Week 21 - December 23, 2018 (Camalaniugan, Philippines)

The giant tree at the municipal center,
it is quite the spectacle

Merry Christmas Eve my dearest friends and family, I love you all so much! Hope everything is going well, and you are all spending wonderful time with family and all those whom you love! It is such a blessing to be able to celebrate every year the One who made it possible for us to feel this great joy- I know that it is my Savior who gave us and gives us daily the opportunity to find happiness no matter our situation, no matter where we may be. How grateful I am for that testimony, that He knows our lives perfectly, and He wants nothing more than for us to find joy in them. I hope you all find that joy that He offers.

Also, happy belated birthday to my dear father, way back when a couple weeks ago! I will refrain from guessing a number, as I have forgotten, but rest assured it is well within the "soccer professional" range. Anyway, It's been a good week here, we had a good branch Christmas party on Wednesday which was really fun, and have been hard at work for the most of the week. I've really been grateful for the diligence and drive of Elder Nielsen, we have found so many blessings from working as much as we can- it truly is the secret to get lost in the work. I think at this point the next step is making it efficient, or in other words becoming more receptacle to the Spirit and its guidance. This is truly a must- if we do not teach with the Spirit, there can be no conversion. This presence is something we all in out lives must be striving for constantly. 

We had quite the missionary quartet
at the Branch Christmas Party!

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas. I know that it is truly a season of great joy, and hope, and love and peace. Because this is exactly what Christ offers. His Way is truly simple- become as He is, and love as He loves. This is how we find joy ultimately, and I have a firm belief that He is the one who makes it possible for us to become this way. He just asks us to seek Him sincerely, and then we will see the blessings. No matter where you all are this Christmas season, seek out the light of Christ- it reaches to every corner of the Earth, and every son and daughter of God- I love you all so much, have a wonderful Christmas!

Maligayang Pasko!
Love,
Elder Griffitts

Teaching Sisters Lilian, Anghelita, and Jocelyn-
they are wonderful, so happy all the time

Working with the youth and YSA on Sunday-
they are all wonderful

Week 20 - December 17, 2018 (Camalaniugan, Philippines)

Dearest Family and Friends,

Three of our wonderful investigators-
Jocelyn, Lilian, and Anghelita

Hello and Merry Christmas to you all! (yeah I know, one week to go) I've got a ton to say in this entry, because I've got about two weeks I've gotta cover- so I'll try to summarize it all. First off, a week ago we had the baptism of Jhoe Mar, a great kid who lives just across the street from the church. He is a wonderful spirit, and I'm so happy we had the opportunity to teach him. We also had a super fun fellowshipping night the week before, where a bunch of nonmembers and the branch got together and had some fun activities and of course at some great food. Then of course we had the Christmas Con over in Laoag, which I described last week, that was super fun and we learned a ton of new stuff. Elder Larona got transferred, and my new companion, Elder Nielsen, is from Sandy, Utah (don't remember if I mentioned that in my last post). He's been out 18 months now, so he's on the back half of the mission. He's an awesome missionary, and the best part is he just wants to be out working, so that is what we have been doing.

Baptism of Jhoe Mar Calanoga- He's a cool kid

It has been a wonderful challenge to lead the area- it has pushed me to new lengths in the language and planning. Especially now that we are out working so much- I've had to rely on the Spirit to know where to go like never before. It is a definite work in progress, and quite frustrating sometimes, but I am so grateful for the miracles we see and the people we get to teach anywhere and everywhere. I have seen miracles in the language- now that I am responsible for talking to everyone, the Lord is definitely helping me to have the ability to say what I need to say when I need to say it, and help these people feel the Spirit. It's such a powerful and rewarding feeling, to come home after a full day of work and just know that I was out doing the work of my Savior. 

Oh boy guess who's baking cookies

As for the work, it is good. We wake up at 6:30, exercise, breakfast, and companion study, and are out working every morning by 9, try to get in a couple good hours of teaching, then come home around 12:30 for lunch and language study. Then we are out again at 2, out teaching until 7:30, when we come home, eat dinner, and do personal study, write in journals, and wind down for the night. The days are busy, but oh so rewarding. I'm excited for this upcoming week though, we have a branch Christmas party on Wednesday- that will be a great opportunity to grow closer to the members and fellowship those we are teaching. The work is great. I'm so grateful to be here, especially now during the Christmas season, and wear the name of Jesus Christ on my chest. I hope you all have a wonderful week, and a very merry time preparing for Christmas. Love you all, see ya soon!

Love,
Elder Griffitts

The branch president in Aparri on exchanges
(He said he knew Elder Jenkins, that was cool) 

Week 19 - December 11, 2018 (Camalaniugan, Philippines)

Pizza, letters, and bed- Welcome to Laoag!

Hey everyone, hope your week has been wonderful. It's a quick entry from me today, but I'm excited to give an update on our wonderful Christmas Con the past two days. We were up in Laoag, we all went to a huge resort called Fort Ilocandia- it was such a wonderful time. They had tons of stuff- we visited their zoo, did archery, golf, pool, went to the beach, there was an obstacle course. The best part of all though was probably the hot shower- that was the experience of a lifetime, haha. We had an awesome program, some great dances and stories and talents shared, good to see all the other elders and sisters. 

We had a great training, tons of stuff learned- and I was very happy to see we are getting a new schedule which will maximize our work hours. Also, now I'm officially out of training- Elder Larona got transferred and my new companion is named Elder Nielsen, from Utah. I'm excited to work with him, and lead in our area (which I am a bit nervous about, but more happy because it is an opportunity to further rely on the Spirit). That is one thing I have found, or am finding out, about the mission- as soon as you start to feel comfortable, you'll get something thrown at you to remind you of your dependence on Heavenly Father, and I'm really grateful for the opportunity to stay humble through that.

Fort Ilocandia- The biggest resort I've ever seen-
 Christmas Con
This was like one of eight giant buildings like this!

Anyway, sorry this is a real short entry, I've got very little time so I must be going. I hope you all are wonderful this Christmas season, have a wonderful next half-ish week!

Elder Mark Griffitts

We thought those crocodiles were fake
but they were real

Sister Peterson read us all a bedtime Christmas Story

The batchmates

Home again Home again with Pfefferkuchen,
my hat, and a new comp- Elder Nielsen

Week 18 - December 3, 2018 (Camalaniugan, Philippines)

At some ruins of an old church by the river

Before going out caroling with the youth (at the church)

Dearest family and friends, it's a Merry Christmas season over here in the Philippines. I'm so lucky to have been blessed with a place that so fervently celebrates Christmas, even if it remains a steady 90 degrees throughout the holiday season. It's been a good week over here, we've got some good work done, and we had an awesome time on Saturday going caroling with some of the youth in the branch. One thing I've learned pretty heavily this week is the importance of balancing high expectations with stress- in that I'm striving to set high goals over here, and have hope and faith in their coming to pass, but at the same time avoiding discouragement if they don't. One really powerful experience I have had this week is in my study of the Book of Mormon, I was in Alma 37, those chapters are some of my absolute favorite, and read verses 6-7, about small and simple things, the topic of my farewell talk. And I was feeling really stressed out about all the things we had to to, and then I just thought- the small and simple things that Heavenly Father works through, that is us. Heavenly Father is not a God of complexity or confusion, but a God of truth and simplicity. His Gospel is simple. His Way is simple. And we must come unto Him simply and meekly in order to do His will- it's not us doing the work, it's Him. So it renewed in my mind the importance of humility and patience with myself, others, and the work- even when I feel discouraged with the way it is going, or feel we aren't making much progress.

Out caroling (Jhoe Mar is the kid in the front)

My training is over next week, which is something somewhat scary, but also exciting, to me. The time has flown by, but I really look forward to seeing what this next cycle brings. I'm trying to remain humble and cheerful, just do the simple things, work as much as I can, testify, study the language, and find peace and inspiration in the Book of Mormon. We've got the mission Christmas Con next week, I'm really excited for that. We also have another baptism this Saturday, a great kid named Jhoe Mar, who we've been teaching for several months. I seek to love these people more every day, and the best way to do it is going out among them, and testifying of the things that have brought me joy. As long as we keep our lives simple, and live the gospel, the blessings will flow- I know this is true. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas season, and always remember to light the world with the infinite light of our Savior, whose life we celebrate. Love you all!

Love,
Elder Griffitts

Some of our awesome investigators- Anghelita, Lillian, and Joseline-
Lillian has come to church the past two weeks despite the fact that she can't walk!