The Ck Family

Hello beautiful faces! :)

**SHOUT OUT to my best friend in the whole wide world, Katy, who is
leaving to the MTC this week!!! You're going to be a phenomenal
missionary and I am SO excited for you :) Also, we are going to be 8
hours apart driving distance, and just the simple thought of that
makes me even more excited :) Even though that doesn't really mean
anything :P you're going to be amazing :) go kill it :)

I had quite the busy week! It began with my doctors appointment early
Monday morning where I learned of the 3 stress fractures in my leg,
and crutches/a scooter became my new best friends for the next 7
weeks. Hopefully not longer :) 

We went to a zone activity but it was
outside, and it was raining, and it's freezing, and I couldn't
participate in any of the games, so I stood by a fire :) Our evening
was beautiful! 

We had a lesson with the Cks :) The spirit is
incredibly strong each time we teach them, and every word is
definitely guided by it. I burst with love and gratitude every time I
even THINK about this family! I love being a missionary :)

District meeting on Tuesday was yet another revelatory experience! We
had 15 minutes to study a Christ-like attribute; I chose faith and
hope. It was awesome! 

Afterwards we had exchanges and I went to
warrenton with sister lemmons! Remember when it poured rain that one
day, and I sent pictures of us soaked?? That was with sister lemmons
:) she was having a really hard time, and not feeling well, so it was
a slow night. We did a lot of mini exchanging throughout the night
because she and her companion had to go to an appointment in the
middle of the exchange, so really I spent most of the night with my
companion :) which rocked :) but then went back and stayed the night
with sister lemmons. It was so complicated, but beneficial for both
parties! A lot of the things that were bothering her were things I had
just gotten over 3 days prior, so it was super neat to see how the
lord prepared me to help her :)

This whole, not being able to do cardio in the mornings thing, is killer!
I'm dying. 1 week down, 6 minimum to go!

Wednesday was fun! :) I had the opportunity to go to district meeting
with sister lemmons. We exchanged back afterward and had our last
lesson with the Ck family before their interviews! Once again, it
was amazing. Afterward we went to see a less active whom we haven't
seen since sister Donato left! This is the insanely busy sister who
has zero time to do anything but eat, sleep, and work. Finally we saw
her, watched the new Christmas video with her, and she said she was
going to come to church on Sunday! Whoop whoop! :) it was a good day
:)

Thursday was the BEST DAY EVER!! Really it just got the ball rolling
because every day from there on out was amazing :) We began the day
with the leadership of the mission and a couple brethren from salt
lake. We had a training with them from 9-4; so, most of our day. You
know the mission videos, "The district"? Well the mission president of
the missionaries in "The District 2" was one of the brethren that
spent the day with us! It was the most revelatory experience I've had
in a very long time. We talked a lot about effective planning, and

teaching simply. I loved it!

Right after that we had dinner with a part member family who invited
us back on Saturday for dinner and to help them decorate their
Christmas tree!!!! Oh I cannot tell you how excited I was to decorate
a tree. That's my favorite part of Christmas :) 

when we got done at their home, we went straight to the church where the Cks were being
interviewed for baptism! It went SO good!! :) THEN we had correlation
where we talk about who we are working with and how we can involve the
ward. It was so cool because instead of that, the only ward missionary
that showed up ended up really needing us that night. He expressed his
desire and sincere need of help to overcome his natural man. He's
questioning a lot, and recognizes something isn't right, so he
expressed his feelings to us and the whole time we were just guided by
the spirit in every response. The trick is to listen. To the person we
are talking to, and to the spirit. We helped him remember to focus on
what he DOES know, and we will help him through his concerns. It was
such a wonderful experience. As we sat there I thought, "This is why I
am on a mission". I can't get over it. I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!!!
:)

**Funny story of the week::

Our apartment complex sent out a letter earlier in the week informing
everyone that there had been a leak in the water system, and the water
throughout the entire building would be turned off at 9pm Thursday
night. Knowing this, we filled our sink with water right before we
left for dinner so that we had some to use to like... Wash our face,
brush our teeth, wash our hands, etc. well, when we got home we joked
about how funny it would be if the water had drained.
It was even more hilarious when we looked and it actually was drained.
Luckily, I have a billion water bottles.... But all of them were
empty. Except for one! Which happened to be the biggest one! It was
so. hard. to wash my face/hands with a water bottle! I thought of the
people way back when who didn't ever grow up with running water, and
felt like they would get a good laugh at how pathetic I probably
looked as I tried to figure out how to go about my nightly routine :)

Friday was one of the busiest days of the week! We had so much to do
to prepare for the baptism. Our ward mission leader had been in
Thailand for a couple weeks for work, and helped with what he could,
but he didn't get home until the baptism was actually happening so we
did most of it :) we were a little stressed, but it went well! It
takes two hours to fill the font, so we had to do that and stay at the
church while it filled :) it was fun! The water wasn't warming up
though and it was almost full, so we said a prayer, and when we went
to check it again it was super warm! God is real :)

Ce was SO cute!! She was so excited :) I'm really glad we did
hers on a different day. I can't pin point an exact reason why, but it
felt right :)

When that was over we went to dinner with a Cambodian family. Sister
Williams ate a lot and won their hearts over :) haha it was so funny!
Also, we can never understand their English, so before we went inside
we prayed hard to be able to understand them in order to hold a
descent conversation. We understood every single word the entire night! It was the coolest

thing! They're pretty hilarious people when you understand what
they're saying :) haha

Dn and Ty were baptized Saturday morning :)
Oh. My. Gosh. Sister Williams and I just wanted to cry the entire
time. The spirit was the strongest I've ever felt it on my mission,
especially as Dn (the dad) was immersed into the water. Three non
members attended, and one woman stayed for 45 minutes after talking to
us and the stake president, as well as Dn and Ty because she is
investigating and seriously wanting to find the true church of God. It
was the coolest experience!! Also, Ty brought a friend who isn't a
member and was also interested in taking the discussions. My heart is
incredibly full :) that whole day was so amazing :)

We spent the rest of the day, until dinner, weekly planning. It was so
productive!! Dinner was with the part member family, and we helped
them decorate their Christmas tree!! It was so fun!! :)

We know that baptism isn't complete until we receive the gift of the
Holy Ghost, so that's what happened on Sunday :) during Sunday school,
Dn turned to his wife with the biggest grin on his face and said,
"I am SO excited to be in this ward!!" :) it was adorable hahah :)

I had a meeting with my mission president right after church, so we had
to leave a little early. After that, we went to dinner with the Ck
family! I should just title this email, "The Cks".... I probably
will :) The grandma is married to a man from the Middle East, so we
had middle eastern food and it was pretty good!

When I was talking with my mission president, he informed me that I am
going to be transferred :( SAD. DAY. Especially considering its right
before Christmas. So hold on to your letters and packages until
Thursday :)

Also.

Can we take a moment to ponder in awe that I only have 3 transfers
left. That's like, 18 weeks. What. Except probably 19 because my last
transfer is a 7 week transfer. But still, what the even heck??

Life as a missionary is kind of insane. Your body does weird things,
stress levels move like a roller coaster, and you grow an incredible
amount in such a short period of time. Missions are hard, but I love
it so much. Every day I'm full of gratitude for this experience and
for the opportunity that I have to be here at this time of my life.

Just as I am sent here because certain people need me, I definitely
need the people I've met; My companion being one of them. There is NO
way I would have been able to do the past 6 weeks without her! Sister
Williams is a wonderful, hard working, charitable individual and I am
beyond bummed that we won't be together for 6 more weeks. I know;
however, that wherever I go and whoever I'm going to be with next is
exactly what the Lord would have happen so that I can be happy and
progress :)

I know that my father in heaven is so aware of each one of His
children. That means you. I know that Jesus Christ was born, and
lived, and died, so that we could return to live with our God again.
He is the prime example of charity, service, gratitude, and patience;
everything this Christmas season is about! I love my maker :)

Have a great week!! Thank you for your prayers and support! I feel it.
I love you. Fractures can't stop this girl ;)

Sister Chandler

Week 12: Christmas Week

Hola friends and familia!

(I only know about that much Spanish so don't ask for more.)

I had such a good week! Slow when it comes to the work, but I made memories that will last a life time :) 

On Tuesday sister Lewis went over to C's because she needed help baking cookies. For those of you who don't know... I'm a pro at making chocolate chip cookies. In 7th grade I made them almost every day, and C didn't know how!? Weird. So we taught her! And let me just tell you. They were superb :) she's the sweetest. She told us we were going to be friends forever, and she wants us to go to the temple with her when she goes for the first time! I will be able to because I'll still be on my mission, and I am allowed to, but sister Lewis might be home already :( we love C :)

That night we went to a couple members homes to help wrap presents! A sister in our ward had a 3 page list to accomplish by the next day and there was absolutely no possible way she could do it by herself, so we offered to come over the next morning to help out. We got to her house at 9:30ish and didn't leave until 2:30ish! We wrapped the rest of the presents, helped her finish moving in (they moved into this house on July), moved furniture around, cleaned (including vacuuming) every room, cooked, baked, and set up the table for Christmas dinner because she had a lot of family coming over that night. I can honestly tell you that I've never had a better Christmas Eve! I spent the majority of it serving, and you really can't beat that! :) she kept asking why we picked her to help. Of all the people we know, why did we ask her if she needed help? The spirit knows, and when you're listening, he tells you where to go and when to go. She had been in tears from being so stressed, and we were more than happy to lift her burden! I love being a missionary :) we went caroling that night with our district, and that was fun :) 

Christmas Day was AWESOME!!! Sister Lewis and I didn't sleep a wink the night before. We were too excited :) but we did get to sleep in until 7:30 as a gift from our mission president!
We opened presents from our families and then SKYPED them!! Woohoo!! It was so good to see and hear from everyone. I am grateful for technology. When it works ;) after that we just went to members homes to play games and share a Christmas message :) 

Oh I almost forgot!! This week sister Lewis and I went to a sisters house to learn how to index! Surprisingly, it's SO FUN! I can see how people get addicted to it! Sister Lewis indexed over 40 names while we were there! I thought of Caden because I know he was in charge of that for our ward for a while.

The day after Christmas, we had another half mission conference. There were a lot of super good talks given but one of my favorites was by Sister Riggs. She told the story of a school teacher, Joshua Chamberlain, who ended up being a leader in the battle of Gettysburg. During the war he found that they were quickly outnumbered and had given their all over and over again. He was exhausted, as were his fellow troops, but he refused to give up. Chamberlain stated, "I had deep within me the inability to do nothing. When faced with the choice to do nothing or something, I will always choose to act". Joshua and those who were left to fight with him were ALL IN. They gave their ALL one final time, and ended up winning that battle. Now, this was the choppy summed up version of the story, but the point was that he chose to DO SOMETHING about the situation by giving every ounce of his effort. Even if, "one more time" was said twelve different times. 

From Mr. Chamberlain I learned that missionary work is just that. Work. And life is hard sometimes! It's a battle, but we have to stay focused on the goal and give our all in order to see results. If I don't do something, nothing I want to have happen will happen. Make sense? 

One goal I have is to come home in 15 months as a better Kailey. A changed Kailey, but in the good way. I want to BE more Christ-like (I could give you a list of things I'd like to be by the end of my mission, but I'll spare you). 

Everything in this world challenges us to KNOW something. The gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to BE something. I love that! Grow. Change. Become! It's a process :) 

My favorite phrase said at this conference was, "He will bless you both temporally and spiritually as you turn your life over to Him". As I match my will up with the Lord's will, and as I give my all to Him, I will change. I invite you to apply this to your life! BE something! DO something! And ask for guidance from your Father in Heaven because he is just itching to help you :) 

I feel like every week I say the same thing. "Do all you can... Do your part... Give your all..." But that just shows how important it really is! God gave us agency (the ability to choose for ourselves) and it's so important to use it wisely. 

I know my savior lives. I know that as I try my best to do only those things that please my Heavenly Father, my wishes and wants will be aligned with His. I don't think it gets any better than that because God's plan for each of us individually is the best plan :) 

I love being a missionary!! I love Jesus Christ, and I love my Father in Heaven. 

Have a safe, wonderful week, OH! And HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! :) 

Love,
Sister Chandler 

Ps. We didn't take any pictures this week. I know. I'm surprised, too.

Week 9: Christmas Lights and Christ

Hello! :)

This week started out so great with a referral from headquarters!! A lady requested a bible and we like to get those requests contacted within 24 hours. So we went to give it to her, and Sister Lewis asked why she wanted one. Her name is L.   She said she was trying to grow closer to God because she once felt the holy spirit and she wants it back. Immediately my heart overflowed with love for this woman and I was like, "Well thats actually our job! We are missionaries for Jesus Christ, and it's our job to help people grow closer to Christ! Is that something you'd be interested in??" She shook her head with big eyes and said, "Oh yes! Can you come by tomorrow??" This is a miracle. I love Heavenly Father!! :) When we went to visit her we found out that she has Lupus and a sickle cell disease, AND she was SHOT in the leg in June!!?? All we could think about was the plan of salvation, but there wasn't any time to teach her so we are going back this week. She also told us she couldn't find a church anywhere that had a daycare because she wanted to take her kids with her to church! I was like, "Our church has that!" I never thought I'd be so grateful for nursery.

Tuesday was AWESOME!!! So get this. At the temple over here in DC they string 600,000 lights all over the trees, and every single night in December there is a concert; different people come from everywhere to perform here, and its a big deal. The first night is the night they push one single button that lights all 600,000 of them all at once! BUT it's invite only because important people are at this one. People like the Ambassador of Bulgaria, and an area 70, and congressmen, etc. Sister Lewis and I were blessed with a wonderful ward, and Sister Egbers is a lady in the ward who's mother was in charge of the whole thing! So she invited us to go!! It was so cool!! The Ambassador of Bulgaria talked about how impressed she was with the missionaries in her country, and how much she respects members of the church for the service they give to her people. I felt so great sitting in the audience wearing Jesus Christ's name on my shirt :) We sang Christmas songs with people from all over the world, and you know that little 12 year old girl, Lexi Walker, who is an amazing singer?? She performed and we got a picture with her :) We felt cool ;) It was BEAUTIFUL!! I am a sucker for Christmas lights so I couldn't have had a better night. 

On Wednesday we went out with a member to teach lessons, and we were talking about Christmas! I mentioned that one thing I am really going to miss is decorating a Christmas tree. The next day she bought us a baby one with lights and little decorations! :) Best gift ever!!! :) I love that tree! 

One morning while sister Lewis and I were running to the gym, I said something funny and she turned to look and laugh at me but she turned too quick and threw something out in her neck, so now her shoulders are literally uneven. I thought about how nice it would be if my dad were here, but we called sister Riggs and she just told us to ice it and see how she feels on Monday (today). I don't think she understood when we said that her shoulders were clearly uneven... poor sister Lewis! Hopefully we can find a Chiropractor soon! 

The ward Christmas party was on Friday, so we helped set up for that and Sister Lewis and I decided to match! It was a hit :) Also, we took a picture with Santa because why not? 

Church was SO good yesterday! I was so spiritually filled, and then we watched the Christmas Devotional yesterday at a members home so that was even more spiritually filling!! I love my savior so much. I am so grateful for the atonement, and for the love my Heavenly Father has for me alone. It's so great to know that I am a daughter of God, and he knows me better than I know myself :) Being on a mission has helped me discover Jesus Christ. I no longer simply know OF Him, but I KNOW Him, and it's the coolest thing ever! I recommend watching "He is the Gift" on mormon.org/christmas. It's a beautiful reminder of the true meaning of Christmas :) 

Sad Fact: C is the woman who is on date to be baptized, but is no longer on date because she wants her husband to do it... but we talked to the bishop and he said in order for that to happen we are going to have to wait until next month :( We are going to talk to them tonight, but as of now we don't have a baptism anytime super soon anymore. 

Missions are fun despite the rough patches! I love being a missionary so much! :)
Thank you Thank you for all the love and support!! I love my Heavenly Father, and my earthly parents for making it possible for me to serve this mission :) It's truly the best decision I've ever made. 

Mom: I got your little package and letter! Thanks for making parker write me 2 paragraphs :) hahaha Also, I felt something in my boot this week so I took it off to tip it upside down, and out came a little note that you wrote before I left! 8 weeks later... hahah thanks :) Love you :) 

All my love,
Sister Chandler