Feliz Cinco de Mayo! y 6 meses mañana para mi!

Oh goodness family. . .

This week was seriously so incredible. . basically I will probably end up mostly just telling you how wonderful Elder Bednar is. haha. But it was SO SO SO INCREDIBLE!!! The spirit that an apostle brings in just amazing. I was on a spiritual high all day. =)

It sounds like all is doing amazing back at home! Your trips all sound so fun and I am glad that I could be a part of them in some way! =)

CONGRATULATIONS to my other sister Kami for her beautiful baby boy! He looks so cute and precious! I can't wait to meet him next year! =)

Well, where to begin. . . this week was just INCREDIBLE!!

Edilberta is still doing so wonderful she is progressing and is just loving the church. She had the chance to come to Elder Bednar yesterday but I think she may have been a little tired because it was so stinking early. ;) She was nodding off towards the end. But all is well! She felt the spirit there. =)

Another fun thing that happened this week was we decided one night, we were talking about Christmas and we just were like, if we are all together on Christmas (yeah fat chance but that is why were were just talking). . haha. but we would sleep in the main room together. Then somehow this erupted into we should do this now!! haha. Why wait until Christmas?!?! And so we spent a night after planning moving furniture into the different rooms. Let's just say every piece of furniture switched rooms minus one couch. haha. =) we were a little excited for the change. We now though all sleep in the main room and it is super fun. We now have our separate study places and this has really helped us to stay focused during studies. .

Okay, what you all have been waiting for. .. .

ELDER BEDNAR WAS HERE!!!!

AHHHHHHHHH!!! just let me let out some excitement for a minute. WE were in the presence of an Apostle of the lord for 5 HOURS this past weekend!!! Do people realize the significance of this?!?! This is like having Peter, James or John in front of you for 5 hours, giving insights to the gospel. Let's just say my mind is BLOWN!!!

So let me just start with Saturday morning. We are all up and prepared to leave 2 hours before the session starts. We are supposed to arrive 40 minutes early and the place we are going is an hour and 15 minutes-ish away. So we are on our way driving, making it fun, "road trip" style. . stopped and got doughnuts (and a dr pepper for me) and we are just driving to the building. . let me just say right here there is so many tender mercies that happen to missionaries, so our old district leader sent us the wrong address. . so we drove to the wrong chapel. . yes, That was a panicking moment. haha. But we could have and should have been better prepared and re asked for the address the night before but we didn't. So now we were going to get there exactly at 8:20 and not be able to get a seat in the chapel because it was already full. But we arrive. . we just get there. . and cute Hermana Haywood sees us and says "we saved you a seat up front with us." So we were in the chapel section on the back row!!! WAHOOO!!! Tender mercy first off because one, they weren't supposed to be saving seats. They had spread their stuff out enough to save us seats but not enough to look like they were saving. Although apparently President Baker came up to them and asked them if they were saving seats, they told him they were (because how could you lie to the mission president?!?) for the Newport News Hermanas, and he just smiles and winks and says "good" haha. Yep, tender mercy right there! President cracks me up all the time. He is just hilarious.

Anyways lets get to the good stuff. So as we are waiting it is DEAD SILENT. Like a pin could drop for forty minutes and you could hear it each time. It was so silent with 500 missionaries shoved into a room. . yeah let's just say I was in SHOCK! But it was INCREDIBLE! =)

We are all waiting. . then he enters, and what was so incredible to me was that the spirit in the meeting was so present already that it didn't really change persay. Just became that much more stronger and truth baring! It was so incredible! =)

This meeting was so unique. .

Elder Bednar had us read 3 talks in preparation for this day. and basically he just did this idea where he would ask a question and the missionaries would expound on it. Oh my goodness was it such an INCREDIBLE meeting. . I know I won't be able to recreate all the feelings and thoughts I had but I will just share a little of my thoughts of what happened.

First off there was not only Elder Bednar, but 2 mission presidents, a presiding member of the bishopric of the church, a presiding 70 and an area 70. WOW! And of course he was cute and brought sister Bednar with him.

She is a little fire cracker! I just love her, she has some sass! =) She reminds me a little bit of mom and it was just making me day. haha. At this meeting what I love that she said was that "the people you serve, your family, your mission presidents, your companions, the members, THEY deserve your commitment to the church for the rest of your life" she was very into the you need to stay a missionary and an active member for all your life! It was very powerful.

Elder Bednar is just incredible. . here are some of my notes/thoughts of the meeting:

He directly talked to the sister missionaries at one point and said that sisters will do 100 things, 99 deserve A's and then one will deserve a B+ and they will focus on the B+ and think the world is ending, while Elders will do 100 things, 99 deserve F's and one thing deserves a C+ and they will (imagine him doing this because it was HILARIOUS) do a chest bump and be celebrating thinking they are the greatest in the world. haha. Oh yes, he did do a chest bump in front of us all. . let me just say he is HILAIROUS, a few times I almost couldn't stop laughing. But basically he told us hermanas tahat we need to lighten up on ourselves, not be so hard but basically BE GOOD, NOT PERFECT! =) He was really adiment about that.

another thing that I loved about the meeting was it wasn't focused on our investigators, or even missionary work persay, it was focused on converting yourself for the rest of your life. . developing the habits now to become a missionary for life.

He also did a question and answer period for the missioanries where we could ask him whatever we wanted. . one of the neatest answers to the question of "how can we best sustain you (12 and prophets and counselors) as prophet, seers and revelators?" The neatest answer, "LOVE HIM". Yeah, basically at one point he said too. (I am just mixing the two days together so sorry about that, but he is just full of wisdom!) that we members of the church, if we want to hear something different at conference, not a talk on tithing yet again, then we need to be paying our tithing. They as servants of the Lord do God's will and there is so much more that they want to tell us that they can't because we aren't doing God's will (let me just say chills went through me when he said that!)

At one part of the conference I thought was hilarious was Bishop Davies was talking and he was just talking to the Elders, looks at them and says "Elders, you need to marry these sisters when you get home!" (referring to people like us) Let me just say President BAker's face was PRICELESS! Oh man, he was pulling a hilarious expression. With all the Elder/Sister Relation changes in the mission right now I don't think he was too happy with that comment. But it was hilarious too. =)

Elder Bednar also said on Sunday morning that EVERYTHING is at the Home, Family history is now at the home, the MTC is no longer at the training centers but is at the HOME!! EVERYTHING IS IN THE HOME! So what are we doing to make our homes the places they need to be??!?

He also made a comment like three hours of church on Sunday won't be enough to keep you from the evils of the world. . oh goodness! Did you know that church meetings on Sundays are only supposed to last you spiritually (hopefully) until Monday afternoon?!?! That is why it is so important to be doing the little things EACH DAY as a family and individually to make yourself spiritually prepared for the whirlwinds of life! =)

He also told us that there is more members outside the United States than in, that the mission age change was to catch N. America up with the rest of the world, and that there are more Spanish speaking members than English. YES YES YES. (and please don't quote me directly his words, some of these are just thoughts I had and than the others were impressions I had too) 

Sunday he talked a LOT of the priesthood and the essential authority needed. He talked a lot about the priesthood keys and how they can receive revelation for you. That the priesthood is like an Umbrella. . the man holds it but everyone has a right to use it and use it's protection.

One of my favorite parts on Sunday was that he directly spoke to the members in attendance not of our faith. He related the first vision and than bore testimony of it. . . let me just say POWERFUL! I was like, I hope that people feel that way when I relate the first vision for the first time. =)

One thing that I truly loved about this weekend was to realize that the apostles and prophets are normal people. I loved having the missionary meeting with him because it gave us a chance to see him be "normal". To tell jokes and have fun but at the same time be so in tune with the spirit. That was what was so essential to me. He had fun with us but he was also able to get across his points powerfully and directly. I also loved that it was never YOU need to do this or that but that WE need to do this and that. He included himself in all that he said. That is what I loved, knowing that they are imperfect too and that we all can do better. It was fun to see him at such a relaxed and humorous state. To see him interact and feel the need to share stories with us that were funny but had a point too!

I love the prophet and the apostles so much, I KNOW they are called of God. that the prophet holds the keys to direct and guide the only true church on the earth today. That the church of Jesus Christ has been restored to the Earth again. That right now in my life I have the chance to help others realize the truths of these things for themselves! I love this gospel so much, I know for a surety that it is true. We have a Savior that died and suffered for us that made it possible for us to not only be forgiven but have the chance to live again. I KNOW that the church is true and I will do everything to stay on the path of my Heavenly Father.

I love you all so much! I pray for each of you each and every day! You are all such wonderful examples to me and I thank you for that! I hope you have a great week! Do good things! BE GOOD! =)

Love,

Hermana Gray

P.S. Family, I will be skyping at 3-3:30ish (starting) and will have 40 minutes. That is 1-1:30ish starting for you in Utah! I love you and can't wait to Skype with you!

P.S.S. Don't forget to celebrate  tomorrow! =) 1/3 of the way done people, in a year from now I will be gracing you with my presence. ;) haha. Yes, it really is that quickly. . Crazy to think how time flies. =)

Don't have too much fun and remember who you are and where you came from!

Decided to change around the apartment and all sleep in the main room and study in the bedrooms!  We like the new arrangement lots!  It is like having a slumber party each night. haha. =)

Valerio and I!  One of the best less actives ever.

The 'mountains' (or clouds in the shape of mountains) visited us one night.

Hermana Newman is annoyed with the chirping birds, especially during our mandatory nap time that was put into commencement this past week (president told her to nap each day because of her MS and it was acting up) so he strongly suggested that I take naps with her too, haha.  So nap time is now in our daily schedule.

Humidity day! UGH. not looking forward to that too much.