Welcome back to the USA!!!! Virginia HERE I COME!!

Well as my headline says. . ..  LESS THAN 12 HOURS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So crazy! I am finally heading to the FIELD! What is this! Time seriously has just flown the last little bit. No joke, and it doesn’t even feel like Christmas. That is the weird part! =) But I am so excited to head out to Virginia! =) WAHOOO!!!! 
If you didn’t get my flight plan I think my plane leaves at seven in the morning and then I have a layover in Georgia (where yes, I will have the HUGEST Dr. Pepper in the world!) and then I will head to Virginia! Wahoo! I should land I think around 4 Virginia time! =) Don{t know what time that is in Utah! Everyone say some prayers that I will be able to fit all my stuff in my bags. . . haha. And navigate the airports! Not too worried about the airport more so for the weight limit. . . haha. =) Apparently I pack a lot. According to everyone! I will be packing after this so it is all good. I already think I will be fine but prayers anyway! =)
Well I guess I will start with last week! 
Oh my goodness. . .last week was a FIESTA in Mexico! Dia de Guadelupe (Mary) was happening. Oh my goodness was that INSANE! No joke fireworks were going off NON STOP for at least 36 hours! Crazy sauce. This is the day they do the pilgrammage for the catholic church to the bassura. . (i think that is what its called). Anyways the building is like 3 miles from here! So it is insane. People from all around the country walk to the church thing and most of them do the last like ten miles or something on their knees to show dedication. It was really neat to experience it sort of. . Obviously I didn’t see much but we HEARD it all day. haha. It was really fun! =) Apparently something like 6 million people were in this area on that day. So it was pretty crazy if you can imagine! =) 
Hermana Leslie’s mom also made us this bread thing which was pretty good. It wasn’t my favorite but it wasn’t bad either. She was like the sweetest lady in the world! Super incredible! =) 
Last friday we also had a whole day of preparation for the field! So great! 
We had like mini classes all day and learned a lot. We watched the video of the three young men who carried the pioneers across the Sweet water. So GOOD! Love that video. We talked about miracles and they did this demonstration of fitting an egg into a glass jar. So neat! Love it! And how we have to exercise faith to receive miracles. And how a miracle is a natural consequence of obedience. =) We worked on contacting people in the streets which was pretty fun! Interesting for sure and they gave us LOTS of tips. . I think it will be such a shock to get into the field but so nice. 
They had us write our goals for our mission on a balloon then as a demo they had our "companion" who was our leader ruin our balloon by popping it and basically how you need to protect your goals and if you believe you will have success you will! =) It was really such a wonderful day! =)
Sunday was SO great! It was our last sunday and it was super duper weird and sad. They sang god be with you ‘til we meet again for the people leaving. It was so great. Only 25 missionaries will be replacing us this week and like 60 are leaving. It will be so small here for christmas. Sunday was great though. Learned SO much! I gave a talk in Sacrament meeting. . in Espanol of course! It was on how to become obedient and I related it to the Stripling warriors because that is what I had been reading recently! It went really well and the branch presidency all came up and told me my talk was super awesome so that was nice of them! Although I probably slaughtered spanish the whole time!!! I finished Alma! Side note but I DID IT! =) I was happy! 
Anyways in Sacrament we also had the chance to sing TWICE! The girls in the zone sang a special song Silent night in English and then our district sang our goodbye song. . Tengo gozo en mi alma hoy (sunshine in my soul) It went really well! 
It was also funny because the new district who blessed the sacrament (your first week the new district does sacrament) But they forgot H. Williams tortilla (she is gluten intolerant) and so we ended up having to go back to take the sacrament again. It was great though. 
That night the devotional was great and then we watched a movie too. To this end was I born and the one about Taylor. . . can{t think of his first name! It was a great night. 
It was also super depressing because we started saying goodbye to people and it was my last day with H. Williams. =( So sad! 
We said goodbye though and it turned out well. It is SO weird to not have all of my district here. You grow so close and don{t realize it until you are gone. . .it is so weird! I miss them all so much 
The girls all left (besides me) on monday morning at three. I had to drop of H. Williams in the morning. It was super early! But it went well. Our elders all got up and said goodbye to them at 2 in the morning! They met us at reception! They are the greatest! They surprised us all! It is so weird because you grow so close and it is like saying goodbye to your family all over again! But they are all going to be such successful missionaries. 
We have just been doing random things to get ready to leave. . Packing, going to random classes (as in switching between districts). We lucked out and had the chance to go to the temple today! SO BEAUTIFUL! I will miss it! And it is kind of cool because I have been through Mexico City the same amount as Timp! =) Just saying. . The temple is so incredible though1 We receive so many blessings from going and I love the feeling of bettering others lives. 
I have been hanging with Hermana Roemicch it was SO HARD the first day. . She wanted to be with her district and I wanted to be with mine. Her district all left on Monday though so I was glad cause today we have been hanging with mine. It is good though. I only had one mental break down at lunch to H. Decoster and H. Davis about it. I think it was more that She just wasn’t Hermana Williams and I was struggling with it cause me and H. Williams are gemelas! And it was just a hard day but it turned out good! Today I am just so excited to leave for the field!!! =) AHHH!!! 
It is the best night to end too! Devotional and American Pizza night! I love it! =) And tomorrow I will get to have real american food! =) Can{t wait! 
it looks like everything is going great back home! I miss you all so much and love to see all the things you are doing! Apparently I have some packages on the way so I can{t wait to get those either! =) you all are the greatest! =)
Mama dear, H. Leslie LOVED the bookmark! and I promised H. Williams you would make her your delicious Chicken sprite stuff when we get back! Also if you have Alpura yogurt in the US FIND IT AND LOVE IT! Saved my life at the CCM! So delicious! =) I love the mango one and peach, the strawberry coconut one isn{t bad either! 
It is so weird to not have H. Williams with me. . . she gets back two days before me on the mission! So weird but she says she will come to the airport  =) haha. I love that girl! She is seriously like my twin it is so weird! =) 
I love you family! Can’t wait to see you all on Christmas (through Skype hopefully??) or at least talk to you! Love you all! Be safe! Have fun in the snow !=) 
Love, 
Hermana Gray


Totally forgot to write about this but they put on this Mexican christmas program for us!!!!!! 

So crazy and weird and random but I LOVED IT!!! }

It was the mexican reenactment of the birth of Christ. They had like a pinata in the middle and threw candy to us. And they had a bunch of dancing and stuff! It was INSANE!

So crazy fun not really spiritual persay but it was INCREDIBLE! A much needed break from spiritual stuff but it was just a fun little bit of Christmas spirit! =)

Random but fun! 

Love you be safe! Call you soon! 

Hugs and kisses! =)

And I am super stoked for the packages! That is so fun that people miss me! Bishop sent me a picture of dr pepper last week so he could say that he doubled his intake for me. haha. =) Thanks Bishop. .. But it was hilarious! 

I vote you attach pictures some emails! Love to see the pictures! So fun! Miss you be safe and eat some snow for me! Just make sure it isn't yellow! And if you want do a snow angel too! =) Like we did for collin! 

P.s. did you guys make a chain for me?!??! I bet it a LOT shorter than collins was! =) =) 

LOVE YOU!! Need to go pack but i love you! Welcome to Virginia for me! =)

Me and My Latino Friends

The last of our district at the temple today.  Perry, Bryner and Me

With our Branch Presidency last Sunday

One of the worst pictures of me ever, but two of my favorite people!  Lemmon and Garcia! Both headed to Utah! =)  Watch for them.

Us with our teachers

Hermana Polo and Hermana Leslie

The girls in our casa!  All the latinas...and us white girls!  Now it is just me and Roemicch....lonely

Our district pointing at the maps

The girls in our zone now.  Our district with H. Decoster and H. Davis.  Davis is the short one with the blonde hair and Decoster has her hair up with the red shirt. =)

For Allie

Week 5 at the CCM

Hola Familia! =)

Oh my goodness does time FLY at the CCM! No joke I cannot believe it is my LAST week in the CCM. . . it is seriously SO crazy! I cannot believe that I will be officially in the field in a week today! I don’t know how next week will really pan out because all the girls in my district leave Monday and I leave Wednesday so I will have to be a trio with someone when my comp leaves. . . I am hoping on the inside that I can somehow get a district who goes to the temple next week. . .try to sneak in again and go four times! But probably not. . . just probably will be a normal two days. . =)

With that being said I went to the temple today! So beautiful as per normal! All decorated for Christmas. The veil was SO much easier this time! Definitely understood so much more than before! =)  The temple is INCREDIBLE it is such an incredible experience to go through as a missionary. Definitely a unique thing to get to experience! =) and I had the chance to see it all decorated for Christmas, and when it was normal. And it’s cool because we are one of the last groups to get to go through all time because they are closing it in January to be remodeled!! =) Such a great blessing!

Christmas is in the AIR! It is so weird to not have snow but see Christmas everywhere! They definitely are trying at the CCM! Trees are EVERYWHERE and bunch of lights and nativities. It is so unique to be in the field at Christmas. And I love it because poinsettias are EVERYWHERE! They just plant them directly in the ground here so it is so beautiful. 

I had the "new year’s fairy" come! Okay not really. . . but sort of! Hermana Williams family does the SAME tradition minus they do it on December 5th for papa noel! So we decided to do it here! And it kind of felt like the Easter bunny because "he" hid our shoes!!! haha. I found mine in the shower! =) Great times at the CCM! It was so fun to have a little bit of tradition though! =) Tiff good job on getting the entire decor out! I am sure mom LOVED it! And I bet the house looks gorgeous! Apparently the tree was done well, good job Dustin, Tiff and Coll! =) Sounds like Christmas is getting busy! =)

Hermana Williams was sick one of the days this week! She had a horrible cold and it was just bad. But the elders gave her a blessing so that was really neat. And I think the doctor here thinks I am abusing her or something because it was like our 4th time there for her.  Whoops! And then she got a crazy bug bite on her eyelid and her eye puffed up! I felt so bad. But I did recognize it wasn’t pink eye or anything right away (thanks to my mad eye doctor skills, I think I can be the eye doc of the family. . .watch out Coll! I’m fighting you for dad’s business) =)

This week is super weird. the district right before us District 16B left. . .So depressing. We would talk to them EVERY day no joke and it was just so sad to see them go! We always pass their classroom and get a little sad. haha. But it is great. They all will rock it in the mission field. Elder Smith and Dow though are tough ones to say goodbye. They provided us with great entertainment. . Collin would appreciate their humor. One thing they said I was dying laughing! "Elder smith your face was made for the radio!"--Elder Dow!

Oh man just imagine missing those senses of humor each day! But it is going great! Weird we are the "oldest" here. . . that’s for sure! 

We had the chance to teach "luis" (hermano polo) again! Oh man did our lessons just go so well this week. He didn’t want to hear from the missionaries at all so the first lesson was so hard. Then the second lesson his "daughter" (in real life it{s his sister) who is a recent convert was there. So we ended up asking her about her thoughts about her baptism and he committed to be baptized! So that was awesome! and the next lesson was hilarious. Yesterday he acted drunk during out lesson (he{s an alcoholic) so it was hilarious. We ended up just sharing a scripture because I talked to him the whole time about the Christmas devotional and his thoughts about it and stuff. It was neat. 

The Christmas devotional was so great! I liked the talk of the last guy. . can’t think of his name right now. And of course the thought the spirit of Christ not Christmas. . =) Like always! It was really great and as missionaries it is fun because we all get to watch it together in the auditorium. 

We also taught "Aurora" this week (hermana leslie) and it was interesting because we didn’t have much time to prepare so we just had this basic outline of how we wanted it to go. And after the lesson she came up to us and was like THAT was your best lesson yet. You just went by the spirit and tried to help me. She was like even when you struggled with my question (I thought she was asking if she could repent for someone else when she was wondering if the atonement will help you forgive someone else) it was CONFUSING! But we figured it out in the lesson and it was all good. That was when I was glad I had brought my dictionary with us! =) But it was just so awesome cause she was like you guys are rocking it. Then she told our class that day that we are ready for the field so that was intense! I don’t feel ready but I feel as ready as I will ever be! 

I made a goal to finish Alma by the time I leave the CCM. I started it I think the 2nd week we got here. . . or maybe the third. But I have like twenty chapters left! But this is the most I have EVER gotten out of Alma so it has been AWESOME! I love Alma! Who knew, I think it{s cause my goal is to finish the BOM but I decided to start in Alma instead of Nephi like normal so when I get to Alma I{m not dying! So Alma is incredible! Hopefully I can finish it by the time I leave! I WILL! I am determined! =) 

Yesterday we had the chance to hear from Quentin L. Cook, through broadcast of course! But it was really good. A little confusing and kind of random but great! He kept making comments that I was like I do not get how this relates. . . But okay! =) But he quoted president Hinckley and it was super great quote "If they (missionaries) have MORE faith, they will have MORE success!" I just loved it cause that really is all missionary work is about. It all depends on YOUR faith and YOUR conversion. You can{t force anyone to accept the gospel but you can just share your brightness with the whole world! =) 

Crazy coincidences I found out this week:

Elder Bryner and I think that mom and dad were on the same cruise as his parents. It was super random but he was like yeah my mom and step dad were on a cruise over thanksgiving and I said mine were too. And he was like yeah they went on this two week one. And I was like wait a second. . Through the Panama Canal! And so we aren’t positive but we think you were on the same ship! What was the name of it?? Because clearly it has to be the same if not that is weird! =)

Hermana Williams is also super great friends will Holly Buys (who is Derek Buys little sister) and their parents happen to live in the ward! So odd! But so cool! Such a small world! 

And Marci. . . I literally met someone from Saratoga Wyoming! WEIRD! And he KNOWS you! haha. That was weird I was like my sister lives there but they haven’t been there for very long. It is Elder Nevell (or Nevill or close to that). . Apparently you took over his primary class!?!? WEIRD! Oh my goodness it is such a small world! 

I don’t even know what else to say cause so much happens in the CCM! 

Allie Cat happy birthday yesterday! =) I thought about you and I took a sweet picture for you but the girl who has the same cord for my camera isn’t here so I can’t send it. . .=( But it’s all good. I think I will try to send some pictures from Hermana Williams camera! Of just random things. 

Oh another cool tradition our zone does at the CCM is that we have papers on our doors. . And for your final week we design a sign for you door and a name for your district. Like one of the districts was school of the apostles, another is laborers of the field, anyways so it is all the missionaries who are already in the field and it gets passed along. Anyways our district chose to be we fight like dragons, it’s in Alma somewhere (apparently it is the bad people fighting but we are good so esta bien). But we definitely have the most intense sign. haha. Hermana Klivans did this intense dragon drawing. I’ll have to take a picture and send it to you. =) 

Well I love you all! I don’t know when I will email you again before I go. . I know I get to email you before I leave sometime and I think I might get to call you at the airport. Not sure yet! So be prepared for a phone call mama dear! =) Would you like me to call your cell phone or the house?? I think I will probably get to email on Saturday when Hermana Williams does and depending on what district I go to next week with a new companion maybe next Tuesday. . . not positive! =) 

This week will basically be the same minus on Friday we have orientation for the field ALL DAY. . . it will be long but great! Still have to convert my investigators. . get them baptized! ;) 

Love you all, Have a great Christmas you all sounds like you are doing so many wonderful things. I love you! =) 

Hermana Cassie Gray

Sister Dellrie and Packard left

Elder Dow and Smith

Our Cool Sign

District 16C at the temple

Week 4

Hola familia!

Collin thanks for all your wonderful advice on Spanish! I totally am horrible and slaughter the language everyday but I will know now that mi y mi compenera es gemelas =) =) haha. Thanks though! Language is so frustrating but it will come with time and patience that is for sure!!

Thanksgiving was AWESOME!!!! it was so totally different being at the CCM. They did feed us turkey though which was delicious! I love when they serve us American food. . . and the also fed us some pumpkin pie! Which was extra delicious because clearly everything is Mexican here! =) Thanksgiving was a little different though. As a missionary you still had to do everything normal. We had class all morning and then lunch was actually when we had thanksgiving dinner. They did decorate the commodore though with table cloths and stuff so it looked way nice. We did eat ourselves sick! It was wickedly awesome! Since we had gym on thanksgiving I made my companion and all the girls in my district play in a ping pong tournament! As per tradition! =) I Lost. . . in the championship! Good thing Sewell is a missionary too or else I would have been bummed! But it was super fun and they were all great sports about it! Ping pong tournament stands strong!

That night we had the chance to sing at the devotional, the special devotional. We sang before they broadcasted it from Provo. But we sang Venid a mi in espanol. And it was hilarious because the first verse everyone sang then the boys then the girls then the 6 verse we sang together. Anyways during the girls turn all of a sudden the lights slowly get dimmer and dimmer and then go out. And we CANNOT see our hymn books so you just here silence fore like two lines. . .so funny! I almost couldn’t hold it together for the rest of the song. I was laughing so much! Such a great relief! =)

 We had the chance to hear from Nelson on thanksgiving! It was super great. Nice talk! I also saw ELDER PRESTWICH on thanksgiving!!! We were leaving our lunch after eating two pieces of pie. . .no judgments!! And we ran into him and his comp! It was great because we did that awesome go for a hug then realized halfway that we can’t hug so we did an awkward hand shake instead! But it was great to see a familiar face at the CCM! Although I feel like everyone is starting to be friends now so it’s all good! =) But he made it to Mexico! And shout out to Elder Nelson who enters the Provo MTC today! You are going to be a great missionary Josh! =)

 Oh my goodness just so much happens every day here I don’t know where to begin! One of the most spiritual experiences this week was that I had the chance to get a blessing from my DL. So neat! Two of the elders wanted blessings so I was like you should just give them in the classroom with everyone there. So they did and then I was like wait a second I totally want one! So they asked me who I wanted to give it and I didn’t care so elder reed was like I will give you one. So all the elders stood in the circle and I got a blessing but it was exactly what I needed to hear! It was crazy. The priesthood is totally such an amazing gift god has given to us! Blessings are so powerful! it was interesting too because it said stuff that elder reed doesn’t say in real life so you know it was the spirit! It talked a lot about Spanish and then tons about friends. Mostly it was about after my mission though which was interesting to me! It talked about my friends being great influences and how I can influence people for the better. But my favorite line of my blessing was "there will be no time on your mission where you will not be able to open your mouth and speak to the people in Spanish" which was so touching to me! Such an incredible promise and blessing that I received from the Lord. How neat is that though!?!? AHHHH!!! Spanish will come people! but it was just an interesting blessing because it was mostly about after my mission besides the part about Spanish. Super neat! And if you can only imagine my DL. . . he totally reminds me of Napoleon Dynamite. . .so just imagine napoleon giving me a blessing and you will be like yeah, totally the spirit was giving it! I loved it though!

This past Sunday was testimonies! So neat. My district was invited to host president Pratt and Hermana Pratt! Wow was that intense. I did stand up and bare my testimony in Spanish though! Such a neat experience. I talked about "why innocent people suffer" and how everyone asks that and as I was reading in Alma when they are watching the woman and children burn in the fire and how it just struck me that they have to "stand as a witness" against those who have wronged them! It was just super awesome! but fasting was incredibly neat and it felt so easy here. It must be because we are CONSTANTLY doing something! Which is the best! =) Another neat thing about Sundays is we always sing "god be with you til we meet again" Because it is the day before most districts leave the CCM. so it is always super awesome to sing it on Sundays. And I will be one of the next districts to leave!! CRAZY! only two more Sundays! WEIRD!

Sunday night is also movie night! WHAT! LOVE MOVIES! We watched the Legacy this past Sunday which was awesome, and it clearly has the best proposal ever. . . "I promise to make you laugh every day" Who doesn’t want that??! But it is totally cheesy which made it that much more awesome! Got to love good old Mormon movies! Tuesday nights are always Devotionals! This past Tuesday was supposed to be President Ballard but because you all are having SNOW!!! (lame people!! But just think of me in WARM weather!) BE JEALOUS! =) it wasn't safe enough for Ballard to travel to Provo to give his devotional. So we had an old Broadcast from President Bednar. And it was super awesome! And it said OPEN YOUR MOUTH in it which was Awesome and totally meant so much to me! And how we have to have faith to first open our mouth then it will be filled! =) So neat! Just what I needed to hear! Just some awesomeness about our district. . Elder Smith (from our zone) put his face up to our class window the other day and scared Elder Hoffines half to death! No joke he jumped so bad. . so funny! We also do these drills where we write a question and then ask it to the other people in our district. Anyways you do like popcorn kind of but no joke every time I always almost get forgotten. It is hilarious! and Hermana Williams is ALWAYS volunteered to do something EVERY day! it is HILARIOUS! Perfect combo. . me never, her always, we balance each other out! =)

We also wrote an awesome District song:

 Sung to Mulan

 We're the greatest bunch you’ve ever met
We are here to serve the Lord
We will GO and Do his work. . .
choose the right we need to read the scriptures daily!

 Choose the right feel the spirit throughout your body.
Choose the right with all the strength of the Lord within us
We'll share the gospel throughout the world.
Missionaries we will fight with all our power
Missionaries we can bring them unto God
Missionaries let our light so shine before men
We will bring ALL PEOPLE to the TRUTH!

Basically we are awesome. . .haha. Sometimes we just have to act stupid for a minute and get our stir craziness out! =) Family you'll appreciate my blondeness. . But one morning I was getting ready and no joke I am so tired but I literally sprayed hairspray directly into my eye! So hilarious. . .I was like what the! Don{t worry I was up after that! It hurt so bad though! I also miss Dr pepper SO MUCH! It will be the first thing I get when I get back to the states! No joke I am headed straight to McDonalds during my layover and getting a HUGE Dr. Pepper and some fries. . .Bring it on peeps! I am totally American is what I have decided. =) Katie Hoggan. . . Forgot to tell you in your email that the tie you got for Prestwich was AWESOME! =) It sounds like you all are doing so well! Your thanksgiving was awesome I heard all about it! Mom and Dad you sounds like the cruise is so incredible! I waved to you on Thanksgiving cause I knew you were in Mexico! I can{t wait to hear all about the canal and how that works! It sounds like you are really having a great time though! I am really sorry to hear about Matt! Hopefully he can stay out in the field! Finish out his mission strong! That is a bummer to have a torn ACL at a time like this.

And Allie cat tell Wy Guy I want to see a picture of his snowman he makes! I am bummed I can't make one with him but hopefully in a couple of years he will still want to make one with me! =) Tell him to make it super super tall! ;) I love you all so much! I am so grateful for your love and support! You all mean the world to me! Love, Hermana Gray!

 Also shout out to one of my favorite sisters! Allie cat have an INCREDIBLE birthday this week! You will have so much fun! Keep me updated on life! =) HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

 And siblings, all of you should be getting a letter from me soon! (aka. . .probably like three weeks cause the mail is slow!) But look for it! Bright letters in the mail! =) Love you all!

Look who we found at the CCM, Elder Prestwich!

Siblings, expect a letter from me!

Me with Hermana Orr, one of the coolest people at the CCM!

11/27/13 Pictures

Week 3 at the CCM

Hola familia and friends! 

I CANNOT believe it has already been three weeks! My mind is seriously BLOWN!!! Time flies so quickly! I almost am a MONTH into my mission. . . what is this?!?! I feel like I just left!

I don’t even know where to start off my letters! I guess with the temple today?!?

Oh my goodness was it so INCREDIBLE to go through in Spanish! I had some sort of clue what was happening but it was so hard! Spanish is definitely taking it{s sweet time in getting here! But the temple is INCREDIBLE! So beautiful too! They planted a bunch of poinsettias since the last time we were there and turned off the fountain! So that was neat that we got to see it for Christmas! It definitely doesn’t feel like holiday time around here! The temple was awesome though! Neat thing too, they have escalators in their temple!!! So weird but awesome! So beautiful! The veil was SO hard though! Oh my goodness did we go slowly but it was really wonderful to understand what I was saying while I was going through! It is definitely incredible to go in a different language!

Neatest thing that happened this week was Hermana Williams and I got to teach a REAL investigator!!! We were doing TRC which is where volunteers come in and you get to practice teaching them, so basically the teachers at the CCM. Anyways Hermano Polo came up to us before our second lesson and was like she is a REAL investigator! The atmosphere of the lesson was SO different! It was truly incredible though! The lesson went so smoothly because the spirit was so present. We didn’t mess up our Spanish as much and we could kind of understand what was happening! So I taught a REAL person! So neat! We were the only people in our district to teach a real person! We also got to teach a group of Latina Hermanas for one of our lessons! Wow do we not speak well! But it is seriously great to learn Spanish! So difficult!

I feel like I know NO SPANISH! But I really know a lot. I can at least bare my testimony and pray! haha. =) I volunteer! Haven’t given a talk in Sacrament yet! Just prayed again! =) and this week is fast Sunday which is supposedly like the best Sunday at the CCM! So I{m excited for that!

I am the most fashionable sister at the CCM! haha no joke I brought so many clothes! =) Mom and tiff, yes you made fun of me and I seriously don’t think I have worn the same outfit twice, minus some dresses that I like. But It is nice cause I feel like I am wearing different clothes all the time! I{m just a fashionista! And EVERYONE loves my taos! Those awesome brown shoes! So nice and WAY comfy! Anyways thought you’d want to be updated and know that your missionary is the most fashionable! =) =)

Coll, thought you’d want to know President Pratt served in Argentina! So neat! He sat with me and my comp at dinner one night! So we talked to him for a while! But he served in Argentina so I learned a little more about it!

An Elder in our zone made all the girls origami stuff! So I got a super neat origami flower! =)

I finally received my first letter!!!! WAHOOO!!!! Nicole’s letter came! =) She wrote it through dear elder! Which apparently you can do a dear elder to the CCM!! Who knew_!_! So all those cool packages. . . like Krispy Kreme doughnuts and stuff! Yeah por favor send some love! =) But yeah. . . . No other letters yet! So weird the mail is SLOW! Maybe I will get them faster in Virginia at least I hope!

Another funny moment for you all about my Spanish! So great. . . so we were practicing teaching another person in our district. I was teaching Elder Bryner and I was like my friend is a member of your church. And he was like oh why do you want to know more. So I was like "my amiga es muy facil y se ella ama dios!" anyways. . . facil means EASY!!! Whoops! haha. But it was great I laughed for a while. I caught myself though and was like feliz feliz! But it was still a great moment! Hermana Williams said Christ was her hijo! When she meant brother! So great. We just have to laugh about Spanish here! =) Only way to act like you know what is happening is to just go with the flow! I seriously feel like Spanish is so difficult though! it is hard to get into the mind set and try to just roll with the lessons. =( But it will come! I am promised that as a missionary!

Oh my goodness! Another great experience! We were using the bano and no joke Hermana klivans her toilet would not stop flushing for like two minutes then I flushed my toilet and it started like squirting water and overflowing. I was laughing so hard! So great. . .these bathrooms are just the BEST! =)

We had the chance to do service in the commodore yesterday! We made lunch. . .rolled burritos! So fun and it was great because we had the chance to talk with some natives. . . I more so just listened and laughed with them but it was great! =) Very fun! Service is the best!!

Elder hoffines fell off his bed one night! He was telling us and I was laughing so hard about it! He was like I was thinking in my mind at least no one saw me then he was like I hear elder Perry ask hoffines you okay?? SO GREAT. Then no joke I almost fell off the bed the next night because I had a leg cramp! So funny. I couldn’t{t imagine falling off though since I am on the top bunk! That would just be NO BUENO! But it still made me laugh!=)

Mom and dad the cruise sounds so fun! Muy jealous but it’s all great! I am basically living in great weather for a while so I don{t feel too bad! But it sounds so fun! I will wave to you tomorrow cause I know you are in Mexico! =)

I also want to thank you for my great genetics! haha. Apparently I am very gorgeous and don{t have any bad qualities according to most of the hermanas! So GRACIAS!

And the hermanas in my room are making me better! haha. They all floss everyday so I feel guilty. So I am becoming pretty decent at flossing! =) So you shall thank them for that one day!

Neva don{t worry about the water! They gave us neat filtered water bottles! And the CCM water is safe! So no worries! Great blessings for the missionaries! Although there is no ice here so that is a bummer. . . =( But aqua is delicious!

So jealous about Catching fire! Apparently it was INCREDIBLE!! =) JEALOUS! But I guess in 17 months it will be so worth it! Although apparently DIVERGENT!!?!??!?!?!??!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! I freaked out when I read that allie cat! No joke I am so upset. Now I don’t know what to watch first!!!!! lame but so great! Make a movie list of all the wonderful movies I am missing! And I will just sit and watch movie after movie for like three months! =) Deal??!

Family you seriously are the greatest! I love you all so much and all my wonderful friends! You are the best at writing me! I have so much support I don’t know what I would do without it!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! Which is neat! Our district was asked to participate in the choir tomorrow night! so we will be singing. . . I don’t think she knows we don’t sing but that is all good! We will be singing come follow me in espanol! =) So great!

In honor of thanksgiving I will just say a few things I am grateful for!

First of all of you! Number one thing in my life is my family and I am so incredibly grateful for all of you love and support! Allie put it the best in her email! She is so grateful I am so hard to miss because that means we are close! Well I am so glad to have all of you in my life! I miss you all so much but am so grateful for the time I have to serve the lord!

I am so grateful for my savior! My elder brother Jesus Christ! He is truly the reason we have the chance to have an eternal life with our families. I am so grateful for him and the seven things he atoned for us! (Alma 7:11 through. . . I think 13!) But such great verses about the suffering of Christ! I am so grateful for him and the ability I have to repent and become more Christ like!

I am so grateful for my mission1 I have learned so much about myself already!

I am so grateful for my companion! No joke we are gemelos! We are like twins. . . We even do the same family traditions! What are the odd chances she does the new year’s fairy!?! Minus it isn’t the new year’s fairy for her it is on December 5! But so great! I love her so much and she seriously is like another me! Just imagine that!! TWO OF ME!! Yes, it did happen! Although we look like complete opposites! Someone asked me. . .she is serving in the Texas Houston East mission! =) What mission is matt in???? Anyone??

Thank you all so much for your love and support! I love reading your emails and they really make my day! Hopefully you all can have a MARVELOUS Thanksgiving! I think we even get to have some turkey at the CCM! =) Crazy sauce! I love you all!

Have a marvelous holiday! I will email you all in Uno semana!=)

Feel free to ask me any questions! Sometimes I just ramble cause I don’t know what else to say! =) haha.

Love you,

Hermana Cassie Joan Gray!

P.s. we have been learning a lot about faith this week so if you get the chance read alma 32! Such a great verses! And read Ether 12:6. . . I think! Trial of your faith. . it is in ether 12! =)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!!!!!!!=)