Hermana Cassie Joan Gray: Week 5 at the CCM

Hola Familia! =)

Oh my goodness does time FLY at the CCM! No joke I cannot believe it is my LAST week in the CCM. . . it is seriously SO crazy! I cannot believe that I will be officially in the field in a week today! I don’t know how next week will really pan out because all the girls in my district leave Monday and I leave Wednesday so I will have to be a trio with someone when my comp leaves. . . I am hoping on the inside that I can somehow get a district who goes to the temple next week. . .try to sneak in again and go four times! But probably not. . . just probably will be a normal two days. . =)

With that being said I went to the temple today! So beautiful as per normal! All decorated for Christmas. The veil was SO much easier this time! Definitely understood so much more than before! =) The temple is INCREDIBLE it is such an incredible experience to go through as a missionary. Definitely a unique thing to get to experience! =) and I had the chance to see it all decorated for Christmas, and when it was normal. And it’s cool because we are one of the last groups to get to go through all time because they are closing it in January to be remodeled!! =) Such a great blessing!

Christmas is in the AIR! It is so weird to not have snow but see Christmas everywhere! They definitely are trying at the CCM! Trees are EVERYWHERE and bunch of lights and nativities. It is so unique to be in the field at Christmas. And I love it because poinsettias are EVERYWHERE! They just plant them directly in the ground here so it is so beautiful.

I had the "new year’s fairy" come! Okay not really. . . but sort of! Hermana Williams family does the SAME tradition minus they do it on December 5th for papa noel! So we decided to do it here! And it kind of felt like the Easter bunny because "he" hid our shoes!!! haha. I found mine in the shower! =) Great times at the CCM! It was so fun to have a little bit of tradition though! =) Tiff good job on getting the entire decor out! I am sure mom LOVED it! And I bet the house looks gorgeous! Apparently the tree was done well, good job Dustin, Tiff and Coll! =) Sounds like Christmas is getting busy! =)

Hermana Williams was sick one of the days this week! She had a horrible cold and it was just bad. But the elders gave her a blessing so that was really neat. And I think the doctor here thinks I am abusing her or something because it was like our 4th time there for her. Whoops! And then she got a crazy bug bite on her eyelid and her eye puffed up! I felt so bad. But I did recognize it wasn’t pink eye or anything right away (thanks to my mad eye doctor skills, I think I can be the eye doc of the family. . .watch out Coll! I’m fighting you for dad’s business) =)

This week is super weird. the district right before us District 16B left. . .So depressing. We would talk to them EVERY day no joke and it was just so sad to see them go! We always pass their classroom and get a little sad. haha. But it is great. They all will rock it in the mission field. Elder Smith and Dow though are tough ones to say goodbye. They provided us with great entertainment. . Collin would appreciate their humor. One thing they said I was dying laughing! "Elder smith your face was made for the radio!"--Elder Dow!

Oh man just imagine missing those senses of humor each day! But it is going great! Weird we are the "oldest" here. . . that’s for sure!

We had the chance to teach "luis" (hermano polo) again! Oh man did our lessons just go so well this week. He didn’t want to hear from the missionaries at all so the first lesson was so hard. Then the second lesson his "daughter" (in real life it{s his sister) who is a recent convert was there. So we ended up asking her about her thoughts about her baptism and he committed to be baptized! So that was awesome! and the next lesson was hilarious. Yesterday he acted drunk during out lesson (he{s an alcoholic) so it was hilarious. We ended up just sharing a scripture because I talked to him the whole time about the Christmas devotional and his thoughts about it and stuff. It was neat.

The Christmas devotional was so great! I liked the talk of the last guy. . can’t think of his name right now. And of course the thought the spirit of Christ not Christmas. . =) Like always! It was really great and as missionaries it is fun because we all get to watch it together in the auditorium.

We also taught "Aurora" this week (hermana leslie) and it was interesting because we didn’t have much time to prepare so we just had this basic outline of how we wanted it to go. And after the lesson she came up to us and was like THAT was your best lesson yet. You just went by the spirit and tried to help me. She was like even when you struggled with my question (I thought she was asking if she could repent for someone else when she was wondering if the atonement will help you forgive someone else) it was CONFUSING! But we figured it out in the lesson and it was all good. That was when I was glad I had brought my dictionary with us! =) But it was just so awesome cause she was like you guys are rocking it. Then she told our class that day that we are ready for the field so that was intense! I don’t feel ready but I feel as ready as I will ever be!

I made a goal to finish Alma by the time I leave the CCM. I started it I think the 2nd week we got here. . . or maybe the third. But I have like twenty chapters left! But this is the most I have EVER gotten out of Alma so it has been AWESOME! I love Alma! Who knew, I think it{s cause my goal is to finish the BOM but I decided to start in Alma instead of Nephi like normal so when I get to Alma I{m not dying! So Alma is incredible! Hopefully I can finish it by the time I leave! I WILL! I am determined! =)

Yesterday we had the chance to hear from Quentin L. Cook, through broadcast of course! But it was really good. A little confusing and kind of random but great! He kept making comments that I was like I do not get how this relates. . . But okay! =) But he quoted president Hinckley and it was super great quote "If they (missionaries) have MORE faith, they will have MORE success!" I just loved it cause that really is all missionary work is about. It all depends on YOUR faith and YOUR conversion. You can{t force anyone to accept the gospel but you can just share your brightness with the whole world! =)

Crazy coincidences I found out this week:

Elder Bryner and I think that mom and dad were on the same cruise as his parents. It was super random but he was like yeah my mom and step dad were on a cruise over thanksgiving and I said mine were too. And he was like yeah they went on this two week one. And I was like wait a second. . Through the Panama Canal! And so we aren’t positive but we think you were on the same ship! What was the name of it?? Because clearly it has to be the same if not that is weird! =)

Hermana Williams is also super great friends will Holly Buys (who is Derek Buys little sister) and their parents happen to live in the ward! So odd! But so cool! Such a small world!

And Marci. . . I literally met someone from Saratoga Wyoming! WEIRD! And he KNOWS you! haha. That was weird I was like my sister lives there but they haven’t been there for very long. It is Elder Nevell (or Nevill or close to that). . Apparently you took over his primary class!?!? WEIRD! Oh my goodness it is such a small world!

I don’t even know what else to say cause so much happens in the CCM!

Allie Cat happy birthday yesterday! =) I thought about you and I took a sweet picture for you but the girl who has the same cord for my camera isn’t here so I can’t send it. . .=( But it’s all good. I think I will try to send some pictures from Hermana Williams camera! Of just random things.

Oh another cool tradition our zone does at the CCM is that we have papers on our doors. . And for your final week we design a sign for you door and a name for your district. Like one of the districts was school of the apostles, another is laborers of the field, anyways so it is all the missionaries who are already in the field and it gets passed along. Anyways our district chose to be we fight like dragons, it’s in Alma somewhere (apparently it is the bad people fighting but we are good so esta bien). But we definitely have the most intense sign. haha. Hermana Klivans did this intense dragon drawing. I’ll have to take a picture and send it to you. =)

Well I love you all! I don’t know when I will email you again before I go. . I know I get to email you before I leave sometime and I think I might get to call you at the airport. Not sure yet! So be prepared for a phone call mama dear! =) Would you like me to call your cell phone or the house?? I think I will probably get to email on Saturday when Hermana Williams does and depending on what district I go to next week with a new companion maybe next Tuesday. . . not positive! =)

This week will basically be the same minus on Friday we have orientation for the field ALL DAY. . . it will be long but great! Still have to convert my investigators. . get them baptized! ;)

Love you all, Have a great Christmas you all sounds like you are doing so many wonderful things. I love you! =)

Hermana Cassie Gray