Holidays are here.

November 5, 2013

We've had so many holidays this past week. Last Thursday was Halloween, last Monday was Labor Day, this Sunday was the Indian "Festival of Lights" holiday, Monday was Marlborough Day (like Box Elder celebrating a public holiday), and yesterday was Guy Fox Day. There have been fireworks almost every night here for the past couple days! I realized how much I love fireworks and although we can't see much from our flat because we are surrounded by trees, it's exciting to hear the pops in the sky.

Jaysleen, Sister White, and I all dressed in
traditional Indian dresses.

For the Festival of Lights holiday we were invited over to the Branch President's home for dinner. They had been baking sweets all week for the holiday! We tasted some really yum Indian treats, but more fun was when we got to dress in their daughters traditional Indian dresses! We have quite a few Indian families in Blenheim and it just happened that we got to see nearly all of them on the holiday. Natasha dressed in one of her traditional dresses and they showed us the alter they had built to pray to their Gods.. not too excited about that part ha. Another family we just saw for a minute because they were preparing for the evening's events. It was fun to be a part of a new holiday.. just minus the worshiping idols thing.

We had quite the experience in the park this week. We tried to see a lady but she wasn't home, but she lives right next to a beautiful park so I wanted to show Sister White around. We had a dedicatory prayer in this park when we first got to the area so I wanted to show her the little tower we found. It's a red tower in the middle of rose gardens and so we went up top and just started to sing some hymns. A few people walked by just avoided eye contact and left. This little dog came wandering through so we kept singing, waiting for the owner. This man named Michael came and we actually had a great gospel chat. He was one an Anglican preacher and has been very devoted to Christ. He said that he'd found a glass bottle and was going to throw it away at home, but then he felt like he should just find a garbage in the park. The closest garbage can was right next to our little tower and he told us that he would come to our church. Very excited we gave him the detaisl and he went on his way. We didn't think much of it, but then Sunday came around and he really did come to church! The meeting had already started when he came in and he sat in the back, but it was so cool that he came. He left before it ended and we didn't get a chance to speak to him, but I really hope the Spirit was able to touch his heart and maybe some good will come out of it one day. Who knows!

The Prasad's are the cute family we've been teaching almost the whole time we've been here. The Dad committed again to a baptismal date which is very exciting. We didn't know how to continue teaching because they've had all the lessons and they seem to understand well. So a suggestion came that they should teach us. We assigned them the homework of preparing the restoration lesson for us and it was so exciting to have someone else teach ha. They hadn't actually prepared when we got there, but using the pamphlet they each discussed what they understood about the principles of the restoration. It was so great!! I know I always learn more when I teach, and we could really see how when they taught us it cemented their beliefs and made them really think about what they knew. Ashwin was onto it, he really did teach me. I hope we'll get to use this again in the future because I can see how it really helped them, and it made them realize they know more than they think.

Sister Edna Stratford Eames (My long lost Stratford cousin)
in the beautiful Pollard Park in Blenheim.

We have two Senior Sisters who work in the mission office and they came on a bit of a tour of the South Island. They stopped in Blenheim and we got to see them which was so fun. Sister Eames is a Stratford and we've found our connection with Edwin Stratford long ago. Meeting with others missionaries is always uplifting and especially when they are cute Sisters!

The work continues to move along here in Blenheim. We are teaching more lessons than ever! This week we taught 16 lessons and I am super excited about that. It's the most I've ever taught in a week. If you are living at home near missionaries, please help in their efforts. Offer to help give investigators rides to church, be a member present in their lessons, and give referrals for them to teach. The work is almost impossible without the members and I just wish the members here had a bit more willing heart. Be the person the missionaries know they can rely on!! Being a missionary is for all members of the church regardless of their age, where they live, or how busy they are. Missionary work is the best:)

Love, Sister Kennedy