The Work Goes On

You aren’t the only ones with bad weather I promise! It’s been really gross here. Really windy and rainy. We were going to go to the zoo today, but not now because of the rain. So we are going to go bowling. But everything is going good. We got a new investigator named Wallace. He is from Brazil. We taught the 1st lesson and he loved it! The spirit was seriously so strong in the room that day I loved it. I didn’t want to leave. We made a time to go back on Saturday so I’m really excited to go back. I’m praying that he will open his heart and hear our wonderful message we have for him.

On the down slope, we lost our friendly Chinese investigators. They started talking to the Jehovah’s Witnesses again and they told them to stay away from us. Really, really sad. They were such great people, but we will continue to pray for them always.

We had a street meeting on Easter Sunday. It was really good. I really enjoyed it. I think that is a really good way to help my Portuguese, too. And it’s fun working with all the members and getting them to do some missionary work. At first I went off with a non-active member named Sergio. He is awesome! But he is just really lazy. But we went off and I said hi to this guy and shook his hand, but he kept walking. Then Sergio grabbed his hand and I started talking to the guy and he was like, “No, no thanks,” but Sergio wouldn’t let go of his hand! It was so funny! Sergio was like, “No sir, this message is really important for you.” It was awesome! What a good missionary he was that day. We didn’t actually get any info from the guy, BUT we at least were able to plant a little seed and give him a pass along card.

Everything with Elizabete is going pretty good. She is such an amazing person; we have family night with her, so we are really excited to teach her and her boyfriend. Hopefully we can get the spirit to be really strong this week for them. But we will always continue to keep praying for them.

Well that is about all for this week. I love you all so much! Keep working hard and keep praying! Remember who you are and why you are here. Make everyday count to get you going to the temple.

Love you,

Elder Gray

A Miracle With the Language

This week was pretty good, but the work seems to be slowing down a little. Everyone bails on us with our lessons we set up! It is so, so frustrating! The people here just don’t know how to keep their word. We call before the lesson, then later when its actually time, they aren’t home or just don’t have the time, or they have to leave...They just come up with all these excuses! BUT, it was still a good week!

The Agues family, the boy I baptized and the mom that was baptized too, well they are doing amazing! I LOVE going over to their house 3 times a week. It is so awesome! The mom, Eneida is just so amazing! She is still continuing to progress so well! I love going over there because she is always so excite to hear what we have to teach that night. They are an absolute amazing family. They are from Cabo Verde if I didn’t mention that earlier.

So last week we went and played Futebol. Soccer in English...and it was really fun. Even though I’m not the best at it, we had a really good time.

This week we had divisions and I went to another area with an Elder named Elder Hatch. He is kind of new also. He was in the group above me in the MTC, so I knew him before and he also doesn’t speak much of the language. We had a lesson that night and he started talking about prayer and faith and the Holy Ghost, but then started to stumble on his words then went blank. So, I took over and just started talking about how important it is for us in our lives. Then the girl that is a member asked me if it’s still possible to have the spirit with you even if you are sinning. I gave her the story that Elder Uchtdorf gave in one of his talks about the airplane going off only 2 degrees. I don’t know how I got through it cuz I don’t know nearly enough Portuguese, but I did. And I ended up talking for an hour and 10 minutes. I could not believe it. It was so amazing though. I could really feel the spirit. I told her that story and how it’s like that with the spirit. If you just go off the straight and narrow you may start going further and further off the path so its RIGHT NOW you need to get back on the right path so you don’t get way off to the point where its nearly impossible to get back on. It was really a good lesson and I really enjoyed being able to say all that in Portuguese.

Now don’t be fooled, I don’t speak very well. It is so tough! Portuguese is so hard. Not gonna lie, sometimes I feel like I’m progressing, but then others it’s like I don’t have a clue what to say or what’s going on. It’s really difficult at times and very frustrating. Learning a new language is not easy. I have gained a whole new upmost respect for all the missionaries around the world who are learning a new language. But I am keeping my head up and I am going to keep going at it until I get it! Then once I get it! I will keep going until I perfect it!

Also this last week, kind of a funny story, we had a run in with a very drunk guy that I could not understand a single word. No one could because he just slurred everything he said. But somehow we talked to him for 15 minutes and we just kept saying how we have to go but he kept talking. So I just finally said, “Can I get a picture with you?” I just totally changed the subject from who knows what he was talking about and yup, I got a picture with him. He totally looks like a dude from the circus he has a big huge mustache and crazy clothes, and....a pass along card from me! :-) In my picture he is holding up the card too. It’s awesome. It was a funny night. I just wish I could have understood anything he said. Someday.

So a little about the church here, it’s pretty awesome. The members are all awesome and they LOVE the missionaries. But...not enough cuz we can never get them to help us with lessons. Getting members to help is very good for the teaching, but it’s so tough here because everyone says they don’t have time. Ever. But I think it’s not that they don’t have time.

So, here is my little lesson to all of you today. Don’t ever say you don’t have time for something so small and something that doesn’t take long at all, especially when it has to do with the church. If you say you don’t have time, it means you don’t care enough. That’s that. So care. And make the time.

Eu sei que nossa igreja é verdadeiro. Eu sei temos um profeta este dia. Eu sei nossa igreja é unique verdadiero igreja em na terra. Sou muito grato para todos os meus amigos e por minha familia. Muito obrigado por sempre a ajudar-me. Eu amo-vos.

I love you all so much! Thank you for everything. Work Hard. Pray. And remember who you are and who you stand for.

Thank you for everything! Thank you for your support.

Elder Gray

Teaching a Great Family

First of all I just want to thank everyone!! For all of your support! It really means so much to me and it helps me to keep on going every single day!

The work is going pretty good. The language on the other hand, man, it is so tough! I can’t understand a word anyone says! They all speak so fast its crazy! But I know that I will get it. I have faith in the Lord and I know that through him, anything is possible. He doesn’t ask of us to do anything that is not possible, so I just keep going every day and work hard at it.

The people here are great though. They are patient with me not being able to say what I’m trying to say to them very fast. They are really awesome. The people on the streets, however, are sometimes a whole different story. You get ignored so much! Even if all I want to do is say a friendly hello, they tend to not say a word back. Sometimes when we are making street contacts we have to literally step in front of their face and say Boa Tarde! And I try to be really outgoing and outspoken (even though I can’t hardly say what I want to.) But when we try to be outgoing with them they usually at least say hi back. But then when they find out we are from the church...they don’t want anything to do with it. Sometimes we get people that literally run away from us. Kind of sad I think. They have no idea what they are missing out on!

The mission is an amazing thing. I have already come to find that. Mainly with the investigators that are progressing. We have this family, I don’t know their last name, sorry, but it’s hard to remember even just their first names! (And it doesn’t help that they have like 5 names!) But anyways, the husband, Jose Carlos, is a member. He was baptized last year and now we are teaching his wife and 3 of his kids and his son’s girlfriend! It’s awesome! His wife is dong really well lately, she is reading and praying. We talked about baptism yesterday and she got like way into it. So, I hope we will soon extend the commitment for her to be baptized and that she will accept!! I pray for her and their family so much. I know the gospel has already blessed their lives. Ineida (the wife) really has just been so much happier lately. It is just awesome!

Well I have already run out of time. But I will write again next week and fill you all in on a bit more about my crazy life right now! I love you all so much! Have a wonderful week and don’t forget to pray, pray, pray! 

LOVE,

ELDER GRAY

Short and sweet this week

Sorry, but I only have six minutes to write! Lame! I am trying to write like fast short letters to everyone but anyways, I will really try to make more time next week, I promise.

First off, here is an aerial photo of our neighborhood. Our building is the one with the little Red 'A'. That’s where we live. It’s made of concrete, so it’s freezing! Haha.

A quick note about a family we are teaching. They are so awesome!! I love them. I really look forward to going over there to teach them. They are working hard and doing their best to do what’s right and they are reading the Book of Mormon, too. It’s awesome! I don’t understand hardly a word...but I do feel the spirit there and I bear my testimony often and talk about the things I feel are necessary to say at certain times. And they seem to understand, so I am progressing. I do know that. But it is for sure tough because sometimes I don’t understand ANYTHING THEY SAY; they talk super-duper fast. Party foul! But they are amazing and they help me a lot and correct me and tell me better ways of saying things and what not. It’s cool. They are great, great people.

My comp and I get along great! He is very helpful to me, so I know I was blessed with an awesome companion! I am very lucky.

Love you all so much and miss you! I will really try to do better next week.

Love,

Elder Gray