Elder Chamberlain is District Leader

Mom,

Wow what a week and weekend! We got some good lessons with a new investigator and the potential she has with her family as well as other possible future investigators is awesome.

Elder B. and I ended this transfer really well. We've been together for 4 and a half months! He's going to Mendoza Centro where it's really nice and there's actually people that will talk english there and what not! But the work is kinda hard there cause he's just in the city and it's super crowded down there.

I'm staying here and I got a Peruvian companion named Elder Charca. I've heard some alright things about him but we'll see. I'm also the new district leader with 2 other elders and 2 sisters so this should be fun for me! Every Tuesday we have district mtg and I'll be able to teach every Tuesday and help everyone with their investigators.

OH MY GOSH you sent me an ipod!? Haha that'll actually be pretty nice because if I try to download things on the nicer computers it'll have to delete everything on my ipod now and I can't with all the pics and music it has! But I actually don't know if this new one will work too haha-- we'll have to see..

Ya so I'll be here in San juan until the first couple days of June...6 months! This pension (apartment) is soooo bad I still shower with buckets and water leaks everywhere! We finally got a water purifier but the landlord lady said she can't do it yet so she'll come back later...which probably won't be for a couple months or never. We're also in looking in getting a toilet seat cuz I havent had one this whole time in San Juan haha. Your butt gets use to it so it's all good ahaha.

Oh ya and since I'll be here in San Juan I think I'll see Elder Ah You and his family cuz he said if I'm still here he's going to try and visit me because he and his family are getting a rental car and going to several places where he served!

Spencer ya man happy birthday!! I was thinking Oh my gosh it's already his birthday...13 he's an official teen! Ahaha!! Enjoy these times bud (mom let spence read this) You guys looked like you had fun with the nerf war ahaha that's soo cool! I can't even remember what I did for my 13th bday. You're soo funny in that pic bro ahaha you can get anyone to laugh. Hope youre doing well bud keep up the good work in school, church, the ladies....nahhh not yet buddy;)

This weekend was different because the church is destroying our chapel and going to build a new one and it won't be done until Novemberish. So the church is paying for a white bus that will go a certain route so that all of the members can go to a further church in San Juan centro. Their chapel is pretty big and they actually have a working electric piano!! It's soo much fun to play when I can!! Ya I've kind of forgotten some parts but not too bad I just need some time to practice and remember!

Also last night was pretty cool cause we thought it's probably our last Sunday night together so last go hang out with the other elders and wait for the transfer calls. We did that and made food and listened to music. I had never chilled with other elders like that my whole mission. It was soo much fun! We just talked and hung out with some raviolis and spicy egg/carrot sauce... wasn't that good but it was ok haha. It was super chill for me.

Sooo about what I sent you I forgot to put something in there....it was just a paper with a simple recipe for a pretty good desert recipe here but it's soo simple so I'll just tell you here.

A lot of people will put rice and milk with some sugar in a cup and eat it like that. It's actually pretty good! So if you guys want to eat that just do those 3 things! Literally just rice, milk, and sugar. A lot of people will serve that to us cuz it's cheap but it's actually really good. I didnt like it to much at first.(There's a lot of food I haven't liked at first) But now I've gotten so used to food here so I can't even remember what food was like in the States. It's actually better and more easier for me to be honest haha.

By the way I worked really hard on the things I got for you all. I also got some things for my little cousins!  Also it was hard to find more...of what you are going to get;) I looked everywhere like seriously there were no more in Centro or here it was ridiculous so just know I really did go everywhere by Bus on several pdays this last transfer!! ( I explained the story in the package. . A lot of the things I did too were while Elder B. would sleep or during other free times I had. I really hope you guys like it...:)

That's sooo cool about what you got to do Mom!! You got to be in the Celestial room all by yourself!? Vacuuming with that noise ya but still...that's soo cool! Speaking of Temples...The Argentina Cordoba Temple will be dedicated on the 17th of May and there won't be a single church mtg going on in Argentina. All members who are worthy to go into the temple obviously will be in their stake centers and be able to watch the dedication go on. I'll be able to watch it as long as Elder Charca has a recommend which I'm pretty sure he does cuz he goes home in like 3 transfers. But ya we will be able to watch this happen! Just a little over a year ago this happened for the Gilbert Temple so it's super cool for me!!

Well Ma I love ya tons!! I'M SOO EXCITED FOR THE PACKAGE!! Thanks btw for thinking about the customs people-- I didn't even think about that! I'll let you know this next pday.  Thank you sooooo much!!

Love your son and Elder,

Elder K. Chamberlain

Letters from Grandma M. and Kelsey

Letter to his Grandma Marshall

Grandma!! its sooo good to hear from you!! Ya the language is coming better but it  still needs some work but I don't care because I know it will come.

Yes I miss my family sooo much but I won't abandon my God and Jesus Christ in their time of need. Especially everything they've done for me. I've been going through some tough things here but it's all good. I know God will back me up cause he will never give me something that I cannot do. I know that's true and it's true for all of us.

Hey grandpa sent me a letter but it came in a photo? I don't know how that happened haha! I could read part of it but I think there was more? I don't know maybe not haha!

I love you all sooo much!! I will lead this family and all the little ones beneath me Grandma! I promise. You can count on me.

Con muchissimo amor para usted y Grandpa:)

Su bisnieto mayor,

Elder Kohler Chamberlain

Letter to Kelsey

Kelsey it sounds like you're having a lot of fun. Yes they have Halloween here but we had to go to the pench (apartment) early cuz  there's a lot of drinking and fights in the streets. More on the outside of the town but still we were told to do it:/

That's sooo cool that you and Suzy went to the temple together!! I miss cafe Rio sooooo much!! By the way the pictures were super huge again so I couldn't really see all of them but I saw one with you and suzy at the temple and in front of cafe rio. You guys look sooo pretty! 

So you guys went to this party together as 80's workout chics? plzzz send me a picture of that ahaha! That's sooo funny!! I think you sent me one of you but they're soo big I can't tell! Only 2 were small --idk why. 

           I'm not getting along with my companion very well---hopefully things will work out                  soon.  He is 22 and nobody in the apartment likes him very much.  I am talking to President about it today.  We're teaching a bunch of people and trying to push people that are struggling with addictions too! I'm teaching this guy named Dario in English cuz he used to live in new york but then came back cuz his mom almost died of cancer. He used to work in forever 21 in new york and now sells fruit on the streets so that's sad. He has a wife with 2 little girls but he lives alone in this small cement house because he drinks way to much, smokes, and fights people at bars and has gotten thrown in jail many times.  I don't know---were gonna work with him!!

Oh this weekend D Todd Christofferson is coming to speak to all the missionaries!! And I found out the church bought property in a super rich area for a temple!! I'm sooo excited cuz that will be coming in the near future!! I'm glad to have helped in this!!

Kelsey I love you soooo much. You da best!! Stayyy goood homie:) Love ya<3

         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!

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!