SHORT AND SWEET

Elder Chadwick only wrote a short note to his dad this week. You will see it below.
He did mention on another short e-mail to me that he is feeling fine and doing well. He is struggling
with the new rules. I had mentioned to him about watching Elder Holland's CES talk and this was his response. Not sure what a "memoria" is.

I bought a new memoria and will try to watch it this week.

I can go on lds.org and Mormon.org now.

I also have been reading Jordan's blogs.

I loved the emails.

I don't really have anything to say this week.

Everything is really slow with the new rules.

But every night is Family Night here!!!

The new rules say they can't go into a home without a priest age or older male with them. They usually have to wait until school is out at three. That is why every night is FHE. They do a lot of their teaching then.

As for the rule about no street contacting, he didn't mention why. I will ask him again.

hey dad,
Everything is just peachy here. I am loving life.
We had a conference with pres. and he told us that he was not going to tell
us what to do with these new rules but that we had to go to the Lord with
faith to find the answers.
I am going to write Jordan today. Mom has commanded me to do so.
We don't have a lot of people to teach. We are helping an 8 year old prepare
for baptism.
I am excited to come home in 9 weeks. It seems so close.
Mom seems to be preparing me with sending me articles by Janice Kapp Perry.
I am not really excited to find a wife though. It is a tricky business,
right?
I guess I should just not think about it until I get home.
I really want to return for the sealing of one of the families I baptized
in March.
Well, I hope you have a great week.
Love
Elder Chadwick

SEPTEMBER 17 POST with photos

This post is a week late.
I will be posting his letter to his dad and the one to me.
As you can read, they can barely work.
I'm not sure why right now but hopefully will find that out soon.
Keep him in your prayers.
Tina

To Daryl
Hey,
Things are really hard right now. We can barely work.
It is true that we cant contact people in the street and we also cannot knock
doors.
We have alot of new standards in the mission.
It is going to be a slow ten weeks. But we are going to have a meeting with
Pres. Kusch tomorrow so things will be better I think.
My companion and I get along great. I am having a great time.
I am not ripped yet but we are training every morning with Hno. Ninja.
I hope you have a great time in Kansas. "Theres no place like home...."
haha.
Have a great day dad. Love ya
Elder Chadwick

Hey mom,

Things are getting really slow. We can't do a lot right now with all the new rules.

I don't know what to do right now.

Just imagine you are me.

You can't knock doors and you can't contact people on the street.

You also can't enter a house without a priest or someone that is 18 years old or older. Or 4 women.

The men work all day, the priest, if there are priest, are in school.

What would you do from 11 o'clock to 3 o'clock?

The new standards of the mission say that we have to have these numbers every week:

Baptisms and Confirmations: 1

With a baptism date: 15

In Sacrament meeting:10

With member: 50% or 15 lessons

References received: 25

References contacted: 25

New investigators: 20

Lessons in total: 30

I am not complaining... but there are not even 25 families in the ward that are active.

I know everything is possible with God on our side. But this is too much.

My opinion is in the next year they are going to close areas or missions.

When we told the Relief Society and Priesthood these numbers their heads lowered.

We asked them what they would do....they in turn asked us who put these new rules.

We just pointed up. I still believe that our leaders are inspired but I don't have alot of ideas what to do.

One of the things that did come to mind when I was showing these knew numbers to the Relief Society is:

We split the area into teams, 4 to 6 sisters to a team with one leader. Every week we meet with each team discussing the needs of each family, if they need anything and how they are doing with the mission work with there neighbors etc.

This last week we had two Mexican nights. It was fun to see the tradition they have here in Mexico.

I sang in on of the programs and was the master of ceremonies in the other.

I sang "Yo no fui" by Pedro Fernandez.

I had a blast and everyone got a laugh out of it.

I am working out in the morning with Hno. Ninja still. It is kind of embarrassing because I am not that flexible.

I hope that I can do the splits before I leave....hahaha.

Well, if I think of something I will write more.

Elder Chadwick

The two compadres!

Mr. M.C.

Elder Chadwick's Companion

EARLY BIRTHDAY AND BAPTISMS

Baptisms this week.

The arrival of the birthday package. Early too. he said

"Loved the birthday package so much I had to put on the shirt to play volleyball. I have to say that I think it was the reason we won. Everyday is Gameday. (Except SUNDAY) I would tell BYU that but they would probably punch me. 

Elder Chadwick's new scripture covers

Dont cry mom but I am just thankful for all the things you do for me so I chose to put you and your stripling worrior on the cover of my triple. 

The scripture cover picture and the real picture of the baptism. Elder Chadwick had Elder Johansen added in because this family was taught by him and Elder Chadwick. 

This is going to be a short one, but a good one indeed. 
My companion and I are doing great. We are like the trinity. One! 
We are already completing each others sentences. 
He is a band nerd too and did marching band for 8 years. 
I am so glad I have someone that can understand almost everything I am 
going through. 
On Thursday I gave the Aaronic Priesthood to Hermano Porfilio. 
After, we started teaching his daughter Clara the commandments. 
While teaching the Word of Wisdom the mother of the family told us the 
father had been smoking that morning. I looked at the bishop, he was really embarrassed. 
We told the Hno. that if he wanted to baptize his daughter he could not smoke or drink ever again. 
He kept his promise. 
This last week was really great. The barrio angeles had 30 more people that came to church. 
We learned about faith in church and I can tell all the wards we are working in will need more. 
I don't know if you know this but in October ALL the missionaries in Mexico cannot knock doors or
contact people in the street. Almost all the work is going to fall on the members shoulders. 
We mentioned it in ward council about the rule that we can't eat in a house with only the mom there. 
Everyone started to complain. It was bad. But in the end they were calmed and agreed it is more important to be obedient. 

I am excited for the the next two and a half months. I am going to end well with Elder Solomon. 

So last week I was hanging with the zone leaders and they were buying new watches. 
I felt I didn't need to buy one. Today in the mail I received one from my mother. I thought I was about
to pull a BEN 10 and transform. It is awesome. I already ate all the Twizzlers btw. (with the help of the zone)

The weather is perfect here in Chilpo. Some times we hear the rain coming and we run for cover. 
Some times it comes down really hard. 

So I had the privilege of baptizing Javier. I was almost baptized with him. He is a big boy. 
I got wet up to my pectoral muscles. haha. Good thing the wall was there to support me. 
Everyone got a good laugh out of it. I am glad the angels were there so I didn't drop him. 

So my companions sister in law has two moms. Lesbians. She is related to both because they did an experiment and 
it worked. She was converted to the gospel at the age of 18. I really got a kick out of that story. 
I was talking to my comp this morning about seminary. He said he was the only student for two years. Then the class doubled. 
One person moved in. HAHAHAHA. 

I am so content with how things are going. Today was like my happy not birthday but hey I am in Mexico so I will celebrate anyway. 
Well, you all have a great week. Pray for my brother please. I hope he has some Tom Monson experiences in basic. 
PEACE.
Elder Chadwick

SEPTEMBER 3, 2012

Jorge and Elder Chadwick all wet!

Photos of him after sinking in the mud from about 2 weeks ago.

What a mess!!

This last week was probably one of the hardest weeks of my life. I learned alot from all the experiences I had. It will probably be more easy for you to understand the things that happened this last week if I write each persons story individually. 

Nelly

Two weeks ago we received a phone call that we needed to go pick up Nelly to go to church. In the taxi on the way to church we got to know more about her. She had been assisting in Atoyac, having 4 times in church. We put a date to visit her during the week to see how much she knows. When we arrived Tuesday and she had some questions about modesty. We explained to her that our bodies are temples of God and we need to protect them. Also that we are all children of God. During the next two weeks we left chapters in the BofM and a challenge to pray to know if baptism was the right things to do. Alot of people in her school were against her being baptized, but thankfully she has members in her classes to stick up for her. So last Wednesday we challenged her to pray again and to send a text message if she wants to be baptized this weekend. While in a FHE we received a text saying that she had received an answer to her prayer and would love to be baptized Sunday so that she could invite her friends. We reviewed that things we taught her Saturday and she passed her interview with flying colors the next day. Elder Fernandez baptized her. After Nelly said she didn't believe her friends when they said baptism is like nothing else and the feeling is marvelous. But now she has a testimony that it is indeed marvelous. In Sacrament Meeting I confirmed her a member of the church and gave her the Holy Ghost. 

Cesar

Cesar I met my first week here in a FHE. A week and a half later he asked us what he needed to do to be baptized and sealed in the temple. Elder Fernandez and Elder Bagley had taught him everything so we told him all that he needed was to go to church. So we reviewed the lessons with him and had him read more in the BofM. His girl friends family are all members. Three weeks ago all inactive but now all active because of Cesar and his desire to be baptized. Elder Fernandez baptized and confirmed him. 

After his baptism Cesar gave a powerful testimony of the church and that is is true. The spirit was really strong.

Jorge

Jorge is 17 years old. He lives in a pueblo 3 hours from Chilpo. He came to live with his sister and her family. His brother-in-law is the elders quorum pres. we received the reference from him. Jorge needed a little bit more time to prepare than the others. (Because his b-on-law thought he was kind of gay) But we taught him the law of chastity and he was fine. While teaching he was kind of slow to answer easy questions but we could tell the spirit was helping him because he began to read faster and his answers where more longer. Every Sunday he came to church in his church clothes with the "Future Missionary" name tag. That is a great sign!!! He chose me to baptize him. 

We had three baptisms on Saturday. One at 12 and the others at 1. But Cesar didn't show up on time and so we started the services for Fanni and Cesar at 1. Jorge being late too. Right before Elder Fernandez entered the water with Cesar, Jorge showed up!!! So he quickly got ready and was baptized too. After I baptized him and the doors where shut he went and bathed in the water two times more. ha ha. It was really funny. We then took the picture, both soaked. haha. 

The ward mission leader ask Jorge to share his thoughts after and he was really nervous and so I had to help him. It was hilarious because I was talking and then asked him..."do you want to saying something more...???" but he wasn't talking. What an experience. 

Fanny

Fanny´s dad is a clown. That is his job. One day we went to visit fanny and her dad was putting on his make up. AWKWARD!!

The clown, which I call "Hermano Clown", he always says "Hay gordo" or "hey Fatty".

Fanny only being 9 years old was a little bit more difficult to teach. We had to go over everything three times. But he got it and the interview for her baptism only lasted like 7 minutes. She also chose me to baptize her. It was great. The only bad, or that I think was wrong is the her dad filmed the baptism. I couldn't do anything about it. Because the fiestas are always on Sunday her dad could not attend her confirmation. But his wife is working on that. Her name is Hna. Zumba, because she teaches zumba classes. 

Well, I will be getting on later because my new companion has not arrived yet. I will send the pictures of the baptisms later. 

Elder Fernandez left at 7 in the morning. 

Love you all. 

Elder Chadwick