"Strength not known among men."

August 24, 2014

I'll just start with the highlight of my week. I had my first exchanges here in the Palmerston Zone and so I got to be in Palmy with Sister Fetu'u, who's my same intake, which was awesome. The best part though was eating CARL'S JR! It's the only one I've seen on my mission and those criscut fries were just sooo good! Ha, the small things in life make me happy.

This is the beautiful beach in my area!

So here in Levin we cover the Levin Ward and also the Foxton Branch. They both have church at 10am on Sundays so we switch every other week with the Elders. This week was my first time attending the Levin Ward and I really enjoyed it. I was their piano player for the day playing all 4 songs of the Sacrament meeting, I then got to bear my testimony and introduce myself, and I also played piano for Relief Society. I'm afraid I'll run out of songs that I can play, but hopefully they don't get too bored of my playing ha.

Here in Levin, we attend a Family Home Evening with all the Samoan families here. We usually have a couple investigators that attend so we love it. Ha sadly it's all in Samoan so we just catch the few times they speak in English for us palangi missionaries. But I'm happy to have their mean feeds again:)

This is my companion biking with a pizza in her hand.
Ha the things we have to do on bikes..

In this area we share the car with the Elders and so that means we are biking heaps. The elders have more appointments out of town, but luckily the town is really flat so biking is cool. It's warming up just a bit and I think it's a lot warmer here than in Wellington. It's not nearly as windy, it's sunnier, and less rain. It feels like Spring! We had a couple of serving projects this weekend and it felt like spring cleaning outside. for some reason I enjoy the yard work more on my mission than the hours and weekends I'd have to spend on our own house.

We have this beautiful investigator named Steph! She's kind of my miracle here. She's dating a member and so has known missionaries and members for over 2 years. No one has really been able to teach here and when I got here they were just trying to befriend her. When I got here I just straight up asked her if we could teach her and she said yes. She tells us she needs more Jesus in her life because she sees how happy everyone is who follows Christ. I love her!! Keep her in your prayers, she's just great.

I read this verse in the Doctrine and Covenants today and wanted to share it: "And at all times, and in all places, he shall open his mouth and declare my gospel as with the voice of a trump, both day and night. And I will give unto him strength as is not known among men." D&C 24:12

I love you all heaps and I hope you have a great week! It's crazy to think school is starting again ha. I'll take serving a mission any day over starting a new semester. I know this gospel is true and that even in times we are struggling, Christ is right with us to help bear our burdens. God loves us more than we know!!

Love, Sister Kennedy

My transfer to Levin.

August 17, 2014

One of the things I will miss most in Wellington is the
awesome YSA! This is from our weekly FHE at the institute.

Saying goodbye to everyone in Wellington was really really hard. They've all become like my best friends!! On Monday we went bowling for our P-Day which was really fun. It them started the mayhem of saying goodbye to people and packing. On Tuesday we had breakfast, lunch, and dinner provided by the members ha. Everyone who loves me thought "I'll make her a cake, take her to dinner, and give her candy" so I just had a sugar headache all day ha. I got my nails done by a beautiful member, our ward mission leader cut my hair, we met all the new missionaries, and got little gifts from members. Tuesday night we picked up a sister who was going home, and I actually took her spot on Levin ha. We had more luggage than we knew what to do with and we smashed it all in our little Toyota.

Wednesday morning we had to wake up at 5:30 and it was a hard trip to make to the bus stop. We picked up Suzanna (my mission miracle) and she was a missionary for the day with Sister Leausa. It was so so hard to get on the bus, but Sister Leausa and I shouted "hoorah for Israel" (from Other Side of Heaven). I left Suzanna my name badge (the first badge I've left) and I gave Sister Leasua her first ponamu necklace.

Saying goodbye at the Wellington bus station.

I got to Levin and was feeling okay, but then I came home and my door was covered in pictures and lollies from Shaqaila. Ha she stopped by driving through and it was so cute! It helped me to feel loved in this area even though she doesn't live here. I'm the only new missionary in this area and the only new sister in the Zone, so I actually feel pretty weird. I'm the only new thing in the equation and so I don't yet feel like I have my place. I know it will come though.

A warm welcome on my door by Shaqaila:)

I've met really great members and it's fun because my trainer, Sister Taleni, actually opened up Levin. So it feels fun to fill her shoes. The flat we live in actually reminds me a lot of the ranch house, so that's fun. I know that I'm going to love Levin the more I'm here. My companion is Sister Martin, from California, and I actually took her out street contacting in Wellington on her first day so that's fun. She's so cute!

My new companion, Sister Martin,  and the candy lei she gave me:)

Our new Zone theme is "Be a Pen". Ha at first I didn't get it, but the theme comes from President Uchtdorf's talk "Pride and the Priesthood". As missionaries we want to be a pen because pens are always reliable, they work regardless of how small or important the task is, and they never complain. With further study I think it'll be a great theme.

I love you all and hope you have an amazing week!! My family all seems to flying all over the world, but it wouldn't seem like the Kennedy's to be sitting still. I think I have become the ward and branch pianist here ha. We switch every other week between a ward and then a branch, so I guess I better learn some sacrament hymns quickly.

I love you all heaps!!
Sister Kennedy

All good things come to an end.

August 10, 2014

I guess I knew it was coming, but after almost 8 months in Wellington I'm being transferred! I'm going to Palmerston North and I'll serve in a little place called Levin. Funny actually, I was reading the August Ensign and this guy talked about how he served in Levin NZ and how great it was. So hopefully it bodes well for me:) I'm staying Sister Training Leader, which is great because I'll get to come back to Wellington for our Mission Leader Council. My new companion is Sister Martin and I took her out street contacting her first day in Wellington, so I know a bit about her. I'm so excited for a change, but it will be so hard to say goodbye to so many close friends from the ward, investigators, recent converts, and especially Sister Leausa. It'll be a crazy 2 days until I get on a bus on Wednesday morning and leave. Whee!!

All the missionaries at Sandy's baptism.

This week I had a tender mercy and a way for Heavenly Father to tell me why I've stayed so long in Wellington. One of my first weeks in Wellington with Sister Gilmour we were street contacting and met this Indian man who seemed pretty interested in our message. We got his details and passed it along to the elders but they could never get in contact with him and he went on a holiday somewhere. I didn't think much about it. About 5 months later, we got a text from someone named Sandy who wanted to learn more. We can only teach women, and we assumed Sandy was a woman so we met a time to meet. Ha low and behold, and it was the same man I'd met on the street and we had another sister with us so we could teach him. That first lesson he committed to be baptised, accepted a Book of Mormon, and agreed to next time meet with the Elders who would continue to teach him ha. This Saturday Sandy was baptised and it was a real "see the fruit of my work" day. It was so neat to see him baptised because he really came out of the water feeling something amazing. He told me how all of this wouldn't have been possible unless I had talked to him, so I was grateful Heavenly Father let me stay in Wellington long enough to see his amazing conversion!

Because of Caroline, I've started the Doctrine and Covenants challenge. At the end of the mission, you count 138 days and read one section of the Doctrine and Covenants to the end. If you want to join me, I'm on D&C 10 today, so you can start 10 tomorrow since the days difference ha.

I got such a shock when our mission president's wife called us on Saturday and invited us over for dinner on Sunday. WOW! Ha we were both so happy about it. I have actually never been to the mission home, so it was nice for me to see. President gave us the small tour. They fed us dinner and then we got to speak about Sister Training Leaders and all that Sister Hudson can help with. It was nice(?) to give her information that I knew and also give my two cents on how things can improve with this calling in our mission. They're just the best and we love them!

Our cute family from South Africa :)

I'll tell you all a wee miracle. We had dinner with this great member, and after we left we got to our mission office and I realized that my wallet was missing. I got so worried because I'd just put heaps of money in it, both my US and NZ license were in it, and pretty much everything I need. The member lives right in the city so I was worried it would either have been run over or stolen. Anyway, we drove back quickly and found it right next to someone's tyre, and I was so relieved! Ha, just a little miracle for me.

I hope the Kennedy reunion went well and that the whole family is great! I love you all heaps, and I love New Zealand, and I love the life long friends I am making here. Heavenly Father has been so good to me. Something I have always really wanted is to be remembered in the areas that I served, and I think that's why He's kept me in my areas for so long so that I can really make great relationships. God is good!!

Love, Sister Kennedy

A blessed week.

August 3, 2014

Let me tell you all about my great, great week!!

The cutest kids in New Zealand!!

On Thursday we got a call from the mission office telling me that I had mail. Yay! I could either pick it up or wait for it to come in the mail. I was eager so I decided to pick it up. Turns out, the patriarchal blessing to Grandma Kennedy came in the mail. I read it, which was touching, but then I looked at the date it was given and it was given on July 31st 1932. Well, I was reading her blessing on July 31st 2014. Wow!! It was a super little mercy. The next day Grandpa Kennedy's blessing came in the mail and I was super stoked to find out that the same patriarch who gave him his blessing, gave President Monson his blessing. NEATO! (to find out who the patriarch is, watch On the Lord's Errand, the movie about President Monson.) I can't remember if I've told you all about a really cute family we are working with. Our new mission president met the mum at the airport (his first go at street contacting and met her) and then gave us the referral. Their family is originally from Zimbabwe and she has three children. Her husband is still in South Africa and hopes to come soon to join his family. We've been teaching them for a couple weeks now, but they all came to church yesterday :) After the older kids finished primary and young women's, they both said "that was so fun, can we come back next week?" Ha, the 3-year-old had different opinions, but we were so happy that they really enjoyed church. It's a hard thing for them to change churches, and they aren't rushing into baptism, but they can feel the goodness from the gospel. It's funny because she was living in Auckland for a couple weeks trying to find a job and a home there but nothing really worked out. As soon as she moved to Wellington she found a great job, a home, and everything just seemed to fit into place. What a miracle that we now have the chance to teach them after their long journey from South Africa :)

Turns out, I'm super allergic to cats and cigarette smoke. It also turns out that we have 2 investigators that both smoke and have heaps of cats. This week we went to both of them in the same day and I thought I was going to die haha. We're going to work on getting the lesson at a member's house this week so I don't stop breathing :)

Shaqaila, who's an amazing pianist here in Wellington, decided to interview me for an essay she's writing at school. It's a journalism course about an occupation she wants to go into, and she chose the occupation of religious missionary. Yay! So, we had a half an hour of interview, and it was fun because I got to speak about Rachel for half the time, then Sister Kennedy. She then followed my companion and I around as we were street contacting so she could get pictures of me "at work". Ha, it was really fun and helped me to see how much I have grown on my mission as a missionary, but also as Rachel Kennedy. Get ready to see a whole new me when I come home haha.

Our recent convert, Suzanna, joining us in teaching.

A big ole blessing we've had this week is being in a trio almost every day! Our recent convert, Suzanna, really wants to serve a mission. We've been able to take her out with us almost every day on teaching appointments, street contacting, and rescue visits. It's been so fun because we can see her growing and now we have loads to talk about. It's really amazing to see her change from who she once was to who she wants to be through Christ. She told us how much she hates change, but as she was taught the gospel the changes became so easy. Neat!

Next week are transfers and most times I think I'll be leaving, but other times I think I'm staying. I guess it doesn't much matter where I serve, but how I serve. "Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves-- to choose the way of everlasting death of the way of eternal life." We all have the choice! I love you all heaps :)

Love, Sister Rachel Kennedy