Sunday, October 4, 2015

I'm Leaving. . on a Jet Plane. . . don't know when I'll be back again!



Hello Family and Friends,
This is it... the LAST email from the infamous Hermana Gray! Can you believe it?!? Together we have survived 18 months.
So many miracles have occurred over these last 18 months.. too numerous to count. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have had to serve as a missionary for the church of Jesus Christ of latter Day Saints. I have seen many lives change due to this gospel. Christ's church is here again on the earth, I know that he is our Savior and Redeemer.  Through the Atonement we can and will be healed. He knows our weaknesses and our strengths. He uses them to bless the lives of others each day.I know as we put forth more effort to share the gospel others will change for the better and so will we. We are to lead by example.
I am grateful for this day, my last day to stand as a representative of the Savior. (only as a full time missionary of course!). I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for his willingness to let me learn, to let me struggle, to let me have trials to make me stronger.
I know that this isn't my last time here... I may not know when I'll be back again, but it is a short time until I will be with these people, my new family, again.
I love yall so much!
 
Para siempre Dios este con vos. (manana)
 
Hermana Gray
 
sorry to keep it short but I'll see you tomorrow! =)
 


The Sisters/Hermanas threw me a 18 Month Party!

Alex and Tony bought me a Hello Kitty ice cream cake as a going
away party at our last lesson together. 

Washington, Idaho, and Utah! Good thing a mission brought us together!


District Picture

Zone Picture

Worlds smallest turtle!


Frank and Maria Balladares

Brother Kelly!


Our last ward mission meeting, our friday pancakes. . 


Hermana Earl is going to miss me!

Patrick Kelly

Kyle Buske

Happy Mother's Day!

Sisters Barker and Brakey, Hermana Limb, Earl, and I. 

Duke and Cathy Spencer

Sister Missy Groppel

Brother and Sister Hoggan

Sister Melissa Moore

Girrlllll. . . you look like a Porcelain doll.

Hola Familia y amigos!
Well this week was HILARIOUS! Full of many exciting adventures and seriously it was just fun. That's how I am going to leave the mission... just having as much fun as I can! (along with doing missionary work of course!).
Where to start with interesting stories??
This week we were walking to one of our appointments and in the true missionary fashion we were talking with EVERYONE along their way.
So we meet this black guy who was stinking hilarious. His name was Robbie. As we are talking to him he is just being so hilarious. He says "I see yall walking down here all the time.... what are ya Jehovah's Witnesses??"
As we are talking he keeps making funny comments. He asked us where we were walking to and we tell him that we were walking to this one trailer park. "Girls... now where your car at? You pretty girls don't need to be walking.... I know yall probably think ya fat and all but girls you mighty fine... now this one (Me... haha.) ya look like a porcelain doll."
We talk to him for a while longer. . meanwhile he says "girl ya like a porcelain doll" to me like a bazillion times. I just laugh it off. And he told us to go get our car like five times too. It was just a hoot.
We did end up talking to his next door neighbor though and giving him a book of Mormon. :) It was a great day.
 
Another fun experience we had was with this guy named Javier.
The only night we did have scheduled for dinner until I leave was Saturday. So Hermana Limb, Earl, and I decide we are going to eat at the taco trailer... yes! I am so excited all day. On our their way we are just happier then ever talking to everyone... get there... NO ONE is there... literally NO cars.. nothing. (maybe they shut down?) anyways... I was all sad about it. Disappointed that I was not going to eat some real tacos...
As we are walking back to the car I am like... lets walk the main road so we can talk to more people. Walking back... Hermana Limb views this old Hispanic guy goes up to talk to him... asks him in English if he wants a card. (I recognize immediately he doesn't speak English. haha. So I think it is hilarious at this point). He then is like "I don't speak English". Then we talk to him in Spanish. Meanwhile his friend, Javier, comes out. He then invites us in to eat... low and behold. . .. TACOS!
I am STOKED! He then lets us in and we eat tacos with him! He is hilarious... he keeps on being like my house is your house, etc. Yes, He was a little drunk but he was super nice and didn't do anything weird. He did get a little touchy. haha.
But he proceeds to make us tacos. I am like this is too good of a moment to NOT get  a photo so I ask him if I can take a photo. He's like wait... then proceeds to set up the kitchen so I can get a good 'action shot' of him cooking. (yes... yes... hilarious).
He gives us all tacos. I get three really dang good tacos! Heavenly father was watching out for me... I was just so excited for them. Hermana Earl and Limb got three really fatty meat tacos... they struggled. Hermana Earl had to slip some into a napkin and stick it in her bag. haha.
But to me they were pretty darn delicious! =)
 
One thing that I think is funny to think about is that Heavenly Father really does watch out for his missionaries. I mean... three young girls... speaking Spanish to this random drunk guy... get offered tacos (hello red flag!)... but yet we all survive are fine and we even taught him a short lesson. And we set a return appointment up with him. Sometimes I think if mom and dad knew everything I did as a missionary they would not have let me go. . ;) Good thing I am done soon so I don't have them petition for me to come home early. haha.
 
Now for a spiritual experience of the week. .
We have a new investigator! (actually two! but that is for a different time)...
We were looking through our formers last week and decided to call this man named Victor. As we were talking to him and seeing if we could meet with him again he was so enthusiastic and excited. He set up a lesson for sunday.
We call him sunday before the lesson and are checking to make sure everything was still good (he said he might have to work). DRASTIC difference..
I heard him hesitate before he said yes we can come over... I was all skeptical at this point... what could the change be? We went in prepared to teach the Restoration fo the gospel. within the first few minutes I could feel that it wasn't what we were supposed to teach. . proceed to talk to him for a few moments. His dad died the Friday we called him of lung cancer.  He told us that he wasn't sure what happens after this life. I had the opportunity to bare testimony of the plan of salvation. Share with him about my grandfathers and also just of my certainty of him seeing his dad again. It was a really spiritual lesson.
 
this week we also met Alonso! (I think...)...
He was sitting on the porch of a less actives house and he proceeds to let us in. We talk to him... teach him the whole restoration. It was very spiritual. His dad had also died a few days before we got there. He then proceeded to tell us how he'd been sitting on the porch and was all sad but when he saw us his attitude changed. He knew he needed to talk with us. We then asked him if he wanted to learn more. the bummer thing is is he lives in Elizabeth City full time. So we have to give him over to the zone leaders. It will be a hoot for them to teach him though with the language barrier. I think they might try to set up a way where they can have us Skype in to teach him. Although I am sure they can just teach him since he's been here for about 15 years... He understand English pretty decently. :)
 
Well family.... it's the final countdown...
 
I love yall so much! I am excited to see yall next week and talk to ya on sunday!
Be good, be safe. 
I'll see ya next week.
Over and out.
Hermana Gray 
Brother and Sister Bruce

Jasmin

Random guy that made us tacos




The Clark's

Sister Huggins

Hermanas to the Rescue!

Hey Family and Friends!
This week was just full of craziness, and miracles!
We were doing studies Tuesday Morning (a little delayed because we had taken our car to get an oil change). As we are doing language study we get this alarming text from the sisters... "So we might need to you to come get us... "
haha. Their car had broken down... anyways here starts the adventure of Hermanas to the Rescue. We then speedily race to them. (haha. Okay we didn't speed... never, we are missionaries. ;) ). We did add coolant to their car, then we finally got a hold of Elder Ashton and he told them that they had to have their car get towed to the dealership... lets just say this day was jam packed full of weirdness! Overall.... their car is back, and it is running well. The engine was overheating but there was some recall on a part in their car and also there was a leak in their coolant tank... haha. Oh poor sisters. :) They crack me up though.
We are having the time of our lives. . Okay well at least I am!
We are just talking to everyone trying to see as many people as we possibly can..
Carlos is still doing so wonderful! He is progressing towards baptism at a rapid pace. We are trying to see him today, especially because we couldn't see him yesterday. He did come to church but his apartment lease is up soon so he was apartment searching yesterday. He enjoys church so much and he committed to the Word of Wisdom. I have seen so many miracles with those who are trying to live the word of wisdom. Their lives and those around them's lives change dramatically. The spirit is always more abundant!
Tony came with us to dinner yesterday night. He showed up dressed all fancy (he was going to come in jeans and a tshirt but his roommate told him he needed to dress nicer). Really it wouldn't have mattered. He shows up with cheesecake in hand. And then he really enjoyed himself throughout dinner. Socializing up the wall! I am always so happy to see the ward just friendship those into the ward. He loved it! We ended up leaving before he did and he stayed for a while longer. :)
We had so much fun this last week... visiting all of those around us. We saw so many people this week.
We finally saw Hermana Midgett! She is a hoot. We talked about charity with her and she is just the cutest old lady ever. :)
I also saw Hermana Diaz and as we shared the conference video on enduring to the end her heart was softened and she was telling us so much about enduring life and trials. Super wonderful lesson. She then was concerned about when I was leaving and made sure to schedule a dinner before I left! =) I'm excited for some Peruvian food. whoot whoot!

Interviews were this week and it was so great to see President and sister Baker. They are so sweet. THey truly do so much for us missionaries. I am so happy to have them in my life. They are always so concerned for us missionaries!

Sorry! I took way too much time looking at all my emails so this is definitely just a skim of my week... just remember I will tell you EVERYTHING and anything in this here coming future! =)

Love yall!
See you soon!

Hermana Gray









Hermana Francisca Midgett


Hermana Enma Diaz

Juan Carlos "Alex", Me, and Tony



Brother Spencer with his derby car. 


Al & Maggie Fieckert

Ernst Family

Brother and Sister Jacobson

Henderson Family