Oops

wow I wrote a huge long email to all of you, and somehow it didn't send.:(
So now I am going to try and write another email quickly. On
Wednesday we got a new sister in our ward, sister Ashcraft. She is
wonderful. It was hard to say goodbye to Sister whiting but we know
that it's time for her to go home. She served 10 of her 18 months here
in this ward.
On Thursday not much must have happened because I can't remember anything big.
Friday was a very busy day full of service. First we went to the food
bank then we went to help clean autumn graves home, and off to help
sister toombs make treats for a baby shower. We also were able to go
to the baby shower for a less active member in our area.
On Saturday we had any opportunity to take some shoes to a new family
in our walk. They just moved from Columbia and are looking for work.
They don't speak very much English and so my companion is able to
translate church for them. This week we hope to begin teaching them
English, and we also found out that their granddaughter is not a
member, so hopefully we can teach her too.
Sunday was a busy day full of meetings.
Also our ward mission leader just retired this week and it's kind of
scary awsome because now he has more time to devote to his calling.
I have recently taken on the task of putting together an interfaith
5K.  It is going to take a lot of work, but it should be wonderful.
The entrance fee will be Canned food and all the proceeds will go to
the local food bank. There are many ducks to get in a line, but we
have some time to get everything straightened out!

Well I hope you all have a wonderful week this week!
Love ya!

Love,
Sister chambers
Sent from my iPad

Spiders stink!

This week I got bit by a spider! I don't know what type but it has
caused a bit of a problem. We had to keep a close eye on it for a few
days and I was in contact with the nurse to make sure I hadn't been
bitten by a brown recluse or a black widow. Luckily I wasn't bitten by
either of those two things.
Any way... It was a good week. On Thursday I went and worked with
another sister in a different area, which was interesting because they
had me give a training, and I had never done that before.
Friday and Saturday we basically spent the whole day doing service. We
made treats for the two baptisms. We also had a wonderful valentines
day activity... That's where you may have seen pictures of me.  

Desserts and live music performances, then dancing after, which we ran
into the kitchen and sang primary songs during. It turned out pretty
great. Though it did take me back to the days of setting up weddings
with mom.

But yes the ward had two baptisms this week! The first was bobby, he
is awesome, it was the most spiritual baptism I have ever been to. His
wife is a member and her dad flew out to baptize him. After the
baptism they stood in the font and cried a little bit. Everyone was
crying it was just so emotional.

Oh so yesterday we were able to find a food bank and we will be
working there for 2-3 days each week. We are so excited about this. It
was wonderful to be there and serving people. We even talked to a lady
who has some questions a out what we do and why! :) tender mercies!

Oh and me and my comp will be staying together in this area for the
next 6 weeks at least.
It should be good.

Oh I have read 2 really great talks this week by elder bednar and I
advise that everyone gives them a look.
Seek learning by faith...
And teach them to understand.

I'm learning a lot about learning. :)

Love y'all

Well hope ya have a great week.
Love, sister chambers

PS sister Chambers Address is

14701 Bartram park Blvd.apt # 413

Jacksonville, Florida 32258

Florida Jacksonville Mission
8663 Baypine Rd. Ste 102
Jacksonville, FL 32256

Lookie what I got!

Happy Valentines week 

This last week had its ups and downs. Like any other week.
So where to begin...
Monday was ok,
Tuesday we had a lesson with a lady... We taught her about the plan of
salvation! Everything went well until we got to the part about spirit
paradise and prison. She then told us that we were wrong. That we only
have one chance here on earth to figure it out and if we don't get it
then  it's too late. We asked her about those who didn't get a chance
here on earth to learn about Jesus... She said that there is
satellites and mission trips, that everyone would have a
chance...(hmmm I don't think she understands that not everyone has a
smart phone, or even radio for that matter.) well any who she kept
telling us that we were wrong, but I just bore my testimony that god
is a loving god who WANTS us to live with him again so he would
provide another chance, and then we promptly left.
That night our investigator cruzita was able to come to a movie night!
We watched the testaments and she loved it! She even felt the spirit
so much that she was crying at the end.
Wednesday...
WE GOT IPADS!!!
We had zone conference and spent most of our day learning how to use
them! It was pretty awesome.
Thursday was just a day.
Friday...
We figured out how to weekly plan on these things which took forever,
but it's all good.
We also had a lesson with cruzita. She is great but she jumps straight
head first into deep doctrine. Luckily she has her brother in law who
is a bishop in England to help her out on some of the tougher
subjects. Currently she is praying about tea and the word of wisdom.
She asked us if we could ask the people higher up to change the tea
part. (Funny thing is, that she doesn't even really like tea...?)
Saturday...
Fun filled day of looking for service in the community. Also had a
ward mission meeting like usual. We also got to go to a party. A
member thru the party to invite gators and less actives to
fellowship them with some of the members. It was awesome. I watched a
snake eat a rat, it was gross.
Also at the party I met one of my best friends from the pre mortal
life. Her name is hailey and she is 5. She instantly came up to me and
told me that she remembered me. She remembered that when she was a
baby we took a picture together..... I'm guessing that was in heaven.
She hung by me the whole night. She even came and said hi to me at
church yesterday.
Sunday...

Cruzita came to church again! :)
We had to go to young men's and young women's to translate for two of
our members who just recently moved from Columbia and speak no
English. I can not think fast enough to put three words together.
Luckily I have an iPad with Google translate! Copy and paste
scriptures was the name of the game while mi compa was able to get the
chit chat in between.
Ha funny moment.... The young man who she was translating for, mike,
kissed her on the cheek when we were leaving. She started laughing so
hard, she forgot it was a cultural thing that they do down in
Columbia.
Last night we were finally able to see a less active who we have been
trying to see since we got here. We had to take another sister with us
so that we could enter his home but we where able to have a nice visit
and get to know him a little bit better.

God is good.

One of the spiritual lessons that I am learning this week is to not
trust in the arm of flesh. As I have been going over the word of
wisdom, studying it so that we could teach our gator I have just re
realized some things.
It's crazy to look and compare what was happening in the world to when
Joseph smith received the revelation. Many people at he time didn't
know that smoking, drinking or chewing where bad for them, but over
time we have learned more about how bad they really are for us. We
don't know gods ways, because they are higher then our ways, but it is
always the right way, so we have to pray and ask him what is his way
so that we can know and follow it.

Any who enjoy this picture!

These tools are so wonderful. All of our paper work is now in them and
super easy to update.
It is our planner, area book, gospel library, and quick Mormon message
player. It has been so awesome already. Sunday we were actually able
to share a quick video with a man on a door step and set a return
appointment for tonight!
All of the missionaries have the same password to our iPads... DC
88:73... Look it up! :)
Also we can e-mail from them. This means that I can read your messages
when ever you send them to me, but I can only reply on Mondays :)

Until next week Love Sister Chambers

Miracles in Mandarin!

Ok, so it's really hard to open a new area, but luckily Heaven always sends help.

We have been running through all of our resources, referrals, less active members, members, knocking on doors but we hadn't found anyone who was really really interested yet.

I was getting kind of sick of reporting a whole bunch of zero's each week so I decided to look to Heaven for Help. Every single prayer we asked Heavenly Father to help us have a member present lesson on Friday. Then we hit the pavement running. Trying to meet people, find those who are wanting more in life, and trying to set up an appointment for Friday.

Then on Tuesday the Elders in our ward sent us a media referral. Basically someone can go to mormon.org and send the missionaries to a friend, or ask them to come see them. That info goes to Salt lake, which is sent to the mission office, then texted out to us missionaries. By the time we got it on Tuesday it was too late to contact, so we stopped by on Wednesday. She was not home unfortunately. But we left her a note and a picture of Jesus.

The next day we were in the area and decided to stop by and see if she was home. SHE WAS!! :)

My companion was a little worried that a member might have sent us there, and that she actually didn't want to meet with us, but we did not let fear impede our faith. 

We walked up to the door, knocked on it, heard some people talking inside, and then we heard the door unlock. Behind it was a shorter lady who looked happy to see us and promptly asked us to come in. We went in and were talking to her, finding out she was the person we were sent to when some people started talking to me.

I did't realize that she had her ipad up with skype on it. She told us that these were the people who had sent us to her. It was her sister and Brother in law, who live in ENGLAND! Yup we got a referral from England. Any who, they are both members. Apparently their sister wanted to know more and wants to be a member. They helped her find the address of the church, and even the time that church started, so last week she came to our meeting house at 11:30 promptly. Unfortunately last week was the stake/ regional conference that was televised from Orlando.

So she was kind of confused, she knew that we normally don't televise our meetings. She talked to a member, who said they would help her out, but didn't. So luckily her family members sent us to see her! :)

That night we had the first lesson with her and she loved it! She began reading the intro to the book of Mormon, and even scheduled another appointment for the following day... FRIDAY! We promptly texted a ward missionary, who hooked us up with a fellowshipper, a lady to come to the lesson with us!! PRAYERS ANSWERED!

We went on trade-offs and I was so lucky to stay in our area with sister Parmer. We went to the lesson, taught her about the plan of salvation and she just soaked it up! :) She kept her commitments and is even talking like a member.

She told Sister Daveline that this year our ward meets at 11:30 but next year we will meet at 9. She told us she would like to be baptized, she just wants to learn more first.

She came to all 3 hours of church and enjoyed it. The lesson in Relief Society was the plan of salvation which was perfect because she didn't feel so out of the loop. She is coming to a movie night on Tuesday, which we are watching the testament, and on Wednesday another member invited us over to watch the restoration. On Saturday our ward missionary who primarily works with us is throwing a twig party. Basically we are inviting a ton of people to fellowship so they don't feel lonely at church, and she invited our investigator :)

Our ward has not had baptisms in a few years, but just recently we are seeing a huge change. 2 weeks ago we had 2 baptisms. Next week we have 2, and soon we will have one set up with Cruzita! :) 

Any way this week I get an ipad. I know that this will help the work move along. There are studies that show investigators retained and baptized doubles with ipad. I think there are multiple reasons to this... that we have to tract them better... We have to be so specific with when and where we are meeting them and what we will be teaching and how we will keep constant contact, so they can't fall through the cracks. Also we can show mormon messages!!! :)

The spirit is so strong in those quick movies.

Sister Parmer shared a quick video at the end of our lesson the other day and it was just perfect!!

Well I hope all is well back at home!

I love ya'll so much! :)

p.s. It's so warm that today we had to use the a.c. not to rub it in or anything. ;)

Love,

Sister Chambers