Find Him

I've watched the new Mormon message for Easter about 10 times now, and what sticks out most to me are the last 3 sentences.

I realize that we often discuss the Atonement and focus on the fact that Christ died for us, but how often do we ponder the fact that He LIVES for us. 

"He rose from the dead on the third day. 

He lives today. 

Find Him". 

Did you get goosebumps? :)

BECAUSE Jesus Christ lives we, too can be resurrected. [ Helaman 14:15,17 ] We can cry out during the high and low points in our lives and He is always there. Above my bed I have a ton of quotes that I read often, and one of them is found in the scriptures (D&C 38:7). It says, 

"I am in your midst. 

Mine eyes are upon you". 

Whether we feel Him or not, He's always there. I find great comfort in this knowledge! 

A while ago I did a post on Facebook about my best friend, Katy. I can tell you everything she likes, dislikes, enjoys doing in her spare time, what she's good at, what she isn't good at, etc. I know Katy because I've spent enough time with her, even if that meant going to her house just to sit on the floor and talk about nothing :) 

So what can we do to find our Savior? 

Why do we need to find our Savior? 

How even is a relationship like that with the Savior going to benefit our lives? 

I have some answers, but I'll let you ponder the thought and see what you can do this week to truly find your Savior. He's there, we just have to DO what we can to come unto Him. 

A member of the bishopric yesterday shared a thought provoking statement, "it's better to have someone tell you 'well done' than 'well said'". I hope I get a "well done" after this life :) 

I'm so thankful for a Savior who LIVES for ME. And you too :) 

Week 25: Another Week in Alexandria

Friends and family,

Sharing the gospel without saying a thing to anyone by putting a Book of Mormon (or 5) in our apartment complex library :) 

P-Day was busy! 

We went grocery shopping with the sisters we live with because we were still without a car, and then after emailing we went bowling with our zone. Let's just say I'm basically a pro at holding a consistent score ;) 

Right after we got home, sister Morris and I grabbed our jackets and walked to dinner with a member! Then we walked to another member lesson. By the time that was over we needed to head home so we street contacted on the way.

Tuesday morning after studies I wasn't feeling good at all, so I slept for an hour and a half before we went to pick up our car! It looks so good! :) 

Then we made brownies to take to our members because the sisters in our apartment helped eat the cookies... haha :) Thank-you-goodies are a hit! Who doesn't love brownies?! Crazy people. That's who. And even though we had our car back, we walked because we like it that much :) 

After dinner we had a lesson with a recent convert, and then checked on potentials! 'Twas a decent day :) 

On Wednesday we had a lesson on prayer during district meeting. It was cool to see how prayer works with every aspect of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For example, we discussed how prayer works with faith, how prayer and repentance work together, prayer and baptism, prayer and the Holy Ghost, as well as prayer and enduring to the end. We also got the new Easter video, "Because He Lives" so we were showing people during lessons before it officially came out on Saturday :) 

We did a lot of phone calls to formers and potentials and even set up a couple lessons! Our evening was busy. 

We had dinner with a member, then taught 8-11 yr. old girls all about missionary life :) it was fun. They wrote us letters at the end, and during the lesson we asked why they thought we taught about temples. One girl said, "Because missionaries get married sometimes!" :) haha 

Afterward we got a text from a member saying she was free to come out with us if we needed her, and we did! So we picked her up and went to a lesson with K from Ghana :) he is a former, and was really glad we came, so that lesson went swell :) 

Thursday morning I ran 3 miles and it felt sooo good! I'm determined to be skinny again by Mother's Day ;) For lunch we went to Chipotle with a member and shared the new video, then went to a lesson with a recent convert. We talked about temples because he hasn't been to do baptisms for the dead yet! 

**For those of you who don't know what, "Baptisms for the dead" are, I'm happy to explain :) 

Some people think we baptize dead human beings. This is false. And disgusting. We believe that baptism by immersion, by someone holding the proper authority from God, is an essential act in returning to live with our Father in Heaven again. Some people, however, have passed on without being baptized by this authority (the priesthood) so we perform the baptism in proxy for that person. We believe they have the agency (choice) to accept or decline the ordinance in their behalf. But this way they at least have the opportunity.** 

 So K wants to go! :) 

After dinner we decided to go street contacting because it was in the 70's, and people were everywhere outside! It was fun :) and humid. But it's supposed to be cold and rainy for the rest of the month :/ where is spring?!? 

On Friday after studies we began planning for the week! We had such a good weekly planning session! It was super productive, and we are so sad the transfer is coming to an end :( we have a week and a half left together, and are going to work extra hard to top off the successes we've had all transfer :) Sister Morris is my tender mercy transfer. It has been so easy, and so fun working with her. She has taught me so many things! Our companionship inventory was loaded with compliments and goals :) 

Our evening was so much fun! We had an appointment with an investigator and even brought a member, but when we got there we found an alcohol party instead... So we decided not to attend ;) we street contacted and checked on potentials the rest of the night with that member we brought. It was a blast :) 

On Saturday sister Morris and I helped our new neighbors across the hall move in!! That was unplanned but super fun :) then we did a survey that takes forever but is required. And spiritually uplifting :) In the afternoon we had a lesson with a recent convert, and this coming conference will be his first!!! We are so excited :) 

In the evening we went to the stake center for a light dinner and such a wonderful broadcast of the General Woman's Conference! I received so much revelation I don't even know what to do with myself! God is so good :) 

Church on Sunday was super great! We had a combined third hour and we talked about some of our favorite conference talks and why. It was really good! I love the ward I'm in :) we finished the night with member lessons. 

I know that this work is hastening, and I'm honored to be apart of it. 

I know I have a loving Father in Heaven who wants the best for me, so He sent His son. 

I know that families can be sealed together forever!! I love my family! 

Gods plan truly IS happiness :) I know that we have the gift of agency and repentance is real! We bring condemnation upon ourselves; we are given the opportunity to repent an endless amount of times because of Jesus Christ, and as we read the scriptures we can see how often we truly are warned. 

The church is true folks! I will stand as a witness of that forever. 

Have a fantastically stupendous week! Enjoy the weather over there; its crummy where I am :( 

Love,
Sister Kailey :)

Week 24: And She Walked!

Hello, Hello :)

What a fantastically wonderful week this was! :) I LOVE this gospel!! :)

Sister Morris and I have been beyond blessed this week.

Monday was great! We emailed, filled our fridge, wrote letters, and got out the door right on time to check on more formers and investigators :) A former who actually dropped the sisters a while ago called us and asked us to come back! He said he is ready to change his life for good and he wants to come to church, too :) Heavenly Father is dumping blessings on us like no other! We are so grateful!! We finished the day with a member lesson :)

Tuesday was so great because we spent seven hours with president Riggs learning how to be better missionaries, and learning about WHY we have iPads. I learned so much! I'll share some of my favorite points :)

    . We are dealing with problems in this world that will not go away until the Lord comes again.

    . If it is reasonable, it wouldn't be revelation.

    . They lowered the age for missionaries to save this generation.

    . It is in choosing good that strength will come.

The iPads are wonderful! But it goes far beyond more effective communication, digital area books, and keeping in touch with investigators. The brethren are stressing the importance of this technology use because for many this is the best chance, and for some this is the last chance, to develop righteous technology habits. We have the iPads so we can learn to build a resistance against temptation. It will help us as missionaries to be able to avoid Satan's snares when we get home. Pretty clever, ay? :)

The rest of the day was B.U.S.Y. We had a lesson with a former who believes in reincarnation, then dinner with a member, and a lesson with a recent convert! We were so blessed to be jam packed with people to see and things to do all day :) we literally ran everywhere we went that day! I love being a missionary :)

One of the sisters we live with came up to us that morning and said, "Oh my gosh sisters, we forgot to tell you. The maintenance guy came and fixed your bathroom light like a week ago!" Hahaha! So we have been using the lamp a week longer than we needed to! So funny :)

Wednesday morning we got a text from a member saying, "Sisters!! When can you come to my house to teach J the restoration??" Apparently she is dating a guy who asked for a Book of Mormon and is interested in taking lessons!! Members are THE best! :)

• In district meeting the topic was on working with members. Sister Morris and I were asked to teach and do a practice teach demo on how we work with our members. (We saw 14 this week) It was really good! We got lots of good feedback so that was nice! :) The rest of the day was crazy. 

• The sister who drove the car before I came to the area got in a couple of accidents, so we had to take the car in to get fixed! Therefore, we were told we would be walking everywhere for 3 days! I am so grateful! My body is in dire need of more than 40 min. of exercise a day. The weather even decided to be decent to us on Wednesday, so that was a blessing!! :)

• After we took the car in, we went to the mission office with the sisters we live with because they were our ride and needed to get a new phone. So we were there for a while while they got that taken care of, and then we went to dinner!! With a member :) We had breakfast for dinner; waffles and bacon and such :) Our night was filled with member lessons after that so it was super fun! :) the work is hastening, folks!!

On Thursday we walked to the church in beautiful weather for an hour to an appointment with V, the man from the elevator. We had a member with us which helped, but He doesn't have real intent. We taught about the Book of Mormon more in depth but he's a hard one to teach. He wants to come to church though!

On the way home we talked to everyone we saw, as we should, and a man in a Hispanic accent yelled from his house, "you look so beautiful! I respect you, but you know, that's all I see".... hahah :)

Anyway, we then went home to make cookies to give to our wonderful members as a thank you for being so great and working with us. We didn't have any plans that night so we decided to walk to all the members' homes to give them the cookies, and street contact while we were at it! Two words. SO. FUN. :) Some people acted as if they didn't hear anything when we said hello, and some people were very kind :) my favorite though was on our way home when a short man from Guatemala practically jumps out at us with a happy, "hello!" :) His English isn't great, and my Spanish is slim, but we communicated and he wants to have us teach him!! He's SO cute!! He is missing his top, front 4 teeth, but he is all smiles and so so so prepared because he is humble :) His name is José :)

Friday morning we got a call saying our car was ready to pick up, so at lunch the sisters we live with gave us a ride to get it. It was a blessing, too because it was snowing!? Virginia is so weird.

So we get there, and our good 'ole mechanic friend José (not the one we street contacted) says,
     "What can I do for you ladies?"
     "Well José, we are here to pick up our car!"
     "Why? It's not ready?"
     "Oh.... When will it be?"
      "Not until Tuesday or Wednesday!"
I guess the elder that called us was confused.

Honestly, I'm pumped. I NEED to walk!! I love having a car. It's a massive blessing. But it makes me fat. So we walked to a member lesson and helped frost cookies for a bridal shower!

Then we walked to the church where a member picked us up for dinner. I'm beginning to have an idea of what the pioneers feet felt like... But I'm NOT complaining!! :) we then had a lesson with a less active! She's so awesome!! We taught the atonement and it was so good :) she took us home and we didn't have any troubles sleeping that night :)

Saturday was so fun!! The weather was gorgeous so we street contacted, and sister Morris realized she lost her name tag after a long while, so we back tracked the entire way back home and found it :) While street contacting, another Hispanic old man was like, "Elders?" So we smiled and asked if he had met with Elders before. He spoke Spanglish so I was able to understand; therefore, by being able to respond, he thought I was fluent! That always happens! So I have to whip out my mad Spanish skills to tell them I only speak a little bit :) I love it :) Anyway, without having to ask, he told us he was available on Saturdays and Tuesdays! So we will meet with our good friend, P, on Saturday next week :) Also, we got about 10 creeper looks and even 2 honks while we walked! ;) haha

We then had a lesson with a recent convert on Patriarchal blessings! That was a fun lesson :) Afterward we went home for dinner and walked back to the church to be picked up by the Potomac sisters because we have to pass K over to them; she is in their ward, so we had a pass off lesson. K is a riot :)

José called us two days in a row asking when we were going to call him so we kept reminding him that we would call him Monday (with a member who speaks Spanish). He goes,
"Okay okay okay okay! Monday okay? Okay Monday at 7? Okay! Monday at 7 okay?!" hahaha
I love José! Okay?! ;)

Sunday was the best day I could have ever asked for. It started out with a lesson with J. He is the guy dating a member in our ward and is SO prepared!! He is sincerely seeking the truth and really wants to read the Book of Mormon. This guy has real intent; I'm pumped :)

After church we went to a members home for lunch, and then drove to Centreville because C GOT BAPTIZED!!!! :))))) Let me just express my happiness that evening..... Nope. Words can't express it. Maybe pictures will? :) please pardon the chipmunk cheeks. It's a work in progress

 Anyway, I got to see my Centreville ward family, my favorite companion EVER, and my most wonderful investigator C :) the spirit was overwhelming. I haven't felt the spirit that strong for a while! There was such a special spirit in that room. She was so happy, and the joy in the room was incredible. 

I love this gospel! I love my savior. He lives! :) He loves us. He is so aware of each one of us, and I am so grateful for all that is possible because of Him. I know by the power of the Holy Ghost that our loving Father in Heaven has restored His church back on the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith, as well as the power to act in Gods name to perform sacred ordinances properly - like baptism.

C will receive the gift of the Holy Ghost on Sunday :) All the missionaries were invited to her house afterward for dinner. This was SO FUN because almost my entire district from my first transfer was there! It's so awesome to see each other progress and become our best selves :)

I have a testimony of hard work and diligence. 

I know that God hears and answers our prayers when we have real intent! :)

Walking is awesome. The church is true. 

And I LOVE being a missionary :)

Have a great week!!! :)

Love,

Sister Kailey :) 

Week 23: Exhausted, Happy Servants of the Lord

Um. Hi :)

I hope everyone had a good week! Mine was exhausting. Sister Morris and I hit a wall of exhaustion this week, but don't you worry, we kept working :)

Monday was a typical Pday. The evening was good though because we set up an appointment with the man in the elevator who wanted us to teach him, and we also set up an appointment with a former investigator. 

District meeting was on Tuesday- it was zone training so the zone leaders taught the whole time. We learned that on March 28th a new Mormon message called, "Because He Lives" will be coming out; it's supposedly really good, so we are excited to see and share it!! We were also informed that we will not meet together as a zone anymore. Sad day :/ I guess we are one of the few missions who still do that, so from now on we will meet with only our district. Which isn't a bad thing! It's just not AS fun :) 

Later in the evening we had dinner with a member, a lesson with a recent convert, and a lesson with an investigator named A! We watched the Joseph smith video and the spirit was really strong! I love that even after we receive one witness that the church is true, we can continue to be reminded by the power of the Holy Ghost :) 

In the middle of the night I woke up to sister Morris praying out loud saying, "dear Heavenly..." And then she looked at me, and continued to pray but in her head. I'm not sure if she was awake or asleep... hahah you know you're a missionary when... ;) 

Wednesday was our last day to Facebook! I didn't post anything though. We went to a place called A.F.A.C (Arlington food assistance center) where we helped organize food on shelves for families that have low income, and can't afford a lot of food, come to get a few items they may be in need of. It was so fun! We go once a week and everyone there is so kind :) we even got T-Shirts! 

In the evening we had dinner with a member and checked on some formers. Funny story. One of the former investigators was named D. We happened to be in the neighborhood so we thought we would just check on him. When the door opened I asked if D was there, and he was... But not the same D described in our area book! What are the odds that a different D would live there?! I didn't feel good about asking to teach him, so we just gave him a Mormon.org card and explained what was on the website. We then cleared our iPads because we would be getting new ones the next day.

When Thursday rolled around we did indeed get new iPads. They look the same, but they're a little better! Apple has been so kind to actually give us iPads with the restrictions and apps and programs that we need as missionaries! The church is working with Apple! Too cool :)

 
In the afternoon we had lunch with victor; the guy from the elevator. We taught him the restoration and gave him a Book of Mormon; he wants to meet with us again so we have an appointment for next Thursday :) In the evening we had a member lesson, dinner with a member, and we checked up on a recent convert who hasn't been able to come to church because of her job, but we talked to her and she is looking for a new one so she can come!! We haven't been able to get ahold of her for the whole transfer, and before that, so it was a blessing that we were able to catch her! Friday morning after studies we went back to M's house because she needed help with English for an English class. 

I also got a much needed package full of my favorite fattening things from some of my favorite people :) you know who you are ;) 

Weekly planning was good, and in the evening we met with K! We haven't seen her for about 2 weeks, and in the middle of our lesson she so randomly says, "I wanna be baptized in like May or June. Can we do it soon?" Um.. Yes K!? haha she's so awesome :) so we are shooting for the beginning of May. She is still struggling with the word of wisdom but progressing!! :) please continue to keep her in your prayers :) 

Oh my gosh Saturday was nuts. We had a lesson with a member at 10am at a breakfast place, but she was 30 minutes late, so we were there forever! It was so awesome though because she was baptized in 2013 on my birthday!!? And told us her story :) her name is Y. She's the sweetest thing from Africa :) after that we went home for lunch but ended up sleeping the entire lunch hour because we were beat! We had a lesson at 2 with a reassignment whom we'd never met before, but the address brought us to a cigar and tobacco shop.... So we decided not to go in... :) Haha we called the number we had though and left a message! 

On the way home the light for the "low tire pressure" went off, so we stopped to fill our tires with air. In skirts. So fun :) I'm grateful for my smart sister who made sure I knew how to do that, because my companion didn't! 

The evening was full of checking on formers and sharing the gospel!! My favorite thing ever to do!! :) we have a few return appointments so we are excited :) I also got a call that day saying that C's baptism has been moved to the 22nd of March instead of the 21st due to a youth event taking up the stake center Saturday evening. She is so excited :) I AM SO EXCITED!!! :) I miss Centreville, so it will be good to see everyone again :) including sister Lewis!! Dear goodness next week the email will be so good! ;) haha '

Church on Sunday was good. It was ward conference and during 3rd hour it was a combined Q&A, which consisted of questions centered on marriage and dating. That was fun :) We had an investigator come to church so that was awesome! As well as a dinner appointment with a recent convert who is getting married to an agnostic. She's the coolest :) her testimony is super strong and he is very relaxed/supportive of her beliefs. We were able to share a message and part of me wonders what he thought. Maybe one day he will want to know more :) Mothers Day in England was on Sunday, so sister Morris got to skype her family and their accent is SO thick!! I LOVED it!! :) 

Sister Morris has been working so hard mentally all transfer that she shut down Sunday evening. She was pretty sick :/ so we went home early in order for her body to rest. She hasn't been sleeping either so that doesn't help. If you could keep my sweet British companion in your prayers, that would be WONDERFUL!! :) she works really hard and deserves a little extra divine help to rest :) 

Something I've really begun to appreciate is the Book of Mormon and the Restoration of the gospel. I've been really studying the Book of Mormon in depth vs. just reading over the chapters and oh what a difference it's made! Weird, huh? ;) 

I am so grateful for the people who followed the council of the lord to write an account of the events that took place, and then buried those accounts in the ground so that they could be preserved for our day. I find it so neat to be able to relate and liken the scriptures to my life! 

Something I've noticed as I study, too, is that the organization of the church is the exact same as it was even before Christ came! God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. It's proven throughout the Book of Mormon :) I truly love that book with everything I am! 

We invite all men everywhere to read and pray about it, so you can know for yourself of the truthfulness of the things which we speak :) 

I'm beyond grateful for a loving father in heaven who provides us with modern day direction and council from a living prophet. My heart is full yet again :) it always will be because this gospel is true folks!! The Holy Ghost bears witness of that to me every single day! :) Its pretty great to be able to know that for myself :)

**Shout out to my boy Caden for turning 15 on Tuesday!!! You're getting so old, and so tall!! I hope you have a most wonderful birthday :) I love you! :) 

Have a fabulous week! 

Make good choices. 

Share the gospel. 

Endure to the end. 

Be happy :) 

Sister Chandler

Week 22: Blessings, Miracles, & Baptisms

Dearest friends and family,

This truly was the best week ever :) My entire soul is FILLED with

gratitude and joy towards the gospel of Jesus Christ :) 

First things first though. I have a minor complaint. I haven't gotten a letter in a month. All the sisters I live with get letters all the time, and it makes me sorta bummed out. And by sorta, I mean it really bums me out. The best way to describe how I feel is in Alma 60:6. Change the word "we" to the word "I".

Monday was wonderful! Full of relaxation, shopping, emailing, and

checking on potentials.

Tuesday morning we went to district meeting where our district leader

came up with a creative way to keep track of miracles! Instead of

march madness, we are doing "March Miracle Madness". So we text in any

miracle that takes place at the end of the day. We have a goal to

bring 5 of heavenly fathers children to the gospel this transfer as a

district; we can totally do it :) 

We also played a game where we got into teams and had to answer questions of the soul from the Book of Mormon. 

• is there a God?
• What does Christ expect of me? 
• How can I balance career and family? 
• Is there life after death? 
• What can I do to avoid temptation? 

 Over the summer I bought a Book of Mormon to

highlight answers to these questions and tag them, so during the gameI

literally flipped to a scripture to answer every time it was my turn

:) I should really use that more often haha :)

I needed a new notebook so I decided to make this one my study
journal. Studying in color and cute little designs make it more fun :)

After district meeting sister Morris and I went to ihop with our

sister training leaders for lunch because that's what sounded good to

them. Apparently it was National Pancake day!? Score!! So I got 5

pancakes :) 

We then exchanged, so I went to Oakton/oakmar with sister

Funk (yep. That's her name!) for the day. It was fun! We had all of

our lessons for the evening cancel on us, but we were so so blessed

because we spent most of the night inside homes. We needed to drop off

a baptismal record to a guy in her ward, and they invited us in to

share a message! Then we asked if they knew anyone who had recently

lost a loved one and as a matter of fact their neighbor did! So we

went to their neighbors house and they let us in, so we taught the

plan of salvation and gave her a Book of Mormon :) we have a return

appointment on Saturday :) 

The roads and sidewalks were insanely slick

once again because it had rained all day and then froze over when the

sun went down. I'm telling you, it's literally like ice skating! Even

the snow looked like frosting because it had a smooth coat of ice

covering it!! Super cool :) but don't walk on it ;)

On Wednesday I went with sister Funk to teach an English class!! It

made me think of when Christian did that in Cambodia, and I loved it!

We taught the sweetest people from Korea and Israel how to use words

like, "mother, daughter, sister, brother, and son" in complete

sentences :) too fun :) we swapped back to our original companions

after that.

Our entire evening from 5-9 was spent with members! So great! We had

13 member lessons last week and we are trying to match that (if not

beat it) this week :) It was also sister Morris' 6 month mark on

Wednesday, as well as another sister that we live with, so we ate ice

cream pie to celebrate. We should really change our eating habits.....

Guess what happened on Thursday? It snowed! For 11 hours STRAIGHT. 

So crazy. All day it just snowed, so we did a lot of potential and former

investigator mapping, as well as a little facebook time. In the

evening our dinner appointment canceled because we couldn't drive, and

she didn't have a car, so she called to have pizza delivered to us :)

that was nice :) after dinner we went to work!! A usual 3 minute drive

ended up being a 45 minute walk to a member lesson. It was awesome!

There were almost no cars out, so it was peaceful, and only a few

people out shoveling their walk. Sister Morris and I think we had

Angels with blankets around us because though it was 10 degrees, we

were really warm! My hair was up in a bun on top of my head and my

ears weren't even a little bit cold! Blessing!! 

The invitation we have been extending to our members

recently is to do 7 days of inspiration! I will attach it, and extend

the invitation to you as well :)

Friday is always a good day because its weekly planning! Sister Morris

and I are going to dominate the next 5 weeks that we have together. We

took a good amount of time making solid goals that will bring miracles

up the wazoo :) we know that if we are exactly obedient and do all

that we can do, Heavenly Father WILL bless us with success. That's

just how He works :)

In the evening we had a Skype lesson, but it fell through. Then we had

dinner and checked on less actives! It was such a fun night :) nothing

necessarily amazing or miracle status happened, but just doing what we

were supposed to do and enjoying every minute of it was fun :) I

really truly love being a missionary. There is nothing in this world

that brings more joy to my life than having the knowledge of the

fullness of the gospel, and living it :)

Saturday was pretty cool because after we spent some time going

through our area book and sending in our progress record, we were

waiting at the church for a lesson with a recent convert when a random

man comes to the door! We let him in and talked to him for a bit. He

is recently divorced, does not have a car, carries music around with

him (like CD's and head phones), sleeps at the airport, and was

looking for help from the bishop! We told him to come to church on

Sunday and gave him a Book of Mormon to read. When sister Morris

handed it to him he looked straight at her with the most honest eyes

I've ever seen, and said, "I will". Did I mention that I love being a

missionary yet?? Because I do!! :)

We had another member lesson, and air dropped the 7 days of

inspiration thing to them; nobody knows how to air drop! They were in

awe and then kept air dropping pictures back and forth to each other

haha 

THEN we went to a cereal party! Saturday was national cereal day,

if you didn't know, and a member threw a cereal party. There were non

members so we went and got two potentials out of it, as well as a

referral! I've never been more thankful for cereal in my life. So fun

:)

Sunday was AWESOME!! And the weather was GORGEOUS! I didn't wear

tights or a jacket all day! Even at night! So sister Morris and I

fasted for help from the ward as we do all we can, and I also fasted

for C to be able to be baptized this month because she's been

ready forever!! We broke our fast with dinner at a members house, and

then spent the evening checking on former investigators. 

Coolest thing--we had an address and a name for a girl, but no apartment number.

We didn't realize we needed one until we got there, but decided to

knock every door until we found her :) the first door we knocked on

turned out to be the right one!! Tender mercy!! We were welcomed in

right away and have a return appointment! Everyone we checked on that

night ended up welcoming us back for another appointment. When we got

to our last stop we said a prayer before we got out of the car like

usual. During the prayer I felt like we maybe shouldn't go. I was more

than willing to! So I know it wasn't me trying to talk myself out of

it, but it was a very very small, subtle, "don't go". After we said

amen I asked my companion how she felt about it and decided we

shouldn't. When driving away I felt so good! So I know that was the

spirit and I am grateful for a companion who also listens to it :)

Okay. Here's the best news EVER. Ready? When we got home Sunday night

and went to the wifi room to plan and sync our iPads, I saw I had a

facebook message from C, so I looked at it and SHE IS GETTING

BAPTIZED ON MARCH 21st!!!!!! WOOHOO!!!! If you can't tell, I'm

thrilled ;) I've learned that when things are purely out of our

control, just trust Heavenly Father and His timing; He knows what He's

doing :)

This morning sister Morris and I had amazing studies; very spiritually

enlightening, and began our Pday :) on the way down to email, a man in

the elevator asked what our name tags meant. When we explained who we

were, he asked if we could teach him!? Ya, what?! We have to ask for

permission from president Riggs because the man lives in our apartment

complex and we aren't allowed to teach people who live near us for

safety reasons, but we are hoping we can! He asked if he could come to

church, too!! Heavenly Father is SO GOOD to us!! :)

I know He is there, and He just asks simple things of us in order to

return to live with Him. Have faith, repent often, be baptized by

someone holding the authority of God (priesthood), receive the gift of

the Holy Ghost (and always listen to it), and finally, endure to the

end. Keep doing those things, push through when your faith fades, and

make sure to keep doing the little things like reading your scriptures

and praying. Those little things make a huge difference in our

spiritual growth and relationship with God. I love being a missionary.

I testify that God lives. I testify of this every day and I wouldn't

trade this experience for the world :) my heart is full :)

Have a most awesome week!! Love you! :)

Sister Chandler

Week 21: Starbucks, Ice Skating, & Testimonies

Dear Everyone,

'Twas a pretty busy week this week! Sister Morris and I decided to be so fully committed to the work and the Lord this transfer; we WILL see miracles within the next 6 weeks!! :)

Pday was pretty fun! We did the usual studies, emails, wrote letters, grocery shopping, and then we went to a street downtown Alexandria that has a bunch of little shops on it. We taught some members and then an investigator later in the evening. The sweetest lady that we taught was so worried about our salvation. She was so genuinely concerned about us and made my heart sad that she was so closed off, but we did what we could! 

Tuesday was awesome :) we had interviews with President Riggs just to see how we are doing, and then we spent the afternoon clearing out our iPads because we were going to get new ones on Wednesday. We ended up not getting them... but that's for the next paragraph :) later in the evening we taught E, our recent convert, at Starbucks! We taught about the atonement and keeping sabbath day holy. It was a super great lesson.

Remember the waitress last week that said she could see a light in our eyes?? Well sister Morris and I needed hot chocolate at Starbucks. Yes. Needed. And while we ordered, the cashier said the same thing!! I love being a servant of the lord!!! :) It makes us feel good knowing people can physically see the light of Christ through our eyes :)

We then taught some members and after that met with K! She's so funny :) we knocked on her door and as she opened it she goes, "oh my gosh this is so embarrassing, ya'll just caught me smoking". haha she said sorry like 20 times after that :) K struggles with the word of wisdom but she's trying to overcome all of her addictions, so if you could keep her in your prayers that would be lovely :)

N came over at the end of the lesson. He confessed his love for us, and said he's really only interested because we are pretty, so he dropped us :/ 

On Wednesday we went to Centreville again for a whole mission conference. (4.5 hours long) A couple people from the 70 came to teach us about what the church's plan is for social media proselyting. This is so cool!! So they're going to start teaching youth how to effectively share their beliefs on social media, and then when they get their mission call, they will receive a more in depth training. Once they hit the mtc the training for online proselyting will be wicked! (In the good way) The kids will already be somewhat prepared for the training there, and will receive/be trained on their own iPads. As soon as they get to the field they have 12 weeks of more training on how to do this! Basically the future generation of missionaries will be stellar at online/ social media proselyting :)
BUT!! It doesn't stop there!! The last 6 weeks of a mission will be partially spent doing normal missionary things, and partially spent figuring out what to do when you go home. We get to take the iPads home after our missions!! Coolest thing ever. We get our new ones in a week or so. I love the church, and the gospel, and being on a mission :) I received a load of revelation/inspiration for how to be a better missionary!!

Missionary meetings are my FAVORITE!! :) oh. Also, sister Lewis was there!! Obviously, because the whole rest of the mission was there, but it was so great! :) you'd think we haven't seen each other for years by the way we react when we see each other hahah I love that woman!! We even went out to lunch together with our companions after the meeting :) tender mercy :)

In the evening we had some more member lessons! Sister Morris and I have a goal to work with the members really hard this transfer! So far it's been so good :)

(Also, on a completely unrelated note, our bathroom light switch stopped working. So we had to take a flashlight in with us every time, until someone had the bright idea of putting a lamp in the bathroom:) hahah seriously I just love serving a mission!! :) )

So Thursday rolled around and we woke up to a text saying we weren't allowed to drive again because it had snowed pretty bad over night. After we got home from the gym, we looked outside to find it STILL snowing! But luckily it stopped eventually and then melted somewhat by the time we needed to go to our appointments and received the okay to drive again. Most of the members in our ward have served a mission, so we got to hear some neat experiences this week about different missions :)

The evening was awesome!! On Sunday a random girl in the ward came up to us and said she had just gotten home from her mission two months ago, and was willing to go out to lessons with us whenever we needed her. So nice! So we grabbed her on Thursday to come to a lesson with us. It was with a less active around my age who just needs good friends :) we ate dinner with her and then her aunt took us out to ice cream. DQ blizzards to be exact :) heaven!! And then our next lesson was with a member who fed us brownies and ice cream!! Two of my most favorite desserts back to back! I definitely ran hard Friday morning.

After studies on Friday we had weekly planning. That took all afternoon! Once we were out the door for the evening we met with more members!! Woohoo! :) earlier though, when we were planning, I felt strongly that we needed to teach humility with a certain member. Not because she seems prideful :) the spirit just said that's what she needed, so in the middle of planning a lesson on the atonement I was like, "sister Morris I really feel like we need to teach humility tonight". I'm grateful for a companion who trusts me and my gut because when we taught that member she started crying and told us to pause so she could run and grab a paper to take notes! What?! Always listen to the spirit :)
Saturday morning we went out to breakfast with a member at a super yummy... Breakfast place? haha it was good:) I think it's called, "Best Buns Bakery"?

Anyway, then we did our studies and had a couple Skype lessons with people from England!! One girl was so excited to hear my accent :) I thought that was funny because clearly she's the one with the accent ;) haha the evening was spent checking on potentials and former investigators. I love Alexandria!! There are so many people to see! We are always busy and I love it!! We have a couple return appointments so that's good.

Fast Sunday is always a spiritual experience on a mission :) I bore my testimony on Sunday and introduced myself a bit. Singles ward is AWESOME! I never want to not serve in a singles ward! :) Later in relief society a sister sitting next to me asked if I was related to her seminary teacher from Nampa- uncle rick. Small world! She even knew some people I know! Way cool :)

During church it rained frozen rain, and continued to do so for the rest of the day, so once again we weren't allowed to drive. (I attached a picture of it frozen to the trees) We had our member come pick us up for dinner, and as soon as I stepped out of the car I had to ice skate my way to the door. It was a thick sheet of ice on everything the rain touched! It felt super cool, but it was way super dangerous at the same time haha we were sliding everywhere :)

After our member dropped us off we spent the rest of the night mapping out potentials and investigators who have fallen off of the radar. Our plan is to pin them on the map so we can just contact everyone that lives near each other at one time vs. driving all over Virginia, back and forth. Smart, right? ;) but it will take a few days to map it out because there are loads of people in our area book! Which is so good! :) once we have that done it will make the work more productive and organized :) it was a good way to spend the evening considering we couldn't really go out.

I'm really grateful to be a tool in the lords hands. I am beyond thankful to have been raised with the fullness of the gospel, and to have the standards that I do. I often wonder if I'm doing all I can to submit my will to Gods, and how I can go about doing that without changing who I am completely.

Elder Ballard stated it beautifully when he said,

"That's the way it is when Jesus Christ becomes a reality in your life. It isn't that he somehow makes you do things that you wouldn't do otherwise. Rather, you find yourself wanting to do what He would do and respond as He would respond in an effort to bring your life into harmony with His, and an interesting thing happens whenever you attempt to put your feet in Christ's footsteps. If you really concentrate on trying to walk the way He walked- loving, caring, serving, and obeying each step of the way- one day you'll look up and discover that His path has led you directly to the throne of God. For that is, and ever has been, His great purpose and mission; to lead us to our Heavenly Father so we can dwell with Him in His Heavenly Home." 

Christ is the perfect example; He has showed us the way, and as we strive to live as He did, we don't become someone we aren't. We become our best selves; who we really are :) through the gospel of Jesus Christ this can happen. I know this to be true, and I love my Father in Heaven like I love my father on earth for helping me through this journey of life :) God is good and I love being a missionary :)

La la la loooovvveee,
Sister Chandler