Sister Jenna Chadderton: 8 May 2012

Family,

Oh my goodness I do not know where to begin! This week was AWESOME! "THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU" so much for all the presents and birthday wishes. It honestly made my week/day to get all the love from home. So, I am excited to tell you about my week and I have so many pictures to send that you will be proud of me.

So, Monday was transfers and I think I told you what we did in the morning, but that afternoon we had to go back to the mission office and pick up Sister Anderson my MTC companion because she was spending a couple days with us before heading back to her area in Carey. So, we went and picked her up, visited with the other missionaries that we knew and mate, it took us forever to get out of there. Then we went to Deseret Books and later dropped Sister Anderson back to the mission office as she had a trainers dinner she had to attend. While we were waiting for the APs to arrive we took some pictures. Oh Sister Cline is now serving in Kuna which is about 15 minutes from my area so it was cool to catch up with her again. She is my only companion still left in the mission field, so I'm on slim pickings when it comes to catching up with former companions. Anyway's we took pictures, said goodbye to Sister Anderson then headed out to Eagle to teach Kristin her last lesson on the commandments before her baptismal interview. We taught her and she committed to live all the commitments and honestly she was so calm. She is so ready to be baptized. We were running late so we headed back to the mission office, picked up Sister Anderson then headed home and got ready for bed. Needless to say it was a good nights sleep that night.

Tuesday morning we went and did follow up service with a family. I don't know if I told you about them in my last email but we helped this elderly lady named Charmaine move into her own home after living at her daughters home for quite some time. They said we could go back and help them so we did. We went and visited with the family and we got talking to their daughter Karen who said that she had never met people who believed the way she did about drinking and how alcohol is bad for you etc, etc, etc. So it was just cool and we got to bear our testimonies and she agreed to have us come and teach her the discussions. We then had to take Sister Anderson back to the mission office for more training, and after we went and visited Sister Sager and had a good visit with her. She has a lot going on in her life so we shared a lesson and invited the spirit into her home and it was cool. Then we visited a few other people, went and picked up Sister Anderson from the mission office, then headed to dinner with a lady from Peru who made us good curry. Then that night we taught Anthony for the first time since he was told her wasn't able to be baptized on May 5th and it was an interesting lesson. The spirit was definitely the key because he felt discriminated against so it got somewhat uncomfortable at the beginning but by the end of the lesson the spirit testified to him that this was going to be a good thing and not a bad thing. I feel for Anthony but I know the Lord is mindful of him and knows what he needs. Then we headed back to the mission office and dropped off Sister Anderson and then it was just me and Sister Howard. Our first night as companions. It was cool.

Wednesday we went and helped the Sagers plant their garden as she had never planted a garden before, so between the three of us the plants and seeds ended up in the ground. Here's hoping it grows! Later, we visited some of our regular people, had dinner, headed to teach a few more people and that night we met a lady named Bree. Her friends invited her to take the discussions in one of the members homes and it was a good experience. Probably the first time Sister Howard and I have taught together so we had some adjusting in teaching styles to work out but overall it was great and we have another lesson scheduled with her and she is so willing to learn. I am excited to see her progress. Okay, so funny story. "After the lesson the lady asked us if we wanted some cake that she had made with whipped cream and strawberries. I said, "Well hold the whipped cream and it will be okay because I don't eat Dairy." So she went and got me a piece of cake and it was great. The cake was amazing. I asked her what she had put in it because she said it was dairy and gluten free. She starts going through the ingredients and then she says, "Oh and a tonne of butter!" I looked at her and her jaw dropped and it was so funny. The poor lady was so concerned. I was concerned too but I had just taken my last bite as she said a tonne of butter. It was a comical but fun way to end the night.

Thursday we had weekly planning. And let me tell you we had a lot to organize and plan. It is great having a permanent companion because I can tell her everything and she actually learns and offers suggestions and helps out and everything and is just awesome. So we organized a lot, then we went upstairs to have lunch and the door bell rings. I go to answer the door and there's a package for me! Woohoo! It was from Deseret Books so I was a little uncertain to whom it was from but then I realized it was from COLA! I didn't wait for my birthday I just opened it. I love, love, love, it! Really, I put it right on my study desk next to my books so that every time I look at it, it reminds me of my sister and the sister plaque is on my draw next to my bed. That night we went out to Eagle and Kristin had her baptismal interview which she passed them we headed home.

Friday was District meeting so we headed off to that and following our meeting we visited a lady in the hospital due to a fall. We had an appointment cancel on us and we needed to stop home for something so we did that after leaving the hospital. We checked the mail and their's nothing in the mail box. So we walk in the house and at the top of the stairway is my PACKAGES!!!! Woohoo it was an awesome sight. Packages and letters from my family and from Elder McIver! It was awesome! I had to laugh because Sister Christensen said, "Yeah, I've been answering that dang door bell all morning. Happy Birthday!" It was so cool! So I took them all downstairs to our room and I couldn't wait, so I opened one of them and it was the one with the, "Missionary Book." Oh my goodness, that book is awesome! Definitely a favorite present of mine! It is all my happy times in one album and I love it! Thank you, thank you, thank you! And I got my Samoan t/shirt. Anyway, enough of that, we went out and did more missionary work. We taught a few less active people and then we contacted a referral and later we had a lesson with an investigator named Chrissy that night. I think I have told you about her before. She didn't believe in God so we taught her the Plan of Salvation and it was awesome because after the lesson she kept saying I can see how all this makes sense now. So that was cool. It really is cool witnessing understanding in a person. That night we went home and yes, I opened my other packages. Okay disclaimer the reason I opened my packages early is because my Saturday was so busy that I knew I wouldn't have time to fully enjoy opening them and mate was I right. I could not believe how much one can fit into a package. I pulled everything out and we got a tonne of pictures and it just made me so happy. I am so, so, so, grateful for everything! The pictures will speak louder then what I can write but thank you so much. I definitely needed everything in that package.

Saturday was my birthday! We woke up at 5:00 a.m. because, "Ta-dah!" we were off to the temple! Yup! Pretty much the best thing I could have asked for on my birthday. We found out during the week that a family we were working with in Shoshone was getting sealed in the Temple on Saturday and President Cannon gave us permission to go if we found a ride. So a ride we found and by 6:00 a.m. we were off to the temple. They received their endowments at 8:30 a.m. and we got to go on the session with them, then we stayed for their sealing at 11:00 a.m. and that was so amazing as I have never been to a sealing before and it definitely is an incredibly spiritual experience. After the Temple we headed back to Meridian and it was almost 2:00 p.m. So, needless to say an awesome morning. I didn't have my camera with me at the Temple but my companion did so I will have to get those pictures from her. We wrote our talks for Kristins baptism, then we delivered progress records, then we went to Texas Roadhouse with the Christensens for my birthday dinner. It was exactly like Outback Steakhouse so that was cool. I got steak and shrimp and I was so full! Then we headed off to Kristin's baptism and it was such a cool experience. Half way through the baptism Megan walked in so it was so cool to see her. Just a great day! Honestly, no other way to describe it but it being a great day.

Sunday finished off the week and it was a good Sabbath day. The highlight was last night when we went back to visit Karen and her husband Kurt and we had an awesome lesson with them. So they are now added to our investigator pool. Overall an awesome week. I am so excited to skype you all! Sister Howard will call during the latter end of the week just to confirm times etc., so if you get a call from a foreign number, answer it! I love you family and I am glad you are all doing well. Take care. Love Sister Chadderton xoxoxoxoxox P.s. Pictures in separate emails.

001- Sisters outside the mission office. (Howard, Birwell, Anderson, Chadderton, Huckfeldt, Cline)

002 - Excited to open my package!

003 - Happy birthday!

004 - PODS!

005 - All my goodies!

006 - My dress....

007 - My companion and I

008 - My favorite book!

009 - Dinner

010- Me and my dinner

011 - The Christensens and me

012 - Megan and I