Hermana Kennedy and the Lollipop Guild

Hi family!  Let's start off with my letter to President Murphy:

Buenas tardes Presidente Murphy!  Wow, well what an amazing week we had.  First off, we now have two investigators with a fecha baptismal!  We went over to Mariana's last night to teach, and the bishop and the ward secretary were there, which is great because they're trying to help her feel more welcome in the ward!  This has probably been the biggest problem in the ward since I've arrived; the investigators don't feel particularly welcome at church.  They never know where to go, or what to do, and very few people come up and say "hi" to them. So yesterday in ward council the bishop was really coming down hard on everyone to help investigators feel welcome.  Anyway, so we get there, and Bishop is talking to Mariana's sons (recent converts), and eventually Mariana comes in, and Bishop says, "Alright hermanas, you can go ahead and teach her, and I'll just sit here."  Boy, did I feel awkward, especially since we were teaching lesson five about the laws and ordinances of the Gospel. It's a beautiful lesson to teach, but the least practiced, because we just don't get that far very often with people, and so we had to teach lesson five with the bishop sitting right there.  I felt so much pressure, oh my gosh.  Anyway, Mariana told us that she wants to be baptized earlier because she's going to be in Guayaquil in September which shows me that she really does want to be baptized.  Anyway, I just love her, and I'm so grateful to be a part of her conversion process.  It was kind of silly though.  While we were teaching last night, we starting talking about missionary work, and I just started crying.  I started to think about what a blessing my mission is to me because of all the people I have gotten to meet.  To think about my life without Sandra and the Ajavi kids, and Mariana and her family--it's just so sad to think that there was a time when I wasn't planning on serving a mission.  I am so incredibly grateful to God for saving me for this time so that I could meet these people.  

Also, we had a big heart-to-heart this week with Patricio Quilumbaquin, and we broke through and found his iceberg!  He has such a deep desire to change for the better, and he's scared to be baptized because he doesn't want his friends to invite him to do stuff after his baptism that will tempt him to revert back to his former self.  He wants to be better, and unfortunately, he has friends that are less than great, and he still wants to be friends with them, but he also knows them, and he knows the kinds of things that they like to do.  So, he's worried about returning to his old self after his baptism.  We are trying to involve more members in the lessons with him so that he can find support and love in the church and have better friends, but he now has a baptismal date for the 2nd of September!

I really love being a missionary, President.  I am better because of the influence these people have in my life, and I'm not done learning.  I love serving my Father in Heaven by helping others come to know about salvation, and I can't wait to do it for another year!  Thank you for your love and encouragement, and for your help in this marvelous work.

Have a great week!
Hermana Kennedy

Okay, so yes, I cried my eyes out all night, and I didn't sleep a wink because I'm so stressed about possibly needing to come home.  I don't know if anyone outside of the immediate family knows, but if they don't, could we keep it that way? I just don't want tons of people worrying about me if there's no need.  Anyway, I'm headed to the hospital in Quito in a few hours to have another x-ray, and if the doctor says so, I'll be coming home, but in a maximum of three months, I'm coming back.  There isn't a question about that, and there certainly isn't a question as to whether I'm coming back here.  There is no other mission for me, and I'm coming back here, or not at all.  I may miss Mariana and Patricio's baptisms, but as long as they continue, it doesn't matter who baptizes them.  I also know that the priesthood is a powerful thing.  I got a blessing two days after breaking my ankle, so I really am hoping for a miracle.  I know though that Heavenly Father sometimes gives us trials so that we can become more like Him, and if this will bring me closer to Him, then by all means, fly me home.  But I really, really, REALLY don't want to come home.


I know it might be His will for me to come home, but sometimes I think His will is dumb.  I know it is to help us learn and everything, but I'm like "Heavenly Father, I'm being obedient and working hard, and I'm here, so why are you making it a possibility for me to go home?"  But I know that I'm supposed to learn something from this, so I'm trying to be patient and humble, but it's hard.  I'm sure you understand that :-). Really, He's just giving me an opportunity to follow your example #brokenanklebuddies #iliketemplebuddiesmore

I love Hermana Bustos.  She's just so sweet and sincere, and it has become her personal goal to find and try every flavor of lollipop here in Ecuador, and believe me, that's quite a feat.  There are so many different flavors here, and we have tried a lot of them.  Some are delicious, some are so-so, and some are horrible.  Por ejemplo:

Delicious:  passion fruit, lemon and cherry, strawberry and orange
So-So:  caramel, strawberry
Horrible:  mango with salt

Oh my gosh, mango with salt is the most disgusting thing I've probably ever tried.  Seriously, I licked it once and started coughing, because it was a stinking lollipop covered in salt!  Blech!  Man, it was just horrible, but it is fun to try and find new flavors.  It's a lollipop treasure hunt, and it's fun to do it with Hermana Bustos.  She really is improving so much, and she really stepped it up this week.  We have another investigator named Patricio, but he's an older man, probably 75.  He likes having us come and talk, but he hasn't really been progressing, so we decided to have the "charla franca" with him, or the "frank chat".  Basically, it's a move to tell investigators that we love them, but they aren't doing anything to progress, and so we can't continue to visit them anymore.  Well, Patricio loves to talk, and that's why he hasn't been progressing, and we often feel rather impatient in the lessons (I know, it's not very missionary like...), but we've taught him four times, and we still haven't covered all of the restoration.  So, Hermana Bustos went full into la charla franca, and at the end of it all, he said he would come to church.  And on Sunday morning at 8 a.m., he showed up!  Like a boss!  Of course, his appearance was slightly ruined by the fact that the ward itself didn't show up until 8:15.  It's a rather unfortunate habit of theirs, and Patricio is always very punctual, so we are hoping that the disorganization of the ward isn't going to affect his overall experience.

Something really funny happened in our lesson with Patricio Quilumbaquin this week.  We were seriously having a deep discussion about everything and about his reasons for being scared to be baptized.  We were sitting next to a fireplace that was open and raised with several large, long logs in it, and some of the logs were overhanging the edge of the fireplace.  We were having this deep discussion when suddenly three of the burning logs FALL OUT OF THE FIREPLACE!  Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, except that when you're in a low chair with a boot on your foot, you can't move very fast, and I forreal saw my life flash before my eyes as all I could do was shift my legs in the opposite direction.  Meanwhile, Patricio and Hermana Bustos fly out of their seats to get away.  And I'm just a sitting duck.  Thankfully, I didn't get burned, although at first, Patricio didn't believe me, because he saw a log headed right for me.  But I'm fine, and we laughed super hard afterwards about it!

Anyway, it's been a good week, and I love you guys a lot.  I'm hoping that I won't have to see you for another year, but if I do, so be it.  I love you guys so darn much, and I'm sure the three months will just SLIDE by.  Get it?  Slide=? (Because that's the stupidest way ever to break an ankle.). Okay, anyway, I love you guys!  Have a wonderful week!

Love,
Hermana Kennedy

I found Haribo in Ecuador, and it's ridiculously expensive, but the dolphin (totes a shark) is the same color as my eyes :-)

Hermana Bustos found a random lime in the middle of the road, and this chicken was just sitting there, so she walked up and placed the lime in front of the chicken.  Funniest thing ever!

Hermana Kennedy and the Adventures of Aluminum Girl

Hi family!  So, exciting news!  Last week, I broke my ankle!  Woohoo...  I went to the doctors on Tuesday, and I have two partial fractures in my ankle, and I have to wear a boot for six weeks.  It's pretty epic, I have to admit.  My boot is so heavy duty, and it's 15% aluminum, and I'm pretty sure I could kill a dog with it if I kicked it.  It's heavy too, so every morning, I do my exercises with it on, and man, I am going to have wicked crazy strong thigh muscles by the end of this six weeks!  So, all of my email is going to be about that, but here's my letter to President Murphy:

Hi Presidente Murphy!

Well, it was an interesting week for the district "Las Poderosas".  With my broken ankle, the hermanas de Cayambe being robbed, and with a death in la Familia Perachimba (one of the investigators of the elders), we were feeling a little rough this week.  But, my ankle is doing great, the hermanas are excited for their new sector, and La Familia Perachimba wanted the members of the church to speak at the funeral instead of their catholic family members, so there's always a silver lining to be found.

At first, I was feeling so broken, President, after finding out that my ankle is broken and needing a boot.  That first day was really hard.  But, I'm grateful for it now.  Yes, it's still hard, but it's a good way for me to learn patience and humility.  It's difficult for me to ask for help from Hermana Bustos and other people when I need it, but I'm learning that it's okay not to be the strongest person all the time.  It's okay to ask for help, not only from other people, but also from Heavenly Father.  He doesn't give us anything that we can't overcome, and He is always blessing us with trials so that we can

become better, and stronger, and more like Him.  I'm really grateful for this trial in my life.  And I'm grateful especially that it isn't worse.  Wearing a boot for a few weeks isn't so bad, especially since it's a good conversation starter :-). There are trials in the lives of every person, and this is just one more in my life, and while the boot isn't the most comfortable thing, I know that He too is giving me the help I need to keep going.  At first, I felt like I was never going to adjust, but I received a blessing from the elders, and President, how amazing is it that we have the power of God at our fingertips?  Seriously, I've been feeling new strength in my ankle everyday, and I've already grown accustomed to walking with it.  Hermana Bustos joked that the new hashtag for August should be #prayforhermanakennedy. We had a good laugh about that :-)

I know that this church is true, and that we really do have the power of God available to us when we need it.  I know that what we are teaching is the truth, and I especially felt it with Mariana.  Her date for the 2nd of September is right on track, and the Spirit is so strong in our lessons with her.  Her heart is so pure and so ready for this Gospel, and I'm so grateful to the missionaries who started teaching her kids a year and a half ago so that today, we can be a part of her conversation process.  She's just amazing, and I love her, and I'm so grateful to Heavenly Father for calling me to be here.  This mission is hard, but what's the point of being here if it isn't hard?  God requires a lot from us, but He also has faith and confidence in us, and as a 20-year-old, that's pretty amazing.  He trusts us with the salvation of His children, and I know that he doesn't fail, and I'm so grateful to be a part of this work.  I love being here so much, and I love these people.  Thank you for all of your hard work.  My parents are really grateful to you and Hermana Murphy for taking care of us, and I'm really grateful too.  I love you both, and I'm so grateful for the opportunity that I have in this year and a half to learn from you.

Have a fantastic week!
Hermana Kennedy

So yeah, this was an interesting week.  The other hermanas in our district were being stalked, and these people were trying to rob them, so for the last few days, they've been saying with us in our apartment, and it's been a party.  It really is funny, because we all go out every day and teach people about the Gospel, but in our hearts, we really are just 20-year-olds.  We like to have fun and eat delicious food and talk, and it was so fun having them with us.  But they're being transferred, and they're putting elders in Cayambe, because it just isn't safe there for hermanas.  And Robert, the baby of the family Perachimba, died this past week, so we attended his funeral, but let me tell you, Ecuadorian funerals are WEIRD.  Like, they come walking down the street, and this little viejita (old lady) has the coffin strapped to her back, and there's a guitar and a pipe, and this dude singing, and the old women are carrying these branches of some plant, and at first, it looks like herbs or something, and they're hitting people with them.  Well, turns out, it's STINKING POISON IVY!!  We are sitting down, because my ankle and all, and this woman comes down the line of people sitting, swatting us with this poison ivy, and there's nowhere to run.  I'm just grateful for my boot, because my right leg was totally protected, but Hermana Bustos got hit in both legs! Turns out, it's to drag away any sad feelings and the demons inside of people, and it's to make them focus on that pain instead of the emotional pain.  Well, when we told this to our mamita that afternoon, they thought it was weird too, so it's a very small part of Ecuador.  It's always fun to have exciting experiences to tell.

Anyway, we didn't get to leave the house much this week, but my ankle is recovering, so we can go out a little more this week.  I felt awful for all of the appointments we were missing, and all of the people we couldn't visit, all because of my silly ankle.  Anyway, I'm excited to go out a little more, and I have definitely laughed out loud several times this week, thinking of Daddy calling me things like Gimpy or Stumpy.  I'm pretty sure this is just payback from all those years ago, huh Ethan?  But for the record, I can still kick higher than you :-)

The slide where it all happened :-(

I do regret though the way it happened.  I tell most people that I just fell, because it sounds so stupid to say, "Yeah, I went down a slide and landed wrong." #uncoordinatedwhat?  Anyway, it's been funny, because as if I didn't stand out enough, now I have a giant metal boot.  Hermana Bustos has watched as every head and eye in the buses turn to look shamelessly at me, and she knows English pretty well, so she said that we should make up a song that says, "I am a Gringa.  I have a boot.  Look at me."  So, I said, "No Hermana, that isn't right.  It's 'I am a Gringa.  I have a boot.  Look at me PLEASE!'"  We laughed so hard about that!

Daddy sent me an excerpt from the Screwtape Letters last week, and it was exactly what I needed to read this week with my ankle and all.  Screwtape says that in order for us creatures to become more like God, it is necessary for Him to take away His hand sometimes, and that He relies the most on the troughs of our lives for us to become more like Him.  While Satan may try to use the troughs of our lives to bring us down, if we can rely on our loving Heavenly Father, we can overcome any trial and become the better for it, and so I am so grateful to Heavenly Father for trusting me enough to continue to rely on Him.  What a glorious work this is, and how amazing is it that I get to be a part of it?  I love Heavenly Father, and I love knowing that I can find peace and comfort in the troughs of my life through the knowledge I have of my Savior, Jesus Christ.  I know that He lives, and he loves us, and that is why Heavenly Father and Jesus came up with this amazing plan for us to come here and learn and prepare to stand before God at the last day, and I hope that I can do that and tell Him that I did my best, even with a broken ankle.  I love you, family, and I can't tell you how much I appreciate your letters.  It's like everything everyone wrote me last week was exactly what I needed this week, and so thank you, thank you, thank you.  I love you, and God loves you, so don't give up on Him, and He won't give up on you.

With so much love,
Hermana Kennedy/Gimpy

Hermana Kennedy and the 5 Cent Challenge

Hi family!

So first off, you should probably know that today at a district activity, I hurt my ankle. We were at a park today, and there were these very high slides, and I went down one, and the first time, it was fine, but the second time, I landed wrong and something popped. I'm basically uncoordinated.  #thisiswhywedomusic  It's nothing serious, probably just twisted, and it's only at the insistence of other missionaries that I'm going to have an appointment at the hospital in Quito this week.  Really, it's fine.  I can still walk on it and everything, but it's a bit swollen, and I think I may have hurt it like I did back in November. Unfortunately, this means I won't be able to leave the house for a few days (in order to rest it) which stinks because we have appointments and investigators whom we need to visit.  I'm mad at myself that we will have to cancel those appointments because I'm stupid and uncoordinated.  Anyway, here's my letter to President:

Buenas tardes, Presidente Murphy,

Well Presidente, I want to start with my story about the power of The Book of Mormon in conversion. As you know, at the beginning of June, Lisbeth, Willian, and Lillian Ajavi were baptized.  It was especially amazing to me to see Willian baptized, because when we first started teaching him, he didn't want to pray or want to read The Book of Mormon, or really participate at all in the lessons.  However, it was once we divided the lessons that we really saw a difference.  I was writing verses for Willian to read every day in order to help him find a love for The Book of Mormon.  By the third week of doing this, he was coming up to me in church each week to ask if I had his verses for him.  However, I knew that at some point in the future, I would be leaving San Pablo, and I couldn't keep doing this forever.  So, instead of writing verses, I started writing "Read the Book of Mormon" on pieces of paper, and I gave those to him.  Now, he doesn't need anything, and he's still reading every day.  He's now the most participatory in the lessons, and he can't wait to learn each time we go over.  And yesterday, Willian passed the sacrament for the first time.  Last week, he received the Aaronic priesthood, and he was the very first person to church yesterday and was there to watch the teachers prepare the sacrament.  And, he was wearing a tie!  I know that may not seem like a big deal, but ties aren't really a thing in this ward, and at the beginning of teaching the family, he was saying that he wasn't going to church because he didn't have a tie and didn't know how to tie one, and he hasn't worn one before, but he wore one yesterday, and he was the only deacon to do so.  I know that The Book of Mormon is what helped him gain a testimony, and a love for this Gospel.  It was ultimately the door for his conversation, and I'm so grateful for the promptings of the Spirit that helped him learn to love The Book of Mormon.

Unfortunately, our baptismal fecha (date) for Patricio Quilumbaquin fell through because he feels like it's too soon, and he wants to be sure that this is the true church.  Really, it's our fault.  When we extended the baptismal date to him, he started talking before we said the date, and I'm not actually sure he heard it, so we felt the need to present it to him again, but at that point, it was only thirteen days away, and he felt like it was way too soon.  I am really sorry about that.

However, Mariana Antamba is right on track for her baptism.  We taught the commandments last night, with extra emphasis on el dia de reposo, because sometimes she works on Sunday mornings, so we talked about that, and we are so hoping that she will cumplir with the compromise.  I really, really love being a missionary, President.  Yes, the work is hard, and sometimes it seems like nothing comes of our work, but seeing Willian pass the sarmanet was amazing for me, and Sandra Paucar wants her daughter to be baptized in August, because she's turning eight.  I know that his church is true.  I know that God and Jesus Christ restored the true church on the earth through the prophet Joseph Smith.  I know that Thomas S. Monson is our prophet, and that even today, we are receiving revelation from our loving Heavenly Father.  I know that The Book of Mormon really does hold all the answers to the questions of the soul, and we can come closer to God by abiding by its precepts.  I love the mission, and I love these people.  Thank you for all you do to help us, and thank you for the sacrifices you have made so that you can be here.  Have an excellent week!

Hermana Kennedy

Okay seriously, I almost cried seeing Willian pass the sacrament!  He's such a boss!  But unfortunately his family was late to church, so they didn't get to see him pass the sacrament, but I did, and he was great!  Oh, I just love that kid!

So, funny story from this week.  We had something called Invasions (no Daddy, the aliens didn't come this week) which is where all of the missionaries in a district head for a specific sector to contact and help out the missionaries there to find more people.  Anyway, the hermanas de cayambe wanted to have their invasion in this legit park in their sector.  Seriously, it's so Ecuadorian, and so definitely not American, because all of the playground equipment and everything is super high and probably dangerous, but who cares??  Anyway, so we had a table with pamphlets and everything, and near the end, the elders decided that they wanted ice cream, so they headed to this little stand and bought this type of ice cream called Manicho.  Ugh, it's so delicious.  We buy one every week, because they are just so dang good.  Anyway, normally they're only 75 cents, but the elders said that they bought them for 80 cents because the vendor told them it was 80 cents, and they tried to argue, but said that there wasn't anything they could do about it.  Well, that sounded like a challenge to me!  I told them that I knew I could get it for 75 cents, and they didn't believe me, so I headed up to the stand and asked if he had Manichos.  He said, "Yep, there they are." So I said, "75 cents, right?" To which he responded, "No, we are in the park, so it's five cents more."  So, I respond with, "Oh well, I only have 75 cents, so thank anyway", and I started to walk away.  I then hear behind me, "Wait! Wait!  Just one?"  So I walked back to the other missionaries with my 75 cent Manicho, and Hermana Bustos was witness to my triumph.  The elders were very jealous :-) Yep, I still can't back down from a challenge. #slytherinforever

Also, my Spanish has reached the point where I can express my normal sense of humor (hurray!). I just about had our mamita in stitches the other day while relating how horrified I was to eat soup with a chicken foot in it.  So yeah Mark, I'm pretty much a boss now :-)

So, something funny about Ecuadorians.  They pirate movies.  Like, hard core.  There are movies that just came out that they're selling in their stores, and I have to admit, sometimes it's tempting to buy them and bring them back to the States, because they sell them for 75 cents (don't ask me--everything seems to be 75 cents around here).  We were passing a movie store the other day, when what do I see on the cover but Wonder-freaking-Woman.  I just about died.  I had to keep telling myself, "Just one more year.  Just one more year."  It really is funny, because some people don't exactly understand what it is to be a missionary.  They can't believe that we don't have a TV or books, and that we are outside all day teaching.  They think that we stop working every day at like 5 o'clock, and that we go home to a nice movie and a pizza (not really, because pizza doesn't exist here, but you get the idea).  But it really is amazing, the life we live.  In our apartment, we have two desks, two beds, and a wardrobe.  That's all the furniture we own, because in reality, we don't need anything else.  It is crazy, but at the same time, I know that we receive so many Wonder-ful (get it?) blessings from living a life of hard work and diligence in this work of God.  Yes, he requires a lot from us at times, but He is always ready to rain down blessings on us too for the sacrifices we are making being here.  But maybe not human sacrifices :-)

And the next day, our mamita had The Living Scriptures playing on her TV, and I felt like it was Heavenly Father telling me that's it okay.  I may not be able to see Wonder Woman for another year and a month (who's counting?), but He will help me make it through :-). And you better believe I remembered all the songs and what was going to happen and everything in those Living Scripture videos :-)

Also, I like to think I'm getting closer to becoming an official Ecuadorian now, based on my cooking skills.  I can make a lot of their food, and I can degrain corn and peel potatoes with a knife like a boss.  I'm excited to come home and make everything for you.  Unfortunately, most of it is fried which makes it very difficult to lose weight here.  Seriously, some of our mamitas give us five meals worth of food, and I'm starting to see it in my face.  I'm trying to eat healthier and exercise more, but combined with the fact that women naturally gain more weight at high altitudes, my best bet at this point is to get a parasite.  For realz :-)

We don't own a can opener, so I use a knife to open my cans of tuna #likeaboss

Also, I need some instructions on certain things.  First off, how to bring home a cactus from Ecuador. I've grown immensely attached to Bob, and I'm just not sure I can leave him here.  Too, I bought a Quena which is a traditional Ecuadorian flute (kind of like the Ecuadorian version of my Irish tin whistle), but I don't know how to play it, and you know, we can't use Google.  Also, I'm very much missing Charlotta.  I saw a guy playing the violin the other day, and I almost stopped to ask him if I could play it for just a minute.

I am feeling a lot happier now.  I think that once a transfer, I just have a few days that are always hard.  In my first week five, Hermana Giles and I both kind of broke down, and we didn't leave the house until 3 o'clock one afternoon.  I think it's just an hermana thing.  We are super hard on ourselves, and sometimes we feel so much pressure.  Especially being a trainer, I feel like I'm not doing a good job, but Hermana Bustos took initiative this week, and I really do love being a missionary.  A day without trials is a day without progress, so I'm grateful for how I'm progressing :-)

And what a cute quartet name for Glo.  She's been telling me all about Diego.  He would probs accept the Gospel :-). Also, of course he's cool--he's a violist :-) #underrated #beloved #secretlythebest. And I'm glad you loved the guacamole at Don Juan's so much.  It'll be hard for me to go there, because that piece of classical music has brought me more misery than all the others combined #tonepoemdeath

That's my week!  I love you all so much, and seriously, I can't tell you how much your emails mean to me every week.  Hermana Giles always called her letters from home the Gold Plates, and it's very much true.  They are precious to me, and I cannot express how grateful I am for them. I love you all so much, and please keep doing good things in your life!

Love,
Hermana Kennedy

Yet another picture of me crossing a very sketchy bridge in our sector. #idontwanttodie

Lillian Ajavi loves the pamphlets of the lessons, and she made the chastity pamphlet the cover for one of her notebooks for school!  How cute is that? 

We had exchanges this week, and my companion, Hermana Pincay is almost as tall as me!  #miracle

Hermana Kennedy and the Men in Black

Hi family!  Here's my letter to President:

Hi Presidente Murphy,

It was a really nice week, especially with Verificaciones.  Hermana Bustos knocked her Lesson One out of the park.  I obviously wasn't there myself, but she felt really good about it which is the most important thing.  She's got Lesson One down, and she's really helped me do better in teaching Lesson Two.  

We had an amazing lesson with Patricio Qiuilumbaquin this past week about the Plan of Salvation, and it's amazing how the Spirit can reside anywhere...even in the back of a ferreteria (hardware store), surrounded by cans of paint and sacks of stuff.  Patricio is progressing really, really well.  He has now attended church four times, and he keeps coming back without any help from anyone.  He even told us this past week that he wants his daughter to serve a mission :-). He's on schedule for his baptism on the 29th, so we are hoping that everything will continue to go well.  

Mariana also attended church yesterday, making her number of asistencias four as well!  And the best part?  Her son, Francisco, is a member, and normally she only comes when he comes, but he couldn't come to church yesterday, but she still came!!  She's feeling a lot more peaceful about her baptism now, and I think that after a year and a half of having missionaries in her house, she's finally ready to follow in the footsteps of her sons and be baptized.  We are so looking forward to September 2nd!

Charity is amazing.  I was so worried at the start of my mission that I wouldn't be able to love the people, because I've never been very good at that, but now I think I love them a little too much, and I never want to leave.  These people are my brothers and my sisters, and while I am their teacher, they are my friends, and I'm so grateful to be here with them.  It's amazing how God can touch our hearts and help us overcome challenges as well as help us follow the example of Jesus Christ.  I know that I'll never be anywhere near as loving and forgiving as my Savior, but I'm grateful that here on the mission, I can try to follow His example and be better than I normally am.  I love being a missionary, and I love this church.  It teaches such simple, yet powerful truths, and it helps us to be more like our Savior.  When we focus on other people and their needs, we can forget our own worries and troubles, and we can feel the love of God more.

Thank you for your hard work and for all you do for us missionaries!

Have a great week!

Hermana Kennedy

So, Hermana Bustos had her first verifications this week.  Verificaciones are where the trainers and trainees head to Quito, and the trainees go to a place called Panecillo while the trainers get some training.  Afterwards, the trainees teach Lesson One (the Restoration) to other trainers.  Anyway, sounds normal and fun, right?  Well, it's especially fun when there's only one companionship of hermanas (Hermana Bustos and I), and the rest of the trainers/trainees are elders.  So, while Hermana Bustos headed with Hermana Murphy and the other trainees and Presidente to Panecillo, we trainers stayed behind with the four secretaries (all men too).  Meaning....I was alone with eight elders for two
hours!  #powerfulwoman. It was actually really fun, but also really funny, because it's totes magoats not supposed to happen, but oh well! :-). Afterwards, when everyone came back, we headed to lunch with the elders, and while walking, there were three companionships of elders in front of us, and three behind, and I felt like the President of the United States or something, surrounded my security guards in black suits, walking casually down the streets in Quito, Ecuador :-)

So, we found Jonathan David, and it's not good.  He's back from Colombia, and now believes that there isn't a true religion on the earth, and we happened upon him while he was doing drugs.  So, yeah.  That's a little hard to deal with, because, what the heck, dude?  Two weeks ago, you wanted to be baptized and be a missionary, and now you're saying that the church isn't true and you're doing bad stuff?  C'mon man!  Anyway, he didn't really want to talk to us because, you know, drugs and all, so we are going back tonight to talk with him about what happened in Colombia that changed him so drastically.  But I think that all along, he's had a drug addiction.  He's always had rather strange behavior, and his eyes have always been red, and it's always kind of been in my mind, but I've pushed it aside, because I thought that maybe I was just being judgy.  But the Spirit works, and the gift of discernment is real, because I've been having a lot of feelings all along about Jonathan David, and it turns out that they were all correct.  Anyway, so that's a huge bummer, but we are seriously hoping that we can find out what's going on tonight.

Also, we had a hilarious Principles of the Gospel lesson yesterday in church on the Word of Wisdom. So, we get started talking about our bodies being like temples, but after discussing what we should and shouldn't take into our bodies (alcohol, etc.), Hermana Casco, our lider missional (and the teacher of the class), starts getting into how actually, all grapes contain a little bit of alcohol, and that eating too many at one time is bad, and that actually consuming too much of any fruit is bad because they're all going to start fermenting in your stomach and produce alcohol.  Okay hermano :-). We had some good laughs about that with the elders afterwards, and Mariana thought it was really funny.

I've really felt Heavenly Father's love for me this week.  We had some disappointments, but He always came through, and Mariana and Patricio attending church yesterday really emphasized to me the tender mercies of the Lord.  I know that compared to some missions (Czech Republic, Russia, Poland), my mission could be considered easy, but every mission has its quirks, and I was struggling a little this week.  Even today, I just don't feel quite like myself.  I guess I'm worried that I'm getting stuck in a rut after only five months in the mission, and I don't want to be that way.  Every day should be an adventure, and every day should be a miracle, but it's just so rhythmic, the missionary life, and I don't know how to change it up.  If you guys could just pray for me that I can be happy and work hard.  I feel like I'm not doing enough, and that I'm not working hard enough, and I can tell I'm really stressed, because my face is breaking out like crazy, I'm biting my nails, and I've been stress eating which is super bad.  My legs, however, are almost completely healed :-)

Also, being a sister missionary is hard sometimes in the places with lots of wind!  We were teaching English classes this past Saturday with the elders, and there was a heck ton of wind!  So, in order to save myself from major embarrassment, I had to crouch or sit the whole time :-). The elders had a good laugh about that #wearingpantseveryday

Anyways, I love you guys a lot and I'm sorry that there isn't much to report this week.  I'm so grateful for your emails and everything, and one of the secretaries told me that it usually takes three months minimum for packages to arrive from the US, so don't worry Mama.  I think that in September, Imma start getting some of the packages.  I love you guys, and I know that Heavenly Father loves you too.  Have a fantabulous week!  Say "hi" to Chiefy and Hootie for me!

Love,
Hermana Kennedy

Hermana Kennedy and the Search for Jonathan David

Hiya family o' mine!  Well, here's my letter to President.  It's a little long, because honestly this week was difficult but it's also rather interesting.

Hola Presidente Murphy,

Well, this was an interesting week for sure.  First off, we lost Jonathan David.  I don't mean spiritually or emotionally...I mean he randomly left for Colombia this past week, and he doesn't know when he will be back.  He told us that he tried to call us to tell us, but every time he called, it said that our number was "occupied".  That was a little hard, because he was starting to internalize the stuff he needed to learn in order to be baptized, but we are hoping that he will continue to attend church in Colombia, and hopefully he will be back soon!

I must admit, President, it's been a little hard on me, having the elders here.  The elders themselves are great!  They're hard working, and they're dedicated, and it's great to be working with them.  However, the ward has been treating us hermanas differently ever since the elders arrived.  I know that Ecuador is a rather male dominated country, so it's to be expected, but it feels as though nothing we do now is of any importance.  Everyone is so focused on the elders, and the things that they are doing, and it's been a little hard on me, because I don't feel welcome in the ward anymore.  This past week in church especially was hard.  None of our investigators who said they were going to come to church came which was emotionally difficult.  I guess that's the problem with loving people; when they let you down, it's awful.  But in ward council, Hermana Bustos and I presented our informes de progreso, with all of the information, with all of the help that we need.  Then, the elders presented theirs, and everyone was so willing to help them and offer assistance, and when they said they wanted to have a missionary activity to play futbol and volleyball, the president of the Elder's Quorum said, "This is why we need elders in the ward."  We hermanas have been trying to get the ward to do an activity for missionary work for about a month and a half now, and no one has been enthused about it, so that comment hit me pretty hard.  The bishop then proceeded to ask all sorts of questions to the ward about our investigators and converts, which we had already answered with our informe.  It feels like they aren't listening to us, and that our work doesn't matter anymore.  I know it's silly to feel this way, because ultimately, as long as we keep working hard, that's all that matters.  That, and what Heavenly Father thinks of us.  But it's just hard to be in a place where it feels like I don't matter.  I love having the elders here, but it feels like we aren't involved anymore.

However, yesterday afternoon made all of the pain worth it.  First off, we visited Sandra, and President, if I do nothing else on my mission, I'm happy knowing that I helped in the conversion process of Sandra.  She is the light of my mission.  She's so dedicated and faithful, and she trusts so much in Heavenly Father, and she's starting to see the blessings of being baptized.  After months without work she finally found some, and her family is helping her take care of her kids so that she can work.  She's so much happier now than when we first visited her, and seeing her each week at church just brings such joy to my soul.

Too, we set a baptismal date with Patricio Quilumbaquin for the 29th of July.  He is the brother of the second counselor in the bishopric, and he recently separated from his wife.  He's come to church three times now, and he really, really wants to know if there is a true church.  We invited a member to accompany us to the lesson, and man, having the perfect hermanador just makes such a difference to the investigators.  Javier Casteneda is a returned missionary of nine years, and he's about the same age as Patricio.  At first, I was hesitant to ask him, because he lives on the other side of our sector from Patricio, and he works in Guayaquil, but one minute into the meeting, I knew that it was a prompting from the Spirit to invite him.  Patricio is excited now to find out if this is the true church, and he's going to read the Book of Mormon and pray to know if it's true.  Especially not knowing the language perfectly, it's so nice to have had someone with the training of a missionary, but the friendship of a member who can explain everything simply and clearly.  He basically taught the entire lesson about the Book of Mormon, and Patricio is so prepared.  He said that of course he would be baptized if he receives an answer that this is the true church. 

We are also still working with Mariana Antamba to achieve her baptismal date of the 2nd of September.  She's starting to feel more comfortable with the idea, and she's learning faster now.  We also created a baptismal plan for her which I think is helping, because she knows when and what we are going to teach, and we went over the baptismal questions with her, because she was worried about little things in order to be baptized, and worried about not being prepared enough, but she already knows a lot of the things in the interview (like the role of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ).  She has a knowledge of some of the commandments already also.  We really are so excited for her, because it has been a long time since she started learning from the missionaries, and this is the farthest anyone has gotten with setting a date and having her attend church.  It's amazing to see how one missionary started this process a year ago, and now Mariana is starting to feel ready for baptism.  It just shows that we shouldn't give up on some people.

Hermana Bustos is learning more and more every day.  She doesn't have much confidence in herself, but when she teaches and bears her testimony, it's really, really powerful.  She loves this Gospel so much, and she's such an example to me.  It's been a hard couple of weeks, because we have been contacting a lot, and no one has really been letting us in, but she continues to have a good attitude as well as a desire to keep working hard.  It's hard being a trainer, because there is so much responsibility, but I'm grateful for the things that I'm learning from her everyday.  She's definitely ready for her verificaciones this week!

Thank you, President, for your support of us missionaries.  Thank you for being here for us, and for helping us in this marvelous work.  I am so grateful for you and Hermana Murphy, and I love you both!  Have a fantastic week, and we will see you in a few days!

Hermana Kennedy


Yep, so we lost Jonathan David.  We have been going to his house every two days this past week, because his phone hasn't been working, and we didn't know how else to contact him.  We finally connected with him on the phone, and he told us that he's in Colombia.  What the heck, dude?  WHY??  Anyway, as we were standing outside his house after he hung up, my mouth open wide in disbelief, a little kitten came out of the window upstairs and started mewing.  Well, Jonathan David owns two kittens, so we knew that it was his but since he's gone, we were like, what do we do?  This kitten is his, and we can't count on the other people living here (it's a casa comunal) to feed it and take care of it.  Hermana Bustos especially was rather worried about it.  So, she starts trying to find a way to reach it, but it's on the second story, so she finds this long tree branch and hoists it up to the kitten, hoping that it would climb down.  Well, it didn't, but it made for a very funny picture :-).

We later found the owners of the house who, as it turns out, didn't that that JD was in Colombia, and they said they would take care of the kitten, but they seemed a little upset that JD wasn't there anymore.  And while they were talking in Quichua, we distinctly heard "Testigos de Jehovah", so yeah.  I really don't understand.  The Jehovah Witnesses wear those goofy hats, and we definitely do not.  Also, we were contacting in a part of our sector called Mariscal after pretty much a whole day of contacting, and I was feeling a little down.  We even went up to the house of an investigator with an appointment, and she didn't answer.  Then, this huge, fluffy, golden retriever comes up, and boy was he looking for love.  I seriously feel like Heavenly Father sometimes uses animals to help me keep going on my mission, because when I'm feeling stressed or sad, there's just nothing better than petting a big, goofy dog or cute little kitten.

But on the way back to Gonzalez, we went a different way than we came, and for some random reason, there was this huge canyon in the road, and all that was there to help people cross it were three thick planks of wood.  I forrealz thought I was gonna die.  It was so dang sketch, and in all honesty, with a running start, I probs could have jumped the gap, but I was too nervous, and Hermana Bustos never would have made it, so I inched my way across this super sketch bridge, and helped Hermana Bustos cross.

Aaaaaaaaand another kind of sketch story from this week.  We were contacting in Pijal when we saw this super short woman hanging something from her clothesline way above her, and in my mind, I was like, "Yes!  We can help her and then we can teach her."  Well, turns out, she was drying meat on the clothesline.  And we aren't talking nice, happy meat.  We are talking sketch, wet, looks-like-the-skin-of-a-cow meat, and when she would turn it over to dry the other side, there were drops of meat sweat that would fly off of the meat.  We ended ups standing a couple of feet away, but there was no escaping the odor.  It was definitely rotting.  Naaaaaaasty.  Also, she's dirt poor, and told us that she was born a Catholic and would die a Catholic, and if we wanted to help her, we could do what another Gringita had done for her before and give her money and clothes that she wanted.  Yeah, well not all gringas are alike, and I certainly wasn't going for that.  So yeah.  There were also a heck ton of flies all over the meat.  Yep, Ecuador really is lovely, but sometimes, in the backwoods parts, it's a little sketch :-)

So yeah, church was kind of awful yesterday.  I almost burst into tears about five times during sacrament meeting because I was so mad and disappointed and sad that three of our investigators didn't show up when they had promised me less than 24 hours earlier that they were going to come.  And then the whole thing with ward council.  Seriously, I wanted to yell at some of those people, and remind them that yeah, we are here too, and why is it that suddenly you're all hyped for missionary work just because the elders are here?  But I kept my cool and I had a little more control of my emotions, but then after church, while waiting for the bus, Elder Seaman pulls out a huge package of Twizzlers and offers some to us.  I couldn't believe it, and my first thought was that he got a package or something, but no.  There's been an American family that's been visiting for the past three weeks, and they gave the elders the Twizzlers to tell them to keep doing what they're doing and to thank them for working hard.  Wasn't that nice of them?  However, even though we met them and spoke to the family, no Twizzlers for us.  You know, no big deal.  They're only my favorite candy in the world....and your package that contains Twizzlers and that was sent three months ago hasn't arrived here...and probably never will.

Seriously, on the bus ride to our mamita's house, I had to keep reciting The Living Christ in Spanish in my head to keep myself focused on ANYTHING other than my feelings and thoughts about how awful and unloved I felt.  And then, we got to our mamita's house, and of course, as if my day couldn't get any worse, we were served FISH!  Yes, that was about the last straw for me.  All I wanted to do was go home and cry in my bed.  But I was reminded of something I did like about church that day, and it was the Principles of the Gospel lesson.  It was on service, and there's a quote that says, "When you focus on other people's needs, you forget your own worries," and I knew that the only way to feel better was to keep going and keep working, and later, we had seriously excellent lessons.  I know that they were tender mercies from Heavenly Father, telling me that everything was going to be okay.  And I need to remember that I'm here for the members and for other missionaries.  I'm here for the people that don't have the Gospel in their lives, and I know that while this ward may not remember my name or face after I leave, I know that Sandra, and the kids of the Familia Ajavi will never forget me, and they're the most important.  I really do love being a missionary.  Yes, sometimes there are days that are physically exhausting, and there are days when the work is emotionally draining, but I also know that Heavenly Father is always with us because this is His work for His children, and He doesn't fail.  He is always helping us as missionaries, and a day without a trial is a day without progress, so I guess we were just progressing A LOT this week :-)

Thanks, Mama, for feeling prompted to fast for me this week.  It's nice to know that yesterday, someone was thinking of me and showing love for me, even if from so far away.  I love you all so much, and thanks for letting me be here.  I love it here, and I love the people that I know here.  I know that this is the true Church of Jesus Christ, restored on the earth by the prophet, Joseph Smith.  I know the Book of Mormon is another testament of our Savior, His teachings, and His love, and I know that a man can come closer to God by abiding by its precepts.  I know that Heavenly Father loves me, and he loves each of you, and I know that that is why he sent His only Begotten Son to the Earth, so that every one of us could have the chance to repent and be baptized in His name and return to live with our dear Heavenly Father.  I love you guys so darn much.  Thank you for telling me all about your lives!

Have a great week!

Hermana Kennedy

As a P.S., Larisa received an email from the American family who was visiting Ecuador along with a picture.  Johannah is definitely hiding her frustration well! :-)

Hermana Kennedy and Cayambe Nevado (pictures)

(The picture of me dabbing is just for Glo :-))