Sister Missionaries

We enjoyed having your daughter for lunch!  Julie Metcalf

Home away from home...

hello family and friends!

As you can guess.. this week FLEW BY! Seems to be how I start every email... but it is the truth. :)

This place is becoming my home away from home! :) I will be here another transfer for sure and probably two more after that... so basically I might die here or get 'trunky transferred' out of here. I will love it though! It is such a great place...

With that being said... Hermana Johnson and I are staying together again! I am really excited! She is a hoot and of course it will be super fun! And we will spend our second Christmas together and all three phone calls.  :) Whoot whoot! And then even crazier.... we are in a TRIO! We will be picking up Hermana Valdez on Wednesday! She is a hoot too! Both of my companions 'die' this transfer (go home).. so I will be around two very hilarious hermanas going through a whole wave of emotions... it could be interesting.. :)

I am excited though! It will be a hoot with the two of them, our house will be so full... five of us there.. it will be nuts! :) Crazy times.... haha.

This week we didn't have too much success number wise but we sure had lots of fun and tried our hardest!

We had two really excellent lessons with Eduardo and Fernando. We are hoping all goes well... we had some complications happen so we had to move one of their interviews to tonight and we might have to push back one of their baptisms depending... we will see though. Heavenly Father has been helping us out a lot but it will all go well in the end. :) The interviews should go pretty good though. :) Hopefully we will have a baptism at the end of the week... if not a couple of weeks. :)

Our lessons with Eduardo and Fernando are going so well though. They are just flourishing! They are soaking up the gospel. It is amazing to see how quickly they are both progressing. . We realized that Fernando has only been taking the lessons for a month.

During our lesson Hermana Johnson asked them both the reason why they would like to be baptized, and Fernando gave the most sincere answer, he was telling us how he wants to be a good father and be a good example to his kids right now. How is oldest is fourteen and he wants to give him a good life and this is the way. Then he was telling us how his wife was softening up to this. Originally his wife was FURIOUS that he was taking the lessons... but her heart is being softened. He told us that she has been thinking of having the missionaries in Mexico teach her because she has seen such a magnificent change for the better in her husband. It was so powerful. That is just another testimony builder to me that the church is true. =)

We had a really neat lesson with one of our less active families here. We were talking and shared a message about testimony and conversion... anyways we finish our thought and then the sister says 'can I ask you an honest question?".... so of course we are thinking... oh no what does this mean... then she asked if because she wasn't attending church if she didn't have faith. It was a really interesting question. We ended up baring testimony of the importance of church attendance and how it really does strengthen us. They both sat down and talked with us, set goals of how to better their church attendance. It was a very wonderful lesson. The spirit was very strong...

We also had a wonderful testimony builder that planning is inspired. We had been trying to visit them for the past month and each time we passed by either they weren't home, or they didn't answer the door. . we visit them once a week. So during this time we had been planning on sharing the talk 'which way do you face?' with them. . . we felt strongly impressed during planning that is what we needed to share... anyways we finally get in and then we had switched our lesson plan to testimony nad conversion... but she told us the reason she had that question is she had read the 'which way do you face' talk in the ensign and felt like they needed to change. WOW!!! It hink they just needed to feel the constant missionary/spirit support leave for a little to realize the difference it does make.

This week we also had the chance to help with Sister Shirley spencer's funeral. It was a beautiful service. It was another testimony builder to me that families are eternal. Heavenly Father has presented the plan of Salvation to us for a reason. We will one day have our families for eternity. I felt such a special presence... it made me think a little of how I didn't have the chance to attend Grandpa's funeral earlier this year... and it made me a little sad. But I also was comforted with the knowledge that we are an eternal family.

This week was also fun because I had a little home away from home! Sister Jackie Clark is out here for the holidays and it was so neat to run into her. Although I don't think she really remembers me in specific but she remembered my parents. I do remember visiting her frequently as a child though, especially around the holidays. So it was fun to see her out here! :) Who would have thought the first person I would run into out here that I know from lehi would be a ninety year old lady?? =) haha.

this morning I was reading the talk in conference about Joseph Smith and it made me realize how truly grateful I am that Jospeh Smith had a question that changed my life forever. I know that he is a prophet of God, that the gospel of Jesus Christ is on the earth again. I am truly grateful for him and the sacrifices he made so that we can have the gospel on the earth today, and the guidance of a living day prophet of God. his name will be had for good and evil.. but I hope this day it can be had for a little more good. :)

I love you all, I hope you all have a great turkey day! I am excited to spend it with the Jacobsen family here. . they have a missionary out right now and she sent us the sweetest text about how she feels honored that we can come to her house and how she knows that someone in Colorado will be taking in her son on this day and how grateful she is that she can be that 'someone' for us. :) I am sure she'll send you a picture! :)

I love you all! I hope you have a great week. Remember all those wonderful things in life that you are grateful for!

I am thankful for my family, friends, the chance I have to share the restored gospel, the opportunity I have to be with another representative of Jesus Christ 24/7, and for a new place that I can call home. :)

Just a short little list of things I am grateful for!

Love you,

Hermana Gray

Can you guess which house is the mexican one?

I don't remember if I sent pictures or not last week..but I'll throw in a few from last week too.

The best district the world has ever known

Frigid Weather... :)

Hello Family and Friends! 

It's that time of year. . . time to break out the winter coat yet again! Who thought it would get cold on the East Coast?? NOT ME!!! Okay, I did get to experience it a little last year, and honestly it doesn't get 'that' cold. But it is more a pierce you to the core kind of cold. haha. But the weather here has gone from pretty mild to absolutely frigid in all of about a week. :( I still love it here!! :) 

This transfer has just seemed to FLY BY! I can't believe we are already at the time where transfer calls are coming again. Hermana Johnson and I have been talking about how this has been probably the funnest transfer of both our missions. We have just LOVED it! We have seen so many miracles and just have been having the time of our lives! I am dreading getting a call!!!! It is just a scary thing... haha. Your future on a mission is so uncertain, guess it is just preparing you for life. :) 

Transfer calls are happening this week though, come Sunday we will know our fate. Hoping that because of the holiday season we will stay together. :) I would enjoy that. It would be a sad transfer to leave, right before Thanksgiving, literally the day before... haha. Then we have 2 baptisms on the 29th! 

Eduardo and Fernando are still preparing for Baptism on the 29th of November. They are just so wonderful. We have been having the chance to meet with them three times a week to help them meet their dates. They are so hilarious and are always just so sincere in their desires to learn. 

We have taught them so much in this past week and they are so gracious, they are accepting everything so easily. The Lord truly has been preparing them. 

We has some pretty hilarious lessons this past week. . to start off the week we had a lesson on the ten commandments, the law of chastity, and keeping the sabbath day holy. It was a great lesson. So hilarious! We had a member back out on us pretty close to the lesson, which is NOT a good thing... haha. We have to have a third female so we scramble and fine a member willing to come with us. Then she gets to awkwardly sit through the law of chastity lesson. haha. Pretty great. It does help that she doesn't speak Spanish so she just listened and we'd translate things happening. :) 

My favorite part is to think of this lesson like this..... 

Two twenty year old girls come in and tell two men in their thirties that they need to live a virtuous life style, be morally clean, and have clean wholesome thoughts.... 

The church is true. That is all I have to say. :)

They are great sports though! We have taught them so much new information, law of chastity, word of wisdom, tithing, fasting, and much more. And they have accepted it with ease. They are truly prepared to receive the Gospel. :)

I have also loved to see the members fellowship these two. They are so wonderful! The members are just embracing them with open arms. It is an interesting thing to teach people in a different language then invite them to attend church in a language they don't fully understand. Then when they interact with the members it doesn't really matter, because the spirit is present and the spirit is teaching. It is SO neat! Lately that has really stuck out to me that the spirit is the reason we come to church. To refill our 'spiritual buckets' each week. It doesn't matter what language you attend sacrament meeting in the spirit will always be the same, the testifier of truth. 

Church was really interesting yesterday. We first off had to translate, then by a miracle and some answers to prayers, Torin showed up and could translate the talks. haha. It was chaotic. :) Then it was interesting because you could see some things happening in the crowd... random people bursting into tears and crying... and all of a sudden it dawned on me. The mother of the ward passed away Sunday morning while everyone was at church. It was really sad news. Sister Shirley will be missed. I didn't have the chance to meet her ever, she was super sick when I arrived, but I know that she made such a difference on the ward here. Members talk about her all the time and how wonderful of a lday she is and how that she is a huge part of the reason that the church was brought to the Outer banks. We are all sad with her loss.

We had a really great lesson with a Less active member, Hermana Diaz. She is such a wonderful lady! Bishop came with us and we had the chance to share the 'prepared in a manner that never had been known' with her from general conference. It was heart-warming to see that the less active members are being more open with us. And then when bishop was there it was even better because he could invite them to the christmas dinner and things. It was great to see them reacting. We also had the chance to meet her husband for the first time, and hopefully he will take interest in learning about the gospel! :)

Brother Kelly is our new assistant ward mission leader and he is just the best! He was telling us his conversion story and he is just a hoot. :) Shout out to Brother Kelly! :)

We are still obsessed with Surf N' Spoon, and I have a new found dream of owning a store kind of like it. haha. :) I'll fill you in on the details later. :) but i am obsessed, between that and Duck Doughnuts, life is good. :)

We don't have very much other than that happening, just the normal knock some doors, talk to people. We have been teaching a few other people but nothing too significant happened in their lessons, just the normal stuff. :)

Funny story though. So one morning hermana Johnson and I are sleeping, like that sort of waking up sleep... alarm goes off at 6:25.... I hear, "Mom, do you want to sleep in until 6:30 or get up at 6:25?" I was laughing so hard, so I answer "6:30" (cause, hello I was like dead tired.... dead... haha... never been so exhausted in my life!). You could hear the pure disappointment and confusion when my voice was the answer, Hermana Johnson "oh... okay". So hilarious! Mom, just so you know we still think about you even when we are sleeping! :) And we still do it even if we are both over a year old. haha. :)

Oh and someone hit our car! Lame! We think they were backing out and their mirror hit our car, but it is all scraped up and now we have to file a report... lame! And they didn't leave a note. :'( It's not too bad... we didn't notice it right off the bat so we don't even know what parking lot we got it from. But lame! haha. 

I love you all so much! I have been really enjoying this holiday season. It has been fun to work up to the holidays and now that they are here it will blow my mind how quickly they'll leave us. :) Just think... one month and I'll be talking to you! AHHHHHH!!! 

I love you all. Know I have a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am so grateful for the chance I have to share it each and every day. I know the Savior is there for all of us, time of plenty or times of sadness. Communicate with your Father in Heaven, he wants to hear from you.  

I love you! Have a great week! Know I love and miss you. 

Love, 

Hermana Gray

My disgusting blisters after walk and talk, gross

Waiting for English class, which they ditched us because they were all working...lame.

Walk and talk

Jockey's Ridge

One year down...

Hello Family and Friends!!!

Once again it is already time to email all of you..... WEIRD! Time does fly.

This week made me think A LOT of my mission... haha. I am still just amazed that I got on a plane a year ago... :)

What in the world is a mission?!? haha. I believe the church is true even if just for the fact that young adults around the world sacrifice 18 months to two years of their lives to bring others unto Christ. Just saying... what crazy parents let them do that? ;)

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!!

Live really is just wonderful.

This week I had a blast. It FLEW by yet again. . I feel like I am going to blink and all of a sudden be home. haha.

This week surprisingly was deep clean, although looking at our house now I don't know if you could tell it was. . . we ran out of garbage bags so we have just been setting a pile of garbage. It is just bad. But Tuesday was mostly spent cleaning. Our house looked dang good if I do say so. I had the chore of deep cleaning our oven... which is fixed now! Whoot whoot!

Basically missionaries have only been living here for about 8 months now and so I go to clean this oven... NEVER had been deep cleaned! DISGUSTING! It had about a quarter inch layer of think black gunk on the bottom. Let me just say that I got the 'dirtiest job' award for deep clean. :) Although now our oven looks sparkling new... :)

Eduardo and Fernando are just the greatest investigators! They are both so INCREDIBLE!!! They both are planning on getting baptized on November 29th! :)

We are so happy for them! We had a couple of really excellent lessons with them.

Bishop and his wife came with us to a lesson and we talked about the importance of prayer, and scripture study and it was just so powerful. The spirit was strong. The both bore powerful testimonies. Fernando was so stinking adorable too, we asked him to say the closing prayer, then he says...'I have to say something first, you always bring these older folks with you to lessons... (at this point we are thinking... oh crap he is going to ask us to not bring members!!) but then he gave the most sincere compliment to the members of our ward. I don't even know how to express the feelings he expressed in English. haha. They were just too deep to explain. It was so sincere though. He thanked them for their testimonies and just their good spirits. It was so nice!

They also led us into our next lesson which is definitely Heavenly Father working. They brought up the question of if we drink coffee and tea or not because there is this song in Spanish from a Guatemalan singer that talks about a bunch of different religions and this just so happens to be part of the song. haha. The neat thing was we had already planned on that being our next lesson... what a great lead in to the Word of Wisdom! :)

We had a completely different lesson on the WOW. I felt really inspired during studies that we needed to talk about a picture of the temple and then during the lesson draw on it and talk about it again. (I wouldn't suggest this in all circumstances but I felt super strongly about it... and it just broke my heart to draw on the temple. :( ) But Heavenly Father knows best!

They both were so devastated and they were just describing their feelings towards it. Fernando shared a story of someone drawing on his country's flag. It was intense. But they both committed to live it. :) And we talked to him on Sunday and he had already reduced his coffee intake to ONE a day!!! :) whoot whoot! That was a huge miracle and blessing! The lord knows how to help each and every one of us! They are both so prepared. Heavenly Father knows each of us so personally. :)

We met with our investigator Telma. She is doing great, she is super cute. Only has been in the US for about a month now. She is so great though. We taught her about the book of Mormon and shared our testimonies with her. We also are teaching her English.

English Class... sorry moo, not anything funny this week! It was just English class. :) They always are just funny but there wasn't anything that hilarious this week.

We did get to order some Spencer Yachts hoodies though! Whoot whoot! :) Our mission leader is so wonderful! We all got some matching green ones. I can't wait for them to get in. :)

This week I also learned that I am technologically in TROUBLE!! haha. I was trying to pull up a conference talk at a less actives house.... it was just bad. First off we tried it on the TV which we finally get there and tehn the updates werent' compatible. Then she gave me her I-pad.... it was just a bad get together. :) I am going to be behind in the times though. :) Technologically incapable here. :) Seriously.. the phone we have is a slide phone that we don't have enough data memory that we have to individually delete texts... haha. Ahhhhh!!!

My YEAR MARK was here!!! And in honor of that we went to Surf N' Spoon... DELICIOUS! We always enjoy some fro-yo! I can't believe I have been out a year though. I have decided to start re-reading my journal from the CCM. It is pretty darn hilarious. I am such a blonde... :) here is a flashback to my first day in the mission....

Plane Ride:

I really have to go to the bathroom on the plane. But I have that awkward... "I don't want to use this restroom on the plane.. (horror memories from my first flight, aka Disneyland and not knowing where the bathroom was...) anyways. . I didn't want to use the restroom so I was holding it.. Then decided I couldn't. And had to face my fears. Get all the way to the bathroom and start to try to go in. Can't figure out the door for the life of me.... then the flight attendant looks at me and says 'PUSH'... yes, right in front of my face are four bright big red letters "PUSH". :) Yes, welcome to my life.  haha.

We had zone meeting this week. Our mission focus for the month is on conversion. It was a good meeting, long but good.

We went to Panera afterwards which is like an East coast zuppa type thing (not as good but decent). We had fun though.

Saturday was ROUGH. .. we had walk and talk for three hours.... or in our case 'walk' for three hours. WE have hit a cold front here. It has been FREEZING the last little bit. We have been in the 40-50 (I know utha is colder but for here it is cold!). And it is humid which makes it all the more cold. But point of the story is that literally everyone was inside where we were walking besides us. ....

but literally with three minutes left we met Tim. So if Tim happens to call the sisters then it will all have been worth it! :)

We did eat at G-deli though which was DELICIOUS! I love that place. Family.... we will eat there when we come back to visit. :) Caitlyn came with us and she is just a hoot. (bishops daughter). We went and taught a lesson then she joined us for dinner. I love talking to her. She is so fun!

Sunday was good. We had a FHE at Brother Kelly's home. We watched Ephraim's Rescue and had brownies. It was so fun! The sister's had a few investigators there so it made it worth it.

Overall my week was pretty great! Just the normal missionary life... sorry it probably seems super boring! haha. But all is well. :)

I love you all so much! I miss you lots too! Can't believe it has been a year. . wow! I am also super excited to talk to you all on Christmas! :) haha. I don't know why the stretch from Christmas to mother's day goes so quick... but mother's day to Christmas is forever. :) That extra month makes a huge difference! haha.

Well,

Love you!

Hope you all have a great week!

Have fun visiting baby Alisa! Give her a kiss for me! :)

Love you,

Hermana Gray

Deep Clean...