30 August 2012

Family!!! Hope you loved the pictures :) 

YAY! I reached Temple Square this morning and for some of the time I met with President Gillette with four other sisters and our 3 AP's - one of whom is Sister Syndi-mei Kealamakia!!! So happy that she is still here and doing great.  Well, the last few days have been full-on but its been really great. I'm seriously sick of saying, "Goodbyes" especially to our adopted elders who took care of us for the past week. We got to meet our trainers after a fun, guessing game and my new trainer/ mum is Sister Calderwood from Alaska and shes been out about 9 months. She is amazing and I love her already. I'm so excited to do great things as a companionship. After having pizza for lunch I found out that it is our P-Day today and our Zone is the Beehive House. I am so excited to learn more about that place because it's the only place I haven't been to yet, so I'm stoked to learn more about it. The sisters are all so friendly and I met Sister Mitchell who is best friends with Lyle Wert.  She came up and introduced herself and was a possible trainer even. So fun. 

Well, President and Sister Gillette are lovely and we had pictures with them so I'm positive they will get emailed to you soon enough. I love my new missionary badge with the Salt Lake Temple and the NZ flag on it. It's really special and people keep getting it confused with the Aussie flag but there are heaps of Australian's here too which is cool. I ran into Sister Olden again this morning and she is so fun.  She was just chilling on the floor with her companion because her back is sore and she doesn't want to sit on a chair (that'll be me in a week).  I'm trying to think of things to tell you that I haven't already told you. Oh, yes, we get to go to the temple once a transfer and usually on P-Day so we will go sometime in the next 6 weeks.  Our monthly stipend comes in on Friday so we can go shopping to get food so living on a budget will be interesting.   I am definitely going to be eating rice and spam (lol jks) but really!

Thank you for all your letters and emails and I think you can still send letters through dearelder.com but they will cost money this time instead of being free but will probably get to me alot quicker then if you send them from New Zealand and probably cost the same (fyi). They still get sent to me like a letter too.

You should all go visit the Visitor's Centre next time you are in Hamilton and watch the media video, "God's Plan for Families! It's amazing and I cry every time I watch it (no joke, it is beautiful and makes our missions all worth it).

I loved devotional on Sunday and last night's devotional was with Brother Perkins of the Seventy and it was so good. I got to sing in the choir for the last time with my companion and we sang, "Jesus Once of Humble Birth" so beautiful. I will truly miss the MTC but am glad to be out in the "field."

Hope you are all well and I promise I will have so much more to tell you next week. Oh my MTC experience at Temple Square on Saturday was great.  My companion was Sister Hinton from Arizona and she just recently left on her outbound yesterday. It was alot of fun and we passed out referral cards to everyone and met some great people. I have a less active friend that I made from mormon.org chat and I'm excited to help him come unto Christ.

I love you all, so happy that everyone is feeling better. Mum, I'm not fussed for my birthday and I don't want you to spend money sending a package. Maybe just some pictures of the family. 

Hina, so happy for Joe's papers finally getting processed but bummer about the carpet and your belly looks so, so,  cute!  Thanks for sending the pictures.

Kisses for the babies!!! 

Be safe, read your scriptures and pray always.

Arohanui Sister Chadderton xoxoxox

Pic 1: Sister McIver and I

Pic 2: Sister McIver and I and company

Pic 3: Sister Magaoay and I

Pic 4: Zone leaders - Elder Jeppesen, Elder Hansen and I

Pic 5:  Receiving the folder from the previous coordinating sister

Pic 6: Elder Lolofie and I (Irene’s brother)

Pic 7: My District 31-D

Pic 8: Last day of class with my district and teachers - Sister Lim and Brother Grunniger - best teachers and District ever!

Pic 9: Last photo as a District before our Elders left for Baltimore Marylands

Pic 10: Visitor’s Centre sisters - all 28 of us with 22 of us assigned to Temple Square 

Pic 11: On our first excursion to Temple Square

Pic12: Our adopted District Elders district 31-B - 12 Elders who took us in after our Elders left - 9 of them went to Florida and 3 of them to Salt Lake City Central Mission (our neighbors)

Pic 13: My sisters (room mates and fellow Temple Square sisters) and Elder Howard who is going to Salt Lake City Central Mission too.

Pic 14: Sister McIver, Elder Cocker and I - the last photo before Sister McIver left, now me leaving.

Pic 15: Elder Behymer and I – he is an amazing Elder.  They all are spiritual giants and he even made all of the Sisters a bracelet using the caps of soft drink cans and string – all in 3 days while studying and being a missionary!

Pic 16: Luggage all packed and ready to go.

Pic 17: Boarding the lift to get on the bus to go to Temple Square. Woohoo!

Pic 18: My new companion/trainer Sister Calderwood from Alaska and I. Woot! Woot!

Pic 19: I'm a missionary at Temple Square! Woohoo!

Kia Ora family!!!

Thanks for all your letters, postcards and emails this week. I even received my contact lenses in the post on Wednesday so, "Mahalo-nui loa" for that as I really appreciated them and it was exciting to get my first package.

Sad to hear about my sisters health and nieces ear ache but I fasted on Tuesday with my companion and had included you all in that fast so I know the Lord will bless you.

The Elders from my District left this week and Mum, yes we did cry (lol) you can't help it. Your with them more hours in the day then your own family and they become your family. We had a nice little testimony meeting the night before they left and it was really special. I asked my District leader Elder Memmott for a blessing and all the elders participated and it was a beautiful blessing.

This past week has been hectic still but whats new right.  On Tuesday night we had an Apostle - Elder Neil. L. Andersen and his wife Kathy - come and speak at our devotional and it was so good. In honour of our Prophet, President Thomas S.  Monson's 85th birthday, Elder Anderson spoke about things that President Monson would say such as, "Trust in the Lord, do your duty that is best, leave unto the Lord the rest, smile, be happy." It was beautiful and it was fun and we sung the Prophet, "Happy birthday."

Well, I couldn't sleep well that night and woke up the next morning cheerfully singing "We're going to Temple Square today!" I don't know how well my roommates appreciated my enthusiam at 6:00 a.m. but I was so excited (thats why I couldn't sleep), but we met out front of a building and waited for the other visitor centre sisters and boarded the bus. It was cool getting out of the MTC into the real world again. When we got to Temple Square they took us on a brief tour of the assembly hall, handcart mural and one of the visitors centres. I got to see Sister Olden from Sydney and was SO happy. I was at the bottom of the escalator and she was up top walking with her companion and I screamed our to her when I saw her, it was pretty exciting. She looks great and her companion was in my old ward at BYU Hawaii - Sister Elliot - talk about small world. We had a meeting with the director of visitors centers and she was awesome and answered heaps of questions. After that I came out and ran into Sister Syndi Kealamakia that I use to work with in the Maori village at the PCC and it was cool seeing her again too.  The last time we saw each other was when I was here last November but now I'm a missionary and it's pretty choice I reckon. But after that we headed home. We go back tomorrow afternoon to do splits with some of the sisters so I'm looking forward to having another excursion :)

Last night we had a class where we were taught about mormon.org chat. It was pretty cool to realize that the internet is helping with missionary work so much more than we think. People from all over the world can log on and click the chat with missionary button and ask them questions and learn more about the church. We can call people from all over the world and if we meet people at Temple Square we can continue to teach them through chat after they leave which is so awesome.

We also found out how visitor centre sister missionaries are chosen and I was so amazed I wanted to tell you. My teacher said that when they receive your mission papers with your picture, they pull up your picture with your information and an apostle looks at the picture and if they can feel and see your testimony of Jesus Christ they take your application and put it in a pile. They then assign all the other missionaries and then go back to the pile of sister missionaries whose testimonies they can see and then they assign them to a visitors centre. There are only 13 visitor centres in the world. So, basically because of the picture I sent in of myself,  an apostle of the Lord can feel my testimony and that is why I was sent to a visitors centre. I thought that was pretty amazing because of a picture and an apostle. I felt the spirit so strongly when she told us and it was so awesome.

Oh mum, can you please send me the grandparents snail mail address. I got an awesome email and postcard from the grands and wanted to write back today but I couldn't. Tell them I love them and hope they are safe on their travels.

Oh and I got my hug from Sis Nally so thank you.

I'm not sure when P-Day is next week but I am going to call you in like 30 minutes time because we get to call home the weekend before leaving the MTC so hopefully it works out.

There are 28 sisters in my new district of visitors centre sisters. It is so multi-cultural its amazing.

Dad, good work on making the change to contact lenses, its way better than glasses because you can see the whole world.  Persevere with them because they get easier to put in the more often you wear them.

I didn't get hit in the face this week, "YAY for me!" and only 2 blood noses which is an improvement. I'm happy and healthy so don't worry too much about me. Crazy to think its less than a month before I turn 22 because my birthday last year was super awesome!

Hina, awesome to hear about your miracle! That is amazing and to have your testimony of tithing strengthened again and again is wonderful.

I love getting mail it really is the only way to get through the week sometimes with everything that you learn. Mum, can you find out if Locky and Alicia are alive as I know there wedding is in the next week and a half or so. Please ask them to send me there addresses if they want to hear from me and Jordan.

Please say hi to everyone in Aeroview Ward.  We have a great Ward and it's so important to have unity in the Ward.

Something I have really learnt to appreciate is the gift of the Holy Ghost. I didn't really understand its importance when I received it after my baptism but as a missionary it is so important. If we don't have it we cannot teach and therefore we won't be able to fulfill our purpose.

I hate how fast time flies but once I reach the field I think we have an hour to email on P-Days so it won't be so rushed and impersonal.

I loved going to the temple today and I met someone who had a picture of a Mrs. Elkington from the 1930's as her father in law served in NZ and kept photos, artifacts and albums of his mission. Her name is Sister Smith and she said she was going to donate it to the Church Museum. It was pretty cool and I know those pictures would be amazing to see.

I am loving it here on the mission, you know you've worked hard when you go to your bed and you fall straight to sleep. I love the Lord and am so, so, grateful for the Atonement. I know Joseph Smith is a prophet and helped restore the true gospel of Jesus Christ in its fulness. The Book of Mormon was brought forth for our generation, for us and its important for us to read it.

I love you all family,

Be safe, continue to write me and pray for me.

Arohanui Sister N. Chadderton xoxoxo

17 August 2012

FAMILY!!!!

Yay for P-Days and wow, how time is just flying past.

Mum, thanks for ringing Stanhope, if you can send me some contact lenses that would be great but they will probably take two weeks to get here so its up to you.  Otherwise, I can just wait until I'm in the field, but I still think it will be quicker to send them then me trying to schedule an appointment.

Thank you for all your emails and dearelders they seriously are the best thing for me to get.

Oh, on Sunday I got called as the co-ordinating sister for my District and I was very humbled to receive this calling. It means I meet with the new district and help welcome them and be friendly and show them around and stuff and go to meetings so its fun. I sung in the choir again on Sunday "Redeemer of Israel" powerful lyrics and a powerful song.

I hope you are all feeling better because it sounds like your still pulling through so I'm praying for you :)

The weather yes, is very hot so I'm grateful for air conditioned rooms. I had my 12th blood nose yesterday and borrowed a humidifier because my nose apparently doesn't like the dryness of Utah and I'm sick of losing blood but I'm fine.

Oh, funny story from yesterday, so my favourite time is gym time and I usually play volleyball. So one of my team members goes to return the ball and smacks me in the face instead. I fall to the ground, glasses went flying (cause I have no contacts) and I'm trying to blink and regain my bearings and I open my eyes and there is a ring of people around me, a bit freaky...but I got an ice-pak for my swollen face, it was a miracle that that was all that happened - my glasses were fine and I have all my teeth so I'm very happy about that. And besides it's nothing that a little make-up can't hide but it was definitely funny...one of those moments, "I was playing volleyball!"...nek  minute....stories you know.

Oh talking about, "Nek minute" I have met heaps of kiwis this week a Sister Evans who went to college with buddy and she's going to Baguio Mission and an Elder Evans from Hamz. Elder Cocker got here the other day and he looks pretty happy.  It's cool seeing him and me and Son (Sister McIver) will have to have a photo with him. I love having the kiwis here but seriously everyone is like Sister Chadderton do you know everyone??? But that's the blessings of BYU Hawaii and of being a kiwi I guess.

Our district is leaving on Tuesday - the elders that is - and they are stoked to leave but we don't want them to go. We begin Visitor Centre training on Wednesday and that will begin with a trip to Temple Square. YAY!!! So excited :)

It's crazy to think I'm already in my 3rd week of being here so that makes us some of the oldest ones at the MTC as people are constantly coming and going. It amazes me the amount of learning we do here. My testimony of the gospel has been strengthened so much. You think you know the gospel until you go on a mission and try and tell someone why they should read the Book of Mormon and follow Christ. I think everyone who has the opportunity to serve a mission should because I don't think I'd survive the future if I'm not learning to strengthen my foundation of the gospel now. It's an exciting time to be a missionary and I'm so glad I made the decision to come. I know that I will continue to be blessed and will witness even more miracles throughout my 18months.

I have been to the Provo Temple twice and its massive. I thought NZ was massive, but I hear that Salt Lake is even bigger so I'm glad I have a companion or else I'll probably get lost. I'm glad you got my letter parentals, expect another one in 2 weeks because thats how long it takes to send things apparently.

HINA!!! you are amazing and thanks for your emails. I think you need to go to a resort or something because you are just a little energizer bunny. Make sure you get enough rest k! Love you tons and miss the babes so much.

I love seeing the kiwis around here and especially son, Sister Vaivai and Sister Arthur, we congregate in the residence halls and chill for as long as we can and just laugh. Life is seriously great!

Oh next week my P-Day is on Friday but send your emails on Thursday because I can print them off the day before and then I'll have the 30minutes to email you back.

I apologize for my jumping around with my thoughts, there is no order at the moment but I'm just trying to make sure I'm telling you everything.

On Sunday Sister Wixom the General Primary President spoke to us at Relief Society and it was amazing. It was really about Christ's love and his atonement and how real it is. I would have never had such a close relationship with God before my mission and I'm so, so, so, glad I'm here. It's exactly where I need to be and with the companion that was meant to be with me at this time. She is great. She celebrated her 4th year of being a member on Sunday and spoke abour her conversion from being a Catholic to a Latter-Day Saint. I wrote a letter to her family and we are hopeful that through her sacrifice and example they will come to know the truthfulness of the gospel and follow Christ's example.

I love, love, love, teaching the Restoration because the power of the spirit is SO strong whenever you recount the First Vision and it's a feeling I love having.

I am sick of the food though, I don't know how these American's stay so skinny because they have sugar in everything. I miss good food from home and I especially miss Julia's Poppyseed salad with salmon from Sydney. Can't wait to cook my own food.

I love you lots family and hope you are well. I appreciate your letters and prayers.

One more week here and then I'm off to the real world.

Have a fantastic week,

Love Sister N Chadderton xoxo

16 August 2012

Dear Rick and Ra,

Greetings from the Provo MTC!  President Nally is currently serving in the MTC presidency, and we were recently so tickled to have your sweet daughter arrive.  With 2700 missionaries in residence, that was a miracle!  But she was beaming from ear to ear, and we were all excited to make the connection between us.

We will attach a couple of pictures of us with her and her companion.  She is happy and doing well.  You can be very proud of her!

Please say Hi to everyone there in Kiwi-Land.  We love New Zealand--and still yearn for its beauty and peaceful ways.  Hope all is well with you and the rest of your family.  

Kindest Regards

Lon and Kaye Nally

1st counselor, Provo MTC Presidency

10 August 2012

Family!!!!

Just fyi I only have 30 minutes to email so I apologize if I don't get to write all the answers to your questions.

Firstly thank you to my family for dearelder.com letters they are awesome and my district are amazed and sick of the fact that I get so much mail.  On Monday I had 9 letters waiting for me and I loved it so thanks heaps. Thanks also to the Porters for picking me up and dropping me to the MTC and helping me to get the last things I needed and for the awesome feed at Cafe Rio - yum! Thanks to Bishop and Sister Tong, Emily and Pete for emailing too and while I can't email you back  I can write so please send me your addresses if you'd like a real response. We have been told to ask for snail mail because that way I can read them and write you back on P-Day so please let the snail mail come.

I am absolutely loving the MTC and it is a spiritual heaven here. Our schedules keep us so busy and they are very strict so we get into missionary mode faster.

My companion is Sister Magaoay and she is from Hawaii but is Filipino. I love her so much but we look like David and Goliath because she is so tiny - I love it haha. Oh and I apologize but we can't send any photos while in the MTC because they have no where to put our memory cards so you'll just have to imagine everything I've told you.

My district has 4 sisters who are all going to Temple Square and 5 sons (Elders) that are going to the Balitmore Maryland's Mission and they leave a week before us and we are already missing them.

My MTC teachers are great Sister Lim and Bro Grunniger who are both from Canada and have such amazing teaching skills.  I am so grateful for them.

The cafeteria is so busy all the time and the lines are massive so we have to plan early to go there and the food is different all the time so it's awesome.

I love gym time and look forward to playing sport, usually volleyball everyday and the sisters can even get up at 6:00 a.m. for a special 30 minute workout so I've gone a few times too. Yoga was way better than the step class but both fun.

The spirit is sooooo strong here and we have little to distract us from the purpose of why we are here. We teach "investigators" and its hard sometimes finding out what they need to hear from God but once you feel his love it permeates from you and you can feel the spirit so strong. We have committed someone to baptism already on our 3rd lesson and teaching the Restoration of the Lord's church is so powerful and I love it. I am learning to be more bold when I teach but it's frustrating because sometimes the investigators just talk about my accent for the whole time and want to talk about NZ or Australia and its hard to get them back on track - haha.

There is a lot of diversity in the MTC but yet sooo many American's.  It really is insane. I can't wait to get to Temple Square and meet up with the other Aussies and Kiwis there.

Sister's McIver, Arthur and Vaivai are all on the same floor as me so I see them often but thats pretty much all, I see them, we have literally zero time to talk and catch up because of our strict schedules and I am striving to be obedient but sometimes I just feel like staying up past 10:30 p.m. with those girls but don't worry I don't.

I heard about Edmond Tong's mission call to Hong Kong and that is AMAMZING! He will do so well and he'll just love the MTC. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be here and to learn more about the basic doctrine and principles of the gospel because you really have to know what you believe and know before you can testitfy to other people that it's true.

Dad, I love the updates about the Olympics go NZ!!!   The American's in my distict always ask what the USA have and I'm like I dunno..I don't care lol jks but really.

HINA!!  Glad the little bump is good and I love the dear elders and the pics of the kids. I miss them so much and Bubba Joe and Hinalei should start charging for flower girl and page boy invitations because they are just too dang cute.

Joe, I see your cousin like all the time, he keeps saying he wants to catch up but we literally have no time so I hope he enjoys his mission lol.

MUM! I need to ask a favor, I have pretty much run out of contact lenses (surprisingly) but wondered if you could order me some Dailies -1.75 for both my eyes and send them or see if Aunty Mona can find some in Utah because I can't order them online.

Buddy, (Elder Chadderton) I will send you a letter soon with your little black name tag holders, if you need anything else let me know. :) I'm praying for you and don't eat too many magnums!

I am sending Sister J's package today and wrote her a letter because she sent me a package - yay! I love packages they are so fun. So, yesterday one of the elders from my disctrict came walking into class holding a package and he starts giving it to me and said, "You've got a package!" and I'm so happy and intrigued and say, "YAY" and then he said, "Just kidding its mine!" and took it back. I could not believe it, it was so not funny but funny at the same time.  I guess he was teasing me because of all the letters I get from dearelder.com, but I still threw my pen at him. The elders in our disctrict are oh so different but we love there differences but I do feel sorry for them because having 4 sisters they hardly get a word in when we have class time.

On Sunday I sang in the MTC Choir for Devotional with my companion. Right now I can't remember the song but it was great fun and freaky at the same time because they have cameras on you and in practice the Choir Director is like, "Now don't look at the cameras whatever you do because they are not for you."  So, I was a good girl and didn't look at the camera's and then, yup how many people come up to you after and say, "Oh your famous, we saw you on the camera (lol) it was funny. But Sunday was the best, we had temple walk day and heaps of missionaries were at the temple and we could take pictures, we had a mission conference and then sacrament and yes I did bear my testimony and after dinner we had the devotional and President and Sister Nally were the speakers.  Mum and Dad they met me the first day I was here and couldn't stop saying how much they loved you both and took a picture with me. They did such a good job with the Devotional and after we watched the movie, "Legacy" and it was so nice.

I have no more time but please know that I love you all.

Thanks for all the support, prayers and love and I am 100% better now and am very happy.

God lives and loves us and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

Be safe

Sister N. Chadderton xoxoxo

2 August 2012

Hey mum and dad!!!

We have about 5 mins to email and let you know that we are doing ok. I got to the mtc yesterday with about 6 other girls who are also going to the Temple Square mission. The sisters are from all over the world. Switzerland, Honduras, Germany, New Zealand, Australia and Phillipines. It was such a good day yesterday getting our badges and eating at the caf and then we had a class and then we had dinner at 4:30 which was about afternoon tea time back home so the adjusting to the time zone is still really weird. We had an awesome devotional with Elder Pinegar who spoke last night and then we were put in a district just for that night and the district I went to the MTC President Gamette and his wife were there. Today we find out who our companions are too so I'm excited. Not sure when we get to email next but thank you for writing to me. I will get my mail later on today I hope because there are 400 new missionaries that are joinging us.

Love you heaps,

Write again soon,

Sister N. Chadderton