Merry Christmas from Elder Griffin and Family

Thank you all!

Holy cow.  What a great Christmas, haha.  I loved it. I loved Skype!  That was so cool and it was fun to see everyone.  I'm so grateful for all of the support that I have out here.  I'm sending a picture of my carry-on that is STUFFED with Christmas candy and presents.  I'm loved and I love it! :)  I try to thank everyone individually but I just simply don't have time to write everyone, so for everyone that sent a package, or a letter, or candy, or an email, or anything:  THANK YOU SO MUCH!  BEST CHRISTMAS EVER!  I love you all and I'm so grateful for the awesome people in my life.  Thanks:)  So, the three packages in the church were for me, haha.  One from my Hayley Ann, one from Grandpa, and one from the Relief Society.  AWESOME!  If I had sent a list asking for every desire of my heart, the packages would have been exactly the same, haha.  I have no idea how you all sent exactly what I would have wanted, but good work. Love it!

So, on Saturday, on skype I was so distracted that I forgot to tell you about the baptism we had this week .  Carmen, she's called.  She is the sweetest old lady in all of South America.  She wanted to get baptized as soon as possible, so we did it on Wednesday.  She's an amazing lady and treats us like her little grandkids. On the way back from the baptism in 33, she said to the taxi driver (she bought a taxi for us) "how about we go and pick up a little ice cream for the little men."  Haha, love it!  I love URUGUAY!

So, as you can see, I put on my pjs.  I love them, super soft.  Then, I ate some homemade caramels, which are my favorite!!!!!  Thanks so much, mom!  I shared some with my branch president and his wife and they about died, haha, they loved it!  The other picture is a tie that grandpa sent me in his package, which I'm wearing right now and I love it.  Thanks, grandpa. :)  Last night we ate some carne asada that our president gave us and watched the Emma Smith movie, haha.  Beautiful mission moments.  I'm glad that everyone liked Christmas over there. Hahaha....Josh, that is a bigger blessing than you know to get luggage for Christmas, you rock!   Poor Aunt Jolene, I'm praying for her. I hope everyone is OK and being safe.  I love you all and I wish I could show it more, but my limited time to communicate makes it hard.  Just know that I'm grateful for everyone and all of your support.  See you next week!

From Elder Griffin: Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

AMAZING WEEK!  We baptized again!  Miracles are occurring in Vergara, Uruguay, people, haha.  Gosh I love this work!  We found a part-member family member that had gone to church a ton before, so we taught him and baptized him this last Saturday.  It was such a blessing:)  We did it in 33 because there was a huge storm and it was raining a ton and the river was flooded, so we all got on the bus and headed out.  It went really well!  I got to baptize him!  His name is Cristian, and we baptized his sister a few weeks ago.  I love it, I love it, haha.

So yeah, we went to Montevideo this last week for the conference and dinner, which was amazing.  I have never eaten more or better food in my whole mission, haha.  It was soooo fun!  Our mission president really does love us.  It was great, I got to see all my old companions, and all the elders from the MTC, we talked and ate and learned and sang.  A restaurant catered to us, then at the end we had unlimited ice cream cake and cookies and everything.  Good time, haha.  We also got our packages that had come!  I got two this week, the one from the family, and the one from the big Harris family. Whoa!!  We all opened them last night cause we won't have time on Christmas to do it, and I wanted to know what was in there before we skype next week.  BEST CHRISTMAS EVER!  Other than the fact that I don't have my family, haha.  Thanks so much to everyone that supports me, that sent me letters and candy and love, haha.   I LOVE IT!  My companion was jealous, but he was so happy to get a stocking from you, mom.  Ha, he kept going off about how awesome you are.  Thanks a ton :)  I have enough candy to last me forever now  :)  All the stuff in there is exactly what I would've wanted.  THANKS EVERYONE!  I also got a letter from grandma Harris that came too. :)  It's been raining a ton here.  Our roof was leaking like crazy the other day.  I'm still loving Vergara and I think I've only got a few weeks left here, so I've go to enjoy it while I have it!

We will be on the computer at 2:00 p.m. here in Uruguay, which is 9:00 a.m. in Utah.  So be there, or be square.  I"ll be skyping on the Saturday, the 24th.  Christmas Eve day.  Our internet cafe burned down so we have to travel to 33, and we can't break the Sabbath.  So, Saturday it is!  I'm excited, it's going to be awesome!  I miss all your faces.  If for some reason it doesn't work,  we'll call on the phone later that day.  But, it will work. :)

Well, I love you all and I'm super excited for Saturday.  It sounds like all is well at home and I'm glad!  I love you all a ton!  See you Saturday! :)

I'm "Frosting for the Cause" Today!

Hi everybody,  

Today I am guest posting over at

Frosting for the Cause

 and sharing the recipe for one of my very favorite cakes.    

So, head on over there right now and check it out! 

 See what this awesome websight is all about!

Thanks!!!

From Elder Griffin: Good Week!

Well, hello everyone!

Good week :)  Good. Week.  I don't know what we're doing to find all these people that are ready to be baptized, but I love it--we're being blessed a lot!  We had two baptisms this last Saturday, Maria and her daughter, Yazuy.  They're awesome.  I don't know why, but in all the baptism pictures the investigators look completely terrified, haha...they have no reason to be.  But they're great!  We baptized them in 33 because Maria works with political stuff and didn't want the news to film her.  Anyway, I loved this week.  We had lunch with one of the Hermanas here that helps us a ton with the mission work.  We have a rule where we can't go into a house without another man, but she really wanted to eat with us and talk, so she brought her table and chairs and everything out to her front yard for us to eat on so we could eat together.  Everyone would walk by and we would just wave and smile, haha.  I love Uruguayan people.  One of our recent converts that got baptized about a month ago really likes going proselyting with us, so we take her around and knock doors sometimes, she loves bearing her testimony, and she knows everyone in the town so she helps a lot!  I know everyone here too now...sheesh, I've been here in Vergara for awhile.  I love it though.

So, we're in 33 today because the computer place and the two buildings hooked on to it burned down Sunday night.  The poor families that lived there lost everything, its so sad!  We've walked by a few times and looked in and everything is just a waste....really sad.  Anyway, so we had to travel here today to email.  I don't know what we'll do the other weeks cause it's kind of a pain.  Well, this Wednesday on the 14th we have the Christmas dinner for the whole mission in Montevideo.  We have to take the usual bus at like one in the morning tomorrow night to get there on time, haha.  I'm excited to see all my buds from the MTC and everything.  There, we get all our packages and letters that have come so we'll see what made it here.  I got the package for the 24th, I haven't opened it yet, but I think I know what it is, haha....yesss!

So I'm going to answer the questions now...The man that baptized the last two baptisms is a recent convert, and is related to them both, he's a great guy!  We are the only missionaries in Vergara, 33 is the zone, and Vergara is an area in the zone.  I still don't know what's going on with skype, but I'm sure at the dinner this week they'll give us more info.  It'll be fun seeing all of you people again :)  That's dang awesome that Austin is going to Brazil, haha.  I'm glad!  That's dumb that its not snowing.  I miss the snow, but my equilibrium is all screwed up anyway.  I'm so glad I have sunscreen!  These pics that I'm sending are from the baptism.  Gimena, last weeks baptism, wanted to come to 33.  She wanted to sit by me on the bus and take a picture cause she loves the nice buses.  Don't worry, my companion is on the other side, haha.  She's super awesome.  Me with the guy is Ruben, my second baptism in Vergara, He didn't have any church clothes and couldn't afford them so I gave him some pants and a tie and stuff.  He had to role the pants up a little bit but it's okay.  I love the people here.  Bueno, I've got to go.  I love you all, talk to you next week!

De-Light-ful

Well, we finally got ourselves up to Temple Square this year to look at the Christmas lights.  The last time we went, we only had four kids and I was pregnant with sweet little Kamryn.  Sweet little Kamryn will be nine this spring.  Nine!  I don't know why it's taken so long, except December is busy and I hate, hate, hate being cold.  So, those are my excuses.  This year we went early and on a relatively warm night.  The kids loved it and it was so pretty and fun.

The best part was meeting a sister missionary serving at Temple Square from Montevideo, Uruguay.  We talked to Sister Corrales and her companion, who is from Germany, for quite a while.  Sister Corrales is almost finished with her mission and will be back in Uruguay on Dec. 28.  She was so thankful to find out that Tyson is serving there and sharing the gospel with the people in her country.  She offered to take a package home for him--so nice!  I am really hoping that she can somehow give it to him in person, but if she can just get it to the mission home in Montevideo, they'll take it from there.  It was so great meeting her!  We'll try not to wait nine years before we go again. :)

From Elder Griffin: Running From Lesson to Lesson...

Well, hello everyone!

We had a good week.  Another investigator got baptized!  A girl named Jimena, she's nine years old and she's the best, haha!  She reminds me a lot of Kamryn.  We baptized her in the river as well, and we have two more baptisms planned this week, so wish us and them luck!  We have been really busy lately, running from lesson to lesson.  I love it!

Summer is full on here, people just wander around in their swim suits and are always at the river.  This town is so small that I know a ton of people.  I've at least said hi to all of them, I swear.  Yeah, the sunscreen finally got here!  Thanks a ton. :)  Thanks for all the pics and the fresh 20 dollar bill.  I don't want to spend it, I miss American money too much!  I also got a package from Riley, hahaha....he'll probably read this, but next time you see him, tell him thanks, and that he is a beast.  I'm writing a letter to him today.

About the whole skype thing, I don't know yet what's going on, when we're doing it or anything.  But don't worry, it'll all work out.  We have to go to 33, and since Christmas is on a Sunday, I don't know what we'll end up  doing...I'll let you know as soon as I know.   Have Hayley help you set it all up.  And yeah, I think its 40 minutes. Thanks so much for the packages that are coming.  I'm excited!  I don't know what we're doing for Christmas yet, probably just working.  We don't know anything about anything until we get a call from Montevideo, and its usually the night before, haha.  So, who knows?  I'm glad you're getting my letters.  I try to get one out often, but some pdays we don't have time.

I love those pictures you sent!  Sheesh, that's awesome you met that sister missionary at temple square,  I miss temple square,  It's so weird because I know that it is Christmas time, and that I should be bundled up and going to Park City and getting caramel apples and playing in the snow, but its like a hundred degrees here every day and its the complete opposite, haha.  Its messing with my brain.  I'm sending a pic of my clock that has the temperature on it, I put it out in the sun last pday.  107 degrees!  It was still raising when I brought it back in.  I didn't want it to break, the humidity makes it feel even worse too.  I love it!

Okay, to answer some questions, yes, we can buy meat and stuff and whatever we want, but we're too poor haha, we do have a stove and oven, but only use it to boil noodles and rice.  We make a lot of meals at home, but its always the same stuff cause its all we have money and time for.  But, its good, don't worry. :)  Our washer is a delightful, amazing, beautiful thing, we don't have a dryer, we still hang it outside for the ants to attack.  On pdays we just clean a little, email, write letters, look at pictures of our former lives, read, listen to music.  I like them.  So, yesterday, one of our investigator's brothers called us while we were in the streets and asked us to come and heal his sister...we didn't know what was going on, but we got there, and she was crying and shaking really bad, saying that she had fire in her body and that she was burning.  It was scary, her skin was ice cold and her whole family was sitting there scared to death begging us to help.  We told her that we could give her a blessing, but she had to have a lot of faith in Jesus Christ.  She said okay, and we gave her the blessing, and just like that she was perfectly fine.  She got up and started crying, but this time to thank us.  Her mom started crying and it was a really amazing experience.  We have no idea what was wrong with her, or what she was going through...but the priesthood has power!!  A person's faith is incredible too.  Well my time is about up, thanks mom and dad, and all the kids, and everyone else who supports me so much.  I'm really grateful for all of you!  I'm really blessed!  I miss you and love you all!  Hasta next week! Chau!

Fifteen FANTASTIC years!

boys just chillin, waiting for dad to come home so we can start partying

Finally!  The art supplies he's been waiting for!

Happy birthday, Zig :)