December 20, 2011

Hey,

This is a picture of my first district. Which is not actually my district any more. On my right is Elder Flemming and Elder Smith. Elder Flemming lives a block form us and Elder Smith is our ZL. Then on the other side of me is Elder Rodriguez who was our DL but now is a ZL elsewhere. Then his comp`Elder White who I knew in the MTC. Then Elder Henrie who was also a ZL but is now dead(Home) and a pilot. Then my comp and Elder Barker who is Elder Flemming comp and also Canadian. This week has been another long one. Hot and not much success. We had a great stake wide missionary meeting about missionary work with all the ward mission leaders and bishoprics. It was really good I have heard it is going to be a turning point for the stake which is good because they have been struggling the past few years. Like 2 or 3 years ago the Stake President and a couple Bishop's were excommunicated for some stuff and it really took a toll on the members and the work in the area. But most of our investigators have stopped progressing which is sad. So we have spent a lot of time finding with little success for the past two weeks. We got 81 contacts in two days, one which is about four days worth.  Yesterday we found someone who I think will get baptized. She was a great reference from a member who's son left on his mission the same time I did. She has a lot of faith and sound's like she is willing to do what is needed to gain a testimony.  I will let you know what happens. The heat here has taken a turn for the worst. You walk outside and it is like you stepped in fire. You know it is going to be hot when it is 85 at 8:30 in the morning inside. My comp just looked at the weather it is 102 right now at 5:30. Tomorrow it is 104 with 37 humidity and a UV index of 10, I don't know what that means but it says extreme. Anyway not much is new and things are hard but I am excited to talk to you on Sunday. Love you miss you.

Love 

Elder Wray

December 12, 2011

Hey Everyone,

Things here are going good. This past week has flown by. I had my first reunión de zona on Wednesday. It was a lot of fun I got to see Elder Larson y Elder Pyeatt from artigas which was really cool, they are doing really well. President Heaton is so cool he came in as Santa and sat everyone of us on his lap and gave us some candy and a mission calender. Also each companionship got an iron which I have wanted ever since I got here, but when we got home we found out it didn´t have the right plug so we need to buy an adaptor. During the conference all of the new missionaries in the zones had to bear their testimony which was fun, then everyone leaving had too also. So my dad gave his since he leave the end of next change. We have zone conference every other change. The rest of the week has been good. Not a lot of lesson but more and more people coming to church each Sunday and I like to think I help at least a little bit in bring people back. This past Sunday we had to open the overflow, the first Sunday here there was like 7 rows of pues open. Or ward directory is huge. It has I think 600 members on it. About 100 are active which is really sad. The list is like 8 or 9 feet long. We are working with a few of them to bring them back but it is hard without a lot of help from the ward. We finally got conference addition of the liahon. I love reading the conference talks they are so good. I love this gospel and la oportunidad I have to share it. I love to see the effects it has on peoples life's the ones that keep the commandments are happier and blessed just like mosiah 2:41 says. I can´t wait to talk to you. You guys are really bad at answering questions, sorry I know you are busy.  You guys will be calling me on Christmas.  We can only talk for 45 minutes. I will send you more info next week.  Anyway love you all. 

Love Elder Wray  

December 5, 2011n

I have had a great week. It started of being super hot. On Tuesday it was 41 which I think is like 105 super hot and humid. Then on Tuesday night we had a massive thunder storm come through and it has been amazing the rest of the week. On Wednesday it was like 25. This week I did divisions with the Zone Leaders which was a lot of fun. After District meeting we switched. I went with Elder Smith to their area and Elder Henrie came to mine. Elder Henrie is super cool he goes home at the end of this change which is like the 18 I think. He is also a pilot. He started when he was 16 so he has pretty much everything except his CFII, he has a lot of great stories. Anyway I was with Elder Smith till Thursday morning. They share a house with 2 other elders one from Spain and the other from Argentina it was a lot of fun. We had a really good week though. We found 10 new people who we can hopefully start teaching. Working with the ZL has really taught me a lot and boosted my desire to work harder. A couple times in lessons Elder Smith would be teaching something and then just randomly say and Elder Wray would like to share a scripture with you. I had not been told before hand about this and I was like wait what. But it was good I taught about the joy of the atonement in Alma and then shared 3 nephi 3:7 in another. It does not feel like it should be Christmas though. It is hot! We went to ta-ta today and they had Christmas stuff everywhere which made me a little trunky. Thanksgiving was interesting I don´t know if I told you about it. We usually eat lunch with members or they give us a vianda to take home. Well on Thanksgivivng we got a vianda. It was two  one foot long hot dogs with mayonnaise mine also had four hairs on it but it was alright. Since it was such a sad meal we made a roast with the other 2 elders down the block from us which was good. I can't wait to talk to you guys in a few weeks it is going to be better then anything you could send.  Well that is all I have time to talk about Enjoy the new house I can´t wait to see pictures.  

Love Elder Wray

P.S. Mom you would be proud I have taken on the responsibility of being a person trainer every morning with Elder Bradshaw. It make me feel good when he tells me how sore he is. I just laugh and tell him wait till tomorrow. You should send me some ab-core workouts form P90X or what you do at the gym and some push up type things. Thanks!

November 28, 2011

This week has been another long one. We are really struggling to find new investigators. But we had a baptism this weekend which was really good. It was super stressful though. We showed up at 6ish and it was suppose to be at 7. Our baptism didn´t show until ten to and then another priesthood holder didn´t show until like 5 to. Then at about 5 after other people started showing up. It didn´t start till 730. My comp said that is Uruguayen standard time. This picture is form our balcony looking at Rio de Uruguay that town is Cortaba which is in Argentina. Last Tuesday during district meeting I got 5 letters which was a really nice surprise from Preston, Katherine, Sister Martin, Ben T, and  Anna.   Anyway back to this week before I have to go it has been really frustrating we are really struggling to find people we are suppose to have 20 contacts a day we average 5-15 but we never get let in which is hard because we walk so much in the heat and every one is just asleep because that is what they do here sleep form 2-4 or 5 then stay up way late and then sleep in. It is really hard. Members are so important. They are life3 savers when no one has talked to you for hours and you need to sit down and they give you cold water. They also give you people to teach. Tonight we have NDH with a family who got there friends to go to church and they seem really interested so hopefully we will have a family of 8 to teach after tonight. You guys should really read PMG pg.160 the importance of members they are just so important to the work. One last story about how we almost died before I go. We were knocking doors in this area like 35 minutes from home and we clap this house and this massive dog looks up. I can´´t remember what it is called it starts with a c but they are illegal in the states. They look like a leopard. We thought we were fine until this little yappy dog comes running out and then the big dog got up and runs at us. We held our ground but it came right up to Elder Bradshaw and sticks his nose right in his crotch and he thought he was going to die.The dog barked the whole time we talked to the guy and if we moved at all it would freak out and the owner was like 60 something and probably wouldn´t be able to save us if it attacked.  Then as we were leaving the dog starts barking and playfully chasing us. Thankfully we were saved by an old man with a slingshot who we then taught but anyway stray dogs are nice everyone else's dogs not so much. Anyway got to go. Love you miss you good luck these next few days.
Love Elder Wray

November 21, 2011

Things here are pretty good. I am still learning Spanish. I can understand more and more each day and I think I am starting to recognize some of the irregularity's in verbs. Today we made a pretty good looking lunch. fideos con tuco con salsa blanca, It is a pasta. The past few days I have been kind of sick with a stuffed up nose which is kind of annoying. I am surprised it took so long. Alot of times when I get to a members house I am pretty sure they give me a used glass off the table but it is alright. This past Saturday I witnessed my first baptism it was originally one or our investigators but we had to give him to the other elders that share our ward. It was pretty cool. One of our investigators came which was pretty cool. Paola. She is getting baptized this Saturday. She is 11 years old we found her when contacting her uncle who was a menos activo. In our last lesson we taught about profetas y ayuno. We brought the primary president who helped alot. Her dad sat in on a lesson for the first time and we gave him a commitment to read the BOM with his daughter, so hopefully we can start teaching him. Other than that this week wasn´t very good. But we have found the problem and will fix it this week. We met with the Ward mission leader this week and he is so cool. He has a lot of good ideas and gave some very important background on the ward. I don´t think you realize how important members are in missionary work until you are a missionary they are so important in all aspects of what we do. Anyway I have to go. Good luck on the house. Oh I almost forgot I think I lost my Drives licence in Argentina so could you inform who ever you need to inform it is kind of a bummer but I will have to figure it out when I get home. Also I can put up with so many foods now. The other day I had and onion pizza. It was terrible but I got it down, anyway love you all.

Love Elder Wray