How has it been one month already? It's gone by
quick, but not at the same time. Honestly, looking back, it feels like a
long time, but the good thing is that I've enjoyed all of it and
there's no place I'd rather be. A few really crazy things happened this
week. The first one is more freaky. We were at Zone Training Meeting and
one Elder was talking about how our apartment was haunted. Apparently
there was an Elder that thought he saw his sister as a ghost that wanted
to grab him or something like that. I was so freaked out. So I went to
bed, despite being a bit afraid of the dark, only to wake up to my
companion freaking out and panicking! I freaked out too and asked him
what was wrong, thinking that it was all happening again. He said
something that I couldn't understand and then told me just to go back to
bed, which was what happened in the story I heard as well. So for the
next two hours, I was too scared to even move from under my sheets. He
finally got up to use the bathroom and I asked him again what happened,
only to find out it was just a bad dream. He dream a bee was coming to
sting him and so he freaked out and woke up freaking out. I was able to
sleep after that, but it was a super crazy night! Our apartment isn't
actually haunted. The second story was more spiritual. We went tracting
and Elder Lehr led us to start at an apartment building. We knocked on
all the doors and no one answered. He then walked across the street and
we decided to try this one house. We knocked twice and
right as we were leaving a lady opened the door and let us in. We soon
found out that she wasn't going to open the door because she thought we
were Jehovah Witnesses, but she was prompted to open it. Her twin
brother recently passed away, and she had been recently questioning how
she could know which church was true, even though she was baptist. God
prepared her for us, and Elder Lehr was in tune enough with the spirit
to be able to lead us to her. It was a really neat experience. We plan
on teaching her and her husband. It's been a good week. I've learned a
lot! Something really important was that personal study is so important.
Without it, my days were a lot harder. I finally made it more of a
priority and it has made everything so much better. Hope everyone is
loving the last few weeks of summer! Love y'all!
Love, Elder Allen
Monday, August 10, 2015
Monday, August 3, 2015
Week 3- 300 Years Old
Hey Everyone,
Did you know Natchitoches is the oldest city within the Louisiana
purchase. It's pretty neat I got sent here. The people are so great. We
met a couple more people this last week. We had a really neat
experience. One evening, on our way home, the sisters
saw us and stopped to talk to us. They said they would bring us ice cream
if we contacted someone on our way home. We wouldn't ever turn that
down. So we stopped at an apartment complex on the other side of the
street from our apartment. I had to take the lead
on this one and I was pretty intimidated. It was a group of 6 or 7
guys just hanging out in front of the building. I just went up and
shared my testimony about Jesus Christ and gave them pass along cards.
It was a really neat experience getting over a
fear and feeling the spirit strongly. There was even one guy that was
really religious and wants us to meet him again. We feel like he has
some potential. He was serious about us seeing him again, which is
really good because it's difficult to find good potential
investigators here. Another funny thing- I got a flat tire again last
Monday, so that was three flat tires, three days in a row. Kinda crazy!
It's alright though, we got it all figured out and I haven't gotten
another one yet. This week was difficult but great.
At the beginning of the week, I was a bit discouraged because it seemed
like we weren't having any good success and I felt like we were doing
all this for nothing because none of our potentials were working out and
we have very few investigators. It was after
I talked with my companion and prayed that I felt better. All of this is
for something. Whether or not we actually baptize someone, we are still
making a difference for the better in the lives of others. We are
bringing joy and happiness. We are motivating
others. We are serving others. We are even shaping ourselves. But most
of all, we are bringing the light of Christ into the lives of those we
meet with our testimonies of the Savior. It is such a sacred privilege
to be a missionary. I hope all y'all can find
a way to be a missionary too. Love y'all. Hope you're enjoying your
summer!!
-- Elder Chandler Lee Allen
Monday, July 27, 2015
Week 2- How do you say Natchitoches?
Hey Everyone,
I'm finally in Louisiana! It is so great! I'm in a town called Natchitoches. How do you say it? haha. Good question:) I had that same question. It goes (nac-i-desh). I don't exactly know why, but that's how it's pronounced. My apartment is nice. The lake is literally my back yard, but it looks more like a river. It's actually called Cane River Lake. haha. The people here are so nice. They are true to who they are. This last week was quite eventful, but a great growing experience. I experienced the humidity coming out of the airport. I met my mission president and his wife there at the airport. They are so great and caring. We had dinner at the mission home and slept there overnight. We had a testimony meeting as well. The next day was the transfer meeting. My new companion is Elder Lehr! He is a funny missionary. He works hard, but has a fun time doing it. I think he's been really good for me. We drove 3 hours from Baton Rouge to Natchitoches, then got settled into the apartment. The first full day, we went out to try and meet one of the progressive investigators, but he wasn't there. So we just tracted around in the trailor park and actually found 2 new potentials. Reggie was a nice guy, but wondered why God would allow bad things to happen in this world. We made a return appointment, but we haven't been able to get a hold of him yet. The other was a family. They invited us in to hear a message. They were Baptist and Christian. They invited us back, but we're going to let the sisters in our town teach them because there usually isn't another man there at their house. The sisters missionaries in our town are Sister Carpenter and Sister Neilson. They are both really hard working and nice. And by the way, we're on bikes!!! It's crazy, fun, and even more crazy. The temperature index has put the temperature at 107. It's really 98 or so, but with the humidity it feels like 107. It's really easy to get dehydrated because you sweat all the water you drink. Haha. Honestly, it's not too bad. I thought it would kill me, but it feels nice to ride our bikes. That is if the bike works. Haha. I had two flats over the past two days. They were both neat experiences. The first day, I got a flat, but Elder Lehr didn't notice and he kept riding away until he couldn't see me. He called President and the Sisters in our town, but he found me when I called him using a phone from inside a mexican food restaurant. We had to go to Walmart to get some goo stuff to fix it, but while we were walking over there, a member from Idaho pulled over to help us, and he drove us over to Walmart and even paid for our stuff. What a great man! I was trying to fix my tire, but it just wasn't working!! I got to the point where it was all or nothing. It would either work, or not work. I finally humbled myself to say a pray in my heart, pleading for God's help. I don't know why I didn't pray earlier, but God helped me instantly. My tire started to inflate again and the problem was fixed! I know God gave me that trial so I could learn humility and so that I could gain a stronger testimony of His presence in my life. The next day, the same tire went flat in about the same place as the day before. luckily we made it to a member's house, Brother Donaho. He cheered me up a bit and helped us out a lot. We had to go to the Wood's house, which is an older couple in the ward. I think the flat tire was the means of some missionary work. It allowed others to have an opportunity to serve, it taught me a lot of lessons, we found referrals and was able to get it all fixed. One of the investigators we met was an older man who served in the Vietnam War. His name is Bob. He reminds me of my own Grandpa Hatch. Bob committed to go to church, which was miracle because he wouldn't commit for a long time. It's so exciting! He's coming next Sunday. This last Sunday was great. The ward is so nice and inviting. But I admit, they aren't the best singers. Haha. They make up for it in how nice they all are. They all feed us pretty well. We've already had a couple meals and dinner appointments. At church, during the gospel principles class, a man walk in and sat right by me. He was in a white t-shirt and jeans. I was guessing this was his first time here. His name is Bruce, and he came because a friend gave him a pamphlet with the church address on it. He is a humble, quiet, and caring guy. He even offered to help with a service project that was announced in Priesthood. How amazing is that!!! Seriously, God must be looking out for him. I really hope we can help him grow closer to Christ. He is such a nice man. I hope all y'all are having an amazing week. I love you all!
I'm finally in Louisiana! It is so great! I'm in a town called Natchitoches. How do you say it? haha. Good question:) I had that same question. It goes (nac-i-desh). I don't exactly know why, but that's how it's pronounced. My apartment is nice. The lake is literally my back yard, but it looks more like a river. It's actually called Cane River Lake. haha. The people here are so nice. They are true to who they are. This last week was quite eventful, but a great growing experience. I experienced the humidity coming out of the airport. I met my mission president and his wife there at the airport. They are so great and caring. We had dinner at the mission home and slept there overnight. We had a testimony meeting as well. The next day was the transfer meeting. My new companion is Elder Lehr! He is a funny missionary. He works hard, but has a fun time doing it. I think he's been really good for me. We drove 3 hours from Baton Rouge to Natchitoches, then got settled into the apartment. The first full day, we went out to try and meet one of the progressive investigators, but he wasn't there. So we just tracted around in the trailor park and actually found 2 new potentials. Reggie was a nice guy, but wondered why God would allow bad things to happen in this world. We made a return appointment, but we haven't been able to get a hold of him yet. The other was a family. They invited us in to hear a message. They were Baptist and Christian. They invited us back, but we're going to let the sisters in our town teach them because there usually isn't another man there at their house. The sisters missionaries in our town are Sister Carpenter and Sister Neilson. They are both really hard working and nice. And by the way, we're on bikes!!! It's crazy, fun, and even more crazy. The temperature index has put the temperature at 107. It's really 98 or so, but with the humidity it feels like 107. It's really easy to get dehydrated because you sweat all the water you drink. Haha. Honestly, it's not too bad. I thought it would kill me, but it feels nice to ride our bikes. That is if the bike works. Haha. I had two flats over the past two days. They were both neat experiences. The first day, I got a flat, but Elder Lehr didn't notice and he kept riding away until he couldn't see me. He called President and the Sisters in our town, but he found me when I called him using a phone from inside a mexican food restaurant. We had to go to Walmart to get some goo stuff to fix it, but while we were walking over there, a member from Idaho pulled over to help us, and he drove us over to Walmart and even paid for our stuff. What a great man! I was trying to fix my tire, but it just wasn't working!! I got to the point where it was all or nothing. It would either work, or not work. I finally humbled myself to say a pray in my heart, pleading for God's help. I don't know why I didn't pray earlier, but God helped me instantly. My tire started to inflate again and the problem was fixed! I know God gave me that trial so I could learn humility and so that I could gain a stronger testimony of His presence in my life. The next day, the same tire went flat in about the same place as the day before. luckily we made it to a member's house, Brother Donaho. He cheered me up a bit and helped us out a lot. We had to go to the Wood's house, which is an older couple in the ward. I think the flat tire was the means of some missionary work. It allowed others to have an opportunity to serve, it taught me a lot of lessons, we found referrals and was able to get it all fixed. One of the investigators we met was an older man who served in the Vietnam War. His name is Bob. He reminds me of my own Grandpa Hatch. Bob committed to go to church, which was miracle because he wouldn't commit for a long time. It's so exciting! He's coming next Sunday. This last Sunday was great. The ward is so nice and inviting. But I admit, they aren't the best singers. Haha. They make up for it in how nice they all are. They all feed us pretty well. We've already had a couple meals and dinner appointments. At church, during the gospel principles class, a man walk in and sat right by me. He was in a white t-shirt and jeans. I was guessing this was his first time here. His name is Bruce, and he came because a friend gave him a pamphlet with the church address on it. He is a humble, quiet, and caring guy. He even offered to help with a service project that was announced in Priesthood. How amazing is that!!! Seriously, God must be looking out for him. I really hope we can help him grow closer to Christ. He is such a nice man. I hope all y'all are having an amazing week. I love you all!
--
Elder Chandler Lee Allen
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Week 1- First Week- A Great One!
Hello Family and Friends,
This week has been....
well indescribable! The first day I was here, I was super sad and scared
right when I walked away from my family. As I met my district and my
companion, Elder Hunter, I began to feel at peace. Elder Hunter is such a hard worker, but he is
still fun. I'm so grateful for him. He has helped me out a lot, even
more than I have realized. And it truly helped
to have a great friend that coincidentally ended up in my district.
Elder Rentfro was one of my great friends at Westlake. The Lord put us
together in the same district for a reason. Both him and my companion have great testimonies and strong spirits. They are both really
excited to share the gospel with those in their missions. The MTC is such a sacred place, although we still laugh a
lot. We wake up, get ready, and have study time. We'll normally teach
some investigators, then eat lunch. The food isn't the
greatest. It's ok though. I just can't wait for the food in the south.
We then have a classroom instruction time where we gain a better
understanding of our purpose as a missionary. Then dinner and another
classroom instruction until 9:30, unless there is a
devotional or something. Then it's bed time. It's difficult getting
everywhere on time, but we are still working on that. I'm doing so well. I love it here and can't
wait to share the gospel with the people in my mission.
Throughout my stay here, I have truly been converted to the gospel of
Jesus Christ. I know God is my Heavenly Father. I know that it is only
through Christ and His atonement that we can return to live with God for
Eternity. As I have followed the doctrine of Christ, looking outward, I
haven't had as much joy in my life until now. It can get difficult and
tiring at times, but through diligence and relying on Christ, I have
been able to find so much joy in serving others. Through the atonement
of Christ our weaknesses truly become strengths. We just need to have
faith in Jesus Christ and do all that we can do to follow God's
commandments. I challenge each of you to strive for your own personal
conversion. To be truly converted is to be true to what you believe.
Think of how you can be truly converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ
and make a goal to do that if you aren't already doing so.
I love you all and I'm doing great! I hope all of you are doing great as well!
--
Elder Chandler Lee Allen
Elder Rentfro and Elder Allen
Elder Allen and Elder Hunter
Elder Allen and Elder Hunter
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Saying Goodbye
There's nothing like some good old ugly face crying and sad smiles. No one can ever explain to you how completely full of joy and how horribly heartbroken you can be at the same time.
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