Weekly Update - 01/18/2016

Hi Everybody,

Things are going really good here. We have had a lot of less active work recently. Sadly a lot of our investigators have moved out recently. So that has dropped that work off a little bit. We had a really great turn out at the Family Home Evening in McNary! There where two families that showed up. Way more then the week before. Haha. Then we have a family that is preparing to go to the temple soon to do baptisms and Brother Ohlau is hopefully going to get the priesthood soon. 

We had a decent turn out at the Addciton Recovery Class as well. All in all it is definitely improving. The word is definately getting out as well. 

We had a lot of less actives and a pmf come to church which is the best. Everyone keeps getting me really trunky and stuff because most of them know that I am going home soon. Haha. So crazy. 

Well I will send some pictures too. 

Love you all,

Elder Kennedy

Weekly Update - 01/11/2016

Hi everybody,
Pretty good week! On Monday we had the first Family Home Evening in
McNary. There were not a lot of people that showed up. We played games
and had a spiritual thought. Hopefully we can get some more people
tonight!

Tuesday we had a fantastic day of teaching. We met with a Less active
man in McNary. He mentioned how he is reading from the scriptures
regularly now. We shared the video about New Years with him and
helping him focus on the future and not so much the past. We also met
with a part member family. It was the first time we met in a couple of
months. That night we met with the Ohlaus and talked about family
history and temples a little bit. It went pretty good! They are coming
to church regularly and are asking some really good questions. Then we
met with Albert and Amanda. We talked a lot with them about using
Christ Atonement in their lives and changing their ways. It was pretty
awesome!

Wednesday morning we did some service with Esau Anderson. We helped
him chopped some wood in blizzard conditions! Then we went to district
meeting! After district meeting we went out to eat at a local Chinese
place! We had some pretty delicious sushi! Then we did a service for a
less active family! After all this we went to the Addiction Recovery
Meeting we helped started in McNary. We are getting pretty good
attendance right now!

Thursday it snow almost 2 feet here so we had to stay inside. So I
just did a bunch of family history!

Friday we did a huge service project. We had to dig out wood at the
Ward wood pile and then split it. We then delivered it to 2 different
families out in McNary!

We had a bunch of other lessons this week! Not much else to report on!
See y'all in a couple weeks!

Love,
Elder Kennedy
Arizona Scottsdale Mission
6265 N. 82nd St.
Scottsdale, AZ 85250
dallas.kennedy@myldsmail.net

Weekly Update - 1/4/2016

Hello Everybody!
This week has been pretty crazy! Tuesday I was feels no pretty sick.
One of the elders serving in fort Apache was sick the night before and
stayed over and I got something from him. It was a sort of flu thing.

On Wednesday we did some service for a former investigator and then he
took us out to eat at the casino. They have a really good Buffett
there. Then went out and tried to invite some more people to the ARP
class that night. A good amount of people showed up for the class.

Thursday we had district meeting and then had a lesson with a less
active. It went pretty good. Then we did some weekly planning as well.

Friday we had a New Years party with all of the mountain zones. They
had basketball going on as well as some movies too! I mostly just
watched the movies. We watched The Cokeville Miracle first. Such a
great movie. Then we watched the movie inside out. That was a pretty
funny and interesting movie. We had some members make very one lunch.
We had lasagna, bread sticks, salad and cake. It was delicious.

Not much else happened. We got stuck on a snowy road for like an hour
Saturday night. So that is what the snow pictures are from.

Well I love you all!
Love,
Elder Kennedy
Arizona Scottsdale Mission
6265 N. 82nd St.
Scottsdale, AZ 85250
dallas.kennedy@myldsmail.net

Weekly Update - 12/28/2015

Hello Everybody,

This week was fantastic. It was just really super fun! On Tuesdays we were able to meet with a investigator. We had a really good discussion on worm concerns he has had of some things he has heard on the radio about the Mormons. It went really good and I could feel the lord guiding us through the lesson and helping us know what to say. 

This week The bishop for one of our wards wanted us to drop off some gifts for some people he determined. It went pretty good. Most of them accepted it, except one. I mean really who wouldn't want a free gift. We also had the opportunity to play Santa for a family. A family in the Ward bought a bunch of gifts for a family in need in the Ward. We had the pleasure of dropping off this huge bag of gifts to the family. The ones who provided it wanted it to be anonymous. 

We had a really awesome Christmas Eve with the Jacksons. They made a really delicious ham dinner. Then we played a couple games and watched mister kruegars Christmas. It was a fantastic night.

Christmas morning we went over to the halls home and opened gifts with them. They bought us a bunch of gifts as well. A lot of ties and socks as well as some memorabilia for Arizona. It was so nice of them. Then we ate breakfast and then played a game with them called cover your assets. It was super fun. Then we had the opportunity to Skype our family. It was super good being able to Skype them. They are all super truncky  meaning they are really excited for me to come home. After skype then we headed to the stake presidents home to say hi. Then we went off to our dinner with the Moses. The kids there really wanted to play ping pong with us. We whooped them so bad. They were only like 5 years old. 

Saturday I got kind of sick with a flu thing going around. So that was not fun! 

Sunday we had a awesome day at church. Then we had a awesome. Rear of the sabbath. We went to the Larsons for dinner. The dad is the seminary teacher here. They are super awesome. They made some really delicious Chinese food. They we went and finished off the day.

All in all it was a very productive week. Not to much in missionary work, but in celebrating Christmas. 

Well I love you all. Keep being fantastic! See y'all in like 36ish days. 

Love, 

Elder Kennedy

Arizona Scottsdale Mission

6265 N. 82nd St. 

Scottsdale, AZ 85250

dallas.kennedy@myldsmail.net

Weekly Update - 12/21/2015

Hey everybody,

Not much to report on since last PDay since it was just a couple days
ago. Things have been going good here. On Sunday we got to teach a
family who a member invited to the dinner. We met the mom whose name
is Davina at the Ward Christmas party and gave here a church tour.
There brother Pico invited them to dinner. The family consists of a
mom and 2 daughters whose names are Maura and Kylie. Well that
happened Sunday. She said after the lesson that she could really feel
the spirit. We introduced our purpose to her and also introduced the
Book of Mormon. She really like the aspect of being able to find out
for herself that what we are teaching is true. She commited to meet
with us again and as well to come to church on Sunday. We feel really
good about her. She is apparently a famous radio personality up here.
It is so amazing to see Gods hand in bringing her to this point where
she is ready to hear the gospel.

Another miracle happened this week. Some converts that where baptized
back in August finally came to church for the first time in like 3
months. It was awesome to see them there. They brought there non
member sister as well.

Well I love you all and hope you all have a merry Christmas. Can't
wait to talk to you mom and dad on Christmas. Love you all. See y'all
in 43 days.
Love,
Elder Kennedy
Arizona Scottsdale Mission
6265 N. 82nd St.
Scottsdale, AZ 85250
dallas.kennedy@myldsmail.net

Weekly Update - 12/17/2015

Hello Everybody

We had transfers this week. I got a new companion. His name is Elder Rudy. He is super awesome. My old companion Elder Warren got transferred to Scottsdale. It looks like I will be finishing my mission here in Pinetop. By the time I go home I will have been in this area for 6 transfers or around 9 months. I am definitely loving it here right now. 

The work is moving forward so much now. We have a Addiction recovery class now going in McNary. The first week we had around 9 people there. This week we had a lot of people come. It was really cool because during the beginning there where not that many there and then all of the sudden like 8 more Apache men start filing in. I t was super amazing to see. 

Elder Warren was sick a lot last week with a stomach flu so we were not able to get to much done. 

One miracle we saw on Sunday was amazing. One of our members brought a non member family with them to the Christmas party. We were able to give a church tour for them and they loved it. We are now meeting with them again on Sunday. The members are having us for dinner and then we will do a lesson afterward. 

I had so many spiritual experiences at the temple yesterday. First off I thought I sent off a lot of the family names back home that we had done baptisms and initatories, but I felt impressed to look around my desk for more names. I was looking and just about gave up when I decided to look in one more place. There I found a name squashed inbetween 2 books. It was the only name in there. It had been exactly one year ago that I had down the Iniatiories. I felt him say I need my work down. I have been waiting a long time. It was a miracle that I found it. Another spiritual experience I had was during the chapel session. I don't know why, but I just felt an overwhelming love from our savior. It was just a sweet spirit. One final experience I had was when the prayer circle was going on. The temple worker who was performing the prayer said something that really touched my heart and almost made me cry for joy. He said that he wanted to endow us with power to withstand Satan and have a sheild that will protect us from the temptations of Satan. He also said that he wanted to bless us with strength to finish our missions honorably and worthily. I felt like he was talking directly to me. It was so special. One of the most strongest times I had felt the spirit. I was so grateful to be able to go to the temple and do the work for my family.

Well I love you all. Can't wait to talk to ya mom and dad next week. It should be awesome. Well I love you all. 

Love,

Elder Kennedy

Arizona Scottsdale Mission

6265 N. 82nd St. 

Scottsdale, AZ 85250

dallas.kennedy@myldsmail.net

Weekly Update - 12/09/2015

Hey Everybody,

How is it going? Things are going pretty good here. We had Elder Lynn
G. Robbins come to our mission on Monday. It was super awesome! He
talked a lot about opening our mouths in proclaiming the gospel.

We had a pretty awesome week. We have a lot of awesome things coming
to help the natives we are working with in McNary. We are starting a
addiction recovery class, Book of Mormon class and an Family Home
Evening. On Saturday we met with the Ward and cleaned out the building
there. It hasn't been used in quite a few years. That was awesome.

We are trying pretty hard to find new investigators. The work is
slowing down a little bit. I can't believe that the mission is almost
coming to an end. It has gone by so fast. Only a month and a half
left. Transfers are next week and we will be having P-Day on Thursday
next week. I talked to President Sweeney today and he said I will be
staying and Elder Warren will be transferring. So I will have been in
this area for about 6 transfers. Almost 9 months here! I am definitely
loving it here right now. I am loving the people so much.

Well I love you all so much. Keep being awesome and check out
Christmas.mormon.org

Love,
Elder Kennedy
Arizona Scottsdale Mission
6265 N. 82nd St.
Scottsdale, AZ 85250
dallas.kennedy@myldsmail.net