August 15, 2013
Family, friends and loved ones. This week has been so good. I can't believe another one has flown by.
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| Feeling like a ranch hand taking care of the horses! |
Most recently I returned from my exchange in Nelson
this morning. My new companion and I had quite the experience there!
She's only been out 2 months so we were the blind leading the blind. Her
companion left to Blenheim and she took the cell phone with her. So we
were left without any form of contact. We had to drive over to the Zone
Leaders, use the Landlord's phone, and stop at members homes to call
people. We did a really cool service a the RDA. It's horse riding for
disabled children. I felt like a little ranch hand as we groomed the
horses, put on all the riding gear, then we got to walk with the horses
and children around the arena. These little kids were so cute and they
just lit up when they were riding the horses. Later that night we
stopped by an investigators home. She rarely lets missionaries in, but
tonight she let us in because she'd been in an accident and needed help.
Turned out she hadn't cleaned her kitchen probably in a year! Every
dish was out on the counter filled with moldy food, cigarette butts, and
used tea bags. We got to work filling huge garbage bags and washing
dishes for nearly 2 1/2 hours. It was.. interesting. But while we waited
she watched The Restoration twice and asked some really great questions
about Joseph Smith! If cleaning that filthy house is the spark she
needed, I'm so glad we were sent there to do it.
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| The drive from Nelson back to Blenheim. So pretty! |
Nelson is filled with hills and it has the center of
New Zealand in the mountains. It's a very pretty place, but as we drove
back into Blenheim this morning I felt like I had come home. I've become
so attached to Sister Taleni so when I saw her it was like I saw my mom
again!
This week was filled with many spiritual highs.
We are teaching a Fijian Indian family named the Prasad's and we taught
the father and daughter the Restoration lesson. At the end, the Spirit
prompted and we asked them to be baptized. They both said yes!! What a
wonderful feeling to know that they desired to follow Jesus Christ, joy
filled the room. Then yesterday, while I was gone, they committed
another one of our investigators to be baptized! Wow. Could I ask for
anything better?? We have so much work to do to prepare these people,
but I know the Lord will provide a way for them to progress. We were
also able to go to a beautiful park in town and give a dedicatory prayer
for the Sisters in Blenheim. The park has a beautiful stream, rose
gardens, and lots of flowers growing. We found our own quiet part of the
park and I was able to give the prayer. It had so much power and we
felt blessed to be able to give it.
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| My cute Corolla and driving on the right side of the car. |
I was also able to drive to a town called Picton on
Saturday. It's in our district and there's 2 elders there, but no active
members. We went out to contact some potential investigators who are
single sisters. The Sisters here really do get the benefit of teaching.
When there's a single female there has to be 3 males in attendance to
teach so getting a member is pretty hard for the Elders. So as the new
rule, the Sisters will just get the referral and teach. A saying here in
that Elders find and Sisters teach. It's so true! The Elders knock so
many doors and get great referrals for us to teach. We are both so
grateful for the Elders in our area because they work very hard for us.
Picton is a beautiful town!! It's right on the water and nestled in
between huge green mountains. The mountains are lush with trees and
bushes, the type of thing you'd expect to see in New Zealand.
There's
a saying here that for every drop of rain that hits a missionaries
badge, their eternal companion becomes better looking. Well, that means
that some guy out there is becoming better looking by the minute!!
There's been heaps and heaps of rain coming down and driving gets a bit
difficulty, and proselyting is pretty interesting. But it keeps
everything green and beautiful!
Funny things of New Zealand:
Most every toilet gives you the option of little flush or big flush.
People say there are heaps of things, not a lot.
Apartments are called flats.
Dinner is called Tea, so it sounds like all the members are sinning
when they talk about putting the tea on for their family.
The chocolate here is way good. Also, the cookies and cream ice cream is probably heaven on earth here.
I
was reading in Jacob 5 this week all about the laborers in the vineyard
and grafting in the branches to the fruitful trees. It's a parable
where we can learn a lot about having good roots and being firm in the
gospel, but here it's not much of a parable. Almost everyone we meet
here, in the ward and investigators, work out on the vineyards. The
vineyards here line the country and they are a huge industry! It's so
different living here. Everyone just has lemons and oranges growing on
trees in their yard, and grapes are very plentiful. Parables all become
alive here. We're told to seek after the sheep and watch the flock.
That's not hard here either. Sheep are everywhere lining the mountains
and pastures! The scriptures have become alive here.
I
hope all is well at home and that everyone is enjoying the last moments
of summer. I am always cold here. I can't wear enough layers, so I love
when the sun comes out!! Enjoy the heat for me in Utah.
I'm
loving my time here as a missionary. I learn so much every day and I
realize more and more the purpose that I have. The name of my badge is
to represent Jesus Christ and the happiness He can bring into all of our
lives. This gospel is the fulness and will bring us joy. Don't be
afraid to open your mouth and share the gospel!!
Love, Sister Kennedy
