Transfers in 3 weeks- He should go soon....

Buenos dias!

What an exciting week i have had! I dont even know where to begin, and i am sure i will miss something important that i wanted to tell you all!

So i want to share a very strange experience i had this morning. After my personal study, i was praying and not really thinking about anything and this man we met the week before popped into my head. We ran into this guy while riding bikes. He is retired from the Air Force and now owns his own repair company. When chatted with him for a little and in our conversation he mentioned that his wife had passed away the year before. IN about a split second in my prayer, this conversation replayed in my mind, especially the part about his wife dying. I had the strong impression that we needed to visit him today. A few minutes later, during our opening prayer for comp study, the status changed from "we need to see him today" to " go see him now". And so very confused we both went to his house this morning. I have no idea why, when we knocked on his door no one answered. But we left a note, and hopefully something comes from it. All i know is the experience i had was incredible, for just a second, maybe a millisecond, i felt something, i cant explain it, but its like i felt his pain, from losing his wife, i dont know, it was strange and altogther amazing.

This week we worked hard, and we truly accessed the grace of the savior, because the results we had we could not have reached on our own. We found 7 new investigators this week (which was our goal) and we taught a number of lessons. We still have a baptismal date set with Maria and Mauricio, for the 7th of june, but yesterday while visiting them, both Elder Clements and I felt that something is wrong. The atmosphere in that home wasnt the same. We have a lesson with them tonight, so hopefully we can discover the problem and try to resolve it. Also, we are planning on commiting two others for baptism tonight.

Just so you know, i will be sending a package home today, so be looking for it ok?

The little branch here is doing well. It is growing like a weed! We are working hard with the members, there are quite a few inactives. I have learned a lot about less active members on my mission. Most have incredibly strong testimonies, but for some reason or another, something someone said offended them and they dont want to come back. Others really dont have strong testimonies and when trials come they are uprooted from the gospel. And others leave because of their own faults, sins etc. I have learned a lot about how most people truly understand when they are sinning, it doesnt matter if they are members or not, and they all feel horrible about it.

I am doing great! I really do love it here. I am learning so much and the things i am learning really have and will change my life forever. Last week i spent all week studying knowledge from a scripture in 2 nephi 28:30 (the line upon line scripture) and it was incredible! This week i am studying revelation and trying to apply it into my own life. I have already seen an improvement in my ability to understand the spirit. It is a beautiful thing. I hope i dont sound too dorky but i really do love this whole studying thing.

Thanks for all you do! Thanks for the sacrafices you are making for me! We as a family will be blessed eternally.

Have a wonderful week mom, and please know that i love you!

Love

Elder Kenck

Letters to Mom and Dad-- 6:50 mile --wow

HOla papi cholo

its sounds like you are doing well! Glad you are liking your classes, as challenging as they may be. Learn a lot so you can teach me some stuff.

I bet you are excited for summer. Im not! Ha! Thanks ok though, we had some huge storms here last week, two days straight of lighting and pouring rain. We also had a dove build a nest on the light outside our door, her name is claudia! And i planted a clementine tree that is starting to grow (i ate the clementine myself!). I actually germinated the thing in a little plastic bag like my crazy 3rd grade teacher taught me... lol. . Oh yeah last week i ran like a 6:50 mile, (not bad for a fat guy?) and i am benching 195 as a heavy set of ten. So thats all the random stuff i could throw at you.

The work is going well. We are working REALLY HARD, i have never been this tired in my life! I love it though, we have high goals set and we are both changing the way we do missionary work, for the better. One of the APs chose to get transfered to ft walton beach to end his mission. He is cool, his name is elder harris, and i have already in one week learned a lot from him.

i love it here! thanks for all you do and for allowing me to be here! Have a wonderful week!

Love you dad

Hi mommy

HOw are you?

I am doing very well right now and i am enjoying life! I am glad you enjoyed stake conference. I have learned a lot about church meetings out here, and the truth is that we can learn so many things if we just pay attention to the spirit. It is HARD to pay attention in spanish. 3 Hours of straight spanish... by 3rd hour i am mentally exhausted! I am glad you got to sing in the choir, hopefully i will get the chance to sing in a choir again!

Wow Jared is going to Guatamala... crazy... i have had a lot of interesting experiences with guatamalans. He will learn A LOT! I am so glad that Trevor is on a mission. He will come back a completely different person, and i am excited to see him afterwards. Yeah i never got a letter from nicole, i would have replied!

Well this week was a great week. A lot of good things happened. My companion and I are beginning to really improve, and i am excited to see the growth we will make by the end of the transfer. I get along with him great, and i am learning a ton from his example. This last week we set the goal of speaking spanish all day until 6 o'clock at night. And we did ok at it! WE have the same goal for this week, and so i am excited. My spanish really has improved here, but it is nowhere near where i want it to be!

We saw a couple of miralces this last week! We taught some great lessons, i got to interview someone for a baptism... and the baptism took place saturday on the BEACH! Crazy. Also, this last week we set a goal for 5 new investigators. We worked hard, but by sunday night we only had two. 3 wonderful miracles happend and we reached our goal yesterday. I am really trying to learn the principle of goal setting... it is something that could bless my life forever if i apply it. I really dont care to be rich or anything like that, but i want to be the best at whatever i do, and goal setting will help me reach that!

Right now we have 6 progressing investigators. 2 (maria and luis) have recieved answers to their prayers on the BoM, 3 (maria mauricio and karen) are amazing, they just need to take a leap of faith now, and the last 1 is a very simple guy from guatamala (Jose) that needs to pray now. I want to see some success with these people. They need the gospel and this little branch here needs them!

I am working my hardest though. I love it here, thanks for your love and support. My testimony is growing liek crazy, and i know this is true. Thanks for letting me be here. Have a wonderful week mom!

Love you

Elder Taylor Kenck

PS since next week is memorial day, i probably will email on tuesday. Happy b-day none the less

Mothers Day-- Phone call

Taylor is doing great!! Guess what he wants to be-- a teacher-- and he said he would never do it...

Elder Jones gone

Hey mommie

Apple blossom... weird. First one in 19 years that i have missed? Well i still have one more that i plan on missing, so i guess it isnt that big of a deal!

THis week was pretty crazy. Basically tuesday morning, everything changed. TO explain it shortly... President decided to open up MObile(theodore) once again to try and start a branch there. There are a lot of members there, so it has some potential. He switched one elder Martins, from brasil, who speaks spanish, into a spanish elder and he transfered him to theodore (mobile) with an english elder to start the spanish work there. Or that was the plan. On tuesday he called the ZLs, who happend to be at our apartment waiting to go to District meeting, and basically he didnt feel right about the idea, and so everything was switched around. SO elder greenberg, who is a zl in his last transfer of the mission, was transfered to Mobile with elder martins, and one of my comps, Elder jones, went to destin to fill his spot. So now It is just Elder Clements and me in our huge apartment. The whole spanish zone is super excited, because we have two new branches (in foley and theodore) about to start.

Elder Clements and i get along great. WE are unified and both learning a ton. WE are ready to work and see miracles here! Heck we have already seen a few!

I have to log off, but i will finish the email in a sec!

Love you

Elder Kenck