Hey family!!!
Oh my goodness, General Conference was AMAZING!!!! It was so nice to view it all without having sore feet. I am so grateful for the blessings that the Lord gives us but I want to tell you about my past week which was awesome.
Monday night we had a great lesson with the Taber family who live on a golf course. They are vegans and we were served some of the most delicious food. Anyway, they had invited their neighbours over to hear a gospel message. I believe the lesson went well, mainly because I remember coughing and spluttering a lot through it due to my flu. I'm grateful for the spirit. We gave them a Book of Mormon and then carried on to our next lesson with the two brothers - Brian and Jeff - our Hawaiian whanau. Jeff didn't join us in the lesson when we last visited but he joined us this time. He told us of a dream he had and I was in the dream but he doesn't remember what I said but he woke up feeling at peace about the things I had said so he decided then to start joining us on the lessons. When we would visit before he'd come up with lines like, "This is more for Brian then me!" I think he's realizing its important for him to learn and do as well. The lesson was awesome and following the lesson they invited us over for dinner on Saturday. They had made us Kailua pork and chicken luau with pasta. I think they knew this kiwi girl was missing her polynesian foods. I love our investigators!!! The biggest blessing came when both Brian and Jeff attended the Sunday sessions of General Conference at the Chapel the next day!!!! They even asked for a priesthood blessing from the Elders. It was so awesome. I love the gospel! Please keep them in your prayers as they are struggling with personal issues and are to be baptized next week.
Well, on Wednesday we woke up at 5:00 a.m. and car pooled with the Sisters in West Ashley area to Irmo. It is a two hour drive and we arrived a little early so we stopped by the waffle house for breakfast. At 9:00 a.m. we had Mission Leadership Council with all the missionary leaders and it was so good. We had a break for lunch and later came together with all the trainers and district leaders in the mission. There was about 180 of us at this meeting and it was a little overwhelming but the spirit was awesome. My companion and I did our training segment which was all about working effectively with members and the importance of 1) Earning the trust of members, 2) Meeting with the members before the lesson to fill them in on the lesson plan and 3) Testifying of what the members share. We did a role play and it was super fun. You really had to be their to capture the spirit of it all. Because the training was for two days, we got to stay the night in the mission home with 21 other sisters. It was so much fun and I'm definitely excited about seeing my sisters on Temple Square (T2) next week. The next morning, we got up and did some exercising where we went running around the Irmo Dam and it was so beautiful. I forgot my runners so I just ran in bare feet! Go me! The leadership training was awesome and I really love the South Carolina Columbia Mission and I know I will miss it terribly when I leave. The members and investigators are so awesome. I don't think I'll get to see any of my investigators baptized in person but I'm excited to call them and strengthen them when I get back to the Square.
General Conference - President Monson in the Sunday morning session gave an awesome talk and in his opening remarks he basically said that he would go home after Conference and write in his journal that this was one of the most inspiring conferences that he has ever attended! Cool aye! The Waddle family are amazing and had us over on Saturday to watch the first session of Conference with them. They'd put on a huge spread of delicious food for everyone. We watched the second session at the Ward families home and that was fun too. I really felt the Lord's love for us this weekend because everyone was talking about missionary work and how they should do more of it with the members and be evenly yolked. I have decided to change my way of thinking so that instead of having a fear of returning home because I will miss my mission, I've decided to turn that fear into excitement and get excited for my next mission - being a member missionary and helping all of my loved ones who do not have the gospel to learn about it through the missionaries. So, if any of my friends are reading this who are not members of the Church, visit mormon.org and chat with a missionary on their because they can help answer any of your questions and help put you in touch with the missionaries in your own country. This message will not only bless your life but the lives of your family members too.
Thank you family and friends for all of your prayers. I really do feel them and I know it's your prayers that carry us missionaries through the hard times. I loved all the talks at General Conference. I felt that the speakers were very direct and BOLD in their messages and I loved it. The main theme I got from conference was how daily decisions determine destiny and how God's laws and doctrines don't change. Another huge thing was making sure we are not putting anything before God. I loved it!
Well, I better leave time to email some other people but thank you family for all you do and for all the people who are sacrificing for me to be here.
Love you all,
Sister Chadderton
Leadership training, Waddle family, Kailua pork and chicken dish.
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