Hermana Cassie Joan Gray: Week 4

Hola familia!

Collin thanks for all your wonderful advice on Spanish! I totally am horrible and slaughter the language everyday but I will know now that mi y mi compenera es gemelas =) =) haha. Thanks though! Language is so frustrating but it will come with time and patience that is for sure!!

Thanksgiving was AWESOME!!!! it was so totally different being at the CCM. They did feed us turkey though which was delicious! I love when they serve us American food. . . and the also fed us some pumpkin pie! Which was extra delicious because clearly everything is Mexican here! =) Thanksgiving was a little different though. As a missionary you still had to do everything normal. We had class all morning and then lunch was actually when we had thanksgiving dinner. They did decorate the commodore though with table cloths and stuff so it looked way nice. We did eat ourselves sick! It was wickedly awesome! Since we had gym on thanksgiving I made my companion and all the girls in my district play in a ping pong tournament! As per tradition! =) I Lost. . . in the championship! Good thing Sewell is a missionary too or else I would have been bummed! But it was super fun and they were all great sports about it! Ping pong tournament stands strong!

That night we had the chance to sing at the devotional, the special devotional. We sang before they broadcasted it from Provo. But we sang Venid a mi in espanol. And it was hilarious because the first verse everyone sang then the boys then the girls then the 6 verse we sang together. Anyways during the girls turn all of a sudden the lights slowly get dimmer and dimmer and then go out. And we CANNOT see our hymn books so you just here silence fore like two lines. . .so funny! I almost couldn’t hold it together for the rest of the song. I was laughing so much! Such a great relief! =)

We had the chance to hear from Nelson on thanksgiving! It was super great. Nice talk! I also saw ELDER PRESTWICH on thanksgiving!!! We were leaving our lunch after eating two pieces of pie. . .no judgments!! And we ran into him and his comp! It was great because we did that awesome go for a hug then realized halfway that we can’t hug so we did an awkward hand shake instead! But it was great to see a familiar face at the CCM! Although I feel like everyone is starting to be friends now so it’s all good! =) But he made it to Mexico! And shout out to Elder Nelson who enters the Provo MTC today! You are going to be a great missionary Josh! =)

Oh my goodness just so much happens every day here I don’t know where to begin! One of the most spiritual experiences this week was that I had the chance to get a blessing from my DL. So neat! Two of the elders wanted blessings so I was like you should just give them in the classroom with everyone there. So they did and then I was like wait a second I totally want one! So they asked me who I wanted to give it and I didn’t care so elder reed was like I will give you one. So all the elders stood in the circle and I got a blessing but it was exactly what I needed to hear! It was crazy. The priesthood is totally such an amazing gift god has given to us! Blessings are so powerful! it was interesting too because it said stuff that elder reed doesn’t say in real life so you know it was the spirit! It talked a lot about Spanish and then tons about friends. Mostly it was about after my mission though which was interesting to me! It talked about my friends being great influences and how I can influence people for the better. But my favorite line of my blessing was "there will be no time on your mission where you will not be able to open your mouth and speak to the people in Spanish" which was so touching to me! Such an incredible promise and blessing that I received from the Lord. How neat is that though!?!? AHHHH!!! Spanish will come people! but it was just an interesting blessing because it was mostly about after my mission besides the part about Spanish. Super neat! And if you can only imagine my DL. . . he totally reminds me of Napoleon Dynamite. . .so just imagine napoleon giving me a blessing and you will be like yeah, totally the spirit was giving it! I loved it though!

This past Sunday was testimonies! So neat. My district was invited to host president Pratt and Hermana Pratt! Wow was that intense. I did stand up and bare my testimony in Spanish though! Such a neat experience. I talked about "why innocent people suffer" and how everyone asks that and as I was reading in Alma when they are watching the woman and children burn in the fire and how it just struck me that they have to "stand as a witness" against those who have wronged them! It was just super awesome! but fasting was incredibly neat and it felt so easy here. It must be because we are CONSTANTLY doing something! Which is the best! =) Another neat thing about Sundays is we always sing "god be with you til we meet again" Because it is the day before most districts leave the CCM. so it is always super awesome to sing it on Sundays. And I will be one of the next districts to leave!! CRAZY! only two more Sundays! WEIRD!

Sunday night is also movie night! WHAT! LOVE MOVIES! We watched the Legacy this past Sunday which was awesome, and it clearly has the best proposal ever. . . "I promise to make you laugh every day" Who doesn’t want that??! But it is totally cheesy which made it that much more awesome! Got to love good old Mormon movies! Tuesday nights are always Devotionals! This past Tuesday was supposed to be President Ballard but because you all are having SNOW!!! (lame people!! But just think of me in WARM weather!) BE JEALOUS! =) it wasn't safe enough for Ballard to travel to Provo to give his devotional. So we had an old Broadcast from President Bednar. And it was super awesome! And it said OPEN YOUR MOUTH in it which was Awesome and totally meant so much to me! And how we have to have faith to first open our mouth then it will be filled! =) So neat! Just what I needed to hear! Just some awesomeness about our district. . Elder Smith (from our zone) put his face up to our class window the other day and scared Elder Hoffines half to death! No joke he jumped so bad. . so funny! We also do these drills where we write a question and then ask it to the other people in our district. Anyways you do like popcorn kind of but no joke every time I always almost get forgotten. It is hilarious! and Hermana Williams is ALWAYS volunteered to do something EVERY day! it is HILARIOUS! Perfect combo. . me never, her always, we balance each other out! =)

We also wrote an awesome District song:

Sung to Mulan

We're the greatest bunch you’ve ever met
We are here to serve the Lord
We will GO and Do his work. . .
choose the right we need to read the scriptures daily!

Choose the right feel the spirit throughout your body.
Choose the right with all the strength of the Lord within us
We'll share the gospel throughout the world.
Missionaries we will fight with all our power
Missionaries we can bring them unto God
Missionaries let our light so shine before men
We will bring ALL PEOPLE to the TRUTH!

Basically we are awesome. . .haha. Sometimes we just have to act stupid for a minute and get our stir craziness out! =) Family you'll appreciate my blondeness. . But one morning I was getting ready and no joke I am so tired but I literally sprayed hairspray directly into my eye! So hilarious. . .I was like what the! Don{t worry I was up after that! It hurt so bad though! I also miss Dr pepper SO MUCH! It will be the first thing I get when I get back to the states! No joke I am headed straight to McDonalds during my layover and getting a HUGE Dr. Pepper and some fries. . .Bring it on peeps! I am totally American is what I have decided. =) Katie Hoggan. . . Forgot to tell you in your email that the tie you got for Prestwich was AWESOME! =) It sounds like you all are doing so well! Your thanksgiving was awesome I heard all about it! Mom and Dad you sounds like the cruise is so incredible! I waved to you on Thanksgiving cause I knew you were in Mexico! I can{t wait to hear all about the canal and how that works! It sounds like you are really having a great time though! I am really sorry to hear about Matt! Hopefully he can stay out in the field! Finish out his mission strong! That is a bummer to have a torn ACL at a time like this.

And Allie cat tell Wy Guy I want to see a picture of his snowman he makes! I am bummed I can't make one with him but hopefully in a couple of years he will still want to make one with me! =) Tell him to make it super super tall! ;) I love you all so much! I am so grateful for your love and support! You all mean the world to me! Love, Hermana Gray!

Also shout out to one of my favorite sisters! Allie cat have an INCREDIBLE birthday this week! You will have so much fun! Keep me updated on life! =) HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

And siblings, all of you should be getting a letter from me soon! (aka. . .probably like three weeks cause the mail is slow!) But look for it! Bright letters in the mail! =) Love you all!