Thanks Mexico...

Hey fam!  Long time no see!  I hope all is well there in the good old USA!  This week was kind of blah... My poor companion got sick again!  Apparently she got bronchitis and salmonella but I don't buy it... we went to the doctors to check it out and he looked at her for 2 seconds and said she had 2 serious sicknesses and then charged us 200 pesos.. okay.  That seems right.  I am pretty convinced that she just had the flu.  But because of this she had to rest... so I had to rest too.. This week was very boring and a little stressful because we couldn't work.  We did splits with some of the YW in the ward but it is not the same.  My poor comp, in her first 2 weeks she got sick sick sick sick.  Poor girl.  Thanks, Mexico.  It is super funny though because she has been having some serious culture shock, Mexico is not being very nice to my companion.  Well, we also kind of had a baptism this week!  Laura, she is super awesome young woman in the ward and she and I became really good friends.  I didn't teach her at all but I was just as excited that she was going to be baptized!  She is super great!! Also I just love the members in our ward they are so great and our bishop is one of my favorite people ever.  And on Sunday he gave me and my companion YW's medallions, from the members of the ward!  How sweet is that?? I think I will treasure this one more than the one that I had to earn to get my driver's license!  Life is good here!  I hope you are all happy and healthy!  

I love you all! 

Hermana Chandler 

I'm a Missionary Mommy!

My first moment with my daughter!

Well family, who would have thought that I would be the first of all of you to be a mom?  Nobody right?  I've got my new companion and let me tell you, it is so great!  She is super awesome and we get along so well!  I am loving it!  It is really fun to be the senior companion!  I am sure that it is going to get harder but I really think that I am up for the challenge!  It is really cool to see all the progress!  I am really loving it.  We went up to Xalapa last Tuesday and we get to see all the hermanas and then we had a weird ceremony thing where the trainers line up on one side and the newbies line up on the other and one by one we get our new companions! Cool right?  Ah!! What a stressful situation!  But really I am so happy!  This is so great.  I think I was so done with being trained that I didn't even care that I have to train!  This is awesome. My companion and I are working and meeting new people everyday and setting baptismal dates with them and I really think that we are going to have a lot of success.  Her name is Hermana Daza and she is from Columbia!  She is 20 years old, and she understands English so it is really helpful, she is helping me a lot with my spanish!  It is super great because all the American hermanas have Latina companions.  

So something awesome about Martinez is that it is known for its delicious oranges.  And let me tell you, they are probably the most delicious things I have ever tasted!  Agh!  And every time we go to a house the people always give us oranges!  Always!! So we seriously have a month supply of oranges in our apartment, they are wonderful but I think eating oranges every single day might be bad for my teeth.  Oh well!  They are yummy!  But yeah, life is good and I am doing well here!  I love you all and hope you are all safe!  Be good! 

Hermana Chandler

Mi nueva compañera y yo

My companion made me dinner... and it's happy to see me!

My gringas!

Walking, walking and More Walking

The Nacho Libre Bike!

 Hello my darlings!  

How I miss all of you!  You are all so wonderful!  This week I have had some interesting experiences.  The mission is something amazing, I am experiencing things that I would never ever experience in the the life of a normal person.  Being a missionary is super awesome!  My legs are going to be so freaking buff when I get home.  I can't even tell you how much time we spend walking, uphill, downhill.  In the blistering heat!  But it is all good, I know that there are people ready to hear and accept the Gospel.  All we can do is keep looking, right?  

This week was the last week of my training and lemme tell you, I feel like the time just flew by but then I think about it and realize I have been here forever!  Today are changes, and my companion is going to serve in Xalapa with her next hija (daughter) and I am going to recieve my new hija (daughter) and we are going to baptize like crazy here in Martinez de la Torre.  We went on exchanges the other day with the sister training leaders and  it was so great, and one of them told me something that president Lopez said something super awesome. He said, "se que la hermana chandler esta lista para entrenar!  que padre!!" (Sister Chandler is ready to train!) I felt so super awesome to know that he has such confidence in me! Ah! 

The chicken murder

Anyway, something cool that happened this week is that I saw a chicken murdered.  I will definitely be adding some pictures.  Cool right?? This lady grabs it and just starts hacking away at its neck then hung it up by the feet and just let the blood drain!  Agh! So cool but so gross!! Poor chicken.  I sure hope it was at least delicious so it didn't die in vain!  

But yeah, tomorrow I am going to Xalapa to get my daughter and I get to see all the gringas!! Agh!! I am so excited!  The sister training leaders were here and I was talking to one of them and said how much I missed the other Americanas and she was like, do you want to call them?? YES!  It was the best thing ever to talk to them! I realized they all feel the same way as me.  I am so grateful to know that there is some one else struggling to get used to Mexico too. It takes effort to get used to Mexico... la verdad si.  But I love it here in Martinez the people in the ward are so cool.  And I am so excited to work with them for longer.  They are so awesome!  Life is good, the church is true.  I love you all!! Bye!! 

Hermana Chandler

A family that I love!

Another family that I love!