March 26, 2012

Hey Family,

How's everything going?  Thanks for the emails and words of encouragement.  The time is passing by so quickly and soon I will hit my 11 month mark.  I can still picture us all standing in a circle at the airport, then me going through the gates.  These past months have been amazing and I look forward to the rest of the time that is ahead. 

Elder Bulanon is the man!   He is such a beast in teaching the lessons, which probably comes from knowing the language and I am trying to learn as much as I can while I am with him.   Our area is awesome but we've had a lot of rain this week which isn't  fun.  We worked our butts off this week and we taught 24 lessons to recent converts and less actives.  It was awesome and we have 2 baptisms set up for this Saturday.   I will make sure to get pictures and send them to you next week as I forgot my camera cord again. 

The language is coming along better and like you said, I am able to learn heaps from Elder Bulanon and in turn I help him with his English.   I am becoming a lot more confident in the language but I just need to keep speaking as much as I can to practice and improve.  I do have a goal to change all my mission books over from English to Tagalog when I hit my one year mark.  I'll see how long that lasts!

Other than that, I'm doing good.  "LBM's" (loose bowel motions) are my friends at the moment and I am slowly losing weight from it.  I weighed myself when I went to the hospital last transfer and according to the scales I have lost over ten kilos.  All guds! 

Thanks for posting off my birthday package.  I am really looking forward to it and yes,  the girls are right, it would be heaps easier if you were to put money in my account for my birthday.  I also want to get some pants and a souvenir mission ring made soon.  The ring will be the start of my mission souvenir collection.  I think I told you that I've got a dinner appointment set up already for my birthday so I'm looking forward to that.  This area is really nice and again we have had dinner appointments every night this week with the members.  They are awesome!

In answer to dads questions, the zone is the largest in the mission apart from Mindoro.  We have 18 missionaries and it is very close to my first area but the area that I am in is quite far from it.  It is an awesome area and the people are so nice. 

Well, take care family and keep me updated on Uncle Rana, Uncle Dan, Lincoln and everyone.

I love you all sooo much and be sure to look out for the pictures that I will send next week.  Have fun! 

Elder Chadderton 

March 19 2012

Hey Family,

Oi,  Cola that is sooooo sweet! Salt Lake City!  You are going to have a blast.  Man, I've just been thinking about all of our missions and how they are so different - we've got Jenna who is in a baptizing mission, me thats in a rescue mission and then Cola who is pretty much a Tour Guide, and not to mention being in one of the bestest az places.  It is going to be sweet Cola and you will get a sweet badge with the Salt Lake Temple on it. Astig.

Well, we are doing fine here in Morong, Teresa.  I am back in the province and I don't even know my address.  Nevermind!  I'm in the mountains, not too far from my first area of Masagana.  The air is beautiful, the people are nice az, and my comp is sweet.  His name is Elder Bulanon and he is  from Negros Oxidental, which comes under the Bocolod Mission.   I have been out one month more then he has and yes, he is a Filipino.  He is very friendly and loves to talk.  Oh, I forgot my camera so I'll make sure to bring it next week and send pics. Eeeee! 

My area is sweet and the people in Branch are so nice. We have eaten at a members house every night this week.  We have lots of less actives and investigators and should be having a baptism next week.  I'm living in a house with all Filipino's and the other Elder's names are Elder Ulanday and Elder Umagap.  They are all good missionaries but don't really seem to get along that well.   I do miss my last area but this one is pretty sweet. 

Man, I've taken a few steps backwards with the language as I have realised the difference between foreigners speaking the language and Filipino's speaking their language - huge!  I thought I was pretty good at the language but when you have a talkative Filipino companion who has been speaking it his whole life, you kinda feel small.  I've got a lot to learn and hopefully, my new comp can help me do that.  Its all good!  My comp loves to speak so I've become really good at listening.  I can understand pretty much everything, everyone is saying and can pick out the words that I don't know, which I will usually write down and look  up in the dictionary later.

Well, family, not much else has happened.  Take care, I love you all heaps.  Cola's the bomb! 

Elder Chadderton

P.s.  I am looking forward to my birthday.  We have already set up a dinner appointment for it. Hehe! Cool aye! 

March 14 2012

Hey family,

Thanks for all the newsy emails and for keeping me updated. Sorry about the late email but it’s transfers again. AND... I’m moving! I’m out of Bago Bantay and will be moving to my third area; my bags are packed and I’m just waiting for my clothes to dry. Exciting!

 How is everyone?  I can’t believe Cola hasn’t got her call yet but it will be even more special when it comes. Cool as!  Just let me know about her call in my email, as I am happy to find out that way. Salamat.  That is so cool about Aleisha’s mission call to the Philippines Bacolod Mission.  We have a lot of missionaries from that mission here. She is probably going to have to learn Visayan. Astig. Yet another person for me to chat with after my mission.

Where is Joe’s cousin from?  That is awesome that he is going to be coming to my mission, and don’t worry I will take care of him. Man, I’m just thinking that I will be on the downhill slope of my mission when he arrives. Cool as.  I probably won’t get to train him because Zone leaders don’t train; but that’s okay with me. It’s going to be sweet having another member of the whanau coming to the mission.

Work has been good and the mission tour was awesome. We were kept so busy during conference that we didn’t get to proselyte much.  I am kind of broke because we had to rent a jeepney on the days that we went to conference - but I am surviving. Like I said, I’m getting transferred and that means I miss out on a baptism we have set up for Saturday, but that’s just the way the cookie crumbles sometimes. All goods though.

 I’ve attached some pictures and you know the saying, “A picture paints a thousand words!” Hehe! 

 Oi, we had to go to the hospital this week and it was an adventure. One of the sister missionaries passed out/ had a seizure during their personal study. She had been having problems before with her health and with the stress of the mission and the tours that we were involved in, she blacked out. She had some tests done and other stuff; then she was given some drugs and fortunately, she is back out in the field and still going. She asked us as the Zone leaders if we could go and give her a blessing; so we went and visited, administered to her and she was released from hospital on Sunday.  Awesome stuff. 

 It’s going to be interesting to learn where I will be transferred to and who my new companion will be. But that’s all up to the Lord and I’m going to have fun either way.

Please keep me informed with everything that’s going on at home and don’t forget my birthday coming up. LOL. “I want a pony, a new house and a swimming pool… Haha!”  Nah, I’ll be sweet with whatever comes my way and Mum, stop fretting because Mother’s day is just around the corner. LOL.  Cool bananas.

I love you all, take care, smile and enjoy life. 

 Elder Chadderton

March 5, 2012

Hey Family,

How is everything?  We are all good here in the Philippines... astig.  It has been a very busy week and we have another coming up.  The work is good but was kinda a short week because of the meetings we had on this week.  They were so awesome.

So, we started off the week with the mission tour and we as Zone Leaders arrived at the meeting a bit earlier then the other missionaries to meet with Elder Nielsen.   When we arrived, he shook each missionaries hand, asked our names and where we were from.  When it came to my turn I told him who I was and where I was from and he said that he knew my dad!  It came as a bit of a shock but that was cool to hear.  Hehe!  He taught us about acting and being acted upon. It took me back a bit listening to everything he was saying because he said that as Zone Leaders we have been chosen to act and not to be acted upon. He went on to tell us that we are going to be the future Bishops, Stake Presidents and leaders in the Church.  I had never thought about that before.   He also taught us about being quick to observe and about choosing to be on the Lord's side.  It really was awesome.

When the rest of the missionaries arrived we assembled in the Chapel and their Elder Nielsen addressed the missionary body as a whole. Once again he taught us and we learnt about receiving revelation for ourselves, especially for the areas that we serve in.  It was cool and he said that the heavens are open and all we have to do is ask, search, and be ready to receive.   It was sweet. I'm starting to realize as a leader that I have a big influence over the other missionaries.  Elder Nielsen told us to take care of the younger missionaries in our Zones and to lift the weary hands that hang down. He said that the responsibility that we have as leaders and missionaries comes from the Lord.  I sometimes would much rather be a junior companion, but I now know I wasn't sent on a mission to be acted upon but instead to act.

Family, I know this Church is true and I love you all and I know that if we rely on the Lord in all that we do he will help us. 

Take care and give my love to the rest of the family and please thank everyone for their emails and support, especially Uncle Rick and the Grandparents.  One other important thing that Elder Nielsen taught us was regarding less active members.  He said that the church doesn't need the help of less active members because we've been doing fine without them.  BUT, he said that the less active members NEED the Church and that they cannot live happily without it.   This was very blunt and direct, but true.  Sometimes it's not easy to live the gospel and some people find it hard but that helps us  to grow.

Please encourage any of our less active family members to go to church for themselves and to find a reason that will help them to progress.

I love you all and I look forward to your emails next week.

Elder Chadderton