Are you sure that I was not born in Ecuador?


Area: Brooklyn, NewYork
Date: August 13, 2012

Querida Familia,

I have to say that I am in LOVE with Ecuadorians.....hm...Ok well maybe I am just in love with the Spanish Culture....But lets face it! Ecuadorians are SWEET!! I hope that you all had a wonderful week! I think that the days are getting shorter....Here I am back again writing you this email. Mom,Dad,Kyle and Chelsea I hope that you are all enjoying yourselves in London :) Chelsea Thank you so much for the post card, I sure do miss you Chelsea Poo :) 

All I have to say is MEMBER work is the BEST!! Ok so this week we were able to go out with Maria Jose, She came teaching with us. She is awesome and a GREAT fearlesser :) I have really enjoyed working with her and seeing her testimony grow through sharing the gospel. After going out to go and find people to teach.....knocking on doors, looking up potentials and all that jazz then we went to the Familia Moras house. We were able to go and have dinner at their house. They are from Ecuador, so I was secretly praying that they would feed us Cerviche ( My FAVORITE dish...its like a shrimp coctail :) ) So when we got there we walked into the house and they were still cooking and GUESS WHAT THEY WERE MAKING!?!? Cerviche! A HUGE bunch of it. So I was happy :) We then were able to help them finish cooking! Then the Elders showed up and then 4 investigators that they had invited!!! 

Funny note- If you did not know I am in LOVE with Chile anything picante.... haha you all know that :) So the Hermana Mora made this salsa picante and so therefore I put it in my cerviche, on my rice and meat. So I was on One side of the table and Elder Schlechty (another elder from AZ) who also loves chile. So throughout dinner we both were asking Elder Hunter in the Middle to pass the chile back and forth needless to say it ended up being a competition. So back and forth the chile was being passed back and forth. More and more chile we were putting inside out Cerviche :) Needless to say I won :) haha I accidently inhailed it, and I my eyes started to water haha It was wonderful :) The members were laughing their heads off! 

Ok so anyways we were able to teach Francisco, Diego, Alejandra, and Lourdes about how God is our Heavenly Father and how he loves us so he has given us Families. The Mora family was able to bear testimony about how the gospel really blesses families. Hermana Mora the Mom bore powerful testimony and practically quoted Preach My Gospel. It was an amazing lesson and Hermana Mora talked about Baptism and Francisco the dad of the Alejandra was asking good questions and they were really intrigued. I have such a powerful testimony of using members to teach. They are able to understand better where the investigators are coming from. Also when they have a friend they are able to support one another. The spirit was so strong and at the end of the lesson Lourdes said, Ill see you girls at church on Sunday, even before we asked her :) It was a wonderful lesson and I know that they will get baptized. They truly have a desire to learn. This gospel is beautiful and when you teach to someones needs and follow the spirit, Heavenly Father lets you know what things need to be said. Our Father in Heaven knows his children so well, and he knows what we need. I am so eternally grateful for a father in Heaven who loves us more than we can imagine who has given us this plan. A way to return to live with our father and to be happy! 

We have been working a lot with members to get referrals and to be able to foster that relationship. This Sunday we went to go and eat at the Familia Montoyas house. Afterwards Hermana Montoya invited her best friend to come over for a Family Home Evening. Myra came over and her 6 year old daughter Milena. We were able to teach the Restoration of the Gospel. It was an amazing lesson, the spirit was there and we were all edified. She had told us that she wanted something good. She wanted a church that made her change and made her be a better person. We told her that, that was all what our church was about ........its about Change its about Repenting! Its about coming closer to our Savior Jesus Christ. After the restoration video, we asked her how she felt, and she said good. At the end of the lesson her little girl Milena out of no where shouted, "I feel Happy"! Her mom asked her why? Then she said, " I dont know...I just do." We then explained that it was the spirit. Children are so sensitive to the spirit. After the lesson she said. "I am going to come to church!" Even before we asked her. She is Golden! She then said, " I want you to teach my other two daughters who are 14 and 17! Can you do that? OF COURSE :) 

I love this gospel! It is true. I love the opportunity that we have everyday to make changes in our lives to come closer to our Savior Jesus Christ. I love my Savior, I love the Book of Mormon! I feel so happy when I read it. I am grateful for the chance that I have to receive personal revelation as I am filled with the words of Christ. 

I love you all! Keep being awesome! Always remember C.P.R ( Church, Prayer and Reading the Scripture! ) 

Go and MAKE A DIFFERENCE :)

love mucho,

Hermana Gray

Our Heavenly Father did not put us on earth to fail but to succeed gloriously. It may seem paradoxical, but that is why recognizing answers to prayer can sometimes be very difficult. Some face life with only their own experience and capacity to help them. Others seek, through prayer, divine inspiration to know what to do. When required, they qualify for power beyond their own capacity to do it.~ Elder Scott