Semana Santa and Zulma's Baptism

Hello

 

So this week was filled with a whole lot of good moments and hard days, but Saturday and Sunday where pretty darn amazing.

 

During the week not a whole lot happened, we are really having a hard time finding investigators right now, we have done a whole lot of contacting and met a lot of interesting people.

 

Wednesday we had a conference with the zone in Ibague and Presidente Baquerizo, it was pretty powerful we learned a lot about setting goals and how our studies should help us out. And I got to see my companion from the CCM Elder Marsh!!! He is doing really good, having a lot of fun. He is a good Missionary.

 

The other days we didn't have all that much, a lot of contacting, a lot of rejection. But that's part of the work.

 

Saturday we had the baptism of Zulma!!!!!!!!!!!! She was really prepared by the Lord, and has an amazing testimony! The day was pretty crazy, inviting everybody we could to the service and getting it all ready. But the ordinance when really smoothly and my companion did a great job! She was really happy afterwards, there was a spirit of joy that doesn't come from anything else. Also we had a appointment with Leonardo Luna who baptized Christopher, and as we were getting stuff ready he asked me about how the mission papers worked. We told him about it and he shared with us that he wants to go on a mission! He is going to talk with the branch president to get them started.

 

Sunday..... It was a good one!! So I got to confirm Zulma as a member of the church, and that was a pretty exciting moment. I was pretty darn nervous, so my Spanish wasn't perfect but I felt like it went well. What a wonderful opportunity I have been given here as a missionary!!!

 

On Thursday the branch was able to go to the temple in Bogota and a lot of the youth got to go for the first time. Leonardo was also one of those, so he got the chance to go and do baptisms. He was invited Sunday to share his testimony about his experience. Now Leo is a really quiet, shy kinda guy, and I've never really heard him bear his testimony. Then he got to the pulpit and started to talk.... and that's when he just put his head down and started bawling. He felt the spirit big time, and gave one of the simplest and most heartfelt testimonies I've ever heard. There has been a wonderful change taken place in him, he's doing really well.

Semana Santa was kinda crazy, Colombia also played against Bolivia and so there was pretty much no one home this week.

 

I am really excited for conference, we should get to watch it in the Chapel.

 

Easter, I kinda forgot that happened XD That doesn't exist here really so we just got the normal rice and beans.

 

One guy we contacted talked a whole lot about how he had met with missionaries before and stuff like that, but then he started to tell us how "No offense, I respect all religions, but your beliefs are horrible!" And stuff like that. Always interesting to see the opposition there is in the world to the truth.

 

Looking forward to finding new people to teach!!!!!

 

 

Love for everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Elder Kendall

Oh yeah Alma 26 and D&C 18:11-16!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Zulma's baptism

Elder Melendez

Elder Marsh from CCM

 

Workin hard=Blessings Received

Hello Family and Friends!!

 

So.... Ian is a rugby BEAST!!! Just wanted to get that out there.

 

This week we have been seeing some good things coming, although this coming week is "Semana Santa" (Holy Week) and that is going to be interesting.

 

The best part about the week is our investigator Zulma Sanchez. She is doing amazing. Each time we meet with her she has read a TON in the Book of Mormon. In between one of our appointments she was just starting 2nd Nephi, and then like 4 days later when we met with her again she had already gotten into Mosiah!!! We had an appointment this week and during it we talked about how we had planned her baptism date for the 2nd of April, but we forgot it was conference weekend(don't ask me how we forgot that) and so we were going to move it to the 9th. She was pretty sad we were going to have to move it back, and she asked us if there was anything we can do to move it a week early to the 26th of March instead. We weren't sure, but we called President to find out. We told him about how well she is doing, how she has told us repeatedly that she knows the church is true, and he said that she can do it!!!! So, this Saturday she is going to get baptized!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

It is a huge testimony of how the gospel blesses peoples lives and how there are people prepared for us. 

 

Also, we have another investigator that we contacted knocking on doors. Her name is Carol Ensisa, and she is really good too. She grew up learning a ton of the Bible from her father, and has been enjoying the lessons of the gospel we have taught. She told us she wanted to go to church and she if she liked it, because she was searching for a church to go to. She told us that if she liked what she saw at church and felt something, she was willing to be baptized. So this Sunday we went to go get her to bring her to church. We got into the chapel and she sat down near the front. Then our Ward mission leader took her and sat her down in between two ladies in the chapel, and we were sitting in the bench next to hers. I've never been so nervous during a sacrament meeting in my life!!!! The whole time I was praying so hard that she would feel the spirit and like church. The talks were good, and we were feeling good, but not sure how she was feeling. Then in the Gospel Principles class, we were divided into groups to learn about the life of Christ. Then all the groups shared what they learned, and Carol got up and shared a part about what they talked about in her group!! Her first time in church and she was already sharing stuff!! 

 

After it all, we talked to her and asked her she felt at church....... and she said she loved it!!!!!!!!!!!!!
She felt really good and liked it a lot, she has a baptism date for the 16th of April, and I really think she will be ready before then for baptism.

 

So yeah, those are my both big experiences this week, both on Sunday. Other than that we are working a whole lot on finding, and getting new investigators.

 

THE GOSPEL IS TRUE!!!!! I love this work!!!! If we do all we can to work hard, we can recieve blessings. 

 

Love, 

Elder Kendall

HELLO MOM!!! AND FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey hey hey! This exchange is going fast, like all the time here in Colombia. 

(I think all the rice has something to do with it.)

 

We`re still looking for new people to teach, a lot of the investigators or less active families that we had when Elder Justiniano was here have stopped wanting to meet with us, because I guess they were used to my old companion and have lost interest. So, we are trying really hard to find some other people. But, we are doing it and working hard to get people to church.

 

Zulma is doing good, she has been struggling her sister is in the hospital and is not doing very well, so she is very worried. She wasn't going to go to church Sunday to visit her sister but her aunt (who is a member) helped her know that if she made the sacrifice to go to church she would be blessed. and she came!!!! 

 

The rule to speak English is there so that our Latino companions can learn English, because it's a big focus for them here in the mission. 

 

Easter here is for a whole week and its called "Semana Santa," and it is going to be a party. People take the whole week off and do stuff with their families, so it should be a good time. But I don't think it'll be like it is at home. I'm pretty sure we will have a conference with another zone in Ibague, but I'm not sure when it'll be. It should be pretty cool.

 

I LOVE that the reception is going to be in Cubbys backyard, I miss that place, and those people!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

This morning in my personal study I read Alma chapter 5, and it is OUTSTANDING!!!! It really puts down sin and give testimony of how we can know if these things are true. It is powerful for real.

 

So things are going here, nothing crazy for food this week, I found some Trix cereal which is magical.

 

LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elder Kendall

Find some new's, and Cow Feet

SALUTATIONS FOLKS!!! (hope I spelt salutations right, looks a little weird to me)

6 Months in the mission!!! Why is time going so fast???.........

The dentist office gave me 4 new tooth brushes to use for each six months of mission, so now I'm opening a brand new one!!!!!

This week was pretty aight, the first few days were kinda hard, but it got better by the end of the week. We have been struggling to have a lot of lessons, for some reason a lot of our appointments fell. I don't like it when that happens!!!!!

Tuesday we got to meet with a reference of a member, her name is Zulma Sanchez and she is awesome!!! We first met her in the chapel, she has been investigating the church for about 4 years but hasn't been baptized, she had a date to be baptized with the other missionaries but she couldn't complete her goal for work and other things. But she is super righteous!!! She reads the Book of Mormon every day and loves to pray, the only thing she faults now is to go to church darny darn it!!!! She was going to be baptized the 26th of March. She lives in Flandes, which is part of our area that we can't enter because it's a little bit more dangerous, but she has a hair-cut place in Girardot. We passed by the Saturday before to remind here to attend, and she said that she would be there. But, Sunday came and.... No Zulma! We are trying to find out why she didn't come but we haven't been able to talk to her.

The rest of the day, our appointments fell, same with all of Wednesday, and also Thursday. Which was rough. Sometimes we confirm twice the appointments and still nothin, but we were able to find some new people.

Friday we had a zone conference, and there's a new rule!! When we are in our house, we can only speak English!!!! Which is really hard XD My companion doesn't know any, so I've been teaching him a lot of words and such and it has made me realize that English is really weird!!! haha XD But things were better this day, we were able to have our appointments and find some new people that are pretty sweet. 

Saturday I got some pretty interesting lunch....... It was cow feet, but the fat/jelly part that comes from the foot of the cow. It was pretty much pure fat, and it still had all the little hairs of the cow on the outside skin part....... I couldn't make myself do it. My companion helped me out, he is a good companion like that.

It's been hot as usual, really hot XD But my companion and I are good and we are having a good time out here.

Some things are hard, but we are doing some good things out here and I'm lovin it!

LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elder Kendall

P.S. I told you homework is stupid!!!!!! XD 

 

A little P-day selfie for ya, we went on a hike today!!

Pretty sweet mountains out here

Sweet view!!