with love, elli: A Marvelous Work is Coming FORTH!

HELLO FROM GOOD OL VA!!!

man my life rocks here. I LOVE VIRGINIA!! THIS WEEK WAS RAD! however, QUITE crazy. FIRST OFF. last Monday we went shopping and luckily I was able to find a few things I needed. Man have I been clothing deprived. hahah. THEN, we got home and I just got dizzy and nauseous and was SO sick. I went white in the face and my companions were like SISTER KENNEDY. WE ARE GOING HOME RIGHT NOW AND YOU ARE LAYING DOWN. So we went home and I fell asleep for like 3 hours. But I felt much better when I woke up! I also GOT A PACKAGE FROM MY FAMILY ON MONDAY!!! It was SO GOOD! I was so so so excited!!! ahhhh I am so blessed!

Right as I woke up, President Riggs called to tell us that sister taylor was being emergency transferred! He called at 9 PM and she had to be at the mission office at 6 AM the next morning! ahhh we went into panic mode packing her up! We had to get up at 4:45 to get her there on time because it is far from Kingstowne! It was SO SAD. and hard. but its ok... She is now serving in Franconia and we are still in the same district. SUPER close.

We also had district meeting... in which we practice taught inviting people to come to church because our numbers have been LOW. It went really well! The elder I practice taught with also expressed his love to me... in the most missionary way he could. hahaha. way awk. He literally told me I was perfect and the best missionary he had ever practice taught with and that I didn't make one mistake and that I literally did everything exactly as God would want me to... like whoa. It wasn't even that good. hhahaha it was hilarious. And since hes in my district I see him everywhere and sister Schooley just LAUGHS. she thinks its hilarious. and its not haha just awkward...

We also got a NEW INVESTIGATOR THIS WEEK!!! He is 21 and from Iran! We taught him the restoration and about God's love. He is Muslim, but he is looking for something more. After I recited the first vision he looked at me and said, "wow. I have never talked to anyone who has so much faith in what they believe. I can see your love for what you teach and your love for God in your eyes and its incredible." and then he committed to read the Book of Mormon!!! YAY! God truly is working through us every step of the way! I love it! He is a way solid guy.

FUN FACT: we taught one of our investigators (Ange) this week and while we taught her, she threaded our eyebrows... haha so funny. She is a cosmetologist and everytime we come over she asks if she can cut our hair or wax our legs or do our eyebrows. So we gave in and she did our eyebrows. hahhaa so funny!

We also have been teaching Allen and Mary who CAME TO CHURCH on Sunday! whoop!!! He is getting baptized next Sunday inbetween conference sessions! He is SO EXCITED and SO READY. It is so great to see the light of CHRIST in his eyes! God truly has been preparing him to be baptized and he KNOWS it! I just love him and this work!!!

I HAD MY FIRST BAPTISM ON SATURDAY!!! Kesi and his son Elin were baptized together :) Eli, his other son, did not get baptized however :( Kesi's wife decided to move back to Ghana with Tan and their daughter Eminos. They are still married... but a TON of Ghanaians do that... They will have half the family in the states and half in Ghana. The ones in the states will work and send the money home to Ghana because they cant afford to all live in America. SO SAD. my heart has been hurting for them. They moved the DAY of the baptism!! SO HARD.

The next day, as they were confirmed, the spirit was SO STRONG. They were promised so many incredible blessings from their father in heaven and it was so great to witness. I LOVE IT!

I ALSO MET SISTER ELIZABETH KELLY IN THE FLESH!!!! for those of you who don't know, we are SOUL SISTERS. we talked on insta and facebook for like a month before she left because we knew we were going to the same mission. AND THEN I MET HER AT SISTER CONFERENCE!!! AHHHH!!! She is even RADDER than I expected. SO MUCH SASS. I love that woman. We are literally the same person and we are going to be comps. I can FEEL it.

SHOUTOUT TO THE BAYFIELD WARD YOUNG WOMEN FOR THE RAD PACKAGE I RECIEVED!!! Full of letter and a mug and candy :) I was SO PUMPED. I cant even describe it!! AHHHH!!

ALSO for the WONDERFUL letters I got from the never-failing ISABELLA ERRIGO and my perfect cousin Madeline :) PS the artwork... INCREDIBLE. Its hanging up above my desk :)

The week has FLOWN BY. so many great things are about to come forth as we labor among the children of men. Heavenly Father will bless us more than we know if we can just PUT HIM FIRST. This restored gospel has the perfect, complete knowledge and truth that will allow us to return to our Heavenly Father and I am forever indebted to Him for that. THAT is why I am sacrificing 18 months of my life to him. May we all strive to show MORE GRATITUDE towards our savior this week as we learn to recognize ALL the ways he blesses us and our families. This gospel is truly for EVERYONE and God is sending the elect to fall into our paths. I invite ALL of you to pray for missionary opportunities with REAL INTENT, and you will GET THEM!

This life TRULY is the best life. I love this gospel, I love my Savior, and I am absolutely 100% OBSESSED with being a missionary.

keep it real and keep the faith

Sister "SWAG" Kennedy