Letter 6-25-2013

Hi,

So today marks one year..... Insanely fast.

The missionary fireside was fun. We had the whole mission get together to watch it (it's a max 20 minutes bike ride to the mission office from the furthest area in the mission). We discussed a little bit afterwards. I was impressed personally by how much charity matters. How our motivation should be charity. So I want to continue to work on that. The whole internet thing where we get to start using facebook and stuff will be interesting but I'll be waiting to see what the guidelines are going to be. And when it'll be rolled out for SLCC

We're continuing to shoot towards baptism with everyone so things are going forward with valiance. Other than that not much else to say. Here are some random pictures, like me shooting a basketball or a discount cake the member who went shopping with us today got written on. I don't know how he found out I'd been out a year today.

Anyways yeah things are good,

Elder Chandler

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thought: testify!

We were challenged to read through the Book of Mormon on a study schedule during personal study, looking for verses about missionary work. Which of course there's a ton. I've been keeping tabs on the verbs that missionaries do in the BoM.

It's interesting to note that, behind missionaries speaking, they testify the next most times so far. It made me think of President Monson's talk during the priesthood session of general conference. In any case I'm going to make it a point to testify more.

Fun fact is that, behind testifying, missionaries have 'fled'. So apparently lots of people get mad at us? No surprises.

 

Letter 6-18-2013

Hey,

It's been a busy week. We had to get Elder Oliveros all set for everything that comes up at the beginning of a mission - bike, all that. He's from the Philippines. Started learning English in the MTC basically, so he's still learning the language. It's definitely different, but it's fun. He comes from a culture in which internet cafes are the norm (and League of Legends), which I think is so cool. (But just so you know that's not what we talk about, I just think internet cafes would be fun).

Things continue to progress with the investigators we have, although lately we've had problems with them falling off date. At least we can put them back on again. They haven't dropped us :) So things are staying busy. We've just got to continue finding more.

Other than that all is good... some pictures to make up for last weeks lack of baptism pictures is coming up (Chris' baptism with his eight year old neighbor friend, and our last zone workout in the morning before transfers):

~Elder Chandler

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thought: Personal Peace

I really like Elder Cook's talk from general conference more and more. As the missionary work gets busier and responsibility is added, I'm finding it's easy to dwell on all the things I need to do and all the mistakes I make. And so I really enjoy the idea that "happiness and contentment" can come through Jesus Christ, by our personal righteousness.

Scripture to back it all up, that to me basically says, "don't stress, but find peace", Phillippians 4:6-7:

"Be careful for nothing; (footnote: Don't be unduly concerned about anything) but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ."

Letter 06-11-2013

Everyone,

Things are still moving forward strong. Chris was baptized - I actually ended up baptizing him, which is always fun. I don't have my camera on me now so I'll have to get the pictures to you next week. We're still working with all the others we're teaching, although a couple (Luke and Madison) fell off date. We're working on finding more so we can continue to see progress!

Six weeks goes by so fast... so transfer calls came in yesterday. Elder Ciavardini is heading off to Union Fort (my first area!), and I'm getting a new companion. I'll be training someone straight out of the MTC, so I'm not sure exactly who I'm getting yet. It's a pretty big honor though - I'm one of two Elders training this next transfer... all the rest are sisters. They're starting to come...

I hope my new greenie will continue to push me to be the best missionary I can be, so we can continue seeing success!

--Elder Ryan Chandler
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thought: The foundational principle

Recently during our final week of training with E Ciavardini, we re-read chapter 1 of PMG. As we read, we'll read a section at a time, then teach each other a "one bullet-point" (two to three clear, concise sentences; it's to help us try and teach better for understanding) summary of what we just read. Then we go sentence by sentence and see what more we get out of it!

--- But first I'll start with a kind of secular analogy to get your brain running on the right track: We've all driven a car. We've all driven cars down the freeway or an interstate or whatever. (I especially like picturing I-15 just because it's always insanely busy and them Utah drivers...) Stop and picture that for a second. We know how we usually react when people cut us off, when people do dumb things on the road. Have you ever had that moment though, where you realize that everyone in each of those cars is an individual person, going somewhere different, with their own agenda and needs and likes and problems?

Just realizing this one thing - seeing people as people and not things; changing who you are and not what you do - changes the ~everything~ of what you do. (notice here who -> (why) -> what etc, it's the who that comes first.) ---

As we were doing this, it struck me what I think the apostles were trying to say out of that first, and presumably most important paragraph of PMG.

Read it now and picture it. Compare it to cars. And try thinking of everyone around you as children of God without smiling! PMG chapter six first page (paraphrased) -

Much of PMG is spent teaching missionaries what to do - how to teach, how to find, how to fulfill your purpose. "Just as important as what you do, however, is who you are." :)

Trainer!

June 13, 2013

ElderChandler

8153 Hoover Street

Midvale, UT

84047

re:  Call to serve as a Trainer

Dear Elder Chandler,

You have been called by the Lord to serve as a trainer in the Utah Salt Lake City Central Mission.  Your companion will be Elder Oliveros and you will serve in the Midvale 5^th, 6^th & 7^th Wards in the Midvale Stake.

Training is one of the highest honor’s that the Lord can bestow upon a missionary.  The Mission President’s handbook counsels:

            “One of the greatest expressions of trust that you can give a missionary is to assign him or her as a trainer of a new missionary.  A missionary’s first companion will have a profound, lasting influence on the development of the missionary’s attitude and habits.  Give special consideration, therefore, to those you assign to train new missionaries.  Choose only outstanding missionaries to serve as trainers.” (p.48)

As a trainer you are expected set an example for your companion in every aspect of missionary work including faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, obedience to all the rules, hard work, study, teaching and following the Spirit.  You have been entrusted to help your companion become a “Preach My Gospel”  missionary.

I encourage you to closely follow  “The First 12 Weeks” training program in your daily study. 

Remember that your companion is also a set-apart missionary who you should call upon to participate fully in the companionship, and in teaching, from their very first day.

The success of the Utah Salt Lake City Central Mission and the salvation of many souls depends upon how well you train your new companion.  I thank you personally for accepting this important responsibility and pray that you will seek the Lord’s help as you seek to humbly magnify this calling.

Love and Support

Richard W. Moffat

President, Utah Salt Lake City Central Mission

cc:  Parents

Letter 6-4-2013

Hello people,

It's hard to fit everything that happens in a week in one email lately. Midvale just keeps producing miracles. Sometimes, when I'm walking around in some of the government housing, I like to think I'm out in Central America with Nick and Conner, ha. There's enough hispanics to justify the feeling (and enough success as well) :)

Right now we're working with six people for baptism! The easiest way I can think of to organize this letter is this:

June 8th: Chris Hansen - nine years old, was interviewed on Saturday and is excited and ready to go! He's been filling out baptism invitations and leaving them in all his neighbor's mailboxes, haha. Been great to teach him! He's also asked me to confirm him so that will be fun too.

June 15th: Luke Sherner - a fifteen year old that's been going to church actively since he was an infant, but has so much respect for his dad he hasn't wanted to move forward to baptism until he got permission from him (even though dad has no custody...). He feels now he's old enough to make his own decision though, and so is planning on telling his dad this week he's getting baptized on the 15th and wants him to be there.

June 22nd: Sara and Tori Darlington - A family that we've been teaching for a while. They just got to church for the first time on Sunday (one for five!). We're going to temple square with them on Saturday, so they should contune to be steadfast.

June 29th: Madi Brito - nine year old whos mom wants her baptized... but her mom is also a heavy drinker and smoker. They're hard to catch but things should work out in the end;

Chris Floyd - single, older guy. He came to Utah with his fiancee, but they broke up. Some other missionaries ran into him and he read the Book of Mormon they gave him. He wants to change his life and get baptized before he goes back to Florida.

So yeah! And more should be on the way. Other than that, the birthday was great. I picked up some pink lemonade cookie dough to try. ummm... yeah!

~Elder Chandler

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thought: the process

I've been thinking a lot lately about a process pattern that I see a lot of different places:

Who -> Why -> What -> How -> When

I see this process in a ton of places! So some examples:

Planning: who -> (why) -> what -> how -> when

The Gospel: Faith (who) -> Repentance (why) -> Baptism (what) -> Holy Ghost (how) -> Endure to the End (when)

Solving concerns (PMG pg 187): (who -> why)[testimony] -> what -> (how -> when)[commitment]

That's a few that came to the top of my head... I'm sure there's something on this already but it just intrigues me that it has such power.

Letter 5-28-2013

Happy birthday to me,

I've been lucky to get out on a mission where Pdays just happen to fall on Christmas, New Years, and my birthday. Woo.

With enough Dinosaur Egg Oatmeal to feed five thousand, I've been doing pretty good this week. Who wouldn't when you're able to start off a day with dinosaurs? (Holden, that egg had a triceratops in it, and it's getting pretty big now...).

Even though we're going through a rough spot with most of our investigators, I'm optimistic about how things will turn out in the end for each of them. Chris is still moving forward really steadily. The Darlingtons missed church because of memorial day out-of-town-ness so their date is going to have to be pushed (again). The Andrews girls that I wrote about last week had their permission to be baptized rescinded, so we're working on that. We are beginning to teach a family (mom, dad, and daughter) that was taught in the past and wants to start up again. So many families we're getting to work with!

The mission has been doing really well this month so next week we get an extended mission P-day at the mission office with inter-zone competitions. My loyalty still kind of lies in Murray so it might be tough... :) 

Elder Chandler
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thought: conference musings

 I've been reading through the conference ensign, a talk or two a day, during personal study since we got the Ensign for May. I'm through Sunday morning. There's lots of good phrases that I've marked up but I don't have my Ensign with me. Next week, maybe.

So for now, you'll have to suffice with this haiku:

The Church of Jesus Christ
Restored through the Prophet Joseph
Is the Lord's true church