Elder Schmidt's letter for April 8th. Curtis talks about playing "Temple Ball" in Manhattan. The temple in Manhattan is very unique, the temple is in the upper floors of the building with the lower floors being a church office building, a chapel, and a culture hall with a basketball court. When you go into the building there is an elevator that is just for taking you up to the temple. 

Hey,

        How are you all?   I'm in the middle of my first week.  Had some time, so I thought I would start an email to you guys. I'm doing good. We mostly knock doors.  It's funny, we call ourselves the blood hounds because all we do is find that we rarely teach in this area, but it is awesome,  We knocked like 200 doors today, literally.  I am so tired but it's a good tired.  Today we saw a precession for Easter where all these catholic people were walking down the street.  The companionship that we are roommates with saw one with like 250 people and at the end of it all, they had hung a fake Jesus doll on a cross,  They showed us pictures and it was crazy! hahah.  I am loving the Bronx.  There is so much to see. Tomorrow is General Conference and I will write more after that, so goodnight...... sorta kinda, not really.

 Saturday General Conference was awesome!   I got so much out of it, but there were so many talks on marriage and family, hahahah  Oh yeah, We watched General Conference at the church, but in like a small room because more people show up from the Spanish branch, so they get the chapel.  It was seriously just like just missionaries watching and that is probably what is going to happen today.  It was so funny whenever marriage was mentioned we would turn to a couple of the missionaries that are going home the next cycle.  

In between sessions we tracked because we seriously need to find someone to teach.  After we were done, we went to a bodega and got what I can only describe as the greatest sandwich of all time. Chipotle chicken with chipotle Gouda (or however you spell that cheese) with an egg.  It was so good! hahah. During the priesthood session we had root beer floats from the ward and that was fun.  It's Sunday morning and we are about to study,  I just wanted to write you some more,  I will continue later.

Hey it's Monday today in the morning.  My companion is in a meeting, so I'm just chilling.  hahah.  Today seems like it is going to be awesome. We aren't knocking any doors. 

It is now Wednesday.  Sorry if this email is super weird,  hahah 

I will get better at emailing some day, but anyways, Monday we ended up knocking on one door.  It was a family from the Dominican Republic and the only spoke Spanish so we are going to have to pass them off to the Spanish elders.  But Monday we met a man named Lewis and his wife Sydney and they are awesome.  They asked us if we were able to go to their house and we were just like yes of course!  hahah.  They did like half the work for us.

To answer some questions our apartment address is 2415 creston rd.  Our area is pretty ghetto, but I hear if you get below 154th street it gets really bad.   hahah.  Umm any mail.... goes to the mission office though.   If Kyle wants to send ties, there are no rules on ties, anything goes. We haven't taught too much.  It's mostly just knocking doors or going to parks to find people.  A lot of the people here don't speak English, so I'm the minority.  Everyone thinks that my companion is Dominican because he's black.  It's so funny.

Right now I am sitting on a subway train and we are going to the temple to play some temple ball (just basket ball in the temple). hahah.  We played yesterday at our building and I didn't get to use my half court shot.  hahaha.  So we will see how today goes. 

Another little fun fact.... I guess that I am eating like ten times healthier. hahah.  We eat salad and stuff all the time.  Unless we are going to a bodega, because there we get the best and the least healthy sandwiches ever.  hahah.  Chipotle chicken with pepper jack and an egg!  It's the greasiest, most delicious thing in the world! hahah

Oh yeah, and today we are going to buy what we call Bronx pants. hahah  They are the most ghetto thing ever!  The people here are awesome, but they sometimes just dress ridiculously. hahah

So yeah, that's what's been going on here sort of... You can ask questions if anything seems weird or if I didn't explain something well.  I am not allowed to talk to much back and forth but I am allowed to receive emails every day and write drafts through out the week.  So I will try to answer any questions and tell you everything as much as possible.

Love,

Elder Schmidt

Once we get a picture of the "Bronx pants" I will post them, for Curtis to call something ridiculous it has to be way our there. After all we are talking about the boy who would run up and down the street with his brother wearing morph suits!

Curtis with President and Sister Morgan

First night in field @ mission home in Scarsdale

OUR FIRST EMAIL FROM NEW YORK 4/1/15

Hey Everyone,

I'm in my new area.  I got my iPad!  It's P-day......

My companions name is Elder Sorenson.  He is pretty

awesome!  He wants to go basketball contacting sometime,

so that will be cool.  I don't feel like I'm in New York right now. Ha Ha

Oh yeah, I'm in an area called King's Bridge.  It's the west side of the

Bronx.  It's so cool!  We are in the clerks office of our church building

emailing.  It's pretty awesome here.  The weather is nice.  It snowed the

day we got here, which was cool to see.  How are all of you doing?

I don't know what to write, so ask me some questions and I will try

to answer some later.

Love,

Elder Schmidt

(from my iPad)

3/31/15 Curtis was given  the okay to call home from the airport before he left to New York New York. He let us know that he spent Saturday in the Urgent Care. Seems he had an allergic to his clothing detergent and he decided to blow up like a balloon. They kept him for a couple hours with an IV of Benadril and all is good. He sounded like he was ready to go share the Gospel. Watch out New York here comes Elder Schmidt.

Curtis sent some pictures home from the MTC

Curtis's MTC district

First care package from his Aunt and Uncle Kim and Bryan

Curtis and Trevor McLaws in the MTC.  No better feeling then
seeing a friend in the MTC

Prove Temple

Curtis Schmidt licence to preach

MTC emails. March 27th 2015


Hey,
I sent a letter to dad that was for the whole family, but I got more time, so I will write some more to you. Ha Ha.  The MTC is awesome as always.  Oh yeah, I forgot to say who is all in my district.  I will send pictures after the MTC if I can.  My companion is Elder Nelson.  We are staying in the same room as Elder Green and Elder Martin who are awesome.  Elder Green is super smart but can get annoying and Elder Martin is pretty cool.  He just has been on edge being companions with Elder Green and all.  Oh yeah, and they are serving in Gilbert, AZ so that was cool to hear...I forgot to tell you that.  Ha Ha.  I always tell them how much I wanted to leave Arizona for two years.  Ha Ha.  But then there are the Sisters.  Sister Zalaya who is going to the same mission.  She is companions with Sister Bishoff who is also going to AZ, and then Sister Harman who is going to Canada, and Sister Lawrence who is going to Los Angeles.  That is everyone in our district, but as a Zone Leader I am sort of over our branch along side Elder Nelson and I am over the new 8 Elders and Sisters in our branch/zone.  It was crazy when they came on Wednesday and I got to kind of see how much I've changed.  Anyways, life is good.  Let me know how everyone is. :)  I love you all.  Ha Ha.  Not really but sorta.  Ha Ha.
Love,
Elder Schmidt

___________________________________________________________________________________

Hey Dad,

Thanks for all your letters and emails.  First off, can you send me like everyone's email that you can, so I can write everyone in the family and stuff?  Ha Ha.  I am so pumped to get to New York though.  I can't wait to embrace the cold.  Oh, and I think this is just gonna be an email for everyone, just so I don't have to worry about writing two and when I get out to the field I will make sure to write real letters too, because there is just so much I wanna send.  Ha Ha 

The MTC is awesome!  We have our last lesson with Ben, our MTC investigator, that we have been told COULD BE  a real investigator or just a member.  We have gotten pretty far with helping him see Christ in his life and teaching him the doctrine.  I told him that we weren't there to just teach him and that it was up to him to put in the effort and make this something that he wanted.  He yelled at me and told me that I could just leave.  It was so freaky, but we got it turned around and he started to listen to us and HE PRAYED.  It was awesome.  He ready some of the Book of Mormon and prayed about it.  He said he didn't feel anything but he promised to keep praying about it.  We are going to be teaching him the gospel of Jesus Christ and ask him if he will talk to the missionaries in his area because this is our last time teaching him.  We want him to be able to keep progressing.  

Anyways, at the devotional last Sunday the head of missionary work talked to us and it was awesome.  I wanted to share something his wife said.  She related life to a piano and how the black keys represent the bad things and the white keys represent the good things.  The important thing to remember though is that even the black keys make music.  Ha Ha.  I just loved that little metaphor.  At the devotional Elder Hamulah of the Seventy came and spoke to us.  He was the Mission President of Kyle's Mission before he served there.  He talked a lot about faith and how without faith, hope is impossible, because there is no want.  Sorry, I just keep jumping from topic to topic.  I'm just super excited.  Ha Ha.  Um....tell Kyle he is lame and he will never be as cool as me.  And tell Lexi that I didn't cry once.  Ha Ha Ha. JK.  I cried a lot!  Ha Ha.  Um, but anyways, I am learning so much and I can't wait to learn more.  I will get back on in a bit to talk more, I just have to get my laundry.

Love you all,

Elder Schmidt

First Emails from the MTC. March 20th 2015

Hey Dad,

I'm doing good.  It's awesome here.  My companions name is Elder Nelson, he's awesome.  We are starting to become friends and its awesome to teach and learn with him.  The Dear Elder thing is working fine.  I got your letter.  The MTC is awesome and teaching is so easy here because the spirit is so strong here.  It's hard and I am super tired all the time, but I'm learning so much here....and I can't wait to go share the gospel with people.  I was mad a zone leader last night and I get to help next week introducing the new elders and sisters in our district.  I got my flight plans today I leave on march 31st,  I will be landing first in Georgia and then transferring to a flight to NEW YORK.  Ha Ha.  Sorry this email is all over the place.  I just have been having a lot of things happening.  Oh yeah, I SAW TREVOR MC LAWS!  He is doing awesome!  I might be able to  get a picture to you guys some time, but he is doing awesome.  He was so happy and It's awesome to see someone I know here.  We started teaching lessons and stuff the first day and we haven't stopped.  I didn't know they had real investigators here that they let the missionaries teach.  Well,  I'm gonna write Mom and anyone else I can now.  Ha Ha.  Thank you for helping me get here.  I am so happy to learn and to grow as a missionary, and sharing God's purpose with others and helping to bring them to Christ.

Love,

Elder Schmidt

AKA: Curtis

P.S. My P-Day is Friday.  Ha Ha

Hey Mom,

 How is everything at home?  Everything here is awesome.  I'm learning so much about how to share the gospel and I'm learning a ton about how to listen to the spirit.  It's awesome to see just how much I knew before the MTC.  I'm so excited that i get to share this amazing gospel and teach them about the atonement because that is really what the gospel is about.  And to see how anything you teach someone revolves around Christ and His atonement.  We learned today that the purpose of a missionary is the same as any general authority and even the same purpose as our heavenly father.  It's amazing to see just how important missionary work is and that we are literally acting on gods behalf.  I told Dad about all my info and those things so he should tell you.  Mom thank you for all the outstanding things you do for me.  Another thing we talked about is that a parents purpose in the gospel is the same, to help your children receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement, repentance, baptism, and receiving the gift of the holy ghost, and enduring to the end, and that's exactly what you and dad have done.  Just like missionaries you couldn't force us to go on missions or read Scriptures or any of those things, but you taught us the importance of doing those things.  Mom thank you for all that you have done for me, since I got into the MTC I feel like I would be making you proud. I have started so many habits that were hard before.  I read my scriptures, pray (all the time), and I have cleaned up my language to be more missionary like.  I can already see the blessings of these habits.  I feel the spirit everyday when I teach and do the things missionaries do.  Again, thank you mom.  Ha Ha  I've been saying that a lot but, that's because I mean it.  Let me know how home is and all that stuff,

Love, 

Elder Schmidt