Service, miracles, and bliss

Hello Hello!! :)

Good morning! :) I hope you had a wonderful week! Mine was pretty wonderfully amazing :)

Nothing super special happened on Monday; 

just the usual zone BBQ/volleyball game in the afternoon. 

Tuesday, however, was so good!

• After studies we went to the post office to grab a big box (that I could throw my winter things in) to send home. I'm pretty sure I'll have too much to pack for transfers, so sending things home for a bit will be MUCH helpful! 

This is how the box arrived at home. Unbelievable!
It looks like the UPS truck ran over it.

• After lunch Sister Jones and I went to a homeless shelter to see what we could do to help! We called beforehand and were told they needed help in the garden that they have! So we threw on some grubs and pulled weeds/watered the garden all afternoon! That place was L O A D E D with weeds! I couldn't help but think about the parable of the wheat and tares :) we didn't get them all, but we cleaned up over half of the garden, and it was looking good! Mosquitos were everywhere and I was sure I would have a million mosquito bites later, but I walked away with one! How?! I don't even know. Heavenly Father has my back ;) There was a lady there who has a green thumb, and gave us a lesson on male and female tomatoes! Did you know there was such thing?? We didn't! 
• Afterwards we definitely went home to shower and get ready to go out with a member! Traffic was super bad! It's amazing what rain does to the traffic over here; nobody knows how to drive in it. 
• So we checked on two people before we went to institute with A! :) guess who else was there?! C! Our inactive atheist friend :) During the class, we studied a talk by President Uchtdorf entitled, "On Being Genuine". There was one particular paragraph that stood out to me more than anything. The spirit was overwhelming when I read it, and when the teacher asked for thoughts/comments, C shot his hand up!? The paragraph talked about how if the Savior sat down with us, he wouldn't focus on our statistics or programs, but more-so the condition of our hearts. He would, "want to know how we love and minister to those in our care". When C shared his thoughts, he explained his situation; a former member of the church who is now atheist and hasn't stepped foot into a church building since he was 14, and mentioned how when he left the church, nobody in his ward seemed to notice. Nobody reached out, no one seemed to care. Then when he came here and met us, along with everyone in both our ward and the other sister's ward, he felt welcomed/accepted/cared about. He said it makes a huge difference; the way we genuinely care. I loved that! He is so right! It makes a massive difference!! Whether we know it or not. Whether we see it or not! It's so incredibly important to be genuine with everyone around us. That whole talk was so good! We also learned that C is praying and is in the book of alma in the Book of Mormon. I didn't even know he was reading it!? God is so good :) 

Wednesday and Thursday 

• were supposed to be the most humid days of the year, but they weren't bad at all! we have been super lucky thus far when it comes to humidity; I feel like this summer has been beautiful! #blessing :) 
• In the afternoon Sister Jones and I went to help at AFAC, the food bank over here in Arlington, and it was so fun! We organized all different sorts of breads and pastries. We didn't think we would be able to fit everything on the shelves, but somehow we did and it looked good! :) 
• Our evening was pretty uneventful. We checked on a lot of people, and while we did that we received a text from a member asking if we had a Portuguese Book of Mormon to give to her roommate! So we grabbed one from our zone leaders and headed over to her house. The roommate wasn't home, but her brother was! He spoke super little English and really didn't understand us at all. So he pulled out his phone, spoke Portuguese in it, and the phone translated in English out loud for us to understand what he was saying :) smart guy ;) hahah it was funny :)
• Eventually it was time to go home. We really hadn't talked to anyone, and I always feel unaccomplished when that happens. I was downloading my feelings and thoughts in a silent prayer to my Heavenly Father, when suddenly the phone rang! It was our district leaders who said, "We have 2 solid investigators for you. Both of them are seeking truth and are willing to do whatever we ask them to do in order for them to find out for themselves. Please don't say you have an appointment on Friday at 8...". Ah. We do! But that's the beauty of splits with members :) we decided since sister Jones will be here longer, she should go to that lesson, and I went to a different one with another investigator and a member. 

Heavenly Father sees our efforts. Not only missionary efforts, but YOUR efforts in whatever you're doing. Blessings... Even miracles... come, we just need to be diligent and patient :) So just because we haven't met anyone ourselves who is prepared for the gospel, we have been doing all we can do each and every day, and because of that Heavenly Father blesses us with prepared people that we can teach :) even if it happened through other missionaries. Answers to prayers come in all different kinds of ways :) He is always looking out for us.

• District meeting was on Thursday this week because our district leader had a departing meeting on Tuesday. It was so good! I loved district meeting this week; we played a game where we had random note cards with a situation and background. Whoever grabbed the card first was the investigator and the other person was the missionary. We had to act the whole situation out, but the teaching was all on the missionary. It was a fun practice teach :)
• Later in the afternoon, the sisters we live with came with us to an assisted living center where we painted old lady's nails! :) There was a sweet, younger lady from Brazil; I painted her nails :) she kept saying that she liked to shake her bum, but reassured me multiple times that she wasn't a prostitute, and then she said she was 28! Later in the conversation she mentioned that she was born in 1984, so this was our conversation :) 

Me: Wait, I thought you said you were 28? But you were born in 1984?
Her: ... How old am I?
Me: you're 31 :)
Her: I'm 31?! I'm old!
Me: that's not old! You're still young and beautiful :)
(Not even a full 60 seconds later)
Me: how old do you think is old?
Her: umm I don't know, but I'm not old. I'm 28!
Me: but we just figured out you're 31! :)
Her: oh yeah, I forgot. 31, 31, 31, 31... How am I going to remember that??

It was so cute :) haha I loved it :)

Dinner was at a members home and went so well! There were a few people from another ward there, too and we talked a lot about missionary work. I love the singles!! I'm secretly begging Heavenly Father to let me stay one more transfer :) Then we went to pick a member up to come out with us. After prayer and pondering, everyone we thought of to check on felt wrong. After driving around and listening to our sweet member download, it was clear that we needed to be with her that night :) it was good :)

Good ol' weekly planning happened on Friday! 

• We went to the church so we weren't stuck in the apartment all day. It was good! It went quick because we already had a ton planned, so that was nice :) Every companion I've had (except sister Lewis) for comp inventory on our last weekly planning, we write each other letters! I have LOVED this! It's so nice to go back on a hard day and read about how cool you actually are to someone else ;) haha seriously though! It helps! And I love love love complimenting/uplifting others, so writing a letter like that for someone else brings my soul an enormous amount of genuine joy :) 
• Anyway, later in the evening we went on splits with members! Sister Jones went to the lesson with a member to meet some new investigators; the elders are passing them to us, while I went to a different side of town to a lesson with another member and investigator! It was so fun! The lesson I taught went super well. Ch, whom we met with last week, had a rough week. We talked about how if he would have read from the Book of Mormon he would have had a better week, and we also talked about prayer! He feels like the majority of his prayers are never really answered, so he doesn't see the point in praying; therefore, he hasn't prayed in a long time. We invited him to pray and read 2 pages of the Book of Mormon before bed. He has a lot of questions! We explained that through prayer, the Book of Mormon, and meeting with us, he would find the answers. It was good :) 
• We didn't get home til like, 10:00... Whoops! And then when we started talking to the sisters we live with, we ended up climbing in bed around 11:50! I don't think I've ever gone to bed that late on my mission, and we woke up at 6. I decided the conversations we had needed to happen though; I mostly just listened, and Heavenly Father blessed me with the energy that I needed in the morning! I didn't even feel the lack of sleep affect me :) #blessingsagain

Saturday was an adventure! 

• Right after studies sister jones and I went through a list of members in our ward and she took notes on all of them from my memory :P 
• My stomach has been having some serious issues for the past month, so we called the mission doctor to see where to go to be tested for food allergies. She gave us a couple addresses, and so we went! The first place was 20 minutes away and when we got there, they said they didn't test for allergies. The second place was 10 minutes further and when we got there, they were closed. Lame! 
• So we drove to a lesson with T, but 10 minutes before we were supposed to meet with her she texted us saying she wasn't home because she forgot. Sweet. So then we see if D is home; we tried to call him, but no answer. Suddenly we remember L, the sweet old woman who is like my grandma out here. We went to see her, and she WAS home! She's the cutest. I love her :) she invited us over for dinner tomorrow night because I told her I was most likely leaving the area, but also said that I would come see her again before I go home to Idaho. She was SO sad! 
• Eventually it was time to go to dinner with a less active. She taught us how to make fried chicken because we told her we'd never had it home made. It tasted just like KFC :) super easy! Also I felt like my insides were going to deteriorate just looking at the oil they are soaked in. Why is yummy food so bad for you?! Oh well. It was fun :) we invited her to a fireside Sunday evening and she said she would go :) 
• When dinner was over we headed to a lesson with one of the investigators that sister jones met on Friday. He isn't currently practicing any religion, and is seriously seeking for truth. So much that his questions are SO good and SO hard to answer! That was probably the hardest lesson I've ever taught. We tried to answer his questions the best we could, and he is reading the Book of Mormon. We see him again on Wednesday and we are bringing someone who knows their religious history :) I haven't felt so inadequate in a long time! It was hard, and frustrating, but we kept calm and patient; as did he, and it ended on a good note :) he asked if he was hard, and we explained that his questions were hard to answer because we aren't perfect teachers, and we don't know everything, but they were good questions and we will do our best to help him find answers. Ah. Keep him in your prayers! And us :) haha 
• Before the night ended we received a phone call from D! He said he was coming to church and he already arranged a ride with a member of our ward. What?! Okay. That's cool :) also incredibly confusing because of how unresponsive and flakey he has been lately, but we aren't complaining :) 

Sunday was miraculous!! Sunday's are always so good :)

• D never showed; we aren't sure what happened, A is still sick :( she was on her way to church but turned around because she wasn't feeling well. We called her on Friday and she sounded super congested :( but C (atheist friend) came! He even stayed for the second hour, and because we are anticipating my departure from the area this week, he said he had something he wanted to tell me that he hasn't told anyone else yet. The suspense! So right after class he had to go, but wrote something on his hand to show me. "Thank you. God is real". That's what our dear friend had to tell me. How did he find God? He prayed, and he read the Book of Mormon. How does anyone draw closer to God? By praying and reading the scriptures!! It was so cool :) I was at a loss for words, so I just smiled and nodded my head :) he went to a fireside that we also attended later that night. 
• Our ward mission leader rocks my world. I appreciate him so much! I'm so sad I've only had a couple weeks serving with him, but also grateful for that short time :) He is so ambitious about missionary work and getting on top of things! It's great :) 
• After church we had a couple voice mails to listen to from a sister at the temple visitors center who gave us a solid referral! So we called the referral and set up an appointment for Wednesday morning! Heavenly Father is taking such good care of us :) 
• To top off the evening, our ward mission leader took us to a fireside that a less active met us at. It was for new and returning members to bear their testimonies and tell their stories. AND it was in Centreville!! :) my first area! We walked in a little late, and when we sat down I looked over to find SISTER LEWIS mouthing words at me like, "I love you" and , "Marry me" ;) hahah I haven't seen her in what feels like forever! It was such a tender mercy :) a ton of people I feel like I haven't seen forever were there! It was so nice :) 

• The spirit was strong as new members told their stories and bore testimony. 

Lately I have been hearing a ton of people say that a huge part of the reason they joined the church was because of the genuine fellowshipping they experienced. I testify that what you say and do inside and outside of church MATTERS. People are watching! It pleases me, and I know it pleases God, to know that members of the church live what they believe and keep their baptismal covenants. I love this gospel. 

I don't know what I would do if the fullness of the gospel wasn't on the earth or in my life. I'm grateful to have been raised in the gospel, and to be able to partake of the precious blessings that will lead me to eternal life. It's true people :)

I know it.
I live it.
I love it. 

Sister Kailey :)

Ps. Sister Williams had this brilliant idea of borrowing bikes from some elders to bike to DC! It's only 5 miles there and 5 back; it'll be an adventure!! :) so I'll send this email off now, but respond to individual ones later :) stay safe and have a good week!!

A select few captures of our adventure today! I don't think my butt

has ever been so sore. 10 whole miles, and then some because we biked

around DC. SO fun!!! :) also, SO burnt! We are exhausted! That's what

the picture at the end is trying to demonstrate :)

Another week in Virginia

Gooooood Afternoon! :) 

Before I begin telling you about my week, shout out to the best human on the face of this planet (my sister) for being born today x amount of years ago :) I love you! 

Alright, so Monday was awesome :) we didn't do a THING and it was beautiful :) 

• Aside from the norm like emails, laundry, groceries, and writing a couple letters. 

• In the evening we went to dinner with a member and checked on potentials. 

• Meanwhile there was a massive storm occurring! Virginia + rain + thunder = the best summer storms I've ever seen! That's why God sent me here ;) to be able to enjoy those things :) It also makes up for the lack of sky over here. I miss my western night time sky. But it's fine :) It could be worse!! 

Tuesday was quite busy! 

• The morning began with district meeting which went super well; always does :)

• Lunch followed,

• Then we went to visit a sister in our ward who just got hip surgery! She is bedridden for a solid 2 weeks! I think I'd go insane. Actually, I know I'd go insane. She can hardly sit up, too so she has to lay down most of the time! I know. Poor thing right? She just ran way too much and busted her hip. She would run like 12 miles a day, and she always ran marathons. Not anymore! So we shared a message and kept her company for an hour :) After that we made brownies and a thank you card for the member who took us to the temple and lunch a couple weeks ago! 

• And then it was time for a lesson on preparing for the temple with a recent convert :) 

• when that was over, we went to dinner with A! :) She is DARLING! I love her so much! We learned that members of our ward have been inviting her to activities and such so that made us happy :) I'm telling you. Serving in a singles ward is one of the best things that's ever happened to me on my mission. These people are stellar. 

• The rest of the night we spent checking on potentials. 

On Wednesday we studied all morning, which was so good! 

• Sister Jones and I received a lot of inspiration as to how we can become better teachers and missionaries in general. I love the spirit :) 

• When that was over we did a little bit of cleaning up in the area book, and then we did some serious DEEP cleaning in our apartment. I kid you not we cleaned everything from the baseboards to the corners of the ceiling and everything in between. For like... 4 hours. With music (the uplifting, spiritual kind) blasting through the apartment. I was in love :) 

• Oh also, mom guess what? We've totally had reoccurring black mold throughout our apartment since I've been here. And everyone that's lived here for the past year has had health problems, but as soon as they're transferred they get better. But don't worry!! We called the maintenance guy for the 47th (that's a legitimate number) time and he came to paint over it :) hahah ohhhh the apartment :) There have been so many things about this apartment that have fallen apart and I have totally forgotten to mention them throughout the past 3 months!! I'll list some for you :) 

| ADVENTURES IN THE APARTMENT|
1. Our light switch in the bathroom didn't work, nor did the outlet for about 3 weeks, so we plugged a lamp in on the outside wall and stuck it in the bathroom :)
2. The carpet was disgusting and our 2 vacuums didn't work. So we got a new one about 2 months in and it's slightly better!
3. The sisters bathroom had black mold growing on their ceiling, so the maintenance guy took out the wall and put a new one in.
4. The black mold is back.
5. We have black mold inside our shower, but no worries. The instructions from our maintenance friend were to throw bleach on it and let it sit. He then told us it would come back though...
6. The air conditioning unit in the sister's room was leaking, so their carpet was wet and their room smelled like wet dog. They've been sleeping in the living room for 2 weeks :)

7. When we want a drink of water, we have to let it sit for 5 minutes so it isn't so foggy

Basically it's been an adventure!! And despite the grossness of the apartment, it's not necessarily awful. It's livable... For the most part... And we find joy in these things because it creates memories that we can laugh at later :) In fact, we laugh as they occur because it's hilariously ridiculous :) Nonetheless, we truly are grateful to have a roof over our heads, food in the kitchen, and a bed to sleep in :) Also, after the deep clean it was better :) 

• Dinner was with a member at a Peruvian restaurant which was pretty good! 

• Then we met another member at the church and went to check on potentials. It was a pretty quiet night when it came to potentials, but when it comes to the member we had with us, it was the opposite! :) haha which was perfect because we studied listening earlier in the day, which is exactly what she needed us to do :) it was fun! :)

• we were exhausted by the end of the night and slept super good :) 

Thursday morning I was not feeling well at all, 

• so after studies I took a nap for half an hour and that helped a little bit. 

• We then had to go to the mission office to take in our driving log. Elder Lowe is in charge of everything when it comes to the mission cars, and he asked if we wanted to see our driving record from the Tiwi! This thing is high tech. Elder Lowe can see when and where our car is at all times, including how long the car sits in one place! He can see where on the road we make a violation (according to the Tiwi), and the route in which we take wherever we go. If we ever lose our car we can just call elder Lowe and he can look it up :) too cool! My driving record was spotless so that was good :) 

• We did some area book mapping for a while and then went to dinner with a member! I learned so much from her while we shared a message on the spirit. I learn so much from everyone that we teach! 

• Our evening finished off with T! She is doing well :) I brought the Book of Mormon I made in college (where I wrote questions of the soul in the front and found the answers and marked/tabbed them) to show her how beneficial the book is in our lives today. She started going down the list of questions, answering them according to her knowledge, and then when she got to the question, "Does my infant need to be baptized?" She said, "oh I know this one! Absolutely!!" We just smiled and explained that we don't believe that's true. So we flipped to the answer in the Book of Mormon; Moroni 8:8-12 and even a couple verses after that, where it explains that baptism is for sinners. Repentance and baptism are for those who are accountable for their own sins, not for Adams transgression. It goes on to teach that little children are whole and not capable of committing sin, so if thy die before the age of accountability (8 yrs.) then they are golden :) 

• When we got home we found a note from the maintenance guy saying we had gotten our faucet replaced in our kitchen? Later the sisters explained that it started to gush out water and the kitchen flooded! hahaha remember everyone, adventures in the Aspen ;) 

On Friday I woke up feeling super sick, and felt like I was going to throw up all day. 

• Luckily it was weekly planning so we didn't have to go anywhere all afternoon! 

• In the evening we went to dinner with a member, but that made me more sick so we went home after so I could sleep for half an hour before we had a lesson. The enabling power of the atonement is so real. I had a prayer in my heart that I would be able to sleep off whatever bug I had, within that power nap, so that we could go teach our new investigators the message of the restored gospel! When I woke up I felt much better! 

• I could feel the Lords support as we went about the rest of that night, which was such a blessing because that lesson was so great!! When we got to their house, Dre opened the door and said with a big grin, "Oh hey, ya'll did come!!" :) he went and gathered his brother and friend (now a new investigator) to hear the message we had to share :) We asked if they had read from the Book of Mormon yet and Dre said, "Ya! I figured you gave me this for a reason, so I read a couple verses". Um, yeah! We totally did give you that for a reason! They all wanted us to text them a scripture every day, and then asked us to come back on Sunday to hear more. Two. Days. Later. 

• What if I stayed home that night?! What if I hadn't accessed the enabling power of the Atonement and just slept for the rest of the night?? Oh how good is Heavenly Father??! :) His hand is absolutely in our lives every single moment of every single day. I LOVE being a missionary :) Sister Jones was tickled :) It was so fun to experience that with her; she rocked it! She is doing so well :) 

• Sister Williams is one of the sisters we live with, and she woke up sick Saturday morning. It's gotta be the mold or something that's making us sick! Anyway, she stayed home all day so sister Jones and I took turns going on splits with Sister Kennedy, Sister William's companion, to cover the lessons they had set up. It was a good switch in routine, and gave Sister Jones more opportunities to teach! So that was awesome! :) I also think Heavenly Father needed us to be with them because all of our appointments for that day canceled. 

• I went out with her for the night and we went to dinner with a member, who lives with her brother, who has 4 kids ages 1, 5, 6, and 8 :) I wish we got our dinner conversation on video because we were crying laughing the whole time! 

Benson is the 5 year old, and he started talking about how he was married. He said he was 31 and his wife was 29. When asked what he liked about her, he said, "her cute little face!" :) hahah then we talked about ways we could be righteous. I asked if he was nice to his siblings and with the most straight face he said, "Yeah. But sometimes I want them dead". Everything that came out of this kids mouth was so funny because he's so little and we kept thinking, "Where did you come up with this?!" By the end of the night we were serenaded by little Benson singing "Let it Go". But not like a normal 5 year old would sing it; this kid had the riffs and level changes and everything! It was sooo cute :)

AND dinner itself was super good because we made our own pizzas, watermelon was the side (including yellow watermelon!), and for dessert we had a pazookie :) For those of you who don't know what that is, it's a chocolate chip cookie fresh out of the oven with vanilla ice cream on top. It's life-changing :) 

• After dinner we picked up a member and went to a lesson! But he wasn't home, 

• so we checked on a few others and they weren't home either! 

• Eventually it was time to head home, and then Sister Kennedy and I had a really cool spiritual experience. Earlier in the day we had taught N, one of her investigators. We taught about prayer and fasting. N is SO close to baptism but is, for lack of a better word, bipolar when it comes to commitment. We called him to tell him that he had a ride to church, but suddenly he didn't want to go anymore. Sister Kennedy, acting on the spirit, told him to kneel down, say a prayer, and open the Book of Mormon to a random scripture to see if it answers his question- should I go to church tomorrow? Bold, right? But even while she invited him to do that, I felt the spirit and knew that it wasn't her idea; it was Gods. He called us back to tell us the scripture he landed on- Alma 21:6 which talks about assembling ourselves together to worship God, and that its a righteous thing to do. If that's not an answer then I don't know what is! 

He still chose not to come, but we knew God had followed through and it was up to Nick to make the decision. Sometimes agency is frustrating haha Nonetheless, it was a good day :)

On Sunday we went to church, which is always good :) 

• The Relief Society- a women's organization, that happens to be the biggest one in the world, that teaches us how to become better wives, mothers, and daughters of God. As well as focusing helping on those in need- lesson was on happiness! It was such a good lesson!! I loved it :) 

• The rest of the day our appointments fell through so we just checked on potentials with a member all night! 

Sometimes the weeks are amazing, other times they are just alright, but that's life right? :)

 I'm grateful to be here!! I love my mission and my Father in Heaven :) I'm grateful for the love, support, emails, letters, pictures, and prayers on my behalf! My heart is continuously full :) 

Happy birthday to Erica, again :) And happy birthday to my Mama on Friday! :) I love you!! 

Love,
Sister Chandler

8 Months Out...Yep, I Love My Life!

My dearest family and friends, 

This week was a roller-coaster. It was full of multiple different emotions, but in all it was wonderful! I love my Savior with everything I have. I am truly, immensely grateful for the atonement and its application in my daily life, as well as the guidance of the Holy Ghost. My testimony of the love that God has for us grew exponentially this week; mostly this weekend! I have felt the spirit much more abundantly in my life this past week than I have for a long time. I'm not sure why, but I'm grateful for it :) 

I testify that God IS there and that He IS aware of you. 

So very aware of you :) I am so grateful to be on a mission!! I wouldn't trade this experience for anything :) Training is so much fun :) I absolutely love my companion :) 

Monday was pretty relaxed! We didn't do a whole lot until it was time to head out for the night! We had dinner with a member who is getting married soon, and we shared a message on aligning our will with the Fathers will. It was not the lesson we had planned and prepared, but as soon as we started talking, we knew what we needed to share. The spirit is the coolest :) After dinner we got a call from an elder in our zone saying he had a referral for us! I'm telling you.People keep dropping at our feet. Heavenly Father is so good to us! Then we went to check on a different referral, but she wasn't home. So we left a plan of salvation pamphlet and a note at her door, with our number in case she had any questions :) 

On the drive to and from different places that night, Sister Jones and I practiced street contacting people :) This means I would give a description of a person and situation and give her 5 seconds to approach me with more than, "Hi! How are you? :)" 

• The first scenario I gave was of a big, buff, African American with head phones in walking past her.  (because this is real life. We see them everywhere and they're the coolest people!)  She goes, "Hey! I have a question for you! ... Where'd you get.... Your shoes??" :) hahah I love Sister Jones :) 

The rest of the night we spent with an investigator, T, who we always seem to run into when she needs us most. We were actually at her apartment complex to check on a potential, but she walked her dog outside and as soon as she saw us she said, "Are you here to see me??" The hope in her sad eyes melted my heart. "We have all the time in the world for you, T. For the next hour :)" so we taught the plan of salvation and invited her to church! She's older than our ward, so we will have to pass her soon, but that will be sad for me because I genuinely love her so much. Oh well. Same team! 

Tuesday morning after studies we went to interviews with President Riggs! It's his last set of interviews with everyone before he leaves next month. It went so well! I am grateful for all he is and all he does. He is a fantastic mission president :) The rest of the day was so fun! 

• We went to a lesson with a member but it canceled, so we went to check on a potential who didn't answer the door. On our way out we said goodbye to the lady at the front desk of the apartment. Her name tag said, "Robbin", and just as we were about to push on the doors to leave, I turned around and asked, "Robbin, are you religious at all?" Turns out she was baptized a while ago, had her kids baptized, and then fell away. We had a good chat and shared a Mormon message with her :) sweet sweet lady :) 
• We then needed gas in our vehicle, so we got some. While we were at the gas station we talked to the guy on the other side of the pump, and as we drove away we rolled down our window to stop and talk to a guy on his bike :) I love doing this 24/7! It's the coolest :) 

Wednesday was so interesting. We went to drop Sister Jones off at a new missionary meeting from 9-1; while she was there, I went to district meeting with sister Todd (who was my MTC companion) :) that was fun! She let me borrow her ankle brace until I don't need it anymore!! Can anyone say blessing!? Inspired.

When that meeting was over, we went to pick our trainees up and go home. After 3 hours of studies, we went to dinner!! The lesson we shared during dinner with a member was so special. The spirit was so strong, and I was filled with gratitude for the gift of discernment. She needed the message we shared, and there is no way we would have known if it wasn't for the direction of the spirit in preparation for it. 

• Then we went to a lesson with another member! Here's where it gets weird, but so cool at the same time :) First of all, parking is impossible in Virginia. They tow everywhere, and the streets are full of cars, so you can only park on the street if you get lucky enough to find a spot. There wasn't a spot, so I just decided to brave it and park in a possible towing zone, just for a couple minutes while we went to see if this guy (George) was home. While walking to his apartment complex, we say hello to a couple guys hanging out on the street. Ky and Fr. They believe in God but then from there they have their individual beliefs. Ky has been surrounded with different beliefs his whole life, while frank doesn't really believe in anything. He thinks the bible stories and Jesus Christ are all just fairy tales. At first it seemed contentious and felt like if we stayed any longer talking to him, it would be pointless because it wouldn't go anywhere. Then I felt impressed to ask if they've ever wondered where they came from, or why they're here. Ky said, "I've always wondered what my purpose is! Why are we here? I always get stuck on that". Oh how I love my calling! :)) For whatever reason, Fr invited us all to go inside and learn more. We asked if they had a parking pass so we wouldn't get towed, but it turns out we had parked in the lot that Ky lives at! He said we wouldn't get towed, and if we did, he'd tell them we were cousins :) Ky is 6'3 and African American :) hahah That made me laugh :) 

• On the way we ran into some more of their friends, so we invited them to come, too :) one of them said, "Sisters! :)" another said, "my grandmother goes to your church! You're Mormon right? I went to church with her on Sunday!" Basically. All I'm thinking is.... What even is this!? #miraclesanyone??  So they came. We taught the plan of salvation. We bore testimony and invited them to pay attention to the feelings of their hearts as we taught. The spirit was strong :) we gave them pamphlets for the plan of salvation and before inviting them to read them, Ky said, "Thank you so much! I'm going to read this before I go to work!" These kind fellows walked us out to our car, and on the way frank told me that he had never trusted women because of what he grew up with. He said he knows he can trust us because of the look in our eyes :) He said, "I can see your loyalty when I look in your eyes. You're genuine, and when I shook all of your hands! You can tell a lot about a persons character in a hand shake. I trust and respect you. I want you to come back". I don't know if anything will come of this. All of them wanted our number (and wanted to know if I had a boyfriend :) hahah) BUT they seemed genuinely interested in the gospel as well :) I love being a missionary. 

Thursday was rough! We were inside a lot of the afternoon because we had studies and had to take an online survey for Sister Jones that we didn't even finish because it's so long. Also, I was exhausted! Mentally and physically. Training hurts my brain; I feel like the majority of the responsibility is on me (though I know we share it) and it consumes my head until I'm worn out. You know when you're so tired that your body is so weak and it's hard to find the energy to move? That's how I felt aaaaalllll stinking day! And we had zero success that night. But the lord blessed me with a tender mercy the next morning by turning my alarm off so we could sleep an extra half hour. Usually we wake up at 6 to have more time to exercise, and I am positive that I set my alarm!! But when I naturally woke up at 6:24 I noticed that my alarm was turned off! Weird. But I felt so much better! 

Friday was weekly planning... In the park :) remember my sunburn from a couple weeks ago?? Well my sweet companion currently suffers the same result of planning in the park :) I'm broken and she's a lobster! We look so good. ;)

• In the evening we went out to dinner with a member, and then cold stone was right next door so we HAD to stop there, of course. When we were satisfied we traveled to see some investigators. The GPS took us through an airport maze and basically we were completely lost for a solid 10 minutes. So stressful. Good thing I have a companion who knows how to laugh at everything and helps me find the humor in it all :) Once we got out of that mess, we followed the GPS to a potentials house. Turns out he lives in Maryland?! Ya. Whoops. We drove across the Potomac river (which meant we were officially outside of the mission boundaries). Sister Jones was crying laughing and I don't think I've ever been so stressed out in my life! THEN we went to see someone else and the GPS took us to the wrong address -_- at this point I'm ready to go home to bed, but it was one of those moments where you smile through it and think, "Ohhhh my gosh. What a day..." Because you can't do anything about it :) haha missions! They're the greatest! Needless to say, we didn't have much success that day either. 

However; I have been blessed with a companion who still has fire and who isn't mentally exhausted. She has new ideas, and her spirit hasn't been dulled by the rejections and trials that come with a mission. She had the idea to sit down at the end of every day and write the blessings that take place. On days like Thursday and Friday, this is a super good idea to help us see the good and remember to be thankful :)

My shoes decided to break! It's cool.
 I just pulled that metal thing out and they still work :)

Saturday was good! We had a lesson with an investigator and had a member with us. This investigator was found by sisters in November, so I had never met him, and he had some really good questions. He really wants to know how to feel that God is there, but he isn't patient enough to wait for an answer. He wants to know right now, and if he doesn't get it, he gives up. We taught him how to pray, and we taught the atonement to explain that he is understood; Christ knows how he feels and Heavenly Father is very aware of him. It was good! We have another lesson with him on Thursday and he's coming to church on Sunday! :) 

• When we got home we had a text asking us to teach gospel doctrine on Sunday (yesterday), so in addition to writing a talk (I was asked to speak on Sunday) we created a lesson plan. We also had to finish companionship inventory and the online survey for Sister Jones. Our Saturday was BUSY! But good :) We taught T that night, too which went well! T is my favorite :) We were talking about the Book of Mormon and reasons why I loved it; one of which was that it brought pure happiness in my life every day, and she said the most random, sweetest thing. I totally got teary eyed. She said, "You impressed me that first time we met. You just radiated something and I kept looking at you trying to figure it out". Heavenly Father is so good to me. Once again the man answered my prayers and then blessed me with a tender mercy moment. 

Sunday was a big day! I gave my talk in sacrament meeting, sister Jones and I taught gospel doctrine, and it was my 8 month mark :) 

• In preparation for my talk, I prayed fervently to be directed by the spirit so that I would prepare the things that the congregation needed to hear. I really only wanted to say what the Lord would have me say, and I prayed that the spirit would teach as I spoke. Afterward I received a handful of comments from people saying they needed to hear the message I shared (The topic was missionary work). Later in the evening a sister in our ward told me my talk inspired her so much that she posted a comment on Facebook inviting anyone to ask her questions about her religion, and it opened a couple really good conversations!

•  After church we ran into sisters in a different ward who are teaching J! (We taught him the restoration but had to pass him because he was too old for our ward). Anyway, they had just gotten out of a lesson with him and they said the coolest thing. They told us that he went to his catholic mass and after about 15 minutes he felt like he needed to come to our ward, so he did, and he said he needed to hear the talks that were given. What a testimony builder to me! I don't share these things to boast and let you know how awesome I am for preparing a talk that everyone needed. I share this with you because it strengthens my testimony to know that the lord hears our prayers. He works through us, and we are privileged to be tools in His hands if we so desire :) God is good :) 

For dinner we ate with a recent convert, her non-member fiancé, and mother in law who is also not of our faith :) The message we shared was on love and everyone was in tears. The mother in law said that us coming over was inspired because she needed our message. Again!! The Lord truly is amazing :) 

Today we had the opportunity to go to the temple!! :))) I haven't been to the temple for about 7.5 months; I was temple starving! We can only go once every 6 months and the last time I went was the first month I got to Virginia. I should have made a paper chain for that ;) All week I have been telling sister Jones, "Guess what we get to do on Monday?? :)))" My heart was and is overflowing with gratitude. I LOVE THIS GOSPEL!! It's true. I know it. I live it. I want everyone else to know it. So I'm on a mission :) 

I could keep writing, but if I do it would be repeated words of gratitude and genuine love for my Father in Heaven. So just know that I'm happier than I ever have been because of the Lord and the privilege that I have to be an instrument in His hands, and I'm grateful for your continuous prayers on my behalf :) I hope you can feel my passion in this email because I'm bursting over here just writing everything :) Have a good week!! 

I love you!! 

Sister Chandler 

6 Down and 12 To Go

Hello everyone! :)

My dad has an app that counts down the days until I get home (we're best friends) and he will occasionally update me on how many days are left. Today you won't need to update me, dad because I am very aware that I only have 367 days left as of today!! Bittersweet :)

I feel so blessed to be in a mission where so many historical sights are right around the corner. DC was so fun! We walked for a total of about 4 hours; we didn't sit for even a second, looking at all the monuments and memorials. 

'Twas a bit windy, but so warm! It wasn't even humid. 

Blessing :) 

We had no idea where we were most of the time, but by following maps and reading directions, we found a metro and hopped on right on time to make it back to our dinner appointment :) sister Morris had a migraine and then got sick to her stomach so bad that she was lying on the bathroom floor at the members home :( poor girl was so sick :( so we canceled our appointments for the night and went home. 

Thankfully she woke up on Tuesday feeling much much better! 

Prayer works :) 

After studies we went to Zone Training where we talked about families and discussed how to teach that topic. It was good :) I really love my zone. 

Pictures from the metro activity last week:

One of my zone leaders shared such a precious miracle from the metro contacting that I HAVE to share. It's too good not to. 

He saw a girl running up and down the street, so he started running with her asking if he could share a quick video with her. She frantically said she lost her phone and didn't have time for him, so he just gave her a card and continued contacting. A couple hours later she came back and stuck her phone in his face. She said, "do you know what this is??" He shook his head like umm no... She said, "it's an answer to my prayer. The minute after I saw you I felt impressed to say a prayer to find my phone, then I felt impressed to go to the CVS store where I was earlier this morning. As soon as I walked in it was right there sitting on the shelf in front of my eyes. What was that video you wanted to show me?" So he showed her and when it was over he looked up and she was crying. She embraced him saying, "you have no idea how much I needed that right now. I know that God needs me to meet you. Thank you" then she promised to let the missionaries in and listen to their message because she doesn't live in the area. SO COOL!!

Miracles happen when we show Heavenly Father we are serious :) 

After zone training we had lunch and sister Morris started packing up. We then went to dinner with a recent convert, where he secretly ordered sister Morris a birthday dessert because she turns the big 20 today! Of course I helped her eat it; it's my favorite! :) 

And THEN we went to check on people with a member which always brings miracles. We went to see F, a less active whom we haven't seen for the whole transfer because he is never home or available. But he was that night!! So we talked with him and shared the video. I felt impressed to ask if he prays; he doesn't. We talked about the importance of prayer and how it will bless his life. He committed to praying every night, and before we left we asked if we could leave him with a prayer. He pointed at me and said, "you say it?" So I pointed back at him and said, "you say it?? :)" so he did!! What?!? F prayed. In Spanish even :) the spirit was definitely present. I love being a missionary :) 

Also, we got transfer calls that night and Sister Morris is STAYING!!! What!?!? Surprise!! :) This is definitely rare for a couple reasons -->

1) she hasn't had a companion for more than one transfer since she's been on her mission
2) she's going to end up being here for 6 months
3) president Riggs doesn't keep missionaries in singles wards for more than 3 transfers; this is her 4th

Basically Heavenly Father must have big things planned for us, so we are going to work so hard! 

We are SO EXCITED!!! :))) The sisters we live with are also staying which is ALSO a surprise/miracle!! Dear goodness, we were so happy :) 

Breakfast on Wednesday was with a member, and then we had a lesson with a recent convert. After that a different member took us out to a late lunch (like 4pm) at a super good pizza place :) Then he told us about a really yummy place called "nice cream" because it's ice cream made with nitrogen! So good. 

Because we thought it would be sister Morris' last night here, we had a ton of member lessons set up for the night! Whoops :) oh well! 'Twasnt a bad thing! :) 

Nothing exciting happened on Thursday. We went to AFAC for an hour; it's always nice to wear pants :) oh. Except for the fact that I accidentally parked in the loading zone and got a minor ticket! 

Whoops! We were driving home and sister Morris goes, "What's that?".... Oh well. Could have been worse :) After dinner we taught a couple lessons with a member present so that was good! 

Friday was weekly planning which went well! New transfer = new goals :) we're pumped :)
We had a member come out with us all night and literally zero of the addresses we had existed. So weird. They were people that have met with the sisters before but some part of every address was incorrect. Oh well! It was still fun :) 

Saturday morning was the ward 5k!! :) The weather was GORGEOUS and so perfect for it! But the investigator that wanted to run it couldn't get work off, but don't you worry! I ran 3 miles in the morning anyway :) So I just helped flip pancakes for the breakfast :) it was so much fun!! I am officially a pro at flipping golden Bisquick pancakes :) 

Afterward we went home for studies and then to a lesson that fell through. It's okay; it happens! We then had a lesson with our recent convert on keeping the Sabbath day holy. I apologize for the unintentional neglect I've had in telling you his story!! It's too cool! 

Basically, long story short, he was hard core atheist and was dating a member. She introduced the Book of Mormon to him and he hated it! He didn't enjoy a single part of that book. He knew there wasn't a God, and he even read the Book of Mormon a second time; still hated it. BUT he went to church with his girlfriend because he liked her and church wasn't going to change his mind anyway. But his heart softened. Then they broke up, but he started investigating because president Riggs spoke at stake conference and talked about real intent :) He decided he did want to know if there really was a God, so he read the Book of Mormon for the third time and prayed about it. With real intent; sincerely desiring to know, and intending to act on the answer God gave him. 

He felt something :)

That something, my friends, is called the spirit of truth :) 

The Holy Ghost bearing witness that there indeed IS a God, that He indeed DOES love you, and that He indeed DOES have a true church on the earth, restored to its fullness. K only experienced this feeling because he sincerely sought for it. He really looked, he read the Book of Mormon, he prayed, and he received an answer. I know God is there and that He does answer our prayers :) 

The rest of the night we spent with a member because she fed us and gave us a TON of names of people that are less active. We learned a lot and received a lot of inspiration on how we can best hasten the work this transfer :) 

On Sunday we got a new bishopric and we are so excited! They're all so young! One of the counsellors is in his early 20's and has only been married for 2 years. The bishop is probably bishop Lister's age, as is his other counsellor. Our old bishopric didn't really work with us; in fact the missionaries weren't invited to PEC or other meetings we generally go to, and we only had ward council once a month. SO I'm thrilled to start working with this new bishopric and get the ball rolling :) They seem very missionary minded! 

The rest of church was good. Fasting was fun this week; president Eyring's talk shed a new light on fast offerings for sister Morris and I :) 

When we got out of a lesson with a less active that night, we saw that we had a couple missed calls and a voicemail. When we checked it, a man from San Diego told us about his friend who just moved out here. He said she is in our area, single (so she's in our ward), and he told us to go teach her :) I guess she asked him if non members could go to church (absolutely!!) so he jumped on finding the closest ward :) Miracles!! :) I am so thankful for a loving God :) 

Because it's a new transfer, we can go to DC again! It's also the peek for the cherry blossoms, and sister Morris' birthday, so we are going today with the sisters we live with :) The weather is gorgeous and I am humbly happy :) 

The Lord is taking such good care of me. 

Thank you for your prayers and emails! I do feel the constant love and support from all the way over there and I am grateful :) 

Have a most wonderful week!! :) 

Sister Chandler

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