, on buses and trains , in people's home, Facebook! So we need you to spread the word and share this video!!! REJOICE REJOICE REJOICE! THAT A SAVIOR IS BORN UNTO US TO SAVE  AND HELP US FROM OUR SINS AND SADNESS SO THAT WE CAN BE BORN AGAIN!!!!! 
A Savior Is Born--Christmas Video (2:00)

A Savior is born. Each Christmas season we celebrate the birth of our Savior--the Son of God, who can save us from sin and sadness. Remember Him, love Him, and follow Him.