Email - June 1, 2009

Well we had a very powerful Zone Conference on baptizing and the importance of making that commitment to follow the Savior! It was pretty neat. I learned alot of really good nugets. Our area is doing really good and we are seeing alot of really good success. Alan and Shey came to church yesterday which was really good to see  : ) They are a newly married couple with a baby on the way : )

Well this is my last week on my mission. It really it me at Zone Conference that I am going home. It was a really scaring feeling. This has all I have know for 2 year and it will be different to come home. I talked to my mission president about all the feelings I am going through and he said that is normal. He said this last week I will have a big range of emotions and that is suppose to happen. I love the Lord and will do my best this last week.

Thanks for all the support and prayers and love you have giving me on my mission. This will be the last time I write home until I am a Return Missionary : / Its scary but I know the Lord has been with me on my WHOLE mission and has not left my comfortless. He will be with me now : )

Love Elder Kennedy

P.S. I made a goal to finish the New Testament before I come home and I just finshed last night : )

Email - May 18, 2009

Monday night I got the Flu somehow. It was MISERABLE!! I hate being sick!! It was the 24 hour flu so I feel ALOT better now : )

It is SO PRETTY right now in Alaska!! All the trees have leaves and it is SO green! I hate to leave when it is SO nice right now :/

Well I am going to see my first baptism on a mission tomorrow. They are less active now. They got offened and Antied  by their mom. It is really sad to see. I am going on exchanges in their area. They havent really let missionaries in but they want to see me and talk to me. I am just going to be firend them and just be really nice. It doesn't seem like they need anyone judging them. I just love them SO much and want thier happiness : /

Phillip Calhooon got baptized on saturday. He was an "Eternal Investigator" of over 5 or 6 years. It was a very emotional baptism and alot of people cried. I love this church! We have such good members all over this great world!

I am doing good and have 3 weeks left. My companion and I are working really hard and he is really good at keeping me focused.  I will going home June 8th. Next weeks memorial day and we might not get to email if nothing is open. just a heads up. Well I love

you all and cant wait to see all of you again : )

Love Elder Kennedy

Email - May 11, 2009

I got to call home for mothers day and talk to my family! : ) I was so glad to talk to them and catch up alittle. I will be seeing them in a couple of weeks but it is good to talk with them : )

It sounds like the economy is pretty bad back home : ( That is one of the blessings of a mission is you don't really need to worry about that. Well I guess now is a good time to go to school when there isn't any jobs.

We had a pretty adventful week. Did alot of service and helping people move. Well then we had a fun service project. We helped this part member family get his dock out of the lake. It was a pretty hard. We had these huge water boots to wear to pull it out. Well it was way muddy and I slipped and fell in : ) I got all muddy from head to toe. My teeth even had mud in them. Lucky i have only  a couple weeks left and my clothes are falling apart cause I just threw all that I wore away. Well here are some pictures : )

Love Elder Kennedy

Email - May 4, 2009

DEBBIE AMOS IS GOING TO THE TEMPLE!!!! Debbie from my first area in Wasilla is going to the Temple. We were at our missionary ward correlation meeting at the Palmer chapel, and this kid came up to me. He said hey Elder Kennedy and I was like aren't you the Weatherford kid. He said yeah here is my Mom. I was just SO happy. They Weatherfords are the most Christ like people I have met. They were my favorite members on my mission.

Well we got to talking and I told her this was my last transfer and I go home June 8. I then asked her how Debbie is doing and she said that she is taking Temple prep classes right now getting ready to go to the temple!!! I was SO overcome with such indescribable JOY! It felt just like when she got baptized. She said she might go before I go home and I told her I wanted to be there when she goes.

This will absolutly complete my mission if I can be with her in the temple for the first time! : )  I will tried to get a hold of her but couldn't. I am going to call her today and see when she is planing on going : )

Man this totally makes every hardship on a mission worth it. I have never felt such joy : )

Well I am with my new companion now. He is a VERY hard working and REALLY obedient. It will be good to finish my mission with him. He knows how to work. The area is absolutly amazing! There is SO much work here to do. The area way nice. It is all along the mountains in the Palmer Mountain range. It so warm and nice here. We are starting to get buds on the tree and leaves : ) It is so so SO pretty here. I love this area. If I were to ever move back up to Alaska it would be in Palmer or Wasilla! Abslutely amazing!!

Love IT!!!!

Love Elder Kennedy

Email - April 25, 2009

My companions name is Elder Giles. He is a hard working obiedent missionary. We will see alot of success. He has been out alsmot a year I think : )

Email - April 21, 2009

So this week we had stake conference. We drove up with a member on Sunday and went to it. It was really good. We hadn't seen others missionaries in over 5 weeks so it felt good to say hi to them.

We had interview with President Dance. We have interviews every transfer or 6 weeks with him. He says that I will probably leave Delta Junction for my last transfer. He said that 3 transfers or 4 and a half months is way to long to be in Delta LOL : ) He said this is a very "SSSLLOOOWWW" area. And I have felt that lol. The branch members are amazing but the people here have talked to missionaries hundreds of times. Effects of a small town. President said he wants to go to Tok so we might go this week.

Transfers calls are Saturday and transfers are on Monday. This will be my last transfer. I have 6 weeks left. It has been really good, but  I am really excited to see my family again : )

Doing Good! : )

Love  Elder Kennedy

Email - April 13, 2009

It sure has warmed up this week : ) It got to 35 one day : ) Everything is slowly starting to melt : ) Easter Sunday was amazing : ) lots of smiley faces lol hope you like them.

Well so I came into this area and there is an Elder from the Branch that came home and he decided to go back out and got called to a different mission. He went and we just heard that he is coming home again for good. This is very sad to here. He is such a good kid when we talked to him.

Something that this experience really did for me is to REALLY appreciate being on a mission and being able to finish it. I really haven't thought of it as much of a blessing till now but it is something that really hit me hard when I saw this Elder come how early. I really am blessed to be able to be out here and serve the Lord and finish a two year mission! : ) It really has helped me look at what great blessings I have : )

Church was great this Sunday! Something really bothered me though. I don't maybe I am slow but something just hit my nerves. Our lesson was about Joseph Smith and his time in liberty jail and all that he went through. and all the saints went through. It just hit me really hard. Why was Joseph and the saints persecuted SO much! They lived in a country of freedom of religion. They did that which was right. They never hurt any one. They just wanted to live their religion in peace. The Savior was the same way. He was PERFECT! A perfect being. He could do no ill, but he was still crucified. I guess I just had a "It just DOESN'T make sense to me" moment.

It made me think about today. Would the world do that if the Savior came again? Will they do that to our church again?

I guess I learned that Satan is REAL and that he will do all he can to stop the work from progressing. BUT the Lord promised the work WILL NOT stop progressing and it wont! The Saints went through SO much but never lost the faith. They are an example to me : )

I believe that the more people that feel the effects of the Atonement of Christ there will be more Peace. There will be more missionaries. There will be more converts. There will be more love.

I have felt the Atonement in my life. It IS real! The effects are life changing and everlasting! I have seen those effected by it and change their life because of it. That is what make everyday of my mission worth something. love Christ and I love his Gospel!

Elder Kennedy

Email - April 6, 2009

YEAH! We got a member referral from the Wrigley's in our Branch. We went to the families’ door and they let us in. We had a pretty good talk with them. The wife really likes to over power the conversation and couldn't stop moving around. They were talking how they believe in that everything has an energy and the more energy you have the more you vibrate and there is positive and negative energy.

We felt like Ammon and trying to relate the Gospel to what they were saying. You really had to concentrate and think hard. And they would just randomly ask you a question like, so when has gone done something against what you wanted and it turned out good? It really made us think quickly. I told how I wanted to leave later on my mission and put my release date later so I could finish my job at school, and how they Prophet moved it sooner. I said I went sooner and how in my first transfer the Lord provided us a family that got baptized and wants to be sealed in the temple. I knew Gods will is hirer than mine.

Well General Conference was GREAT! The last General Conference I will watch on my mission. I have been out 22 Months today!! It has gone by SO fast and I am really happy and excited to see my family in a couple months : )

Thanks for all the Prayer, Letters, Emails, and Support!

Love Elder Kennedy

Picture # 1 Buffalo are all over Delta Junction. A member of our ward shot and feed us buffalo. It is pretty good. Taste kinda like hamburger. Everybody kills their food and that's how they and we eat : )

Picture # 2 There is a place up here calles "White Stone" it is like its own religious farming based community. We were crossing one of their bridges. It was pretty shaky : /

Picture # 3 Smoky the bear and I

Picture # 4 Dig Delta River : )

Email – March 23, 2009

Well...I have been with my companion for almost a full week now. He is a very good missionary. Very obedient and hard working. He keeps me in line. He is my only missionary I have ever met that doesn't talk about home. He is SO focused on his mission that he REALLY has left everything behind.

We have a had a pretty good week. We found two new investigators and Glen came to church. This is going to be his last week till he goes back to Iowa. He said he doesn't think he is going to be baptized, but we are going to try and commit him again tomorrow. Hopefully all goes well : )

I had my 21st Birthday this week! It is crazy to think I am 21 now! A member here cooked me my favorite dinner and baked me a cake. It was really nice : ) I love this branch!

We gave a talk at sacrament on Sunday about knowing who you are and the Pre Earth life. Then I taught the Gospel Doctrine. It was kind of nerve reckoning teaching all these "gospel scholars" but I got through it lol : )

I talked about how my mom would always ask me before I left for school or with some friend, "Remember who you are?" That is something that has really stuck with me and helped me make some right choices. To know that we TRULY are children of God with UNLIMITED progression and FULLNESS of joy to await us. It really helps me keep things in perspective : )

Well I got some really good pictures at the Ice Sculpture festival. I guess this advent is pretty world famous and the sculptures were AMAZING!!! Truly a once in a life time advent. I took SO many pictures but I will try to send the best ones : )

Love Elder Kennedy

Email – March 16, 2009

Well this week hasn't been the best health wise. I got the cold about a week ago and am still feeling a little sick from it. I just felt SO week for awhile it was ridiculous! I SO much rather be healthy and well then sick. I HATE feeling so weak over your whole body. Well hopefully I can fully recover and get over this stinking sickness.

It is SO SO COLD today! It just cuts to your bones!! That probably doesn't help recovery time lol. Well they say that April is where break up it so hopefully and really PLEASE be getting warming. Is it just me or are you all just DONE with this winter. It has just been such a LONG winter!! BRRR!

Well we got transfer calls on Saturday. I am staying in Delta Junction and getting an Elder Young. This will be the second Young I will have served with. My companion is going to Anchorage. We drove up to Fairbanks Sunday night and stayed the night at the Zone Leaders and another set of missionaries. Well they wouldn't go to bed till like 12 and we had to get up at 430 to take a kid to the airport to go to Sitka, AK. I am pretty tired not going to lie, but I will have a lot of time to catch up on sleep in less than 3 months. It’s crazy how you get no sleep one night and get 7 hours the next and are fine again. Well still tired but not as bad. well I guess you are always tired, but just different extremes.

Well we are going to this Ice Sculpture thing up in Fairbanks today. You have to pay money to get in, but it is WELL worth it I heard. I should have some more pictures next week. Man I am excited. There are so many once in a lifetime things that you only could do on a mission. When will I EVER be in Fairbanks Alaska in the winter? I am never planning on being in Alaska in the winter again. I will visit in summer’s lol. Summers are just MARVELOUS!! I am SO Ready for summing. But right when it gets nice I go home. I go home the 8th of June, and they say it starts to get way nice the 1st of June. Like Flowers and leaves and everything.

I just want to be warm again lol : )

Well hopefully I don't fall asleep on the drive home : /

O so somehow the branch found out it was my birthday this Thursday and that is a lot of what they talked about in Relief Society LOL. Women and their gospel lol. JK. Well it should be a good B-Day, the last on a mission. I will be 21 years old! WOW! When I think 21 I think Return Missionary. Well I love you all and know that the Lord hears your prays and mine :)

Love Elder Kennedy

Now that is North to Alaska

Email - Feb 23, 2009

Glen didn't come to church : ( Its crazy he called are member that we took to our lesson sunday morning. He said he was going to go take some pictures and ask is our member wanted to go with him. The member was like um..no I got to go to church and teach a lesson! LOL Some peoples excuses : /

Well we got a call again and got to see the northern lights there were AMAZING as ever. We saw red ones this time : ) I got a picture but it didn't turn out great but I will send it so you can see.

We have a lesson with glen at 430 Alaskan time : ) I believe his hold up is praying "specifically" is the book of Mormon true. That is usually the hang up. People are just afraid to pray because they feel something WILL happen. SATAN. Just like right before Joseph saw God and Jesus Satan with his power tried all he could to have him not pray. It is going to be nice when he is bound for 1000 years : )

We are doing good. It hasn't been to cold. 10 to 20 above, but the say the cold will come again before the end : ( Almost done with winter : )

We go up to Fairbanks on the 5th for Zone Conference. So that will be nice to be around missionaries again and to be able to go to a Wal-Mart and stock up on goods : )

Love Elder Kennedy

never mind the northern lights picture didn't turn out :

(P.S. This branch is AMAZING! I love them all! There is a family here that remembers every holiday for missionaries and celebrates them for them. They signed up to celebrate my Birthday 19th of March 2009. I'm going to be 21! AHH lol

Email - Feb 16, 2009

Well we got to see the Northern Lights this time again : ) It was AMAZING!! Even better then last time : ) I got some pictures but it didn't turn out so good. They are so beautiful! They sway back and forth in the sky! : )

All Is well this week...exect Glen went to Valdez all week and couldn't meet with us and stay the weekend there and couldn't come to church : ( BUMMER!!!!

It hasn't been too cold this week. It got to almost 20 ABOVE! I think I will survive this winter. I think lol JK.

Not much new happened...The ward is GREAT they are trying real hard to find people for us to teach and are feeding us almost every night : )

O and we saw fireworks on Saturday : ) there was some sort of "Festival of Lights" celebration. No one we ask knows what it is for but they just say it is a good excuse to light fireworks when it is still dark, cause 4th of july it is light all day and it would be a waste to do firework in the light : )

Love Elder Kennedy

Email - Feb 2, 2009

Well Glen didn't show at church again : ( His heater turned off and someone was over all night trying to fix it. He was up that Saturday night till 6 in the morning on Sunday trying to fix his heater. We called him like 10 after church started to make sure everything was alright. He said he saw our call and was just like NOPE and went back to sleep.

Well we taught him again on tuesday and just followed up on his reading and read 3 Nephi 11 with him. He was well into Jacob when we taught him! He said he was reading and praying and that he will continue to pray. : / The member we toke was GREAT! He knew exactly what to say! It was great!

Glen said that he will never let missing church happen again : /

Well I think I have frost bite on my fingers. My skin is peeling and is pretty red. Well I will try and find some lotion in this small town that is lucky enough to have milk lol.

O yeah we got transfer calls and my companion and I are staying together in the same area of Delta. After this transfer it should be getting warmer...Hopefully : / They say February is the coldest month of the year : ( Well as long as our heater and water work we should be fine : )

Love Elder Kennedy

Email - Jan 19, 2009

This week we had 100 degree difference in weather. Last week it was -60 and this week it got up to 45 ABOVE zero!! It was crazy! No one knows why it happened. They just have real crazy weather here. They said we should be getting back to -40 by the end of the week. So there goes the fun. ; ( I was getting spring fever real bad : )

Well Glen came to church again today :) He is great and the branch really seems to like him : ) He has a great fellowshipper, Bro Tappen. He calls him through out the week to see how he is doing and to make sure he comes to church. We are thinking of giving him a baptism date this week. This ward hasn't had a baptism in over a year and half. I think it is about time, but it isn't what i think. If there is one thing I have learned is that this TRULY is the Lords work and when they are ready the Lord knows and he makes it happen. It isn't anything I do they are just ready : ) It is all about timing : )

I am going to enjoy this crazy weather while it last and wait till it is ACTUALLY spring and starts to warm up :)

I got some pictures to send but the computer will not let me send them so maybe I will try later : (

Love Elder Kennedy

Email - Jan 5th 2009

So this has been one of the most intense weeks of my life. So it has been frigid I mean FRIGGIN cold up here. It has been almost -50 all week and has gotten down to negative -60. They canceled school today because it was so cold. They cancel if it is -55 or below. We only had sacrament at church when it is below -50. So that just gives you a ballpark of how the week has been. Well so last week our pipes for our facet broke and we were with out water for a couple of days till our member that we stay with could fix it. Well he fixed it about Sunday of last week.

Then Tuesday morning we get up and it is FRIGGED in our apartment. We just thought this was just us being in delta but we looked at the thermometer and it said in 35 almost freezing. We called our member and he went down into the boil room and the door was open. What happened was that it was SO cold in the middle of the night that the door to the boiler room contracted, CONTRACTED! Crazy stuff happens when it gets this cold. Well about a foot of water got in the boiler room which we had to dump bucket upon bucket outside in -50 weather. Lets just say in was cold.

Well they called the boiler guy and he said that he had about 20 people before us he had to see. He didn't come that night but the next night he came and said that their we at least 24 cracks or ruptures in the pipes! So that first night we decided to sleep at the church cause it was WAY to cold in our apt!

Well we put to rows of chairs together and sleep their. Well in the morning I was in ALOT of pain and I didn't know what happened. It hurt to sit and lay on my back. So I toughed it our for about three days. Laying on my stomach and then that third day I started bleeding really bad where it hurt so I called Sister Dance and she called the Doctor and the doctor said I have a Pilonidal cyst! It hurts so bad! She said that I need to take a bath twice a day and that it will keep bleeding out tell it gets better. Well I am going to see a Doctor here today just to make sure.

Well we just got water back. We went almost 6 days without water and we still don't have heat. We stayed at a member’s house the past two nights but have put about 4 space heaters up in our apt to keep warm. I am really getting to experience Alaska. I don't think I have been warm since I got here and am starting to get a cold.

On top of all that 2 days ago we have our car plugged in all night and we go to start it in the morning and it won't start. Well we ask a member for a jump and tat doesn't do anything. It is just to cold for anything to function. Well a member towed our truck behind his truck to the school and we put it in there garage for about three hours and charged the battery and it started up.

This all happened at once. Well like my dad always said, "you got to go up the roller coaster before you can go down" Hopefully we can start going down now. : )

Well one of the greatest highlights of this week it that we found a new investigator! His name is Glen. He is GOLDEN! We went over there to jump his car then we got to know him and set up an appointment for a different day. His sister is a member and he just moved up from Iowa. He accepted to come to church and our members have been helping him out a lot by giving him firewood ect.

Really no matter what happened on my mission it is experiences like these when we are teaching someone and to see them completely change that makes it all worth it. I would take my mission back for ANYTHING! To see SO many people make a complete change of their life and accept the gospel. It truly makes EVERYTHING worth it. Thanks for all the support and everything!

Love Elder Kennedy