22 October 2013

Hi family,

WOW! What a crazy, epic week it has been since I last emailed.  I hope I get to share with you the most important pieces of information from my past week.

Okay, so I want to to share what happened before I left the South Carolina Mission to return to Temple Square.  So, on Monday night we had pizza at Bishop's home and it was so awesome.  Pretty much our whole zone arrived for homemade pizza.  Seriously, Bishop is the bomb! The next day I finished packing and a member drove us to Irmo and I went on exchanges with some Sisters that were waiting to find out who their new companions were. Sister Hopper was one of the sister missionaries waiting and I was so happy to see her as she was my first companion when I arrived in the field.  At 5:00 p.m. we met back at the Irmo chapel where we had dinner with the new trainees - fresh from the MTC and they had a testimony meeting and President Holm had Sister Nilsson and I share our testimonies too.  That was an awesome experience.  We stayed at the mission home that night and were dropped off to the airport early the next morning.

Arriving in Salt Lake City was so awesome as we were welcomed by screaming friends at the bottom of the escalator shouting, "WELCOME HOME!"  It was so awesome and the escalator was moving too slow for my liking because I wanted to run down it and hug everyone.  Sister Vaivai was there and some of my other close friends and it was a sweet, sweet reunion. Then we went outside and there were heaps more Sisters waiting to welcome us as well as pick us all up and again more screaming and hugs!  So fun! My first trainee, Sister Pipe wanted to drive me home.  She is a trainer now and I was so happy for her.

My new companion is Sister Vach from Seattle, Washington and we are the Temple Square Co-ordinators.  This assignment was implemented a few transfers ago and it is a really tricky one to explain.  Basically,  we help make the Square run smoothly and we do a lot of the training on Temple Square.  We are in the office a ton and attend the weekly staff meetings with the Mission Presidency. I have really enjoyed it so far and it is an assignment where we are giving a lot of our time to help the Sisters.  We open and unlock the Square everyday at 9:00 a.m. so we miss out on our personal studies at that time and have to make it up later.  But my companion is seriously the best and we have a lot of fun.  Sister R.Walsh is my District leader and Sister Olden and Anderson are my Zone leaders and I am so happy!   Oh and get this, "Sister Olden and I are taking a VIP tour with a Senator Elect of Australia this week!"  It's going to be awesome.

So, I have no idea who all the new Sisters are because there are over a 100 new sisters and I am struggling with their names but its been less then a week since returning so I'll get there.

I have loved being back on Temple Square and while I am missing South Carolina and all the people I am grateful for technology that allows us to keep in touch.  I called our investigator Brian yesterday and he went to church and I was so happy!  He is striving for baptism next week so please keep praying for him and his brother Jeff.

We are really busy as usual on Temple Square and I love looking for the miracles each day. We took a tour the other day with this sweet, sweet, couple from Kentucky.  One of their business associates had dropped them off for a tour (he's LDS) and it was the coolest tour. The Spirit was so strong and they are looking forward to meeting with missionaries once they get back to Kentucky and we are going to call them next week.  Miracle! 

Family I can't thank you enough for the package.  I got it the day after I arrived and I had a party with my room mates that night - munching away on the choccies. Oh and mum, I have the little bag for Sister Bunting, let me know when she comes to the Square so I can give it to her. The package was awesome and the shoes were very much appreciated!

This is my companions last transfer and next transfer  it will be my last.  I love my mission and I love that the world is hastening the work. Can't wait to be a member missionary when I come home.

Love you all, thanks for your prayers and love.

Sister Chadderton