And Just Like That...

 Letter originally posted July 18, 2016

This will be rather short, due to a certain lack of time. Today we had our all day P Day. It was full of goodbyes. The email that you got today was from the Brady family, the ones that we skyped with last time.

... What can I say?

This is the last time that I will write you guys. I never imagined that this moment would come.

Oops. That was cliche and obvious. *banging head on keyboard trying to be creative*

I am so excited to see all of my loved ones again. I am excited to do everything that I loved doing before the mission and more. I am excited for everything that follows.

I am devastated from the goodbyes. I have never had my heart wrenched so far and so hard in this way. I never realized just how much I have grown to love the mission and love the people here in México. I love this Gospel.

Thinking about these goodbyes has brought me to the conclusion that nothing hurts more than loving a person. Loving someone so much that you would give anything and everything for them. And opening your heart so widely to someone that living in very imperfect conditions in this very imperfect life, making sometimes not-so-perfect decisions paves the way for pain and grief that is as profound as it is exquisite.

I guess that is why, in part, the Atonement was such a harrowing experience for our Lord and Savior. I can't even imagine all that he went through and felt participating in all of our disappointments, sadnesses, unjustices, sins, sicknesses, depression, and everything in between. I am so grateful that there are people in my life that aren't afraid of being hurt. People that are willing to love me. Love and devotion is the most valuable gift that one can recieve and give.

Sometimes I wish that loving someone was easier.

But then again, it wouldn't be as worth it without that hard aspect.

I'm not crying. It is raining inside.

...

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...

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...

..

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I honestly don't know what more to say aside from the overriding emotion that has dominated my mind and soul for these last two years.

I love you.

See you soon. :)

Elder Kennington

Profound and Poignant

Letter originally posted July 11, 2016

This last week was really good. We had a lot to do, and at the end we had four baptisms. They were all really good and all really prepared. I am very excited for these new converts! They are great.

Elizabeth has more than a year that she has been looking into the church with a lot of interest, but she hasn't been able to be baptized due to the fact that she hasn't been married. She just got married a couple weeks ago, so we got her on a fast track for a baptism last Saturday. Though the gas ran out and we didn't find out until my companion stepped into the baptismal font (there was NO hot water... :) ), it was a beautiful service.

The following day we had the baptism of a family of three. Rosa Maria and her two kids Jorge and Sharon. Rosa Maria suffered a lot to get to this point. All of her family are Jehovah's Witnesses, and they have been attacking her right and left since the first time she came to church a little over a month ago. But she has managed to put all of that to one side and continue following her Savior. She has been an incredible example to me. Not many investigators are so diligent with the little things such as praying and reading her scriptures as she and her children have been, and those little things have made all the difference in her conversion process. Love it!

We have a few investigators that could possible get baptized this week, but nothing 100% secure. We are looking and praying for someone to show up or for something to happen with a few of the investigators that we are teaching. We will see what happens.

This last week was kind of tough too. I have never been more stressed before in my mission. There is a lot to do. And not a lot of support... :) My zone leaders are about four hours away from here (On the other side of the mission.) And on this end there isn't anyone that really helps me out. :) Just help from above. Which makes the fruits of that help and opposition that much more sweet. Everything I feel is so profound and poignant right now... If I feel happy, I am living in heaven with joy that blows a hole in my heart. And if I am sad, it is the kind of sad that just makes you want to melt into the floor and stop existing. I have gone completely bipolar.... XD Haha. I guess that it is a side effect of being in your last week as a working missionary. :) Sigh. Not sure what to think now.

Hope that you all have a lovely week. I love you so very much. Seeing you will be wonderful.

Love,
Elder Kennington

The four baptisms that we had!! :D Wooooo! :D Super stoked. And the baptismal suit that I used to baptize (freaking heck, I can't find my white pants. They disappeared! :( )! Elizabeth, Rosa Maria, Jorge, Sharon.

Three-Zone Conference: Toluca, Metapec, Zitácuaro

Preguntas Bien Rapidito

1. How are you doing with keeping your focus and not getting (too) trunky?
I am doing alright. Honestly, it is being a little tough right now. We five more baptims lined up for before I go, and having that there and set increases the temptation to just relax and go with the flow. I am trying to fight that remembering that the end of my full-time mission isn't the end of the Lord's work. The second coming of Elder Kennington and the Second Coming of Christ are two very different things.... :) Haha.

2. Besides the members, what are some things you will miss most about Mexico?
THE TACOS. OHMYGOODNESSIWILLCRYMYSELFTOSLEEPEVERYNIGHTMISSINGMYTACOS. I will miss all of the cool parts of the culture. I will miss how friendly everyone here is. There is a lot to miss. Haha. I had to chuckle that the first question you asked me along the lines of "how are you trying to not be trunky?" and then immediately afterwards I get a question designed along the lines of "what can I do to make my oldest child even more trunky than he is?" Haha. :)

3. Any interesting changes coming into place with your new president? 

So far nothing too huge. I think that the really big changes will come with time as Presidente Grossen gets more familiar with the mission and its missionaries. I sincerely doubt that I will be a witness to any great humongous change in the way things work.

4. Crazy story of the week:
I saw a pidgeon yesterday. That was pretty loco.

5. Did you get out to Zitacuaro?
Just for a zone junta. It turned out to be too far away to go for P Day. But for the last zone conference it was perfect. It was incredible seeing where I started my mission almost two years ago. I even fondly patted the the first toilet that I threw up into in the Zitacuaro chapel. :) Haha.

6. I am teaching RS on the temple next Sunday. Any experiences you can share about how the temple has blessed you and/or your converts and the members there? Did you see a change in people there once the temple was rededicated?
The change in the members was incredible. The level of obedience, unity, and personal/family consecration rose dramatically. We even started baptizing more. The temple is the reason that we do everything here. One of my dreams of my mission was bring a family to the temple and be present in their temple sealing. And I cannot express the joy that I felt on having that dream fulfilled. It was something that shaped my life.

Crazy Week!

From July 4, 2016

*Heavy Sigh*

This last week was crazy. Running all over the place, special conferences, baptisms, the works!

Well, first off we had a wonderful baptismal service yesterday. Do you remember Laura Tovar, who got baptized with her kids last month? We baptized Eliazar, her husband, yesterday. He is such an incredible man. He hadn't been able to listen to us or go to church for a very long time thanks to his work. Then, a few weeks ago, he had a random day off and we took advantage to go and teach him. He expressed the desire to be more with his family. We taught him the importance of the Sabbath Day and how to sanctify it, and the blessings that come from that. And a few days later we found out that he had quit his job and bought a tie for Sunday. :) I have met very few people that are as willing as he was to drop everything and follow the Lord.

There is something immensely satisfying about being in church and seeing that a little less than ten percent of the congregation are YOUR converts. I about melted with joy when I saw my converts going to go grab tithing slips to pay their fast offerings yesterday. I love this work.

We have four more baptisms this Sunday! Rosa Maria, her to beautiful kids Jorge and Sharon, and a miracle that we found last week named Elizabeth. I will tell their story more in depth next week, but all of these people have suffered a lot of trials to get to this point. I have never seen any one of my converts fight so hard to be able to get baptized as Rosa Maria has. The people here in Mexico are truly incredible in their potential in the Gospel.

I cannot believe that I am down to the two week point. It feels incredible to me that I can only claim roughly 15 more days as an official representative of Jesus Christ. Thank heavens I still have a couple more emails before I have to write that last letter. Haha. Will get into this later.

Sigh.

I am not quite sure what to think right now. I am just trying to focus on helping these last five or six people get baptized and leave more progressing investigators behind, but the nagging thought that I am leaving so much that has brought me joy leaves me a little paralyzed. With such a huge district in my care, a brand new mission president, and all these new converts and investigators I feel kind of like I'm leaving a party early. Like I came to a wedding to support a friend, knowing that I would have to duck out early, and realizing that I will have to do so before the "I do." Finishing my mission is both an exciting and heartbreaking prospect.

That is pretty much the story of everything right now. Love you all so much! Hope that you have a wonderful week. :)

Love,
Elder Kennington

Fotos

From June 27, 2016

THE BAPTISM!!! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D Jonathan, the young man that got baptized, is a STUD. :) His dad, who lives in D.F. came all the way out here for his baptism. There is his mom and his sister. Me and my companion. The two other guys in white that aren't in wheelchairs are the ones that baptized him. One sustained him in the water while the other said the prayer, and then between the two of them they carefully submerged him.

And I played the violin in his baptismal service! :D

Elder Reyes. He is really really quiet. And awesome. :)

Preguntas Mas Rapido

From June 27, 2016

Are you fully recovered from your stomach virus?
Not yet. Haha. We went with the doctor last week to get it checked out and it turns out that it is just full blown parasites from having been in Mexico for two years. So now I am taking pills twice a day until I finish my mission. But after that I am good. Would drinking a few liters of pesticide help? ;)

Are you allowed to visit cathedrals while you officially a missionary?
I am not sure. Honestly the people here would probably kick us out. They don't let the Jehovah's Witnesses come even close to the churches.

What was the most random thing you did this week? 

There was a report on the news of a protest in Mexico City where this guy threw a tlacuache at the police. I didn't do it but I have been looking for a tlacuache since so I can take a picture too. :) I don't remember how to say tlacuache in English. And it sounds cooler in Spanish anyway.

What is something new you learned about your companion this week? The gospel?
He has had health problems all his life. And his dad is a Evangelical Pastor. That is cool.

About the gospel? Lots, but way too much for the time that I have left to write.... Lemme get back to you on that one.

Weeee #1

From a letter originally posted June 20, 2016

HI THERE! :D

Blessings and miracles exist. I love my mission!

We had an incredible miracle in our area this last week. On Friday we were in a taxi going from one cita to another and got a phone call from a number that I didn't recognize from D.F. Turns out it was a bishop from another mission, calling us to pass us the phone number of an investigator from our area. He said her name was Miriam, and that she had been wanting to come closer to God for a long time and the first people she got ahold of were us. We call them up on Friday, got an appointment for Saturday. When we made it to their house (we got really really lost. They live FAR away.) we got in right now quick. The husband gave us a funny look when he first saw us. And we soon found out why. He was a member, baptized as a teenager, who went inactive when he was 18 and never went back. And it is something that has been hounding him for years. Now he is married, with his wife, and a little daughter, living with their niece. The Spirit was so powerful in that visit. His wife and niece have baptismal dates for the 17th of July. And they all came to church yesterday. They were so happy, and were received so well. My favorite part is divided in two.

1. It will be my last Sunday in the mission

2. José, Miriam's husband, has the Aaronic Priesthood, and he will likely have the chance to baptize his lovely wife and niece. So cool.

This week will be very strange. It is the last week of Presidente Whitehead... I can hardly believe it. Time has flown by so fast. By the time I write next week I will have my new mission Presidente, Presidente Grossen. I will likely not get to know him well because he will just barely be getting here on the 28th, so a good report on how awesome he is will likely have to wait a little. :) It is going to be strange not having Presidente Whitehead here. He has been such a solid and good constant in all of my mission. Sigh. I am gonna miss him like crazy. It was such a blessing to be under his stewardship.

On top of all of the incredible things that happened this last week, on Friday I got to go to the temple sealing of Gabriel and Maria Ines and their little daughter Meredith, a family that I baptized a year ago in Chamapa. We almost didn't make it, due to problems with traffic and the fact that the human body ALWAYS decides that it needs a bathroom right when you are running most behind. But we made it.

It is something incredible to see your converts in temple clothing. Seeing them in a temple, kneeling on an altar, with so much love and joy in their eyes. It was the first sealing that I had ever seen, and I was extremely impacted by it. This family passed by so many problems and trials to make it to this point. But it was totally worth it. They are so beautiful. This was something that I wanted most as a missionary: To accompany a convert family of mine through the temple. And I got it. I cannot describe to you the immense satisfaction that I felt witnessing this wonderful moment. Words will ever be inadequate to describe the heavenly moments that we experience from time to time in our lives.

That about wraps up last week. 

Love you all!

Elder Kennington

Weee #2

From a letter on June 27, 2016

This last week. Was. Awesome.

First off, we found a miracle baptism for yesterday! We were wandering around in the street on Wednesday afternoon after a series of important appointments had fallen when we got a phone call from our ward mission leader. He told us of a single mother in our ward who had been inactive for many years until about a year ago, when her teenage daughter got baptized. And he told us that her son, who had been taking the missionary lessons, after a long series of treatments was living with her again. Her son, Jonathan, is sixteen years old. He has a type of cerebral palsy that basically leaves him unable to move. He has motion in al of his head and face, and his left arm, and a little bit in his legs. He is such a special spirit. Such a prepared one. We finished preparing him in a couple days and he got baptized on Sunday. Woo! :D

And this Sunday we have two more baptisms lined up. The husband of the Tovar family, who got baptized a month back (the ones that were singing their lungs out coming home from the temple a couple weeks back) is finally able to get baptized. He sacrificed working on Sundays. The sacrifices of this family are truly incredible. In the same moment that his family got kicked out of their house due to financial issues and are currently living in what is literally a storage shed, Eliazar stopped working Sundays so he could come to church. He is truly incredible. The Lord has some truly wonderful blessings in store for him.

We officially have a new mission President. Presidente Grossen just got to the mission today. We are so excited to have him! He will be able to help us out a lot. Tomorrow early in the morning Presidente Whitehead's airplane ships out to Utah. Can hardly believe it. I am going to miss him and Sister Whitehead so much. They have done more to help me through my mission than I could ever express.

That wraps up this last week! Hope that y'all have a good one! :D

Love you!
Elder Kennington

Photos:

1. Temple sealing day for Gabriel and Maria Ines and their daughter

2. Gabriel and Maria

3. Last zone conference in Lerma-Zitácuaro with President and Sister Whitehead

Preguntas Mas Rapido

From June 20, 2016

1. Tell me some more about Elder Uelese.

He is a really cool Elder from Samoa. The only one in the mission right now. Elder Costello was his trainer. He loves to sing and eat. He got tattoos removed so he could go on a mission. One of the humblest elders that I have met here. When he was in his first change I was in the offices as a secretary. When he and Elder Costello came into the offices for a capacitation they spent the night with us and Elder Uelese and I made pancakes. Nothing bonds two missionaries like good pancakes and a mutual love for music. :)

2. Elder Reyes sounds great. Has he taught you how to cook anything Colombian?

NO. Something that I am quite peeved about. :) haha. Today he asked his mom for a recipe for coconut rice, which is one of his favorite foods.

3. Does Elder Reyes have French ancestry? Jean Pierre is rather interesting for a South American.

Nope! His mom just liked the name. :) Haha.

4. How many missionaries are coming home in your same flight?

It's kind of wierd. There are at least 10-12, but on my flight itinerary the only missionary that appears is Hermana Drew, who was in my district a couple changes back. Not quite sure, in other words, how many are gonna be on my flight.

5. Have you learned to make flan YET?

YESIHAVELEARNEDHOWTOMAKEFLANANDITISDELICIOUSANDREALLYEASYWEAREGOINGTOMAKEITWHENIGETHOME.

6. What is this week’s silly story?

I got sick. And kept working 'cause I'm a burro. :) Hahaha so funny.

Hullo Thar

From a letter originally posted June 13, 2016

FAMILY!

Things are going alright here. We are working hard to keep our families progressing and reach our goals of baptisms this month. I can't believe that we are already more than half-way through June!

We have several families that are progressing well right now. There was a mom with her two kids that came to church yesterday that loved everything about it. Turns out that one of our Recent Converts that is super good is an old friend of hers, and that just made her experience at church yesterday awesome for her. She and her kids have a baptismal date for the 10th of July. We also have another family that is coming along well but that has difficulties with coming to church, due to some problems with very Catholic family. They are doing great, and have baptismal dates for the 3rd of July.

Progressing particularly well is an older gentleman named Jaime. He is a stud! Father, Grandfather, and retired employee of a law firm. He has every reason to just be happy how and where he is, but he decided that he needed to change his life and find God. He came to church a couple Sundays ago on his own, and just came again yesterday. He really wants to get baptized. He about cried when we invited him to do so, saying that he would love to be a member of the church of Jesus Christ, and wasn't sure if he was going to be accepted. Each lesson that we have with him is very touching. He has a baptismal date for the 26th this month. He will only have four assistances, so you will be receiving a phonecall asking for the exception. And Jaime is truly exceptional.

Our work with the ward is going well. Our ward mission leader (who is 23 years old) just got a girlfriend who got back from her mission three weeks ago, which has kind of taken him off of the face of the planet for these last two weeks. :) Aside from that we are working very hard with everyone. This ward is extremely supportive. I am so grateful that I will finish my mission here.

We went to the temple again yesterday! I am really excited for all of the families that went. They are progressing so well. Do you remember Laura and her three kids and granddaughter that all got baptized last month? We spent the whole car ride home with them. They are such strong converts. The kids spent forty five minutes singing all of their favorite hymns at the top of their lungs. Through the monster headache that I had after the first two minutes, I was really touched that these people have a mere month in the church and they have memorized so many hymns. I love the people here. I would never have chosen anywhere else for my mission.

Church is true and the book is blue!!

Love you!

Elder Kennington

Preguntas Mas Rapido

 From a letter posted June 13, 2016

1. What more have you learned about your new companion? Do you know his first name?

His name is Jean Pierre. He has two and a half years as a member. He loved music before the mission. His favorite music is Salsa and dubstep. His mom and sisters are all members. His dad, who lives apart, is an evangelical pastor. That made things tricky for his baptism. Elder Reyes is a cool guy. :)

2. How many missionaries are in your district?

We currently have eight missionaries. It is very possible that they will put another area in my district in the next couple of weeks due to some challenges with a new district leader over there, making us 10 missionaries. Which was the whole zone anyway last change. It is like I never changed assignments...Haha.

3. You said to remind you about a story about Elder Alegre Soto.

I cannot figure out how, but somehow Elder Alegre Soto figured out how to forget ALL of his clothes when he went to his new area. I got a phonecall a couple nights ago from the Secretaries saying that Elder Alegre needed me to send it through pouch for concilio today. And that he wanted me to wash everything. I am nice, but not that nice... Haha. Yup.

4. What is the quirkiest thing to happen to you this week?

When we were going to the temple yesterday we kept poking fun at our ward mission leader for the last time we went and how he got us lost for four hours in the middle of the city. On the way home we were behind his car, with another family in front. When we went to take a right turn, the ward mission leader went straight. So our driver went barreling on after him almost crashing to go save him. The whole way we were all laughing. We couldn't believe that he got lost again. We pull up next to his car, honk the horn...

And then we realized that it wasn't his car. It was someone else. Haha. Yup. We were the burros. It served us right. :)

5. How far away from your church building are you?

We are roughly twenty minutes away. Walking it would be a few hours. I really took it for granted that in Payson we can walk to church in about 10 minutes.... Haha. :)

Hey There

 From a letter originally posted May 23, 2016

This is gonna be a short one! We are running around like crazy right now.

Things are going awesome. Lerma was in really bad shape (our zone is Lerma) for a really bad time, but things are really picking up here. We are so excited for things. We have had more baptisms this last month than the last six months combined, and things are looking like they are still going upwards. Lovin' it! :D

We had three baptisms yesterday. Martina, Laura, and Karen.

Martina is so great. She is the grandma of the family, and the one who wears the pants. :) Usually when we went to go pick her up for church she already had all her kids and grandkids all bathed and dressed up and ready to go. She was a missionary for the Catholic church for a while, and she always says that she understands that a mission is hard. She always gives us sliced fruit or cereal or other little foods when we go to teach them. She is wonderful. :)

Laura is awesome too! She was the one that couldn't get baptized last week because she wasn't married. She got married this last Thursday, and it was a beautiful service. While her husband isn't really interested in the Gospel right now he agreed that it was really important that they take this step; especially as they have two kids together. She was so happy in her baptism.

And Karen is Laura's little granddaughter, who is adorable as all get out. Her parents got really upset when she went and told them that she wanted to get baptized just like the rest of her aunts and uncles, and she got really sad. We went with her to go talk with her parents. We got to know her parents, brought them to church, and she wound up getting her parents permission to get baptized. Her mom is really interested, but her dad is proving to be a little harder. :) We are working there.

This week is going to be a great one. We have another family of 3 that is progressing that, if we can get everything worked out with crazy work schedules, will be getting baptized. I love this area. I love the mission. And I love this work. With all my heart.

Have a wonderful week. :)

Love,

Elder Kennington

Postscript: My feet are great. I am a master of treating ingrown toenails. I have fixed three myself and feel rather accomplished. :):) Haha. Health? Doing great. I currently weight 79.5 kilos, which is great. And fat. :);) Haha. Sleep? I get more and more tired by the day, but that came in the job contract. :) Warm enough? Yep! I think that I am a polar bear like dad. :)

Quick Update

From letter posted May 4, 2016

WEE!

This last week was all over the place. We have been running around like maniacs trying to get everything together in our area so that we can get out and start working really well with the zone. We have found a lot of success. We have a family of five that will possibly get baptized this month (we just need to help the dad get over some problems with the Word of Wisdom), and another family that is definitely going to get baptized next Saturday. On top of them we have a few other individuals that are progressing really really well that will also be making covenants very soon.

The zone is doing ok. We are having a few problems with a couple of sister missionaries that are less than enthusiastic about being here on a mission and finding out that work and obedience are naturally expected as a result, but they are doing ok. Things are looking up. We had a really good zone meeting yesterday to try and get everything up. We also have an activity planned for the zone if we can reach our goal of baptisms for this month (28 baptisms in six wards).

Elder Alegre Soto and I are doing really well. I remember when I met him for the first time when he was with Elder Ramirez in Independencia, and he has grown and changed a lot since then. I think I'm still the same dork that I was back then, so I am grateful to have a companion that will help me to keep growing and getting better. We have fun working together and we are going to have a lot of success.

Our work with the ward is going well. It is so nice to have a fully-functioning ward mission leader once again, and ours is really good. He is an ex-missionary, which is also really nice. Last Saturday we had an activity with the youth of the ward where we basically took them out contacting all morning, and found a few families that could progress nicely. The youth here are so strong! I am really excited to continue working with them.

That is about it for now. Have a wonderful week! :D

Love,

Elder Kennington

Three pics:

1. There are two dogs on the roof next to ours that always bark like crazy when we walk by.

2. This is the view from our house. If there wasn't so much smog you would be able to see the volcano and two of my old areas (Las Torres and Universidad).

3. My companion hanging up laundry.

Baptism on the Run, Welcome to Lerma

Letter originally posted May 4, 2016

The mission goes by way too quick. I just entered my second to last change, and can hardly believe it. Last change went by so quickly. Sheesh.

I got transferred to Lerma this change. Now the only zone that I haven't worked in in the whole mission is Lomas Verdes, out there in Naucalpan. I am also a zone leader now, and an intimidated one at that. The Zone currently has a lot of problems. Aaaaand I get to try and help fix everything. Woo!

My companion is Elder Alegre Soto. We worked together a couple of times when I was in my second change and he was in his first. We are going to work really well together. He is from Argentina, loves pasta, working, baptizing, and working with the zone. We are going to get along great. :)

Lerma is one of the three stakes here in the part of the State of Mexico that the mission contains. I have served in the other two (Toluca and Metepec). Lerma is really beautiful. Currently I live on a hill that overlooks the whole valley and the other two stakes, which is nice. There are two pit bulls on our roof that always bark at us. And the house is nice. It is probably my last area and my last house...

Next week I won't be writing you until Wednesday, because we have concilio with Presidente Whitehead and the other líderes de zona on Monday all day. It is always fun.

Hm. I got a haircut today. It looks nice.

OH. HUGE STORY from last night.

Elder Lara and I were with a member family saying goodbye for me and all of a sudden, at 8:30 at night, the sister missionaries from Atla (Hermana Drew and Hermana Soria) call me:

"ELDER WE HAVE A BAPTISM GET OVER HERE RIGHT NOW!!!"

And so we went with the members an hour over to their area to go talk with the investigator. She, Veronica, was going to get baptized but met up with some horrible opposition from her family (all of whom are members) and hadn't talked with the missionaries since. She is a single mom that lives with her family-in-law. We go, 9:30, talk with her. 10:00 we are in the chapel getting the baptismal font ready. 10:30 the font has about a foot and a half of water and we decide it will have to do for sake of time. 11:00 she and I are changed and we are having her sitting down in the water to just lay down she gets submerged completely. 11:30. After three tries she finally gets all the way under and we are changing. 12:00 a.m. I am home packing my bags to get here to Lerma today.

Gotta dash. Love you! :D:D:D:D

Elder Kennington

Hard Work and Working Hard

Letter originally posted April 18, 2016

Preguntas Mas Rapido

1. What is the mission policy regarding eating fresh fruit and veg? 

We can eat everything that isn't fish or sea food. Here there were lots of missionaries that got sick from eating fish, so we can't eat it unless it is approved by Presidente Whitehead. I miss salmon!! 

2. How much longer in this change? 

This is the last week of this change. I am both a little disappointed (there is still so much to do!) and a little relieved at the same time. :)

3. Weirdest people story of the week: 

Ummm.... We had a stake conference yesterday and the Sister Training Leaders in the zone brought this older investigator to church. And halfway through the conference he decided that he had received revelation from God and that he had to get married with one of them. So he proposed. Sigh. That cruel sister missionary told him no. ;) Haha. He took it well though. He is still going to get baptized one day. :)

4. Weirdest non-human story of the week: 

Saw a dog that had a really swollen foot. Like the size of three of my fists put together. That was gross. Or maybe when we saw another dog peeing on some of the images of the Virgin de Guadalupe in the street. .... There are lots of dogs here in México.

HI THERE!! :D
I cannot believe that we are on the last week of this change. It has flown by so quicky. It has been one of the more difficult changes of my mission, for many reasons, but also one of the most rewarding. I have learned so much and have so much to practice applying in the next two changes.

We found a couple new families yesterday that are really really good. One of them now has a baptismal date for the 22 of May, and we are working with the other. They live about three houses down from each other, so it will make bringing them to church and going with them for the sufficient time a lot more easy. :) I am so excited to start working with them! They are great. haha. Actually, it turns out that the 22nd of May is the birthday of the grandma of the first family, which made her that much more excited. They have received us so well.

We have been working so hard to try and find new people and still aren't seeing the fruits that we are hoping for. Finding these two families was a huge blessing and an answer to a lot of prayers and fasts. And, in the end, there is no replacement for good hard work. We worked like maniacs this week, talking with everyone we could, trying to find the people that the Lord has been preparing for us. I love this work, especially when we have time and opportunity to do just that: WORK. It is so satisfying. :) We are doing our very best to find people.

Our work with the ward is going ok. We still haven't received a new ward mission leader, so coordinating our work with the ward has been tough. But we are getting along as is. We are trying to have the young men come work with us as much as we can.

This change has been very very hard. There has been a lot to do for the sisters, in the zone, to take care of my companion and try and maintain a good relationship, work with my leaders, and keep trying to baptize every week and keep improving as a missionary. But it has been a good kind of hard. Missionary growing pains. :) And I want to keep working and growing until the end.

There has been a little bit of everything. I am grateful for all that has happened. I am also grateful for changes and the chance that I will now have to keep going and learning and growing and working. Mission is the best the ever! :D

Love,
Elder Kennington

District photos!

1. Happy and baptizing! :D
2. Serious, "We gonna kick butt" photo
3. Walking to an appointment in the city part of our area and 7:00. Gorgeous! :D

 

Preguntas Mas Rapido April 11, 2016

More Quick Questions from Mom...

1. How much do you communicate with Elder Siufanua, Elder Durrant, and Elder Thomas? 

Elder Thomas I write every week. Elder Siufanua, not much. Elder Durrant a little more. There just isn't time to write everyone that I want to... :)

2. How many missionaries are in your district now? 

 It is just us and the Sister missionaries, Sister Drew and Sister Soria. They officially took the elders out of Atlatlahuca.

3. Do you have enough money? 

Yeah, I guess. I have enough for emergencies. There are lots of times that I am walking in the street on P Days and I see things that would be perfect gifts for the family when I a couple months after the phonecall (squeeeeee!!!), and it would be nice to have a little bit of cash on hand sometimes for that. But honestly, I am fine! My clothes will all hold out the the end of my mission. I just found a brand-new pair of shoes just sitting there in the house, which have been a huge blessing. Don't worry. :) Partially because when I get home there is a decent amount of stuff that I might need a little help buying for at first. .... Like a laptop and other college stuff....... ?

4. What time of day are you writing these days? 

Usually about this hour. We print out the emails first thing in the morning and then come back later and write. :)

5. How often do you take those moto-taxis? What do they cost to use? 

Not too often. They just exist in the little tiny pueblos out in the middle of no-where. :) They are five pesos. (like 25 cents). They're a lot of fun. There are speed bumps EVERYWHERE here in Mexico, and sometimes the mototaxis forget that they´re speedbumps and get them confused with motorcycle jumps.... Haha. I love México. :)

A Visit to the Mexico City Temple

Letter originally posted April 11, 2016

More pics:

• Sister Alejandra (who helped us find Julieta and Ian) and us. 
• Do you remember Fidel, the older guy that I baptized in December? The one who had all those idols in his house? He went and did baptisms for the dead too! :D
• Another baptism photo.
• Julieta, Ian, y Alejandra
• Me and Elder Lara
• SIGO AL CRISTO!!! :D
• Us and Ian.  This temple is the one where his mom got sealed.
• Couldn't resist a sun-set photo.  That photography class that I took in 8th grade forever addicted me to taking pictures of the sky around 6:00 - 7:00 ........

And finally this gem also came through on April 11, 2016....(Elder Kennington and Mom exchanged many emails that day :D)

FRICK MOM IT IS REALLY HAPPENING IT IS REALLY HAPPENING IT IS REALLY HAPPENING I HAVE MY FLIGHT ITINERARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D D: O.o O.o O.o :):) :(:( :):) :P O.o O.O AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can you send a copy to the stake president please (what is his name...? :P)

I bought so many flights for so many missionaries while I was in the offices. It is so strange being on the other end now... It's unreal. I am actually coming home. .... Can you believe it? :):) 

Oh. And Hermana Drew, who is in my district right now, says that you and her mom are friends on Facebook. I will be sitting with her for both of the flights on the way home. .... I was kind of hoping to sit next to a super chosen guy that was going to get baptized within two weeks of meeting us. :) Haha. :)

Summer After the Snow Melts

Letter originally sent April 11, 2016

Presidente,

This last week was, once again, all over the place.

I'll start with the baptism that we had yesterday! :D Ian just got baptized yesterday. The Spirit was so powerful in his baptismal service. His mom brought her sister and her niece to the baptism, and they aren't members. They are from San Mateo Atenco, so we will be passing that reference along right now. Ian was a little nervous about the whole water part of getting baptized, but he did a great job. SO grateful that we didn't have to re-do the ordinance. He is 13 years old, so within a couple of weeks he will have the priesthood and will be passing the sacrament. I now have a convert blessing the sacrament, a convert passing it, and another convert that is in charge of the door. :) Sweet! Haha.

We went to the temple on Saturday! We went with the ward and took Ian and his mom with us, and while all the members (including two of my converts!! :D) went inside to do baptisms for the dead and a couple sessions. They loved it! It really helped us finish getting Ian ready for his baptism yesterday. Only downside? We got there too late for the distribution center to be open. Bummer. I wanted to buy a hymnal for Myrna.

We are still struggling here. We now have about four months without a ward mission leader, and we have been in the "I'm going to interview him next week" stage for roughly two months. It is making working with the ward a little more complicated... But we are doing our best to make it work and keep things going. Las Torres is truly an incredible ward. I would really really really love to finish my mission here. It is also so nice to be able to see and help out Universidad a little too each Sunday (I was there three changes a year and a half ago). :)

Elder Lara and I are still struggling. We both come from cultures that are very different, and there are some things that we each do that really get on each other's nerves. :) I know for a fact that I annoy him quite a bit sometimes, and I really appreciate that he is always willing to give me another chance to be better. :)

I particularly loved the testimony that Ian's mom, Julieta, shared in the baptismal service. She got baptized about 30 years ago, and then sealed to an ex-missionary a year later. The ex-missionary wasn't the most stellar person, and she wound up going inactive about 25 years ago. In those 25 years she has seen several divorces, been kicked foreclosed many times, almost completely ignored by her family, and has just been though, in her words, "living Hell." When I asked her to share her testimony she didn't want to at all, but we got her convinced. :)

In her testimony she talked a bit about what had happened in her 25 year haitus from the church, and how it has been. She said that the time for forgiveness and change had come. At the end of her testimony, giving a beautiful consummation to these 25 years of unrelenting torment, she said, "My war has finished." The peace and the joy and the light that entered her person, especially her eyes as she said that was incredible. It was like watching all the snow melt and see summer come. The room filled so much with the Spirit that even the screaming little four-year-old girl ("I'M HUNGRY and I wanna go home NOW!!!!!!") sensed the change and calmed right now. I love being a missionary and being a part of rescue stories like this. I have come to understand so much better why the father felt so much joy when the prodigal son came home, where he belonged.

I know that this church is true. I know that the Lord loves us. His ministry on this earth was individual and personal with every lost and struggling sheep, and today it is no different with his chosen and set-apart servants. 

Hope you have a wonderful week y'all. :)

Love,
Elder Kennington

Preguntas Mas Rapido

Quick questions from March 21, 2016

1.  Introduce us to your new companion:

Elder Heriberto Lara:  He is from Juchitan, Oaxaca. He is 23 years old. His favorite activity before the mission was talk on the phone and surf Facebook. His favorite food is called tlayudas (like tacos/quesadillas on steroids). He has a couple years as a member, and has a few brothers and sisters that are members. He comes from a big family. Like 11 siblings. O.o He is right in the middle. Yup!

2. Any possibility he would know Jared Rasmussen? The Oaxaca mission was where he served. Hmm... It is possible. Ask him if he ever met Heriberto Lara.

3. How many missionaries are in your district now? What areas do they serve? 

We currently only have our area and the area of the Sisters, which is Atlatlahuca. They just took the Elders out of Atla, so it is just us two. :) Somos cuatro.

4. Do you want me to go ahead and register you for classes for fall semester? Any requests?

.... Yeah that'd be great. ... Is that really so close?? Question that I really want answered before I start throwing out ideas. What options are there???

5. How did you resolve the pigeons dropping unpleasantness on your drying laundry? 

Umm.... Elder Costello and I might have made a habit of sneaking up on top of our apartment building with broom handles to chase away and beat up all the pidgeons that roosted there..... They all migrated to the neighboring apartment buildings.... :) There are just a couple now that roost in a window on the other side of the building. Missionaries by day, pidgeon terrorizers by night... :)

A Rough Patch

Letter originally sent March 28, 2016

You may notice a discrepancy in the letter date and the actual posting date.  That would be thanks to Elder Kennington's mom getting a job at BYU and the blog taking a backseat.  Thank goodness for repentance, however, as we catch you up on our now-returned missionary's Mexican adventures.  Stay tuned!

These last two weeks have turned out to be pretty rough. We have really struggled with finding people and bringing them to church. Though we were able to get into a lot of houses for the first time, coming back again and getting these investigators progressing has proven to be very hard.

The Holy Week here destroyed a lot of the work that we were doing as well. Even in the ward... Less than half of the normal active families came to church last Sunday, so you can imagine what happened with the investigators... :)

I have been thinking and praying and fasting a lot to try and figure out what is going on and what we need to fix about how we are working. I am doing my best to work hard, love the people, and to be 100% obedient, but if you aren't working right there is no way that baptizing every week will be made possible. I have faith that the Lord puts prepared people in my path so I can help them to make covenants with Him. I have seen it time and time again in my mission.

I feel like what we lack is better work with members. We still don't have a ward mission leader, nor any active ward missionaries, and I believe that our work with the ward is suffering because of it. This week we are going to be focusing and giving seguimiento to the calling of a new ward mission leader and hopefully getting some new ward missionaries. What Elder Fjerstad and I did in Haciendas really worked, where the bishop called a bunch of recent converts as ward missionaries and then we had weekly capacitations with them. The members here in the ward all have the desire to share the gospel. The vast majority of the members of the church do. All we need to do is help them realize this desire.

Elder Lara and I are doing ok. We struggle a little in our companionship unity still. While we never argue or fight we don't exactly get along either. :) We will simply be practicing lots of respect, charity, and understanding/communication over the course of the next little while.

I think that about wraps it up for this last week. We are working hard and doing our best, though currently we don't have fruits to show for it. Hoping and praying that bettering our work with the ward will bring us the baptisms that we are looking for.

Love,
Elder Kennington