It going to be 100 degrees in Foley today!!!!

Mi mami

que tal?

Para contestar estas preguntas... mas bien, commentarios.

1. I am glad you enjoyed the tape and i hope it was of good use to you.
2. SUpplies are doing fine... i will have to take my suit (the pants) in to a seamstress, a little rip in the pocket has been slowly opening up, and since theyre my good suit pants, i dont dare try and fix them myself. Besides that all is well.
3. Thanks for attaching it. Very sweet.
4. Work is doing a lot better than last week, and hopefully ill be able to say that next week too.
5. I am in contact with the Rodriguz family, and Javier (a member) from Ft. Walton beach. Simplicio and Silvia have officially disappeared off the face of the planet, their phone stopped working months ago and when i call other members in P-goula they say they must have gone back to mexico. I am going to call president and ask permission to try and call the number i have for them in mexico. If i can ill get to buy one of the cool phone cards... lol
6. thats cool you got that video... we call that trailer park "yellowteeth" because we met a lady there with yellow teeth....
7. Nothing really.
8. The hayes family is cool. Sister Hayes is very nice and helpful for us as well. Michael (her son) has spent lots of time with the missionaries here, because he has a tough time finding kids with standards here. He is going to BYUI and i am excited to actually be able to hang out with him. They are a cool family.


Ok i have my own questions... in order to not confuse you... and me, ill letter them...

A. Are the elders in the ward spanish or english elders?
B. are you planning on doing anything big for my birthday? PLease, dont feel extreme pressure of sending me a big box with lots of stuff and spending a lot of money. I know you well enough to know you will want to do something, but please dont feel the need to spend tons of money... i will need to buy LOTS of things when i get home, remember, i have no clothes... lol
C. Is there anything i can do to help you all out, like any ideas on how to save money while preparing to come home?

So this week was good. A lot of really good things happened. First off, we had a district meeting with President on friday. He basically was following-up on what we had been doing differently since our conference with Elder Bednar. President taught us more about how to properly ask questions and the importance of it, and it is something that really has helped me and elder frodsham out this past week. On friday night, we went on tradeoffs with Brother Villa (the group leader) and Antonio. Brother Villa and i went to teach Samuel and Marta, and it was a wonderful lesson. They really have begun to progress, and a lot of the success that happened in the lesson is due to what president taught earlier in the day at the district meeting. But antonio is the coolest member ever, seriously he is the most dedicated member i have met on my mission, and we are trying to get him teh Mel. Priesthood, and if anything ever happened that would cause Bro. Villa to move away, (which is kind of possible in the near future) hopefully Antonio will be the one to replace him. But, we kind of have to baptize antonio's wife first.

Finally, on sunday, we saw a miracle. IN all the time i have been here, we have not been able to get a new investigator to church. Finally, Samuel and Marta came with their 4 kids. It was great! Unfortunately we met with the english group, i think they did enjoy church. It was interesting to me how Lucifer immediately attack after something good happened, in order to ruin my sunday again... but i have decided to stop being frustrated, at least on sunday, and allow it to still be a sacred day.

This week we have quite a few lessons planned, and we will be doing a lot of knocking. I expect a better week than last week, and i will do my best to allow that to happen.

I hope you have a wonderful week. Is there anything i can do to help you all out?

thanks for everything

love you

Elder Kenck

Hey I did it fast (no- school that is why)

Hey dad

Sounds like you should have an interesting year coming up in school. Too bad you wont be doing computers, but i guess you wont be a slave to all the other teachers who cant figure out that their printer has to be plugged in to work. lol

WEll this week was definately an interesting one. I LOVED the mission conference and the "revelatory session" we all had with Elder Bednar. He was amazing. His remarks and his attitude were real, better than anything i could have imagined. I am learning the importance of "real" life expereinces. I have spent the majority of my life in my own created daydream land. I am now realizing the importance of living life to its fullest, which means having real conversations with real people, and expereincing the realities of the world that surrounds us.

Elder Bednar focused a majority of his remarks on going after the one soul that is lost. He stated that Apostles are not sent to minister unto the whole, but instead are sent to minister to the needs of one. he shared an experience of how recently after he had been called he was sent to a stake and had a specific impression on how he was sent to help one man who had a drinking problem. I am learning the importance of helping the one lost sheep, of seeking, and doing everything i can to bring it back. I hope you can and are learning the same lessons with your new calling. search out that one lost sheep. That is what it is all about in the end. I know i am quoting someone when i say this, im just not sure who, but in the day of judgement, we wont be asked what callings we had, but instead we will be asked if we lifted the weary, strengthened the weak, fed the hungry and helped the needy.

I too look forward to coming home. It scares me to death, but i am confident the lessons i have learned here will positively impact me forever.

love you and thanks for all you do

ELder Kenck

PS, was it the Lake family that we saw when i was going through the temple for the first time? Arent they the ones that introduced us to the gospel? I cant remember.


Hi Mommy,
Para contestarte esas preguntas que me hiciste...
(funnny subject line... to bad i am in Alabama.. but only like .5 hour outside the Florida border... )
1. It was a hibachi experience... and they gave us sushi... it was a hibachi resturaunt owned by Mexicans, and they were impressed by our spanish and gave us some sushi... which was deep-fried and therefore the only reason why i liked it... lol
2. This week was a little tougher. We didnt have any investigators in church, although a few told us they would be there. And we didnt find too many new investigators.
3. Dont worry about it, i really liked the letter and the picture from liv, it broke a super long (well for me) mail drought.
4. WE have a sonic down the street, we dont eat out too much, but i would go there in a heart beat with a gift certificate... there are sonics everywhere in the south... EVERYWHERE.
5. I am ready, i have permission, i believe it is next monday, and i am pretty confident i know what classes i will be taking, and when i will be taking them.
6. Good.

Yeah it is a super small world sometimes.. and even more so in the church. And you'll be having a MM conference? Crazy. That should be fun, and i think the rest of us will have a blast!

Well this week was amazing! I probably will only talk about the Bednar expereince...

So we as a mission prepared for the conference by studying "seek learning by faith" (which has always been one of my favorite talks) and "ask in faith". We also had a mission wide fast. So we showed up to the conferencein pensacola (which started at 9) at 8, and on the way we thought we would be the first ones there... NOT we were basically the last ones there... WE go in, the whole mission was there, and the spanish zone stayed completely segregated because we dont know any of the other missionaries... lol, but when he showed up it was amazing. He made a point of explaining to us that he was human, and we were there to listen and learn from the spirit, NOT him. It was a real experience, something much better than anything that i had imagined. Basically the whole thing wasw focused on how us as missionaries have to help others take steps of faith and do faithful actions, because that is how they will progress. He was so fun, and so awesome, yet at the time he had a countenance that showed he really is an apostle. I really cant put into words how it was, but i think i will share one thing that impressed me greatly.

Elder R is a missionary that came out on the plane with me, and to describe him, well he is from the-middle-of-nowhere Idaho, and he is a little weird. But when he came out he had a very bright and cheery countenance. This last transfer i saw him and was shocked, because that cheery and bright countenance has been replaced by a sad countenance. I guess he has had a tough mission filled with tough companions, and that bothers me, because even though he isa little weird, he doesnt deserve to be treated badly. Well at the conference, i saw him again, with the same countenance, and during the "revelatory session" (coined such by Bednar) he commented on something he learned from the talk "Seek learning by faith". Elder Bednar spent the next 30-40 seconds of his time praising Elder R for his comment and telling him how wise that was for a 20 year old and such. To be perfectly honest, the comment was good, but not good enough to merit the praise it was given. I am confident that in the moment, Elder Bednar was impressed to compliment him, to make him feel worth something. That was so iimpressive to me. THat is the role of an apostle, to do what Jesus would, and Jesus would seek those who were burdened, just like this wonderful elder.

By the end of the conference i was so impressed. I know he is an apostle, and i know that these apostles have an angelic assignment here on earth. I know we too must search out the lost, and burdened, and we must help them on their way home.

I love you mommy, thanks for all you do for me

have a wonderful week

ELder Kenck

just 2 month left!!!!!

Hey Dad

it sounds like you have been fairly busy! I cannot wait until sundays are a day of rest once again for me, but i am glad you get a chance to serve others. YOu will have wonderful opportunities to be part of receiving revelation, so pay close attention! But really, on my mission i have learned so much from the few leadership callings i have had. For example, when i was a brand new district leader, i was so worried and nervous and was therefore forced to rely on Revelation. Every time i asked what needed to be said in district training, the answer always came very clearly... even though it didnt always come exactly when i wanted it too.

So this week was our hispanic week. It went well, i have never spoken as much spanish! I was so tired though, by the time we finished. I imagine that we will do it again soon.

This week was very successful. We found lots of new people to teach. We taught a ton of 1st lessons, and we taught many people the importance of the Book of Mormon. I hope to help a lot of people recieve answers to their prayers this week, so lets see how that all goes.

The spanish group is struggling. Everyone seems to be facing lots of trials right now, and i know it will be a fight to get everyone back on track.

OH YEAH! On June 12th our branch is having a Luau activity. Perkin, a member (From Samoa) is in charge, and he has all of us missionaries doing a few dances, and sharing a spiritual message afterwards. It should be a pretty big deal. Im excited.

WEll i gotta go answer other emails. But i hope all is well. Keep on going, and please remember to read the BoM and remind everyone i love them lots.

love yo

Elder Kenck

Hey mommy,

Other questions/Comments... yeah Clements and Frodsham went to the same High School.

This week was great. We found a ton of new investigators, and lots seems to have a great deal of potential. Right now we are teaching Samuel, who is a guy from Honduras. He seems to have a great deal of potential. I believe he will come to church this week, which would be a miracle. WE havent had a new investigator at church here since i arrived, and so i think the members deserve to see that we are doing something. Also we are teaching Javier, who is a 20 year old from Vera Cruz mexico. HE has a ton of potential... he promised us he would read the BoM, and he had a ton of good questions about Joseph Smith.

Also, i found out that maybe Leticia problem with the husband will be getting fixed, which would mean she would be able to get baptized. Nothing is for sure yet, so PLEASE keep praying.

This week is the week! Friday we have a conference call that will start our fast, preparing us for the training with David A. Bednar on Saturday. I am so excited. I know things will be taught that will change my life.

Over my mission, day by day i have realized, more and more that there is no such thing as coincidence. I am not coincidently in Foley for no reason, i am not with my companions just because. It isnt coincidence that Elder Bednar's teaching have been a big part of my life and mission. Obviously someone is in control, and i think i might know who it is. lol.

Good things are happening in Foley. Lots more things still have to happen, but i am confident we are in the right direction. We have established a wonderful pattern here in Foley, and therefore i am convinced that miracles are around the corner.

thanks for all you do. I hope you have a wonderful week

love you

Elder KEnck

mommy's birthday

Happy birthday and hapy day!

Well life in Foley is good. It was a tough week, but still good. Everything here in Foley is just up in the air. THe group is really at a crucial point of its existance, and we have to make it stronger now so it can last. WE found a lot of new investigators this week. And i think we should find just as many this week. We have A LOT of doors to knock.

The apartment is clean! I cant tell you how good that feels. Really and truly beign organized makes a huge difference in the spirit of the room. I am going to try and be a little better organized, I have a lot of stuff right now, but i think i can get organized well. i would like to develop a few more talents like that before i finish.

We have been focusing a lot of effort on Dulce, the wife of member Antonio Tomas. She is amazing! They are literally a perfect couple. I am convinced that she knows the church is true, but i think she is just scared to make the changes shell have to make (in beliefs).

Suprisingly, we have met a lot of hondurans here in Foley. Foley is famous for being all mexicans, but i love meeting all the variety i can, and i get along well with hondurans... they always seem to be impressed on my knowledge of their country.. (9 months in FWB surrounded by them seems to be paying off!).

Just keep forrest going. Please do what you have to do. And i am excited to meet this trigger and be able to see the tiger and trigger battles.

one funny story. For companionship study one day, we accidently had a nerf gun battle. It was very epic, considering we only have one nerf gun. Frodsham just couldnt hit me, so yeah. Dont worry, we repented afterwards.

WEll everything is good here. Wee have a lot of work to do, but i am confident it will get done.

Have a wonderful birthday and a wonderful week. Thanks for all you have done for me.

love

Elder Kenck

May 18, 2009-Ha ha all caught up Tyson!!-79 days to go!

i guess maybe i could teach you a little spanish when i get home... yeah. Good job with Buenos Dias

1. Great week, defiantely with some trials, but good.
2. Yes
3. Supplies are good. I should be fine...
4. The balloon made it, thanks so much! I thought it was the funniest thing ever. The other missionaries here dont quite get it.
5. No needs at the moment.
6. No i havent gotten it yet, but i will send it in.

I am very proud of dad. It will be a great experience for him, but i am confident it will be full of trials... but very much worth it. President Monson right now is focusing all of his leadership training moments on helping members who have fallen away. Of rescuing the 1 and leaving the 99. It seems like that is Dennis' focus as well, and i am confident dad will have many great experiences working with less active members. God's work and Glory is our immortality and eternal life (Moses 1:39) and as we become more like Him, that will become more and more of our work, and our glory, and this will provide dad with an opportunity of developing that.

So this week was good. Up until wednesday it was pretty frustrating... Elder Frodsham is great. I think he was a little suprised by the situation in Foley, but he has already had a big impact on it. He is very shy, so i have found myself teaching a lot more than i would like to teach, but i will do my best to put him in situations that force him to speak. We started knocking all the trailer parks, and we found some investigators with potential, we didnt quite reach as much as we would have liked; not a lot of people were home when we were knocking, but i am confident that was just part of the trials.

I am super worried about the spanish group. It really would just take one decent blow from the advesary right now to cause it to dissolve. THe members are strong, but many of them barely have work or have different struggles facing them. We have some miracles to get though. We will be the most obedient missionaries we can and we'll work our hardest, so i am confident God will bless us and the members here.

All of the missionaries are in very intesresting spots this transfer (well the spanish ones). I too was VERY shcked by the move to put Jambon with Rigby. Ribgy will learn a lot if he survives... lol. Jambon positivley has changed a lot of missionaries, so it should be good. Elder Aldous is now in Tallahassee with Elders Clements, Allison and Flores (who just got switched to the spanish zone).

I am super excited to be here. WE have some make habits to destroy and some excellent habits to form, so it should be good.

Love you, and i hope you have a wonderful week. PLease read the BoM... :)

love you

Elder KEnck

May 11, 2009-Day after Mothers day phone call

Hey mom

Before i forget...

The mission office sent me a bike this last week. It is one of the spares they have, and obviously it isnt the best quality ever, but its better than nothing and it will work out fine.

I really enjoyed our talks yesterday. I was very very impressed and thankful for the growth that is evident in all of you. Dont tell anyone, but i guess i am kind of excted to go home... because to be honest before talking to you all i wasnt excited at all, in fact i dreaded the idea. But it sounds like i will still be doing lots of missionary work outside of the mission, so that should be good. Until then, i still have 3 months to tear things up out here.

So Elder Frodshom is my new comp officially. I am way excited. WE have a couple of hard working weeks ahead of us, but it will be so good. I think this week we will spend cleaning up the apartment, and then visiting members and establishing a pattern for the missionary work here.

This week we found 4 new investigators. It isnt the biggest amount, but the thing is that i feel they are a better quality than normal. I think that they really do have potential to progress. I think that Frodshom and i will probably drop a majority of our current investigators, only because i dont think they have potential at this point in their lives. But we will do it prayerfully.

I am way excited though.

WEll, kind of a short email, but i did talk to you all less than 24 hours ago. I hope you all have a wonderful week. DOnt forget to read the BoM. And love everyone a little extra for me please.

Love you and thanks for all you do.

Elder Kenck

May 4, 2009-bikes are stolen

Hey mom


Well my week, was super hard. Nothing happened. The work didnt progress at all, in fact it might have regressed a little. We still have 0 progressing investigators, and we are teaching pretty much nobody. But, i am very hopeful for the future here in Foley. I have faith that things will happen next transfer.


So on tuesday we went to Mobile. It was GREAT to be with Elders Smith and especially Clements. Elder Clements is an incredible missionary, probably the best in the spanish zone, and it was a blast to teach with him and be with him. I really enjoyed my visit with the Rodriguez family. They are struggling, but i think they will be ok. Leticia has seen many trials as of late, but i think she recognizes that the gospel has helped her in those trials. Ivonne and Georgia are doing ok. I was very very upset with how the missionaries up there have been obviously abusing them. THankfully, the problem should be getting transferred next week, but damage has definately been done. Missionaries cannot go by members homes without leaving a commitment. ESPECIALLY new converts. It doesnt make sense. If a new convert isnt given commitments, chances are, he or she is not continuing to progress. I was very upset, but i am confident things will get better soon... if not i might explode. SEriOUSly.

Probably the hardest part of the week was friday. Nothing happened. We didnt do anything during the day, and as we got home we realized that our bikes had been stolen. That really upset me, simply because i have been very very careful with my bike my whole mission, and it was even locked up and someone still managed to break the lock and run off with my bike. Dont worry about sending me another one, ill find something here. But i was furious at this point, and so we went to the gym here where Mike Hayes goes to workout and i beat the crud out of a punching bag (and split open a number of fingers and knuckles). Sure that in itself wasnt the most effective thing to do on a friday night, but it i hadnt have done it, i might have done it to someones face. lol. Oh and i told an investigator he had no faith! lol That was a great day. lol... i dont suggest doing it. Basically the investigator has been taught on and off for about two years. And to be perfectly honest, he doesnt get it. He wants to be a preacher some day, and he was telling us this and that about the bible and blah blah blah wasting our time. I tried very nicely and powerfully to commit him to read the BoM... and honestly i felt the spirit very strongly. Afterwards he said (basically) that he didnt believe in the BoM or parts of the bible. Basically i told him that if he had faith, he would read and pray to know. It was hilarious what happened next... he was like "Are you saying i dont have faith?" And i was like, you tell me. PLease DONT think i am a overbold missionary, because the truth is i am not bold enough. This specific investigator hasnt been progressing, and i realized he wont progress until he realizes how ridiculous his opinion on religion/life is. I think he will probably be a member someday... but i dont think it is today.

BUt. Although this was a tough week, please do not think i am very discouraged and ready to quit. I am hopeful for the future. And this week did have it's good moments. We taught a great lesson with Antonio and Dulce (Part member family) and we contacted a referal that Antonio gave us, who seems to have lots of potential. Also, last night president asked us to watch a CES broadcast by David A. Bednar. IT WAS AMAZING. He taught the doctrine of truth, and reality against satan's counterfeits. I loved it and was truly touched.

Mom, please dont worry about me. I am doing ok. In fact personally, i am doing great. I am confident that this week will be as hard is not harder, but i also expect many new and exciting changes to come with transfers. I am confident that satan is trying me, and that always means that good things are coming.

I love you, i will talk to you all on sunday and i am really excited!

ELder Kenck