Baptism!

February 24, 2015

Hello my lovelies!

 Things here are just lovely!  This week one of our investigators got baptized. Little Jovanna.  She is awesome.  When we first found her she barely talked and she was really sad all the time.  But now.. you can't get her to shut up!! She is awesome! We really created an awesome friendship with her and I am so happy to have been a part of this awesome change in her!!  Her son is the little chubby boy the the picture.. he is crazy!! He bit me the other day... it was really quite painful.  But don't worry, I used my self defense skills.  But he is funny, he was even worse before but now little by little he has been calming down.  I think the church is helping him a lot.  One time we were sitting there and a song came on and he started to move like sort of dancing.. and he said, mom. I don't know what is happening but the music... it just does something to me!  It was great! He is going to be a great little mormon one day!  

The gospel really changes people.  This week we taught this young man who is awesome.  But when we met him he told us that he didn't believe in god. But we started talking to him and everything and little by little he changed his opinion. He is in 1 nephi chapter 15 and is super excited for his baptism.. but he has a few desafios.. it is like weirdly sensitive information so I will leave it up to your imagination until I see yall in 9 weeks!  The baptism was beautiful there were tons of members there to support her and she was so happy to get baptized!!  This week has been awesome but I apologize because I have no funny stories to share.. Sorry! But I will have you know I got my flight info to come home! Love you!! 

Hermana Chandler

SOY CAMPEONA!

February 17, 2015

Hello family!!

This week was pretty cool!  Things are going really well here in Papantla!  If all goes well we will have a baptism next week!  This week was dia de amor y amistad!  Hooray!  Being a missionary makes this day all the more... well normal.  But it was fun to see everyone with their giant stuffed animals and everything.  I apologize but this week I don't have any funny stories.. but I do have a cool picture with me holding the hand of a giant man.. Also pizza.. for the first time... in a long time.. 

Love

Hermana Chandler 

More rejection here means less rejection after the mish... right?

Painting the house!

Hello my pretties.

Things here in Papantla have been just as good as ever!  Yesterday Casimiro got baptized!  The ex volador --he  is the one who doesn't speak Spanish very well. But it was awesome to see because although he may not understand Spanish there was no mistaking the feelings that he got from the spirit! It was a super spiritual reverent baptism. He was so happy! It was great!  We are also teaching another hermana who is progressing really well but her problem is that she has so much stuff to be doing always! Always working. And she has to paint her house! So us being the awesome people that we are, totally went to help her paint her house.  Let me tell you, it is pretty awesome looking. Although I have been walking around with paint in my hair all day, it is worth it!  She will be getting baptized soon so I am very happy.  

I met a little boy that is named Jose Smith. That was weird. He isn't even a member.. Anyway love you all! Have a good week! 

Hermana Chandler

Casimiro's baptism

I drank fresh orange juice this morning..squeezed by my own hand.

Hello family! Oh how I love reading your letters! I love to hear that you are all doing well.  I hope that you are all happy and I hope that you all realize how lucky we are to be Mormons.  But don't just be Sunday Mormons... because that is lame.  100% Mormon. Sea feliz sea Mormon!

Well family I am happy to say that we were untouched by the transfers this week! I will be spending the next six weeks with my dear friend, Hermana Morales.  It is really great working with her! She is awesome and I always learn new things from her everyday and we are always laughing.  She is really quiet but when you get her talking she is hilarious and we always have a good time.  But yeah, today were changes but I am staying here in Xanath 3! Which is okay because I will be able to see my investigators get baptized :) 

We are teaching this guy who is an ex volador.  And as such he is from a nearby ranch where they only speak Totonac.  So he has been learning Spanish and he knows it well enough, but not so much that he can understand everything that we say to him.  So we have an hermana in the ward that is helping us out and translating for us. So we teach and the things that he doesn't understand she says to him in Totonac.  It is so cool!!! I don't understand a single thing. Spanish and Totonac are not even close to being the same.  For real. But let me tell yah.. Totonac is a really ugly language.  It is weird sounds and they aren't even pretty sounds.  It uses X a lot but they use the sound shh... a lot.. ew. It is still pretty awesome to hear them talking.  (the hermana helping us may have been preaching apostasy and we wouldn't have known...I hope not)  

Anyway this week has been awesome.  It has been hot so all of the bugs are starting to come out... yay? Also, the sun is starting to give me the most attractive tan line on my feet... even more yay?  But all is well in Zion.  This week I had a funny experience.  My compañera, a kid from the ward, and I were waiting in the street for another kid to take him to the church. Then along comes a little borrachito (little drunkard), it was funny. So, being the kind missionaries that we are, we said good afternoon to which he stops and stares at us for a minute and says (with a giant smile... well giant drunk smile..) ''Good afternoon!!! To you three persons.''  And he just stood there staring at me.. then all of a sudden he stuck his hand out and just sat there for like a minute and finally he said, ''you're not going to take my hand?'' and I said No. And then he got this sad disappointed look on his face and says okay and stumbles away. I realize when you write it out it really isn't that funny... but in the moment it was really funny.  I will have to tell you in person in 3 months ;)  

I love you all be happy!! Be good!! 

Hermana Chandler

Livin la vida loca... well not so loca... Livin la vida de orden

Hey familia! My mission is pretty cool.  I am kind of loving it.  Although there are a few people that have been reminding me that my time has now grown short, I have decided that I have to take advantage of the time that I have here in little ol' Mexico. I am so happy to be a missionary of this church because it is so awesome.  The more I learn about other churches, the more I realize that this church is true. 

Awesome thing #1: This week two of my conversos received the priesthood! Remember the ones that got baptized a couple of weeks ago, Hector and Enrique?  AAGH! I almost cried when I sustained them! It was the coolest thing ever.  They are also planning their trip to the temple this month so it is going to be incredible!! I am so happy for them!  Hector is preparing to go on a mission himself in this next year.  

Awesome thing #2: Remember David who also got baptized a few weeks ago?  Well his mom got baptized yesterday!! EEEEE!! It was the best!  Little David was being a missionary by teaching his mom all the cool things that he had learned about the church! She progressed amazingly well.  She accepted everything without questioning it!  I really admire her faith.  It was really an amazing day, everything turned out beautifully.  I think the price we had to pay for having a day so beautiful was that the entire week was freezing!  Wet and rainy and cold.  Agh.  It was miserable but valia la pena.  

Sometimes I feel really blessed to see and be apart of these kinds of miracles and sometimes it makes me feel that I am not quite worthy of all these amazing things but I am sure loving it and I am grateful with mi padre celestial everyday for these amazing opportunities!! I love you all and I hope you all know that the church is true.

Bye!  Hermana Chandler

Baptism!

My zone

This is my mission, the jungle.

Yoga in front of Tajin

2015

Woop!  We have made it to 2015!! I am so happy! This is marvelous!  We have a new year to become better people. New Years day was pretty uneventful.  We talked to a lot of drunk people that all told us that they wanted to change... cool.  Lots of new and interesting investigators. We did start teaching this guy who used to be one of the Papantla Voladores and he has been EVERYWHERE! For real he has been and lived on almost every continent! Its super cool. 

Here is a picture of my dog. I named it Elder. It is mormon because it always follows us.  Look how sad he is because we took him back to his house.  He always greets us by barking and jumping! It is great.  

Anyway, the church is true.  Joseph Smith is a profeta! I love you all very much and I am happy that we are an eternal family! 

I love you all and I hope you enjoy the beginning of 2015!  Be good! 

Hermana Chandler 

Long time, no see.

How amazing it was to speak with all of you! And to meet my little sobrinita.  It was awesome.  I can sure tell you that Christmas is amazing!  That it is a time for miracles!  God is always willing to bless us with miracles.  I know he has a whole lot of miracles planned for us.  We just have to be able to reecognize them! I love you all a whole lot!  I feel like I have already told you everything!  But I want you to know that I am happy and healthy and I hope you are all feeling the same way!  Well.  Happy 2015!! Be happy be Mormon!! 

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Chandler

Christmas eve night

Christmas with compa