He is the same Yesterday, Today and Forever

Brothers and Sisters!!!

SO many miracles happened this week that I don't think I can tell you all of them in one email! (I know I say that every week, but it is SO TRUE).

Let's start with the funny part... so we were looking for a potential investigator whose address I SWEAR didn't exist... but Sister Malufau was certain that the GPS knew better than me, so we followed it. WELL. It took us to an "extended stay America" HOTEL. I was like "uhh sister this a hotel" and she goes "well, maybe there are apartments inside" hahaha don't ask me why I believed her, but we went in and it was VERY CLEARLY a hotel. The lady at the front desk gave us the weirdest look and asked If we were checking it, we said no and we asked her if she knew of the address we were looking for. She said no and as we turned to leave, sister malufau, being the cute thing that she is, started talking to this girl about who we are and what we do as missionaries. She goes, "hahahah I know! I am in the Crystal City singles ward! I was wondering what the heck you 2 were doing here checking into the hotel!!!" we looked SO disobedient. hhaahahahahhahaha it was SO FUNNY.

We had what is called "return and report" this week which is where the trainees and the trainers go to see how they are doing and to see what we both need to improve on.  It was a SUPER cool meeting. President shared incredible insight with us that just makes me want to work harder to be better!!! He is so wonderful, this work is SO INSPIRED!

SO this week we went and did service at a less-active's house and while we were there we decided to get down to the "neeeeedy-greeeeedy" and see what she really needed. While we were cleaning her room she told us that she had lost her wedding ring in her room 2 months ago and she still couldnt find it (she is kind of a hoarder, so there is no question as to why she cant find it). She kept telling us, "all I keep thinking of is 2,000 dollars that I don't have to replace that ring". finally I looked at her and said, "have you prayed about it?" She started crying as she told us that she felt like in order to receive an answer to a prayer, she felt like she had to go through a trial and she didn't need any more trials. I said a prayer in my heart and with more faith than I have ever had, I looked at her and I said, "I have 110 percent faith that we will find your wedding ring before we leave your house". keep in mind we had an appointment to be at in 20 minutes and this ring has been gone for 2 months. Those words came out my mouth and I thought, HOLY SMOKES. sister kennedy what did you just DO!? And so the three of folded our arms and I prayed that Heavenly Father would answer our prayer according to our faith. I said amen, and the woman looked at me and said, "I felt your faith in that prayer and I know that you can help me find my ring". We started the search and within 10 minutes we found the ring. I picked it up off the floor and with a huge smile of hope and relief I handed it to her. She looked at me, and fell into my arms sobbing... literally uncontrollably sobbing... She kept saying, "I knew you would find it! I have faith now! I have faith!" it was such an incredibly touching experience for me. HEAVENLY FATHER ANSWERS PRAYERS!!!

THEN! we have another less active we are working with that has an issue with tithing... Sister Malufau and I have been praying to know what she needs from us and what is keeping her from going through the temple, and thanks to the spirit we found out that tithing was her issue!!! SO. I shared with her an experience that my MARVELOUS parents had. they are the champs of all champs (like you all already know). I told her that my mom and dad have always been faithful in their tithing whether or not their financial circumstances really allowed it or not... There was one particular time in their life, when around Christmastime they were extremely short on money, but they still paid their tithing. That year, on Christmas Eve, there was a knock at the door and on the door step, there was a box full of 50 gold coins. They feel as if that blessing came because they were faithful in paying their tithing. Our less-active said, "wow that's a great story, but that would NEVER happen to me! I don't have any friends with money!" BUT she still committed to start paying her tithing starting in January. Well she went out of town for Christmas and texted us asking us to pick up some packages on her porch that she was expecting so they wouldn't get rained on. We did, and when she got back we brought them to her. Now one of the packages she got she was NOT expecting. She asked us who it was from and both of us just shrugged our shoulders, and told her we just grabbed what was on the porch. She opened that gift and inside was a candle with an anonymous card that was addressed to her, and a $50 bill.  She looked at us and said, "I think Heavenly Father is telling me I need to pay my tithing and everything is going to be alright." WHAT A MIRACLE!!! IT IS THE SAME EXPERIENCE MY PARENTS HAD!! AND IT EVEN CAME ON CHRSITMAS EVE!!! GOD IS SO GOOD!

I wish I had time to tell you everything that happened every hour of every day because SO many miracles come constantly! I LOVE IT! It is incredible to see how my love for this work gets deeper and deeper every coming week. There were a lot of things that didn't go our way this week, a lot of horribly rude people, a lot of investigators that either don't want to be taught or aren't getting back to us, and overall, a LOT of disappointment. BUT because of our marvelous brother Jesus Christ, His all encompassing atonement has TRULY made up for what I lack this week. and I have FELT His love and his power every day, every hour, no MATTER the circumstance. I KNOW and I have FULL FAITH that our Heavenly Father loves us so fully and so deeply that we truly will never be able to comprehend it and His love is something to be excited about. It is something worth sharing, and it is something that I will forever and eternally be grateful for. Look for the good. Look for the better. Look for the best. Look up. and recognize that our wonderful and all-powerful God truly is the same YESTERDAY, TODAY, and FOREVER.

keep it real and keep the faith,

Sister Kennedy

At the temple!

 our sweet Subaru!