Aloha! January 31, 2010

This was probably one of the most solid weeks of our whole transfer! We did some work this week, it was good! First off we went up to a place in our area called Sunset to just do some tracting and stuff because there is choke non members up there. Not too much success with that but it was a lot of fun and we had a drunk guy crying after we got done sharing a message with him. He wants to change but has been messed up his whole life, pretty sad but miracles can happen. Not expecting very much outta him but thats okay we still just do work!

Last night we had a lesson with a Tongan that just got here like a month ago and he is getting baptized on Feb. 19th! He had a lot of problems with the church before but we resolved all his concerns and he is solid now! He especially liked the fact that we do baptisms for the dead. We are so blessed with that knowledge and that ability, what an amazing thing to have the restored gospel on the earth and to have Temples dotting the Earth! Don't take the temple for granted ya'll, I know that we see them everywhere we go in Utah but go often, not only will it bless your life but more importantly the lives of others in the Spirit World that are just waiting for us to pick up the slack and go to work!

On Thursday we had a lesson with another family that was amazing! This family had a couple concerns and cancelled on us probably 15 straight times but they kept re-scheduling so thankfully Tuih and I never gave up on them. They will be getting married shortly and than he and the daughter will be baptized right after! This work is sweet! Don't ever give up on anyone, I have learned that lesson. Don't ever let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved. I know this gospel is true, I thank you all for the prayers and examples you have set for me. Love you all!

Elder Garritson

"I taught Sister DeArton how to play basketball and to find her hook on the rim, so thus we are making "hooks" of our own! haha!"

Jordan and SisterMuller from Germany. She is teaching Jordan to speak German! haha!

Sister Brown, Sister DeArton and Jordan in their Laie Zone sweatshirts!

ALOHA! January 24, 2011

(These pics were in Kahala, but I just got them on Jordan's SD card, so I've posted them here anyway! Quite the views, love the sunset!)

Well this week was another solid one down! Super slow this week was but we found a couple solid potential investigators that we started teaching so its all good! We are going to do work this week! This transfer is going well. On Tuesday and Wednesday we had the 8 fundamental principles from Preach My Gospel training again so that was good! I stuck a three pointer for my boy Elder Moncur so it was sick!

So I don't know if ya'll remember but the guy I was teaching back in Hawaii Kai, Henry, he got baptized on Saturday!!! Man that was tight I knew that guy was going to come around, just planting seeds and letting the rest go to work man, its was nice!

Up here nothing to special happened, we just went to work and did the normal. Huge swells came in this weekend so everyone was at the beach, dang ocean ruins everything! Elder Tuih and I are still doing work out here, we are still working with 3 families and 1 girl and they are all coming along like you would never believe. The Gospel really changes lives and it is the best thing ever. Sounds like all is well back home, the weather here is phenomenal!

Nothing else, I love you all! Keep up the solid work and remember, whatever happens God is our Loving Heavenly Father and Jesus is The Christ, thats all that matters!

Love,
Elder Garritson

Christmas and New Year's Pics

Some pictures from Christmas and New Year's Eve! The zone had a New Year's talent show. These two sisters did a dance in the dark with the lights! It was very "sick" according to Jordan!! The elders (there are 4 of them in his zone) did a play-like enactment to an arrangement of the song "Nearer My God to Thee". They all had a fun time with the couple missionaries and the sisters from many different countries!

ALOHA! January 17, 2011

Well the storm in Hawaii came and went and it made a big impact on Wednesday. It rained all day long and we ended up getting 4.3 inches of rain (according to the famous weather man Mark Eubank who is a missionary here in Hawaii!) The reason I tell you this is Elder Tuih and I had an awesome experience on Wednesday night as it was pouring rain. It was like 8 PM and we decided no one would want to listen to us right now with all this rain so we went and got into our P day clothes to look for some service. We drove all the way up until 9 with no success. We had one more street to go, and we almost just bagged it and went to our pad, but we decided to go to the street. As we were driving we saw a guy running with a shovel. We pulled over and followed him. The sand under the bridge had to be cleared so the river could flow into the ocean or else the river was going to take all the houses. So, we hopped onto the beach and dug sand for at least an hour! We finally got all the sand cleared and the water finally broke thru into the ocean! Man it was so cool we saved so many houses! Everyone was so surprised the Elders were there helping because 1, we can't be on the beach and 2, it was like 1030 before we got in that night. It was definitely one of the coolest times on my mission. Knowing that we followed the Spirit and went to that one street, we saved a ton of houses! Good Stuff!

Other than that there hasn't been too much happening up here. We are working with 3 families and 1 girl on getting them active. One of the girls we are working with is completely active now! Its such a blessing to see this work change peoples lives! It really strengthens my testimony seeing these people make changes! We have a lot of potential on the horizon, we just have to go out and find these people! Nothing else has really happened this week! Thanks for everything,

Elder Garritson
I love you all!

Aloooooha!! January 10, 2010

Whats up with it ya'll? All is well here. Elder G is staying in Laie for at least 6 more weeks! Boy I am so stoked I love this place and Elder Tuih is staying as well so we are going to do work up here this next transfer! We got some good things ahead of us and I know the Lord needs us here for a reason so we will see what unfolds this next 6 weeks! The weather up here is not good right now, I have been freezing at night (hahaha it gets down to 60 here man its cold). I have never seen this much rain in my whole life, but on the bright side, once the rain passes we get some good sunshine! Sounds like the weather in Utah is alright, I do miss the snow a bit!

This week has just been a week of working. We are teaching a few families right now, just reactivating them and helping them get to the temple. Its pretty amazing seeing these people change their lives from week to week! 3 different families are all super stoked to start coming back and enter into the temple. Its going to be such a blessing to see these people progress! We are also teaching a girl out here who went to school with me! Haha I didn't know her at school but I recognize her face. She is awesome and has such a strong testimony. I love this Gospel man! All is well, work keeps progressing everyday and Satan's power keeps getting weaker and weaker!

We all need to become better member missionaries! The building up of the Kingdom is great right now, but its not enough. We need more help, there are so many of our brothers and sisters out there waiting to hear the Gospel who just haven't had the chance to hear it. Don't think because you are in Utah that everyone has heard the message, because they haven't. Quit being slackers, get outta your comfort zone and share your testimony. Nothing is more frustrating than a member who won't share the Gospel, so don't be one of those, or else I will hunt you down! haha!(I'm serious) Love you all!
Elder Garritson








Elder Major, Elder Lunt, ? , Elder Tuih, Elder Garritson

New pics from Laie

Baptism on New Year's Eve! Nice close to the year!

Shopping in Laie

Laie Zone

ALOOOOOHA! Jan 3, 2011

Boy its been a while I haven't talked to you all since last year... hahaha lame! But its a New Year and Laie was sweet! Man Hawaii is crazy during New Years, way more than the 4th of July, everyone was popping fireworks, illegal ones and everything. It was so sweet though, us here in Laie. But it was sweet we had a sick talent show on New Years, I'll send you home the videos the Laie Boyz put on an awesome talent!

Along with all the craziness of New Years we had Jonathan's baptism on New Years Eve. That was such a special day to see him finally enter into the waters of baptism! Everything wrong about the mission is put aside when you have a baptism. We were in the water with him helping him out with his leg so it was super special! I love this work, I know its true with every fiber of my being.

Other than that, its been a pretty slow past couple of weeks with all the holidays. People just take off 2 weeks here and party all day and all night its nuts. Whole paychecks are spent on fireworks, they just go wild! We will be hitting the streets hard to find some new investigators. We have a couple on the lookout so it should be solid! Transfer calls are on Sunday, I am pretty sure I am staying but I hope Tuih doesn't leave! We do work out here man.

So I just have one thought for the New Years, something to think about while you have your callings and stuff in the church: "Serve, so others may live." This is what it's all about, we are here to bring the message of the Restoration and the Plan of Salvation to those that don't have it. Build the kingdom up in everyway you can, and may your lives be blessed for this New Year of 2011! Love you all!

Elder Garritson

ALOHA! and Mele Kalikimaka! Dec. 27th, 2010

Boy well Christmas has come and gone and we are moving onto another phase of life! But this was the best Christmas that I have ever had man! It was such an amazing day and I really found out the true meaning of Christmas. It was good to talk to the fam and my boy BK! Sounds like all is well back in Utah, things out here are solid it was just weird waking up on Christmas to Sunny 75 degree weather. We are working it out here, our mission has hit 900 baptisms for the year of 2010 and we are still going along so we should be in the mid 900's by the end of this year. What a blessing to see these worthy converts enter into the covenant!

So for us here in Hau'ula we have been having a lot of good stuff happening, the Lord has been looking out for Elder T and G! We had a lesson with a guy named John on Tuesday and committed him to be baptized on New Years Eve! Its going to be sick, he has been taught for like 8 years and so we came across him and have only been teaching him for 3 weeks. I guess now is the time for him, we are very stoked to see him enter into the waters of baptism!

Not to much else here in Hawaii! This work is solid, I am truly blessed to be serving the Lord for 2 years. I came across a quote on Christmas day that really hit me, I believe it was Elder Nelson but not sure, and this quote isn't word for word but you get the idea: "the best thing that we can give to our Savior at this Christmas time, or at any time for that matter, it to keep ourselves unspotted from the World. If we do that he gives of the promise of everlasting life, whenever that time may come." May all of you have a Happy New Year, Love you guys!