June 18, 2013

Hi Mom!

Thank you for the wonderful update on your week and weekend, I am glad that fathers were able to spend time together. This week in California we have been working really hard. I know I say that every week, but this week especially we were working on working smart. A few highlights and specifics:

We compiled lists of people that have had positive contact with missionaries in geographical locations and organized them so that we can pull that list out whenever we are in an area. On  Sunday night we went on splits with 2 of the priests in the ward and knocked on a lot of doors and talked to a lot of people around our apartment complex. I went with Clay Coleman, who just graduated from high school and is doing a summer term at BYU then leaving on his mission to Singapore at the end of the summer. That is where President Clark was the president, AND we had had missionaries in our ward in the MTC who went there, so Clay will meet some of my best friends from the MTC! 

We are working on getting ward missionaries out, or members of the ward out with us every night of the week to help us find, fellowship and teach. We haven't found a new investigator in like 4 weeks, which is different than Oceanside, where we could find 2 or 3 a week just by being obedient! 

In other news I went on exchanges with a missionary named Elder Prusse (Proo-suh) who is from Salem, OR, did cross country, went to camp Baldwin and cam Meriwether, came to Lake Oswego stake dances, has the same color eyes and hair as me and the same shoulder bag from target! I gave him one of my ties that matched the tie I was already wearing and we, of course, wear the white shirt, black pants and shoes already. One of my favorite parts of the exchange was we were walking down the road and no one was around so we pretended to be robots and "marched" down the road saying "We are machines, we are machines" Elder Prusse is a blast!

I am excited for the big broadcast on Sunday at 3pm our time! I wonder what will be revealed.

Well we are having lots of great, clean fun and working hard and getting dirty in the service of out Lord! This week we are going to keep doing the same! I love being a missionary even though we ALWAYS have to get up earlier than 6:30 (often 5:00), and we work until 9pm and get to bed at 10:30 every night. I don't mind. A returned missionary visited this Sunday and he said that he is not tired anymore because he is not a missionary. I was so happy to hear that, because now it gives me the hope that one day I will be rested again. As for now, I have a renewed determination and dedication to work and wear out my physical body towards the end of bringing salvation to my dear brothers and sisters. So get some extra sleep this week for me :)

Love, Elder Chandler