Week 18- Attitude

Friends and Family,

This was an up and down sort of week. During the middle of it, I was super motivated because we were seeing the Lord's hand in the work and our investigators were progressing. We had high hopes. But then towards the end of the week, I started focusing too much on the negative things. I realized that my attitude affects the work as well as how much I work.

Chris, the investigator who is on date for baptism next month, was doing really well, then tried to drop us all of a sudden! We replied back trying to help him remember how good the message made him feel. He said he was just struggling and depressed, because he has bipolar and PTSD. We haven't seen him since, but we will visit him and help him through his struggles. Help him see that the atonement will make weaknesses strengths.

We were able to give Bob a blessing to help him sleep better, since he had really been struggling with that lately. He said that the blessing started to work even during the actual blessing! He felt at peace. I know his faith and God's power helped him feel at peace. I'm glad we were there to serve him.

As for other investigators, not too much different. We visited a former investigators house. At first they put up a wall and said they didn't want to learn more about Joseph Smith, but we were able to build on similar beliefs and they said that God may want them to join the church in the future. The spirit certainly softened their hearts. It's a blessing to see how a visit really changes the attitude in the home, even by the end of one discussion.

Hope all is well. Love y'all!

-Elder Chandler Allen

Week 17- What just happened?

Hey family and friends,

This week has flown by. So many awesome things! I hit my 4 month mark yesterday. I really don't know what happened these past few months. They seem like a blur. I guess just adjusting to the mission.

We were able to serve with our investigator David, a young college student. We helped him sand walls and paint them. It was awesome doing some home construction again. Elder Rush looked like jack frost after sanding. Haha. David has a lot of potential though. He is a stellar guy.

We met a guy named James on the way to one of our appointments. He told us that we had dropped a pamphlet off a while ago(the first day me and Elder Lehr went out together) and he had recently read it and actually prayed about it. He got and answer! He had a dream of the the first vision. He says he is looking for the right church. We invited him to read and pray about the Book of Mormon after sharing some things about gifts of the spirit, because he had questions about his dreams. He is a very intelligent young guy who asks lots of great questions. I love that so much!

A miracle or two happened yesterday. A bunch of non-members showed up to church! It was a crazy week. I think mainly for the primary program. It was awesome to see so many people. One of the members brought a non-member as well who is looking for the right church. We are going to teach him tonight in the member's home where he can feel the spirit. His name is Shawn.

Another miracle happened. Elder Rush thought about one of the investigators we dropped because he was moving. His name was Chris. Elder Rush called him to see if he had moved yet and Chris said that he wasn't going to move at all, and that he had been reading the Book of Mormon we gave him and he felt like he needed to join the church! What just happened! That's what I thought. Heavenly Father certainly has prepared this guy. It's a miracle! He has some struggles he needs to overcome, but he is very humble and willing to do so. We have a baptism date for next month. Hopefully I stay for it, but it doesn't matter as long as he is baptized!

This week has been so awesome! There have been so many miracles and blessings from God. I am filled with so much joy and humility as I see God's hand in the work. None of this would have happened unless he was in the work. Hope y'all are doing great! Love each and every one of you!

-Elder Chandler Allen

Week 16- Simplify

Friends and Family,

This week has been full to the brim. I feel like we were constantly doing something, which was awesome! There were a couple days where we were out on our bikes all day. Haha. We are getting kicked into shape. 

We have been focusing on the lessons this last week. We have been studying the doctrines in the lesson. We have been focusing on keeping what we teach very simple and brief so that they have a powerful spiritual experience that sticks with them. If a lesson drags on, they lose focus and lose the spirit. It has worked. I know the Lord has helped me in my efforts. I thought it would be hard, but after practicing a little, I was able to teach a great first lesson that flowed very well. Hopefully we are able to meet back up with the guy I taught it to. He even accepted a Book of Mormon.

We contacted a referral that the Sisters gave us. I wasn't expecting much out of it, but the guy actually let us in. He is a preacher at his church, but it doesn't sound like he is set at that church. Hopefully we get to see him this week.

We ran into someone doing yard work and asked if we could help. He let us help and we discussed the gospel with him. He said that he was a non-denominational christian because he believed that truths were lost that were in the Bible. We instantly jumped on the opportunity to share the Book of Mormon with him, which is the most correct of any book. We are going to visit him this week and give him a Book of Mormon.

This last story is awesome and I hope it leads to success. We always see a man biking around who yells go BYU at us. We finally talked to him at the library one day. The spirit lead us there and he said the spirit told him to talk to us. We gave him our number and told us to call us. He actually did! No one usually does that. Me and him talked for almost an hour. He said that he was struggling in life right now. His kids won't talk to him. He has some regrets. He is older now. He is a less active member. He wants to be active again. I know the Lord has prepared him. I know that the Lords hand is in this work because none of what happened was coincidence. I hope we are able to visit him again this week.

Hope all is well! Love y'all

-Elder Chandler Allen

Elder Allen's first apartment in the mission field.

Week 15- Rain!!!!

Family and Friends,

This week has been quite the week. I've been adjusting to a new companion. Elder Rush is great! He's just a go getter. I'm super excited to keep working hard with him.

We had a great zone conference this week. Very inspiring. We also had a funeral this Saturday. It was an older guy whose wife passed away exactly 2 weeks early, so they're together again! It was a sad funeral. But it was his time to pass on.

And it finally rained! A lot. It rained Saturday, and it came down fairly hard yesterday. It's still really cloudy and a little rainy right now. It's been difficult getting work done though because of the rain. We have been doing a lot of book work and calling people though. 

We got Bob to come to the ward Halloween party. He got to know many people. We wanted him to come to church too, but he wasn't feeling good. He was still recovering from going out to the ward party.

Darrell is doing great. He has changed a lot from when we first met him. He is now way more open and truly desires to learn the gospel. He is keeping his commitments. We just need him to come to church now. Everything is going great though!

It's been a good week. We are going to contact more people this next week and find more new investigators. I know that when we petition the Lord for his help, He will certainly give it. It's important to realize that all we have comes from Him. This work can't go forward without him. I know he has been helping us out so far. It's a blessing to see it first hand.

Love y'all, Elder Chandler Allen

Week 14- The Work is Rushing Along

Friends and Family,

I got a new companion this week. His name is Elder Rush. He is a very determined and spiritual missionary. He wants to baptize 5 people this transfer. I know that if it's the Lord's will it will happen. I get along with Elder Rush very well. He is super hilarious. 

We made a goal to contact at least 5 people a day. On Thursday, we had contacted 3 and we were on our way home. We took a different route through a neighborhood. We stopped to talk to one guy, and just as we were wrapping that up, his next door neighbor asked us to go over to her. She asked us why we hadn't ever been to her house and then told us that she wanted us to come teach her and her husband. What a miracle!!! I know the Lord provides a way for us to accomplish worthy goals. It is so neat to see the Lord's hand in this work. It doesn't get done without him. 

We have been trying to contact more college students, so we went to the homecoming parade and game. College is crazy. I'm nervous to go to college, but I know BYU is a good clean college. We were able to find some people that were interested. They are smart kids that want to have purpose in their lives. I hope we can meet back up with them soon.

And we went through all the old investigator contacts on our phone and contacted as many as possible. There were a lot who want to meet back up with us again. Even though it may have not been their time before hand, it may be their time now. 

I'm so glad I'm with Elder Rush now. I've already learned a lot. Thanks for all the prayers and support. I am so grateful for the many blessings God gives me and you. One of the greatest blessings is the spirit. I have been studying the Holy Ghost and came across a really awesome scripture this morning. It's 2 Nephi 26:11. It says when the spirit ceases striving with man, speedy is his destruction. How profound! We must always strive to have the spirit with us. He will help us overcome temptation and even get rid of temptation. The spirit is essential for day to day life. Do all you can to have the spirit with you. One of the best things to do is have scripture study in the morning, so you are equipped with the spirit throughout the rest of the day. Love y'all

-Elder Chandler Allen

Week 13- Study, Study, Study!

Family and Friends,

This week has been a roller coaster of a week. Haha. We had an exchange, zone training meeting, and transfer news. Good news! I'm staying in Natchitoches! I'm nervous to see who my new companion is, but also very excited. I'll find out tomorrow. Elder Lehr is going home in two days! It's so crazy and awesome. I'll miss him a ton. 

I was feeling fairly down for some of the week. I was frustrated because I felt like we weren't getting work done and I was just discouraged. I realized that I was missing out on the blessing of the spirit. I had missed out on personal study a few times. There was a very obvious difference in how my day went when I didn't take time to study than when I did actually study. I feel the spirit so much stronger when I put forth the effort to have a full effective study each and every morning. I have realized how important the spirit is. It is SOOOO important. The only way I can be an effective missionary is if I always have the spirit with me. So I am focusing on doing the things that will allow the spirit to always be with me. I hope all of you strive to have the spirit with you always as well. It is truly a blessing. You don't realize how joyous and happy it is to have the spirit with you until you actually put in the effort to allow Him to be with you. It is easy to stay discouraged and unhappy, but it is far better to keep the commandments, turn in humility to the Lord, and allow the spirit to be with you. I testify of that in the name of Christ. 

There were a few missionaries that had family members pass away recently. Please keep them in your prayers.

We had a great lesson with Angie this week. She's the a referral from Olivia. Angie is so ready! She is very humble and willing to accept the gospel. She is in a wheel chair and has muscular dystrophy. I know the Lord looks out for her. She is inspiring to me. She committed to baptism when she finds out if the Book of Mormon is true. I am so exited! I felt the spirit so strong when she committed. I know the Lord lead us to her through Olivia. 

I hope everyone is doing great. I challenge you to take time in the morning to study the scriptures. It starts your day off right. You are much happier all throughout the day. Love y'all!

Love, Elder Chandler Allen