May 30 2012

Hey my family!

Well this week was alright I guess you could say because are pday got moved to Wednesday because we visited the temple again! I love visiting the temple so much! What happened this week well I had to make a division with some other elders because elder smith had a leadership meeting! And so I was with other group of missionary’s for part of the day! It was pretty fun! It was cool to walk in a new area for once in awhile! I really can’t believe that my time here is coming to a close! Like I know this area like I know my hand I love it! I love the members here and everything that they do for us it is wonderful! I feel a little bit bad for elder Smith’s next companion because elder smith really doesn’t know the area that well! ITs funny like I will make a contact and they will say the name of the street and I now that this street is not real so I make a joke with them and say is by the cup of Milk Street and they say yes! So I just continue taking the address and after just scribble it out because it is fake! Just like the street that is named cup of milk! (cupo de leite)! I really don’t l like having pday on the Wednesday because after church and after Sunday you are just tired so Monday is really hard! I really don’t know what to write about! Well Emerson that we baptized at the first of May well he keeps leaving the house and going out and drinking for like 5 nights and then returns! That is really a big bummer because I was think that he would be awesome and that he would be solid to the end! Well nothing is really new about leads on baptisms here the people that we marked baptisms with they are really weak and not progressing! No I haven’t taken many pictures with people! I have taken some with the people that I like here in the ward! And no I still haven’t taken a pic with my Brazilian mom! Ya I found a shoe store but I haven’t had any time to go and take them in to get fixed so maybe Saturday or Friday I will! Besides all of this I am doing ok! Well actually pretty well! Just getting fat from all the food that the members are feeding us! Its pretty cool like a ton of members know that I am leaving so for lunch they are making better food than normal and they want me to eat a ton! So I am gaining a little weight because of them! Hahahaha um hey I forgot to ask last couple times why does dad not want me to get fat??? Does he want me to play lax in college? Well that stinks about Easton that they lost by one point! Well I know what he can do after school! He can do something because I don’t remember! hahaha but oh well! So Christina Smith is engaged to who?? That is cool about matt by the time he leaves I will almost have one year hahah which is a little bit crazy! How is my Facebook doing??? Any one add me? Hey I want you guys to post on Facebook that I want to receive letters from people and like post my address on Facebook because I would love to get some letters from more people! Hahaha well this about it! I love you guys a ton! I hope you guys have a good week love all you! Love all the family members and none family members to!

Love, Elder Gray 

May 21 2012

Well hello my family!!

Really not a lot happened this week that was really cool it was just a boring week of just teaching and making contacts! Well I didn’t eat anything weird this week all the food this was pretty normal! Hahahaha um besides that nothing much happened! I made a division with Elder Aparceido he is from minas gerais more towards the north of Brazil! It was funny he is a taller skinny lurpy elder but he is really funny! The day passed so fast with him! I played soccer today that was awesome! I think I am getting out of shape but oh well! hahaha it was funny because the other team had to kick it in from the side line and I was I am going to try something new so I did a hand stand and blocked the ball and kicked it to my team mate and he goes to shoot and it hits off the post and I was right there and I pounded the ball into the goal! It was awesome everyone was like what just happened, and did that really just happened! Oh and today we played Americans against Brazilians and us Americans destroyed! Like  it was 20 to 8 hahaha we just ran them over! Well when we are talking about sports I heard that the NCAA traded the bowl system that they are going to do like a play off! Is that true? Oh that was really cool about Easton that he drilled that kid! That made me laugh! The only thing I have over that is I broke my helmet hitting a kid! Hahaha hey did Uncle Nick pay Easton because he made a kid sit out like how he always use to tell me??? Gentry got a job that is awesome! I hope it is a good one for her and she will like it! And McCall is destroying it in her internship hours! That is really good! And mom what do you want me to do about my shoes?? I didn’t understand that part! Well besides all of that really nothing is really new for me! Well I love you guys have a good week!

Love, Elder Gray

May 7 2012

Well hello my family how are you guys!

Well let start this letter off that no I didn’t get transferred I am still in Araucaria my first area I will leave this area June 13! Ya still have the same companion! Funny thing is that Irma Joana (Brazilian Mom) asked Sister Cordon to have me stay here! Hahaha so 2 people asked for me to stay here! The people in this ward love me! Ya me!! ! Well yesterday Emerson was not in church and so we left in the middle of church to talk to him! We found him at his house! And he said this Sunday no but next Sunday I will! I was like no you’re coming to church! Well he had his little girls with him and he was using them as an excuse! Well we basically used everything to get him to go I was praying in my heart for something to happen and I received revelation that I need to take his hand and say to him you will go to church this day (he said no) and I told him this is not Elder Gray saying this this is Heavenly Father saying this for you! After that we went to church! He got up and we took him and the girls to church! Well we got there and it was ending! But he did have an appointment set up with the bishop today so I will be interested to see what the bishop says to him!! So that is really good that he returned!

Well this week was pretty good I made a division with Elder Finato again this week! It was awesome I really like him he bought pizza!! But he knows how to work and to get things done! And again we stayed up all night talking! Hahaha it is interesting to hear what Brazilians do for fun here! Well this last Saturday I ate something really really weird! They have a dish called fejoada which is black beans and like parts of the pigs in it well the sister dished up our plates and on mine there was a big something I didn’t know what it was! So right here I am getting nervous like what the crap is this I asked my companion and he grabbed his ear! So right about now I am dying like this is a pig ear! In my mind I am thinking I give pig ears to my dog to eat this is disgusting! Well this is the same sister that gave me chicken feet and that we gave the foot cream to! FYI! So I am sitting here like crap what do I do! Because it had the hair on it and all so I am like wanting to throw up! So I start cutting it up into little pieces and sticking it with other stuff or other meat and eating it! It was nasty! I can’t believe I ate that but mom I promised you that I would eat everything that they gave me! After lunch my companion says to me that you are going to be sick! Sick like what?? He was like you will be throwing up and be crapping your pants I was like oh crap serious! He was like ya! Well look at me today I am fine I am not throwing up I am fine I am glad I have an iron gut some what! Hahaha so that is the funny gross story for this week! I am getting tired of my companion because he has no patients from me and he has even started telling me that people from Utah never learn to speak Portuguese right they always speak it wrong! And that really bugs me! And bugs me even more when he tells other people this! It really bugs me! Like I want to pick him up by his huge nose and tell him look bro I am learning so back up off me! Like that is ridicules! Well I am super excited that I get to talk to you guys on mother’s day! I talked with other elders today what to do is you guys need to plan how much each one of you guys will talk and you need to come prepared with a list of questions and be prepared! I only have 45 minutes to talk! But I am super excited! I get to Skype you guys! I really can’t wait! I love you guys! Have a good week love

Elder Gray!

April 30 2012

My dear Family,

Well this week was alright not a ton happened! Let’s start off about mother’s day! Well I don’t know when I get to call home but I do get to you Skype and I can talk/Skype for 45 mins! So that will be fun! Can you guys hook the computer up to the TV and then I will be on a big screen! If it is one of the new TVs you probably can do that cuz I had to do it here for some people to watch general conference in their house! Hahaha that was interesting! So gentry went to prom who took her? Do I need to start praying that they stay away from her????? Well transfers are on the 2^nd of May! So I will probably know tonight if I will stay or if I will leave for a new area! I think I will leave! Well we had interviews with President and he said to my companion get ready to train a new missionary! But we will see I like Smith but he does some really weird stuff! Like stuff I am like what are you doing! Its funny he wakes up and we pray but he has to like walk a little bit so he can be awake to pray! Then he rubs his feet for like forever and a half! It’s really funny when he stretch’s he can’t keep his legs straight to touch his toes! I told him keep your legs straight and he was like this is as straight as they go and I was like liar to touch your toes you need to bend at the waste not the knees! It’s funny because he is almost like sitting in a chair to touch his toes! Something else really funny this week I was making a contact and I was writing this guys address and Smith just rips one,  like a loud one to! I was trying so hard not to laugh during this! What was funny is I looked at him while I was  writing like are you serious look and he just shrugged his shoulders! Hahahaha it was so funny! Well President Cordon visited our stake conference meeting! And I was sitting with a less active member that was there! He is boy  16 years old I was talking to him! I am really good friends with him and his family, we are teaching his family and I told him that I will probably leave the for a new area and he says to me is that your president of the mission right and I said yes it is and he is like I am going to talk to him! After the conference he went talked to him and I was like crap what his he saying to him! After I asked him what did you say?  He said that I want Elder Gray to stay he is really helping me become more active in the church and he can’t leave because we are good friends and he is teaching my family! I was are you serious and he was like ya dude we will probably have another transfer together!  I will cry if I leave this area I love it here I will have to leave my Brazilian mom here! last night we were at her house last night and she I was talking with her and she will be really sad if I leave as we were leaving she gave me the heart sign with her hands she is so cute hahaha Well I ran into that rock and roller dude that invited me to the bar with him! Hahahah he was bro I didn’t see you there man what happened! I was like ya sorry dude we were very busy and didn’t have time to pass by maybe next time and he was like dude it was totally sick I was totally jamming out on the piano man! Hahahaha I was ah serious! He was like yaaaaa brooo! hahaha I was like sorry bro I had to talk about Christ with people that really need help! He said its cool bro Christ is good! Hahaha and we left it at that!  it was funny we were walking the street and talking to people and this girl looked like she was 20 years old and came up to me and said are you American I was like no I am from Rio Grande do sul! Hahaha another state in Brazil and she was like serious! ya then I told her I was joking and told her I was American and then she said to me you want to go on a date with me??? I was almost laughing and I said to her that I was sorry that I can’t take you on a date but I can teach you about Christ! And she wasn’t very happy about that but she did give me her address to pass and teach her! Hahaha she was pretty well she was really pretty but it was really funny at the same time hahahaha! Not a lot more happened this week played soccer again this week and I totally destroyed it was really fun! I am getting better at soccer so that is cool! I guess that is all experiences that happened this week! Ohhh one more thing remember Emerson the guy that we baptized at the first of this month well he has gone missing! :( He left Friday night to go to the gym and has not returned home! :( and Friday and Saturday was straight rain! I want to have positive thoughts that he is still alive but I think some one killed him!:( So please pray for him! ;( That is cool that Gentry gets to have a make a  wish.  I wish  she would choose something else! Like to have President Monson visit her cool brother here in Brazil and hang out with me all day! That would have been cool if she wished for something like that! :) But whatever I am just not loved here! Haha jk! I love you sis! Hey if you find anything cool for me I want it! Hahaha oh so did Elder Jackson visit you guys!? If not I don’t know what we can do! Well I love you guys very much! Have a good week love you guys!!

Love Elder Gray!