August 13 2012

Well hello my big happy family!!

Well I don’t know where I want to start about this week because something happened! I don’t know if I told you guys that we can’t play soccer because too many people are getting hurt! But its alright I can play soccer after the mission I guess! But ya about this week well my companion started to be really weird and started to distant him from me! But that wasn’t a surprise he was a looser the first day he got here! He never woke up on time, never studied with me and all that but it’s alright! Well we worked hard this week trying to help these two people feel like they are ready to be baptized this week! And if they get baptized that will be awesome! But ya we will see! I really didn’t talk to anyone that I felt the spirit very strong with this week! But it’s alright! so it is starting to get really hot here but its alright I am thinking that I will buy some tanning lotion and put it on my arms so they can start to look really tan hahaha! But something happened this week that will mark me for the rest of my mission! so my companion had a personal cell phone that he was using to talk with people and this Sunday I felt like I had to look at this cell phone and see who he was talking to well he was texting one girl that we are teaching basically saying that he wants to marry her and all that love dove stuff! Well after all this he was transferred today and we will see if he will have to go home! But like now I am sad to see him go but it will be better for him! And ya that is about it I am trying to forget about it and move on but it is a little hard for me! But besides that I am doing well, working and helping people and doing the things that I should be doing! Sorry that this is not a long email but I don’t know what else to write right now! But I want to say happy birthday for Tonya and thank you to Grandma Gray and Pam for the birthday money. I know I am a little late but it is the thought that is more important! Oh and also one of my friends went home today. His time ended and he went home his name is Elder Evans he was my first Zone Leader and he has been in my zone for all the 8 months that I have been here in the mission! I will sure miss him he left me a tie and his Oregon beavers shirt for me he is such a stud I love him! But that is good to hear that all of you guys are doing well back there in the States! I love you guys so much! Take care have a good week!

Love,

Elder Gray

August 6 2012

Hello my family!!

Well what do you know another week has passed by! Wow this week was pretty fast I won’t lie! Wow josh received his mission call to Brazil! whoop whoop! Ya buddy! Joao Pessoa will be really hot! That is so cool but when he goes into the ctm and leaves I will almost be done with my mission hahah! As us missionaries say I will be dying soon! Hahaha but that is really cool because after I can write him in Portuguese hahaha! That is so cool! No I still haven’t received anything from you guys because we only get mail here once every month because we are in the middle of no where so are leaders never go to get the mail because it is really long! So what does senior companion mean well it means I am the senior of our companionship! So if he does something wrong I get in trouble basically! So the only problem is that he doesn’t wake up he takes for ever in the bathroom, he like sleeps when he studies. But I will still try and show that I love him and try and help him return to the path that is right! But ya! Wow so tanner returned wow that was fast! That was cool to hear about the spirit Casey had! Serious you think that I have been giving my deodorant away!! Please I hold on to that stuff like it is gold! The only time I would give it away is if I got paid! But besides that no never hahah! So I think that we have a baptism here in a little bit! I hope that we will! We are teaching some really good people that we can help so that can be baptized! We almost baptized some one but they didn’t want to live the law of chastity so that is really annoying! So we cut them because they are not progressing! We usually email about 2 in the afternoon! But ya our president cut soccer now so we can’t play soccer! I wasn’t too happy about that but I think I will live! I would like to have football but they don’t have them here in Brazil and if you can find one that your really lucky! Hey you remember the shoes that we bought from missionary mall! So I need a different kind of sock to wear with tem because my other ones are to small and my foot slides in them! I wore them with some adrenaline socks when we bought them so ya! That would be super fly if you get me some black adrenaline socks because I would wear those shoes more!  Tell Grandma and Pam thanks for the birthday money. But that is about it! I love you guys take care have a good week!
Love Elder Gray

July 30 2012

Well hello my family!!

Well so my companion got transferred and I got a new companion named Elder Bruce he is Brazilian and from Sao Paulo! He is really cool but doesn’t do everything that he should do! Oh and I was made senior of the group so now everything that goes wrong will be on my shoulders! I am very excited not! But this week was pretty good I wont lie we just had to run around and around and around to complete all of our goals that we had planned for this week! But it was good well played soccer and now I am really sore but it will be good! But it was really cool we found this teenager that is really cool he is awesome we will mark a day for him to be baptized! But for right now we are just working and working and working some more! That is about it and the two boys that we baptized they are still going to church their parents are not doing so well but we will help them out, but everything will be alight.  But besides this nothing else has really happened!  I will wash my sheets and my retainers and yes it’s a little bit expensive to get married! If I was rich I would marry everyone here but I am not so it is a little hard to do that but ya I am doing fine hey send me some more gold bond extra strength the green bottles! That stuff is really good! I would like some more pink and purple ties! hahahaha! but ya that is about it for elder gray! Love you guys and I hope that you guys have a good week!!


Love Elder Gray

July 23 2012

Well hello my family!

Wow so another week has gone by the time is flying here! So it has gotten really hot here and I am drinking water like there is no tomorrow! But it is all good! So kaiana had his farewell that is awesome he will be a good missionary he will learn a lot of stuff! Haha that is cool that lil Dick is going to put in his papers to go because it would really be a good experience for him! And my dear old friend Mr. Jared is married wow life now has changed for him! Hahaha but it will be good for him hey mom tell him to write me a letter that fool! Haha but that’s cool that all that good stuff is happening there! but ya for here I had a interview with President Cordon Friday it was really good I really like talking to him we sit there and joke around a little bit and talk about how everything is going! But ya that is about it we talked a lot about my companion he told me to be really patient with him and told me that tough love won’t help him! that was a little rough to hear because he is always complaining to me that something hurts or he is tired and I am like dude if you don’t think about it you will be just fine! Well he still has not put that into practice yet! So we will have to see! So we will have a transfer on the 25 and my companion keeps telling me that he is going to be transferred and that just gives him a lot of stress for some reason! But besides this everything is going good we found some new people to teach but their not married or they are breaking the law of chastity a lot which is really annoying but we will help them continue on!! so something really funny happened this week we knock on a door and this lady comes out she looked like she was  45 or 50 I really don’t know and she starts to preach to us how she has preached in 3 different countries and 8 states in brazil and that she has been serving for 16 years it was really funny but after this she was like I have seen God and Jesus face to face they appeared to me and to other people and I was wow this lady is crazy also I noticed that there was not a good presence there to so I was like well it was nice talking to you but we got to go we have other people to teach! And she was like lets pray and I was alright we will pray! she said to me take my hand and I looked at her really funny and she said take my hand with more force and I looked at her and I said no I will not take your hand to pray! And she was like what?? And I was like sorry I won’t take your hand and I will pray my way! well she wasn’t very happy about that and she was like fine so I prayed and then after she said to me that when you hold hands that there is more power in prayer and I was like in our church we don’t do this and if I remember correctly Jesus Christ never did this either! But I will never pass that house again! Hahahah but my companion was looking at me really weird and when we left he was like I can’t believe you said no to her and I was dude I was not going to hold her hand and he said ya me to in a really silent voice! So he was prepared to hold her hand and pray. Hahahaha but everything is good! The only thing I would like to have is some deodorant because the deodorant here is this weird funky stuff that doesn’t work! But so this! And I wrote Michael Perry back I am still waiting for him! Well have a good week love you guys!

Love,

Elder Gray

July 16 2012

Well hello my family

So another week has gone by like holy crap time is passing fast right now for me! So I think that we might have a baptism next week but we will see I think that he will have to wait! He has a problem with the law of chastity and he is only 15! I keep praying for him that everything with him will be alright that he can pass the interview and be baptized and start a new better life! But besides this my companion and I assisted a wedding it was really cool. this couple they are fighters it was funny they had to get married and then they could be baptized so the other elders had the service in the chapel and they didn’t have keys and so we had to go there and open it for them and this couple’s son was like to my companion I want you to baptize me so we had wait there and our day was like destroyed but it was really cool to see the wedding service. it was funny the guy before the wedding said to me hey I want you to hit me in the stomach because I am nervous and I was like why me he said well you look stronger than all the rest of the missionary here and so I was like well I cant hit you. and he was like just hit me and I was like no and then he called me a girl and the other elder said just hit him and I said no and then I said to him ok I will and so he lifts up his arms so I can hit him in the stomach and he is like I am ready so I decked him in the stomach it was funny because he was like that was a good one do it again so I hit him again and then he said to me well that is a lot better I am not nervous any more! But it was really cool to see them married and be baptized! Well I don’t know what I want for my birthday but I am thinking of just having you guys put money on my card and then I could buy something’s here! Ya how crappy is this my sweet soccer shoes that I bought ripped in the bottoms! I was so ticked but I still can play with them so it is all good! But I don’t really know what I want everything is good here for right now I maybe would like a ton of letters from people, I don’t know! Oh I know I want an ipad that would be awesome to have hahaha! But besides this everything is pretty good! Ya I repaired my back pack hahah it is all stitched up and looking good and I put some of that shoe glue over top of it to stop it from spreading! Well that is about it for this week I love you guys take care! I hope this next week for you guys will be awesome and Easton will be fine!

Love Elder Gray

July 9 2012

Well hello my family how are you guys??

So this week was filled with miracles minha nossa foi mutio bom! Like oh my goodness it was good! So I baptized a kid that was 10 years old it was funny! So his name is Thiago he is the brother of Gabriel who we baptized last week! So that was really cool! the funny part was this kid was so light that I like thrusted him into to the water and his stinking foot came out of the water so we had do it again! This time I forgot to say his name and baptized him ha-ha and then I did it right and his crazy foot came out again hahaha so it was pretty funny! But we finally made it work out haha! so this week was pretty good I think the members like me more than they like my companion they are always asking him to do stuff like prayers and that kind of stuff and then that just come and chill out with me hahaha! But this week I had 2 division one with a zone leader and the other with a different elder. the zone leader has served in the marine core it was funny he was joking around with me and so I was like well your joking with me so its on and so I started joking with him and this was on the bus and we stopped and I was looking out the window and then he just decks me in the arm and I was wow its has been a long time since a girl has hit me like that hahaha it just mad him more mad! The other elder and I found some really good people to teach so that was good! for as me and my companion we are good could be better but we are good he has times when he is like a little girl and other times like when he is depressed and then during all this he looks at you really funny! But what ever and this week was the weirdest week yet with him! But we will get through it I just keep on praying and praying for him. He is really centered on what other people think of him and always thinks people are angry with him it is funny! But as for my area no it is hotter than hot like holy crap hot, it rains for like 1 to 2 days then it is a blazing sun I hope I don’t pass here during the summer time here or I might die! So my cool back pack some how got a whole down by the strap so I think I will missionary rig it to work so it will be fine! But besides all this good stuff the gray train continues! hahaha you want to no a really funny thing I decided one day that me and my companion where going to go running and so we went and I said to him I will run till I puke and so we ran to the church and I was feeling it and my companion was like elder we have to walk back I am not in shape to run and I was lets go lets go we have to be in our house now and get showered and changed to study lets go but he had to walk and some how we did it all before 8! But I think I will never go running with him ever again it was a little bit of a joke! But it is good to hear that you guys are doing good that everything back home is going great I am doing great here just keep praying for me that I can find the people that Heavenly Father has prepared for me! Love you guys.

Love Elder Gray

July 2 2012

Well hello my family how are you guys doing this week??

Well let’s start out by saying that it is fricken hot here in this area like holy crap! And the people here are saying that it is cold!  I am like dyeing hahaha but ya I put my hydration pack in and it is really saving my life! Well so we had 1 baptism this week it was awesome! His name is Gabriel he is15 years of age and he is going to be one awesome stud in the church! His baptism was very spiritual he cried after and his mom and his brother were almost in tears so I think that we will baptize his brother next week for sure! The members here are really good they really like me I don’t think they like my companion that much but they really like me! Like yesterday we had lunch in a house of some members and the whole time they were asking Elder Gray is the food good and I said ya it is great I think after I could die and be satisfied for eternity!  And they didn’t even ask my companion if the food was good! hahahahaha it was really funny! But ya this area is really good we have a lot of people that need the gospel here! The only problem is that everyone is not married! If they would just be married it would be ton a easier to baptize here! Like we have people here that want to be baptized but they don’t want to pay to be married! But besides this everything is good it is a little hard to know where I am at because they don’t have any street signs here so that is a little hard! But about my shoes they are doing fine after I got them fixed. but the only problem mom is that I don’t have my church shoes on right now because we played ball but my soccer shoes are size 11 in brazil size they are 42. Well that is good to hear that all you guys are doing well! Yah I would like to take that 8 week math class to pass all the math for college when I get back! Hey mom have you started to look for scholarships for me?? It wouldn’t be a bad idea to start looking for some scholarships for me! But I am doing fine I have lost about 2 pounds so that is good! No our apartment is different than Elder Morris’s he was in a different area than me! But everything is going well here for me no need to worry about me! I love you guys a lot take care and have a good week!

Love Elder Gray