well i'm finally in the mission field which means my p-days from here on out will always be on monday! makes coming back to work after the weekend just a little bit easier. you're welcome! but ya honestly sooooo much has happened since i last emailed all y'all. yup already saying that and i haven't even been here a week. here we go:
the sunday before we left the mtc was a good day but a tough goodbye. we said goodbye to our teachers the day before and now we were saying goodbye to our district. someone had sent us some sparkling cider (thx mom) and so we celebrated with that the last night. we all said some sappy stuff but we meant it which means that it was a tough goodbye. man i love those people!! Gonna miss sister winter saying, "man, what a time to be alive." and I would respond with a song from Hamilton, "Look around, look around, at how lucky we are to be alive right now!" that was for sure our motto at the mtc!! gonna miss singing and dancing and spinning to that!
After that the sisters and I went to go pack and we did so until about 1:30am and then woke up about an hour later to get ready lol. so at 3:30am we were at the curbside ready to be picked up by our super nice luxury bus. (thank you mtc) and headed off to the airport. got to call home (yay!) and then was off! ahhh! Next thing I know after a layover and another really sketchy flight with a TON of turbulence (People were like bouncing around in their seats and like jolting sideways. great first flight for sister winter to experience lol) we were in BAMA. Were headed down the escalator and look who's at the bottom, President and Sister Sainsbury! That was pretty special. Aww I just love them already!! Sis. Gilbert, Winter and I got to ride in their car on the way back and got to know them better and ahh just love them! But ya made it to the mission home and walked in the door and the smell of food hit me like a wall. ugh soooo good. wasn't southern food but soooo good! they weren't lying when they said the food here is good. but after all that we headed off to our hotel and had our last night of being companions with each other before we were off to different cities with different companions. Next thing we know it's the next morning and we're headed to the church to meet our trainers.
I can't even describe the feelings i had that morning but ya we were all holding hands, so nervous to find out who we're going to be spending the next 6 weeks with. It was a sad day to say goodbye to my beloved sister gilbert. Man I miss that girl. My name gets called and I'm with.... Sister Terry! She popped right up with his huge smile on her face and I instantly loved her! Plus her outfit was suuuuper cute so that was a plus! After that, we were headed off to our new city drum roll please.... but i mean I'm sure my mom already told y'all..... Alexander City! Better known as Alex City but it's this super cute little town just filled with churches and nice people.
First thing I did in the Field was a feast-of-sharing which is like serving food to everyone and anyone who wants it. It was a great first thing to do in the field. wasn't too scary and i can serve people food all day! so that was nice. We then went to walmart and I said my first y'all in the south. just thought i'd record that somewhere.
the next morning we went tracting a little bit (just door to door) when our appt. fell through and the first door knocked on in the field.... got SLAMMED in our face! haahahahah still can't get over it. Sister Terry said that was the first time that had ever happened. lol just my luck!
But ya this week has been awesome! It is definitely a foreign country that's for sure. The whole first day i had pretty much no idea what some people were saying. it's a lot of mumbled deep southern accents. but I love this place. it totally ranges where we go in this small little town. we could either be in a super nice neighborhood, our on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere or in the projects. ya i really like going to the projects because everyone there is so humble. We met a super cute couple at the end of the street, last door, (last floor, 4th door, nbd) who let us in right away and now they're progressing investigators! love them! soooo sweet! but ya we went back in that part of town a day after we taught them and heard that there was a shoot out the day before. i guess after we lef...so don't worry we good. we good. but kind of sketchy to hear about. don't worry we only go there before like 1pm. but we are gonna stay away for just a bit because while we were walking out of there we walked past a man just fiddling with a knife in his hand. no big deal. just scared me a ton. but like i said, we good, we good. the spirit really does guide us in everything we do and we know when to be places and when not to be places. please don't worry about it but i wanted to let y'all know cause it was a very big part of my week. (this is kaia's mom chiming in...please pray for her safety and guidance as they serve those in need....as we emailed back and forth on Monday she is in a very rough city and pretty much in the projects most of the time and the people they visit there actually watch them walk as far as they can see them to keep them safe until they can't see them anymore)
ya we've met quite a bit of people and i already love teaching. just being able to spread the gospel is uh-mazing! i want everyone to know how much this gospel can help their lives and bless their families. this past week, too, I wrote down my testimony of the Book of Mormon and want to share it with you guys cause I mean why not?
The more I read the Book of Mormon, the more I know it is true. Not because I have this overwhelming confirmation, but because I have peace in my soul and happiness throughout my day, that I don't have when I don't read it. It brings me guidance and a sense of purpose. And it brings me closer to my Savior, which I can feel so strongly. i invite all of you to gain a testimony for yourself as well, to know if what i'm talking about is true or not, by simply reading a Book of Mormon and praying about it to our Heavenly Father if it is true. Just go online and request a BOM from lds.org and you'll be set. I can promise you that your life will be changed for it.
Last thing before I leave.....Random thoughts!!!
- had my first fried chicken while teaching about the BoM! At a persons house and the husband was cooking it and we all sat and ate and talked about the gospel. I mean how much better can it get?!?!
-bike shop fell through and didn't have my bike there. buts all good cause they gave me a different one and it works i guess lol. we'll see.
- we have our own car since it's just the 2 of us in alex city but trying to ride our bikes more cause you know, physical activity.
- pray at least 10 million times a day and I love it!! y'all should try it sometime!
- everyone smokes cigarettes here, so sister terry and i come home everyday smelling like it. nbd not like we're on a mission or anything. but all's good cause we have showers!
- i'm in a branch (which is really small church) and it's so cute! The chapel used to be a small baptist church so ya it's really tiny and I love it!
- so many old ladies here and i love all of them! they just take us right in and awww just love them!
- got cold overnight so only had to deal with the heat like one day! 1 point for sister kennedy!
- it really is beautiful out here!
- sister terry and i made fried rice! yay! go team!
-everyone here says, "y'all have a blessed day. you come back now, ya hear?!" looove that
My motto for the week! "The Lord doesn't call the qualified. He qualifies the called." So true and I feel that everyday!
love you all so much!!! i see all of you in the people here! I see Brody in the little boys that come to our church. i could go on and on but i think about you all and miss ya!
talk to (email) ya in a week! whether ya like it or not!
love,
sister kennedy
one final picture at the MTC with Sister Gilbert
friends for life
arrived in BAMA and heading all different directions
Kaia's new companion and trainer, Sister Terry!
Kaia's welcome to her apartment with sweet notes.
inside their apartment
study area....Kaia needs pictures to put up on her side of the wall!
driving down dirt roads to get to neighborhoods
Alex City....gas is $1.99 per gallon!
beautiful countryside
the humble abodes she visits daily...but only before 1pm!
