Well the weather outside is not so frightful here in Colombia Bogotá. It is sitting at a perfect 70 degrees and I love it. I miss the snow a little but I think I can survive haha. This week I got to know our area and our investigators a little bit. We have a couple people set to be baptized this month but the one that is doing the best is this 24 year old woman. I have no idea how to spell her name so I am going to spare myself the pain of trying. Her original date to be baptized was December 23, but she wants to meet with us tonight to see if she can get it moved up for next week because she feels she is ready. Which is awesome. Usually it is the missionary that is trying to get the investigator to move their baptism date.  Life in the offices is boring but fun. The nice thing about it is that I can receive the rest I need and it is actually helping my knees out a lot. 

This week we had our Christmas party. We got to visit the Temple with 3 other Zones and after a lunch and movie at the Church. We ate chicken and rice, (of course) and watched Moana. It was a great time and I was able to see my friend Élder Saxey at the party and we caught each other up on how the mission is going. Life is going well and we are slowly fixing my problems finally. So that is great haha. Remember to serve one another this Christmas season and always.

Ilumina El Mundo!!!!!!

Hello, all!  I am sending Garrett's update and will share from our google chats and family emails. You all probably read the Monday email stating that he would be seeing additional specialists to determine how he is and what is next.  He has met with a couple of doctors and they have seen improvement in his original issues and some residual strain because of those issues.  They have also found some additional things they will be working on through physical therapy, medicine and he will have additional tests performed.  We have discussed the power of being positive and so I am going to share all the good things that he said.  Elder Graybill also sent this 

https://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/the-music-of-the-gospel  (you'll have to copy and paste) and invited Orin and I (as parents) to find more ways to teach Colton and Grace about the gospel.  I truly love getting spiritual advice from this kid.  

I've been transferred again!  I am now a secretary to the secretaries.  I pretty much do anything they tell me to.  I am enjoying it.  My new companions are Elder Cox and Elder Christiansen.  My new schedule is.....wake up, do our studies, work in the office and then if we have time, we run errands for the President. This companionship has 3 people on date for baptism.  One of my most spiritual experiences was seeing Elder Thompson last week when he said good bye to his investigators.  I could tell that he had a huge influence on their lives and I want to to have that impact on people through the mission.

I am in the most pupi house in the mission.  Before you start laughing, Linda, pupi here means rich or wealthy.  The only thing is I am sleeping on a couch that is smaller than our love seat.  But I'm not complaining!!  I got to see President Hansen at the CCM yesterday as we were running errands. That was awesome.  And I just watched all the videos for Light the World.  Day 15 or 16 was awesome about Jon Schmidt.  But I have definitely become more of a crier since I've been here.

I am so excited for my Christmas package.  I can't wait to have skittles and peanut butter.  It's funny the things I miss.  Like the MOTAB is awesome but I miss Green Day.

I love you all!  Keep the prayers and letters coming.  They really help to hear peoples stories and testimonies. I feel bad that I can't respond to all of them but hopefully this covers most questions.  My new P day is Thursdays so I'll talk to you again then!

I feel like we've been on a #prayforeldergraybill roller coaster for the last twelve weeks.  Thanks for sticking out the ride with us.  He didn't have a lot of time today and so his email is short and he said he would try and respond to everyone as soon as he could.  He also told me he received a LOT of emails of support this week and he was very grateful to feel of the love from everyone.

A few things he shared with me that he said I could share.  I'll just share it as if I am him:

It was a REALLY great week.  I am definitely not homesick anymore.  But the pain is worse.  But I worked hard this week.  We have two families and two adults on track for baptism.  With everything going on, I still feel really calm.  My Spanish is not great but much better than it was.  I understand about 50 percent of what is going on.  I had Pizza Hut today and even though it's not the same as what we eat at home, it gets the job done.  Everything is so dirty here.  I have a new companion from Washington, Elder Beals.  He goes home in 6 weeks.

This last week was really weird. Two of the Elders in my district including my comp finished their missions. That was hard to deal with. But I spent a lot of time with Elder Thompson this week and I learned a lot from him. He was the Zone leader and a great leader. He has helped me so much with my desires and testimony for a mission. We did not miss Thanksgiving and I know all of you were super worried. We had intercambios and made food and ate and talked about what we were grateful for. I am grateful for my Savior and all that he has and will do for me. 

As for my health, I talk with the specialist tomorrow to see if I am being sent home. It is the final step. But whatever happens, is all apart of the Lords plan. So I am mentally prepared for whatever. Sorry for no pictures but I forgot my camera at my house. Talk to you guys later!!!!!!!

This week was awesome! My new companion and I worked pretty hard. And our District is amazing. Elder Thompson and Elder Trelles are the Zone leaders and they have a comp who is having some struggles Elder Primo. (Elder Cousin lol) We did not get the baptism from last week because he moved to a different area. But we might have one this week, we just need to pray and see if he is really ready. But this Zone is the most baptising zone in the mission and there is a possible 25 baptisms as a whole zone this week. 

It has been raining a ton and my umbrella an only keep me dry from my waist up. The highlight from my week was my first successful contact I did all by myself. We were in line ordering some empanadas, and there was a couple standing behind me. I had a prompting to talk to them but was very scared. As Elder Braiden ordered our food, I turned to them and just opened my mouth. They told me they were Chrisitians that believed in God and I told them we have a message about Jesus Christ and the family. They gave me their numbers and address and we have an appointment this week with them. I was so terrified that I would mess up but, I was able to be the Lords instrument and a conductor for the Holy Ghost. And that is alll we are as missionaries. We are the median God uses for his other Children to feel the Holy Ghost. 

For my health, I have no updates just that the medicine did not work. But  we are still working hard to fix it. Hasta luego amigos

In Elder Graybill's personal letter to me he expressed that the pain has not lessened and the new medications don't seem to be working.  He also told me that his Mission President is a family doctor.  How he forgot to let us know that, I'll never know.  But he also said he is trying to choose to be positive through the pain and let things play out as they are supposed to.  Here is his message for this week.   -Meagan

Hey friends! So here is the update. I am in La Libertad which is across town from Villa Javier. My new companion is Elder Braiden from Colorado. He is super cool and my district is amazing. But My zone leader along with Elder Braiden are going home in 2 weeks so I will have my 3rd companion in 3 months. I do not know much about my area yet but I do know we have a baptism this Saturday and a Baptism next Saturday. Elder Rivero and I ended strong together. We worked super hard with the members and less active members this week. We challenged a lady  who has not been to church in almost 7 months to attend church this week and she accepted. We have an investigator Juan Pablo who just needs to accept a date for baptism. He attends every week and has a testimony. He literally is the perfect investigator. I am very sad to have left that area and the members. But hopefully this new area can help me with my health issues because the medicine is not.

Weird things of Colombia. This week, i kid you not I saw a guy walking a cow through the Park. A FULL GROWN MAMA COW

 Sorry for the short letter this week but not much has happened with all my health problems. Mucho amor mis amigos. Ciao

Today marks 2 months since I entered the CCM. It is crazy to think how fast time has flown by. This was another hard week for me both mentally and physically. I spent almost every day in the offices trying to figure out what is wrong with me. I have been dealing with some extreme pain for the last 2 months and I received an ultrasound on Friday and believe we found the problem. So tomorrow we will find out if I need to return home for surgery or not but from the sounds of it I will. It has been hard for me to focus on the work when all I can think about is what will happen to me. But the highlights from this week are, I had my first MultiZona conference. And it was super cool. Presidente and his wife gave some training, we had lunch, and we took some cool pictures. Then to top off this week, my companion got really sick and it was raining pretty hard this weekend, so we decided to stay in and I was bored out of my mind. 

Weird things of Colombia this week, well the reason it is taking so long to find out what is wrong with me is the fact that the Hospital was closed today and on Halloween, and it is weird that a Hospital is closed at all when they have patients in a lot of pain..... Next, I had some guy start screaming at me saying it is dumb that us Mormones can drink Coca Cola but not coffee. And then I had some guy start yelling at me on the bus and he looked like some cowboy. He kept going back to his friend, Colombian David Bowie and giving hi fives to him and laughing. I was really confused. But Elder Rivero and I met with a less active this week, and recommitted him to the Book of Mormon. He said we would try and read and pray about it every day. It was super cool that we got him re interested because he has hated the church for a long time. I find out tomorrow what happens to me but until next time mis amigos! Ciao!

the tall guy is my friend from Brazil Elder Massareli

The group of 4 is my district

The group of 3 is me, my trainer and his trainer (son, dad, grandpa)}

and the big group is my zone!

As most of you may know Garrett is going through some tough times with his health. He is doing his best to endure, but it has become quite taxing on his mind and spirit. After reaching out to the mission home we received this message from President Baquerizo. It gave us some comfort knowing he is being cared for. We pray that it will all get figured out soon. 

Dear Brother and Sister Graybill:

Thank you very much for sending your son to our mission, he is a great missionary, he adjusting ok to the missionary life.

He had an appointment with the doctor of the mission yesterday, today he had some tests to be done, tomorrow he will have an appointment with the doctor again to know what to do.

We will keep you inform.

Thanks

Presidente Baquerizo

Hey guys! This week went by super fast. I would like to share the super strange things about Colombia and my area quickly. First, people drive with no care for others or their own personal safety. Like the other day in a taxi, our driver was swerving in and out of traffic with no care.. Next, There was this guy today that got on our bus, and started playing the harp. Casually playing the harp..... So in my area Villa Javier, there are a ton of hills. My areas nickname is the Hills. And I do not mean like tortellini drive in front of the Shumans house,I mean like it feels as if I am climbing Kings Peak again. It is terrible and nice at the same time. Everyone here falls through on citas, or appointments with us. Even the members who say they have lunch for us. So a lot of the time I eat like 10 rolls everyday.. Which is not the most healthy thing to do. The bread here is sooooo good. But this week in missionary work was super hard and depressing. We got into 2 new homes and one of them was super interested. She has been taking the first lesson now for almost 5 years. And everytime she has told the missionaries that she is not interseted. She says she has the Bible and that is all that is needed to make it to our Father in Heaven again. Well, that changed with our lesson. I told her to ask all the questions that she wanted because we wanted her to understand more. Well, for the first time ever, she said we could come back and, I promised her as she read the Book of Mormon, she would feel the desire to follow Christ and be baptized. And then I asked her to prepare herself to be baptized on the 25th of Novemberand she accepted!! I felt the Spirit so strong in that meeting it was awesome. I hope all of you are doing great! Talk to ya next week. 

Hey guys! This week was easily way harder than my first week in the CCM. As all of you may know, I have been struggling with homesickness. But I strive every day to overcome it. So if you guys could keep me in your prayers this week that would be great! Anyways this week was super cool. My first day, we went to our first investigators house and they were really receptive. They accepted our invitation to read the introduction of the Book of Mormon and to prepare to be baptized. On our way back, I saw a guy pooping in the park. It was really odd and that is when it hit me that I was not in good old Utah anymore. This week we received 5 people with dates to be baptized, 4 new inv. and 1 person who attended church. So for my first week, I guess you could say I did all right. Last night, we got a lady and her son to commit to baptism. I extended the invitation and I also recited the First Vision and I did not mess up! The Spirit was very strong. My dad shared a scripture with me before I left and it has helped comfort me when I feel alone. Doctrine and Covenants, 121: 7 & 8. Everyone should read when they are having hard times. I would like to give my boys Elder Lott and Elder Schneiter a shout out. Elder Lott is entering the Field and Elder Schneiter is entering the MTC.  I testify to all of you that our Savior LIVES! He loves and knows each and every one of you. And I will talk to you next week.

Greetings all, It was so exciting to hear from Garrett this week. As each week goes by, Meg and I have these constant mixed feelings of excitement and worry as we anticipate the arrival of his letters.
Knowing he would be entering the field this week our emotions were all over the place. As you will read, his first assignment is an area within the city of Bogota called Villa Javier. He thinks it is about 1 hour or so southeast of the CCM. He says that he loves his new companion, Elder Rivero, and that they wasted no time getting to work. They met and taught a lady his first morning out in the field and were able to get a return appointment with her. I think we will rest a little easier this week knowing he is working and happy.
Enjoy

That last week in the CCM went by so fast! On the last day we had our last devotional with Presidente Hansen and the Spirit was strong. That man has taught me so much about life and the Gospel, I will forever be in debt to him. When we all returned to our rooms, we did our Family Home Evening with the Latino elders in our room for the last time. I was able to give Elder Garcia de Venezuela a blessing and he gave me one. I woke up the next day and left for the field. I was so excited to be starting the next step in the field. I met my new Presidente and he is one of the coolest guys ever. His wife is sooooo nice and they fed us pizza from Papa Johns. I got my area and my new comp at the mission home. His name is Elder Rivero from Argentina. He has been in the field for 6 months and I am his first kid. (kid meaning I am his first trainee.) My area is called Villa Javier, in the Ciudad Jardin zone. In my zone I have all the important people, secretaries and AP´s. I am still in Bogotá which is kinda annoying at night time because it is so noisy. My friend got to go to Leticia for his first area which supposedly is unheard of. He is super lucky. In our mission there are 10 zones. 5 in the frio, 5 in the caliente. Mine is in the frio which is nice becuase it is straight hills and if it was hot I would pass out and die. My pdays are Mondays now and we write around 4 30. I got to write today since my Presidente thinks writing home is the most important thing ever. Hopefully my spanish gets better. I will have some cool stories and experiences for you next week. Ciao. 

Hello all, 
Garrett is counting down his last days in the CCM. By Tuesday or Wednesday of next week he will be assigned and in his first area in the Bogota South Mission. He has had some highs as well as lows this last week as he continues learning to be the best missionary he can be. He is concerned that he continues to lose weight, which he tells us is almost 15 lbs now. He is experiencing some other health issues that have been taxing on his spirit, yet he continues in faith that everything will be fine. He and his companion went out on splits with Elder Leon (a Peruvian) into Bogota last Saturday. Garrett shared his excitement of teaching a women and committing her to be baptized. Later that day they encountered a blind man, who asked Garrett for a blessing. He tells us that it was a pretty awesome experience. His recent temple trip was a powerful reminder to him that he is where he is supposed to be. In his own words, "the spirit was super fuerte." Above all, in his letters to the family, he has repeatedly shared his love for Elder Nick Moss. He told us that Elder Moss has been his rock through this entire CCM experience. In D&C 121 the Lord tells the Prophet Joseph Smith, "thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment...if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high...Thy friends do stand by thee...''. The most important thing we can do when adversity or afflictions come our way is to endure it the best we can. It sure helps when you have the support of family, friends, and earthly/heavenly angels. We are grateful that Garrett and Elder Moss have had this experience together. We are grateful for the comfort that Elder Moss has given our son. We thank you and love you Elder Moss. Good luck in Ecuador and Godspeed. 
Here is this weeks letter. Enjoy

Amigos!
>
> > This last week went by super-fast and if I am being completely honest I do not remember any of it. All I know right now is I have one more week until I am out into the field and I am super scared. My Spanish is not that good, however, I know that as I continue to work hard, the Lord will help me. I have been super homesick this week and I received a blessing from Elder Moss last night. He and I were meant to be in this CCM together. His words were powerful and comforted me a lot.
> > We watched Elder Hales funeral on Friday and it was really sad. What is comforting to know is that families can be together forever. And I am so grateful for my family. Yes, I miss them a lot. Yes I would like to see them right now. But because of what I am doing, I am blessing the lives of others, my family, and me for eternity. The closing hymn that they played was "God be with you ‘til we meet again" which was the closing hymn at my farewell. That got me a little emotional.
> > Today might of been my last time attending the Temple for 22 more months! So today during the session, I tried to make it as spiritual as possible. Oh yeah, I got kicked in the face while playing soccer and I thought for sure I had broken my nose. Sorry my emails are so short and no pictures this week. It will not let them load for some reason. If they end up working I will have my mom send them out. Also, I don't think you will be getting an email from me this next week because I have training all day next Tuesday in the mission home.
>
> Hasta luego

No profound intro this week, except that you keep Elder Graybill in your prayers. Thanks, and Enjoy.

 

Hey friends, just another week here in the CCM. This General Conference weekend was truly amazing. I would love to say I was able to stay awake for the whole time but I did fall asleep sitting in class a couple of times. My favorite talk had to be by Elder Cook in the Saturday afternoon session. The three points that stood out to me the most were, Don't sleep through this life (oops), not where you serve but how you serve, and church service takes humility. Those three things really stuck out to me. My mission here in Colombia is going to fly by. I have been out just under one month, so I need to make the most out of it as I can. Yes, Colombia is a cool place to be serving, but that does not matter. I could be in Montana, Brazil, California, Denmark, but the work is still the same. I am here to teach repentance and baptize converts. I need to give it my full effort all the time. And to tie the last point into my thought, HUMILITY. I need to humble myself before the Lord, and through him all things are possible. I will be able to learn the language, connect with the people and fulfill my call as a representative of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Presidente Hansen shared an interesting thought this past week. Me + Christ = More. I would like to challenge everybody this next week to try and come closer to our Savior. You can do this through prayer or even trying to be like Him. I promise that as you do this, your life will seem a little better than it did before.

Last Tuesday, we went to a Cathedral up on the mountain called Monseratte. It was built in the early 1600 and it is absolutely beautiful. The view of the city was astonishing, and the inside of it was pretty. Sadly I have been sick so I had to make a couple trips to the bathroom while I was up there which ended up costing me 1500 pesos. I bought a sweet Colombia national jersey and a cool Real Madrid jersey that is black and teal. I have two more weeks in the CCM and then I will be out in the real world. Which is scary because my Spanish is still trash. I can bear testimony, pray, and teach parts of lessons which will get me by for my first transfer or two. Anyways, I love all you guys keep up whatever you are doing in life because I bet it is something good. ​

9/26/17

Elder Graybill received his visa today. He expressed his gratitude that it came and he is able serve the people in the Bogota South Mission. As he has spoken with Elders already serving in the mission field, he is preparing himself for some of the humbling things he is told he will see and experience. I was surprised to hear from him that he knew the UTES had defeated Arizona. I asked him how? He responded that the CCM President Hansen knew he loved Utah Football and has kept him apprised of the UTES football games thus far. He tells us in our family email, and I want to share/invite all who read this, "keep to the Gospel and do all things to keep the Holy Ghost in our lives." We as his parents are so happy to see him keep a positive attitude even during times of personal struggles. He is truly being blessed and watched over. Thank you for your prayers in his behalf. 

Enjoy this weeks letter

My dear brothers and sisters, this last week was amazing. And what I mean by amazing is that I struggled a lot and actually have been sick because of food poisoning, but I have grown so much as a missionary and my Spanish is actually coming along. I was able to give a blessing to my good friend Elder Porter. He fell and cracked his head and luckily he only needed super glue. Then that night his stomach was causing a lot of discomfort, so he asked me to give him a blessing of comfort and health. I was terrified I was going to mess up but I felt the Spirit the whole time and he guided me through it. The next day, he was all better. The Power of the Priesthood is real! It was such a neat experience for myself and the district. Speaking of District, every three weeks in the CCM they change district leaders so I was released. I was sad but at the same time, Elder Stewart is going to be a great leader. 

Sunday and yesterday were the hardest days. The latinos and the older group left this morning and we have been prepping them to leave and say goodbye. We sang a Childs prayer and the Spirit was so strong. Every sister in the room was balling and the Elders that show emotion were tearing up. and yes i was one of them. Last night we gave our final goodbyes to everyone and I had to say goodbye to my good amigos, Elder Arana from Cali, Colombia and Elder Bolano from Venezuela, both those guys had me in tears. Elder Bolano has helped me so much with the spanish and I am going to miss him a lot. Also, I had to say goodbye to Elder Jamison, Elder McDougal, Elder, Tasimale, and Elder Richey. Those Elders were the ones that i looked up to so much. They all carried the Spirit with them so well and I hope I can be as cool as them when it is my turn to leave the CCM. 

New guys come in tonight around 2 so I probably won’t get that much sleep. a repeat from last night. They all left this morning at like 3 and it woke me up. 

So I keep forgetting to tell you guys but the traffic hear is crazy. People honestly do not care for their lives. Whoever has the biggest car gets what they want. Our bus just plows into traffic and I swear someone is about to die everytime. Also if you ever want to visit Colombia, go for it, just make sure you have a bullet proof vest, and a 12 gauge for protection. I have seen some scary stuff and I have been out in the city maybe like 4 times. Mom and Dad, if you decide to come get me, I will not allow it if i am in the city, other than that it should be ok. 

I can’t believe I almost have been gone for a month, feels like 30 minutes ago I was getting on the plane. Quick shout out to my bros, Zach Lott and Alex Ambrose, sad I missed your talks but i know you guys are gonna kill it in the field. Sorry my emails are so short, it’s hard to write about stuff when we have the same 16 hour schedule everyday 7 days a week. Today we get to go to some Catholic Cathedral that was built 500 years ago and I am super excited. I will tell you more about it next week and hopefully my email will be a little longer. I love each and every one of you. Linda and Amy, please keep taking care of my Mom, I appreciate it. adios mi amigos.​

1st pic Me y Elder Jamison

2nd pic Me y Elder Richey y Elder Tesimale

3rd pic Guanaria a weird fruit you suck the seeds out of

4th pic This is the Mormon District here in the CCM

9/19/17
As we anxiously awaited the  arrival of our next letter from Elder Graybill, we instead received an email from Sister Hansen of the Centro de Capacitacion Misional (CCM). She informed us that there had been an outbreak of the chicken pox and Elder Graybill had definitely been exposed. We assured her that he had received his chicken pox vaccination. We received a warm response that Elder Graybill is a giant of a missionary who is absolutely thriving. Later, Elder Graybill let us know that the outbreak was in his room and that 2 Elders were removed and confined to their own room. Problem solved. He gave us more details about his district. There are 8 Elders and 2 Sisters and all 10 missionaries are from the USA, 4 of which, including Elder Graybill, are from Utah. Here is his next letter. Enjoy! (Oh, so he had a problem loading all 3 pictures hopefully we get them next time. I am interested to see his new best friends.)

This week went  by so much better than the first week by far. To be honest I don´t remember it all too well. On Wednesday, the Presiding Bishop came and visited us and gave a little message. It was by surprise too. Thursday and Friday blended  together and were kinda boring. But Saturday came and I loved it. We went out and preached with missionaries already in the field. The best part was, it was my mission. 

Let me tell you a little bit about Bogota Sur. It is known as the armpit of Colombia. There is someone doing drugs on every corner. And since I am 6´4, blonde, and quite attractive, I was hit on every where by the women. No lie a women was walking with her Husband and said something i did not understand to me, winked at me, and made me feel very uncomfortable. 

Besides all that, I was able to be apart of my first missionary lesson. We met with a lady named, Hermana Sanchez. She has been turning down the missionaries for years now and finally let us in. We talked about the Restoration of the Gospel through José Smith. I bore my testimony and explained how the priesthood was restored in spanish. I was so scared I was going to mess up but the Spirit guided me. She said yes for another  lesson and they met last night at  6. I love my mission already and I spent one day there haha. Sunday was another Spiritual power house day. Presidente Hansen talked about the Spirit and the guidance it gives us. So I would like to challenge everyone, Mormon or not, to try and find a moment that you have felt the Spirit, this could be a time that you have done something good and felt happiness, or you have had a question in your heart and felt a warm conformation in your heart. I would love to hear about everyones experience with it next week. I am trying to see how the Spirit guides me each and every day. 

This morning we visited the temple for the second time and it was just so peaceful. I love being there and the feeling it gives me. 

I love all of you guys. You guys are all in my prayers. and !Hasta luego¡

in these pics, the first Elder Arana (colombian) Elder Bolaños(venezualan) 2nd pic my district, and 3rd my new best friends haha

Hey guys! This first week has been a complete rollercoaster.We got in at about 10 to the airport and about 12:45 to the CCM. My first day was terrible. I had no idea what was going on, I was completely homesick. But life went on haha. I was appointed district leader over the Mormón district. Everyone in my district is amazing. The spirit is so strong with everyone and I love it. For our exercise time, we play basketball when it rains, and futsál outside when it doesn´t. I dunked it on some small latino kid the first day and I felt bad. I kid you not it was 10 feet. It must be the higher elevation or something cuz I got up and threw down. 

 As the week went on, I got super down on myself. The spanish was killing me and I just wanted to see my family. But Presidente Hansen pulled me aside because he knew I was down on myself and told me to keep my head up, because he saw something special in me. That got me to Sunday which was the most spiritual day of my entire life. Presidente Hansen shared a lesson in classe. We talked about the Atonement and all that it covers. I never realized but the Atonement covers us missionaries trying to learn the language. When Jesus Atoned for us, it was not just our sins, but it was for every struggle, trial, or mishap in our lives. And that really hit me .

Hermana Hansen closed the devotional with a movie called, The Testaments. (terrible acting but great mensaje) It is about a man who was taught the ways of Christ his whole entire life. He saw the Star representing the Saviors birth and he knew, Our Redeemer was on the Earth. HIs whole life he waited for his chance to meet the Savior. But when Jesus was crucified, and Dios unleashed his wrath on the earth, the man became blind. When Jesus visited the Americas, he went to the blind man, lovingly put his hands on his face and healed him. This made me think of my Father. My father is the strongest man I know. He pushes through Leukemia everyday of his life and has managed to make it seem normal. But when we are all resurrected, he won´t have to deal with the pains anymore and that mensaje really hit me hard. I went outside to write in my journal after that devotional and cried with joy for like 30 minutes. I truly love this Gospel and all the bendices we receive from it.  

My companion is Elder Jones, he is a nice kid. He is as far opposite to me as possible. And that is hard for me. But I have grown to love him. And yes, I know you guys were all wondering, but I am cooking up the natives in soccer. They all call me Neymar. No lie.

September 5, 2017

Message from Orin Graybill
I anxiously watched the Delta flight tracker all day as Garrett's plane got farther away from Utah. I know what he is doing has a greater purpose, but it is still hard watching your oldest child traveling into the unknown. Coltons soccer game had just finished this evening when the alarm I had set on my phone indicated that his flight had arrived. I said a silent prayer to myself that his luggage had made it and that he was okay. I had a hard time sleeping that night as my thoughts returned to my own experiences of  being in a foreign place for the first time. My luggage was lost and it took three months to get to me. My first night in Brazil Manaus was full of  anxiety and fear of what awaited me in the mission field. Garrett is far more prepared for these next two years than I ever was. His preparation will take him far. As we embark on these next two years together, following his journey, please keep him in your prayers. Please feel free to write him and share with him something encouraging. Here is his first message home.

September 6, 2017

Hey mom! ¡ Buenas Dias! We made it. This won’t be the email that you send to everyone. But so far so good. Some nice man bought all the missionaries food on the flight to Atlanta. And on the way to Bogota I was in 1st class. It was super nice but everyone was watching movies next to me. One day here and I can feel my Spanish getting better. Gracias and I will talk to you next Tuesday. 😎😎