Let Your Light Shine Forth

The elder was advised of his younger brother Rylee who also plays soccer for Bountiful High school winning with his team the 4A State Championship last week. Elder Gautavai similarly won a State title as a sophomore at BHS in 2008.

Hello on this wonderful Wednesday morning here in the GAM,

BTOWN'S "A TEAM"
Principal--Greg Wilkey
Vice Principal--Alan Smith
Vice Principal--Sue Baylis
BHS Police Resource Officer--Paul Cardall

2013 4A State Champions--Bountiful High School Men's Soccer Team

2008 4A State Champions--Bountiful High School Men's Soccer Team

That is so exciting to hear! WOW Bountiful back up where it should be, it's incredible to see the joy that has occured this last week back in Bountiful.

I'm writing you today as opposed to this past Monday because of our inspired captain and leader, President Harding who early sunday morning moved preparation day to today so we could focus on proselyting all memorial holiday weekend and day enabling us to contact as many individuals and families as possible.

Senoia, Georgia Memorial Day Parade--27 May 2013

Monday, we attended the annual Senoia City Memorial Day Parade and applied the principle of TALK WITH EVERYONE. Elder Perez and I were little taken aback at the vast amount of people who were at this parade and at first were kinda nervous to go out and talk with all the people there. Not to fear and recognizing our source of strength, we quickly said a prayer and asked for guidance and the strength to be able to stand as representatives of Jesus Christ at the parade and to find a family who we could invite to take the lessons and to learn of the restored gospel. Upon entering the crowds all heads turned our direction as we were the only ones in dress clothes despite the weather (being 80 degrees and very humid and all). lol We then proceded to strike up conversations with everyone, anyone asking them if they have heard of the restored gospel or the Book of Mormon, testifying to them of our Savior's atonement.

BTOWN Stripling Warriors/Fayetteville Zone "A Team"--Elder Perez, Elder Gautavai

It was neat to be able to stand out and let our light shine forth to everyone there. We were able to grab contact information from a few individuals who we will be following up with here shortly. We would have never had those wonderful experiences if it weren't for an inspired mission president leader and friend who is called of God to guide us up the mountain and to battle and push back against the enemy of our Savior Jesus Christ; making satan our enemy as well.

Exciting news: we will be opening up 6 new areas in our Zone next week bringing the total missionary count to 42 here in the Fayetteville zone. In our ward we will add sister missionaries. Each ward will have no less then 2 companionships to help member missionary efforts and to move the good work along. We will have 5 districts in the Zone from our original 3. Hoorah for Israel!!!

Love Elder Gautavai

And Seek Out The Righteous, Where'er They May Be

Purpose of Our Call to Serve

Mom's question (how each email letter begins to the elder..he responds in his letter)
Q1.  Would you like any snacks (i.e. energy/protein bars, jerky, fruit)?
A1.  Nope Im taken care of here in Whitewater as far as snacks and things.

Q2.  Do you need anything outside of food stuff?

A2.  I'm doing well as far as clothing and what not goes.

Q3.  Can you send some pictures?

A3.   I'll send them soon..sorry I have been slacking on pictures..haha

Q4.  Who can we continue to pray for or add to our daily prayer list?

A4.  You can pray especially hard for the L. family...as a mission we have 19 baptismal dates for this weekend...(4 of them being the L's) we are earnestly striving for this blessing and as missionaries know we will be able through the Lord's help, our obedience and hard work we can Make It Happen!

Hello Family!

The elder was advised of his younger brother Rylee's high school soccer season and how they are in to the state semi-finals with a potential of state final later in the week. The elder won a soccer State Championship as a sophomore at Bountiful High school.

lol that's wonderful to hear about Ry! good luck tomorrow and through the rest of the state tourney!

It is great to be able to communicate again at the begining of this new proselyting week. This last week we did a big push through the mission through Zone Training Meetings to become Certified Masters of Preach My Gospel to understand our Vision to Baptize, building a Culture where Miracles will happen and to become Expert Finders, Powerful Teachers, and Masters of Planning. Through all of this there will be specific certifications that each missionary will go through and pass off to Armor up and become everything for the Lord here in the GAM.

In our own proselyting area we continue to work hard with everyone we meet quickly and swiftly taking it all back to the restoration of the gospel and the power, spirit of the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon combined with the spirit is the most powerful resource in conversion therefore there isn't a conversation that goes by where we don't invite our brothers and sisters here in the GAM to read the Book of Mormon and to be baptized. I love the Book of Mormon! It is incredible to see the peace and happiness it brings into my life as i read it each day and begin to see that it answers every question of the soul!  It is clear that this is the key to opening up the windows of heaven here in the South.  

What has been really neat is to see the trust that we have built within the Whitewater ward. It reminds me so much of Sharpsburg and the growth that they experienced. Igniting and inspiring the leaders and members in the Whitewater ward (a very blessed and affluent area) to have the faith that there are people here, that have been praying for help, or needs answers to questions that are ready to recieve the restored gospel has been a great blessing in our lives.

Love, Elder Gautavai

The Most Important Thing, Work In The World

"If those who are going to preach do not go with that faith that pertains to eternal life and that spirit that is like a well of water, springing up into everlasting life, their labors will be vain." - Brigham Young

Hello Family,

It was great to see all y'all and to feel of the Lord's peace and blessings yesterday as we were able to connect through Skype.

May we never forget the Most Important Thing in the World -- that everyone receives a remission of sins, be endowed with power from on high, even the gift of the Holy Ghost, that we may "prosper" in all things both temporal and spiritual so when the time comes we may stand blameless before a loving Heavenly Father and be welcomed into His kingdom as one of his loyal, faithful, and mighty servants.

Moreover, that through our Savior Jesus Christ and his Atonement all things negative can be changed into a positive. Until everyone understands the truth we must proclaim this message; and the only way we can proclaim this message is if we open our mouths to share it. With out the restored gospel the atonement has no effect in our lives, until that is made clear this will forever be the most important work in the world.

Love, Elder Gautavai

Mother's Day - Love At Home

Church and Skype-ing. We are adjusting to the new Mother's day normal at least for the next two years with the elder and his younger brother Rylee soon to join him in the mission field (Jan 2014). So next Mother's day (2014) we'll have two calls/contact opportunities.

Special thanks to to bro. & sis. Mayfield and their family for opening up their home to the elder and his companion elder Perez for Sunday dinner and Skype. It was a joy to hear and this time see the elder again. The beauty and wonder of technology! In short he looked and sounded Fantastic! Wonderful! Great!

In our home was our family, Jr. Hamilton, Faaagi, and grandpa Gautavai. We spoke with him as a group and then he was able to visit with Rylee one-on-one.

The highlight of the Skype video call was singing "Love at Home" before saying our good byes. Needless to say, it was very spiritual and moving; leading to the shedding of tears by all! It was really cool!

Earlier in the afternoon we were blessed to be able to Skype video call with elder Gautavai in Wisconsin at Grandpa Gautavai's home next door. The elder is now on his 16 month and is an amazing missionary experiencing wonderful things! He like his cousin in Georgia are a great source of pride and joy for our family. Elder Gautavai looks wonderful and is totally engaged in his call to serve and representing the Savior. It's humbling to think of the elder as he is and the influences of his mother, grandma Gautavai and aunt Faaagi have had on him -- especially today as we honor our Mother's. He'll be wrapping up his mission not long after the next call (Christmas day).

Don't Leave Help (Blessings) at the Sacrament Table

Hello Family,

Find Out More @ Mormon.Org

Um, not sure as to time yet..we are trying to set it up for around 7PM on the east coast so it will be our last stop like last time (Christmas day). I'll shoot out another email by Wednesday letting you know the final details for the Mother's day call on Sunday.

Looking forward to seeing and hearing from yall on sunday!  Gotta run we have lots to do today!

Love Elder Gautavai

On Mon, May 6, 2013, Carson Gautavai ‪wrote:

Hello Elder Gautavai,

Hope this finds you in the best of spirits and that all is well in the mission field. Monday's are great as we are able to correspond with you directly via email. I remember p-days and having to write out letters, address envelopes and a fix postage, and then off to the post office to mail them. Conversely, waiting on the mail from the postman throughout the week in anticipation of letters from home. Modern technology and communications is definitely the way! haha..Despite the challenges of life we are well, and the blessings of God continue to be ours as we exercise faith in Him and keep the commandments and our covenants.

The scriptures teach us that God does not promise to keep us from trials and adversity, rather what He does promise is that He will stand by us and strengthen us as we encounter challenging times--if we will let Him.

I love the youth theme for the year, "Stand Ye in Holy Places, and Be Not Moved (DC 87:8). As I interview the youth I ask them what that means to them? They respond temple, church, home, etc..all correct answers. I ask them to consider a Holy Place as anywhere that you ‘will allow’ the Holy Ghost to be with you. With that it can be anywhere as long as you have the spirit and are living worthily to have its companionship. I then challenge and commit them the PMG way to ‘make Holy Places’ in their day-to-day lives.

Quite often it is when you are serving others that the spirit is felt. Hence the Savior's admonition and counsel, "he that is greatest among you let him be your servant" (Matthew 23:11). It works in reverse too, that is you/we are able to go from "good" to "GREATest" through serving others. Talk about a sure way to get out of a spiritual/temporal rut! SERVE!

Gospel Message:

Tip: Do all you can to get to where you can partake of the Sacrament each Sunday! Great message for returning members and less active, shoot for active members and all alike on the importance of the Sabbath, Church and the Sacrament :)

The Sacrament Is Our Spiritual ‘Power Bath’!

We’ve all heard of a “power nap”. We have all probably taken one. You know, your running low on energy and so you lay down for a quick fifteen or twenty minutes to revitalize yourself. You don’t really get a chance to go into a deep sleep, but deep enough to gain some energy for the rest of the day. They say successful people do this, which enables them to work longer and harder than the rest.

A story is told of an exchange between a man and his wife where a similar term was heard: “We were watching television, rather late, when she said to me, “I’m going to take a “power bath.” ”What?”, I said. “A power bath” she repeated. Well I started to laugh. I had never heard such a term. She laughed back and said that it meant it would be “quick but thorough!.”

Well, that conversation got me to thinking about the most powerful “bath” a person can take. One that doesn’t clean the body, but one that cleanses the soul; baptism!

“…baptism is the ordinance by which former sins are washed away. The washing in water symbolizes the purification of our soul, just as bathing in water cleanses our bodies from the grime and dirt of everyday living and makes us feel refreshed again. But baptism symbolizes something more. It is the beginning of a new life. Just as the resurrection purges the dross and imperfections of mortality and renews and perfects the body, so baptism cleanses the soul from sin and prepares a person to lead a better, more perfect life in the future. (Theodore M. Burton, “To Be Born Again,” Ensign, Sep 1985, 66).

This “spiritual bath” that some of us have taken, happens only once in a lifetime. So how then can we continue to have spiritual “power baths” on a regular basis. The Savior taught us the way when he met with the disciples for their last meal prior to the crucifixion: “And he took the bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying. This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.” (Luke 22: 19-20).

The Savior taught his apostles how to take a spiritual “power bath”. A modern-day apostle, Elder Dallin Oaks expounded on this subject when he taught:

“Attendance at Church each week provides the opportunity to partake of the sacrament, as the Lord has commanded us (see D&C 59:9). If we act with the right preparation and attitude, partaking of the sacrament renews the cleansing effect of our baptism and qualifies us for the promise that we will always have His Spirit to be with us. A mission of that Spirit, the Holy Ghost, is to testify of the Father and the Son and to lead us into truth (see John 14:26, 2 Ne. 31:18). Testimony and truth, which are essential to our personal conversion, are the choice harvest of this weekly renewing of our covenants.” (Dallin H. Oaks, “The Gospel in Our Lives,” Liahona, Jul 2002, 36–39).

I know a number of people who don’t see the importance of attendance at church each week. And perhaps we are tempted, from time to time, to become lazy in our routine attendance of Sunday meetings. However, as you can see from Elder Oaks remarks, it is only there, in the chapel, at the church, that we receive the spiritual “power bath” that all of us need to continue onward. It is that jolt of spiritual energy that will see us through another week of this life. So remember, the sacrament or as some call it, communion, was instituted for a purpose; it is the way the Savior provided for us to have the spiritual “power baths” regularly so we can keep clean of this world and rejuvenate our spirits.

We love you for being Obedient and True. Recognize how privileged you are to labor with Him each day, to carry His name and bear special witness of Him, commissioned by Him to help in the great work of the Gathering. Abide IN HIM.  Cant wait to talk and perhaps see you (Skype) Sunday.

In Him,

Dad