Skyping with Elder Chadderton on Christmas Day - 25/12/2011

December 26 2011

Hey Family,

Since I got to talk to you all last night, I'll just reply to Mum's email.  Thank you all so much for your happy, smiling faces and all your words of encouragement.  My, "Battery" is now charged and I am ready for a big year ahead.  Next week I will be entering the 8th month of my mission and wow, the time has flown.   I remember my first transfer where I came from the MTC and was put with Elder Hansen as a trainee, second and third transfer I was still with Elder Hansen as a Junior.  My fourth transfer saw me become a Senior Trainer to Elder Cortezano and soon after I was made District Leader.  Now, I am in my fifth transfer where I will remain with Elder Cortezano as Senior Trainer but take on the new role as Zone Leader.  Amazing!  I know that the Lord has a lot of trust in me and that I have been given a great opportunity to help other missionaries in their own progress.  Our other Zone Leader is constantly taken back by how all the new Zone and District Leaders in our Mission are so young.  This is an inspired mission and we continue to grow and increase in many areas.  My Zone is awesome and we consist of 8 Elders and 4 Sisters who are all ready for the New Year. 

We received new instruction from President DeLaMare that our Mission will be turning into a, "Rescue" mission.  This means we will concentrate on, "Finding and Rescuing" all the less active members that have fallen away or have become inactive due to being offended or other reasons. I know I have shared this before, but I strongly remember that before my mission I set a personal goal that I wanted to serve a, "Retention" mission, meaning that all the baptism's that I get are retained and not lost.  From the short time I have been here I have seen how this isn't always easy and that we have a lot of work to do.   While we have over 650,000 members in the Philippines, only about 150,000 of these members are active.  So, you can see how we have a lot of rescuing to do of less actives which means we need to work hard.

The work this week hasn't been easy because everyone has been preparing for Christmas but, despite the difficulties, we continue to go out and do the work that is required of us.  This is the Lord's work and we know that if we put the Lord first we will succeed.  This country is young and it needs a lot more help and while the missionaries range from ages 19 and upwards - both Elders and Sisters - we have the Lord on our side and as we remain obedient to his terms he is bound to bless us and that gives me courage during those difficult times.

I hope you had fun seeing Sister Chadderton on skype.  She is so awesome and I wish I could have spoken to her too, but I can wait until 2013.   Thanks for the  news that Nicole Horsford has been called to our neighbouring mission - Quezon City North Mission.  I take my hat off to her and any other Sister who chooses to serve a Mission.  I think I have said this before but, I think highly of any sister missionary being able to leave their old life and give up everything they have to go out and serve the Lord.  I look up to them so much.  It's amazing and it's so cool.  I was thinking that when Nicole returns home after her mission we will be able to speak Tagalog to each other.  Sweet azz!

Well, family, I have had a great Christmas and I am looking forward to the New Year and focusing on the less active families.  This is the Lord's work and I am glad to be apart of it.  Family, thank you so much for the love and support you give to Sister Chadderton and I.  The packages, the emails, the letters and the prayers are received happily and I feel of your love.

To my uncles, thanks for your example to me, be strong and stop getting sick.  Dad, thanks for being a great father and keep up the good work as you take care of the family.  Cousin Aneta, "Good on you for choosing to get baptized." This gospel is true and I am so grateful for the opportunity to share it everyday. 

Mum and sisters, you are all amazing and I love you all heaps and will see you again when I get to Skype home on Mother's Day :).

Love you all so much.

Elder Chadderton

P.s. Give my love to the Grandparent's and tell them that if it wasn't for their decision to be baptized all those years ago, I wouldn't be here on a mission. Salamat sa inyo lahat.  

December 20, 2011

Mum,

Good to hear that all is well. Life is good here in the Phillipines.  We've had rain but nothing extreme.   It was transfer announcements today and Elder Cortezano and I aren't going anywhere.  Woohoo!  That is great news, especially with Christmas just around the corner.  I hope that my package is here.  I should be able to pick it up tomorrow if it is. I am so excited! Hopefully it is there!

We are all good here and Christmas for us in the Philippines started in September.  From September onwards,  their have been lights, Christmas songs and a spirit of happiness.  The spirit of Christmas is very much about Jesus Christ because this is a Christian country.  A tradition here is where the kids do something called, "Mamasko" which is when they come to your house, sing a Christmas carol and then ask  you for either food, money or a present.  We had some kids come over to our place this morning and after they sang we gave them some bread snacks and canned food and they were so happy.  It's so cool, but very different to how we do Christmas back home.

I hope Uncle Rana gets better.  I will definitely pray and fast for him this week.  Please give him my love when you see him again and tell him, "He's the man!"

It is so good to know that Cola is home because I think she needed family after her trip abroad.  Mum, that is me after the Mission -  come home, sleep for two weeks and chill at home with the family, then begin life.  Close az now!  I have got to set up an account for skype so that I can call you, so I will be sure to get that done. Woohoo!  Excited na!

This week has been slow because we had our temple trip, then temple tour, then another meeting, then work on the other days.  Oh man Mum,  we got our bums kicked again yesterday.  We went out at the normal time and went to work and we were out the whole day and taught two lessons.  Sayung!  I was watching a church DVD and one of the talks given said, "We can choose to humble ourselves or we can be compelled to be humble." I think from that talk, I realised that it is better to humble ones self then to let the Lord do it.  But, either way humility is for our own good.  I have learnt that being on a mission is a real privilege and I am learning heaps.  I am still district leader this transfer, but they're splitting the Zone and I don't yet know which way I am going yet.

Elder Able is not transfering either so we're hopefully, going to be in the same Zone for another transfer.  The tagalog language is coming along well and I'm learning a lot more.  I have come to realize that the more you listen, the more you learn.  I don't understand all of what the people are saying, but  I am able to piece things together and figure it out for myself.   It is a little hard when people talk about certain topics that I have no idea what they're going on about.  I have been told that I'm fluent, but that I've still got a way to go.  I keep telling myself that the work isn't easy but it definitely is worth it, and that is so true.

The schools are out now which means the streets are packed with little kids.  I walked down this one street and all the kids started calling me, "Big Show!"  He is a Wrestler.  I just laugh because, seriously, I think I am the biggest person that most of these kids have ever seen.  It's quite hilarious how the smallest things like my size, can light up their lives and I think,  "Just imagine if they had the gospel?"

I've attached a few pictures for you that I think are cool.  I'll also send some to other family members.

Mama, love you heaps and I hope you have a good week and I will see you on Christmas day.

Say thanks and Merry Christmas to the Grandparents for me and, "Paki-bigay ang aking pagmamahal sa pamilya natin!"

Maligayang pasko at mahal ko kayo.

Elder Chadderton

December 13 2011

Hey Mum,

I'm doing good but feeling a little smoked, as I had to do all my washing last night which meant I got to bed late and then had to wake up early to go to the Temple.  Masarap ung paki-ramdam ko doon.  It was awesome going to the Temple and I took through another family name - Chief Kahukura - I could feel that he's the man when I was in the temple and his spirit helped my tired, weary, body stay awake in the air conditioned temple room at 6:00 a.m.   It was an awesome session.

The temple tour that we had last week was fun despite it raining and not having an umbrella which meant I got soaked again.  Don't worry, I didn't get sick and it's a different kind of cold in the Philippines.   The Christmas lights were up on the Temple too so we got to see the temple all aglow in the rain.  It was so cool.

Mum, it is so good to hear that Uncle Rana is doing better and also to hear that Josh (Elder Solomon) is all ready to head out to the field, or at least the MTC. He is going to love it.

Oh yeah, I was so excited because I got one of my Christmas packages, the one from Cola while she was in Utah.   Cola got me some shoes, some basketball shorts, lollies  and also sent some pictures.  It was so cool and I was really happy and the lollies were yum azz.  I haven't received your package yet.

The work has been better despite the rain, but the weather is starting to get hotter.  Like today and yesterday, it was hot azz and we really enjoyed going out and doing our work in the pinoy sun.  It was a lot of fun.

Elder Cortezano is doing good and I'm trying to take care of him.  We went through some of the plan of salvation discussion last week and he taught me a few things... hehe!  He's good, but still shy.  I gave him an assignment to try and talk to the other  Elders and Sisters in our Zone.  He failed, but he's slowly, slowly, opening up.  It's all good.  I talked to some of the Elders who were in the MTC with him and they said that he was the same there. So, I'm relieved, as I thought it was because he was scared of me. (lol)

President DeLaMare is the man and he takes good care of me.  He gave me a blessing and in it he said that I would be able to support all the responsibilities that have been and  will be placed upon my shoulders. It's a blessing to have a Mission President that is so caring and good at what he does. He is the man! 

Next year our main focus in the mission will be on recent converts and less active members.  As mentioned in an earlier email, we have over 600,000 members in the Philippines but only about 150 - 200,000 are active.   I remember talking to someone before I came out on my mission, and saying how one of my main focuses was going to be on retention.  That's exactly what the mission is turning to.  Cool aye!

Well, Mum I don't have much else to share this week but I love you all heaps and heaps and can't wait until I can call home on Christmas day - December 25th. Malapit na. Astig.  I am  looking forward to getting my package soon and am so excited, but if not, that's all good because the Book of Mormon is still blue ...jks.

Give my love to the family and I will write you next Wednesday as it is transfers next week.  Hehe!

Elder Chadderton

December 5 2011

Hi Mum,

Thanks for the email/ epistle. It is so awesome!  You really have had a busy week. I'm doing good and I've had a good week too.  I received some of your letters in the mail today and also one from Ashleigh Vaughn - not sure if you remember her. It is so cool getting mail from home.   Tell Danii thanks for the pics.  They were so awesome.  Baby Joe is the man!

Well, Mum, being a district leader comes with a lot more responsibility, but I'm doing well.  I received an email from President telling me that he trusts that I am able to do all the Lord asks of me.  I know that it's true and I am still coming to that realization. 

Last week, I caught the flu after being out in the rain.  I don't have an umbrella as it broke and have been getting soaked.  By the end of the week I was sick and so I was layed up on Friday as I was wasted.  I rested up, took some drugs and went back out on Saturday.  I'm still not 100% but I'm going.  I had to do another interview for baptism on Sunday and it is a huge responsibility knowing that the persons salvation depends on your recommendation.  It was good! 

This week the work has been a little bit harder because I've been feeling sick and it's been raining a lot too.  But, we continued on and persevered and we did alright.  Our focus in the Mission right now is on fellowshipping recent converts and the less actives.  We were told that there are over 600,000 baptised members in the Philippines, but only about 150,000 are active.  Shocking!   Apparently, 2/10 baptised members are still active. Kaya nga!  Hence, our focus on the recent converts and less actives.   We met a man this week that was baptized in 1980 and was active for about a year or two and then he fell away. We talked to him and told him to clean up his life, get rid of his  word of wisdom problems and basically get back on the right path.  He said he would try and we have already set up a return appointment to visit him again on Wednesday.   His family are all, "Born again Christians"  but he still claims to be Mormon.

We had a service project last Wednesday to help smash down a house.  It was a lot of fun.  We were given some sledge hammers to help with the demolition. I came out with a few scratches and some blisters on my hands but  I'm sweet.  It was fun just to let loose on smashing into this house.   Helped release a bit of stress too. Haha! 

Now, with the skype thing, I'm pretty sure I may have to skip Sacrament or something, on Christmas Sunday,  which is a sacrafice I'm willing to make for my family.  Our  Ward meets at 1:00 p.m.  on Christmas Sunday so I'm not sure if we are having just Sacrament meeting on this Sunday like we do at home or if we will have the full 3-hour block program.  But, don't worry because I will call you on Christmas day. 

We have Temple Tour coming up this week and our Zone is hosting it so we have the opportunity to do the workshops at the Temple.  The workshops are held outside the Temple and we do little 5 minute stations where we talk about the importance of Temples.   My companion and I will talk about eternal marriage and how Families can be  together forever. I know it's going to be good.

Not much else has happened.  My companion and I are doing good. He is still very quiet but we do converse.  The work is good, the area is good, and we are safe.

Man, I can't believe about what happened to Uncle Rana.  I hope he gets better soon and can get back to his life asap.  Please pass on my love to Uncle Rana and tell Uncle Dan to keep up the great work and to remember the commitment I left with them for when I get back.  Give my love to all the Solomon's - all of them!  And the Chadderton's.  Tell Nanny and Grandad thanks for my email and sorry for not writing back. 

I love you heaps mum and whanau. Take care. Malapit na ang pasko. 

Elder Chadderton