October 7, 2013 9 days left!!!!

Hello Family!!

Wow can you believe that another week has already gone by?? Well this week was pretty cool we had conference can you talk about a really fast conference I was like what it’s already over? I really liked Elder Jeffery R Holland’s talk! Like it was not one of those that he always gives but I thought wow how cool is this that he was reaching out to the people that have problems!! I liked it! Well this next week we should be having baptism if everything works out! Well I will fly home with Morris, Elder Een and all of them from the other mission go home one day before us so that will be cool for them! Well things are going good for us my comp goes back to the doctor this Wednesday and then Friday I go to the temple for the last time!!! It’s cool because there in the temple we get to ask Heavenly Father if he accepted our sacrifice and every time I think about this day I just feel the spirit so strong! Saturday we are going to have our leaving party at this member’s house so that is going to be really fun! It still hasn’t really hit me that I am going to be home! Like I am excited but it doesn’t seem real haha it’s so crazy!" Hey love you guys!!

Love, Elder Gray

September 30, 2013

Hey family!

 Well what happened this week we baptized! Oohhh yah! I love baptizing people! Alright so what do we have planned out! Well we are thinking that we will baptize again over the conference and one more on my last Sunday I hope it all works out that will make it so me and my comp had a good transfer up to this moment just me and him have baptized in our district hahahaha! And people tell me that I am dying! Hahaha eat it! But things are going well here so I got my travel information but it doesn’t have time or dates on it but looks like I will be home on the 16! Yah one whole day of traveling! I can’t wait! Well no that is cool to go out to eat after! Well things are going good we are going to go bowling today with some other elders so that will be pretty fun! I really don’t know what else to say but I love you guys take care have a great week! I will see you guys here in a little bit!!! 

Elder Gray

September 23, 2014 Only 23 days left!!!

Hello family!!

 Well what can I say time is flying by! Hahaha I can’t believe that I only have 3 more Sundays here in Brazil and then I am on my way home! Hahaha that is so crazy! Well I and my comp had a good week! Unfortunately we didn’t baptize this week but next week we are going to baptize! Hahaha I love to baptize!  I am asking everyone hey do you want to be baptized and its seems to be working we have a lot of dates but some are super weak but that is ok! But next Monday we are going to have a baptism of this girl named Natalia that is married and her husband is slowly coming around we shared a really good message with them Friday night in the bishops house and it was good we talked about the plan of salvation it was really cool!! We have this other lady named Elisandra that is in the process of divorce and we are thinking we are going to baptize her and her daughter Karen over conference weekend! Hahaha so that would be supper cool! Elisandra went to church this Sunday and it was super cool she liked it a lot and every time she goes she says how she feels the spirit and that just means baptism! The only bad thing about this week is that it rained a lot and I hate the rain now since I am down to just my boots and they have holes in them but it’s alright here pretty soon I will be home and when it rains I will stay in the house! Hahaha but things are going well here! President Fernandes came and looked at our house today and I was taking a shower and no one told me he came in to the house and so I open the door to the bathroom with just a towel on and my dirty clothes in my hand I had clean garments with me but I hate changing in the bathroom because its nasty like yah well its clean but I just don’t trust it! Hahaha and I come walking out and he was like hey what’s up naked and I looked at him with a look like how did you get in here, and I told him hey President, good morning and his wife was right there to and he was like hey are you going to pass and I was like no and he was like do you have clothes and I was like yes so I put my garments on and my shorts and go walking pass them and trade my clothes it was super funny! Hahaha I just laugh every time I think about it now! It was cool because President was asking me Elder Gray what you think about this and that, should we get rid of this should we trade the house! It was cool because he didn’t ask anyone else! I really hope that we leave that house I hate that house! Like its been lived in for 15 years by missionary’s and it is just destroyed! You guys asked about my comp well he has 19 I know he looks older because he has lost some hair! But everyone here says that I look older than he does! But I don’t care Brazilians are crazy! Hahha but things are going good we are just being blessed by Heavenly Father in are work! And about grandpa tell him that it’s alright that he doesn’t come to the airport I will come and visit him after! :) But this is what happened this week! Ha-ha has a great week I love you guys and I will see you guys here soon! Take care!

Love, Grayzão!!

September 16, 2013 Only 1 month left!!!

Hey family!

 Well this week was super sick! hahahaha we baptized and confirmed this girl named Stephanie well its cool because she is 13 and she had a problem with the law of chastity and we went there and she was like a super weak investigator and we just told her straight up look if you keep doing this you won’t go to heaven and she was like oh crap but I want to go back to heaven and we were like alright you have to be baptized and she was like alright so we marked an interview and she passed we baptized here on Saturday and confirmed her on Sunday it was super cool and we took 5 people to church with us and we marked 2 dates with this mom and daughter and they are loving what we are teaching them and the people in the church it’s so cool! hahaha and best yet also we had this lady called Natalia that is 18 and married and has a kid in the gospel principles class stands up and was like I am going to be baptized on the 30 of November and everyone was like yYYYYYYAAAAAAAAHHHHHH hahaha so we are going to have a baptism here in a little bit so that will be super cool! We are going to work with her husband he is part of the Snow ball church hahaha it’s a super lame church it’s a surfer church and its weird but we will work with him and the bishop has made a really good friendship with him and so that is super good! Just blessings are happening for us! Yah we might walk a ton but we are really getting the blessings from it! I stopped caring about President and the stupid things that he is doing and I told my comp what’s up and what I want to get done and we are getting along very well! I will end my mission in peace and that makes me so happy! :) well about me coming home well I believe that I will get on the plane to come home on the 15 Oct. and that I will be in SLC on the 16 of Oct. well that is like the plan of President Fernandes to send people home on Tuesday because it’s cheaper hahaha so I think you guys will get an email from me on the 14 of Oct. and that will be my last email! As far as Reece Larsen goes I haven’t heard of him since I left Ponta Grossa and that was almost a year ago so I don’t know what to say about that! Well I heard that Elder Sudweeks is hooked up and will get married here pretty soon! Is that true?? If that is true that will be cool! Well that is cool that kid that Jarrett played soccer with that is coming here to serve a mission! Yah I will be down to talking to him and giving him some pointers! Hahaha well this is it for the week love you guys take care! BJS

Love, Elder Gray

September 9 2013 Only 37 days left!!

Well hello family!

  This week was better! I sat down with my companion and I told him what I would like to accomplish during this transfer and he was super open to accept it! It was cool because we talked about how we want to baptize and things like that it was cool he liked it! He has been here in the mission for 1 year and 1 month and he was like I have only baptized 4 people and I want to baptize  a lot more so I was alright we are going to have to work really  hard to do that! And this week was alright! This area is a tough area like we went to the ghetto to work and no one really wanted us there so we decided that we will have to work a lot with members! And this ward looks really good! I was surprised they were like yes we want to help the missionaries! We had a cool experience also with this sister in the ward that is an ex missionary and we went to teach her neighbors and we shared the message and as we were leaving she was like elders you guys teach very well one of the best teaching elders that have passed through here in a long time! And we felt really good about that! Also the secretary’s called me this week and asked what airport I would like to go to and I was like the Salt Lake one and then I asked what date will I go and they were like the 26th of November and I was like what no that is not right and they were like yes it is and I was like no I know it’s not! and they were like if you have a question about this you can call president and so I was like alright so I called president and I told him the situation and he was like but elder it’s here for you to come home on the 15 of October and I was like really and he was like yes and I was like well your secretaries are big lairs then and he was like I will have to talk with them and burn them because this is something you don’t play around with! And I was alright but I think that I will be home on the 16 of October because it’s cheaper for the mission. But yah this is what happened this week it was better but hey that blows about Easton but tell him to keep his head up it’s alright because when I get back I will help him out! And things will be better for him! Just tell him to practice a lot during this time and so next season he can go and kill it! But hey love you guys have a good week!

Elder Gray

September 2, 2013 Only 42 days left!!

            Hello family!

 Well where do I want to start?? Well I am not happy at all so I was transferred to another area called Eucaliptos in Boqueirão a part of Curitiba! Well I am not happy with the house or my companion and I got moved to just be a senior comp! Well can you talk about being knocked off the ladder! I am actually pretty mad at President Fernandes about this one because well I saw a lot of other missionaries that were ZL with me that will get done with me also all get kicked down to basically nothing! At this moment I am really glad that I only have another 6 weeks! I am just going to do my thing for another 6 weeks then I am out of here! But our last week was pretty good we marked a lot of dates with people in Paranagua for these next week’s so there should be some good baptisms there pretty soon! Well me and Elder Hogge are still friends and we will always be, we worked everything out and we had a great week with each other! It was funny when we got transfers because he thought he was going to be the new assistant and that he would be transferred and when they told him that he was going to stay he like almost broke down crying! Hahaha that was funny! But love that kid I really miss him and it’s only been like 6 hours since I have left his side! Today I saw elder Stout I gave him a big hug and told him that I really missed him when I was transferred and he was like dude I really missed you to bro it was really hard to adjust at first I was like it always happens that way! Well he is going to Lapa which is in the district in Arauacaria and elder Stout will be district leader there so I am really proud of him! Elder Monteiro my other son he is still in Ponta Grossa being a zone leader so I am happy with my little family that I have here in the mission they are growing wings and flying away they both are studs! WELL what can I say they did learn that from their dad! Hahaha but whatever I will just get through these weeks I am really crazy to baptize someone it has felt like such a long time since I have baptized someone I got to get on that! Hahaha well I love you guys take care! Have a great week!

Love, Elder Grayzão

August 26 2013 50 days left!!!

Dear family,

  Well where do I start off?? well this week went pretty well I am not going to lie I had my birthday and I was like wow I am so old I know that I have 21 years of age but I sure don’t feel like I am that old!! Well for the birthday my comp was there for only half the day! haha he had to go to Curitiba to the federal police department and get things take care of with his visa. So I was with one of those young men for a really good part of the day! After the day was over we went to a pizzeria it was very good I really liked it a lot! We had a lot of fun there one of the young men didn’t go and I found out why after, because he didn’t have money he could of told me then I would of brought him and paid for him! But it was fun I ate the most pizza it was funny because walking there all the young men were like you are going to lose and I was like alright maybe hahaha we get there they are all little girls I beat all of them by like 5 pieces of pizza! Hahah do take note that these pieces are smaller than the regular size pieces but it was so much fun! Haha but this week was super cool we had one of those young man leave with us almost every day! His name is luiz he is super cool by the way he is doing his examines to go on a mission! :) So at the end of the week we had 17 lessons with member and the assiants called us and were like that is highest that it has been in a very long time! So I felt really good about that we had four people in sacrament meeting that was cool that is the most that I have seen here since I have been here! And no the AP is not Elder Morris! But Elder Hogge said something Sunday and I really felt for him! He goes on to say it like this! Hey do you remember in sacrament meeting when that sister gave the talk and how she said that her and the ward needs to help Elder Gray and his companion. And I was like yes what about it??? He was like well that really got to me and I was like so how we going to change that? He was like I have been here for two transfers and I have given this ward my all and they don’t even remember my name but they remember your name and you haven’t even been here for one transfer yet! I was like dude it’s alright man not everyone is going to remember you but then I was like I know that the people that you baptized will remember you. and he was like yah that is what counts so we went to one of the people that he baptized here and I was like hey do you know his name and this girl was like no and I was like crap well that sucks! And it just got him down even more so we talked and I was like to the family why do you guys remember my name and not his and they were like 1st it is easier and you talk more, and I was like alright so after we left we sat down I talked to him and I was like Elder look if you want to be remembered you got to talk to people and he was like I now that but it’s hard and I was like Elder you just got to! But in the end he was like alright I will talk more with people! Oh and he hasn’t gotten down yet from his high horse! I heard from another missionary that he really doesn’t like me that much so in are weekly planning we got to the inventory part where we got to resolve problems and things like that and I was like Elder do you like me and he was like yes and I was alright do you like me as a Missionary? And he was like I think your time has passed and I was like what do you mean? Well when people ask you when are going to go home you get all excited and you are like yah it’s been a good time and I don’t like that and I was like is there anything else and he was I don’t like when you talk about things you did before the mission and how cool it was and I was alright well I do better! he was alright I think that worked out the things with him but I don’t know he still seems distant but I am not going to care, I just think of the scripture in the book of Mormon that says before you take the needle out of your brothers eye first take out the post in your eye! So I am not caring because he always brings up these things! But it’s all good! But this week was cool I learned a lot of things! Well I love you guys have fun! Hey thank you everyone for the presents and the birthday wish I hope that you guys are blessed! Love all of you!

Love, Elder Grayzão!