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
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