A couple more pics Jordan sent

The kid on the right in front next to President is Elder Larsen. Then going around you have President, Elder Lunt, Elder Street, Elder Stelter, me, Elder Post, and Elder Biggs. Elder Biggs got released from AP last transfer, Elder Lunt will be released this transfer. I will be traveling with Elder Street and Elder Stelter will be with Elder Post

ALOHA!!!!!!!!! June 20, 2011

Elder Larsen and Elder Garritson

 Jordan with Kione and Zoey, "the best"!












With Bishop Moa and some of his family.  They are great! 

Boy this week has been pretty crazy. On Thursday President called me in and told me I have a new assignment. I will be traveling around the mission going on splits with missionaries. We will start this week so I am pretty stoked for it. I didn't really see this coming at all but I am blessed and privileged for the assignment, I know it will be a good experience.

It was kind of sad leaving Kapolei and Kalaeloa wards. I only had a few hours to go and see a couple of people,  but I know the work will continue to progress even though I am not there!  I am so happy we had a lesson with those 2 kids I told you about last week and they have a baptismal date for July 9. I left the area on Thursday and told them I will be back for their baptism (before they had been committed). Then, as Elder Larsen and Lasitani went to the lesson on Sunday, she said she will be baptized. I cannot wait man, what an amazing experience to be apart of. Tract into a family, teach them, and the kids get baptized. I will be back for that one.!!!
Other than that the work is solid. We will just be heading out to areas in Honolulu this week and then starting next week we will head around the island and then we'll go visit the other islands.
I know this Gospel is true, I know that this is His work, and I love everything about it. Love you all!

Elder Garritson

ALOHA!!!!!!!! June 14, 2011

Boy can you say go Mavs!? Take that Lebron I am so juiced that the Heat lost. I am so happy Lebron didn't get his ring, and am happy Dirk finally got his. Its a good day over here in Paradise!

Haha so this week was pretty legit for us. We have a lot of work coming up and we are exicted to get it going. We have been tracting a lot so we have found quite a few investigators, now we just have to sift thru and find the elect. We have found a couple that are pretty solid so we are hoping we will be able to see some success with them. We had a miracle this week with a less active family we tracted into a couple weeks ago. So the mom and oldest daughter are members, but she has a teenage daughter and teenage son who aren't members. They were super stoked to have us come back (more so at first just to feed us, seems like that is all people want to do out here, but I am not complaining). We shared the Restoration with them over this past week and it was super powerful when we taught about Joseph Smith and gave the first vision lesson. Man it was solid and we committed them to come to church and they were down. So they came to church and Elder Larsen and I were speaking and we just rocked it! Everyone was loving it, and especially this family. It was perfect. We went over that night and she told us that she wants to be baptized, and hopefully her brother will be right behind. But what an amazing experience. Elder Larsen and I have been tracting like mad out here and the Lord is placing miracles in our path. I love missionary work man, its the best!

Yesterday we had a big meeting on how we are going to take our mission to the next level and we have a lot of good ideas. Starting August 1st they are going to change the teaching in the MTC to help the missionaries be more in tune teaching with the Spirit. They have taken things right out of PMG and focused on them. They will take these things they learn and than when they get to the field they will learn the lessons from PMG chapter 3. All you missionaries that enter the MTC around that time are lucky. These new missionaries are the ones that are going to take all missions to the next level. We are getting some super solid missionaries now days and it is amazing to see how good they are being so young out.
 
The work is truly progressing and no unhallowed hand is going to stop it from progressing. I am stoked! Thanks for everything, love you all!
Elder Garritson

ALOHA!! June 6, 2011 (posted a little late! )

Howzit my friends and family back in the Beehive State. Sounds like all is well back home and that you are finally getting some sunshine, that's all good except for the flooding I hope none of you get flooded out. Things out here are pretty solid for us as far as weather goes, the side we are on gets pretty hot and dry so its kind of like back home. Suprisingly we have been getting choke rain over here. It still stays pretty nice and even if it rains on you, you dry up super quick so its not bad at all. Just a quick update on the weather situation for us haha!

So like I mentioned last week Elder Larsen and I got a new companion from Tonga and he is a solid missionary. He is having a good time out here and learning a lot. I think he was super suprised to be with 2 white kids from Utah because he got called to be a Tongan speaking missionary. He will probably head out of here at the end of the transfer and go into a Tongan ward. I tell you what though, being in a trio is real different. Its a big change but its nice to train in a trio. Tracting doesn't happen so when we knock, one person sits out on the street haha. Its pretty funny but I am loving it.

This week we found some new investigators thru tracting. Its crazy out here compared to my first area, people are more than willing to listen and take the time. So we have gotten in quite a few doors just by knocking. But since we have been doing that we have seen a lot of help from the members. That is the way the Lord works I have come to find out. We have to do what we can in our power and than the Lord blesses us with miralces and we work hard. Its a good feeling after a hard days work when nothing happens and then a member calls you and says they have a friend for you to teach. Its better than all those doors slammed in your face. The mission life is great!

So not too much else happened this week. We are putting on a musical fireside at the end of this month and it is going to be solid. Cant believe how fast things are flying by, all the elders I looked up to when I came into the mission are leaving, its nuts. But I am loving it and working hard. Thanks for all you do, let me know whats up.

Love you all!
Elder G.

ALOHA May 31, 2011

Well my friends this week has been pretty solid for us! So I am not sure if you remember but our mission at the beginning of May set a vision of getting 100 convert baptisms for this month, we called it Miracle May, because that is what really needed to happen. We hadn't even come close to that the first 4 months, we got 68 in January and every other month was lower than that. So we started things off right with a fast, and than some other things. Well as of the end of last week we were 30 short and needed miracles this weekend. Sunday night at 830 PM our mission had 3 convert baptisms and so for the month of May we hit 101! It was amazing. Something I am so happy to be a part of. I have learned the power of a lot of things when you put your trust in the Lord. No one in their right mind would think we could jump 40 baptisms in one month, but we set a vision, made some goals and heavily relied on the Lord and we saw the biggest miracle I have ever been a part of in my life. It was cool to listen to President tell us Monday morning that Vision 100 was reached, AMAZING experience. I appreciate all your prayers, I know not one prayer ever goes unanswered.

So we also had a once in a lifetime experience on Wednesday when Elder Pearson from the quorum of the 70 came to speak to us. He gave some of the greatest council, stuff I will remember for the rest of my life. The first thing he told us was I hope you are all here when President is crying about reaching 150 baptisms, not 100. It was just a stark introduction, this guy knows his stuff. He blew us away and showed his love an appreciation, I cannot express how grateful I am to be out here. The Lord knows everything that we are doing and wants to help us as long as we just ask. Bottomline is, this is the only true church on the earth, I KNOW THAT!

We did well this week, we found some good investigators that I think we come around. We had a couple of them attend sacrament this week so it was just amazing. This area is starting to pick up, Elder Larsen and I are seeing the Lords hand out here and we just go and work our tails off. Keep praying for the building up of the kingdom.

Finally another big shock is Elder Larsen and I recieved a missionary from the MTC yesterday so we are training him! Elder Lusitani is straight from Tonga and is a hilarious guy. He is a hard worker and we are going to have a good transfer together. It was cool, they called us in the morning and we picked him up last night. Another blessing from the Lord. I couldn't be more happy with where I am right now, serving the Lord. I have already hit 1 year and I cannot believe it. Time flies but I am enjoying every minute of it. I thank you all for your examples and prayers to me. Continue to rely on the Lord and he will help you thru anything, I know that because I have seen that happen in my own life and many others.
Love you all!
Elder Garritson

PS. Go Mavs baby we cannot have this garbage Heat superstar team winning it!