Conny Curtis June 16, 2012

June 16, 2012

After last week’s letter telling of the business revolving around transfers, this letter will sound like a

week of partying. It began last Saturday with a wedding for a friend in the Columbiana ward. I had sent

pictures of her surprise proposal on Christmas Eve when we had dinner at her parent’s home. The

Averetts are about as southern as you can get, full of southern hospitality and just a lot of fun. They

have three very talented daughters who also live in the ward with their families. Teresa, the bride,

served a mission at Temple Sq, later married in the temple and still later ended the marriage when her

husband became heavily involved in drugs. Now in her mid thirties, she and Wes, who isn’t a member, are

beginning their life together. He works as a civilian for the military in Afghanistan and is only home a

few weeks here and there. He attends church while here and we have visited with him about the gospel.

We wish them well. The wedding was held in a beautiful wooded park and was followed by a Cajun Shrimp

Boil with all the fixings. It was a small gathering for family and close friends so we were surprised to be

invited, but certainly enjoyed the evening. The family has always been very gracious to us.




Our next adventure began Monday morning. Actually, it began a couple of months ago when a new car

arrived for Pres. Holzapfel. A few weeks later we learned that there had been a double order out of

Salt Lake and another Avalon, just like the one we had received, was waiting for us to pick up. Greg,

our supervisor from Salt Lake, was a little red in the face, but in the end it worked out well for us. The

decision was made to give it to the Atlanta North Mission Pres. and guess who got to deliver it? We

didn’t mind that assignment at all! It helped Greg out, and gave us permission to leave our mission which

gave us the chance to see some of our friends in Atlanta. A win, win wouldn’t you say? We spent the

night and visited the Employment Center, which was the highlight seeing Sister Findlay and Bro Blount as

well as others. We met the new missionaries serving in our positions. One Sis is good friends with Pres

and Sis Holzapfel so that was fun. We also had quick visits to a couple of our favorite spots near where

we had lived and then finished up our stay by attending the newly remodeled Atlanta Temple with Karen

Finlay before heading back to our mission. The temple was beautiful. Pres Black of the Temple also took

us for a tour of the newly built missionary apts. What a change from when we were there. Many good

memories came to surface as we saw friends and places we had learned to love. It’s nice to remember

and to be remembered. We drove the Atlanta Pres’ car back. It is a hybrid and interesting to try out. It

got great mileage and was soooo quiet. It will be Paul’s job now to sell it.


We had plenty of work waiting for us when we returned, but there was still one more activity before

the week was over. On Friday all the senior couples got together at the Mission Home for a going away

luncheon for Elder and Sister Johnson. They were the first “six month” missionaries to serve here

in Alabama. The time went by fast. They were assigned to Mississippi so we only saw them for Zone

meetings or couples activities. They are very enjoyable to be with and always generous. They bought

and repaired a bike to donate to the mission and even provided their own going away dinner. They

drove from MS early and spent the morning cooking up a Cajun Boil (twice in one week for us) which was

delicious. The rest of us brought side dishes and then sat around talking about how we are all gaining

weight. But it was oh so good. They will be missed. We are told it won’t be long before another six

month couple will arrive. We also learned this morning that Elder and Sister Beckstead, who have been

here several months while waiting for their visa to New Zealand, have received their papers and will be

leaving soon. Life moves on. We are moving up the list of those who will leave next and we are already

receiving bicycles for the group of young missionaries coming in July. Days and weeks roll on.


Love and blessings, Elder and Sister Curtis

Mom/Dad

P.S. We returned from Atlanta about 11:30 p.m. only to realize we had lost our car keys somewhere along

the way. This meant we had no way to get into our apartment. Yikes! Sweet Sister Dunbar from the

office bailed us out AGAIN by letting us come over at that late hour and spend the night in her spare

room. We had to show up to work in our travel clothes, but we had a hot shower, a nice bed and she

fed us breakfast. No wonder all the missionaries, young and old, love her. She will have served THREE

years by the time she goes back to her home in St Louis. Special lady. No one in Atlanta had seen our

keys, but we got a call a few days later and they had been kicked under a desk at the Mission Office

there…..whew! We had checked the replacement cost at nearly $200. What a relief.

Conny Curtis June 9, 2012

                                                                                          May 9, 2012

It’s Saturday and I’ve decided to stay home while Elder C finishes up his reports at the office.  This was Transfer week and as expected, we were kept running.  Monday morning began with us meeting two Elders in Tuscaloosa.  The church and the mission have come up with a new policy on the bicycle program.  Mission funds can no longer be used in any way to purchase or repair bikes. Even more of a setback, we are not longer able to purchase bikes from missionaries completing their mission to sell to incoming missionaries or to help incoming missionaries connect with a missionary going home to make their own arrangements. It has been hard to let go of the bikes as Elder Curtis had a pretty good thing going.  There were usually several missionaries willing to sell their bikes for a reasonable price.  We would buy them then spend another hundred or so having them gone over at the bike shop we work with. The final cost to the missionary was around $250, which was a big savings, paid us back and they ended up with a good bike.  Now any missionary going home can either donate their bike or pay to have it shipped home. We were told “We are out of the bike business!”  In time it will probably come together, but for now that is easier said than done.  We have missionaries coming from other countries that have no funds and even in the US there are families that just can’t afford the high cost of the heavy duty bikes that are needed here.  We also have the visa waiters who the mission provides bikes for and these bikes constantly need repairs or at times we don’t even get back the same bike we sent out.  Hmmmmm

 We got a good laugh over this visa bike that was returned….notice, no handle bars, seat, back wheel or chain then look to the next picture where it clearly states on the bike, “Do not add or REMOVE anything from Mission Bike”.

We had quite a go round this time making sure each of the 11 fulltime missionaries coming in had a bike, that the five unexpected visa missionaries were taken care as well as the two Temple Sq Sisters coming. You would think the Temple and visa missionaries would just be an easy trade with the ones leaving, but you can see from the picture above – that isn’t always the case. We have learned more about bicycles than we even knew there was to learn.  Like the fact they have to be fitted to size. You can’t give a bike that a 5’7” Elder has been using to a 6’5” Elder, or one that fits a 140 lbs to someone 300 lbs.  We had three bikes “smashed” by a 320 lb Tongan. He’s a great Elder, but we were glad when his visa came in.

We have had some happy experiences through all this, though.  A few months ago an Elder arrived from Samoa and literally had nothing.  The MTC had supplied him with ALL his clothes and even a suitcase.  We gave him the best bike we could find at the time, but knew it wasn’t the right fit. Just a few weeks ago we were able to use donated funds to purchase him a brand new bike and boy, was he pleased. He is quite shy, but his face showed it all.  These times are priceless in our mission memories.

That brings me back to why we traveled to Tuscaloosa early Monday morning.  The two Elders above told us they would donate their bikes if we would take them out to dinner (this arrangement was made back when we were still in the bike buying business) We could never make dinner (they live over an hour from the office) but being down to the last minute they settled for breakfast and we picked up the bikes.  A good trade. The bikes are already in use. To our surprise, three other Elders ended up donating theirs; that helps in the mission cause.  Hopefully, this will catch on and we’ll end up with a good supply. Most of the others leaving either sold or gave to members, or shipped them home. That’s the bike story for now.

We had to hurry back from our breakfast date Monday to take three visa missionaries to the airport where they boarded a plane headed to Argentina.  Just a few munities later I met five new visa waiters coming in.  The following day we arrived at the airport to transport the eleven new Alabama missionaries that Pres. and Sister Holzapfel had met there. Great young missionaries. Elder Jarvis is from north Mesa. It’s always fun to find connections.  That was a full day…interviews at the mission office and then dinner at the mission home and finally dropping them off at a hotel where I’m sure they fell asleep as soon as they hit the bed.  It had been a long, exciting day for them as well.

Getting the missionaries where they need to be is only part of the Transfer planning.  I didn’t get the final list of changes until the day before and with the office full of people wasn’t able to even think of working on IMOS. There were also large orders for media to be sorted out and packaged to take to Transfers on Wed. Once again, Elder C was dealing with Tiwi issues and had been making arrangements to have an installer as well as all the cars with issues be at the Stake Center.  Will this problem ever go away?  We got there early Wed. to be ready.  It is so nice to only have to drive 15 min instead of 45.

I was able to sit in on most of the Transfer meeting. With Elder Mancera leaving we got a new Assistant, Elder Jardine.  We work quite closely with the assistants and are pleased with that choice. After the changes are announced and the new companions join each other, the President then talks for an hour or more.  All of the missionaries we picked up this week had heard good things about Pres Holzapfel and if they had any doubt about it, that was taken away after listening to him. Among other things, he spoke on the choices we make and how it is easy to blame other people or circumstances to why we are the way we are.  “I have a temper because my dad had a temper, my family never supported me, I didn’t have a family, I just did what my friends did, we were always poor so I didn’t have a chance and so forth.”  Pres used his own life as an example.  I’ve told you before his father left when he was two weeks old. He had a step-father that was hard on him and has never joined the church.  His mother wasn’t active so Pres. was mostly inactive growing up.  When he left for college his mother took him aside and said, “Richard, you grew up in a dysfunctional family.  You can leave and spend the rest of your life going nowhere because of your past, or you can decide to be a man and make your life better…..you can be a better father, a better husband, make better choices.”  You can see he listened to his mother and we and the church are blessed because of that choice. I think he uses his own life as an example so often because there are so many of the missionaries that come from difficult backgrounds and it is easy for them to become discouraged. We know how much he cares not only about the work, but the growth and happiness of the missionaries – young and old. He also presented some great doctrinal material that day.  You’ll have to read one of his 35 books…..he has given us several and they are very good and beautiful as well.  He has a love for art and carefully designs all his covers.  He designed the cover for Pres. Packer’s new book showing his artwork.  He has also done others.

As I wrote last week, many of our favorite missionaries left this time including our Sister Narduzzi from Temple Sq.  She is from Italy and has been telling Elder C that when she leaves she WILL give him a big hug….and she kept her word.  Pres said just don’t let him see it.  Ha…she hugged him too.  Love her!

Just a little on the Tiwi’s.  We had nine repaired that day and as you know, this isn’t the first time we’ve had to have them worked on.  That night there was already one of the newly replaced ones that had fallen down again.  Groan!  The program is working…driving habits have improved, but keeping the tiwi working is the issue and even Salt Lake is starting to look at other options.  It’s a process

 With that note we will close for this week.  Transfers are all in place on IMOS and reports should be in Salt Lake for Paul by the end of the day.  We’ll see how long before new changes are made.  This is a mission of being able to adapt as each day goes on, but we enjoy the challenge.  We have a nice surprise planned for next week.  I’ll write about it in our next letter. God bless and watch over you. 

             We love you all,   Sister and Elder Curtis       Mom /Dad

Conny Curtis May 26, 2012

May 26, 2012

Dear loved ones…. We are almost at a point where we can take a deep breath again before starting on the next assignment which will be ten new missionaries arriving and near the same number leaving. This also means getting ready for transfers.  Actually, Elder Curtis has already started with so many new ones coming.  The end of the school year brings out missionaries.  We have had to fit preparations in between other busy activities so haven’t done much sitting around.

First: Five Zone Conferences in five different locations from the top of Alabama to Montgomery as well as east and west of the state and then one conference in north Miss. These were early morning starts and long days, but enjoyable. As I’ve mentioned, we are only able to catch small sections of training from each conference, but we learned from what we did hear.  One thought Pres H. shared was directed to the young missionaries on the importance of their taking advantage of study time, but it could apply to all of us. He said this is the time when we  become the investigator and the Lord is our teacher. Interesting thought.  He asked the missionaries how they feel when they have a teaching appointment arranged, but arrive to find no one there.  Pretty bad.  How does Heavenly Father feel when he has asked us to meet with him to study the scriptures or other assigned materials and as He waits for that chance to teach us, we don’t keep our appointment with Him? And even more, what are WE missing? There were many other subjects covered and the missionaries were well instructed.

Second: The Friday following our last Zone Conference my son Lynn and his family arrived for a short visit as they were passing through Alabama.  Lynn is enrolled in an on line course to get his nurse practitioner license.  Before he has to start his clinical they are traveling via camper throughout the US and parts of Canada. He can do his studies and also made arrangements to pick up work as a traveling nurse along the way. They got here late Friday which was good as it gave us a chance to do some catching up at the office after being gone so much. Paul also had five cars to get ready for a broker that was coming for them.  That meant a quick trip to Boaz with the Smiths to bring back four that were finished being repaired and being sold.

We had such a nice time with Lynn, Cameo and their four children, Cora, Granger, Jonah and Ezra. They are good grandkids and love to travel as much as their parents. While here we spent time at Orr Park (the one with the tree carvings) where they had fun finding the carved trees then spent ALL  afternoon playing in the creek. Sunday they attended church with us and we enjoyed being able to show them off and also have them meet some of the members that we have come to love.  The Primary leaders were quick to give compliments on how sweet they were. The following day was spent seeing some Civil War and Civil Rights sites in Montgomery. They also liked spending time in our apartment pool (we had never even walked over to it in the nine months we’ve been here) and Lynn used the internet center to do his homework.

They had planned to only stay four days but had some problems come up with their camper and  ended up being here a full week.  Elder C and I had to get back to work on Tuesday so we didn’t see a lot of them the rest of the week. They were busy during that time taking care of their issues which included buying a whole new camper and leaving their old one here to sell.  I won’t go into all the details. It was stressful for them, but in the end they had a better camper which insurance helped pay for and were very thankful for us giving them a place to stay while working through it all.  We loved seeing them and wish them well with the rest of their travels. If you want to follow along check out their facebook or blog at:Vagabondgenes.blogspot.com

Third: We attended our last Sunday as part of Columbiana Ward. As we were introducing our family we were also saying our “goodbyes”.  This has been a wonderful ward and we have made many dear friends. We will miss them and I think we will be missed. Changes aren’t as easy at our age, but we see this as an adventure and opportunity to serve and meet new friends in the Cahaba Heights Branch. It will also be a big help not having to drive that hour a day to the office.

Forth: The move…..  With all that was going on, there was a Sister’s training and also the office was packed all week with the Pres. doing interviews, we hadn’t had a chance to even start packing.  We left a little earlier on Thurs.  Paul drove the van and trailer so we’d have it the next day and I stopped by our new apt. to see Lynn’s new camper and visit a minute.  It worked out for them to stay there while figuring things out. By the time I got to Calera Paul had already loaded the heavy couch and several other items by himself and was ready to head for our new area.  We were expecting help the following day, but he was anxious to get the job done even if it meant breaking his back. Anyway, to make a long story short, Lynn helped carry these heavy items to the new place and then Paul and I were back to Calera emptying cupboards and closets, etc.  The mission has a newly arrived couple that has been assigned to housing, which includes helping with moves. They had told us they would be at our place on Friday morning with some Elders to help. By the time we got a call from them at 9:30 Paul had already been up for hours and loaded the van once again with heavy furniture. (The apt is being closed so has to be emptied.) They didn’t get to our place until 10:30 – without any missionaries – and said they had to be back in Birmingham at 11:30 for their District Meeting which, by the way, was our meeting as well.  Goodness.  The travel time is at least that long.  I think being new; they haven’t realized how long it takes just to get from one place to another.  Then to top it off, some Elders from the District in Birmingham called and asked them for a ride.  “Ooops….sorry, we have to leave.” We were limited on time ourselves and needed to get the job done that day so there was no waiting.  First we unloaded all the furniture we weren’t using at the storage at the Mission Home and then tackled getting things into our place by ourselves.  Have you ever moved a washing machine down stairs? Paul was bearing the weight and I was trying to keep it steady so as to not crush him. We did finally get everything we needed into the apt, but not without a lot of groaning and sweating (it was the hottest day of this year) and walking probably three or four miles making trips from the car including up and down the stairs. Paul counted them.  Seventeen.  If he had his way every missionary would live on the bottom floor.  Whew!  It didn’t help that he has a bone spur on one heel and an ingrown toenail on the other foot.  All is well, though. We’ve spent the night here now and think it will be a good place.  It isn’t as big or new as our last one and sits way in the back on the bottom of what would be a day light basement with three apartments overhead.  You kind of feel like you’re going into a cave, but once inside it is nice and we look right out into the forest without other apartments blocking our view. If we can get past the long walkway and steps leading to it, it is quiet and private and stays cooler. This will be our home for the rest of the mission.  Monday we will make one last trip to Calera to pick up what is left there and to clean the apartment.  It will feel good to have this over and hand the keys to the new housing couple to close it up. By the way, we do like them a lot and think we’ll be good friends.  This was their first move and they are learning. They also don’t know Elder C and that he likes to just get in and do the job NOW.  He is a hard worker and I’m thankful for this characteristic in him.  It will be good to be settled and on to the next assignment.  (I guess that really wasn’t making a long story short was it?)

We don’t have our Internet set up here yet so I’m not sure when I’ll get this sent. We hope you have a nice weekend and Memorial Day.  We did have two other wonderful events take place this week.  On Wed night Larisa’s step daughter, Sarah Cummins, graduated from Sahuaro High School in Tucson and tonight Jeanette’s oldest daughter, Marlee, is graduating from Snowflake High. These are some of the special occasions we miss out on being away, but we are so proud of them and wish them all the best as they move forward. 

Blessings and love,   Elder and Sister Curtis      Mom/Dad

Karen Mosley May 30, 2012

My dear mother passed away on May 20, 2012.  Although I have been living in Pinetop this past year, I have continued to drive down to Phoenix every week to visit/care for her and to work my shifts at the temple.  Now that she is gone, I will focus on preparing for our "mission" to China.  I thought of you all tonight (Tuesday) and missed being together.  I will have to go to the Snowflake Temple this week!  My mother's funeral was beautiful, and she looked so wonderful.  Her 30-year hairdresser had fixed her up and she looked better than she has for the past couple of years.  Even polish on her fingernails!  My sister and I were able to dress her for burial, sing her a duet, and ponder the resurrection.  It was a sweet time.  Thank you again for all your support.  You have each one blessed my life.

Love,

Karen Mosley

Conny Curtis May 14, 2012

   May 14, 2012

It is late to be starting a letter, especially since we have an early morning start to get to Huntsville by 8:30.  We are finishing up the last two Zone Conferences this week.  There were three last week.  It is always nice to get to travel the mission and to see some of the missionaries that are far from the office and we don’t have as much contact with. We do love these young men and women.

The week before conferences started Pres and Sister Holzapfel spent three days in Atlanta for a Mission President’s Training.  There were 19 Mission Presidents in attendance and ten members of the Seventy.  With it being held in Atlanta it was fun to look at pictures on the Mission Blog and see a couple of familiar faces. While serving in Georgia we often wrote about Pres. Parker, our wonderful Stake Pres and the first black to be called to that position.  We always felt he would move up in leadership and sure enough….here was a picture with him as a member of the Seventy.  Also, Pres. Giddens, another St. Pres that we had worked with, is now Elder Giddens of the Seventy. President H came back filled with new information, much of which he shared at the Zone Conferences.

Elder C and I stay busy outside through most of the meetings, but I was able to sit in on the morning talks at the Birmingham Zone. One of the new instructions Pres presented was the use of Mormon.org in missionary work. With all that is going on in the country people not of our faith are searching out information about the MORMONS.  It’s the church’s feelings that if they are asking questions, they might as well be receiving answers from the members and what better way than a website where real people are sharing their lives and testimonies. The site has also been extended to answer doctrinal questions and has a live chat section that has received well over a million hits in the last year. Contacts can even arrange to have the lessons taught to them over the phone. This is a new program that is already taking place with the Sisters at Temple Sq. The lessons are also available in written form. The Pres told of stores where people have gone through all the lessons without the church even knowing.  They call and say, “I know the church is true….how can I be baptized?”  He shared many other miracles that are happening through the use of the Internet and especially this web site. They also announced the site will be opened to a dozen or more other countries in their own language.

Because of this, the missionaries are now assigned to spend two hours a week other than P-Day on Mormon .org to become more informed about it and to search out member messages that their investigators would relate to. We as missionaries were asked to always carry Mormon.org pass along cards and to give them to everyone we come in contact with.  Some may end up in the trash, but you never know who will follow through.  One of our own Alabama missionaries had such an experience.  He and his companion were teaching a lady who was really not showing any interest. One of the Elders had noticed an older teenage boy on the computer in the next room. As they prepared to leave he felt impressed to give the boy a card with the web site and told him that it was one that he enjoys. He didn’t say anything more and didn’t give it much thought.  A week later the boy turned up at church. He said that he tossed the card on the floor with no intention of using it, but it just kept coming back to his mind. He finally decided what the heck and looked it up. He couldn’t stop going from one story to the next then on to other information until finally he had read through all the lessons. He was so excited that he couldn’t wait to tell the missionaries what “they believed”. He was baptized a short time later. The amazing thing is that the Lord inspired the Church leaders to already have this information available long before we knew there would be such a worldwide interest in the LDS Church and its beliefs.  We, all members, are also asked to do our own profile on the site. It’s exciting to be a part of this history of the church. We feel so privileged to be serving a mission at this time, but this is a part of the program that any member can make use of. As a mission we order the pass-along cards through the distribution center.  I know wards can order them, but am not sure about individuals.  They are listed as “I’M A MORMON”.  I took a picture to show you how they look.  They come in two sizes, business card and double sized and are easy to carry with you.

                                         

There is much more that I could write about the last week, it has been very full and this one will be as well. We are excited that Lynn and Cameo and four of our grandkids will be visiting us later this week. It was nice to talk to or hear from most of our children on Mother’s Day. I also received a plant and large Mother’s Day card that was signed by all the missionaries at the Montgomery Zone Con. I do feel like I’m double blessed at this time to be a MOM or maybe it’s more a ‘Grandma’ to so many both here and back home.  I love you all.

Have a blessed week.      Always,  Elder and Sister Curtis     Mom/Dad           

Conny Curtis May 5, 2012

May 5, 2012

Well, we made it through transfers, two trips to Boaz to drop off and then pick up repaired cars, selling four of those cars, making the transfer changes on IMOS, getting the monthly miles report ready to send to Salt Lake and even threw in a couple of fun activities.  Whew!

 But before I get into all of that, I left off by telling of an upcoming baptism in Columbiana. It was held Sunday morning before church on April 22^nd and was a sweet experience. I had written about Jo Davis’ baptism a few weeks before and this was his 79 year old Mother, Miss Julia, who had now accepted the gospel. She is quite frail and will have a hard time always attending, but her mind is as sharp as can be and she was grateful for the blessing of repentance and learning of God’s true church. She is a joy.

That same Sunday afternoon we attended a stake wide meeting for all missionaries in these boundaries as well as ward Mission Leaders, ward missionaries , Bishoprics and any others that are called to work with the mission efforts in the stake.  Besides hearing from Pres Smartt, who is a wonderful Stake Pres, we heard from Pres. Holzapfel, then Elder Bluth who is the Area 70 over the southern states. All gave good messages, but one thing that stood out to me was something Elder Bluth addressed.  He said that when bringing people into the church you will have those who will come ready to serve and others that will need to BE served, but they are all God’s children and deserve to receive the truth.  Miss Julia and Jo fit the “need to be served” category and I have to admit I had thought about this.  Here was my answer.  We are all God’s children and he loves us equally. Who knows what lives will be blessed just for knowing these two newest members.  It was a very uplifting meeting.  

While on this subject, the mission has made arrangement with the temple for every 4^th Friday at 6 pm to be set aside for new converts to do baptisms for the dead.  We have made plans several times to take Columbiana ward members, but it always fell through until finally last week when we took Bro. Davis. Again, it was a very sweet experience. There was a large turnout from all over the mission and Jo appreciated the opportunity of being in the temple. It was nice for us as well. We have gotten to know Pres VanCamp and his wife (the temple Pres) and enjoyed his remarks to those attending.

Transfers.  This was a big one with lots of movement taking place.  We had eight new fulltime missionaries that we met at the airport on Tues the 24^th.  There was supposed to be one more Sister but an ongoing health issue became more evident at the MTC and she had to return home. We had visited with her several times and had even purchased a bike with funds her father sent so I know this had to be disappointing for her. 

We followed the standard procedure of doing the new missionaries’ paperwork at the office then drove them to the Mission Home where we joined them for a welcome dinner and then on to the motel where they stay that first night.  Afterwards we were back at the office loading all the media that had been ordered by different units to be picked up at transfers.  Lately I have had to order twice as many supplies as in the past.  I don’t know what brought it on, but the missionaries are requesting so much more – they are working hard.  Bless them. By the way, our mission baptisms are up by 10% from last year and last year they were up from the year before.

Transfer day is always busy, exciting and just a little crazy on our part.  Once again we were dealing with tiwi problems and had someone there from the company.  We were replacing four cars with the new ones so that required taking the tiwi out of the retiring cars and installing them in the new ones. We also had some that weren’t working and others that had fallen off the window and were just hanging which causes all kinds of problems as it reports the driver as being aggressive or even being in an accident.  This is an ongoing problem, in fact, three of the ones that were installed that morning had already fallen off before the meeting was over….good grief.  We don’t know if it is the heat and humidity, the glue or what, but nothing seems to work and it is getting old having to deal with it. It isn’t easy getting all the cars in one spot with the mission so spread out and they don’t want Elder C to fix them.  He has spent hours on the phone over these problems.  Probably when we are about ready to go home they will finally have the kinks worked out.  Groan. 

As for the transfer itself, there was a lot of movement with nine new missionaries (we picked up a Temple Sq Sister that afternoon) and sending eight of our fulltime missionaries home. We were happy to see that our  two Sisters were staying together here in Columbiana.  We also had mixed feelings as we saw our names on the transfer list.  We have known for several weeks that we will be moving to an apartment just five miles from the office.  This will be such a help not having to drive that extra hour a day, but it also means leaving our dear friends here in Columbiana.  We have been treated so well here and have learned to love the ward.  Our new assigned area is not far from the office, the Cahaba Heights Branch, which also means being assigned to a new stake.  We will be in the Birmingham Stake and attend church in their stake center. We have met the Branch Pres and heard good things about him. We were impressed. We will also be living in “the city”.  None of this will happen for another few weeks, though.  We are moving into another Sr Couple’s apartment and they won’t have their new place until the middle of May.  In the meantime we are still attending church here.

Our new Temple Sq Sister is from Brazil. We picked her up at the airport then she hung out with us at the office since her companion was going to be a visa waiter that wouldn’t arrive until the following day.  She is so cute and a ball of fire.  During transfers it’s hard to get much work done at the office with all the comings and goings.  Having four visa missionaries come in on Thur. prolonged that.  We picked them up at the airport then went through the process all over again.  We had also sent four visa missionaries on their way earlier in the week – lots of trips to the airport.  We have two more leaving this coming Monday.  With school being out the summer months will be full of even more hellos and goodbyes than usual. After being here nine months it’s getting harder to see some of the missionaries leaving.

One day this week we went with the Assistants to teach a Sisters they baptized a few months ago.  She is Spanish so we couldn’t understand a lot of what was said, but could feel the spirit.  We had gone with them to teach when she was investigating the church.  Like so many of the Spanish members, she has some legal issues to work out, but she is a lovely lady who wants to do what is right.

I mentioned that we had taken a little time to mix in some fun things.  We took Elder and Sister Smith with us on our last trip to pick up cars. They have become our official helpers it seems, and we enjoy their company.  One of the towns we drive through has turned the whole downtown area into Antique Shops and Sis Smith and I talked our husbands into letting us walk through some of them.  They were full of such interesting things. I’ve always heard you need to go south if you’re really serious about antiques and if we ‘had’ been serious, we would have hit the jackpot.  It was fun just looking.

I already sent pictures of Orr Park with all the tree carvings.  That is near our apt and we didn’t stay long, but enjoyed checking it out and will go back when we can. 

Two weeks ago I went to a Baby Shower for a lady in our ward here. It was at the McDaniel’s lovely old historic home.  Besides seeing sisters from the ward and stuffing myself with all the delicious food, I got to wander through the house taking pictures.  There are some lovely old homes in Columbiana.

This week I ‘made’ Elder C leave work early (before 7:00) on Tuesday so I could attend a RS activity.  It was a cute theme.  Everyone was asked to bring a shoe that best described them. It’s amazing what you can learn about a person through their taste shoes. There were several that I realized I had a lot in common with….like the cutest yellow heels that the lady said what she liked best about was she paid $1 for them at a yard sale AND they were comfortable.  I thought of Jeanette who loves shoes and has a closet full….all bought on sale. If you’re looking for an activity for your RS this was a fun getting to know you one.

Like always, I have spent too much time with this.  Elder C went off to the office earlier and for once I stayed home to get a few things done….so far, cleaning the bathtub and writing this letter is all I have to show for it.  It has been nice to be home, though.  This evening we are going with our Sisters to a teaching appointment.  Monday we will be getting things ready for two weeks of Zone Conferences. Actually, Elder C is already working on that today. 

We pray all is well with each of you.  Our thoughts have been with Cheryl, Paul’s sister-in-law, and we pray she will continue to recover.  We aren’t very good about sending personal messages and calling, but all of you are in our hearts and thoughts.  Have a good Sunday.

                             Love,  Sister and Elder Curtis     Mom/Dad

Conny Curtis 4/21

 April 21, 2012

I was just thinking the other day of the varied experiences you have while on a mission that would probably never happen if you’d just stayed home.  Like trying to find a parking space in downtown Birmingham when you’re rushing to an appointment.  Or going to a Jefferson County Court House to register three different sets of new cars and each time finding there is a new procedure from the last time that must take before you can complete the task.  You may remember the aggravation we had in the fall at the main Birmingham office. It took over three months and countless trips to finally get those five cars tagged and on the road and then the only way we made it happen was to go to a smaller court in Bessemer.  This time we thought we’d found the trick so went back to the same court with the three new cars that just came in.  Surprise!  No registration or tags could be issued until they physically inspected each car.  Where did that come from? There was no convincing them that we had never had to do this in the past and these were brand new cars right off the lot.  No, they had to see for themselves which meant another sixty mile round trip and enlisting Elder Greenland’s help to take the cars there.  They took a quick look and said, “Yelp, they all match your paperwork”. This took less than five minutes, but that was only the beginning because the next process was to stand in a long line for our turn. You may have heard that Jefferson Co. has declared bankruptcy and are short on workers. To make a long story short, over three hours later we walked out with the tags.  It would have been shorter, but just as the clerk was ready to hand us the registrations she noticed an error and had to start all over.  The error was to our good, but at that point we probably would have just paid the extra if given the choice.  The good news, we will be giving these cars out for missionary use next week.

As for the parking…..that never changes, but this was the first time I’ve been all by myself. I had a dentist appointment and didn’t want Elder Curtis to have to wait (he always has so much to do). I was just glad it was a dentist I was seeing and not a doctor that would be taking my “blood pressure”.  I do have to say, though, that the whole dentist experience filled me with gratitude for kind, generous people that give of their talents to serve others.  It started with my having a tooth that was bothering me. I called our mission nurse to see if she knew a good dentist. That very day a dentist from her ward called me back saying he would see me the next day even though it was Sunday. I didn’t really feel that was necessary, but he insisted and met me at his office between meetings.  After x-rays he felt I needed to be seen by a pariodontist (sp?) and arranged for another member who is in dental school to see me a few days later.  Again, to make a long story short (hmmmmmm) I had some specialty work done and neither dentist charged me for it. It would have cost hundreds even at the school so I was very thankful to these two good men. I need one more procedure done, but have been referred to another student that is training in this area so even if I end up having to pay, it will be at a reduced cost. We have been blessed again.  I feel like I need to send both men’s wives flowers for the time I took them away from home.

We have made several trips up north to our car repair shop.  There is a dealer that is buying four of the cars that have been recently retired so we were back and forth dropping some off for repairs and picking up the ones that were done. We take Elder and Sister Smith with us when we have several cars and it’s always pleasant to spend time with them.  It is also nice to be able to sell these cars so easily.  We will have five more that will need to go through this same process after next week. Selling cars isn’t one of Elder Curtis’ favorite jobs.  He has also been busy getting ready for the ten new missionaries coming in next week. We have eight going home as well.  This transfer will be another time of “hellos and goodbyes”.  Five of our visa missionaries are also leaving so there will be a lot of movement in the mission.  As I’ve said before, time flies and it seems that we were just doing this.  Transfers are every six weeks.  Some of the missionaries that we have become close to will be going home this time.

One of the hardest parts of this coming transfer will be our goodbye to Elder and Sister Rugg.  They were the first couple to greet us after we got our mission call.  He contacted us in Arizona to tell us about our housing and a little of what to expect in the mission.  His wife is the mission nurse.  They live in Utah now, but she is from the south and is very “southern”. Her accent is about as thick as they come and she keeps us entertained.  He has been over the mission housing so he and I interact with all the changes involving that as I keep it updated on the computer.  We have enjoyed serving with them and having them as good friends.  They will be missed.  Last Thursday Pres and Sister Holzapfel had all the couples to the mission home for a going away luncheon in their honor.  There is a new couple arriving in May to replace them.  They will have big shoes to fill. 

Last but not least, our ward has another convert baptism tomorrow morning before church. We will pick up Miss Julia early so she can be ready. I will write more about her and the baptism next week.  Our Sisters are very excited.  They are such devoted and sweet missionaries. Our Italian, Sister Narduzzi, is so full of life….she finds something to get excited about in everything.  She never has a bad day even when it has been filled with doors shut in their faces.  The Sisters stop by our apartment most every evening to report on their day.  They also enjoy the fact that we can bring their mail from the office so they don’t have to wait.  We make big points with that service : -)  We love being able to work with them as well as all the young missionaries.

I can’t close without at least a couple pictures.  The first is one taken near our apartment. The woods here are filled with wild honeysuckle.  The roads and freeways are lined with it and it smells heavenly.  The other picture is of me trying out one of the new bikes that Elder Curtis has ready for a Sister.  I can’t remember the last time I rode a bike.  There are few ‘flat’ places in Alabama…. not even the office parking lot.  Our missionaries put in a day’s work when out biking on the rolling hills. It probably wouldn’t hurt Elder C and me to try it now and then. Whew!  Pres Holzapfel tells a funny story of him trying to keep up with the missionaries on his bike when he first came here.  He assured them he wasn’t dying while laying on the grass huffing and buffing halfway to the church.  That would be me for sure. It was fun for a minute or two around the parking lot today. 

Have a nice Sunday tomorrow.  We send our love and blessings. 

                                 Elder and Sister Curtis           Mom and Dad