HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRODEE!!!!

This week was amazing!  It was full of fun, and crazy things.  It feels like a dream!

1 month down can you believe it ahhhhhhhh....

  I'm a big girl now 
So Monday night, I was so proud of the crock pot that I bought, I felt like a big girl :)  I wanted to take a picture!!  We dropped EVERYTHING off in the house and we ran outside.   After taking the picture, we realized that along with the bags and Sister Jones’ shoes, we had left the house keys in the house ...  So with crock pot in hand and no shoes on, we had to walk all the way across the apartment complex before It closed.  We had 10
minutes!!. Ha ha!!  We barely made it in time. It was really funny because here I was thinking I was a big girl and all grown up and then I locked myself out of the house;)

It's gonna take work
On Tuesdays we do service at a Presbyterian church. They have a food bank and soup kitchen in the basement where they help about 200 people on Wednesday.  We go there the day before to set up.  We make up boxes and a food line.  It is really fun. There are some amazing people that come and help work. I love giving service and helping others! They were so impressed with my work ethic.  They said that they didn't think young kids knew how to work. I was just doing what I'm used to doing.   Okay, a side note… every night we do I love you tonight because...even that night Sister Jones said that she loved me because of how hard that I work because her past companions were "city girls "  and they didn't really like to work hard.  I'm so grateful that I've been taught a good work ethic and I know how to work hard!! (Thank you mom and Dad!!!)

People in our paths
 The Hermanas (Spanish speaking Sisters) have been teaching an English class at the library.  They have been teaching a young woman that has become interested in the church. This week after the class we went down to meet  Merveilla... She is so beautiful. She just came to the US to live with her Uncle.   She is from the Congo.  There are a few huge obstacles.   She speaks French and very little English, but as it would be Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have once again shown that they are at the head of this church.   They know each of us individually.  They have a unique plan for each of us. They had already prepared a path for us.  Not more than a month ago, we had a sister in our ward return from her mission from Paris, France.  Guess what!! They speak French there!!! As we were trying to understand and communicate with her, I got a small prompting, "What are you doing? You are getting nowhere.  I have placed others in your path”!  I had not met the return missionary, but had heard about her.   I asked Sister Jones for clarification on where she had served.
We called her up immediately, and she taught her a 10 min lesson.  We taught her our beliefs and asked to set up a lesson…. all over the phone!!  Ahhhhh The church is true!! How else could all of this be so?  She hasn't had time to meet up with us yet so the story will be continued hopefully ending with her conversion but it's too soon to say.

Sisters ????
We have a lot of young families in our ward.  There are a lot of med students and people that are with the naval base, so in the next 2 weeks there are 6 young families moving out to different schools or different jobs...  We were able to help one of those families pack.  They have the cutest kids. Emery 3 Atley 2 months.   I do miss being able to play and be with the kids:  While we were packing Emery would say every 2 minutes Sisters can you do this…and sisters can you do that….I loved it!!!   It was so cute that she knew who we were and what our purpose is as Sister missionaries. She knew what that name tag meant.  That leads me to the next story.  We were going fast-food finding and we came to Culver's.    Sister Jones said that they hadn't ever been there before and that she didn't think that it would be a good place to find.   Nevertheless we tried it that day! As we
were people watching trying to find someone we could interrupt, or catch on their way out, a worker came up to us and asked us if we were like elder.  I was kind of thrown off, but I answered we were sisters but we teach the same things. We asked her why and how she knew about the elders, At one time the elders stopped by a few times a month to say hi and to share a 2 minute message with her family. She moved away and was wondering if we knew her elder and could ask him to come teach her again. She told us that was more than 2 years ago.   We told her how it all works, but that we could teach her. She happily agreed and that was that. We've taught her 2 times since then and we have more lessons schedules this week! She also knew what our name tag meant and that was all it took.  Funny thing is, Breanna had just started working at Culver's and that was her second day there!!! The Lord prepares his people step by step until their hearts are open and they are ready to learn. I'm so glad to be a part of this work.  We just happen to be in the right place at the right time way too often!!   It's not just by chance!!  These things don't just happen!! I am a part of a marvelous work!!
I'm so grateful to be a tool in his hand!!!!

Talk Talk Talk
Thursday we had zone training! We discussed some general conference talks and I loved it.  The prophet and apostles truly are inspired and called of God!  We can learn so much from them. My favorite quote was "Heaven is cheering you on!"- Elder Uchtdorf.  We were also able to see Crystal and share a conference talk with her :)
I love black people…
 Miss Gail she's so funny she is a recent covert and she joined the church because, “Why Not”!!!  Her words, not mine.   She said it seemed right, so why not. She is a little confused on some of our beliefs.  It's like taking baby steps.  Last week we taught her that Joseph Smith is not an angel and we don't worship him.   We taught her that he is like Moses, and when we compared him in that way, it made sense to her.  Hooray!   This week we taught the 13 Articles of Faith and why the church is the only true church.  I used a great object lesson that just made sense to her, so it's been great!   She’s learning!!  We also taught Robin who is also a recent convert, less active, and then she came to church in Sunday!!!! She hasn't been for 26 weeks so that was soooooo good !!!



Direct out paths
It's finally warm enough that people are coming out.  We had the chance to go outside to the parks and talk to people. For the majority of our Saturday, that's what we did. We had 10 minutes until we needed to get back to the apartment.  We got in the car after fast food finding at Taco Bell.  I was backing up Sister Jones out and I realized that our tire was a little flat, I checked the psi, but  I couldn't read on the tires what it was suppose to be at because of lack of lighting. So I jumped in and we drove to the Target parking lot a crossed the street. While on my hands and knees looking for the psi on the tire some man pulled up and asked if we needed help.  By that time we had found it, so we told him we were fine.  Long story short, he noticed how we were dressed and our name tags. We talked for a good 25 minutes, basically slamming info in his fac.  He kept asking questions and very intrigued with what we had to say.  It was amazing! We exchanged contact information and are in the midst of setting up an appointment. I ask myself 100 times a day if this stuff is real!!  Our tire ended up not being flat, but if I had not thought that and we had not drove across the street to a completely different place  we would have never met, Shawn. There is no rhyme or reason as to why we did those things actually looking at it, it seems stupid that we we even went to Target.  It didn’t have any more light than the Taco Bell did, but he was directing our paths.   He was leading us and He was paving a way for Shawn to hear the gospel.

We also tried to make some cookies this week, but we didn't have any chocolate chips so we chopped up some chocolate Easter bunnies.  Our cookies didn't spread or flatten when they baked...and we don't know
why? Haha so we have a bunch of short and stout, chocolate Easter bunny cookies.

Anyways now that I've taken all your time with this long email, I'll tell you the most important thing.  This is the true Church, Joseph Smith was a prophet called by God to restore this Church. Heavenly Father knows you and loves you.  He is aware of what you’re going through. Turn to Him and He will strengthen you!!

I love you all so much!!   I miss you!!   I'm so grateful to be a part of this work ;)

Love Sister Kendrick