It's My Mission

It's not Tuesday.. but better late then never!

It has been so so so so good to be back at the temple. It was SO cool to see all the people on my shifts in the Cafeteria and Baptistry again. I don't think they knew I was coming. I walked in the door to where have our prayer meeting before each Baptistry shift (did I tell you we have a prayer meeting before each shift? Prayer, thought, song, etc) and I saw Sister Bithell first (she is the one whose husband passed away back in October), she just looked surprised and came and gave me a big hug. I enjoyed seeing my temple family again!

When I worked in the cafeteria on Saturday, Ash and Hayden came to say hi, and they got to meet Joyce, who works in the cafeteria. She is like my temple grandma, ha ha. The people who work at the temple are all so nice and sweet and just a joy to be around. I LOVE my calling.

I am noticing that my body is taking a little longer to feel as good as I usually do. Right now I'm doing Thursday-Saturday, and that is hard. I come home tired. But it's worth it. I had a thought today- that I am experiencing what I would experience on a full-time mission through my mission as well... rejection from this chemo crap, going to bed exhausted, teaching the gospel (in my calling as a gospel doctrine teacher), and meeting tons of new people every day. I think that I always felt a little sad because I couldn't go on a full-time mission, but it's interesting that I can still have these mission experiences, and that I can tell you that my time as a missionary is one of the best, if not the BEST, years of my life. It's not all easy, but I'm glad I get the chance to serve the Lord!

Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of Heaven. Sacrifice some of your time to go to the temple soon! :D

Elder Gray

The day has (FINALLY) come

GUESS WHAT!

I'm going back to the temple. ON THURSDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you can't tell, I'm really excited about it. For the next probably two weeks, I'll be going on Thurs, Fri, Sat, following my regular schedule. (You'll have to look at my schedule to see all I get to do! It's attached.) After those two weeks, I'll see how I feel, and most likely add in Mon and Wed, back to my normal temple schedule again. Wow, can't believe the day is finally here!

With the exception of the three or so weeks in January where I went on Fridays, I haven't been working my schedule for six months and ten days. That's over half my mission time! Kinda crazy. I realized that with the month-long temple closure in September plus this six month hiatus, I've only been serving per my schedule for 2 and 1/2 months out of the ten months so far. It's kinda crazy to think about. But I'm not sad about it. I wish I could have served more, but I know that Heavenly Father is guiding my life! I've been to two weddings, a family reunion, a trip to Idaho to visit family, the events of my niece's birth, and much more that I probably wouldn't have been able to attend while in depth in my schedule. I have been able to help others (two people in particular) in situations that wouldn't have been possible had I been working my schedule. There's a good side- there's always more good than bad- when Heavenly Father is in charge. And it's a good thing he is, too.

Someone told me the other day, "Man, Erik, you get so excited about everything!" Which I do. That's okay, my life is great, despite everything behind me that's gone on, and I know it's because of the gospel, Atonement, family, and friends!

Okay, so I went to the Payson Temple open house last week. It was AMAZING. That temple is SO beautiful. You guys have to see it, either in an open house or go to a session there. Seriously. We also had the chance to go and do a session at the Oquirrh Mountain temple. I haven't been in that temple since the open house, and I had forgotten how grand and majestic it is. Only the best for a House of the Lord!

Anyway, have a great week. Come say hi at the temple! ;) Love you all!

Elder G

Wedding, Temple Visit, and Writing Essays

Yeah it's 10:23 pm. But it's still Tuesday. So I'm winning.

This week has been amazing, to say the least. Last weekend, I had a cousin get married up in Salt Lake. The day after the wedding, we had a family reunion for that side of the family. So I saw a lot of the Gray family over those three days, and it was SO awesome! Family has always been big for me, and extended family has always been huge as well. I'm really glad my parents come from good families and I'm glad we can see extended family so much.

While up north, I stayed with Chris & Allie, my brother and sister-in-law who moved up there a few weeks ago. It was really awesome. I'm glad that come August when I move to Logan, they'll be half an hour away! Everything is working out for Logan and I'm just pumped about it. I also got to see Shane and Kelsie while I was up there. And I went to the Draper Temple last week. So that means I've been inside 8 Utah temples- which is not the only reason you should go to the temple, but it does add a little variety!

HERE'S A CALL-TO-ACTION: If you haven't got the chance to go to the open house yet, DO IT! This week and next week are it. I obviously haven't been yet, but I hear that it's beautiful and magnificent and I will actually be there this Thursday. Yip yip!

I am getting ready to go back to the temple. REAL SOON. And I'm so excited. Not sure when yet, but by this time tomorrow I'll know. I haven't called Pres Arnold yet. But I've got two months left in my mission, which is the bummer because I could serve in the temple forever and I love it!! Haha.

Even though it's been hard to sit these last 6 months out, it's okay. Because I've had lots of good experiences and I've been able to see the Lord's hand in my life. I applied for a scholarship offered to cancer survivors, this last week. In one of the essays, I had to write about how cancer has impacted my college path. I wrote a thing or two that it negatively affected it, but while writing the essay, I realize there has been much more good than bad with college and this cancer. It helped me to choose my career field, gave me time to re-evaluate what I want to major in, helped me get scholarship money, and it's helped me with characteristics that will make me a better student- hard work and perseverance.

Heavenly Father knows what he's doing. I've said it time and time again, challenges help us grow. It'll be worth it in the end!!

Have a good week.

Elder G

PS. It's now 10:56. See how long it took me to write this email? Ha, your welcome. :)

Almost Back to Normal

Hey there!

So it's been a good week. REALLY busy though it feels like. I have this habit of going to bed after midnight, and my body likes to wake me up at about 8, so if I want good sleep I have to learn to get to bed earlier. But really- story of my life.

Last week, I went to the temple THREE days in a row. IT WAS AWESOME! Haha (but it would be much easier if the Cedar temple was done right now) I went and did Baptisms with a few friends on Wednesday, a session both Thursday and Friday, and some sealings as well. My single friends out there... don't think that you can't do sealings if you're not married. Sealings are seriously the coolest and everyone should do them. I'm totally serious.

So medically- I'm doing good! I still like to think that I can be more active than my body will let me. Last week was probably an 80% of how I normally would be, but it was exhausting. The good news is that at my doctors appointment yesterday, my blood levels are normal! Not post-chemo normal... normal person normal! Except I'm a little anemic. I'm excited for what life is turning out to be. Two months left as a missionary.... WHAT!?!??!

As of right now, I'm just doing Netflix, indexing, scholarship hunting, and preparing for school next semester. Ha life is a party over here.

AND I'LL BE GOING BACK TO THE TEMPLE REAL SOON. 2 or so weeks soon. Stay tuned. 

Hope you all are doing well. :D Have a good one.

Elder G

Arbitrator

Heyo!

Well. What a week it's been. I'm so happy I'm DONE with chemo. They gave me a shot on Tuesday, the day after my treatment, to help boost my White Blood Cells. They said that I'd feel achy the whole week (because WBCs come from your bone marrow, and my joints would all kinda hurt). They were right. It was pretty much the worst week thus far. Nausea was may a 3 out of 10, but achiness and fatigue did me in, I was on the couch for probably all of Wed, Thurs and Fri! But life is good and that's all over now. I assume that despite sucky week one, I'd bounce back to my 100%, ya know? So it's all for the greater good. Yesterday and today have been great. I think the achiness is over and life is free to continue to be awesome.

Guess what? Last week I got asked to be an Arbitrator through FamilySearch for Indexing! (for those of you unfamiliar with what an arbitrator is, when you index, you submit the batch, then an arbitrator looks it over to make sure all the information is correct) They sent me an email that said something to the sort of "You've indexed such-and-such amount of records, we feel it's safe to say you know what you're doing! Follow this link to find out how to be an arbitrator! Well, I haven't done that yet, but I'm going to soon. Ha.

I'm doing well with indexing! I haven't stayed on my "every single day" kick, but I'm still doing a lot of it! We can all help the work somehow.

I met with Pres Lunt the other day and we talked about the time is soon upon us to discuss an end date for my mission. WHAT? It'll be in July, but the day we are not sure of yet. I'm planning on jumping back into temple stuff in a few weeks, when my immunity and energy level are a little better! Praise the day when it's here. But for now I'm having a good time. Getting better at the violin. Come over if you want to hear me play it I sound amazing. Kinda. :D

Have a great week!!!! Remember who you are and what you stand for. Ha.

Elder G

DONE WITH CHEMO!/Lotion feet

Hello!!
Guess what. Chemo is DONE. I had my last chemo treatment at the cancer center yesterday (we had to put off treatment last week), and with my clear scan, as long as things stay clear, I'm home free. Just check ups and scans!

I'm excited to get back to the temple sometime. I'm guessing it will be about a month from now, so I'll have time to recover and gain energy. Right now the plan is still to serve til July. I don't know an end date or anything but that will work itself out. And then I'll be headed to Utah State at the end of August for school. I registered for my classes last week. I'm excited to get going with life again, with my mission and school ya know?

OKAY you're gonna get a kick out of this story. Hahahaha. So on Sunday, we were watching a movie. I took a drink and a minute later wondered why I tasted lotion.... well, my mom put lotion on her feet, Cork (our chihuahua) likes to lock some of the lotion off, Cork tried to take a drink out of my cup and I stopped him,  but he did manage to get some of the lotion he licked onto the side of the cup, and that's how I tasted the lotion. The lotion went from my moms feet (which for the record aren't gross, but they're feet ya know!), to Corks mouth, to my cup, to my mouth!!!! So essentially I licked my own mother's feet. Hope you laughed. :)

I'm doing good overall. I'm super excited to move on past this cancer stuff. Have a great week!!!!!!

Elder G

Son-of-a-Bishop...!

Wassup!

Sorry I forgot to email last week. Time just got the best of me. BUT I've got some exciting news.

First of all, everything is working as planned to go up to Utah State this fall, and I couldn't be more excited.

Second, I had a CT scan last week. The results? Clear! So from what they can tell, no sign of cancer.

Third, I only have ONE chemo left, so now we just pray that the scans stay clear. :)

Fourth, guess what? My dad was called as a Bishop this last Sunday. So now, I'm a son-of-a-Bishop. Or BS- Bishop's Son. ;) Hahaha (did you really not expect a joke like that from me?)

I'm feeling great this week, just tired. I can't wait to be done with this crap chemo. Haha. But seriously. When Mom and I went to our Huntsman appointments last week, we had a chance to go to the Bountiful temple. I didn't have any big spiritual experience, but I distinctly remember the feeling of walking in the temple and thinking, "Wow, this feels like home." And really, what should the temple be??? More like, whose home should it feel like? Just that small thought increased my testimony that it is the Lord's house, it is the most peaceful place on earth, and that we are God's children. So go to the temple OFTEN! (And if you can't go inside, then go read your scriptures or write in your journal on the temple grounds!!)

 

My favorite scripture this week...Proverbs 3:5... "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding." What fears do I have based on the understandings of men? I am trying to rise above those fears and trust in the Lord. He's got my back! Everything will work out how it's supposed to work out.

Have a great week!

Elder G