Letter #2

Hola!

How is everyone doing? I haven't received an email yet so i dont know how you're doing!! psh.... some family... haha jk. i did get a letter from cassie, marci, and tj though! its always nice receiving letters! :D

everything here is going swell. we've taught Luis 4 more dicussions and he committed to be baptized nov 5!!! its amazing how the spirit can speak through you and afterwards you have no idea what you said. so now our last couple of lessons are going to be about preparing for baptism. its gonna be awesome! me and elder sands learned great studying habits that help us prepare a ton for teaching the investigators. luckily right now we only have to worry about one, but i can't wait for the challenge of having 3 or 4 in a week or so. but sometimes during our lessons it gets frustrating, because we can understand everything he is saying, but i dont know how to say el respuestas back to him. :/

Elder Ballard came and talked to us missionaries on tuesday. its crazy to think that i was only 8 rows away from an APOSTLE of jesus christ. the spirit was so strong. he talked about how to prepare to teach the people and not the lessons.  he also told a story about when woodruff wilson (i think) went on his mission to england and the first day he got there they went to a huge park in england. there was a podium in the corner where people were listening to some missionaries preach about the gospel. then the mission president said that there would only be time for two more elders to say some thing and they only have 2 minutes to speak. so thinking that out of the 20 elders there, he would not be picked, he didn't prepare his mind at all.  then the mission president called one elder who had been there for a long time and he talked about loads of stuff. then the mission president told elder wilson that he would be going. elder wilson started freaking out about what he was going to say. then the mission president told him to just "preach the gospel". elder wilson went on the podium and said everything he knew about the gospel in two minutes.... it was a disaster. the lesson of the story was to keep the gospel simple, and to prepared to teach.

That can always apply when we teach. El Evangelio is for Todos a las personas!!! It is for everyone!! (2 nep 26:33) that is why the gospel is so great. there is not one person who is not included in the atonement, resurrection, etc. IT IS FOR EVERYONE. but our duty as missionaries to to find out how the gospel that applies to everyone can be taught personally to those who are looking for something specific.

It is amazing to think it has already been a week! Time is flying by so fast! only 103 more weeks until i get to see your smiling faces! ... well usually smiling faces :).

My ankle is fine! i have to be in a walking boot for three more weeks and the after that ill start my rehab. hopefully it doesn't take to long because i want to get some soccer in before i leave!!! I need to show the elders here how to play :D. its just annoying watching all mi distrito jugar volleyball y futbol, and all i get to do is stroke some J's.... but the good news is i have improved my free throws :) it doesn't hurt that much until i start walking fast on it... my ankle just isn't strong enough yet.

Something interesting actually came up. My departure date is Nov 3.... and Elder Sands' departure date is Nov 7.... i dont know that is going to work out but whatever.

OH! some things i do need from home are: 2 pairs of shorts (preferrably the ones i made from pajama pants :)), some more t-shirts, cookies, brownies, candy, PICTURES!, and to know how everyone is doing.

El espanol es venido muy bien! yo soy palabras este yo no comprehendar ayer. (idk if that sentence makes sense). yo gracias por la oportunidad al servir la mision! es muy bien aprendo el evangelio. es muy bien aprendo las verbas.

yo se que el don de lenguas es verdadero!

I would LOVE to hear about your lives!!  you don't know how great it is to get some thing in the mail from home.

and if you ever have a bad day, remember DyC 122:7-9.

Abrazo

Te Amamos,

Elder Gris

Sorry for the spanish in some places... i am starting to forget english :/