I've been out 1 year!!!

Monday - so we had a sweet little noche de hogar with familia Torres, they didn't come to church this week still, but it was super good, we talked about faith and repentance, and all shared our favourite scriptures. 

Tuesday - WOOOOOOO we went to Jose Luis and Santa Lucia, and when we walked in he gave us 2 glasses of pop, and said here you go! you know just in case! I don’t want you guys to get offended and then you never come back! haha me and my comp looked at each other like... I thought this only happened in Liahonas!! So then we taught him about chastity, super cool lesson and then he started to tell us that he was curious about Joseph Smith- so he looked up about his story and he explained a bunch of stuff about him, haha I was soo surprised by that because before he didn't really understand a lot, and now they both understand soo much

Wednesday - so I had a swwwwweeeeeetttt intercambio with Elder Bailey, my zone leader. We knew each other before in Este a little and last change, so we’re homies now. We just had a really good day then we found a sweet little metal light house, so we climbed up at about 8 and it was dark and we could see all the light along the coast, it was sooo pretty. Then we had some sweet pizza with mussels on from Hermano Vicente! 

Thursday - had another dope lesson with Jose Luis and Santa Lucia! Then we had a ward activity at the church, so each Thursday we will have one of these, and we just ate pizza and talked about family history. Jose Luis and his mom got super excited about that. The only thing is they don’t have many records of their ancestors, also I helped Hermano Vicente find his grandma because he got baptized 5 months ago, and he was super excited too. 

Friday - well we had a decent day today, haha so we have an investigator that we found a little while ago named Artudo, haha we call him r2d2. We haven’t been able to find him home for a while. But I had my first baptismal interview as a district leader, it was with a mother and her 2 kids, so she’s been investigating the church for 4 years and she’s finally ready, and her kids are awesome too. The only thing is the interview goes by soo fast, I did each one for like 30 mins, but it was a really cool and spiritual experience. Then well ITS MY ONE YEAR MARK TODAY!!!!! so I actually did burn a shirt out in the Rocha house, and we all milked alfajores that night!!!

Saturday - so we stayed in Rocha for the baptism and I did divisions with Elder Lockhart! We knew each other before up in 33 and he’s here but in the other district.Then we stayed for the baptism, and haha it was pretty hectic, a dog ran into the building at one point, so I took it outside, and then her baby kept crying, and basically only missionaries came, so I took him into the hall and played with him so the investigators could feel the spirit a little more. 

Sunday - well.... Jose Luis and Santa Lucia didn't come today, he wasn't feeling very good and he got home late, but they said they're coming next week, which I'm super glad, but I’ll be gone 3 days before they will get baptized now, a little sad, I really wanted to see this baptism, but at least they will be getting baptized, and I helped them along the way! 

So it was a pretty good week, this area is having a lot of success out here now, we have about 5 charlas a week, and 6 with less actives, (charlas means lessons). The only things was that Jose Luis and Santa Lucia didn't come. Other than that I know have 1 year in the mission!!!! but it still doesn’t feel like it, I still feel like I’m really young in the mission, I just know how to speak and teach. But I basically only have 11 months left which is really weird for me, I feel like I need more time, I guess that’s why everyone says “don’t waste your time because it flies by!” Its true!!! Also iI have a new favourite scripture, it’s 1 Nephi 21: 14-16

Well, love you guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elder Grigor

La Paloma 

Intercambio (exchanges) with Elder Bailey 

These are the pictures that give this missionary mom slight heart palpitations!!!  

Elder Grigor - 1 year older than the last time we saw him. He looks so happy!!! 

It's a tradition to burn a shirt when a missionary has been out for 1 year or their halfway mark. 

A gorgeous day in La Paloma on Elder Grigor's p-day 

A miracle happened!!!

Tuesday - so not much happened, we went to Jose Luis and are helping him to remember the lessons that we teach because they forget a lot, so we’ll say: “ok we’re gonna go over this at the start, and we ask ok what’s the restoration about? And they say well the restoration of our souls! then I’ll say well kinda... but it’s more about the restoration of this church, how it was restored. haha but they’re doing really good.

Wednesday - We did some service for Brother Trinidad, who’s this super old dude in the branch, so basically we just pulled weeds in his yard for 2 hours, kinda reminded me of landscaping before the mish. Then we were gonna have a lesson with the lady we found but she left and doesn’t come back until Sunday, but other than that we walked in the streets.. a lot and tried talking with everyone. 

Thursday - so we had an intercambio (exchange I think in english)  with Elder Paulson, and haha basically the only reason I liked that day was because he was there with me. So we were gonna have a lesson with members with Jose Luis, but his car broke down and he couldn’t. So then we just walked and talked about... things... before the mission (women we knew, things we did), (haha a ton of people here call me vrgin lips, or moose 1 - because I’m from Canada and the other….. well its self explanatory.) But yea then we went to familia Rodriguez in the night and they made us some tortas fritas, (scones without sugar or anything) but we both had like 10 each, and we saw a lot of progress with Bro Rodriguez

Friday - so I finally gave my first district meeting, I thought I was gonna go under an hour, but I went a little over the time. Then we had a zone lunch with the Wankiers (the señor couple) and we made tinfoil lunches and some other food, and it was super good. Then the rest of the day was a normal La Paloma day, absolutely nothing, haha we talked with the people and sometimes they invite us back over, then their spouse comes out and says no no no we don't want anything. 

Saturday - today was pretty good, we taught Jose Luis about tithing, and he asked how much is it, we said well 10% and he said ok so like 200 pesos?? well yea if you made 2000 yea 200 pesos, but if you made 4000 its 400. So we tried to drill that into him, then we went to Barrio Parque (another little area of ours) which I hate there because every time we go there something bad happens, and we haven't had any success out there in my 3 changes. So we tried to go out but again nothing happened, so we left.

Sunday - THEY CAME!!! Jose and Santa Lucia came to church, participated in the class and everything, and he payed tithing!!! haha I’ve never heard of an investigator who paid tithing before his baptism. But they did!! Then we had interviews with the president, talked about the area, he didn't say anything if ill be leaving or anything, so maybe I’ll be staying.... that’ll be interesting.

Monday - well we just messed around in the morning, cleaned up and we’re gonna have a noche de hogar with familia Torres tonight, we challenged them to read the Book of Mormon by topic, and they would have to buy the food if they didn’t, and if they did we would buy it, I think they may have skipped some verses but looks like I’m buying the food..

haha so yea the week itself was pretty hard, contacting a lot of people who don't want anything, then the people who do- live somewhere else, but at least were helping those people receive the gospel!! But then Jose Luis, our investigator was the miracle coming to church and paying tithing!!! So he has a baptismal date for the 25th, so 1 more Sunday and him and his mother will be baptized. Then his brother and his wife are investigators so that’ll help them a lot too. 

Love you have a good week!!

Elder Grigor

"Spetus- a brazilian BBQ!"

Gangster Grigor :) 

Elder Grigor doing service 

Glad he's working hard! 

"The sun was really strong" 

church "bells" 

Elder Grigor and his companion 

"me and rocky cooking meat for the zone lunch" 

"A fridge full of guarana! "

"My Mate CUP!!" 

I got my package !!!! 

HAHAHAHA!!!! 

"all my planners from year 1" 

" I went full gaucho (cowboy) " 

"eating some squash- (I actually liked it)" 

Elder Grigor's squash lunch. It was the first time he tried it. We are still kind of amazed he ate it. 

Probably the worst/best week

Tuesday - so we didn't have district meeting because we have a multi-zone conference on Thursday, but it was a pretty normal day. We challenged a less active family to study faith and repentance by topic in the Book of Mormon then find how they work together. Then I challenged them if they could do in 2 weeks that we would pay for a Noche de Hogar, and if not they would have to do it. My comp afterwards got mad that I did that and told me I would buy everything, he gets a little overdramatic sometimes. (also that Canadian Chivitio I had for 250 pesos, yea me and my comp made 6 for 170 pesos and they tasted almost better... so I got ripped..)

Wednesday - well my first intercambio as a district leader. I was with Elder Roquemore, he’s a big guy from Utah. We had a decent day, taught Jose Luis and his mother again ,and they are progressing really well. Then we just did some contacting all day, haha but it was funny to see him speaking Spanish, because he’s new, kinda reminds me of myself, but it’s funny I can’t really remember what it’s like not to understand Spanish.

Thursday - so we went to Maldonado for the zone conference, it was really good, we talked about a case study we read of a missionary that worked really well with the members in the Cambridge Massachusetts ward (I think it’s there). We talked about working with members (which I need to do a lot better) so I’m going to be implementing that very soon. Also we ate tortugones for lunch!!!!! (massive hamburgers)

Friday - today was a pretty awful day, I don’t know why but neither of us wanted to do anything, and no one was home, so we chilled on a little hill for  30 mins just relaxing haha and played with this dog for a while, then not much else really happened that day.

Saturday - ok this was pretty much the best day of my mission!!  We went looking for an appointment we had in the morning and contacted a lady who we ended up teaching who is sooooo interested. She is here on vacation and leaves soon to Montevideo, but she has a cousin who is a member and is gonna call her to send the missionaries over. Then we taught the other guy, it was a decent lesson. Then in the afternoon we taught another new, very short lesson. Then we thought well it was a good day let’s go chill for a bit, so we went to the skate park, and messed around on our bikes for a bit and found a lady and started talking with her. She had a less active friend, so we started explaining a lot of things to her and she said “my friends an idiot for leaving this church” so we’re gonna teach her this week. (She’s here from Buenos Aires for 1 month)

Sunday - so Jose Luis didn't come to church, because he had family that he hadn't seen in 2 years come up from Montevideo. He really wanted to come but he didn't want to leave them alone in his house, because he also didn't really know them too well. Then we had a normal day, finished off with bringing the sacrament to an elderly couple.

Soooo this week started off really slow, then on Saturday we had 4 new investigators, 5 lessons and set up some really good lessons for next week. Also our progressing investigators are progressing really well to their baptism. 2 more Sundays and that’s it. Then all the other people we taught we’ll be working with. Haha I always said I wanted to leave this area, but now that we’re seeing so much success I want to stay a little longer. Haha there’s just not enough time!!!

Well love you guys, hope you have a great week!

Elder Grigor

"Me and my companion at the lighthouse" 

"The skate park where we taught more people" 

Elder Roquemore 

Elder Grigor in Uruguay :) 

Chillin on the hill

Playing with the dog

La Paloma 

Elder Grigor in La Paloma 

"Me with a mask- I think it fits me really well" 

"Me and my companion at a members house through a fish eye lens"