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Elder Curtis,
I was pleased to discover your blog and learn of your success with the Stop Smoking Program. Many thousands of missionaries have reported similar success stories.
I hope Frank has a good experience, and I wanted you to know that I will remember you and your investigators in my prayers.
You mentioned in your blog that people have sent others to you to learn to quit, and then those people became investigators. This is wonderful.
The latest version of the lesson manual has a new sections describing how the Stop Smoking Lesson can be used as a finding tool, something you have discovered by personal experience.
Also, it is currently in the process of being translated into French by some wonderful volunteers. If you want a copy of the newest version in English, please let me know and it will be sent as an attachment you can then print.
Please be sure to report to your mission president about your use of the Stop Smoking Program as well.
May God bless you and your companion as your serve the Lord.
Sincere appreciation,
David M. Bresnahan
LDSStopSmokingProgram.org
While the story shared about the French hymn “Souviens-toi” is beautiful and touching, it is incorrect. It is a rumor and is not doctrinal. While living in France I heard the same thing from a woman I attended Church with.
And unfortunately, the translation provided by Elder Curtis is incorrect. “Souviens-toi” is the command form of the verb “to remember.” It is reflective, which is why the “toi” (which means “you”) is hyphenated. If you were saying “I remember” you would say “Je me souviens”. Sorry to seem nitpicky, but it changes the entire meaning of the hymn.
The hymn is about a new mother holding her infant, but it is about the preexistence and the fact that the little baby has come fresh from Heavenly Father’s presence and was not that long ago in his Heavenly parents’ arms. The woman proceeds to wonder what the Premortal life was like, since the baby is so fresh from that experience and from the veil.
The link provided at the end of the letter to the English lyrical translation is not literal either, but it does capture the message of the hymn and teach the doctrine intended.
I am sorry to be critical, I’m sure Elder Curtis is a wonderful missionary and is great at French. I just want to make sure that this beautiful song is done justice. It is my favorite hymn.
Enjoy Belgium, Elder Curtis. It is a wonderful area with very kind and interesting people. May God be with you as you do His work.