Week 78 - January 27th, 2020 (Sinait, Philippines)

Zone Conference Pics
(With Elder Crandall - showing off our
Sacramento and Washington tie clips)

Hello everyone, it's been a great week here. We had a great Zone Conference this past Tuesday up in Paoay, ilocos Norte. It was awesome, so much learned about open-hearted people and using the Book of Mormon and becoming enough through the Savior- it was great as well to see batchmates and others that I haven't seen in a while. After that day, we really set to work applying those things we were given to help and strive to bring joy to these people in Sinait. We've been super blessed to have met many people this week who are just simply humble, willing, and open-hearted. It's really been inspiring me to try to be the same, We had four new people come to church this last Sunday, along with two others who have come before one of which is going to be baptized this upcoming Saturday, we are so excited for her! Her name in sister Mary Beth, and we've been teaching her a little over a month now. She is just so willing and open to her Savior and He is working wonders in her life.

I am really working on my own humility here, and striving to find a feeling of adequacy and "enoughness" through the Savior and His power to make us complete. It's such a deep need, for us to be enough, for us to belong and to feel at peace with ourselves and with others. It's a need that I'm finding really cannot be filled without the infinite power and reach of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. There is no other power or influence that can reach every corner, every facet of our beings and fill us with light and love, and it took the greatest sacrifice of all. I am just inexpressibly grateful for the sacrifice that our Redeemer made in order to mediate us, imperfect, weak beings, with our perfect and happy and loving Father in Heaven. He gave us a way, His Gospel. I don't know where I would find hope in a world without it, for I cannot fathom ever feeling happy without the peace of repentance, without the knowledge of a bigger Plan. I am retaking the vision of this work- this is of the greatest importance to us all. This is the greatest need, the deepest craving for peace and light, and I'm so grateful to be a means of offering our Father's solution. I pray that all of you who find yourselves craving these inner stirrings of the soul, this peace that does not end, to find it in and only in Jesus Christ, our infinite and loving Savior and Redeemer. I know that He is the only One, and how great the Plan of our God. I love you all so much, and can't wait to see you all soon!

Love,
Elder Griffitts

Week 77 - January 20th, 2020 (Sinait, Philippines)

Made mashed potatoes and
fried chicken the other day

Exchanges with Elder Barcurnay
from Cabugao B

Hey everyone, happy MLK day! Yeah, surprisingly that's not celebrated here, but it's a great day anyways. So good to be able to write to you all, hope everything is going well over there. We have had a fantastic week here in Sinait, I am really learning a lot about talents and weaknesses and overall remaining humble through all that we go through, and it in and of itself has really been a humbling experience. We are really striving right now to balance a lot of things right now, between helping this branch become ready to become a ward, finding those who are elect and willing to receive the Gospel, and helping my companion and district in any way I can in example and deed.  I kind of hit a point in the week where I think that I realized that I've been trying to do too much on my own, and it has really helped me to see the importance of a confident humility in the will and timing of God.  We have really been spending all day every day out talking to people about their lives, which is wonderful and really educational for me, but not always seeing immediate success or results, and it really caused me to ponder upon the nature of trials and weaknesses, about how they are given to us to sometimes compel us to be humble and patient and above all trust in the Lord. That's a phrase repeated often throughout scripture and in church, but it really takes new meanings for me every week. It means a confidence in what you are doing, because you know you are striving to do His will. It means a constant need for change and repentance, because often we don't. But it really just gives hope and brings miracles, if it is done in faith. We are seeing all kinds of miracles here, especially in those moments where Elder Gajete and I just really try to find what we need to fix and do better and recognize our weaknesses that we find those people who are really themselves willing to change and find new ideas. We met this awesome older woman this week who has been really active in other churches throughout her life but at this point had a hard time with aging and was just so receptive and kind, and came to church on Sunday. That's just one instance, we are really searching for those who are ready and striving to ourselves be ready.

Met someone from Baguio the other day,
she had brought real strawberries- what a treat

Not that anyone's counting, but this week I hit my 1.5-year mark and the fourth lap begins- This time is going by so fast. Though I haven't forgotten my goal for these two years- treat it like a 1600 meter race (funny because I went on my first run in months earlier). That is, it's four laps, and that last lap is the one where, even though you're feeling it, you give it your all and I'm going to use these last months to give this mission all my heart, might, mind, and strength- I'm so grateful for the time I've been given and the time I have left. I love you all so much, and am so excited to give it my all here and see you all fairly soon, it's going to be such a great adventure and there is life in this wonderful service to come- all I know is that my life's mission is only just beginning, and I am going to give my all for all that I've been given here and for the rest of my life. I love you all, and can't wait for the future. See you all soon!

Love,
Elder Griffitts

We climbed up a mountain earlier,
 now I've climbed a mountain in every area

Week 76 - January 13th, 2020 (Sinait, Philippines)

Exchanges in Cabugao with E. Olsen-
he's a new trainee out from Canada

Hey everyone, how goes it across the pond? It's really going great here, the fun never ends in Sinait. We had some great experiences this last week, we are really learning more every day about loving people and finding those who are seeking to improve their lives. If there's one thing I've learned here, it's how happiness is all about what you make it- attitude, not situation. It's really interesting, here in Ilocos you see a huge percentage of the residents going abroad or with relatives that are abroad so that often results in some pretty huge class distinctions with seeing huge, expensive houses literally next to one made of bamboo and scrap iron, just due to inflation and the power of money from other countries. That being said, the people who are the happiest to see us and most eager to talk are typically those who live in the latter, those who really have let the world humble them and are seeking other ways than money to improve their situation and life. They really enjoy a simple happiness, and honestly, I love talking to those who because of poverty really look for what they can improve on. That being said, that attitude is not shared by all, and it is still our choice whether we will choose to humble ourselves, in whatever situation we find ourselves in. 

School's out!

Yesterday we went out to one of our more mountainous barangays and met some really nice people just out in these more isolated areas. Actually, there's a huge compound of members out in the area, and we are really working on helping the branch get more involved with missionary work here so we hope to be able to motivate them to help us find out there. Other than that, the other part of our area where we typically work in is right on the ocean, where there are tons of little homes all right next to each other, and all the tatays go out on these little canoes for kilometers into the ocean every day to get fish. There are tons of people there, and we really enjoy walking down the streets looking for people we haven't met yet. We also met this cool guy from Hawaii yesterday who just moved here to live-  he only speaks Ilocano and English and is interested to learn, so that means we are going to be teaching in English. That should be an interesting challenge, can't vouch too much for my English-speaking abilities anymore, haha. Anyway, yeah it's been awesome, we can't wait to meet more people this week and find out how the Gospel can bless their individual challenges and concerns- I know that this is for us all, all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people- so let us cry out as with the sound of a trump, that there is a Plan and we have so much hope. I love you all so much, will see you all real soon. 

Love,
Elder Griffitts

Found this chicken guy who just stands
up straight- never know what you'll find
out in the boonies of Sinait

We totally watched the sunset here-
it was the clearest one I've ever seen

    Cool part of our area out in the foothills

Week 75 - January 6, 2020 (Sinait, Philippines)

Pics from our day in Vigan

Hello everyone, and Happy New Year to you all! We have had a wonderful week here, so much fun here with Elder Gajete! We had a great New Years, during the night before our neighbors were shooting off some heavy artillery but by some miracle, we were able to sleep through it. Everyone here really celebrates hard on New Years, it's pretty much the biggest holiday of the year here, but by New Years what they really mean is midnight, and then after all the food and celebration there they sleep all of New Years day, making the work a bit slow but we still managed to meet some great people, as we are blessed with every day. We are teaching some really cool people right now, this one brother named Alfie is awesome, he works in Vigan though so we won't see him for a bit, but he has been to church twice and is just so full of questions and a very deep thinker. We are really working out in our beachside towns, because that's where the majority of the houses here are, on the west of the highway. It's such a beautiful area, we are loving every moment. 

Anyway, hopefully this new year brings you all much new hope and dreams for the upcoming experiences we all will share and receive. I love how much hope comes from this time of the year, with Christmas and New Years and all kinds of new opportunities- I really take hope always that we all have such a high potential for greatness, a potential because of Christ's Atonement to overcome our natural, carnal selves and all our weaknesses and become a new person through His grace- there's always so much to improve and progress on, I'm just so grateful that this is a plan of eternal progression, and there is so much to be done. I can't wait to continue on this journey of our mortal life, I love this time here in the Philippines and can't wait to see you all later this year!

Love,
Elder Griffitts

With Elder Crandall

Love the sunsets here!

We saw Elder Pacapac randomly,
I was his last companion in the mission
about 6 months ago- crazy coincidence as he was
touring the mission- great to see him again!

The relaxation station for P-day

It didn't snow on Christmas...
but it did in the refrigerator...

Week 74 - December 30th, 2019 (Sinait, Philippines)

Hello everyone, Happy New Year!!! This was the fastest one yet, holy cow it just flew by! I'm so grateful for 2019 and all of the miracles that have we have seen here, who knew in such a short period of time so much could be learned and experienced. It's actually inspiring, how much we can be given if we are seeking, and I hope that that desire never leaves me- that's the reason for all these years on Earth. It was a very interesting period of time- every day spanned out for quite some time, but the weeks and months blended together like an instant- all of which was just so wonderful, the joys and the trials. We had a wonderful week here to finish it up, we are just finding and meeting new people, as usual.  Everyone here is having a good time at the end of the year getting together with family and spending time with those that matter most to them- I really appreciate how important family is here, it's really a center of all life here, and connects whole neighborhoods here in the rural areas. It's fun because people seldom move far away from their family home here, so everyone is generally close to their families here. 

Christmas breakfast- Hot cocoa and bread

Had a great Christmas, our branch had a Christmas party and we had some good food there, and met some awesome people actually throughout the day. New Years is coming up and hopefully, that isn't too loud so we can sleep, haha. Excited to start this new year full of hope, so much to be done and so much potential here in the Lord's work. I am so grateful for my time here and for all of your endless support and love. Thank you to all those who write and send letters, you are all so special to me and I wish I could respond to you each individually, but I love you all so much. Will see you all next year!

Love,
Elder Griffitts

Christmas party at the church

More Christmas party at the church

Nice Sunset

Nice beach

Out on a reef