Positive Spiritual Experiences

(letter to Everyone)

Soo this week was a super busy and spiritual week. I honestly thought I was working hard but now being with a past zone leader I know. I feel sooo good! I'm truly in the grind now. We're teaching sooo many people and the other day we had 16 cold contacts and taught 5 lessons! Carri and Carrina didn't come to church again which made me pretty sad but we're still going and teaching them.

We met a super nice family where there are 10 kids...hmmmm;) The wife is an inactive member and her husband is super humble and has been telling us that hes been looking for a religion and time and time again he thought he had found it and then felt as if he were let down somehow. We invited him and this girl Nancy to come that were teaching too. German( the guy with 10 kids) didn't answer the door and Nancy said that her son was sick and needed to take care of him. So we went to church by ourselves. 

German actually had a friend over too that was really interested. They both work on cars for a living and there shop is in there small back yard. He was telling us of how his mother had died and we were talking about the plan of salvation. His face literally lit up and you could see this hope in his eyes that he could see her again. We bore our testimonies and promised him that he would see his mom again and that if he lived the word of God he could live with here and Heavenly Father again.

I don't know why everything happens, especially why loved ones have to die. It's hard for me to write this even now cause I know what were supposed to believe but if someone died that I loved a lot my life would be pretty messy. We have many things that can help us with our sorrows-- Like the Atonement. But they are not to just take them away. They're to help, which means it will still be a great struggle we will have. But in the end I know that everything will be made right. I honestly have no clue how that's going to happen or how that could even happen, I just know that it will.

I hope you all are having a great week and are doing well. I miss you all sooo much and it's hard but I know that sacrifice brings forth the blessings of Heaven. Just as Joseph Smith said. Love you all!

Elder Kohler Chamberlain

(letter to Mom)

MOM....!! My gosh I miss you sooo much. This week was super busy but Kind of rough. I'm soo glad you're doing well in your calling!! YOU ARE SOO BUSY!!!! But that's my ma! You're a hard worker and God knows that too which is why YOU were called and not somebody else. I'm sure you're growing a lot but its hard. It's really hard for me. We've been working soo much but sometimes it's just hard to comprehend that I'll be gone for the time I've been called. I sometimes have fear for the future too but know that God will help me have more faith that everything will be alright. My favorite quote right now is that sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven. I truly believe in that and want to continue to believe in that. I'm seeing soo many blessings in different ways for me right now and for you guys but nothing like seriously grand I guess? I don't know. I'm guessing I'll see them when I come home from my mission.:) Being away from all of you guys has truly helped me realize how good life was for me. Happiness TRULY comes from family and I can only hope that one day I can have a beautiful wife and family too. 

We were teaching as I said in my main email( which sorry I didnt write one for the past 2 weeks I kinda forgot and was busy too but that's always)

Mom this guy German we're teaching is soo humble! We're going to teach him again on Tuesday! His friend( Who I forgot his name) literally had the biggest smile on his face when we told him that he'd see his mom again and that he can live with her and our heavenly father for eternity. I felt the spirit soo strong. I had a couple other similar experiences but this one was the best. I'm really happy doing this work but at the same time I'm not completely happy. I was super curious why until I heard Elder Olaya my comp say that we are suffering with joy. It made me think of the Savior actually. He suffered with joy. Don't think I'm comparing myself with him cuz I'm definitely not but its the same kind of relation. He suffered with joy. He didn't want to do what he had to do and even asked if he didn't have to! But he did it cuz he loved his Father and his family. Which is all of us. 

Mom I love this pics of Costa Rica!! I'm sure you guys learned a lot! Ya you guys not understanding Spanish was and still kinda is me. Everyday. But teaching and them looking at me weird ha... But it's whatever cuz I know the Lord know I'm trying and that's all he expects of me so I feel good about myself. My comp loves to work and we are doing soo much. We actually have 2 family nights were going to! Noches de hogares. In english it means nights of homes but family night is noche de hogar.   IDK  LOL ha ha!  I'm teaching one of them and it's about the atonement. My favs are the Atonement and about eternal families. Which all kinda have some relation with each  other. I'm super nervous but super pumped too. I hope if they don't understand me that they can at least feel the spirit.

I love you soooo much mom. I got some dear elders by the way and they made my week!!  Tell Spencer and Hailey that with you guys I pray for them by name all the time too.  Every night prayer.  (Mom,  my comp says longer prayers than me....it's kinda cool haha)

Love ya tons mom!!   I know I'll see ya soon<333

Love your son,

Elder Kohler Chamberlain

(parts of his letter to his Dad)

Dad---We had a SAFE and fun week! I miss my other comp Elder Viloria but he's having fun with his family and girlfriend right now and he deserves to be there. 

Oh and ya renting a house there with one of those on the beach of Costa Rica would be kinda awesome. OH MY GOSH. Those are some pretty houses. I'm really excited for the future.

Dad this week and the next I'm trying to learn more about the atonement. I'm trying to grow my love for the Savior so I can be better and be stronger. I really wish I was stronger cuz I miss you all sooo much. There's times where I really just wish I was with you guys but I know and truly believe that sacrifice will bring forth the blessings of heaven. I'm seeing them now but not in like... a grand or big way. Maybe there are blessings to come which I really believe that's the case.

I'm still working out but not running much. But if we walk about 5-6 miles a day that's good right? Anyway, I miss you all soo much. Being away from family and those I loved really has shown me How truly blessed I was. Sometimes I feel like it will be forever until I can have that back in my life again but I know I will have it again someday. I just need to be more positive.

 Love ya tons Dad. I'll see ya soon:)

Elder Kohler Chamberlain

Scary Letter from Elder C last week (Sep. 22, 2014)

Last week was a good week with my comp! He's going back to Colombia and I got another one that was a zone Leader from Colombia and I'll most likely have him until after Christmas and be in the same area till maybe January or March I heard!

We're teaching a lot of menos activos (less active)right now and teaching several investigators. We have no gas in our apartment so our showers are super cold and we can't cook anything. Sooo it's been interesting. I actually adjusted well and quickly. I love living the ghetto life cuz it makes me stronger. Although My pench (apartment) is actually not that bad--- I really like it and I have my sleeping bag so es todo bien.

THAT Is a giant yacht. Is there a giant sail boat behind it in the photo because it looks like a motor yacht. Or its just with both. Any It definitely looks huge!!

Hey dad I want you to know that I'm safe and that everything is good. I did a security check with Pres and sister Goates this last weekend. 

So my comp and I were walking down a street more close to Campo Papa. Sunday is game night and two big futbol (soccer) teams were playing called River and Boca. Sooo a lot of people are smoking drugs and drinking out in the streets. Cops don't really go out either on Sunday nights too cuz there's too much crime that they say we might as well not even try. 

But at about 8:00 or a little later this guy was walking toward us and I didn't think much about it. But then he tells us to give him  our money or he'll kill us. My comp was in front of me and starts swinging his bag but right as he starts doing that...  this guy takes out this huge submachine gun and I could've sworn he was going to shoot my comp. I literally thought he was going to die. My comp tells me to run and I don't know why I did cuz he could have shot me but while I was running that was the scariest part. I couldn't see him cuz my back was turned to him but I thought he was going to shoot me.

It's soo different only hearing stories like that but when you're actually in them and you truly believe that you're about to die...I can't explain that feeling. 

So we ran and he chased us. We found this garbage truck picking up peoples trash and told that that a guy was trying to rob/kill us and they let us in the cab of the truck and we waited for about 15 minutes. After we found our other comps close to our area and told them to head back and so we ran back to the apartment.

 I was in soo much shock. We instantly knelt down and said a prayer as we got back. I was crying and he was a little bit too.  When I turned my back to that guy I said Heavenly father please help me and I just saw my whole family. That made me think I was going to die cuz in the freaking movies you see your loved ones and then you die. I wasn't laughing though cuz life was super real for me. I thought I would never see any of you ever again. I'm soo glad that heavenly father is looking out for me and that that guy didn't shoot. I don't know why he didn't but I'm just happy that God is letting me live a little bit longer.

So yaa I'm gooood now and it's a good crazy story in the past ahaha! My faith is soo high! I'm having a really positive effect and it's made me a lot more mature and aware. My comp has taught me A LOT on how to fight and especially disarm people and how to use guns and other weapons too in our apartment (Pench) at night.

You guys look like youre all having soo much fun in Costa Rica!! Plzz send me tons of photos!! . Just trust in God and he'll work some crazy stuff and give some even more crazy blessings!:)

Love ya soo much dad!! Have a fun awesome week!!

Love,

Elder Kohler Chamberlain

When You Need a Hand . . .

MOM the food in that pic you sent me looks sooo good. I miss your cooking soooo much and just U.S. food in general sometimes haha. The food here is good but it's not like wings and Costa Vida etc. Truly blessed.

I pray for you and dad a lot and for dad's biz and your calling. 700+ people in the ward that is sooo crazy!! The church is definitely growing there!!

Tell Spencer that he's awesome and that is exactly what I would tell him. Sometimes when we need a hand, we need to look at the end of our arm, ya know? Meaning often we have to tough it out and do it ourselves.

Hailey's bee project looked soo awesome!! Tell her that I'm proud of her!! I hope she's doing well!

That's such a COOL missionary experience you had!! I hope you will continue to do that and I will pray for them!!

I love you soo much Mom and Dad!! I'm glad you are doing well! I LOVE THE PICS AS ALWAYS!! Tell the Ladukes and their fam that I miss and love them!! That looked like a fun bday party for Aunt MaryKay. 

Sorry this one is a little short.  I'm just super busy and I'm fasting today!! Love ya!!

Love ya mama and dad and miss ya tons!!

Elder Kohler Chamberlain

Murky Water Baptism

Here is a quick pic from the MTC I forgot to send you:

 So, remember Bro. Monson,  President Monson's nephew?  My FAVORITE MTC leader ever!!!    He is such a cool guy!  We had a lot of talks together and he helped me so much.  I love this guy!

A quick look at the Buenos Aires Temple the day I got there.  So pretty!

This is me at the baptism.  I played the piano for Carri and her family.

So this week was super awesome!! Carri got baptized and we're talking to some of her friends right now with their families. We'll have a SUPER busy week so that's good. 

My comp and I had a lot of trouble with the baptismal font though! There wasn't any working water and so we had to go get a bunch of water from this well. It wasn't like an actual old looking well but we had to drop in these buckets in this square opening in the ground and get water. It was pretty dirty. Then the water started to work again from the spout and it was even more dirty so we just turned it off. The water wasn't super bad but it was a little murky. Actually, it was pretty bad to be honest. But we prayed that she wouldn't think about it and that is exactly what happened. She didn't even care. She just walked right in the water.

Her mom was sooo happy for her and was crying. After the baptism I fulfilled my promise and played some piano for Carri in the chapel and we went to go have dinner at their house. We had pizza, or bread with plastic cheese on top haha. But we were hungry so we honestly didn't care and it's all they had so we humbly took it. (as we always do with others) 

The people are soo awesome! We heard another gunfight but it was actually super cool! It was on the far side of Campo Papa and they had soo many legit police/swat trucks heading towards the edges of Campo Papa. So that was cool to watch. We didn't actually see the fighting though, just the noises. Mom I'm fine though--- God is protecting us and it was far away:) It's ALL GOOD. 

I'm learning the language a lot still and my dorm buddies are helping me soo much. I still have trouble talking to the people but I've just memorized a couple funny phrases to say when I don't know what to say. Most of the time I just bear my testimony about what were teaching and its good. We're taught that when in doubt, Testify!   I've also been taught by that from Brother Mask too! He also served In Buenos Aires--- So its obviously good stuff :)

I hope all is well and your calling is doing super good!  I'm soo happy up here and everything has been going so good. I'm working out a lot, eating a lot of eggs and protein and what not, learning alot and the language is becoming easier everyday. Hence, it's still  very hard but it is becoming easier!  The Lord is good and truly takes care of his missionaries!

How's your calling going!? What lesson did you teach yesterday?

I didn't play piano this Sunday but I will the next! I love to play soo much and thank you for putting those books and all of those things together for me mom! I'll definitely use those in the future! I'm reading a lot and I'm sooo grateful too for Dad's how to win friends and influence people papers that he wrote up! They are soo useful and helping me a lot! 

BYU 41-7 with Texas??? Again?  Last year it was something bad like that too! That's gotta make you and Dad feel pretty good right? haha

Thank you for the pics too mom! I actually thought about the moon too and how you're looking at it too my first couple weeks of being here. 

Time is going by sooo fast mom! I'm already a month in the field  which is actually really cool and I've learned sooo much! I'm also a way better cleaner because I've had to clean some pretty nasty stuff in our pench(apartment) and for others!!  I love the people and they're all sooo nice to me!

I love you ma! Thanks for ALL you do!  Know I'm safe and I literally have the best most pelligroso comapanion with me! I'll send the photos soon!

Everything is good here and I hope everything is good there! I miss and love you all soo much --But the blessings are soo good that I'm receiving from being out here and I can't thank my God enough for them. Love you all!

Love your son,

Elder Kohler Chamberlain

For my birthday, this nice family made me a cake!

My crazy comp threw confetti all over me for my bday.  He is super cool!

Me outside the church grounds

Excerpt from a letter to Kelsey:

Kelsey my fav hermana!

 I told my comp ( no matter how scary he is, ha ha) that I will write my fam and everybody I need to no matter the time. This is missionary work in another form so it's no big deal;)

I LOVE LOVE LOVE to teach about the family. How through Our God, Heavenly Father, we can all live together as one big family in Heaven. I have a super strong testimony of the family and so many people don't know about that. It always takes people off guard when they hear that they can spend an eternity with their sweetheart and children. Its pretty cool...:)

Letter to Dad:

This is soo awesome to hear! When I pray for you too I always pray for your biz and your staff!  That's sooo awesome that he's learning more about this gospel! You and I both know soo much that this will change his life forever! I didn't realize how much God blesses you for when you did missionary work.. and I don't know about you but I'm sooo happy right now!

I'm working out a ton and every monday tues thurs and Friday I run with my comp now! Our apartment complez is completely surrounded by gate and barbed wire though so we just run on the inside. Not like its dangerous outside but its always better.

Man things are going super good dad! I'm learning sooo many things that I know will help me with things later in life!! Especially with what I want to do! God is blessing me in sooo many ways and I can't thank him enough!

I have a strong testimony that when we do missionary work we receive soo many blessings that we literally can't count them.  A lot of people say that and you just think...Oh blessings...like little things or things that aren't really that important or significant. You receive sooo many blessings and especially those of your own desires! If it be expedient and righteous unto God which most of the time it is then you'll receive it based on your FAITH! I know you have faith and always know that I have faith in you and what you're doing! So proud of you Dad.

Much love to you and everybody else! Miss you all like crazy!

Elder Kohler Chamberlain

I had to throw this picture in---remember when I called you guys from the Atlanta airport and there was this guy playing a grand piano?  Well, I took a quick pic of him!

Finally, Some Pics from Argentina!

 Elder Chamberlain is in Estanzuela,  Argentina

My companion is on the left Elder Viloia (He is from Columbia and was in the Columbian Military!) then there is Elder Tirado from Sinaloa, Mexico and then Elder Diaz from Buenos Aires. 

The view from my apartment.  It's a pretty rough area.

My Study Area

Estanzuela

(fun snippet from Kohler's letter to Kelsey):

Kelsey prayer is very real. It's literally as if you were standing in front of dad talking to him face to face. We just don't realize it. But that is the actual and literal meaning. It's no different than that and that has changed my perspective on prayer a lot.  It's not necessarily some far sent message because He is listening to us the second we speak it. I have a very strong testimony of that and prayer itself.

Kels-- I'm soo glad you're having fun and doing good spiritually! Much love little sis! You mean the world to me!

Love ya!

Elder Kohler Chamberlain

(Excerpts from Kohler's letter to his Dad and more PICS BELOW):

Hey Dad!!

WOW you and Spencer had fun. I can tell just by the photos. Man I miss Yosemite. We definitely should go when I come back. Make it a couple weeks or so after I come home so I can see everybody and hang out with them first.:)  It looks soo pretty there! How long was the drive like 8 hours or soo? I am sooo happy to have all those beautiful sights in my head and all the memories and late night talks with you while hiking. Maybe Yosemite with Spencer when I come back for the sake of the memories or something:)

Hey ya my companion was in the Colombian military! I kinda forgot to tell you that ha!  His stories are pretty crazy but he doesn't tell me everything. 

We're teaching a lot of less actives and several progressing investigators. My Spanish is coming along except when I don't understand when to play in sacrament meeting ha ha! Ask Mom about it.  I will probably make another mistake this next Sunday haha but I don't care:)

Much love dad! Thank you for all you do! The biz sounds good too and that's the attitude! When you have an attitude of care you'll receive real blessings and your "why power" is increased because you genuinely want people to have a better product/service.

Much love Dad! Yo se que este evangelio es verdad y que recibiremos mas bendiciones si nosotros seguimos Al Senor. Tenemos mucha mas vida en vivir si? Estoy animado para el futuro! Les quiero a ustedes!

Su Hijo mayor,

Elder Kohler Chamberlain:)

My apartment with the hanging laundry in the corner ha!

Our Kitchen

The Andes Mountains in the background

The bathroom (yuck)

Hey Mom!
That's sooo awesome about your calling! And Hailey oh my gosh!  She has braces?! Ps I'm not really caring about grammar  errors right now cuz i basically have no time cuz we're leaving early today to go to the mountains with the hermanas. 

I'm soo glad you are doing well in your calling! I pray everyday for you and you doing well in that.

Spencer and dad looked like they had a lot of fun! Can't wait for another fun hike with dad and probs Spencer too!

Thank you sooo much for the pictures too! That is sooo awesome! Good memories!

This week was good! We're celebrating Elder Tirados 19th bday today and we started the day off by pouring cream powder, chocalate syrup and eggs all over him right after he got out of bed ahaha

This week has been soo awesome! Mom I'm learning soo much about faith!  Faith is truly power and if it is righteous and expedient we can do and have anything!

My companion and I were studying Mark. Mark  5:36 and Mark 9:23 are super cool and go well with each other! I have the worlds best coolest and hardworking comp. No he's not a diehard missionary but that's god cuz you don't want to kill yourself or go insane he said. 

Carrina and Carry came to church with us yesterday and there were a lot of people!

I'm also playing in sacrament officially but I didn't redeem myself from last sunday.  It wasn't nearly as bad but I thought the obispo/bishop said that we'll sing the last hymn but we really had one more speaker and I played a couple notes and looked  at the congregation of about 70 people and was like.....ohhh no entiendo...they all laughed a little but I was fine. I just laughed too and smiled haha!!

The work is good too. We're teaching a lot of less active people right now but nothing too big this week. I did an exchange with the ZL to see my training and he said I would be a very good missionary. Oh when I was with him we were playing soccer with some investigators and I totally kicked the ball right at this kid's face....oh my freakin gosh...I felt SO bad! He was fine though...and I had bad luck too I guess cuz I ran into a metal clothes wire in the air. (I couldn't see cuz it was pretty dark) Hurt pretty bad LOL.

I miss and love you soo much mom! You are the best and I love you and pray for you soo much! I know you all are receiving blessings and that many more will come!!

Much love ma!

Su hijo mayor,

Elder Kohler Chamberlain