Current Address

Sister Ashley Curfew
4544 Bancroft Ave #5
 Lincoln, NE 68504

July 14, 2014

Dear Family,

     Happy to hear that mom is doing well. Those were nasty pictures. Sounds like everyone is taking good care of her.

That's cool that Blaine is the Ogden shin dig. When is it being dedicated? I feel like Blaine will be much more prepared for serving
a mission than I was. :) It'll be cool to see where he goes.

Well right now I just super exhausted. I'm  pretty sure we'll be spending our prep day in our beds blissfully sleeping. :) haha

that was a joke...we don't even have time to do that. But all is well.

This week was kind of incredible. I learned SO MUCH. We had a really epic zone training this past week. President Weston

has committed us to baptize monthly. And so the zone leaders trained a lot on faith and etc...I left that meeting wondering if

I have any faith! My companion was like yeah let's do this! I was just doubted hardcore that we could baptize monthly...I mean it sounds doable but then  you go out and start
 working and it's harder than anything I'll ever do. People just don't like us.I don't know I was just doubting. I know I am a horrible person. But as I prayed about it every night
and was reading my scriptures I was like, what can God not do? Nothing. He can do everything and I know that so why am I doubting? So my faith
was strengthened very much so and then that day we were able to set a guy named Danny for baptism. He just happened to be home at the time
we were planning on being there and we had an amazing team up with us. Have miracles ceased? Nope not at all! They're very real. :)

So we're going to try our best to baptize monthly. :) Much prayer would be appreciated. haha

We also had exchanges this week. It was amazing. We got in with so many people who usually would not let us in.

I was a little stressed out planning for that night because I felt like we needed to see these people, but I knew they wouldn't let

us in. So we put them down in our dinky planners expecting it to be a failure and we got in with every single one. I was very humbled.

Man I just need to work on having more faith! I'm seeing a pattern here. Anyway. This week was just amazing.

It was still hard though because we had what we call "The Great Car Shuffle." So we had just set a plan with sisters we were sharing a car with and

it was going really well and great and stuff. And then we get a call from the zone leaders that we were getting a different car with different
sisters and so on. It was really complicated! Anyway the new sisters we are sharing with are new sisters and they're just really difficult to work with.

It's really hard to be like Sisters we have done this before, we know what we are doing, and we promise the plan that we have is really the most effective

plan for sharing a car. Yeah they didn't like it. Usually I would be like that's it get out of the car you're walking for the rest of  your mission. Peace out!

But my comp and I were like okay...you do your thing and we'll do ours and whichever one works better we'll go with that. Our plan did work better like we said,

but they just needed to figure it out on their own the way things work. 

It made me think of like Agency and the huge role it has in the Plan of Salvation. God set a plan for us to follow. Keep the commandments, follow Jesus Christ,

be baptized, and etc...But we are able to choose between right and wrong. How amazing of a gift is that? Good planning on Heavenly Father's part. :) We have to

figure out things by ourselves and that's much more effective than Satan's plan.

Anyway yeah...I'm doing really well. Enjoying the work. :)

Love  you all!

Love, Sister Curfew 

July 7, 2014

Dear Family,

Dad, thanks for the email. Glad to hear that Blanding was super fun. It always is. I look forward to going there next year.

Sounds like your popcorn popper is super cool. Good to hear there was no fires in Utah. So all the fireworks in Utah that are illegal are legal here. It's amazing!!!! There is a family that lives in the middle of nowhere and they put on an epic firework show. It's like a huge family tradition. It was SO COOL. And loud. Lincoln is very into their fireworks. I didn't sleep for like 3 nights because it sounded like we were in a war zone/thunderstorm. Granted it's so green here so there is less of a risk of fires so that's nice. :) Lincoln is very serious about their fireworks.

I always find this concept of "doing the little things" kind of cool.  It kind of goes both ways. If you don't do the little things eventually you will fall. But if you do do the little things then great things come to pass. It's fascinating. "Small and simple things are great things come to pass." It's like working out. Doing 25 crunches once doesn't give  you a 6 pack. It's consistently doing crunches day by day that gets your core into shape.  Obviously I have not applied that into my life...I hate crunches. Anyway.

It also makes me think of the Atonement a lot. Many have fallen from not doing the little things, but because of our Savior Jesus Christ they are able to try again.  Also, through the Atonement we can change our character and nature.  I feel like that is a huge comfort for me because after my mission I will not be expected to study everyday and I will not be expected to do a lot of stuff. But the goal is that when every missionary gets home they're are able to keep up the habits we have learned because it's apart of our nature rather than "expected behavior." So hopefully I'll be able to apply that. I don't know about cont to wake up at 6:30...that might be the first thing to go...;) haha. All is well I still have a while so I'm not too worried.

Anyway this week went really well. It was hard week to proselyte obviously because it was a holiday week and everyone drinks here so...that made it difficult. But thankfully we were able to have a member drive us to some other small towns in our area. Like Firth, Hickman, Douglas, Panama, Palmyra...yeah our area is huge. There are a lot of LA out in those towns so we spent ALL day traveling to peoples houses and what not. We spent a lot of time in the car...the scenery was gorgeous though. :) We were able to meet a Recent Convert family and they're awesome. :) They haven't been able to come to church because Sis Dowling has a lot of legitimate health issues. But they have a  very strong testimony of the gospel and they're so great. I love the people out here. :) Also my new goal in life is to live on a ranch in the middle of nowhere...:) We'll see how that goes.  haha  So yeah that's my mission life...Sis McCauley is still as great as always. Car shares stink and I hate them but the members have been helping us out a lot. :) It's really really hot...I don't remember it being this hot last summer...But yeah.

Thanks for everything. I love you all and hopefully mom's surgery goes well.
Love, Sister Curfew

 

Pictures July 30th

Enormous Storm

Blackmail

more of the enormous storm

June 30, 2014

Dear Family ,

I'm jealous that you got to spend the week camping. :( But I'm glad it went well.

What are you guys doing for the 4th? How is everyone doing?

This week was great. :) For prep day last week we watched Ephraim's Rescue. Um. SO GOOD. I don't know if y'all have seen it...
but it's super good. If I could I would watch it over and over again. It's by the same director of 17 miracles and is just awesome.

It inspired Sis McCauley and I to work crazy hard. So we thought that this past week would be the last week we would be together...

but alas I'm staying in Holmes Lake. :) Which I am VERY happy to stay, and keep the same companion.

I was asked to give a training this week in our District Mtg about How the Book of Mormon gives us access to the Atonement. It went
 really well. My favorite part was studying for it. I've decided the Book of Mormon is guidebook/ work book on becoming a better

person because it's all about Christ. Therefore we are accessing the Atonement by trying to  be better day by day. It was cool.

Although we didn't get transferred things have been insane. We have another set of sisters living with us and they are brand new
to Lincoln and they are opening another area here and one of the sisters is brand new from the MTC.
But we are both without cars because of a long and complicated mess that is

really frustrating. Anyway so it's been interesting trying to balance working in our area and helping the other sisters get situated until
they can move into their area and what not. But it's been fun. Kind of. :)

So we were asked to help this family in another ward clean up their house so they can sell it. We did a TON of work. We woke
up yesterday and could barely move. We painted and did yard work. I've decided I'm probably just going to work in construction
because I'm getting good at this home projecting stuff. (Thank you Condie's) So the Elders came and helped us out and  we were
digging in the dirt and this Elder found a worm. And he ate it. He slurped it down like a  noodle...everyone just stared at him like he
was insane. Oh my goodness it was nasty.

Anyway, we were blessed to work with a lot of members this week which was awesome. We met some super awesome people and I

don't have time to tell you about them. Maybe next week.

Love you all!

Love, Sister Curfew

June 23, 2014

So my email this week will probably just be the spotlight thing.

Well, I am currently serving in the Holmes Lake Ward in Lincoln Nebraska.

I  have been in this ward since the middle of January so I've been here for a long time,

and I love ever minute of it. The people in t his ward are amazing. We just visited
with a man who just entered hospice and will probably be passing away in July. And he

is still doing his home teaching via Skype. He has the most optimistic attitude about everything
 and continues to serve in the temple. I feel very privileged to have gotten to know him. The members in this
ward are excellent at fellow shipping. They are very simple people who love the Lord and because
of that they are doing amazing thing. We had a member invite one of our investigators to be baptized

a couple of Sunday's ago at church and our investigator agreed.  That was a miracle. Because of

that we were able to set her for baptism in July. We are seeing miracles more and more everyday.

Currently our mission is focusing on "Miracles." We had a awesome zone conference where we just
discussed miracles and what they were and how we recognize them. One of my favorite quotes is

"coincidences are how God stays anonymous."   So we have been asked to specifically pray for
miracles in our area. Everyday we have been able to see small miracles here and there. Whether it
be members putting our bikes in the back of  a van so we didn't have to ride home in the heat. Or we were

blessed to get a member referral. I could go on. "Miracles were and are a response to faith, and it best encouragement.
They were never wrought without prayer

,felt need, and faith." (BD Miracles.) I have a firm testimony of prayer. It's kind of this really amazing thing. I

more specifically have a testimony of keeping a prayer journal. That has completely changed the way I pray and

made my prayers much more meaningful, because I am able to write down thoughts and impressions down and then
be able to recall them and then act on the inspiration we have received. By doing that it  helps me be more specific
and it helps me see the Lords hand in EVERYTHING we do.

Anyway, my companion right now is Sister McCauley and she is from South Weber Utah. She's hilarious
rarely is there a couple of seconds where we are not laughing. I am very thankful to be serving with her. She

is a great teacher and we have a great friendship. :) She has taught me quite a bit and I pray that I will continue to learn
from her. 

Fun Facts about Nebraska...it's annoyingly humid. Be thankful you have dry heat. I wake up and go to bed looking like

a lion. I'm pretty sure it's because of my hair that people are running away from us when we try and talk to them. I

really can't blame them. I would run away too. :)

Also, Nebraska is very religious there are different churches on each corner. So it's really easy to talk about

God here because they're all very familiar with the Bible and its teachings. However it makes it difficult
because they're not willing to change. They are happy where they are and don't really feel a need to change.

So as missionaries we have to show them that need, which is a challenge.  It's really caused to me know my
stuff. My favorite part about being a missionary is my personal study in the morning. I have a whole hour to read
and learn and improve as a missionary. It's great. :) Although sometimes I fall asleep...but I feel like that's pretty human.

Another thing is people really like to eat here. A lot. I don't think I have ever eaten so much in my life. Hence the reason

why we got bikes! Everyone knows how to cook ridiculously well. I'm a fan!

We also have a lot of fun with the other missionaries in our zone. I didn't realize when I chose to serve a mission that

I would make so many lifelong friends. We have a lot of fun. Some Elders in our zone put the some of the packaged

big bubble wrap stuff under the tires of our car so when I started the car and put it into drive I thought I had set off a bomb and that we were
going to die. And we look out the windows and the Elders are just laughing. It's funny  now but at the time I considered running them over.

But yeah. I have enjoyed my mission very much and I dread the day I come home. I love this gospel

and I love my Savior Jesus Christ. I know that this is the true church is the same church Jesus Christ set up when he was
on the earth. I know that a modern day prophet is a divine pattern that is found all throughout the scriptures. I love having a living prophet
 on the earth that guides us through this mortal life in safety when we follow his counsel.

Thanks for all the love and support that you have given me and my family.

Love, Sister Ashley Curfew