Chance finds a piece of nature

Chance likes the fact that he is near the water now.

We don't have an ocean that is

close to where we live

so oceans are a treat 

to see.

Chance loves nature.

Mountains, animals, clouds. lakes, rivers, and oceans.

Nature is his happy place.

This week Chance and his companion were told by a lady they met that they 

could date her daughters.

Since missionaries don't date on their missions, 

they politely declined.

Chance also met another Elder who likes

trucks as much as he does, so it was a good week.

Here is what Chance wrote home in his email this week:

Doctrine & Covenants 122:8

"The son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?" I absolutely love this because it points out that our Savior, Jesus Christ has descended below all of our pains, our problems, our trials and not just one of us, but all of us, he has descended low enough that he is able to lift every single one of us up. Think about it, he didn't just feel the pains of one person, he felt the pains of all the world. He suffered, bled, and died for all of us, giving us the chance to gain eternal life and to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father. It's quite amazing!

So because he has descended below us all, he understands when we go through those hard times, through the trials, through the times when we feel that the "very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee". He truly understands all those things, he is there to help us. And because we have the Atonement of Jesus Christ, "all these things shall give thee experience and shall be for thy good." We can go through this life experiencing it, learning, and becoming better. When we make a mistake, it isn't the end, we can learn from it and become a little bit better and become more like the person we are meant to become.
The Savior truly does understand us and everything and that each one of us goes through. I know that he truly loves us, and when we are going through those dark times in our lives, that we are not alone and that he is with us every step of the way. If you do not know this for yourself, I invite you to come to know, to read the scriptures. To pray. If you have any questions feel free to reach out to me, or the local church leaders or missionaries to come to know more about our Savior Jesus Christ.
I love y'all! Have a great week!

Chance Sees the Sea

Chance got to see the ocean!

And he is back in a hat.

I think his head was getting a bit lonely 

without one.

The hat will help

to protect his implants.

As a missionary, Chance is out 

and about outside a lot, so his implants

need some protection from the elements.

Chance has been getting a taste of 

the local cuisine as well.

The food is a hit with Chance.

There are some wonderful people out in Chance's 

mission that help the missionaries

and feed them every once in a while.

This is what Chance had to say in his monthly email this past week:

For Halloween, we went to another area in our district for exchanges with the elders and it was so much fun! We went finding along the ocean and met a lot of good people. I also found an American Shop and was in heaven! I didn't get too many things though because it was pretty expensive as you can imagine. We watched a Book of Mormon movie while there and it was awesome!

This past week I was reading through D&C 18 verses 43-44 which says:

"43 And now, after that you have received this, you must keep my commandments in all things;
44 And by your hands I will work a marvelous work among the children of men, unto the convincing of many of their sins, that they may come unto repentance, and that they man come unto the kingdom of my father."

I was reading through this and I found it has a really neat message that it shares. It shares that once we keep his commandments, that by Our hands, by our efforts, that God will further his work. Think about that, when we are obedient, we become God's instrument in the convincing of others of their sins and helping them come unto repentance that they may come unto the kingdom of God. We have that power, as we are more and more obedient, the more the Lord trusts us with bringing others to his fold. Imagine the joy that we can feel in bringing others unto Christ, even if we aren't full time missionaries, as we are obedient, the Lord will provide opportunities for us to share his gospel with others. We can be that person that is another's first good introduction to the gospel and we can help them toward meeting with the missionaries and repenting and getting closer to God. What an amazing opportunity we have to share of this joyous and happy gospel that we know with others. It may seem scary, but don't be, be natural about it, as Elder Uchtdorf said, "Share what is in your heart". As we do these things, we will feel the joy of bringing others to Jesus Christ and getting to know him more. I love you all so much! I hope that you all have had a great week! Don't be afraid to shoot me an email if you have questions or if you want to talk about anything. I am here for y'all!