Feliz Dia de Chicken?

Date: November 28, 2011

Area: Long Island

Companion - Sister Lewis

Happy Late Thanksgiving!!!

I hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!! I forgot to tell you one of my HIGHLIGHTS from last week :)

One of our investigators asked me where I was from? I then responded that I was American and that I was from Arizona. Then I asked him why he asked. He said that I had an accent and that I sounded like someone from Costa Rica!! Oh man you have NO idea how happy that made me feel! I always wanted to have some sort of accent so that I could sound native when I speak..Glad to know that I actually sound like a Hispanic when I talk :)
Well you may be wondering why I put Feliz dia De Chicken...ok so usually they say " Feliz Dia de Pavo" Like Happy Turkey Day when we are talking about Thanksgiving....However its funny because most Hispanics do not eat Turkey...but rather they eat lots and lots of Chicken :) So one of our investigators called it Chicken day :)
Monday was wonderful! We had a family home evening with two Dominican lady's from the ward, we were able to talk about Temples and the importance of Family's and how we can be with out family's for the Eternity's through the sealing powers of the temples. I am SO thankful for temples and the knowledge that I have that through temples we can be sealed for time and all eternity to our loved ones :)
So on Wednesday we were able to go and teach the Mendoza family with a member named Helen. She is this cute little Peruvian who just got here like 2 months ago from Peru and is staying with her family here until April. ( I decided that I love Peruvians) but anyways we were able to go and teach Wendy and Rey who I had been talking about and we were able to review a little bit about the Restoration. We asked Anderson the 13 year old boy what he remembered about the Restoration from when we taught it the first time. Anderson remembered everything in detail! He is such a smart kid! We then were able to watch the video to review it and the spirit in the room was SO strong! Everyone could feel it. I always get teary eyed at the part when Joseph Smith's Father gets baptized and when he leaves the water and Joseph Smith gives him a hug. I can feel how Joseph Smith felt when he knew that he could bring and give the BEST thing that we can give to someone. The Message of the true restored gospel on this earth. Missionary Work seriously brings SO much joy! I have never been happier than I have been on my mission!! The holy ghost was the teacher! They were able to feel it. After the lesson we asked Anderson if there was anything else that we could do for him and he said, "Actually YES! You can assign me another chapter to read in the Book of Mormon!" Seriously?! well we will gladly do that! Man its no wonderful Heavenly father says that we need to become as little children to enter into the Kingdom of God. They just get it! It makes sense to them and they are humble,submissive, they are teachable!

Thanksgiving was a wonderful day! I think that on the mission you are able to realize a lot more the blessings that you have in your life. I am SO grateful for my testimony in the gospel. Its something that is like my anchor that keeps me going when times get hard. I know that I can always turn to my Savior for ANYTHING! I know that we have a purpose on this earth and that Heavenly Father has a plan specifically for me! Guess what?! He has a plan for you too! Yes I am talking to you! Whoever is reading this email- YOU! Heavenly Father knows and loves you individually! He loves you so much that he has given you many tools in this life to make it back to him. Such as the Gospel! We are SO blessed to have the message of the restored gospel! He has given us a body, and sent us down to earth so that we can have experiences! So that we can learn, and that we can make choices that can and will lead us back to the presence of our Heavenly Father! HOW LUCKY ARE WE?!?! Sometimes we do not realize how blessed we are! But if we take time to "Smell the roses" per say or just look around us we then can ultimately realize JUST HOW BLESSED WE ARE!
We were able to go and play football, for the Turkey Bowl! IT was super fun! We played Football with like 3 Zones! I know what you all are thinking...YES I PLAYED FOOTBALL! was I good? well....that's another story...aha but I played and MAN I am sore!!!! My companion and I could not walk for a good 2 days after! haha We had the pleasure of having 3 turkey/chicken dinners that day! The Hispanics sure are taking good care of us missionary's!
We had a really good lesson with the Zelaya Family and the Lee's ( a couple in the ward who came with us) and we talked again about the importance of marriage and eternal familys and how our ultimate goal is to make it to the temple. We had another lesson during the week with Mirna and Denis Zelaya about the restoration again and the Word of Wisdom. It made me SO happy to hear that Denis has been obeying the word of Wisdom for over a month now. He has made significant changes and it was from when we started teaching him. He is so solid! Denis said the opening prayer. There is just something about when an investigator prays...they are so sincere and you can tell that they really mean what they are saying. He prayed for understanding of the Book of Mormon....and much more. These people are so humble and have really taught me how to be more humble and to recognize the hand of the Lord in all things. Mirna came to Church on Sunday! She just loves going to church and the way that she feels when she is there!
We invited Wendy and Rey to get married! They know that they need to get married before they get baptized! We set a date with them to get baptized and they are more than excited!! Wendy is so down and really excited! She is reading in the Book of Mormon, their whole family is coming to Church! They are progressing! It feels wonderful! It is amazing to see that through the atonement of Jesus Christ and that through our obedience to the commandments we really can start to see that light..shine through someone's countenance. There are many people that say that us as members have a light....and I have realized more on my mission where that light comes from. Really that light is from Obedience! When we are obedient we allow the light of Christ to shine through us and our countenance appears brighter.

We are all literal sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father. I think that when we all come to realize that, then we begin to see and notice our TRUE potential! We began to see that we have been sent here that through our obedience we can ultimately one day become like our Heavenly Father. As this Christmas season approaches may we all remember our REAL purpose for being here and let us remember the TRUE meaning of Christmas. To Celebrate the birth of our Savior, our Redeemer Jesus Christ.

I love you all! Keep being the amazing people that you are! You mean the world to me :)

Con Amor,
Hermana Gray

“It is the spirit of the gospel of Jesus Christ, obedience to which will bring ‘peace on earth,’ because it means—good will toward all men.” 3 President Thomas S. Monson

Feliz Dia De Pavo! aka Happy Thanksgiving!

Date: November 21, 2012

Area: Long Island

Companion - Sister Lewis

Querido Familia!

I love you so much! Man the mission just keeps getting better and better! I am able to learn new things every day. I am so thankful for each and everyday that I have on the mission and for the chance that I have to better myself and to apply the atonement daily in my life. I love the people here in New York, I have learned so much. I feel like I am in school like summer school like super speed!

Well this week was amazing just like the others! So much is has been going on, I do now know where to begin. Perhaps we can begin with last Monday. So we had a Family Home Evening at the Bishops house with Wendy Rey and their family along with Mirna and her Cousin Denis two other of our investigators. We were able to talk about Eternal Marriage, Eternal Family's and Temples. That through temples our family's can be sealed together for the eternity's. I showed Wendy a picture of a temple and she loved it! I am so thankful that we have the knowledge that through temples is the way that a Loving Heavenly Father has provided for us so that we can be with our family's, not only in this life, but through the eternity's.

We went over to Wendy's this week, and we were asking her how she was doing, and she said Bad. We then were trying to find out what was wrong and she had told us that earlier that day she had gotten in a car accident...she then said that it got her thinking....she said," If I were to die today, then I would not be ready to meet God, because I am not baptized!" she is SO ready! She knows what she needs to do and is so willing to do it. She is so humble and knows that there are some changes that she needs to make in her life and she is more than willing to do what the Savior has asked her to do. We shared a quick thought with her and then assigned her a chapter in the Book of Mormon to read for the next time that we came. We assigned her Alma 22. The next time that we went over there she was SO excited to talk about the chapter that she read. She said that she read it three times she loved it so much! She also said that she read it to her kids and her boyfriend. She loved that this king was more than willing to give up EVERYTHING to get to know the Savior. It made me think about what things in our lives can we give up to get to know our savior a little better. What things can we do to better align our will with that of the lords will. Her little girls are so cute! she said that they kept asking, "Is today Church? When are we going to go to church? I think that is adorable!

We received a referral from the English Elders earlier this week so we decided that we were going to go over there to meet her on Wednesday. Her name was Rachelle, when she saw us she invited us right in. She said that she wanted to know more about our Church. She said that she was actually on her way to the church, because a friend of hers or family member was going to receive a priesthood blessing. She said that she had just been on the phone talking to her sister about our Church when we knocked on the door, she said," I do not think that it is a coincidence that you came over here today!" She wanted to know what made our church different than all of the other churches. We then explained the Restoration, and then showed her the Book of Mormon. She said Tell me more about that Book! I want to know more! Rachelle has a lot of potential, she has a desire, and having a desire is the FIRST step, just like it talks about in Doctrine and Covenants 20:37 we need to be humble and teachable.

I am so extremely thankful for the opportunity that I have to grow. I love that we are able to make our weaknesses strong just like the lord promises in Ether 12:27

27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their aweakness. I bgive unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my cgrace is sufficient for all men that dhumble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make eweak things become strong unto them.

The lord wants nothing more than to help us. I am so thankful that through the healing power of the atonement we are able to become more and more like our savior through the sacrifice of our Savior. I am thankful for the positive and silver lining in every situation. Really there is always a positive to a negative. Look for it! Try it! The lord gives us trials so that we can be made stronger! It is amazing how much happier we can be if we would just look for the good in things. Look for the good in people! If we choose to focus on the good in people then that is what we will see. No one is perfect, but we are all striving to be better. I love that everyday we can strive to become better than we were yesterday. We are so blessed to know that through the cleansing power of the atonement that we can become our best selves.

I am SO thankful for the scriptures and for the opportunity that I have to study out of them in the morning. I am so thankful for the words of the prophets both from times of old and from our modern day prophets. They are truly inspired. I am so thankful for this past conference and that we are able to read and study from the talks that they have given. It is really neat that we can apply the teachings of the prophets in our daily life. We are so blessed to have a Living Prophet President Thomas S. Monson and to also have 12 apostles just like the Savior had when he was here on this earth. The lords knows us better than we know ourselves and so if we turn to him we can become better. We can do what he wants us to do.

I know that I am supposed to be here in New York at this time in my life. Meeting the people that I am meeting and teaching the people that I am. I am so grateful for all of my companions and they chance that I have to learn. I am grateful for a loving family who supports me. I am grateful for my parents who have raised me with the knowledge that I have a Father in Heaven who loves me and wants nothing but the best for me. I am So grateful for the knowledge that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored through a prophet Joseph Smith. I am grateful for the Book of Mormon, a book that has changed my life for the better. I am so thankful that I can turn to it and it can lead me to an answer of a question that I had, it brings comfort. I am so thankful for the Holy Ghost that helps me understand the truths and principles that are found in the Book of Mormon. I am grateful for a Living Modern Day Prophet who is here to lead and guide the Church Today. I am grateful for a Father and Brothers who have the priesthood and are living worthy to have it. I am grateful for all of the wonderful people that I have been able to come in contact with in my life. Whether you know it or not you have made an impact in my life! So thank you! I am thankful for all of my friends, who have helped shaped me into the person that I am today. I am grateful for my testimony and for the testimony's of everyone else, who have helped strengthen mine. I love this gospel! It is is TRUE! It is the ONLY way that we can return to live with our Heavenly Father again someday.

I could go on and on about what I am thankful for....but I am afraid this emails would never end....Thanksgiving always makes me think about what I am really thankful in my life. What are you thankful for?

Well Family, its that time. But may you always remember how much your Father in Heaven loves you, and how he wants only the BEST for you! Keep being amazing! Look for the silver lining in every situation. Look for what you can learn, I promise you, its there! Heavenly Father loves you, He has created a plan for you! I love you!

Love,
Hermana Gray

Eat some Turkey for me! Ill be eating some rice and beans haha jk!

"A grateful heart … comes through expressing gratitude to our Heavenly Father for His blessings and to those around us for all that they bring into our lives." President Monson

November Happenings!!!

Date: November 14, 2011

Area: Long Island

Companion - Sister Lewis

Dear Family,
Well this week has come and gone. I cannot believe it! It was a
wonderful week as always! Time on the mission is a weird thing; it
comes and goes within a blink of an eye. I better stop blinking or it
will be over before I know it. It’s like my zone leader said, “You
have a year and a half to do your mission, and a life time to think
about it.” So I better make sure that I am doing my best do magnify my
calling as a missionary and be the kind of missionary that the lord
would have me be.


I hope that you all had a good week this week I know that I sure did!
Ok so on Monday we had a wonderful lesson with our investigator named
Wendy and her novio Rey. They were all so excited to have us over
there; they had everyone sit down listen to us. Wendy at the end of
the lesson began to express some of her feelings that she had been
thinking about concerning to baptism. She said that her and her novio
“boyfriend” who she has been living with for 5 years want to get
married, because she knows that in order to be baptized we need to be
married. She expressed that she loved church and that she feels good
at our church. She also told us that she had attended many different
churches in the past but always felt like something was missing. She
felt that when she came to our Church that – that hole that she had
felt was then filled. We called them on Sunday to remind their family
to get ready for church and the little boy named Anderson was like we
are all getting ready to go! Oh this made me so happy to see their
entire family in church sitting together. It was the first time that
Rey had come to church and he said that he loved it!!


We had another good lesson with Denis and the Family Zelaya. They are
progressing very well and continuing to read and pray about the Book
of Mormon. They are soaking everything up like a sponge I love it!
They just love learning!!! We had the opportunity to be accompanied by
Sister Nelson – President Wife. She served her mission in Chile years
ago. She is incredible, a she teaches boldly and with love. I learned
so much from her. We were able to teach this really good lesson with
this sweet Dominican lady named Ester! She is so humble and really
likes what we teach. She says that she has been searching as well and
gone to many different churches but never felt that peace that she is
looking for. She said that she felt good however when she talks to us
and when she reads the Book of Mormon.
We were on our way to an appointment one day and had a couple of extra
minutes and so we decided to go and stop by this sweet lady from El
Salvador named Lila. Her husband had never been there when we teach
but she always listens. Her husband happened to be there and he
invited us right in to teach both him and his wife. We had a really
powerful lesson on the atonement – the beautiful sacrifice of our
Savior and what we can do to show that we appreciate the sacrifice
that he did for us. After the lesson we asked the sweet couple if
there was anything that we could do for them. The husband then went on
telling us that we have done enough. He said that there have been lots
of different people from all sorts of religions that have wanted to
come over and teach him and his wife. However he never felt good about
it. He said that when he met us, he HAD to let us in. There was
something that he felt when he talked to us. He thanked us for the
message that we share. He said that he is interested in the message
and wants to learn more and more about our Church. You should have
seen the look on his face when I gave him a free copy of the Book of
Mormon. He was excited to read it and learn about our Savior Jesus
Christ.


This church is SO true! If we want to know more about our Savior Jesus
Christ we should read the Book of Mormon. Our Savior is everything! It
is amazing the miracles that we can have in our life if we would but
just choose to let the Savior in. He is there knocking on our Hearts,
it is just up to us to let him in. We can be healed with the love of
our savior if we would just choose to use the atonement. We can become
better people, we can develop more love, more charity, more humility
if we would just ask for it. The lord will bless us with opportunity’s
to better ourselves if we just ask. There are so many blessings that
are conditional upon our asking. Prayer is real, I know that no matter
how big or small – the lord listens and answers EVERY one of our
prayers, because HE LOVES us! I am So thankful for this Gospel and for
the Chance that I have every day to better myself to go to the lord in
daily prayer, humble myself and ask for his help. This church is the
Lords Kingdom on this earth. Our Heavenly Father loves us so much that
he gave us his only begotten son, so that through him we can be made
clean and be able to return to live with our Heavenly Father and be
with our families again for eternity. The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter Day Saints makes sense and I Love it! I am so thankful that I
have the opportunity to be a missionary here in New York at this time
in my life! It is the BEST!!

I love you all! Take care and don’t you be eating too much Turkey the
next week 

Love
Hermana Gray

"Our understanding of and faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ will
provide strength and capacity needed for a successful life."

Richard G. Scott, "He Lives! All Glory to His Name!" Ensign, May 2010, 77
Topics: Atonement, Faith

This is why I LOVE being a Missionary!!

Date: November 7, 2011

Area: Long Island

Companion - Sister Lewis

Querido Familia,

I just hope that you know that I LOooooove being a missionary! There is honestly nothing like it! Honestly I have never been happier! and I have been pretty happy throughout my life haha. really though I am sure that any return missionary would agree that there is nothing that can compare to the feeling we have as missionary's. I love everything about missionary work! I love my studies in the scriptures! I have always loved reading my scriptures, however something about being a missionary and being able to study for your investigators and trying to figure out their needs and being able to study not for yourself but for others. Just something about that is so rewarding.
So we had a really really good zone conference the other day. It is so weird time is flying....seems like it was just yesterday that we had zone conference. Anyways we were really able to talk about the atonement. Just when I think that I have a grasp as to what the atonement is, my eyes are opened and I am able to learn SO much more. Really everything else is just an appendage to the atonement as Joseph Smith says. We were really able to study ALma 7:11-14 and it is amazing how much time that we can spend on just one verse of the scriptures. There is so much more than what is written on the page. I could spend a whole personal study on one scripture. It really is amazing how much that we can learn from the scriptures if we would just take the time to not only read them but to really search the scriptures. If we could study the atonement we not only learn about our savior but we can really learn about the true love that he has for each and every one of us. He sacrificed more than we can even begin to comprehend. I love my Savior Jesus Christ and am MORE than thankful for all that he did for me.
So we have been teaching this incredible family the Zelaya's. They are from El Salvador....just like everyone here haha. We pretty much live in Mini El Salvador! Anyways we have pretty much been going to their house everyday and our angel member Juan has helped out a ton. So its so cute every time that we go over there they all are anxious to hear the message and they are always piled on the couch eager to learn and always have our two seats set up in front of them. It is really neat to see how much of a desire that they have. They are reading in the Book of Mormon and are continuing to want to know more, and this brings me so much joy!
funny note - So ....We do a little bit of teaching English as well as a our lessons with the Zelaja Family and they are just wonderful! ok so we had taught them some frases the other day. So yesterday after church we asked them what their favorite part of the week was and they said " When you sisters taught us How to do Head, Shoulders, Knees and toes in English!" oh man that just made my day.

Ok so we were looking up formers the other day and we came across this lady named Wendy. We have been trying for the past couple of weeks to go and see her but she has always been busy. So finally this past week we were able to see her. We were able to meet with her and her whole entire family! It was amazing and her husband Rey- totally understood proper priesthood authority. It was really neat to see that little light bulb go on and he understood and said " That makes sense". Its right that is one thing that I absolutely LOVE about this gospel is that it just MAKES sense! All of lives questions can be answered through this gospel. Especially through this book that we have that is SO special. Really it is. The Book of Mormon. There are people who died for this book, this record and we have it at the tip of our fingers. Sometimes I have to ask myself am I taking full advantage of the Book of Mormon. Am I reading it as I should, am I applying everything in the scriptures as Nephi teaches (1st Nephi 19:23) I sure hope so.
I think that we can always be doing better in this life. That is something so beautiful about the gospel is that we can constantly be improving. If we are not reading the Book we can start today! Its never too late. Now is the time to prepare! Now is the time to read. Now is the time that we are kinder, have more charity, are more patient more loving. Now is the time that we can start opening out mouth and sharing this GLAD news of the gospel! Now is the time to prepare to meet god! ( ALma 34:32-34) Not tomorrow but now! We were learning about a lot of really neat lessons in Zone Conference and in reference to our Companions as well. There are so many times where we might find ourselves thinking..." if only my companions did this, or if only they did that" but really we ought to be THANKFUL that our companions, wife or husband, or companion on the mission or our best friends. We ought to be thankful that they are not perfect! Because if our companions were perfect, then where in the world would the learning take place. How would we be able to better ourselves? Maybe they are supposed to teach us to love more,or to have more charity or patience. Whatever lesson it is we ought to be thankful that we have the chance to learn that from them :)

Well the miracle UPON miracles happened just yesterday! ANA RIVAS GOT BAPTIZED :) :) This is something that has been in the process for more than a year! There have so many missionary's that have been working with Ana. Me being one of them. I had the opportunity to work with Ana for 3 transfers. She is absolutely INCREDIBLE! I do not think that I met anyone as humble as her in my life. Everything worked out! She is in Jamaica so I was able to go back to see my branch in Jamaica and watch as Ana was able to make that covenant with her Heavenly Father as she entered into the waters of Baptism. I have never seen a baptism SO packed before. There are so many people that love and care about Ana. There were so many missionary's that have been apart of her conversion. It just goes to show that the Lord knows what he is doing. He has his timing and he has everything done in his way. I have never felt the spirit so strong. At that moment I just got this overwhelming feeling of Joy.

THIS IS WHY I AM A MISSIONARY HERE IN NY NY SOUTH at this time!! Oh man I just love it all!

To top off all this joy as I then was able to return and make it in time to see people at church in my ward I walked in and the two little girls of Wendy came running up to me "Hermana Gray Hermana Gray"!! They had such a good time at church and Denis and his cousin Mirium came to church! They told me how much fun that they had in primary! Wendy came up to me and gave me the biggest hug and told me that she felt good here and that she also enjoyed everything!


I am HAPPY, but I am a different happy than I have ever felt. I know that we have a Heavenly Father who loves each and every one of us. He has a plan for us and he gives us experiences in our lives so that we can learn from them and grow. There are people in this life that you are supposed to meet and that are put in your lives for a reason. We can learn something from everyone if we just take the time to look for the good in people. Prayer is real and Prayer is powerful. Heavenly Father answers our prayers because he loves us! I know that God lives and that this church is God's Kingdom on the earth!


I love you all! I hope that you had a Happy Halloween! And are getting ready for Turkey Season! :)

Love,
Hermana Gray

"This is the spirit of serving God. This is the spirit of putting Him first in our lives. Though we may not necessarily forfeit our lives in service to our God, we can certainly demonstrate our love for Him by how well we serve Him. He who hears our silent prayers, He who observes our unheralded acts will reward us openly when the need comes." ~ President Monson