Kahala

EDIT: These pictures are probably all of his last area since I don't think he took any after the transfer on this memory card. Below is an email that I cut and pasted from Elder Travis.

Aloha!!

Man things are going so great in Kahala. We are seeing so many great things happening. We found 3 new people to teach, and the ward is so awesome and missionary minded. I miss Kailua, but I love Kahala. A lot of great members (some of which should have added me by now).

We have a baptism coming up next Saturday on the 21st of August. It's for Bro. And Sis. ***. They are so ready for this gospel and only investigated for a month! But they know its true. They have been to 4 different churches. They have concluded that this church is the true church. It's incredible to see these things.In fact, the whole mission is changing. Not just the mission, but missionary service worldwide. It's insane. The Brethren are really focusing on teaching on the spirit and are putting something out to enhance Preach My Gospel. It's meant to have us ask inspired questions, get people talking, and let them learn more. It does sound inspired, but I don't know much about it. All the Zone Leaders and District Leaders were trained on it so I don't know too much about it. But we'll be trained on it soon. So that'll be interesting.

I heard we will be cleaning a ship in Pearl Harbor this week or next week. I'm so excited for that!!!! I will take LOTS of pictures. I think its the USS Memorial one but I'm not sure. That might happen this week or next. So I'm way excited for that!!

My companion Elder Garritson, is awesome, he is a hard worker and teaches by the spirit. He is far ahead for a 6 week Elder and really teaches well. I feel blessed to be his companion and I'm learning a lot from him. I hope I'm doing the same for him.

I hit my 8 month mark today. I'm 1/3 of the way through my service. It's amazing to think how fast my time has gone by. It's incredible...It's so fast. Christmas is around the corner, and so is "hump" day. After that it's all downhill.

Well, things are great. Interesting too. I'm so proud to be a missionary, and know with my heart and soul this is God's church. I love teaching people about the gospel and love sharing it. I am so humbled to put that tag on my chest everyday.

All Is Well

I'm in Kahala. In the Honolulu zone. Believe it or not I cover President Dalton's ward and a deaf group, the only deaf group on O'ahu. It's interesting but I love it here. It's the RICH part of O'ahu though so people think they are more well off....people think they have all they need. But we do have people we are teaching. It is awesome, cuz they are really progressing. 3 kids I taught in Kailua were baptized yesterday, so that was exciting to hear about. This area is great. We have three progressing to baptism.

It's beautiful here...ocean is amazing!

I'm with Elder Garritson from South Jordan Utah, he is 6 weeks out. (Note from Elder Travis' mom - Elder Garritson is not pictured in either of these pictures). I'm his step-dad, which is interesting (Note from Elder Travis' mom - someone needs to give me a dictionary on speaking Elder! I don't know what being his "step-dad" means!). I'm 8 months out, and for the first time a senior companion...it feels weird haha cuz I feel like I'm only out 2 months. He was trained by Elder Major's trainer who just went home. I sure do love my comp. He's awesome! A hard worker too!

Time sure does fly by. But we are sure having fun out here and we love serving the Lord. I make sure to take every advantage I can to do His work.


I'll be sending home a big tiki next time I transfer haha, that is if I fly. The Tongans carved me one, which is awesome haha. It's pretty sweet! But ya, I'll have to send Patch possibly, he takes up a lot of space. we'll see haha.

I forgot to mention the temple rededication will happen by President...MONSON!! I'm so excited cuz he'll probably speak to us, and if I'm in Presidents ward still (which I'm sure I will be) I might even meet him!! Which would be amazing. I'm sure I'm in President Dalton's ward for a reason though.

EDIT: I added parts of a letter to this email and clarify some things that Elder Travis had written.

Transferred From The Blue Centipede Motel!

Elder Travis was transferred this week. He'll still be on Oahu but we don't know where until next Monday when he can email again. I'm so happy that he will be leaving his apartment that has come to be known by his family as The Blue Centipede Motel bz of all the blue centipedes they found in there! Hopefully the new apartment will be blue centipede free, lol!
I've had a comment left asking for Elder Travis' new address. I can't respond to this comment directly bz this person doesn't have a blog so I'm putting the address here. Elder Travis' address remains the same throughout his entire mission, no matter where he's transferred to.

His address is:
Hawaii Honolulu Mission
1500 S Beretania Street, Suite 416
Honolulu, Hawaii 96826

For his security I'm not putting his full name on this public blog but those of you who know him know how to address the letter. He loves letters so I hope this helps the person who commented and also inspires others to write him!

Much Aloha

This has been a time of saying goodbye for Elder Travis. He said goodbye to President and Sister Peterson as their mission was now completed.
He said it was an emotional time and so hard to say goodbye....
as he had really grown to love both of them.
It was also a time of saying hello to President Dalton who will be his new mission president. He also said hello (or aloha) to Sister Dalton who is President Dalton's wife. They will serve for the rest of Elder Travis' mission so he'll have a chance to get to know them really well.

Enduring And Praying For A Resolution

Well I had to go see the doctor again on Tuesday after they gave me antibiotics. On Tuesday, I had these huge headaches, the biggest I've had in my whole life. It just was a pain! So I called up again to see the doctor Wednesday cuz I just did not feel right at all. Well, they brought me in, saw that they gave me a wrong pill (Cipro) and had to...DRAW BLOOD!!! They wanted to make sure they didn't kill me or something. So I go in, I tell the doctor I hate needles and will pass out on him...well the second that needle was in my vein..yup you guessed it. I passed OUT! I woke up with three people around me looking at me. I laid down for about 20 minutes and the doctor said, well the good news is you don't look so pale. Bad news is I need three more vials from you...It was...horrible!!! They had me put my head between my knees and I started shaking really bad haha..it was bad. (The Cipro)...just gave me a HUGE HUGE HUGE headache. It was like poison to me, Dr. Lawler said.


Elder Travis' response to his mother's question about the blue centipede bite: I feel better, good enough to work, but I can still feel the effects. My leg still hurts a little bit. My throat is a little dry and I can tell the tonsils are still swollen. hmm..it's been a rough few weeks haha!

When Blue Centipedes Attack

Elder Travis' mom speaking: The following is an email I received from Travis yesterday. After that I've written about the phone call I got from the mission home last night. I'll add pictures when the memory card arrives.

So this is the story which you can forward to the whole family so they know whats going on:
Well first off last night I feel a hard pinch on my leg. At first I thought it was a bed bug cuz they are really common and it was 2:30 am!! Well I get up and put the itching cream on it to keep it from itching but notice it actually HURT. Well I go to my bed with permethrin to find that lil rascal and see a Centipede!! I'm like..ohhh great I hope it's not a BLUE centipede...well I spray him, he goes beserk, I kill him...yup...he's blue!!
So I'm sitting in the bathroom with a burning leg thinking Whyyyyy!! I'm already miserable enough!! (Travis' mom here: He's struggling with a bad bout of tonsillitis). Well, I get an ice pack and ice the sting which helped A TON!! I ended up falling asleep 90 minutes later with it on. It was bad though and I hurt!!! It still burns but not as bad. I got pictures of him I'm sending home today (the memory card)."

Elder Travis' mom again. We got a letter from Travis later in the week where he stated the doctor told him "the centipede could have immobilized me for weeks" so he's lucky he got bitten where he did.

About 9:00 my time (4:00 Hawaii time) I got a call from a Sister who is the medical liaison for the mission home. She told me Travis had been to the doctor and is on an antibiotic. He's been so sick for so long that I hope he isn't building a tolerance to antibiotics now. He seems to be doing well now and is in good spirits. She told me that the mission president had just gotten out of a meeting right before she called and that he was amazed that Travis waited so long to go to the doctor (tough kid!). She said Travis had pictures of the blue centipede and it was huge. She told me that they sent him home with more spray to spray down their apartment, bedding, and clothes and then rewash the bedding and clothes.

I'm so grateful that he's in good hands and that they take such good care of him. Hopefully this is the last blue centipede he'll see in Hawaii!

ADDENDUM: The very next day after he was bitten they trapped and killed another blue centipede in their apartment! He's longing for Kauai with all the chickens because apparently chickens eat centipedes!

A Rough Week

Elder Travis' mom here. This is an update on Elder Travis and his current bout with being ill. He's been told that the Sudafed he was taking and the Motrin were exacerbating his heart condition so he's off of those meds now.


Part of Travis' email this week:
The doctor said they didn't like the look of my tonsils, they gave me more meds to try and do something for me...but if they don't work I have to go see 'em. IF I had to get 'em removed, I would have no idea what to do.

I went to the office to pick things up and let them know about the doctor and Sister Robbins heard my name and was like ELDER SMITH?? I HAVE HIS MAIL!! I went in and saw the package with a few letters..haha she knows me so well!! She tells me I'm popular!! Haha makes me happy!!

We couldn't do a whole lot this week cuz of the meds doing weird things to me like knocking me out or making me dizzy. I'm trying to work though so I'm working as hard as it will allow me :)Anyways, I love you so much thanks for all you do. I truly love and appreciate you :)

So..what are the symptoms that tonsils need to be removed?

Oahu Update

This week was good, kinda. I've been sick the past few days so the work wasn't..really work..more rest. I was prescribed Penicillin from the doctor and it made me feel a little sick so I called up the office nurse to see if I could take Motrin with it...she called up the doctor..then me...and I got 3 meds on top of it. So I took those, and it made me miserable. Didn't help with the cough either so I might be going back to see the doctor. It's..tough to say!! haha but, however, on top of a bad physical week..we had a really good week of teaching.


We taught ***, a new Tongan investigator who has some real interest in the lessons, so we are working with him :) We did a zone car wash Saturday and met ***, a guy on the marine base who is determined to come to church Sunday and learn about us. We got his info and are pursuing him :). We have a few others that we need to get in contact with through members and hopefully teach them.


Elder Standiford and I have really noticed a change in this area the past two months. We've found lots to teach, and we are seeing some success. We might not have a baptism for him before he goes home in a few weeks, but it's not about that. We are working hard!

Here's an interesting Hawaiian fact...if someone doesn't want something, whether it be an AC unit..fridge..TV..anything..they put it on the sidewalk for people to take/dump. We almost took an AC unit.
We had Stake conference yesterday where Spencer J. Condie of the Seventy spoke to us, which was really interesting!! He's hilarious for an old timer, and gave a really good talk!! President Peterson spoke to us as well..I will miss him!! It makes me so sad to see them go, but President Dalton will be good I'm sure. He actually led Prop 8 so I can tell he will be a good bold mission president full of love! I look forward to him, but will deeply miss President Peterson.
Yes, our pad was one of those cruddy ones. It's good, but bad. haha we recruit geckos to live here to take care of roaches, it gets really hot! But oh well, it was nice to have President come to our Pad. (yes home haha) I will truly deeply miss that man.


Love you all!! Write to me :)

Mother's Day 2010

The following post is being done by Elder Travis' mom to document his first family phone call home and his first birthday in the mission field.


The phones were lined up waiting for your call to come. I didn't want to chance a battery running out. I even had a cheat sheet of questions but I really didn't have to use it. Two pens available to jot notes on the paper.

We had to strain a little to hear but the speaker phone worked best. It made me smile when you talked to Jill and you said, "hi, stinky" and she responded with "hi, fatty!" It felt like you were right in the room with us!

We each tried to take turns talking to you individually and even Savannah said "Tav" for you but I don't think you could really hear her well.

Your sisters certainly enjoyed the call. They miss you so. We were glad Nicholas thought of the idea to call Brandon on the cell phone and put it up to our phone so you could talk to him for a minute. For some reason the army wouldn't let him come home from drill to talk to you, lol!

Dad took care of Bailee and we both couldn't help but think about you when you were this size and that this is the first birthday you've been away from us.....ever.

I hope it was a happy birthday for you. I know it was the best Mother's Day I've had in a really long time. I love you.

Hawaii Honolulu Mission Motto

The following is the mission motto taken from a devotional talk by President and Sister Peterson at BYU Hawaii. Elder Travis wanted me to share it with you on this blog.
"In the Hawaii Honolulu Mission we have a wonderful mission motto and it goes like this: We are grateful to be in the Hawaii Honolulu Mission--the Aloha Mission. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is our message, love of God and others is our motivation, and obedience to the commandments and mission rules is our strength. By sharing the gospel with others, we can give them the "ha" - the breath of life, even eternal life. Aloha."