Buenas tardes, Presidente Murphy,
Well, Milton made it! He showed up right on time for his baptism on Saturday! The good people from Barrio Latino showed up to support him, and he officially completed his family. He was the only one who wasn't baptized, and I'm really happy for his family. His mom wanted to just share her testimony at his baptism, and she expressed that it just felt like a burden was lifted that she didn't know was there. I think her kids and her worries for them weigh a lot on her, and to see her 9-year-old son making such a good choice helped her feel that they are doing okay. I think the baptism was good for her and her three daughters who still live at home, and I hope it helps them all have a renewed love for the Gospel.
Adrian also passed his baptismal interview on Saturday! It's really amazing to me, the change we have seen in him. I was a little worried at first about his understanding, and everyone told us that he didn't have to understand everything perfectly because he is a kid, but we began praying for his mind to be open to Gospel teachings, and Heavenly Father really answered that prayer. When we went over the preguntas para la entrevista bautismal, el recordo todo, he remembered all the commandments, and what a prophet is, and he understood why it's important to be baptized. We really hope that he can also help his family. His mom is kind of hard on her kids, and the older daughters are shut down because of it, so I'm hoping that Adrian being baptized will remind his mom that she really does have good kids. They work hard, and they've gone through a lot, and they deserve some love.
We really are here to bring families to the Gospel. Sometimes I feel bad because I'm baptizing so many kids, but each kid has been the final member of their family, and really, they complete their family. I love these people, and I love seeing how each child helps bring their family back to church. It makes me think of the promise in Malachi about the hearts of the children turning to their fathers, and vice versa. I know it's usually meant in terms of genealogy, but it seems to apply here. With each child being baptized, it has brought their family back to church, stronger and more active than before.
Hermana Meza is really progressing. She is so determined to be better, and she uses her free time at night to read more of the Book of Mormon because she really wants to know it better. She actively participates in lessons, and really tries to learn the lessons beforehand. I think she's more of a visual learner, so we are working on using that to help her. She's still a little timid contacting, but that will come with time.
It was a little bit of a hard week for the hermanas here though. Hermana Cragun got really sick, and the Cotama hermanas are feeling a little discouraged because they aren't finding anyone. Hermana Pfocco and Rodriguez had to leave an investigator with fecha because he didn't come to church again, and it was just a little rough, but I love that all these hermanas just keep going. Even though the work is hard, they keep going, and they know what their purpose is. I'm so proud of them, and thank you again for allowing me to work with them. They are a powerful bunch.
Thank you for all your advice and example of leadership.
Have a great week,
Hermana Kennedy
Okay, so first, good news. We went grocery shopping today, and I bought cereal. When I got to the check out, the lady scans my cereal, puts it in the bag, and then shows me a notebook and says that it's FREE! I love notebooks here, because they have the coolest designs. I may actually have bought a couple of notebooks here that I will be using at school.... Anyway, this notebook is INFINITY WAR so it has Captain American, Rocket, Dr. Strange, Iron Man, and Gamora on it. And did I mention that it was FREE???!!!! So dope. And all because I bought that brand of cereal.
And yep, I hit 17 months yesterday, and Saturday marked one month until I'm HOME! Don't worry--I'm still working and trying hard and everything, but man, I am so excited to be home!
I got my package on Thursday, and I was so excited to open it. I told the hermanas that a lot of it was for them, so I ran into the bathroom after zone conference and some of them came with me, and I ripped it open and just sat distributing 4th of July ware! I've decided that on the 23rd, we are going to have an Hermana Christmas in July party, and we will make the popcorn and Rice Krispies then! But man, it's so hard not to eat it myself. I may have opened the Twizzlers though! I felt like those were more for me ;-)
Funny story from Milton's baptism. We show up at the chapel at noon (his baptism begins at 4:00) to fill the font. But we usually try to clean it first so that there isn't any hair or dust or anything. Anyway, I open the door, and the font is already full...from the last baptism in the ward TWO WEEKS AGO! It seriously smells like dead fish, and there are tons of dead bugs in it including a huge spider and a centipede. So, we have to drain it, but in order to open the drain, we have to go outside the building and open up a hatch and use a pole to unscrew the key (is that what that's called?). Well, the hatch is made of stone, and it's like super hard to open, so I sit there for ten minutes pulling with all the grip strength I have (Ninja warrior, anyone?) until finally it gives and comes up. We then have to wait 45 minutes while it drains. We then clean the font, including all the bugs, but the smell lingers. We then have to close the drain again and we open the font and...cold water comes out. We call the guy in charge of the hot water, and he tells us that the gas (yes, tanks of gas) are connected, and we just have to close and open the font again. Well, we did and nothing. Still freezing cold. At this point, it's like 2:30 p.m., and we haven't even eaten lunch. So we leave the font to fill and head to a restaurant nearby, gobble down some food and head back. It was a great baptism, but that was an added stress.
We were at Milton's house this past week, and we were talking, and all of a sudden Milton asks, "Hermanita, do you wear contacts?" I was like, "What makes you ask?" and he says, "When you turn to the side, I see a small line. Can you take one out so I can see it?" I was like, "Sure?" Well, I take it out, and he thinks it's cool and all, and then he says, "Wait! Hermanita, your eyes are actually BLUE!" His mom then whips around, and says, "Oh my gosh! How beautiful!" Needless to say, they thought I wore contacts everyday to change my eye color. That's fine....
So, since I'm the hermana leader for three companionships, that means that I have to have something called Moronitas with the hermanas. They're just small interviews to find out how they are. Well, normally I go into one room with one companion, and my companion does the interview with the other. But since now it's just me, it means that I go in with one, we have the interview, we finish, she leaves, and I call the next hermana in. I feel like it's the hospital (or Meijer deli) where it's "take a number" to speak with the hermana ;-)
And last funny thing. So Tuesday, I had to go to Quito for leadership council, and last Monday, we found out that the other hermana leader in the Campo (Hermana Inskeep) and I would be heading together, and be leaving our trainees together here in Otavalo. Wait, what? Like, Hermana Meza leading the sector after only four days on her mission? With another trainee? Okay. So, Tuesday morning we meet here in Otavalo, and Hermana Inskeep and I say goodbye and get on the bus. We are driving for about five minutes when I look at her and ask, "Hermana, do you have your phone?" She says yes, and then asks me, "Hermana, do you have yours? I also said yes, meaning that we left our trainees without a phone! We just sat there for a minute, and I'm like, "Well, let's get off the bus and head back to the house." So, we get off the bus, run back to the house (like a 15 minute walk), but there's a problem. We live on the fourth floor, and there's no doorbell. So we start yelling, hoping that they will hear us and come to the window. They didn't! So, we left a note on the wall next to the door which we find out wasn't even there when they left the house. So, we head to Quito and upon arriving, Hermana Inskeep realizes that she's LOST her phone on the bus. And we got to council late because we went back to the house. We had a good laugh about all that had happened that night when thankfully we found our companions safely home and waiting for us.
Say a prayer for me, family. I'm a little overwhelmed. I have four weeks left, three companionships of hermanas to worry about and take care of, two wards for which I need to find, teach and baptize, and one new trainee. I'm a little stressed, and sometimes I get tired of how people treat us. Only one person thanked us for the work we are doing in their ward, and many people criticize us and don't do anything to help us. And I'm so sick of people stereotyping me because I'm white. It's one thing to be rejected because they're Catholic and we're Mormon, but it's another for them to do it in English, looking at me like I'm crazy, and basically rejecting me because they assume I don't speak the language. I'm just excited to be home and feel normal and not have people look at me like I'm a freak or treat me differently because of my skin color. Don't be racists, people, because when you are the victim of racism, it really stinks. Okay, rant over--
I love you, Mama. Thanks for loving me. Sometimes I feel badly with my trainees because they don't get many emails, and I think Herman Meza compares herself a lot, and she always looks over my shoulder and looks at my emails, and is like, "Wow, you have so many!" I feel so bad, but I'm just so grateful for you guys. I wouldn't have made it without your support each week. And she will have one more email to read after I get home, so it's okay ;-). Can you even believe that I have only three more emails left to write??
I love you guys. I miss you, and I am trying to work as hard as I can, but sometimes, it's just hard.
I love you.
Love,
Hermana Kennedy
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