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