March 27, 2012

Hello FAMILY!!!!!

Well, another week has come and gone and mind you it dragged at first and then suddenly it was Monday again. I am grateful for your emails and just everything you do for me. Well, Meridian is a one of a kind area. I am moving houses next week so keep sending snail mail to the mission office until I get into my new place then you can send mail again to my new address.  I'm closer to the Mission office now so mail should get here quicker.

Anyway's, Monday - this was a real crazy day! The transfer bus was late, which meant we got to Meridian late, and when we got to our place it was a MESS! Disgusting! And we had a Sister with us who was going home, so she had people she wanted to say goodbye to so we spent Monday night taking her around saying her goodbyes.

Tuesday - we were still trying to figure out what the heck was going on in this new area. It took us a while but we taught a few lessons and went around and tried to meet a few people but honestly, it was like walking around like chickens with our heads cut off. I was a little zombie and just kept going and going even though I felt we weren't all that organized.

Wednesday, we went and dropped the other Sister off to the Mission office as she was on her way home. It was nice to be with Sister Schoepf again and to set goals for this area. Then we had a member take us to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch where I had my usual salad and because I can't have too much dairy I got an awesome piece of chocolate cake instead of cheesecake.  That night, the member who was feeding us for dinner, took us to an Asian Buffet.  Spoilt!  We went and met a few people after dinner and then went home and tried to get a bit more organized.

Thursday was weekly planning and because we hadn't met too many people we didn't have much to plan but I was on a mission to CLEAN! I realized I am not a hoarder but dang there are a fair amount of Sisters who have lived in the room who were hoarders, so needless to say I chucked out and got rid of LOTS and LOTS of stuff that was unnecessary.  SO, Thursday we cleaned and got way more organized and then we headed out and met with some of our Ward Mission Leaders and got more acquainted with key people.

Friday came and we actually met one of our investigators so that was cool.  We taught a few more lessons and that night for dinner someone took us to this Mongolian Grill place.  So good!

Saturday was awesome. We had a baptism first thing in the morning.  It was a guy in one of our Wards but the senior couple had been teaching him and he was being baptized. It was an awesome experience. Then we taught a guy by the name of Craig and he has been meeting with missionaries for about a year now. We asked him about a baptismal date and he said that he wants to be baptised but he hasn't received a date from the Lord. Well, we suggested to pray with dates in mind so that the Lord had something to confirm to him, and he was like, "I have never done that before!"  Needless to say, after the lesson we wrote down some dates, then we all knelt down and prayed over them and he chose April 28 2012 as his date to be baptized.   The lesson was awesome and I felt like I was finally teaching like Sister Chadderton should be teaching and the spirit was able to confirm the truths I was teaching. I was being me as a missionary and not trying to fit into a cookie cutter missionary style of teaching. It was quite a break through. Well, the fun doesn't stop there. Later that day we have another appointment with a lady who lives in Eagle (out of our area but she requested Sister missionaries) and we are the closest pair so we went to visit with her and she is solid. Literally, she is set on being baptized and she chose May 5th as her date for baptism because she wants to learn more before she is baptized.  She said she has been wanting to be baptized for a long time but it was never the right time so she feels now is her time. It was just amazing to be sitting in her house and listening to all share all of her experiences.

Sunday we went to a couples Ward and taught a few less actives and then had dinner - which was home made (yum) -  and spent the rest of the night meeting new people.

This area is definitely way more different in comparison to my other areas.  Everyone lives in a sub division so there are houses right next door to each other. It is so clean, and I am pretty sure people prefer to eat out a lot more then eating in, which is actually good because then you don't offend anyone because you can order what you want. But it is interesting. It's the city and there are shops and everything so I feel more at home being here in the city then in the country. It reminds me A LOT of Kellyville or being in Australia and when we go for a run, we run on paved footpaths not dirt roads.

Anyway's, I know this transfer is a huge blessing from the Lord. I am excited to be back with Sister Schoepf and to see the miracles happening in this area. I love you all so much. I hope you have a good week. And I just realized I will be watching General Conference before you. I will thoroughly enjoy it for you, and I hope you watch it when it comes around - even early if you can. Anyway's, I hope you all have a great week. Love you family!!!!!!!!! Take care, Sister Chadderton.

March 13, 2012

Family,

Well, I feel very spoilt and humbled this week. We stopped at home quickly on Tuesday night to grab something before an appointment and we have a back entrance to our house with some steps into our living area. Well, President Roberts was holding the door open and he said something, something, Sister Chadderton so I wasn't paying attention as I went to walk up the stairs; but low and behold sitting on the stairs was a beautiful bunch of flowers, and then a fruit gift basket both with my names of them. I was so taken back and honestly silent. I cannot express how grateful I am for the love that I felt getting those packages. It meant so much to me!!!!!! And what was awesome was that on Monday my companion and I were wanting to buy fresh flowers for our place because they make everything better but we couldnt bring ourselves to pay $9.00 for a bunch of flowers, so we didn't. Then we got your bunch of flowers so it made everything better. I have to admit this week has been night and day different to last week. Its true when they say you need to lose yourself because it is during the times when I feel as if I am focusing more on myself or worrying about pleasing other people that I am most discouraged. But the gospel is true, Jesus Christ is my Saviour and he has infinite abilities to pull you from a place you dont want to be in. I love you all so much and honest to goodness Cola, I needed your card. I love you family and I am so glad to hear you are all doing well. 

I can't decide if I am more anxious for Cola's call or if you all are? I swear, about every night last week I had a dream about where she was going and every night it was some place different and whenever I would wake up I kept thinking, "Dang that wasn't real either!" And when I would tell my companion she would always say, "You are thinking about that way too much!" But, a Sister by the name of Vickie Pine should have added you on my page on Facebook a few weeks back. Her Husband Rian Pine may have added me on facebook too. They are my WML here in Shoshone. And so if you want to Facebook them about your call Cola, they can tell me. The mission office here is closed on Saturdays and they close at 5pm on Friday so it might be safer just to Facebook them and tell them to pass the message on. 

Anyway's, as I mentioned this week was a lot better. I just wrote myself a nice big long letter and told myself to get over myself and now we are doing better. Tuesday was pretty normal besides the flowers, Wednesday was normal, and then Thursday we did weekly planning which didn't end in a disaster so I was happy about that. I was praying hard that we would be able to make it through weekly planning still sane and it worked! Thursday night we had a cool experience. There is this mother and daughter who have been coming to one of our Wards for a while now but they weren't really open to taking the missionary discussions. They finally agreed to have us come teach them but wouldn't narrow us down to a time. We called them Wednesday night to see if we could visit on Thursday night but no answer and they never called us back. Well, Thursday afternoon while we were in Richfield we got a call from them saying it was fine to go over that night. So, we rearranged plans and off we went. It was awesome.The daughter really wants to be baptised, the Mum says she has already been baptised as a baptist so doesn't really see the need to do it again but I am excited to get to teach them and bring them closer to Christ. 

Then Friday we went to the dentist. There is this Dentist that does free dental work for missionaries so my companions teeth were hurting so I jumped on the band wagon and booked myself in for an appointment too. I got my teeth cleaned and I have to go back this week as I have 3 cavities that need to be filled. My companion has 2 cavities so needless to say we may have to slow down the sugar eating for a while. But it was a huge miracle to see a dentist for free. And Friday night we went to a Relief Society Dinner Celebration in Dietrich and it was awesome. The amount of less actives and Investigators that were there was overwhelming and it just made me happy that I knew a lot of the people. Sometimes it is scary not knowing everyone, but I've been in this area for about 4 months now and it is a bonus as I really am getting to know more and more people (members and non members alike) really well. It is transfers this week (we find out on Friday what is happening) and everyone is already starting to say goodbye to me because they know I have been here the longest and they are all certain I'm being transferred but we will wait and see what happens. I have really grown to love this area.

Then Saturday we were in Dietrich all day doing work, visiting our regular investigators there.  Yesterday we were in Shoshone for church. It was ward conference and the Stake Presidency was there. What is cool is that they do this thing where the stake president prays about names, and then the bishop calls those people up to bear a brief testimony. This is probably the 5th ward conference I have been to here in this area and it is so amazing everytime they do that because the people are exactly the right people who need to get up and say something and they always share something that has recently happened in their life.  What I couldn't get over is how the bishop yesterday talked strongly about holding on and how life is rough and tough but eventually it will get better which means a lot of people right now are feeling very pushed to their limits. It was a very uplifting Sunday.

Anyway's family this week was a happy week. I really enjoyed going through each day. This coming week is going to be utter chaos because we have dental appointments, we are going to the temple as a district, it's the last week of the transfer and not to mention there is a 5 km Fun Run that we have planned for this Saturday and all that it entails. I would ask that you pray for sunshine for the 5 km run as right now there is a 40% chance of showers so we need good weather to attract the crowds. And I did take a few pictures this week. Thank you family for being my rock and my support. I love you all so very, very, very, much. Take care. Stay strong.   Sister Chadderton.   

004 - Fruit Basket

005 - Flower Basket and me!

006 - A really really really long road we drove on. We were sick of seeing the middle of nothing so we stopped and took pictures. LOL...

March 20, 2012

FAMILY!!!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS COLA! Your the bomb. I am so excited to be serving close to you Sister and at least I can send all my recent converts down to SLC and you can take them on tours. LOL. Love you so much! 

Anyways family what a week! I think honest to goodness if I could fit anything else into this week I would have. But it was crazy in so many ways. Monday was awesome!  We went and played ultimate frisbee with the Elders and that night we taught a few lessons and our investigators are progressing as you can actually see a change in them so thats exciting. 

Tuesday was District meeting and it was our last district meeting for the transfer, so we tried this new restaurant for lunch because after district meeting you have district lunch. Anyway's, we got back to Shoshone, made flyers for the 5k (direction flyers so people knew which way to turn) and then went to the chapel to laminate them. Well, on arriving at the chapel I bolted for the toilet. I had the runs real bad (this may be too much information but its what happened) and that continued for about 2 hours straight. I couldn't be within 10mins of the bathroom as I was so sick. So needless to say eating was out, and so we had to go home so I could figure out what was up. I got some sprite and took immodium but still it wasn't settling my stomach. I was worried because the next day was the temple and I wanted to be able to sit through the temple. I got the Elders to come over and give me a blessing and then I slept soundly all night.

The next morning I had the strongest feeling like I shouldn't eat anything, just stick to liquids because my stomach was still not 100%. So I stuck to the sprite.  We went to the temple and I made it through the session which was a huge miracle. Got back to Shoshone and had dinner (my first meal for the day - I was possibly starving) but not more then an hour later the runs came back. I made it through our last lesson for the night then went home and again the same thing happened. I realized nothing was staying in my stomach. By the way disclaimer I wasn't angry that I was sick and it was actually a pretty positive experience. I kept telling myself, "This is not getting me down, this is not getting me down."

Well, Thursday morning I found out about Cola's mission call and I had my dentist appointment so again I didn't eat anything and went to the dentist. Got 4 fillings so my whole mouth was numb and sore. So, as I was trying to get the numbness to wear off and the stomach pains to go away I kept thinking, "This is ridiculous. If I don't eat I will probably pass out and when they tell my mum I passed out because I didn't eat, because I was sick, she is going to kick my butt for being so dumb." So, I called the nurse and told her about my stomach and she reassured me that it was just a virus going around and that a lot of the missionaries were getting it so not to worry. She said to stick to liquids and if I did feel hungry to eat soft foods like bananas or eggs etc.  I made me some eggs once I could gain feeling in my mouth again. Then we finally went out for the day and it was an awesome experience. My companion felt strongly about going to this one ladies house so we did, only to find out she had just gotten out of jail from a drink driving charge and she was ready to change her life and get back into full fellowship. So we were excited about that. It was one of those experiences where you know you are in the right place at the right time. It was funny because I had thanksgiving with her and her family and when I was leaving that night she said to me, "You know you have changed, you have morphed into this awesome missionary from when I first met you!"  So, I thought that was cool even though it took me back a little bit. Well, we found out that another lady whose family we are working with was in the hospital so we went to see her. We called up the Elders first so that they could go and give her a blessing and then visited for a bit. She is a mother of 4 children and her husband is slowly being reactivated so they can be sealed this year. I love this lady and its so sad to see her in the hospital.

Then Friday! Friday we were spending all day getting 5k stuff ready. We went to Twin and brought all the healthy snacks and picked up the t/shirts, came home and set up or got as much ready as we could so that Saturday morning wouldn't be a mad rush. That night was a Relief Society birthday celebration dinner so we stayed for that and then went home and waited for transfer calls. And low and behold they came and I am being transferred. I am going to Meridian and my companion will be Sister Schoepf again. We are "shotgunning" an area which basically means they took all the missionaries out who were there and we get put in new without a guide as to whats happening.  We just get to rely on the records and everything. But I was so shocked when it said I was going to be with Sister Schoepf again. I am so excited and ready for a change. Meridian is just outside of Boise and I leave at 1:00 pm so I will be able to update you with addresses and everything next week. Meridian is a city in comparison to these tiny towns I have been in, so it will be an interesting experience.  Sister Schopef heads back to Nauvoo in April so I will end the transfer probably with a different companion.

Saturday, "RACE DAY!!!"  It is upon us!  We get up and get off to the chapel as quickly as we can. It's raining and lots of it!  It's okay, we got in there and filled up the coolers and then loaded everything onto the back of Brother Pines truck and then we head out to set up the cones so people know where to turn during the race and also to set up the water stations.  Brother Pine said he put a picture on facebook of us on the back of his truck. Sister Cline and I rode on the back of his truck and he rode inside his truck. It rained the entire time and even with my jacket on I was soaked through!!!!! We were having the greatest time on the back of the truck and I kept thinking are we being dumb, should we just cancel this race then we got a phone call and it was Sister Pine calling looking for the registration forms because people were there to sign in. We had over 80 people turn out to run the race in the rain!!!!!! We got back after setting up and I was soaked, Sister Cline was soaked and we hadn't even started the race yet. But we saw that the gym was full and we were so, so, happy. Luckily I had taken a spare jumper so i put that on, we got everyone registered and then the race started and yes I did run the race. I ran it in 36 mins which I was quite happy about because everytime we would run the 5k at night or in the morning I never broke the 40min barrier so to get under 40mins I was happy as!!!!! And there were non-members there so I know it will create opportunities for Sister Cline. And yup, I would definitely plan another fun run. It was an awesome experience and we received nothing but postive feedback from it. A miracle was that after the run was over it started snowing so I consider rain a huge blessing in comparison to it snowing and not being able to run in the snow. It snowed all weekend since the fun run ended so I know the Lord was definitely blessing us with light showers instead of icy storms. Prayers really are answered. 

Then Sunday came and we went to Carey for church and I got to say goodbye to some people up their but the coolest thing happened. Remember Brenda who was baptised back in December? Well, her husband is a less active member and often he would hide from us when we would go over to teach Brenda. After some persistance, while we were in Carey yesterday the Bishop asked him to stand and he was ordained to the office of a priest in the Aaronic Priesthood. I had no idea that he was working on that and I about cried when he stood up. This is the same guy that would hide from the missionaries.  He is trying to do everything he can now to get him and his wife to the temple in December. It was such a cool thing to see. The church really is true. I am excited for the next transfer and I will probably be in Meridian a couple of transfers. I love you family and this weeks highlight was definitely learning about Cola's mission call!!! I love you all so much and here are some pictures below. Take care, keep close to the Saviour. I love you all so much. Sister Chadderton (P.s It really was a good week)

007 - my district this transfer

008  - me and sis cline

009 - all the missionaries who came (before the race)

010 - me and sis cline

011 - start of the race

012 - me crossing the finish line (sister cline came back and ran the last bit with me)

013 - back of the tshirts and end of race picture

014 - me kasey, and bro pine

015 - me sister pine and sister cline after the race

016 - me signing bro pines shirt

017 - this is what the pine kids got up to last night while we were there for dinner

021 - President and Sister Roberts and Me!

20th March 2012

FAMILY!!!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS COLA! Your the bomb. I am so excited to be serving close to you Sister and at least I can send all my recent converts down to SLC and you can take them on tours. LOL. Love you so much! 

Anyways family what a week! I think honest to goodness if I could fit anything else into this week I would have. But it was crazy in so many ways. Monday was awesome!  We went and played ultimate frisbee with the Elders and that night we taught a few lessons and our investigators are progressing as you can actually see a change in them so thats exciting. 

Tuesday was District meeting and it was our last district meeting for the transfer, so we tried this new restaurant for lunch because after district meeting you have district lunch. Anyway's, we got back to Shoshone, made flyers for the 5k (direction flyers so people knew which way to turn) and then went to the chapel to laminate them. Well, on arriving at the chapel I bolted for the toilet. I had the runs real bad (this may be too much information but its what happened) and that continued for about 2 hours straight. I couldn't be within 10mins of the bathroom as I was so sick. So needless to say eating was out, and so we had to go home so I could figure out what was up. I got some sprite and took immodium but still it wasn't settling my stomach. I was worried because the next day was the temple and I wanted to be able to sit through the temple. I got the Elders to come over and give me a blessing and then I slept soundly all night.

The next morning I had the strongest feeling like I shouldn't eat anything, just stick to liquids because my stomach was still not 100%. So I stuck to the sprite.  We went to the temple and I made it through the session which was a huge miracle. Got back to Shoshone and had dinner (my first meal for the day - I was possibly starving) but not more then an hour later the runs came back. I made it through our last lesson for the night then went home and again the same thing happened. I realized nothing was staying in my stomach. By the way disclaimer I wasn't angry that I was sick and it was actually a pretty positive experience. I kept telling myself, "This is not getting me down, this is not getting me down."

Well, Thursday morning I found out about Cola's mission call and I had my dentist appointment so again I didn't eat anything and went to the dentist. Got 4 fillings so my whole mouth was numb and sore. So, as I was trying to get the numbness to wear off and the stomach pains to go away I kept thinking, "This is ridiculous. If I don't eat I will probably pass out and when they tell my mum I passed out because I didn't eat, because I was sick, she is going to kick my butt for being so dumb." So, I called the nurse and told her about my stomach and she reassured me that it was just a virus going around and that a lot of the missionaries were getting it so not to worry. She said to stick to liquids and if I did feel hungry to eat soft foods like bananas or eggs etc.  I made me some eggs once I could gain feeling in my mouth again. Then we finally went out for the day and it was an awesome experience. My companion felt strongly about going to this one ladies house so we did, only to find out she had just gotten out of jail from a drink driving charge and she was ready to change her life and get back into full fellowship. So we were excited about that. It was one of those experiences where you know you are in the right place at the right time. It was funny because I had thanksgiving with her and her family and when I was leaving that night she said to me, "You know you have changed, you have morphed into this awesome missionary from when I first met you!"  So, I thought that was cool even though it took me back a little bit. Well, we found out that another lady whose family we are working with was in the hospital so we went to see her. We called up the Elders first so that they could go and give her a blessing and then visited for a bit. She is a mother of 4 children and her husband is slowly being reactivated so they can be sealed this year. I love this lady and its so sad to see her in the hospital.

Then Friday! Friday we were spending all day getting 5k stuff ready. We went to Twin and brought all the healthy snacks and picked up the t/shirts, came home and set up or got as much ready as we could so that Saturday morning wouldn't be a mad rush. That night was a Relief Society birthday celebration dinner so we stayed for that and then went home and waited for transfer calls. And low and behold they came and I am being transferred. I am going to Meridian and my companion will be Sister Schoepf again. We are "shotgunning" an area which basically means they took all the missionaries out who were there and we get put in new without a guide as to whats happening.  We just get to rely on the records and everything. But I was so shocked when it said I was going to be with Sister Schoepf again. I am so excited and ready for a change. Meridian is just outside of Boise and I leave at 1:00 pm so I will be able to update you with addresses and everything next week. Meridian is a city in comparison to these tiny towns I have been in, so it will be an interesting experience.  Sister Schopef heads back to Nauvoo in April so I will end the transfer probably with a different companion.

Saturday, "RACE DAY!!!"  It is upon us!  We get up and get off to the chapel as quickly as we can. It's raining and lots of it!  It's okay, we got in there and filled up the coolers and then loaded everything onto the back of Brother Pines truck and then we head out to set up the cones so people know where to turn during the race and also to set up the water stations.  Brother Pine said he put a picture on facebook of us on the back of his truck. Sister Cline and I rode on the back of his truck and he rode inside his truck. It rained the entire time and even with my jacket on I was soaked through!!!!! We were having the greatest time on the back of the truck and I kept thinking are we being dumb, should we just cancel this race then we got a phone call and it was Sister Pine calling looking for the registration forms because people were there to sign in. We had over 80 people turn out to run the race in the rain!!!!!! We got back after setting up and I was soaked, Sister Cline was soaked and we hadn't even started the race yet. But we saw that the gym was full and we were so, so, happy. Luckily I had taken a spare jumper so i put that on, we got everyone registered and then the race started and yes I did run the race. I ran it in 36 mins which I was quite happy about because everytime we would run the 5k at night or in the morning I never broke the 40min barrier so to get under 40mins I was happy as!!!!! And there were non-members there so I know it will create opportunities for Sister Cline. And yup, I would definitely plan another fun run. It was an awesome experience and we received nothing but postive feedback from it. A miracle was that after the run was over it started snowing so I consider rain a huge blessing in comparison to it snowing and not being able to run in the snow. It snowed all weekend since the fun run ended so I know the Lord was definitely blessing us with light showers instead of icy storms. Prayers really are answered. 

Then Sunday came and we went to Carey for church and I got to say goodbye to some people up their but the coolest thing happened. Remember Brenda who was baptised back in December? Well, her husband is a less active member and often he would hide from us when we would go over to teach Brenda. After some persistance, while we were in Carey yesterday the Bishop asked him to stand and he was ordained to the office of a priest in the Aaronic Priesthood. I had no idea that he was working on that and I about cried when he stood up. This is the same guy that would hide from the missionaries.  He is trying to do everything he can now to get him and his wife to the temple in December. It was such a cool thing to see. The church really is true. I am excited for the next transfer and I will probably be in Meridian a couple of transfers. I love you family and this weeks highlight was definitely learning about Cola's mission call!!! I love you all so much and here are some pictures below. Take care, keep close to the Saviour. I love you all so much. Sister Chadderton (P.s It really was a good week)

007 - my district this transfer

008  - me and sis cline

009 - all the missionaries who came (before the race)

010 - me and sis cline

011 - start of the race

012 - me crossing the finish line (sister cline came back and ran the last bit with me)

013 - back of the tshirts and end of race picture

014 - me kasey, and bro pine

015 - me sister pine and sister cline after the race

016 - me signing bro pines shirt

017 - this is what the pine kids got up to last night while we were there for dinner

021 - President and Sister Roberts and Me!

13th March 2012

Family,

Well, I feel very spoilt and humbled this week. We stopped at home quickly on Tuesday night to grab something before an appointment and we have a back entrance to our house with some steps into our living area. Well, President Roberts was holding the door open and he said something, something, Sister Chadderton so I wasn't paying attention as I went to walk up the stairs; but low and behold sitting on the stairs was a beautiful bunch of flowers, and then a fruit gift basket both with my names of them. I was so taken back and honestly silent. I cannot express how grateful I am for the love that I felt getting those packages. It meant so much to me!!!!!! And what was awesome was that on Monday my companion and I were wanting to buy fresh flowers for our place because they make everything better but we couldnt bring ourselves to pay $9.00 for a bunch of flowers, so we didn't. Then we got your bunch of flowers so it made everything better. I have to admit this week has been night and day different to last week. Its true when they say you need to lose yourself because it is during the times when I feel as if I am focusing more on myself or worrying about pleasing other people that I am most discouraged. But the gospel is true, Jesus Christ is my Saviour and he has infinite abilities to pull you from a place you dont want to be in. I love you all so much and honest to goodness Cola, I needed your card. I love you family and I am so glad to hear you are all doing well. 

I can't decide if I am more anxious for Cola's call or if you all are? I swear, about every night last week I had a dream about where she was going and every night it was some place different and whenever I would wake up I kept thinking, "Dang that wasn't real either!" And when I would tell my companion she would always say, "You are thinking about that way too much!" But, a Sister by the name of Vickie Pine should have added you on my page on Facebook a few weeks back. Her Husband Rian Pine may have added me on facebook too. They are my WML here in Shoshone. And so if you want to Facebook them about your call Cola, they can tell me. The mission office here is closed on Saturdays and they close at 5pm on Friday so it might be safer just to Facebook them and tell them to pass the message on. 

Anyway's, as I mentioned this week was a lot better. I just wrote myself a nice big long letter and told myself to get over myself and now we are doing better. Tuesday was pretty normal besides the flowers, Wednesday was normal, and then Thursday we did weekly planning which didn't end in a disaster so I was happy about that. I was praying hard that we would be able to make it through weekly planning still sane and it worked! Thursday night we had a cool experience. There is this mother and daughter who have been coming to one of our Wards for a while now but they weren't really open to taking the missionary discussions. They finally agreed to have us come teach them but wouldn't narrow us down to a time. We called them Wednesday night to see if we could visit on Thursday night but no answer and they never called us back. Well, Thursday afternoon while we were in Richfield we got a call from them saying it was fine to go over that night. So, we rearranged plans and off we went. It was awesome.The daughter really wants to be baptised, the Mum says she has already been baptised as a baptist so doesn't really see the need to do it again but I am excited to get to teach them and bring them closer to Christ. 

Then Friday we went to the dentist. There is this Dentist that does free dental work for missionaries so my companions teeth were hurting so I jumped on the band wagon and booked myself in for an appointment too. I got my teeth cleaned and I have to go back this week as I have 3 cavities that need to be filled. My companion has 2 cavities so needless to say we may have to slow down the sugar eating for a while. But it was a huge miracle to see a dentist for free. And Friday night we went to a Relief Society Dinner Celebration in Dietrich and it was awesome. The amount of less actives and Investigators that were there was overwhelming and it just made me happy that I knew a lot of the people. Sometimes it is scary not knowing everyone, but I've been in this area for about 4 months now and it is a bonus as I really am getting to know more and more people (members and non members alike) really well. It is transfers this week (we find out on Friday what is happening) and everyone is already starting to say goodbye to me because they know I have been here the longest and they are all certain I'm being transferred but we will wait and see what happens. I have really grown to love this area.

Then Saturday we were in Dietrich all day doing work, visiting our regular investigators there.  Yesterday we were in Shoshone for church. It was ward conference and the Stake Presidency was there. What is cool is that they do this thing where the stake president prays about names, and then the bishop calls those people up to bear a brief testimony. This is probably the 5th ward conference I have been to here in this area and it is so amazing everytime they do that because the people are exactly the right people who need to get up and say something and they always share something that has recently happened in their life.  What I couldn't get over is how the bishop yesterday talked strongly about holding on and how life is rough and tough but eventually it will get better which means a lot of people right now are feeling very pushed to their limits. It was a very uplifting Sunday.

Anyway's family this week was a happy week. I really enjoyed going through each day. This coming week is going to be utter chaos because we have dental appointments, we are going to the temple as a district, it's the last week of the transfer and not to mention there is a 5 km Fun Run that we have planned for this Saturday and all that it entails. I would ask that you pray for sunshine for the 5 km run as right now there is a 40% chance of showers so we need good weather to attract the crowds. And I did take a few pictures this week. Thank you family for being my rock and my support. I love you all so very, very, very, much. Take care. Stay strong.   Sister Chadderton. 

  

004 - Fruit Basket

005 - Flower Basket and me!

006 - A really really really long road we drove on. We were sick of seeing the middle of nothing so we stopped and took pictures. LOL...

6th March 2012

Hey Family,

Thank you for all your emails. I do appreciate them. And I have been getting your letters Mum and Dad. I forgot to mention that in my previous emails but I appreciate those as well. Its good to hear that everything is going well at home and that we are still waiting for news on Cola's mission call. Do not worry it will be on its way sooner then you think. And then the waiting won't feel so long. But I am so excited to hear what will happen.

Anyway, this week was one of a kind. P-Day was good. Then Tuesday our day was packed. It was awesome. Tuesday morning we filled out a form for a local dairy company to donate dairy goods to our 5 km run. They say that this company donates stuff normally for any community event because of how much dairy is produced in the local area. So we asked for cheese sticks, choc milk, regular milk, and yougurt as a supplement to the fruit that we will provide as snacks. Then we planned the route, met with the Chief of Police and asked him what he needed from us and then organized the t-shirts, the first aid and a few other things. The YW/YM are making posters of the WOW for us. We have a guy in Twin Falls who is making the t-shirts at a reasonable cost and I have ordered you all one and guessed the sizes. So, if they don't fit I apologise. They are green t-shirts (because the event is going to be held on St. Patrick's day) and they will have a logo on the back with a smaller logo on the front. Its funny because we were trying to find people to pre-order the t-shirts for so that we had some for the day and the rest of the t-shirts will be ordered on the day, and I thought well I have like 8 people in my family, lets order them all one, so be very excited for a green t-shirt. I am still trying to figure out how to actually get them to you all but thats okay. It will happen. Lol. Then the afternoon on Tuesday was great. We taught a lesson every hour and it was great. We met with some new less active people and one of the couples actually came to church on Sunday so that was cool. 

Wednesday we had district meeting and it was probably the first day in about a week that we didn't have to work on the 5 km run. It had snowed a little bit that morning and when we went running the snow stopped and the wind stopped until we were done running. It was cool. That day was spent in Shoshone and again and again the same thing happened with the weather. We were busy because every hour we had an appointment to teach mostly less active people but it was awesome. Just to have something to do is awesome as we do not have to be guessing where we need to be. The night ended with us going running again as I am trying to run 5 km every day. I run half in the morning and then half at night. I feel so cold most of the time when we go running so I'm not getting as fast as I would like to, but hey, running is better then nothing. And my calves always freeze up on me. Probably a sign its cold. Anyways its still good. 

Then Thursday I ran into a brick wall. It was a rough day. But the work goes on. I am learning that sometimes being exactly obedient doesn't mean being perfect. I'm pretty sure I have put a lot of unrealistic expectations on myself that I don't need to be worrying about. So, I am going back to the basics and refocusing. I know this is where I need to be. 

Friday was good and we spent the day in Carey and once again, very busy every hour. It was a great day and we did service and met some new less active people again. Then on Saturday we were in Dietrich and later headed up to Hailey to have dinner with the Stake President. It was awesome to be able to meet with him and after dinner we stayed and supported the Elders up there who had a baptism, then it was home time to Shoshone.

Sunday we were in Dietrich and one of our investigators came to church and it was awesome. We also had another couple agree to meet with us during this new week so we are excited about that. Sunday finished well and overall the week was good despite the trials in between. Thank you again for all the encouragement. I love you family, I really do. Take care, Sister Chadderton.

28th February 2012

FAMILY!

Wow thats some exciting emails.  Oh I love you family. And Mola, its coming.............. Real soon. Im so excited!!!!! Anyways family this week has been a pretty rough week. Probably one of the most trying weeks on the mission thus far. I don't know how to explain why it was so rough but it was.

Monday was awesome and I love P-Day's as we get to have a break from our busy schedule.   Monday night we had dinner with a family in our area and after dinner we went out and taught a few lessons. When we got home, I prepared for bed and during the night I was up, "A LOT" because I kept getting sick. The next morning my companion said to me, "Stay in bed and rest!"  So I did because I just felt so left field. She kept looking at me and she said, "I have not seen you this sick ever!" So needless to say we didn't get out of our apartment until much later in the day. I know it had to be something I ate at dinner.  It may have been loaded with Dairy because I was sick!  But I hate being sick because I feel like I'm not fulfulling my purpose as a missionary when I'm laid up in bed trying to get better. But the day finished well so that was good. I am just grateful for my companion being so understanding. 

Wednesday arrived and we did our weekly planning and organized the rest of our week and then went out and did some missionary work. I was feeling so discouraged by the end of the day. Mostly because I just felt like I was in this rutt and that our area was not changing and I hadn't seen any changes for the past few weeks.

Anyway, on Thursday we had interviews with President Cannon and it was so great. He was so supportive and encouraging and he dismissed a lot of my fears.  I'm pretty sure I work myself up sometimes for no reason. On Friday we got up and went for a run.  It was awesome.  That same morning during companionship study we were talking and throwing random ideas around about finding people to teach. Then we had a lightbulb moment.  We got thinking and started talking about organizing a, "5 km Fun Run" for the Stake/ Community.  The more we got talking about this fun run, the more ideas we had pop into our heads and the more we became motivated to do it. So, we mapped it all out. We prayed and prayed some more, and then we felt like this was a real prompting that we needed to act on. We looked at the Calender and with only 3 weeks left before the next transfer the only date to hold the fun run on would be March 17 2012. Well, we ironed out a few details and then we decided lets put this into action. We called our Stake President and he said, "Yeah, I will support that. Go ahead!" So, we are doing it.  We are going to make it happen!"  We have talked to so many people about the 5 km run and they are all excited for it. To break it down a little more its called the," WOW 5 km Fun Run" which stands for, "Word of Wisdom!"  We will hold the run here in Shoshone and it will be for everyone in the Carey Stake and the Jerome Stake. It will be on March 17, 2012 which is St. Patrick's day, and we will have healthy snacks, and goody bags with, "WOW pamphlets" in them and a granola bar as well as stuff for the kids. And then when the runners come into the Church building after the race there will be a, "WOW" display set up by the youth showing what the WOW is etc. There are a few more details we need to finalize but after praying about this we just felt a renewed sense of determination and it has been awesome. Everyone we have talked to so far have been nothing but supportive (I cant decide if thats' because we are missionaries or they genuinely are excited for the event) but nonetheless the amount of community non-members that we have met with regard to organizing this race is huge. It's kinda exciting planning an event like this and my companion and I can see the missionary opportunities from it. This particular community of Shoshone is into fitness and getting fit but mostly community events so I am excited to hopefully get a lot of people involved. We are hoping to get t/shirts and everything for it too and the Stake President said we could have a budget for it so we are excited for that. So that is my good news for the week in that we are organizing a 5 km WOW Fun Run in Shoshone, Idaho.  So, in the mornings when we go running, we are running 5 km as we are in training for it, but we have come to the realization that we probably won't be running in the actual Fun Run as we will need to be at home base making sure everything is going smoothly. 

Anyway, the week ended well and yesterday at Church my companion and I were asked to help out with the Sunbeams class. They have 10 sunbeams! It was crazy! Honestly, I had 3 at tops in my class in Aeroview Ward and there were 10 in this class.   It was amazing to see the different levels of spirituality between home and family life.  We could tell just by simple things who prays and reads scriptures as a family and everything and who doesn't. Those basics are so important.

I am ready for another week and this transfer is going to fly by now that we are planning and organizing our Fun Run along with the lessons we have scheduled to teach this week. I love you all so much family. I cant wait to hear about Cola receiving her call and where she gets called to. Take care family,  Love Sister Chadderton 

These arent the best pics, but they are better then nothing.

001 - These awesome cloud formations I saw the other day

003 - The Coombs family (The lady was the one who called you to say hello Mum)