May 7, 2013

Dear Mom,

The weather is the same up and down the west coast it looks like! This week was full of training meetings! I forgot to take too many pictures, but I did get one of some of us setting up for zone training meeting! 

So my update is that picture! Elder Pendergast and I have been working hard; he wants to lose some weight, and I wouldn't mind using a different hole in my belt to hold my pants up either, so we do challenges, like not eating after 7, or doing a bunch of push-ups or stuff like that. 

I just remembered a really funny experience that we had that I can share! So last week we went to Lisa's (name has been changed) house and helped her move a new coach into her place. She already had a couch in there and so we had to stand it up on end and make room for the new one. The old coach was pretty nice so a different person wanted to buy it. I should say that it wasn't exactly Lisa's house, but it was an elder person's care facility, so all of the people there are 65 and up and having personal problems. The lady that wanted to buy the coach said that she would pay us to move it and we said that we would move it, fine, but would not take money. The next day we went back and in order to get Lisa's old coach to the ladies place we had to more the lady's old coach out. the problem starts here, because after we got it out there was no place we could put it. The dumpster was too small and the property was strict on junk. So we had the lady's old coach in the courtyard and 3 other elderlies came by and started bickering and saying that people were breaking promises and causing quite a commotion. The lady buying the coach got really mad and said she wasn't breaking any promises, and then 3 other older ladies told Elder Pendergast and me that they were so sorry that we had to be abused and put through this like this. We ended up putting the old coach on the roof of the lady's boyfriend's car. It looked ridiculous. Then we moved the new coach in and tried to escape but they tried to give us money and the other 3 tried to say how incredibly sorry they were that we had to deal with backstabbing liars. We just told them that it was okay and started walking briskly back out to the street and we left them in the dust! We get a kick out of that every time we talk to missionaries about conflicts that they are having and we just relate this story to them and then they realize how immature that they are being about their issues, and that straightens them out! 

Life is good. I love being a missionary. Elder Barton goes home in 2 weeks... wow When we heed the impressions of the Holy Ghost, we learn what is feels and sounds like. It is a process, and I am learning slowly, but anybody can learn this! As we are consistent to following the voice of the Lord, through the whisperings of the Spirit His direction comes clearer to our minds and truer to our hearts. And it feels really good! So keep doing that everyday :)

Love -Elder Chandler 

April 30, 2013

Hi mom,

Thanks for the email and pictures this week. Missionary work is really going well! At the service project on Saturday the 3 amigos came and we had fun with them. It was at the cemetery of the San Louis Ray Mission and we sanded and painted the gate and fences, cut back brush, cleaned headstones, dug up bodies (just kidding) and put gravel around the headstones. There were about 400 people there. 

What else this week... I went on an exchange with Elder Hegland and we talked in Mongolian a lot and discussed patience. We decided that we are starting to get a little impatient sometimes with the work and want things to happen faster then they are right now. We studied it out and understand more fully that God is in charge of the work and when we continue to do all that we can, then there is no need to be worried. It is funny that we talked about this because we each were having problems with being generally irritable and prone to anger, and we couldn't figure out why, until we studied out patience. To clarify, it was more of the mad on the inside and frustrated anger, not furious fighting anger. 

I think that from now on I will just send pictures with captions, because I really don't know what to say, and pictures say a lot. 

Life is good and I am really happy! God gives us commandments so that we can govern ourselves, He does not tell us each day the exact things that we must do at a given time. We can find happiness and build our faith when we follow God's commandments and that will also let us know what we do need to be doing.

See you in 12 days :)

Love, Elder Chandler

April 23, 2013

Happy Earth Day (yesterday)

I love Oceanside, and I don't mind spending a long time here... except that it is getting hot and people are beach vacationing here and... well, we stay away from the beach.

I am extremely sad to hear about the unhealthy heifers!! I talked to a couple people about cows and the advice I got so far has been to give them alfalfa for treats, grain is good, and to halter train them. What kind of calves are they? Can you send a picture?

The musical fireside was fantastic on Sunday! I will send home a binder with the pieces I played in it and a few other things. There 2 Mongolians that we have been talking to came and really enjoyed it! It was difficult to transition from English to Mongolian to Spanish to Mongolian and back to English! Elder Hegland serves in the same stake as me. He is in the Carlsbad 1st ward, and I am in Oceanside1st. I would say that it is like me serving in Willamette ward and him in Stafford ward. 

Thank you for the socks and the classy Elder Nelson picture! Sorry to hear about Jackson's wrist, his handwriting looked pretty good for his right hand though. 

I really just love being a missionary and doing heavenly Father's work. It brings me so much happiness to see the lives of people who accept the message change in such a positive way. Go be missionaries today :-)

April 16, 2013

Hi mom,

A cow?! That is exciting! Thanks for the picture. Also, how is Jackson's wrist doing and his pole vaulting?

This week in Oceanside California we had some good times. I have been here for about 5 months now and I feel like I know Oceanside 1st ward better than the Willamette ward! I think that is how it should be.

I was on exchanges this week into the Spanish missionaries work and we had dinner at a family that kept talking about "T.J." I thought that they were talking about dad, or a pizza place, but they were talking about TiJuana, Mexico! That is the funny story that I wrote down in my planner to tell you all about.

We are teaching a lot and helping the missionaries in the stake. Elder Hegland is doing great, I love that man! 

What do you want to know about life as a missionary? Do you want to hear about lessons we teach, funny stories, spiritual experiences, local customs, cultural events, principles of the gospel? Anything you want, we have a lot of everything here!

I made raspberry BBQ bison steaks, lemon sriracha tilapia, curry rice, and a chocolate-kiwi smoothie for breakfast today, so I am really happy. 

God gives us everything, our daily breath, our trials and even bison steaks. I know God loves everyone!

Love, Elder Chandler

April 11, 2013

Today is Jefferson's one year mark.  One year left!

April 9, 2013

Dear Mom,

Thanks for the great news on how everyone is doing at home! Especially the story from Elder Collins :)

Life is great here in Carlsbad. Elder Pendergast and I will be staying together for another 6 weeks here and it is a big blessing because the stake is really picking up the work. 

I am sure there are stories that I should tell you, but I can't remember right now. We have a lot going on today and this week. I don't mean that as an excuse, I just have other things on my mind. To answer your question, all the missionaries in the stake watched general conference at the stake center, and between sessions we had practices for the musical fireside that is happening on April 21. I am playing the piano in a bunch of songs.

Life is good and it is Elder Hegland's birthday on Thursday! We also will be turning 1 year old in missionary time. 1 more to go. That is plenty of time, but the problem is life keeps moving faster and faster!! Such is the way. 

I hope you have a great week and 'Catch the wave' (Elder Nelson)

Love, Elder Chandler

April 2, 2013

Hi Mom,

I am glad to hear that your Easter was good! Mine was also very nice. We forgot it was Easter until people at church said "Happy Easter" to us. Elder Pendergast and I wore matching ties and gave a missionary presentation to the whole ward during third hour. The ward liked that we had matching ties on. They liked the presentation too, now we just need to continue to implement it. 

We started teaching a couple new people this week, a 24 year old Hispanic man who wants to learn more about the Savior (The Book of Mormon is perfect for that), an agnostic 40 year old who has 2 Emmys (Humility would be perfect for him), and a 24 year old marine who is married to a member of the church that is about to have their second baby (Diapers are going to be perfect for them) 

The 3 amigos came to church and enjoyed the Easter messages. 

CrazyRadar: 

-We met a homeless guy who said that he was "The Beast", from Revelation and that he had died before, but was now alive and just waiting for 3 more years until Jesus comes again and turns America into dust and gives him the world. "The Beast" had this really funny laugh, and I don't know how to type it out because on paper it looks like: "haha", but it sounds really funny! Elder Pendergast and I laugh like that now when ever we talk about him.

-On Easter there was a Hispanic man sitting on some stairs, so I started talking to him in Spanish (This is always dangerous, because my Spanish isn't too good yet and Elder Pendergast doesn't know any). We said Happy Easter and he said, yeah, you too. He was drinking beer and we asked how he was doing and he said pretty good and then showed us his beer and we told him that water is better then beer because it gets rid of headaches. So he said that water is definitely better than beer, but he likes beer. So we asked if he had ever heard of the Book of Mormon before and he said probably, but I don't remember, because I always drink beer. That was pretty funny, and then we asked if we could help him with anything and he told us to throw his beer away, so we took his can and threw it away. 

Missionary work is great. I know that we have living prophets on the earth today and have the opportunity to hear them this weekend. I hope that all is well with you and I will talk to you next week!

-Elder Chandler