Week 3 at the CCM

Hola familia and friends! 

I CANNOT believe it has already been three weeks! My mind is seriously BLOWN!!! Time flies so quickly! I almost am a MONTH into my mission. . . what is this?!?! I feel like I just left!

I don’t even know where to start off my letters! I guess with the temple today?!?

Oh my goodness was it so INCREDIBLE to go through in Spanish! I had some sort of clue what was happening but it was so hard! Spanish is definitely taking it{s sweet time in getting here! But the temple is INCREDIBLE! So beautiful too! They planted a bunch of poinsettias since the last time we were there and turned off the fountain! So that was neat that we got to see it for Christmas! It definitely doesn’t feel like holiday time around here! The temple was awesome though! Neat thing too, they have escalators in their temple!!! So weird but awesome! So beautiful! The veil was SO hard though! Oh my goodness did we go slowly but it was really wonderful to understand what I was saying while I was going through! It is definitely incredible to go in a different language!

Neatest thing that happened this week was Hermana Williams and I got to teach a REAL investigator!!! We were doing TRC which is where volunteers come in and you get to practice teaching them, so basically the teachers at the CCM. Anyways Hermano Polo came up to us before our second lesson and was like she is a REAL investigator! The atmosphere of the lesson was SO different! It was truly incredible though! The lesson went so smoothly because the spirit was so present. We didn’t mess up our Spanish as much and we could kind of understand what was happening! So I taught a REAL person! So neat! We were the only people in our district to teach a real person! We also got to teach a group of Latina Hermanas for one of our lessons! Wow do we not speak well! But it is seriously great to learn Spanish! So difficult!

I feel like I know NO SPANISH! But I really know a lot. I can at least bare my testimony and pray! haha. =) I volunteer! Haven’t given a talk in Sacrament yet! Just prayed again! =) and this week is fast Sunday which is supposedly like the best Sunday at the CCM! So I{m excited for that!

I am the most fashionable sister at the CCM! haha no joke I brought so many clothes! =) Mom and tiff, yes you made fun of me and I seriously don’t think I have worn the same outfit twice, minus some dresses that I like. But It is nice cause I feel like I am wearing different clothes all the time! I{m just a fashionista! And EVERYONE loves my taos! Those awesome brown shoes! So nice and WAY comfy! Anyways thought you’d want to be updated and know that your missionary is the most fashionable! =) =)

Coll, thought you’d want to know President Pratt served in Argentina! So neat! He sat with me and my comp at dinner one night! So we talked to him for a while! But he served in Argentina so I learned a little more about it!

An Elder in our zone made all the girls origami stuff! So I got a super neat origami flower! =)

I finally received my first letter!!!! WAHOOO!!!! Nicole’s letter came! =) She wrote it through dear elder! Which apparently you can do a dear elder to the CCM!! Who knew_!_! So all those cool packages. . . like Krispy Kreme doughnuts and stuff! Yeah por favor send some love! =) But yeah. . . . No other letters yet! So weird the mail is SLOW! Maybe I will get them faster in Virginia at least I hope!

Another funny moment for you all about my Spanish! So great. . . so we were practicing teaching another person in our district. I was teaching Elder Bryner and I was like my friend is a member of your church. And he was like oh why do you want to know more. So I was like "my amiga es muy facil y se ella ama dios!" anyways. . . facil means EASY!!! Whoops! haha. But it was great I laughed for a while. I caught myself though and was like feliz feliz! But it was still a great moment! Hermana Williams said Christ was her hijo! When she meant brother! So great. We just have to laugh about Spanish here! =) Only way to act like you know what is happening is to just go with the flow! I seriously feel like Spanish is so difficult though! it is hard to get into the mind set and try to just roll with the lessons. =( But it will come! I am promised that as a missionary!

Oh my goodness! Another great experience! We were using the bano and no joke Hermana klivans her toilet would not stop flushing for like two minutes then I flushed my toilet and it started like squirting water and overflowing. I was laughing so hard! So great. . .these bathrooms are just the BEST! =)

We had the chance to do service in the commodore yesterday! We made lunch. . .rolled burritos! So fun and it was great because we had the chance to talk with some natives. . . I more so just listened and laughed with them but it was great! =) Very fun! Service is the best!!

Elder hoffines fell off his bed one night! He was telling us and I was laughing so hard about it! He was like I was thinking in my mind at least no one saw me then he was like I hear elder Perry ask hoffines you okay?? SO GREAT. Then no joke I almost fell off the bed the next night because I had a leg cramp! So funny. I couldn’t{t imagine falling off though since I am on the top bunk! That would just be NO BUENO! But it still made me laugh!=)

Mom and dad the cruise sounds so fun! Muy jealous but it’s all great! I am basically living in great weather for a while so I don{t feel too bad! But it sounds so fun! I will wave to you tomorrow cause I know you are in Mexico! =)

I also want to thank you for my great genetics! haha. Apparently I am very gorgeous and don{t have any bad qualities according to most of the hermanas! So GRACIAS!

And the hermanas in my room are making me better! haha. They all floss everyday so I feel guilty. So I am becoming pretty decent at flossing! =) So you shall thank them for that one day!

Neva don{t worry about the water! They gave us neat filtered water bottles! And the CCM water is safe! So no worries! Great blessings for the missionaries! Although there is no ice here so that is a bummer. . . =( But aqua is delicious!

So jealous about Catching fire! Apparently it was INCREDIBLE!! =) JEALOUS! But I guess in 17 months it will be so worth it! Although apparently DIVERGENT!!?!??!?!?!??!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! I freaked out when I read that allie cat! No joke I am so upset. Now I don’t know what to watch first!!!!! lame but so great! Make a movie list of all the wonderful movies I am missing! And I will just sit and watch movie after movie for like three months! =) Deal??!

Family you seriously are the greatest! I love you all so much and all my wonderful friends! You are the best at writing me! I have so much support I don’t know what I would do without it!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! Which is neat! Our district was asked to participate in the choir tomorrow night! so we will be singing. . . I don’t think she knows we don’t sing but that is all good! We will be singing come follow me in espanol! =) So great!

In honor of thanksgiving I will just say a few things I am grateful for!

First of all of you! Number one thing in my life is my family and I am so incredibly grateful for all of you love and support! Allie put it the best in her email! She is so grateful I am so hard to miss because that means we are close! Well I am so glad to have all of you in my life! I miss you all so much but am so grateful for the time I have to serve the lord!

I am so grateful for my savior! My elder brother Jesus Christ! He is truly the reason we have the chance to have an eternal life with our families. I am so grateful for him and the seven things he atoned for us! (Alma 7:11 through. . . I think 13!) But such great verses about the suffering of Christ! I am so grateful for him and the ability I have to repent and become more Christ like!

I am so grateful for my mission1 I have learned so much about myself already!

I am so grateful for my companion! No joke we are gemelos! We are like twins. . . We even do the same family traditions! What are the odd chances she does the new year’s fairy!?! Minus it isn’t the new year’s fairy for her it is on December 5! But so great! I love her so much and she seriously is like another me! Just imagine that!! TWO OF ME!! Yes, it did happen! Although we look like complete opposites! Someone asked me. . .she is serving in the Texas Houston East mission! =) What mission is matt in???? Anyone??

Thank you all so much for your love and support! I love reading your emails and they really make my day! Hopefully you all can have a MARVELOUS Thanksgiving! I think we even get to have some turkey at the CCM! =) Crazy sauce! I love you all!

Have a marvelous holiday! I will email you all in Uno semana!=)

Feel free to ask me any questions! Sometimes I just ramble cause I don’t know what else to say! =) haha.

Love you,

Hermana Cassie Joan Gray!

P.s. we have been learning a lot about faith this week so if you get the chance read alma 32! Such a great verses! And read Ether 12:6. . . I think! Trial of your faith. . it is in ether 12! =)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!!!!!!!=)