Elder Sighting 10-24-2013

Elder Sighting 10-21-2013

Email to Ryan's Grandpa and Grandma from Wendy's brother in law Steve.

Hi Bob and Wendy,

We were able to enjoy dinner with Elder Chandler and Elder Mintey last Wednesday. Today I got to speak in Sacrament meeting with them.  They are super enthused and full of the spirit. I look forward to working more with them as they were not involved in transfers this week. I know the Savior loves us because He placed these dear and very prepared Elders in our midst to teach our friends and neighbors. We love them and thank their parents and family for shaping their lives and testimonies.

Steve

Letter 10-22-2013

I can't believe how much the church has grown in Bentonville in the last year and a half or so. 65% growth in the last 9 years is insane! The saints are moving back nearer to Jackson county... :) To think I'm going home to a very different ward/stake then I left from is a little weird.

That's also a great stake presidency - I went to Mr. Mac in Tville earlier today and the guy at the counter said that Stu had just come in for a post-mission suit about a month earlier. Apparently he knows now-President Barney really well, ha. He gave me $10 off the $30 tie I got too while Elder Mintey picked up his winter shoes. It was also funny because I was able to see just how big the soles on my Rockports used to be compared to the wear on them now. They'll last me another winter though for sure.

The weather has been perfect lately. We've gone through some rough spots with investigators though. Something was said (we're not sure exactly what) that Katherine and Eric misinterpreted, and so now they're "taking time to think". :( We're still working with two boys named Jordan and Derek. Their step-brother Nestor was baptized right before we got in the area. They're funny kids. Derek reminds me of Jamison a bit in personality, ha.

The picture is Jordan on the back of Elder Mintey's bike.

Lately the wards have been doing a lot of work to set up appointments for us. Their work is starting to show fruits as well - hopefully we should have some more people to teach come into next week!

-- Elder Chandler
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thought: to expect miracles in missionary work

As we've read through the Book of Mormon as a mission, one pattern I've noticed is just how many promises there are made to the missionaries of our day: the last days.

One of my favorites so far was in our reading yesterday, Mormon 8:23-25 In these verses it tells us that we, the missionaries of the last days, have the prayers of six dispensations of the most faithful people to live on earth speeding us along. We have the faith and power of those who have moved mountains, caused earthquakes, and evaded the fiery furnace helping us out. The Lord will remember the covenant He made with them: to bring forth the Book of Mormon and the true gospel to all the world.

Moroni's following words on miracles run in this vein - they are here to help us in our divine mission now. Never forget that we are not alone in this work!

Elder Sighting 10-16-2013

Got this text from a nice 801 number--

"Just met your son-- he is amazing!!!!"

Letter 10-15-2013

This week was transfers - Our whole district is staying which is nice. A new set of elders is moving in with us into our apartment though. So no more separate showers :(

We've been picking up some momentum lately as a district (and zone). We've found a lot of people that are willing to work with us, but haven't been able to get them to commit to much of anything, including a baptism date, so we're going to have a nice district meeting this next week on that topic.

Chris' parents feel he isn't ready to be baptized on the 26th so we have to push the date back to the 8th because he has problems sitting in sacrament quietly... :\ We were able to meet with Eric again though and set a date for the 2nd of November so hopefully that runs forward this time as well. He and Catherine seem really set on it this time.

Utah missions are awesome!

--Elder Chandler

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thought: What should I do (again)

We've made a sheet that we hand out at dinner appointments now based on the "what shall we do" pattern for missionary work in the scriptures. This is something that might be fun for family home evenings!

We want to help make missionary work for members as easy as possible. We're going to flip to some different scriptures. As we read them, there's a pattern we will be able to pick out.

Acts 2:37; Helaman 5:40; Alma 32:5; Alma 22:15; John 6:28; Mark 10:17; Acts 9:6

What is the pattern?

Each is a huge missionary experience in the scriptures. Be it the Pentecost, the conversion of the Lamanites pre-Christ; Zoramites; king Lamoni's father; feeding the 5000, the young wealthy ruler, or Paul, the phrase "what should I do" always comes before a large missionary experience in the scriptures. People might not ask us the question exactly, but might also ask us by telling us all of their problems or asking questions of the soul.

In any case, when someone asks us "what should I do" that's the time to set up a time and a place to meet with the missionaries. If it works in the scriptures, it will work in real life. So what we need as missionaries is all the members to make friends and have meaningful interactions with everyone they can, and then listen for when they ask (and they will) "what should I do". Set that appointment and contact your ward mission leader about it!(...exclamation point!)

Letter 10-08-2013

General Conference always makes for a really great week! We watched it at a lot of different recent converts houses - we had nonmembers lined up to go to all of them as well, but they all fell through. Hopefully we'll catch them again some other time. Still, the talks were great. I really liked Brother Dube's talk on looking forward and not back. Elder Bednar's was also very insightful. I love how the church runs financially (as opposed to another large bureaucracy, I hear...). It's so simple. Elder Uchtdorf gave a great talk during the priesthood session... and the list goes on.

 

Chris is still shooting for October 26th and is great. His parents are getting a little uneasy, but they're active so we're going to have them pray like we have and get the same spiritual confirmation.

 

We played golf this morning and did dodgeball right afterwards. There's a picture so you can tell me how bad my golf swing is, how bent my wrists are, etc.

 

-Elder Chandler

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thought: Elder Uchtdorf

 

I think he's a master at getting people to shift the way they "see" things. His talk in priesthood session was a great example, but his talk on Saturday was great also. Some of the things in his kit:

1) pithy, quotable phrases

2) positive/negative statements

3) the phrase (roughly), "see it this way"

4) He speaks your point of view first so you know he understands the situation, and -then- explains his point of view

I want to apply some of this in teaching so I can get investigators to have the paradigm shifts that Elder Uchtdorf has all of us loving his talks!

Elder Sighting 10-02-2013

"Just fed your son dinner tonight."

I got this text, and then a call from this sweet sister in Bennion.  She was fascinated by Ryan's connections to the area and we had a wonderful time talking Taylorsville.

These Utah Saints are wonderful.

Letter 10-01-2013

Utah winter already bit pretty hard earlier this week. It was only 50 degrees but we ended up wearing sweaters. It felt way cold, especially coming right after such a hot summer. I wonder how much fall we're actually going to get...

Jasmin's baptism went great! Tyler did everything perfect the first time, which is always nice. It was quaint because it was at the same time as the general relief society broadcast but I think that's how Jasmin wanted it anyways. They're awesome.

We've got a pretty good number of other people we're working with right now to fill up the teaching pool again. The Zone Leaders left a lot of work hanging when they left. We want to make sure that we don't miss anything they might have left untied as well as start our own foundation for work. We've got a couple others (Chris and Eric) with baptism dates right now. We're not sure how solid they are but we'll get them to the font at some point.

Since people have asked me about being district leader the last while... It's not really different than being a regular missionary. You don't all of a sudden baptize weekly. The people in my district's baptisms count just as much as each of ours. My first priority is still the same - baptize twice a month in my area. Once I accomplish that then I'm capable of helping the others in my district baptize twice a month. With the help from my zone leaders who are awesome, Bennion Zone is seeing a pretty good turnaround from the old "banished to Bennion" stereotype it had been given earlier in this mission's history (a phrase that I may or may not have coined...).

Thanks for all the support--

Elder Chandler

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thought: more on wills

It's kind of ridiculous that it takes a month and a half to get through Alma, then a month and a half to finish the rest of the Book of Mormon if you read at a steady pace...

In Helaman 10, Nephi gets the sealing power. The Lord gives him power to do anything because he would not "ask that which is contrary to [the Lord's] will". That's a lot of power. Definitely a lot of responsibility to -always- act in God's will. So where does Nephi turn to find the Lord's will? Does he just go around, "bossing the Lord around" so to speak in Helaman 11 as he petitions the Lord to send a famine instead of war, and then to take away the famine?

I think it's interesting he uses the scriptures to divine God's will, and acts accordingly. In Hel 11:14 Nephi quotes scripture in his prayer, and tells God why he knows that taking the famine away is His will at this time - "for thou saidst that: If this people repent I -will- spare them".

As we study the will of God as stated in the scriptures and act according to those principles we can come closer to having our will "swallowed up in the will of the Father". (Mosiah 15) I think that it's cool, anyways. Nephi son of Helaman is my favorite.

Letter 09-24-1013

Hello,

The weather is finally changing! We've got a pretty good amount of rain lately which has also cooled things down. Last P-day Elder Mintey and I went golfing with another companionship even though the winds were probably 20 mph+ but it was still way fun. (actually I think the wind makes it even more fun...) Elder Mintey raced NASCAR before his mission and so took a picture next to his "racecar" as well.

Week three of whitewashing / district leader was swell. We know the area pretty well now and can find our way around. Jasmin's baptism was pushed back a week to this Saturday because her husband Tyler (who is the competitive Pokemon battler) got worthy to baptize her but had to work an all-day shift on the 21st. She's great though - we saw her at Walmart today (she works as a manager at the customer service desk). It's funny to think she and Tyler graduated in '11, and to see a bit of what life would have been without a mission. It would have been weird.

We taught a 12 year old boy that was adopted/is a foster child/ward of the state... his parents are active and he's in a great family. We're working with him for a baptism date on October 19th - he's been worked with previously but never worked out because he has slight anger issues but lately he's been voluntarily coming to church. That's a big step for him! We picked him up as a new investigator when I was on exchanges with the Zone leaders, who had taught him in the past. They said he was doing the best they've ever seen him so we're excited.

One of the ways Utah missions are interesting is that new investigators are SO HARD to come by, but when you do pick one up almost invariably they end up getting baptized 3-4 weeks later. The polarization of people towards the church is crazy. Either they're super prepared or super anti without much in-between, which makes for some crazy stories on both ends.

Elder Chandler

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thought: for those who have been offended...

The mission is still reading the Book of Mormon together. Sometimes I don't like that they've kind of scheduled our personal study for us by giving us these reading assignments each day. Either way it's powerful.

We run into a lot of people that are turned off towards the church or offended by the "stereotype Utah Mormons" - judgmental, wont-let-kids-play-with-nonmembers, etc. All we can say is that's not what the church is all about. This week one of the scriptures in our reading was Helaman 3:33,

"...pride began to enter into the church - not into the church of God, but into the hearts of the people that professed to belong to the church of God".

The church is true even if people are not always true to the church!... so we shouldn't go leaving it because of others inside of it.

Letter 09/17/2013

Everyone,

I found out earlier that the city of Bennion was actually dissolved into Taylorsville not too long ago, so the area I'm in actually is about half Taylorsville city and half Murray city (but in the Bennion Zone of the mission). Both are awesome cities, but it's kind of interesting to have the youth split into two different high schools. I know a lot of the Murray kids still though.

Lately I've been noticing that my suits and my belt is a little big. When we were at Mr Mac buying the clothes and stuff I needed for my mission, we purposely bought stuff a bit bigger thinking I would gain some on my mission here in the "heart of Zion". Apparently there's not enough Jell-o and funeral potatoes to get me yet, though. Definitely not complaining.

Our teaching pool continues to increase. We went on exchanges twice this week. Elder Reed came here (ZL) and was with me. We found a fair few people to start teaching, especially since he was just transferred out of the area not too long ago. The next day I conducted my first exchange as a DL and went over to the other half of the stake with Elder Franco which was super fun as well! And I'm sure Elder Mintey and Elder Dean had a good time as well, judging by the Domino's boxes on the table when I got back... :)

We had a mission conference on Wednesday up at Brighton. It's always nice to get out of our little boxes here in the valley and go somewhere fun as a mission. The thoughts were good... a lot about OYMing. Apparently some of the mission is struggling a lot and other parts are explosive so we want some continuity. Our district went from having 4 people on date to 9 people on date at time of writing so things are going great here at least!--

Elder Chandler

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thought: 

http://www.lds.org/training/wwlt/2013/hastening/members-and-missionaries?lang=eng#media=

Letter 09-10-2013

Dear _,

The unthinkable actually happened... I got transferred to Taylorsville! (the zone is called Bennion but the area I cover includes parts of Taylorsville, Murray, and Bennion - mostly Taylorsville) It's crazy because the houses in my area are SO NICE. The basement we stay in gives my companion and I our own bathrooms which is awesome. The apartment actually has a nickname - The Palace. I've also already ran into Grandma Wendy's sister so I've met by great aunt and uncle who also happens to be one of our ward mission leaders. Another first is that I went to Leatherby's earlier today for the first time on my mission :) :) :)

Even though we're whitewashing the Zone Leaders left us two people on date, which is nice. One of them is a 21 year old girl that is newly married to a returning member. His name is Tyler... and he actually plays Pokemon competitively so we get along very very well! The work is a lot different than Midvale; there's a lot more stopping by members and less people just wandering/walking. We have a few nice apartment complexes to work in as well.

I really enjoy working an area like I did in Murray Parkway again with lots of youth and families. Hopefully we can get through the whitewash and by the end of the transfer have things really rolling with a solid foundation.

--Elder Chandler

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thought: whitewashing an area

My brain isn't working too well right now (I think I'm just starting to have some kind of mild bug come on...) so I'll just muse on whitewashing for a bit.

Transfers are always great because they give you a chance to literally start over. You can drop all of your bad habits, pick up good ones, and do so very easily. On the converse, you can also drop all of your good habits and pick up bad ones very easily so you move forward with caution! All in all though, as you strive to do better and better transfers give opportunities to take giant leaps forward.

Whitewashing is even more exaggerated. You have no "senior area companion" to buffer your entrance. Both the new companions must be on their 'A' game at all times for good impressions. It's a chance for, not just missionaries, but areas, to have the same benefits of a transfer. It can start over the foundation for the better, and that's what we're going for.

This foundation, especially with the members, is vitally important. It's our opportunity to have a ton of members out here, each with a heart that wants to do missionary work. One thing that has been especially important in this is working closely and in the line of the vision of the bishop. Luckily I didn't have to learn this by error because of Heidi's letters :) When you jump on board with the bishop, even when the previous missionaries haven't liked him, even if you feel at first his vision (or lack of vision) is limited, to get on board with him and move forward with the key holder.

The next step is the rest of the ward councils, then the youth in the area, then the "social butterfly" active members, and finally the Less Active/Returning Members/Recent Converts. Each step is vitally important in giving the area ability to flourish. The people here are great so it's going to be a great six weeks!

Elder Sighting 9-05-2013

Grandma Wendy got a text last night from her brother, who is serving as a Ward Mission Leader in his home ward in Bennion, Utah.  It said something like this, "We met our new missionaries tonight.  They are on fire!"

Attached was this picture of Ryan and his new companion, Elder Mintey.

Letter from President Moffat--

September 6, 2013

Elder Ryan Chandler

1918 Ben Air Drive

Taylorsville, UT 84129

re:  District Leader Calling,

Dear Elder Chandler,

I am grateful for your acceptance of the call to serve as a District leader in the Second District of the Bennion Zone beginning on September 4, 2013. As a District leader you fulfill a fundamental role in the success of the mission and of the missionaries.  

Your new responsibilities include:

·      *   Setting an example for the missionaries in your district in obedience, proselyting skills, studying the gospel, effective planning and hard work.

·       *  Carrying a full proselyting load and baptizing in your assigned area.

·         * Supervising, teaching and inspiring the missionaries in your district by serving them and strengthening their faith in Jesus Christ.

·       *   Plan and conduct regular district meetings

·        *  Conducting companionship exchanges and outlined in the Missionary Handbook pages 63-65

·       *   Interviewing baptismal candidates

·      *    Looking after the well being of missionaries in your district, especially the sisters

·         * Accounting and reporting any concerns to the zone leaders.  If the concerns are confidential, urgent or of a worthiness nature you should report them directly to me.

This is an important responsibility that the Lord will help you righteously fulfill as you humbly petition him in prayer and then become anxiously engaged.  I express my love and appreciation to you and will remember you in my prayers.

Love and Support,

President Moffat

Letter 9-10-2013

Hello,

This week is way exciting!

Elder Oliveros and I are so blessed to be able to be a part of Kissandra and Amy's baptism... this could have materialized a year ago but somehow things work out and it landed with us. The Lord again provided a way for us to baptize two people this month and reach mission standard of excellence. :)

These girls have been going to church for a very long time now while they've been at their grandparents house in west valley. None of their family is members - mom, dad, grandpa, grandma - just one uncle that's a convert. Their mom lives in some apartments in our area and has them on Friday and Saturday. We met her as she just finished moving in on my very first day in this area - May 1st. My very last Saturday in the area we're able to baptize her two girls, and they were confirmed on Sunday. Also on Sunday, a testimony by the girls' grandpa that he wants to be baptized. The missionaries in West Valley will be happy :) Kristi, the mom, needs to get a divorce from her husband that's in Mexico currently and then get married to her husband, but she'll be baptized once that happens.

Transfers came around as you can tell. I'm going to the Bennion East Stake. My new companion will be Elder Mintey. He came out with Elder Oliveros, so he's just finished his first 12 weeks... I'll also be the District Leader over there. It came as a big surprise because president ended up calling us wayyyy later than he usually does for these kind of things. Eh.

PS yes mom I'm wearing a Taylorsville High shirt in the second picture... found it at Wal-Mart and felt I needed to share in alumi pride. I just remember your stories of your football team suiting up in baby blue and yellow... ha

Anyways,

Elder Chandler

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thought: "What should I do?"

This week our mission Book of Mormon reading included Alma 32. One phrase I love comes in verse 5 when a large group of the poorer class and ask Alma and Amulek a simple question: "What shall we do?" This phrase is actually used word for word in another place in the scriptures in Acts 2:37, when another group of people speak to Peter and the Apostles on the Pentacost - "men and brethren, what shall we do?"

If this phrase is used twice, both in missionary context, it flags to me that it's an important step in hooking people to the gospel. We need to get them to ask, "What should I do?". The basic finding pattern goes like this:

1) bear testimony

2) pricked with the spirit

3) what should I do?

4) invite/commit/follow up

Now, because this is part of the finding process, it's a great tool for members to use (as finding is your responsibility in the first place!). Whenever anyone asks you any form of the question "what should I do", you can immediately respond, "Ask the missionaries! They can help you!"

People can ask this question in many forms. Elder Nelson makes a big list of them during his last two talks in general conference. If people come to you for advice on just about anything though, let it run across your mind to tell them to ask the elders instead. We'll be glad to answer any questions for sure! :) So listen for times when people ask "What should I do?" and have them get their answers from us then we'll be busy and happy and stuff.

Letter 08-27-2013

Everyone,

 

Midvale is never short of surprises. The stories from some of the other missionaries and their investigators... and the frequency of the insanity is crazy. So many people working to baptism go to jail... or move... or go back to meth... or whatever.

 

But none of our kids have gotten into any of that so we're still good :) The weather is cooling off, so there's really nothing to complain about. Finding is always a bit of a struggle with an area that covers .4 square miles - the Lord provides enough to keep us busy though. If there's one thing that's true about this mission it's that, even though we might not be busy with investigators all the time, all the investigators we do pick up get to the water. And it's a miracle every single time they do.

 

So the funny story of the week is when a 13 year old boy OYM'd us walking home from school (usually when people talk with us instead of us talking with them, it's not a good thing) and asked if we were Jehovah's Witness. We told him we were LDS. From there the convo went something like this:

"You know that God isn't real, right?"

EC - "Where'd you get that idea?"

"It's just common knowledge... there couldn't be a God."

EC - silence...

"There's no proof there's a God."

EC - "Where did life start from then?"

"You've never heard of the Big Bang Theory, have you?"

Elder Oliveros - "You mean the TV show?"

 

hahaha i thought it was funny anyways. If you were wondering how that finished up, he told us to have a bad day and walked off. We get quite a bit of "Hail Satans" and such... we even got a "White Power" yesterday?? But hey it's all part of the gig.

 

--Elder Chandler

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thought: Children of God

 

I really don't think there's a more powerful thought than the fact that we are children of God with a divine heritage. We inherited divine potential. Borrowing a bit from Elder Bednar's talk on chastity and taking a little of my own inflection: We are defined by our divine potential. What a thought! We are defined by our divine potential. Right now in the Book of Life each one of us is defined by our potential, and it's up to us to live up to that definition.

 

I wrote a little couplet-thing that I feel connected to:

I think in this life

We oft forget this thought.

The thought: in this life

We are as, "I think oft..."

 

I hope I can more often reflect on my divine heritage and potential in order to live up to and ultimately become as such.

Letter 08-20-2013

Hello,

Whether it be the heat in the past weeks or whatever, it's been really hard to find people. But the Lord always provides a way to baptize twice monthly through faith, obedience, and diligence.

The very first day I got into this area, we met a young mom that wanted her two children baptized. Because she had the kids before she was 18, her parents have legal custody of them and haven't wanted them baptized. But this last week she finally got permission from her parents! So they're being baptized on August 31st. They've been attending church in West Valley with their grandparents for a long time now, so we're able to move quickly with them. It's awesome.

Other than that we just keep going out and working. And playing frisbee and basketball on pdays.

--Elder Chandler

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thought: commitment

I recently went back to read Elder Cook's talk from this last October. I think the talk was kind of overshadowed by President Monson's preceding announcement for me... because it's very, very insightful. It attempts to tackle the apathy felt by many members towards the church, and even just to help us during those "spiritual droughts" we all sometimes fall into. In some ways I feel like Elder Cook's talk and Elder Holland's talk from that general conference attempt to address the same issue. Elder Holland's talk is beautiful to listen to and inspiring, while Elder Cook's is quainter and more logic-based. I like both.

It's not until the middle of his talk that he really gets into his meat - starting with a quote by CS Lewis. He asks us first to change our paradigm towards commitment to the gospel, to realize we're sick and need a doctor. He gives us a good process to be able to do so in Alma chapter 5. He gives us some checks to make sure we aren't doing - abuse or sexual immorality/impure thoughts.

In PMG we are told that all concerns are based in either testimony or commitment. By helping our investigators first realize(!) they need to repent ("Commitment and repentance are closely intertwined"), then go through the process of commitment we can help them more often overcome the commitment concern, which is by far the most common concern I've run into. (The investigators I've taught usually have testimonies...)

It's also helped me a lot to be able to work my way through back to that fervor pitch to want to share the gospel by following Elder Cook's suggestions instead of relying on spiritual punches from Elder Holland :)

Elder Sighting 08-18-2013

Valerie,

I was pleasantly surprised when I turned around in Sunday School today, and there was 'Elder Chandler.' I grew up in the Midvale 6th Ward and was back visiting. I had a training in SLC on Friday, and went to my old ward for church this morning. When I asked him, "Are your parents Greg and Valerie?" he didn't seem totally shocked but did ask how I knew you. When I told him I was in the Little Flock Ward it all made sense. Attached is a picture of us with his companion. It isn't super clear, but I thought you would still like to see it.

Lynnette Smith

Letter 08-13-2013

Hey,

I think I'm the most tan I've even been in my life. Not just tan but missionary tan - a beautiful white strip on my wrist from the watch and a nice white neck from a high collar. It's funny because Elder Oliveros always looks in the mirror and says "I'm so dark". Apparently just like it's cool to be tan in the USA, it's cool to be light in the Phillipines. I will say though I think my leg hairs are suffocating because they haven't been outside in shorts for 14 months now... Poor guys :(

The work is still where it was last week... all of our time spent finding. We're doing a bit of everything - LARCs, member work, personal finding, formers. It's going to come together at some point on the Lord's timeline, but right now we're still kind of struggling in the dark.

I've been reading through all of the conference ensigns in our apartment during "free time" (lunch, dinner-at-home, etc). It might also interest you mom that we spend a lunch every once in a while in the church building where I've been practicing hymns. I can play "Nearer My God to Thee" and "Come Follow Me" now, and I'm working on a couple more. Piano lessons and music theory aren't totally useless out here...

I don't know how many of you watch "The District" or know what it is, but rumor has been going around that they're making a District 3 in the Salt Lake West Mission... we just got a short clip the other day during Zone Training and it turns out Elder Joseph Isabell is in it. Kinda fun to have a college roommate become a movie star!

Also we just did the math and our area is 4/10ths of a square mile, ha.

Have a good week,

Elder Chandler

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thought: Beguile, yet guileless

Part of training in my last 3 transfers has been going through the 12-week training program. It basically adds an extra hour to companion study in the morning and gives us time to go through a guided program through Preach My Gospel. It's really insightful. Each week we've been coming up with a catch phrase for what we've learned that week. This weeks was the title of the thought.

There's a phrase that's always intrigued me, found in two places in the standard works that I know of. "Be wise, yet harmless" - Alma 18:22-23 and Matthew 10:16. The statement to "be wise, yet harmless" is directed straight at missionaries - Christ gives the injunction to his Apostles right before they are sent on missions, and Mormon uses it to describe Ammon during a classic missionary discussion.

(I apologize in advance for the scripture math): Alma 18:23, Alma "beguiles" King Lamoni. That's his being "wise". Therefore, "beguile, yet harmless". Matthew 10:16 footnote for harmless defines harmless as "guileless", and thus we get to: "Beguile, yet guileless". Guile = G. G = notG, which is kinda dumb because that's a completely illogical statement.

I just like the idea though that as missionaries we're supposed to be sneaky and crafty but, as long as we're doing so in love and for the right reasons, we're doing our job well, specifically dealing with committing people to do things.. It reminds me of the wording of Phillipians 4:12, counseling us to be "full and hungry, to abound and to be abased". Because of the contrasting opposites though, the idea that they are trying to get across is expressed even though it's way hard to describe in words.

Sorry this was kind of a wordy thought without a good conclusion.

Letter 08-06-2013

Hi,
Apparently this has been the hottest July in the history of the state of Utah. Wasn't it just yesterday we had the coldest January on record? Hmmmm...

August doesn't feel any cooler yet. We're still working on finding people to teach. It's seriously the most trying thing in missionary work. We taught a lot of LARCs (Less Active/Recent Convert lessons). From what we've heard, and for some reason no one is sure about exactly, apparently teaching a lot of LARCs helps you to find investigators, so we're testing it out and making sure we ask for referrals.

I personally want to make sure we don't fall into the same trap that Elder Bloomfield and I fell into in Murray Little Cottonwood when we were given the Coronas family and some others the Sisters were teaching that we weren't helping progress very well. We've got to find the balance between working with families like the Darlingtons, Ammons, and Andrews while still making sure we're finding time to, well, find.

We just finished having a massive birthday party at Brother Hobson's house for Elder Ciavardini and Elder Nuttall. It's fun seeing a fair amount of people again. Bro Hobson is so good to us Elders. He takes us shopping every week and we have lunch at his house every Saturday. He even took in Chris Floyd a couple weeks ago while we finished teaching him and baptized him. He's a returning member.

--Elder Chandler
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thought: fun one-liner from the August Ensign

We get our hands on the new Ensigns whenever we have a mission conference. This time we were lucky and got it pretty early in the month. I love some of the profound statements in it. I like to try and come up with my own every once in a while. It's fun. Anyways....:

"We pray continuously for guidance, but we shouldn’t expect continuous revelation. We expect continuing revelation..."

I love how pithy the apostles are in their language.

For all I do though, it's hard to beat Elder Holland: "To those who were once with us but have retreated, preferring to pick and choose a few cultural hors d’oeuvres from the smorgasbord of the Restoration and leave the rest of the feast..."

I hope I can say things that succinctly and cool someday. Honestly, I think I could read that out loud forever and never get bored of hearing it. :)

Elder Sighting 08-06-2013

Ryan and most of his district on Temple Square.