Rainstorms and Revelation

Happy P-Day! :)

I hope all is well with everyone! I had a pretty good week :) 

Monday was fun!

• We played sand volleyball and threw a football around, which made me smile because it brought back memories of throwing one back and forth to my dad in the summer :) 

• When that was over, we went to dinner and then we went to a potentials house! His friend was there instead, and we learned that he has had all of the lessons a few times; he just doesn't have the desire to do anything with the knowledge that he has. Sad :( but it was a good conversation! We had him find his Book of Mormon and highlighted certain chapters for him to read in bright orange so he won't miss it ;) He was very kind and friendly; it's good to know people like that still exist :) 

• As soon as we were walking away from talking with that guy, we got a call from the sisters we live with saying that Sister Williams was at the doctor for her headaches because she was a hot mess, but they needed us to go get her insurance card and medicine for the doctor. So we raced home, raced to the doctors office, and said a prayer for that sweet sister to feel better. 

• Nightly planning occurred in the library in our complex, where we met our atheist inactive again :) this time he had a friend! So we had a good conversation and invited them to an activity on Sunday evening with the ward :) 

Tuesday morning we went to district meeting which was so good!! 

• My district rocks :) Our zone leader brought up a point that I've heard and seen before, but for some reason it stuck out to me a lot more this time around. It goes like this:

Hear--> remember--> understand--> DO--> become 

This can apply for anything! In my case, it applies to missionary work. I help people hear the word of God as I teach and testify with the spirit. I help them remember the feelings they've had and invite them to do things that will bring them closer to the lord. This will help them experience those feelings again, which will help their understanding increase. Then the people we teach must DO; they must act on their thoughts and feelings in order to progress. Eventually they will become! They will become full of knowledge and experience, so much that they can't doubt.

Another example could be baking cookies. In 7th grade I was like little miss Betty Crocker and made chocolate chip cookies every weekend :) I heard and observed my mom explain the ingredients as I watched her do it a few times, I remembered and understood the importance of how much of what I needed to put in the mixer, and in what order. So I did it! Multiple times! Over and over and over again until I BECAME Betty Crocker ;)

I just really love that pattern, especially when I set goals every week!

• After district meeting, we went to lunch with the sisters we live with and did some Facebook cleaning because we are back on! :) 

• Then we had a lesson with a recent convert, dinner with a member, and then a lesson with T! It was her birthday, so we brought her a baby sized ice cream carton and got ourselves a baby Ben and jerry's to celebrate :) we shared a message, and then it was time to go home! I slept like a rock that night. I've never slept as good as I do since I've been on a mission :) 

Wednesday came so fast! And it was a really good day! 

• We went to AFAC for a good chunk of our afternoon, came home for dinner and went to check on a potential before grabbing a member to go to a lesson with our investigators. 

• This was THE coolest night ever! Guess who we ran into? Ky! Ky had a friend who randomly asked, "So what is it that you do exactly?" After explaining, we taught the restoration! We gave him a Book of Mormon and he said, "I have Friday off! Come back at 6!" Okay! :) 

• Almost as if it was planned, as soon as we were done talking to Ky and his friend, our investigators walked right around the corner on their way home from work. God is so good :) We taught them the plan of salvation which went so well! 

• AND as soon as we were done talking to them, we turned around to find our good friend F from a few weeks ago :) after sharing a message with him, it was time to go home. Gods hand truly is in everything. There is no such thing as coincidence! 

• There's this thing called, "Return and Report" that trainers and trainees go to at the end of the trainee's first transfer. This is where we split up and get to release our struggles/frustrations with our companions if we don't want to tell them to their face. It's also a super motivational, spiritual meeting :) it was fun to go because it reminded me when I went with sister Lewis. There were so many things that stuck out to me; I'll share a couple phrases that I loved:

(Background to the first one--> in the movie, "Facing Giants", there is a scene where a football coach asks one of the players to do the death crawl blind folded. He tells him to do his very best; to not stop until he truly cannot continue. The player tells the coach he can make it to the 50 yard line without someone on his back, and this is the coaches response)

>But even if you can't, I want you to give me your very best.


>Keep up not who you used to be, but who God wants you to become.


>Have you ever thought about who might be in your great and spacious building?


>DC 3:4-10, alma 29:4-5, 2 nephi 2:16-26, 1 nephi 8:30


>Steel your mind--> keep focused, confident, determined


>Do you really want to be in the celestial kingdom? How bad? Are you doing anything right now to live a celestial life the best you can? If you really, truly want to be in the celestial kingdom, you would be making changes to line your life with the will of the Lord, and do only those things that will please him/ draw you closer to Him.

It was a really good meeting :) Also president Riggs' last one before he leaves on Thursday!

• ** Fun Fact:: I will have exactly 9 months with President Riggs, and exactly 9 months with president huntsman. Cool, huh? :) 

• Anyway, guess what was for lunch? Pizza! I think I'm going to be sick of pizza by the end of my mission. We have had it so much this past transfer. I'm grateful for food :) but I'm so done with pizza. 

• In the evening we went to a lesson with a member and it was super good! 

Friday was.... rough. 

• Everyone canceled and it was just a hard day, so the member we brought with us took us out to ice cream. Not upon request, just out of the kindness of her heart because she served in Ukraine and understands those kind of days. 

Saturday morning was... Still rough. 

I had a migraine, but was able to lay down and it went away eventually. We weren't able to finish weekly planning on Friday, so we did that in the afternoon as well as checked on a couple potentials/referrals.

Dinner was with a member and we had white bean chili :) yumm :) afterwards there was a MASSIVE storm. Like, tornado warning as well as a flash flood warning, and the power went out. We were going to leave the building but when we went outside it was nuts! So we hung out in the library all evening with our atheist friend and his friend :)

What happens when you walk from the door to your car during a Virginia rain storm... I'm soaked! 

Sunday was my favorite. I love Sundays. 

• Church was incredible; the spirit was so strong and I received a good amount of revelation for myself and our area. 

That is something that I have gained a massive love for; the spirit and personal revelation. I can confidently tell you that I know exactly how the spirit speaks to me. I know when it's the spirit speaking vs. myself, and I feel the loving, chastening when I ignore a prompting. Heavenly Father knows that I know when the spirit tells me to do or not to do something, so if and when I choose to ignore it He's like,

"?! Kailey! "

 but I love it :)

I love being able to recognize the spirit quickly and clearly. I am so blessed!! I've come to realize the importance of knowing HOW the spirit speaks to you, and even further, acting upon what it says. That guy will never tell you anything that doesn't come from God. 

• I've also gained a huge testimony of fasting! Fasting consists of going without food or water for the space of 24 hours, and we do it to grow spiritually closer to our Father in Heaven. Whenever we have a question or someone else needs a little extra divine help, we start and end with a prayer (otherwise you just starve yourself) and fast to show Heavenly Father we are serious. I've fasted multiple times in my life, especially on my mission, and I testify of the power that it does have. I fasted to feel the spirit more abundantly and clearly, and that's exactly what happened! I fasted for C to be baptized and a couple days later received a phone call informing me that she would be baptized the flowing Sunday, and she was! I've fasted to know what college to attend, some people fast for help to forgive, some people fast for something so simple as more peace in their life. It works! I testify that it does :)

• The rest of Sunday got even better. Dinner with a member was so good, and then we went to a ward munch n' mingle which we invited our atheist friend to. He came! He even beat us there, brought ice cream for everyone, and met people from his same home town who knew the same people. He really enjoyed it! Sister jones and I were speechless. He loved it and wants to hang out with the singles ward more often :) I LOVE THIS WARD!!! Seriously I could not be happier with where I am right now :) We left before our friend did, but saw him later and asked how it went. He said, "It was so weird. Today was a normal day and then everything was like coincidence after coincidence when I got to that party!" I was like, "Nothing is a coincidence :)". 

I saw the Jesus bumper sticker, and then noticed the sign off to the right a little later :) NOTHING IS A COINCIDENCE!! ;) 

• I am beyond grateful to be a tool in the Lords hands. It's truly such a humbling experience day after day. I'm so glad I'm here :) 

Today we get a private tour of the capital building because a member of our ward works there, so we get to see things that the normal tours don't show! For example, I guess there are ancient bathtubs in the building because the congressmen needed to clean up after a long travel to get there? I'll take pictures if I'm allowed to :) I hope everyone had a great week!! :)

Love you :)
Kailey

Ps.TC Williams high school from remember the Titans is totally in my area and I pass it on a regular basis :)

Idahome :)

Another week in Virginia

Gooooood Afternoon! :) 

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

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

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

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

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

Tuesday was quite busy! 

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

• Lunch followed,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thursday morning I was not feeling well at all, 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Love,
Sister Chandler

Sister Jones

Happy Happy Pday! :)

A lot happened this week!! 

It started with a zone activity all day Monday. 

We played volleyball in a sand pit, passed a football around (because yes, I can throw quite a mean spiral), and ultimate frisbee :) 

Sister Morris and I didn't get home until 4:30 so our email sesh was a bit short! We quickly ate dinner and went to work! 

We checked on some referrals when suddenly I spotted a snow cone shack!! Sister Morris has never had a snow cone before. .....Yeah. That's what I said! So we totally went and got a snow cone! It wasn't that good :/ lame sauce. We need a Hawaiian Shaved Ice!! 

Anyway, while we were eating them a man walked past us so we said hello :) he said hi back and then followed with, "Mormons??" Um yes! How did you know?? (You think it's the name tag, huh? ;) well, it wasn't!) He said, "Your demeanor! You're happy :)" 

Every day I pray that the people we come in contact with will be able to see the light of Jesus Christ through our eyes, and feel of His love for them. Prayers are always answered :) 

When we got home for the night, I received a phone call saying that the lord has called me to
{ T R A I N }

Yep. I knew it was coming :) The spirit gave me a heads up a couple days prior, so I was mentally prepared for this phone call, and quite excited!! I'm not a perfect missionary, and I still have a lot to improve on!! But I will do my best! :) transfers didn't come until Thursday though so you'll have to scroll down to Thursdays info if you want to get those details :) 

On Tuesday morning after studies, sister Morris started packing. 

While she did that, I decided to get a little creative and try to make the new sister feel welcome! 

Later we went to an appointment with a referral, but it fell through, so we went to an appointment with a recent convert who is Bolivian and gave us Bolivian food (which wasn't too bad!).

When that lesson was over we headed to dinner with a member! She had just pulled in the driveway when we got there, so we helped her grill steak, make funeral potatoes, rolls, and a salad for dinner :) This meal was totally upon request :) it was delicious! 

Ben and Jerry were there for dessert, as they should be ;) 

Right after dinner we went to a lesson with an investigator (Abby) whom we haven't been able to meet with all transfer! She is so darn busy! But, we were finally able to see her. We talked about the plan of salvation and the gospel of Jesus Christ. I felt impressed to slip a "Plan of Salvation" pamphlet in my bag earlier in the day. While teaching the lesson I asked if other missionaries that taught her had ever given her that pamphlet; they hadn't. I was grateful to have followed that prompting :) 

We also discussed baptism because she has been praying and thinking a lot about it. I asked if she felt that this was what God wanted her to do, and she said yes :) she said she is thinking about being baptized next month! With Abby, you can't push her. If we give her a date she will feel rushed and back out. I also felt prompted to ask if there was anything we could do to help her progress, and to my surprise, she said yes! She asked us to text her a Book of Mormon scripture every day so it would remind her to read :) She is the best! SHE was teaching US gospel principals! She's read the entire manual. Golden. I know. So that was a perfect way to top off the night! 

When we got home, the sisters we live with wanted to take pictures of everyone in our matching elephant/tribal pants, so we did :) 

Wednesday was zone training! 

Oh how spiritual that was. I love my zone. Half of them were transferred though, so I'm excited to see how the new one goes! :) we all had lunch together at the church and then took pictures 

In the evening we had dinner with a recent convert, and then a member lesson in which all of the songs on sister Morris' flash drive were converted onto mine :) BOOYAH!! So grateful :) now I have music :) 

When we got home we all did those face mask things that you do on girls nights.... Ya know... It's rejuvenating for the skin ;) I miss those girls so much! We all agreed that we were so incredibly blessed to have had the opportunity to serve around one another, and become such great friends :) Wednesday night was sad, but life goes on! And it's wonderful! :) 

Thursday morning we got ready to leave nice and early to a trainers meeting all morning. 

At around 11am I was assigned to train Sister Jones from Centerville, Utah! :) She enjoys ice cream, hiking, outdoorsy things like boating and 4-wheeling, and she's just the cutest thing! I seriously love her and I'm SO EXCITED to see how the transfer pans out :) 

The entire week leading up to Thursday, I kept reflecting back to my first day in the field. I thought about the things I expected my trainer to know and do, and how my trainee probably feels the same way towards me! Before transfers I was assigned a few things to study in preparation; of which was Alma 37:14 & 47. I realized that this is a sacred assignment. It's not a calling, but it's an assignment and Heavenly Father expects me to take care of this sister! He trusts that I have the capability to "raise" her in such a way that will help her become her best self. I'm not perfect by any means, but I know that with the Lords help, we can do it :) I'm not stressed/nervous/worried because I know He will train her with me :) The lord carries new missionaries, and miracles come with their passion/desire! I'll just do what I know how to do, and make sure we have a blast doing it :) 

We then went to the big transfer meeting with the rest of the missionaries, came home for dinner, had a member lesson, bought bedding for sister Jones, and we had some luggage for an elder in our car that we had to take to him. That was our night! It was lovely :) 

Friday was weekly planning and we didn't even finish! Our day was nuts. 

I had to leave with sister Kennedy from the another ward to go to a pass off lesson in the afternoon, and then when we came home we only had a little time before dinner and then we were out the door!! Sister Jones met our ward mission leader so that was good! 

Saturday was also crazy busy! 

I'm pretty sure my brain was going to explode!! But that's okay :) busy is good :) 

Sunday was so fun!! 

We had church, more meetings with our ward, studies, dinner with a member, and then an open house at our building! The open house consisted of a tour of the building for anyone and everyone to see what it was like. We had posters about missionaries, eternal marriage, self reliance, relief society, temples, etc. all over the building. There were booths people could go to, along with refreshments of course ;) 

Sister Jones and I manned the Book of Mormon booth! We weren't allowed to proselyte because it was supposed to be a relaxed environment where people could feel comfortable and not attacked with information. We were allowed to answer any questions people may have had, and gave out multiple copies of the Book of Mormon; even in a couple different languages! :) it was so great :) 

I really really love my companion!! She is so sweet. She just wants to do her best, she is genuine and kind, very laid back, happy, and just so fun to be around :) I'm grateful for her!! She makes training easy!! :) we have a BLAST with the sisters we live with, as well :) 

This week we received a handful of referrals again and have a few appointments for this coming week with them! The lord truly is hastening the work. Members of the singles wards are on fire!! They're giving out so many copies of the Book of Mormon, and inviting their friends to so many activities- including church. Blessings are pouring out from heaven and I am beyond grateful! I love my father in heaven, and I love being apart of this work :)

I hope everyone is having a splendid week and following the promptings they receive from the spirit as they come :) Because they do :) 

Love,
Sister Chandler

And the Miracles Continue...

You guys. I am so humbled. This week started off with one of the most memorable moments of my mission so far, and the miracles just kept coming every single day.

P-day was busy! We got the basics done and spent a good amount of time in the mall shopping for summer clothes :) sister Morris has never had Panda Express before, so I asked if she wanted to try the Americanized version of Chinese food :) she liked it :)

We went out with a member that night to check on some people. One of them being a new investigator, but he wasn't home. So we went to a less actives home. 

On the way to his door, we saw a woman hanging out on the porch with her dog. I told her I liked it because it reminded me of my dog :) she said it wasn't hers, and we began talking. We learned that she had been out of a job for 2 weeks, and was in a rut. Despite the circumstance; however, she was so positive and hopeful. She's been through a lot. Without us even saying anything, she told us that she had talked to elders before, and they tried to get in contact with her a few times but she was so busy she just never had time. 

We asked if we could share Because He Lives with her and not even 5 seconds into it she asked, "Do you want to come inside?" Um. Yes. Yes we do :) this sweet woman truly has had it rough, and the spirit was incredibly strong in the room as we listened to her. It was a tender mercy to be able to lend an ear to someone so sad, and to reassure her of the love that her Heavenly Father has for her. To help her understand that she has someone to lean on, and she isn't alone. I bore my testimony about how I know that God is so aware of each one of us. She said, "I know God sent you to me for a reason. Please, can you come back on Thursday?" The love that I automatically felt towards this child of God was massive. Her soul is beautiful, and she is so humble. I was humbled to be a tool in the lords hands so unexpectedly. It's funny how important listening really is ;) 

To top off the night, we had a huge thunder and lightening storm that came with a tornado warning. Apparently president Riggs texted us and told us to go home but we didn't get that until after the lesson, when the storm was almost over. Whoops! The lord protects his faithful servants! :) 

We spent the next day with President Riggs! From 8:30am to 4:00pm receiving instruction and inspiration like crazy because it was zone conference :) 

This is the meeting where the cleanest car gets to switch cars if they want. We lost, but got to switch our car because the winner wanted ours!! Which was awesome because I wanted their car! :) it's the same one I drove in my first area :) so that was great! 

Afterwards we taught a lesson to our recent convert's friend! We taught him the restoration last week; he's the guy who speaks only Spanish and didn't seem interested at all. We taught the beginning of the plan of salvation this week, AND remember how he hasn't prayed in a looonnggg time?? Well he and our recent convert were chatting away in Spanish when all of a sudden our convert was like, "okay. He wants to say the closing prayer". Um. WHAT?! Okay! :) by all means! I had no clue what he said in his prayer, but the spirit was so strong. I felt it! We gave him a pamphlet and told him to read it and bring questions next week :) the entire lesson was filled with the spirit :) 

After that we had a meeting with the ward missionaries and our new bishopric! It went well! I'm loving the change and I'm excited to work a lot more with them :) by the time that was over it was time to go home. Every day seems to have a miracle lately, and I know that is the result of the massive amount of faith and dedication we have towards the Lord. When we trust Him, we follow His commandments which makes it so that He knows He can trust us! Which then brings an overflowing amount of blessings :) Seriously this gospel is the coolest thing. It means SO much to me! I wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now than serving my Heavenly Father, and the people of northern Virginia :)

Random fun fact: In the middle of the night sister Morris and I BOTH got a Charlie Horse!? haha weirdest, most painful experience of my life.

On Wednesday we had district meeting on the topic of faith; my favorite :) 

Then we had exchanges with our sister training leaders! Sister Osmond came to Alexandria with me (she trained sister Lewis) and it was MUCH needed. I have not genuinely laughed so hard in a while. She really made me feel like I am doing a great job at this whole missionary thing, and the reassurance was appreciated :) 

We had a lesson with a potential which was so divinely inspired!! His name is W :) we taught the restoration! He is an extremely intelligent individual but so relaxed and respectful. Sister Osmond helped us gain some brownie points because their career path is the same,so they talked big words and intelligent things whereas I just smiled and nodded like I knew what was happening, and then tied the restoration into the topic of discussion. The spirit was strong as we bore witness of the truthfulness of the restored gospel. He said he would read the Book of Mormon and pray about it, so we will see where this goes! 

Thursday morning was so great. Sister Osmond shared some super cool insights with me and helped me resolve some concerns that have weighed heavily on my mind throughout the past few weeks. Sister Training Leaders rock my world; they're the best! :) It was such a tender mercy, as much as I love sister Morris, I think we both needed a break :) 

Then we exchanged back and went to work! We had dinner with a member, and then a lesson with T (the miracle lady on Monday) but she texted us and said Friday would be better. SO. We sat in the car and said a quick prayer asking for guidance because we want to be where we need to be when we need to be there, and only Heavenly Father knows all of that information. 

We checked on a potential who's address didn't exist, and on the way out there was a man all bundled up in dark clothes. He was right next to the stop sign that we stopped at and the spirit was like, "sister chandler! Roll down the window and give him a pass along card!" But for some dumb reason I kept driving. So we got onto the main road and the spirit kept nagging at me like, "you blew it! Better turn around now. You're gonna have to repent for passing that one up! He even looked like a YSA from behind. You better turn around..." 

Eventually I couldn't take it anymore so I told sister Morris I think we should go back. I turned the car around, went to the street he was walking on and didn't see him. "Dang it", I thought, "I totally missed that chance. Sorry Heavenly Father, I'll listen next time". Then sister Morris goes, "is that him??" And it was! So we pulled up to him and I'm thinking out loud, "well this is slightly creepy and awkward...". Then I yelled out the window, "Hey! :) can we give you a card really quick?" He was like, "um...a card? For what?" I explained it was for church and said, "okay this is probably going to sound really weird, but God told us to pull over and talk to you, so... We did :)" he laughed and was really receptive! He was happy to give us his information and seemed interested in coming to church. He said that usually he would be at the gym at that time, but not that night and I was like, "see! God has a hand in all things! :)" and he was like, "seriously! Divine inspiration!" So we are gonna go see our good friend Tim this week and teach him about the restored gospel :) Also, he is single, in our area, and within the right age range. 

Moral of the story: ALWAYS follow the promptings you receive because it will never go wrong! :) 

Weekly planning is always a success with Sister Morris, so Friday was good! We had a lesson cancel so we prayed for guidance and once again, the spirit led us to the right person and provided us with inspiration to know exactly what that person needed to hear. I love being a tool in the Lords hands. The gift of the Holy Ghost is AWESOME when we listen to it :) 

Saturday night was so good. We had a lesson on eternal marriage with a recent convert, and then later in the evening we brought a member with us to teach a new investigator! His name is C; he is cousins with O, a forever investigator. When we pulled up to the apartments we could see them smoking on their balcony (bummer but it's whatever), and when we walked by them O was like, "oh! Sisters! Hey!" Fumbling to hide his cigarette :) haha we just smiled :) when we went inside we taught the restoration! C had such great questions and we taught boldly; my favorite :) but with love. We taught him how to pray and invited him to pray to know if the things we taught him are true. He said he will and he is looking forward to our next visit :) 

Story #10: Sunday was so. Cool. We had a regional broadcast which was so great! I received a lot of personal revelation which is always a good thing :) 

Then we had dinner with a member and taught a lesson on the Holy Ghost. 

Afterwards we went to check on a less active, but her boyfriend answered the door and said she wasn't home. When we were walking away he yelled, "pray for me!" And shut the door. You bet we turned right around and knocked on the door again :) when he answered I asked what we could do for him; why did he want us to pray for him? We told him who we were and what we do, and then he was like, "can we go on a walk and talk??" Of course we can! :) after a lot of listening we learned that he has serious problems with the word of wisdom but has a strong desire to turn his life around. He said he was hoping we would stay and talk to him after he said, "pray for me" and later expressed that he felt like we were sent from God. We so were :) we shared a message on the plan of salvation but focused on the atonement and how we can have a fresh start; a clean slate! His girlfriend came home eventually, so she was able to sit in on the lesson, too :) we see them again on Friday :) 

The love that I have for this gospel is immense. There is nothing like it! There is no greater source to an honest, pure, genuine happiness. Heavenly Father has blessed sister Morris and I like crazy over the past few weeks, and I know that he is so very aware of us. The Holy Ghost real! He truly does comfort, guide, warn, and confirm truth. I know this to be true with my whole heart. Thanks for the love, support, and prayers for not only me but all the missionaries around the globe :) It is much appreciated, and we feel it :) 

I hope you have a fabulous week, and pray for missionary experiences! :)
Sister Chandler

Ps. Mother's Day is in 2 weeks. I'm making a paper chain ;)
Pps. I finished the Book of Mormon again this week! I do love that book :) 

Picture: I held a gecko last night

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 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