Life with Mermaids

Welcome to Norfolk! Home of the endless mermaids aligning the streets! They are known for mermaids. . =)

This week was pretty good. We had a couple of neat miracles. Although we are a little sad because we are leaving Mermaid city and headed to VA Beach! Starting today actually. . haha. =)

Although we are excited for this new adventure in the mission.

This week was good. We had a neat tracting miracle!

So we had ran out of things to do. . people to visit. . so we did what any missionary our age would do and hit the streets! Well doors actually. . we KNOCKED! The life of a missionary.

We decided to knock this one apartment complex and it was SO HOT this day. . literally in the 100's already. . and HUMID! We are thinking we will die this summer. but miracles happen! and Heavenly Father blessed us so much. . And sure enough we had a miracle happen at the FIRST DOOR!

We knocked and this lady named Holly opened her door. She is extremely nice and just invited us in. she was telling us a little about her life. Her boyfriend is Hispanic (which is great because we can hopefully teach them and she prefers to go to a Spanish church! Even better!) so we just get talking to her about all sorts of stuff. Religion in general and she was telling us how she is catholic but she doesn't necessarily agree with all the things that they teach. We explained the restoration a bit and it really was just a miracle! She is just a sweet lady. She was telling us her whole life (seriously it amazes me what people tell us the first time we meet them. . .literally CRAZY stuff!). but she does tell us that she is having a hard time with her mother right now so we decided that we would tell her a little of how the gospel helps us better relationships with family members. We just had a great discussion with her. She and her boyfriend didn't come to church, but they hopefully will come next week! We are a little bummed though since they now live in the Elders area so we will be giving them over. haha. Bummer! But maybe she just needed us to get to her and now the elders to teach them?! ;)

The branch here is super great, a little different than the News for sure but there are lots of nice people! Although it is a little weird since I have been here for two sundays and yet to have a normal meeting with them. . This week was stake conference!

It was good. The Saturday night session was a little different. It was done kind of like a Question and Answer about missionary work. .

so they had I think 6 elder age boys on the stand, who either have their calls or had just gotten home. . And they did a Q&A with them about "hastening the work". It was pretty good. They had some interesting answers. I of course think these things are so entertaining and I think I mortified my companion. . poor Hermana Sahleen, but I had to give a comment when they were letting the crowd answer! So it was good. But I think my comment was really great since the stake president asked me my name. It was funny. But I "represented' the missionaries well in the conference if I do say so myself. ;)

Sunday's session was okay. Not my favorite. .The first speakers spoke for a long while. . but their talks were decent. The best talks were given by President and Sister Baker so that was fun to see them at stake conference! I am glad I am in a mission where I have the chance to see my mission president and his wife regularly. It makes it fun since I feel like I know them. =)

This week we also visited with a couple of investigators.

Estella is this older lady and she was hilarious. She was so happy that I was there and then when we told her the elders were going to take over the area she was really sad that we were leaving. =) She makes me laugh. We decided to watch Finding Faith in Christ with her. She seemed to really enjoy it but then I feel like she has ADD Because she was constantly doing something, and right in the middle of the movie she jumps up and walks around the kitchen then comes and sits back down. It was a little funny. But she enjoyed it and the message was good.

We also visited this lady named Emma. She was super nice. Her house reminded me a little of Grandma Gray since she has glass dolls all over. I actually recognized a few of her dolls! She had the same ones as grandma in some cases. =)

Life as a missionary just seems to be moving along faster and faster. . I can't believe how quick time goes! It just blows my mind. this week I have a feeling we will be doing a lot of finding in our new area, so if you would send some prayers our way for that we'd appreciate it! We are excited for the changes to come this week, a little nervous, but we will be fine! =)

This week we also have Zone Conference! We are extremely excited for this! Friday will be so fun! Learning from the mission president and other missionaries. . Although we are a little terrified because we are all supposed to prepare to do a 7 minute role play on the Gospel of Jesus Christ and he is going to randomly select a group of missionaries to do it. All I am saying is I feel like I speak Spanglish. . haha. So this could get interesting if we are chosen! Although we have been role playing it a lot lately so we'll be fine. =)

I really do think that my mission language I should have been called to is Spanglish. . I feel like I use both so much! And I wish you could be in some lessons because they literally are Spanglish. . since most people we teach know some English, if not are fluent, and so we are beginning the lesson in Spanish and then they will speak to us in English and stuff. . It just gets confusing! But by the time I am home I will be professional in Spanglish. ;) Spanish is good though. . I feel like lately the people here are judge mental of my Spanish. But that could also just be me being self conscious about it. Who knows!

We didn't really have too much else happen this week. . lots of tracting.

Last preparation day Hermana Sahleen took me to downtown Norfolk and we just walked around a little bit. We grabbed some pamphlets of things to do in the Norfolk/VA Beach area. We are going to do some fun things on P-days. hopefully see some neat museums and things. Although the museums around here tend to be closed Mondays which is a bummer since there is just so much history here!

Although today we are headed to the Zoo! I am really excited to go to the Zoo! =)

I was reading in the BOM today and I just loved this part in Alma 37: 44 and 46-47 about not being slothful. I was thinking a lot about that and just how we are given the gospel of Christ in our lives. . We have an Easy way. they knowledge of the truth. It really is easy to keep the commandments when we love the savior. The trick is to not be slothful. .

I of course was thinking "slothful. . what is slothful?" and don't worry. . Sid the sloth definitely came to mind but I was thinking in reality slothful is to be lazy, to not give our best. . to not try to the fullest.

I don't want to be slothful! We all need to work our hardest to stay active in the work of the Lord! It is easy to fall into the easiness of the way. .the trick is to not become slothful because of the easiness! It is easy to get into the routines of the church, go to church on sunday. . read your scriptures, say your prayers, and it is all great! But are we just doing it because we know we need to? Are we being slothful!? Lazy in the ways? or are we putting our whole effort into each time we read, looking for things we can be better at. Are we saying meaningful prayers. I know I can better at this and I challenge each of you to find something in the gospel that you have become "slothful" at. And to change! The gospel is one of change! =)

I love you all so much! I hope you have a wonderful week and get feeling better!

I love you! Families are Forever! =)

Hermana Gray

"Remember when Satan reminds you of your past, remind him of his future!"