Week 34 - March 25th 2019 (Dingras, Philippines)

Walking the walk in Sulquiano

Hello everyone, it's been a great week over here, though it does just keep ominously getting hotter, haha. It's good though, it makes cooling off really nice. Anyways, we have had some awesome things happen this past week, as we try to figure out new ways to get this area moving faster- it's been a great week of talking to new people and trying to figure out how to help them, I've developed a new love for just that portion of the work, talking to new people we've never met and hearing about their lives and really thinking about how all our messages can apply so perfectly to the lives of literally everyone- it really is true how that works. And just how much you see it being out everyday with them.

Bday of Mac-mac, one of our
newly baptized young men

The Marcus Stadium in Laoag-
first track and field I've seen here!

Anyway, one thing we've been focusing on this past week is centering all our messages on the Restoration of the Gospel, the unique story that gives the foundation for all that we teach. And the powerful feeling, the Spirit, that I feel every time I testify of Joseph Smith and His First Vision in that grove almost 200 years ago. The more I read about it, or simply read the Book of Mormon, the more it just impresses into my soul how incredible and real of an event that was... I've been reading a lot in 2 Nephi, the latter portion, recently, about the prophecies of Isaiah foretelling the Restoration, it is such an awesome part to see how infinitely loving the Father is, He is not silent in our day- He speaks to us through His prophets just as He did in time of old! I know without a doubt that this is true, and what more testifies of the love of God, than the knowledge that He is alive and still helping all His children who are willing to come to the path that He laid out through His Son. That's what this is all about. We just have to have the willingness to believe it without seeing, act on our feelings, and that is what faith is. It's the first step to just believe that what so many have witnessed has happened, truly did, and that as a result we truly do have the full access to the path of happiness in this day and age. I know Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ in that grove, and that through him Their Church was again established on the Earth. The Book of Mormon is all the evidence I need, as it is confirmed to me by the Spirit. Hopefully we can all find a higher hope from that book, and see the joys that come from living this gospel in our own lives. I love you all, have a wonderful week as always, talk to you soon!

Love,

They have yellow watermelons here

Elder Griffitts

Week 33 - March 18 2019 (Dingras, Philippines)

After Stake Conference

Dear everyone, hope you are all doing spectacular and finding joy in all things. It's been a pretty wonderful week here for us, despite the heat as summer gets underway and we question the melt-ability of the soles of our shoes on the daily. We've been blessed with so much this week, as our focus on the work shifts to trusting in God above our own abilities, and just having hope that He will lead us to the elect. We've been working a lot on finding this past week, and it's an activity that I love because it just entails us talking to as many people as possible about the message of hope and peace in their lives, with their families. Though there are many who will not be ready at this time, I feel so good at least trying to open their minds to the possibilities of unending happiness and eternal families. 

"You guys ever tried Shawarma?"

 I found the ultimate chill down activity

Along with that, we've been working on helping people understand why this whole conversion process is so hard, if in the end it's supposed to make us happy... It's been a large part of my studies over this past week, and I've had some wonderful inspirations about the role of sacrifice in our lives- if we think about it, every great prophet who ever lived in the scriptures had a time in their lives of great challenge and pain, of trial and challenge. And if we go deeper than that, the Savior Himself suffered far more in His life than anyone I can think of- there's not a moment of it that He did not face persecution, up until the very bitter end. We read in the scriptures about the refiner's fire- it is this I believe that is the most accurate example, or explanation, for challenges in life. If you think about it, some of the most beautiful things- take for example diamonds- go through the most tremendous amounts of stress and pressure before they can be made the way they are. This pattern applies to the life of man- if we don't work, or toil, or labor, we don't get anything. So it is with trials- they are the shapers, the refiners. But they can also be the breakers, if we don't keep the faith and hope through them. If we can't stay believing that someday, somehow, it's all going to be for our good. My mind is called to 2 Nephi 2:2 and Ether 12:4- Our afflictions, if borne with hope, will give us more joy and growth than any of the good days. This brings me to my last idea- that came from our awesome Stake Conference we had yesterday, where our Area Authority, Elder Schmutz, spoke about the importance as members of Christ's Church to go all in- there is no way to just put one foot in the water and call it good. No, this is a life, a church, a gospel of commitment and unshaking faith. When we are in, we need to be in. As in the ever-wise words of some old Jedi Master, "Do, or do not. There is no try". Though even this, we know is not fully true- because we have the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We have the means to keep trying. If we will keep trying. I know that as we put our whole selves in, we will be blessed. I know that we all face trial in this life, but that doesn't mean we aren't doing the right thing. As long as we bear them with patience, hope, and faith in Christ's love, there is no challenge too great- that is an eternal truth. I love you all, thanks for letting me get down my thoughts here and being kind enough to read this every week. You are all the best, have a wonderful week.

Love,

Elder Griffitts

Week 32 - March 11 2019 (Dingras, Philippines)

What's going on, everyone! Hope you have all had a wonderful week. It's been another great one here in Dingras, we are just moving along with some wonderful people that we have the opportunity to talk to every day. What a cool opportunity, if I think about it- it's something cool just to sit down and think, wow, every single person here has their own life, their own story, and their own hopes and fears and doubts and joys- and only one person really knows them all. That's the goodness of God- His perfect knowledge of each of our hidden desires, motivations, and thoughts- even more than we know ourselves. A good friend of mine was telling me about how interesting the relationships we make with people often is, and I've got to say that that is something my mind has been dwelling on much of this week. And man I was thinking about how our outlook on the world changes once we see the big picture and that we are all children of a Heavenly Father and have all known each other from the beginning. It just becomes our job here to see each other as He sees us, and that is with perfect love- charity. I guess that's why charity is talked about in the scriptures as the greatest above all- what quality did Christ exhibit more in His earthly life?

Anyway, that's one thing I've noticed this week- is that as important as our message is, if we don't share it with people, if we don't see each and every one as a precious soul who needs this in their lives, we won't have what it takes to help them. It's all about others. That's what this life is for, and I know that the more we look outwards to them the more we will find ourselves. That's a weird paradox but at the same time an eternal truth.  I can't explain how it works, but from experience it does. And man, we aren't perfect- at least I'm not. It's funny, the more I try to be, the more I end up seeing how not possible it is. At least being who we are, but there has to be a hope someday that we can- and that hope does exist. Just keep trying. Try, try, try- and see what the Lord will give you. Because He will. Trust in that. 

I guess I should say a little about my week, even though there's not a huge amount. We had a fun branch activity on Saturday at a resort nearby, we've been working on just finding the people who are willing to open their hearts and who desire to find truth- those with a sincere heart and real intent. For God prepares them, we just need to be ready to listen to His Spirit. And we need to keep the hope- don't look back, don't dwell on it, just keep moving forward. This has been a pretty convoluted message, sorry- my mind is everywhere right now. Hope you all have a great week. I love you all.

Love,
Elder Griffitts

Week 31 - March 4, 2019 (Dingras, Philippines)

What's going on, everyone? Sorry it's been a while, my email has been having some serious problems the last couple weeks, but hopefully everything's back to normal, haha. It's great to be able to write one of these again, as short as today's might end up being. Anyway, some quick things- We had transfers this week, but nothing has changed in pretty much the whole zone- I think we had like one transfer only. So it's all about the same here in Dingras, though I'm looking forward to a new cycle of working harder and seeing more success as I seek to become a better instrument in the Lord's hands. We had a couple cool experiences this past week, a cool opportunity to do a service project over at the elementary school, and we are really working on finding the golden people that Heavenly Father has prepared, especially those families that are so critical in this world.

Speaking of families, it's been such an incredible blessing to get to talk to them the last couple weeks on P-day, what a wonderful opportunity to connect with home and get their insights on daily life here and tell them about my experiences. It's just reminded me of how much I love everyone at home and what a blessing they have been in my life, and are continuously. I've also had some thoughts this past week about humility- how it is truly the fountain of all virtues. This is one eternal truth- that we cannot by ourselves become like our Heavenly Father, or in other words rise above our mortal and natural selves. But we can do it- if we just exercise our agency in Jesus Christ and His perfection, His willingness to take away our natural selves and replace it with the virtues of Heaven. This is especially applicable in the mission field, as I come to realize how very helpless I truly am to do this work alone. There's just no way. There's a reason that Heavenly Father sends out a bunch of unready, young, and weak kids to be His missionaries- because we need to see just how unready we are. Or me at least. And then, in the process, see just how incredibly a perfect Father can take us and use us as His tools to do miracles- the only thing we need to have is trust- just that trust, that faith, that if we act, if we go out every day and say what we know to be true, He's gonna do the impossible. Because with Him, nothing is impossible. That's the only thing I can trust in anymore, because if it wasn't true, than I would already be far gone. And so, it's up to us, our choice, to just choose it. And I hope I have the courage and faith to choose it every day.

Love,

Elder Griffitts

The corn fields in Dingras