Going to Brazil!

Hello Family and Friends!!

ok so I guess my mission president broke the news to you already! I got my visa! You know whats funny you know more than I know! haha I knew my visa was coming but president didn't say it was for sure because it didn't come in the mail yet. So I guess I'm leaving Wednesday?! oh man I am nervous. I really am. President called me Friday night after an amazing day here in Huntsville and I was absolutely shocked. I really didn't think it was coming this soon! Oh man. You know what's funny? I thought I would be super thrilled to leave really I did! But I was sad. Ok don't worry I am really happy my visa came but there are so many wonderful people I have come to love so much here in Huntsville! I love being a missionary and I love Alabama! Man I'm going to miss Alabama! I almost started crying on the phone! haha ok I'll stop. But I do know one thing that is for sure. And that is I've been so blessed! I really think my purpose was fulfilled here in Alabama just hours before my mission president called. Friday was really a day full of miracles. We met all of our goals and even did better than the goals we set for ourself. And we met with the most amazing family! They are the Dixons. They seriously have become my second family here in Bama and i just love them! The reason why I say it was day of miracles is because only the daughter Brittney has been pretty active in the church for the past while but... we committed the mom and grandma to come to church on sunday and guess what!! they came! I was so excited! It was better than being able to see a baptism here. It was the coolest thing because when we had dinner with them Friday night the spirit was so strong. Everything that was said was lead by the spirit. Its one moment I'll never forget! Oh man I really am going to miss them! But I can leave Alabama a happy missonary and knowing that my Alabama family is coming back to church and loves it! haha We are having dinner with them on Tuesday night and I really just don't wanna say goodbye but hey thats how life goes right! But yeah that same day we met so many amazing people! There are so many people here in Huntsville! Sister Bee and I have had full days of follow ups and teaching for probably everyday the past week. We have been blessed tremendously! oh goodness I love being a missonary and now I get to learn how to do this in portuguese? haha cross your fingers and pray real hard for me ok! haha ok I'm getting more excited don't cha worry! And I get to talk to yall on wednesday! yay! k mom I'll call your phone. So it sounds like Easter was amazing for ya'll! And Matt Murdoch got his mission call! oh my goodness Argentina! tell him congrats for me ok! thats so cool! when does he leave? Mickelle congrats on the having a girl! Thats just so exciting! Keep me updated with all that goodness!

So I have to tell you about a couple people we met yesterday! It really was a day full of Easter miracles! So first off as a mission the past few days we have been studying the last moments of Christ's life and the resurection. Its been really interesting to see how much its applied to life as a missionary. And even more cool to see how much I really am a instrument in the Lords hand. For example thursday night we studied the last supper and the sacrament. Then Friday day we studied the atonement and guess what we talked to the Dixon's that night about coming back to church and the importance of the sacrament. Then Saturday we studied about Christs time in the Spirit world. And guess what! We taught a lesson to a lady that had recently lost her daughter and we were able to tell her where her daughter is right now and just help her find that peace again. Then Sunday yesterday we studied the resurrection and met a met a man that didn't feel his Savior Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father loved him. He had lost a leg and was about to lose is other one. He was confined to his wheelchair and probably hadn't left his house for awhile. As we got talking to him we found out that he recently had tried to commit suicide. Yup super overwhelming. But the love I felt for him and just the love I felt that his Heavenly Father had for him was pretty amazing. So far as a missionary I had never felt the way I felt talking to that old man. It was saddness but a sense of urgency because that man was seriously in darkness. He said he has demons in his life. And we got talking to him and he felt that Jesus had answered and heard his prayer. My eyes filled with more and more tears as I talked to this man. It made me understand even more what our Savior did for us. I'm so grateful he really did die for us. He atoned for every single thing we have felt or gone through. He knows us personally and I am so grateful for that also because I certainly don't understand what that man has experienced and felt but I know that our Savior Jesus Christ does and I am so grateful for that! I am grateful that i am a missionary and was able to talk to Charles yesterday and bring some light into his life. He can't see very good because his vision is really bad so tomorrow sister bee and I are going back to read the Book of mormon with him. He really liked that idea. Oh goodness life is it just great isn't it! Well not 100% of the time thats for sure but I love that we aren't alone in this life. That we can turn to our Savior and Heavenly Father for that extra strength and make it through anything that comes our way!

Oh remind me to tell you about this amazing investigator that we just commited to be baptized this morning named Rita on the phone on wednesday ok! I wish I had more time to tell you but on the phone will be even better!

Well I sure do love you all! Crazy to think in a few days I'll be in Brazil attempting to speak Portuguese! haha

oh thanks for the Easter Package mom and Kelley! they both just absoluetly made my day! and Kailee, Naomi, and Tiffany and Alyssa thanks so much for the letters! I'll write you soon! Probabaly on the plane! haha

ok gotta run but I love you all so so so much! have a blessed week!

EU AMO VOCE!

-Sister Gregory

Oi como vai minha familia e amigos?!!

So another great week! and yes my butt is sore. Sorry for the load of information!! haha we bike like mile after mile everyday. So its bound to happen right? we look so cute with matching helmets and bikes with our skirts blowing in the wind! haha it sure is a great workout! oh and I totally have a sun line from my watch. I'd say tan line but I'm not sure how long this will stick around!

ok now on a more serious note! So this week has been pretty great! We met a guy named Gary. he is a really cool guy! if your familiar with Sponge bob well his pet snail will explain Gary really well. He is a really great though. He doesn't say much but he's golden! We met him on like tuesday. Followed up with him on Friday and he came to church and I think loved it yesterday!! so amazing!! We are meeting with him this week and commit him to baptisim.

Then ok so a sad thing. Karry is another golden investigator we have. She is a mother of twins and asked to be baptized before we met with her! All of her friends are mormon and so pretty much she knows everything but just has us missionaries holding her back because we have to teach her everything before she can be baptized! Sounds so cool right? well we found out yesterday that her husband would divorce her if she got baptized.. yup super sad. So pretty much we haven't seen her since last thursday. So please keep her in your thoughts!

ok so I slacked on the e-mailing today.. I gotta run but please know I love you all!

Have the best Easter ever!! and know that the gospel is so amazing! I love sharing my testimony daily it really is the cure for unhappiness in your life. And if you want to see an unhappy missionary just make it rain and lightening all day so the missionaries can't go out. haha it was a depressing day! we couldn't work because it was so bad outside! But hey we got some good planning in! Gotta love alabama and tornado season!

Well I love you all!! Have the greatest week of your life!!

Eu amo voces muito!!

-Sister Gregory

Gotta love alabama!

OI Familia and Minha Amigos!

So first off, Thanks for the great letter sister Gajdos! It was great hearing from you! It definantely made my day!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMANDA!! Sorry I missed it last week... but I hope it was AMAZING! And MICKELLE HAPPY BIRTHDAY ON SATURDAY!! I hope its amazing! also hope the pregnancy is going great!

ok so about my week! It really was the greatest week ever. I can actually say that missionary work is fun! Not that it wasn't before but this past week things just went really well! I love serving with Sister Bee. She is such a hard worker but her love for the people, mission, etc is contageous so I really just enjoyed this week. The people we are teaching are so cool to! and I'd have to say that tracting this week was really successful and enjoyable! I really feel so blessed and am loving Huntsville! Also Obedience is so important! I'm coming to love being obedient! you get blessed so much!

So we are teaching a lady by the name of Elizabeth. She is so cool! She doesn't believe in God. She's very scientific so the questions she asks are so hard to even comprehend! We met her on hmmm.. I don't remember what day but she asked a question that sister bee and I have been thinking about all week long. She asked why do we need God? When people have faith its been proven that when you have faith in something a chemical reaction occures in the brain blah blah blah. Yup she lost me at that explanation but it got me thinking. Why do we need God? Well obviously I know why I need God. I know that without God and know that I am a daughter of God would give my life no purpose. I would just live in the moment and just be plan confused. But it was a great question so we told Elizabeth that we would pray about and it give it some more thought. Sister Bee brought up a good point today when it comes to that question. She said something like. The more spiritual knowledege we have the more scientific knowledge there is. True religion and science will never be at odds. So yeah that made alot of sense to me! We are still learning and trying to come up with the best way to help Elizabeth so I'll let you know how our lesson goes this week! gotta love it! We also have been running into alot of people that don't believe in God. Its super sad. But its all for a reason!

Hmm.. SO yesterday we had lunch with the cutes old couple ever! Sister and Brother Thomas. Brother Thomas is a member and his wife is a member of Church of Christ. They have been married for about 2 years or so. and guess how old they are!! 84 and 94! They are so cool! Sister Thomas talked our heads off about story after story. We ate pot roast and cooked cabbage! haha yum? then for dessert had jello, ice cream and muffins haha it made me laugh! oh they were the coolest people ever. Its amazing the people you meet here in alabama!

Everyday I meet someone with a great story or is just a very unique interested person! Like for example we are teaching a guy named Herold. He's 56. But when he introduces himself it Hi I'm Herold and this is Jasmine my dog. He loves his dog to death! He loves meeting with the missinarie also. He slowly progressing but is progressing! He loves the word of wisdom and wants to know why we need it and suchl. Why is it important to be careful what comes into our bodies. He really just doesn't want to give up using pot and drinking coffee. It just makes me laugh!

Gotta love alabama!

Well I'd love to tell more stories but gotta run! Thanks for all the support! I love you so so so much!

EU AMO VOCES! MUITO!!
-Sister Gregory

BAHHHH Sister Kemp got her Visa!! oh my goodness so exciting! So I feel like I'm the lone one left in Alabama! Sister Haslam and Scheewe left today for Brazil! so so so excited for them. Can't say I feel quite ready to leave yet but I feel like my time is coming so I'm a wee bit nervous! And a couple of the elders in my MTC district left also! oh my goodness I will get to Brazil!

So this week has been full of changes! But what week isn't! So I had a wonderful time in Oak Mountain on exchanges! I love sister Wegener! She is from Sandy Utah and we were instantly best friends! It was sad we only had like 24 hours together.. but I know we'll be friends after the mission and write till then. She's going to brazil also! she's serving in the Porto Alegre North mission. So maybe just maybe when I get my visa her and her companion will to! Lets pray for that ok! Her companion is going to the north mission as well. But yeah Iearned so much from the exchanged. It crazy how one thing can change your perspective. I learned how important the little things are in a mission. I learned how important it is to forget yourself. Always always lift up your companion and the people around you and how obedience to even the small things is so important. oh the list could go on! I sometimes wish I could just open my brain and put a fash drive into it to learn all the things I want! But i keep telling myself it will come. take it one step at a time! oh also include the lord daily. Prayer is key. so important! So yeah I really think I'm on the verge of getting a hang of this mission thing! Still so much to learn!

But I know the lord is in charge. It just blows my mind! So on Thursday morning I got a call from President. and he wanted to talk to me! And guess what I got transfered! to Huntsville! I don't know why I was so excited but I just freaked out! I guess the time for change was needed or something. And the best part out of it was I'm now in a apartment with four sisters and all of us are going to brazil or from brazil! bahhhh Can you believe it! you have no idea how excited I am! I am going to learn portuguese!! haha my new companion is sister Bee she is from Arizona and going to Joao Peso. She's been out for about a month longer than me so it should be exciting! The other two sisters are sister Bruno. She is from Sao Paulo. She is a Temple Square missionary and leaves in a week and half! So I've got to get in all the questions I have with her. and trust me I am! I'm going to get this language down! and the last sister is Sister Jones. She is from Lehi Ut and goign to Salvador! So yeah lets see how much my portuguese improves! President told me to learn as much portugese I can now. Talk portugues all of the time so lets pray I can do it! I feel like the Lord is telling me to really learn portuguese now becuase I will be in Brazil before I know it! ahh its kinda freaking me out! I love alabama! really really I do. But yes I was thinking about it and I could have gotten my visa this week but there is still a reason why I'm here. I was able to learn so much from Sister Moseng! Man I'm going to miss that girl! Really I am! She was the greatest and we had a blast together. Please visit her on the square when she comes back ok! She'll be back in Ut on the 25th of May so in a transfer. but yes please say hello to sister moseng! She was so amazing to me and I just loved the time we had together. I really do miss and will continue to miss her. oh goodness I hate goodbyes!

So I'm way excited about huntsville! Sister bee has been telling me all about the people here and how there is so many people that are on the verge of being baptized. She feels like people are really just walking up to them ready to hear the great word! And you know what she is just so great! I can already tell we are going to get along just wonderfully! yay new lovely changes!

ok well that was my week!

I know without a doubt that this church, the restored gospel of jesus christ of latter days saints is so true! I feel so blessed to be apart of this great work! oh its just so amazing isn't it!

I know that I'm here for a reason. I figured out why I was in Tucaloosa and that was to figure out myself. Figure out who this Jessica gregory person is. And I can't wait to see what huntsville brings! Wish me luck! I wish yall the best of luck at home! I love you all so much. SO so so much!

ok well I gotta run! Love you all! Eu amo Voce!

oh could you by chance send me sister Kemps address when her family knows? she wrote me and I think I'll hold off on sending her a letter till I know her brazil address.

ok gotta go! Love you so so much!
-Sister Gregory!!