30 October 2012

Family! 

Oh my goodness,  I just want to stare at the pictures of Baby Rawiri all day!  He is so handsome and cute!  I was so happy when I got the text from President Cannon and he actually forwarded me Mum's email so that was the best!  CONGRATULATIONS!!! AHHH!!!! I just want to sit and hold him.  Good thing he will still be a little guy when I see him in just over 8 weeks (don't worry I'm not trunky!).  That is just awesome.  "Good work team!  Go team go!" I say, "Team" because I know each of you played a pivotal role in the whole birthing experience such as watching children, offering support, and then babies arrival.  I love you family!  Well, my week was no where near as exciting as yours, but I will write a quick version of it so you can all go back and admire the baby for me please.  Oh, make sure he gets big kisses from Aunty Jenna!!!!!   Glad you have the blanket.  Bytheway, I love the name - Rawiri Tuileto'a Savaiinaea - so perfect.  Good job Hina and Joe.  You have beautiful children.

Okay so quick re-cap of the week:

Monday was P-Day, we emailed and then went to play games with the Elders and during our activity we get a phone call saying we need to be in Boise by 6:00 p.m. for a meeting which I was asked to conduct with all the Sister's regarding the Open House.  It's around noon at this point so we finish playing indoor soccer and about 1:30 p.m. we eat lunch then  look at a few shops.  I just wanted to find a Ross Store because I knew they would have my boots, so we decided to drive to Boise a little early and shop at the Ross Store there. Well, we get to Boise, go in to Ross's and, "I FIND BOOTS!"  Yay!  They are brown in color and lined and just perfect.  The best part is they were only $24.99 - bargain aye! They were originally $59.99 so that was a blessing!  With boots in hand, we head off to the Mission office and Sister Anderson and I meet with President Cannon to organize the meeting with the Sisters.  We finish the meeting with the Sister's at 7:30 p.m. and by this time we really should be driving home, getting some sleep and then getting up and driving back to Boise for our morning shift at the Temple.  We ended up staying the night in Boise but, we hadn't really packed an over night bag so luckily I was able to borrow some of the other Sister missionaries clothes and stuff.  It was great.

Tuesday, we worked at the Temple and after our shift we drove back to Parma to clean our apartment because Elder Haleck of the Seventy was doing Mission Tour and apartment inspections so we cleaned up then went out to dinner.  When we got home that night we did a lot of organizing for the new week ahead because we knew we would be all over the place.

Wednesday we had an appointment first thing in the morning with a lady named Tristan who likes to converse but doesn't really want to have the lessons, so we are re-thinking what to do with her.  After our visit with Tristan we drove back to the Temple.  We worked from 1:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. because half the Sister's had Mission Tour and weren't able to work.  It was a great day and we received four referrals for our area so that was exciting.  I was helping the office staff get organized too and on Wednesday night we stayed in Boise.

Thursday we got up and arrived at the Temple by 8:30 a.m. and worked their until 11:30 a.m. after which we headed to our Mission Tour and we were supposed to be there by noon but it took us a little longer then expected so we got there dead on 12:30 p.m. - just as it was starting.   I learnt that Elder O. Vincent Haleck was a Mission President in Samoa before he was  called to be a General Authority, so that was really cool.  He and his wife spoke to us and it was awesome.  They had a way of helping us truly understand the need to continually leave commitments but not just with our investigators but also for ourselves because there is always room for improvement.   I was then asked to stay behind after the meeting so I could interview with Elder Haleck so that was a cool surprise.  I got to interview with him only to find out that he does a lot of corresponding with the Area Office in NZ.  He said next time he corresponds with the NZ office he would say hi to my dad.  He knows Elder Wakolo too (can't remember if I spelt that right) - really well - so that was cool too.  He gave me some good advice for after my Mission and it was just a really cool interview.  He is so normal! That night we were off to dinner and then we went and contacted our referrals only to find out they were all LDS who had put themselves down as referrals. So that was interesting.

Friday, and first thing this morning we helped out at the bakery because we hadn't seen Duane or Laurie all week and then we went to District meeting and then to Boise. We worked at the Temple from 5:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. and it was funny because I was just taking a break and eating something in the kitchen when the phone sounded that we had a text message and I checked it and low and behold it was the news of my little nephew, so that was exciting!!!!! That night we stayed in Boise.

Saturday we worked from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. - when I say work, I mean we are answering people's questions, helping them feel the spirit, entering comment cards into a spreadsheet or entering referrals into this, "Referral Manager" system that the church has.  It was great but for some reason I wasn't feeling well all day so I decided to stay in the Mission Office most of the day helping out with more administrative work.  After we finished at the Temple we drove to Nyssa, had dinner, then went to a birthday party where we met lots of non-members and it was great.  Then we drove to Vale and stayed the night there because we needed to be at Ward Council the next morning.  So, it seems like we hadn't been home since early Friday morning.  It was a long weekend!

Sunday, one of the Ward's held their Sacrament Primary Presentation which was cool and then we had Ward Council, then we were asked to participate in another Primary Presentation so that was cool too.  We had another Ward Council, then we saw Laurie and Duane and got to know their situation.  That was interesting.  Then we went to Nyssa to meet with a man named Art who is waiting for First Presidency approval to be baptized.  He is an awesome, nice, old Mexican man. Then we went and contacted a couple of our LDS referrals and two were home and they were less active girls about 22 years of age who needed help getting back to church.  It was so cool to see that they genuinely wanted to change their lives. So we had a good lesson with them. Then we travelled home and got to have a bite to eat for dinner then we went to see Patsy and found that she needed our help with a few issues.   We got home by 9:30 p.m.  Breath!  So needless to say not a lot of down time of late.  I know without a doubt the Lord is giving me strength beyond my own to keep my head straight.  I know I have so much I am trying to remember and not forget that sometimes I think my mind is going to explode.  But, I am so grateful that the Lord is on my side.  Anyway's, still the best news of the week is the arrival of Baby Rawiri!!!!!!  YAY! And yes,  I want a Chadderton ring please.  Sign me up!  

Well, family I love you all.  Take good care of my new nephew.  I have so much love for him already.  They are the cutest baby pictures in the whole world. I am going to try and save them to a USB and print some off. Hehe!  Love you all and thanks for all the emails.  Thanks Uncle Rick for the email and when I get home you will have to take me hunting to find a Red stag!   Sister Chadderton xoxo

23 October 2012

Family!

Woohoo!  I got everyone's emails this week.  And honestly, I was waiting for pictures of baby Rawiri but no such luck!  Maybe this week something will happen. I think he's just scared because he is enjoying his home above - poor little guy.  Just keep reassuring him that his home on earth will be fine too and then he will come soon enough.  Just watch!  Anyway's, I am excited for when that day does come.  Great job on the gardening!  So many veggies.  I'm glad you are all getting your gardens in.  Don't forget to have patience with gardening, but its awesome seeing the produce grow in all the pictures you sent.  Here, everyone has a garden!  I kid you not. So, I am an expert in gardening and next year I will help out with the gardening.  Haha!   Anyway's,  my week has been CRAZY!  Crazy good! But, the craziness isn't about to end anytime soon.

So, last Monday after we did our emails, we went to the hairdresser's so my companion could get her hair cut.  Following that we went and had a game of tenpin bowling with the Elders and later my companion and I went shopping.  Still no luck with finding winter boots but I did see some cute ones, but nothing sat right so who knows what will happen. Then after P-Day we contacted a few referrals and we were walking the streets of Parma and we fell upon this one family that had just shot a deer - its hunting season - and they were cutting all the meat off the deer so we stopped and watched for a bit before leaving as they didn't want anything to do with the Church.  We went and saw Patsy and continued to reassure her that everything would be okay for her baptism.

Tuesday morning we were off to the Temple and we worked there from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. and yes, there were about 12,000 people that came through the first day. However, during the week the amount of people that come through drops significantly.  After the temple we had an appointment at 2:00 p.m. with a few ladies who are new investigators.  They are both Christian's of different faith's and have a mutual friend at their workplace who is a member of the church and they wanted to know more about the Church. So, during our lesson they had question after question and it was great to be able to teach them and answer their questions.   We set up an appointment to take them to the Open House later in the week.   Lunch time, so we headed home to grab a quick bite - late lunch - then we met with another family where the father had previously been diagnosed with a cancerous tumor on the brain but had had it removed a few months ago and so the day we visited, he had just found out that he was cancer free.  What a miracle!   It was incredible to see how their faith carried them through their trials.  We did a quick visit to Patsy then we headed to dinner with one of our Ward missionaries and on the way home we stopped in and dropped off several Open House invitations to Patsy's neighbors.  It was an awesome day but when we arrived home we were exhausted!

Wednesday we were drove to Vale and visited with Dwayne and Laurie at the bakery.  I made a new cookie and a new slice for them - I was experimenting with some of their recipes and the slice and cookie turned out really well.  I've made sure to keep a copy of the recipe and will try and recreate it for you when I come home.   After the bakery we had another appointment in Vale where we went over the baptismal interview questions with a girl who is being baptized on November 10th, then we drove back to Nyssa to help set up for Patsy's baptism. The Ward Mission Leader said it would take 3 hours to fill the baptismal font so we arrived at the Stake Centre around 5:00 p.m. and the baptism was scheduled for 7:30 p.m.  Well, the font filled in an hour so that was awesome. We set up the whole room and I finished revising my talk, then people started arriving but by 7:30 p.m. Patsy still hadn't arrived.  I quickly checked our phone and low and behold there was a message saying that she was lost and didn't know where the Stake Centre was.   Luckily, another Sister was able to call and give her directions.  Patsy quickly changed into her whites while she waited for her daughter Lariann who hadn't arrived either, but by 7:45 p.m. everyone had arrived and we started the baptism.  It was awesome to see the joy on Patsy's face after she came out of the water.   I was able to help her change and she was in awe that she got baptized.  She shared some cool stories with me while she was changing and said that during the day she had made a few calls to people she knew to make restitution and it really helped her to be ready for her baptism.  So that was awesome.  Once again, upon our return home we were exhausted and collapsed into bed.

Thursday morning we went and visited with a less active family that lives a street over from us and it was funny because the dad was a criminal justice professor and there was a political debate just two nights before so he was talking politics. I think its funny being an unbiased third party observer when it comes to politics because we don't take sides nor do we discuss politics as missionaries so its funny when people talk to us about it.  Anyway, after his political spiel we were able to bring him back to the gospel and then it was time for us to head off and grab lunch before going to the Temple.  It takes us about an hour to drive from Parma to Boise, so we have done a lot of traveling.  President Cannon wanted to meet with Sister Anderson and I when I arrived to discuss some things regarding the Open House scheduling so we met with President Cannon and then Sister Anderson and I had a lot of organizing and scheduling to do for all the Sisters.  By 6:00 p.m. we finally got everything organized and sorted and I was able to go into the reception area of the Cultural Centre and help out with the Open House.  We have had alot of people wanting to hear more about the gospel from the missionaries which is great.  None specifically in my area but definitely mission wide.  There has been a good response to people wanting missionaries. That night we stayed in Boise because we didn't get done at the Temple until 9:45 p.m. and it was far to late to be driving back to Parma. 

Friday morning we headed back to Parma and did our weekly planning.  We have another busy week organized - busier then the previous week - then we had lunch/ dinner and headed back to the Open House.  We worked all night until 9:45 p.m. and again stayed the night in Boise.

Saturday morning we worked at the Open House from 9:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. which was most of our day spent in the Temple. We were expecting around 13,000 people through today but honestly, I believe there were more.  It was so, so, so, busy!   It is an awesome feeling to see people's faces light up from the whole experience of being able to walk through the Temple.  I saw a few ladies who are on Mum's blog and then a few people from some of my old areas.  I also met a family from Salt Lake City and they took a picture with me and are going to go and find Sister N Chadderton at Temple Square and show her the picture.  It was so cute!   After being at the Temple most of the day, I was feeling somewhat exhausted!  It is a different level of energy that is required when you are hosting tours because Elder Walker said that the people that come through the Temple need to feel the same spirit in us that they will feel when they are in the Celestial Room.  So, it can be exhausting maintaining emotional stability all day.  It's worth it!   We got home just after 6:00 p.m. and we had an appointment at 7:00 p.m. to take Patsy through the Temple.  I had literally just sat down for a second and the next thing I knew, it was 6:50 p.m.  I'd fallen asleep in my chair and my companion woke me up and we rushed out the door.  We were so exhausted that we both fell asleep sitting up.  It was ridiculous! Anyway's, we went back to the Temple with Patsy and she absolutely loved it!  She truly felt the spirit, especially in the Bridal Room.  Then it really was time to go home and go to bed.

Sunday we were in church all day and then we had appointments pretty much all night in Nyssa.  On our way back to Parma we stopped in and visited with a couple who wanted to share there missionary experiences with us and helped them make dessert which didn't turn out so well - think burnt walnuts and floury caramel - ick!   We drove home and called it a night. 

Today is P-Day and we're taking things a lot slower!  I do not want to be stuck to a schedule today and I want to continue to shop for winter boots.  I'll let you know what happens.  It's been a good week and I know there have been times during this past week where in my head I would say, "Heavenly Father I am so exhausted, I need you to carry me through today!" And of course, as always, I get through the day. It's been awesome!  I love you all.  Have a great week and a greater appreciation for relaxation time.  Oh and I got my package! Thanks MOLA (Sister N!).  I also got a card from Toni and Stacey Laulu - Thank you!  And a card from Aunty Kathy and Uncle Steve Stebbings! Thank you so much. Love you family. Take care, Sister Chadderton xoxo

   

Picture 1 - A huge sleepover of Sisters after the Open House one night.

Picture 2 - "Welcome to Idaho" sign!  We were always back and forth between Idaho and Oregon.

Picture 3 - Patsy and I at her baptism.

Picture 4 & 5 - A cookie of me and me eating me…hehe!

16 October 2012

Hey Family,

Thanks for the emails. It was so good to hear that you're all doing well.   Mum, I don't like hearing that you are sick.  You should look at taking some natural supplements that will build up your antibodies, because you're always getting sick so instead of just taking cold and flu tablets try and find something to make your system stronger instead of just getting rid of the flu. Just a suggestion. And I didn't get an email from the pregnant one? Whats happening? Anyway's, transfer calls came and I am staying in Nyssa!  WOOHOO!  It's comforting that for the next 6 weeks I am staying put. This week has literally flown by and I will tell you all about it.

Monday night after P-Day was Patsy's baptismal interview.  President and Sister Cannon came to do the interview and it was cool sitting and talking to Sister Cannon while Patsy was being interviewed.  She passed with flying colors.  Following the interview, my companion and I set up some appointments and got ready for the rest of the week.

Tuesday we were up early and off to the bakery.  Seriously, I had forgotten what it's like to work all day on your feet.  I feel our work as missionaries is not so much physically demanding but more mentally and emotionally demanding so it was interesting to be on my feet baking and cooking all day long.  Can I just say how much I loved it!  Yep, I was in my element and it was great to be cooking and we really  had a great time getting to know Laurie and Dwayne a little bit more.  On the way home we stopped in Nyssa and taught a lady by the name of Pat and she collects bottles and we had saved all these bottles for her so we dropped them off and then drove back to Parma.  We had dinner and then a correlation meeting and visited with Patsy again.  With her baptism looming, Satan is working on her and we found out that the night she is to be baptized the youth will be at the Stake Center practicing for the cultural celebration so we wanted to talk to her about that as well as bring the spirit into her home.  It is so interesting to see people being tried and tested in so many ways before their baptism and most people cannot understand just how hard Satan will try to stop them from making it into the waters of baptism.

Wednesday we were in Parma all day. It was great  and we taught several lessons and met a lot more people then we had the previous week.  They were mostly less actives, recent converts or investigators who for whatever reason are not really progressing.  It is so sad to see people who have these truths in their lives and yet do not utilize them. That night we saw Patsy again and we took a member with us and were able to talk to her a little bit about Temples and how she can feel peace in the Temple. It was a good lesson. I sometimes wish I could take all her concerns and burdens from her, but only the Lord can do that.

Thursday we were up early and off to Boise as Elder William Walker a member of the Quorum of the Seventy who oversee's the Temples was holding a special training for us Sisters for the Open House. We got to the mission office (the Temple is right next to the mission office) and it was still dark, the sun wasn't even up, so while we were waiting for someone to open the mission office, we got to take a walk around the Temple and it was so amazing. This magnificent ,white building all lit up with the dark sky as a back drop was so BEAUTIFUL!  I could have stayed a lot longer on the Temple grounds but the meeting was about to start so off we went.  It was a great meeting and Elder Walker encouraged all the Sisters to look their best at all times.  He said we need to wear make up, do our hair and make sure our clothes were ironed.  It was funny but he went on to say that some Sister's think not worrying about that stuff makes them a hard working missionary, then he said, "I am here to tell you that a general authority thinks you need to look your best at this Temple Open House."  It was awesome. It's also cool to see all the Sister's step up and actually take a bit more pride in themselves.  That afternoon we had lunch with the Meridian Sisters and then we headed back to Owyhee where we contacted some of our less actives.  One lady had just lost her husband about a month ago and was feeling sad.  She just didn't know what to do or believe anymore.  He wasn't a member of the Church.  We tried a couple more people and were able to visit for a while then it was home time. Talk about exhausted!

Friday was District meeting, then we drove to Vale and we actually did a lot of service. We stopped by the bakery to say hi to Laurie and Dwayne and they said they were going to the Temple on Saturday to the Open Home so we were exicted for that. Then we went to the Care Center and visited with some ladies there, then stopped by to drop something off to a member only to find they were building a greenhouse and needed some help so we helped them build their greenhouse, then we went to visit a recent convert and he was fixing these toy cars - okay, they weren't really toy cars, but I don't know the proper name for them - so we helped him after sharing a lesson, then we went to dinner with an investigator and his wife and it was funny because we were talking away during dinner then the guy stops and says, "So whats my story for tonight?  I am thinking awesome, he wants a lesson, so we go into the lounge, then he pulls out his Book of Mormon and says that they normally share stories from this book is that okay? And I thought to myself thats awesome, so we shared the story of Captain Moroni and then we got talking about the Temple and Angel Moroni.  It was a really awesome lesson about making sure we stand up for what we believe. Then we went and taught another lesson to a girl named Tina who is being baptized in November and we talked about Christlike attributes, then we came home to Parma.   It was a long day and that night we got transfer calls and fortunately, we are both staying in Nyssa for another 6 weeks.

Saturday we were up early and off to the Temple.   We were told  to be at prayer no later then 8:15 a.m. and to be at the Temple by 8:30 a.m.  However, they didn't tell us what building prayer meeting was at so we assumed it would be at the Stake Center where the Open House training had taken place, so all the Sisters were there and we got talking only to find out we were at the wrong place.  Bit of confusion as to where to meet,  but never mind those of us who were there went and held our own prayer meeting then the fun began!  It was expected that about 10,000 people would come through the Temple today so while we can't proselyte as such at the Open House, we can answer questions and encourage people to fill in comment cards.  It's called silent tours.  Oh my goodness it was such an awesome experience.  Some of my favorite experiences were asking the children what they thought and I would ask them how they felt and one little kid - who was probably about 6 years old - said, "You felt the spirit, duhh!" It was hillarious. I thought good on you for noticing. Then as I was talking to one family, in walks the Earl family!  Oh my goodness, it made my day! They were all there and you could see the excitement in their faces.  Next week they are going to be sealed as a family and it was so good to catch up with them.  We were at the Temple from 8:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. that day and what an experience!  Sister Westover - my trainer - also showed up and surprised me and it was just so good to see her! I was so, so, happy and she offered a lot of support and encouragement so that was awesome. Overall, Saturday was a long day. We left the Temple Open House beaming and then had a dinner appointment at 7:00 p.m. in Nyssa and after dinner we were wasted! So, so, tired!   We ended up driving home and got ready for the new day.  I was asked by President Cannon to help organize the sisters transfer times and travel so for the rest of the night I was correlating between the sisters when and where they would meet up with their new companions as well as making sure a companionship was covering the Temple Open House at all times.  Luckily, my P-Day is still Monday (at least for this week).  Woohoo!

Sunday was church, and it was good to be Fasting because last week was Conference.  Today I got to bare my testimony and after church we drove home and broke our Fast because we didn't have a dinner appointment then we did our weekly planning.  Our upcoming week looks busy, busy, busy and I think if we could squeeze more hours into our day we would!  We went to see Patsy and surprise, her daughter Lariann was visiting and she told us about seeing Sister N Chadderton on Temple Square at Conference and how she said she cried leaving her because she wanted to just put her in the car and bring her back to Idaho for me.  It was just cool to know she is doing an awesome job as a missionary. Also, this one family had come to the Open House on Saturday and they looked at my tag and said, "Sister Chadderton, we just met your sister at Temple Square!"  They had taken pictures with Sister N and showed them to me. This family is from Boise and had also driven down to Conference and when they met Sister N they took pictures with her and then found me at the Open House. Small world!  I am so glad Sister Chadderton is tearing it up at Temple Square.   I haven't got my package yet and ahh I would like my chocolates. LOL Nah, all goods! 

Anyway's family, I have some information for you for when I am released.  I called President Cannon  to let him know I had decided to go home in January 2013 and he said he wanted to be in denial for a another couple of months.  Haha!  I will leave Boise on January 5 2013, which means I will arrive in NZ, according to my calculations on January 7 2013.  I talked to the lady in travel who does the bookings and I told her that, "I needed the world's longest lay over in Salt Lake City!"  She said she would see what she could do.  I also found out that all the flights from Los Angeles to NZ are through the night, so technically, I could leave LA at like 10:00 p.m. and once again, according to my calculations I could leave Boise as early as 7:00 a.m. arrive in Salt Lake City to see Sister Chadderton for a copious amount of time, then stilll get on a plane and get to LA in time to catch my 10:00 p.m. flight.  HOWEVER!  I keep telling myself it's all in the Lord's hands.   I have had several people offer to come and pick me up at the airport in Salt Lake so once we get closer to that time and once I know my flight schedule I will let you know my plans.  I thought you would appreciate that information.  The travel department will probably send my flight details to the parents before I get them.  What is our new Bishop's name? Please let him know that I will be ready for a calling and a speaking assignment.  It has been a good week and I will try and attach some pictures. Love you all. I'm hanging out for the 21st for baby Rawiri's arrival but who really knows.  Hope all is well. Take care, Sister Chadderton xoxo

Picture 1 - Picking apples (these are old pictures)

Picture 2 - Picture of Boise Temple at doctor's lounge

Picture 3 - Sister Armstrong and I at doctor's room

Picture 4 - Random picture of a tractor

Picture 5 - My District

Picture 6 - Me in front of a big mural

Picture 7 - Sister N Chadderton (picture taken by family from Boise, Idaho who went to General Conference)

Picture 8 - Another one of me picking apples

Picture 9 - Sister N Chadderton with family from Boise, Idaho.

9 October 2012

FAMILY!

So good to hear from you all.  So good to hear baby Rawiri hasn't come yet but I suspect I will know soon enough. As far as letting me know when baby is born, I don't really know anyone around here who would have Facebook because they are all mostly elderly people.  I will think about how you could let me know.  Also, just a heads up on next weeks email, if I don't email you on Monday, it's because I have a new, temporary P-Day schedule due to our Open House schedule starting this weekend (Oct. 13th - Nov. 10th).  So, for the next few weeks I may have a different P-Day but I won't what that day will be until Friday when we get transfer calls.  We have had a very busy, but awesome week.  Can I just say how much I loved Conference!  More on that later. Oh, I'm glad to hear you received the baby blanket and glad to hear that the weather is getting warmer there.  The temperatures here are dropping. 

Monday, we had a good P-Day then we drove to Nyssa later that evening and visited with a few people.   We finished the night with a correlation meeting with a Ward Mission Leader.  On returning home, I was preparing for bed and just as I was about to go to sleep we got a text and it was from Patsy - Lariann's mum - texting to say that October 20 is when she would like to be baptized.  It was an answer to prayer.  Last Sunday when we left Patsy's home after our discussion I had mentioned to Sister Armstrong that we would get a text this week with a baptismal date in it. What a good note to finish the day on.  My companion and I will help to make it happen. The Lord truly is helping Patsy.

Tuesday morning I was off to Boise for my doctor's appointment.  I have to undergo a few other tests but otherwise everything is fine.  Following my appointment we drove back to Parma and worked there for a while. We contacted a few less active members and then went and had dinner, followed by another correlation meeting.  We then contacted some referrals.  It was a good day. 

Wednesday was an awesome day too. We stopped by and met a potential investigator who likes us to come by and visit but thinks she is too old to change, so we visited with her for a bit.  The previous night Bishop had given us a few referrals so we contacted them.  We knocked on this one door and I was surprised at how quickly they opened the door. We started talking and sharing information about values and the mother talked about how strict she is with her children and straight away we were able to testify of the strength of youth pamphlet, and the family proclamation and she said we could come back so that was great!  Then we went and tried another referral and sadly, this person had just lost her 4 month old son.  We talked about how families can be together forever and she said we could come back! T hen we had a lesson with a lady named Tristan and challenged her to baptism and she said she would think about it, so I'm excited to see her this week.  We had dinner, then that night we went to see Patsy.   She was sticking by her decision to be baptized on October 20th and had already asked people to be a part of her program.  It was cool. However, I will pray for her as I feel she is carrying a huge burden of uncertainty and fear.  We asked her if she needed a blessing and she broke down and started crying and said yes, so I ran to the car - because I left the phone in the car - called a couple of brethren from the Ward whom she requested and they came and gave her a blessing.  During this whole time the spirit kept saying, "Tell her she can have her baptism earlier if she wants!"  So, as we were wrapping up the lesson I mentioned that if she felt like being baptized earlier she could.  We closed with a prayer and said our goodbyes. 

Thursday we were up early and had several appointments to be at.  Everything worked out for us and before we knew it, we were at our dinner appointment and then we contacted a potential investigator who attended church on Sunday.  Her name is Amber and she said she is reading the gospel principles book and that she knows she needs to be baptized, so now it's just a matter of when.   We had a Stake Correlation meeting that we had to be at and then it was home time.

Friday was our District meeting and then we went up to Vale and stopped by and met this couple named Laurie and Dwayne. They run a bakery - yeah I was in heaven! And they said we could come and help them make stuff at their bakery so we're going to do that this week.  Dwayne is a recently re-activated member and Laurie is a non-member so we are working to help her come closer to Christ. Then we visited a few more people, then had dinner with one of our Ward Mission Leaders.   Vale is a country town, there were more fields of corn and potatoes and sugar beets in this one town then I have ever seen in my whole mission.  I found country alright!  Then we had a lesson with Tina, a 13 year old girl who is preparing for her baptism on November 2nd.  So, Friday night before going to bed I decided to pray about what questions to take into conference and nothing much came to mind.

Saturday morning when I was studying before Conference I wrote down 7 questions.  So, I have my list of 7 questions and Conference starts and President Monson makes his inspired announcement! Oh my goodness, you know that the last days are upon us when they lower the age of missionaries.  I think its brilliant.  I feel we won't lose many of our young men who graduate from high school and have to still wait a year before going on their missions.  I think its great for the sisters too because more sisters can serve missions! It's great all over.  I loved Elder Russel M. Nelson's talk about, "Ask the Missionaries!"   Again, it helped me to realize what answers we really do have.  Just as President Uchtdorf was about to give his talk we lost reception so we ran and quickly pulled it back up on the internet and caught the end of his talk. I  am anxious to read that talk again. Saturday afternoon session was also awesome and I loved Larry Echo Hawk's talk as he encouraged the Native American's to read the Book of Mormon.  Elder Dallin H. Oaks gave a powerful talk about, "Child abuse" and I just love his delivery and the way he speaks. That night we did weekly planning and then went to Nyssa for the rest of the night.

Sunday morning was awesome!  Elder Jeffery R. Holland's talk was on, "Lovest thou Me" and interestingly enough he gave a talk like that at the MTC while I was there but it was  focused more on missionaries!  I thought it was such an awesome talk.  I loved President Eyring's talk on how their is no pavillion covering the Lord and we are the ones holding a pavillion over our heads.  Elder Boyd K. Packer talked on the lower lights and shared stories about Samoa and while he was talking I could imagine everything he was describing about Samoa and it was so true.  Then President Monson's talk was awesome as he talked about getting a prompting and following it and allowing it to bless others lives.  I loved the Saturday afternoon sessions too and it was interesting because Elder Bednar gave his talk about Testimony and conversion which was similar to the talk he gave at BYUH that helped motivate and inspire me to want to serve a mission.  That was a highlight for me.  I also loved Elder Robert D. Hales talk as he shared the same story Elder Jeffery R. Holland gave.  Interesting how we need to be reminded, "Do we Love God?"  By the end of the conference I had received an answer to every single question I had written down. Was it a big answer? No, but it was the spirit giving me guidance one step at a time on what comes next.  And so, with that in mind family, I have decided that I will be coming home in January. I don't know why.  I honestly could not logically see why I needed to be home in January but for reasons unbeknown to me I feel strongly I need to be home in January.  It's my leap of faith but I know I can trust that the Lord has a plan for me that I am not even aware of.  I have been given the option to come home in either January or February because I will be between transfers, so, if someone is praying me home in January here I come.  Sunday night we went and saw Patsy and she asked if I could give a talk on the Holy Ghost at her baptism and she also said her daughter Lariann got to see Sister N Chadderton when she went to conference and gave her a hug so I am excited to hear about that next week.  Anyways, hope all is well. I love you family.  Conference is amazing!!!!!!! Good luck for when the new baby comes sister.  I am hoping he stays in until your mid-wife gets back but whatever the Lords will, it will be done.  Love you all. Thank you for your prayers. Take care, Sister Chadderton xoxo

2 October 2012

FAMILY!

Oh, goodness I am glad your week has gone well. I love getting your emails and I am glad you had fun at the grandparent's anniversary party. So, yes, I am in Nyssa. It has been a LONG WEEK!!!!!!!!!! And I will fill you in on all the details. They would say I got an, "Emergency transfer" as transfers aren't for another 2 weeks.  That means, I will be here in Nyssa for the next 2 weeks, then transfers will happen and who knows where I will end up again.  Let me start at the beginning and don't worry I am the hero in the story.  Haha!

So, Monday was P-Day where we played volleyball with our Zone and then we drove back to Middleton and Sister Rupp - who is the wife of Shane Rupp who was a carver at PCC - came and picked us up for dinner.  She had made a mean feed of curried chicken, rice, shoyu chicken and potato salad - REAL FOOD! Honestly, I didn't tell her about any of my allergies because it all looked so good and I found out that none of the food she made had any dairy or gluten in it.  After dinner, we went and contacted some people, then we called it a night as Sister Watson wasn't feeling well.  We came home, and the Nyssa Sister missionaries called to set up exchanges for the next day. The plan was that Sister Watson would go to Nyssa for the day and Sister King and I would stay in Middleton and Sister Armstrong would come from Nyssa and be our companion for the day. That was the plan when we went to bed.

Tuesday morning I woke up, and my companions weren't feeling well so they stayed in bed a little longer, and I figured instead of sitting around doing nothing I would clean our bathroom and kitchen so I was cleaning all morning. Then Sister Watson got out of bed and said she still wasn't feeling well and didn't think that exchanges would be a good idea, so I called the Nyssa sisters and we decided that instead of Sister Watson going to Nyssa I would go for the day and Sister Pyhu would come to Middleton with Sister Watson and Sister King. So this was fine. I go off to Nyssa for the night with Sister Armstrong. Its a great exchange. We did some solid missionary work and I really enjoyed the change of scenery for a day. 

Wednesday I get reunited with my companions, and we have some appointments and places to be and things to do, so we do that. We have dinner, then we go on splits and I went on splits with this older lady. She is probably in her late 70's and it was 8:00 p.m. by the time we were heading out and it was funny because she kept saying "It's dark in their house, we probably shouldnt knock!"  But, being a missionary I figured, nah lets knock, well no one was home/or let us in, so we went back to her place and I did some service for her while I was waiting for my companions to return as they were with another Sister from the Ward. It was  a good night and it ended on a spiritual high.

Thursday was weekly planning and it went really well. We got our whole week planned and we had fun which is always a good thing. Then we went to another lady's house and helped her peel and slice apples to put in her dehydrator and after we had dinner with her, then we got to visit Lariann which was awesome but she expressed some concerns about the Sister missionaries in Nyssa who were teaching her mother. She was worried that they were pushing her mother away instead of helping her. Overall it was a good discussion. Lariann is amazing. Her testimony is so strong and if nothing else I know I needed to be in Middleton to meet her today and learn from her story. That night I was saying to my companions how sad it will be when transfers happen because I have so enjoyed serving with the both of them.

Friday was District meeting and we got a ride to that.  We had parked our car at the Chapel which is about 4 miles from town and a lady took us to the meeting.  It was a really good meeting and the Elders are now use to having Sisters around.   After the meeting we went to lunch, then got picked up and dropped in Middleton as we were going to walk for the rest of the day to our appointments.  So, our first appointment is to see Fern and Ken and they had put together a light snack for us and they also had a tonne of onions and canned foods for us.   While we are at Fern and Ken's the phone rings and I think to myself, "Dang I forgot to put it on silent!"  It was President Cannon and because Sister King has been conversing with him a lot I figured I'd just hand her the phone and she went out to take the call.  However, she comes back and says, "It's for you!"  Now I'm worried!   I step out of the room to take the call and President Cannon says, "Sister Chadderton what are you doing right now?" I told him we were in an appointment and so he said okay I need your help with something but please give me a call back after the appointment.  We taught our lesson then left and I saw that we had another missed call and a voicemail from President Cannon and I thought okay so he has figured things out he must have just called to tell us. So this is where it gets almost comical - picture 3 Sister missionaries walking along the main street in a country town, carrying bags of onions and canned foods and flowers, leaning in to listen to a voicemail message from our Mission President.  President Cannon in his message says, "Sorry to interupt your appointment but can you call me as soon as you get this message?"  I didn't hesitate and called President back straight away and he says, "Sister Chadderton, I need you to come to Nyssa and be companions with Sister Armstrong for the rest of the transfer. The Caldwell Sisters are on their way to your apartment to pick you up to bring you to Nyssa." And then he said something else like, "Are you going to miss Middleton" or something, and without thinking, I said out loud, "I'm going to miss my companions!" At this point my two companions turn around and are like, "WHAT'S GOING ON?" So, I finish talking with President and I turn to my companions and I said, "I guess I'm going to Nyssa?" They were not happy campers, but we managed to pull ourselves together.   We still have to get to our car and we are in the middle of town with our onions and canned foods and flowers and our car is about 4 miles from where we are and I have a set of Sister missionaries on their way to pick me up.  We walk to the nearest church building which was a few hundred meters away, call anyone we can find and we finally get a hold of a lady who comes and takes us back to our car, then we go home.  By this time the other Sisters are already at our place, so it's a mad rush and I literally am just chucking everything I can into my suitcases and within an hour from getting home I am in Nyssa. I said goodbye to my trio, and then said hello to my new companion Sister Armstrong. BREATH!  Was pretty much all I was telling myself. I dropped my stuff at our place in NYSSA then got in the car and we had an appointment about an hour away so on the ride I found out from Sister Armstrong what had happened between the Sisters as to why an, "Emergency transfer" had to happen and long story short the Sister's were arguing while driving in the car and it became dangerous - just a bit of Sister drama!   After the appointment we went home and I unpacked and then went to bed!  On the plus side of this emergency transfer, I now have a queensize bed.

Saturday, we got up early and went with the Stake to help pick apples from the church orchard then we came back and helped cook spaghetti for a fundraiser for a local lady who was in an accident.  It was an awesome activity because we got to meet a lot of community members who are non-members, then we went to the General Relief Society broadcast which was incredible!  Oh my goodness, we have an amazing General Relief Society Presidency and President Eyring spoke and his talk was awesome too.  It got me so pumped for General Conference that I cannot wait, and yes, unlike Sister N, I get to watch all 4 sessions. Poor Sister N!

Sunday was good. We went to church, then we met with a few of the Ward Mission Leaders and did some correlating and then we went to Boise because we had a Temple Open House training and guess what? They surprised us and took us on a tour of the Temple!!!!  It was incredible!   It was so good to be back in the Temple, even if it hasn't been rededicated yet.  In the training, they said we will be required to be at the Temple every day and working for at least 4 hours a day and maybe more.  We received some Public Affairs training and were told that we needed to look professional.  President Cannon turned around and said to us, "I think they just gave you all permission to go buy a new wardrobe" and we all laughed, but its probably true considering we are all used to serving in country towns. But, definitely the highlight of my week was being back in the Temple. We live about an hour from Boise, so we drove home, had dinner, then went to an appointment with none other then Lariann's mum!  Her name is Patsy and she is incredible. It was such a spiritual lesson and it felt so good to be teaching and testifying again. She will be baptized soon enough and I am excited to teach her.  We had a few more calls to make and then organized our week before calling it a night.

So, Monday, here I am, sitting at a computer in Nyssa emailing you. We may be going shopping today but hopefully we can stick to the thrift stores.  Anyway's family, thank you for all your prayers. I know the Lord is giving me strength because it is kind of emotional being ripped from an area and placed into a new area all in the space of 2 hours. My new companion is great, and I will love her like I loved my other companions. I need your prayers so I can continue to face any challenges that lay ahead. I am very grateful for my health this week because I did so good on my eating and I wasn't sick - not even once.  My follow up visit with the doctor is tomorrow so I will give you a report on that next email but I have been good.   Bytheway, any kind of wheat - even ground wheat - affects me, so I'm sticking to rice, potatoes and corn products. Such is life. It's alot easier when you stop buying wheat products as well.

I love you family and if nothing else, I know the Lord is my strength and I do not boast of myself, I boast in my God, for in his strength I can do all things. And, I hit 14 months tomorrow! My mission is flying by! You will be making signs for my homecoming before you even know it. Love you family. Take care, Sister Chadderton xoxo

001 -    Sister Armstrong and I on exchanges - but now she's my new companion.

002 -   Saw this sign in a restaurant and thought it was funny. Haha!

003 -   I guess this is called a wrap? Black girls do their hair like this before bed so Sister King did my      hair before bed.

004 -   In the library at the Church building while waiting for a ride to take us to our car on our crazy Friday!

005 -   Last picture of the trio!  Notice how tall I am?