Hey everyone! I'm listening to the Chile and Brazil game right now and it doesn't look to good for Chile. At least they made it to the second round! I hear Brazil is the favorite to when the world cup anyway.
This week we had mission conference. We have it every six weeks with the mission president, his wife, A. P.s, and half of the Elders in the mission. They split it up into two different conferences depending on where you are serving in the mission. Im in the inside of the mission, which is somewhere around an hour and a half out from Concepcion and in. President Chavez is in his last week and I think he leaves in a day or two. We are getting a new mission president from California, President Humphrey. President Chavez was really awesome and powerful and his wife was always happy and smiling. They talked about the Atonement a lot in conference because if we have a strong testimony of it, then we can teach with more power in lessons. I couldnt understand a whole lot of the conference but Elder Davis filled me in about the important parts after on the way back.
There are dogs running around all over the place here. It seems every other person owns a dog plus there are dogs roaming the streets. We were coming home from lunch one day and the dog from the family that we ate with followed us back about halfway. I guess he doesnt go outside too much cause he had 2 near death experiences by walking in the street right in front of cars. The first time a car honked so he got out of the way but the second time the car hit him going like 40(mph). I thought he was a goner but I think the car only smashed up his leg so we took the dog back and the dog is fine. Elders don't see a dog hit until like a year in but I saw it the first week. It was pretty crazy.
But anyway, our investigators aren't progressing too much so were going to be doing a lot of contacting and trying to get referrals this week. The ward here is so supportive and its so nice. It makes a missionaries job a lot easier if the ward is willing to help a lot. Our top couple investigators are good to go with knowing about the commandments and they are keeping all of them but they just have some doubts we cant really get past. One has some problems concerning evolution and the other is just nervous. Well just keep praying and keep sharing with them but they've got their agency!
(I wrote Ian some basic stuff, maybe he can add some of that on here.)
Love y'all!
Elder Gregory
Fam- I'm sorry I dont have anymore time for emails. We should only be doing it for an hour and its past by a few min so I could get pics on but Ill have it for next week.
email to Ian- June 28, 2010
Whats up bro? All right Ill do my best to answer all these..
Elder Davis is pretty cool. Hes from San Diego and hes been out for like a year and 4 months. Hes a district leader and hes got 5 sisters but they are all younger than him. We get along and everything so its all good.
My area is a good size. We usually stay in the middle area of our sector cause thats where all the members are and the most people live. We walk everywhere and yea.. we ride buses a lot like when we have to go to Conce on Mondays and to other sectors if he needs to do interviews.
Its a little hilly but pretty much flat for the most part. Its been crazy cold and rainy but today its really nice weather and its the first time Ive been able to wear short sleeve. Ive eaten a lot of pasta with different meats in them and for dessert it pretty much always includes some sort of fruit.
My ward is awesome. The ward mission leader is amazing. Hes a few years off his mission from... Recistencia! He served 2 or 3 years ago I think. Theres a little over 100 for church and its a barrio. We meet in the Stake Center building and were the only barrio on Sundays.
We say ALO when we are at doors but walk to the door and knock if theres no gate in front. We have a little house. We take our laundry to a member to do and it takes like a week and a half to do. I dont have that many Garments so Im gonna have to pay them a little extra to see if they could get it done faster or something. Our keys are like they are in the states.
We have little markets. There is one right on the corner by our house so thats the one we always go to. Theres not really too much American food but there are a few places. I havent gotten sick yet but yeah, Im sure its coming soon.
We played soccer this morning with the ward cause they had a holiday for something. I havent seen people playing basketball yet around here but maybe when it heats up in the summer they will.
My feet are hurting at the end of the day but its all good. I dont think I have any blisters.
All right, I tried! You can add that to the email Im about to write or whatever you want. But, whats going on with you Bro? Fill me in. I heard the Lakers won it all. Am I right?
All right Ive got a lot of other emails to write. Catch you next week!
Elder Gregory
Elder Davis is pretty cool. Hes from San Diego and hes been out for like a year and 4 months. Hes a district leader and hes got 5 sisters but they are all younger than him. We get along and everything so its all good.
My area is a good size. We usually stay in the middle area of our sector cause thats where all the members are and the most people live. We walk everywhere and yea.. we ride buses a lot like when we have to go to Conce on Mondays and to other sectors if he needs to do interviews.
Its a little hilly but pretty much flat for the most part. Its been crazy cold and rainy but today its really nice weather and its the first time Ive been able to wear short sleeve. Ive eaten a lot of pasta with different meats in them and for dessert it pretty much always includes some sort of fruit.
My ward is awesome. The ward mission leader is amazing. Hes a few years off his mission from... Recistencia! He served 2 or 3 years ago I think. Theres a little over 100 for church and its a barrio. We meet in the Stake Center building and were the only barrio on Sundays.
We say ALO when we are at doors but walk to the door and knock if theres no gate in front. We have a little house. We take our laundry to a member to do and it takes like a week and a half to do. I dont have that many Garments so Im gonna have to pay them a little extra to see if they could get it done faster or something. Our keys are like they are in the states.
We have little markets. There is one right on the corner by our house so thats the one we always go to. Theres not really too much American food but there are a few places. I havent gotten sick yet but yeah, Im sure its coming soon.
We played soccer this morning with the ward cause they had a holiday for something. I havent seen people playing basketball yet around here but maybe when it heats up in the summer they will.
My feet are hurting at the end of the day but its all good. I dont think I have any blisters.
All right, I tried! You can add that to the email Im about to write or whatever you want. But, whats going on with you Bro? Fill me in. I heard the Lakers won it all. Am I right?
All right Ive got a lot of other emails to write. Catch you next week!
Elder Gregory
June 21, 2010- "First Week in Chile"
Hey yall. Chile is playing a soccer game in the world cup right now so its crazy around here. There are people just walking around with Chile flags and wearing Chile hats and tons of shops are closed. Chile hasnt made it to the world cup for a lot of years so its a huge deal. Its raining and its cold so its really different from the nice summer in Utah I was in last week!
Im still not really in the routine for a day in the field yet but things are becoming more familiar. I got to meet the ward yesterday and I gave a short introduction and shared my testimony. It was only like a minute long but thats all they asked me to be up there for. The ward is extremely friendly and they give a lot of support to the missionaries. My companion, Elder Davis, said that this ward is so strong as for a ward here in the Concepcion area. They give us a lot of references so thats so awesome to not have to knock on doors all day.
I never realized how little Spanish I knew until I got here! Its really humbling. For now, all I can really do is share my testimony about what Elder Davis teaches in lessons. Spanish isnt something Ill just learn in a week or two, its going to take some time. Having faith, listening hard, studying hard, and not being afraid of making a fool out of myself sometimes is all I can do now! A few people tease me a little bit about not knowing the language but its no big deal cause overall, everybody is really patient.
I havent been a witness to any amazing miracles as far as investigators and others coming unto Christ yet because its only been a few days but Ive already seen one that happend to me personally!-
We are blessed to be able to eat at a members home each day for lunch. Here in Chile, or for maybe all of South America, they have a small breakfast, small dinner, but their lunches are huge! Im not a huge eater so I knew it would be tough for me to finish the whole meal, beacuase you finish all of the food they give you to show respect. If you dont, they sort of get the idea that you didnt like it. The first day, we had a lunch at a members home that was really good. They gave us so much food it seemed like and I was stuffed to the max but after we walked out Elder Davis told me that we just had a smaller lunch compared to others. I was so stressed on how I was going to eat all of the food the next day again becuase that meal kept me full for a day! We got to the house the next day and I was just having faith that somehow Id finish all of it. We walked in to the house and ther was a pizza on the table that they gave us to take back to the house to have for lunch because they were busy that day and couldnt cook a meal. I was sooo relieved! The next day, members just brought us lunch because their house was torn up from the earthquake and again, I was able to just eat however much I wanted and didnt have to worry about finishing all of it! Elder Davis told me that its extremely rare for members to not have a full meal ready for us and that hes never had it happen twice in a row! The Lord blessed me big time. Now, hes blessed me with the ablility to eat all the food they give me! The past couple days Ive had no problem with finishing the meal.
The less actives and investigators that we are teaching are really friendly. Our top investigator, Micheal, is still praying to know if he should be baptized and still hasnt recieved an answer. We challenged him to read the Book of Mormon and pray about that and if he finds it to be true, then he knows he should be baptized. The other investigators havent been progressing too much so we are going to be knocking on a lot of doors and trying to think of ways to find other new investigators. My sector is called Chiguyante (Chee-way-yan-te) and my area, ward, and stake is called Chiguyante also. Its about 20 minutes from Concepcion. (Chile almost just scored so its going crazy!)
An overview of the day real quick is like this-
7-Wake up and excersise
7 30- Breakfast and get ready
8 30- Personal study
9 30- Companion study
10 30- Language study
11- Go to work!
1 30- Lunch and Personal time
3 30- Back to work!
10-Plan for the next day
10 30- Personal
11- Go to bed
Everything is really cleaned up from the earthquake. There is on building down here in downtown that is really torn up but overall, they have done an amazing job cleaning up. We helped a member in the ward last Saturday with their house but they have done a whole lot of work on it already and it looks good.
Thats all I can really think of to share right now. Im going to try to leave a couple pictures that I took and hopefully it works.
Elder Gregory
Fam- Yall can send me emails on here cause I have like and hour to write emails. Its Fam only though. I get hand mail like once a week if I go to the office to get it. I miss yall a lot and every time I see a baby I think of my nieces!
Im still not really in the routine for a day in the field yet but things are becoming more familiar. I got to meet the ward yesterday and I gave a short introduction and shared my testimony. It was only like a minute long but thats all they asked me to be up there for. The ward is extremely friendly and they give a lot of support to the missionaries. My companion, Elder Davis, said that this ward is so strong as for a ward here in the Concepcion area. They give us a lot of references so thats so awesome to not have to knock on doors all day.
I never realized how little Spanish I knew until I got here! Its really humbling. For now, all I can really do is share my testimony about what Elder Davis teaches in lessons. Spanish isnt something Ill just learn in a week or two, its going to take some time. Having faith, listening hard, studying hard, and not being afraid of making a fool out of myself sometimes is all I can do now! A few people tease me a little bit about not knowing the language but its no big deal cause overall, everybody is really patient.
I havent been a witness to any amazing miracles as far as investigators and others coming unto Christ yet because its only been a few days but Ive already seen one that happend to me personally!-
We are blessed to be able to eat at a members home each day for lunch. Here in Chile, or for maybe all of South America, they have a small breakfast, small dinner, but their lunches are huge! Im not a huge eater so I knew it would be tough for me to finish the whole meal, beacuase you finish all of the food they give you to show respect. If you dont, they sort of get the idea that you didnt like it. The first day, we had a lunch at a members home that was really good. They gave us so much food it seemed like and I was stuffed to the max but after we walked out Elder Davis told me that we just had a smaller lunch compared to others. I was so stressed on how I was going to eat all of the food the next day again becuase that meal kept me full for a day! We got to the house the next day and I was just having faith that somehow Id finish all of it. We walked in to the house and ther was a pizza on the table that they gave us to take back to the house to have for lunch because they were busy that day and couldnt cook a meal. I was sooo relieved! The next day, members just brought us lunch because their house was torn up from the earthquake and again, I was able to just eat however much I wanted and didnt have to worry about finishing all of it! Elder Davis told me that its extremely rare for members to not have a full meal ready for us and that hes never had it happen twice in a row! The Lord blessed me big time. Now, hes blessed me with the ablility to eat all the food they give me! The past couple days Ive had no problem with finishing the meal.
The less actives and investigators that we are teaching are really friendly. Our top investigator, Micheal, is still praying to know if he should be baptized and still hasnt recieved an answer. We challenged him to read the Book of Mormon and pray about that and if he finds it to be true, then he knows he should be baptized. The other investigators havent been progressing too much so we are going to be knocking on a lot of doors and trying to think of ways to find other new investigators. My sector is called Chiguyante (Chee-way-yan-te) and my area, ward, and stake is called Chiguyante also. Its about 20 minutes from Concepcion. (Chile almost just scored so its going crazy!)
An overview of the day real quick is like this-
7-Wake up and excersise
7 30- Breakfast and get ready
8 30- Personal study
9 30- Companion study
10 30- Language study
11- Go to work!
1 30- Lunch and Personal time
3 30- Back to work!
10-Plan for the next day
10 30- Personal
11- Go to bed
Everything is really cleaned up from the earthquake. There is on building down here in downtown that is really torn up but overall, they have done an amazing job cleaning up. We helped a member in the ward last Saturday with their house but they have done a whole lot of work on it already and it looks good.
Thats all I can really think of to share right now. Im going to try to leave a couple pictures that I took and hopefully it works.
Elder Gregory
Fam- Yall can send me emails on here cause I have like and hour to write emails. Its Fam only though. I get hand mail like once a week if I go to the office to get it. I miss yall a lot and every time I see a baby I think of my nieces!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Dear Brother and Sister Gregory:Sister Chavez and I had the great pleasure of welcoming your son, Elder Gregory, to the Chile Concepción Mission. We met him at the airport when he arrived on Tuesday, and then we enjoyed lunch together. Afterwards, we held an orientation and testimony meeting, and Elder Gregory met his first companion, Elder Davis, who will train him to be a missionary. They will be laboring in the sector of Chiguayante and located in the city of Chiguayante.
A mission is a wonderful experience filled with challenge and success that strengthens the testimony and spirituality of each missionary. The greatest support you as a family can give your son during his time as a missionary is that of uplifting letters. Missionaries look forward with great anticipation to each letter from home. In addition to using email, you can send packages and letters to our post office box, O’Higgins 940 Of. 502, Casilla 2210, Concepción, Chile. You may also send letters (and only letters taped shut; no envelopes) via the "pouch." To use the pouch, address letters to:
Elder James Gregory
Chile Concepción Mission
POB 30150
Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0150
We encourage each of our missionaries to write to their parents each week. Please let me know if a reminder to him is needed. You may contact us using e-mail at 2015528@ldschurch.org
A new mission president will assume my responsibilities July 1. It will be our privilege to work closely for a few weeks with Elder Gregory as he serves here in Chile. We are blessed to have him join us in this mission and know that he will have many life changing experiences as he proclaims the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank you for your support and for sharing your son with us.
Attached are photos and a map.
Sincerely,
Oscar W. Chavez, Mission President
Friday, June 11, 2010
In three days I'll be on the plane to my new home for almost two years! It's awesome how I'll be flying into a whole different country, continent, and a totally different season. I'm so excited!
We've been having meetings all week for preperation to leave and we've taught a couple lessons a day in Spanish. Elder Martell and I have our last scheduled lesson here in the MTC tonight with my friend Elder Gordon and his companion Elder Eindfeldt. They're learning Japenese but they are teaching in English and we just translate when we give our lessons. We were able to teach Elder Smith and his companion Elder Young yesterday too and it went really well. They testified strongly of the things they said to be true.
Last Tuesday we were blessed to hear from another apostle- Elder Robert D. Hales. He spoke of obedience and the light of Christ mostly. His message sank in majorly this week because I'll be putting all this council to use in the field real soon. He showed us a picture up on the screen that showed a gate and then a path to eternal life. Along the path it showed steps we need to take to obtain Eternal Life. The first of these were Repentance and Baptism. It then says we need to follow the straight and narrow path, meaning that we should keep focused on our goal of Eternal Life and not stray off the path by giving into temptations. The thing I really liked about his model was that the combination to the lock for the gate is "Faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ." He said that taking somebody to this gate to start down this path is the greatest gift anybody can give. He also spoke of the Light of Christ and that everybody has it, they just might not know it. Darkness can't come upon us unless we let it and there is no darkness deep enough for the Light of Christ. Something I didn't catch from his talk when I heard it that my Branch President brought up after was that those who have the opportunity to serve a mission for their Savior, Redeemer and Brothers and Sisters but decide not to are the ones making a huge sacrifice, not us. We left worldly things behind but none are more important than what we are doing right now. Family will always be there. This opportunity to serve is a blessing and not a sacrifice.
Something I read that I want to share with y'all is a verse I read in Matthew in the New Testament the other day. Jesus Christ shows the perfect way of teaching by relating Gospel principles to things we can easily relate to. While he preaches the Sermon on the Mount in chapter five he talks about how we light a candle not to hide it, but on a candlestick to give light unto the house. Verse sixteen says, "let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorifly your Father which is in heaven." This goes exactly with what Elder Hales said about spreading our light to others and that we all have a light. As it says in this scripture, it can be through our good works. It can also be through our sharing of our testimony with others of things we know are true.
I'd like to share with you my testimony that I know all these words I have said and heard are true. I know this Gospel that I wake up every morning to share with others is the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. Through the prophet Joseph Smith, who was chosen in the life before this to restore the Gospel on the Earth for the last time, is a prophet of God. I know the Book of Mormon and Bible are the words of God. I testify Jesus Christ provided a way for us to live forever in joy with our families and Our Father in Heaven who gave us life. He asks us to start on this path and continue on this path as Elder Hales, an apostle of God, has said. I say all this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Elder Hales had challenged us to give a prayer of only thanks to Our Heavenly Father. It has blessed me in doing so and I'd encourage y'all to speak with your Heavenly Father and just thank Him for everything he has blessed you with. I know you will feel the love of God if you thank him sincerely and you will grow closer to him.
Thank you for all your letters! I love them and I love y'all!
Elder Gregory
Imm. Fam- I'll be talking to y'all on Monday! I need to pack a lot today so sorry, I'm not going to write a whole lot of letters since I'll be talking to ya'll the same day it'd get there anyway. There's no limit on who I can call in the family so probably sometime between 6 30- 9 00 PM that day.
Pictures from James- June 5, 2010
There's one with my desk in my room as of a few days ago...
Elder from Chile with the Chile flag...
Me looking goofy in the snow (it was a week ago! I had ones of me looking normal but I picked the goofy one)... 
A real funny Elder named Elder Moore that left a couple weeks ago with the mustache...
And the last two are of my district the first couple weeks. I'll try to get a recent one of my district before we head to Chile.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Well, its official! I head out on Monday the 14th for Chile! We got our flight plans yesterday during dinner so my whole district was really excited (all of us are headed to Concepcion.) It's not necessarily that we want to get out of here just to be out of the MTC, but we are just so ready to serve the people of Chile! If it means crying repentance or building houses- we just want to serve!
I saw Elder Smith, Elder Gatlin, and I see Elder Gordon everyday pretty much because we are on the same floor. Elder Young, who is Elder Smith's companion, is really nice and driven. Elder Gordon's companion, Elder Eindfeldt, is awesome and we were able to teach them last week.
Yesterday one of the other maestros from our zone came and taught us for an hour. His name is Hermano Richardson and is really built with an extremely low voice. He spoke to us on the meaning of sincere prayers. He shared a few experiences in his life and on his mission and asked us to share some thoughts. It was definitely one of those mission and life changing events because the Spirit testified of the things said so strongly. As Brother Bradley D. Foster said last Tuesday, which I'll talk a little about, our Heavenly Father knows our thoughts and emotions and wants to give us those things, but we need to ask through sincere prayer. Prayer opens the door for these blessings. The Lord is very careful to never interfere with our agency but prayer shows our use of our agency to try to be closer to God.
Spanish is coming along! It's sort of turned into a game each day to see what new words I can learn and incorporate into lessons. This week we taught the Plan of Salvation in the TRC to someone who's brother passed away. He coped with this by drinking and so we taught the Word of Wisdom also. Elder Martell did awesome but that's all I'll say concerning how we did as missionaries during the discussion because how we did isn't what's important. How the investigator felt is what's important and I will say thought that I feel the investigator, Angel, came closer to Christ both as an investigator and as himself in his own life as well. It's amazing what the Spirit can do!
Robert D. Foster of second quorum of the Seventy spoke last Tuesday. He spoke on mainly two things which one was prayer (I guess prayer was the theme of my week!) and the other was of the importance each and every one of us are to Our Heavenly Father and Lord. He used many scriptures in the first chapter of Moses to explain how many worlds there are and how many brothers and sisters we have. He showed some clips of scientists trying to figure out how many other worlds there are. They used a device to show a picture of little dots of light scattered all over a screen. All of these little dots were different universes. Now, he didn't use all this to scare us to show how little we are, but to show that even with all of these worlds without number, each of us are so important and special to Him. He said that "you are a son or daughter of God! Don't let anyone tell you otherwise!" The second half of his talk was of prayer. He gave a couple stories of prayer-
One was of a little boy who was sitting in class in early elementary school. He had accidentally peed his pants and was devastated. He knew that if the class found out, the boys wouldn't want to be his friends anymore and the girls would never, ever talk to him again. He put his head on his desk and pleaded with his Heavenly Father, "this is an emergency! Help!" and told him his thoughts. The teacher started to walk towards him and he knew she would see when she got there. Right before she did, a girl walking with a fishbowl tripped right next to the boy and spilled water all over him! The girl was blamed by the teacher and got in trouble but the boy was safe! Nobody could tell! At the end of the day after the girl had gotten in trouble, the boy walked up to the girl and said, "you did that on purpose, didn't you?" The girl answered, "I peed my pants once too."
The second was of a man name Joseph Millet in the late 1800s. Brother Foster brought a page from this brother's diary from the church history museum. A man name Bro Hall, had run out of flour and tried everywhere he could think of to get some. He decided to pray in the "cedars" and spill his heart out asking for help and guidance. The Lord told him to go to the house of John Millet. He showed up at the house of John Millet and before Bro Hall even asked John Millet for some flour, John Millet asked him, "How are you on your flour, Brother Hall?" His prayer was answered.
We should all strive to be that little girl or a "John Millet" that the Lord trusts enough to lead his children to so that we may be a tool in answering other's prayers.
I've been reading a whole lot in Doctrine and Covenants and as I do, I gain a stronger testimony and love for the Prophet of the Restoration, Joseph Smith. Se que Jose Smith fue y es un professor de Dios. Testifico por medio de a Jose Smith, Dios restauro el evengelio verdadero a travez en este tierra. Se que el Libretto de Mormon es la palabra de Dios y tambien con el espiritu de Dios, Jose Smith tradujo el Libro de Mormon para nosotros. Este iglesia y evengelio es todos cosas en mi vida. En el nombre de Jesucristo, Amen.
Love y'all!
Elder Gregory
Padre- Elder Petersen (the marine) was amazed and his words were, "it's crazy, but possible" or something like that. He said its the youngest he's ever heard. He enjoyed it.
Mi Familia- I can call home on my layovers which I have one in Dallas for a couple hours. It's on the 14th from 6 30-9 10 pm. I'm not sure all the rules about how long I can talk and if I can call a few different phones but I'm sure I can because y'all won't all be together. They will probably tell us in a meeting this next week. I'm looking forward to talking with y'all!
Friday, May 28, 2010
Como estan, mi familia?! Entonces, this week I started translating the Book of Mormon from Spanish. It really helps understanding Spanish and there are tons of words that I'm learning that I'm incorperating into lessons. Speaking of lessons, yesterday we had our TRC appointment and we are in the middle of a mini "teach week." I think I've already explained a little bit about teach week but usually its the last week before we leave. We schedule a lot of appointments with other missionaries and teachers and... teach! Siempre en Espanol! Pero, we are teaching a few lessons a day this week as a warm-up to teach week so it really helps.
We hosted again this week and we just found out we will be hosting again next week. There were almost four hundred missionaries (thats the most its been all year) that came in! So, the gym is a lot fuller and the paths have a lot more Elders and Sisters on them but its awesome. Its awesome meeting people both from and headed to all parts of the world.
Elder Christofferson from the Qourum of the Twelve Apostles spoke to us last Tuesday! He spoke of the importance of preaching repentance and that they (and we) must believe in Christ before we repent. He gave us a whole lot of scriptures on missionary work and cracked a few jokes which made me realize- the Apostles actually have an amazing sense of humor! They just can't be up in general conference telling all these jokes. So, I've loved how all the Apostles we've had speak while I've been here (L. Tom Perry, Jeffrey R. Holland, and D. Todd Christofferson) all mix in some laughter with the Spirit. We watched a recording in class of a talk of when Elder Bednar came and spoke a few weeks before I got here. He spoke about not worrying if its the Spirit directing you or not- just act! He said that Elder Hales is thought of as extremely serious from his General Conference talks but Elder Hales has a joke about how somebody had a small Book of Mormon in their shirt pocket that saved their life! He gave some background that on many ocassions people will start reading the Book of Mormon with the intent of reading it all through but many will stop when they get to the Isiah chapters in 2nd Nephi. This is partly because Isiah is sometimes difficult to understand. They might read to this point, stop, put it back on the shelf, then later pick up the Book of Mormon and start from the beginning again. So, back to the joke. When the man was shot, the Book of Mormon saved his life and stopped the bullet. The man pulled out the Book of Mormon, looked, and the bullet had been stopped at the Isiah chapters! Anyway, that might have been off topic to share but it was really funny I thought. The main thing I got from Elder Christofferson's talk this week though was that God will answer in His own way.
I'm so blessed to have the oppurtunity to study the scriptures so much each day. I'll close with some scriptures that really touched me. Yesterday I read a few chapters in Moses about Enoch. In verse 31 of Chapter 6 Enoch asks God why he is called to be a prophet because of his many weaknesses, such as his slow speech. I admire the humbleness of Enoch and through this, the Lord was able to, as it says in verse 47, bless Enoch to speak in such a way that "the people trembled and could not stand in his presence." In chapter seven Enoch speaks with the Lord concerning the wicked people of the Earth. The Lord was saddened because of the choices the people had made and Enoch asks in verse 29, "How is it that thou canst weep, seeing thou art holy, and from all eternity to all eternity?" The Lord answers that his brethren "are the workmanship of mine own hands." Also, that they were commanded to love one another and they should choose their Father above all but, "they are without affection, and they hate their own blood." When Enoch understands, he also weeps and cries unto the Lord to spare his brethren that there may be no more floods unto the seed of Noah.
The Lord is saddened when we disobey, but has much joy when we follow His words through the mouths of His prophets. Its wonderful to know that we can cause Him to rejoice if we just love Him with all our heart. If we love the Lord and Our Heavenly Father with all our hearts, we will want to do whats right. I'm so grateful for this opportunity to show my love and I'd ask y'all to remember how much the Lord and Our Heavenly Father loves you!
Much Amor!
Elder Gregory
We hosted again this week and we just found out we will be hosting again next week. There were almost four hundred missionaries (thats the most its been all year) that came in! So, the gym is a lot fuller and the paths have a lot more Elders and Sisters on them but its awesome. Its awesome meeting people both from and headed to all parts of the world.
Elder Christofferson from the Qourum of the Twelve Apostles spoke to us last Tuesday! He spoke of the importance of preaching repentance and that they (and we) must believe in Christ before we repent. He gave us a whole lot of scriptures on missionary work and cracked a few jokes which made me realize- the Apostles actually have an amazing sense of humor! They just can't be up in general conference telling all these jokes. So, I've loved how all the Apostles we've had speak while I've been here (L. Tom Perry, Jeffrey R. Holland, and D. Todd Christofferson) all mix in some laughter with the Spirit. We watched a recording in class of a talk of when Elder Bednar came and spoke a few weeks before I got here. He spoke about not worrying if its the Spirit directing you or not- just act! He said that Elder Hales is thought of as extremely serious from his General Conference talks but Elder Hales has a joke about how somebody had a small Book of Mormon in their shirt pocket that saved their life! He gave some background that on many ocassions people will start reading the Book of Mormon with the intent of reading it all through but many will stop when they get to the Isiah chapters in 2nd Nephi. This is partly because Isiah is sometimes difficult to understand. They might read to this point, stop, put it back on the shelf, then later pick up the Book of Mormon and start from the beginning again. So, back to the joke. When the man was shot, the Book of Mormon saved his life and stopped the bullet. The man pulled out the Book of Mormon, looked, and the bullet had been stopped at the Isiah chapters! Anyway, that might have been off topic to share but it was really funny I thought. The main thing I got from Elder Christofferson's talk this week though was that God will answer in His own way.
I'm so blessed to have the oppurtunity to study the scriptures so much each day. I'll close with some scriptures that really touched me. Yesterday I read a few chapters in Moses about Enoch. In verse 31 of Chapter 6 Enoch asks God why he is called to be a prophet because of his many weaknesses, such as his slow speech. I admire the humbleness of Enoch and through this, the Lord was able to, as it says in verse 47, bless Enoch to speak in such a way that "the people trembled and could not stand in his presence." In chapter seven Enoch speaks with the Lord concerning the wicked people of the Earth. The Lord was saddened because of the choices the people had made and Enoch asks in verse 29, "How is it that thou canst weep, seeing thou art holy, and from all eternity to all eternity?" The Lord answers that his brethren "are the workmanship of mine own hands." Also, that they were commanded to love one another and they should choose their Father above all but, "they are without affection, and they hate their own blood." When Enoch understands, he also weeps and cries unto the Lord to spare his brethren that there may be no more floods unto the seed of Noah.
The Lord is saddened when we disobey, but has much joy when we follow His words through the mouths of His prophets. Its wonderful to know that we can cause Him to rejoice if we just love Him with all our heart. If we love the Lord and Our Heavenly Father with all our hearts, we will want to do whats right. I'm so grateful for this opportunity to show my love and I'd ask y'all to remember how much the Lord and Our Heavenly Father loves you!
Much Amor!
Elder Gregory
Friday, May 21, 2010
Como Estan?
Yesterday we gave a lesson in Spanish in the TRC (Teaching Resource Center)! Elder Martell had a migraine earlier in the day so we went to the MTC nurse's office in the morning. They gave him a shot and he slept for a few hours so I was thinking he wasn't going to be up for the lesson but he woke up before lunch and was feeling fine! An hour after lunch we went to our lesson and I feel that the investigators felt the Spirit. We had to ask them to repeat themselves a few times and we had to simplify our sentences to the vocabulary we know but overall, we taught according to what the Spirit told us they needed to hear.
Wednesdays are when the new missionaries come and my district was picked to be host missionaries for the new ones. We show them around to their rooms, go to get their books, then to their classroom. It's funny to see that sort of overwhelmed look they have and thinking that was me only five weeks ago! I'm going to have that overwhelmed look again I'm sure once I step foot in Chile in a short 3 1/2 weeks and can't understand anybody! But, I'm so excited!
One of our teachers, Hermana Allen, took a trip to Spain for a week so we have had a different teacher, Hermano Burkholtz, for this past week. He's awesome! Well, all the teachers are amazing actually! Either learning from the scriptures in my personal study time and class with the maestros (teachers) are the highlight of the day.
On Sundays we have firesides where a person in the MTC presidency (or high up in leadership at the MTC) speak to us. Tuesday's are when we have the oppurtunity to hear apostles and Bretheren from the Seventy. We had a fireside last Sunday definentely different from the rest. The executive secretary (Brother Richard Beeson) and his wife, Sister Beeson, spoke to us. Actually, they sang to us with a little bit of talking mixed in! Sister Beeson sang in the Mormon Tab. Choir so she has a really pretty voice and she made up all these songs to sing. One of them was about a missionary's day in the MTC, which she sang from the pulpit. Then she played and sang a song about a section in Doctrine and Covenents and then she had us all singing another song she wrote. Honestly, I'm not exactly sure what the message of the fireside was but the music sounded good. I'm still getting used to this Utah Mormon culture! A couple Elders from my district are from Utah and said that that night wasn't all that unusual for a fireside in Utah!
Thanks everyone for your letters! There's really not a whole lot to report on now but once I get in the field I'm sure there will be tons to email about. Right now its all about studying and preparing so I'll leave y'all with a scripture I read a few days ago.
Este escritura es en ETER capitulo doce(12), versiculo seis (6). Moroni habla sobre fe y la importancia de fe en neustras vidas. Moroni dice...
"And now I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye recieve no witness until after the trial of your faith."
I'll add my testimony that we need to show faith and through faith, we will be assured of the truthfulness. Faith in Jesus Christ is why I'm serving. I've already seen evidence after "a trial of my faith" how the Lord helps me to learn the Spanish language. With prayer, faith, and the Spirit, I'm able to learn phrases and vocab two or three times quicker than I ever had previously. I know I'm in the Lord's work and he is working miracles everyday here in the MTC. If we show faith in the Lord, we will recieve a peace and assurance that he IS the Son of God and through him we can have eternal life and be with our families for eternity.
Love,
Elder Gregory
Friday, May 14, 2010
Como estan? I had a real good week and I'm loving every minute of the mission!
Elder Martell and I room with Elder Stermetz and Elder Peterson. Elder Petersen served in Afghanistan and he has a ton of personality. He keeps it interesting around here and in class. Elder Stermetz has a whole lot of patience and is an extremely hard worker. Elder Martell and I memorize a scripture a day and we told Elder Stermetz yesterday and he's working overtime to catch up with us. Our old district leader, Elder Reed, and his companion, Elder Dastrup, are now the zone leaders and our new district leader is Elder Michie. His companion is Elder Hobson, who know every story about Christ it seems like. That's our whole district. Only eight of us now.
Our task this week was to help someone move, teach them how to pray, and talk about family. So, all week we've been focusing on vocabulary and phrases to help us. Each day for Spanish study I try to do some grammar (verb conjugations, sentence structure, etc.) from a book we have, memorization of new vocab and scriptures, and then I practice it. Just like in the mission field, we do contacts where we share a quick message with somebody. We have goals each day and week as a district to have a certain number of contacts. It isn't all about numbers, its also about the quality and sincerity.
Yesterday we gave our last lesson in English. From now on, we only teach lessons in Spanish! The investigators had a lot of questions yesterday so the lesson was mainly about their questions and needs. We, as missionaries, always have a lesson planned according to their needs but we teach what the Spirit directs us to. If we prepare the best we can and have faith, the Spirit will guide us and bear witness to the investigators of the truthfulness of our words if they are receptive.
Jeffrey R. Holland, one of the twelve apostles, spoke to us last Tuesday! I'll just start going over his talk by saying that it was the best talk I have ever heard. It's amazing how he spoke to so many missionaries but at the same time he spoke directly to so many things I needed to hear. It was extremely strong and the Spirit was pouring out of him! He talked about how so much is invested in us as missionaries and we should never look back on any part of our mission with regrets. He told us that we had better come home from our mission with at least one convert, (and in his powerful tone) he said- "and that better be you!" If we come home and want to talk to him about "the old days" of the mission with our tattoos, dreadlocks, or beards then he will "punch us in the nose!... Well, not really.. that isn't a very apostolic thing to do, is it?" But he said he would be extremely mad! That had everyone laughing. He said that the heart of the reason for Preach My Gospel (which is what missionaries use for guidance, lesson plans, and to better prepare us) was that some of the missionaries weren't soaking in the Gospel. They would just recite what they had to but Preach My Gospel is to first convert the missionary, who will then bring others unto Christ. "If we are going to teach His Gospel (Christ), then we are going to teach it his way!" and "his way" is Preach My Gospel. What really touched me that had my eyes blurry for a little bit of his talk was when he said "you do not have the right to be anything less than what children think you are." he was going to bring his grandchildren up to the stage to use them as an example, but the couldn't make it because of end of the year school things. The point is that they look up to us a whole lot and it got me thinking about my niece, Gracie! She's probably the only one out of Eliza, Kate, and her to realize what is going on so it really made me think of her and how I am recommitting myself to working the hardest that I possibly can. He went over many other things but he closed with when Peter became the great apostle we know him to be. It was when Jesus appeared to the disciples after he had been crucified and Peter jumped out of the boat to meet his friend and Savior on the coast. Jesus asked Peter, "Lovest thou me?" three times and the last time Peter said- "Lord... thou knowest that I love thee." Jesus then said to Peter, "feed my sheep." When times get tough on the mission I'll remember that I love Jesus Christ, my Redeemer, so much and I need to do the best of my abilities to feed his sheep.
I was reading in 3 Nephi and a few verses really stuck out. IN chapter 18 verses 18-20 it says, "Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for Satan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. Therefore ye must always pray unto the Father in my name; And whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you."
Se que por medio de oracion podemos hablar con nuestro Padre Celestial. Si preguntamos Dios con corazon sincero, podemos sentir el espiritu. A traves de la oracion podemos recibir dereccion en nuestras vidas y estoy muy agradecido por la oracion. En el nombre de Jesucristo, amen.
Gracias por sus cartas! Estoy muy agradecido por sus amor ye amo ustedes mucho!
Elder Gregory
P.S. Dad, Elder Petersen was wondering about where your dad was stationed, all he did, etc.
Could you check my spelling and correct any parts that don't make sense? I had to type this really fast.
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