Tuesday, July 30, 2024

    SAN RAY

Meeting my new comp Elder Giles
(A couple of groms)

Yo what up, insane changes this past week. So as you guys know, I was transferred but I didn't know where I was going yet. On Tuesday we did all of our goodbyes and it was sad but it was time to leave. The ward in Milagro helped me in so many ways and I made some insanely good friends in my time there.

Now onto the next chapter of my mish. Transfers were on Wednesday and I was nervous to see where I was going and who I was going to be training. I got transferred to San Raymundo which is technically in the city but it does not give off city vibes at all. We are touching my first area San Martin and it gives off San Martin vibes a lot. It is a small town with a lot of Aldeas (villages) outside of the main city. It is dead silent at night and no one is outside so it's insanely different from Milagro. I also received my new comp Elder Giles. He just got here and I got lucky enough to train him. It's been super fun with him, he's such a legend. Seeing all the funny things he does as a new missionary makes me realize I am literally just training myself. I will say he's a lot more mature than I was. He is just starting to learn Spanish and is pretty worried about the food just like I was. We haven't had water all week so it was a tough start to his mish and I really felt for him but he really looks past all of the 3rd world trials. He's such a goat. 


Saying goodbye to the Milagro Central Ward was hard but the last person I talked to was my friend Marco. He told me something that has already changed my mission and honestly probably my life. I talked to him last transfer about some of the baptisms and how I was stressed about preparing all of them and making sure they stayed active after their baptisms. He told me that way too many missionaries and people waste time, energy, and happiness on worrying! It made me realize that everything will be alright. We need to baptize and have faith everything will work out! And then he said the same thing to me when I left. “Don't be afraid to put someone in the water”. It really got me prepared for this transfer and I have been able to share that with my companion. Starting the mission is insanely hard and so many things run through your head. I have been blessed by my friend Marco to help me and my companion stay calm in stressful situations and learn to love and have fun in the mission. 


Love you all insanely and miss you all!


Scripture of the Week:


Mosiah 24:14 “And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.”


Mosíah 24:14 “Y también aliviaré las cargas que pongan sobre vuestros hombros, de manera que no podréis sentirlas sobre vuestras espaldas, mientras estéis en servidumbre; y esto haré yo para que me seáis testigos en lo futuro, y para que sepáis de seguro que yo, el Señor Dios, visito a mi pueblo en sus aflicciones.”


Last few days in Milagro Central
Best Jóvenes in Guat

The Hernandez' - Utah 2025 trip
w them gonna be lit


Extrano a Ruffy






Elder Giles and Elder Barber
(another couple of groms)


My new area - San Raymundo




Hard working Guaties

Reading material


















Tuesday, July 23, 2024

    3/4 BAPS

3/4 Baps

Yo what up, super slow week but it was lit. After last P-day, Elder Barber stayed with us for a day and it was so lit to have him for a day. If you guys remember, he was my comp on my 3rd transfer in the mish and he is now a traveling AP so he came and stayed with us for a day, super lit. Me, Elder Ruff, and Elder Barber would be a crazy trio for a transfer ngl. The week was good though with the work. We have a couple really cool people who are starting to take us seriously so it's been fun. We also had the opportunity to be involved in a couple baptisms for the ward! We had an investigator who was also going to get baptized but we got her in the water and she got too scared so unfortunately she wasn't baptized but her cousins and another kid from the ward did hahaha. All good though, she just needs a little bit more time to prepare to get under the water. 

I am also being transferred this Wednesday. It'll be fun and I am pumped. A lil bit nervous too tho. President called me today and said “You will be District Leader, training a brand new kid, and white washing an area. So not very much responsibility”. Obviously he was joking but it'll be fun and I'm pumped to see who all these new kids are that come in. 


One thing that I did do this week though was listen to an Elder Bednar NTC Devotional. I think I might have mentioned it when I was in the MTC but imma do it again because it is so good for everyone to hear. He said that his mission president asked him this question,”What would we do if the prophet fell away from the church and disowned it?” I thought well, that would be so insanely sad and I would probably doubt a lot of things after that. But he said that his mission president said he would not be shaken in the slightest. I thought, how is that possible but then I listened more and Elder Bednar's mission president said that he isn't converted to the prophet. He is converted to the Lord and he knows for himself, with 0 doubt that the church is true. I realized dang, I'm a long way from that but it gave me a perspective that it should not matter what happens in life. No matter how terrible, we need to be converted to the church and never leave it. He said if at any moment we say the church isn't true, that just means we aren't true to the church


I love you all and I want you guys to convert yourselves to the Lord in any way you guys think you can. Life is scary and tough and I love you all too much to see faith lost! Be safe out there!


Scripture of the Week:


D&C 25:2 “A revelation I give unto you concerning my will; and if thou art faithful and walk in the paths of virtue before me, I will preserve thy life, and thou shalt receive an inheritance in Zion”


DyC 25:2 “Te doy una revelación concerniente a mi voluntad; y si eres fiel y andas por las sendas de la virtud delante de mí, te preservaré la vida y recibirás una herencia en Sion”


#1 Fam in Guat
Hernandez Family



Tuesday, July 16, 2024

    WELLS BRAYDEN KENNEY


My new nephew Wells

Wow, Super super long week this week. I was sick literally the entire time and it was something different everyday. Started from the last P-day when I sneezed about 200 times on the bus, boogers and snot and everything running down my nose. 0 tissues too so I just used my sweatshirt, super gross. Then the next morning I woke up super sick with a fever, then we did divisions and I went to a different area for that day and night and I got even sicker. Stomach was dying, I had a super high fever!  It was not ideal. Then the next day got back and my head was killing along with my stomach and super rough day. Then the sore throat started, it was annoying the first day and then the next 3 days hurt so bad. Couldn't eat because it hurt so bad to swallow. Texted some pics to my sister in law Sydney who is a nurse and she said it's tonsillitis. Super tough. We are definitely getting better though. However it was not all terrible. 2 really amazing things happened this week

So on Friday when I couldn’t take anymore, I went and took an hour nap at home then woke up feeling even worse somehow but we had dinner with a member family so we went. It was insanely hard to get out of bed but I felt like we needed to go so we did. After dinner they asked us for blessings because their family has been super sick lately so we gave 4 blessings of health and 2 of comfort. It was exhausting but afterwards, I felt almost no pain for the rest of the night! It was a very cool lesson I learned that night. I had received 3 blessings from my comp and not that they didn’t “work”, I just didn’t improve my health. But after I served this family and blessed them with health instead of asking God to just heal me; which is what I had been doing, I was given some grace. Even though the next day I got worse, God wanted me to learn that even in our times of afflictions, sicknesses, weakness, we can still serve other people who are going through those same things and we can be blessed from our selflessness and our service. Great experience and I don't want to experience it again to be honest, but I am glad I got sick this last week so I could learn from it. 


Then the best thing that happened this week is we welcomed a new member to the family. Wells Brayden Kenney was born on Tuesday, July 9 and I could not be prouder of my sister Soph and my brother Brayden. I am so jealous I can't be there to meet him right now and hold him. Instead I was gargling hydrogen peroxide at 3 am trying to relieve my throat but just one more year!  Shout out Wells, bro made it to earth.


Love you all and remember, our afflictions suck, but thank our Heavenly Father for them. He gives them to us to learn and we need to take advantage. As always, Email on Monday, miss you guys.


John 10:17-18 “17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. 18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father”


Juan 10:17-18 “17 Por eso me ama el Padre, porque yo pongo mi vida, para volverla a tomar. 18 Nadie me la quita, sino que yo la pongo de mí mismo. Tengo poder para ponerla, y tengo poder para volverla a tomar. Este mandamiento recibí de mi Padre.”


Mis 3 Mejores Amigos



Monday, July 8, 2024

    LOS TESTIGOS


Anai and Angel's Baptism


Solid Week this week. First off, Angel and Anaí got baptized! They had never met before but they are so cool; they said they'd be down to have a joint baptism. So on Saturday they got baptized. It was one of the most special baptisms I have ever been to. One of our recent converts in the ward told us to teach Anaí and he came with us to every lesson with her and he was able to baptize her! Justin is already an insanely good missionary. Angel is a friend of our second counselor in the bishopric so we had him get baptized by him! They were both so ready to put past things behind them and move forward on the straight and narrow. Such legends!

We have been trying to find a lot more people to teach because we don't have that many people besides the people who have gotten baptized, so it's nice to have a fresh new start and start street contacting again. Also, we are asking for a lot of references from the members lol.


We saw 3 Jehovah's Witnesses teaching this woman so I wanted to wait until they were done talking to her to meet them. So we waited on the curb til they got done then talked to them.  Once they left, then we knocked on the same door of the woman they were teaching, gave her a Book of Mormon and told her to read it!  We have an apt with her next week, the JW’s have 0 chance - lol. Also, a member in our ward has found so many of my birth family member’s names and their birth documents! I used to only have a name of my birth mom but now I have my sister, grandparents, and a couple aunts and uncles.


Anyways, that was about it though for the week. Pray for my sister Sophie! She is about to have her baby and she could definitely use the prayers! As always, love you all!


Scripture of the Week: 


2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”


2 Corintios 5:17 “De modo que si alguno está en Cristo, nueva criatura es; las cosas viejas pasaron; he aquí todas son hechas nuevas”




More support at the baptism



Dinner with Salazar family

Throw back - Sprendie













Wednesday, July 3, 2024

    LA OBRA MISIONAL


Miriam flick

Wow these weeks have been insanely tiring but super worth it. So the highlights of the week were the 4 baptisms we had this weekend! Lydia and Suri got baptized on Sunday and Lupita and Sofía on Saturday. Insanely stressful days and week preparing and making sure everything was ready. Acne got pretty bad from stress ngl. But everything went as planned so that’s the good part.


This week was also the missionary week. Not sure if that’s a thing in the states or anywhere else but we had a week where as a ward we focused on missionary work. Every day we had a different theme. Like one day was for everyone to give a Book of Mormon to someone. Another day was to invite people to church. And another cool day was, we had an activity on Friday and a bunch of ex missionaries brought memories, scriptures, just everything and it was super fun. W activity. Then on Sunday we spoke in church about missionary work and how important it is. It went well I think. I prolly botched the grammar but we good lol. We got compliments after so they understood.


We had multi zone conference which was super fun too but sooo many of the homies are going home. Such an L. Traded ties and what not. Shout out Elder Philips.


In honesty though the mission has been super tiring and stressful but so insanely fun. I love the work that has been going on and it is amazing to be a part of the Lord's work right now. The mission sucks sometimes but it is so worth it to see these children of God make covenants. Nowhere else will we find so much joy in the success of others than when we are serving. 


Love you all, as always, feel free to email!


Scripture of the Week:


D&C 88:81 “Behold, I sent you out to testify and warn the people, and it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor”


DyC 88:81 “He aquí, os envié para testificar y amonestar al pueblo, y conviene que todo hombre que ha sido amonestado, amoneste a su prójimo.”



Sophia and Lupita's Baptism

Lydia and Suri's Baptism


Multi Zone Conference




Mission Week Ward Activity

Juanita la Cabra



Churrasco P-Day

















 

    GRANDPA ENGLAND Yo what's up, insanely slow week again and tough week for the work but this week will be good - trust!  We only have...