Great Week

Hello friends and family!

 

I had a wonderful week, it was super hard, but really paid off. We did a lot more tracting this week, and even though most people shot us down, we were able to have five new investigators and we set a baptismal date! His name is Rod, we prayed for a miracle last sunday to have someone at church, and lo and behold he just showed up! first time ever! we taught him this week, Invited him to be baptized, and he said yes! it truly was fantastic. I won't share too much about the other investigators, but I will share more soon. So yesterday we had a "3 Nephi chapter8" experience with this crazy storm, the lights went out during sacrament, and it was so incredibly dark outside, you would not believe it! But I am so happy to be here, to be working hard, and to be serving a mission when the Lord is hastening his work. I know that as we show our diligence, He will provide.

 

My spiritual thought this week is found in 1 Nephi 17:13, which talks about our Savior being our light in the wilderness. No matter who we are, or what we do, we each have our own personal "wilderness" that we must rely on the savior to be guided through. So, as you go about your activities this week, think about what your wilderness is, and what you can do to rely on the savior more fully to receive his guiding light.

 

I love you all, I am praying for you each and every day, and I hope that you all have a wonderful week! thank you for everything!

 

With Love,

Elder Kendall

Another Week in Canada

Hello friends and family!

 

As you very well know, I am still in Canada. and today marks my two month mark since I have been on my mission! not that I am counting, I just happen to know that.

 

So, this week I was able to be a part of a miracle. We were out tracting and having very little, if any, success, and my companion was not enjoying himself at all, it was just a really tough time. But as we were knocking the doors, I received the impression that we should go stop by a potential who had shut us down a couple weeks earlier, and that we should bring him a Book of Mormon. It didn't make a whole lot of sense, but I told my companion, and away we went. We got to the home of this man, and knocked on his door, and he answered and immediately invited us in. He told us that he had been having a really tough time with some personal family matters and that we could not have come at a better time. We taught him a lesson, left him with the Book of Mormon, and were able to schedule a return appointment with him this week. I KNOW that when we are focused on our call to serve, that our Heavenly Father blesses us, He helps us to receive spiritual promptings, and if we are completely reliant on him, and look forward with an eye single to the glory of God, that he will not let us fail in this great work.

 

My spiritual thought for the week comes from Mark 9:23-24. What an incredible thing, to think that all things are possible to them that believe. To believe, as translated from the greek, means to exercise faith. What a beautiful aspect of the gospel that is, to think that if we exercise faith, that all things are possible. Not some things, ALL THINGS. I love this gospel, I love my Father in Heaven and my savior, it is a privilage to bear testimony of him each and every day to these people, to be a witness of God at all times, and in all things, and in all places. Thank you all for the support, I love you all, and hope that the week ahead is filled with many blessings.

 

With love, Elder Kendall

First Transfer Done

Hello friends and family from the lovely area of "North End" Winnipeg!

 

I had a very up and down week, lots of highs and lows, but I am doing really well! I just finished my first transfer, and I will be in my area for another six weeks, so I just know that I need to be hear this transfer, because someone here needs my help, and I am going to do all that I can to assist them to come unto christ.

 

We had a big turnover week, Donna, Nino, and a few others were all turned over, so we are just working on re-building our teaching pool, and we found a lot of great people this week! a couple specifics are Addy, a big black man from nigeria who we were able to teach and continue with return appointments, and Aleda, from nicaragua, who we taught our first lesson to this week. I have seen a ton of rejection, but we also have a lot of great potentials that we will either be following up on or teaching return appointments to, so that is really great, I will be sharing more as we strengthen our teaching pool. We are also teaching the Cunanan family, the wife is the only member, and her husband and daughter (12)  are somewhat interested in learning, so we are doing our best to strengthen their faith so that they may be an eternal family. I am still doing a lot in the ward, I am a gospel principles teacher and a temple prep teacher, and I regularly play piano in meetings, so that is exciting, I hope that I can continue to contribute to the ward in the best way possible so that they can continue to be strengthened and begin to assist us more fully in the work.

 

My spiritual thought this week is in 1 Nephi 11:1, which helped strengthen my testimony of receiving spiritual witnesses. Nephi gives a perfect example of what we must do to recieve these things, that we must:

1) desire to know

2)believe that the Lord can make them known

3) seek him

4)ponder in your heart

 

I know that as we do these things that we will recieve spiritual strength, and it will assist in in all we do. I love you all, I pray for you each and every day, Thank you for all your support and love, and I hope you have a wonderful week!

 

With Love,

Elder Kendall

Tough Week

Hello friends and family from the North End of Canada!

 

I am sorry if any details in my e-mail made you overly worried about me, just know that I am safe, I am being smart, and I am doing well. I know that I am being devinely protected each and every day, so I have nothing to fear.

 

I went on a couple exchanges to different areas this week, and Canada has a lot of variety (just like utah), but these areas are beautiful, this world truly is a work of art!

 

So, it was a tough week indeed. We had found a lot of investigators last week, but nearly every single one shut us down this past week, and the rest seem to have dropped off the earth because we have made every effort to get in contact with them, and they have not responded. Also, Donna is in the hospital with cancer, and Nino dropped us because his wife will not allow us to continue to meet with him. It was a very hard week, but I learned a valuable lesson while I was reading the scriptures.

 

I was studying in 1 nephi chapter 3, and verse 15 really stuck out to me. I will invite you all to read it, but the principle I learned from it was this. Nephi and his brothers were rejected 2 times and nearly killed in their attempt to retrieve the plates from Laban, and Laman and Lemuel were ready to give up. However, we learn from Nephi that we, as latter day saints, know that if we rely on our Heavenly Father, and are faithful to his commandments, he Always provides a way for us to accomplish what we need to. Faithful saints of this church don't quit, we accomplish. So that is what I am going to do. I will not quit, I will not rest, I will not give up until I have accomplished the thing which the Lord has commanded me to do. I love this gospel and I love being a missionary, and I know that the Lord will provide a way for me to accomplish his work. Thank you everyone for your continued support, I really appreciate it. I hope to hear from you all soon!

 

With Love,

Elder Kendall

Best Week So Far!

Hello friends and family from the hot, humid, flat area of winnipeg!

 

We had a boundary rotation this week, and my companion and I were placed in what is known as the North End, and to the public it is known as the murder and stabbing capital of Canada. Yippee. Two of the investigators that we are teaching had people killed in their backyards this past week, so that was really interesting to hear about. Also, every home owns a dog the size of a small T-rex, and they charge the door when you knock, so that has been interesting to deal with, not to mention the people we meet on the street. But we found a lot of people who are receptive, so that makes up for it!

 

This week, as you all can tell, was fantastic. We weren't really teaching a lot the past two weeks, and my companion was mostly just wanting to stay in doors and sit around the apartment, and I would have to drag him around a lot, which was really frustrating, and this week was no different. I had to push him a lot, and it was tough, but he finally caught on and I finally got him out the door, and we were able to see lots of success! I knocked more doors this week then in the previous three combined, and talked to absolutely everyone that I could on the street, and we were able to do really well! We have 14 new potential investigators, 3 new investigators, and I was able to set two baptismal dates! I invited Nino to be baptized, and when I was on an exchange with my zone leader, we got a call, after knocking doors all day, from a lady named donna. She had not met with the missionaries for two years, but called us and told her that she wanted the gospel to help her quit smoking, and that she wanted to be baptized. It was incredible. I know that as we worked hard, the Lord provided a way for us to accomplish his work for this area. As for Mckenzie, she is not in our area anymore, so we turned her over to the sisters, but she will do well, and I will keep you posted!

 

My spiritual thought for this week is the principle of work. When I was on the exchange with my Zone Leader this week, we did not see a lot of success from knocking doors. But by knocking doors, we showed Heavenly Father that we are willing to work hard to find people to teach, and that we will do whatever it takes. As a result, we were blessed when we returned for a quick dinner with a phone call from Donna, and we were able to teach her and invite her to be baptized. I know that this was a result of our hard work. We cannot just pray to find people and then not do anything about it, we have to show Heavenly Father that we truly have the desire to serve him with all our heart, might, mind, and strength. That is when we will see success, and that was especially true for me this week. I am so grateful to be serving, I know that this gospel brings ultimate happiness, I know that my Heavenly Father and my Savior are watching over me and protecing me, and that if I rely on them, and work with all my heart and soul, that they will provide a way for me to accomplish the things which I have been commanded to do. I love you all, thank you for everything!

 

Elder Kendall