June 19, 2012

This was a great week!   Best news first: We DO leave on Monday, June 25, 2012 for MONGOLIA! I am way juiced. Four of us got our visas and we are still praying for Elder Omori, but we are very hopeful.   I will be in some airport from 9:20 pm until my next flight to Beijing, so I am planning on calling you then with the phone card I got a a righteous deal here. Dear Elder me if that time does not work, but I will plan on calling your cell phone, mom. I need socks, just any old excersize socks. If there is some way to get them to the MTC before I get out of the MTC, that would be great; if not, Mongolia has some way different styles I wouldn't mind trying!   We had brother Per G. Malm speak to us on Tuesday and then Shari Dew came on Sunday. Both were fantastic. Some of you may remember brother Malm from last General conference: he gave a closing prayer and has a swedish accent. Irrelevancies aside, he gave a great talk on working hard smart and focused. Then sister Shari Dew, who was on the general relief society presidency and CEO of Desert Book, spoke to us about following the spirit even when it is unusual to do so. She so illustrated this point by showing a candid camera (copyright) clip of an unsuspecting subject in an elevator and then the candid people coming in and subsequently all facing the same way until the innocent bystander also turned, then they would all turn 90 degrees another way and it was hilarious to watch the unfortunately included person be pressured into following suit. It was especially enjoyable because of the great 70's commentary that Bob Sagat does such a poor job of mimicking.   The message that really stood out to me in sister Dew's talk was an experience she shared when a friend was counciling her about personal things and she had asked the Lord without apparently recieving any direction. The friend said this that changed her life: "Have you ever asked Him (God) to teach you what it feels and sounds like for Him to talk to you?" She replied that no, she hadn't specifically. Her statement really reflected how I was feeling and made me commit to ask my Heavenly Father to tutor me in the nature of spiritual promptings. I have come to more fully understand the Spirit here and when I am feeling it, but in respect to guidence being given, I feel pretty lost. I made it a goal to ask God to help me know when He is directing me and I know that as I do so He will listen and teach me what I need to look, listen and wait for. I know He will guide me on my mission and throughout life if I let Him and strive to align my will with His.   Well, this is my last Email from the MTC for probably the rest of my life. I have seen myself transform as well as many things here. To name a few:   Rampant, out-of-control tie trading becoming locked down to a whisper   Ferocious 2-handed dunks and gym being subdued to hands of the net and backboard   8 English speacking districts zooming in and out again of our hall while we plod along trying to learn Mongolian   My favorite drink changing from sprite and rasberry lemonade to blue powerade with orange guava passionfruit mixed to a fearfactor green perfection   The awe-inspiring view of the mountains shifting to everyday background landscape   Waiting with baited breath at the mailbox claming down to soaking in the sun and relaxing in the 15 minutes that we saved by eating dinner quickly   My clothes, which were borderline gangster-baggy, becoming standard-pushing skin tight My companions being wierd kids from Utah evolving into my best friends here   Rain and cold days are now bright and sunny   I could go on for days, but I am exceptionally thankful for this opportunity to be my Savios's representative and have the life-changing, exciting experience of serving in Mongolia. I wish you all the best this week and I will talk to you this coming Monday night. -Elder Chandler