all i want for breakfast is 47 packets of hot sauce...April 17, 2017...week 28

hello world!

i know this past week was Easter and i should probably have a super spiritual subject line but oh well. i couldn't miss the opportunity! ill explain later!

but yes this past Sunday was Easter!!! and what a wonderful day it was! we had a special Sacrament meeting where it was just all music. Elder Tullis and I were able to sing a really cool rendition of I Know That My Redeemer Lives, and it was our best one yet! we sang the same song this past week at zone conference and it was pretty rough so im glad we got it all worked out by Sunday! but the primary sang the cutest song of my like called My Savior, My friend. look it up on youtube right now. it just melts my little heart. also brother martineau performed on his guitar and sang Come thou fount and it was so good! man yall Sacrament meeting was just one for the books! after church we were able to spend Easter with the martineau family and her parents who are from new york! yup! coolest accent and everything. favorite line from the night. "close, but no cigar" (said in all seriousness and accent and everything) it was awesome! told me all the local places to go when i get there and i just soaked it all in! just the kindest people you ever did meet! they made me feel like we were family and that made easter just all the better! 

so like i said we also had zone conference this past week too. and on that same day we had out temple day! like how much better can it get?? all in the week of preparing for Easter! it was just a great week! the temple was amazing as always and i loved being able to go with my homie, sister winter! what a special time to be alive :) and also got to see my other homies, sis willy, sistah terry and sister pond! holla at ya girl! it was a great day!!

and im so glad we were able to have such a good day because for the next couple days i got sick and was down for the count for a couple days. it sucked. but im better now and was better in time for the cute little Easter part our ward through for all the kids! we didn't do too much but we did a little spiritual thought and handed out our favorite picture of Jesus to ALL the kids there and not one was found left on the floor which i think is an accomplishment in and of itself. is that the phrase? who knows these days...

fun moments of the week:

the cross outside of the methodist church was covered in flowers and it was beautiful so we had a photo shoot with it. yup no shame it was too pretty to pass up!

got the best packages from my family this week! one form both grandparents and one from the madre. it was so cute! we were able to decorate with the cutest butterfly banner (perfect for spring)  and also got 47 packets of tapitio hot sauce! like score! hence the subject line for this week! i feel like Frankenstein from big daddy. what? i didn't just reference that movie.. okay moving on!

been working ion the courthouse like mad on my family history and was able to find my grandpa mike's and grandma toni's senior pictures from high school! how cool is that? i even found a middle school picture of one! how cute is that?!? i love working there! because that means that i get to work on my own family history as well and i have just found a love for it i didn't know was possible! it truly is a blessing being given this opportunity to work here right now!!

according to sister winter i was raised by a ufc fighter and i dont know what to think about that hahah but i guess its true so theres that!

well i hope that yall have had a blessed week and a happy easter! remember the reason why we celebrate it. He lives! and because he does, we can too! how grateful i am for that knowledge! in 3rd Nephi 17:6 Christ says, "... Behold my bowels are filled with compassion towards you." Just another aspect of His great atoning sacrifice! How grateful i am for this time to celebrate Him and all the wonderful miracles that come from His sacrifice. 

love,
sister kennedy

Praise the Lord Hallelujah *breaks into song*...april 10, 2017...week 27

Hello Hello Hello!

this week was one for the books!! so many great things happened!

i guess ill start with my favorite! this week in the courthouse a lady named Linda came in looking for someone to help her find an ancestor named Moses and his parents. Well Sister Winter searched through our library and I was able to search on Family History with her and four hours later we found Moses, his parents, and their parents, spouses to all their children and their own families. In-laws, cousins, and was able to set up her four generation pedigree chart, as well as her husband's chart. It was an amazing day filled with the Spirit of Elijah! She was just so happy we were able to help her and I was so happy that we were able to help! 6 weeks ago I would not have been able to do that but here we are. Trying to be a little better everyday with genealogy and people are benefiting from it! yay!

We had zone training in tuscaloosa this past week and that is always a fun time! love driving through the campus! its so pretty!! if it didn't get 10 million degrees here i might consider it but since thats not changing anytime soon, ill probably not haha

We were able to teach someone named Minnie who Jesus Christ was. That was definitely something new here in the bible belt. She was visiting Alabama and was from India and just the sweetest lady ever! Let us right into her home! Just teaching her the basics about who Jesus Christ is was so amazing. the spirit was so strong it was tangible i swear! We realized it was an emmaus experience when she talked about how she was going to leave that morning but felt as if she needed to stay and leave the next morning instead. and we had planned on knocking on doors somewhere else but the spirit just kept prompting us to keep walking a little further until we came to her house, halfway across town! man this gospel is awesome! i will never get over how cool it really is!!

was able to go transfers on wednesday even though we weren't getting transferred due to some car situations and having to carry like all these elder's luggage there and back. but can i just say, best feeling ever to go to transfers and not be transferred! hahaha

we were invited by some ladies at the courthouse to go to the main baptist church's (here on main street) Easter program. it was titled No Cross, No Crown and really focused on what the cross symbolized. It was really interesting to be able to see their views and beliefs and I'm so grateful we were able to go and enjoy the beautiful singing! ps there was also a really cool moment when fog started coming out of the tomb and the rock rolled away and Jesus walked out! lIke how cool is that?!?! best part of the night!!

oh and on Sunday we were able to go to a Holiness church in Alabaster with Brother and Sister Muck to recruit members to help volunteer at the courthouse and man was it awesome!!! They had a pretty legit sound system and people would yell Praise the Lord, and others would yell it back as the organ and drums played in the background and then these people would just burst into song and the organ and drums would pick it up and these PEOPLE WERE SOOOOOO GOOD! like gospel soul music yall! they would explain how their ancestors would sing it after wards and where it came from but it was so cool!! i wish i would've gotten a video because man you just cant put it into words!!

wednesday morning we had like a 2 hour lightning and thunder storm which doesn't sound back but yall it was like the sky was a strobe light i swear. for 2. hours. non. stop. starting at 3 in the morning. yay!

well this has been a long email but i mean this week has been awesome so why not?

this week I'm trying to memorize The Living Christ before Easter and I'll just leave yall with one of my favorite parts so far that I've memorized:

"Though sinless, He was baptized to fulfill all righteousness. He “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38), yet was despised for it. His gospel was a message of peace and goodwill. He entreated all to follow His example. He walked the roads of Palestine, healing the sick, causing the blind to see, and raising the dead. He taught the truths of eternity, the reality of our pre-mortal existence, the purpose of our life on earth, and the potential for the sons and daughters of God in the life to come. He instituted the sacrament as a reminder of His great atoning sacrifice. He was arrested and condemned on spurious charges, convicted to satisfy a mob, and sentenced to die on Calvary’s cross. He gave His life to atone for the sins of all mankind. His was a great vicarious gift in behalf of all who would ever live upon the earth. We solemnly testify that His life, which is central to all human history, neither began in Bethlehem nor concluded on Calvary. He was the Firstborn of the Father, the Only Begotten Son in the flesh, the Redeemer of the world." i add my testimony to this as well. He Lives and im so grateful for that knowledge that I have.

I hope yall have a blessed week and a Happy Easter!! Remember the reason why we have it! I invite y'all to watch the Prince of Peace video on mormon.org and just recognize the peace that Christ can truly bring into our lives! I love y'all!!

love always,

sister kennedy

cutest companions

working at the courthouse

'looking for a mind at werk!'

mission watch...back engraved with 'called to serve'

pro mosquito eater killers at your service...april 3, 2017...week 26

hey yall! 

here's your weekly update from the one the only sis ken! oh gosh that was stupid oh well! here we go!

well lets start off this email with bang because thats how my week started! we were able to go to TUSCALOOSA for a zone activity! that's right! T-Town!! and what did we do there?? we got to tour the stadium, the alabama stadium! it was so cool! a member works there and was able to take us around! the church has its perks yall! hahah

tuesday was Sis winter's and My 6 MONTH MARK!!!!! 1/3 of the way! i dont know what to think of that but its definitely crazy ill tell you that! and to follow up on the challenge I told yall about, sister winter and I did complete it! we both finished reading the Book of Mormon from cover to cover on our 6 month mark. i am so grateful for the opportunity I had to do so! there's nothing like reading the book to gain a testimony of it! who knew?! hahah i guess a lot of people don't and that's why we're out here. awkward. but anyways i know that the Book of Mormon is true and i invite everyone to read it. it will bless your life. It has helped me come closer to my Savior. And because of that I have felt a joy like never before. And I am so grateful for that!

general conference was this weekend which essentially is a conference where the Modern Day Prophet and Apostles speak to us and man it was just as awesome as it sounds! Sister Winter and I didn't have plans for the first session so we went to the church building and had fruit salad, bacon, and german pancakes. i mean how much better can it get?!? I think my favorite talk was by Elder Yoon Hwan Choi. He talked about not looking around but looking up. So simple but so true. he said, "“It is not easy for us to recognize the love of Heavenly Father when we look around with our temporal eyes because we see inconvenience, loss, burdens, or loneliness first. On the other hand, we can see the blessings beyond when we look up. The Lord has revealed, ‘when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated’”  He also talk about the knowledge that we have that we can be eternal families and that is one of the anchors in my testimony as well. “It is never too late to look up to Jesus Christ,” he said. “His arms are always open to you. There are generations before us and after us depending on us to follow Christ so that we can be an eternal family of God.” I know that my family is an eternal family and i am so grateful for that knowledge!

So spring is becoming a new thing which means that every bug and its mother is out and about in the south and im not quite sure how i like that hahah. literally EVERY time we open our door at least 2-3 mosquito eaters have flown in. and i dont know what it is about the south but man they are creepy looking down here! but i will say sister winter and i are getting pretty good at catching them! if you ever need some help, who do you call?!? the mosquito-eater-busters!! (that's us)

okay well i hope yall have a blessed week!!

love always,

sister kennedy

just get the jello stuff!...March 27, 2017...week 25

man what a week! so busy i cant even remember half of it! 

the courthouse has been going great and we are getting more and more volunteers everyday! Clem took us to meet some more people of the community and we got to sit down with the preacher of both the baptist and methodist church! hopefully we will be able to work together more and continue to grow our volunteer list! were really looking forward to that!

we had interviews with President this week and had our exchange with our STLs in Bessemer the same day! So Pres and Sister Sainsbury drove us to Hoover but the STL's were running a bit behind so we got to go eat at this cute little BBQ place in Columbiana with them. And then our STl's were still running a little late so we got to chill with them at the mission home for an hour! It was so fun spending the afternoon with them! I just love them so much!! And plus their home is like just super filled with the Spirit it's tangible just sitting in their living room! they are just the best!

And that then leads into our exchange with the STL's! We pent the night in Bessemer and then woke up and was able to go to their Relief Society party. It was so cute and i just loved being there! They had breakfast burritos and minute to win it games. Like how much better can it get?! After that we were able to split up and go teach quite a few people and Sister Trepanier (she went to U of A. Bear Down cat! :) and I got to invite a couple to be baptized on the 28th of April and they said yes! I love being a missionary and asking that question! You literally ask people if they would like to follow Jesus Christ! I just love being that instrument in the Lord's hands. After that we got caught walking in the rain since the others had the car. i think my shoes are still wet but thats alright! Because to end the exchange we got chic-fil-a! Like best exchange ever!!

After we got back we went to the Harmons and watch the General Women's Conference and it was incredible!! I loved about how Linda K. Burton talked about the certain women in the bible. they were certain because they were certain in their testimony. And i just love that!

She talks of Martha when she says,“following the death of her brother, Lazarus — Martha, the beloved disciple and friend of the Lord, declared with what must have been great emotion, ‘Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.’ Consider her certainty as she continued, ‘But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.’ She further testified, ‘I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world’ (John 11:21–22, 27).” How certain is she in her testimony. I am striving everyday to become more firm in my testimony and i invite yall to do the same! I also invite you to watch General Conference this weekend. What better way to prepare for Easter?!

Sunday was one of the best Sacrament meetings I've been to when a man and wife just talked about the stroke he went through and his journey back. The topic was how the Savior stands by us in times of trial and how true is that! I know that is true and i bear testimony of it!

PS treid to make banana pudding and thought we wouldn't have enough so we made 2 batches which ended up tasting like the worst thing in my entire life and now we have 24 servings of nasty tasting banana pudding just sitting in our fridge. lol send help. i guess that's what you get when you try to be southern and your not. hahah but then when i asked a good southern cook about how we should make it at the RS activity she was all like, "Oh honey! we just use the jello stuff and put cool whip on top of it." so there you have it! the real southern trick hahah

Also i dropped my tapito out of the fridge and saw my life flash before my eyes as the whole bottle busted open. it was sad day. but dont worry cause i bought a new travel size one and i can carry it in my backpack to all my dinner appt! hahah

Well i love yall and hope that you have a blessed week!

love sister kennedy

dance battle, say what?!...March 20, 2017...week 24

bonjour! bonjour! bonjour bonjour bonjour!!!!!

there goes the missionary with the bike like always! the same awesome message to tell and share! every morning just the same since the morning that we came to this awesome little town ! good morning sisters!! good morning my fellow americans! if yall didn't know you were suppose to sing the above so good luck!

this week was awesome! we were able to do so amazing things! the courthouse has been going great and more and more people are showing up to volunteer and we just love it! we get to know them and hear stories from their life all while ditigizing documents for people to one day find their ancestors. like can it get any better?!?!

catch up on some things i missed last week!

- the restoration movie showing went so good. i mean sadly none of our investigators showed up but we had a ton of members so talk about strengthing one anothers testimony of the restoration. it was great!! and we got to eat a lot of candy bonus!

- we got super bashed by this preacher about our testimonies. like come on. you can knock our church but dont try to knock our testimonies. that's just low. and that's how we kind of felt afterwards. but we know who is standing by our side so we decided to lift our spirits by taking a family picture. and it helped and people thought we were crazy but oh well! those crazy mromons!! so yes we took our family picture with Jesus and it lifted our spirits!

- we had zone conference in bessemer last week and that was pretty awesome! had a mini sisters only afterwards too and it was soo cute!! i love my mission so much!

-sang sister winter the whole movie of les mis and i will say im quite proud of myself! not because i sang it horribly but because i was able to stumble my way through it and remember a little over half of the words! try being away from music for 6 months.. its a little harder than it sounds!

okay on to this week! we were able to meet a lot of people this week in the town and that was so nice! i kind of dread going door to door but also love it at the same time. you never know who your going to meet and what they're going through in life. but the best part about it is no matter what they're going through in their life can be helped by the message that we share! 

we also were able to do a lot with members this week #blessed

we were able to hold an FHE in the Harmons home and it was awesome! they invited us to go see their daughter and her member friend that doesn't come to church a whole lot in the school musical Beauty and the Beast. After getting permission we were able to on Friday and it was awesome!!! the whole town was there so we got to meet a lot of people and we got to support our 2 homies from church! like how much better can it get?! I was in HEAVEN!! it took me everything to not sing along but i managed. the show was amazing and we got to meet alyssa after wards and she is just the sweetest girl ever!! but if you didn't make the connection already thats why the first little song is from beauty and the beast!

we were able to teach quite a few lessons to some kids at the apartments we went tracting at after we had some fun times playing soccer and having some dance battles (thx mom and uncle j for the idea!!) . this little kid tyrell was going at it, doing all these cool break dance moves, so i was like "oh ya watch this" and started bustin out some of my own. sis winter was too embarrassed to look at me and after going back and forth for a while i ended with one of my signature moves, where the kid who was "judging the winner" said " i never want to see that again.." that bad i guess?? hahah sis winter and i were dying hahah but we were able to talk about Jesus and that was great as always! man i love the south!! break dancing and Jesus all in one day! how much better can it get?

had some fried pickles for st. paddy's day. not your typical corn beef and cabbage but ill take it!

this week we are continuing on in our race to finish the BOM by our 6 month mark so wish us luck! Something I read this past week that I love comes out of 3rd Nephi from the Book of Mormon. in chapter 11. Jesus Christ is visiting the people in the Americas after he has been resurrected. If you've never heard about that before you should ask more about it to a missionary near you! but anyways he declares to the people in verse 10 and 11, " Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets have testified shall come into the world. And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning." I love this scripture because Jesus Christ himself, boldly and lovingly proclaims The Atonement which he just went through for all of us. my testimony and the testimony of others is that the tomb is empty. Because He lives, we can too! what a beautiful and glorious message we get to share with others! im so excited for Easter to be coming up to boldly and lovingly proclaim this as well, not only now but always!

I hope that yall have a blessed week and remember that the tomb is empty!

love always

sister kennedy