Pets and Broadcasts

I had to.

¡Hola ya'll!

This week we had a worldwide missionary broadcast! It was streamed live from the missionary department HQ, where we watched the Missionary Committee discuss how to teach better. I think I learned something. They did announce some big changes, for instance: what we count. Usually we keep track of 10 indicators like how many lessons we teach, how many referrals we receive and contact, new investigators, ect. They announced they would cut it down to 4, so now we only keep track of people with baptism dates, baptisms, investigators at church and new investigators. I like it. I think it will cut down on the number grind and focus more on getting new people to Church. They also announced some changes to the schedule but the most important change is we have more time to dig for ties on P-Day.

There's a lot happening in this photo

This week is my companion's last week of his mission! His family is going nuts. He's really trying to work hard in his last week, but I can tell he's excited to go home. He may freeze when he gets back to Utah though. 

I realized I spent last winter in Texas too! That means I'll have spent a total of 3 winters in Texas by the end of my mission. I don't know how well I'll adjust when I get back. I may freeze as well.

I hope I don't get transferred but we'll see.

Till next week,

Elder Gray.

Still Grinding

Stuck in Traffic

Bueno!

This week we traveled up to Laredo for Zone Conference where we had interviews and embiggened our minds. Usually Zone Conferences start with President Torres. Right now he seems to be giving us the missionary lessons, but really in-depth. This time he taught us the Plan of Salvation. He's got a gift for public speaking.  I'm not sure anyone else can talk about premortal life for two hours and keep everyone's attention.

Many of you know how I'm pretty quiet, and generally don't talk unless I have to. President Torres brought this up in our interview. He said me being quiet is a form of pride because I'm afraid of what other people will think, especially in Spanish. That hit me hard, but in a good way. I realized he was right. So this last week I've been working on forgetting myself. I found that native speakers don't care if my grammar isn't perfect, they can still understand me. I'm learning a lot. 

Valley guard dog. He actually bit my shoe, so I guess he's effective

We have run out of food. I've been living off Christmas candy. But we will survive. 

Love,

Elder Gray

Not Enough Chihuahuas

He basically lives on Pizza Roles

Hey people,

Sorry about the irregular blog posts lately. I am only available when the library is open. It was kind of chaotic with all the holidays but it should be better now. 

My companion, Elder Anderson, got sick early this week. I think it was really bad seasonal allergies, but it took him out hard. During his 4 hour nap we did a little exchange and I worked with Elder Rathmell (pizza roll guy) for the evening. Elder Rathmell's comp bought a ukulele, so now there is a total of 2 in the house. That's the right amount for a jam session. 

A permanent accessory to every desk I will ever have

My family sent me a box. Inside the box were all these chihuahuas. They had bought them then put in different voice boxes! One of them has Dora the Explorer's voice, and another one plays "What Does the Fox Say?". I love them. They are going everywhere with me. I don't feel the same way about real dogs. 

On Wednesday 4 different people in Zapata died. because it's a small town, we knew the families of two of them. We went to 2 different viewings and a rosary this week. They were really good, and I'm glad we could be there for the families. I liked hearing the Catholic Priest and Nun give a short talk and do the prayers, it was something I've never experienced. I really enjoy learning about different religions.

We were doing a service project for a lady in Laredo, which included cutting her yard. The grass was up to our waist and we went at it with lawn mowers, weed wackers, hoes and rakes. Because the grass was so tall, I couldn't see much on the ground and I stepped on a 2-inch rusty nail sticking out of a board. I knew it went straight through my shoe and it hurt a lot but I had to check how bad it really was. I was surprised to find that despite it going through both my shoe and sock, the nail hadn't pierced my skin. All it left was a small indent of the tip. The Church is true.

Peace and love ya'll,

Elder Gray

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