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

Week 23: Exhausted, Happy Servants of the Lord

Um. Hi :)

I hope everyone had a good week! Mine was exhausting. Sister Morris and I hit a wall of exhaustion this week, but don't you worry, we kept working :)

Monday was a typical Pday. The evening was good though because we set up an appointment with the man in the elevator who wanted us to teach him, and we also set up an appointment with a former investigator. 

District meeting was on Tuesday- it was zone training so the zone leaders taught the whole time. We learned that on March 28th a new Mormon message called, "Because He Lives" will be coming out; it's supposedly really good, so we are excited to see and share it!! We were also informed that we will not meet together as a zone anymore. Sad day :/ I guess we are one of the few missions who still do that, so from now on we will meet with only our district. Which isn't a bad thing! It's just not AS fun :) 

Later in the evening we had dinner with a member, a lesson with a recent convert, and a lesson with an investigator named A! We watched the Joseph smith video and the spirit was really strong! I love that even after we receive one witness that the church is true, we can continue to be reminded by the power of the Holy Ghost :) 

In the middle of the night I woke up to sister Morris praying out loud saying, "dear Heavenly..." And then she looked at me, and continued to pray but in her head. I'm not sure if she was awake or asleep... hahah you know you're a missionary when... ;) 

Wednesday was our last day to Facebook! I didn't post anything though. We went to a place called A.F.A.C (Arlington food assistance center) where we helped organize food on shelves for families that have low income, and can't afford a lot of food, come to get a few items they may be in need of. It was so fun! We go once a week and everyone there is so kind :) we even got T-Shirts! 

In the evening we had dinner with a member and checked on some formers. Funny story. One of the former investigators was named D. We happened to be in the neighborhood so we thought we would just check on him. When the door opened I asked if D was there, and he was... But not the same D described in our area book! What are the odds that a different D would live there?! I didn't feel good about asking to teach him, so we just gave him a Mormon.org card and explained what was on the website. We then cleared our iPads because we would be getting new ones the next day.

When Thursday rolled around we did indeed get new iPads. They look the same, but they're a little better! Apple has been so kind to actually give us iPads with the restrictions and apps and programs that we need as missionaries! The church is working with Apple! Too cool :)

 
In the afternoon we had lunch with victor; the guy from the elevator. We taught him the restoration and gave him a Book of Mormon; he wants to meet with us again so we have an appointment for next Thursday :) In the evening we had a member lesson, dinner with a member, and we checked up on a recent convert who hasn't been able to come to church because of her job, but we talked to her and she is looking for a new one so she can come!! We haven't been able to get ahold of her for the whole transfer, and before that, so it was a blessing that we were able to catch her! Friday morning after studies we went back to M's house because she needed help with English for an English class. 

I also got a much needed package full of my favorite fattening things from some of my favorite people :) you know who you are ;) 

Weekly planning was good, and in the evening we met with K! We haven't seen her for about 2 weeks, and in the middle of our lesson she so randomly says, "I wanna be baptized in like May or June. Can we do it soon?" Um.. Yes K!? haha she's so awesome :) so we are shooting for the beginning of May. She is still struggling with the word of wisdom but progressing!! :) please continue to keep her in your prayers :) 

Oh my gosh Saturday was nuts. We had a lesson with a member at 10am at a breakfast place, but she was 30 minutes late, so we were there forever! It was so awesome though because she was baptized in 2013 on my birthday!!? And told us her story :) her name is Y. She's the sweetest thing from Africa :) after that we went home for lunch but ended up sleeping the entire lunch hour because we were beat! We had a lesson at 2 with a reassignment whom we'd never met before, but the address brought us to a cigar and tobacco shop.... So we decided not to go in... :) Haha we called the number we had though and left a message! 

On the way home the light for the "low tire pressure" went off, so we stopped to fill our tires with air. In skirts. So fun :) I'm grateful for my smart sister who made sure I knew how to do that, because my companion didn't! 

The evening was full of checking on formers and sharing the gospel!! My favorite thing ever to do!! :) we have a few return appointments so we are excited :) I also got a call that day saying that C's baptism has been moved to the 22nd of March instead of the 21st due to a youth event taking up the stake center Saturday evening. She is so excited :) I AM SO EXCITED!!! :) I miss Centreville, so it will be good to see everyone again :) including sister Lewis!! Dear goodness next week the email will be so good! ;) haha '

Church on Sunday was good. It was ward conference and during 3rd hour it was a combined Q&A, which consisted of questions centered on marriage and dating. That was fun :) We had an investigator come to church so that was awesome! As well as a dinner appointment with a recent convert who is getting married to an agnostic. She's the coolest :) her testimony is super strong and he is very relaxed/supportive of her beliefs. We were able to share a message and part of me wonders what he thought. Maybe one day he will want to know more :) Mothers Day in England was on Sunday, so sister Morris got to skype her family and their accent is SO thick!! I LOVED it!! :) 

Sister Morris has been working so hard mentally all transfer that she shut down Sunday evening. She was pretty sick :/ so we went home early in order for her body to rest. She hasn't been sleeping either so that doesn't help. If you could keep my sweet British companion in your prayers, that would be WONDERFUL!! :) she works really hard and deserves a little extra divine help to rest :) 

Something I've really begun to appreciate is the Book of Mormon and the Restoration of the gospel. I've been really studying the Book of Mormon in depth vs. just reading over the chapters and oh what a difference it's made! Weird, huh? ;) 

I am so grateful for the people who followed the council of the lord to write an account of the events that took place, and then buried those accounts in the ground so that they could be preserved for our day. I find it so neat to be able to relate and liken the scriptures to my life! 

Something I've noticed as I study, too, is that the organization of the church is the exact same as it was even before Christ came! God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. It's proven throughout the Book of Mormon :) I truly love that book with everything I am! 

We invite all men everywhere to read and pray about it, so you can know for yourself of the truthfulness of the things which we speak :) 

I'm beyond grateful for a loving father in heaven who provides us with modern day direction and council from a living prophet. My heart is full yet again :) it always will be because this gospel is true folks!! The Holy Ghost bears witness of that to me every single day! :) Its pretty great to be able to know that for myself :)

**Shout out to my boy Caden for turning 15 on Tuesday!!! You're getting so old, and so tall!! I hope you have a most wonderful birthday :) I love you! :) 

Have a fabulous week! 

Make good choices. 

Share the gospel. 

Endure to the end. 

Be happy :) 

Sister Chandler

Small Acts of Service

This last Sunday I spoke to friends, family, and ward members for my farewell talk (10 more days!). In case you missed it, here is my talk:

Good morning brothers and sisters!

My name is Kailey Chandler and I have been called to serve in the Washington D.C. South Mission. I report to the MTC in a week and a half, on the 24th and will serve for a period of 18 months.

In this conference talk, “Be Anxiously Engaged”, LDS Apostle Elder Ballard discussed the life of Honeybees and their individual work efforts combined to get the job done. He stated,
“Over its short lifetime of just a few weeks to four months, a single honeybee contributes one-twelfth of a teaspoon of honey to the hive.

Like these honeybees, we too can contribute to our “hive” by simple acts of kindness, or service.

The first and great commandment taught by our Savior is to, “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind…”, and the second is like unto it; “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself”. We can do both of these things at the same time while serving others! 

I hate unloading the dishwasher. The secret is out. But I do it because I love my mom and appreciate all she does for me. Mosiah 2:17 in the Book of Mormon tells us that when we are in the service of our fellow beings, we are only in the service of our God. Boom! Double whammy. So while I unload that dishwasher, I am not only serving my mother because I love and appreciate her, but also because I love and appreciate my Savior. Small and simple words or deeds like unloading the dishwasher can go a long way.

Just the other day I was on my way home from my grandma’s house and my mom called saying she needed me to stop at the store to get cheese for the lasagna that she was making. When standing in line to check out, I noticed that the woman behind me was just gorgeous. She didn’t look like a model or anything, she actually looked like she spent the day chasing kids around, but I noticed that her facial features were really pretty, and I wanted to tell her. I am the type of person who really enjoys complimenting random people, so this wasn’t unusual for me. As I continued to stand in line and swipe my card to pay for the cheese, the thought, “She is so pretty! Tell her she’s so pretty!” would not go away. Finally I couldn’t take it anymore. The compliment came out like word vomit, and after I had told her, she just looked at me like… are you talking to me? After what seemed like an awkward long pause, she said, “Oh! Thank you? I don’t feel pretty”. I then smiled and told her that I thought she was. Her response caught me off guard, “Thank you. It has been a really rough day”. She didn’t say my compliment had made her feel better, but judging by the smile on her face, I’d like to think it helped.

Christ sees us as children of God rather than just another person at the store, like we often see each other. I think that by viewing each other as children of God, especially while serving, we are strengthening our Christ-like attributes and becoming closer to our Savior. Not to mention adding to our teaspoon of honey.

Not only do we serve because we love our fellow men, but we do it to lift one another’s burdens.

On my way home from college this summer, by car broke down about an hour and a half into the trip in the middle of nowhere. Luckily I was following my roommate, so I wasn’t alone, but somehow we had both missed the turn off between Utah and Pocatello, so we weren’t even going the right way. You’d think that someone would pull over to help three girls sitting on the hood of their car, but we weren’t so lucky. We got a couple honks but, no Good Samaritan. I called my parents and told them what had happened; my car simply stopped accelerating. My mom was like, “Kailey you know you can’t go anywhere without gas right?” so I responded with a firm, “Mom. It’s a full tank”.

After about 45 minutes of waiting for my so loving parents to find a tow truck near us, I squished in my roommates car, left mine (full of everything I own) on the side of the road, and drove an hour back (in the right direction) to a hotel. My roommates showed love and compassion as they took me to subway and bought me dinner. Turns out I ordered the sandwich of the day so I got a free drink. After multiple words of comfort and long hugs, they then dropped me off at a hotel in Pocatello, leaving me all by myself with my cell phone, charger, and chapstick.

Just as we have a loving Father in Heaven who is willing to do all he can to help us, I have a loving father on earth who was willing to immediately drop his business plans for the night and drive 4 hours to my rescue. Not only did he do this, but he brought me clothes and necessities that would get me by the next day. I don’t have a clue why the Lord stopped my car because when we called the place where the tow truck left it, the people who worked on it said that there was nothing wrong with it. They took it out for a spin and it worked just fine. Despite the inconvenience that this was, I was able to see that the Christ-like characteristics shown from my roommates and my dad had truly lifted my burden that day. Mosiah 18:8-9 in the Book of Mormon tell us that if we are willing to bear one another’s burdens, mourn with those that mourn and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, we may be blessed with eternal life.

In 1996 President Hinckley promised that, “Meaningful service can be a powerful antidote to feelings of isolation or depression”. Throughout my life I have faced many trials, as I’m sure everyone has, but as I prepare for a mission I find that the trials I face are bigger, and seem to last much longer. I wouldn’t say I’ve been depressed, but over the past couple of months life for me definitely has not been easy. To top off these trials, if you haven’t noticed, my hair is brown. For me, this goes into the “Trial” category of life and though it was something I wanted at first, it turned into an easy reason to feel down. I kept praying for a way out of the negative self-talk; I am generally a really positive person, so the amount of daily negative feelings I was having threw me for a loop. It wasn’t until I received this topic and talking with my sister that I realized my prayers have been answered. By forgetting myself and going to work; serving others, I am able to put my focus elsewhere and that feels so good; it brings great joy to the soul when being selfless. Heavenly Father blesses those who serve one another, and pulling us out of depression or negative feelings is one of the ways He blesses us. We literally need to forget ourselves and go to work, just as President Hinckley’s father counseled him. I could totally get fat on my mission, and I feel like my hair is going to look like a lion in the humidity, but this work is not about me. It’s about the Savior. It’s about service. I am SERVING a mission. No matter the imperfections I may notice every day, or the trials I will face while I’m out there, I know that they are only distractions or experiences to help me grow and that by forgetting myself and going to work, I will be blessed with happiness for serving with my heart.

The Savior is the prime example of service. The first thing I think of is when he washed his apostle’s feet. I remember being so confused when learning this for the first time, because I felt like if anything they should be washing his feet! However, he shows us by example that we are to serve everyone. That we are to show love, compassion, patience, mercy, and friendship while serving our brothers and sisters.

In Matthew chapter 14 we learn of the great
multitude that the Lord had compassion on. He healed the sick, and saw that they were hungry. Though His apostles noted that the only food they had to share was 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, and suggested sending the multitude away to find their own food, the Savior said, “They need not depart; give ye them to eat”. He looked up unto Heaven and blessed the food, making it possible to be distributed amongst 5,000 men, beside women and children, and for them to be full. Not only was this a service to fill their bellies, but Christ taught them the gospel which would bring them eternal life. Just as he taught the woman at the well that if she were to drink what he offered; the gospel, she would never thirst again. He was feeding them physically, but doing a service to them by feeding them spiritually that they may have eternal life.

I know that on my mission I will be faced with many opportunities to serve. Whether that be through volunteering, serving my companion; even those companions, or shoveling the massive amounts of snow that I hear Virginia gets. I know that as missionaries, we are not called to a place, but we are called in place of the Savior. I have an enormous desire to be so obedient, and to be an effective tool in the Lord’s hands. This is His work, brothers and sisters.

I want to serve a mission because I want to serve my Father in Heaven. This gospel has brought pure happiness to my life and I want to share this good news with everyone I meet! I know that small acts of kindness add up and as we contribute our one-twelfth of a teaspoon to the hive throughout our short lifetime, we will be immensely blessed.