Incredible

Friends, Family, Strangers... Hello! :)

Have I ever mentioned how amazing it is to serve a mission?? 

My heart is LOADED with gratitude for the work and this experience in total :) Sister Donato and I are working our tails off, seeing a lot of less actives and part member families, as well as our investigators. I thought training was exhausting, but being a Sister Training Leader is even more so! But it's a good exhaustion and I don't ever want it to end :) 

Monday was Pday, and quite relaxing! 

• We took a 2 hour nap because the late night baseball game was still taking a toll on our bodies. Much needed! :) 
• we had a member come out with us to check on some people; we ran into a couple investigators whom the sisters haven't seen in a while, and made appointments with them for later in the week. 
• THEN, we ended the night with a part-member family. Ready for the coolest story ever? 

Two seconds before we knocked on the door, the father of the home had just gotten the mail. By the time we got up to the door to knock, it flew open and a big envelope was launched into our faces as a giddy parent exclaimed, "Is this what it looks like?!" The oldest son of the family was currently out of state, but his mission call had arrived! The dad isn't a member, so he asked us tons of questions regarding a mission. We were able to testify of the blessings that come to both the missionary, and the missionary's family while one is in the field. It was... adorable, really :) to see the countless number of emotions run through these parents. It's a big deal for them! They don't really come to church a whole lot, so it was super fun to witness and experience with them :) They invited us over for dinner this coming week :)

Tuesday morning we went to MLC (Mission Leadership Conference). 

• It's a conference held once or twice a transfer with president huntsman and the leadership of the mission; zone leaders, district leaders, and sister training leaders. We spent a good amount of time discussing changes to be made regarding transfer meeting, and even the length of a transfer. Currently a transfer is 6 weeks long, but President Huntsman opened discussion on the topic because his handbook mentions having 6-8 month transfers. Eek! We made a good chunk of changes for transfer meetings, but the length of a transfer is still 6 weeks as of right now. It will probably change. 
• After lunch we received some spiritual, enlightening edification and the spirit was so strong. Later in the day we taught English to a woman who escaped Isis!! Yeah. Super cool. She showed us scars from her escape. We love her :) for exercise every day, she does the hula-hoop :) 
• We also visited with a sister in our ward who lives with her inactive daughter and her family. We shared a message and were invited over for dinner with all of them this coming week. 
• When we were walking to our car, we stopped a guy who was in the middle of an evening run. I felt a little bad, because I personally hate when I have to completely stop in the middle of my momentum, but at the same time I didn't feel bad because the gospel provides lasting happiness while running is only temporary happiness ;) While testifying of modern day prophets, a couple members of our ward happened to be walking their dog right by us! So they stopped, bore testimony as well, and kept on walking. How stinking cool is that?? Heavenly fathers hand is in ALL things :) 

Wednesday was jam packed!

• We had district meeting,
• and then after lunch we went to help a less active move out of his house. 
• When we were done there, we went to a women's shelter where we volunteer weekly. The project they had for us was to organize a closet full of school supplies! It wasn't until that moment that I realized how much I truly am my mothers daughter; I found an immense amount of satisfaction and joy in organizing! It was therapeutic! :) 
• when we finished it was time for dinner. The day just flew by! Our evening was packed full of lessons with recent converts, less actives, and members. The spirit was so strong in each lesson, and it was amazing to hear the testimonies of the individuals that we met with. 

Each time I teach, I learn that much more and I can literally feel my testimony being strengthened :) 

Thursday morning we went to a meeting with our zone leaders and district leaders to plan some major events taking place this transfer. 

• Our zone leaders are stellar! I love working with them because they are on their A-game, always trying to be creative and productive, and their focus is on unifying the members and missionaries. We talked about how we can help members strengthen their conversion and testimonies of the Atonement, because it's at that moment that the gospel becomes something one strongly desires to share. We have a lot of fun things planned and I'm excited to write about them when they draw closer :) 
• We had a couple lessons in the afternoon, and taught English to our middle eastern friend again :) we will call her A :) 
• Our bishop gave us a couple people to check on, so we started with P! He didn't answer the door until after the second time we knocked, and when he did open it he didn't seem super happy. We told him we were new to the ward and our intention was simply to become better acquainted with the members. He was definitely closed off and hard hearted for the first 5 minutes, but eventually he softened up. So much so that he decided to step outside to sit on the porch and talk to us! But before that, he pulled a gun out of his backside and set it on the table inside. Apparently he doesn't get many visitors, so when we knocked twice he got suspicious. His interest in the church is nonexistent; he doesn't want anything to do with God or church, but he is so bored most of the time so he enjoys going to social events that the church puts together. We are going to make him cookies and bring them over tomorrow. He needs friends. And God :) 
• After meeting P, we went to a lesson with a less active and her children who are all over the age of 8 and not baptized yet! One of the daughters is 13 and asked the sisters when she could be baptized; we are waiting for the mothers approval :) so we taught the gospel of Jesus Christ! We had the relief society president with us, and the spirit touched all who were present. This family is coming back into activity, and it's so neat to see the blessings they encounter as they do so :) please keep J and her family in your prayers! They are progressing and hopefully we will be able to assist her daughter to the waters of baptism soon! 

Usually Friday's are pretty relaxed because it's weekly planning, 

• So we stay home all afternoon in our most comfy dresses and sit on the couch while we plan the up coming week! However, this Friday was not so relaxing. We were going going going from lesson to lesson with members and less active members, so by the time we got home to breath, we had about an hour and a half to plan. Which is totally fine! :) 
• After dinner we checked on some referrals and then had a lesson with our investigator, C. We had the lesson in a member's home, and it went SO great! C mentioned again that he can't stop thinking about our discussions, and he knows the spirit keeps strongly prompting him to continue to meet with us. He still thinks it's because he needs to convert us, but we are getting there :) Sister Donato taught a brother in another area who had the same motives, but eventually softened up and found the truth for himself! He was baptized and is now the strongest member of that ward, so, there is hope :) 
• Anyway, we answered a ton of questions that he had about the Book of Mormon and baptism. He said he finds a lot of red flags while reading the Book of Mormon because they contradict what he understands to be true from the bible. He apologized for asking so many questions, but we explained that the gospel is designed for us to question! 

Questioning is a GOOD thing because Heavenly Father wants us to truly seek Him out! He wants us to FIND the truth, and that comes from asking questions :) 

• Lessons with Craig are my favorite. They are challenging because I'm not a scholar in history, and I don't know the exact everything about the gospel, but I learn SO much from our discussions. My testimony is strengthened every time we meet, and it's never a contentious environment. Both parties are respectful and try to understand one another's point of view, which makes for a wonderful learning environment! :) he keeps all of his commitments, so he is progressing :) I truly have a gigantic amount of charity for that guy. That's just something I've been blessed with on my mission; an immediate genuine love for people we simply say, "Hello" to. 

Saturday morning we went to our Bishops house for the weekly breakfast and correlation with him! 

• His wife makes a big breakfast; this week it was French toast with fresh, orchard picked peaches :)
• when we finished updating him on the work, we went home to study and weekly plan! I am so grateful for my companion! I have been incredibly blessed with each and every one of my companions. I was pondering that thought earlier in the week and came to this realization: on my mission I have recognized my weaknesses. We all do. But I have been praying for help to develop the Christ like attributes that I lack, and I notice that in every single one of my companionships so far, my companion possesses every quality that I lack. In turn, I recognize that I possess every quality that she (all of my companions) lack. Throughout my entire mission thus far, Heavenly Father has stuck someone with me who balances me out, and teaches me by example how to develop the qualities that I so badly desire to cultivate. Heavenly Father is so smart ;) It's taken me 11 months plus to figure out how to develop those qualities, but hey, some of us are slow learners and we do have eternity to master them ;) 
• For dinner a recent convert took us out to a restaurant called BJ's. It's a lot like T.G.I Friday's and Texas Road house; yummmm :) this sister who took us has a very small testimony of the Book of Mormon, and she doesn't agree with a few principles taught in the gospel, but she holds on to what she does know which is what matters most :) this is the same sister who lost her dog last week, so she is slightly depressed :/ we are going to see her again this coming week :) The rest of our evening was spent checking on referrals. It was successful in that we did everything we could/were supposed to do. 

On Sunday morning the YSA committee had a breakfast that we went to so we could get to know the YSA in our ward. There are like... 3 :) haha but it was fun! 

• Then we went to church and it was so good! When we walked into the chapel I saw the father of a family who I ADORED in centreville, my first area. He shook sister Donato's hand and looked for my name on my name tag without even looking up at my face! My hair was covering it though, so while shaking my hand and searching for my name, he looked up with a big surprise on his face and I just bursted inside with so much joy! I love love love his family. We talked for a bit and caught up. I met them almost a year ago! It's crazy how time flies. 
• We had 2 investigators at church and 3 less actives! It was so great! :) 
• We had dinner with 2 member families in one home, and didn't get out of there for a while because there was so much going on. Even while sharing our message, people (including the adults) were talking over us. Super weird and disrespectful. We left as soon as we could and checked on a couple people before we went home. 
• Just as we were climbing in bed, we received a text from our bishop saying he invited a less active/part member family to his home for FHE tonight and asked us to come share a message for the lesson portion! What a rock star :) 2 members of that family are our investigators :) 

Something I've been learning recently is living in the moment. On a mission it is inevitably easy to reflect back to your past, or day dream ahead into your possible future. Sister Donato only has a couple months left on her mission, and one of her goals is to truly live in the moment. As her companion it's my job to help her in any way that I can to accomplish that goal! So I've been trying to do that as well, and not talk about anything back home or anything in the possible future. It's helped me see the joy that I do have right now, and I appreciate every small moment of every day so much more. Duh, right? :) I've developed a testimony of the importance of living in the moment; if you find that you reflect or day dream of future possibilities a lot more often than you live in the moment, you should try it some time :) 

Thank you so much for the emails, letters, pictures, and prayers. I am full of gratitude for, well, everything :) have a superb week! 

Oh, one other thing that I find super amusing: my companion's first name is legitimately, "Princess". I guess it's a common name in the Philippines, like the name, "Sara" is common in America! 

Remember who you are. Remember why you're here. Stay classy. Love you :) 

Sister Chandler

Ps. I have a solid ZERO pictures from this week. We didn't take any because we were so stinking busy! Maybe next week :) sorry, mom :/

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 18: Blessings, Blessings, Blessings

Hello! :)

I apologize (mostly to my mother) for the lack of words sent home the past couple weeks! I know it's like a drought in a desert, so I'll do my best to quench your thirst today :)

This week was proof that miracles happen when we endure and press forward with faith. It started off with L on Monday. L was the referral from head quarters a little over a month ago who asked for a bible. This was with sister Lewis, and we were never able to catch her at a good time. We would set up appointments but something would come up. Nevertheless, we persisted!! :) 

Finally, we brought a member with us and the appointment followed through. L is a mother of 4 or 5 little kids with a military husband who won't be home until summer. She has been through a lot of terrible things... You name it, she's experienced it. SHE NEEDS THIS GOSPEL!! Everyone does, but she REALLY does. 

She said she got so desperate for help that she heard a guy on the radio say he would pray for her, so she payed him X amount of money for him to pray for her per month. My heart broke. THEN she
said that someone told her that God is too busy to hear her problems so she doesn't ask for anything in her prayers!! Dear goodness! I'm pretty much crying inside for this woman! 

Because of her questions and concerns, the lesson didn't follow a super smooth outline. It was choppy on topics but met her needs and the spirit was strong. She accepted the baptismal invite, but doesn't have a date yet because meeting with her is near impossible due to her schedule. We are shooting for the beginning of March though! Please keep her in your prayers! She is depressed and just really needs to have the time to hear the lessons. I know it will bless her life immensely. Also, she is dying to go to church!! But couldn't make it yesterday because a mechanic was working on her car and she had to be home to pay him, but she is trying! Gah I have so much love and compassion towards her! It's a blessing and a curse ;) 

We met with C on Tuesday and her husband had his last interview with the bishop yesterday so we see her tomorrow and hopefully can set a date! :) it's been a looonnnggg process but worth it! She is so ready and anxious to be dunked :)

**When you have a minute, look up this talk on YouTube, "True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior" by Todd B. Parker. It's way cool :)

Wednesday and Thursday were FULL of service!! We helped a sister in our ward clean her empty house that she is moving from. So like the baseboards, windows, bathrooms, floors, doors, cupboards, etc. it was fun! :) 

There was only one way to fit in this small space to wash the baseboards.

The weather is like spring here so I didn't even need a jacket most of the week! Even this morning running to and from the gym was pretty warm! :) 

Ohhhh funny story! So the hermanas we live with have had the flu all week, but we made sure to be out of the house as much as possible so we didn't get sick! I decided to fast for an investigator yesterday and felt sort of sick but just thought it was because I hadn't eaten anything all day. Turns out I worked through a fever all day! Whoops! I'm good now though :) 

Sister Liu and I are doing pretty good. We are really good at companion inventory and the weeks have been going a lot smoother than the first couple. I know that I needed her as my companion though because she has taught me so many things, and I have been quite humbled throughout this transfer, which is good :) I do love and appreciate her so much despite the challenges :) transfers are on the 19th of this month, so next week. Just a heads up, and I'm most likely leaving. I'll find out for sure in a week. 

This week we taught a super cool lesson that was definitely inspired! Matthew in chapter 14:24-31 talks about when Peter walked on water. My favorite word EVER in all those verses is, "immediately". Jesus stretched forth His hand IMMEDIATELY. He always does! Now when you think about your testimony and where you are in your conversion (which is a life long process), use this analogy: 

We have Peter in the boat, not really going anywhere. Then there is Peter walking on water, DOING SOMETHING in faith to get to where he wants to go, and finally we have sinking Peter, which we all experience at times. 

In your process of conversion, what area can be strengthened? Which Peter are you? How can you improve? No matter which Peter you are, Christ has his hand reaching towards you with a smile on His face. So reach back and take advantage of His help! I attached a picture that is my all time favorite and represents this really well :) 

I know that having a testimony is so important, and it's by experience that we gain one! A strengthened testimony leads to conversion which is the ultimate goal, yet like I said before, it's a life long process. 

I know my savior loves me, as does my Father in Heaven. I am beyond grateful for His hand in my life and for the knowledge that I have of the gospel. Truly I don't know where I'd be without it! Everyone needs it, even if they don't think they do :) which is why we persist! 

I am so grateful to be on a mission! There is nothing I'd rather be doing with my life at this point in time. The gospel blesses families! I am thankful to know that I get to be with mine forever :)
I hope you had a week as good as mine!! 

Happy Valentines Day (on Saturday) <3
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 12: Christmas Week

Hola friends and familia!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Love,
Sister Chandler 

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

Week 8: Turkeys, Snow, & Yarn

Happy (late) Thanksgiving. I had such a good week!

Last Monday we walked past a man who was sitting in his car with the window rolled down, so we said hi and asked how he was doing. We started talking, and then he asked if we had a card! He said we'd be hearing from him after Thanksgiving week so cross your fingers that that means this week! :) 

Later that night we taught a family home evening lesson with a family of 8 kids. We taught being thankful during trials and based it off of the story when Nephi's older brothers tie him to the boat. He was tied up for 4 days straight, and when they let him go his wrists and ankles were swollen! BUT Nephi is such a good example. He didn't complain or murmur even a little bit the entire time; he just thanked God for his blessings and praised Him all the day long. Anyway, while teaching this, we had the kids act it out and it was so fun :)

When serving a mission in the states, it's easy to get fat :( so you really have to watch how much you eat, and how much you exercise. I kept limiting myself to running a mile every morning, but Sister Lewis had the brilliant idea of using my jacket to cover up the numbers on the treadmill so that I couldn't see how far I'd gone. I did just that and had to stop because it was time to go home, so when I took my jacket off of the numbers, I found that I easily ran over a mile and a half- almost 2 miles! So now that's how I run :) We can apply this to a lot of things in life; limiting ourselves. We can all reach so much further if we stop putting limits on the things we do! This includes missionary work.

I had a proud moment in District meeting on Tuesday. In elementary school I would always win when we played limbo in music class, and this week we did an object lesson for district meeting. We split the zone up in districts and needed one person per task to perform. I chose the limbo (which represented reaching/stretching/growing) and am happy to report that I kicked butt :)

Wednesday was fun! We helped a sister organize her house after she moved in, and then IT SNOWED!!! My FIRST snow away from home and it was.... pathetic. It was wet and only stuck to the grass, which we counted as a blessing because when it snows here people just stop their cars, get out, and walk. (that's what we hear anyway) But I love snow! It was gone the next day, and today it's like 73 degrees. Oh well.

Thursday was Thanksgiving! Funny story. As missionaries, we have to be awake by 6:30. Sister Lewis naturally woke up around 6:05 and thought to herself, "Heavenly Father. I am not feelin' it today. Im going to need some help waking up this morning". Then the next thing she knows, I'm shooting up out of bed saying, "Sister Lewis! We forgot to set an alarm!!" Luckily it was only 6:45, but still. Her response after processing what was happening, "Whoops! Happy Thanksgiving!" hahah then we sat there and laughed for a good 3 minutes before we got up. After studies we went to a members home and made pies, as well as veggie trays that looked like turkeys! That was so fun! :) 

For dinner we went to an investigators home. We talked about the plan of salvation (because it just came up in conversation) and ate a wonderful dinner with them! It was so great :) EXCEPT!! NO rolls!! WHAT?! Ya. Lame. Thanksgiving is not Thanksgiving for me without rolls. I thought of Grandpa and how he would be just as devastated as I was. But don't worry, we had another dinner right after that with a member family and they had rolls :) We also shared a message with both families... As always :) We also took some dinner over to an older lady. She's sweet :) It was such a great Thanksgiving! I hope yours was just as good :)

Sister Lewis and I were dropped a couple weeks ago by an investigator, but we thought it would be nice to make him cookies for the Holiday, so we texted him and asked if we could bring them by. It was snowing that day, so he replied with, "You don't need to bring me a plate of cookies in this weather. How about I get them from you at church on Sunday?" ..... um.... YES!? So he came! Along with 4 investigators and 1 less active! Sister Lewis and I were shocked! There were also a few members who happened to bring non member friends to church on the same day so we were so busy! It was such a good day!!

Sister Lewis also taught me how to crochet, so I totally made an infinity scarf and now I'm slightly addicted. I feel like an old lady in my spare time but its fine ;)

Random fun fact: Every so often I will have a dream where I come home for the weekend and see my family or friends, and then go back out on my mission? haha

Happy Holidays!! :))) This is my favorite time of year!! God is good and I love Christmas :)

Sister Chandler