Twelve New Investigators!

This week was really good! We are even impressed with our own numbers and how everything went. It was just awesome! For the most part everything went through and worked out as planned! Of course there were a few things....but can’t complain. One thing that was just awesome was that we had 12 new investigators this week! We felt like we were just rolling them in! And it’s also crazy because this week was transfer week and I got a new companion! So because of transfers we lost a whole bunch of working time, but yet we still had a great week, with over 20 lessons! (Here that is not very common.) So it was way sweet!

Since I have been here we haven’t really been able to get any investigators to go to church. Well I just changed a little about the way I go about inviting people to come to church and basically poured out my heart about how important it is to go and if we do, we will be SO blessed! That goes for all of us, members, and non-members everyone! SO, we had 5 investigators in church! I was just so thrilled! Then, better yet, our testimony meeting was just AWESOME! I loved it so much! Not to be boastful, but 3 different people talked about me and something that I had taught them earlier this week and how it has just changed something about them. It was really cool for me to see that I AM making a difference. It really made me feel good!

Remember how I said a few weeks ago, when our branch was having a HUGE problem getting to church at 10:00, that I talked about it and basically told them it’s not good to be late? Well this one guy, Fernando, gets it and now the last 2 weeks he and his family have been at the church on time, so it was awesome! We have this in-active member that we went and visited last week on Sunday. We had a great little lesson with him and I just started asking him "why" he isn’t going to church, "what" is the excuse and things like that. And he was saying how its just hard cuz he gets home from work as a bouncer, (this guy is HUGE,) at like 9 in the morning and said going to church is just hard and he has a hard time staying awake in the meeting so he just goes home. So I taught him about sacrifice. I taught him about blessings and I told him that it’s a sacrifice to go to church. Of course it’s just EASIER to go to bed. But we need to give our all and give just 3 hours of our WHOLE week to the Lord. I also told him how I am out here for 2 years! Imagine that! Away from my family and friends that I LOVE, for 2 years dedicated to the Lord and bringing the Word of God to as many as I possibly can! As I was telling him these things I just felt the spirit so strongly testifying how important this work really is, and I could tell HE knew too. He was just kind of quiet and not saying too much. I was basically just testifying to him and telling him how I know that he needs to go to church and do HIS part in this world so he can be saved and inherit Gods kingdom. The funny part of this, well this guy like I said is a BIG man! His arm is like, bigger than my head ha ha, but....he came to church yesterday, AND he bore his testimony! Then last night we passed by his house and I just said how great his testimony was and how strong the spirit was in the chapel today, and he said, "yeah it was, I couldn’t not stand up even tho I haven’t been to church in a long time and I thought it would be weird." It was so neat to feel his spirit; he’s like a big Teddy Bear. (But just don’t anger the Teddy Bear cuz this cuddly lookin teddy bear could snap me into like 7 pieces with one quick judo chop! Ha-ha, but yeah, it was incredible!) There were also others that bore testimonies that were amazing too! It was just a GREAT testimony meeting. A girl 15 years old, bore her testimony and this girl is just always happy and smiling. She is so fun to be around. She is just one of those people that are always smiling. Someone said that to her at school once, and she said to them, "Well we are here to be happy!" It’s so true, so be HAPPY!

One last thing that I have started teaching our investigators that I really enjoy. We know that God has SO many blessings for us but he is waiting for US! He cannot bestow his blessings upon us without US first doing OUR part! I know that that is so true! If we will just do our part which is tough at times, but we can get thru it, we will be SO blessed! I wish I could say this in Portuguese; it seems to make more sense to me ha ha. Like "God has so many blessings for us, but he has to WAIT for us." Get it? I dunno that’s kind of how it sounds translated. But I love to teach it in this language cuz it sounds much better. Okay so a quick bit about 2 of our new investigators, they are just awesome! Two of the 5 that came to church, they are not related, but two separate investigators. Maria do Carmo, and Adilson. They are so awesome! We only taught Maria do Carmo once, on Friday, and on Sunday she came to church! It was really awesome. I was so happy! I will give more details later after we have taught her more. :) But Adilson is from Brazil and we have taught him a few times and we are also teaching him English. He has been doing for the most part, all that we ask him to do, so it’s awesome and he is progressing like crazy. On Sunday morning I called him to make sure he was coming to church, and he didn’t answer so I was all bummed but I called one more time like 10 minutes later and he said, "Yeah I’m on my way! I was in the shower when you called the first time!" Ha ha ha! AWESOME!!!

Well to end off the email, I got a new companion this week like I was saying. His name is Elder Bradshaw, also from Utah. He is kind of shy...but he is way cool! He is 6 foot 3 tho so he makes me feel tiny. :( Lame ha ha, but so far we are working really well together, having success, and we are having a really fun time! And it’s only the beginning! :) So I’m really excited for our time to serve together, it’s going great!! :) Have a great week!! I love and miss you all so much! Hey Good news!!! THE CHURCH IS TRUE!!!
Love Elder Gray