Temples and YSS

Well, dearest friends and family, this week was probably just as interesting as last week! It all started last Saturday when we found out that we were going to the temple this Friday, so we didn't actually have our P-day on Monday. It was on Friday. It was the longest i have ever had to wait for a P-day, and I am still exhausted for going for 1 week and 4 days without a break. But, we're catching up now. Here's what happened last week:

Monday:

​On Monday, we didn't know what to do because it wasn't P-day, so we tracted for 3 hours in the heat. Nothing except some flirty 20 year old kids that asked us if we did blaze. Haha. Heck no. Then, when we had 15 minutes left before our dinner appointment, we tried by a referral who was home, let us in, gave us water, and invited us to come back the next day. Miracle! They are a super cute family! I'm so excited to teach them! Also, the picture is of Hermana Harston, Hermana Dungan, Hermana Baird, and I with a certain special family. They're investigators, and their daughter was baptized on Saturday! They invited us over for some carne asada, so we went and had a great time with them. We also sang in sacrament meeting with the daughter, B, yesterday, so we practiced a little with her.

Tuesday:

Isn't Wenatchee just beautiful? That would be the Columbia River with part of the Cascade mountains in the background. If you look closely, you can see some of the orchards from up here. The Apple Blossom festival is this weekend and for the next two weeks and the cherries will start ripening the end of May. I am so excited! Anyway, Tuesday, we met a new investigator, O, and had an awesome first lesson with her! We also saw the woman we met on Monday, N, and had our second lesson with her. She is so amazing! She even gave us cold water this time. We contacted a referral, and to end the night, we saved one of our members from the Jehovah Witness missionaries. Who then followed us around for the rest of the night. Kind of. Hermana Kennedy went a little crazy on the driving and lost them somewhere in the neighborhoods of East Wenatchee. Phew. It was pretty close. Oh, I also hit my 17 month mark, but that's not important.

Wednesday:

You can see that my selfie skills have improved tenfold on my mission. On Wednesday, we had an awesome district council where the Restoration was likened to cars. (There's a reason we don't use analogies while we teach. I'm clueless when it comes to cars except when it comes to checking the oil or changing a tire. Thanks Daddy.) We did some STL planning and then had a homecourt with a member referral, A. He's a super nice guy and has a ton of questions about the gospel! And the member was being an awesome fellowshipper too, so that helped a lot. We had dinner at a Chinese place and then went on exchanges with these fabulous ladies, Sister Holmes and Sister Adamson. For those that have been following my life story, you'll know that I've gone on exchanges with Sister Holmes twice, so this made a third time! I went to her area and we had a blast! We talked to so many people and set up a couple return appointments. We also visited with a part-member family. The non-member in his work told somebody that he was LDS and that it save his marriage. Too cute. 

Thursday:

These are the members with whom Sister Adamson and Sister Holmes live. They're the cutest thing ever, and he has the best stories ever. Sister Holmes and I got to go out and work at 10. I didn't have language study, so it worked out that we could go out and work. We met a few people and met a super nice lady that took the discussions and wants them again! We ate dinner at this one place, San Francisco Sourdough, which has AMAZING sourdough sandwiches. I can't eat them with Hermana Harston, though. :( Oh well. Then, we went and did some service for one of their investigators. we pulled some weeds, and I pulled a tree out. Thanks Dad for teaching me how to do yardwork and Mom for teaching me how to properly pull weeds. It came in handy. After, we taught their investigator the plan of salvation. He is so prepared! He just accepted it and said it made sense. Super cool. We then left and saw some of their other investigators who were picking up rocks from their yard. So, we helped them pick up rocks and had a lesson with them. We had dinner with some members that speak Spanish, so they spoke to me only in Spanish. It was awesome. And then we exchanges back and went to our coordination meeting which we actually missed because the other sisters had B's baptism interview, so we were late. But, that's ok! We went home and got ready to go to the temple. And then we checked the mail. I got my brother Nate's wedding announcement. I was doing good the first 5 minutes I was holding it trying to motivate myself to actually open it. And then I just started bawling. He's my best friend, and he's getting married!!!!!!! It was pretty bad. I was a blubering mess. I felt so bad for Hermana Harston. She didn't know what to do with my emotions. I didn't know what to do with my emotions. It was really weird. I was laughing and crying and inconsolable. But, that's ok. I moved on. I've let him go. I don't need him in my life anyway. 

Friday:

​Hermana Harston and I at the temple. :)Temple Day!!!!!!! We had an awesome drive to the temple, an awesome session, and an awesome drive back. We bought some chocolate and some Reese's oreos, and went about the rest of our day. We saw Y, one of our part member families, and actually had a lesson with her! It was awesome. And then we tried to see one of our recent converts, S, but he wasn't home. His brother was, though, and talked to us for like 30 minutes! It was a super awesome miracle, but by the end I was falling asleep.

Saturday:

​
This is us with B and her family after her baptism with all the missionaries who went! And I was squatting for about 3 minutes. My legs are pretty buff now. Well, we met most of our goals in one hour, did two hours of service for a hoarder again, and had a lesson with A again. And we found out that he doesn't live in our area. :( So, we passed him off to the Elders, ate dinner, and went to B's baptism! It was so spiritual. Her non-member dad bore his testimony and can't wait to be baptized! 😪 And then we did an hour of weekly planning.

Sunday:

​
So, Hermana Harston and I unintentionally matched today. Her skirt matched me shirt. It was great fun. You know you're companions when you wear the same thing like everyday. We had some studies, did some weekly planning, and went to church. For our musical number, I had to transpose the song in my head because it was too high and I did not have time nor the resources to transpose it some other way. So, we made it through the whole song, and it was pretty darn good. Until the very last chord which turned into a minor something or other which left me shaking my head in disgust. At least the other sisters and B sounded good. :) Hermana Harston also gave an awesome talk and left everybody wanting to be a bit more charitable. We also had a lesson with I, the lady we met last Sunday who totally whipped out the whole Virgin Mary is a idol thing. She's awesome and determined to learn more and understand what we teach her.

Well, this week I have a solid testimony that each of us is super unique and it's supposed to be that way. I was reading 1 Samuel 16, specifically, when I was in the celestial room of the temple on Friday. I didn't even realize that I needed to read that chapter! It's when Samuel comes to Jesse to anoint one of his sons to be king. The son happens to be David, the youngest. It has the famous scripture mastery: "7 But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." I have some Gospel Doctrine study guides with me, and one of the questions that I have been pondering from that study guide is "What does the Lord look for in our hearts?". Well, for me, the Lord looks for a song in my heart. "12 For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads." I discovered that as I finished the chapter. The part of the chapter that nobody reads is after David is anointed, Saul calls him to play music for him because he's been afflicted with an evil spirit and is throwing some temper tantrums. As soon as David played some worthy harp music, the evil spirit left Saul; and Saul cared for David and made him his armor bearer. That's the power of music, so it's something I'm going to try to do this week--to always have worthy music in my heart and sing to all our investigators! Then all their evil spirits will leave them and they'll be baptized! It's a brilliant inspired plan, don't you think?

Also, I realized that I have something called YSS--Youngest Sibling Syndrome. Let's be real. The youngest children are always the best most of the time. Nephi, David, Joseph in Egypt (at least until Benjamin was born), and let's not forget Moses. Anyway. Proud to be the youngest!

Also, Elder Christopherson is coming to our stake next month and he's doing a special session for the Spanish members!!! And I can go because I speak Spanish!!! How cool is that?

Well, I think that's about it for this week. Hopefully your coming week will be as miraculous as mine! Love you all to the moon and back!

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Kennedy