I say it was an interesting week for a few reasons, mainly, because of my comp situation. It’s going better. It’s still hard and I’m really, really bored A LOT of the time. BUT... I have figured something out to help. I seriously speak my mind. He is probably annoyed by now, but I don’t care. I hate silence, so I literally speak my mind all day. If I think something, anything, I say it out loud. And just wait and see if he gives any reaction or says anything back. Usually not, so I just go on and keep talking, pretty much to myself. It’s like I’m taking my dog for a walk… talking to him. Then once in a while you get some kind of reaction like he barks or stops to pee, well that’s about how exciting my day gets. When my companion stops to sniff something, it’s just always something new. You never know what’s going to happen next or when he will say something next. So I just talk pretty much alone. OH and I sing too. I sing with myself. Sometimes it gets fun. Cuz I try to get him to also but it doesn’t work. So I just keep singing. I wonder if he will ever just be like Dude! Elder Gray …. Shut up! I don’t think so. Maybe it’s entertaining to him. Well either way it entertains me. You will see. I have started taking more videos. They are kind of pointless and stuff but they are fun! I find it entertaining. I think I might be weirding myself out just trying to find something to do at times, like a dog chasing a car. But once I would catch it, I probably wouldn’t know what to do with it, so I just go with the flow and try to be happy and entertain myself! It seems to be working ok so far.
Elder Tucker though, he is in my district, he is a life saver. He is probably for sure my best friend of the mission so far. We are good friends so it’s really, really nice having him in my district.
This week was good; we had this stuff called Conquilhas. Weird! They were some kind of sea food stuff in a shell. I don’t know what it is in English. I asked a native, and well he said its slang for a bad word, well more like a crude word, so I won’t say it. Anyway, maybe you can figure it out? If you do, let me know cuz I’m dying to know what I ate.
This week at church was good, small, small as usual. I think we had 13 people there! Yay! What a number eh!!! And I was called on out of the blue to talk. Eh pa...It was kind of hard, but I think I did fine. I probably totally slaughtered the Portuguese though. Oh well... But yeah, things are going slowly but surely. The work here is so tough! We just don’t have that much we can do and teach. But we do have one investigator I love named Ramiro. He is way cool! He said he will come to church next week so I'm hoping for the best!! I love you all so much! Thank you for all you do for me. I hope everything is going great for you.
LOVE YOU!!!
~Love Elder Gray
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Well, for starters my new area is quite different in many ways! First of all, it is just gorgeous! Very, very beautiful! We live pretty close to a river that just flows right through the city! It is so, cool! Reminds me of Venice or something like that, and especially at night it is really amazing! There are a lot of tourists here too so we talk to a few people in English once in a while that are all from England. It is really actually weird and kind of hard to try to preach in English! It’s very weird! I am always thinking of what to say in Portuguese so then I have to translate what I’d say in Portuguese to say it in English and it just sounds really, really weird ha, ha! It feels really weird to speak in English about the gospel. But we don’t do it too much cuz everyone shuts us down really fast here. Whether they are tourists or not, they are just like, whoa dude…. no. We are on holiday, no thank you. That’s the English language in there...Holiday? Ha, ha but then anyone we try to talk to here just says no. Straight up, NO. I’m like dude, come on, you don’t even know what I’m about to say! Talk about being judged by the cover! Sometimes I think we would have a bit more success maybe if we’d proselyte in other clothes. It’s a good place though.
We have a couple we are teaching named Jefferson and Jucilea. They are really, really awesome. I’ve really enjoyed talking to them. They seem to have interest for sure but are having a hard time keeping the commitments we extend. But we will keep trying and hope and pray for the best. So at church, well it’s a for sure WAY new experience. You would never believe how many people were at church. (Not in the good sense ha, ha.) When church actually started there were EIGHT people there. Eight!! Holy Cats! I was like is anyone going to come or what?? I couldn’t believe it. But that just goes to show how LITTLE the church is down here. By the end of church there were maybe like 12 or so. But still. 12 people! It’s pretty intense. There are only two little rows of chairs in the chapel. And the chapel is just the bottom of an appt building. The only way you can tell it’s a church is by the little sign on front that says The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but of course in Portuguese.
So, a bit about before I got here...I mentioned we were going to Fatima. And WOW what an experience that was! It was so, so crazy! Very cool! There were so many people there I could not believe my eyes. I took lots of videos and pictures. But it really was an amazing experience to go to that and see all the people crawling on their knees and what not. I just couldn’t believe it.
Remember the story about the little boy that died? Well we went over to try to talk to the family a week later, but they were gone, moved out. Gonzo. Doesn’t surprise me too much really, but we were kind of sad we didn’t get to have the chance to try to talk to them and share about the plan of salvation. But we did give them a pass along card so hopefully that was a good well planted seed.
So as you know, my new comp is a bit hard for me right now. He is just boring, but I’m trying to do all I can to make things a bit more fun. He is a good hard worker, but just boring and he never tells me what we are doing, so it’s tough. But I’m trying to keep my head up. This is his last transfer. So he goes home in 5 weeks so I will FOR SURE get a new comp after this transfer so I’m just hoping I will get someone more fun. But I am going to try to make this the best I can and learn from it in any way shape or form. It’s tough tho. But with the Lord I know I can do it and I know that I must have been sent here to either learn something or teach something. So I will just keep going with my head held high, as high as I can...ha, ha, but because its rather boring, I would REALLY, REALLY be grateful for ANY kind of MAIL. You know, in the mailbox, more now than ever before.
I really am so grateful for this opportunity to serve my mission. It is the hardest thing I have ever done. But it is and will be more and more rewarding every day, week, month, and year. I am so grateful for the church. I know I wouldn’t be who I am and where I am and have the amazing family and most amazing friends without the gospel in my life. It has directed me and shown me who and what is the most important. I’m so grateful for the knowledge I have of the gospel. Thank you all so much for your love, letters, and support. It means so much to me. I hope you all have a Wonderful Week!! I miss you all and love you ALL so much!
My new address:
Rua Dr. Manuel Trinidade
Nº4 R/C Esq. 8800
Tavira, Portugal
Feel Free To Write! :)
Love you all!! LOVE ELDER ROBBY GRAY
We have a couple we are teaching named Jefferson and Jucilea. They are really, really awesome. I’ve really enjoyed talking to them. They seem to have interest for sure but are having a hard time keeping the commitments we extend. But we will keep trying and hope and pray for the best. So at church, well it’s a for sure WAY new experience. You would never believe how many people were at church. (Not in the good sense ha, ha.) When church actually started there were EIGHT people there. Eight!! Holy Cats! I was like is anyone going to come or what?? I couldn’t believe it. But that just goes to show how LITTLE the church is down here. By the end of church there were maybe like 12 or so. But still. 12 people! It’s pretty intense. There are only two little rows of chairs in the chapel. And the chapel is just the bottom of an appt building. The only way you can tell it’s a church is by the little sign on front that says The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but of course in Portuguese.
So, a bit about before I got here...I mentioned we were going to Fatima. And WOW what an experience that was! It was so, so crazy! Very cool! There were so many people there I could not believe my eyes. I took lots of videos and pictures. But it really was an amazing experience to go to that and see all the people crawling on their knees and what not. I just couldn’t believe it.
Remember the story about the little boy that died? Well we went over to try to talk to the family a week later, but they were gone, moved out. Gonzo. Doesn’t surprise me too much really, but we were kind of sad we didn’t get to have the chance to try to talk to them and share about the plan of salvation. But we did give them a pass along card so hopefully that was a good well planted seed.
So as you know, my new comp is a bit hard for me right now. He is just boring, but I’m trying to do all I can to make things a bit more fun. He is a good hard worker, but just boring and he never tells me what we are doing, so it’s tough. But I’m trying to keep my head up. This is his last transfer. So he goes home in 5 weeks so I will FOR SURE get a new comp after this transfer so I’m just hoping I will get someone more fun. But I am going to try to make this the best I can and learn from it in any way shape or form. It’s tough tho. But with the Lord I know I can do it and I know that I must have been sent here to either learn something or teach something. So I will just keep going with my head held high, as high as I can...ha, ha, but because its rather boring, I would REALLY, REALLY be grateful for ANY kind of MAIL. You know, in the mailbox, more now than ever before.
I really am so grateful for this opportunity to serve my mission. It is the hardest thing I have ever done. But it is and will be more and more rewarding every day, week, month, and year. I am so grateful for the church. I know I wouldn’t be who I am and where I am and have the amazing family and most amazing friends without the gospel in my life. It has directed me and shown me who and what is the most important. I’m so grateful for the knowledge I have of the gospel. Thank you all so much for your love, letters, and support. It means so much to me. I hope you all have a Wonderful Week!! I miss you all and love you ALL so much!
My new address:
Rua Dr. Manuel Trinidade
Nº4 R/C Esq. 8800
Tavira, Portugal
Feel Free To Write! :)
Love you all!! LOVE ELDER ROBBY GRAY
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Transferred!
So the news is in. And I am being TRANSFERED! I am going to the ALGARVE! It is the furthest south of the mission! I hear its way cool down there so I am excited; the only problem is...who my comp is, I met him. He is a huge goober. And I hear from 2 other people in my district now that he is so, so boring and does pointless work. So, I’m kind of sad about that. But I’m going to have one of my favorite people in the mission in my district.
Dad...you were very close! I’m going to Tavira. It’s very close to Olhao. I hear good things about Tavira but I didn’t get my new address. I go down there on Thursday (not Tuesday) so I’m pretty excited.
Everything is way, way hectic right now so this email is not going to be real long and stuff but I just wanted to let you all know I am leaving. I will give you my address next week. So if you have anything to send me, wait one more week to send, cuz I will give you my address to my appt. I know I will be there for a while.
Today we are going to Fatima! I’m not sure what it will be like but I know that it will be awesome! I am way excited. Today is the day where there will be tons of people there too. So I’m stoked for it, it will be way fun.
We had our fast with Elizabete, at first she didn’t seem to know much about an answer. But yesterday, we asked if she has been thinking about her fast and what she needs to do, she said...I got an answer. My eyes just went HUGE!! I was like YES!!! But then we were like what is it....she says, “It’s good,” that’s it. So she doesn’t expound much on stuff, but the news is, she got an answer. She knows she needs to be baptized. But it’s just a matter of when. She is so awesome! I will really miss her. Then, I asked her son Edivaldo, what he thinks and he said, “yeah, I really like it”. I asked him if he wants to be baptized and he said “yup, I think I do.” WOW!! I was amazed! At first, this kid joked about everything, joked about prayer wouldn’t pray, he would laugh at others while they pray, but then BAM! He finds the truth and how prayer is not just talking to your self. He and his mom pray together often. It is amazing. I will really miss teaching them and seeing them progress every day. But I am going to try the best I can to keep in touch with them.
Well I’ve got to go cuz we have to leave for Fatima, but next week I will have my full hour and be able to write more specifically about my new area and let you know how that is. I miss you all and love you all so, so much! Thank you so much for your love and support. It means the world to me! I LOVE YOU!
Love Elder Gray
Dad...you were very close! I’m going to Tavira. It’s very close to Olhao. I hear good things about Tavira but I didn’t get my new address. I go down there on Thursday (not Tuesday) so I’m pretty excited.
Everything is way, way hectic right now so this email is not going to be real long and stuff but I just wanted to let you all know I am leaving. I will give you my address next week. So if you have anything to send me, wait one more week to send, cuz I will give you my address to my appt. I know I will be there for a while.
Today we are going to Fatima! I’m not sure what it will be like but I know that it will be awesome! I am way excited. Today is the day where there will be tons of people there too. So I’m stoked for it, it will be way fun.
We had our fast with Elizabete, at first she didn’t seem to know much about an answer. But yesterday, we asked if she has been thinking about her fast and what she needs to do, she said...I got an answer. My eyes just went HUGE!! I was like YES!!! But then we were like what is it....she says, “It’s good,” that’s it. So she doesn’t expound much on stuff, but the news is, she got an answer. She knows she needs to be baptized. But it’s just a matter of when. She is so awesome! I will really miss her. Then, I asked her son Edivaldo, what he thinks and he said, “yeah, I really like it”. I asked him if he wants to be baptized and he said “yup, I think I do.” WOW!! I was amazed! At first, this kid joked about everything, joked about prayer wouldn’t pray, he would laugh at others while they pray, but then BAM! He finds the truth and how prayer is not just talking to your self. He and his mom pray together often. It is amazing. I will really miss teaching them and seeing them progress every day. But I am going to try the best I can to keep in touch with them.
Well I’ve got to go cuz we have to leave for Fatima, but next week I will have my full hour and be able to write more specifically about my new area and let you know how that is. I miss you all and love you all so, so much! Thank you so much for your love and support. It means the world to me! I LOVE YOU!
Love Elder Gray
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Wow. Talk about a pretty crazy week. It feels like not a whole ton really happened, but it was just really busy, we didnt hardly do any street contacting or anything like that because we were just constantly busy busy doing stuff. It was a really great week. I loved it. The weather is absolutely beautiful right now! We are always wearing short sleeves and its so so nice! Except for when we have Church and wear our suits, it is way hot, ha ha. And its only going to get more and more hot! But its way better than the cold!
So we had a really sad experience this week. We were over at a less active member’s home giving a lesson, and only had being there for about 10 minutes, when we start hearing like some screaming and crying and just loudness outside. We were wondering what on earth is going on!? Is that a cry? Or someone that just sounds like a cry but its not...So we go to the window to look out and we can’t really see much other than just a lot of people gathered around and some crying, so Elder Hildebrant and I decided to go check it out so we go out side and walk up to where everyone is..... there was a little boy, probably about 4 years old on the ground. He fell out of the window of his appt. on the fourth floor. So that’s about 40 or 50 feet or so. A pretty big drop, it was so, so sad. I could not believe it. A woman saw it happen that lives below the window the boy fell from. She went to her window to have a smoke and saw the boy fall right in front of her. Wow...I can’t imagine seeing that. It was such a sad, sad thing. The family was just absolutely distraught. When the medics arrived they did all they could for about 30 minutes or so, but I’m pretty sure he died right on impact. When the medics pulled out a cover thing to cover the body, the family went crazy. I mean crazy! It was amazing to see how everyone reacted so differently. We kind of figured out who was who just by listening to them and telling the cops who they are. But the mom was just like in shock. Crying a little, but she could not talk, she could not walk, it was so sad. Then we saw who was the uncle, and crying very loudly, the brother I think...not sure tho, then he got violent. Then the sister was just screaming and screaming, and there were two other girls just hugging and crying, and one other girl just sitting at the wall crying. It was just amazing. It really made me so, so grateful for the knowledge I have about The Plan of Salvation. The plan God has for each and every one of us. It’s hard to explain more of that night. It’s sad to talk about and frankly I don’t like to. It was pretty hard for everyone, but we put in a few words with the grandpa about that this isn’t the end and they will have the boy again. He was the only one we could talk to cuz he was pretty much the only sane one. But I think we are going to try to go pass by the home in a few days. Sad, sad.
Okay but now, on a happier note, we got some new investigators that are friends of some members that just moved into our ward. They are the elect! Or so I like to think, ha ha, they are so awesome! We have only taught them once but it went so, so well! They loved all of it and they are coming to church this week! And it’s a big family. And they have a HOUSE! My first people to teach that live in a normal house! Ha ha. Well, kind of normal. They don’t have any doors yet, but it’s cool.
So today, we decided to do internet after the p-day stuff, cuz we went again...to the beach. It was so, so nice! Probably the last time I will get to go, not sure, but for this summer at least, cuz when it gets warm, the ladies bikinis dissappear somehow ha ha! No, but seriously, we have to be cautious! It was a gorgeous day, we played some ultimate football, yes, my team won. :) But the bad news of the day, my flip flops got stolen! What the freak! I was so mad! I don’t know how we didn’t see it happen, but I’m really mad about it cuz they were nice! So now I just have 5 dollar crappy ones. Who would steal my flip flops!? Europe.... ha ha!!
On Friday, we are having our fast with Elizabete. I am really excited about it and she is too. I hope so much that she finds an answer. She is so awesome! I would love to get her baptized, but unless she does it soon, I don’t think I will be here for it. I am pretty sure I am getting transferred. If I don’t, it would be very crazy cuz it will mean I will be here for TWO more transfers! Long time, but we will see. Anyway, I hope you all are doing awesome! I miss you all so much.
To all you Mommies...HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!
Love Elder Gray :)
So we had a really sad experience this week. We were over at a less active member’s home giving a lesson, and only had being there for about 10 minutes, when we start hearing like some screaming and crying and just loudness outside. We were wondering what on earth is going on!? Is that a cry? Or someone that just sounds like a cry but its not...So we go to the window to look out and we can’t really see much other than just a lot of people gathered around and some crying, so Elder Hildebrant and I decided to go check it out so we go out side and walk up to where everyone is..... there was a little boy, probably about 4 years old on the ground. He fell out of the window of his appt. on the fourth floor. So that’s about 40 or 50 feet or so. A pretty big drop, it was so, so sad. I could not believe it. A woman saw it happen that lives below the window the boy fell from. She went to her window to have a smoke and saw the boy fall right in front of her. Wow...I can’t imagine seeing that. It was such a sad, sad thing. The family was just absolutely distraught. When the medics arrived they did all they could for about 30 minutes or so, but I’m pretty sure he died right on impact. When the medics pulled out a cover thing to cover the body, the family went crazy. I mean crazy! It was amazing to see how everyone reacted so differently. We kind of figured out who was who just by listening to them and telling the cops who they are. But the mom was just like in shock. Crying a little, but she could not talk, she could not walk, it was so sad. Then we saw who was the uncle, and crying very loudly, the brother I think...not sure tho, then he got violent. Then the sister was just screaming and screaming, and there were two other girls just hugging and crying, and one other girl just sitting at the wall crying. It was just amazing. It really made me so, so grateful for the knowledge I have about The Plan of Salvation. The plan God has for each and every one of us. It’s hard to explain more of that night. It’s sad to talk about and frankly I don’t like to. It was pretty hard for everyone, but we put in a few words with the grandpa about that this isn’t the end and they will have the boy again. He was the only one we could talk to cuz he was pretty much the only sane one. But I think we are going to try to go pass by the home in a few days. Sad, sad.
Okay but now, on a happier note, we got some new investigators that are friends of some members that just moved into our ward. They are the elect! Or so I like to think, ha ha, they are so awesome! We have only taught them once but it went so, so well! They loved all of it and they are coming to church this week! And it’s a big family. And they have a HOUSE! My first people to teach that live in a normal house! Ha ha. Well, kind of normal. They don’t have any doors yet, but it’s cool.
So today, we decided to do internet after the p-day stuff, cuz we went again...to the beach. It was so, so nice! Probably the last time I will get to go, not sure, but for this summer at least, cuz when it gets warm, the ladies bikinis dissappear somehow ha ha! No, but seriously, we have to be cautious! It was a gorgeous day, we played some ultimate football, yes, my team won. :) But the bad news of the day, my flip flops got stolen! What the freak! I was so mad! I don’t know how we didn’t see it happen, but I’m really mad about it cuz they were nice! So now I just have 5 dollar crappy ones. Who would steal my flip flops!? Europe.... ha ha!!
On Friday, we are having our fast with Elizabete. I am really excited about it and she is too. I hope so much that she finds an answer. She is so awesome! I would love to get her baptized, but unless she does it soon, I don’t think I will be here for it. I am pretty sure I am getting transferred. If I don’t, it would be very crazy cuz it will mean I will be here for TWO more transfers! Long time, but we will see. Anyway, I hope you all are doing awesome! I miss you all so much.
To all you Mommies...HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!
Love Elder Gray :)
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