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

Finishing the Year Strong

Hello Family,

How great it was to talk to you on Christmas to feel of the strength and unity of our family as we let the Lord guide us in everything we do! Y'all remind me of the mighty Anti-Nephi-Lehies who became converted and never fell away because they decided to bury their "weapons of war" (repent) and keep their covenants with our Heavenly Father (Alma 23, 24). Y'all are MIGHTY!

Hoorah for Israel!! We had a baptism for Ben R. this week and the peace that it brought to all who were in attendance was amazing. As I was filling up the font a warm feeling overcame me and the impression that today the Lord won this small battle in the Sharpsburg area over Satan. Thanks to President Harding I have developed a deep disdain for Satan in a good constructive way. It's a wonderful feeling knowing we helped rescue a soul from the adversary. I'll have more on the baptism later. Beyond this great news, we are going back to the temple Thursday to counsel with the Lord at another Zone Leader Council. The Lord's house, the temple where Satan cannot cross its threshold -- sooo awesome!

The thought that came to me especially through my studies this week is that we truly are learning the ways of heaven. Just like no unclean thing can enter into the kingdom of heaven the Spirit is the first thing that leaves us when we are disobedient as taught in Mosiah 2. Being endowed with the spirit of the Lord is the greatest gift one can receive in this life and I know what it feels like to not have it for a time. Consequently I do not want to be without its constant companionship. We are truly at war here to help people recieve a remission of their sins, be endowed with the power of the Holy Ghost to be able to qualify for eternal life as taught throughout the Book of Mormon -- as we are obedient to what the Lord has asked we will prosper in the land!

I love all of you and am grateful for all you do. The Lord is hastening His work. May we quicken our step and work even harder to BEcome who He would have us BE.

Love Elder Gautavai

Converted Unto The Lord

A family Christmas eve tradition from as far back as I can remember is celebrating the season with dinner at a favorite local establishment, Kyoto's Japanese restaurant in Salt Lake City. Last year I reflected on how our family dynamics would soon be changing with nephew, Richard and son, Camree at that time preparing to serve missions leaving home for the next two years. One year later, Christmas eve 2012 a familiar sense as yet another son, Rylee a senior at Bountiful high school now prepares to leave home in 6 months on his mission at the age of 18. Our family Christmas gatherings are again going to take on different look and feel next year, and the year after that.

Christmas day 2012 was our first of three Christmas' where like thousands of other missionary families throughout the world await the much anticipated "call" -- elders and sisters calling home to speak with family and loved ones. Rochelle and I remember these calls well from the fields of labor having served missions many years ago. Yesterday however was our first on this end of the call as eager parents and family. Missionaries are given special permission to call home twice a year, Mother's day and Christmas day. As you can imagine there is a lot of excitement surrounding this call.

This year we decided to host a family dinner in our home awaiting the elder's call. We invited our Gautavai, Alip and Tavita 'aiga' (samoan word for family) which includes the elder's Grandpa's and Grandma Alip. In a previous email the elder indicated much to his delight he would be proselyting Christmas day as counseled by President Harding and would then end his day at the home of Bishop Roner of the Sharpsburg ward (Sharpsburg, GA) for a Christmas meal. The elder also noted in his email he would be calling from the bishop's residence.

Being new to this experience as parents we weren't quite sure how the call would take place. Unlike our day and with the advancement of technology a new form of communication video conferencing over the internet seems to be the rage with programs like Skype. A wonderful use of technology giving this call experience an added dimension with live video. A nephew, currently serving in the Brazil Sao Paulo North mission, elder Spencer Mahe was able to Skype with his family in Sacramento earlier in the day. Another nephew who lives next door, currently serving in the Wisconsin Milwaukee mission, elder Richard Gautavai would also be Skype-ing later in the evening. We weren't sure if elder Gautavai would or could Skype as we understand it is at the discretion of the mission president. Eager as we were with all the possibilities, just to be able to converse real-time with elder Gautavai was our simple hope. The last direct communication and hearing his voice was a disjointed call from a pay-phone at the Salt Lake City International Airport the morning he left the MTC for Atlanta (July 10th).

The day started very early with meal preparations for the gathering. Mekelee was the first of the two boys at home to awaken. Rylee would follow not long afterwards. Mekelee was eager to open Christmas gifts under the tree. Both boys have been really good about seeing the real meaning of Christmas throughout the season. We have noticed the two brothers becoming even closer which from our view as parents is noteworthy and very gratifying. Perhaps it's a mutual realization of Rylee's not too distant departure with the new mission age announcement/option, and working on his mission papers (just down to a dental visit and final interviews). Having the elder on the mission has brought countless tender mercies and blessings to our family and home not the least of which is the brothers drawing closer to each other even as they leave home.

Our menu consisted of family favorites and polynesian comfort foods including ribs, sapasui (samoan chop suey), baked taro, korean chicken (one of the elder's favorite dishes of his grandma Alip), beef tomato stew, sweet potato casserole, musubi, ahi poke, poi, lupulu, haupia, pagipopo, chocolate caramel cake, red velvet cake, grandma Alip's tropical punch drink, and rice. We had the pleasure of doing a test run with the Skype app as we were able to connect with the family (Mahe's) in Sacramento, Vanessa and Jarvis and their kids Jazlee, Blaze, Hunter and Ty. It was fun to be able to see and speak with them. We were especially happy for grandpa and grandma Alip to see and talk with the grandkids in California. We also utilized technology as we watched nephew Jace Tavita a senior at the University of Hawaii and member of the UH Warrior basketball team play in their final tournament game against Ole Miss in Honolulu. Having Ginger and Gilbert (Jace's parents) here along with the Alip's made watching the game via internet stream really enjoyable.

My cell phone rang at 5:25 PM, the telephone number on my display was not a number I recognized other than "404" which I know to be the area code for the general Atlanta area. As I answered the caller said "hello", in turn I responded, "hello?" It was the elder!!! He didn't recognize my voice at first as he asked who I was haha. I wasn't too sure myself although it became evident as we passed this initial greeting. We spoke briefly the first time to ensure we could get everyone in. He said he wasn't in a position to Skype at least for this call (we'll shoot for the Mother's day call in May). We were just so thrilled to be able to talk with him again! He said he and elder Price (zone leaders in the Fayettville Zone) were busy with 9 appointments they had for the day. He said as a result of the Lord's help along with their effort they were able to add more investigators to their teaching group. Some news he mentioned to us is that he and elder Price are training a new missionary from Provo, Utah who just arrived in the mission. He said their days are extremely busy. The Fayetteville zone is one of the larger zones in the mission and they have been working extremely hard to bring souls to Christ. He said with the Lord's help they have seen many miracles in their zone and also in their personal area. The elder has a baptism this coming Saturday and a family in January they have been working with and committed. Quick observation: the southern culture has taken hold on the elder as he speaks with a lot of "Yes Sir", "Yes Mam." haha

The elder made the rounds as the phone was passed from one family member to the next (Rochelle, uncle Pati, Aunty G, Grandpa Gautavai, Grandpa Alip, Grandma Alip, Mekelee, Rylee, Faaagi, Gil). As a parent it is humbling to see the hand of God in your children's lives. We see this in each of their personal lives. We see and feel this in the elder's life. We are grateful and blessed. After speaking with each family member, the elder asked if he could be put on "speaker" so he could address the entire gathering/family. After testifying of Jesus Christ and His atonement, the elder encouraged us all to personally read and study the 7th chapter of Alma in the Book of Mormon. He said chapter is his focus in bringing the doctrine of Christ to the people he loves and serves. The elder then asked if he could leave a blessing upon us and requested we join him in prayer. He invited us to join him in on bended knee for this blessing. The elder inquired if there was anyone we knew of who could use a blessing at this time in their lives. He asked me directly, I told him his grandparents "all three of them." I told him we are always mindful of their well-being. He began his prayer to our Heavenly Father through and in the name of His son Jesus Christ, expressing sincere appreciation for His mercy and love, for the opportunity he has to serve on the mission, and for all of us here at home, his family. The elder than plead with the our Father in Heaven to be with his grandparents at this time of their lives. I was impressed to tell the elder during the prayer to please pray for his cousin Jace in Hawaii. The elder then proceeded to pronounce a blessing on his cousin to strengthen Jace and help him throughout his basketball season. He closed by thanking Heavenly Father for His son and the Atonement and gospel. He noted leaving this blessing as part of his sacred calling as a missionary. Needless to say there wasn't a dry eye in the home at the conclusion of the blessing and prayer. I told the elder how proud I was to be his dad and how much I love him, and that I have been impressed to tell him his Father in Heaven and Lord and Savior Jesus Christ love him. I encouraged him to continue to be "True at All Times in Whatsoever the Lord Entrusts Him." We then ended the call after saying talk to you in May. It was now 6:33 PM (the call lasted 1 hr 8 min).

We made a mad dash next door to experience elder Richard Gautavai's call via Skype. It was good to hear and now see elder Gautavai in Wisconsin. He sounded and looked wonderful. Faaagi setup a projector so the Skype session could be viewed on the wall (pretty cool setup). Although elder Richard Gautavai has been out longer (next month will be his year mark), this is his first Christmas in the mission. It is amazing to see the growth in him and his excitement for his mission and the opportunity to serve and bless the lives of those he comes into contact with. So thankful!

Although our family dynamics are changing, this Christmas season has brought more hope, more joy, and more charity and love to our family and home. Again, it is so humbling to see our children becoming more gospel-centered and  converted unto the Lord. It is a great blessing in our family and home to have our nephews and son bringing people to Christ. Can't wait for Mother's day!

Elder Gautavai's dad