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!
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