Miracles

 Elder Chance Paxton is still serving a mission in the great country of

England!

He has been living an unconventional mission, just like thousands of other 

missionaries serving around the world due to the 

COVID 19 virus.

Chance has gone into lock down again as cases of COVID have jumped 

in England.

But as Chance says in his email home this week,

He and the other missionaries in his flat, are battle proven in the lock down

situation now.

 

Carving Pumpkins!

Day Of Remembrance

Sunset in Hull

Chance's email home this week:

Hey Y'all! 

It has been a good week this week! We are now in part 2 of lock down here in England and it has been good! We know what we are doing and we have been battle tested. We've been through this before. We can still go outside so that is a huge bonus! Hallelujah! 

We have been doing music and then also been doing stuff on social media, I may also get some new apps and social media platforms to do missionary work! One thing we are also planning on doing is going to cemetery's and uploading pictures of gravestones to Family Search. I am actually really excited for that! I am going to start doing a little more family history and indexing so I'm super excited for that as well! 

We have a couple of new people who are interested in meeting with us and learning about the Gospel! One of them happens to be one of the Ladies we did service for this past week! Before the lock down hit, we were able to do service for two ladies and it was wonderful to get some manual labor in and they were very grateful and curious in what we do. Service really does do miracles! (Read Mormon Chapters 7-9 and Come Follow Me for more on miracles.) 

A scripture that I really liked from this past week was Mormon 8:35 which says:

"Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing." 

I actually find this scripture really comforting. The Book of Mormon was written by prophets who saw us, and knew about our circumstances today. The Book of Mormon is truly written for our day. It wasn't just written so we would have a cool record, no, they actually saw us and knew what challenges we would face and included in the Book of Mormon how we can overcome those challenges. This verse also allows me to self reflect and think about the things that I am doing. Are the actions that I make and the choices that I choose ones that would make the prophets of old proud and hopeful for our day? If they saw me, did they see a faithful follower that gave them happiness and hope?? My prayer is that the answer is yes. I invite you to think on those questions yourself. 

I hope that y'all have a great week and keep being Great!! 

With much Love, 

Dodge Trucks in England

 

People who are visiting England take pictures of various things to remind them of their trip.

Some people take pictures of cathedrals.

Others take pictures of the countryside.

Still others take pictures of the red phone booths.

Chance takes pictures of Dodge trucks.

Each person notices different things while visiting or living in a foreign country.

Chance gravitates to trucks.

Especially American trucks.

In his own words:

" I saw this awesome old Dodge truck here and It's right next to our flat! I would drive that truck over any of the Ferrari's I've seen here, you best believe it!"

Cowboy Chance is still alive and well even if he isn't wearing cowboy boots everyday at the moment.

One pair of his shoes is ripping out on the side now. 

Chance has given them a good workout over there in England.

Chance now lives in a flat with 3 other elders. He still has one companion, 

they just live with another set of missionaries.

He is really enjoying having 4 missionaries in the flat and they have a lot of fun together.

This is what Chance wrote home this past week:

 One of the Elders that I live with, he is from Mexico and last Tuesday was Mexico's national holiday so we celebrated it with him and he made all of the meals. I loved them! But they were also VERY spicy! So the running joke now is that whenever we eat spicy food, we make a sound like a train horn and we demonstrate with our hands the spiciness coming out of our ears. It's really funny. I've also been nicknamed the Milky Way in this flat because of how much Milk I drink, so whenever I drink Milk, one of the Elders looks at me and goes, it's the Milky way. It's been a blast with the other Elders here. 

Lastly, the past week Elder and Sister Rasband had a face2face event for the Young Adults and it was so good! They answered some questions and I felt the spirit so strongly. I would encourage and invite all of you to go listen to it, especially the Young Adults! One of my favorite things that I heard from it was when he said something along the lines of "The most studying and pondering you should do, should be of the latest words of the Prophets and Apostles." It makes so much sense because they are revealing and guiding us for our very day. They are living with us and are receiving Revelation from God on what we should do and how we should do things. The Prophets and Apostles are magnificent people. If you aren't sure if they are truly called by God, go read some of their talks and pay attention to your feelings. You will find that the Holy Ghost will confirm what you are reading is true and that those men are truly ordained of God. I love you all! Have a great week! 

Hats and Implants

 

This boy has been enjoying his time on the wall around the city. His hat may have changed a bit from the cowboy hat that he used to wear on a daily basis, but he still wears a hat most days.

He tells us that it is a different kind of heat where he is currently living than what we have here.

He likes to explore his new area.

During our last phone call, we started talking about when Chance first got his implants.

I was reminding him of little details like when he brought me the laundry from the dryer and told me

it was "done."

He was hearing the beep of the dryer for the first time after he got his implants.

He also put his little ear up to the fridge and dishwasher, and with eyes bulging , looked at me in amazement as if to say,  "DID YOU KNOW ALL OF THESE THINGS MAKE NOISE?"

We had a whole period where Chance became acquainted with our appliances.

We found these little gems while looking at the blog to find the post when Chance first had his implants first activated: 

What a cute kid!

And now look at him!

Speaking Mandarin in England while serving a mission.

AND getting acquainted with new appliances in England:

This is what Chance had to say about his week:

The weekend a week ago our boiler went out and so we had 5 days of cold showers and it was bone chilling at first but then it became bearable. Don't worry though, we were able to get it fixed, so we have warm water now. 

This Gospel is so true y'all. It has the power to change us into better people. The Gospel is the best medicine for anything going on in your life. It can heal you. Never take for granted the gospel, for we are a blessed people to know it and to be a part of Christ's true church on the Earth. 

Helaman 3:27-28

"Thus we may see that the Lord is merciful unto all who will, in the sincerity of their hearts, call upon his holy name.

Yea, thus we see that the gate of heaven is open unto all, even to those who will believe on the name of Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God."

God is a merciful God and he wants us to receive great blessings and happiness. The Gospel is the way he has set for us to acheive those things. Live the principles found in the gospel and look to Jesus Christ, and you will have the best life you could ever have. 

I love you all! 

Have a great week! 

With much Love,  

Elder Paxton

A Thumb in the Eye

It has been a while since the blog has been updated with Chance's activities in the great land of England.

First off, he is still there, though he moved to another city.

He has found some pretty fantastic things to explore in his new city like Roman ruins, castles, and a wall that goes around the city.

Chance enjoys walking along this wall and looking down into the city.

He got a picture of a sunset from the wall.......combining two of his favorite things.

He also saw a butterfly in his flat. And Chance loves his animals and insects.

It is always a good day when Chance gets to see any kind of critter.

Here is what Chance had to say about his week last week:

Last Tuesday we went and played basketball with the elders and sisters and towards the end of the playing I went to go lay up the ball into the basket and one of the other elders was defending me and his thumb actually went in my eye and so that was an interesting  experience. It's all okay though, I got a bruise on the bone above my eye but it's all good. 

I wanted to focus this week on one line from Alma 38:9 which says: 

"Behold, he is the life and the light of the world." 

(The full verse is below)

9 And now, my son, I have told you this that ye may learn wisdom, that ye may learn of me that there is ^ano other way or means whereby man can be saved, only in and through Christ. Behold, he is the life and the ^blight of the world. Behold, he is the word of truth and ^crighteousness.

I love this because I have found in my life that he is my light and he is my life. I am still learning a lot of things. I am still trying to build my relationship with my Savior. I know  without a doubt that he is guiding me, placing me in situations to help me. I don't know who I would be without the Savior. I have seen his hand multiple times throughout my life. He is my older brother, he is my Savior, he is my strength. Through him, I can accomplish all things. 

I hope that each of you will develop your relationship with your Savior. He is there for you, and he wants to lead you home. He is the best and the only way back to our Father in Heaven and the greatest happiness you will ever know. Pray, study the scriptures, come to know the Savior in any way you possibly can. I know that if you do, you will find a great bond with your Savior. 

I love you all, I know the Savior loves you. More than I ever could. Seek him, Find him, and gain Joy with him. 

Love, 

Elder Paxton

Fish, Chips, Drawings, and Hats

A member of the ward that Chance is serving in delivered some fish and chips to the flat for Chance and his companion.

Chance was very excited about this and recorded it with a picture to keep forever and ever. 

Food is very important in the life of a young man. Especially a young man who is spending lots of time in his flat during a pandemic.

It is always good to see that he is eating well and that there are kind people helping him find the good foods of England.

Chance has been able to spend some more time outside the last little while and we love getting the updates and pictures of the things he sees and is able to explore. 

Chance and his companion have been doing some creative things while they have been in lock down in their flat. 

His companion enjoys drawing and even drew a picture of Chance. 

Chance has been playing the guitar and writing little fun songs about what he sees happening outside.

Chance and his companion also put together an incredible video about Jesus Christ while doing a puzzle in their flat. 

The awesome picture of Chance that his companion drew.
Notice the hat.......it may not quite be a cowboy hat, but Chance is still wearing a hat. 

Here is what Chance shared last week in his email:

We were attending our wards Sunday meeting online yesterday and our Bishop came on and said that it has been the sunniest spring on record here which is awesome because we have been able to go outside and really enjoy the sun. I'm actually getting a tan too which I never knew would be possible in England 

We had the opportunity to reach out to a lot of members again and we also got to play spike ball with our zone leaders! It was so fun!! It was so weird to interact with other people, I almost didn't know what to say or how to interact with them, its gonna be a process getting my people skills back haha

It's been a good week y'all! A little update, it's looking like we won't really be able to do a whole lot until July 4th at the earliest. We can meet people outside of our household up to 6 people now so we're gonna start seeing if we can meet some of the members in parks and whatnot. Its gonna be so nice to see a few people face to face. 

The spiritual thought that I wanted to share today comes from Alma 4:13-14. It says: 

  "13 Now this was a great cause for lamentations among the people, while others were abasing themselves, succoring those who stood in need of their succor, such as imparting their substance to the poor and the needy, feeding the hungry, and suffering all manner of afflictions, for Christ’s sake, who should come according to the spirit of prophecy;

14 Looking forward to that day, thus retaining a remission of their sins; being filled with great joy because of the resurrection of the dead, according to the will and power and deliverance of Jesus Christ from the bands of death."

I love this scripture because it shows the righteous people being such a good example despite what was going on around them. I loved their example of reaching out to help and serve others. I especially love the line "thus retaining a remission of their sins; being filled with great joy". 

I wrote down in my scriptures that because they were serving others and giving of their substance, keeping their baptismal covenant by willing to bear one anothers burdens and to mourn with those that were mourning and comforting those that needed comforting, they were able to experience great joy, and not only from that but because of their continual repentance. They retained a remission of their sins. 

My dear friends and family, repentance is crucial in our progression and also in our current happiness. I want you to think back to a time when you had a burden of sin, and then I want you to think of how it felt when you sought forgiveness, and asked God to forgive you of your sins. Do you remember how that felt? Do you remember the freeing feeling of that burden? Do you remember the joy and happiness that you felt? 

That is the great blessing and miracle of repentance. It allows us to not only change, but to replace our burdens of sin with feelings of happiness and joy. It allows us to feel the greatest freedom we have ever felt. Perhaps you feel that burden of sin right now, seek forgiveness. It is never too late, nor are you ever out of the reach of the Savior's great atoning sacrifice. Take the steps necessary to feel of the true joy and happiness of Jesus Christ and his gospel. I have felt this feeling on my mission, and it is amazing to feel it all just go away. I know you can have that same feeling too. I love you all so much, keep doing what you're doing, keep trying to become a little better each day. Y'all are amazing. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help you, including prayers! Have a great week! 

Chance Looses an Implant

Chance had a desperate few hours last week. He couldn't find one of the 

battery packs for his implants.

When he called home, he told us that he had looked everywhere and couldn't find it.

He and his companion had looked everywhere they could think of and had come up empty.

Since they are still spending most of their time in their flat due to COVID 19, it was hard to imagine

where an implant battery pack could have ended up since

it wasn't really going to that many places. 

Chance was starting to get a little nervous about its whereabouts 

and when he did finally find it, he sheepishly told us that

he had found it in one of his pant pockets that was in the laundry.

He may have had a panic moment with his implant battery pack, but on the positive side,

he and his companion are allowed out of the flat for about 3 hours a day now, 

so they have been able to do some exploring of their English hometown.

He has been sending home some nice pictures that give us a feel for his place of residence. 

Here is part of what Chance shared this week in his email home:

The only pictures I took this week were from our walks. We found this amazing Woodlands place that we can explore now and It has been just amazing. The last picture is a cemetery we visited on one of our walks. 

We also had a jeopardy game with the missionaries in our stake and it was so much fun! Elder Sprouse and I did so good and came up in first! It was a lot of question about the bible, book of Mormon, church history, and other miscellaneous things as well. 

We are now allowed to go for 3 hour walks each day and it has been a wonderful blessing! I have loved every minute I have had outside. It is so amazing!

This week I wanted to share a thought from Mosiah 24:14-15 

  14 And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.

  15 And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.

This is the Lord talking to Alma and his brethren in their afflictions. They have been through persecution by Amulon and his people. The first thing they did was call out upon the Lord and ask for his help. They didn't try to get themselves out, rather, they trusted in God and called upon him. I love this scripture because whatever our burdens are, however big for small they are, they can be made light. 

The Savior performed his great atoning sacrifice to not only cover our mistakes, sins, weaknesses, and shortcomings, he did it as a means to allow our burdens to be lightened from off our backs and our shoulders. The Savior has already felt all those burdens. We don't need to go through those burdens ourselves because we are not relying on the Savior, that would be defeating the whole purpose of Christ's Atonement. So allow the Savior to help you. Give everything over to him, and trust in him wholly. 

In so doing, we can be strengthened and submit cheerfully to the will of the Lord, and live joyful grand lives! This is my testimony, our burdens can and will be lifted because of the great enabling power of Christ's Atonement. 

I love you all! I hope you have a great week! Please let me know how you are doing and if there is anything I can do for you.

8 Weeks in the Flat

Chance has spent a LOT of time in his flat. I bet he knows every nook and granny of the place he calls home. 

He may be spending a lot of time in his flat, but he has been able to see some incredible things

on his daily walks judging from the pictures he takes.

The cathedral in front of the sun.

An artillery tower.

A really old boat dock stop.

Being out and seeing nature is really good for Chance's mental health.

He loves all things nature and being able to see animals.

He has always been this way.

I am sure that seeing the duck in the pond was a special treat for him.

Here is what Chance had to say this week in his weekly email home:

大家好!

Hello everybody! Another week has come and gone, it seems to fly by like it did when we were outside now. Which is really weird. It has been 54 (7 weeks, 5 days) days since we have been inside. People keep asking me how I do this, and how I have not been going insane. It kind of surprises me too. I have gone a little insane, don't get me wrong, If I hadn't, then there would be something wrong with me haha. I think a lot of it has been that we've been able to continue to focus on others and their needs even though we are all inside. We have been working with a lot of members and this past week we have been able to communicate with a couple of people that could potentially be interested in the Gospel so we will see how that goes!
We haven't been able to teach a whole lot of nonmembers since we have been inside. Most of the people we were teaching returned back to China. However, we have been able to learn a lot of lessons while in Isolation. I have learned a lot about patience, humility, and other things while here. It has been amazing. As my mission president's wife, Sister Green told me last week, "You are getting a crashcourse of a whole lot of lessons that will set you up for the rest of your life." It's so true! We can all learn lessons that will help us when we come out of Quarantine.

I want to share a thought with you that I got from a BYU speech that Elder Bednar gave called, "In the Strength of the Lord." He said:

"There is no physical pain, no anguish of soul, no suffering of spirit, no infirmity or weakness that you or I ever experience during our mortal journey that the Savior did not experience first. You and I in a moment of weakness may cry out, “No one understands. No one knows.” No human being, perhaps, knows. But the Son of God perfectly knows and understands, for He felt and bore our burdens before we ever did. And because He paid the ultimate price and bore that burden, He has perfect empathy and can extend to us His arm of mercy in so many phases of our life. He can reach out, touch, and succor—literally run to us—and strengthen us to be more than we could ever be and help us to do that which we could never do through relying only upon our own power."

I love this. The Savior understands you and I perfectly, even in quarantine. This event is no surprise to him. He felt all of this before it even happened. In those times when you feel annoyed, angry, frustrated, sad, lonely, or anything else in this circumstance, know that the Savior understands. It doesn't just take remembering the Savior and his sacrifice that is going to help us, we have to act. We need to call upon the enabling power of Christ to cover all of our weaknesses, imprefections, and mistakes. We need to pray and say, I need help with this situation I am going through, please give me the strength to endure through it.
In this talk he talks a lot about how in times of hardships, instead of asking to be delivered FROM our trials, we need to ask to be delivered IN our trials.
I invite you to read through this talk. It has a lot of amazing insights and it helped me understand so much more about what the Atonement of Christ is. Here is the link for the talk.

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/david-a-bednar/strength-lord/

Pictures: We've been able to explore a lot of England on our walks everyday! 

Chance Gets to Play Cowboy

The current pandemic has caused a lot of pain and suffering for many people worldwide

and I certainly don't mean to make light of that suffering.

I did have to chuckle a little bit though, when I saw Chance in his make shift mask

for going out......it is a bandana....just like the bandanas that

Chance used to wear when he played cowboy as a  little boy.

Chance also mentioned in his last email home, that his hair was growing a bit long

as he has not been out to get a haircut for quite a while now and the picture of him in his 

 bandana mask also shows that his hair is quite a bit longer than it used to be.

Chance is still spending all day in his flat, only going out when he and his mission 

companion need food once a week and for their daily walk. 

Chance had this to share in his email this week:

I wanted to share with y'all a thought that I had this past week from my Personal Study. I was studying a lot about faith, hope, and charity. More specifically Hope. While I was studying this I read Ether 12:4. It says: 

"4 Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God."

I loved this scripture because it mentions the word Anchor. Hope is an anchor. It helps us to continue forward. It helps us to be rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ and trust that he has a plan, and that he knows the way, and that through him all things can be accomplished. Going along with that, Elder Holland's most recent General Conference address was amazing! And I loved that he shared that even though we have Hope's that may not come true in the near future, we can know that someday, somehow, in some way, we can have our Hope's and righteous desires. 

I hope you all had a fantastic Easter even though it was different. Keep being awesome and keep doing what you can to stay sane. Keep praying for this Coronavirus to be lifted so that we can return to a "normalized life". Don't know that will look like or when that'll be, but we can trust in God.

Chance and I have been talking about the rebirth that spring brings and about how the

earth is putting on a display of her visual delights and smells.

I asked Chance to take pictures of some of the blossoms he is seeing on his walks and he sent 

me this beauty:

I will have to send a picture in return of the tulips that are blossoming all

across our front yard.

Chance Can Cook

Chance is still spending each day chilling out in his flat each day as the COVID 19 

pandemic moves through England.

I am very grateful that boy learned to cook.

He is making some good meals and at least eating more than

junk food.

He continues to study his scriptures each day, refine his language skills

in Mandarin and prepare for the day when he and his 

companion can go back out into the world.

Chance's phone calls home and his Facebook posts are uplifting

to all of us and help us stay connected.

I am excited to see the pictures he sends home of spring in England.

He forgot to attach his pictures this week though we 

got the descriptions of what each picture was.

We'll just have to wait for next week to see the actual pictures, although
we do know from his descriptions that we will see a swan on a river.

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

General Conference https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/general-conference/?lang=eng was truly amazing and such a blessing. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to have my questions that I had, answered. It was great to hear the wonderful messages. There was a lot of different overall themes, and one of them that I loved was talking about Unity. 

My family and friends, unity is so key in this gospel. We all have differences, we all have different ideas sometimes, but that is okay. Because these differences truly can compliment each other. It is when we all come together that great things come to pass. We are all sons and daughters of God, let's unite in the same thing that we all believe in, Jesus Christ and his Gospel. Everything else will fall into place. 

Keep reviewing through the general conference talks frequently. It will bring many blessings into your life. As president Nelson said (I'm paraphrasing), As we listen to the prophets and apostles, we will be guided through this maze. And we will have more power to resist the adversary and his tactics. We will also have power to get through our trials. 

I love you all so much! Keep doing what you can in quarantine. I invite each of you to use social media as a platform to share the gospel and the wonderful peace and hope that it brings. You never know who it can reach. So start posting stuff about the gospel, if we all do it, the whole world will see it, and more and more will increasingly become interested in what we share. 

Chance is still in England

                                     Yes, Elder Paxton is still on his mission in England.

The world has titled a bit on it's axis since there was an update on Elder Paxton.

As of this moment, Chance and his companion are laying low in their flat.

They are not leaving the flat except for when they need food, 

 and 

are staying away from other people.

Chance and his companion can go out on walks to get some exercise once a day and they 

have been doing that.

Chance has sent some pictures of the sights he is seeing on his walks.

People keep asking me if I am worried about Chance being over in England

so far from home during this time of uncertaintly.

I love Chance with all of my heart, but I know that he is in God's hands.

I had a personal witness when Chance left on his mission that God is looking out for my boy and

that he is where he needs to be.

We are so grateful for his mission president and his wife along

with other church leaders who love these missionaries as well

and are keeping up on the latest news of how the virus is

acting in England and are helping the missionaries take the necessary precautions.

It truly is the Lord's work that Chance and all other missionaries are involved in

My heart aches for those who are suffering and have lost loved ones

during the onslaught of this virus.

It is hard to understand sometimes why things happen and why people must suffer.

I don't have all of the answers to that.

But the verse of scripture that keeps coming to my mind, and that Chance 

and I have talked about is found in the 46th Psalm:

"Be still and know that I am God."

And that is the scripture that I think about when I think about my boy

being across the world in a country that is having a surge

in virus cases right now.

Now Chance and his companion are confined mostly to their flat unless they

need to go out for food or to take a walk for exercise.

This can be a challenging situation for young men, to be confined

to your flat, but they are studying, teaching people when they can through other means
other than physical contact, and working on their Mandarin language skills.
God bless us all, where ever we are located, through this unprecedented time
Sending out love to all.

Here is what Chance has had to say during the past few weeks:

"Thy walk today with me
Has made my heart within me burn,
As I communed with thee."
My favorite lines from one of my favorite hymns "Abide with Me; 'Tis Eventide"

I take comfort in this, knowing that I can walk with my Savior and be filled with his Love, Peace, Comfort, and Joy. No matter what I am going through, I know that when I get on my knees and pray, I can feel his presence.

He is walking with us. He leads and guides each one of us. He is in the very details of our lives.

We will all go through hard times, but we do not need to face it alone. We have a Savior who understands everything that we go through. Who, when we go through hard times, we can call out to him, saying, "O Savior, Stay this night with me; Behold 'tis eventide."

He is there for you. He will not leave you comfortless. Take his hand, and let him guide you. He loves you and wants what is best for you. Rely on him, let him become your rock and foundation.

I invite you to hand everything over to the Savior. Give him all your worries, your sadness, your pain, and anything else you are feeling. He will take it from off your shoulders. Pray, and ask for his help, for his peace and comfort. Ask for the strength to get through everything you are going through. We are all going through something, no matter who we are, and can use his Peace and his Comfort.

As you pray and hand everything over to him, I promise that you will feel his peace and love for you. You will feel lighter.

He truly wants to help you.

Take His Hand, and Walk with Him.