I have to confess I am in love with Peruvians!!  :)

Date: January 18, 2012
Area: Long Island
Companion - Sister Lewis


Querida Familia!

    Well due to Holidays....our preparation day was switched around that
is why I am writing today :) Where is time going? Someone must have thrown
the clock out the window...because time is "Flying"! Anyways I guess that
there is nothing that we can do about that except, live it up! Alright So
Monday....Monday we had a wonderful Family Home Evening with the Montenegro
family along with a bunch of other family's! We talked about the atonement
in our lives and how we can use and need to use the atonement in our own
lives. That is what it is all about. It's about CHANGE! Are we better today
than we were yesterday? Are we repenting and making changes daily? That is
why we are here on this life to learn, make changes and constantly improve
and to be the person that our Heavenly Father wants us to be. To ultimately
reach our potential....we have so much potential it is just up to us if we
are going to reach it or not.
    
We went looking up people the other day and we went to go and look up
a little girl named Areli. We got in and began talking to her, she is 13
and told her that there were other sisters who would come and visit them.We
were able to talk to her and she said that she wanted to know more about
Jesus Christ and she enjoys coming to church so we are going to continue
working with her. She is great!
    
Oh ok so I totally forgot...ok so about 2 weeks ago we received this
AWESOME referral from a Member in New Jersey. So we finally were able to
get in contact with them. The mom and dad were not there, however we were
able to meet with the 3 girls. They are the ages of 24,13 and 9. They are
from Peru and are the most darling girls ever! They let us right in. They
gave us some cool drink thing from Peru, it was some sort of natural juice
it was yummy. Anyways we were able to talk to them about what we do as
missionary's and how we were there to help them. We read with them a
scripture and set up a return appointment. They said that we could come
over whenever we wanted. We then promised them that we would bring them
each their own copy of the Book of Mormon. They were all super excited! I
talked to Stephany on the phone the 24 year old during the week and she
told me that little Alexandra the 9 year old was wanting us to hurry and
bring her copy of the Book of Mormon. They are absolutely adorable! not to
mention they are Peruvian! ( Secretly I want to be Peruvian! )
      
We were walking down the street talking to everyone in
sight...(which right now with this cold....well there are not too many
people walking outside....because its FREEZING! ) However there was this
one man and we stopped him and began talking to him. We invited him to
church and he said that he really wanted to know more. We made another
appointment with him and gave him the restoration pamphlet. We went back
another day with Hermana Majano and he was excited to learn more. We were
able to talk to him a little bit, however his friend took over the entire
lesson and we just ended up listening to him talk the whole time. Eder
apologized for his friend and we were able to give him a Book of Mormon and
set up another time. We went back and he said that he had read the pages
that we left for him, and he said that it was really interesting.
       
 I absolutely LOVE the power of the Book of Mormon. When one really
takes the time to sit down and read the Book of Mormon, automatically there
is a spirit that comes and a sense of peace that comes right along with the
Book of Mormon. More often that not I have found on my mission that there
are many people who have negative things to say about the Book of Mormon.
My first response is always, "Well have you read it?" And 120% of the time
the answer is NO! We can not love that which we do not know. It's just like
that little girl in General Conference said from Canada, " If you have not
read the Book of Mormon, then you have not researched my church, because I
have read every single page of the Book of Mormon and I know that it is
true." I have done the same and I know with out a doubt that the Book of
Mormon is true. This book can change our lives if we read it and apply its
teachings. This is HIS work and it will be done His way! It will not stop
until he says its done.
        
Heavenly Father loves us and he wants NOTHING but the best for us.
That is why he sent his only begotten son, to come to earth and atone and
suffer pains and afflictions of every kind in the garden of Gethsemane.
Jesus Christ suffered so that through him we can be saved if we choose to
repent! If we choose to make changes. If we choose to use the tools that
our Loving Heavenly father has provided us with. One of which is the Book
of Mormon. We also have family's, God has placed each and every one of us
here on this earth in family's so that we might be able to learn and grow.
He has given us the gospel, which really is the

"Good news", and it is our job as members of his ONE and only TRUE church
to go and Spread it! We all have faults, we all fall short, but that is why
there is the atonement of our savior Jesus Christ. Heavenly Father loves us
all the SAME, because he is PERFECT! He is omnipotent and has a love for
each and everyone of us that is uncomprehending. If you are falling short
in anyway I invite you to come unto Jesus Christ with all purpose of heart
and Repent, make those changes necessary so that one day you can live with
your father in Heaven who loves you SO much! He does! Never forget that!
Its never to late to make changes and follow the perfect example that our
Savior Jesus Christ has set.

I love you all! I love being a missionary! There is nothing greater than
serving others and helping build God's Kingdom!

Remember its not about* you!* It's all about others! So go and out Serve!

Con mucho Amor,
Hermana Gray

*God’s love fills the immensity of space; therefore, there is no shortage
of love in the universe, only in our willingness to do what is needed to
feel it. To do this, Jesus explained we must “love the Lord thy God with
all thy heart, … soul, … strength, and … mind; and thy neighbour as
thyself” (Luke 10:27 <http://lds.org/scriptures/nt/luke/10.27?lang=eng#26>).
*