Happy Memorial Day!

Dearest Family and Friends,

I love you all so much! I opened my email up to a BUNCH of emails and it was a little exciting to read all about your lives back home! I love you all and know that you are doing great things! Continue pressing forward in the gospel and trying to obtain Salvation!

This week was so wonderful! We have been seeing many miracles come from our hard work. . working hard and diligent does pay off! =)
I don't know what it is but Hermana Newman and I tend to attract Grandmas! They are the greatest though and seriously are so loving so I am okay with that! =)
Edilberta is doing well. She is still coming to church and slowly but surely progressing in the gospel!

I have loved teaching her so much! She is such a great example to me of doing something even if you don't understand why! She pushes through and is diligent in all things! We invited her to attend the baptism of an English lady in the YSA branch. She told us she really wanted to come but didn't know if she would be able to or not because her brother in law was in the hospital and she was helping her sister out with that, but that she would be there if she could. So we waited outside the baptism for about twenty minutes. We walked out to our car to drive to a Less Active member’s home, we had just tried calling an investigator and I look up and I just say "Edilberta is here!" And we jump out of the car and go over to her. She had also brought her mother and sister so that was so wonderful! Although they missed the actual baptism because they were late they did see her receive the gift of the Holy Ghost! (they had permission to do it font side). And it was hard because we couldn't translate for them because the translating equiptment was locked in the Branch President's Office (they had stuck it in there on Sunday for some reason and not the closet). But it was really great! They felt the spirit so strongly and now we have a lesson with all three of them on Thursday! =) President Baker was at the baptism too and he came over and introduced himself to them. (well, we translated for them. haha). It was really great though! Edilberta is just the sweetest thing in the world. And her mom, I don't even know how to describe her! She is one little whitty old lady and is HILARIOUS! Like a second Abuelita! =)

This week we also had the chance to visit Rosa, Sister Caldwell and I found her on our last exchange. It was SO wonderful! =) We had a member from a different ward call us on sunday and say she was preparing for a mission and wanted to come out with us. So we stopped in at Rosa's and just did a "How to begin Teaching" and talked about the gospel of Jesus Christ and the importance of baptism and covenants. Her husband has taken the lessons before! So it was really great! She is super interested, she invited us back the next day and we had the chance to share the REstoration with her. She really understood the importance of baptism with authority. And we had a really great discussion about baptism. She said she would accept baptism when she knows the things we teach are true. =) We are really excited for her, she has so much potential! She also has LOTS of family in the area so we are hoping she will let us visit with them soon too! =)

We attended a wedding of a Less Active member of the branch on Saturday. It was really beautiful and she was happy to have our support! Although it did make me reflect on the importance of covenants and temple marriage!

We also had a really great lesson on the Plan of Salvation with the Jesus, Miriam, and Natasha. We did it a little differently and each took a part and had ten minutes to prepare an "explanation/whatever you want to say" about your part. It was really fun! It was definitely different and unique to see all the different perspectives.
I really love Miriam! She has such a strong testimony of the gospel. One of my favorite things she has said is about her conversion. . that the time she realized that the church was true and that she started to progress in the gospel was when she realized that God and Christ have done EVERYTHING for her and what had she done for them? That was a really powerful moment when she talked about the importance of choosing to follow them while we are on this earth. And giving and devoting our lives in the service of God. That we must continually follow in his footsteps!

We had to drop an investigator last night which was a little rough. She (also an older lady) just wasn't progressing really. Last week she had read (which was a change!) So she was progressing but we committed her to come to church and we had been telling each other that if she backed out of church again we just couldn't keep teaching her. She believes that all the churches have truths and that any church is great. And she is really into the Television pastors and things like that. So it has been really hard to get her to come to the actual building. But we had a really great lesson with a member and she said she would come than she backed out. But we still didn't have a reason to drop her since she was progressing. . but we just didn't know what to do. Last night at the lesson though. We had to leave. the spirit left at this one point and we both weren't seeing anything. It was like talking to a brick wall. . and it was the first time that she didn't understand us (which I think is a HUGE sign!). So we decided to drop her for now and that hopefully one day she will be ready!

Yesterday we went to Colonial Williamsburg and just looked around! It was fun and it was different to spend Memorial Day in a place with so many historical things! We had lots of fun and the other Hermanas and I just enjoyed ourselves! =)

I got a great email from my brother! It had lots of questions in it so hopefully I can answer a few of those here:

A typical day as a missionary:

Well we get up and exercise, get ready, study for three hours (personal companionship, and language and if you are training you study for another hour in a little book that they give you as new missionaries). Our studies are focused on our investigators, and all those we plan to visit that day. Afterwards we normally take lunch. then we head out for the day.

If we have a lesson planned we try to visit with them. And if we don't have lessons planned/scheduled the night before we think of the people we would like to try to stop by at what time of the day, then you think of back up plans for each of them. It is a pretty intense thing to plan. Planning brings success!

Most of the time our plans change anyways according to the spirit, But if we didn't plan I know we wouldn't have as much success. We visit less actives and share messages with them.

Yes, we do tract in the mission. Lots, which isn't the most effective. It is hard to tract and you don't see much success from it. But if it comes down to it and there is no one that is home we knock doors. The most effective way to have an investigator is by asking the members for referrals. It isn't common here to receive those though. We have found success in asking out investigators if they have friends/neighbors who would like to hear the message too! And to be honest the most success is talking to EVERYONE! Knocking doesn't really have that great of an effect but if you approach someone on the street you tend to have a better outcome!

For example after we taught Rosa one day we were walking to our car and a lady calls after us and asks if we know where the leasing office is, (and of course we do because we tract at these apartments often), we tell her we are walking that way and will show her where they are. We just start talking to her about her life and ask her why she is planning on moving here, she says she is getting married in November to her boyfriend. So then we bring up about eternal marriage and explain that we are missionaries, then we asked her if she would like some missionaries like us (English sisters) so come visit her. And then we had the chance to give a referral. It seems to me that the best way to spread the gospel is to have no shame that we are representatives of Christ! That we need to be BOLD and proud that we can share the truth. And most of the time people will be nice no matter what! So it is great to see them accept the missionaries into their home! TALK TO EVERYONE!

We are promised that as we open our mouths and share the gospel that no matter what the person says we can relate it back to a gospel principle. Which is such a unique promise and truth! The gospel is ESSENTIAL for everyone! =)

I was also asked what I have been studying lately. .

as a mission we are currently reading (well we finished today) 2nd Nephi! Wow, what a wonderful experience! the scriptures are so powerful! Our mission president promised us that as we read we will find something each time that we can share with an investigator, so we have been working on that. We actually were reading 2 Nephi 31:10 about being willing to follow the commandments and we both felt we needed to share that with a less active member we are visiting today. She struggles with coming to church and reading the scriptures, but we also thought that Hales talk this last conference was wonderful for her, we will be talking about not being selectively obedient. And we are also planning to share the part from Holland's talk about the people expecting a "comfortable God". Basically we try to focus our studies on our investigators and as we do so we find things in it for ourselves. It has been helping a lot to focus on others, and in turn we have the chance to strengthen our testimony for ourselves. I also have learned a lot about how essential authority is on my mission. The authority to act in the name of god is EVERYTHING!!! That is how we make covenants and can return to God's presence. . it just amazes me.

I also am always in awe about the Atonement of the Savior Jesus Christ. That is something I don’t think I will truly ever comprehend all of it in this life, but I am so grateful for him and his sacrifice for us. That we can choose to return to God.

Another interesting things I learned is that we have to let Satan in. . . Satan literally has NO POWER! We are the ones who let him into our lives. . . I knew this it was just more prominent during my studies!

I hope you all have a wonderful week! =)

I love you! Hope my letter didn't bore you to death. .

Oh yeah, last week we ate SO MUCH FOOD on Monday. . . we went to Abuelita's right after here, went to the Farfan's for dinner, went to the Jesus and Miriams for Natasha's birthday for "cake and ice cream", yeah it was a full dinner AND cake and ice cream. . . I was way too full. haha.

But I love you all! have a wonderful week! =)

Hermana Gray

i got a new hoodie

spent memorial day with thomas jefferson

Life In Virginia

Hola famila!

This week has been a little more difficult than normal. . I have no idea why.  Probably it just seems like FOREVER ago that I talked to you and literally it was like a week ago. This makes it all the more difficult. But it has been a good week never the less. We just struggled to have motivation some days but I figure you just get to work and hope that your day turns out all right. =)

It wasn't too bad. . we did struggle with lessons which isn't very fun but we are doing okay now. We had to drop a lot of our investigators because they just weren't progressing which is so hard, because sometimes you think. . . if we can't teach them who in the world are we supposed to teach??!? But Heavenly Father will provide those who are ready!

We did have the chance to have 2 new investigators this week!!

We contacted a former named Antonio! He seems really interested again which is WONDERFUL! We called him one night. . well actually. .

So last week we were trying to call Antonio (our investigator, who is now a former. .) But we were trying to call him to see if our appointment was good. And I accidentally called former Antonio. So whoops. . my bad. So then He tried calling us back but we had been in a lesson and then it was too late to call him back so we just were like we will call him tomorrow. So it just so happened that we accidentally forgot until two days later. We were sitting in our car because our lesson had just fallen through. . we didn't have anywhere else to go, we had tried all our backups so we were going to call our investigator Edilberta to see if we could stop by and then Hermana Newman just says, Hermana Gray call Antonio. haha, okay than. . .she hands me the phone and it just so happens, I call and he answers! =) And I just asked if we could set up an appointment for the next week and he was like. . well I don't really know my schedule but you could come over now if you wanted to! WAHOO!! Yes, we would love that. So we went over and had a good lesson with him. He seems so nice. We are going to go back sometime this week. . we just have to call him because of his work schedule. =) But that was definitely a tender mercy of the Lord.

We also had the chance to contact another investigator/former/we passed her to the Elders (since she lives in their area but they haven't been able to get in) so we went over to visit her. And we took sweet Miriam with us. So we go in, start having a lesson, she is a little skeptical as is than her friend shows up. Oh goodness this lady just wanted to argue. . but of course we didn't. She just straight out says "I'm Catholic and we worship Mary, and there isn't such thing as churches only temples. . ." and she just went on and on. So our investigator got a little scared to say things and just shut down so we just testified and left and are visiting her next Friday so hopefully her friend doesn't show up. haha. =) But afterwards as we were driving Miriam back home in the car she says "something just left when that lady showed up. . .I don't know how to explain it". . yes,  yes, the spirit definitely was gone! I was so happy that she is so in tune with the spirit that she could recognize it so instantly!

She is the greatest too! She received a calling in church yesterday! She is now doing something with visiting teaching!

They also had us over last Monday night for FHE. We talked about the armor of God and it was really fun. We all drew ourselves in the armor and just had a fun time. Miriam made us tamales, which were delicious!!! There were chicken ones with salsa and then also dessert ones. The dessert ones were a little interesting but they weren't too bad. They are just the cutest little family. I just love them! Today is also Natasha's birthday! =) She is so hilarious. She was telling us when Miriam went to check the tamales (she went outside and so we asked how they made them) she tells us "we put them over a fire outside, it's the Mexican way". haha. I about died laughing. And cute Miriam invited us over tonight to have cake with them. It is a surprise, Natasha doesn't know we are coming! =) haha. Apparently we are like Natasha's best friends. She just loves us. And it was cute she did a drawing of her person in armor and then she saw that I was doing me as a missionary and so was Hermana Newman so she was like wait, I want to draw me as a missionary so she redid her whole drawing! It was adorable! And she is already calculating how much it is to go on a mission and she wants to start saving. She is going to be one little strong girl in the gospel! =)

This week Hermana Johnson also left her youth. . .She is now a 20 year old. We have been giving her crap all week! To be honest she was happy.

She was hilarious first off because she thought we had forgotten her birthday last Monday because we didn't buy any cake. . Like we could forget, she had been talking about it for weeks!.

But we had fun. . we snuck around last Monday and Tuesday and prepared things. We made her cupcakes, and got her a cute gift. She was in tears when she opened it. She is hilarious! We also made her crepes in the morning, she got in the shower and we just went into attack mode. We wrapping papered her into the bathroom, decorated the apartment and started the crepes! We also went to Texas Roadhouse to celebrate, where I may have almost started crying because I was so happy to hear some country music. =) It was pretty ridiculous! But I was in heaven for that hour. . Listening (but not) to some good ole country music.  Tim didn't come on at all, but I did hear a Brad Paisley song and it was wonderful. haha. =) Yes, I am a little bit of a looney. But I loved it!

This week was hard to have motivation. . I think we just had lots of bummer things, we had to drop almost all of our investigators and then the other Hermanas baptism fell through on Wednesday (which was also Hermana Johnson's birthday). So that was a bummer, but we have forged through and remained strong! 

Sometimes I think we have a little too much fun together. I would be shocked if President keeps us all here another transfer because we are just a little too crazy sometimes.. =) I have definitely added to my lifespan from laughing and I get a seriously great ab workout at the same time! =) Want to be fit?!? Just move in with Hermanas. . haha.

 I'm trying to think what else has happened this week. . :)

Not too much else. . that was the main highlights of the week. Although one day we all talked about just mission life and how different we thought it would be. It was a really interesting conversation. I also decided I want to read a lot more into the tribes and learn more about that after the mission. I still have so much more I can learn and need to know! It is ridiculous!

The other Hermana’s treat me so wonderfully! Hermana Newman and I came home to shakes on our desk one night. haha. They know me oh so well! =)

It has been so fun to hear all about your lives! I love you all so much and miss you! You keep me motivated. . whenever I feel bad for myself I just think "I am so selfish! I want to go be with my family. . but do you know what. . .I am letting other people have the chance to have their families for eternity!"

I couldn't imagine not living with all of you for eternity! You make my life what it is and I am so grateful for each of your examples to me. You are truly all so wonderful and I can't wait to return and have the time to get to know all of you so much better! But right now I just know how much my Heavenly Father needs me here for other people. . to let them have the gospel change their lives so one day they can have their families for eternity!

I am also so grateful for all of my friends. You all have been wonderful examples. . It is incredible to see so many of you entering the mission field and just enjoying life! Thanks for all of your support!

And also my ward family back home!

You are the greatest! I didn't realize how special my ward was (to the extent that I do now, I knew we were special) but how incredibly united we are. It is so different here in this branch, a good different, but sometimes I just miss how wonderful our ward is. We have something unique and I always can feel your love and support from afar! Thank you all so much for your letters/emails of encouragement, and for all your prayers! =)

I love you all! I hope you have a wonderful week!

Enjoy the pool!

I CALL FIRST IN THE POOL NEXT YEAR!!!! =) (you better believe it! I think the night I get off the mission. . haha)

Love you all! Have a great week, stay safe and remember who you are and where you came from, and that this sister missionary loves you!

Love,

Hermana Gray

i just thought this was hilarious

Hermana Johnson turned 20

more greenery

some of the greenery for Tiff!  It is so green EVERYWHERE!!

Natasha wanted to be like us as a missionary warrior. haha.

Miriam's drawing. . she kept saying "I'm not a good drawer. haha"

Imagine This....

80,000 Missionaries calling home yesterday!

Yes, crazy to think right. . even crazier! I WAS ONE OF THEM!!! =)

Oh my dearest family, It was so great to see your faces and hear your voices!  I was definitely in a better state of mind than the last time. =)  Which was really great! I love you but I am not coming home for another year. So sorry! =)

Well, I don't really know what to say because I told a lot of it to you yesterday. . just my thoughts and things. I can't believe how much you all have changed and not changed too. It is just weird knowing that we are all changing so much. .. for the better! You all make me laugh and really I was just crying because I was just so darn happy to see all of you!  I was freaking out all morning. =)

Funny story after the phone calls:

So Hermana Johnson. . sweet, hilarious, Hermana Johnson has a cat named Queen Kong. haha. and she has been having a feeling her cat has passed on for a while, at Christmas it never made the screen and she was just like I think it is dead. So she is like I am only making one request to my family when I Skype and that is that they put Kong on the screen. .

So I come down from skyping and Hermana Johnson looks at me and just says, "Kong is dead". Oh goodness, it was hilarious. . Apparently Kong died last SEPTEMBER!!! =) Two months after she leaves. So Hermana Johnson first off hates cats so it is just funny she has a cat and second off the only time she cried her whole phone call (minus saying goodbye) was when Kong was pronounced "teaching the spirits in kitty heaven" haha. Yes, it was hilarious. Then she also started tearing again at the apartment about it when Hermana Newman said "Only dogs go to heaven". . let's just say it was a hilarious moment. =) (the other funny part is I am trying to not laugh in the library while writing this and then Hermana Newman is like "what are you laughing about" then all I say is Kong and she has to come over and read it and so do that other Hermana’s).

This past week wasn't all that magnificent. . the anticipation of the phone call, not having luck tracting.. . yeah it wasn't too wonderful. But that is all right. We made it through. Our numbers weren't good so good thing numbers don't mean a whole lot! =)

But we did have the chance to talk to a Less Active that we haven't been able to reach since January. She was outside doing yard work and we saw her outside so we pull the car over, say a prayer, go over to talk to her and then she starts talking to us a little. Then what really got to her was we offered to help and she was like "you are in dresses" and we just look at each other and are like "dresses can be washed" haha. So that touched her heart a whole lot and she ended up inviting us in to share a message with her. We have a return appointment for Wednesday night so we will see how that goes.

The other remarkable story was that of Iris that I told you over Skype. But the powerful spirit that was present in that lesson was AMAZING! She was just awoken with the shock that she isn't prepared for the second coming. It was really powerful.

This sweet old lady realizing she isn't prepared. . it was great to have the spirit testify to her that she needs to change. Now we just need to wait and see if she does! =)

Edilberta was sick yesterday. . so she didn't have the chance to come to church. But our sweet Elders Quorum President and then the Elders went and took her all the roses that weren't passed out in the meeting and gave her a blessing! They are the greatest! She really was touched by that.

And as you guessed, I got a Rose and chocolate for being a "future mother". haha. Oh goodness! The Spanish can get to my heart real quick. The other crazy thing is that all the other Hermanas I live with have vowed off candy and soda. . yep they are crazy! I was all for the chocolate, and heaven knows I can't live without my Dr. Pepper. They all see my addiction each day. ;) They all just start laughing when I walk towards the fridge for my Dr. Pepper. =) But at least I am happy.
I also may have teared up a little last night. We came back to the apartment to finish studies after the phone calls and Hermana Camps was having a really hard time. And so of course we are trying to help her through it, cause we all know how the first phone call is, so we are talking and she says "you know when you just want a hug from your mom and no one can give you that hug besides her" and I said "yeah I get that. . . or when you want a sip of her Diet Coke". =)

This week we also tried to translate for people twice,

first off we were trying to translate for an investigator but she couldn't drive her car and we can't take her in our car so it was at a standstill and she ended up inviting us in and oh my goodness she just SPILLS her whole life out to us. That is still one thing I do not understand. . I have literally met this lady 2 times before this and she just spills her whole life to us. . how she wants to go back to Mexico even if she lives in poverty there it is still better and all this stuff. . it just amazed me all the things she told us. . There was a LOT more. . it is just crazy to me that because we wear a bade with the Saviors name they have an immediate trust in you. It sure makes things easier as a missionary to know their life concerns but it also is a little too informative at times.

Another fun translation was at a work place for a member. We just had the chance to translate for her because she wanted a raise and to bring up some concerns. .

One thing that amazes me is the way we treat people still. . as a government and just as people. We have so much disrespect for people and it just saddens me. I can't believe too the amount they are paid for the things they do. It just makes my heart break that these people are working so hard to have and provide a better life for their families and they are here trying to earn money and are working hard and are being taken advantage of in so many ways. It just breaks my heart. But then too I can see that a lot of it is the language barrier. It is hard to understand the concerns of the people if you can't communicate with them.

That is one thing I also thought was funny on our phone call. . how during my testimony I was saying how I have the best family and I was thanking you for your examples and then all of you have no idea what is going on besides Collin. haha. and he is like "de nada". =) I thought that was hilarious. Good times. .

 I don't have that much more to write you about. . . it is hard to think of things to say when I just talked to you yesterday. .

I can say that I am enjoying reading the scriptures. I am reading them as the mission then also continuing where I was reading before we started as a mission. Hermana Newman and I get a bunch of kicks out of the scriptures. . . or at least I do and she just thinks I am crazy half the time. =) Like this morning I was thinking how hilarious it is that the only time Laman and Lemuel didn't complain about going back is when they go to get their wives. . isn't that just funny? I got a kick out of it. Don't worry I also learned some other great things, more spiritual things! But Hermana Newman was like Hermana Gray, I don't think the scriptures are intended to be funny, and I just said, if they weren't intended to be funny than God wouldn't have put that in there because I think it is hilarious. (the best is about Shiz in Ether, I still get a kick out of it all the time). But I really do love the scriptures. I have realized that more and more on my mission. The chance we have to have the words of God directly in front of our faces is incredible! We should study them each and every day! Especially since the world is just getting more and more evil.

Well my dearest family, I love you all so much! It was so wonderful to see your bright shining faces on the computer screen! =) I can't believe we haven't been together for 6 months but I know that time will just continue to fly by! A year will go by so quickly and then as I read in the scriptures this morning, "and when we (I Hermana Gray) had returned to the tent of my father (my home in Lehi), behold their joy was full, and my mother was comforted." 1 Nephi 5:7

One thing I noticed as we talked was how happy our family was, I know that is partly because I am here in the service of the Lord, that we wouldn't be as happy without this in our lives, the blessings we receive from this (not the fact that I am gone and that I brought a lot of contention to the family or anything) but the fact that we receive so many blessings from Heavenly Father because of missionary service!
I challenge all of you to join in on reading the Book of Mormon with the mission here. I know as you do that you will be more unified with me, that you will grow closer to your Heavenly Father and learn more about the Atonement in your life. It will be a sacrifice but 6-7 (3 front and back) pages a day isn't a lot to sacrifice to the Lord for all he has given you. We can grow more united as a family!

I love you all, Have a wonderful week!

Hermana Gray

Stay safe and don't have too much fun without me! =)

Hello Family!

So I forgot to mention this on the Skype call yesterday,

We have begun reading the Book of Mormon as a mission. . we started on Saturday. We will read 6-7 pages (so basically 3 pages front and back) a day.
If you would like to join in you are more than welcome! It puts us finishing at about the end of July. =) (8 weeks).

We were also challenged to choose an attribute of Christ that we would like to focus on and become better at. Then we are also supposed to look at all the examples of the atonement used in the scriptures! =)

I would like to challenge each of you to join in with us as a mission. I am sorry I forgot to mention it yesterday so you are already behind! But we are only to Nephi chapter 8 today! So feel free to catch up quickly and join in on the fun!

I love you, so great to see you and hear your voices!

Tj and Meg-I was sad you weren't there but happy that you were at church! :) I love and miss your cute little family!

Love you all,

Hermana Gray