Dear Mom,
This week was fantastic, and we had a lot of hard work and a lot of success! I get mail once a week, but I haven't gotten anything since I have been here. Hopefully that gets worked out, because it sounds like you have sent some things! Transfers are this afternoon. I will not know my future location until 4:00 today, but I will let you know via Email next week from somewhere new!
It has been hot here, and I am a little sun burnt from yesterday, but I am thinking that I will be put closer to the beach where it is cooler. I didn't know that you all went to Lake Tahoe! That sounds way fun! It was cool to see those pictures. I have my camera today and I will try to send the pictures as attachments. I don't take too many pictures though!
I have not lost any weight. We frequently have 2 dinners a night, I don't know if I already told you that, but even walking 8-10 miles a day I am staying at 190 lbs, but I have been doing my push ups and I think that my master plan will come to fruition as planned!
We set two new baptismal dates this week and they are scheduled for August 25 to enter the waters in covenant making! Something special that I wanted to share this week is not about that though. As a quick background set-up I need to recount an experience from my last day at the MTC: I was running (I mean purposefully and swiftly walking) around the residence hall with Elder Hegland looking for a scale to weigh our suitcases, and there is, on every floor, and trash/give-away/please take area from Elders who had left recently and could not take all of thier acquired goods with them. On the second floor I came across a children's picture Book of Mormon reader. I felt like I should take it, even though it was in English, because I felt like someone might need it. My first day in San Marcos we walked to a house that had two young boys there who were not that interested in reading the scriptures and church in general. So I thought that maybe they would be the people that needed the children's Book of Mormon. I kept this thought in my head until we visited a less-active (inactive) member of the ward who was 55 and living in an independant assissted living facility. He has a lot of health problems and does not talk to people much, nor does he recieve visitors to help with that problem. He asked for two things: That we stop by once a month and chat, and he asked for a Book of Mormon with the square pictures, so he could read it. I told him that we have one for him. I am so glad that I had picked up the one that I did. I have not seen one like it out here.
I konw that the Lord is working through me as a missionary to touch the hearts of the people in this area that I had the chance to serve in; even if it has barely been three weeks. I am sad to go and I have made some great friendships. The ever approaching arrival to Mongolia occupies my mind occasionally, but I am grateful to be here at this point in my mission. This is God's work throughout the world. I know that I have a purpose here, even if it was just to give Ron a way to come closer unto Christ through a simple book that he can better understand. I know that I am a son of God and have been called to preach repentance to His children. I never want to lose this desire that I feel within myself to spread the word.
I love being a missionary and I love my Savior Jesus Christ. I know that only through His grace and our works can we be saved. Thank you for having been a good example and for your continued encouragement and support. Have a great week.
So long from San Marcos -Elder Chandler
No comments:
Post a Comment