Music and More from Argentina

(letter to Mom)
Oh my gosh mom-- this week was soo crazy for me! If you were here you'd be blown away by how my comps function with music. You would not be happy with the singing OR the piano playing! This other elder from Buenos Aires thinks he's a very good piano player but will play the right hand correctly and then play the same bass notes the ENTIRE song....I just wanna throw him off the piano!  Everyday before comp. study we sing a hymn. Mom I'm sorry but they are soooo bad... I have honestly never heard anyone in my life sing as bad as them. I try to give them advice but one of them thinks he's really good and they get mad when I try to help. When they sang in church I said to myself...."We're trying in the Lord's eyes so that's all that matters, just don't care what the members think or say" ( and that's if I could even understand them :) 

The other day we went to less-active members and sang to all of them church hymns. After that one of the elders in my dorm asked if I could play Somewhere over the Rainbow on the piano in church for him to sing too. They also wanted to combine "I need thee every hour" and "Did you think to pray" and sing both of them at the same time.  Its soo hard I try to kindly give them advice and tell them it won't work--- and seriously they get soo  mad and say that I know everything so I just stopped. Now I just laugh in my head whenever we sing for people. The best part is the members faces oh...my....gosh!  They will say,"Bien Hecho elderes...that was super good.." Then they have the most confused looks on their faces..(especially inactive members) haha! It's just soo funny so I had to tell you all this.

Mom, I miss you soooo much! I miss your food and our talks. I'm fine because I feel this mission is really making me into a man. I hate when these latinos talk behind my back though. I know when they're doing it. Just from their body language and how they talk. Plus I pick up several words here and there. They try to purposely talk faster in front of me. But its all goood:)

I had the best birthday! I was basically kidnapped! But it was super awesome for all that we have and can get! I was soo grateful and actually felt really good. Nothing like home but it had to do:) I'm soo grateful for how you raised me, Mom. This family that we're teaching( Carrina the mom) is just really struggling. I feel sooo bad when me and my comp watch them fight. My comp is a super good teacher though and has helped me with a lot of things actually. He helps me with a lot of Spanish and can be very genuine and caring. He's just had a WAY WAY rough past ha... But I'm learning a lot from him.

I love you soooo much mom! Please send more pics cuz I love them! I love and miss you soo much! Wanna know something cool? I've been out for about 2 months now and I'm actually more than a 12th of the way done! I get back June 14, 2016. (3 weeks or so early) I'm happy cause I'm having fun and struggling while learning a lot and the time is going by fast! I'll be home soon! Then we can party it up in Az and Utah!:) 

SO no gunshots this week which was good. Every night my companion and I, after planning and studying, workout and he and this other elder teach me how to box.  They both use to be in gangs and my comp used to work for the Colombian drug cartel...so its actually really fun talking with him personally about his past but he's asked me not to share anything cause he's had to use the atonement for some pretty serious things.

Oh ya-- everybody here is obsessed with Fanta! The Colletivos/ buses go a million miles an hour and when you step on the bus, they take off if you're the last person. The driving here is soo crazy because its really whoever is the toughest most reckless driver gets his way through the other cars.(not all the time but most of it) I've had many times when in a members car I almost about died. Especially when I'm sitting in the passenger seat and a car almost hits me... 

It's soo different but kind of cool.The food is really good too but its usually just spaghetti and bread yeah!  There are about 60 people in our ward. We have a lot of members but a lot are inactive so we go around giving scripture insights to them.

I love you mom. I do all of this for you and all of my other loved ones. I know Heavenly Father has a plan for his children. I can't imagine not seeing you all again and I had a thought of Heavenly Father of how he may not be able to see a lot of his own children again. This makes me want to work a lot harder and help everyone I meet come to Christ. I'm not scared to invite people to do so. Cause I can only invite.

I love you sooo much ma! You truly are the best!! Stay sweet my homie;)

PS. didnt you get called as the president for RS yesterday!? PLEASE tell me about it! I was praying a lot this week that you'd be ready in whatever way you need to be ready for this calling! I will always pray for you and everybody else like I have been though ;) My prayers are too long now LOL. But I love them:)

Love your son,

Elder Kohler Chamberlain

(letter to Dad)

(in response to a photo of Tom doing the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge)  Oh my gosh that's soo funny! We saw a video of Messi doing the same challenge! How's the biz doing!? I actually pray a lot specifically for your growth and you physically plus other stuff!( my prayers take forever now but i love them) Ya I remember reading the Giver in elementary! Weird but cool book! It Makes a lot of sense. Carri is getting baptized this next Thursday( hopefully no bales) but she wants to leave her mom. Its soo sad to watch them fight every time we go over there. And Carrina is struggling with smoking a lot. It's soo hard to even breath let alone talk in her house. I have faith though that I'm not getting 2nd hand smoke though LOL. Please keep praying for her.

SO one more week until the big hike with Spence ya? Can't wait to see pics! I can't get videos tho unless they're really short! 

We're still teaching Carrina and her daughter and she should be baptized this next Thursday and I'll be able to play for them so I'm super excited! Speaking of piano, I played in sacrament last Sunday-- every song Dad. I had literally no time to practice but thank goodness Mom and Grandma taught me how to use bass chords/arpeggios so I could really actually play the right hand and make it sound nice.  I also played a special musical number Pensaste Orar/ Did you think to pray. I had to learn 3 new songs in 30 minutes cuz that's what was on the program at church. They were all good but then when the special number came..I had practiced pretty good( my first time playing it too) but the last verse where the other 3 elders with a priest sang, I totally forgot the middle part of the song so I played the end of it...!! Oh my gosh it was sooo bad! I was able to back around and make it better but oh my gosh I felt soo horrible.  I thought, "Ahh man"-- I'm fine now but I just smiled and said wow... what did God want me to learn from that one??

We're not teaching in church right now but probs will soon. I'm being taught how to box and sometimes really kill somebody. Dad, my comp said he knew the top guy/drug lord for the Colombian drug cartel. I forgot his name but he's a billionaire and a lot of his family are millionaires from him. I don't know how I ended up with this guy because the other companion knows the top guy for the Sinaloa cartel too who is also a billionaire. I don't know if they're lying to me or what not but their stories are pretty freakin crazy. 

My comp has only been a member for 3 years. 3 years ago, he eavesdropped in on a missionary discussion his girlfriend was having in the other room and started crying. He didn't know why but he felt something soo strong he said and then he was baptized a year later and decided to serve a mission. He dropped everything he was going to serve. It's pretty crazy. My spanish is getting pretty good but my comp can be pretty dumb at times. You truly become a man on your mission I've come to realize, dad. He's also teaching me some portugese too so maybe when I come back home I'll be trilingual? haha but I'm obviously focusing on the Spanish way more. Its only like a 10 words a day thing.

Tell me about the house in utah? Mom in her calling? The biz and the oral surgery? Your working out?( I'm working out too every night besides the weekends and Wednesday) the bands are soooo helpful. The quroum? Everything big in your life dad! Hey thank you and mom soooooooo much for having Suzy over for dinner by the way that other night! That honestly brings soo much comfort to me. Hopefully her and Kelsey can make going to the temple a weekly habit and she can come over more so you can be there for her if ever needed? I'm trying to get them to go every week so they can hold each other accountable. Or just with one of their friends if the other can't go. Can you help with that?:)

I love you and mom soo much! You guys are soo amazing and I think and pray for you guys all the time and will never stop.

All the best to you! 

Love your son,

Elder Kohler Chamberlain

First Week in Argentina

Hello Everyone-

Argentina is very very different . . . I've heard that you can't truly understand a country until you actually live in it. However I still don't understand it all --obviously, since I've only been here one week.  Everybody smokes here-- and I now know why that Returned missionary at the MTC said to be careful.  It's nothing too bad but there are people that REALLY hate gringos because of the war of England and Argentina. So there are many who literally hate people that speak English. I haven't had any serious problems cuz the natives say I look like a Latino-- which is pretty good ha ha!  

So, the other night I heard GUNSHOTS super close to me and couldn't fall asleep for a while after that. Seriously they were SOO close and I thought they were  on the street by our apartment. I was told that this area is safe but guys with guns can go wherever they want.

The people though are actually really nice. Especially the members. I just can't go in red zones. The food is actually really good too. Not exactly what I expected but good and I'm super grateful for it.  

We just helped an old man walk to his apartment for the past 30 minutes and he wants to know about the church. He has super bad knees and so we said a prayer that he could heal and he started crying. He said he felt really good around us and that he was very grateful for the prayer.

People are very blunt here.  If they don't like something about you they'll tell you ...like  "I hate your country" or "this food is crap" right in front of the person who made it.

My first lesson was with an investigator who's getting divorced from her husband. Her name is Carrina and she has 2 daughters. She's addicted to marijuana and can't stop but is wanting to come to church. Her daughter is soo mean to her though. She's mad that her mom smokes (although she can't help it cuz my companion said that when people stop they go crazy basically.) So the daughter takes her drugs and throws them on the table while were teaching her!   She's 12 years old  and the other daughter is 6 and she doesn't talk to her. Please pray for this family. It's the saddest thing I've seen---Especially seeing it right in front of my face.  She was crying really hard the other night and so we told her that God can heal her and help her overcome her addictions through His atonement.

Oh ya my apartment is not the best. As long as I have fairly hot water and my sleeping bag +food/water I'm good.  All the people in my apartment are Latinos and don't know any English. But it's good because  I've already learned a lot of Spanish. I can definitely see how I'll learn the language so I'm not worried about it at all.  Its just the castellano (pronounced custajano).  It's sooo thick and heavy! It's very hard to understand! And ya they speak muy rapido.  It's not fair  but they say Americans do the same thing so it's ok --LOL.  

My companion is at his last transfer and is from Columbia. Super hard worker but he's a really chill guy. He's always telling me how to stay safe and what to do If I ever got robbed. God is good! I know He's looking out for me and will forever and always as I serve Him!

We had about 60 people at church in a fairly big chapel. They do sacrament at the end so people will stay though! 

Here are some answers to dad's questions:

• How was your ward?  Is it large or small?  Are there other missionaries in the ward with you?  

about 60 people and just the ones in my apartment are the ones serving in our ward.

• How is your apartment?  Are you living with other missionaries or just you and your companion?  

To be honest, it's very dirty and small but I'm grateful cuz there are worse ones. There is me and 3 other latinos that don't speak any English.

• Who have you taught?  Did you understand the language at your first lesson?  Were you able to speak?

Many investigators and members. People are very accepting of hearing what we have to say at most times.

• What are your plans for prep day?  Does everyone play 'football'?  

ya everybody will usually play futbol which I'm doing after this and getting some food!

Are you able to work out or use your workout bands?  How about a pull-up bar?                                            YES THAT'S ALL I HAVE! the doors don't even have room to put a pull up bar on and I'm getting into my system of using them! Thank you thank you thank you! 
Any names of people we could pray for?

Carrina and her family. Please pray to help her overcome drugs! Pray that her daughter Carri will be more kind too :)

I miss and love you all soo much! Till next email!

Elder Kohler Chamberlain

He Arrived in Argentina!

We just received a letter this morning from Elder Chamberlain's Mission President's Wife, Hermana Goates along with a photo of all the new missionaries:

Dear Parents of new missionaries,

We wanted you to know that your missionaries arrived safely last night in Mendoza. This group is not only exceptionally large, but from what the president read of their profiles, they are exceptionally able and prepared. Thank you. There is a tremendous need for their faith and efforts here, and we are very grateful the Lord sent His very best to us.

The group traveled from the airport to the mission home where the wonderful Rasteli family had a dinner of Argentine ravioli and salad for them.  Very few turned down the dulce de leche flavored ice cream. We sang a hymn from our sixth floor balcony  “Joseph Smith’s First Prayer”, in four part harmony before having a prayer and sending them to their hotel for the night. They were in amazing spirits, for being so tired from their flights. Oh, to be that young again. Rest assured we will love these young people and help them fulfill their potential as the Lord’s servants.

Sincerely,

Hermana Goates

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Queridos Padres de nuevos misioneros,

Queríamos avisarles que sus misioneros llegaron anoche a Mendoza. Este grupo de misioneros no solamente es muy grande, sino que, de lo que el presidente ha leído de sus perfiles, están muy dispuestos y preparados. Gracias. Hay una  necesidad muy grande de su fe y esfuerzos aquí, y estamos muy agradecidos al Señor por mandarnos sus mejores misioneros.

Este grupo viajó del aeropuerto a la casa de la misión en la que la maravillosa familia Rasteli cocinó una cena muy rica de ravioli y ensalada. Muy pocos rechazaron el helado con sabor a dulce de leche. Cantamos un himno desde el balcón de nuestra casa de seis pisos, “La Oración del Profeta”. Hicimos una oración y los mandamos a un hotel para la noche. Se portaron muy bien a pesar de su mucho sueño por sus vuelos. Ojalá pudiera ser joven así de nuevo. Quédense tranquilos, amaremos a estos jóvenes y los ayudaremos a cumplir su potencial como siervos del Señor.

Sinceramente,

Hermana Goates

Last Week at the MTC

Hey Friends and Family!

First off,  thank you so much President and Sister Carmichael for the Jerky! Lo fue muy bueno! 

This is soo crazy! I'm having a lot of emotions go through me right now. I feel like I'm leaving home...again. All those same feelings all over again( but not as worse).  I've made several really good friends going to Mendoza and Cordoba as well! Our flight will have about 100 missionaries going from Georgia to Buenos Aries so I'm sure people in the airport will be like-- whoa what's going on?? haha!!  I've had a great week! OH I forgot to tell you earlier, I got asked to be our District Leader! It's nothing big but my good friends are the zone leaders and they're in my district:) 

Thanks for the awesome quotes too Pops! I've learned more in depth here that God only wants our best, He doesn't expect perfection.(not yet at least)

This week has been super busy and it's really weird how fast time is going. Teachers are telling me it will be even more fast and fun once I'm out there so I cant wait! We had our in-field training yesterday and one of the biggest things they teach(directly from the 1st presidency actually) is how to work with the MEMBERS. Working with members is sooo critical they say. They even made a 2 hour play about situations you should use with members! This shouldn't be used as pressure to anyone but everyone should know that the work hastens when members work with the missionary efforts! Many blessings come as well! 

Me and Brother Avila. World's most kindest, best MTC teacher... 

and knows just about everything on Joseph Smith

My Awesome District 

After a temple session today I got to see so many families together in the Celestial room and me and the elders in my district all started tearing up cuz we looked at each other and knew that this was what it was about. They all spoke Spanish too cuz there was a Spanish session right before us so all the more cool of the experience.:) 

Kelsey, I know that the temple is where we all need to strive to be. Try and go at least once a week or something like you and I used to do with each other!:) I promise.... that if you do you'll receive the blessings in your life that you are currently looking for if it be expedient unto your Heavenly Father.

(which I'm sure it is sooo you should definetly go:) 

Do you remember Bryson Kearl? I forgot to tell you... he's on all of the MTC training books for this particular training book ha!!

I don't really know what to fully expect in Argentina but I'm just going to dive in. Apparently the 2nd day we'll be driven to street corners and hand out Books of Mormon to people so that should be fun/interesting. I'm honestly really excited to see how the food is though cuz everyone says that you won't come home because of it!! haha. I'll find out for all of you guys!

I hope you're all doing well and I'm sooo proud of all the things that you are doing back at home! Keep the faith and work hard in whatever you're doing!

Much love to you all!

Elder Kohler Chamberlain  (more pics below)

District sleepover at our place :)

Me and Elder Lawrence "muggin' "

Yes, sometimes we get bored and throw "pop-its" at each other's backs!  ha ha!

MTC Week #4

Hey fam and friends!

First of all, did I not tell you I got the package from Melanie??  I AM SOO SORRY!!  YES, AND I GOT YOUR PACKAGES TOO!  Sorry - please tell them thank you and that I will send a picture of me with the tie they sent me.  I've already worn it once!  

So this week was super cool! We had such a crazy devotional this week! "Koli Poki" came to talk to us.(John H. Groberg) He told us a lot of the behind scenes about the movie "The other side of Heaven" and stories from it. He talked a lot about when one of his best friends dies that was an investigator in the movie but I cant remember his name. He talked about how hard it was and how that helped him grow so much from that experience. He also talked about his wife and how they wrote and how the people there were soo nice. Since his mission he has served there as a mission president and loved every minute of it he said!

Besides that everything was about the same. Except the fact that I'm now finding out about Spencer and how he basically burnt half his face!  Spencer!!!! Nooooo...Is he ok now? I've seriously already been praying for him!

Mom this week went by soo fast! It was crazy! My Spanish is really coming along! At TRC which is where we teach fake or real investigators of the church in Spanish I bore such a strong testimony of families. Eternal families is my strong point says all of my teachers and zone. That's my favorite part of the Gospel.  I knew this guy named Jose Luiz was a member cuz he had the "eternal smile"( or the G's) but still it was so awesome.  When I bore my testimony of the plan of salvation I told him in Spanish that I would NEVER leave my own family, friends, to share something that wasn't true.

A couple days ago we watched a movie with Elder Holland in it...That guy is freaking awesome! He says it how it is. He talked about Joseph Smith and the pioneers and said, " Why would the pioneers walk thousands of miles, without any aid, watching their own children's bloody footprints in the snow with no shoes and go through soo much persecution and no materialistic gains to do a work that wasn't true?" It was such a testimony to me, Mom. I never really thought about it. I don't even know now if I could do that to be completely honest. My testimony would have to be a lot stronger than it is now to endure those kinds of physical and even stronger emotional pains... Watching my own wife and kids/family walk for thousands of miles. Watch their bloody footprints in the snow and watch your own family and friends starve to death while others would beg to eat others that had passed... I have come to the ultimate conclusion that the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith did see God the Father. Elder Holland said to proclaim such a made up story after such sacrifices had been to given by these people to follow something that wasn't true would mean an eternal damnation for whoever led them astray. They wouldn't do that. It literally would be the dumbest thing. And in the end Joseph gave his own life-- for something that wasn't true? Nahh... I don't think so.

Here is a pic of my name tag like you asked for but I'm sorry it's blurry.  I will try to send another one soon.

Today for P-Day they let us walk over to Brigham's Landing and have lunch at Burger Supreme!  Elder Christensen, my fave elder is sitting across from me!

I went to the temple this morning and did initiatories. We do it every P-day but probs won't in Mendoza since there isn't a temple there.  I LOVE da temple :)  It's literally the coolest most peaceful place.  

Yesterday I got my travel visa so I am definitely leaving on time. I leave for Argentina on Monday, August 11th.  Out of my district 7 are going to Mendoza and 3 are going to Cordoba.  There will be 26 of us total going to Mendoza on Monday. Elder Bleak is our travel leader. First we fly to Atlanta, then to Buenos Aires, then to Mendoza.  It's sooo exciting but I'm even more nervous because apparently there are a lot of little gypsy robbers in the Buenos Aires Airport and they like to distract you . . . ha ha, well, we'll see how it goes!  I've heard there are a lot of muggers and robbers in Argentina which makes me a little on edge.  But I'm ready to throw it down if I have to, even if my comp is a tiny philipino - ha ha.  We'll see what happens!

I'm super grateful to go and I can't wait to meet the people there! Till next week!  Love you all soo much!

Elder Kohler Chamberlain

 This is what guys in my district do while I'm showering . . . they take my camera and take crazy photos with it! ha ha