Family!!! Thanks for all your emails. Unfortunately, I won't be able to respond to each individual email because there is much to write about so Mum, just take out the things I wrote personally before you put the rest of this email up on the blog. Thanks Rawi!
MUM - Can I just say that everyone that is in my district are writing home this week asking there mums to get on your blog because they want packages from randoms when their birthdays come around too. You're amazing and it really made my day having these kind acts happen so often. I was like, "What? Wait? How do you know its my birthday?" But I'll write more in detail later and I hope you enjoyed celebrating my birthday as much as I did. I really did feel the love over here in Salt Lake.
But oh my goodness what an amazing week I've had. These weeks are going by so quickly and I don't know where to start.
Last week you will remember me telling you about the organ tour in the Tabernacle building. Well, we also had a behind the scenes organ tour at the Conference Centre and it was so awesome! Bonnie and Linda are the female organists during General Conference (watch out for them at Conference). It was so cool to see the tiny little pipes and the big massive ones. These are the blessings of serving on Temple Square because not everyone has the opportunity to take these kind of tours.
But, let me tell you about my birthday:
5:30 a.m. - Wake up because it was my Zones turn to clean the cars aka drive them to the car wash and stay awake in the car.
6:30 a.m. - Opened my package from Geena (Sister J Chadderton) and listened to some sweet music - thanks sister!
7:00 a.m. - My companion made some pancakes and bacon for my birthday breakfast - soooo good!
12: 00 noon - Went to the cheesecake factory and shared lunch and a dessert and it was DELICIOUS. The waiter even had the chef write, "Happy Birthday to You" on the Oreo cheesecake and it was so good.
We waddled over to the Square after lunch where we were having a TC (Teaching Centre) to pump up our Zone activity (which we only got a text about 20 minutes before it was happening). Oops! So, we get there late and we waddle in and they all start singing happy birthday and my Zone Leader's give me a cake that they have made. The cake was nice and I appreciated it. So, for the activity, we had 1 hour to contact as many members to get referrals and our goal was for 15 people to accept local missionaries. In the first 5 minutes of calling people, the biggest miracle/birthday present happened where 14 people were referred for local missionaries to teach. It truly was a miracle.
Following the Zone activity my companion and I went back to Beehive House where we worked from 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. I took a group on a tour, come back and then did another tour and we are just about to leave when a lady walks in and sits down. I invite her to join us and she says, "I'm looking for Sister Chadderton!" I'm like ahhhh, I'm Sister Chadderton and she said, "Is it your birthday?" and I'm like how the heck does she know this but then she said that she was your friend on the ldsmissionary mum email group/blog. She was so lovely and gave me hugs & kisses firstly from her and then more hugs and kisses from you guys at home. So nice! After she left and I went back to finishing my tour. When I get back from that tour Aunty Niva, Coralie and Fa'aniniva Savaiinaea are sitting there with this gigantic cake for me. I am just overwhelmed at this point with all the love. It has been the best birthday ever. My friends and I decided not to buy pizza but instead we all went home for dinner at 8:00 p.m. and everyone came over to my apartment and we made pizza and ate cake, waffles, chips and just had a really nice little birthday party. So fun! My friends are seriously the bestest friends ever. Such a great birthday and I saw Sister Vaivai and she told me that another lady had been looking for me to wish me a happy birthday but she never found me. :( What a great birthday right? I think so!
Well, the next day we were on our way to the Teaching Centre before the Brigham City Temple Dedication session and there was a guy and his son sitting on the side of one of the raised flower bed boxes. He looked at me and said, "Are you Sister Chadderton?" And I'm thinking, "What is going on?" Lol Then he explained that he was a missionary in Whakaki/Nuhaka when you used to live their mum as a young girl. He is the nicest guy and it was so cool thinking about Nanny Ma and Nanny Pa Solomon and NZ as I listened to him talk about his mission days. His son was with him and he is going on his mission in November so it was cool talking to the little pre-mi (Pre-missionary). His name is Steve Conners and he gave me some fresh veggies from his garden and the little tomatoes were like sweet grapes - so delicious - and my companion and I ate them all up. I was so grateful for his visit and he wished me a happy birthday at while he was doing that another familiar face walked towards me - Tim Mahoney! Tim had just been to see the 12:00 pm session of the Temple Dedication. It was fun catching up for the short time that we had because we had an investigator lesson to get to before the next Temple Dedication session at 3:00 p.m.
The Temple Dedication was awesome. Elder Russell M. Nelson conducted the session and a few different people spoke but Elder Boyd K Packed was the presiding officer and he spoke and honestly, he is a comedian. I didn't realize how funny he was but all of us sisters were having a good laugh because he was so cute. But the dedicatory prayer was beautiful and we were blessed to attend. Later on back at the Beehive House there was a lady by the name of Sister Mascarenas and her daughter waiting for me to give me a present who had tried finding me yesterday to give it to me on my birthday. She was so sweet and had bought me some Reeces chocolates and some delicious mint brownies from a good bakery that she liked. My disctrict was really grateful too. LOL.
Yesterday our mission had a meeting really early with the anchor woman in the USA for the Church Public Affairs Department whose name is Sister Ruth Todd. It was a great meeting and shared some very important tips with us, especially reminding us that we are the face of the Church but not just the pretty faces and then shared with us the importance of being:
Nice
Neighbourly
Informative
Conversational and
Enthusiastic
These were some really good tips, especially as we take big groups of people on tours here in the Square. She said that it's fun to be yourself while being a missionary and people appreciate you more when you personalize rather than preach at them. She was awesome and we had sung, "Called to Serve" as the opening song and she just bawled the whole time we were singing but she was so sweet. She told us that her son is currently serving in Thailand.
Later on that day I had what's called a new missionary interview with President Gillette and during the interview I asked President about whether or not I could see my sister Geena in February or not. He said that it would be a great and righteous thing to do especially as she will still be a missionary. He didn't give me specifics but Sister, it is full steam ahead and after that interview, I about ran out of his office all the way to Idaho to tell you but I will write you today instead because you'll probably find out sooner. But YAY! I get to see my sister in 5 months!!! Good news aye?
We also went to Sister McKay's and Sister Gehrig's apartment for dinner and Sister Gehrig is from Germany and she made us some German pancakes! They were so delicious and then we tried on each others clothes - like normal girls do - and swapped clothes for the week. Sister Gehrig borrowed some of my skirts and she pretty much made me take some of her shirts as a thank you lol. So sweet.
This morning guess what? I finally made it to the Temple! :D Yay! We woke up at 5:00 a.m. so we could do the 6:00 a.m. Initiatory session and be out in time to attend the 7:00 a.m. endowment session. Can I just say, "The Salt Lake Temple is incredible!" I can't even describe how beautiful and huge it is. It was so cool to finally go through this magnificent temple with almost my whole zone. What a great way to start the day!!!
Well, I haven't bought a new outfit for Conference yet because I kinda ran outta food last week so that's what the money went towards. I'm still learning how to stretch my money and it's hard work but it helps having a great companion. Sometimes we just cook and use both of our food so we can both have something to eat and we're all good. We are going to go look at Deseret Industries for modest, cheap, church clothes so that'll be fun and then I get to write letters, do laundry and have a nap.
Thank you for all your letters. Mum, I got your postcard that you sent from Rotorua and it said something about a t/shirt? When the sister missionaries saw the postcard of the Maori people doing a hongi, I told them that it was the traditional Maori way of greeting people. Hinalei, your drawings are so beautiful! Keep drawing and singing and sharing your toys with your brother. Oh and Hina about Button acting like she's a baby again, its completely normal especially when another baby is coming. It's a sort of attention seeking phase but you know our Button....I love her to pieces but seriously she can draw better than I can.
As you have read I have had a super fantastic week. The work is great and I am hoping we will have 2 baptisms shortly. Can you believe my first transfer is almot over? After conference we have transfers and Sister Calderwood and I are hoping we stay together seeing as she is my trainer lol. I am gonna fast this weekend with my zone for success with the members during conference weekend. We have to work super hard and have a goal to receive over 120 referrals from members which is possible for almost every companionship.
We taught over 100 guests this past week and 19 members. You may think that as missionaries we get to attend all the Conference sessions, but not so, because we only get to watch one session of Conference and then we wait for the Ensign to read the rest. It's all part and parcel of the sacrifices we make during the mission. So that means that you should all go to all 4 sessions because I can't lol. But keep on keeping on. Kendall congratulations brother on your mission call to Fiji. Oi you will fit right in!
Brogz and Em thanks for the birthday wishes and I love you both xo And congrats on being an aunty Brogan.
Love you all so much and I appreciate that you continue to do missionary work back home while we are away for this time.
Be safe and keep the faith.
Sister Nicola - 22 year old - Chadderton!!!
P.s. Congrats on the 50 years Nan and Grandad. That is a wonderful achievement and something that I will strive to accomplish one day too. And glad your still in love <3
Picture 1 - Oreo Cheesecake - birthday lunch
Picture 2 - Birthday cake from my Zone Leaders
Picture 3 - Fun pic
Picture 4 - Happy Birthday picture that my district put up on all the computers
Picture 5 - Birthday sign made by my companion and Sister Olden
Picture 6 - Little birthday party gathering
Picture 7 - German pancakes by Sister Gehrig with Sister McKay and Sister Calderwood
Picture 8 - Tim Mahoney and me
Picture 9 - Steve Conners son, Steve and me.
Picture 10 - Sister Mascarena's daughter, Sister Mascarena's and me
Picture 11-13 - Sister Bunting & Brother Bunting with me (Their daughter is currently serving in the Visitor's Centre in Temple View that my mum and dad have already met).
