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.