Photos

LOOK HOW CUTE THESE ARE!! Shaqaila made them for me. I couldn't ask for a better friend in New Zealand!!

Applause in Church.

November 23, 2014

I was just driving down the road, and it hit me how much I miss my family! I don't often let myself think about my family because I want to stay focused, but this day I thought about how much my family has done for me. I've been spoiled as the youngest to have 4 older siblings who have led such great lives, and parents who have supported me in all my endeavours. Ha it was the first time I actually thought "I bet my family really misses me." That could be an inaccurate statement, but I really do know how much they love and support me.

We had a full on week! On Tuesday I traveled to Wellington for our Mission Leader Council and I got to lead a presentation from all the STL's that went very well. We've all become quite comfortable to counsel together and present to each other.

Our backyard is basically a bush. It hasn't been taken care of in probably over a year and our landlord basically said it's not acceptable. So what do 2 Sister Missionaries do? Call in the Elders. We had the Zone Leaders and DL come and for 3 hours they just went to town on our bush and we loaded up a big trailer of green waste to dump. We were so grateful!!

Our stall at the Marton Market on Saturday

Saturday we got to join Sister Shaw and Vautier to help them put on a stall at the "Marton Market". They had heaps of vendors in a park and we had our spot. The Sisters thought they provided a table and that is was inside, so we were surprised when it was outside, we had no table, and it was really windy! Ha we scrambled together a little table and some chairs and then just had to hold onto everything so it didn't fly away. Our stall was right next to all of the good smelling food vans (so tempting) and the stage so we had lots of people come by. We had a whiteboard with "what makes your family happy?" written on it and then had people come through and write answers. We focused on that and family history which was really cool. We bailed a little early when it started to really rain ha.

The cute Foxton Branch youth!

This Sunday was maybe the most spiritual Sacrament meeting on my mission. Sister Turvey and I spoke, and she spoke all about the sacrament and I spoke about prophets. Shaqaila Uelese drove down 3 hours from Flaxmere so that she could be there. We put together a musical number with a few minutes before church (because I can't give up a chance to sing with her playing the piano!) We performed the "Spirit of God" and I kid you not, at the end the whole congregation (all 20 of them) gave applause. Of course they all knew they shouldn't but they did anyway because it was so amazing! She just went to town on the piano. As I was up there I could see members almost standing up to see her fingers flying. Ha she is just the coolest!!! Foxton Branch doesn't have anyone who plays the piano (except me when we're there every other Sunday) so they all told her she is most welcome to stay and live there ha. I haven't really sung any solos on my mission so it felt so so good to be able to sing alongside Shaq yesterday. She really is the boss :) Ha I gave my talk right after singing and I was just so tearful. I couldn't get over how much Shaq had done and how far she'd driven just for that. She's my best friend. Mum you'd be proud of how much I've grown in my ability to speak in church. It was just an amazing spirit at church!

I hope you Americans have a very special Thanksgiving this week! We are grateful for Dr.s at the moment. After church a nurse in the branch was really concerned for Sister Turvey because she's been having consistent migraines and other symptoms so we hurried and drove back to Levin (20 minutes) to find out that the clinic couldn't see her for 4 hours, so then we drove to Palmerston North (40 minutes) and she did get to see a doctor after waiting for a while, then drove back home (40 minutes). Ha it was a bit crazy, but we got the help she needed. I am so grateful for YOU! Thanks for caring enough about me to read this really long email. I know it's especially long this week. I love you, be safe, have a great week full of thanksgiving!

Love, Sister Kennedy

P.S. Happy Wedding Camille! I got your invitation and think it is so so cute:)

UTES

How does a missionary in New Zealand cheer on her Utes?? 

By studying and praying in her MUSS shirt!! 

Love, Sister Kennedy

Hey, I'm doing good.

November 16, 2014

Kia Ora to my beautiful family! This week has been great!

The giant carrot on our road trip to Waiouru.

This Wednesday we got to travel to Waiouru for District Meeting. The Zone Leaders and us attended so we could give some training from the Zone, which was great. It was about a 3 hour road trip and we got to pick up Sister Shaw and Vautier to save K's. It was so great! The weather was awful and the roads were sure windy, but we had some incredible views. After our District Meeting (which was in this adorable little white chapel that has a branch) we got to drive to a Lodge and give them service. We changed out carpets, cleaned windows, and got to chat to the lady about the Book of Mormon. It was fun! On the way back we got to stop at the giant carrot and gum boot (all across NZ towns have large sculptures of different things which is so cute!).

The beautiful Mataki family who was baptised yesterday!!

Sunday we got to be the Zone Reps and attend a family baptism in Feilding. It was for the beautiful Mataki family and 6 got baptised! The Dad is a member and this past year he's been returning to activity. In our Stake Conference he received the Melchizidek Priesthood so he was able to baptise his 5 oldest children (1 is under 8) and his beautiful wife! It was so sweet. They were all baptised and then all confirmed. I got to play the piano for the baptism and was so happy we got to be there:) My past companion, Sister Leausa, worked with the family so she'll be so happy!

I keep having dreams that I'm on the airplane home and it's freaking me out ha. I'm pretty sure Heavenly Father is trying to make sure I realise how short my time is so I can work harder! The weather is getting warmer and it's staying light outside until almost 8:30pm which is so awesome! 

My week was a lot busier than this email sounds... We set a baptismal date with Bobilee so she can be baptised on 12/13/14, neat aye! She's doing so well. We helped her and her adopted family move which was fun.

I love you all, I know the Gospel is true and the God lives and loves us!! I've been such a recipient of His blessings, love, and guiding hand. Being a missionary is the best thing! After Sister Mataki was baptised she just said, "I want everyone in the world to be baptised!" Ha wanted to just start doorknocking. I hope we can all feel that way and desire to share the beautiful good news of the gospel with those around us!!

All my love, Sister Rachel Kennedy

Happy Missionary Work!

November 9, 2014

I serve in Paradise!!

This week was great (but every week is great being a full time missionary!) The highlight was our weekend of missionary activities.

Our Family History presentation on the chapel tour.

Saturday we put on a Levin Chapel Open Home fit with a free car wash, sausage sizzle, bouncy castle, volleyball and chapel tours. We had so many people come! The ward was really supportive, a nonmember Dad did the sausage cooking, and heaps of people came through the chapel for a tour. The youth and dad's were outside with the yellow Helping Hand's bibs washing cars and holing cardboard signs on the road, and the missionaries were inside giving tours. We set up all sorts of presentations on things like primary, youth, Priesthood, the missionary lessons, and family history. (We had an Open Home in Blenheim over a year ago, and this one was so much more successful!) The day was beautiful and sunny and everyone had a good time.

Then Sunday night we had a member MTC night. We had 3 stations set up that they rotated through. They learned how to share the gospel through the media, Book of Mormon and personal contact. My companion and I did the presentation on Media which was really cool, ha slash sad because we can't use the ideas we gave. We hope it gives them a boost to share with their friends! We then had members of the ward who had served missions share a bit about it. We had a slideshow filled with their pictures and ours which was cute.

LEVIN!

We were speaking to the Bishop after and he pointed out that for both events the main members who had come were a part of the Samoan Choir. I've played the piano and Sister Turvey has sung with the choir and at first we thought we might be spending too much time with them practicing instead of teaching, but this weekend taught me it was all worth it. Bishop told us members of the choir have come to him wanting to prepare to go back to the temple, and they were at our activities to support us since we've supported them. Yay!! We hope this has built the trust they need to get more involved in missionary work. Ha the broke bus was actually a good thing.. the Samoan choir is the best!!

Our new car getting washed at our Chapel Open Home.

My companion has a condition that basically puts her body in pain all the time and biking was just so painful and so this week we had decided we really needed to get our own car to help her. It turned into a really frustrating issue because we had to just work with the cars we had in our zone and of course, no one wanted to give theirs up. We had tried and it didn't work, so we kind of just resolved that the Lord was going to need us to bike. The next morning we got a call from the Zone Leaders telling us they had found us a car. Ha I just started crying. I was so so grateful but then felt unworthy and so it was this whole combination on feelings. My companion had just told Heavenly Father that whatever happened she would trust His will and then the Elders called with the car. Ahh!! honestly. Our car is beautiful ha. It's a bluish Holden and it is going to help us so much.

We have this amazing new investigator named Bobilee! She's a friend of a recent convert (Bethany, who Sister Taleni, my mama, taught) and actually moved in with her. We walked with her to church, the fireside, and committed her to a baptismal date at the end of the month!! Yay. Pray for her, she's awesome.

This is cute Bobilee and Bethany. Sister Taleni was here for Bethany's baptism,
and Bobilee just committed to a baptismal date!

Our recent convert Kirstin is doing so well! We started with her on Family History at the library and it's so exciting because she has this wide open family waiting for the blessings of the temple. Oh!! Our convert Ruta is having a baby girl:):) So that is exciting news.

I love you all heaps! I wish Aunty Lisa and Curtis a happy sealing this weekend:) Be good! God loves you. The Gospel is true!!

Love, Sister Kennedy

Halloween and Sleepovers.

November 2, 2014

This is what you call a successful STL training night.

Kia Ora to my beautiful family!! This week has been so spiritually uplifting, it's been fantastic! On Tuesday I traveled down to Wellington for our Mission Leadership Council. We discussed many things and we actually impressed our Mission President. One of the Sisters stood up to present a topic of discussion, the Hudson's moved to the side of the room, and then the 23 missionaries just counseled together and we all came up with a solution. The Hudson's thought we were so impressive to be able to just take lead and find solutions. Yay for the future of the church! Ha. But the best part of the Leadership Council was when all the Zone Leaders went back home and all the Sisters (7 of us) got to stay at the Mission Home for another day. We had from 2 on Tuesday until 2 on Wednesday to continue to learn and council together.

Can I even have a better sleepover on my mission than with 7 of the best sisters?? They're all my favourites!! We practiced our cooking skills and make soups and stir fry, we had the Zone Leaders from Wellington come and train us on how they have successful exchanges, and we did some fun brainstorming and created the outline for our role as Sister Training Leaders (because every mission does it a bit differently). President Hudson's Mission President was Elder Ballard so they took our picture and promised they'd send it to him. Whee! Ha that was fun. I came out of it feeling totally uplifted and realizing just how great it is to be a Sister Missionary. You think I should have figured this stuff out earlier! Ha 4 of us are leaving in the next 2-3 months and we're like "what have we been doing this whole time??" It's all part of the good, better, and becoming Great in Christ!

On Thursday President and Sister Hudson came to our District Meeting (3 days in a row of the greatest couple!!) and they taught me so much about the Holy Ghost. I always have known that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love me, but on Thursday I finally clicked that the Holy Ghost loves me just as much!! I've worked really hard to be able to listen to the promptings and follow what's given me from the Holy Ghost.

On Saturday we had a baptism for this little Samoan boy named Talosaga. So cute! His mum actually made my blue puletaci :)

Talosaga's baptism!

Halloween was not very exciting. People celebrate it.. but not really. A lot of people think you're evil if you celebrate it and they totally thought I was crazy when I told them what we do in America. We did do a bit of doorknocking and got some candy, so yay!! We also met this guy who kept us on his porch for almost an hour. He believes God is a woman, interesting, but because of that he thinks women are way awesome. He told us he could see our angel wings, ha so I told him it was our costume. But it was actually really cute of him.

My Halloween cake for District Meeting, courtesy of Mum's package:)

Overall, this has been a fantastic week. We had our Stake Correlation Meeting yesterday and it was great. I really love being apart of leadership meetings and hearing how we can be better. That's all Heavenly Father needs, for us to be willing to change and be better! I love you all!! Have a beautiful week :)

HAPPY 80th BIRTHDAY GRANDMA STRATFORD!!!

Love, Sister Rachel Kennedy

P.S. Check out the blog with our pictures from the last couple weeks!

A baptising week :)

October 26, 2014

Well to start off, I am just so lucky to have had such a great 22nd Birthday!! I got to play volleyball with our District, we had FHE with the Samoan families and they all sang me Happy Birthday, that night we had members show up at our door with a cake and 22 candles for me to blow out, at District Meeting the Elders walked in with a cake and they all sang for me, then Tuesday night Shaqaila and her friend showed up with another cake and 22 candles, then Wednesday I got 2 packages on the doorstep from Mum and Bryce. WOW!! It was so great:) I am one spoiled girl.

3 cakes on my Birthday. I am one lucky Sister!

On Wednesday we had transfers and Dad will be so proud because I was in charge of driving the trailer for all the Sister's luggage. Sister Breshears came to our Zone and she's from Morgan so now we have a Sister from Ogden, Morgan,, and Brigham (yay for Northern Utah!). We also get Sister Vautier in our Zone who's from Tahiti and we were in the same intake, so I'm excited to serve with all of them.

Kirstin's baptism!

Kirstin got baptised on Saturday!! We had an amazing turn out with a pretty full chapel of members and 11 non members. The first speaker got stuck at work so I gave a talk on Faith and Repentance spur of the moment. I love being a mission because it gives me the confidence to just stand up and rely on my scripture study to give a talk. Kirstin is pretty fearful of water but she said as she was baptised she just felt so calm knowing it was right. While she was changing she said she heard a voice say "the Gospel is true" and then this warm feeling went from the top of her head to her toes. Ahh!! We gave her a big picture of the Hamilton temple and she's all excited to put it up.

We have this awesome new investigator named George. He's this older guy and a friend of his introduced him to the church. He wears this purple sunglasses that are just little and round and make him look like a rockstar ha. He came to the baptism and also church and wanted to take a picture with us to prove he had come. Ha he's hilarious.

On Sunday we finally got to perform all of the numbers we'd prepared in the Samoan choir. The piano went really well and besides the mistakes here and there, it sounded really great! They are such great people, so I'm grateful we had all that time to meet them better through the rehearsals.

I love being a baptising missionary, and looking back, I've actually been blessed with heaps of people to baptise! I love my mission. I love the people here. I find so much joy and satisfaction in my work and hope you all know how much I love you at home! Be good.


ove. Sister Kennedy