A Really Short Winter

Welcome to Elder Gray's Blog

Bueno, friends and family.

This week it dropped down to about 28 degrees, and of course it was the other Elders' turn to take the car. Somehow, we were always biking upwind and uphill the entire day. It rarely gets that cold, and the whole evening Zapata was like a ghost town; no native Texan wanted to go outside. A lot of Mexicans down here will yell at you for being outside without a jacket, and ask why you aren't wearing more. They are very concerned for our health, which is nice. 

Our faces are red from the cold, not the sun. Note the tie/background combo

We took cover from the cold and went to the Church to plan and call come people.

Planning summed up in one picture

President Torres, came to Zapata for church yesterday. He's really good at pumping people up and he excited the members of our Branch. He says he wants a large church building in Zapata, and that the little kids running around would go on missions. We had a pretty good turnout despite it being cold, and I think it went really well. After Sacrament meeting we taught the Youth how to use the scriptures to learn more about God. 

Until next week,

Elder Gray

A Week of Parties

 A Lookout Over the Rio Grande and Mexico

Aye chihuahua. The end of the year is always such a crazy time. I had Christmas, a birthday and New Year's Eve. My birthday was great, I went out and did missionary work. Knocked some doors. I did get some mail and birthday present from y'all, so thank you so much. I love mail.

 New Years Eve Aftermath

I didn't really do much for New Years Eve. We had to be in our apartments at 6, so I just studied Spanish. I'm told they shot off some fireworks, but I was asleep for it. I'm sorry I'm not very exciting.

Because I can't play Pokemon Go anymore, I've taken to capturing pictures of rare chihuahuas. These little yappy dogs are everywhere, but few are worthy of capturing. Just like Pokemon.

This is the rarest chihuahua I have caught. Not only is is wearing a sweater, but he is calm enough to stand in the corner for time out. Very valuable. Aside from ties, this is the only hobby I have.

Much Love,

Elder Gray

Feliz Navidad

Hey y'all! Sorry about the late post. The library was closed for Christmas break, and it's been a chaotic week with transfers and all. I think the library will be closed next week for New Years. 

So we had Christmas this past week! Hottest Christmas I've had, it was about 85 degrees that day. On Christmas Eve we had to be in our apartment at 6, so we baked some cookies and watched super cheesy Church movies about Christmas. I got a bunch of presents from my loving family, half of which was candy. I dedicated an entire drawer to all the sweets, and haven't bought groceries for this week. I'll be eating solely candy for this next week. 

Although my area is mostly Zapata, we also cover San Ygnacio, a small town about 15 minutes north by car. San Ygnacio is the oldest town in Zapata County, and was originally a small fort this guy made for his family. We've only just started working out there, and I haven't seen anyone walking around. Ever. It really feels like a ghost town. It's very well kept though, and walking around feels like a trip though a historic movie set. It's also right next to the Rio Grande, which we just had to sneak by. 

That's Mexico right over there

A Zapata South missionary who we lived with was transferred out yesterday. Elder Barney was awesome, and we already miss him. Today, my companion and I are both wearing the goodbye ties he gave us as a sign of solidarity. He just started his mission, so I'm sure we'll see each other again. His companion, or District Leader, will be training a brand new missionary. We will be meeting him today. I'm very excited not to be the newest one here.

The Original Zapata Crew

That's all folks,

Elder Gray

Christmas Party

The Branch Christmas Social and Sweater Vests

Man it got even colder! We were having lovely 80 degree days and it dropped down to 40 in one day. I should have packed more than just a sweater, but it goes with my Christmas hat.

After cleaning the ranch house for weeks, we were finally ready to throw a little party. A lot of people came, and like 4 families have never been to our church before. We had Christmas tamales, ham, corn, cinnamon rolls and Abuelita hot chocolate. After we had eaten we watched a short video of the Nativity, and then watched a cultural celebration with many South American cultures and their Christmas songs. Then I spent the rest of the night playing kickball with the kids. It went really well and we met some cool new people, some of whom we are meeting with later this week. 

The Cow Whisperer

I feel like we are finally starting to pick up momentum here in Zapata. we have met a lot of really great people, and I'm finally getting used to knocking doors and talking to people. We have a lot of ideas to help the Branch grow and become stronger. Right now the missionaries do a lot for the Branch, and we would like to shift it over to being more member-run. 

This week is Christmas week. I hope y'all are having a good break from school and work, and enjoying all that snow. I'm looking forward to the Skype call with the fam!

Love you all,

Elder Gray