I only ate 5 Christmas meals...

December 28, 2014

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas, because we sure did here in Levin! Christmas morning was actually a lot of fun because we had heaps of presents to open. The members here were so good to drop off boxes of food, gifts, lollies, and mum's package had the best gifts!

Christmas morning!! 

I forgot to mention it, but I actually finished Jesus the Christ last week. It was AMAZING! I had to work hard to read it, but the more I read it the more I came to love and understand my Saviour. Mum told me it would make the most sense on my mission, and she's right. It was a great experience that pretty much took the whole year to find time to read it.

Pday at the adventure park wearing the shirts
Shaqaila gave us for Christmas.

I had a great week. Monday night we had a big family home evening at a park next to the lake and I played cricket for the first time. On Tuesday we doorknocked and found a great Samoan family we'll be teaching this week. On Wednesday we had District Meeting in Palmerston North and we had a Secret Santa exchange which was fun. As a District we then went Christmas Caroling at 3 rest homes and it was so much fun! Sister Anderson, from Tremonton, and myself sang a duet on Silent Night. That was fun :) We were sitting in our car when Karen and Sister Waterson scared us to death and surprised us with a Christmas box for each of us! Then Christmas morning we had so much to be thankful for. My companion bought me Maori poi which I am super excited about. Her parents always fill a pillow case and put it at the end of her bed at night, so I woke up and did that for her Christmas eve. On Christmas day we had about 5 feeds, we received a lot of chocolate, and got to spend time with a lot of member families. It was the best!

One of our many family visits and meals on Christmas.

I loved Skyping home on Monday, but I was just so grateful to be in New Zealand for a second Christmas. Ha it's still weird to be hot and having outdoor barbecues celebrating Christmas. But I love it!

Reading my scriptures with a cracker crown
and sparkling juice.

Oddly enough, yesterday I gave my farewell talk in the Levin Ward. I got a call from our Bishop that morning and he asked me to speak. I will be in the Foxton Branch this Sunday, and then on the 11th we actually have Ward Conference so I won't be able to speak then. I was so grateful the Bishop asked me to do it, it was just so strange to do it early! I was pretty emotional and started my talk by quoting D&C 4 and it was hard to even get through that. Being a missionary just means so much to me.

Mum and Dad, Happy Anniversary!!! So grateful you got married and decided to keep having kids until #5 ha. You're both my heroes!!

I hope you all have a Happy New Year this week. Set some new goals and resolutions. Last week will be my last email, pretty weird! Be good. God loves you. Read your scriptures!!

Love, Sister Kennedy

P.S. sorry these are so random. And yes, we do much more missionary work than these emails makes it seem ha. I just figure I'll tell everyone about them in person one day and they'll make much more sense.