A DIFFERENT CHRISTMAS

Christmas was great! It sure was nice talking to the fam, that’s always exciting! Here, they celebrate Christmas different...Christmas is celebrated on Christmas Eve, which seemed really strange to me at first, but it turned out to be really cool and lots of fun. We went to a member’s house at about 5PM or so and hung out, and waited for the rest of the people to get there, played games whatever, then we had dinner which was alright. Dinner at home is always amazing, so I guess I’m spoiled...ha ha, but it was fine. So we had dinner, then at midnight they all opened all their gifts. They did a secret Santa kind of thing tho which was really funny cuz every time someone would go up and get their gift for whoever they had and then they would describe that person. Then they would all guess finally who it was and everyone would jump up and say Paparazzi, Paparazzi! And they would take tons of pictures! It was really funny every time, and lots of fun to watch the madness! Ha ha! After dinner and presents and all that good stuff we just hung out talked and played some games, so it was a good night and lots of fun. :)

Then the next day Christmas! We went to our friend Pedro’s house! He and his family are just awesome! They let us just hang out with them and have lunch and just chill. Christmas day here they just hang out and relax. So that’s what we did! And we talked to our families! It was a good time. :)

I have a feeling I am going to get transferred here in a few weeks, and I’m kind of scared cuz this area and this Ward is just amazing! That’s it, they are just amazing here! I could stay here another 6 months! Sheesh! I would like to stay one more I think, but it’s not up to me obviously, but we will see. I’m just kind of nervous that next I’m going to go to some little branch of 20 people, ha-ha. But no matter where I go I know it’s where the Lord wants me so I will go with a smile with a bunch of GREAT MEMORIES of good ole Setúbal! :)

So this week is going to be a new year! Wow pretty nuts eh!? 2009 is gone! It’s really weird to think that I have been here in Portugal this whole year! That my friends, is a pretty strange feeling! But it’s good too!

Well this week was pretty much one of the fastest weeks ever, I can’t believe it’s gone already, I feel like it was all just one big day! I feel like I’m out of stuff to talk about cuz Christmas was the highlight of the week! Anyway, things are going good, the Holidays were great, but now its time to get back to work! I’m excited for it! This transfer we are focusing on finding new people, so pray that Setúbal will open their hearts for us! I know there are people ready for the Gospel! We just need to find them. :) Thank you all for everything you do for me, thank you for you support and love. I love you!
Happy Holidays! LOVE ELDER GRAY

Fastest Week of my Mission

I am pretty sure I just had the FASTEST week of my mission. I can’t believe its Wednesday already. I think I said that last week too, but this week is even more so! I can’t believe it! But its just cuz stuff is going so well right now! We had those 3 baptisms. They were incredible. Everything went just PERFECT! And the brothers are all just doing great! We went and saw them yesterday and it was fantastic! The middle age one that at first was kind of the one falling behind, well now he is the one just eating up everything we give him! I love it! At the end of the lesson we say, “so is there anything we can do for you guys?” And he says “YES,” so we are like ok, “what’s up?”...and he says, “come back!” We say, “yep of course...when?” He says, “Sempre!!” Haha, it was awesome, I loved it! Then we went to a dinner appt. that went really well. We have had a dinner appt. every day so far!!

We had lunch on Sunday, then dinner on Monday, dinner again on Tuesday, we have dinner again tonight, tomorrow we have appointments for lunch AND dinner! It’s just crazy! I think we have one on Friday too but I’m not sure exactly. Its crazy, it’s almost like I’m in the states!
Oh yeah, and at the baptism I gave a talk on the Holy Ghost, and it was really good, went really well. Okay kind of, it was hard, but it went alright. Oh, AND we have another baptism this week! On Saturday again, this kid named Wilson. He is progressing a bit slower then we’d like but at least he is ready and going for it. We for sure have to keep going and helping him. It’s really awesome though.

This ward is just fantastic! I could stay here the rest of my mission!! I guarantee there is no better area than this one here in the Lisbon mission. I love it here. I will be getting a new companion here next week. I hope it will be someone way cool! And someone CLEAN for goodness sakes!

So on Sunday and Monday, we met with this family, Familia Santos. They are the COOLEST family! They are way normal and just fun! AND when we ate with them.....They had ICE! Whoa!!! ICE, what? No way! OH yes I ate it up! I had probably like 25 pieces of ice, haha!! It was amazing. Another one of those “Little Things” that you just don’t realize how good it is till it’s GONZO for 2 years! Like Free Refills! Goodness don’t you guys take that for granted! It will be nice to have that back someday....haha!

So church this week was really great. Spiritual as normal, and it was fast and testimony meeting and there were a lot of talks about the plan of salvation because of the boy that died. It was tough, but very spiritual. That is what I got out of it. I’m still having a hard time understanding this Portuguese stuff. What is Portuguese rated on the hardness to learn scale? Its GOTTA be pretty far up there, right under learning a new alphabet or something. J Jenn, Scotty, tell little Gracee happy big number 2 for me haha!! I expect PICS soon. (Again) :) Thank you all for everything! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!
LOVE ELDER GRAY!