July 29, 2013

Things are going really good. i don't really know what to say. I have a cool experience this week! I am starting to talk like an Asian and I love it haha

Let me share an experience I had with the priesthood this week. I was on exchanges with a missionary in the zone who was struggling really bad. We will call him Elder X. Elder X just got a lot of sad and distressing news from home and was not sure what to do. He wants to be here, but also feels powerless to change for good the circumstances that have gone awry with his family. He asked me for a blessing on Friday and I said of course. He and I felt such a powerful feeling of peace and comfort come upon us as I laid my hands upon his head. The words of our loving Father were relayed by me through the spirit to dear Elder X. I don't remember much of what I said, but I do remember crying as I gave the blessing. yes, I still cry a lot. The priesthood is not a magical power or force, it is not a weapon or an agent for personal gain. The priesthood is the knowledge, love and authority of God for the salvation of His children. I want so much to always be worthy of this responsibility and excersize it in righteousness for the benefit of others.

That was the highlight I would say of the week. 

I hope all is well at home and I will hopefully hear from you next Monday!

Love, Elder Chandler

July 16, 2013

Hi Mom,

Thank you for the email and slightly disturbing picture of the toothpick that was inside Harrison's body!! The weather is great here, a little hot, but there are no SevenElevens in our area so we did not get any slurpees :(

We had a great meeting on Wednesday with the missionaries in the stake and we all talked about charity for part of the meeting. I was impressed with how many other missionaries recognized the many blessings that come from charity. In chapter 6 of Preach My Gospel we learn about Christlike Attributes and as we develop charity the other attributes become part of who we are. It seems to me that as we are diligent and obedient and patient that we are able to work harder and as our efforts increase so does our love for the people we serve. 

I really love serving here in this area and I am excited to see what changes next week brings. If you are in the area on Saturday and going to the Newport Beach temple like you did a few months ago, don't come to the 1:30 session, because I will be in that one with a family from the ward whose son is getting his endowments out for his mission to Singapore. President Orgill gave us special permission to go and help him continue to prepare for a mission. He is a special kid.

This week was good, no complaints, and if I did have complaints there is nothing I could do about it anyways!!

Charity and Love --Elder Chandler 

July 2, 2013

Hi Mom!

This Sunday Bishop Chapman relayed some information to the adults of the Santa Margarita ward (yes, I am still serving here) he did a good job helping inspire the member to have missionary work "on their minds". A great insight from a sister was that member's efforts often become concentrated on bringing new members in through conversion, and then on keeping them (retention). While those are essential components of the conversion process and the work of salvation, these efforts may be at the expense of those members who are currently in the ward and still need friends, responsibility and nourishment. She said that as we expend a portion of our efforts on each other ([Re]activation), in the ward our hearts will be knit together and other people will want to join in this fold. 

Her comment is a reference to something a prophet said years ago, but I felt like it was timely. I believe that the members we do have are the key to finding and bringing in the new members. We have been going to members of the ward council, and asking them about those people they think could benefit from a visit. Here is where I feel like we are bringing everything together -- The members of the ward council give us names and we fill our planners with those names around the appointments that we already have. We are not sitting and waiting for a phone call from the EQP telling us he lined up 12 teaching appointments, but we ARE planning in times to visit the 12 names he gave us! This has helped us bring the ward together and minister to those who need help in the ward.

President and sister Orgill will be introducing themselves on Thursday at a mission wide conference up in Irvine. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with them!

Have a great week!

Love, Elder Chandler

June 24th, 2013

HI Mom,

I don't think that you have ever written me on a Saturday before! The reason that is so cool is because we are emailing today (Monday)! So if you hadn't emailed me on Saturday then I wouldn't have had anything to email back about and it would have thrown off the groove! 

Tomorrow we say goodbye to President and Sister Cook. They are spectacular and will be missed. 

Thank you for the awesome pictures of Mac! (where is he going?) and for the pictures of Jackson (He is smiling?!) That made my day! 

We have been teaching a lot and I am working on memorizing everything I can because I don't have very many things memorized. 

Hello to Michael Biancardi! Can't believe he is home already.

I know that the church is true and that missionary work is what I should be engaged in at this time. I hope you all are having a great campout and don't forget to share the gospel!

Love, Elder Chandler

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

June 4, 2013

Happy June!

Thanks for the pictures of all the chicks that I haven't seen before (of the poultry variety)! Also congratulations to dad on a fine marathon time! 

Rancho Santa Margarita is a wonderful stake, I feel like I have been here for 3 months already, and Oceanside was just a dream. That is always how it seems to go, except the MTC is still a reality -- I feel like I just left the MTC. Before I forget, yes. Yes that my mission address will change on July 1st. To what, I know not, save it will be in Irvine and the Lord will prepare a way wherewith all things which are expedient unto Him shall be recieved by His servant, even Elder Chandler. Amen? Not that I really need anything. (A little secret is that the members here buy us anything we need!) We don't need much though.

Could you please send me a picture of the Portland Temple's visitor center? That sounds incredible! Also could I get a hard copy picture of my eagle project? I appreciate the electronic version, but when people ask me about it we don't have iPads yet to pull it up. 

This week we have met a lot of people and I haven't taken any pictures yet, but if things go well I should send 20 in 6 months when I get transferred... Just kidding! I send them as I take them. I washed all the blood out of my hair and my headache is gone! I smaked myself pretty good last night on the bottom of a staircase right before a lesson. I don't really remember the lesson, but Elder Hemmelgarn said I had some funny, random comments.

Our ward mission leader is fatastic! We are going to be working with him a ton now. Great things are on the horizon, like they were in Laguna Niguel! I think Orange County requires a different sort of vision than San Diego does. This key board is not very good, so sorry if words are misspelled. And if I just blame it on the key board I feel better about my ineptitude to spell correctly.

Have you seen the Life of Christ videos online? I hav been keeping up with them for a year now and if you haven't seen them (this applies to each and every individual who is reading this, not just my momma!) you would be wise to check them out! 

LIfe is good, I am getting some color on my face from the sunshine! I love being a missionary and seeing how no matter what anyone is going through; the gospel and the principles therein can improve the quality of their lives. As always I hope the family is doing well, I am safe, happy and healthy, and life is good. Read the Book of Mormon! 

Love, Elder Chandler

May 28, 2013

Dear Mummy,

My mind flashed a "Does not compute" signal when I saw one of my previous companions with you, dad, Jackson, Kennedy and Harry! I am glad that you could meet Ben, formerly known as Elder Barton. We had some great adventures together and brought many unto Christ; he taught me a lot and helped me become who I am today. 

Well looks like you will have one more graduate from West Linn High School in the very near future. Pretty cool! Down in Oceanside there is a Spanish speaking sister missionary named Carolynn (spelling?) Jensen and she went to BYU with Nate and high school with Cami Pratt, so she says hi and congratulations on going out to South Korea! Elder Hegland also just got a brand new companion from South Korea who speaks very little English and his name is Elder Jung (pronounced 'Chung'). Elder Hegland is in Laguna Niguel, the stake I served in with Elder Barton, and now I am in the Rancho Santa Margarita stake serving with Elder Hemmelgarn (who you met through that picture that Sis. Day sent you.) So Elder Hegland and I will both, starting July 1st, be in the California, Irvine mission. First Mongolia, then Carlsbad, now Irvine! Do I get to come home to 3 missionary plaques?! Not that it matters. 

I really missed being up here in Orange county, Oceanside was a place where we could connect with the people and serve a lot in very visible ways, but in Orange county, it is more difficult to get people to let you help them. However, once they see how incredible the gospel is and what Christ's church can do for them in their lives the people here, in general, are more receptive and committed to the lifestyle that God asks them to live. In Oceanside it was a lot of talk and not much real conversion. Except I really do miss a lot of the people, especially the 3 Amigos. They are the only people that I have promised on my mission that I would come back and see. So in the future I know I will see them again. 

We are teaching some awesome people! I will get some stories ready for next week, but I don't have much time right now, we have a couple appointments to catch! 

Love you lots! Have a great week. Jackson- don't be TOO crazy your last 3 days of high school ;)

-Elder Chandler