Happy Days in Rego!!!


Date: September 24, 2012
Area: Rego Park, Jamaica

Dear Familia,
Another week el tiempo esta volando!!I can not believe that September is almost over! Its officially Autumn here and the weather is BEAUTIFUL! This is my Favorite time of the Year in NY! The leaves are starting to change colors :) So Monday night we went to go and look up Carmen. She is a Domincan investigator who I had not met yet. Anyways she let us right in. We were able to read with her from the Book of Mormon in 2 Nephi 31 about the doctrine of Jesus Christ. It is SUCH an amazing chapter and it does not matter HOW many times I have read it before I always learn something new. I love this chapter because it talks about the importance of baptism. It talks about about how everyone needs to be baptized and recieve the Ghost. We invited her to be baptized and she said yes and that she wants to continue learning. We invited her to come to church and she said YES! I am So excited to keep working with her :)
Tuesday night we were able to go and see this Lady Mirium. I fearlessed her in Target on Monday. She is from Honduras and she had the missionarys over in her country 10 years ago. So she was in the other sisters area here and so we were all able to go together. She is so prepared! The entire time that we were there she kept telling us about how she wanted to learn more. She was anxious to start reading from the Book of Mormon. We talked a lot about baptism and she was MORE than happy and felt that it was right. We invited her to church and she said that she would come :) The spirit was strong and it was really neat to see how the gospel filled that hole or gap and was able to meet her needs.
We were able to have a lesson with Freddy and Maria. They are recent converts who were baptized a couple of months ago. I love love teaching recent converts because they have this fire about them and it is so neat to see the change that people have because of the atonement and the gospel of our Savior Jesus Christ. They have such a desire to do good and to continue to stay on the path. They each were able to share with mesome of their conversion story and it all had to do with someone opening their mouth and sharing the gospel with them. We never know what a difference we can make in the lives of our loved ones, family and friends. We need to get over that fear of what people will think and open our mouths and share what we believe. Because it is TRUE! That is the beauty of this Gospel is that it is TRUE and it is being proclaimed All over the world!
Sunday was a beautiful day! We had studies and then we went to go and pick up Carmen. I was praying hard that she would still be able to go to church. When we got to her house we called her and told her that we were there! She then said, " I am ready." p.s. whoever is reading this, I hope that you understand how funny Dominicans are! Anyways so we were able to walk with her to church! She was so excited! I asked her if she had done her reading from the Book of Mormon. She said yes! I then asked her if she prayed and asked God to know if it was true. She said," Well I know it is true! I am here coming to church with you aren't I ?" haha She was so happy the entire time! When I got to church you will never guess who I saw?! Marina Sterling! From Highschool! We ran up to eachother and hugged! She just moved up here with her husband! I have not seen her in a good 3 years! Small world :) So Carmen loved church! Also Yenny was able to come to church as well :) It was a beautiful day! Not to mention there was a 8 year old getting baptied so we were able to take Carmen downstaris to go and watch the baptism. It was such a good day and all of the members were very friendly and welcoming. A member invited her over for dinner this Thursday and so we are going to be able to teach her a lesson and foster that friendship :)
oh I totally forgot to mention that we had a member of the Quorum of the 70 Elder Bowen and his wife come :) We had a Mega Zone Conference with him and he was AMAZING!!! I do not have any other words to describe it! He talked a lot about the priesthood and exercising it. He also talked about the importance of the Abrahamic covenant and what that really means. He talked about identity. When we really truly understand who we are, then we act accordingly. If everyone really truly understood that we are All sons and daughters of a loving Heavenly Father then there would never be any violence. The reason why we brake commandments is because we forget who we are. I am thankful that we have that knowledge of who we really are and what we can become. Heavenly Father sees us each as Gods. with divine potential. I love this gospel more than anything! I find strength on those hard days in the Book of Mormon. I find such comfort in getting down on my knees and pleading to my Father in Heaven and asking him what I need to change. I feel comfort in knowing that Heavenly Father has given us a tool called Repentance. The power to change and become more like our savior Jesus Christ. It is only through the atonement /sacrifice of our savior that we can get back on the path if we have fallen away and start over new.
I love you all! Thank you everyone back home family and friends for your love and support it means everything to me! There is NO greater Calling than serving a mission! If you are thinking about serving a mission....dont think anymore JUST DO IT :)
1 Nephi 3:7
Lindsay Olsen Happy Bridal Shower
Courtney Burford Happy Wedding!
Love you both!
Love Hermana Gray
P.s. I hope that you all enjoy Relief Society Broadcast! I am EXCITED!!!
"As we offer unto the Lord our family prayers and our personal prayers, let us do so with faith and trust in Him. Let us remember the injunction of Paul to the Hebrews: “For he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” 5 If any of us has been slow to hearken to the counsel to pray always, there is no finer hour to begin than now. William Cowper declared, “Satan trembles, when he sees the weakest Saint upon his knees.” 6 Those who feel that prayer might denote a physical or intellectual weakness should remember that a man never stands taller than when he is upon his knees." President Monson