I swallowed a frog

Happy Fevereiro!!

So this week was fresh. It rained a lot and it was super hot, but Sunday was super nice breezy/calm. Sunday we had 5 investigators that went to church. We invited a woman to be baptized and she accepted!!! Please pray for Fátima, she will totally be baptized daqui a pouco, she just needs to stop drinking. Wilamis loves going to church with us. He just has a fear of making the commitment to baptism so soon. His whole family is addicted to coffee so we bought them Cevada which is a coffee like drink made from barley that doesn't have caffeine and is tasty and creamy kkk. 

No, I still haven't gotten any word on the package que demora essa!!! Então a gente está trabalhando muito, correndo atrás pessoal e pregando a palavra. (So we're working hard, chasing people and preaching the word).

We found a new investigator this week that is totally awesome and really likes discussing the gospel of Jesus Christ with us. Her name is Daniele and she has two sons. She couldn't make it to church last week but she will go this week for sure. The branch here is awesome! I love everyone here! Saturday we are going to have a sweet activity called a Gincana where there are 3 groups with everyone divided between the 3 groups. There is a list of objets/items and challenges that people need to bring and each item has a number of points. Por exemplo: the longest sandwich, biggest watermelon, references for the missionaries (address of the person and a day that the member can go visit them with us) oldest book of mormon, fun stuff like that. I had fun helping plan it with my comp and the Presidente do ramo. I think there is going to be a huge turnout. 

Oh yes! Dog story- So here there is like a sea of street dogs. About 2 weeks ago my comp and I were walking to church and we have a habit of petting and whistling to all the dogs that we see, and cats and horses kkkkkkk (don't worry, i'm being safe) so anyway, my comp whistled to this one dog and he started following us around and I was like "great he is going to want to enter into the church." So we tried to get him to go away but he wouldn't. We faked out like we were going to throw rocks at him because all the dogs here unfortunately recognize when someone is going to pick up a rock and throw it at them, anyway he ran about 3 meters and returned. We left the church lot and walked with him a little ways fake threw a rock again and we ran for the chapel hahah finally he left and ran behind some houses. kkkkkk. Anyway, a week went  by and we were walking and suddenly we saw that dog and he started following us the entire day! We passed by a members home that also has an investigator in the family and they fed the dog and gave him water then we finished the lesson and he followed us around until the day was done. hahaha I love that dog! I'm naming him "Old Greg" but it's been about 4 days since i've seen Old Greg. 

Oh yeah, here is another story. It rained a ton and one night there were like milhares de sapos on the ground (tiny tiny frogs) so I picked one up and then another and had like a handful of frogs hahaha I told my comp that I had swallowed a frog like 5 years ago at a church activity. hahah and my comp dared me to do it again, so I swallowed a frog kkkk. I didn't die.

By the way, these random stories are what you get when you ask for longer emails hahaha.

Love you all,

Elder Kennedy

Reading a lot!

Hey Hey, 

This week was pretty good. We had tons of lessons but few people are progressing. I haven't received the package yet. Hopefully I get it tomorrow during zone meeting. Thanks mom for the awesome emails/articles. That one about Elder Andersen deciding to serve a mission over competing in this year's Winter Olympics is pretty awesome. 

I am doing well in my area, it's just a super difficult one. My companion is doing fine. He is still anxious to work hard and get some baptisms in before he checks out. I have some new fotos to send out. I promise i'll send them in a week. Today I cleaned a lot of our nasty home. hahaha It was getting pretty bad. Our shower head and water heater broke so it's cold cold showers for us haha bummer. Sunday we had an investigating family at church which was awesome! Please pray for Wilamis, Fátima, Wiliane, Outra Fátima, and Larisa. Those are our progressing investigators that went to church Sunday. 

Life is good and I cant believe Ian his about to hit hump day. The mission is insane how it makes time fly by. I love you all so much. Keep up the Boxing Renee, when I get back you'll be able to beat me up hahaha!!! 

Last week I started reading Jesus the Christ and i'm finishing it up this week. It's seriously like the best book ever!!!! I totally feel closer to the Savior and I have this different perspective on his life and personality!!! Read it !!

Love,

Elder Kennedy

Divisions

Hey All, 

So this week was pretty chill. We are finding new people to teach and stuff. I left my area on a division for 24 hours which was awesome. I helped out a bit in the area of Moreno. Elder Smith and I contacted a reference that studied Theologoy (always hard to teach theologists) the companion I was with doesn't speak much Portuguese yet so I did most of the talking. Anyway the lady had tons of questions about our beliefs and we whipped out the Articles of Faith and read them with her. By the end of all her questions she admitted that our beliefs are not as ridiculous as she previously thought and she said that she accepts most of our doctrine. We also talked to a family of a member less active and invited them to church. Most of the family said "no" but the 14 yr. old daughter said she would with her older brother/member. We marked her baptism during the lesson. I'm glad I could help out in another area and that the division was a success. Now I just have to invite everyone to be baptized in my own area! 

My companion is doing fine but he is a bit trunky falta só 5 semanas! kkkk trunky trunky trunky até o pó!

Love you all, 

Elder E.S. Kennedy

Gratz

Nice Renee! Way to go on your talk! So this week we had transfers but I stayed in Coqueiral/Floriano and i'm gonna "kill off my companion" (which means I'm his last companion before he goes home). The computer i'm using is acting up. It's super hard to type. 

Yeah so this week was all right, nothing crazy happened. We are trying to baptize Wilamis but it has been hard because his mom is super sick and she doesn't want to go to the hospital, so we go over there to visit them and help him convince his mom to go to the hospital and then we teach the family a lesson. The house we helped build is almost done. Saturday we roofed it and put in the plumbing. 

Dang, bummer we lost to the Broncos. So our season is done. Bummer about the Panthers too. Yeah, I knew Kenny Stills (Saints W.R) from way back at San Elijo middle school and LCC. I totally knew he would go pro. hahaha Didn't he play college football in Oklahoma?

Time is passing by! Sick Ian is going to hit his hump day soon.

love you all,

Elder Kennedy

P.S. I haven't recieved the package ainda, que droga kkk mas, vai chegar logologo não se preocupe.

(I havent received the package yet, but that's ok, ? will reach logologo do not worry.

Building houses while building the kingdom

Hey family, 

Esta semana foi louco. We did a bunch of service this week, so that was refreshing. We are helping build a house. All the houses here in Pernambuco are made out of bricks so we were loading bricks and dumping sand to make cement and putting it all together. It brought back memories of working construction at Bob Gruen’s house and for Jim in Utah. The house we are building is for an uncle of a member, sketch stories about this uncle (recently released from prison) but he is super chill. Sunday I confirmed Thiago a member of the church and today we went to the zoo!!!! sick! It’s super tiny but a good deal for 2 reais. Hopefully ill stop being a fubeca and post some pix.

Wahoo! That’s super awesome Ian is an Ld/district leader. I know he is going to turn that district into a baptizing machine!! Time is flying by. I still love my area and the members here in jaboatão dos guararapes. I know Jesus is The Christ. I know He lives and is awesome. Whenever we have problems big or little He is there for us. 2014 is here and running so lets make it the best year ever and always keep God our priority #1!!!! eu amo vocês!!!

Elder Kennedy

Tia Jeanine- Muito obrigado pela caixa de Natal! Really, thank you so much I loved it! I actually received it on Christmas Eve, so it was perfect timing!! May the Lord continue to bless you. Sorry for the late thank you!