with love, elli: Two Letters from Elli!

The Work Never Stops... LETTER FROM AUGUST 17, 2015

BROTHERS AND SISTERS!!! ANOTHER MIRACULOUS WEEK AND NEVER ENOUGH TIME TO TELL ALL THE MIRACLES!!!

OK.

SO FUNNY.

last week we were at shoppers and we were about to go through a pull through parking spot but there was a cart that was right on the corner of the space so we couldnt fit. I told sister lewis to just "nudge" it with the car and we would be fine. she slowly pulled up and nudged the cart and it rolled just enough for us to pull in. excited we start yelling and then the cart just starts rolling... and rolling and WHAM. nails this guy's truck. welp. of course he was walking out of the store right as this happened and saw all of it go down. he. was. ticked.

so stinkin funny though!

MIRACLES

we found Jane this week!!! she is a member referral that we met doing service at the members house! she is from china #holler #myfavpeople and we basically had a miraculous lesson with her about who Jesus Christ is and why he is important to us. the member NAILED it and testified so hard. then we prayed with her and after we prayed she grabbed her heart, looked at us, and said "I feel so warm!!!" it was darling and we are meeting with her wednesday :)

We also got a referral from the Oak Marr elders who we had a lesson with this morning who is SO RAD. she has been meeting with elders since 2008 and her best friend is Mormon, served a mission, and is at BYU. she had awesome questions and is really seeking to find a church that will meet her needs. the spirit was so strong and she really wants to find out if this is for her. we are SO happy and so excited to keep teaching her!!

Yesterday, before church, we got an impression to knock on a less active guy's door who has not had contact with the church in quite a while. He answered the door (which was a miracle in and of itself) and wanted to come to church with us!!! we had an awesome time talking with him and he told us that he wanted to start meeting again, unfortunately he was on-call for work and couldnt make it BUT it was great nonetheless and we get to see him again tomorrow.

there are only 2 sets of sisters (including us) in this stake and so when people request sisters that are on YSA age, we get to teach them! one of which is this less-active couple that I LOVE dearly. we had an incredible lesson with them last night about the power of prayer and the simplicity of the gospel. The spirit was SO STRONG as we taught and testified of Christ and His LOVE. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be set apart as a representative of Christ so that I can really FEEL the love of God working through me to bless the lives of those within our stewardship.

We also found out that contacting in Arlington is WAY effective because it is literally RIGHT next to DC and EVERYONE there is YSA. we have had some great times meeting and teaching people on the busy streets there. God really does place prepared people in our path when we are ready to receive them. I just love it.

I am so serious when I say that this church is so undeniably true. I am so grateful for the JOY that has come into my life as I have taught people that I will love forever and as we have bonded on a very deep spiritual level that I am eternally grateful for. I am just so stinking grateful. I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH

keep it real and keep the faith

sister kennedy

What is the Purpose of the Temple... LETTER FROM AUGUST 10,2015

BROTHERS AND SISTERS THIS WEEK HAS BEEN MAD CRAZY. So RAD. So MIRACULOUS. And so HAPPY.

I GOT TRANSFERRED. Kind of a really devastating thing actually. I was really pumped for the work in Oak Marr... But God knows best. I was only there for 6 weeks and now I am in LANGLEY YOUNG SINGLE ADULT WARD. Yep. Another singles ward #holler. I guess the lord just wants me to remember to get married soon. AND MY NEW COMPANION IS SISTER LEWIS. Literally one of the greatest humans I have ever met. She loves Miranda Sings, likes to break dance, and has a deep relationship with
Taco Bell. I guess you could say we are soul mates.

The Funny -
WE GOT TO GO TO A NATIONALS MLB GAME! The whole mission, along with the Washington DC North mission are invited to a nationals game every year, once a year. SO. MUCH. FUN. We take the metro there and back... We were going with the zone leaders (just the 4 of us) because we live in the same complex, and on the way home we took the wrong bus to the wrong metro stop... We ended up having to turn around, get on 2 different buses, get back on the metro, and then walk home. We got home at 1:15 am. hahaha LONGEST. NIGHT. OF. MY. LIFE. and seriously so fun. like I cant even explain how fun it was.

Sister Lewis and her old companion went to go meet up with one of their recent converts and I was on exchanges with sister jones... we street contacted outside of shoppers after buying a dozen donuts and got hit on by mobs of mexican men. such a random, hilarious night.

we bought matching basketball jerseys and sandals from the thrift store today. my mission has changed me in a lot of ways but I will never stop loving grandma clothes and thrift stores.

MIRACLES:

so leaving oak marr was really sad. and really hard. we were saying goodbye to a less active family that we have been working with (the alien believing guy and his 2 daughters) and he very sweetly told me that after working with the sisters for over 2 years I was the most influencial to him in his life because I admitted to having doubted and questioned the gospel at times. He really expressed his love and thanks to me for being honest and vulnerable enough to relate with him on a level that no other member of the church had done before. I will miss that sweet family.

Jessica and Liam are still working towards baptism in 2 weeks and my new area (since its a singles ward) still covers oak marr so I get to go! and I am SO SO SO excited!

my last night in oak marr we got ahold of Bahar and her brother Amin!!! we had an incredible night with them discussing their life and the plan of salvation. They are 2 people that will forever be dear to my heart. the sisters might actually pass both of them to us because they are YSA age! I am so excited to hopefully keep teaching them :) They are so golden

THEN I MOVED TO LANGLEY. we have an incredible ward and miracles are already pouring.

while sister jones and I were on exchanges we were contacting in the parking lot of shoppers and stopped this YSA ages guy whose mom is a minister! He has an incredible relationship with Christ and agreed to meet with us again tomorrow and we are so amped. he is WAY cool.

then. get this. this is so cool. when I was in the Colonial 1st YSA ward, the elders quorum president was dating a non-member girl who I absolutely LOVED. BUT she was right outside of our ward boundaries so she was taught by the LANGLEY elders. well. plot twist. IM IN LANGLEY NOW. and at church she saw me and got SO EXCITED. she sat by me through all 3 meetings and asked to go to the visitors center with us to watch the Joseph Smith movie. #WUT. after church our ward mission leader was like, "sister kennedy, LINDSAY LOVES YOU. you have to start teaching her". I AM SO HAPPY. seriously so happy that I could cry. I love this girl SO MUCH. pray for lindsay!!!

AND The bishop of the oak marr ward has a daughter in this ward who has a non-member roommate that I hung out with at the bishops 4th of july barbecue that he put on. we got along SUPER well and I TOTALLY forgot to give the langley sisters the referral last month so now we are going to try to start teaching her. I AM SO EXCITED.

MIRACLES ARE JUST SO REAL. so so so real. I AM SO GRATEFUL FOR THE MIRACLE OF THE TEMPLE that really will bind families for all eternity. For the peace we can find in knowing that the temple really is the house of the Lord and that it is a BEACON of light. I am so grateful for the miracle of this ward. for the miracle of my companion. for the miracle of this work. for the miracle of repentance. for the miracle of the savior's atonement. and for the miracle of the gospel of jesus christ. I LOVE THIS WORK. I am never coming baaaaaaaackkkkkkk!!!

keep it real and keep the faith

sister kennedy