Chance Really Did Make It Home From England

 So Chance made it home from England. He loved so many things about living and loving the people he met in that great country.

He made many friends for life, and part of his heart will forever belong to the people he served as a missionary.

Chance returned with an extra glow about him, a mantle of growth, independence and wisdom. 

As a line from one of his favorite movies, "The Man From Snowy River," says: 

"He's not a lad, brother, he's a man."   Spur

Elder Paxton did indeed return home a man. He had lived over seas for two years, lived through a pandemic where he was locked in a flat for 23 hours a day at times, learned to plan out meals, when the grocery stores were getting low on food, spent time being isolated in his flat with companions he had only just met, prepared flats for other owners when moving out, and lived for several months surrounded by people wearing masks, which is NOT the most optimal environment for a deaf person to hear in.  He had grown from a lad to a man.

We were sure excited to see and hug him after a two year separation.

Due to COVID, we were not able to go into the airport to meet him, but instead waited out in part of an empty airport parking lot waiting for him to exit outside.

We all were wearing masks, which made the reunion even more suspenseful after being apart for two years since everyone had grown a foot or two in that period of time.

Chance had been on a plane for a loooooong time with a couple of lay overs by the time he got home to us......and he looked just perfect!

I got the first hug.......just as it should be. 

Chance and his dad

]                                                     Chance and his brother held each other for a bit....they 

                                                        have been best friends since they were little sharing a bed.

                                                        And just like his brother, Chance returned home with a guitar 

                                                        he bought during his mission. 

                                                        And his English substitute for a cowboy hat that he 

                                                        wore through out his mission to help protect his 

                                                        implants from the elements.

Chance hugs his littlest sister who changed the most out of all of us while he was gone.

Chance and his younger brother, both in hats naturally, enjoy a sweet reunion.

Chance has another sister too, and her picture will be added

soon.

                                              Chance in the parking lot of the airport...looking quite

                                                                         dapper in his suit.

                                                Notice that although he didn't have a cowboy hat on, Chance's

                                               brother provided one for him as soon as they made contact.

What a joyous reunion we had with our boy!

We are excited to have him home and be in his presence again.

We would not have traded his time on a mission though for having him home.

He was where the Lord needed him to be and he flourished while growing and stretching

in ways that had him return home even better than when he left.

He just lights up when ever he talks about the people he met that are so dear to his heart now,

and he made life long friends.

He grew in his relationship with Jesus Christ as he learned to rely on God and saw first hand

the personal love that God and Christ have for each of us.

Our family is complete again and all together!

Last Days in England

 Elder Paxton's time as a missionary is almost complete.

He has been enjoying his last days before he comes home and working

on the video he has been filming

about his deafness.

These are some pictures he took of things around his flat.

Elder Paxton had some fun activities this week as he mentioned in his 

email home:

Hello everyone! Some of you may know and some of you may not know. This week is my last full week in the mission. It is a humbling experience. Lot's of thoughts on my mission and what I gained from it. I will save some of those things that I learned and the person I have been able to become for next week. 

Last week was a good one. I got to work a pretty good amount on editing my video and this week I will be going into the mission office to work with our technology specialist to get things finalized. It is exciting! I am so stoked to get this video done! 

We were also able to meet with mostly recent converts which is amazing because I am able to see them grow and to see their testimonies continue to be strengthened. It was totally awesome! I love being able to strengthen and help the people here in England whether they are members or nonmembers. I love meeting with, getting to know, teaching, and learning from the people of England and China. It has been an incredible experience. 

Our mission president has asked us to get outside every single day and to do some form of exercise whether it be a walk, running, or sports of some kind. This past week we decided to go play some frisbee and so we went to a field to do that. The thing about the fields here is they are always wet and muddy. For this particular experience, it was exciting, so after we finished playing frisbee, we decided to run through mud puddles and it was super super fun! 

The other elders in our flat have someone who is getting baptized this coming Saturday and it is super exciting! I got to meet her and talk with her and she has a very strong faith and belief in this church. Covid might be halting a lot of things, but it sure ain't halting the work of the Lord. The Lord will go forward no matter what Satan does to try to stop it! I have had a front row seat in this work continue to move forward during these times and it has been thrilling! 

Keep drawing closer to God. Keep doing your prayers, scripture study, going to church (where and when you can) and keeping God's commandments. Times may be hard, but the best thing we can do now is to draw closer to him. He loves you. The way that we show our love to him, is to become more like him. 

I love y'all! Hope you have a great week!

                                                   Muddy feet from playing frisbee/American football/soccer     

            

                                                  Making Chocolate Chip Pancakes

An Apartment Break-In

 Elder Paxton got to experience more snow while away in

England.

He also got to enjoy the sight of a charming English church.

Elder Paxton experienced a little break in across the pond!

His email home explains what happened:

This past week has been a good one! We have finished all of the filming for the video about my Deafness and we are now editing it! We still have a lot of work ahead of us in the editing but it is going to be so worth it!! 

We were able to meet with loads of members, start working on some musical pieces, and also work on and finish a video about how faith compares to bunnies in Mandarin and it is awesome! I have a lot of work ahead of me this week. We have a lot of lessons and a lot of videos that we are working on which I ain't gonna complain about because it keeps me busy and it keeps me going!

This past week we actually had an incident occur. We went shopping and came back to the flat and our window was open and we were all like, "uh oh." We went inside and there was nothing that had been taken and so we were curious as to what someone had broken into our flat for. Fast forward to that evening, the other Elders were making some deep fried Oreo's and they were joking about needing the fire extinguisher because it was getting smoky, so they looked at the wall where the fire extinguisher is supposed to be and it was gone! So we came to the conclusion that perhaps someone had a fire and needed an extinguisher real quick. Who knows haha. We ended up buying some locks for our windows so no one can get in now. 

This past week I learned a really valuable lesson. I learned the principle of doing our best then letting go. I had been talking to my older brother last week about some challenges I was facing and he reminded me to do my best and then let go of the rest. That really stood out to me. I was able to feel a burden lifted off my shoulders and the presence of the spirit more as I applied that teaching. 

There will be times when despite all that we do, things will not go how we want them to, or how we hoped they would. When we do all that we can, and sometimes fall a little short, or someone chooses contrary to that which is right, that is where the Savior's atonement comes in. After we do all that we can do, with a prayer in our hearts, the Savior takes care of the rest. We can do everything we can to help souls come unto Christ, to invite them to better themselves, and walk in righteousness, but in the end we are just an instrument in the hands of God, Jesus Christ is the one that does the work. This is his work, not ours. He is the one that changes the hearts of people, not us. 

My dear friends, do what you can do. Keep trying, keep giving it your best, and once you have done all you can do, give it over to the Savior. Completely. If we don't let it go, the Savior cannot take it, even if we hold on to one itty bitty piece. Do your best, then let Christ take care of the rest. 

I love you all! You are amazing!

Love, 

Elder Paxton

Gold Phone Booths

Many people have heard about the red phone booths in England.

But GOLD phone booths?

Elder Paxton (aka Chance)

has lived in a city where the phone booths are gold.

Elder Paxton has also spent a lot of extra time in various

stages of lock down due to COVID  19, so his

sight seeing options have been a bit curtailed at times.

He has however, still managed to take some pictures that give us 

and idea of where he lives and some of the sights around him.

It is sort of a custom for missionaries to take pictures of their name tags

in various locations on their missions.

Here is one that Elder Paxton took:

Chance also had this to say in the email he sent to us with the pictures:

Last week I also read a talk about China by President Oaks and it was so inspiring. As I listened it struck me that, my calling as a missionary to teach and help the Chinese people does not end when my mission is over. The Lord did not call me to teach, help, and connect with the Mandarin Chinese people only on my mission. This is a LIFETIME calling. The Lord has much in store for the Chinese people, and I'm meant to help with a little piece in helping the Chinese people learn more about God and Jesus Christ. I am grateful to the Lord with entrusting me with this calling. I hope that I may be a servant and instrument in the hands of the Lord throughout the remainder of my mission and life.

Now, for the spiritual thought.
The story of the Brother of Jared has really intrigued me these past couple of weeks of the faith and humily of these people. One part that I really liked was Ether 6:9 which says:

9 - "And they did sing praises unto the Lord; yea, the brother of Jared did sing praises unto the Lord, and he did thank and praise the Lord all the day long; and when the night came, they did not cease to praise the Lord."

They were in the middle of their travel to the promised land on the sea and they did continue to "thank and praise the Lord". This scripture goes right in line with President Nelson's video that he released on Gratitude.https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/president-nelson-gratitude-message It is so important to be grateful for the things that we have. He said that being grateful is one of the easiest ways to be happy and I agree! Continue to be grateful my dear friends no matter what you are going through. Remember to recognize the Lord for all the blessings you have received and give your thanks and praises. It will bless you forever. 

I love all of y'all so much! I hope you have a great week and a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!

Love,

Elder Paxton

 

What Has Chance Been Doing?

So you may be asking what it is that Chance has been doing on his mission in England this past while.

He has experienced another lock down due to COVID 19 and has been getting a good view of the inside of his flat.

He  lives with three other missionaries in the flat and though one traditionally does

a bit of sight seeing when living abroad, Chance or Elder Paxton as he is called on his mission

has not seen much of the country the last few weeks as only essential stores are open.

BUT, he is in good spirits and is working on a project that is close to his heart.

We are excited to see the finished project at home, and will be adding a bit of our

insights to Chance's story.

Elder Paxton talks about the project in his email home this week:

Hello Everyone!

This past week has been a good one! We've been pretty busy! To explain Miracle of Deafness, I am doing a video that is about my deafness and my story of how I went deaf. I am explaining a little in depth about some of the personal experiences and feelings that I have had. We have a lot of really good equipment and this video is going to turn out SO GOOD!!! I hope y'all are excited! In preparation for it, I would ask that y'all think of people that you could perhaps share this video with. 

We have been trying to set up more stuff with our members here so that we can help them learn more about how they can do missionary work. It has been so good and I have been able to get to know more of the members here in the ward. 

I don't have too much else to report on because we spent a lot of our time filming and working on the video that we are making. I hope y'all had a good week, let me know how it went! 

A thought that we have been sharing this past week with members is from the Book of Mormon in  Mosiah 2:17. It is a fairly common scripture that is shared in the church and it says:

"17 And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn ^awisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the ^bservice of your ^cfellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." 

The thought we shared with this scripture is that when we serve others we are in the service of our God and one of the biggest ways that we can serve others is by doing missionary work. Missionary work is simple! A lot of people think that missionary work is hard, but it really isn't! It just takes a simple conversation, or a simple smile, or even just having your Book of Mormon in the windshield of your car! God loves us and he loves his children. He wants them to learn the gospel too. Let us be the instruments in the Lord's hand to spread this gospel to others! 

I love y'all! I will send pictures later. 

Love, 

Elder Paxton

                                                                    

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!