The changes that weren't quite changeful.

One thing I have decided is that if there was ever to be a zombie apocalypse I would want to be in Mexico.  Every house has bars on the windows so I think you'd be pretty safe there.  But in other news, as you may have guessed, this week were changes!  But they were not very eventful for me or my companion.  We are both staying here in dear sweet Museo.  Cool.  6 months.  Oh well.  It might be awkward because I said good bye to everybody yesterday so when I show up on Sunday it is going to be really uncomfortable.  But it is okay.  I really do like Museo.  The members are super cool. and I have made a lot of friends that I hope will be in my life for a long time!  

This week was pretty cool.  We met a lot of new people!!  One great thing that happened that I can now check off my bucket list is that I played an accordion!  Gilberto just randomly bought an accordion and decided that he wants to learn to play the hymns!  It made me laugh.   

Anyway, the church is true and I love you all!  

Hermana Chandler

Hello Family!

Things here have been really great!  My compañera y yo have been working here in our area having the same struggles as usual- finding people to teach-  but we are getting there. I have faith that we are going to find some new people that are so ready!  It is true what they say, that God is preparing people the hear the gospel! It is pretty awesome!  

Next week are changes and I expect that I will be leaving Museo 3.  Who knows?  I don't want to jinx it!  But I am ready for a new adventure.  This week has been pretty interesting... well that's not true.  This week was pretty much a normal week of the mission!  But I still love it!  Right now I am racking my mind for a good story!  But I am not sure! For the 15 Septiembre we stayed in our apartment and played Uno and ate french fries.  That's how we celebrate Mexican Independence.  Like foreigners! But yeah, this week it rained, and rained and rained more.  It rained so much that a hermana locked us in her house so we wouldn't leave and get all wet in the rain.  Then she so kindly gave us a giant sheet of bubble wrap to protect us from the rain!  We then capitalized on this oh so special gift and began to dance on it! (like mr magorium.) I didn't think the situation out very well.  Bubble wrap, water, tile floor... I definitely fell flat on my back.  It hurt really bad.  But I got up and started dancing again, vale la pena.  Anyway, I know this letter is kind of lacking something interesting... sorry.  But I love you all! Be good!

Hermana Chandler

ps. Gilberto went to the temple!  Agh!

The bubble wrap!

Feliz Día de Independencia!!

Mis Carnalitos!

Happy Mexico Day!  Well.. I guess not too happy because our president is making us stay in our houses today!  We can't even go out to  work. Triste Xalapa. 

Well this week, just like every other week, had its ups and its downs. But I am still loving it.  So don't worry.  I realized that the problems that I have to face aren't really my problems. I just have to help other people with their problems.  It is kind of cool.  I don't know what I am going to do when I come home and I have to worry about
my problems.  Geez. 

Anyway so this week I did divisions with the sister training leader and she got me sick.  Thanks. So I have been fighting with a wicked cold all week long.  And it is hard because I am losing this fight. Why?  Because it is always raining.  ALWAYS.  Let me tell ya.  The cows don't even stand up here! Apart from that it has been great! 

I had my first Noche Mexicana... which was very Mexican.  One of the members gave me this necklace so that I could look more festive. There are a few members here that I just adore! They are my favorite. We have this hermana that we eat with almost every day, at least two or three times a week.  And she just takes such good care of us!  Her name is Hermana Galmiche and her sister's name is Blanca. We just love visiting them. (okay, I know you are all sick of hearing about Gilberto..) This week Gilberto got the priesthood!!! Wow!!! And this weekend he is going to the temple to do baptisms.  I am so happy!!!!!  I am so happy to see my conversos taking these  steps in the gospel!!!  It is amazing! 

Something amazing about Mexico is that it is really old.  And because it is really old it has millions of stories!!! Supposedly, Merida, Yucatan is where Jesus Christ appeared to the Nephites!  There are a ton of ruins of temples there and there are legends that talk about how a loooong time ago a white god appeared to the people at the temple.  But in this culture they called him Quetzalcoatl (ket-sa-kua-tel). But how cool is that?!?!?! Seriously! I am living on set!  I am living on the set of the Libro de Mormon!!   In a museum they have a painting of the tree of life! 

Here in Xalapa the people are very superstitious.  They believe in leprechauns!  Also my favorite is, you know how in the US we tell the kids to put their teeth under pillows and a little fairy will come and give you money?  Well here it is a little different.  They believe in something called Ratón Perez.... they say that a rat comes and leaves you money.... que asco.  But Mexico is pretty legit.  I am enjoying learning about this culture because it is really interesting!

This week I did receive some sad news.  My missionary daughter, Hermana Daza, got sent home for her health.  I am so sad!  But I know that she will  be okay there and that she will come back soon!  But anyway.  I love you all to bits and hope you enjoy your P-DAY!! I love you!

Hermana Chanclita!

It's P day P day gotta get down on P day...

Hello my lovely lovely family that I love so much!

Well this week we have had all sorts of great adventures.  One of which.. (mom please don't freak out) we were going to visit one of our investigators and they weren't home but their crazy dueño came out to the gate and started yelling at us and telling us to come in and being crazy. (He was very drugged up) So we were like, 'nope okay,' so we started leaving and then he started following us.  Agh!  So we left very swiftly. (Don't worry, we found our investigators in the street and they saved us.) The reason I tell this story is to let you all know the difference between misioneros and normal folk.  We were being accompanied by one of the young women in the ward and she was very very very frightened. She was walking so fast and my companion and I were laughing and we felt very calm.  She kind of chewed us out because we were laughing about what happened but I figure it is better to
laugh than to be scared!  It is amazing to realize the things that were very scary before are now like... oh man whatever.  He can't do anything.  Anyway, doesn't matter.  

We changed our house this week!! Woohoo! We are living the high life now!  Still showering out of a bucket but at least we can stand up in our bathroom (included is a photo of our bathroom before..)  Wakala. We had a conference with our president this week and it was really awesome!  It was kind of sad because every time I leave one of these conferences I feel like I am not missionarying nearly as hard as I should or could.  But it was still great!  Our new presidents are so great! Hermana Greer is a little angel.  I just love them! This week was a week of conferences.  We had stake conference this week and it was lovely!  I got to see a bunch of people I haven't seen in ages!! I just loved it!  I even met some man that knows Carson!  That was cool!  It is a small world! I love the Gospel!  I love the Church!  And I am so happy to be apart of this great cause!! I love you all! Be good!

Hermana Chandler

Welp the mish is over...

Oh my dearest family.  I've fulfilled my mission!  I can come home now! GILBERTO SE BAUTIZO!!! Agh!! I am so so so happy!  Yesterday was the most spiritual wonderful day of my life.  Gilberto got baptized!  He had his interview and my nerves were shot!  I was so scared to know if he was able to get baptized.  And yes!! And then we went to his house to get him on Sunday morning and there he was waiting for us in his little suit coat.  This man seriously is just the best!  I want him to be my uncle or something. We were sitting there waiting for his neighbor so we could all go together and he was there all antsy like, 'come on!! Time to go!!' It was so adorable; he was so excited!  I have never felt so attached or protective of an investigator!  I felt so happy and so proud of the changes he made in his life. In spite of his mean family who told him he was crazy and sat there trying to get him to fail.  Seriously everyday his son would sit in his house and smoke. But he is so strong!!  I love being a missionary!  It is amazing!  The baptismal service was amazingly spiritual and I was so happy because he was so happy to be baptized!  The mission rocks my socks.

Also, Mexico is to coolest place ever.  Why? Because here in Mexico is where a lot of the Book of Mormon took place!  It is so amazing!  There is proof everywhere that the Book of Mormon is true there are so many ruins and artifacts that people don't understand unless you are Mormon!  I am so happy!  I know the church is true and it is pretty cool to be a representative of it!  I love you all!  Sorry it is kind of short but I don't have tons of time!  Be good!

Hermana Chandler

Us with Gilberto!

Gilberto's baptism

Cerro Macuitepetl

My last day with mi hija :(

Sometimes missionarying is the best

Ollo.. Hello.  Hello my beautiful family.  I am so happy to hear that everyone had a lovely little family reunion (although I know that it was not complete... you were missing someone pretty important.)  I love the pictures and I am glad that you all gave little baby Chandler a warm welcome to the world.  She is one lucky gal.  She is a Chandler.  I have sure loved being a Chandler so I know she will too. 

Well fam.  As you all know life is craziness.  We had changes this week and my missionary daughter left me here to die in Museo.  I am starting to think that President doesn't know what to do with me so he just leaves
me in my areas until I start to die.. Oh well.  Little Hermana Lopez is flying solo now, she doesn't need her missionary mommy so much. I miss her lots, she was great! But now my compa is Hermana Hidalgo.  Other than my new comp and new district leader we didn't have many changes.  My new district leader is Elder SIlva!! One of the Elders from my district in the MTC! It is great! My new compa is from Chile.  We get along really well because she is really sarcastic.  I love it!  I am loving life as a missionary.  The ward here is good but a little fresa, or in other words snotty. They are pretty judgy so I get really nervous to bring investigators to church!  Especially GIlberto (who by the way will be getting baptized this week!). I feel so attached and protective of him!  I just love visiting him and teaching him. He is such a surprising person.  He is super deep.  I
feel at times he is teaching us! Something I did this week that I can check off my bucket list is that I totally made the most delicious tamales ever.  I can make tamales.  I guess you can say that I am practically mexican now. Yeah, I am totally rocking this mission biz.  Just kidding, that's a lie, I learn new things everyday!  Sorry I am short on time! Pictures next week! I love you all!

Hermana Chancla

AAAGH!!!

This week was a whirlwind.  La verdad, I have never had a crazier, more stressful week in my whole life.  But I can't really complain because I learned so much this week.  Seriously, I have never seen more proof that Satan exists, also I have never seen so much proof that God exists. And that he is watching out for us.  He is a pretty good guy I'd have to say.  He's definitely got my back.  Anyway, so let me begin.  

Remember that miracle Gilberto fella?  Well, I have never cared about an investigator more in my life! He is amazing!  But even if you are amazing, Satan is going to attack. His baptism was supposed to be this week, and we went to visit him throughout the week and we went over the baptism questions we filled out the cedula and everything was perfect and ready!  Then we show up with our DL and Gilberto is missing.  He won't answer our calls and so we started worrying a little bit.  We went by at least 6 times that day and he never got home.  Then we showed up the next day with our DL and lo and behold, NOT THERE!  Gah!  So we called and we asked around and it turns out that he had gone to visit his brother who is a pastor of some Christian church and they filled him with about a gazillion terrible ideas about "los mormones." Gilberto can't read and so they told him that because he can't read we had been lying to him!  They told him so many chafa things that I can't even expressed how angry I was!  So he was missing!  And there was no way to find him!  We spent 3 days looking for him!  It was Saturday and we still hadn't found him and I was spent!  All of our leaders were telling us that we hadn't done enough and that it was our fault that he was missing... thanks for your support?  Gosh.  I have never felt more.. AGH!  Anyway, so we came up with a strategy.  We decided to intercept him at his work.  We went walking over to the boonies for this guy and his freaking work was closed!  And so after a moment of distress we looked again and out of nowhere he was sitting there on the curb alone.  God is so awesome!!! I know that he made it possible for us to find him! So miraculously we found him and had the chance to talk to him for 15 precious minutes!  I don't even remember what we talked about but somehow we got everything on track again.  Sunday morning (again) we took our DL over there to do the interview.  They were in there for about an hour and a half!  I think my hair was falling out I was so nervous!  But as it turned out, Gilberto also was feeling stressed and sad so he drank coffee... and alcohol...and he smoked... Freaking Satan and his tristes temptations. But Gilberto was so sad.  When our DL left he was crying, and we cried with him.  He didn't get baptized this week but I know that he is going to get baptized!  I am going to see that man in el reino celestial!!  

My companion and I have made a discovery about the mission, it is really interesting, because us as missionaries, have about a gazillion and one problems... but the problems aren't our own.  They are all problems of our investigators!  We spend all our time focused on other people.  It is really cool honestly! I love it! 

I really have learned that the Lord has a lot of things prepared for us. This week we had this really random thought that we had to go and visit this referral that we received about 5 weeks ago but we never found him.  So we went over to his apartment and his little neighbor came out and talked to us, she told us that we really shouldn't visit him because he was all drugged up, but she invited us in and now we are teaching a family of 5 (that seriously happen to be golden).  So I know that God has got it all worked out.  Entonces tenga fe in su padre celestial!  Les amo!

Hermana Chandler