Sunburns & Miracles

Hey hey family and friends :)

Everyone raves about the cherry blossoms every year. Apparently they're gorgeous and a MUST see. So we decided we MUST see them! As did the rest of the missionary world! I even got to see sister Lewis and spend some time with her and her companion for a bit :) Also, turns out the cherry blossoms aren't always pink!? They were pink last year, but this year they're 100% white! It definitely depends on where you go to see them; some places are a lot prettier than others :) 

Right around the Jefferson Memorial is a huge pond, and the trees line the entire thing, so that's where we went! 'Twas beautiful :) 

In the evening we had a lesson with a member which went SO GOOD! We asked if there was anyone she hadn't seen in a while and she gave us a list of people to see, then she told us to tell her when we go see them so she can come. I love the singles ward. We brought a member with us to check on people after that, and finally got to see a less active whom we have been trying to see for months! #membermiracles 

When we came home we walked in the door to a surprise! The sisters we live with bought a cake and a card with homemade streamers and sang happy birthday to sister Morris :) so we had a tiny bit of cake! And I had the weirdest dreams that night. Note to self: Sugar before bed is a bad idea.

Tuesday morning sister Morris and I had AWESOME studies!! Very spiritually filling/uplifting/motivating :) 

and THEN I got a package from my mama! Best day ever! { Thanks so much for those clothes!! I totally forgot I even had them :) The lotion smells SO. GOOD. it's my new favorite :) }

Also that morning our new bishop emailed us setting up a time to meet with all the ward missionaries (including ourselves) to see where we are at and see what he can do to help. He's the best! We are so excited :) We tried to go to a retirement home to do service in the afternoon, but the traffic was so bad because it was raining and Virginia doesn't know how to drive in weather other than sunny :) so we ended up having to go home to make it to dinner on time. 

In the evening we taught a lesson to a recent convert's friend!! He is from Bolivia and speaks Spanish. We taught the restoration. He doesn't believe in prophets but he believes Christ was one, and he doesn't pray! :( we taught the importance of prayer to him and he seemed soooo not interested. After we ended with a prayer I asked if he wanted to come to another lesson and he said yes!? He said he wants to come to every lesson we have with his recent convert friend! Miracles people! He was going to stay for institute but the language would be a barrier, so he left. That meant we couldn't stay for institute either, except for our awesome member who started texting like 10 non member friends to come so we could go haha :) and one did come! It was fun :) 

We had our first district meeting with our new district on Wednesday! We have a new district leader as well; he seems to have the "go get 'em" type personality which is so great! That meeting was so good. 

Then we came home for lunch and sister Morris had a fever!! She didn't want to not work though, so after I made her rest for at least half an hour, we went to AFAC to do service. It was so fun! :) There was a big bin filled with beans that we had to fill a small bag with, and then we had to stick that bag under a hot machine that sealed it shut! When we came home from that, I noticed my ctr ring was no longer on my finger :( After a thorough search, I came to the conclusion that it probably fell into the bean bin and is now on its way to someone in need with some beans... :( I'm super sad about it :(

When you're a missionary, people think it's pretty cool to experiment with dinners and make something they've never tried before when you come! Sometimes it turns out great! Sometimes it's alright, and sometimes it's a really bad idea. Luckily this time it was pretty good, and extremely filling :) 

We spent the evening following the guidance of the spirit whole heartedly so that we could be in the right place at the right time :) I strongly felt impressed to check on people down a certain street, so after a sincere, kneeling prayer, we went! The first person we checked on was in the middle of dinner and seemed a little irritated at first, but after we explained who we were and why we were there, she said kindly, "come back another day :) we'll talk :)". That could mean, 'come back so I can tell you why I think you're wrong' or a genuine 'come back because I want to hear what you have to say'. Either way, we'll take the gamble :) 

On our way to the car there was a gentleman across the street who seemed happy to see us. We walked over to talk to him; turns out sister Morris has actually met his mother once, and a couple family members (including himself) suffered from cancer. He has sat in on lessons before, from a distance, and explained that he wanted to "know who God is". He asked, "How do we know who He is??". The spirit was strong as we bore witness that we do know who He is, and that he can, too! He said, "Ya I know you know Him, I can tell!" :) we taught him a little before we gave him our number and a Book of Mormon, and he said he wants to come to church as well!

The spirit never leads you astray :)

Guess what happened on Thursday? I threw my neck out, so I couldn't turn my head to the right at all! I've only done this twice in my life, but I've had my wonderful chiropractor father at home to help me out! Not this time... So I borrowed my roommates massage pillow (yeah she totally has one) and spent a good amount of time on that thing trying to get the knots out. Then my knotted neck gave me a migraine, which then made me nauseous, so the afternoon was pretty slow. I think I was on that pillow for a good 2 hours; it helped a little! 

There was no way I was going to stay home all night though; I'd go nuts! So we went to check on a forever investigator with a member. Remember how miracles always happen when members are present?? Well this investigator's cousin was there! He was interested in coming to church and hearing our message! So we taught him a little bit on the doorstep and gave him our contact info :) 

Afterwards we dropped our member off at the church and headed to NOVA, a university that has multiple different campuses throughout northern Virginia, to contact people. It was SO FUN!! :)
Sister Morris and I started walking in the direction of a crowd of students that had just got off the bus. We had the option of walking straight into the group, or going to talk to a man off to the side standing alone. Sister Morris asked, "the group, or the guy?" Secretly preferring to talk to the less intimidating option, my feet kept walking towards the group, so with a lot of mustered up faith I said, "the group". Best. Decision. EVER. 

The closest person to us was an African American girl with the cutest afro I've ever seen! So I complimented her on it :) she said thank you and looked at our tags. Apparently she's met elders before and they said they were going to come teach her but never did! She was even going to come to church but they never told her where!! What?! Therefore, of course we gave her a card with all the information she needs, and she said she would call us the next day :) 

We talked to a couple other people after that but then it was time to go. Why have we never contacted at NOVA before?! We plan to make it a weekly thing :) it's so great because more often than not we contact into people who are either A) not in our area. B) not in the right age range for our ward. C) are married and/or have a family, or D) don't speak English. Here at NOVA most everyone we run into is single, within the right age range, speaks English, and is in our area. Heavenly Father is too good to us :) 

Friday was beautiful!! It was way too nice outside to stay inside while we planned! So after studies, sister Morris and I decided to go grab a smoothie and head to a gorgeous park for weekly planning :) That was probably the best weekly planning we've ever had! It was very productive and thorough. When we went home we realized that I was as red as a lobster! :( The sun must be a lot stronger here because I am burning like no other! Sister Morris pretty much bathed in sunscreen before we left because she burns super easy, but I don't, so I didn't bother. Bad idea. I'll attach the results of my agency :) To be fair, the other sisters burned pretty bad, too and we all lathered Aloe Vera almost every hour :) 

So while I just suffered the sting of my burning skin all day, we were going non stop from one thing to another! It was so great! We had a lesson with a member and then went to check on a less active. She kind of lives far away, but we both felt like it was a good idea so we went. She wasn't home, but there were a couple people outside smoking that we talked to and shared a message with! They said to come back :) so we will :) 

We also got a text saying that we would have an emergency zone meeting the next morning. Our roommates asked if there would be food provided, so then our apartment got that assignment. Cinnamon rolls and fruit :) 

The meeting was held for the purpose of introducing a huge plan for Father's Day. Our zone has come up with an idea to have all of our wards help with a massive BBQ in which ward members will invite friends and family to. It's a huge event that we plan on making annual and will be so great for finding, as well as member missionary work :) Our zone leaders are anticipating 600 people give or take, so it will be so fun :) 

The rest of our Saturday was pretty busy! We were doing one thing after another; went to lunch with our ward mission leader, brought a member out and got a new investigator (1 of 5 this week), taught a recent convert, met with a less active who wants us to text her a scripture every day, etc. it was so good!! :) Heavenly Father has placed SO MANY miracles at our feet the second we decided to do His will with 150% faith and a whole lot of diligence. We are so blessed. I love this work! :) I am happy :) 

Sunday morning began with a ward council meeting! Two words. SO. GOOD. Our new bishopric is the bomb! The whole ward suddenly has a new motivating vibe to get people back to church/missionary minded. It's the greatest blessing! Church was so good!! Dear goodness I love serving in a singles ward :) we ate dinner with a member which was basically a buffet. I can't even express how much food she made for the 3 of us, and she kept bringing out more food when I was pretty sure there wasn't anything else that she could make! But we were grateful to be overly full vs. starving :)

Our entire week was filled with miracles. We got 5 new investigators this week which is the first time that has happened since I've been a missionary. The work is hard in DC, but not impossible when you do ALL a you can do with ALL of your effort because the Lord will provide the rest. 

I have a truck load of faith in simply having faith! Does that make sense? I KNOW that when we have faith we truly CAN and will do all things if it be righteous and the Lords will. 

I am overwhelmed with love and gratitude for this gospel in my life. I know that if we are listening with an open heart and an open mind, the spirit does speak to us and leads us exactly where we need to be when we need to be there. We have our agency though; its up to us to choose whether or not we are going to listen. I recommend listening ;) because I've seen the miracles unfold out of the blue from doing so.

 love being a missionary.
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 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 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 14: Snow, Thumbs Up!, and Four Minutes

Happy Monday!! :))   This has been a LONG week!

THUMBS UP FOR THE SNOW!

On Monday sister Lewis and I went to get our nails done because it was our last P-day together and we wanted to. So while we sat there and enjoyed being pampered, we totally shared the gospel! The guy (yes, guy) doing my nails was Vietnamese, and it was hard to understand him, but for the most part I figured it out. I asked, "If I brought you a Book of Mormon would you read it?" I don't actually know what he said because I couldn't understand him, so I just said, "Great!! I'll bring one in your language next week!" :) That's what I'll be doing this week :) 

On Tuesday we ran to the gym like usual except it had SNOWED (for real this time)!! I was so excited!! :) People are hilarious over here when it comes to snow. Sister Lewis and I come from Utah and Idaho. We are used to snow, but people here are from all over the world so not everyone knows how to handle it. As we were cruising down the road, there were so many people going literally 5mph. A couple of cars just stopped and people got out and walked!! hahah

Wednesday was full of saying goodbye to members and packing, because Thursday was transfers. I learned so much from Sister Lewis and we truly became best friends in the mission. I will miss her SO much! But I know I can't progress if I stick with the same person the whole time :)

This lady is one of our investigators whom we love dearly.

<< MY NEW COMPANION >>

Are you ready?? ;) We went from Sister Lewis, to Sister Liu! (Lew) :) She comes from the land of Taiwan where the people are many and the Wendy's fast food restaurants are none. She is 22, and SO AWESOME!! She is such a great missionary and I have already learned a lot from her :) This will be a successful, fun, hard transfer but we are so ready to take it on! :) PS: Yes mother, I am now driving.   

My Asian companion that I'm pretty excited about :)... and I definitely crocheted that scarf!!

On Friday we helped a member pack up her home because she is moving, and I learned how to fold a fitted bed sheet because those are tricky, so that was cool!! We also ran to the gym that morning and found that it was CLOSED!?! Ya. What? So we ran back, and it was closed the next day, too, but it's open now :) We found someone new to teach!! Finally! Sister Liu and I are going to tract on purpose this week because our teaching pool is diminishing :( 

Okay. Now, I'll tell you about one of my favorite talks from conference last year. 

During my studies this week I came across a talk given by Bishop Gary E. Stevenson in conference of April last year. Many of you may remember it! It's entitled, "Your Four Minutes". In this talk he describes three LDS Olympic medalists, of which, I'd like to expand on two. 

• The first one he mentions is Noelle Pikus-Pace who competed in an event called the skeleton. He described the event as athletes building, "momentum as they sprint and then plunge headfirst on a small sled. With their faces inches above the ground, they race down a winding, icy track at speeds that top 90 miles (145 km) an hour". Bishop Stevenson goes on to teach us that Noelle spent an enormous amount of time, years even, to prepare for the four minutes she had to get it right. After the race was over she would have her whole life to look back on that short amount of time that she had to perform her best.

• Torah Bright is an LDS Olympic half pipe snowboarder who won a silver medal after a flawless run. This story sticks out to me because she, "noticed that American snowboarder Kelly Clark, who had a bad first run in her final round, appeared to be nervous about her second run. 'She gave me a hug,' Clark recalls. 'She just held me until I actually calmed down enough and I slowed my breathing. It was good to have a hug from a friend.'” When questioned because of this Christ-like act, Torah responded with, "I am a competitor--I want to do my best--but I want my fellow competitors to do their best, too.”

These two stories reminded me of dance competitions. From November to March we practice, perform, and compete routines to prepare ourselves for the final State competition. Each dance is about a minute and a half, so when we are standing on the sidelines waiting to walk on the floor to compete, all that races through my mind is, "I can do this! We can do this. We have prepared and worked so hard all season for this moment right now". And then there is always that silent prayer that nobody messes up ;)

In my case, I only had a minute and a half to perform to my best ability in hopes of it being enough to take that state banner home. After the music stopped, we would walk off the floor exhausted from giving our all, and now I have forever and a half to look back on that performance. (In case you're wondering, we did take that banner home. Twice! And I'm humble about it ;)) 

Behind the scenes of a dance competition, I always made sure to compliment other teams on their costumes and performance, as well as wishing them luck before they competed. I, like Torah Bright, wanted to do my best, but I wanted my fellow competitors to do their best, too. 

Now is the time. Before we were born on this earth, we lived with our father in heaven. He presented His plan to us and we prepared to come to this life. NOW is our "four minutes" to "perform" to the best of our ability. To be our best selves, to serve others, to strengthen our relationship with Christ, etc. We will have eternity to look back and remember how we did. I don't know about you, but I want to be exhausted from working so hard and giving my all to be my best self by the end of my four minutes. :) 

The post office is close to my apartment
 and at night the trucks are all parked together.
 It was a pretty great sight because
 I LOVE mail!!! :)

• In the Book of Mormon {Alma 12: 24} we read, "... Therefore this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God..." And that's exactly what life is! 

I am beyond grateful to know that I have a literal Father in Heaven who loves me, and who helps me throughout this life so that I am able to live with Him again. He wants ALL of His children to return to Him. I know my savior lives, and loves me. I'm grateful to be a tool in the Lord's hands 24/7! I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God and it's the perfect cheat sheet to "performing" our best during this "four minutes" of life. I invite you to read it. Study it. Pray about it! In that sacred book you will find peace, joy, hope, and comfort :)

{{ I  A M  S O  G R A T E F U L  F O R  T H E  G O S P E L  O F  J E S U S  C H R I S T }}

Thank you X10 for the support, love, and prayers!! 

Love, Sister Kailey Chandler 

Week 13: Happy New Year!

Hello, Hello! 

Earlier this week we had a family history training. It was neat to see how much work needs to be done in my family, and how much it's becoming apart of missionary work!! 

During district meeting we had a lesson on unity and we had to make a paper airplane as a companionship. We then flew them in the gym and I'm happy to report that ours won.  I definitely had an elder walk me through the folding of the paper though because I am not trained in this technique.

A lady in my ward crocheted me a blanket!! It's big, and warm, and I love it :)  I forgot to take a picture of it though.. Sorry :/ maybe next week :) 

Funny story! Sister Lewis and I taught an investigator, E, this week. We taught her the word of wisdom, which basically teaches us how to take care of our bodies. To avoid harmful or addictive substances and to exercise and eat healthy. As soon as we got done teaching her she stood up and said, "Do you want some coffee?? :)" hahah E is slightly mentally unstable so it was more funny than anything, but we are working on it :) 

                                                     << N E W  Y E A R S>> 

On Wednesday evening we got together with our zone to eat tons of junk food, (just what I need) and watch two G rated movies! After multiple votes, we decided to watch Over The Hedge and How to Train Your Dragon 2. Over the hedge was not my favorite but it was okay. How to train your dragon 2 was SO CUTE!!! Such a good movie! I've never seen it so that was fun :) 

The next day, Sister Lewis went on an exchange with one of our sister training leaders and the other one, sister Anderson, came to Centreville with me. This day was SO FUN!! Sister Anderson served in Centreville when she first got to her mission. It was her second area, so I made sure we had a handful of members for her to visit. We taught a lesson at each one, too so that was a good day for member lessons! She and I are a LOT alike. She also giggles... I repeat... Giggles, not laughs, at everything! hahah it was so much fun and I learned a lot from her! She's a hard worker and helped me focus while still being normal :) 

Yesterday Sister Lewis and I taught school for the 14-16 year-old kids. The topic was on how to recognize the Holy Ghost and how he speaks to you personally. This week during my studies I read a talk given by Elder Richard G. Scott in the April 2012 conference entitled, "How to obtain revelation and inspiration for your personal life". He defined the difference between revelation and inspiration; revelation being crisp, clear and essential, while inspiration is a series of promptings we often have to guide us step by step. He then gave a few points on how to receive revelation! Here are a handful of some that I liked :) 

{I know it's a lot but read them!! 

Each one is key to receiving personal revelation!} 

• There are some practical principles that enhance revelation. First, yielding to emotions must be eliminated (anger, hurt, defensiveness). They drive away the Holy Ghost and our chance to receive revelation is slight.
• Exaggeration in the things we say is an enemy to revelation.
• Spiritual communication can be enhanced by good health practices. Exercise, reasonable amounts of sleep, and good eating habits increase our capacity to receive and understand revelation.
• It is important that our daily activities do not distract from the spirit:
  ***I love music, and I would always listen to it in the car whenever I was driving somewhere. I found, at times, that the song on the radio wasn't necessarily the best lyrically, but it had a good beat so I kept listening to it. Little did I know, every time that happened I was allowing the spirit to leave! And the spirit isn't like a light switch. I can't flip him on when I want/need him and then listen to whatever I want when I don't think I need him. We need to be living our lives in such a way that we can take a selfie at any minute and think to ourselves, "in this moment I was doing something that I would do if the Lord was standing beside me".***

• Revelation can also be given in a dream when there is an almost imperceptible transition from sleep to wakefulness. If you strive to capture the content immediately, you can record great detail, but otherwise it fades rapidly. Inspired communication in the night is generally accompanied by a sacred feeling for the entire experience.
• Inspiration carefully recorded shows God that His communications are sacred to us. Recording will also enhance our ability to recall revelation: ***always write down inspiration! I find that when I do this, I notice how often Heavenly Father really does speak to me.***

• One must be ever mentally and physically clean and have purity of intent so that the Lord can inspire. One who is obedient to His commandments is trusted of the Lord.
• For spirituality to grow stronger and more available, it must be planted in a righteous environment. Haughtiness, pride, and conceit are like stony ground that will never produce spiritual fruit. Humility is a fertile soil where spirituality grows and produces the fruit of inspiration to know what to do.
• An individual who is arrogant or who lets his or her emotions influence decisions will not be powerfully led by the Spirit.

{And then a couple more that I really loved!}

•  Sometimes we unwisely try to face life by depending on our own experience and capacity. It is much wiser for us to seek through prayer and divine inspiration to know what to do.
• If you feel that God has not answered your prayers...then carefully look for evidence in your own life that He may have already answered you.
• That guidance in your life does not take away your agency. You can make the decisions you choose to make. But remember, the disposition to do right brings peace of mind and happiness.
• As you continue to live righteously, you will always be prompted to know what to do. Sometimes the discovery of what action to take may require significant effort and trust on your part. Yet you will be prompted to know what to do as you meet the conditions for such divine guidance in your life, namely, obedience to the commandments of the Lord, trust in His divine plan of happiness, and the avoidance of anything that is contrary to it.

We receive help from our Father in Heaven in response to our faith, obedience, and the proper use of agency.

{Challenge to my family and members of the church}

For this new year, create a family mission plan! Each month do at least one thing that will help build the kingdom of God. For example, in January decide that you're going to write your testimony in a Book of Mormon and give it to a friend. In February invite a nonmember to church. In March, invite someone over to your home for FHE with

the missionaries. In April find a service project to do as a family. Etc.  This is the invitation we are giving the members in our ward, and I know as we come together to build the kingdom of our beloved Father in Heaven, miracles will take place :) Not only that, but relationships within your family and with your Heavenly Father will be strengthened! Bonus! :) 

I am so thankful to know that God has a plan for me, and he doesn't leave me alone to make decisions. He provides me with direction given by the Holy Ghost, and all I need to do is listen and act. Our Father in Heaven can see far more than what we can, so trust Him! Even if it's a prompting as simple as taking a different way home from school or work; DO IT.

I'm grateful for all of my many many blessings! :) Have a most wonderful week! :)

<< I   L o v e   B e i n g   A   M i s s i o n a r y >> 

Sister Kailey Chandler 

Week 10: Paper chains, parties, and patience

Hello!! :) 

Wow I had such a good week!! I'll do my best to recap :) 

C has decided to be baptized on the 27th! So we made her a paper chain count down with scriptures and quotes written on them :) she is going through a lot of struggle right now and if you could keep her in your prayers, that would be so great! My sister got me hooked on the paper chain idea after I made one to count down to my mission, so sister Lewis and I made one for Christmas :) it's almost here!!!! :))

We taught the lesson on Sunday and it went so well! The spirit was really strong, and I learned a lot while preparing for it! My mom was blessed with the gift of teaching; she is such a good teacher, especially when it comes to the gospel. I am discovering my own love for teaching as I am out here :) the spirit has been so strong for me this week and I think it's because I am applying the following principles in my life: 

On a mission you are encouraged to set goals, and do all you can to accomplish them. Goals that are set for both personal reasons and as a companionship. During the Christmas party this week, we had a member of the 70 come speak, and stressed the blessings that come from doing ALL you can do and trusting God to do the rest. In high school I really stuck to this, and out here on a mission it brings that phrase to a whole other level! In the Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 25:23 tells us that, "... We know that it is by grace that we are saved AFTER ALL WE CAN DO". 

Sister Lewis and I set a goal to talk to everyone we see. Everyone! So we do! We talk to the people behind us in line at the post office, or at target. We talk to the guy smoking on his porch, and the lady in the computer room in our complex.

We never know what will come of it, if anything at all, but we know that God will bless us with finding someone who wants to hear the gospel after we do ALL we can do; after we do our part.

This can apply in anything! Whether it's studying for a test, practicing your tail off for a basketball game, memorizing a speech, running 2.6 miles, etc. as long as you do your part the best you can, Heavenly Father WILL take care of the rest :) BUT you have to ask for help, and have faith that He will help you. I testify that he will :) 

There were a couple other phrases that were said that day that I want to share:

"God has all power over us, yet still lets us choose"

This is so special to me! I was blessed with parents that gave me guidelines, but still let me figure things out on my own. Our Heavenly Father is the same way! He gives us scriptures, prophets, prayer, and church leaders (as well as parents) to guide us throughout this earthly life, but still lets us choose the path we take, and lets us figure things out. 

"Fear and faith cannot dwell in the same heart" 

As a missionary, you can't have 100% faith that you're going to find someone while knocking doors if you're too scared to approach people and knock doors! 

"All the blessings of the Lord are yours if you call upon him, and you CAN call upon Him". 

Not everyone in the world has the same gifts. I wish I could sing like my sweet companion, but.. No such luck. Something I've always wanted to try was softball! But I'm sort of scared of the ball, and for some reason I can't seem to ever hit it with the bat, so that talent skipped me. We all wish we were more patient, or loving, or motivated, or this, or that, but guess what?? Something I've learned while being on my mission is that you can ask Heavenly Father for these gifts and you can receive them! Like mentioned before, you have to work at it and try your best, but God will always help you out :) This week I invite you to put your trust in God while making any decision! Test it out! You will find just how much you really can do with the Lords help :) 

On Tuesday we had the usual district meeting, but we practice-taught and focused on teaching with the power of the Holy Ghost. I had SUCH a good experience!! I taught boldly but with love, and it was to another missionary but it was SO effective! Loved it. 

Earlier this week when sister Lewis and I came back from the gym, it was so cold outside that the stairs to our apartment had a nice slippery sheet of ice covering them, but we didn't know that until we stepped on them and slipped into each other. I got a cute bruise on my ankle for a few days :P oh my! And sister Lewis is a beast! An elder in our district can break an apple perfectly in half with his hands, so she tried it and after about 5 minutes she did it! I was impressed :) 

Another thing that impressed me was the fact that I ran 2.6 miles one morning!! I haven't done that since college this summer, so I was feeling great!

And then I got a package from my mom full of fudge and my favorite Italian cookies EVER!!! So much for running :) haha I LOVED this package!! Thank you to everyone who wrote me a Christmas card!! That made my day, and the stocking!!? Where on earth did you find such an adorable stocking, mother?!? SO cute!! :) I hung up my garland and stocking above my bed. Our apartment is looking more and more like Christmas every week!! 

On Friday we had a mission Christmas party!! :) this was so fun! All 250 missionaries got together and had a talent show in the beginning. But it wasn't a cheesy talent show at all! The people in my mission are sooo talented!! Oh it was so much fun :) we had good food and goodies served to us, and a wonderful spiritual message. I'll share it later :) 

Every year president Riggs likes to make a "yearbook" for the mission so that people can find someone they were attracted to when they go home. President likes to play match maker, but tells you to lock your heart while you're here. He is funny, but the point to this is that you know how it's extremely rare for anyone to take a decent yearbook picture?? Ya. Same goes for this mission yearbook picture! Sister Lewis and I look like we just woke up... From the dead. hahaha good thing everyone else does too ;) 

I love being a missionary. I love my family and I am so grateful for the knowledge that I have that families can be sealed together for time and eternity. I know my savior lives, and I need Him EVERY. HOUR. of every day. 

I hope you have a fantastic week!! Merry Christmas!!! :) 

Sister Chandler 

Pictures: 

The first one is all the places that people that I've met/taught come from. 

The second is a picture with all those important people when they pushed the button at the temple to turn the lights on. (From left to right: mr. And mrs. Marriott- the guy who owns the hotels, yours truly ;), the member of the 70 that spoke, I don't have a clue who that girl is.. Maybe his wife?, ambassador of Bulgaria and her husband, then just people in my ward, including sister Lewis) 

And then the typical selfie for the week!