January 30 2012

Ola familia!!

So this week what do I want to say??  Well it still is not going by that fast at all like it feels like time is dragging by!! I hoped you guys liked the pictures I took the ones of the area on the far south side so that is not around our house! Carlos well we taught him about like 5 times I think! He is the only member in his family he is 24 years old rides a motorcycle! I think when I return I will get me a motorcycle I have surprisingly  become really fond of them!! What do I eat for dinner? Well usually nothing because we are never close to our house and members don’t give us food at night time when my companion wants to stop and use there bathroom! So that is about it on dinner! Well I am actually out off money on my mission card and I will have to wait to the first to receive more ya I payed the bill on my mission card and not my personal card so were good there!  I am really starting to get fed up with my companion he is starting to sleep in he is like a girl takes like 45 mins in the shower! Like seriously who needs 45 mins in the shower? I  get in first always so I can get stuff done when he is in! He doesn’t really want to work he just wants to either teach lessons or sit in peoples house and not do anything else really like this last week I probably made like 100 contacts by my self and got like 40 address and he says to me you should be making more and I was like what? He doesn’t make any sense! Well we keep having a problem down here we meet these awesome couples and they are not married and it takes like 20 days to make it official down here! So once people go and get the official certificate thingie we will be having a lot of people baptized! We found one dude that lives in this house and there is like 3 houses on this little piece of land and they are all relatives and there is 18 people there and we are trying to teach all them we will see how that goes they are evangelics and they are pretty stuck to it! Back to my companion well there is obviously times where I feel we are wasting the Lords times and I say to him lets go and he says no and there is other times where he is like a little girl and wont say anything to me and he will be like a little girl and I want to punch him like I might punch him!  Change topics because I don’t like talking about him! Well I am really excited to get a package um I hope you put those things in there that I asked for and one more thing I want is an extension cord for the winter time because there are houses where there is no outlet in the bedrooms and I have been talking with people that have like a year and a half about the winter and they say its really cold so that might be a good thing! Pop tarts those sound really good and candy I love American candy Brazilian candy is alright nothing special! hey pray for me that I will have strength to make it through the day and bless me that my body will be ok my bell button doesn’t hurt any more and pray for Elder Een because we are having some dud companions! love you guys!!

Love Elder Gray

January 23 2012

Colton at the Sao Paulo Temple on his P-day

January 23 2012

My dear beautiful family!!! 

This week it was alright we really didn’t do anything!! Hahahah oh I heard that you contacted the Mission President?? My companion one night said, so the Mission President called me while you were in the bathroom and he said that your mom contacted him!! He was like what are you telling your mom in your emails I am like everything and he got really nervous because he probably knows that he is in it!! So what did we do this week?? Tuesday I had to go to the federal police to sign documents and get official in Curitiba! Wednesday we went to lunch in the farthest south region of our mission after my companion explained to me that we had to go give a blessing to a guy that got robbed the night before and was badly beaten! And this dude was the son of the lady that gave us chicken feet (chicken feet not good like little meet if that mostly cartilage its wonderful not!) so we went to the lady’s house that gave us chicken feet and was waiting there and apparently she said to my companion could we wait there for awhile so my companion said yes, well we ended spending from 3 in the afternoon till about 10: 30 at night there, we were just sitting there! My companion was watching movies on the TV and I thought if he was doing it I would to! We watched some Christmas movie and Batman begins! I really don’t like movies in Portuguese it makes my mind hurt! She did order us some pizza to have it was alright I wouldn’t say it was my favorite pizza I have tasted down here! So between three days of not making contacts and trying to teach we had 60 contacts to make and about 10 lessons to teach! Oh and her son didn’t want a blessing he said he was fine! I saw him and I didn’t even see a bruise! Um so that was Wednesday well Thursday came around and my companion had to go to the mission office for a district meeting so I buddied up with Elder Sudweeks! He is from Highland he was super cool we walked his area and made some contacts and that is about it! But it was so nice to speak to some one that can understand and speak fluent English!! Hahahaha! Friday we needed to get like 80 contacts to just catch up and have it return to being normal and I was talking to a lot of people my companion was not and so we rounded out the day with 25 contacts 20 of them were mine! Saturday I told my companion that we need to catch back up or we were screwed so we busted hump to get her done! Saturday we had a baptismal interview for one of our investigators and he passed and the person interviewing him was like ok who do you want to baptize you?? He said he wanted me to baptism him!! I heard this and I was like what that is not possible I have only borne my testimony to him like 3 times! But ya he wanted me to do it! So Sunday came around and I forgot I had to teach gospel principles and teach our celestial families everyone thought I did well, I failed terribly!! It was hard to prepare for it because we had maybe like one study session this whole week! Then after church we had a baptism! It was really cool, the water was freezing cold and I felt bad for Carlos because I had to dunk him in this freezing cold water! I did it perfect the first time in Portuguese which was pretty cool I will send pics today!! Um so we cleaned the apartment and I can live in it now! Well basically it was me that cleaned it because my companion does not care to clean!! So ya I wasn’t to happy! What do I buy?? I buy chocolate frosted flakes and milk and eggs and bread and bananas yes I have had peanut butter every day for breakfast! I have a bowl of cereal 2 slices of bread with peanut butter and bananas on it and drink tons of water! That is really what I buy for food it’s kind of sad I know!! So ya that is it for this week I love you guys so much I think about you guys all the time and pray for you guys always you guys mean the world to me and I love you so so so so so very much!!!

Love, Elder Gray 

Carlos, Elder Gray's first baptism

A letter we got from another mom that has a son in Brazil

My son's email today said he'd done exchanges and was "trainer" for a day with your son - since my son's trainer had to be at a training meeting.

He said, "Yeah that was intense relying on my Portuguese. I`ll tell you one thing I was definitely blessed that day. I understood everything perfectly. And could say everything I wanted. We taught 5 lessons together. 2 in English. Well he taught in English. I discovered that I´d forgotten how to. I tried and was failing miserably. You´d think it would be easy. I don´t know how Elder Gray managed to find 2 people that lived in the U.S. and spoke English. Did I ever tell you I love Brasil?"

Reeve loves the variety of the people there. And he said he had a great time teaching with your son. Funny that they lived so close and met in Brazil.

Just thought I'd share.

Claudia

January 16 2012

January 16 2012

Hey family!!!

So this week was not any better!! I am still struggling really bad!! I miss you guys so much like words can not even describe how much I am missing you guys!! It is so hard to be out here I really do want to come home because I am not getting the language my companion is starting to be a dead beat!! And my body is like dying!! About my body I have lost some weight um weird thing so around my belly button is really sensitive when you touch it I do not know why!! Oh I got some nasty blisters on my feet and I need John Ogao to adjust my back cuz it’s pretty tight!! Some about my week!! Well Tuesday the day after our pday we had to go back to our church to have a district meeting until like noon and then we had to travel to the farthest part of our area for lunch and the church is on the top north part of our  mission and the house was on the far south part of our mission!! So we almost had our water and electricity cut yesterday because my companion and his last companion decided not to keep up on the bills!! Lucky the person that lives behind us stopped them from doing that and we had to pay last week and its is a new week and still not paid because my companion wont take me to the place to pay for it!! I will have to pay with my personal card but the church will refund me the money on to my missionary card!! So I am going to do that today!! So quick second if you look at my account I have used my card today for bills and to buy some food and to buy some more cleaning supplies! I might pay the bills actually with my mission card, so that was Tuesday! Wednesday we had to travel to Curitiba to meet with the Mission President that was about a 3 hour bus ride!! I met with the President and we were talking about how I was doing and I told him not good! He asked why I told him that I am really homesick and that I haven’t been feeling the spirit and I am getting really frustrated with the language!! He said to read D and C 31 and then email him today about what it says! I asked how my group from the CTM was doing and he said that they are all like you!! All are missing home a lot and all getting frustraded with the language!! I asked about Elder Een personally and he said it is funny because you two are exactly a like!! You both said the same thing about how you are doing and you both asked about the CTM group and he even asked about you!! So that was cool so I will see if I can call up Elder Een and talk with him for like 5 mins!! Thursday it rained like all day and it did a number on my umbrella it bent hahah!! Luckly they had an extra in this house so I used that, and it’s a bigger one so my back pack wouldn’t get wet!!  I bought a bigger one today to replace my old one Friday it rained again and at lunch they had chicken feet, ahhhh she took off the lid and it looked like a pot full of baby arms I almost threw up!! I had to eat it because she gave me one ya not me!! It didn’t taste that good so I was putting like all different kinds of food in my mouth to counter act the taste!! Saturday was a rough day we walked like everywhere in our area! Sunday is a drag because church is all in Portuguese so I don’t understand!!

That was basically my week!!

Dad: Hey dad how are you doing? How is work going for you? Hey I want quotes I need words of encouragement to stay out here because it really tough to stay out here and I need some words from you like really bad!!! Love you dad I think about you all the time!!

Mom: I love you, it was nice to talk to you last Monday!! So I did some light cleaning so I can stand it because my companion makes it dirty he wont help me at all clean the house so I basically wash the dishes everyday while he sleeps on our like couch thing and he is starting to turn into to a dead beat so what I can I do to fix that!! Hey I also need something inspirational words from you to help me stay out here!! Love you!!

McCall: I hope your doing well I hope are polys are taking care of you!! I miss you a lot thank you for everything that you did for me!! I really appreciated it!! It would be nice to hear from you sometime tell me how your medical assisting is going if there is any guys in your life you know that kind of stuff!! Love you!!

Gentry:: HEY girl I am sorry that your tumor did not go down!!! Ah I pray for you so much!!! I love you and I think about you all the time!! How is school going how are you handling chemo?? Any boys what’s new in the 801??

Easton: happy birthday dude I hope you will have an awesome birthday!! I wish I could be there to tell you this in person but that is a little hard because I am so far away!! But bud your going to be 12 you’re going to get the Aaronic priesthood!! That is really cool!! Hey some words of advice prepare now if you want to serve a mission I hope you will want to I know my last couple of letters I have sent home have been negative but that is really how I am feeling!! It is really tough!! Buddy make sure that you choose the right always make good choices!! Follow that prompting that comes into you heart that will tell you do something that is right!! I love you look I will only have to miss one more birthday of yours and then we can spend your 14 birthday together!! Hey I got you a present but I am not going to send it because I heard that it is a lot to send so I will probably send it around my birthday because that way I might have something for every one in the family!! I got you a jersey just so you know!! :) Love you buddy happy birthday remember you’re always in my prayers and you are going to look so sexy in your suit!! You will have the girls saying hey boy hey!! hahahahah

In closing I want to say that I love you all and I pray all the time for you guys you guys mean the world to me and I think you know that!! I love you and I will have to see how much longer I can stick it out because it is really hard right now I am really struggling!!! Love you and take care please like write me like a huge letter so I can get in two weeks because that will be the next time I will be able to get mail because they don’t give it to the missionaries every week!! Love you guys!!

Love, Elder Colton Gray

Elder Gray, Carlos, & First Companion

January 9 2012

Dear Family,                                                                                       

Hey how are you doing??? So I am finally out in the mission field it is a lot different!! We were so blessed to have the stuff in the CTM! So I tried calling you in the airport but I tried to have you pay for it!! But you rejected the call twice so I didn’t worry about it!! Well let’s say that I am really home sick!! Like I want to be home so bad!! The days seem like forever now!! So my new companion is Brazilian his name is Elder Olieviar he is from Goiana somewhere in Brazil he said by Fortaleza!! His family consist of 5 people his parents then him and his twin brother then his little sister!! He is way cool he can speak English really well so he is helping me a ton!! Our area is Araucaria I don’t know how to spell all these funky Brazilian words!! Hahahah but we live in this house that is in front of another house! There is no building code here so it is really interesting! It’s a small house,  really small bathroom I now have to throw the toilet paper in a trash can and that is so fun!! The house is like dirty I really don’t like it, we sleep on mattress on the floor because it is cooler that way! We basically don’t have breakfast and dinner!! I have made pancakes 3 times this week because I have to eat something! The food is good down here every day we eat at a different member’s house so I am very grateful for the members down here to make us a nice lunch!! We don’t go out proysletying till about like 2 in the afternoon because the morning time is used for study! The first night in the field was interesting we went to a member’s house to eat dinner because my companion was leaving and that was their good bye present to him! This family is not all members it is the mom and the son that is members and the dad is one of our investigators so we go over and talk and teach!!  The Portuguese is coming really slow which is making it even harder to be out here because I am getting really frustrated that I can’t talk or understand people!!  The lady that fed us dinner my first night her name is Joana we visited her the next day and was talking with her because she schedules who we go and eat with and she told my companion that she had a dream about me before I arrived in this area and that me and my companion are going to really good things here that was a really cool experience!! Then the next day we went over to there house again because they were going to take us over to there friends and we were going to teach them and Joana was inside talking to one of the lady’s and they got talking about gifts and the lady told Joana I don’t believe in gifts!! And Joana said to her there is a gift at your house right now and the lady was like what are you talking about!! And Joana said to her do you see that American outside teaching your husband and his friends and the lady was like yes I see him!! Joana said I had them over for dinner last night and he didn’t say word and now look he is teaching so that is a gift! The lady was like ok then walked away!! I have ran into some weird people here one lady she is a naturalist doesn’t believe in god and then I talked to another lady after I talked the naturalist one that is a macumba which means a voodoo person so that was pretty interesting!! Oh trying to get everything in my suitcase was a joke but I did get everything back in some how!! I packed it like 5 different times and couldn’t get everything in so I had one of my buddies that is still in the CTM help me his name is Elder Johnson he is from Sandy!! He is a cool dude!! So after another 3 time we finally got everything in!! Which was like a miracle!!  I love how my spelling has gone out the door!! So we were teaching this guy named Daimon and his mom yesterday and we were talking about the plan of salvation (when I say we were talking I mean my companion was talking) and my companion looks at me and says invite them I thought he meant to invite them to pray and read the Book of Mormon! But he said for baptism and I was like alright I invited him and he said yes I always thought that I would feel the spirit really strong when I was going to invite some one to be baptized but I didn’t feel anything I was like what he said yes and I don’t feel the spirit something is wrong here!! So after that I really want to feel the spirit when I invite some one to be baptized so ya!!! Well that is about my week I don’t know where Elder Een and Elder Morris went but Elder Haweks is in my district which is fine because he does not bother me anymore!! Sizes for BYU stuff um my size or bigger! The Brazilians don’t care for size as long as it is BYU stuff so ya!! I love and miss you guys so much you mean the world to me and I really want time here to fly by!

Elder Gray

Elder Gray's First Companion

Train in Elder Gray's First Area

Kitchen in first Area

Bathroom in first area