October 29, 2012

Well hello my family!

So I am doing great! Wow you made me trunky saying hump day! Wow because time is flying by so fast here! Like to think that its half way over is great and really bad at the same time because I really like it here!! So about me and Elder Morris celebrating! Good I really don’t even know! Like the pizza here is really expensive! And I am not willing to pay for it!

About Ponta Grossa it is one very big city, actually it is divided into 2 stakes so that is really good! It is divided as zone Ponta Grossa and zone Campos Gerais which I am apart of. We could ride a bus to our area everyday but I am to picky to pay 2.60 every time to ride the bus so what we do we take a lot of short cuts and walk the train track here every day. I am not going to lie I get sick of walking every day to our area but oh well! So why does every one like Ponta Grossa! 1st the missionary’s say it is the land that is blessed, ( personally I don’t know about that yet because everyone that we are teaching is really weak but I do know that I will turn it around for us!) people like this areas here because there is a lot of baptism that are taking place here! So like all the missionary’s want come here because they want to baptize! I was looking and it has been like 5 months that this area that I am in has not had a baptism! That is a really long time I know that me and Elder Morris we are going to change that around! So about this week well this week was pretty good we marked some dates with people that are weak they said that they would come to church with us and we called them at church and they were like we will come and they never showed up I am not going to lie I was pretty pissed in that moment so this week when we go there this week I will act like I am really sad that they didn’t come!  Everything will work out in the end! Just pray for me and Elder Morris that we can find some good people to teach! It was cool  we were in the end of our area like really the middle of no where and I was like dude lets knock here and so we knocked and a lady came out saying I have been waiting for you guys! I was really? Perfect can we share a message with you and she was like yes and we talked to her and her husband the only thing she is really catholic and she is really weird! Like she asks heavenly father about everything if she can leave her house things like that it is a little strange but who knows! We will see if we can finder her again! She is really good! So it was so funny we passed by the football field this week and they called to us again and was like hey are you ever going to come practice with us and I told them I don’t know I need to teach some people and they were like that is right but I said we could work something out if I taught you guys before the practice and 4 of you need to come to church with me and they were thinking about it so I will see with them this next week! They asked me if I was good and I told them I don’t know so this dude he gives me his helmet and was like we want to see I was like I need shoulder pads and he takes his off so I put them on joking around! But they were like hitting drill so they put there best running back there and I was a line backer and it was so funny I pancaked their running back Elder Morris was laughing so hard!! But I think I will just get a picture with them and we wont pass their anymore because it is not worth our time! They have some people that could be really good people that could be members! But I don’t know! But that is about it for this week! Nothing really new and exciting but it is good to hear about you guys that all of you guys are doing well!! Well take care and have a nice week! I love you guys take care!
Love, Elder Gray

October 22, 2012

Well hello my family!!!

So this week wow! So when I found out that my companion would be Elder Morris I was freakin out! I was so excited I was really sad to tell the people good bye! But when I got here and I was like Morris!, I gave him a big old hug!! Hahaha he has changed so much he has really grown up! You just look at him and you can see a different Morris! It so cool to see how he has changed! So we live in a  4 person apartment which is alright but at the same time it is really annoying! Like we have one bathroom and everyone has to take like 10 min showers in the morning! But it is alright! It’s cool because you have more people to talk to and you do the companionship wars! It so cool because everyone is super chill in our house they are not the annoying missionary’s! This week was actually really good! We tried to find a lot of new people to teach and see if we could mark baptism with them. The ward here is really cool! Like I have never seen a ward so happy to see an elder leave an area! hahaha it was so funny people were talking to me and were like Elder Gray we are so happy that you are here you are very welcome here! Its funny because our ward is like and older ward it doesn’t have that many that  young married couples like my last 2 wards so that is a little tough! Its funny I was walking the street the other day with Elder Morris, by the way we have a huge college campus in the middle of our area that we have to walk through like every day to get to where we want! But we were walking by huge field and Morris turns and says to me well there is an American football team that practices here! And I was like serious I got to see that well Saturday everything like fell through so we were walking and we walked by this football field! And what do you know their out playing! I was like Morris we are going to buy some ice cream and we are going to watch them for a little bit and he was alright lets do it and so we did next thing you know there coach looks at us and yells hey you 2 come here in Portuguese and I was like what and pointing to me and my companion and he shakes his head so I went there and I talked to them and it was cool they would like me to teach them things next Saturday and so I will probably go there and be like look for me to teach you guys something I need atleats 5 or 6 of you guys to come to church with us! hahaha that will be funny! But we had a mission tour with one of the people from the 70 named Elder Godoy it was super cool but really out of everything that was said I liked more what President Cordon said I just felt the spirit a lot more! But I did see Elder Een at the conference it was so good to see that fool! But no we are not in the same district that would be so cool he is with my 2nd companion right now! His area is like in the middle of no where! Hahah! But really it so cool to be companions with
Elder Morris because we have like no problems with each other! This week we really worked hard every day we would come and plan for the next day and crash we were so tired! But i think this next week is going to be really good for us because we have some members that were just waiting for Elder Feirra, old companion of Elder Morris to go and they are going to give us a lot of referrals! So that will be really good! Also we walk the train tracks a ton there is always like dead dogs on it I will take a picture for you guys!! Like really this has been the most excited I have been, to be on a mission with someone that is awesome! But that is about it for this week! It was really good to hear that you guys are doing well that everything is going perfectly with you guys!! I love you guys so much have such a great week! Take care until the next week! I think that next week I will send pics home of me and Elder Morris! Love you guys!"

Love, Elder Gray

October 15, 2012

Well hello my family!!

So this letter is going to be fricken sweet so I am leaving Parnagua and I am going to Ponta Grossa to be companions with Elder Morris! Hahahaha this is going to be awesome I love that kid and I am ready to work with him! I am sad to leave here I made such good friends here! But it will be good to have a change! So this week we had a baptism of a young man I baptized him, sad thing is that when we went to take pictures  my camera dies before I can take one! That was a joke and a half I was like cursing the stupid thing! It was funny! But the baptism was really good! So before that I had a division with Elder Schmidt my buddy from Germany which I will visit after the mission! He really is like my best friend that I have in the mission! He gave me a tie that is hot like I look good in it! Hahha well what was so good was we went to teach a mom and her child we sat down asked them what they believe if they have faith or not and they said that they had faith but now they don’t!! We thought alright we teach a 3rd lesson about faith and the rest! Well we got done with that lesson and I had a strong impression to share with them the story about Joseph Smith! So I started and said everything it was so cool the spirit was so strong there and the spirit made it that I said everything perfectly! In the end the mom and the child were crying it was such a great experience! It has been such a long time that I have the felt the spirit in that way! I loved it so much! Wow after that I was so excited to go and teach more people! Well that is the story for this week! I will say this I hate transfers because I really don’t know how to put everything back into the bag mom and dad you guys are master packers! But I put everything in some how! Love you guys! And no I have not received anything from Sharon or Grandma & Pam but this is it for this week! It is so good to hear that you guys are doing great that everything is working out for you guys! Love you guys so much take care love you

Love,

Elder Gray

October 8, 2012

Well hello my family!!

Well let’s start off by talking about conference wow! What to say about that! That is cool that the age got moved down for both the men and women! But I do see a little problem in that! They will start putting a lot more younger people into the mission field and they will miss home more! I know it was hard for me at 19! ALSO they have tried this here in Brazil for the Brazilians and did see that a majority that went out that were 18 years old did come back and did not fulfill a fulltime mission! So that really will be interesting to see how long this well last for! But I loved the talk of Jeffery R Holland Sunday morning! Like wow I loved it a lot! These past days I have been reading that part in the bible about when Christ asks Peter do you love me! And when he talked about that it was like revelation 101! Because I really applied it to me and thought if Christ was in the front of me and said do you love me! Well duh I love you! But the answer is so much more than this how do you love, well first you need to really show that you have faith in him and that you have faith to really repent of your sins! After this you need to have this love and charity for others! In the end of the talk when he said I love you something like this I had to watch it Portuguese and it was annoying I really didn’t get all of the little details that I wanted to! But I will be really excited to get the liahona this next month and read all the talks! Conference was really good I really liked it! It’s weird to think that it is my 2nd conference here in the mission! Wow 2 more to go and then I am home! Wow time is really passing by so fast! Well about that baptism well it didn’t work out that kid wasn’t in his house so that our leader could interview him so this week we will talk with that kid and try and mark it for this week! The other date that we have for this week she is good but I don’t think that she will follow through with it! This week really nothing special happened at all but oh well that means this next week something will work out in my favor! We will have a transfer here this next Monday!" So we will see if  I will stay or will go it will be really interesting to see what will happen I could stay but I would be fine with going too! I know I need something new! I would like that! But only God knows when my time ends here in an area! Well that is it for the week! I love you guys I hope that everything goes well for you guys! Take care.

Love,

Elder Gray

October 1, 2012

Well hello my family!!

Well this week was pretty interesting! Let’s start off with the bad stuff well like in the middle of the week my companion like shuts down starts not talking to me and starts like dominating the time when we are teaching he really started to be a butt! Well I was dude what’s up and he is like its nothing! And I was like dude this is not like you to shut down and be like this something is up!! And he just continued saying nothing is wrong! Well I was alright dude if you say so! Well after that he was still being in his little girl mode but oh well if he doesn’t want my help than that is his fault! I think that is the only bad thing that happened today! Well besides that the week was pretty good it was a little bit normal I wouldn’t lie! I feel like I need a change of areas but at the same time I don’t want to change because 1. I hate putting things in to my bag! It’s like playing tetras every time I have to put stuff in to my bags! 2. WE are starting to find some really good people now to teach which is awesome! We have one kid that we found in the street and the first thing he says to us that an anti-Christ will emerge out of the Mormons! He told us that it is in Revelations and so I told him that he is 100 percent wrong and gave him my Bible and I was like I want you to show me! So I gave him my Bible and he was trying to find it and in the end he couldn’t find it and so I was like well see you were wrong! Well we shared a 2nd lesson with him and this last Sunday he goes to church and says Elder Gray can you baptize me on the 7th I was like what like my chin smacked the floor but I was like sure I can and he was like sweet and so I think we will have a baptism next week!! hahaha well at church also I found a girl that was 15 years old I thought she was less active well it turns out to be that she is not baptized so I asked her would you like to be baptized and she was like yes I want to I was like perfect and told her well you want be baptized on the 14 and she was like ya.  I was like wow that is awesome and so we will help her get baptized and then after that it will be pretty cool! I think it is funny I know a ton of people here in every neighborhood and when we walk down the street you have people yell hey Elder what’s up dude! Or they honk or they get our attention some how it’s really cool because after my companion asks hey do you know them and I was like ya I think so! And he says that’s cool! But that is really the only thing that has happened! Well about the letter situation I am really good at writing people back its just I haven’t received any letters from people I don’t know if it is because the mail system here in Brazil is on strike or these letters are lost or they wrote my address down or if they are still sending them to the CTM! It has to be one of these things! But I will write everyone back with out a doubt! Well that is about it for this week! Nothing super cool happened but we will have a transfer on the 15 so here in a little bit! So I think I will go! About general conference I watch over satellite transmission I think it starts at noon to 3 then like 5 something then Saturday night session! I am really excited I love conference I really can’t believe that it has been six months from the last conference time is really passing fast! Well prepare for conference have a question that you want an answer for then find it in the talks! Well love you guys I hope that you guys have an awesome week filled with fun! Love you guys!

Elder Gray