April 29, 2013

Hello family

Well we got a baptism! Hahahaha yah, yah well we didn’t get to baptize the dad but we baptized the son. There was a cool thing that happened also this Sunday I gave the Melchzidek Priesthood to Paulo! That was a really cool experience also! So Sunday was super, super, super hectic like everyone forgot about the baptism and Paulo had the clothes of my companion in his car and Paulo had to leave and take this lady home that was sick like I don’t like this lady at all she just uses the church to pay for things and she doesn’t have respect for any one and she is like Bi-polar and I really don’t like her! But in the end it all worked out which is a good thing! well what happened at the ordination of Paulo so he got back late and the Stake President left and was like well I am not going to wait here and all this stuff it was super annoying and it just goes to show that the leadership here is super lame! But Paulo came in, me, a stake councilor, the bishop and his like 2nd counselor walk in to! The stake dude was like Paulo who would you like to give you the priesthood and he was like well Elder Gray and I was like oh yah! But everyone else in the room looked sad and deceived but it went well I really liked it first time giving priesthood to some one was super cool! Well this week was a little hard for us not a lot of things went our way! Like everything that we planned fell through and Elder Stout became like super shut off like he isn’t talking as much any more and that makes me a little bit worried! But I will see if I can figure it out! Also I was thinking how many real friends do I actually have and I thought to my self I really don’t have that many here in the mission and in my personal life and I decided that if someone that says good things in front of me and then when I turn my back they talk bad about me its over I wont be their friend anymore! I also read that article in the Liahonna about friends and that made a lot of sense and I will put that to work! But I will see how this week goes will be interesting to see if we can find some more people that we can teach and that we can invite to be baptized and help them enter in the right pathway! Oh yah about that dad that didn’t get baptized well I was talking to him last night and he said that the church is way to basic for him that he is on a totally different spiritual level and I started laughing super hard because it’s super funny because he can’t even like rap his mind around the simple things! He has a problem about the people on fast Sunday that get up there and bare there testimony sometimes about the same thing! and I was like well why don’t you get up there and bear your testimony about something that you know that is true and he was like what and I said it again and he was like no there is no way! And then I started to laugh even harder and asked him do you know the Book of Mormon is true and he was like yes I do and I asked him how do you know that is true? You haven’t read it you haven’t prayed about it so there is no way that you can really know it’s true! And he was quiet and I was like it is a little hard to be on a different spiritual level when you don’t even know that the basic things of our church is true! So we will see if he will read it and actually start progressing in his life! But that is good to hear that dad got back safely and that everything is going well for him and for the rest of the family! I can’t wait to talk to you guys here in a little bit it will be so much fun! I love you guys to death have a great week! Love you guys!

 Love

Elder Gray

April 22, 2013

April 22, 2013

Hello family!!!

So I will start off by today so we went to the center of the city today it was super cool, I like going there! Mom you would love it, it has a lot of those cool old buildings and the girls would love the outlets that they have here! Its sweet I bought a Nike jacket here you will see that on the bank statement also but it was totally worth it I have been keeping my eye out for this and I haven’t found it until today it is a yellow and green jacket with the Brazil symbol on the front and the on the back it has Brazil in green letters it is super sick it will go really well with my blue soccer jersey that I have! Its funny there a lot of parks in the center of Curitiba that people go and put blankets down and sit there and take naps there is some homeless people there that they build there little huts! It’s kind of funny there are street performers and it’s really cool there I could have stayed there all day!! What week is mother day any way?? I really don’t know how it is going to work out this time we will have to see because if I get transferred I will have to talk to members there in another area and here I think I will go to Paulo’s house and you will be able to see him! But beside that I really like elder Stout we are like the best of friends we are always laughing just having a great time and it super fun! The area is doing alright it is a little tough at times because we invite the people to be baptized and they are like yah I will and then they don’t want to mark for a date! But it’s going alright I think that we will have the baptism of that dad and son this week but they need to get moving the dad is being slow! Sometimes I just want to take there AGENCY away from them and make them get baptized! Because they know its true but there like I don’t know I don’t know and it starts to get a little bit annoying! After awhile but it happens but I know it will work out! Besides that this week has been good we had lessons with members so that was super cool! We are really trying to find more people that are good that want to be baptized and that are ready to follow! But it seems like these people are hiding! Something weird that happened this week is that Saturday I was not happy! Like it felt like I was just empty inside and it was just not my day that day and it made me sad because I am never like that usually I am super happy but Saturday it just went and I wasn’t happy I tried to think of why I was feeling like that and I really couldn’t think of anything that could of made me sad that day! I don’t know but know I am doing great! NO I have not been sick my tooth paste ran out so I went there and I bought enough toothpaste to last me the rest of my mission that is why your were seeing the pharmacy but no I am doing great haven’t ever been better! But that is awesome to hear that all of you guys are doing great that everything is going well and that you guys are being very blessed! Well I love you guys take care!!! Have a good week Dad you be safe alright!!!

Love, Elder Gray

April 15, 2013

Hello family!!!

Well  from the last time I emailed you guys was like 4 days ago!! Well we had some really cool things happen in those 4 days and it looks like a lot of cool things have happened with you guys to! Well that is awesome about Easton that he scored his first goal on the season that is surprising! I hope that he scores more and that you guys video tape or do something that I can watch his highlights when I get back and you can tell him that I will be totally ready to thump´ on him when I get back! Hahaha Jk love you bro! That is awesome about Gentry going on a date and also had a real spiritual experience this week that is awesome! Well lets get back to me well so after I got done emailing you guys I still had an hour to take a nap so I did! And then we went out to work and what happened we found this guy and his son and we started talking to them and I was like can we share a message and he was like yes! We went started talking some more and I was like alright it is time for the message and so we said a prayer and shared the message of the restored gospel with them and OMG super, super spiritual!! We invited the dad to say the last prayer and he was like me why, and I was like good well 1st off for you to be an example to your son and 2nd off I know that you will feel a ton better after you say this prayer! And so he was alright well teach me how to pray and I was like done so I taught him and he said a prayer and the spirit literally dominated the scene and my comp started crying I got water in the eyes for some reason tears don’t come out any more but we were all kneeled down and he ended the prayer and looked at me with a huge smile and I was like how did you feel and he said I felt great and I said I know that you felt great and I said I know God is super happy and then I showed him through an example we are still knelt down I was like how would you feel if your son was in the united states and never talked to you. He said I would go crazy and really want to know how he is doing and I was like that is the same thing with God we are really, really far away from him and he is sitting there at the phone waiting and waiting for us to pray and talk with him and he was like wow that is so true and I said I know it is true and we marked a date with him and his son for the 28th of April and I know that they will be baptized also they went to church this Sunday and they loved it and they want to go back this week! Then during this week before Wednesday I told elder Stout hey talk to this lady with the baby and he was like alright and we talked to her and she gave us her address and I could not get her name out of my head so one night I was like elder we are going to pass by  her house and we went Friday night passed by there and she is 19 has a little girl that is almost one she lives with her grandparents and her mom and we passed by there and her grandparents are super funny they were talking to elder Stout a lot and I told him teach them then I taught the girl one on one all of us in the same room I asked the girl if she wanted to be baptized and she said that she would love to be so we marked it for the 28th also I know that she will be baptized she didn’t go to church this week because her Grandma had a birthday she is like 73 years old if I do remember correctly! So we went over to the house and sung her grandma happy birthday in English it was super fun she is like even Americans come and tell me happy birthday on my birthday so she felt super special. It was really cool and we were talking and  we have a plan to bring them all to the temple grounds this Wednesday and to the church on Sunday I hope that everything works out! It will be awesome its super cool to see the blessings of God in our work and it does really help that me and Elder Stout are like the best of friends! Just blessings keep falling from the sky for us and it is wonderful!!! Well Family take care have a good week I love all of you guys!!

LOVE, ELDER GRAY

Vinicius Cerqurira, Elder Gray, & Companion

Vinicius Cerqurira & Elder Gray

April 10, 2013

Hello family

How are you??? Well I am doing great!! We got out of conference weekend which was so so so good I loved it so very much! It was awesome!!! Wow I liked how they started a second session with Jeffery R Holland and he hit it out of the park like he usually does! That was super cool! We watched it in English it was a lot better from the last one that was all in Portuguese! Which was not cool! We had to watch the priesthood session in Portuguese but I will read it when we get the liahona! But it was super, super good I loved what Thomas S. Monson had to say also! OH Bednar laid it down and called people to repent!!! That was cool that should help a lot of people repent of there sins!!! Oh by the way I did get my package!!! Thank you so much I loved it!! It was funny because when I got that package it was the same day that I ran out of deodorant! So it came just in time! We have eaten all the snickers and Beef jerky that was super good! So ya that is crazy about Jennica with her mission call and Jarrett to that is going to be really, really cool! One leaves one after another I wish I was there to listen to their farewell talks because I know that they are going to be great!!! So I just saw the map of the division of the things and I want to stay in the north part, because if I do then there is going to be a possibility that I could go back to Paranagua or Ponta Grossa either one would be super cool with me!! It was cool this week me and my companion worked are butts off and found some really good people to teach and we are teaching them and will help them come more unto Christ! Which will be awesome as of right now looks like we will have a lot of people in church with us this Sunday! So wow Elder Stout is really starting to talk really well for 3 weeks here in Brazil the people that are leaving the ctm or mtc in his case are coming out really trained and better missionaries I wish that my ctm experience was like that also but I was happy with the ctm!! The members they are still not really really helping us but it’s alright I guess I will just have to do the work with Paulo he is a stud and we will baptize everyone! Well I never asked president why but I thought I don’t need to! Maybe God is preparing bigger and better things for me to do! Like next transfer president told us that we will have 4 assistants 4 secretaries and like 24 new ZL all in time to watch the mission split! It is going to be really interesting to see how things will go and what mission I will be in and the new president and everything! But as of right now I am happy with how things are going and looking forward to the things to come! Hey to remind you mom here pretty soon we are going to have to start looking at colleges for me and seeing where I can get in at! Well I love you guys have a great week and take care!!

Love, Gray

April 1, 2013

Hello family!!!

Wow so last week was rushed and I really didn’t have all the time in the world  to write you guys!!! But that is ok because I will write this week!! So my companion is Elder STOUT he is super, super cool! I love him to death we go really well together!! Hahahaha he looks like superman if you really look at him so that is super funny!! Oh yes about Sister Hess so she will go to BYU in Provo so I gave her our address and the house phone number I think to tell the truth I don’t even remember it hahaha so I gave my old cell phone number so Easton might get the call! I told her that she could call and that my mom would totally take her out to dinner or lunch one day!! So mom I am leaving that for you to do, and when you do, remember to talk me up cuz she is super cute! It would be super funny if she read my blog and read this but oh well it is the truth!! Something sad happened this week so they released  me as a district leader and I was not to happy about that because I was really enjoying it a lot!!! But it’s alright why I don’t know but at least I am still training so I can stay busy!! So with my last companion leaving the ward started to help us, like one morning one family came to our house with a huge tray of sweets and I was like what this is messed up because this has never happen before when I was here!!! Hahaha but the sweets were super good! And yes they celebrate Easter here they go crazy they sale these huge Easter eggs! It’s cool!! No I still have not gotten my package yet but it could have came I will probably call the office tomorrow and ask them if there is anything in there for me!! I really hope it comes because I am getting low on deodorant!! hahaha but if it doesn’t come I can live off the Brazilian crappy deodorant till the end of my mission I guess!! So this week we have shared some really, really awesome lessons even though my companion doesn’t speak very well and that I have to talk the most these lessons have been packed full of the spirit there has been something that is awesome! We walk out of the lesson we look at each other and said at the same time that was sick! And then we laugh and dance a little bit because it was so good! This is going to be really fun to train him! Teaching him Portuguese really taught me that I am really speaking very well and that I am also forgetting English because he asks me questions like what does that mean I know what it means in Portuguese but I don’t remember any more what it means in English so that is super funny!! hahaha you guys are going have to start filming Easton playing lacrosse so when I get back I want to continue filming him and then we can make a sick highlight video of him so that he can give to colleges if he wants to! I really wish that we would have done that with me but it is to late now to do that! Wow so dad is going to travel to Boston hey when he is there he could travel up a state and see Colton Ferre and give a cool care package because here in a little bit he will be coming home!! But that is it for my week it was cool I really enjoyed it! Have a good week family I love you guys to death!!

Love, Elder Gray

Elder Gray & Elder Stout Caiua Brazil

March 25, 2013

HELLO FAMILY!!!

Hey so I got to run so this will be a short email!! So we had transfers and Elder Serrano he left !! What a blessing!!! Hahaha but what happened with elder Gray?? He stays district leader and he will be training at the same time!! Oh how I will love to sleep this one away because during this time I will not receive a lot of sleep which will be alright but it is all for a good cause! So we confirmed Ricardo a member of the church so that was super cool. So we took pictures and it was cool so we were talking to the members and they are sad that Elder Serrano is going away and but in their hearts they are happy! Today I saw Elder Een, Welch, Allen, Morris, Evans, Hawkes, Valdez, Knowles because of transfers in the bargui!!! So new things Allen, Morris, Welch are still DLs and elder Evans became a trainer, Elder Een became a new DL, Elder Valdez and Elder Knowles are zone leaders!! hahaha are group is growing it is super funny how all of us so have what like more 6 months!! BUT HEY I got to run to a meeting I will email you guys more tomorrow!! Love you!!!
Elder Gray