I can do hard things

How are you all? I'm doing excellent, considering what is going on lately. As I say everytime, I LOVE serving at the temple. Last week, I talked with a brother about 65/70 years old for a little bit. He told me that he had gotten baptized about 15 years ago, and guess what his first calling as a member was? 1st counselor in the Bishopric. That's right! He said that he got called in for an interview with the stake president, and was asked "would you be willing to shave your beard for a calling?" He agreed. Then he was asked "okay, would you be willing to cut your hair for a calling too?" (he had a ponytail, his hair was down to his back) and he was like "whoa!" But agreed. He told me that he was willing to give up something for his calling, for a greater cause, for what the Lord wanted. How awesome! And it turns out he actually was in Gma and Gpa's ward, and lived in the same apt complex as them when he moved to St George.

So now the big news... Long story short, I am starting chemo and radiation next Monday. In CEDAR! I had a surgery about two months ago, in which they didn't get everything.... they have been able to come up with a plan to do radiation a 2nd time (I had it almost 5 years ago). The chemo will help the radiation, my mom compared it to scrubbing a pan. It's easier to scrub it if you let it soak in water. That's essentially the purpose of the chemo. I will do 30 radiation treatments, 5 days/week for 6 weeks. The chemo (which is not too high of a dose) will be through an IV once a week for 6 weeks. Here we go again, but honestly, I'm doing a-okay. I feel at peace with everything and am totally relying on the Lord. I'm so glad that Heavenly Father has a great plan for all of us. And each hardship will, hopefully, allow us to grow. We are going to kick this cancer in the butt. Hard. And get this crap over with!

I CAN DO HARD THINGS! We all can.

I'm still working out the details of serving throughout this, but I do know that I probably will take off some time. The best thing about a service mission is that I can serve and still attend to my health.

Here we go! Thanks for all you do for me. I wouldn't be where I'm at today without all the love, support and friendship I've had throughout my life. :)

Elder Gray

Another Week

Okay. Let's get the big stuff out of the way first. For those who dont know, I found out just over a week or two ago that from my surgery, the cancer wasn't all removed (After all the research and pathology was done). So we are looking at radiation now. We're still meeting and figuring things out, but I will be getting radiation. It's all localized in my neck, thank goodness. It's never spread beyond that. I don't know what this means for my mission, but I guess I'll find out soon enough. The right person upstairs is in charge so I need not worry. At the docs yesterday in SLC, I felt really good and definitely feel that radiation is the best thing for me.

Mission stuff. Like I always say I seriously LOVE my mission. I'm starting to remember almost word for word some of the ordinances. 

The 3 questions I get asked most often are:

What do you do for your mission at the temple?

Do your really drive from Cedar and back EVERY day?

Oh, you're from Cedar? What's the update with the new temple?

This last week has been a lot of good, and also some bad. A brother I worked with on Friday afternoons in the Baptistry passed away last Monday. His funeral was on Saturday, luckily I was able to adjust my schedule enough that I could attend it. I had no idea he had passed until I got to the baptistry Friday. His wife was there, too. I went in to give her a hug, and she said, "I'm here to make sure you're alright." Which maybe is what she needed to say as far as coping, but also, she's so great. She is such a great example of selflessness to me. She stayed for our prayer meeting and said just a few words. And her testimony. She's great. And strong!

I also found out that my cousin from Idaho got her mission call.... to the ST GEORGE VISITORS CENTER. We're gonna be mission neighbors. How cool huh??

I met with Pres Crankshaw last week as well. We talked about stuff I've been learning, and about my health. I don't know what's gonna happen in the future, but I know I'm in the right hands.

Peace!

Elder Gray

I have the best mission ever.

Wow. Where does the time go? I kinda just forgot to email last week. Oh well! These past two weeks have just been awesome. I find myself pretty tired when the day's done, but it is so worth it. I LOVE my mission. I consider myself the luckiest person to be able to spend so much time in the temple.

This last weekend was Fall Break- all of UT was out of school Thurs and Fri. So the Baptistry was nuts. But seriously, we LOVE it when it's busy. I walked down at 12 30 for my 1-4 shift, and as I opened the door the back way to the baptistry I heard singing. I walked down to see the chapel FULL, the font room full, and the main hallway just packed. We had our prayer meeting for that shift in the already filled chapel, so our shift coordinators, Brother and Sister Myers, both commented that they "heard angels singing" when they were almost to the Baptistry. With excitement, he said, "I think the Millennium is here." And smiled. He also said that the work really is hastening. It's so great to see such a number in one of 143 greatest places in the world!

I went on a Baptisms trip last Tuesday with my YSA ward. And i realized that the only thing better than being in the temple so often is being in with your family- including your ward family!

I was excited to hear about a line being figured out in the family genealogy. From some finding, I found the work for a bunch ofancestors and descendants. Never thought I'd learn to love family history so much. It's like a treasure hunt.

The best thing you can take from this letter is that I'm happy. I'm at peace with life and love the temple. I've been really trying to get closer to our Savior lately... studying, reading, praying. And I've felt a difference. Although I'm not perfect and not perfect at studying, as long as I do my best I need not worry!

(Guess what I did for P-day today? I went with some friends to the temple, followed by hiking ANGEL'S LANDING. Sweet, huh?)

ALSO, I have lots of names for temple work to do. Endowment, initiatory, and some sealings, both male and female. If you want to take a name with you when you go, let me know.

Peace out. Love you all!

Elder Gray

11 Hour Temple Day

Hello! Man, wasn't conference awesome!?!? I loved it this year! I didn't get around to emailing on Tuesday. But you'll see why in a second. This was a good CRAZY week! My shift on Fridays in the baptistry is from 1 to 4. At about 3:30, it started to get busy, which is a GREAT thing by the way. :) When the people from the next shift got there at 4, they asked if I'd stay for a little bit, they were shorthanded. And it was really, really busy at this point. With me there, there was barely enough. So I stayed, and they had me help in a confirmation room. It was a really, really good thing I stayed. At about 5 pm, I realized that it wasn't going to slow down, and thought that I needed to let Mom and Dad know my plans (since I am dependent on them and all, ya know?). It was so busy, that I barely even had time to run to the bathroom. Haha. So at that point, I said a prayer. "Heavenly Father, I'm here. It's busy. I would call home if I could, but I can't. Let mom and dad know I'm fine!" And I left it it that. A ward from New Harmony came in. I met siblings and children of people I knew, like Wiggins, and even Mr Prince's boys. At the end of that extra shift, at 8, I ran into Hayden's dad! He works the shift that starts at 8. That was cool!! I left the temple and went to In-N-Out. I saw the same kids that were from New Harmony inside the store. Haha. I talked to Mom and Dad, Mom said that around 5:30 (around the time I said my little prayer) that she was like, "Hmmm. Where's Erik?" and then she thought that I met up with some friends or something, and that I was fine, but still a little worried. So you see? Prayers are answered! I was in the temple for 11 hours on Friday. And it was actually pretty awesome. Haha. --- Mom, Dad, Justin and I went to General Conference the next day. We stayed in a hotel Saturday night. We saw the Priesthood session from the tabernacle on Temple Square and had tickets to the Sunday afternoon session. Conference was seriously AMAZING! There has never been a conference where I've had so many questions answered, and questions about things I need to improve on that I didn't even realize I had. Isn't personal revelation awesome?? My favorite talk was Elder Robbins from the first session, on which way do you face? Am I trying to please God or others first? --- Monday, I helped on the grounds, we gutted out the flowerbeds that are by the entrance of the temple. That was kinda sad! Just today though, they planted a whole bunch of stuff that will last through the winter... well, winter for St George. I had a Dr appt up in Salt Lake on Tuesday. Mom and I went to the Ogden temple that morning. MAN IT IS AWESOME! Such a beautiful temple! It was a crazy, long day, and I even got to stop and say goodbye to Kesia. She's gonna be so great!! --- Well, that's my week! Hope things are going well for you all. See ya around (still can't get used to saying that to family and as a missionary, haha)! Elder Gray

The Atonement and The Sealing Power

Hey there!

It's been such a good week. I love love LOVE the temple. I love seeing familiar faces in there. I love being able to still live at home and be around Mom, Dad and Justin. I know I'm exactly where I need to be.

I feel such a profound love for the gospel. I have missed the temple so much, I never realized until this break was over how much going to the temple on a regular basis (even just if it's once a month, but for my case 5 days a week) really changes my life. And yes, even just going to do Baptisms too. It helps to give me the strength I need. It helps me to resist temptation,  and it helps me learn more everyday about my Savior.

I'm in an Institute class this fall. It's called Atonement, Repentance and Forgiveness. If you are Institute age and haven't taken it yet, I REALLY REALLY THINK YOU SHOULD. It's probably the best class I've ever taken. My testimony has been strengthened of the love of our Lord, His great atoning sacrifice for a human race that may not necessarily deserve it. The condition? Repentance. And obedience to the commandments of God.

I don't have a companion, but I do get to spend some time with some service Elders like myself. They are amazing examples to me, and I know they love serving in the temple just as much as I do.

I was in sealings on Saturday. And in one of the sessions, everyone in the group all shared an experience or two about sealings. It strengthened my testimony that sealings really are the most important aspect of the temple. The crowning point. I want to be sealed and live righteously so that I can receive exaltation with my eternal companion. Perfect example of how the temple is so eye opening.

I love you all! Keep on keeping on. Take a minute to read about the atonement. The more I study the more amazing I realize that it is!

Love,

Elder Gray

THE TEMPLE IS OPEN!

Hello!

So the temple is back open! I made it through the month. The temple is back open, but with working on the grounds yesterday and my P-day today, I'll get to go inside the temple again for the first time in a month tomorrow!!! Yes, a month is a long time for a temple service-missionary. :)

What a month it has been. It's no coincidence that everything has worked out the way it has. I'm feeling great after the surgery I had, I think it's been literally perfect timing to start back up at the temple again. From babysitting Camo, Easton and Daisy... they say that as a missionary you learn things that prepare you for "real life," but I never thought that the thing I learned would be how to take care of children for more than just a few hours. Ha ha!

I'm still trying to adjust my rules and goals for myself as a missionary, especially where the temple's back open and I'm not recovering. It's both good and difficult that I mostly get to set my own rules. Good because I can set goals and because no one else's mission is exactly like mine, I get to define rules and goals. But the difficult thing is that it would almost be easier to say, "Okay, President. Tell me how to act." I guess it gives me a chance to really work with the Lord and receive some personal revelation about it.

I just got called as a Gospel Doctrine teacher in my ward! Yay, an incentive to study the Old Testament (which is written on a whiteboard in my room as one of my mission goals)!

I'm grateful for the chance to serve in temple and grateful for the testimony I have. I know that the Church is true and that what is taught at the temple is true! When I went to the Manti Temple during the break, the live session was really neat. And solidifying to me that the ordinances in temples are true no matter what temple you are in. I've been to enough sessions to recognize that the live session was the exact same words! I'm grateful to focus so much on the temple. It's a really great thing to center my life on the temple, because it means that I am pointed in the right direction; my knowledge/beliefs of the doctrine of the gospel, my testimony, my willingness to obey the commandments, and my feelings on the Savior and His atonement. 

Have a good one!!

Elder Gray

My YSA ward is SO AWESOME!

Hey family/friends!

Well, it has been a while since I sent an email out. Whoops! Haha. I'd feel worse if email was the only way you'd hear from me. Guess there's another blessing of being a service missionary. Hahaha. :)

I had surgery last Monday. It went really well. I think it was the fastest recovery yet. I felt like I could do things a lot faster, and compared to the other things I've had, a one-hour surgery is pretty easy! Here a week later, I'm feeling pretty good. Not quite 100% but I'd say about 75-80%. It's a good thing the temple is closed the rest of this week. (By the way... the temple opens back up on Monday!!! I've almost made it through the month closure! I"M SO EXCITED!) Also, my YSA ward is SO AWESOME! Guess what they did? They had a "fast and feast" the day of my surgery. They fasted throughout the day, then met at Family Home Evening to break their fast and eat dinner. For me! How great are they? I seriously love my ward!

I get adjusted to my temple schedule, and then I'm on a month break. And now I'm pretty much adjusted to the break schedule. I've been working for Dad in the office for a little bit. Hopefully that's not bad that I'm making a little money? :) It's not interfering with the temple, so I'm assuming it's okay.

You know, sometimes I thought that it would be easy to be a missionary, and as I grew up, I realized that being a missionary doesn't give you a break from temptations and from the world so to speak, but- at least being a service missionary- has really helped me sort out my priorities. I talked with an RM friend once, and he said that the hard thing about coming home (and it doesn't speak for all you RMs, it's just what he told me) is that it's hard to stay with the good habits you want to, like studying and all that. As we talked, we realized that the good thing about my mission is that once I'm done, yeah I might "slack down" a little bit, but it will be easy to keep living like this because I never left home and will just change, say having a job, going to class, rather than the many hours of the temple. I hope that makes sense!

Elder Gray