Hard Working Week

This has been an hardworking week. Opening a new area is no joke. We have a lot of finding to do. The branch has been very suportive though, they have a goal that each member gives the missionaries at least 2 referrals per month. In the first week we got a good number of referrals, but not many of them really worked out for one reason or another. We hope that this next week things will really go well.

   I don't really know what else to talk about... Have a great week!

-Elder Grilliot

Picture of me back in Lira with Elder Cardon at the start of my mission

In Gulu towards the end of my mission

Starting up Missionary Work in Kajjansi!

   This has been a difficult week. Adjusting to a new area, and trying to learn where everything is at. For like the first few days I really missed being in Gulu, it was almost as if I were homesick for Gulu.

But after being in Kajjansi for a few days I started really pushing and becoming immersed in the work.

   Kajjansi is actually an old branch in the mission (it's been there for like 13 years) but because the branch wasn't doing any missionary work at all, they took the missionaries out and for a while they had no missionaries there. Then they eventually put in sister missionaries, and then Elders, and that's when I came in. Because they went for a while without any Elders it kind of humbled the branch and now they are really motivated to do missionary work. They also got a new branch pres. this year and he is very good at making sure the members are unified with the missionaries.

   The first few days in Kajjansi was hard. We didn't know anyone, or the area. But the members have helped us out a lot this last week and we already have a few people to teach. There are like 3 or 4 branch missionaries who are going on their missions in the next 3 months, and they are always willing to help us, so that's also a plus.

   Kajjansi is part of the city of Kampala, or I should say that it's like a subberb of Kampala. It sits just between the International airport in Entebbe, and the City of Kampala. We have to go into Kampala to be able to do our shopping though, and even to email.

   Time should go by fast here. I'm with a pretty good companion, (he's been out for around 18 months) Elder Mamani, from South Africa.

Funny enough, he was in my zone last transfer. He's a good guy, pretty laid back.

   My last Saturday and Sunday in Uganda will be General Conference.

You guys will receive it earlier than us but we will watch it at the end of October.

   Love all you guys! have a great week!

-Elder Grilliot

New Area-Kajjansi

   We received transfer news today. I felt pretty confidant that I would stay and finish my mission from Gulu. It was my last transfer news. I was surprised to hear that I was to be transferred for my last

6 weeks on mission, and to open a new area in a place called Kajjansi (It's in the southern part of Kampala). I suppose that it will comfort my parents to know that I won't be driving in Uganda any longer.

   I'm going to miss Gulu a lot. It was my favorite area on mission thus far, and I had the most amount of success here as well. I am leaving like 5 people who are ready for baptism in the area as well, I really wish that I could have stayed to witness their baptism.

   I look forward to going to my new area though. And doing some great things in Kajjansi. I plan on Finishing my mission strong, and I hope that opening this new area will help. I think that if nothing else it will make time go by fast.

   Love you guys, hope that you all stay well.

-Elder Grilliot

Teaching English class with Elder Frakes

   Thanks for all of the birthday wishes, from family and friends. I love you guys. To be honest it's hard to believe that I'm 21 years old, but I'm excited to know that I am finally old enough to drink. My birthday was on a fast Sunday, so I didn't really do anything too outrageous, but the day before my B-day, I started my fast at a fancy restaront called Cafe Hut. I ate a nice juicy hamburger and a banana smoothy.

   The companion that I have right now is a cool guy named Elder Frakes. We get along well, but the problem is that we are only a month from apart from each other on mission. It gets pretty tempting to talk about home with him from time to time. Just gotta keep on pushing though.

   My comp and I have been teaching an English class for the last month or so. We have a few students that come every week and are making some very nice progress. We intended it to help us find more investigators, but so far only like 2 have come since it started, but It's a nice experience for myself. Perhaps eventually it will pick up steam.

   We found a nice family this week. They are from the central part of Uganda (near Kampala) and live in Gulu for work. They are very humble and nice. The man is like 50 yrs old and his wife is like 27 but they get along really well. Very nice couple. and very smart as well. Hope that things go well for them.

   Love you guys, have a great week!

-Elder Grilliot

CHANGES: Not as Much Driving to Kampala

   We had MLC (mission leaders council) this week, but up in Gulu they did it a bit differently. The mission president wants to reduce on the number of times that we have to drive down to Kampala so rather than drive down to Kampala we did a live video broadcast strait into the mission home. Gulu, Lira, Mbale, Ethiopia, and Rwanda all Skyped into MLC. From now on that's how they are going to do it (except 4 times a year we will do it all together). It was alright doing it from the computer (from the church in Gulu branch) but I kinda miss being able to meet up with the other missionaries around the mission. Anyway I'm sure that it will save my parents some worry knowing that I'm not driving down to Kampala as much.

   I was watching these videos about the history of the church in West Africa, there are some super cool stories about the early pioneers in Ghana and Nigeria. There was this guy in Ghana that once he found the church he ran around bringing in like 30 new converts to the church per month. I guess that's why Ghana has 3 missions now, and a temple.

   Been hard at work this week. I got sick during this week though. A Fever and some diarrhea. Didn't know what I was sick with so we just called it butt aids. Monday through Thursday I worked super hard, Friday was weekly planning and MLC so we didn't get anything done, and Saturday and Sunday I was sick. I'm doing much better now though. I hope that I don't get sick anymore on my mission.

   Met some cool new investigators this week. Some nice families and stuff. I hope that things go well with them.

   Love you guys have a great week.

Fruitful Harvest in Gulu

As my mission sums up, I am trying to make each week better than the last. I am trying to work my butt off and save the time for relaxing on the plane ride home. This week has been alright. We had a baptism on Sunday, and it was a pretty nice baptism. The service was nice and the spirit was there. It was the brother to a recent convert of mine. He and his brother are super elect people, and they both want to serve missions (one is 20, the other is 22). I am pretty happy with the fruit that I have been having here in Gulu. About half of my baptisms on mission have been in this branch. I also really adore the members here.

   It's a weird thing, concluding your mission. I keep on wanting to think about home, but then when I think about home it puts me in a daze. Mentally I have to kick myself every time I start daydreaming about home, because I don't want to trunk myself out.

   Love you guys, hope you have an incredible week.

-Elder Grilliot

Me and a member named George brawling it out

Built a House

   Sorry no adventures this week. except I accidentally cut my thumb while cutting tomatoes this week. That was about the extent of my adventures this week. Don't know what else to tell you about. We did some service projects this week though. One of them was weeding (which is a lot easier to do than in the US because the ground is super soft here), and in the other we helped build someones home. To help build the home we used bricks and mud and just built the home. just like that. The mud was used as cement (their mud is super strong) and the bricks were used as bricks. (ha) Then they put plaster over everything after the mud dried so that it would endure the elements. Apparently a house like the one I helped build can last up to 40 years. The end!

   With 6 missionaries in Gulu branch my proselyting is a bit smaller than it was before, but I suppose that it works to my benefit because my area was massive before. The way that we split the boundaries of the areas most of the people that I have baptized in the last 6 months that I've been in Gulu are now in a different set of missionaries proselyting area, but that's alright with me, I now get a chance to build up the church in a different side of Gulu.

   This week has been fair, We've started teaching some cool new people. There's this one guy were teaching who we are helping to get off of cigarettes. He's making some really nice progress right now, and he gave us a referral to a family who are actually married properly!

   Things are going well in the missionary work. Love you guys.

-Elder Grilliot

   Attached is a picture of what we call a goondy bird. The bag on it's neck can stretch to be about 3 ft long and is full of acid. The goondy bird eats anything it finds, including and especially garbage.

People say that it can even eat human babies. They are everywhere in Uganda, they are more it's national bird that the crane is for it's sheer population. They are extremely ugly birds. Just though that you would be interested.