2 January 2013

Hey Mum and Whanau,

Guess what?  I will be staying another transfer in Tandang Sora and will hit my 8 month mark for serving in the same area for this length of time.  Amazing!  My companion will also be staying with me so we're going to have a great start to the New Year. 

This morning I set some goals for me and my companionship.  Goals that will better help the area, the Bishop and my companion.  It's going to be sweet and I've calculated that I have approximately four months and twenty days left in the field and I have much to do.  I know it's going to pass by so, so quickly but  I kind've don't want it to, but I know that their is life after the mission.

I cannot believe that Jenna, Jared, Charlton and possibly Fletcher will be coming back in the next week.  Please ask them to email me and send some words of advice.  I need some help from the experienced missionaries as I finish off the rest of my mission.  I love the scripture found in Alma 17:2-3 where it talks about Alma reuniting with the sons of Mosiah and how he rejoiced exceedingly to see his bretheren and what added more to his joy was that they were still his bretheren in the LORD.  That is what I am looking forward to in May - to be reunited with my, "brethren and sister in the LORD."  Hehe

Christmas was fun and New Year's was a blast - literally!  We had a curfew on New Year's Eve where we had to be home by 6:00 p.m.  We went out and worked all day then we were home by 6:00 p.m.  We stood out the front of our house to watch all the firework displays.  It was so loud and when 11:30 p.m. came around you could barely hear the person standing next to you due to all the noise.  It was awesome.  I took some good pictures of the fireworks and it was so much fun to watch.  This will be my last New Year in the Philippines.

The work has been a little slow this week due to the holiday season but next week it's game on.   We have  some good plans in place knowing that we are staying put in Tandang Sora and we want to go out and find new investigators and put our heads down and get straight back to work.  I'm also looking forward to the ongoing training of my companion.  It will be good to  help him improve on his Tagalog. 

Well family, there isn't much else to share because not much has really happened this week.  Oi, the old lady I blessed passed away on December 21st but the family is doing great.  They are moving forward and we continue to teach them and hopefully, we will baptize Michael by the end of February.  He is a trike driver so he has a really busy schedule.  The work will go forward this transfer and I can't wait to see the results. 

I love you all so much and I figured that if I miss anything from the Philippines when I get home, I'll just go and visit the Ramirez family.  Hehe.  

Thanks again for everything and please give Geena a big hug from her big, but younger brother.  Give Jared, Charlton and Fletch a hug too.  Take care and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Elder Chadderton 

26 December 2012

Hey Mum and Whanau,

Another great week here in Tandang Sora.  It was so awesome to skype and see your beautiful faces, especially de'niece' and de 'nephew's' … hehe.  Awesome.  Thanks for everything and I think I told you everything during our skype session.  I love you all so, so, much.  I can't believe that Jenna's almost finished her mission.  That went ridiculously fast and to think that I'm next.  Oh man... 

Thanks family again and just so you know, we have transfers next week so I will be emailing on Wednesday to tell you if I'm moving or not.  The time for me is going so fast and before you know it,  I will be the one buying little prezzies to bring home. Oh man!  Please tell Hinalei I'm excited for my date with her.  I think she can just be my girlfriend when I get back. Hehe.

Well, family, I don't have much else to share other than I love you all so much. Take care and have a great week.

Elder Chadderton

17 December 2012

Hey Mum and Whanau,

MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone.  Christmas is so close and I can just about hear your voices.  Just to confirm, 10:00 a.m. is when I will skype - or somewhere between 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.  Thanks for all the emails and the pictures.  You guys look awesome in the pics.

We've had a pretty amazing week.  We had an experience on Saturday night where we visited the house of one of our investigators.   On entering the house the son asked us straight away if we could give his mum a blessing.  I said it would be fine and he shared with us his mum's condition and how she had deteriorated.  We learnt that about 8 months ago she had a stroke and is now paralyzed down the right side of her body.  I remember when I first arrived in this area the mum's health was okay and she could sit up straight, was eating okay and overall, she seemed to be alright.  But, when I saw her today she was barely breathing and had dropped so much weight and she was in a lot of pain.  As I was about to give her a blessing, I was inspired to give a blessing of comfort where I was to prepare her and her family for when she enters the spirit world.  It was an interesting experience for me to give a blessing like that but I just followed what the spirit was telling me to do.  After the blessing we sat down and you could feel a sense of calm enter the room.  The mum's breathing seemed to settle and she went to sleep.  It was an amazing experience.  I haven't had any contact with the family since Saturday so I'm praying that they are doing okay.

On another note, the work has been great and we were able to teach over 40 lessons this past week so we have been very busy.  Our Mission is focusing once again on investigators so we have been doing some finding to help grow our teaching pool.  It's fun and I've come to realize that while tracting is a form of finding people, I know that the best way to get new investigators is to work with the members as they know people who are ready to hear the gospel.  Our area is progressing and Elder Van Dyke is progressing too.  I've been trying my best to help him memorize different phrases and words in Tagalog so that he can participate more during the lessons.   He's getting it and I know how hard it can be for him.  I find myself taking over the discussion during the lessons and I'm not complaining because I know Elder Van Dyke will get it and contribute more as he becomes more confident in speaking the language.  He will have a better mission for knowing the language.

I am excited to Skype you guys next week and I'm going to go to the same internet cafe that I skyped from last Christmas because I know that its legit.  Unlike when I skyped home for Mother's day and the reception wasn't that great.  I am going to look for some nice things to give to some of my investigators and less actives this week for Christmas.  Thanks again family for the Christmas money.  Thanks for everything.  I love you guys heaps. Take care and have a great week.

Elder Chadderton 

10 December 2012

Hey Mum and Whanau,

Thanks for the emails and the pictures.  I'm sure you know that this time of year is very special for all of us, especially because of the memories from previous Christmas'.  Don't cry mum because the things that you and dad shared in your emails brought tears to my eyes.  I know our family has been blessed from us serving a mission. I think the only hard part for me on my mission is being away from home during times like Christmas.  But, like you said mum I've only got five months left and that time is going to fly by. 

I also liked what dad shared about giving my all to my mission.   I have really done that in this area and I will have served here for 6 months which is the longest time I've been in one area.  I love the people here and I love the work because it's pushing forward so well.  I know it's going to be hard to leave. 

Our baptism on the weekend was a success.  Our investigator arrived a little late but other than that everything was great.  It was such an awesome experience to see how the gospel can change someone's life.  The name of the girl that was baptized is Vanessa Otiong and she is 22 years of age and stays with her family.  We met her when she came to church.  She rocked up by herself and we were introduced to her by some of the other members.  We could only teach her on Sunday's because she works all week.  Last Sunday we had to sort out her baptism and confirmation records.   After church we stopped over at her house where she lives with her parents and her grandma.  The great thing about us going over to her house is that we got to meet her parents.  Sadly, her dad was drunk when we arrived but he had a lot of questions about the church.   Vanessa's Mum was quiet and didn't say much at all. I asked the parents if they were interested in learning about the church and they said yes.  I told them that we didn't want to teach them right there and then because the dad wasn't sober so we set a return appointment for the following day.  We rocked up the next day but only the mum was home and she was sitting outside on the bench enjoying the views.  So, I sat down next to her and we started talking.  The dad wasn't home as yet so we talked with the mum and spent a little time just getting to know her.   Well, while we were talking the dad arrived home.  He invited us into the house and we started to chat with them.  As missionaries we call it BRT (building relationships of trust).  They expressed how they all wanted a happy family and they wanted to help the dad overcome his drinking and smoking issues and mostly they wanted to learn more about Jesus Christ.  Ding, ding, ding!   That's what missionaries do!  Hehe!  So, we started sharing the first lesson and I felt prompted to focus on families so I taught how the gospel blesses families.  They had a lot of questions about the church which I was able to answer.  It was great to see their desire to be taught.  We had taught Vanessa after church on Sunday about enduring to the end and I shared with her parents how Vanessa's example will help pave the way for her family to be together forever.  We also shared with Vanessa some of the concerns that her parents had for her.  She expressed how she too wanted to have a close, happy family.  I was inspired to give her some good words of advice and she said that she'll try her best to be a better person and be a good example to her family.  She's awesome and her family is awesome too. I told you I love this area. 

On Friday we had our Ward Christmas party and while it seemed a bit early, it was cool to see the Ward all together.   We had so many of our less actives attend which was great and we were able to have a really nice time.

Thanks for the Christmas money dad.  I'm going to help others to have a good Christmas as well.  I love you all so much and thanks again for everything.  Take care this week and share the message of Jesus Christ to everyone you meet. 

Elder Chadderton

5 December 2012

Hey Mum and Whanau,

It has been another sweet week here in the Philippines - busy, but great.  I'm having a few allergy problems where I'm waking in the mornings and my sinuses are playing up - just like dad.  It sucks but I still have my Zyrtec to take.  

Yeah, so the work has been a little slow because we have been so busy organizing everything for our baptisms that took place last Saturday.  They were both a huge and complete success.  We had  Bishop attend and a whole lot of youth to support the newly baptized members. My companion and I sang a musical item and it was good.  I was proud of him. Hehe. 

I have withdrawn some money from my personal account because I found some waterproof Hush Puppies that were just my size and they fit fine, so I bought them.  Cool aye. I also bought some more material to get more pants made.  I've already ordered two that I am waiting on and so happy that I am able to get that done while I'm here.

On Thursday we had District leader training and it was awesome.  President took us through some workshop training which was a lot of fun and then we focused on how we can help to lift the Mission.  We continue to focus on our less actives but we are trying to mix that with a focus on baptizing as well.  It's a great vision.

Um about the transfers, from what I understand the January 3rd transfers will not be affected but after that date the next transfers will be pushed back two weeks to align with the new MTC schedule.  That's basically why my exit date is affected but its all good.  Thanks for the pictures you send because it's always nice to see everyone's faces.  Mum, may I ask if you can send some pictures of you and dad the next time you are both at the Temple because I have million's of pictures of the kids but none of you two together.  Thank you. 

I've been out now for 19 months and am the longest serving missionary in the family.  I'll be extending for two weeks and it's as though the Lord doesn't want to let me go.  Hehe!

Mum, I must admit that training and leading the area can be difficult.  Elder Van Dyke is shy because of the language barrier but I've been able to help him over the past week to broaden his vocabulary.  It is so funny to look back over the months and see myself in my new companion.  That's how I was when I first started - so self conscious, so worried about if what you're saying is right and how the members and investigators see you.  If there is one thing that I have learnt from Elder Ofahulu, it is  how he would say, "You've got to lose money to appreciate money" or in this case, "You have to sacrifice before you gain the blessings" meaning that it's okay if you don't get the language straight away and if you make mistakes that's okay too because you have to know how it feels to make mistakes before you can learn from your mistakes.  Woah!  That's deep.  But so true. 

I like to use the son's of Mosiah as an example.  Imagine if everyone that the son's of Mosiah taught were converted straight away.  That would be too easy.   However, they were beaten, thrown in jail, starved and cast out of cities. But from each of their experiences they learnt something new.  They grew and then they became mighty missionaries and changed the hearts of many of the Lamanite's who then became converted.  Amazing diba!  They say that a missionary should serve his/her mission with no regrets.  The only regret you would have as a missionary is the regret of not learning anything from the mistakes you made.  Our mistakes should help us to become more perfect.  A diamond isn't a perfect, shining, sparkling diamond as soon as it comes out of the ground.  It goes through a long refining process where it is shaped, formed and cleaned in a way so that others can enjoy its beauty and lustre.   Man, I'm sounding like a preacher... hehe...

Well, we had Temple day today.  It's always a joy to be in the House of the Lord and to feel his presence and his love and to know that even with the imperfections we do have, he still loves each and every one of us and he will continue to do so as we continue to try our hardest.

I've got just over 5 months left on my mission and I hope that the Lord can mould me into the man I am meant to be for the rest of my life.  This is my testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

I love you all.  I'm sorry my emails a bit late due to Temple day.  We have another baptism this Saturday so please pray that everything will work out ok there. 

Mahal ko kayo

Elder Chadderton   

26 November 2012

Hey Mum and Whanau,

Thanks again for the emails and the pictures.  I'm doing good and I have a new companion and he's sweet as. I'm not sick and the work is going well.  We have two baptisms coming up this week and with the help of my new companion we will organize them and then we have another one next week. Cool aye!

So, a little bit about my new companion.  His name is Elder VanDyke and he is from a place in the middle of Utah called Richfield.  I have no idea where that place is but Elder VanDyke is a nice guy and he's super quiet. One thing I am impressed with is that he is doing great with the language.  I am introducing him to the families in our area and he is getting used to the place.  He probably knows more Tagalog than I did when I first came into the mission.  He worked before his mission at his dad's company where he built kitchen and bathroom cabinets for people's houses. Cool aye!  He is 19 years of age and is doing great.

The big event for this past week would have to be transfer day on Thursday.  My last companion, Elder Braind is now assigned to serve in Antipolo and Elder Ofahulu has been assigned to MINDORO.  I started to chuckle when I found that out.  He is going to an area called Sablayan which is a three hour drive from the area I served in while in Mindoro.  They do not speak any English at all in Sablayan (kawawa siya).   He will have Christmas out there.  Poor guy.   After transfer announcements, all the trainers met at Mission President's house to collect our new companions that had arrived from the MTC.  Before that, we had a workshop with the AP's and then we were put with our companions and did some introductory stuff.  We all had something to eat and then it was time to pack up our stuff and head home.  We arrived home around 6:30 p.m. and went straight out to work - no rest for the wicked!  Hehe.  Later that night we had a dinner at a members house and then came home and slept. I was wasted.

I don't know what it is about training other then feeling mentally drained, but I have been having some great sleeps these past couple of days. I have to teach a lot of the lesson material at our appointments but I know my companion will quickly learn to help with the lessons.  I must admit that even though I have been doing a lot of the teaching, the Lord has been helping me.

Danii, what you shared about tithing in your email is so true.  I love teaching about the principle of tithing because in the scriptures it says, "Dalhin ninyo and inyong ikasampung bahagi sa kamalig at subukin ninyo ako ngayon."  Thats the part I like where God says, "Prove me now herewith" because it sounds better in Tagalog, "Subukin ninyo ako" which means, "TRY ME!" God is telling us that if we put the principle of paying tithing to the test and pay it, that he is bound to bless us.  The blessings don't come in the form of a drizzle or a sprinkle but the scripture says that he will, "POUR" out the blessings on us.  It's an amazing principle with an amazing promise and it is there for everyone and not just members of the Church.  Everyone!

The Word of Wisdom is another interesting principle to teach.  People always ask and I mean always ask, why tea and coffee is bawal (not good for our bodies).  The answer that I like to give is that God knows us better than we do because he created us and if he says that certain things are bawal then we should listen to him.  If you look at different societies these days the five things that are advertised a lot are, "Coffee, tea, cigarettes, alcohol and drugs."  If the world is focusing so much attention now on something that we knew was bad for us almost 200 years ago, why is it that people still question God.  It's not a Mormon rule to keep the Word of Wisdom but it's a law of God.  People just need to trust the Lord because he knows better.

Thanks for the pictures and the update about Uncle Rana.  I miss him a lot and I hope that he is at the airport when I come home.  I miss you guys.  We had an Elder from my mission return home to South Auckland last Thursday.  His name is Elder Uasila'a.  Just before he was about to leave I said to him, "See you in 6 months!" Hehe.  Time flies.  Oi, I'm not sure if I've told you yet but because of the huge intake of new missionaries this year the transfer days in my mission have changed so this means that my exit date has now been moved back to May 23 2013.  Sorry dad, I'll miss your birthday again and that also means I'll miss being home for Mother's day for the third time Mum! Ouch!  But if the Lord wants to keep me here for two extra weeks I'm fine with that.

I got my Christmas package and pretty much shared it with all the missionaries here.  I had a good munch on the chocolates and Tim Tams.  Thanks for the ties and the massive shirt.  It's huge!  Hehe... alguds.  I love you all so much and not long now until Christmas when I get to Skype home again. I think I'll just do what I did last Christmas and use Cola's Skype account.   We get to Skype home on Christmas day so please let me know the best time to Skype and I will make sure to do my best to call at that time. 

I love you all so much and thank you for everything that you do for me. You are all amazing.  Thanks.

Elder Chadderton 

21 November 2012

Hey Mum and Whanau,

It has been another great week here in Tandang Sora.  We have been very busy, with the main events of the week being MTC exchanges last Wednesday, a baptism on Saturday and trainers meeting this Tuesday.  I don't know why my camera is playing up but I will try and send some pictures.  If it doesn't work, I will look for a memory card reader today so I can send them to you.  I am doing fine and I'm excited for transfers tomorrow as I will be getting a new companion so I will tell you all about that next P-Day. 

On Wednesday when we had MTC exchanges I was put with a missionary from Negros Occidental.  He is Ilonggo and still struggles with Tagalog.  We went and visited some of our investigators and it was interesting because as I listened to this Elder speaking, I could tell when he would switch between the Tagalog and Visayan language.  He is a cool Elder.  I also met and Elder TRIAS.  If you can, please let the Montesclaros family know of him because he was surprised to learn that they were in my home Ward.  I had told him that I was from New Zealand and the first thing he asked was if I knew the Montesclaros familiy.  As mentioned earlier, I told him that they were in my Ward.  He was shocked and said, "What a small world!" Cool aye. 

On Thursday we went looking for this one family.  Tamboong. They're an elderly couple and when we arrived at their door, the Nanay let us in and the Tatay was sitting on the couch with his eyes closed.  I thought he was asleep for a minute and then he stood up - eyes still closed - shook our hands and explained that he had an eye infection and his eyes hurt if he kept them open so he had them closed.   We shared a little message and asked Tatay a question and we weren't quite prepared for his long response.  He just talked and talked and talked and we were there for about an hour and a half.  Funny thing, because the Tatay talked so long the Nanay ended up falling asleep.  Oh man!

Sunday is always a good day.  We had another great turn out at Church with our investigators and our less actives attending.  We had 8 investigators and 16 less actives come.  Just for your information, to be counted as an active member of the church after being less active a person is required to attend church 4 times in a row.  The work is going well and we have 2 baptisms on December 1 - cool - then another one on December 8th.  I just hope I can do everything that is needed to see them enter the waters of baptism.

Like I mentioned, on Saturday we had a baptism and it was an 8 year old girl from a less active family in our area.  It is not counted as a missionary baptism but we attended it because the family is awesome.  Her name is Rebecca Ramos and it was good to see her family back at church.  The dad also attended the confirmation on Sunday.  Awesome!

Yeah, so on Monday, I received a call from the AP's that I'll be training again, but I had already been told that by President.  They said that we had trainers meeting on Tuesday morning so, on Tuesday I woke up at 5:30 a.m., had a shower and was out the door by 6:20 a.m. -  right on time!  I met up with one of the other Elders that will be training too and we had breakfast at Macca's and then caught a taxi over to the Mission home.  In the trainers meeting we went over the training program and then we went back home.  There are 7 Elders that will be training and 9 Sisters.   That's a lot of new missionaries.   Cool aye!  It was funny seeing the newbies freaking out because it will be their first time to train.  I was a little bit more relaxed because this is my third time.  Next week  I will send the details about my new companion.

It will be sad to see Elder Braind leave but it will be fun to train a new missionary.  I haven't received any package as yet from President.  With transfers tomorrow it is going to be a very busy day. Oh, and about Thanksgiving,  I do know that we have a dinner appointment tomorrow night to celebrate it.

I love you all Whanau.  Kei te aroha au ki a koe.  Ingat kau lagi. Mahal ko kayo.

Elder Chadderton