Por Favor, Identify Yourselves...

"Hey, do me a favor, on my blogspot webpage put that picture that you sent. The one that is taken looking down our stairs into my room where there are two girls standing on the right side of the photo, one has a turquoise shirt on and you can only see 11% of the other girls face. Ask them to identify themselves. I DONT KNOW WHO THEY ARE."

Curtis would like to know who these two girls are. If you know, please leave a comment. Thanks.

Personal Journals

"My journal is almost full. I probably have about two more months of space."

His journal was 33 black binders on the shelves of his personal study when President Spencer W. Kimball was called to be President of the Church in 1973. Since then, he has counseled members of the Church to keep personal journals.

President Kimball Speaks Out on Personal Journals

Elder Martins

"This is my companion, Elder Martins. He is from Ponta Grossa, Paraná. He is quite skilled at the violin and has seven months on the mission. He has one brother who is three years old. No one in his family is a member of the Church. His first area was called Campos do Jordão, and he is currently working as the Sao Paulo East Mission House Secretary."

New Videos And Pictures

Curtis has sent more videos and pictures home. These are the last of Bom Clima and the first of Taubate. Curtis sings quite a bit on these videos - look out American Idol!

Videos

Pictures

These links are also permanent on the right side of the page.

Traveling To São José dos Campos

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"We have had to travel everywhere for Elder Martins house secretary duties. We went to Sao Jose dos Campos on Thursday to look at some houses for the Elders of Vila Ema. Not only was it expensive to travel there (on the bus, like real missionaries) but it was raining and we were both tired when we got there. We took some buses, walked around blind for about 30 minutes, I bought a way sweet backpack for all my travel needs, and got all of our stuff resolved. We then had to travel home, ride the Metro and ended up getting home a little above, or past, the hour."

"Then this morning we went to the end of Sao Paulo, on our P-day, to inspect the worst house in the history of horrible houses. Then next Tuesday we have to go out to Taubate. It's gonna be the longest journey yet."

São José dos Campos is a municipality and a major city in the state of São Paulo, Brazil and one of most important industrial and research centers in Latin America.

It is located in the Vale do Paraíba (Paraiba Valley), between the two most active production and consumption regions in the country, São Paulo (80 km of distance) and Rio de Janeiro (320 km).

According to a 1999 UN study, São José dos Campos was rated one of the top 25 Brazilian cities for quality of life. With its high per capita income, long life expectancy and high level of infrastructure, São José dos Campos is a safe and secure city that offers a wide variety of stores and services.

Joseph Smith's First Vision

"We asked the MTC President if we could eat dinner since it was a long trip back to the Sao Paulo East mission office. So we ended up eating. I said the First Vision like a billion times to these American missionaries at the dinner table. The new elders thought it was crazy how well I spoke. I said, just practice, and pray, and you'll get it in no time."

Curtis and his companion had to go to the Brazil CTM to deliver some paperwork. They stayed for dinner and impressed the new misionaries with their Portuguese language skills and their mastery of preaching the Gospel.

Joseph Smith's First Vision

Share The Gospel

"Well, the office has been quite a delight these last few days. I have a 29 page list of referrals that I have to send out to all of the areas. It's crazy, because every day in our mission email I get all these referrals sent to me from the Sao Paulo North mission and then I look them up with my ZIP code finder and map program and they end up being in the North mission. So I end up sending the referrals back to the North. It's a hassle, but I don't mind. Well sometimes I do, but whatever. It's just that the people who are on these emails have to wait weeks for the missionaries to show up at their house because the mission offices are tossing the referrals back and forth and not much gets solved."

To share the gospel with a friend or relative, fill out the form below. Representatives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will contact and invite your friend or relative to learn about the Church.

Share the Gospel

Why Serve A Mission?

"Why have these great missionaries and others like them been willing to sacrifice the comforts of home, family, loved ones and sweethearts to answer the call to serve? It's because they have a testimony of Jesus Christ. And when they know Him there is no bed too hard or too short. No sacrifice is too great to serve the Master who sacrificed His all to provide the way for His brothers and sisters to return home to their Heavenly Father. And because they are faithful to their callings, thousands will revere their names throughout eternity."

--Harold G. Hillam, LDS Church News, October 7, 1995, p.16

Where is Curtis Now?

Curtis has been transfered early this time due to his surgery. His mission president decided to keep him in Sao Paulo city. He works in the mission office in Belem during the day and makes contacts in the evening.





"Belem is right near the heart of Sao Paulo. There is a big cathedral there that we are gonna go check out in a few weeks. We got tons of sweet exploring to do."


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Metro Sao Paulo

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"So I'm getting a lot better, I can walk a little faster than cold tar now, as President Urry says, and I'm working during the nights and making contacts, riding buses and the Metro still, but not in Taubate. Because Taubate is completely Metro-less. So where are you doing all of this, Elder Tonks? In my new area, called Belem. It's where the mission office is. If you look on the map we have the Metro stations of Belem, Bras, Bresser, Pedro II and Sé in our area."

São Paulo's is among the younger metros in the world and it's considered one of the most modern although today's extension does not cover all areas of this populous city.

Read about the Metro Sao Paulo

1 Nephi 20:10

"I have a new favorite scripture. It's in 1 Nephi 20:10 and it talks about being chosen. I like it because it says we don't get through life in lukewarm water or a cool summer breeze but in the red hot furnace of affliction. I always think of it when I get patience tests thrown at me, such as white Fiats, hernias, two days of training on how to do reports and referrals and stuff of that nature. The war goes on."

1 Nephi 20:10 "For, behold, I have refined thee, I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction".

Sao Paulo Futebol Clube

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"The Sao Paulo Futebol Clube is the world champions in professional soccer on the non-world cup level. They defeated Liverpool 1-0 last Sunday in Japan. People were going crazy here, lighting off fireworks, driving around in Fiats waving SPFC flags out the window, and doing a whole lot of drinking. A few people asked me if I was happy about the victory to which I replied, "I'm always happy if the Pittsburgh Steelers are winning!" They didnt know who that was and most have never heard of Pittsburgh or it's sweet football team."

São Paulo Futebol Clube, usually called São Paulo FC or just São Paulo, is a very traditional Brazilian football team from São Paulo, founded on January 25, 1930, and Re-founded on December 16, 1935. It is often called Tricolor (that means with three colours) by its supporters.

The team is the most successful club in Brazil, with several titles of national and international grade. That includes three Intercontinental Cups (two of them are South American Cup titles and the other is a FIFA Club World Championship title) and three Libertadores Cups.

Its home stadium is Estádio Cícero Pompeu de Toledo (Morumbi), capacity 80,000. They play in a white shirt with two horizontal stripes--one red and one black, white shorts and socks.