Semana 21!!! Fajardo

The last email of 2018.  What a great year 2018 was, I have a feeling 2019 will be just as good!!  

Happy New Year!!!

2019?!?! how is that even possible?! I hope everyone had a Feliz navidad!!! I sure did! I was able to call home for an hour and talk to all my family!! It was an awesome expirence and I love them sooooo much! My sister alyssa also got married and I was there as a cardboard cutout!!! 

So CHRISTMAS MIRACLES!! so we had dinner with the bishop and his wife with the elders too and then us 4 (us and the elders) went caroling and we sang to a couple houses!! then felt like we should sing to this specific house and so we did and a cute young couple came out and listened! Then they invited us in and we talked and they were actually getting married the next day! They got married back in october but they really wanted to get married in december, so they invited us! We shared the Book of mormon and left a copy with them, and the next day we went to their wedding! It was a really beautiful ceremony and we were able to meet alot of new people!!! So I didnt get to see my sisters wedding but I was able to go to Jose and Abigails!! We are hoping to be able to start teaching them! 

Also Leyda, one of the girls we are teaching made us the best breakfast ever and we taught her the plan of salvation and how we know we can be with our famlies together and she really liked it! We asked her to pray about our message so she can know for herself if its true and she agreed to do so!!! We are hoping to invite her to church this week!

Also my dear edna! the lady from new york that we have been teaching and that came to church last week! We taught her this week and invited her to be baptised and she said that she wants to pray about it and get an answer, so we have a lesson with her tomorrow and we are praying that she recieves her answer and has this desire to come unto christ!! 

I could go on and on about the miracles that I have seen but we would be here all day!!! I just want to say that I love you all and that you for everything!! 2018 went by too fast and 2019 is going to be a great year and we are all going to see miracles if we keep an eye out! LOVE YOU ALL!

Skyping with Courtney

Christmas morning

Christmas presents

Food

Semana 20!!! Fajardo - Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas Eve,

Aye BENDITO!!! FELIZ NAVIDAD A TODOS!!!

WOW!! this week was full of miracles!!! So Noelia, the lady that lives on top of a cliff out in the boonies!! We went to a lesson and asked her if she had prayed about wether she should get baptized or not in our church by someone holding authority (Priesthood) from God, and she said that YES she had been praying but she hadn't received an answer yet, which is great! she is praying!! we ended up talking alot about faith and she agreed to keep praying and working towards a date of January 19th to be baptised!!! So Noelia is on date and that was a huge blessing this week! I know that with faith and through prayer she will come to understand the importance of baptism!!! 

Also another christmas miracle! We invited EVERYONE to our christmas service for church and on saturday we had a lesson with a cute senora from new york and gave her fuzzy socks for christmas and invited her to church, and sunday at church she came!! It was a beautiful meeting remebering what this time of the year is really all about!! She loved it and we hope she continues to come!!

We had the cutest ward christmas party and it was super fun!! we also had a christmas party with all the missionaries in PR and it was super fun to remember the reason why were here and to get excited to work for the new year!!! 

Christmas time is a beautiful time of the year to be a missionary, helping people come unto Christ!! I am so grateful for the sacrifices that Christ and made so that we can all have the opprotunity to live with him, God and our famlies again after this life!! 

Thank you for all the support and for everything everyone has done for me! Have a merry christmas and happy new year!! 2019 will be a great year!!!!!!

Love you all

Hermana Gray

Study time

ward Christmas party

Semana 19!!! Fajardo

Good Morning,

WOW first week as a trainer!!!! So on tuesday I got my trainee and her name is Hermana Doxey and she is from Idaho! she doesnt know any spanish but is ready to work!  So weve just been getting back into the groove over here in Fajardo! We have had alot of miracles, honestly so many. I know that the Lords hand is in every aspect of our work!! I dont have alot of time, I wish i did so i could tell you all the miracles! but i will attatch photos! Have a great week everyone and do something this week to make someone happy!

Love you All

Hermana Gray

1. Leaving my Trio Hermana's

2. My Greenie

3. New Companionship

4. Pizza Thursday's

5. Our Charlie Brown Christmas Tree

Leaving my Trio Hermana's

My Greenie

New Companionship

Pizza Thursday

Our Charlie Brown Christmas tree

Semana 18!!! Trio Rio and Fajardo

Good Morning -

Well last week of the transfer! I am super excited for the next one but also super sad because Hermana Rodriguez has now served 18 months and will be going HOME! bittersweet!! So this week was so fun and just flew bye! We had a little going away party with the Rio Grande branch at hermanamiento and they bought her a cake!!! we also  eld her funeral at district meeting haha! 

We also this week as a mission from thursday to friday fasted for miracles! and let me tell you there were so many!

1. we had an addresswith no name, and the street was correct but the house number was competely wrong, it was 4a-4 and the houses on the street were numbered like 11438! but we were persistant and ended up finding the lady we were looking for! evven though we had the wrong address and didnt have a name!

2. we were contacting in a neighborhood, and the first house we got to a lady answered the door and pleaded us to come in! and we did! we sang a song and shared a message and left, then went back last night and she told us that we have something about us and that she knows what we were telling her was true! 

3. theres too many to count hahah!

CRAZIEST CHANGE YET!!

So I just finished my 2nd transfer in the field (puerto rico) , which means that I am out of training! So we got transfer calls last night and President Smart, the mission president called us and told me that i have been called to be a trainer.... a TRAINER.... I was like uhhhh WHAT! i dont even know spanish yet.... so i will be in FaJARDO training a new missionary! pray for me!!

 -hermana rodriguez's funeral

 -hermana cordova, rodriguez and me with hna r's cake - I LOVE my companions

Hermana Rodriquez's funeral!!!

Hermana Rodriquez's cake - I love my companions

Semana 17!!! Rio and Fajardo

WOW! SO MANY MIRACLES THIS WEEK!

So on tuesday, we went to a lesson with one of the people we are teaching in Rio Grande, and he wasnt very nice, he had some pretty mean things to say about everything we believe en la iglesia de jesucristo de los santos de los ultimos dias... so we left that appointment feeling pretty bad, but then later had an appointment with a lady named Marima, she has 2 kids and her (spouse?) has 2 also, and we taught her the 2nd lesson, the plan of salvation, and told her about how famlies can be forever together! and we extended a baptismal date and... SHE lit up and SAID YES!!!!!! so we are super excited to keep teaching her and hopefully teach her family also.  That was a tender mercy after a hard lesson.

Then on Wednesday we had MLC, which is the mission leadership council, which is for the zone leaders and sister training leaders only, but since I am in a trio with the STLs I got to go! we went to this land that the churchowns in agua buenas which overlooks all of san juan and has a super pretty view!!! we learned so much about how we can be better missionaries and help the work here in Puerto rico!!! so that was really awesome, i would elaborate but i dont have much time!!

Then on Saturday december 1st we had the worldwide day of service for the iluminaelmundo or light the world project/campaign that the church puts on every sunday, and our district spent the whole day paining members home and it was so fun to get out and SERVE!!!!!! They were all so grateful and it was really awesome to see how small simple acts of service can change people lives!

 Then this morning our district went on a hike in the national rain forest el yunque!!! and it was SO pretty! you could see the end of the island on all sides from the view point! its crazy how small this island really is! I love this island and these people and I love serving these people! 

Thanks for all your support,

Love Courtney

STL Training

Pday Hike

The stinky dog that followed us the whole 4 miles - named her Nelli!!!

Ate the whole steak

Taking a break from the work 

Service project

Semana 16!!! Trio Rio and Fajardo - Thanksgiving

Hello Everyone,

Crazy week! cant believe its monday already! 

So we are now serving in 2 areas that arent exactly next to eachother!! hahahah that means 2 areas, 2 phones, 2 cars, 2 apartments and 2 companions! its been so crazy but so much fun!!! We run around all day and dont have any time to stop! its pretty nice!

This week was thanksgiving and we had 4 MEALS between the 2 areas, at 12, 3, 5 and 7! And I am seriously surprised that I didn't die... there was SO. MUCH. FOOD. We also made some super bomb pumpkin chocolate chip cookies! But it was an awesome day to reflect on everything that I am grateful for! 

I really love my comps, Hermana Rodriguez and Hermana Cordova!!! Hermana Rodriguez goes home in 2 weeks which is crazy! But I have already learned So MUCH in just 1 week, i can already see that I am becoming a better teacher and I am more dedicated which is awesome! 

Last night was really cool we went to a casarillo near our apartment and we have 2 hours to contact people and we set a goal of 3 new investigators! so we went door to door knocking and trying to sing christmas hymns! some people said no but most said yes! We ended up teaching alot of lessons and left the casarillo with 4 new investigators! We were teaching in unity and with the spirit and it was a really good night! 

Pumpkin cookies

This Companionship loves Yogurt :)

Thanksgiving!!  So much food

Semana 15!!! Fajardo

WOWZA! 

Okay this week has been SO CRAZY! so on Thursday my companion decided that she will be going home to get help with her depression and other things, I am super proud of her for making this decision! So she will be going home today, and I will be heading to Rio Grande to be in a trio with the STLs till next transfer! So I will be with Hermana Cordova again! (my first trainer!!) Ive had a lot of changes so far in my mission! but I wouldn't trade them for anything! I have learned SO much!!! 

Then on saturday we had a conference with the WHOLE mission, yes including all 6 islands! And Elder Christofferson (One of the 12 apostles) was there and talked to us about how we can better bring others unto christ! 

Something interesting Elder Christofferson said was that, "We have just had a temple announced here, this is a small window, where God will soften the hearts of many to hear your message! So make sure you talk to EVERYONE even the most unlikely! Because God will soften their hearts and will help you teach with the more power! If you do this you will be teaching and teaching and baptizing and baptizing!!"  

Also him and his wife emphasized really STUDYING The book of mormon daily, along with the bible, and writing down thoughts, impression and personal revelation! By writing this down we are showing our Heavenly Father that its important to us and if we do so, he will give us more personal revelation and blessings!!! 

So this week I wanna invite you to read and study the scriptures and write down your thoughts and feelings! I know that if you do you will recieve even more blessings than you already have!!!

Then on sunday my stake had stake conference and Elder Christofferson was there also and this time he obviously spoke in spanish and I Love seeing how far my spanish has come! there are still alot of things I need to learn and alot of things that I dont understand but I can see a huge difference! I can talk and hold conversations by myself now! YAY! But sundays meeting was also amazing! They talked about the blessings of a temple, and what the people here need to do to prepare for one! I love this work and this Gospel SO MUCH and I am so glad i get to be a missionary and bring others unto Christ!!!

Love Hermana!!!

Pictures: 

1. Elder Anderson and the whole mission

2. Me and noelia, the lady that lives on the TOP OF A MOUNTAIN!

3. alcapurria! beef wrapped in masa, made of corn yuka, and 2 other vegtables that i have no idea what they are hahah! 

4. me and a kitty

Elder Anderson and the whole mission

Me and Noelia

 alcapurria! beef wrapped in masa

My little kitty

Semana 14!!! Fajardo 3mth.......

Hello All,

Not much really happened this week! I HIT 3 MONTHS! wow time really does fly... There have been miracles everyday but honestly not too many things to write about this week! We have just been contacting and talking to EVERYONE to try to get more lessons! its fun! We have a bunch of appointments this week with people so its going to be a great week!!!

I really can't believe its Novemeber! Its so hot over here and the sun is so strong!! Not even a tad bit cold hahah! 

Today for a zone activity we went and played kickball on a field near the beach! It was super fun! It was muddy so everyone was falling, it was really funny!

Well sorry, thats it for today I dont have much time but I love you all and thank you for all the support!!

Love Courtney - Hermana Gray

Zone conference

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Wow, 3mths!!!

My Killer tan line!!

Semana 13!!! Fajardo

Holy cow another week!

This week was a great one! we are teaching alot of people and it feels like we are just running from place to place which is nice cause it keeps us busy!!

So on saturday us and the elders and a couple members in our ward went to a service project at an old folks home! we sang christmas songs and gave them presents it was so much fun!!! 

This week Noelia, the lady that lives on the top of a mountain told us that she wanted to come to church!!! we were ECSTATIC! She cant drive and doesnt have a phone so we had to get her a ride from someone in the ward,, and when we went back to tell her about the ride, she wasnt there! so she didnt come to church but we are hopeful for next week!

Oh also after a super long day, we pulled up to our apartment and there was a HUGE frog so we caught it hahaha! the life of a missionary!

Well thats all I can think of this week!

Love Hermana Gray

Service Project

Helping at the Service Project

A good day of Service

Caught a frog

Fajardo

Hermana Danials and Hermana Gray

Well last Sunday the Bishop from where Courtney is serving in Puerto Rico came to Our ward in Gilbert.  He is in Az visiting family.  So here is a picture of Courtney in Puerto Rico with him and his wife.  It was such a great experience to visit with them. 

Courtney with her Bishop in Puerto Rico

Bishop and his wife in Gilbert, Arizona

Bishops wife with Courtney's Young Women leaders

Semana 12!!! Fajardo

Courtney will be staying in Farjardo, she loves it there so another 6 weeks will be great!!





okay so PLOT TWIST!!



A couple of weeks ago hermana cordova and I were contacting people in this neighborhood and we walked to the end of a street.  We started to turn back when I got the prompting to keep going, and I though.. "keep going where?? the street ends??" so we turned around and walked to the end of the street, and sure enough... there was a small trail basically up the side of the mountain... so we went up! And we found a bunch of houses and found this little old lady named noelia! We have been teaching her a couple times a week and this past saturday was her birthday! So we went over to celebrate! (Ill add a photo)! So we left and went to go to some other lessons, and later that night we get a text from Leyda the lady I who has been in my past emails and she texted us "YOU GUYS WERE AT MY AUNTS BIRTHDAY?!?" and we were so confused... we were like "WHAT?!?! your aunt is Noelia?!" and sure enough her aunt is noelia! SMALL WORLD!! Noelias daughter put a photo on facebook with us in it and Leyda saw it! so thats crazy! Finding both leyda and noelia were miracles and they happened to be related!!



We also found this cute cat lady this week and she invited us in to her daughters birthday party! we said hi then left, and went back the other day to visit her! She welcomed us right in! she is from new york so she has the cutest new yorkian accent! So we talked for awhile and found out that she USE TO ATTEND the church of jesus christ of latter day saints!! (our church)! when her daughters were little she use to go! She was never baptised and stopped attending after awhile! But we have high hopes for her!



So last night we got transfer calls and I will be staying here in Fajarod (YAYAYA) with hermana daniesl! I have seen so many miracles this week and I cant wait to see what other miracles are in store!



Pictures : 

1. Me and the beach! aka mi casa haha just kidding I just love the beach

2. COMIDA

3. Us at Noelias birthday party! shes the one on the phone!

4. Hermana Daniels and I
























Mi Casa!!!
COMIDA
Us at Noelias birthday party! she's the one on the phone!













Me and Hermana Daniels