Email Monday July 26, 2010

Thought we'd go surfin' for the 4th of July! haha!



Aloha!

Mon, Jul 26, 2010 at 3:14 PM
Howzit all my loved ones from the mainland? Hope all is well with you all! Things here are as good as ever in Hawaii, its blazing hot everyday so I am dying for winter to come so the temperature goes down to the 70's. That will be a pure blessing!

So this week was pretty sweet! I saw a lot of miracles happen, not all were big but the Lord really had his hand in our work this week. The beginning of the week was really slow, we weren't finding anyone and it was really hard to stay positive and focused. But towards the end of the week we started having success and seeing miracles happen through the faith we had!

Friday night we taught Brother and Sister Jay who are the older couple we have taught a couple times. They have been coming to church every week, and they absolutely love it and everything about our church. They are very wise and retain everything we say, so we really have to watch what we say and make sure it isn't wrong haha! But on Friday night we invited them to baptism and they are going to get baptized!! It’s super cool! We just have to get her to stop drinking her coffee but she really understands why and I think she will be able to do it. We will get her on hot chocolate haha! I don't know how anyone can drink coffee here though anyway, it’s so hot!!! But anyway, they have thanked us numerous times for bringing them "into the light". The lessons we have with them are so spiritual and I learn so much about relying on the Lord in teaching. There are people flying in from Utah and maybe a couple other places for their baptism so it is going to be a really special and spiritual experience! I really love these people! The date has not been set yet but I think it will be pretty soon!

We are also teaching a deaf girl name Deborah who loves our church and the Gospel. Her parents are Marshallese and are ministers at that church. They really don't like us at all but Deborah is standing her ground and doing what she wants and coming to church. It’s really special because our ward has people that can sign so she can talk, it’s so good! We teach her tomorrow before Elder Walker leaves and I think we will be able to get a baptismal date set for her, I am really excited for her lesson!

On Saturday I went on an exchange with Elder Eteaki! He is a Tongan from Cali who has an amazing and interesting background. He was a gang member his whole life, watched people be killed, did a lot of bad things and hung out with a lot of bad people. He looked at the path he was going and looked down the road and decided that’s not what he wanted so he moved to Utah and changed his entire life and came back into the Gospel. He is like the best missionary in Hawaii, his spirit is so strong and he relays every message perfectly. I learned so much on my exchange with him. We found 2 new investigators while tracting, got one of our investigators in the ward to church, and taught 6 lessons all on Saturday! It was so amazing! Many miracles happened this week and it all came about by our faith in the Lord.

It was a really exciting week! I love hearing from you all, hope all is well back home! Tomorrow is my last day with Elder Walker and then he goes home. So Wednesday I will get a new companion. I will be here in Kahala for at least 6 more weeks so I am really pumped about that, the members are so awesome and things are really picking up! Love you all, keep writing me and I promise to write back. Until next time,

Ofa Atu!
Elder Garritson

July 19, 2010

Aloha Utah!!

Boy another week down here in Hawaii and time is really flying back! I love it out here the members are so nice and I am really coming to love these Hawaiian people!
We have had a good week, all of our investigators are really progressing and hopefully they will enter into the waters of baptism pretty soon. Brother and Sister J*** are a couple that are so nice and really love the missionaries. We have taught them twice and they really know it is true. We are going to shoot for this Friday to get them a baptismal date so that is looking promising!

Our other two investigators are both deaf! We love them alot, but man are those some hard lessons to teach. Of course we have an interpreter but it still just makes everything so hard! I really enjoy it though, its an amazing spirit. Especially when we do the first vision it really hits home and the spirit is so strong and everyone is crying. One of them is 18 and is Marshallese, so it is going to be hard to baptize her because her parents hate us and are pastors at another church. But we know that Heavenly Father will provide a way.

Other than that nothing special has been happening. Just continue to stay strong in the Gospel, invite you friends and do not ever be ashamed. This is the true church and Jesus Christ is our Savior. Our tickets to the Celestial Kingdom have already been bought, all we have to do is follow a few simple commandments to obtain them. I love you all and you are all in my prayers. Everyone stay in touch, write me and I promise to write back.

Until next time, Ofa Atu!
Elder Garritson

July 12, 2010

Aloha Utah!

Mon, Jul 12, 2010 at 3:55 PM

Another week down! Time is a weird thing, sometimes it seems like it goes on forever but than you look back and I have been out here for a little while! I'm really enjoying it the people of Hawaii are great! So this week was a really special week and we ended up getting a lot accomplished thankfully since things have been slow for a little while. Saturday we had a baptism!!! Man that was really special! It is really cool to see the change that the Gospel brings to people in their lives, and not only to their lives but their families lives as well! We had an amazing time teaching them and then had one of the priests in the ward baptize them. The whole family attended the baptism and church for the confirmation so it really was special. Its a great first step and you will never know how much of an effect one person can have! Its just a ripple effect so we always need to strive to live our lives in the way our Heavenly Father would want. Be an example of Jesus Christ at all times because you never know who is watching you.

We really had some miracles this week in finding a couple new investigators! Finally man we hadn't had a new investigator since I have been here but last night we found a great couple, I think! They are good friends with some members in the ward and the members have been continually inviting them to church. We went over to their house last night and had dinner and taught them about the Plan of Salvation and how their family can live together forever! They really like it and will be baptized I know it! He is very very wise and he was like teaching me things about Joseph Smith (haha) it was a good lesson!

So I haven't told you yet but we have deaf people in our ward so I am picking up a little sign here and there. Well on Friday we had a lesson with a deaf investigator and an interpreter and it was amazing! Man its so much different but the Spirit that is felt is uber strong! Its just a different spirit! I love the deaf people, they are so nice and super willing to help with learning sign. I can almost say a prayer in ASL so its really cool!

President and Sister Dalton are truly amazing! We had our first interviews with them and I have a good feeling about what they are going to do for this mission. He was an area seventy previous to this calling and he was one of the head guys in Prop 8!!!! He has such an amazing spirit and is so friendly. I have a feeling we are going to get a lot of authorities over here because he worked with a lot of them during Prop 8. He is a story teller and tells some great jokes. He is chill but hard working. His wife is amazing and loves the Angels so I have given her a little grief about the Yanks beating them last October! She just laughs its great!

Well I love you all! Stay strong and remember who you are and what you stand for. This Gospel is true!

Until next time, Ofa Atu!
Elder Garritson


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Email for July 5, 2010

ALOHA!!

Hello from the great state of Hawaii where the sun is always shinning and it never gets above 85 degrees! Haha I'm just kidding I miss Utah as much as I love Hawaii, each place has its ups and downs. Be grateful to live in such a great state, we really don't come to appreciate Utah until we move out of it. It is so humid here and you just sweat all day long! Right when you step out of the shower you are sweating again, and no AC so that is just awesome haha its good though thats missionary work.

So this week has been kinda a rough one. Tuesday I had my first (and last) zone conference with President Petersen. Boy it was very touching and its very hard for them to leave the islands. They have come to love the people so much its amazing! I have only known them for a couple weeks and I was crying when we started to sing God Be With You! That song is a killer I cry everytime I hear that one or sing it haha. But his talk wasn't a normal zone conference with training and such, he just gave us information that he gives all the elders the night before they leave the mission and go home. So it didn't really pertain to me but it was good! We got to meet the new President Dalton and his wife Saturday and they are awesome! Holy cow they are so nice man, very personable. He just holds you like 2 feet from your face and talks to you like he has all day. I am way excited to be able to work with him for these next two years, he is going to do great things for this mission. I can't wait!

Things in our area are going kinda slow we have yet to find a new investigator since I have been here. Although we have a baptism for Jona and Kiata on Saturday so that is going to be amazing! I am very excited for that. Other than that we are just trying to find new investigators and such, its tough work.

I have really learned to really on the Lord through faith and prayer! Holy cats guys the Lord works in mysterious ways man. I can't tell you how many times out here he has answered my prayers just at the right time in the way I wasn't expecting. Stay close and pray always. You can never pray too much I promise you that, that is something I have learned out here. Have the faith that he will answer you prayers and guide you to what you should do. It doesn't matter what it is, the gospel, sports, friends, pray about everything and he will answer. He wants to listen you just have to put forth that effort.

Time is short but all is well here and I hope you are all doing well. I love hearing from you all in letters so keep writing. I love the members here in Hawaii, the people of Hawaii are amazing guys! The gospel is so true, stay strong!

Until next time, Ofa atu!

Love Elder Garritson