Weddings and Baptisms

Phew. 

This last week was all over the place. 

Firstly, we were running all around trying to get everything good to go with the marriage that we were going to do. To Ocoyoacac and back several times, with a whole lot of running around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to find an birth certificate that we were missing. It was a lot of fun... But it got done. It was a beautiful marriage, and the happy couple is indeed a happy couple. They (Antonio and Marisol) are getting baptized this Sunday, and they are very ready. We are extremely excited for them! 

We have a couple other families that are doing well, but all are struggling. They usually have just one person in the whole family that doesn't want anything to do with us or the Restored Gospel, and it is making it quite the challenge to help the rest of the family truly get progressing. Usually the big resistance that we are finding is someone that is catholic, and simply can't bear to let go of their traditions. We are looking to see if hermanamiento from the ward can help fix that. I love being in a ward that is more than happy to work. 

We do have one other family that is progressing nicely who will be getting baptized on the 29th (Marta, the mom, and Noe, the son). They are really excited about the gospel and, after having started tentatively investigating with the other son that got baptized more than 20 years ago, they are finally ready to become official members of the church. We have walked by their house a million times, but this a few weeks ago was the first time that there was someone outside (Marta, who was bathing the dog at the time), and we simply felt like we needed to talk with them. ... Now we know why. 

Our work is going well with the ward. We had a ward activity a couple weeks ago that dropped a mountain of references on our heads that we are trying to visit right now. There is one really good family that has come out of that list so far that we are certain are going to become great members of the church. 

Elder Fjerstad and I are doing really really well. I haven't worked this well with anyone for a very very long time in my mission. We have a really good rhythm down for teaching, finding, all while having the time of our lives. I am really enjoying these changes out here in Haciendas. I am a little heartbroken that it is possible that I won't spend Christmas here, as the changes are one week before. 

A couple months ago President Whitehead gave us all the challenge of reading the Book of Mormon before Christmas, and I took the challenge to heart. I am currently finishing up Helaman, and loving it. I have learned so much from that little blue book over the past few months, and I have had a wonderful Spirit pervade my work since the day that I started. There are few ways that God has shown His love for us as His children as powerful, compelling, and valuable as the Book of Mormon. So many lives paid for our opportunity to open and read of God's dealings with His children. 

I love you all so very much! You are wonderful! 
Love, 
Elder Kennington 

Preguntas Bien Rapidito
Q: What do you do on Sundays? 
A: We dash around like maniacs trying to get all the investigators up and going and coming to church, then get to church (the services here are at 1:30 pm. SUPER LATE. UGH. :) Haha. ), while we are at church we use that as an opportunity to coordinate all of our work with the members during the week (and one of us goes to consejo de barrio -- ward council -- whenever we can), and then we finish up, help out with one of the baptisms (there are four wards that use our chapel to baptize), get home, eat, do some last visits, and then dash on back to the house. Sundays are usually the most tiring days of the week. 

Q: Are you still district leader? 
A: Yup. In our district we have Elder Medina, who is training a brand new missionary, Hermana Sanchez, who finishes her mission this change, and then another sister, who is just kind of... Here. :P

An awesome family home evening that included Marisol y Antonio y Renata, their three-year-old daughter.  Elder Kennington and Elder Fjerstad are in the middle of the photo.

Stopped in to visit a recent convert and discovered it was her birthday.  Elder K and Elder F sang to her, which tickled her whole family because apparently "not a lot of people here that have an idea of how to sing."