Corpus Christi

Can't actually be ON the beach, but it's a nice view

Confirmed! I'm in Corpus Christi now!

Elder Meza and myself

Man this place is awesome. I'm in the Corpus Christi Central area, which I guess most people call The Bay area. It's huge and about 4 times as densely populated as my last area. There's a downtown area, which you can see in the picture. Haven't been there yet since we ran out of miles but we plan to! The Ward is awesome, they definitely take care of us. Our ward mission leader bought me a new helmet when I lost mine. The Bishop took us to Whataburger. A member owns a restaurant where we can eat for free whenever we want. Lots of meal appointments. I love it here, and I can't wait to work with the ward.

My new companion is Elder Meza!! An absolute gem. This Elder moved to the U.S. from Mexico about 3 years ago. He's been on a mission for even less time than I have, making us a pretty young companionship. But it don't matter, we're still tearing it up. He's trying to learn English and I'm trying to learn Spanish, so it works out perfectly. I've talked more Spanish with him than at any time in my mission so far, which is good since Corpus is predominantly English. We've been working hard and I know it will be a great transfer. 

Love ya'll,

Elder Gray

Branch Social and a Quick Move

Another end of transfer, where rules go out to the window.
Nah we're still obedient.

El Maestro Asador

This past week we had the Branch Social at a ranch and it was a huge success. Elder Chris manned the barbeque and I wore a straw hat. Lots of people came for the food and stayed for the games. 

On Sunday, I gave a talk at Church and then we went up to Laredo for a District meeting. President Torres laid out the requirements for Laredo to become a Stake and each Branch made plans on how to achieve it. Under his guidance, a ward in Mission split this past week so he knows what he's doing.

After the meeting, all the missionaries gathered 'round as President pulled up transfers. He told me I'll be going to Corpus Christi as a District Leader! I'm pretty excited. I love Zapata and it's going to be hard leaving all the awesome people here, but I love new experiences as well.

 

I'm sure you'll hear all about it in the next post.

Love, 

Elder Gray

Insanity

Hello! 

The Super Missionary Club

Last Monday, my dear mother sent me Insanity (a workout program). It's about as crazy as it sounds and the first few days it was difficult to even walk. Another missionary and I have been doing it every morning on our mini DVD players. I've been trying to eat healthier as well by cutting down on the amount I eat and being selective in what I eat. I was gaining some weight there for a while but I think this should help. Being in shape is very helpful for a missionary.

The Washateria near where we live. Prime Tex-Mex

We had a Zone Conference last Thursday. My companion was selected to play a musical number on the piano which he practiced for during the course of several days. I helped turn the pages. When the conference rolled around they were behind on time and cut it out. All that paper-turning... for nothing. The conference was really good; the President talked about sacrificing parts of ourselves and offering them to God. It made me want to work harder, honestly. 

This next week is the last of the transfer. Who knows, maybe I'll be somewhere else next week!

Love you all!

Elder Gray

Puppies and Genealogy

Our courageous DL

Hello everyone!

Earlier this week, our District Leader went down to McAllen for 3 days so we were in a trio for that time. It took me way back to my trio days in February. It rained pretty hard this week as well and we we damaged the car when we drove through some standing water. This metal covering on the underside of our car split in half, so we took it to a Jeep dealer and they fixed it for free.

We were also asked to give a presentation at the city's local Genealogical Society. We talked about FamilySearch and how to use the tools to digitize your family tree. They liked it so much that they asked us to come back next month. They gave us a fancy certificate and a mug. They also took some pictures, so I'll have to include them in my next blog post.

Just ignore that forehead vein and focus on the puppy. 

This coming week I think we have a Zone Conference and interviews. Should be fun.

Love ya'll!

Elder Gray