Armor Up! (Ephesians 6:10-18)

So I didn't know this at first but the Bishop of the Whitewater Ward is Greg Kennedy president of customer service at Delta Air Lines, and a UTE! haha

Hello Family,

Definitely a surprise but nonetheless a fantastic one to receive an email from you dearest mother. Yes 'mam, Patrick is a stud. He mentioned that he talked to you over the phone and that all ya'll are fixin to go out to eat when he comes out there. Incredible update regarding Ry and his mission call coming soon in addition to the in-home visit from BYU Football Coach Mendenhall and Tidwell. I'm sure it will be a strengthening and uplifting experience. Mekelee doing well in school and working hard in his sports and school play is also welcomed news!

This has been another great week full of demonstrating exact obedience and exercising a lot of faith. Its really so remarkably simple. Everything is in our favor! We succeed when we unconditionally surrender ourselves to the Lord's way. We are destined for success. Through stripling warrior like obedience, and unwavering faith like captain Moroni we were lead this week to 12 new investigators; and committed 8 souls to enter to the gate of baptism onto the path of eternal life.

I am so excited about the changing culture of our mission. It's changed from when I first arrived last July. The change that has come about is effecting the Mission and the lives of the people here in Georgia in such an amazing way. Currently in our Zone we have 25 baptismal dates committed and scheduled!!! Hoorah for Israel!! I have really grown in leadership in the mission and learned how to set personal proselyting goals through focusing on LEAD indicators to get us to our LAG indicator or vision. The vision being "baptism for a remission of sins to be endowed with power to qualify for eternal life."

Transfers are on Feb 6. Its been a long and very uplifting transfer. I will hopefully be completing the Book of Mormon yet again by next week. I love the Book of Mormon and the power it has to change our lives for the good and better.

Let me finish with my love for each one of you and my continued prayers for your success -- you truly do walk on water!

Love Elder Gautavai

Faith Precedes The Miracle

Hey Family,

It's always a great blessing for me to be able to share my experiences each week with ya'll and I am absoulutely certain that EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS IS FOR A SPECIFIC REASON, not by chance...more on that a little later.

Thank you for the update on your weekend down south in Provo. From the looks and sounds of it, unbelievable memories were made where we will be able to look back on and say without question our Heavenly Father has blessed us through the Atonement enabling us to do great and amazing things. Hoorah for Israel! Ya'll are looking good by the way!

Well this was a crazy week for me. We worked really hard this week focusing on increasing our teaching pool here in the Whitewater Area by being out talking with everyone about the wonderful message of the Atonement. As Thursday rolled around we had added 11 new investigators to our pool. I testify that this is a result of His blessings upon us as we demonstrate exact obedience and unwavering faith in Him, trusting and placing no limits on what He can do! We taught a powerful lesson in President Harding's home with the L. family setting a date for them to be baptized on Feb 2. HOORAH FOR ISRAEL!

Due to the changes my last companion went through in a short period of time he was emergency transfered into another area. Moving into this area is Elder Demotropoulus who has been out for 4 months. Elder Demotropoulus will be my companion until the end of the transfer. I'm hoping with the Lords help I can inspire and lift him up to do great things! He is my 10th companion in 7 months. With each companion I have learned so much! I know the Lord has a lesson for me to learn and grow in with each one...THIS IS SO EXCITING TO ME!

I'll leave you with this cool story from my week. We were tracting late at night due to an appointment that was canceled on us. Late nights are usually a time a lot of missionaries don't like to tract. However I felt a distinct impression leading us to a specific area because someone in this subdivision was waiting for us. At about the 6th door we knocked on, a man answered and invited us into the home -- long story short -- he told us about how he was a convert to the church, however was not active. In fact his records aren't here in Georgia. Despite being less active he said he was ready to come back to church with his family who are not members. What was really cool about this is that his wife and kids are of Hawaiian ancestry from the North Shore (Hawaii) and they are all eager to come to church to learn how they can be together as a family forever. We are having dinner in their home tonight and will be teaching them how they can receive eternal life as a family! The Lord truly does provide miracles, we just need to provide the faith!

I love each of you so much and I am at peace seeing the Lord blessing ya'll in so many different ways.

Love, Elder Gautavai

Holiday No Email

Spiritually Prepare and Fortify!

(The elder was assigned this past week to prepare and fortify the Whitewater area within his zone mid-transfer. He teams with Elder Bakes to accomplish a great work here. The elder still serves as the Sr Zone Leader in the Fayetteville Zone and maintains responsibility for the Sharpsburg area along with his other companions Elder Price (ZL) and Elder Holt. The Whitewater ward is the local unit in the area and home ward for President and sister Harding and family).

Hello Family!

Thank you for your righteous desires and examples of doing as the Savior would do and being who He would have us BE, like Him. It's exciting to hear of the successes you have with the opportunities the Lord has blessed you with that in turn enables each of you to strengthen yourselves as well as those around you. It is awesome hearing of your opportunity to fellowship with the Redding's -- an amazing and wonderful family who I have the greatest love and respect for.

These last couple of days have been fantastic serving here in Whitewater! Through my studies of Captain Moroni in the Book of Mormon, I have learned so much of his leadership attributes I will need as I have been called to "make preparations and to fortify" the Whitewater area to move the good work along, and to execute and diligently search out finding those prepared to receive the Atonement in their lives and help them start the process and be BAPTIZED. Since Friday, through unyielding faith and surrender to the Lord with exact obedience, we cried out to Him for 5 new investigators, through His help and our effort we found 9 new investigators!!! -- something that hasn't happened in Whitewater for a very long time.

Sunday was my first day at church in a different ward since East Point..by the way fantastic news sister P. an investigator that we found and started teaching in East Point was baptized on Saturday. HOORAH for Israel!! Sunday we had a 2 investigators at church as well a lot of less active members. My goal for this area before I leave is to unify the missionary effort in the ward with the full-time missionaries. I have learned so many leadership skills and how to present information to other church leaders with love.

Elder M. Keith Giddens, the area Seventy here in the south-east and over the missions, spoke to us and "threw-down" on the Atonement teaching the doctrine of not only being forgiven of sin but having the "effects" (Alma 7:11-12) of sin rooted out from us through the "sanctifying" power of the Holy Ghost (Alma 13:12). After the meeting we had a chance to talk with Elder Giddens, and wow was it a neat experience to feel his love for the Lord and us missionaries, it was so comforting.

Well I love all y'all and continue to pray for y'alls safety and success. Have fun at the BYU recruit weekend and Ry's official campus visit. I look forward to hearing from y'all next week!

Love Elder Gautavai

BCS - Baptize Christ Spirit

Hello Family!

Thank you I will be looking for the coat at the mission office this week!

This week has been a great week and chance to set new goals in our vision to BAPTIZE!! Baptize, is one of my favorite words. It has so much meaning in it, so much hope and a whole lot of love. It occupies my mind with every waking minute; eat, sleep, dream baptism. Why you might ask? Not just because it's what I'm suppose to do but if we understood the importance of the Atonement in our lives we would understand the importance of BAPTISM in being redeemed of sin, being endowed with the power of the Holy Ghost to aid us here in this life, and to qualify us for eternal life thus allowing the blessings of the Atonement to take place in our lives. Can you imagine a greater gift than that? Getting through the gate and on the path to our Celestial destination thanks to the restoration of the gospel, covenants and saving ordinances with authority -- simply amazing!

It was a great opportunity as well this week to be edified by the Holy Ghost with training from President Harding on goal setting and planning, things that he uses in his career that he learned from his mission. I also had the chance to talk with Stockton he is doing very well and sends his hello's!

This week we are going to be conducting another Zone-Training so we are seeking revelation to reach our missionaries. I have been asked to speak at a stake youth fireside regarding missionary work/the doctrine of Christ! My favorite subjects! Why? Because it all goes back to BAPTISM! As you can tell I am excited for this week.

Thank you again for all you are doing in supporting missionary work and for your awesome examples you are to me as well as those around you. Time is flying the work is hastening and the blessings keep on coming! I love each and everyone of you! Happy New Year!

Love Elder Gautavai