25 June 2012

Hey Mum and Whanau,

Thanks for the emails mum and the pics. Astig talaga!  Mum, don't worry, I'm fine and I'm not sick and the rain eased off this week so we've had some really hot, sunny days.  But right now it's raining.  I got my package with the shirts, shoes and chocolate.  Salamat na marami!  I've eaten all the chocolate and the shoes fit perfectly and the shirts are cool.  Thank you.

This week has been good, the work is progressing and we've been doing a lot more finding of investigators and less actives.   We have asked our current investigators and less actives for referrals and have received a lot of help.  It was awesome to be able to work through the members in pushing the work forward.  We have met up with heaps of less actives just by talking to people on the streets and by asking active members if they know of any people that live close by that used to be active but are no longer attending church.   When we contact the new less actives that have been referred to us, we teach and visit  them and during our visits we learn that many or some of them aren't even members and then we are able to add them to our list as new investigators.  It really is awesome.

My companion, Elder Herr and I are doing awesome.  We have some great goals and we're doing good at fulfilling them.  My tagalog is improving more and more and I am able to focus on my methods of teaching instead of worrying about the vocabulary or structure.   The Lord really does help those that serve him. 

Thanks for all the work you are all doing in helping the Lord.  Can I ask that you take care of Uncle Dave.  I have been thinking about Uncle a lot this week and I feel that he needs our help and support.  I love him heaps and I love each of you and I was so happy to see the pictures of Eph, Jay (Elder Akroyd) and Zeek.  It makes me so happy to see Elder Akroyd in the right place.  I can imagine that in just over a year we will all get back together after our missions and share missionary experiences.   The mission changes people and I am different to what I was before my mission and I know I will change more before I get home.  The mission is irreplaceable and I love it.  Thanks again for everything.

I didn't get to take many pics this week so I will take some this week and send more next week.  Sorry!

Mahal ko po kayo.

Elder Chadderton 

18 June 2012

Hey Mum & Whanau,

Thanks heaps for the emails and the pictures.   I haven't received your package as yet but fortunately, I get to fly back to the Mainland for Zone Leader council on July 4th, so, hopefully I'll be able to pick it up then.  Astig!

I'm doing well and this week I bought an umbrella and some boots because we've been out tracting and due to the heavy rain there is a lot of flooding. There was a baguio warning which is essentially a hurricane or storm warning and we've had some intense rain for a couple of days.  But, it doesn't stop the work from moving forward.   The rain has eased up a little and we are hoping to play basketball later on today.

The week has been busy but good.   On Tuesday we woke up early and headed over to the airport to catch our flight to the Mainland.  While we were at the airport  we met a less active member from Australia.  He has come to the Philippines for a holiday.  He is a really nice guy and my companion and I were just sitting at the airport waiting for the plane to come in, then he came straight up to us and said, "Hey are you guys Mormons?"  We repied yes and we got to talking and learnt that his family are all members.   I can't remember his name but he said that he lived in Logan Stake.  I told him that we have family there and that he should come back to church.  Funny how the Lord puts people in your path so that you can help them.  Anyway's,  we got to Manila, caught a taxi from the airport to the mission home where we had a really good meeting.  After the meeting my companion and I had the opportunity to do a session at the temple.  So lucky!  After our session we went to the mission office and met up with Elder hansen (tatay ko) then we went with him and others to a Ward activity where they were celebrating Philippines independence Day.  It was a lot of fun and after that we went to Maccaz and had a feed.   It was sweet and I munched back a Big Mac and a chocolate sundae. SARAP ka'ayo!   We got picked up after our munch by the AP's and slept at their place until 2:00 a.m. and then we were dropped off with our stuff to the airport and flew back to Mindoro.  Good times!

Work has been good this week despite the rain and we have been able to teach and help build trust with the less actives here.  Because the church is so young here the less actives don't have a very close relationship with the missionaries, so, our main focus this past week was to try and build their trust.   It's working and they are starting to soften their hearts. The Lord has helped us so, so, much this week and we've met some new less actives and have been given a lot of referrals which helps with our investigator pool.  We are still helping the Branch to progress and we are planning on doing a workshop this transfer about HOPE.  It's the anchor of our faith and because of past failures and the amount of less actives it seems like some of our leaders have lost hope.  So we are going to try and focus on helping them to get back that hope.

I am doing good and having a blast with Elder Herr.  Mum, if i can ask, can you please send me some lava lava's for some of the Elders - maybe about five or so.  I love my zone and I want to give them a rememberance for whenever I get transferred.  They don't have any lava lava's here so if you could do that for me that would be sweet.

I love you all so much and I'm so grateful for the help that the Lord is giving me.  Thanks for all you do for me too.  Give my love to Cola and tell Aleisha to have fun on her mission.  She is awesome and so many people will draw close to her if shes not shy.  The mission is a different life but it changes a person for the better.  I love my mission and will miss it so much.  I'm at a point right now where I can honestly say that I am focusing so much more on how I teach rather than worrying about how I say things.  The language has become so fluent and so effective.  I love the Lord and he is my strength and without him I am nothing.

Thanks for everything.  Love you.

Elder Chadderton

P.s.  Sorry about the pictures as I didn't take many, but we had fun.

11 June 2012

Mum & Whanau, 

How are you?  I'm doing fine. We finally got some sunny weather and it hasn't rained for 3 days.  Woohoo!  I got my new companion and there are a lot of new faces in the Zone and gives a fresh start to the area.

My companions name is Elder Herr and he is a new Zone Leader and I will be training him.  Astig.   He is 19 and his birthday is coming up this week.  He is from Hawaii but was born in California and has lived in Hawaii for the last few years.  He from one of the other smaller islands in Hawaii called Kauai and he is awesome and we are having an awesome time. I am two transfers ahead of him and I'm having to take the lead on a lot of things but its awesome and Elder Herr helps me heaps.

We had District Meeting today and met the Zone.   It was fun meeting everyone and we set some Zone goals and made sure that everyone was all right and had no problems in their companionships.  Everything is fine and we have a sweet Zone.

Tomorrow we get to go up to the Mainland for Zone Leader council.  Astig.  I am going to have me some Maccaz. Hehe!  On Wednesday morning we will fly back to Mindoro and get to normal life and back to work. 

Elder Herr and I have set some new goals for the area and we have a lot of work to do. It is going to be awesome and our main focus will be on less actives and we are going to work hard to try and find some new investigators and get back to the normal way of teaching and tracting.  I am looking forward to it.   We have a lot of great members in our area and they will be a huge asset to the work.  Exciting stuff!

Good to hear that Dad's trip to Fiji went well dispite the dizziness from the turbulence and the rain.  The temple there looks sweet.  I hope he's home safe with a nice cup of milo in his hand. Hehe. 

Thanks for the news about the Stebbings.  The longer you are away from people the more you miss them.  You of all people know that mum, but I am truly grateful for all that you do for me and the support that you give me on my mission.   I know this email seems kinda short but not much else has happened this week. 

I just want to share my gratitude and appreciation for our Savior Jesus Christ and everything that he has done for me.  One of the elders was teaching and sharing about the atonement and one of the things he said was that Christ suffered for us so that we don't have to.  He told us to imagine Christ hanging on the cross and saying, "I'm here so that Elder Chadderton doesn't have to suffer for the sins that he will commit" I did not realise or put it into that perspective.   I know that he suffered for us all but to think that he knows me personally and suffered for the sins that he knew that I would commit.  It's intense.  I love him so much and I am grateful for him and I know that he will always be there for me. 

Missionary work is hard but I love it.  As members of this church we are required to stretch ourselves even if it is hard.   I am grateful for all that I have learnt on my mission and I am looking forward to the time that I have left to learn more. 

I love you all and wish you the best.  Take care.

Elder Chadderton

6 June 2012

MUM!!!!

So, so, so, sorry that I forgot to make mention of your birthday.   I finished my email to you last week and one of the Sister missionaries asked me how my family was and I told her that you were great and that your birthday.... and then wooopss, then I felt terrible that I didn't mention anything in my email about your birthday. Paxenxa.... patawarin nyo ako!  But, I didn't forget about you Mum, I prayed that you would feel my love and presence a your birthday celebration and that you would have a great day.  I love you mum.

Well,  I'm doing fine and the rainy season has started again and it has practically rained every day this week.  Aarrghhhhh!  The only good thing about the rainy season is that it makes things a little cooler.   My shoes are holding up, but they've seen better days.  I think I might be on Mindoro Island for a while and so I am hoping these shoes will last me for that time.

From all the pictures you've sent, it looks like you've had an awesome week.  The birthday party looked fun and you all looked great.  Please send my love to the Stebbings Family and let them know that I love them heaps and miss them as well.

My week has been very eventful and fun.  Yes, you guessed right!  Transfer day is today and I will be getting my new companion on Friday.   My current companion leaves here tomorrow morning and the newbies come in on Friday morning.  It is cool and exciting but sad to see Elder Bienvinuto leave.  He has been the longest serving missionary on Mindoro Island in the history of the mission.  His first area was in Magsaysay and he was there for 6 months and he has been in San Jose for 6 months as well.  A whole year on Mindoro and he has 3 months left in the mission.  Astig!

Well, to start off, Tuesday I remembered your birthday Mum, and on Wednesday the missionaries conducted a devotional for the youth.  We had to explain and go through the new Strength of Youth booklet with them.  It was an awesome opportunity and we made a game where we printed off the different topics on separate papers with a short explanation of the topic on other papers.  We blue tacked them onto the white boards at church and then covered them and numbered the different papers.   We then played the memory game where they each had a turn at guessing the topic and the short explanation.  If they chose two papers we flipped them and if the guess was right we explained the topic to them and under some of the topics we had videos or guest speakers.  It was super fun and they all had a great time.

On Thursday it rained and we got soaked, but it was fun and then on Friday we worked hard and at night time we had a celebration for one of the Sister missionaries in our Branch. It was cool and we ate food, played games and had a great time.  On Saturday we worked again in the rain, and I took my companion out for dinner because his birthday was on Sunday/ Fast Sunday. ( Sister Motuliki said to say, "Hi!") and then on Sunday guess what?  Yep! It rained again.  It was okay, so we had church  then went to our Branch council meeting and then after that we had District meeting that we attended as translators for one of the Senior couple missionaries.  By this time it was dark and we were waiting for one of the Elders to come down from Sablayan as he has finished his mission and is getting ready to go home.   He finally arrived and we broke our fast and then went over to the Senior couples house for dinner.  It was awesome.

Monday it rained again and we woke up early and dropped off the missionaries that were going home at the airport then we came back and then went out and worked.   Later, we had a farewell dinner for my companion at one of the recently  sealed families in our area. It was so awesome and we shared a lesson and the dad shared his testimony.  Super awesome!  I love that family.   Tuesday we went out and worked and then met up with the rest of the Sablayan Elders as they stayed at our house so they could come to transfer announcements today.   And now I'm ready to sleep.... hehe!

Missionary work is great and I love it here, but I just wish that it didn't rain as much.  The heat is fine but the rain... not good!

Danii congrats on the new baby boy. Astig.  Here comes the start of your basketball team. (jks)

I was going to send some pictures but the computers being a slazz... ahh nakaka-inis.

I love you all and pray for you always. Take care.

Elder Chaddderton