Family and Friends,
I love you all so much! I am so grateful for all of you and the support you have given me.
I know that many of you have received my Christmas card! I am happy that you found some joy in it. . I am a hoot what can I say?? ;) Nah, it is just a classic movie. :)
This week I have been truly blessed to have the opportunity to do some really miraculous things. We were blessed to have a mission conference with an seventy, Elder Snow and his wife. We spent Friday driving up to Virginia and meeting all the other missionaries at my old stompin ground in VA Beach. It was wonderful to see all the Hermanas again and meet the two new ones who are with us.
I enjoyed the conference very much. We had the opportunity to shake his hand before the conference than receive some very inspired training. All the time we had with him was very fun and entertaining. We focused a lot on finding investigators. . the whole mission right now is struggling with that. (From our 26 investigators we are now down to 3... haha. A story for another day..). but it was an inspirational training due to the fact that he related it to a chain and spoke of 6 different parts of the chain and what we need to do to help the "weak links". It was really fun and it is such a different environment to be a missionary with a seventy or an apostle. They are stern with you but they are also very laid back and you realize they are human too. It is neat.
At one point it was really hilarious because he says for the next 20 minutes or so I am going to direct my thoughts to those who are going home.... haha. Everyone's face drops... so many people are going home this transfer though. We lose a lot of people. :(
But he spoke of 6 things that we need to do as missionaries once we get home.
1- Show appreciation for those who supported you on your mission
2- Share a strong spiritual testimony (especially to the youth)
3- Stay ACTIVE in the church
4- Take the next few years to get an education so you can help build the kingdom later.
5- Remember what you have learned on your mission
6- do not unnecessarily delay Marriage!
It was really intense... my companions were hilarious throughout the whole thing... freaking out a little. They are going to be great though when they go home. I just know it.
I think the reason I enjoy my companions so much is that they really remind me of Marci and Collin. It is really freaky.... but it is also really fun! We have lots of fun together. I will be sad to see them go... don't worry I have already cried about it a few times. . haha. But I really will miss them. I asked my mission president about it and he was really funny in his response because he said 'that is how Sister Baker and I feel each time a set of missionaries leaves us.' ... poor them! That is all I have to say! haha.
This week we also had the chance to have the Candy Bomber come to the church and speak with us. He ate dinner with us and then we listened to him give a talk for about 10 minutes. It was really wonderful. He spoke on gratitude and the importance of the little decisions we make in life. I love being a missionary! he was so wonderful. He thanked us so much for the work we do. He gave us a shout out. Then it was neat because we were setting up the sacrament room with the chairs when he was getting ready to leave.. Mostly everyone was gone at this point. Then he came and shook all of our hands again and thanked us individually. He also told us a little bit about his grandkids on their missions. It was neat.
When I was getting my picture with him he was hilarious because he was going to put his arm around me then he was like 'oh wait.... I can't put my arm around you!' He was a really funny old man. He did his last candy drop on the outer banks on Sunday afternoon. I heard that the turn out was really great.
Our investigators have officially dropped off planet earth.. or they aren't progressing.... super sad. We have only three investigators right now so we are working on finding at the moment. We will see lots of miracles though! :) We didn't have any lessons this week.
We visited Eduardo this week, Fernando was visiting family in New bern, so we went to Eduardo's. We watched 17 Miracles with him. It was really a special experience. Our members who were going to have us in their home ended up canceling last minute so we asked him if he had a way we could watch a movie... so he set up a little dvd player (like ones you would use in a car). And we ended up watching this movie with him in his garage. His roommates don't like us so they always have their lessons in the garage. It was just really a humbling experience. We watched our pioneer ancestors on the screen trekking through ice water, and here we were in a garage cold because it was really cold that night. . we had a cold front move in and it was icy water in the air.
I was just truly humbled and appreciative for what our ancestors did for us to bring their posterity the gospel. It was a humbling experience.
This week we also had a Christmas Cantada. we went to Elizabeth city yesterday and listened to musical performances. It was really spiritual and brought in some of the true meaning of Christmas!
My companions and I are hilarious. We keep playing jokes on each other. .
Anyways.. I got this package from the Francom's (THANK YOU!), and it had this HUGE thing of nutella in it... Delicious. Anyways... Hermana Johnson decided to hide my nutella from me. I notice while she is gone find it then re hide it somewhere else. So I ask her 'where is my nutella' and she is like fine fine... goes to find it then realizes it really is 'missing'. Hermana Valdez then gets blamed and chased around the house until the nutella is shows up. it was hilarious. Hermana Valdez was also running around in socks which made it all the more funny on the hard wood floors.. she slips out from under her feet and comes about an inch down from a hutch that we have. . close call! But it was hilarious. . and My nutella is safe. ;)
Hermana Valdez and I also decided to play a joke on Hermana Johnson. Last night Hermana Valdez had been saying how she was super itchy. . so we were thinking... we need to make it look like you have the shingles... haha. So I proceed to use some bright red lipstick with a q-tip and draw little dots on her back towards her stomach. . . then Hermana VAldez acts all itchy and asks Hermana Johnson to scratch her back... and then she lifts up her shirt to scratch it better and Hermana Johnson PANICS! So hiliairous. I about peed my pants laughing. It was so funny.... I should have set up the video camera. We got her good. She books it out of the room to go grab the phone. So hilarious. we got her good... I am sure one day I will get into so much trouble because I keep pulling pranks on my companions. ;)
I really am going to miss them when they leave. . It is becoming more of a reality... their "trunky papers" arrived in the mail this week. :( I am going to miss them.. they really are like sisters to me. I have already threatened them a lot if they don't write or email me... and if they don't hang out with me when I get back.
This next week we have lots of fun stuff planned. Christmas is just around the corner!
I can't believe I talk to you in 10 days! NUTS!! I love you all so much. .
I hope you have a great week...
I have so much to say yet so little time... Sorry!
love you
Hermana Gray
I love you all so much! I am so grateful for all of you and the support you have given me.
I know that many of you have received my Christmas card! I am happy that you found some joy in it. . I am a hoot what can I say?? ;) Nah, it is just a classic movie. :)
This week I have been truly blessed to have the opportunity to do some really miraculous things. We were blessed to have a mission conference with an seventy, Elder Snow and his wife. We spent Friday driving up to Virginia and meeting all the other missionaries at my old stompin ground in VA Beach. It was wonderful to see all the Hermanas again and meet the two new ones who are with us.
I enjoyed the conference very much. We had the opportunity to shake his hand before the conference than receive some very inspired training. All the time we had with him was very fun and entertaining. We focused a lot on finding investigators. . the whole mission right now is struggling with that. (From our 26 investigators we are now down to 3... haha. A story for another day..). but it was an inspirational training due to the fact that he related it to a chain and spoke of 6 different parts of the chain and what we need to do to help the "weak links". It was really fun and it is such a different environment to be a missionary with a seventy or an apostle. They are stern with you but they are also very laid back and you realize they are human too. It is neat.
At one point it was really hilarious because he says for the next 20 minutes or so I am going to direct my thoughts to those who are going home.... haha. Everyone's face drops... so many people are going home this transfer though. We lose a lot of people. :(
But he spoke of 6 things that we need to do as missionaries once we get home.
1- Show appreciation for those who supported you on your mission
2- Share a strong spiritual testimony (especially to the youth)
3- Stay ACTIVE in the church
4- Take the next few years to get an education so you can help build the kingdom later.
5- Remember what you have learned on your mission
6- do not unnecessarily delay Marriage!
It was really intense... my companions were hilarious throughout the whole thing... freaking out a little. They are going to be great though when they go home. I just know it.
I think the reason I enjoy my companions so much is that they really remind me of Marci and Collin. It is really freaky.... but it is also really fun! We have lots of fun together. I will be sad to see them go... don't worry I have already cried about it a few times. . haha. But I really will miss them. I asked my mission president about it and he was really funny in his response because he said 'that is how Sister Baker and I feel each time a set of missionaries leaves us.' ... poor them! That is all I have to say! haha.
This week we also had the chance to have the Candy Bomber come to the church and speak with us. He ate dinner with us and then we listened to him give a talk for about 10 minutes. It was really wonderful. He spoke on gratitude and the importance of the little decisions we make in life. I love being a missionary! he was so wonderful. He thanked us so much for the work we do. He gave us a shout out. Then it was neat because we were setting up the sacrament room with the chairs when he was getting ready to leave.. Mostly everyone was gone at this point. Then he came and shook all of our hands again and thanked us individually. He also told us a little bit about his grandkids on their missions. It was neat.
When I was getting my picture with him he was hilarious because he was going to put his arm around me then he was like 'oh wait.... I can't put my arm around you!' He was a really funny old man. He did his last candy drop on the outer banks on Sunday afternoon. I heard that the turn out was really great.
Our investigators have officially dropped off planet earth.. or they aren't progressing.... super sad. We have only three investigators right now so we are working on finding at the moment. We will see lots of miracles though! :) We didn't have any lessons this week.
We visited Eduardo this week, Fernando was visiting family in New bern, so we went to Eduardo's. We watched 17 Miracles with him. It was really a special experience. Our members who were going to have us in their home ended up canceling last minute so we asked him if he had a way we could watch a movie... so he set up a little dvd player (like ones you would use in a car). And we ended up watching this movie with him in his garage. His roommates don't like us so they always have their lessons in the garage. It was just really a humbling experience. We watched our pioneer ancestors on the screen trekking through ice water, and here we were in a garage cold because it was really cold that night. . we had a cold front move in and it was icy water in the air.
I was just truly humbled and appreciative for what our ancestors did for us to bring their posterity the gospel. It was a humbling experience.
This week we also had a Christmas Cantada. we went to Elizabeth city yesterday and listened to musical performances. It was really spiritual and brought in some of the true meaning of Christmas!
My companions and I are hilarious. We keep playing jokes on each other. .
Anyways.. I got this package from the Francom's (THANK YOU!), and it had this HUGE thing of nutella in it... Delicious. Anyways... Hermana Johnson decided to hide my nutella from me. I notice while she is gone find it then re hide it somewhere else. So I ask her 'where is my nutella' and she is like fine fine... goes to find it then realizes it really is 'missing'. Hermana Valdez then gets blamed and chased around the house until the nutella is shows up. it was hilarious. Hermana Valdez was also running around in socks which made it all the more funny on the hard wood floors.. she slips out from under her feet and comes about an inch down from a hutch that we have. . close call! But it was hilarious. . and My nutella is safe. ;)
Hermana Valdez and I also decided to play a joke on Hermana Johnson. Last night Hermana Valdez had been saying how she was super itchy. . so we were thinking... we need to make it look like you have the shingles... haha. So I proceed to use some bright red lipstick with a q-tip and draw little dots on her back towards her stomach. . . then Hermana VAldez acts all itchy and asks Hermana Johnson to scratch her back... and then she lifts up her shirt to scratch it better and Hermana Johnson PANICS! So hiliairous. I about peed my pants laughing. It was so funny.... I should have set up the video camera. We got her good. She books it out of the room to go grab the phone. So hilarious. we got her good... I am sure one day I will get into so much trouble because I keep pulling pranks on my companions. ;)
I really am going to miss them when they leave. . It is becoming more of a reality... their "trunky papers" arrived in the mail this week. :( I am going to miss them.. they really are like sisters to me. I have already threatened them a lot if they don't write or email me... and if they don't hang out with me when I get back.
This next week we have lots of fun stuff planned. Christmas is just around the corner!
I can't believe I talk to you in 10 days! NUTS!! I love you all so much. .
I hope you have a great week...
I have so much to say yet so little time... Sorry!
love you
Hermana Gray
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| p.s. I think someone has a better picture of us with him...I will get a better one from the hermanas. ;) |
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| Good ole Caitlin Maher ;) She is a hoot. |
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