27 March 2013

Yay!  Finally, I get to write to you all about my week!  It's awesome that we have 2 hours to email because I need every minute of it.  Thanks to those who wrote to me - you know who you are!

Well, as you know we had transfer Conference last week Monday and received our new assignments.  The conference was held in the Tabernacle Building around 7:30 a.m. and my new companion is Sister Whaley from Nevada.  She returned home shortly after she arrived in the mission due to health problems but she is a trooper and a great example to me because she came back out.  It was sad to say goodbye to Sister Stolp but she is doing great and her new companion is Sister Lupashko who has just returned from her outbound experience.  Sister Lupashko said she served with one of Jenna's MTC companions. Small world aye?  Apparently, she heard the other sisters talking about a, "Sister Chadderton" and she was like, "Wait!  What? We have a Sister Chadderton in our mission who is also from NZ!"  When she saw a picture of Jenna she said, "They must be sisters because they look so much alike!"  Haha.  I love it - sorry sister I can't remember where she went outbound to.

Anyway, so this past week we have seen a lot of changes take place and while change can be a little unsettling at first, you soon get use to it.  We are all gearing up for General Conference which is fast approaching and Temple Square is getting busier and busier each day.  I'm not sure how my companion will cope during Conference due to her health but we are mentally preparing ourselves for it and we will do our best.  Mum and Dad, you can decide when we can meet for the tours.  I may or may not run into during Conference because there will be over 21,000 people on the Square during that time and it may be better that we meet up after Conference.  Exciting times!  I am praying that there is an announcement at General Conference for a new temple to be built in Auckland, New Zealand - so know that my fingers and toes are crossed.

Last Saturday we had a General Conference, "Pump-up" meeting and it has inspired everyone to get excited.  At this same meeting President Gillette talked about a special field trip that we as sister missionaries would be going on.  I don't know if you've heard of, or watched the new Bible Videos on lds.org.  The set that these video's are filmed at is located in a small place called Goshen in Utah.  Well, our Mission Presidency have been working for over a year to have us visit the set.  It's a little tricky to have visitor's at the site because the people at the set in Goshen are always filming so they don't allow tours during that time.  However, there is a short gap during the build up to General Conference where they are accepting tours.  So, guess what?  We got to go!  My zone and another zone went yesterday (they split us up so their were still sisters on the Square).  We were given a packed lunch (yippee) and rode in a bus for about an hour and thirty minutes before arriving at Goshen.  It is a very small town and it looks like a farm and as we drove into the tour area  we saw this HUGE film set.  I know I was expecting a tour of the grounds but I was overcome even more to feel the spirit so strong at this venue.  Honestly, it was amazing!  Our tour guide explained to us that Elder Bednar and Elder Scott oversee the Bible Video filming and Elder Bednar had dedicated the ground especially for filming.  So, it was any wonder that we could feel the spirit so strong.  It was such an incredible place to visit and to me, it looked like a replica of Jerusalem that has been built out of Styrofoam, carved and then had stucco cement applied and then painted.  It's pretty hard core.   We knew it wasn't Jerusalem but this place had a reverence about it as you reflected on what happened in Jerusalem during the Savior's time.  We went down to the area where they filmed the Garden of Gethsemane video and we saw how they had even made their own Olive trees.  We looked up the hill and saw three crosses which is where they shot the Crucifixion at Golgotha.  What a humbling experience it was for me and I felt the spirit of that very tragic but sacred event.  The church is true and I don't need to say anything else!

I hope you all enjoy reflecting on that story and if you get a chance, watch the Bible videos because I went to the very place that they were filmed at and it was powerful.

Here's one to enjoy entitled, "He is Risen!":  http://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/he-is-risen?lang=eng

I'm excited for the chance we have to hear from our beloved Prophet and the apostles next weekend.  Make sure to spiritually prepare yourselves for Conference and listen and wait for the personal revelation you will receive for yourselves.  Write down that question list again and all your questions will be answered by the various speakers.

Oh and our assignment this transfer is, "Visitor Center Contacting Co-ordinators!"  This means that we have the opportunity to take Sisters from the MTC (that are going to serve in a Visitor's Center) around our mission and share with them what its like to serve at a Visitor's Center.  I am getting excited for when it's my turn to go outbound, but this week I have had fun being an airport Sister where I've picked up sisters who have returned from outbound, including my mission mum Sister Calderwood who just returned from serving 3 transfers in Louisiana.  She said she had so much fun and is really looking forward to meeting you Mum and Dad when you come for Conference.

Hope you all have a great week!  Oh and Sister Bunting was right, our Sound of Music performance went well and the spirit was powerful and there were a lot of miracles that were a result of the performance.  The performance was open to the public and there were a few people who wanted to learn more about the gospel because of it.  The sisters are so talented and the recording is, "Sound only" so when I get a copy I will definitely send you one.

Love you heaps,

Sister Chadderton

P.s  I've lost my camera cord that connects  to the computer but I will try and find another solution.  Dad, if you can, could you please bring that little device that I can put my memory card in to link it to the computer.  My camera is dead so I have been using my fellow missionaries camera's. Will send pictures as soon as I can.  Sorry!

14 March 2013

Hey everyone!!!! 

Wow what a week and it sounds like you are all having too much fun in the sun! We actually are experiencing 16 degree Celsius weather outside and its so nice and warm and later on we are going to the beach - no just kidding- there are no beaches here at Temple Square. But I'm glad it’s a lot warmer today then it has been!!!

Last Wednesday we went to Red Robin and Burger restaurant for our zone activity and it was great fun.  Our Zone leaders Sister Armstrong and Steenblik are the best and it was Sister Armstrong’s birthday celebration.  It was really good food and just fun spending time with everyone.  I can't believe we are at the end of another transfer okay maybe this one was only 5 weeks but still if you don't hear from me next week its because my P-day would've changed and I may or may not have one. It's scary not knowing what is going to happen because companions rarely stay together for 3 transfers in our mission but all goods the Lord knows best.

The square has been humming with so many people here to ski or to sight see.  Every Tuesday we meet lots of pre-MTC missionaries who go in on Wednesday so it’s really cool to see the huge influx of missionaries.  My companion and I did MTC contacting and then took 6 Elders around on a tour.  One was Elder Gemmell from Hastings and his brother went to BYU-H and worked in the MTC so that was pretty cool and if I remember from our genealogy chart we are distantly related to that family so small world.  The rest of the Elders were 4 from England and 1 from Finland and they were great Elders.  A few of them were the first 18yr olds going to the Alpine Germany mission. We took them to the conference centre and then on our way out one of the sisters called out to me and pointed to someone who was half way down the conference centre and who was waving at me.  It was my mate Tim Mahoney who I always forget works there and it caught me off guard so the Elders were asking me questions like “who is that?” and more probing questions. Nosey Elders aye? No they’re okay. 

We have been busy practicing our for our performance on Friday and its going to be so great the whole thing is I mean. We start at 7:30pm and the opening number is “Called to Serve” where we all march in with the flags of our country. We practiced the whole thing this morning and I am excited for Friday night. We have had a lot of early morning meetings and what not so it'll be nice to start the next transfer without a huge performance in the middle of it. Then after that it will be CROM. This is a nickname that some of the sisters refer to Conference as being the sister missionary’s form of Prom. Kind of ridiculous but they are starting to look for their 'CROM' outfits.  Oh the unique things our mission of all sisters brings!

Also this morning when we were practicing our island’s performance President & Sister Gillette were there watching us in the audience. I didn't know but President served his mission in Hawaii when he was 19 and the last number we close with is “Aloha Oe” and he had tears streaming down his face (both of them did) so it was special and I'm glad we end with that number for our performance.

Today is “East High School day” or so we are calling it. We are going to visit my beloved Zac Efron’s old filming ground – and in his honour we all wore red, white and black.  I'm sure we are going to get a lot of special looks today. It's great having friends on the mission that you can do fun things with.

Well the year is moving faster then I think it should, ridiculously fast oh and by the way we talked to Abigail today and she and her 18 year old daughter are getting their Patriarchal blessings woo hoo! Great family! Definitely going to visit them after the mission.

Hey Mum – so Sister Matautia (who is Jordy's mission preparation teacher) is a legend here on Temple Square! Seriously if only every missionary had the conversion story like she does and the power in her testimony. She trained Sister Vaivai and I love her so much. Jordy has no need to fear with her for a teacher I think she’s the next MTC President.  She was such a powerful missionary but can you believe that she was a devout Jehovah's Witness when she was 16 and her dad was a Bishop for our church and she would try and tell him why our church was wrong.

In the end he said to her "Why do you think you're special? 14.5 million people have read the Book of Mormon and have prayed and know that is true. Why do you think you are so special that you won't even read the Book of Mormon to know for yourself." So after reading and praying she knew it was true. Moral of the story - Read the Book of Mormon and Pray and you'll know its true.

Mum Sis Jardine says hello and is really excited to meet you next month and Jenna she said you need to email her!

Hope you have a great week, be happy and remember - God loves you! 

And I do too Sister Chadderton xoxo

P.S.  Summer is just around the river bend!!!!

7 March 2013

OH MY GIDDY AUNT!!!!

I even screamed out loud when I read that mum!!!!  Oh my goodness, I don't feel like emailing for very long because I am just so excited!  Of course it's up to President Gillette's discretion but this wouldn't be the first set of parents to see their children on Temple Square.  Oh, I am so happy even at the prospect of seeing you both! Ahhhhh!   But, it does all come down to whether President plans on sending me outbound on my next transfer or not .  We will wait and see.  But my fingers are crossed and I'm just excited that you get to come here and spend time at my mission.  Yay!!!! I love, love, love it!!!

Well, besides all that fun news I am sad to hear about your leg Joseph and hope you feel better soon!!! 

Our practices for our upcoming performance next week has improved so much and I know the Lord is helping the sisters with their poi because, boy, they have learnt so much and so fast! Seriously, it has  only just been over a month that we've been practicing and they are already for the village at PCC.  Haha.  I can't wait until next week to come even though I am getting burnt out by all the training.  But, the Lord is helping me to know where my limits are.

One of our investigators - Steve -  from England was doing so well and was on track for his baptism date but wanted to wait for his dad to be their so he pushed his baptism back. Well, we hadn't heard from hime for over a week and it wasn't like him.  We finally made contact and learnt that he has clinical depression and was in hospital. He told us that he is now an Athiest because he doesn't believe that if there was a God that he would be so cruel to anybody.  It was a hard thing for us to hear because my companion and I both care about him so much and I know that it's his depression that is speaking.   I have never felt so heart broken as I did when we hung up the phone and my companion and I had a little cry and the other sisters from our district were giving us hugs.  The hardest thing was that we know he has a testimony and he needs to rely on God the most now, especially during this trial but he is pushing him away.   We assured him that God loves him and that we would still be here.  We were so depressed after the conversation and we are not the first or last set of missionaries to have this happen to us. In the end,  the church is still true, I believe in Christ so what else matters?  We will trust that the Lord will watch over him and help him.  We wrote to the wonderful Evans family in England asking if they would write to Steve and share their testimonies to him and they are so sweet.  They said they would fast and pray for him too. Great family!  Abi is now the 2nd counsellor in their Young Women's presidency and Daniel is up there passing the sacrament. Tender mercies of the Lord.

And thanks heaps sister for this inspired excerpt:

Just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more. He therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion which polish you for your everlasting benefit.

-Elder Richard G. Scott

It was just what my companion and I needed because there has been a lot of trials with our investigators this week and more specifically this transfer. Nice to know the Lord is helping us grow!

Well, we got some cool news today in that our Mission President read a letter from the First Presidency allowing all the missionaries around the world to email friends and family on P-Day's and we have been given up to two hours of emailing time if we wanted to use it. How cool is that??? So friends of mine if you are reading this you can now email me and I will email you  back so please, "Go for Gold!"  I will try my best to email you back.

Love you all family,

Stay safe in Aussie mum!!!  Can't wait for the phone call to go to President's office this week! Haha.

Sister Chadderton xoxo

No pics this week but watch this uplifting Mormon message!

http://youtu.be/xdN8rfwW3SI Enjoy love you's!