The Ck Family

Hello beautiful faces! :)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

teaching simply. I loved it!

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

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

**Funny story of the week::

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Also.

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

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

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

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

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

Sister Chandler

Speechless

This week was incredible.

A lot has happened within the past 7 days!

• We found 2 solid new investigators, totaling our teaching pool with a whopping 8 people coming closer to Christ. 
• We had transfers, which means there is a new sister in the apartment and sister Kennedy is deeply missed, I saw sister Lewis :) 26 missionaries departed the mission life, and 
• We heard from President Riggs and his wife for the last time. 
• Oh, also, I hit my 9 month mark on Wednesday. Minor details ;) 

already!?!?!

Holy cow!! Where do I even begin?! 

Monday. We will start with Monday :)

• DC was a blast!! The weather was beautiful, we ran into a lot of people that would say, "Hi sisters! :)" which always warms our hearts, and we saw a lot of cool things :) Because we have a car we don't walk a ton, so after a full day of being on my feet, I was pretty sure they were going to fall off. Don't worry, it got better :) 

• In the evening we went to see Terry! She is the greatest. She always texts us and asks when we can come over next, and keeps us in the loop with her day :) I love that woman! We had a lesson planned but when we got there, something else felt better and then ended up being exactly what she needed. I'm grateful for the ability to discern what the spirit says :)

Tuesday

• In the morning was our last district meeting before the new transfer, and it was super good! We talked about motivation. How are we motivated? How do we help our investigators/potentials/ less active members/ members become motivated? It all boils down to an understanding. When I understand why something is important, or why I need something in my life, then I figure out how I can get it! Because I understand the why behind it. 

• Afterwards we finished studies and watched an hour of "The District" videos for part of sister Jones' training. 

• Dinner was home made tacos with a member, and then another massive Virginia rain storm occurred :) we had a lesson with another member and when we were leaving, we opened the door to find a flood outside! That's normal. 

• L, the member we were with, insisted that she run right next to us holding an umbrella over our heads as we jump puddles to the car :) she is so funny :) at one point there was a massive river (not really, it was just the gutter on the side of the road that was pretty much like a river) and L was worried about my shoes getting wet. I told her it was fine and that I could jump over it (hoping my leaps are still as powerful as they were a year ago) in a skirt, and I totally did :) if you were there you'd be impressed ;) 

• In the midst of the rain, we called a less active to see if we could come over. She said yes :) so we shared a message with her and her roommate, who is also in our ward, before we headed home. The Lord is blessing our efforts and we are so grateful :)

On Wednesday

• we received a text from a member who needed some spiritual uplifting, so we went to her house for lunch as she unloaded and we lent a listening ear. We were there for 2 whole hours and it was so good! The food and the spirit ;) 

• After that we had a lesson with a recent convert on tithing and fast offerings. He didn't know a whole lot, so it was fun to teach! :) 

• Dinner was with one of our favorite members, and then we had some time to kill before we went to a lesson with a member of the bishopric. We went to check on a less active, but he wasn't home; however, his mother answered the door! I didn't know who she was, so we asked and then asked if we could share a 2 minute video about Christ with her. She said yes and opened the door for us to come inside. We asked if she sat in on the lessons while her children were being taught the gospel and she said no, so we then asked if she wanted to learn what they did. She said yes! Here is where it gets good :) We called the zone leaders because she is in their ward, and they were shocked because apparently missionaries in the past have been trying to get in contact with her and have been waiting for her to be interested, but haven't had any success. All we did was ask and boom! She's ready :) I LOVE being a tool in the lords hands :) we had an appointment with her two days later but she had to work later than she thought, so it didn't happen. We will see her again this week though :) 

• The rest of the evening was spent with the second counselor of our ward and his wife who are awesome! It was so fun :) I love love love my ward!!

Aaannnnddd then we have the biggest day of my mission.

Thursday.

• Transfers.

The last one with President Riggs.  

Dramatic?  

Maybe, but it was a big day!  

The entire mission was there, and it was a normal transfer meeting with a different spirit to it. There was so much love and appreciation in the room! All 26ish departing missionaries shared their testimonies which brought a spirit that lasted the rest of the day. During the closing song sister Riggs was trying to keep composed but not very well, which made the rest of the sisters lose composure :) it was a sweet, tender, amazing meeting :) I know that President Riggs was my mission president for my first 9 months for a reason. That family has helped me become the person I know Heavenly Father wants me to be, and I am so grateful for all that he has done! I love my mission president, and I'm excited to see what president Huntsman does with the mission for the rest of my time here! 

Also, sweet Sister Kennedy was transferred to a different area :( but guess who Sister Williams' new companion is??? SISTER LIU!! Ya. What?! Blessing!! It is so fun to be able to live with that amazing sister again :) I love her! 

• We didn't get out of the meeting until 4:30, and we had to cancel our dinner because traffic wouldn't allow us to make it on time, so we ate Panda before we went to go see D, one of our investigators. D is engaged to T, the sister of C who is another investigator of ours. T is always inside with her baby when we teach the guys outside on their porch, and we have only met her once. D wasn't home, but T was sitting outside! So we started talking to her while we waited for him. Eventually we asked if we could share with her what we were going to share with him, and she said yes. We shared the plan of salvation with her and she beamed :) She said, "I wish I would have come out here earlier when you were teaching the guys! I feel like I've been missing out on something my whole life!" She said she was glad we came and wants to learn more :) I LOVE HER!! 

• Every once in a while (quite often recently) Heavenly Father will give me a taste of his love for His children when I talk to them. I could feel the overwhelming amount of love that He has for her, which made me burst with that love so much to the point where I just told her! I was like, "T I love you! You're an incredible daughter of God who I know loves you. I can feel it, and I know that the messages that we have to share with you will bless your life more than you can even comprehend. I am so glad we met you!:)" it was like this precious moment of joy between everyone involved because the spirit was there :) she even said she felt super good while we taught her, and we pointed out that she was feeling the spirit, which testifies of truth :) AH!! I LOVE being a missionary!! I love T! I love this gospel!! God is SO good to us :) 

Friday was just as good, if not better! 

• I am just mind. blown. at the miracles that took place over the past few days. I literally don't even have words to express my joy/shock at the blessings Heavenly Father is laying at our feet. I shouldn't be surprised, but I am! 

• Weekly planning was SO GOOD! Sister Jones and I are going to rock it this transfer. I can feel it :) Time flew by like crazy and before we knew it we only had half an hour to eat dinner before we needed to be at a lesson. 

• This is the lesson where the lady had to work longer than she thought, so we went to check on a less active. She wasn't home either, but we decided to go street contacting around her house before we had another lesson with T and D. I looked in my bag to see how many pass along cards I had left, and I only had one. So we grabbed more from the trunk and sat in the car for a minute to write on a few. I hadn't even finished writing on the first card when the less active drove up and parked next to us. About 2 months ago, sister Morris and I came to see her and she was not interested in coming back to church at all. She wasn't ready, but she was extremely kind! So sister Jones and I started talking to her for a minute and asked if she had 10 minutes. She did :) 

• We didn't really have a lesson prepared or planned for her, so we were definitely relying on the spirit to tell us what she needed to hear! We asked what she was doing for the 4th of July and she unloaded about her family. We were able to discuss how the gospel blesses families, and suddenly she brought up baptism! We asked if she remembered why she was baptized and she couldn't remember, but said that she wanted to do it again. She kept talking about the things she did with the church when she was active, and how much she loved it. Then she said she wanted to come back to church!? So she voluntarily put it in her calendar for the month of July to come to church, and invited us over to teach her a few times before the Sunday that she comes to church. I'm pretty sure my jaw hit the floor the entire time. She kept saying how she felt super good while we were talking with her, so we reminded her that was the spirit :) she is a rock star! I was and I am incredibly overwhelmed with the spirit! What just happened?! She even asked us to send scriptures to her every day! Sister Jones was ecstatic :) haha it was so funny :) MIRACLES people!! They're so real!! 

• T and D had to go to the hospital to see her mom because she isn't doing well (please keep her in your prayers) but her grandma was home! So guess what we did? Taught her :) because that's what we do :) it was amazing. Again! I'm in awe. SUCH a good day :)

Guess what happened on Saturday?? 

• MORE miracles! 

• We had a lesson with a convert to the church of about 2 years, but it was a guy so we needed a female to come with us. We only remembered that minor detail 2 hours prior to the appointment, so we started to ask around. The only person that could was N, (which is awesome) and turned out to be the perfect person for this guy! They have the same life I swear, and it was super neat to see how God's hand was in the entire thing. 

• Lately I've felt like a name or a place will pop into my head when making decisions, and I immediately, without hesitation, choose to go with my first thought. Not because I feel like it's coming from God; I just do. Every single time I've done that, things end up working out so perfectly that my jaw hits the floor 24/7 and I'm speechless!! I feel like Heavenly Father is planning everything for us and we are just there to witness it all happen. I keep thinking, "thanks, pal! :)" 

• It rained aaaallll day which was fine because sister Jones needed to write her talk for sacrament meeting. That meant more time for me to soak up the scriptures! :) also nap, because I need naps. 

• For dinner we went to "Big Buns", a hamburger place, to celebrate with a member of our ward because she received her endowments earlier that day :) 

• After our bellies were full we went to check on a couple referrals. One of them being R! He is from Africa and very interested in learning. We have a return appointment with him on Saturday! 

After studies on Sunday morning 

• we went to a lesson with A where we put her on date! A will enter the waters of baptism on Saturday, July 11th :) she is so excited! Please keep her in all of your prayers!! :) also, cool story real quick! Turns out A speaks Portuguese, English, and Amharic, and we happened to have copies of the Book of Mormon in all of those languages in our trunk! So she took them and asked if she could give them to people! How ridiculously awesome is that?! So cool :) 

• After giving those to her, she had to leave so we went back inside where we met a non member who was at church for the second time in her life. She is atheist dating a Mormon and has looked for happiness all her life in every place the world offers it, but she said she feels like she is missing something. She asked her boyfriend if he was genuinely happy most of the time, because she wasn't, and he said yes. His reasoning was because he has God in his life, so she got in her car Sunday morning and drove to the ward she thought she'd be in. The way she told her experience was funny :) 

she said she got in her car thinking, "what am I doing?!" And almost didn't come, but for some reason she did! When she walked in she asked the first person she saw where to go but that person was new too, which made her feel better knowing she wasn't the only new one :) When sacrament meeting was over she was going to go home, but asked her new friend if she was staying and she was, so she stayed too! 

We come into the picture after the second hour, and taught her about our Heavenly Father, the Book of Mormon, lasting happiness, faith, and the atonement for the entire third hour. We didn't even go to Relief Society :) My favorite was that nothing was forced. It was a relaxed but powerful conversation that was unplanned. That's one reason why it's immensely important to always be in tune with the spirit! Unfortunately we don't get to teach this sister because she isn't in our ward boundaries; she is in the other singles ward. BUT we all teach the same thing, and it doesn't really bother me because as long as SOMEONE is helping her find her Father in Heaven, that's what matters :) 

• The rest of our day was good! We had dinner with a member and checked on a couple referrals after that :) OH! And we had a lesson with a recent convert of about 3 months! She is a trooper :) her parents don't support her whatsoever, and they always bash on the church, but she endures and sticks to what she knows to be true :) people like that inspire me. It was a good day :) 

And today is P-Day!!! Again!?!? Already!!? This week flew. My heart is full of gratitude :)
Thanks for your prayers and all you do for me. I can feel and see the blessings unfold from the prayers of all those on behalf of the missionaries. We truly appreciate it :) 

Have a good week! Remember who you are and who you represent :)


Sister Kailey :)

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

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 20: 'ello

Family and friends,

What a productive week I had! :)

On Monday after we emailed, I was with sister Davis and sister Morris so we went to lunch at 5 guys, then played basketball with our sister training leaders and wrote letters. We totally got stuck in snowy traffic for 2 hours when originally it's a 20 min. drive! 'Twas great bonding time though :) during that drive, we got a text saying nobody was allowed to drive that night so we had to cancel our appointments and call it a snow day. The roads get crazy icy here when it snows, so that was fun! We got pizza on the way home :)

Tuesday morning we had district meeting, and then it snowed again!! :) that night we had a dinner at a buffet with a recent convert. Coolest/ sweetest thing EVER happened. We were talking about the priesthood more in depth with the recent convert, and after a while our waitress stopped to read our tags. After telling her who we were and what we did she said, "I knew it! I knew it because there's something in your eyes!" :) is that not the most awesome thing ever?! We talked to her for a bit but she lives outside of our mission, so we gave her a restoration pamphlet :) 

I definitely impressed the recent convert with what Spanish I do know, so that was fun! We taught sister Morris (who is from England) how to roll her "R's" but she couldn't :) later that night we taught an investigator and then her friend happened to knock on the door in the middle of our lesson. When she answered the door she was like, "come in! Come listen to this! This is the real deal here, no foolin around with this one! It's the real thing". :) so he came in and we taught him, too! He's from Africa :) 

Wednesday wasn't so busy because Thursday was transfers, so we just packed and cleaned . Then in the evening we checked on less actives.

Thursday: Transfers (in Centreville!! Yay!!) So we basically didn't have a clue where I would go or who I would be with. We heard I would stay with sister Davis because I was on the list in her district, but my area book was synced with the Potomac ward with sister Waldron. So it was a big guessing game, and transfers were exciting because I ended up being companions with Sister Morris!! This is too funny because sister Osmond (Donny Osmond's niece) trained sister Lewis, and then trained Sister Morris! So that's cool. I'm in a singles ward now which is way fun! Different, but fun :)
Later that night we had dinner with a member who gave us like 4 referrals! Ya, what?! Singles ward RM's are the BEST! It's like they never left their mission! Then we had a lesson with a member. It was FREEZING COLD that night!

Side note*** we are getting new iPads on Wednesday and having a 4 hour Facebook training-- president Riggs says we won't have facebook for a couple months :/ not sure how that will work out because a lot of us have investigators online... We'll see! 

On Friday we cleaned and reorganized the apartment because the spirit cannot dwell in unclean areas and it needed to be done! So after that we got to weekly planning, then checked on potentials and referrals. I met the ward mission leader, and then we checked on those referrals. One guy answered the door saying, "I grew up in salt lake. I'm very happy with my episcopalian church and I got my wine right here!" :) haha and another guy at a different house said, "you're mormon and I know that because of your tags that say sister. I was almost a brother but I'm Jewish and I think I'll stay that way". I love tracting! The stories are so great! :)

Saturday was fun! We were doing our progress report when a random lady in the library warned us about the weather :) so sweet :) 

THEN on Saturday our stake did a mini mission for the youth! So our zone and one other zone got to pretend to be normal people (because we definitely aren't normal anyway) that the youth would have to street contact. They were taught how to share the gospel through media, showed what a district meeting was like, knocked doors (in the church), and had a companion that they spent the day with. It ended with a testimony meeting which we were going to stay for, until we saw that it had snowed a few more inches. Our car is awful in this weather (I strongly vote against a Ford Fusion in the winter, but am so grateful to have a car!:) ) so we had to leave early in order to be home for a lesson on time. That night we weren't allowed to drive again, and we couldn't find a ride to our lessons, so we had Skype lessons! 

Remember the man from Africa I mentioned earlier? We had a Skype lesson with him on the plan of salvation! He so badly wants to come to church, so he is going to ask for work off this Sunday; pray for him! He's awesome. I love Africans :)

Sunday morning was spent digging our car out of our parking space for 40 minutes, in a dress, with a window scraper. So fun :) Church was good! The members are so willing to come to lessons with us, and it makes me so excited for the work!! Members are my favorite :) then in the evening we just checked on potentials/less actives :) 

This week I've really felt a change of heart! To strive harder to be my best self, and exactly obedient in the work. It's super easy to be relaxed on simple rules, but the blessings and miracles that you see from being exactly obedient are amazing. It's not worth it to shrug off something that seems simple, and okay to be relaxed with. 

I'm grateful for the atonement in my life!! Seriously Jesus Christ is my best friend. I am so grateful for Him! This gospel is true people!! You can only know for yourself when you search with real intent, truly desiring to know if this mormon stuff is the real deal or not. I PROMISE that when you do this, you WILL receive an answer that it is true. I can only testify of this because I've done the searching :) 

"Ask and ye shall receive, knock and it SHALL be opened unto you..." Shall! That's an absolute. 'Tis a promise, and God doesn't break His promises when we do what He says :)
I love being a missionary! I love this work, and I love you!! 

Have a most awesome week!! 

Sister Kailey 

Ps. Tomorrow is my 5 month mark being a full time missionary. Time is cruising!! :)

Week 19: Curve Balls

Hey guys :)

This week was an adventure! Let's start with Monday. This was the most relaxed day of the week! We just wrote home, wrote letters, took a nap, and taught some people at night. We even met with a former investigator who is going through some tough challenges right now and it was such a blessing to be able to direct her towards the best source of comfort; God, prayer, and the scriptures.

Tuesday was so much fun! I went on an exchange to Ashburn again with Sister Anderson (who came on an exchange to Centreville with me while sister Lewis was my companion). We had district meeting in the morning and then swapped in the afternoon. That night we met with a lady from Togo...? It's by Ghana :) named H. She speaks English but her main language is French. The way they found her is hilarious so I have to share!! 

They were street contacting and sister savage startled H so much that she screamed bloody murder and booked it away from them hahahah so they ran after her! Then sister savage hugged her and said, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you! I just wanted to talk to you about Jesus!" Then H was like, oh Jesus?! Come, come inside! I love Jesus! :) haha I thought that was so funny!

Anyway, we taught her the plan of salvation (where you came from, why you're here, and where you're going). We got on the topic of doing work for our ancestors and baptisms for the dead, and her eyes got SO BIG. It was awesome! She was so interested and it all made sense to her! She's reading the Book of Mormon and knows it's true, but she has already been baptized and is just worried about being baptized twice. We explained the priesthood power but she is still praying about it :) I've been able to teach H twice now and I love her!! She's so cool!! A lot of Africans here receive answers to their prayers through dreams, so she's waiting for a dream. I think it's the coolest that the spirit speaks to us in our own language; in a way that we can understand and recognize answers :) 

Wednesday afternoon we swapped back. Sister Liu and I had yet another fun day! Sister Liu is the only Chinese speaking sister in the mission, so we got permission from president Riggs to go anywhere throughout the mission to contact some less active/ recent convert/ potential investigator Chinese women! Pretty cool! So we spent our afternoon doing that and then checked on a few potentials that night, along with a member lesson which was THE coolest thing ever!! 

On Thursday we had a pretty normal day until 3:30pm. We got a call from the APs saying, "hey you guys know about the transfer tomorrow right?"
Us: no... Transfers are next week..?
Ap: yeah, but there is another transfer tomorrow and you're part of it because your area is closing for sisters, so be at the mission office tomorrow morning at 9.
Us: ........ 

So we had to cancel our appointments and call a lot of people. I didn't even get to say goodbye to C! Heart. broken. We just spent the rest of the day packing, not knowing where we would be sent or if we would even stay together. Ohhh the life of a missionary! Embrace it!:)

Friday morning we went to the mission office where we were told where we were going and who we would be with. 

Waiting for the mission office to open  

Sister Liu was sent to a place I don't know how to spell, and I was sent to Alexandria, Arlington with 5 other sisters! One of them is from England and I've naturally picked up on her accent so I've been speaking like a British bloke all weekend :P 

I'm basically a floater for a week; I can go wherever with whoever whenever I want. It's pretty great :) they cover 3 different singles wards so yesterday I got my church fill! We decided we are all squeaky clean for taking the sacrament so much ;) 

That night we went to a new member fireside because someone they taught was speaking at it, and on the way home we were all craving chocolate so bad! But we aren't allowed to eat in the car, so at every stop light we would roll down the window to stick our heads out and pop a chunk of chocolate in our mouths... Stretching the rules a bit...? Maybe... But it was a must ;) we probably looked so dumb hahah :) 

The difference between Centreville and Alexandria is pretty big. Centreville is a suburb area, similar to Nampa. Alexandria is a city! Similar to Boise times 10. Its a drastic difference but because of a lot of prayer, Heavenly Father has helped me stay relaxed and composed. I'm really not stressed, though I'm living out of my suitcase for a week and the bathroom in our apartment is the size of my parents bathroom tub, I'm loving it! It's change. Change is hard, but I'm embracing it and taking things one day at a time. Heavenly Father is taking good care of me, and I truly feel your prayers as well so thank you tons!!

***fun fact about street names here: so far I've seen Jefferson st., Duke st., Skyview st., and Broderick st. I've seen a lot of other random ones but these ones are familiar to me, so I thought it was cool :) 

As for companions and areas, Nothing is set and stone until Thursday. If you've sent me a letter within the past couple weeks, I won't get it for a while because my zone leaders in Centreville will have to give them to my new zone leaders (whoever they are) and it'll take time. SO as for now, I don't have an address. Just email me until I do :) 

This hectic week has been humbling and a really neat experience. I've met awesome people who have helped me grow so much in just these past few days. I learn a ton from every sister I serve around, and I'm so glad I'm out here!! 

God has been answering my prayers right and left, and really helping me adjust quickly to the curve ball thrown in my path. I have a huge testimony on the power of prayer! He is there. He is listening. I know that I am a child of a living God who loves me more than anything, and that He cares about even the small, silly things that I care about :) prayers are answered always!!

I hope you are staying happy, warm, and healthy!! :)
Sister Kailey

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 Five: Becoming a Consecrated Misssionary

Hello :)

Sister Lewis and I watched an hour and a half of missionary videos
(because we had to) so we grabbed our pillows and got comfortable :)
these pictures capture the moment :)

This week we had zone conference! At every zone conference, the person with the cleanest car inside and out gets to choose the car (out of every missionary's car in the zone) that they want! Our car was the coveted car, and we didn't want to lose it so we went so far as to hand wax it, and definitely took it to the car wash guys so they could vacuum it out. That's not cheating, don't worry, WE WON :) just look at that shine! You could see your reflection!

At zone conference, President Riggs and his wife talked to us, mainly for the purpose of teaching new ways for us to teach, and to fill our spiritual tank. I took good notes and wanted to share a few good phrases that were said:

• Nothing can stop the work. No matter how discouraged you may get, or if you want to quit, the work will continue. The gospel of Jesus Christ will be spread throughout all nations, to every person and what an adventure and privilege it is to be apart of that!!  

• Accept others agency, but use yours to continue to teach. Everyone has the ability to choose for themselves, and nobody has to accept what we teach them, so when they choose not to listen or learn more, we (as missionaries or anyone with the knowledge of the gospel) need to use our agency to choose to brush it off and knock on more doors. Find more people. Teach everyone!

• You cannot get a 1 million dollar answer for a 5 cent prayer. Prayers need to be sincere and with real intent - meaning you will act on whatever God tells you to do in order to get an effective answer from the Lord.

• Part time Christians cannot overcome full time Devils 

• Have you prayed about it as much as you've talked about it?

I also read a talk entitled, "Becoming a Consecrated Missionary" by Tad R. Callister, Sunday School General President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. A consecrated missionary is someone who is willing to lay everything on the alter of sacrifice. This means your fears, pride, laziness, weaknesses, and disobedience can't hold you back from spreading this glad message! You can't keep one foot at home and the other in the mission.

Nephi is a prophet in the Book of Mormon who felt that the power of man was inconsequential. It was only the Lords power that counted. I hope to grow to have that much faith and trust in the lord. Another prophet in the Book of Mormon, Mosiah, (chapter 4 vs.19) states, "and now, if ye believe all these things, see that ye do them". Eventually we must do more than tell the stories of the Book of Mormon; WE MUST LIVE THEM.

As for the rest of my week... We had 5 people drop us, and almost all lessons canceled. We really felt and followed the spirit really well! We found 2 families, but they used their agency and chose not to listen. Sometimes the spirit will lead you somewhere and it all looks really good until the next day when the people call you and say never mind. That doesn't mean we didn't follow the spirit, or hear him right, it just means we did what we were supposed to and if anything we planted seeds. I love being a missionary!! Despite the drops and cancellations, we didn't feel the drag of them. This week actually flew by, and we constantly counted our blessings :)

One of those blessings is C!! She is getting baptized on the first or second Saturday of December. My favorite part of a mission is watching the gospel of Jesus Christ change lives. As a missionary, all we can do is teach what we know to be true, and the spirit of God is the one who testifies of truth. We can't force anyone to believe what we are telling them; it's their choice, and when they choose to listen and act, miracles happen :)

[Sister Lewis said I sleep walk!?  ...This is new!!]

TRANSFERS: Everyone keeps asking me about it so I'll tell you what I know. They are on the week before Thanksgiving. The zone leaders said they are confident that I am ready to take over the area (what?!?) which means I'll get a new companion and be the driver/person in charge. BUT Sister Lewis wants to stay for the holidays and she also is not done training me, so technically we should have 6 more weeks together after this transfer. Regardless of what happens to her; whether she stays or goes, I will be staying, so my address will be the same until January.

Fun fact: squirrels and wild bunnies are common here!! Like, we see them on a daily basis :)

A family took us out to eat at Texas Road House on Friday for dinner and that was weird!!! It felt so weird to be surrounded with TVs and so much business.

This week was spiritually uplifting and I am really working on becoming a consecrated missionary:) thank you for the
emails/letters/love!! :)

The picture of the clouds is cool because they looked like a painting!

I hope all is well with everyone!! :) God is good and I love being a missionary!! :)

Sister Chandler