ALOHA!! September 26, 2011

 Elder Stelter and Garritson tracting!

Elders Stelter and Garritson

Elders Street, Garritson, Post and Stelter

Aloha friends and family! Its good to hear from you each and every week, I love to hear about what you are all doing. It's always comforting to know the ones I love back home are doing so well. Things out here are good! The mission is looking good for the upcoming month of October. We had a couple of good months, August and September, and with October being a 5 week month, we will see at least 100 baptisms! We are shooting for our 115 so we'll play it out and see what happens! The weather out here is nice as always, it does get a little cold at night, drops down to 65 or so, have to throw on a jacket sometimes haha!

So these past couple of weeks were crazy what with transfers and stuff. Monday was a good Pday, we all went and hung out at the Clowards house for the final Pday of the transfer! Had a good old BBQ, played some ball and just cruised, always a good time to be with other missionaries. That is one of my favorite parts of the missions, being able to meet all the missionaries and get to know their stories. There are a lot of cool people in this mission!

Tuesday and Wednesday were crazy with all the new missionaries coming in. Its always cool picking them up and seeing how excited they are to go out and baptize. It takes me back to the day I first came in and I just think how much more prepared these missionaries are. We had a solid group of elders and sisters come in! They are really good! Wednesday is the day of transfers which is always crazy but this one went really smooth. Everyone got where they need to go and that is all that matters haha! The mission has taught me a lot and one of those things is how to be patient. There are times when you just have to bite your tongue and hold give your whole-hearted support through a difficult time! Definitely a humbling experience! I learn a lot, so its all good.

Thursday was probably one of the hardest days of the mission. Thursday is the day the missionaries go home. So we get to be with them most the day, driving them around. This group that went home was a solid group of elders. All were zone leaders, 4 of them were assistants, and the sisters were solid! They all were missionaries I've looked up to my entire mission and some of my best friends out here. It was cool being able to hear each one of them bear their final testimony of how the mission has blessed their lives. The Spirit is always so strong in that room. We eat and then drop them off at the airport. So hard to say good-bye to each and everyone of them, that's the hardest thing of the mission, saying good-bye to those you love. The only thing that gets me thru it is knowing that I will see them again, whether in this life or the next. Every single one of them, i'ts a comforting doctrine! The mission is very young now, it will be a good 8 more months!

So as for Elder Stelter and I, we have taken over the Kaimuki ward. The ward is solid, we already have 2 people that are getting baptized in the month of October. It's good to have an area and investigators of your own! The first lady is super solid. She is probably in her early to mid 30's and one day just showed up to church. About 10 years ago she was meeting with missionaries and just felt like the church wasn't for her. She went on and went to other churches and kind of just stopped. One Sunday a couple weeks ago she showed up to Church and said she just got a prompting that this is where she needs to be. She met with the ward mission leader who is SOLID and he just made her feel really welcome and involved and she definitely felt the Spirit. We have taught her 2 lessons and they were great! She takes notes, reads everything and recognizes the Spirit as she does so. She is super excited to get baptized at the end of this month on the 22nd. It is always a strengthening of my testimony to see miracles happen like that! The other boy is 19 and he just graduated from high. He had a friend just get baptized a couple months ago and he is just loving it. His friend invited him to church and now he is planning to get baptized on the 29th of October so its really cool. We haven't had a lesson with him but he already has a strong testimony

Love this work man, its the best. Thank you all for everything, thank you for the prayers! Stay close to the Gospel, this world is getting crazier and crazier but I know as we stay close to the Gospel and our Savior Jesus Christ we will be protected from the storms of the adversary. Love you all, have a great week!

Elder G.

ALOHA! September 19, 2011

Once again, What's not to love about Hawaii! 

(Found some pictures Jordan sent in July, some I hadn't posted yet.  He was with his comp, Elder Street in the pic above.)

Hey all,

Hey I won't be able to sit down and write anything today, we got too much tonight. 
Things are solid, gearing up for the greenies tomorrow and then all my buddies go home Thursday, that'll be rough!
 Anywho, things are good here. Mission is doing alright, we could be doing better as far as baptisms. We had 60 last month and will probably get around that this month. For some reason we keep pushing the 5 week months so I bet October we hit 100 again. It's pretty cool, Elder Stelter and I finally got an area. It's the one Elder Street is in right now so, when we go in, we have a couple already getting baptized in October so it will be good! Should be a good transfer, no zone conferences and stuff so we can just work hard on exchanges and in our area!!

Love ya
Elder G.

ALOHA!! September 12, 2011--HAPPY BIRTHDAY JORDAN!!!!

Whats up! Thanks for the birthday wishes, much appreciated. I am being taken care of out here don't worry. We hit up some Denny's this morning and then tomorrow night President is taking us out to eat so I am pumped. It's just another day, 21 already though, crazy stuff. Its already been 21 years I cannot believe it.

So this week was good, we had some good zone conferences around the island. Tuesday we were over in Makakilo at the Stake Center, which is in Kapolei. So many good memories over there! I love that place to death, it was cool just driving around there. Wednesday was over in Maui and what's not to like about that place. Thursday was here in Honolulu and that was solid just because of everyone that was there. It's hard to see all the missionaries that are going home bear their final testimonies. It's definitely a testament to me of how true the Gospel is seeing how the Lord shapes us while we are out here on a mission. The 7 elders and 4 sisters that go home this next week are some of the best we have. They were all very successful out here and changed many lives, but most importantly their own lives where changed. It is going to be hard to say good-bye to these missionaries.

This weekend was just kind of planning out for the upcoming transfer so nothing to special. We found a solid mexican food place to eat at tho! Man you don't realize how much you miss something until you don't have it anymore, and mexican food is one of those things in Hawaii! There are hardly any places so its always a blessing to eat at one!
 
Anywho, I love you all! I know that this is the true Church on the earth today, that Jesus Christ established it. I know that he is our Savior and he did what he said he did so that we can return to Father. Thank you for everything, have a great week!
 
Love to all.
Elder G.

ALOHA--September 5, 2011

Boy sounds like everything back home is flying by 100 miles per hour! Its good to hear you guys are doing well though, that the baby is healthy and school and stuff is in order. You know, it puts a smile on a missionary's face hearing about his family and how well they are doing. Being 3000 miles away and knowing that they are doing well is good stuff. I love it. Sounds like the football season is in full swing, Cougs & Utes coming out victorious is always a good thing to hear. Bummer to hear the Aggies barely lost to Auburn.

The work of the Lord here in Hawaii is solid as ever!
This week was crazy with all the zone conferences! We started Tuesday in Kauai, Wednesday back in Laie (ah I miss that place like crazy), Thursday over in Kaneohe and Friday we went over to Big Island. Man it was a fun time, we had some good stuff happen. Zone Conference is the best, so much learning goes on and the best part of it all is to hear President Dalton speak at the end. The focus right now is the Doctrine of Christ and that is always something good to hear.

This weekend was amazing! On Saturday was the baptism of Tayla Jay, the daughter of Brother and Sister Jay who were baptized last year when I was in Kahala. The baptism was so spiritual. It was cool to be able to be back in Kahala ward. So many good faces and members that I haven't seen in a long time, it was good to be there. On Sunday we got to be a part of her confirmation and being up on that stand while she was being confirmed brought a flood of memories from last year when Brother and Sister Jay got confirmed. Such a testimony builder. The blessing she received after the gift of the Holy Ghost was pronounced upon her was wonderful. I have been so blessed with everything out here on my mission. Companions I have had, wards I have served in, investigators and converts I have been able to meet, everything. I couldn't ask for anything better! I love it, I love this work, I love this Gospel. Sorry this is so short, things right now are crazy but are going really well, I love you all! Stay in touch!

ALOHA!! August 30, 2011

What a good week over here in Hawaii, every week is a good week come on now its Hawaii! We saw some good miracles and the hand of the Lord in a lot of our work, it was great.

On Monday we were able to go to the Jay's and be there for the marriage of their daughter. She was baptized by the bishop of the Kahala Ward and it was a very good talk he gave! He talked about having a "high performance" marriage and how that is possible. It was something that obviously didn't apply right now but I put it in the back of my mind for the futute haha! See I got it all down. The best part is now that they are married, they will be baptized this Saturday! Almost one year from when Brother and Sister Jay were baptized. I am so excited to be back in Honolulu, I have been able to see Bro. and Sis. Jay a couple times while being in town, they are just the best. Bro. Jay is still cracking his jokes and making everyone laugh, I love it! I cannot wait for the baptism this Saturday, it will be the best

On Wednesday we were over in Waipahu and saw a huge miracle. The elders over there have been working with these 2 kids for a while now and the kids are dying to get baptized but the father feels they aren't ready. Every time the kids pray they would just pray that they can get baptized. They attend church every week and it was just time, just waiting for that right moment. Well a tradegy happened and we went over there and explained that if the kids receive the Holy Ghost it will help them through this hard time. The Father's attitude completely changed and he asked us if we really believed that was true, we bore testimony that it was and it will! He said okay lets do it this Saturday! The kids were baptized and on Sunday recieved the gift of the Holy Ghost! What a miracle, the Lord always provides a way, I love it!

Friday was a great day, I was able to go out with Elder Carter and Elder Bown. Elder Carter and I were in the MTC together and he is just a hilarious kid. So being together with him is always just a riot. We have a good time and do some good laughing but get a lot of work done. Elder Bown is the man too. I would love to be companions with him one day, that would be awesome!

Saturday and Sunday we just had a lot of planning for these upcoming weeks, the next 2 weeks we will be around to all the zones at zone conference. We are really excited, this will be awesome! Today we were over on Kauai for the first of 7 zone conferences. I saw my boy Elder Smith, he is the best. I miss that kid like crazy we had some good old days back in Kahala. He is doing well over there, lucky guy this is his second time serving on Kauai and most people never get to serve there! Also crazy stuff, Sister Brown gave her final testimony. She goes home next transfer. The crazy thing is that she came out with us. So that just means time is running by quickly. Still have a while but its scary! I am loving it tho, these 2 weeks will be awesome!

Well Elder G is an uncle once again! My brother Tyler and his wife had their second baby last night. Autumn Alexandria Garritson. She is so cute! I wish I could be there but I know I am in the right place right now. My other niece Afton is huge and now is talking, its amazing how fast kids grow up. This gospel is the best, I am so grateful that we can live together as families forever! What a joy to be able to have that knowledge!

 Thanks for everything, love you guys!
 ELDER G OUT!