Hermana Kennedy, and Yes, Napoleon, the Chickens DO Have Large Talons

Hi family!  So much to write about, and of course, this keyboard has all sticky keys, so sorry about that.  Here's my letter to President:

Buenos dias, Presidente Murphy!

This week was kind of a crazy one!  We had the San Juan festival here all weekend which meant that almost nobody was home!  We spent all of Sunday contacting, from the time we left our mamitas house until we returned home at night.  At about 5:00 in the afternoon, we were both feeling pretty tired since we hadn't found anybody to teach, so I said a prayer and about twenty minutes later, we knocked on the door of a house we had contacted before.  We haven't ever found anyone there before, but a woman opened the door and let us in.  Her name is Gladys, and she's been wondering for a while whether she should start attending a church.  Her life is a little chaotic with six kids, so she was really interested in our message.  We have another appointment with her for this Wednesday, and I'm so excited, but mostly grateful to Heavenly Father for helping us find her.  What a tender mercy.

Hermana Bustos is improving really quickly.  She's an excellent teacher, and her testimony is so strong.  She always has a good attitude, and she's such an example to me of perseverance.  I'm really grateful to have her as my companion, because I think I'm learning more from her than she is from me :-)

We currently have one investigator with a baptismal date.  Janice still hasn't had her baby and wasn't able to attend church this past week because she was in the hospital, so we had to drop her date, but in our next appointment with them, we are planning on setting another one.

However, our investigator is Mariana Antamba.  She is the mom of two recent converts, and she has been listening to the missionaries since her son, Francisco, started back in 2016.  She's never come to church, and she's never accepted a baptismal date.  We have been praying a lot for her, and we put into practice what we learned in zone conference about each investigator needing their own time.  She knows that the church is true, but she's just a little scared and feels unprepared.  However, for the past few weeks, she has attended church which even the members couldn't believe, and she accepted a baptismal date for the 2nd of September.  It's a long ways away, but it's time that she needs.  I'm so grateful that she's finally feeling ready to be baptized, and I'm so excited for her.

Thank you for all of your hard work, and thank you for all the counsel and advice you give us.  I'm so grateful for you and Hermana Murphy!  I love you!  Have a wonderful week.

Hermana Kennedy

So reality check.  I really do love Hermana Bustos.  She's such an example to me, and I'm learning a lot from her everybody.  She doesn't complain at all, and she's a cutie.  It's just a little hard because she's very dependent.  Probably the best word to describe her is "innocent".  She's just not very independent which is a little hard for me, but it's good practice for being a mom someday, am I right, Mama?  But she really is learning so fast which is awesome, and we are already getting into more of a rhythm which is awesome too.  I still feel a little stress sometimes, but only because of me.  I just want to do a good job, and I want her to enjoy her training, and it is rather stressful to have to lead everything.  But in the next couple of weeks, she gets to be the leader in more of the lessons and stuff, so I'm hoping the stress levels will die down a little bit.  I've been ticking a lot which I don't think anyone but me has noticed, and my acne has been bad, but hopefully the stress will equal out, and it'll all be okay.

Hermana Bustos had a birthday, and our investigator, Mariana Antamba always wants us to come over for lunch, and she knew it was Hermana's birthday, so she made her a cake.  Isn't that so sweet? <3

So, crazy miracle this week.  We found this guy while contacting.  His name is Oswaldo, and he's very nice.  When we asked him if there was anything we could help him with, he told us that we could help him harvest his strawberries early Friday morning.  Okay, cool.  So, we showed up on Friday morning to help him.  Unfortunately, his field is in the middle of campo (fields and fields) and where there are lots of fields in Ecuador, there's lots of water which means lot of bugs.  Yes, for my service, I received about a gajillion bug bites all over my legs, and lucky me, I still have severe reactions to bug bites.  Well, I was feeling it.  It almost felt like my legs were on fire, because the itching was so bad, and of course, the one medication I forgot at home was Benadryl, so it was rough.  In my prayer at night on Saturday, I asked Heavenly Father to please help me.  I really, really am trying to get rid of all the scabs on my legs from the bugs, and I've been so good, and the last thing I wanted was more, but the itching has been so bad.  I asked Him to please let the bug bites heal quickly and that I would be able to focus on the work instead of how bad my legs felt.  Well, the next day, I didn't have any itching on my legs, and I kid you not, the welts have gone down significantly.  I can't even tell you how grateful I am.  Sometimes, there will be a mild itching, but I'm controlling myself and making myself live through it.  Heavenly Father really is the bomb dot com.

Okay, so today was probably the best Preparation day yet.  I have a really awesome district this transfer, and today, we decided as a district to head to Cayambe Nevado.  It's a National Park here, and it's basically a mountain trail, but like, for real up a mountain, and at the top, there's snow.  We had to take a truck up this super sketchy path for about an hour and once we got there, I think we were at about 4000 meters (13,000 feet).  The elder from Arizona, Elder Seaman, was freezing.  Then, we hiked this mountain, and it was the coolest thing I've ever done.  I felt like a backpacker in the Himalayas.  We were so high up, even above the clouds, with snow, and I kept expecting to see a snow leopard or something!  There were markers along the trail, and I'll be real honest, I was kind of a beast.  The air there is super thin, but I kept hiking, even when the other hermanas stopped.  I couldn't stand the fact that I kept seeing another trail marker, and I just had to reach it.  At one point, Elder Seaman stopped, but his companion, Elder Hernandez, and I wanted to keep going to the top, so we did, and it was totally worth the hike.  I felt like I was about to reach heaven.  It was the coolest thing ever.  We were in the snow, and of course, my camera died halfway up, but Elder Hernandez, bless his heart, took some pictures for me (which he will hopefully send me soon).  There is really no accurate way to describe my feelings atop that mountain.  I believe though, that my new patronus really is a mountain goat.

But then, I did possibly the most un-Johannah like thing in my life.  I'm not normally one to do risky or crazy things--I'm too risk adverse--but I wasn't ready to step carefully down the very steep mountain I had just climbed.  So, I decided to butt sled my way down to the other hermanas and Elder Seaman.  And Elder Hernandez followed suit!  I came on my mission, hoping that I could gain a little bit of bravery, because I've never been one to take risks or do stuff out of my comfort zone, but today, I realized that I might just be changing a little bit.  I feel more confident.  I don't feel scared to stand up for myself, or to make sure that things are right.  I'm not afraid to talk to strangers or to confront someone about something that isn't right.  And yes, I'm not afraid to butt sled down a very steep mountain :-). It's humbling to see qualities that I have long wanted but have never had.

I seriously love being a missionary.  Not just because of amazing experiences like today, but because of the people that I've met.  I realized the other day that if I hadn't come on my mission, I wouldn't have all of these new people in my life.  I wouldn't have Sandra and Dayana, or Lisbeth, Willian, and Lillian Ajavi.  I wouldn't have La Familia Antamba.  I wouldn't have Hermana Giles, or Hermana Bustos, or the Murphys.  A mission is for the people.  I love all of the people I've met here, and I can't believe that I almost never met them.  I know that my call to La Mission Ecuador Quito Norte is a calling from my Heavenly Father, because He knew that I needed these people in my life.  People say that missionaries are like angels, but really, the people I have met here are the angels.  They're my friends and my family, and I love them so dang much.  I know that this is where I am supposed to be.  Yes, sometimes the work is hard and long and slow, but the people make it all worth it.  And thank you for letting me be here.  It's so hard being away from all of you, but the things and people I gave up are worth it to be here with these people.  I love you guys so much, and I'm so grateful to know that families are forever, because in the scope of eternity, a year and a half really isn't such a long time.  I cannot thank you all enough for your love, support and encouragement.

Sweet Willian, Lillian, and Lisbeth <3

Hermana Giles and I with the whole Ajavi family <3

So, last story.  We had lunch with one of our mamitas this week, and usually the people start us off with soup, then hand us a plate of rice, chicken, etc.  Anyway, so our mamita, Rosa Quimbiamba, gave us a very ordinary looking soup, and it looked very normal, and then I fished out the chicken with my spoon, and I found the ENTIRE FREAKING FOOT OF A CHICKEN!  Yes, the day has finally come.  Everyone told me it would, but I hoped they were wrong.  But sitting on my spoon was a whole chicken foot, complete with skin, toes, and TOENAILS!  EWWWWWWW!!!!!!!  I have to admit, I freaked out a bit inside.  Especially about the nails.  I physically could not bring myself to put my mouth anywhere near the ends of the toes, but I did have to pick the skin off the top, and let me tell you, chicken feet are not bad tasting, but the mental game is a challenge.  I took a very bad quality creeper picture, because I didn't want them to see me taking it.  But yep.  #thatecuadorlife #imlovingit

Okay, one more funny thing.  So, on our way up the mountain this morning, we were driving, when one of the Latinas says in Spanish, "Oh my gosh, there's a ...... down there," and the driver stops the truck!  And everyone starts getting out.  So I'm like, "Oh my gosh, what is it?" because I didn't understand the word in Spanish.  We run to the side of the road and find....two deer.  Biggest let down of my life ever.  They're all oohing and aaahing and I'm like, mmmmmmmm deer jerky :-). Anyway, I guess deer are super rare around here, so I'm glad they all got to see something exciting, but I was just not quite as excited as everyone else.

Also, San Juan is this huge fiesta where people all don their traditional clothing and dance and sing in the streets, but unfortunately, there's a lot of drinking too, and I'm very grateful for the Word of Wisdom, because I just really don't understand the appeal of waking up in the middle of the day after being asleep on the sidewalk for hours.  But it was super cool to see everyone with their instruments and the men in these epic pants dancing and singing, celebrating Mother Earth :-)

Okay, for reals now.  I love you guys!  Thanks for all your advice on training and stuff.  It's a little stressful to have so much responsibility, but I know Heavenly Father doesn't give us anything we can't handle, so I've just been praying a lot, and trying to not freak myself out, and it's been a lot better.  I love you, ad Heavenly Father loves you all too!  Have a wonderful week!

Con muchisimooooooooo amor,

Hermana Kennedy

Seeing this poster might have made me cry just a little bit...

So I have this really random piece of very VERY blonde hair that I've never had before.
I seriously feel like Rogue from X-Men, or something....

Hermana Kennedy and the Wise Dog Ran Away Fast From the Rock

Hola my familia maravillosa!  Let's get down to it, shall we?  Here's my letter to Presidente Murphy:

Buenas tardes, Presidente Murphy!

First off, Hermana Bustos is doing really well.  She's so sweet, and her spirit is so strong, and she's been bearing her testimony in our lessons, and it has really touched our investigators' hearts.  She's such an example to me of perseverance and having a good attitude, especially since this week was a little rough.

I'm not sure why, but it feels like all of our investigators left with Hermana Giles.  We had a lot of appointments scheduled this week, and pretty much all of them fell through.  It was really frustrating, but Hermana Bustos kept a good attitude the whole time!  She really is so sweet, and I know that she's going to be an incredibly powerful missionary!

We currently have three investigators with a fecha bautismal:

Janice was a referral from Alder Arrieta, and when we first showed up at her house, her mom, Ibeth, and her daughter, Emma, decided to listen too, and now all three have a fecha for the 15th of July.  Their biggest challenge at this point is coming to church, because Janice should be having her baby today, but it's also meant that she's had a hard time going to church because she's pregnant.  However, we are going to make sure she comes this week (unless she's still in the hospital).  She's had some problems with her blood, and the doctors told her she would need to spend some extra time in the hospital this week after her baby is born, but we are hoping that she won't need to stay there the whole week!  They're all so smart, and they're all learning so fast, and the Spirit is always so strong in our lessons.

We also had a bit of a breakthrough with an investigator this week.  Her name is Mariana Antamba.  Two of her sons are recent converts, and Mariana has had a hard time getting up the courage to join the church because of doubts, but this past week, in a lesson, she told us outright that she knows the church is true.  We just need to have patience with her, because she doesn't want to be baptized and then become a less-active member.  She wants to get to the point of surety and having enough courage, but I'm hoping that maybe this week, we can set a fecha with her, maybe for sometime in August.

I love being a missionary. It's true that sometimes the work is hard, and it's horrible to watch as people you have grown to love begin to fall away because of doubts or tradition, but I know that what I'm doing here is one of the most important things I'll ever do in my life, and I can't imagine being anywhere else.  I love these people, I love this country, and I love being a missionary and a representative of my Savior.  Thank you for all you do for us missionaries, and I'll see you tomorrow!

Hermana Kennedy

It wasn't hard for either of us
to figure out that we would
be working together, seeing
as we were the only Hermanas
in the room :-)

Okay.  Reality check.  This week really was kind of tricky.  I lost a lot of confidence in myself, mostly because I feel like I'm a really bad trainer.  Maybe it's because I have a lot of expectations to live up to with how good a trainer Hermana Giles was.  Last week, President Murphy's daughter left on her mission.  When Hermana Bustos and I were introduced as a companionship, President Murphy told Hermana Bustos that whenever she will be transferred, he will be thinking of his own daughter, and he hopes that his daughter gets as good of a companion as Hermana Bustos has in me right now.

Whoa.  Super nice.

But I think he called it a little early.

I know that I'm still learning, but I feel like I'm just not doing a very good job as a trainer.  I'm not super patient, and I feel like Hermana Bustos isn't learning very fast, and I just don't feel like I'm giving her the best experience possible.  I had such good training with Hermana Giles, and I want Hermana Bustos to have as good of an experience as I did, but I just feel like I'm failing.  I've learned how to teach the lessons and how to speak Spanish, but I still haven't learned how to teach someone how to teach.  I'm trying to be happy and smiley and patient with our investigators, but patience has never been my strongest characteristic.  But Hermana Bustos really has a very good attitude, despite it being a little rough this week, and I'm so grateful for the patience that she has with me.


Anyway....

Hermana Giles' surprise!  So, as it turned out, she received her transfer assignment as she was getting off the bus in Quito.  So, when I showed up at the bus terminal (after being in a trio with two elders for two hours on the way to Quito to receive our trainees), I was waiting for the Hermanas de San Carlos to show up to pick me up (because I was going to be staying with them that night).  I was just sitting there when suddenly I heard "Oi, Hermana," and I knew at the moment what had happened!  I was so happy!  Sure enough, Hermana Giles is now an Hermana Lider (a sister leader) of San Carlos, so I got to see her again!  I love her so much!

So, some exciting stuff DID happen in San Pablo.  Presidente decided to take the companionship of elders out of Cayambe and put them in our sector, so our sector is now split in two, but since our sector is rather large and confusing, the elders have needed a little help finding things...like the houses of our mamitas.  So, on Saturday, they came with us to the house of our mamita, so that they would know where it is (and so they could get some FOOD).  But as we were walking down from the house, we encountered several dogs in front of a house, and per the usual, they were barking at us.  It's nothing new, and normally it isn't a problem, but they kind of started to come at us.  So, I just picked up a rather large rock (slightly smaller than a fist), and I threw it at them, because honestly, that's what you do here.  Anyway, the elders started laughing their heads off.  They thought I had picked up just a small stone or whatever, so when they saw this huge projectile hurtling through the air out of the corners of their eyes, they couldn't help but bust out laughing.  And in that moment, I probably received the best compliment ever:  They said, "The hermanas don't need our protection.  We need theirs!" #gogirlpower

I'm glad to hear that Daddy had a nice Father's Day.  It's kind of weird to think of Daddy sitting in the pew during sacrament meeting again :-)

Anyway, sorry that there isn't too much to say.  This week was pretty uneventful, but if you guys could just say a prayer for me, I would really appreciate it.  I really want to help Hermana Bustos have an awesome missionary experience, but I feel like I'm failing.  I really miss Hermana Giles, and I think it's because we had such a good rhythm going, but it's hard to acclimate to another companion.  I really can't tell you all how much I appreciate your encouragement and support.  Your emails each week are like the gold plates to me :-)  I love you so much!  

Love,
Hermana Kennedy

Which came first?  The Hermana, or the chicken?

Hermana Kennedy and Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire

Hiya family!

So, this was such an exciting week.  Here's my letter to President Murphy:

Hola Presidente Murphy,

This was such an amazing week.  The Ajavi kids (Lisbeth, Willian, and Lillian) were baptized!  Oh my gosh, it was such an incredible day.  They were all so excited for their baptism, and after the ordinance, Lisbeth got up and bore her testimony, and it was so beautiful and tender and sweet.  These kids are such an example to their parents, and I'm so grateful that I was able to be a small part of their conversion process.  What a blessing this sector is.  The people here are so humble and willing to listen, and I'm so grateful to be staying, and I can't wait for my trainee to be here and for her to get to know these people too!

When the kids were confirmed on Sunday, it was like the crowning moment, and I was so happy to see every member of the ward raise their hand to sustain them a member of the church.  Willian's blessing especially made me so happy.  He was confirmed by his cousin (who is a very active member of the church), and he was told that he would be an example to his parents and his siblings, and that he would help them all find the right path in life.  I can't imagine how powerful that must have been to Gladys, to see her kids making this decision.  We are hoping that this will help her find the courage to talk to her esposo about marriage so that she too can be baptized.

We currently have four investigators with a baptismal date.  Jonathan David is having his interview tonight, and we are hoping that everything will resolve itself, and he can be baptized this Saturday, the 17th.  He's very excited, but we need to make sure that everything is in order first.

We also have a family with a date.  Janice was a referral from the zone leaders in the last cambio.  Her parents are dentists, and she and her family are so smart, and they pick up on everything really fast.  She's pregnant right now, and her due date is the 19th, so it's pretty soon.  When we first went to visit her, her mom, Ibeth, and her daughter, Emma, decided that they wanted to listen, and they've been listening ever since.  Ibeth actually first met the missionaries forty years ago, but her dad didn't want anything to do with them, so she never got the chance to listen.  They are so in tune with the Spirit, and their date is for the 15th of July.  We are having so many problems getting them to read the Book of Mormon though.  We are hoping that after she has her baby, Janice won't be quite so tired all the time, and we encouraged her and Emma to remind each other every day to just read one verse.  It's really a blessing to teach them, and we are hoping that they can make the date.

I am so excited to be a trainer.  I'm also a little nervous, but I suppose that's to be expected.  Thank you for this opportunity.  I'm so excited for all the new things I'll get to learn from my trainee, and thank you, Presidente, for allowing me to be trained by Hermana Giles.  I'm hoping I can make the both of you proud.

Thank you for all of your hard work.  Have a great week,

Hermana Kennedy

So, as you may have realized, we got cambios (transfers), and I'M TRAINING!  Holy cow, I still can't believe it!  It still hasn't hit me yet that I'm going to have responsibility for another missionary and for her way of teaching and finding and doing missionary things.  It was kind of crazy, because for a few weeks now, I've been getting this feeling that I would be training after my own training, and I even heard the phone call in my head before it actually happened.  In my head, it went something like this:

Elder Vela:  Hi Hermanas.  I have the cambios (transfers).
Me:  Great Elder!
Elder:  Hermana Giles is going to .... Quito!  (Actually, she's going to Condado, although we will talk about that in a minute).
Me:  YAY!
Elder:  And Hermana Kennedy is .... TRAINING!
Me:  Haha Elder, very funny.
Elder:  No, I'm serious.  You're training.

So, that's how it happened in my head, and then that's actually how it happened in real life too.  I actually asked Elder Vela to verify it like ten times, because I seriously didn't believe him.  It seems a little creepy that I had the exact conversation in my head.

But crazy thing, there's only one hermana arriving this cambio, so I am the only hermana trainer.  Yep.  Out of all the experienced, well-set missionaries here, President (and Heavenly Father) picked inexperienced, still very-unconfident me.  What in the world?  Still not sure why, because I still have so much to learn, but it's cool.  She's from Argentina, and I'll pick her up in Quito on Wednesday, but until then, I'm with the Hermanas lideres de Carabuela, and tomorrow I head to Quito to sleep there, and then I get my trainee.  Crazy stuff, huh?

So, funny, random thing.  It was so dang sad to say goodbye to Hermana Giles this morning, and stupid me, I totally forgot to take a picture. #classic  Anyway, I cried, but just a little.  I'm very proud of myself.  I take comfort in the fact that she still has months in the mission, so I'll definitely see her again.  She is a little nervous to go to the city, because she's like me, and she doesn't love the city very much.  But, two hours after she left, I was still at the bus terminal because I had to wait with the Hermana lideres, and I got a call from an unknown number.  So I answer, and it's Hermana Giles!  She sounds super happy and excited, and she says, "Hermana, I have a surprise for you.  I'm not going to Candado, but I can't tell you the surprise, but tomorrow, I need you to bring my letter (that the zone leaders brought from Quito for her and then forgot at their apartment), and I'll see you tomorrow!  Anyway, WHAT THE HECK?  I'm wondering, is she coming back to this district, or will I see her tomorrow at the house I'm staying at for some reason? Anyway, I'm super excited to find out!

So, yes, the Ajavi kids were baptized this week!  I love them so much, and I just cried hard core at their baptisms and confirmation.  It's fine.  Also, we had six investigators who showed up for church on Sunday which is so BOSS!!

Anyway, so it was a dang exciting week here in Ecuador.  Wish me luck on being a trainer, because I feel horribly unqualified, and also very honored, and I'm feeling a little pressure, because I'm basically training the future generation of hermanas...at least until the next cambio :-)

I love you guys so much.  I printed ten pages, double columned, 8 point font, smallest margins possible of words of love, support and information from you all this week, and I can't tell you how much I love it.

I love you guys!

Love,

Hermana Kennedy

Hermana Kennedy and Marta had a Little Lamb

Hiya familia!  Here's my letter to President Murphy.  We had interviews with him this past week, and I definitely may have cried at one point, because we started talking about Hermana Giles and how much I'm going to miss her at the end of this week.  Anyway, here it is:

Hola Presidente Murphy,

It was so good to see you this past week for interviews.  I'm always so grateful for the things that I learn from you, and I'm really grateful that you take time in your busy schedule to meet with us and talk to us.

The Family Ajavi has their baptism this week for the 7th of June (Wednesday), and they are beyond excited!  They couldn't believe that they get to choose all of the hymns and speakers for their baptisms, and they are just the sweetest kids anyone will ever meet.  They're so righteous and humble, and they are such good examples to their little siblings, their parents, and me.  I have learned so much from them about being brave and independent in the church, and I can't wait to see the blessings that their baptism will bring to their lives.  I can't wait to see how they will influence others through their actions and through their humility.  I'm especially excited to see Willian receive the Aaronic Priesthood after he is baptized.  His father is a member, but he's inactive, so it's amazing that Willian can be the priesthood holder in his family and bless their home through his worthiness.

Jonathan David has his fecha for the 17th of June, and he too is incredibly excited for his baptism.  We were a little worried there for a bit about him not living here legally, but it's amazing that the church and Heavenly Father are more concerned with the joy that the Gospel can bring to a person's life.  We actually had a bit of a hard time with the ward this week in ward council.  There is some judgment against Colombians here in Ecuador, and no one really trusts Jonathan David because he's Colombian.  They didn't seem to understand that all he wants is the Gospel in his life.  He isn't looking for handouts or for help, and he isn't going to rob them like some of them think.  He just wants to follow the example of his Savior in everything he does.  He's already told us that he wants to serve a mission, because he just loves the Gospel so much, and he wants everyone to hear it.  I'm really grateful for his example for me.  He too has been very courageous.  He left his home and his family to come to Ecuador to find work, and now he just wants to help other people find the gospel.  He's basically already a missionary :-)  I can't believe it's already the last week of this cambia, and I can't believe that it's my last week with Hermana Giles.  President, thank you for letting her be my trainer.  She is such an example to me, and it kills me that she never thinks she's good enough, or that she thinks she isn't doing enough, because I know that she is an incredible missionary, and I know that I'm a better person because I've had the opportunity to learn from her.  It's going to be hard for me on Monday when we have to say goodbye, but I know that I have a lot to learn from other people too.

Thank you for all you and your wife do.  I know that you both have sacrificed a lot to be here for us missionaries, but I cannot thank you enough for being here for us.  We love you!

Have a fabulous week,

Hermana Kennedy

Okay, so we have an investigator.  Her name is Marta de la Cruz.  We actually met her before we officially contacted her, because she has a locale on the main road of Gonzalez where she sells food, specifically pig, every Friday and Saturday night.  She's so cute, and you wouldn't know it from looking at her, but she's also savage.  Let me explain:

Marta kills her own pigs to sell in her locale.  We have seen her and bought tortillas de papa from her before, but then we found her house while contacting, and she was home, and we realized that it was her. Anyway, at the time, she had a live pig tied to her house, and when we asked her if she needed any help with anything, she told us "no" because she was about to kill the pig, and she didn't want us to be scared.  Well, okay, so we left, and we have visited her a few times since, and she has this darling little family.  Seriously, they are so darn cute.  Anyway, so she was a backup plan for another family in Gonzalez this past week, and that family wasn't home, so we decided to go and visit her.  We show up, and she and one of her daughters are outside the house with a giant dead pig and a blowtorch, and they're torching the pig in their driveway #ecuadorlife.  Well, she was rather surprised to see us and told us that she couldn't talk right now, because well, the pig and all, but we asked if could help, so she asked us if we could peel potatoes for her.  You should probably know that Hermana Giles and I are actually pretty adept at peeling potatoes with a knife now, at least compared to North Americans.  Compared to Ecuadorians, we peel at a turtle's pace.  But, it was still time that she didn't have to peel, so while she could finish a giant bag of potatoes in one hour singlehandedly, we peeled about a fifth of the bag in an hour with two of us.  Anyway, I digress.  So, we sit down and

My arm after peeling potatoes :-)

 start peeling, but I'm turned towards Marta and her daughter, and the pig.  First, they torch it, then they cut it open, and Marta, with her bare hands, rips out all of the innards of the pig.  NASTY but also AWESOME!  She's such a boss.  Then, they cut up the remaining pig on this giant sheet, and her husband comes around with his truck, and they drive it up to her locale.  Meanwhile, we keep peeling until they come back, at which point, she tells us that that's enough potatoes for tomorrow.  So, we make another appointment with her, and we leave because at that point, it's 9:00, and we have to go home.



So, Saturday morning, we are sitting at our desks for personal study, and Marta actually has a new locale being built across the street from us which she owns.  She's renting the other one right now, but selling pig must make a lot of money.  Anyway, this new locale also has an outdoor area, and Saturday morning we see Marta's husband in the outdoor area with two sheep.  After a while, Marta and two of her sons join him, and we watch as they tie up one of the sheep and lay it on a table.  At first, I think that maybe they're shearing the sheep or something, because we see Marta sawing something, and the sheep is still moving.  Oh no.  She was killing it.  Her husband and sons are there to hold the sheep still, but she's the one actually killing it.  We seriously couldn't believe it, and we were running from one window to the other so as to get a better view, and it was super awkward when one of her sons looked up and saw us watching, at which point, he tells his family, and they all look up.  Meanwhile, we are trying to not be too obvious, because they probably think we think it's gross, but it's actually fascinating.  Marta, the Sheep Slayer.  Anyway, we got to watch the whole process, and it's just crazy how different it is here than in the States.  And you really wouldn't ever expect this from Marta, because she's just so cute and quiet and sweet, but you give her a job, and she has no fear.

In other news, I think the lice may be gone.  It's kind of hard to know for sure.  After last Monday, we knew that there might still be eggs in my hair, and when Lisbeth checked again this week, I still had a few, though not as many as before (thank goodness), so I've been using the lice shampoo the last two days to try and kill any remaining ones.  Thankfully, they're all little ones, so they can't have laid any eggs yet, so Imma keep using the shampoo until it's all gone so as to be sure that they're all dead.  I took care of my sheets and everything by using Promethrin which is what we use on our clothes to keep mosquitos from biting us.  Any bug that touches anything that's been sprayed with Promethrin dies, so any lice that may jump onto my pillow dies.  But poor Hobbito.  First, I put him in a bag and left him out in the sun for three days to kill the lice that may have been on him, and then I sprayed him with Promethrin too.  I'm seriously hoping that all the suckers are gone, just because it's a pain to worry about.  After the first day, I calmed down about them, but it's just annoying to think that they may still be in my hair.  In the picture that President Murphy took, I did indeed still have lice.  Darn buses.  But it's okay.  It's a pretty regular thing here for people to get lice, so it's not like anyone other than me was grossed out by it.  They were all just very curious as to how my "habitantes" were doing.

Okay, so family stuff.  First off, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARKIE!!! I know that I'm several days early, but next time, I would be late, so happy birthday now!  Also, happy official graduation, Glo!  And I can't believe that Daddy is being released from the Stake Presidency.  I'm so proud of you, Daddy, for how hard you've worked the last ten years, and I know that the Stake appreciates it too.

Also, MARK AND ALLISON ARE ENGAGED!!  WOOHOO!!  Would someone mind sending me details or something, or at least a picture of the two of them?  Thanks.  I do have to live rather vicariously right now through all of you, and nobody bothered to send me any details.

Also, I'm sorry Ethan and Rebecca that your rental house is a bust.  That's super lame.  But you know what would help make it better?  A CAT :-) (just for you Rebecca :-))

ALSO, WONDER WOMAN!!!  I'm so stinking jealous and everything, because it sounds so dang amazing and awesome, and Gal Gadot is so beautiful!!!!

Also, you're all so beautiful.  I just love you all, and I'm so blessed to have each and every one of you in my life.  Keep being you, tell each other you love each other, and know that I pray for you all every day.  I love you guys so much, and please know that Heavenly Father loves you too.  Sometimes, we just need some hard times in our lives to better appreciate the good times and so we can better understand our Savior and all that He did for us.  When you feel sad or alone, know that you can find comfort and joy in knowing that god loves you, and that's why He sent His Only Begotten Son.  I love you!

Love,

Hermana Kennedy

#tallgirlinecuadorproblems

There were these random buckets where we teach our English class, so I told Hermana Giles to get in one.  I seriously peed my pants laughing so hard!