We killed last week, we were able to find so many new people to teach through contacting, I don´t really know why but the lord is blessing us a lot as are striving so much to find new people to teach. I would just like to mention one of these families. Jimi and Gina Dymijour and their two daughters Loruchama and Angie are a new family we found from Haiti. Remember the earthquake they had in Haiti in 2010, it destroyed a lot of buildings and roads, and impacted a lot of families a lot. Many left the country, some the United States and other countries. Jimi came to Chile, alone and without knowing spanish. He said when he first arrived he didn´t understand anybody. Crazy huh, the gringo missionaries know how that feels like. But he was able to find work through another Hatian, and rent a one room apartment. He worked to gather together money and learned spanish, and was able to pay for his wife and daughter to come to chile. They are a really cool family, speak French as their native language but also speak a little English. Now they have 4 years in Chile. Loruchama, which is a biblical name, is 7 years old, and Angie 2 years old. We were able to share the Restoration with them, and Jimi was really excited to learn more and ask God if this is his Church. They are really receptive. I really do love black people, they are amazing, not to be racist at all. We will see how they progress as time goes on. We will be going back for our second lesson Sunday. It´s funny when they speak English, They have the coolest black accent. P.S. not only is it hard for the Haitians here for the language, but they say the Chilieans are a little racist, which makes it harder to find a house and job. We are trying to help them out, because they are looking for a place to move. Hopefully they stay in our sector. I love you guys, I am tring to work as hard as I can and it is really paying off, sacrifice brings blessings and pushes me to work even harder. Today we went to San Cristobal, a famous hill with a virgin at the top, we had fun and it was a good p-day. I love you, Justin Chandler.
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What a great week. This week I have been able to get to know my companion a lot better, and we have recieved many blessings, a lot of new investigators to teach. Elder Esteves is a great missionary, and a hard worker. I am loved this last week, we have gotten to know a lot of really good people, that have really been prepared to hear our message. I have really seen miracles this week. I had little hope for Sarah Rifflo when we first talked to her and she didn´t seem that interested, but we took an appointment with her and when we came back, and she let us in I got to know another Sarah, one who was really curious about our message and our church, and what we do as missionaries. We also found someone who lived in Florida for about a year for work, and also is really interested in the message we share.I will keep you updated as they progress. We have a talent show the 27th of march in the ward, but we don´t know yet what we will be doing, but will have to think of something here soon. We also did contacts in Mall Plaza Sur Saturday, we had a stand with billboards about 3 simple ways to have a happier family, and were able to recieve about 7 references for our ward. Today we played soccer and thompson ball with the zone and had a barbeque with churipanes and hamburgers. I am excited to see how the rest of the week goes. Oh, and we also ran into El Mago the other day, how cool.
Monday in the morning we went on divisions with Leando, to go contacting or knocking doors. We had had a little success, but just appointments to return another day. Then as we turned on Almirante Riveros in front of a Santa Isabel, we ran into a big suprise. Leandro´s mom comes running towards us to tell us that a football player for the national team was filming a commercial in the Santa Isabel, and was also taking pictures with those who wanted to take pictures with him. The blessings of leaving on divisions to go contacting before lunch, eh. Leandros mom published the pics on facebook, and a famous blogger thought the story was really interesting, and wanted to write an article about it. Now we are famous amongst the members here. I also got him to sign a pamphlet of the plan of salvation, who knows, maybe someday it will be worth some money. come check out my article http://www.elfaromormon.org/el-mago-se-saca-fotos-con-misioneros-mormones/.
I am so excited to write this week, especially because I couldn´t last week. Last week was the last Pday for Elder Klappenbach, so we went to say good bye to his old wards, well really just one ward Esperanza. We started off early eating breakfast with a family, then left quickly to get to the temple to do a session with the zone, but arrived 10 minutes late, so they said we could do initiatory meanwhile. We had an hour, and we thought it wouldn´t take very long, but they didn´t have many workers in the temple so they had to work in the session too, and it took way to long to do the initiatories, and in the end we didn´t make the next session. We decided to do more names while we waited for the next hour, but also ended too late and we decided to leave. Even though we didn´t do a session, It was great to do initiatories. Then we ate with a family from Esperanza, and visited one more family, then we had to hurry home to go to an appointment. We tried again the next day, and I started writing, but the internet cut and we had to return home. But it has been a really good pair of weeks. The 28th we had the baptisms of Nataly and her daughter Joice. At last they were ready to be baptized, and I felt so happy that they had made it. I think the happiest moments on the mission is when there is a baptism, you feel the spirit so strongly and you feel so relieved that they could make this important promise with God, and wish that they can stay strong and endure to the end. You really come to love the people you teach. Brother Barriga did the baptisms and the confirmations on Sunday. Brother Barriga has been the best friendshiper for them, to be there for them and make them feel loved at church. It has been hard, Nataly´s mom is evangelist and stubborn and unexcepting, but went to the baptism to support her daughter and grandaughter. She was a little angry when we told her she couldn´t film it, but in the end the baptism was an unforgetable experience. Pics are on the way. Now we are waiting for Cesar´s (Joice´s cousin) cast to come off so he can get baptized too. They we are already planning to go to the temple to do baptisms for the dead with them. I can´t wait. Today we had transfers, my new companion is Elder Esteves from Trujillo Peru. He is a really fun elder who puts his whole heart in the work and I know that we are going to be good friends. We started the mission in the same ward, so I already know him pretty well. Elder Hermosilla also came to the ward with Elder Peck, he lives about an hour and a half from where we are now, super close, too close. We were in the CCM together. I know this will be a good transfer, my last one in Quimey, I have been here for 9 months, which seems like forever. Today we played soccer with another zone, I haven´t played in sooo long. It was a good Pday. We also found a Haiti chick which came from a reference. She has only been in chile for 3 years, and said she needs help to find a new place to live. Evidently where they are living now is pretty small, and they are living pretty poor. We said we would like to help her and share a message too. We will see how it goes. Maybe she can teach us French too. A new family came to the ward, there are a lot of new houses bieng built so more people are moving in. He served here a few years ago, and seems really cool. He is willing to work with is, so we will leave on divisions this week. I am so happy for Jeremy´s Baptism, and Joshes Marriage, you need to convince him to wait for me or set up a skype. At least send me pics, I don´t even know what she looks like. I love you all, and with you a very good week, Elder Chandler
All the hard work pays off, it is crazy how the days pass bye. This Saturday we have 2 Baptisms. Joice and her mom, Nataly. I first got to now this family about 5 transfers ago, and now they are getting baptized. Joice´s cousin would be getting baptized also, but he fell in the shower about a week ago and yesterday he went to the doctor and they put a big fat cast on his leg. He passed the interview and all but we will have to postpone it 3 weeks until he can submerge it. They have had to go through a huge change, and it has been a real challenge, but now they are going to church, and say they are ready to take this important step and become members. It can be hard for Nataly, her mom in an old stubborn evangelical woman and she is not married. Her boyfriend went sunday for the first time. I am excited for their baptism and hope they have the determination to endure to the end. There is also a baptism thrusday, but from a member family, an 8 year old girl. On sunday the santibanes family went, they havent been in a long time, and I hope we can help them continue attending. Other that that, we just keep pushing forward, some people are progressing more than others. This is the last week and a half of Elder Klappenbach in the mission, then I will recieve a new companion. Maybe he will meet up with Jeremy there in Argentina. Summer Break is ending and the schools are starting up again. Families are returning to Santiago and finishing their vacations. I love to hear from you, see you for thanksgiving. Love, Elder Justin Chandler.
We had interviews with the president friday. They went well, and then we had divisions with the district leader, elder mendoza. We found some pretty cool people doing contacts, we have an apointment today which I hope goes well. She liked the pamphlet that we left her, and says she would like to learn more. She and her husband go to an evangical church. A less active family will be moving soon, they were told they have to leave at the end of the month, and she told us that right after our visit with them she found an old friend that wanted to rent her house. And it is affordable for her, which is a great blessing taking in to account that they cannot pay a lot. Hopefully they can progress in the gospel, and come closer together as a family. Her husband is not a member, and hopefully he can realize the change that he can have in his life and be baptized. They are a good family, just have a few hard trials. Today we went to buin zoo, it was really fun. My camera ran out of power about three fourths of the way through though. They have a lot of animals, but the majority were sleeping. Zoos are pretty cool. Some of the big monkeys and cats looked a little sad and borred of bieng in a cage and bieng starred at all day. Then we went to the mall, I ate an orange chicken plate and spring rolls. I am looking forward for a good week 4. It is good to hear so much from you all. I love you so much. Take care. I have been so long in quimey, this will be 9 months by the end of this transfer. But it has been a good 9 months. I hope you all have a great week, Elder Chandler
This week has been trying, but we keep pushing forward. We had very few people at church this week, we went down like 45 people. Everybody is on vacations, but the we keep bouncing around the sector on bikes, trying to make it a successful one. The bikes are really useful, but this week we have had a few problems. We have had so many flat tires and other problems. We helped an inactive family that just moved into the ward paint their fence, which lasted the whole morning, then they invited us to lunch. We finished lunch and went to eat with another inactive family that invited us to lunch, and then stopped by the house where the sister who was assigned to give us luch that day had dropped the food off. We put it in the fridge for the night, because we were full, two lunches are enough. We have been working to help a few families complete small goals to return to church and reactivate, and it has been working out pretty good. I hope we can continue strong and see some more fruits of our labor. It is great to hear how you all are doing, keep soldiering on and having fun. I love you all. Elder Chandler
Today for Pday we went to the cultural center museum in the center of santiago. It was interesting because it showed ancient islamic artifacts and explained islamic culture and beliefs. We went as a disctrict. This week has been a good week, working hard and relying on the Lord so that everything turns out good, and we can have baptisms and reactivations. We have a lot of potential for the upcomming weeks. Thank you for your help and support, keep working hard everyday, I love you. Congrajulations on recieving your permit, Like I said, just hang in there and it will come. First comes the permit, then a job, then your own car. I love you all, keep me posted. I hope you have a great week, Love, Elder Chandler.
I survived transfers!! That means this is my 6th transfer here in quimey, thats a lot of time. I have more time in the zone than the other missionaries. Maybe my photo fell of the presidents desk. I might finish my mission here, and even though it would be fun, I sure hope not. Yeah, I won´t finish here, but I feel like I have been here forever. We got a new zone leader and missionary in the ward: Elder Peck from Idaho. One of the sister missionaries just went to another ward in the zone, and one siser is training. Elder Burhoe is going to serve his last transfer in another ward, another zone. We keep working dilligently in the ward, the ground may be a little hard but we just keep picking away, little by little. We hope to have some success this week, and we will keep fighting until we get it. I do love it here, and am learning a lot from Elder Klappenbach. Today for Pday we made sushi with the zone in the house of a member of the ward. I love sushi soooo much. I am going to have to teach you how to make it when I get back. It isn´t as hard as you would think. I have quite the appetite for sushi, I could eat sushi every week. We spent 3 hours making sushi and 10 minutes to eat everything, but it was sooo goood. It is good to hear you are doing soo good. Keep it moving along. Keep me updated. I love you all. Elder Chandler
Saturday was an interesting day, it started off normal and we finished off the day with a good lesson to our investigators in the Estancilla and arrived home a little after ten. We started to get comfortable, glad to be home, plan a little for sunday, and go to sleep. But it didn`t go that way at all. The other two elders came home at 1030, and told us to change into service clothes. They told us that brother Osorio`s parcela was burning, and we had to leave to help but out the fire. We quickly changed, and hermano ruiz was waiting outside in his car to drive us there. The other elders said they had already called the president and asked permision to help put out the fire. I thought it was a small fire, and we would be back in an hour. I was wrong. We went to the church, where we met up with various members of the elders Quorum. We waited for a little until all arrived and then we headed out. It was suprising to me how much elders showed up to help with cars, we had 18 in total, including us 4. We went on the freeway and traveled about 30 minutes to get to our destination. It was a huge hill on fire. There were a lot of lots that people had bought and built their house or summer house. There were also lots of trees and brush that could easily get caught on fire. Brother Osorio`s parcela wasn`t burnt at all, but the neibhoring parcelas were. We gathered together and then went out, with buckets of water and shovels to smother the fire. A lot of trees were burnt, and there wasn`t any active flame, but a lot of ashes and coals. We poured water on the coals and covered it with dirt so the fire didn`t start up again and burn the rest of the trees and other parcelas. We didn`t want the fire to reach the houses and destroy everything. After splitting up and putting out all the fire, we went back and a majority of the elders went to the other side of the hill, where big flames were reaching some houses. They helped the firemen cut away the surrounding brush and trees so the flames couldn`t reach the houses. We worked hard in the night, with the little light we had. By the time we got back it was 630 sunday morning. I took a little shower, and went to sleep for an hour. Then woke up and had to do some last minute arrangments to bring investigators to the church, and we went to church. I almost fell asleep in sacrament meeting. After lunch I could hardly even stay awake, it was hard to get through the day and I was greatful when night came again. Like I said, it was very interesting. It was amazing how the elders could react in 20 minutes, and meet up at the church to fight fires all night long. When there is a need in the ward you can count on the elders quorum, we are the fighfighters of Quimey. Friday we had a great FHE with Fransisco Vargas, investigator, and the barriga family. Afterwards brother barriga went to drop him off at the bus stop and they talked for 2 hours waiting for the bus. He is becoming more integrated in the ward and making friendships that will help him stay firm in the church even after baptism . Yesterday we had another Family home evening with investigators but the adults fell through on us and only the 2 youth went in the end. It took them a long time to arrive too, but in the end we had a good time. I hope next time the whole famliy can come, it would be a little easier and more successful. I am still working hard in this heat, and will not give up. I love you all and hope you have the best week this week. Take care, elder chandler
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