Monday, April 25, 2011

Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration

Joy Monahan, Pro Surfer, Wife and Mormon

ALOHA!! April 25, 2011

Boy howzit my family and friends!

Its good to hear how everyone is doing from back home and it sounds like you are all having a good time and gearing up for the Summer! I can't believe its already that time again, this means I am about to hit the year mark. I am loving it out here and time is flying by. I can't believe it has already been 11 months, it definitely doesn't seem like that. This mission is the greatest thing I have ever done in my entire life. I have learned and grown so much. I am so grateful to be out serving the Lord (and it helps to be in Paradise :) The weather out here is solid, its not really too hot and never too cold! You guys should check it out sometime.

So this coming month our mission is making a big push to reach vision 100, 100 convert baptisms for the month of May. This is our focus and it is a very stretching goal but I think we can do it. We have only hit that many in baptisms 4 times in the past 2 years. So on our part, we really have to get our area going. We have a couple investigators that are kinda at a stand still and we are going to work hard with them to get them out to church to prepare for baptism in this coming month. We have 2solid ones that love meeting with us, a 14 year old girl and then a 25 year old woman. They believe these things are true and I think once we get them to church they will hit the road running and be ready for baptism!

Also we had a couple major blessings this week while tracting, thanks to my wonderful Mother! So I got a package from her today and in it was a DVD of 20 mormon messages. Well one of them is Elder Holland's thoughts on Easter, where he talks about the Atonement of Christ. We recieved this on Wednesday and decided it would be a great tracting technique especially with Easter right around the corner. So the first day we got in 2 doors (keep in mind I have never gotten inside someones doors to teach them off tracting, not once!!) and shared the message and got return appointments with both of them! What a blessing. Mom, you are doing missionary work and you didn't even know it! But seriously, you guys should check out the mormon messages online. They are amazing and really bring the spirit. If you get a chance, go to youtube.com/mormonmessages and watch the new Joseph Smith movie (SOLID!) and the one called Joy Monahan (I posted the message in the next post. TG). Joy was in the Hawaii Kai ward where I served and she is a phenomenal person. Amazing surfer and she is such a humble woman, really good stuff!

All is well out here with us, we are doing work! Continue to pray for all the missionaries and continue to share the Gospel with all you friends, as you do so the Lord will bless us all and the kingdom will continue to grow and prepare for the 2nd coming.

Love you all!
Elder G.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

ALOHA! April 18, 2011

Boy things out here are going solid as ever! We are seeing the whales jumping all over the place and on April 30th we get to participate in Mormon Helping Hands and do some work on the beach. It's blazing hot over here in Makakilo, we don't get any trade winds so its pretty bad, but thats okay. Nothing will stop the work from progressing!

So this past Sunday was a crazy long but good one. I got my first taste of what it is like to be in meetings all day long. We had church and meetings starting at 7 and went until 5. It was pretty crazy.

Tracting is our bread and butter out here in Makakilo and I am loving it. It is pretty different from my previous 2 areas because in Hauula we didn't tract and then in Kahala and Hawaii Kai we tracted everyday but nothing came from it. Over here it is the complete opposite. Everyone we are working with right now has come from tracting. We have 1 girl with a date hopefully sometime in May and than we should get another one this week for May as well. The island people are super humble.

So other than that work continues to move on the same old same old. In sacrament meeting we learned a lot about being slow to anger and that really taught me a lesson today. I was ready to rip some rude person, but instead I walked away! Be proud of Elder G on that one!

Love you all!
Elder G

ALOOOOHA! April 12, 2011

(So, sorry I'm behind in making my posts! So here's his letter from last week, then I'll post his letter from Monday! Time flies! Hopefully we'll get some new pics this week!)


Well its been a crazy week saying goodbye to Hauula and making new friends here in Makakilo! It was hard to say goodbye to Hauula, that was an amazing place and I made so many good friends, but all good things must come to an end. I had a great time serving around all the sisters, with my boy Elder Tuihalangingie and Elder Porter! That will definitely be an area I never forget. Although it was hard to leave I am stoked to be here in Makakilo. Its a different side of the island I haven't been to so I am happy about it!

So this week was a lot of "getting to know you" with all the auxillary leaders in our 2 wards. The bishops and Stake President are great and this is a very high baptizing area. We have a lot of potential out here. My first day here we went and saw a 14 year old girl that the previous elders tracted into and she wants to be taught. She is coming along and is praying/reading about the Book of Mormon. Its going to be good! We also had a lesson with a couple that just got married and then baptized last weekend! What a blessing to hear about that and see them get confirmed this Sunday. Other than that we are hitting the streets hard pounding on the doors! Its cool to finally be tracting again, up in Hauula there wasn't much time for that so I am happy to finally get out again. This is going to be a great transfer! I have a feeling I will be here for a while so it should be solid!

What a great weekend last weekend with conference! So many good talks but my favorite was President Packer's. I would suggest we all take his advice and "let it go". Whatever beef you have with someone, something or whatever just let it go and move on in life. A great lesson we can all take and apply into our lives.

Love you all, keep up the good work!

Elder G OUT!

Monday, April 4, 2011

Leaving Laie....I'm gonna miss my sisters! Aloha! April 4, 2011



This was my favorite conference ever and I really enjoyed it. I couldn't be happier right now! I sure do miss you guys but this is the Lords work and like President Monson said at the very beginning, "missionary work is the life blood of the kingdom!" I love you family, thanks for everything you all have done for me, I couldn't ask for a better family!

The temple was awesome! It was nice just to get back into the temple finally! (They all went to the temple last week before conference. Jordan was very excited to go again!)I am being transfered on island to Makakilo to be a zone leader. Sorry today is crazy I am in a shambles trying to get everything together?!


Love to all of you
Elder Garritson