12 years ago
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Spike July 30
So, where to start. It sounds like there is nothing really going on at home. I did not get any letters this week. Only from mom and dad. So I hope that everyone is doing well. I am still making it. So mom and dad had a sweet anniversary it sounds like. They went out to eat to the movies and made it on a nice four wheeler ride. That is my kind of time! They have been together for a long time and I know that the whole time has not been smooth sailing so parabéns pra vocês. Good job….
Mom and dad and tyler and mikin made it up to pick berries I heard. Sounds like there should be a good turn out this year. Last year they kind of came super quick and then that’s it. This year they are still green in the high country. That will be good for the picking I imagine. I miss picking berries. Actually I miss going up in the hills to pick them. The last few years dad had gone up to the mountains to get them and brought all of the bushels back for us slackers to pick. I should have put my priorities in order. Now I am missing I did not make time to do it. Other things were just more important at the time the little things we do as a family are the things that bring us closer together. The little things that don’t cost a lot of money and are simple are the things that down the road your children will remember. The nights reading the scriptures and the Mondays sharing a spiritual though in family home evening will make all the difference in your families lives. I know that as we do this our families will be blessed more than we know and in more ways than we can imagine. Like it is written in the scriptures. Every blessing that we receive in this life is a direct result of obedience to the law that it is based upon. So as we can see, obedience, which much of the time requires a sacrifice, is the key to receiving blessings. Is becomes easier to become obedient when we subject ourselves to his will and not our own. When we gain a testimony of a doctrine or principle of the gospel and we know that it is true, that conviction to follow that council we have received changes our heart. We do things not because they a re the standards of the church, but because we know that it is true and we have a will to subject ourselves to our heavenly fathers will.
So my apartment we have me my companion and another companionship. Elder Jensen my comp from the ctm and elder dukes from Houston Texas. There is two bedrooms a big entry way work out area where I do jump rope and everything then a room to hang and dry clothes and iron, then two bathrooms one for each couple and a big kitchen like thing with a washing machine. Its nice. Kind of old, but it works. Have to clean the floor frequently because of the leaches and nasty parasites. It is nice. The picture that I sent last week is looking out from the kitchen sliding window. We live on the 5th floor of a big apartment skyscraper. I sit there and read the b of m and study pmg in the mornings. I wake up at 4:30 to read and studay. Then work out from 6 to 7 then eat and take a shower from 7 -8 and then I have personal studay and then 9-10 companion prep and study. That’s my mornings. Its nice here. And then to answer dad. I usually just have yogurt in the fridge with powdered milk and powdered chocolate to make a quick little smoothie in the morning. With bananas too. I made the corn bread you sent me today and ate some of that too. The people here feed us at night so I don’t have to worry much. I try not to eat anyway. I have your vitamins you sent too so I am not malnutritioned. I am just cutting back. I still weigh the same. My weight fluxuates so much its like an emotional rollercoaster. Ha.
What else do you want to know? The teaching here is so so. The area is so much smaller than what I am used to from boa vista. It is like 15min walk across the area so it is not that big. There is a lot more hills though. Like ridiculously. We call lots of hills…ladeira…. The teaching is difficult here. Being in the center of the city is hard. Many people don’t have time to talk with you or they make up stories. Then on the weekends everyone drinks and the whole city is a party. The lord leads us to the people who are ready to hear the gospel though. We have baptisms weekly which is a total blessing. Here the tacit that you have to use is working with the members! Or maybe we might try using moms idea of singing on the street corner. That might work, or I might just get hit by a bus. One or the other. Things are really busy here. Its like a city full of lazy Mexicans, but they have a purpose and work. If you get my drift. I love the people though, and I have a testimony that our heavenly father loves all of his children. The people are more rude here. But the pick that I sent is of willian and Dircilei. They live alone. Their father died about 2 months ago form lung cancer. Sad. So we whipped up a nice little lesson about the plan of salvation, then mixed in a little of 2 nephi 31 and what do you know we have a family to baptize. The lord really prepares his children. We knocked on the door at the right time and they accepted the message and now they will be blessed for it. We have so many investigators though it s tuff to write about each. We find about 120 new investigators each week. Lots of teaching. We have about 90 lessons a week here. Minus p day and Sunday. So only 5 days of teaching. Its busy here. Pray for the work though for me. Pray for the people. Pray that we will be lead to the people prepared by the lord, and pray the their hearts might be softened.
Being in a city and living in the buzz really makes me think of dad and mom and how they lived in Chicago. I try to imagine what that have been like. It makes me realize to that I am not the only one who has gone threw these trials that I am going through. I am not alone. What was it like when you lived there? Did you ever get used to it? It really gives me a comfirmation that I do not want to live anywhere near a big city. I am leaning towards not living in cda either. Its become to busy for me. I need to move myself further north and east. Like close to Canada or Montana. That’s where it is at.
so I am doing well nothing too exciting going on. I sent those pictures of that skin. That’s a Jaguar. There is a man in our ward who goes to the amazon diaramente and hunts for them. They call them Onça. The weird ç makes a s sound. That is cool. He had just got just stretching it out and curing it. It was a big sucker. They have a zoo here and everything in manaus. Meuseums too. I just have to get a p day where I can get out there and see them. What are you guys thinking of too about coming to pick me up? Are you serious or no? who else might come. I don’t want to hear about who wants to come but more of a serious number. I need t start planning it. The president is always asking me these things. You need to plan it. Usually also I will get off the mission like 2 or 3 weeks early so that I have time on my visa to be with family. Let me know.
I love you all. Keep it together and hold on to your hats. From what dad said about the scheadule that you all have for august it sounds like it is going to be really busy. Have fun and remember me. I love you all. Oh and good luck mom at the girls camp. Tell kate I love her! Yes I love you kateLyn Anne Park. Remember that. She goes to school here the 24th. Wow good luck for me. This year will prove a lot. What do you guys think? Ha. Love you all. Keep in touch. Sorry my e mails suck but time is short. Oh ya everyone needs to send me more pictures. I only have the stuff from last Christmas. Please! I got a letter from angie d too. Love you and thank you.!
Elder gatten
Mom and dad and tyler and mikin made it up to pick berries I heard. Sounds like there should be a good turn out this year. Last year they kind of came super quick and then that’s it. This year they are still green in the high country. That will be good for the picking I imagine. I miss picking berries. Actually I miss going up in the hills to pick them. The last few years dad had gone up to the mountains to get them and brought all of the bushels back for us slackers to pick. I should have put my priorities in order. Now I am missing I did not make time to do it. Other things were just more important at the time the little things we do as a family are the things that bring us closer together. The little things that don’t cost a lot of money and are simple are the things that down the road your children will remember. The nights reading the scriptures and the Mondays sharing a spiritual though in family home evening will make all the difference in your families lives. I know that as we do this our families will be blessed more than we know and in more ways than we can imagine. Like it is written in the scriptures. Every blessing that we receive in this life is a direct result of obedience to the law that it is based upon. So as we can see, obedience, which much of the time requires a sacrifice, is the key to receiving blessings. Is becomes easier to become obedient when we subject ourselves to his will and not our own. When we gain a testimony of a doctrine or principle of the gospel and we know that it is true, that conviction to follow that council we have received changes our heart. We do things not because they a re the standards of the church, but because we know that it is true and we have a will to subject ourselves to our heavenly fathers will.
So my apartment we have me my companion and another companionship. Elder Jensen my comp from the ctm and elder dukes from Houston Texas. There is two bedrooms a big entry way work out area where I do jump rope and everything then a room to hang and dry clothes and iron, then two bathrooms one for each couple and a big kitchen like thing with a washing machine. Its nice. Kind of old, but it works. Have to clean the floor frequently because of the leaches and nasty parasites. It is nice. The picture that I sent last week is looking out from the kitchen sliding window. We live on the 5th floor of a big apartment skyscraper. I sit there and read the b of m and study pmg in the mornings. I wake up at 4:30 to read and studay. Then work out from 6 to 7 then eat and take a shower from 7 -8 and then I have personal studay and then 9-10 companion prep and study. That’s my mornings. Its nice here. And then to answer dad. I usually just have yogurt in the fridge with powdered milk and powdered chocolate to make a quick little smoothie in the morning. With bananas too. I made the corn bread you sent me today and ate some of that too. The people here feed us at night so I don’t have to worry much. I try not to eat anyway. I have your vitamins you sent too so I am not malnutritioned. I am just cutting back. I still weigh the same. My weight fluxuates so much its like an emotional rollercoaster. Ha.
What else do you want to know? The teaching here is so so. The area is so much smaller than what I am used to from boa vista. It is like 15min walk across the area so it is not that big. There is a lot more hills though. Like ridiculously. We call lots of hills…ladeira…. The teaching is difficult here. Being in the center of the city is hard. Many people don’t have time to talk with you or they make up stories. Then on the weekends everyone drinks and the whole city is a party. The lord leads us to the people who are ready to hear the gospel though. We have baptisms weekly which is a total blessing. Here the tacit that you have to use is working with the members! Or maybe we might try using moms idea of singing on the street corner. That might work, or I might just get hit by a bus. One or the other. Things are really busy here. Its like a city full of lazy Mexicans, but they have a purpose and work. If you get my drift. I love the people though, and I have a testimony that our heavenly father loves all of his children. The people are more rude here. But the pick that I sent is of willian and Dircilei. They live alone. Their father died about 2 months ago form lung cancer. Sad. So we whipped up a nice little lesson about the plan of salvation, then mixed in a little of 2 nephi 31 and what do you know we have a family to baptize. The lord really prepares his children. We knocked on the door at the right time and they accepted the message and now they will be blessed for it. We have so many investigators though it s tuff to write about each. We find about 120 new investigators each week. Lots of teaching. We have about 90 lessons a week here. Minus p day and Sunday. So only 5 days of teaching. Its busy here. Pray for the work though for me. Pray for the people. Pray that we will be lead to the people prepared by the lord, and pray the their hearts might be softened.
Being in a city and living in the buzz really makes me think of dad and mom and how they lived in Chicago. I try to imagine what that have been like. It makes me realize to that I am not the only one who has gone threw these trials that I am going through. I am not alone. What was it like when you lived there? Did you ever get used to it? It really gives me a comfirmation that I do not want to live anywhere near a big city. I am leaning towards not living in cda either. Its become to busy for me. I need to move myself further north and east. Like close to Canada or Montana. That’s where it is at.
so I am doing well nothing too exciting going on. I sent those pictures of that skin. That’s a Jaguar. There is a man in our ward who goes to the amazon diaramente and hunts for them. They call them Onça. The weird ç makes a s sound. That is cool. He had just got just stretching it out and curing it. It was a big sucker. They have a zoo here and everything in manaus. Meuseums too. I just have to get a p day where I can get out there and see them. What are you guys thinking of too about coming to pick me up? Are you serious or no? who else might come. I don’t want to hear about who wants to come but more of a serious number. I need t start planning it. The president is always asking me these things. You need to plan it. Usually also I will get off the mission like 2 or 3 weeks early so that I have time on my visa to be with family. Let me know.
I love you all. Keep it together and hold on to your hats. From what dad said about the scheadule that you all have for august it sounds like it is going to be really busy. Have fun and remember me. I love you all. Oh and good luck mom at the girls camp. Tell kate I love her! Yes I love you kateLyn Anne Park. Remember that. She goes to school here the 24th. Wow good luck for me. This year will prove a lot. What do you guys think? Ha. Love you all. Keep in touch. Sorry my e mails suck but time is short. Oh ya everyone needs to send me more pictures. I only have the stuff from last Christmas. Please! I got a letter from angie d too. Love you and thank you.!
Elder gatten
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
DINNER WITH THE PARKS...YES, KATELYN AND HER FAMILY
WE HAD A VERY FUN EVENING WITH THE PARK FAMILY THIS EVENING. WE INVITED THEM OVER TO SHARE SOME OF THE FISH WE HAD CAUGHT IN ALASKA AND THREW IN SOME ELK AND DEER STEAK. AFTER A LITTLE GAME OF "MORMON BRIDGE", AND SOME HUCKLEBERRY MILKSHAKES,WE GAVE THEM SOME SCAREY MOVIES TO TAKE HOME AND WATCH. YOU SEE LORI WILL BE AT GIRS CAMP THIS WEEK SO KATELYN AND MIKE WILL BE ABLE TO HAVE A SCAREY MOVIE THON. NOT LORI'S FAVORITE. THANKS FOR SPENDING THE EVENING. WE HAD A GREAT TIME.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Spike letter July 16
Wha t’s up there? I hope that your all doing well up there in the nice weather. It hot here too if you can imagin it. It always has been, but it is cool to hear your letters and the weather change over time. I feel like I have missed a lot. I guess I have. I am at eight months practically. Sad. Well mom and dad and others are liking Alaska I heard. They are kicking butt catching the fish. I saw a picture of 5 halibut that they caught chiky mesmo! Parabens. I hope that they are catching a ton and stuff. I also heard that mikin might have torn her acl. That is a bunch of junk. That is a really big deal. I feel so bad. Your in my prayers mikin. I still have not seen a pic of tims boat. Safado! I can get on the blogs now too. They look cool. I love all of the pictures. Keep it up and don’t forget to send me pictures too. Your all fools. Crazy rafters. It looks to me and my companion like you all have a healthy death wish. I have a freaking styling family. Tyler is kicking butt in softball is the big news. Get out there and support him. Its tight. Beer and the games. Nothing better and I am not joking. Ha.
For me I am doing well. There is nothing to write about the week really. I like it hear. Its really enjoyable I guess. Dad would hate it without a doubt. Its like in the middle of the city. Busy is its apelido. There are tons of vultures, urubus, too all over the city. They actually have had to shut down the airport cause there were so many in the sky at times. Nuts. But this week I have been teaching this family for baptism. They are freaking elect without a doubt. They made us a sweet dinner the other night. I felt so bad. They already love me so much so they do that, but they have nothing. Literally. Don’t even try imagining it cause spoiled Americans cannot. So stop. I in return went to the fish market by the amazon and bought a ton of striped bass and fish and used all of my money to make them a nice bbq. We invited all of our investigators too. It was neat. I ate good for once! Ha. So last Sunday I got to church and had to bless the bread, pass the water(if that makes sense but I did both) and then the bishop called me up to give a talk without any notice. So I went up there and he tells me I have 15-20 minutes. What a joke. Good thing I brought my scriptures to church like I always forgot when I was a kid. I talked for my time and then sat down. The people love me here. I don’t know why. They say its awesome having a American that they can communicate with. Ha. I guess most of the Americans suck. They are all about it. This Saturday I am starting a free American English class. I will be teaching the basics of English. Letters numbers greetings and everything. Should be really neat. Never been an English teacher before. Pray for me. Ha. But besides that nothing. Oh ya. We have security at church. Armed guards that walk the halls. I guess the Sunday before I got there there was a guy with a gun who locked himself In the bathroom. He wanted money. Scary. I guess that’s a result of being int the city though. That’s different. Boa vista I had dogs in church, now I have guys with guns asking for money. The world is corrupt, full of apostasy.
So I think I am gaining weight. The area is smaller. Hills but not a terrible amount of walking like in boa vista. Still working our morning and night though. Promise. 3 sets of 75 push ups baby and sit ups. Like a rock.!!! I am still alive everyone. Don’t worry about me. I got 8 months. I’m almost half way done. Love you all. Send pictures and whatever. I love you and stay safe!
Elder gatten
For me I am doing well. There is nothing to write about the week really. I like it hear. Its really enjoyable I guess. Dad would hate it without a doubt. Its like in the middle of the city. Busy is its apelido. There are tons of vultures, urubus, too all over the city. They actually have had to shut down the airport cause there were so many in the sky at times. Nuts. But this week I have been teaching this family for baptism. They are freaking elect without a doubt. They made us a sweet dinner the other night. I felt so bad. They already love me so much so they do that, but they have nothing. Literally. Don’t even try imagining it cause spoiled Americans cannot. So stop. I in return went to the fish market by the amazon and bought a ton of striped bass and fish and used all of my money to make them a nice bbq. We invited all of our investigators too. It was neat. I ate good for once! Ha. So last Sunday I got to church and had to bless the bread, pass the water(if that makes sense but I did both) and then the bishop called me up to give a talk without any notice. So I went up there and he tells me I have 15-20 minutes. What a joke. Good thing I brought my scriptures to church like I always forgot when I was a kid. I talked for my time and then sat down. The people love me here. I don’t know why. They say its awesome having a American that they can communicate with. Ha. I guess most of the Americans suck. They are all about it. This Saturday I am starting a free American English class. I will be teaching the basics of English. Letters numbers greetings and everything. Should be really neat. Never been an English teacher before. Pray for me. Ha. But besides that nothing. Oh ya. We have security at church. Armed guards that walk the halls. I guess the Sunday before I got there there was a guy with a gun who locked himself In the bathroom. He wanted money. Scary. I guess that’s a result of being int the city though. That’s different. Boa vista I had dogs in church, now I have guys with guns asking for money. The world is corrupt, full of apostasy.
So I think I am gaining weight. The area is smaller. Hills but not a terrible amount of walking like in boa vista. Still working our morning and night though. Promise. 3 sets of 75 push ups baby and sit ups. Like a rock.!!! I am still alive everyone. Don’t worry about me. I got 8 months. I’m almost half way done. Love you all. Send pictures and whatever. I love you and stay safe!
Elder gatten
Spike July 23
Como vocês tão? È importante que vocês sempre sorrio e sejam feliz! Mas im doing well. It looke like you are all doing really well there at home. I saw all the photos from the trip to Alaska on the blogs. It looks like such an amazing trip I will have to take kate there someday. Caugh caugh. Ha. Who knows. But it looks so beautiful. My kind of life and area. Brett looked really skinny in the pictures. I can tell that he has been working out. Way to go brett. I know exactly what he will say. He will shake his head and say whatever man. Ha ha I love you brett and I miss you a ton. I feel like you are all like memories. Like fogged over. Like you guys really don’t exist. Crazy I know and don’t take it personally but its true. I feel guilty kind of. But you guys caught lots of fish and they were nothing small. Man you guys limited to. You have to have had a great time. I am happy for you guys. Maybe you will head up there again sometime. The glaciers looked amazing too. Never seen those before. Crazy.
So it sounds like mikin, Tyler, and brynne are doing great this week. They all wrote me and gave me the updates. I love you guys thank you so much. I really appreciate it. It feel like you guys are all doing so much and it is just all meshed together to me. Like you were just at the Joe and now it’s already agosto. Nuts. The time is flying and I have eight months in the mission. So dusty and the others were there I heard. You all hung out and had a great time. That is cool. Tell the sucker to write me. I know that he is on eh internet all the time for school. Slacker. Ha.
So when are you guys having the July birthday party for tim! HAPPY B DAY TIM! That is not fair he gets his own birthday no matter what now. He is the only July person. Lucks your way man. Boa sorte. I still have not seen a stupid picture of your boat yet. Will I ever see or are you just going to keep ignoring me? That would be cool to see what you got after you traded me boat in. ha.
So I am doing well. Nothing new. My companion and I are having a little trouble in this area but nothing to bad. Just kind of hard to find more people to teach. We have lots of commercial things here and few residential areas in our area. Makes it tuff, but the families and people we have are all being baptized and progressing. I love the work. It is so freaking fun and exciting day in and day out. You never know what your going to see, or who is going to come up to you and start yelling in your face about how you’re a false prophet and push you. I am learning patience, or I would have already come home cause I killed someone. I have started a new tactic. I am teaching so many people and getting so many references doing this. When I see a big group of people or I am in a bus I break out the bible or the Mormon bible as they call it and I start preaching to everyone. I love it. I felt weird at first, but I felt prompted to do it and now it is nothing. The other day I taught a group of like 35 people. We got their names and addresses, and we have gone to 5 houses and have marked 13 baptisms. This is truly the lords work. I love it and my testimony is growing everyday. I love readly the scriptures in port and just being immersed in the language. I am finding lots of success here along with the help of the faith full members. I want everyone to start loving your missionaries in your ward. Become their friends, love them, serve them, help them, offer food and help. They pass many things in the mission. They are still young men. They want nothing but to have your friendship and to feel in place. Become an instrument in gods hands and help his servants. Feed them. They are representatives of Christ here on the earth….how should we treat them? They are cool. Become their friends. GIVE REFERENCES!
That is about it for me. I am working day in and day out. Oh I bought a cd player here to play cds. We can listen to them every morning for a couple hours. Was about 70 reais. Also do you guys know if chocolate gives you zits? Weird I know but brazilian think that. I think maybe a great amount might be a problem but normal amounts do nothing. Also, one of the batteries for the camera I have is broken. It like bubbled up and does not work anymore. So if you could get another extra would be sweet. I love you all so much. I miss you all so much too. I am thinking about you all so much and I hope that you guys are enying summer even though it’s a little cold there right now. I miss you. I know that this church is true. Everything about it is true. The prophets and Jesus Christ taught the church of Christ would be restored after the great apostasy….and it is. Amos 8:11/12 reference to the hunger and search for the truth and how it would be brought back again. The catholic church was founded in 96 ad…. 2 years after the death of peter. So there is 2 years where the authority or priesthood was taken from the earth but was not restored until the time of Joseph smith. Also the stick of Ephraim and the stick of Judah. The list goes on. There are factual truths of the divinity of the churches organization and truthfulness. Search them out. It really strengthens your testimony when things are based on fact along with your spiritual conviction, your testimony. I love you all. Keep the faith and know that I love you! Your all so freaking awesome!
Elder gatten
So it sounds like mikin, Tyler, and brynne are doing great this week. They all wrote me and gave me the updates. I love you guys thank you so much. I really appreciate it. It feel like you guys are all doing so much and it is just all meshed together to me. Like you were just at the Joe and now it’s already agosto. Nuts. The time is flying and I have eight months in the mission. So dusty and the others were there I heard. You all hung out and had a great time. That is cool. Tell the sucker to write me. I know that he is on eh internet all the time for school. Slacker. Ha.
So when are you guys having the July birthday party for tim! HAPPY B DAY TIM! That is not fair he gets his own birthday no matter what now. He is the only July person. Lucks your way man. Boa sorte. I still have not seen a stupid picture of your boat yet. Will I ever see or are you just going to keep ignoring me? That would be cool to see what you got after you traded me boat in. ha.
So I am doing well. Nothing new. My companion and I are having a little trouble in this area but nothing to bad. Just kind of hard to find more people to teach. We have lots of commercial things here and few residential areas in our area. Makes it tuff, but the families and people we have are all being baptized and progressing. I love the work. It is so freaking fun and exciting day in and day out. You never know what your going to see, or who is going to come up to you and start yelling in your face about how you’re a false prophet and push you. I am learning patience, or I would have already come home cause I killed someone. I have started a new tactic. I am teaching so many people and getting so many references doing this. When I see a big group of people or I am in a bus I break out the bible or the Mormon bible as they call it and I start preaching to everyone. I love it. I felt weird at first, but I felt prompted to do it and now it is nothing. The other day I taught a group of like 35 people. We got their names and addresses, and we have gone to 5 houses and have marked 13 baptisms. This is truly the lords work. I love it and my testimony is growing everyday. I love readly the scriptures in port and just being immersed in the language. I am finding lots of success here along with the help of the faith full members. I want everyone to start loving your missionaries in your ward. Become their friends, love them, serve them, help them, offer food and help. They pass many things in the mission. They are still young men. They want nothing but to have your friendship and to feel in place. Become an instrument in gods hands and help his servants. Feed them. They are representatives of Christ here on the earth….how should we treat them? They are cool. Become their friends. GIVE REFERENCES!
That is about it for me. I am working day in and day out. Oh I bought a cd player here to play cds. We can listen to them every morning for a couple hours. Was about 70 reais. Also do you guys know if chocolate gives you zits? Weird I know but brazilian think that. I think maybe a great amount might be a problem but normal amounts do nothing. Also, one of the batteries for the camera I have is broken. It like bubbled up and does not work anymore. So if you could get another extra would be sweet. I love you all so much. I miss you all so much too. I am thinking about you all so much and I hope that you guys are enying summer even though it’s a little cold there right now. I miss you. I know that this church is true. Everything about it is true. The prophets and Jesus Christ taught the church of Christ would be restored after the great apostasy….and it is. Amos 8:11/12 reference to the hunger and search for the truth and how it would be brought back again. The catholic church was founded in 96 ad…. 2 years after the death of peter. So there is 2 years where the authority or priesthood was taken from the earth but was not restored until the time of Joseph smith. Also the stick of Ephraim and the stick of Judah. The list goes on. There are factual truths of the divinity of the churches organization and truthfulness. Search them out. It really strengthens your testimony when things are based on fact along with your spiritual conviction, your testimony. I love you all. Keep the faith and know that I love you! Your all so freaking awesome!
Elder gatten
Monday, July 21, 2008
Fishing was great!
As you an see from these pictures we had a great time fishing for Silver salmon, Ling cod, Rock bass, Red snapper, Halibut, Sockeye salmon, King salmon, and even caught some trout out of the Kenai.
The Cruise Tour/Prince Williams Sound
OUR TRIP INTO PRINCE WILLIAMS SOUD WAS AMAZING! This glacier is calving. Dropping ice. You can see the 30 foot boat. These things as everything in Alaska are huge!!!
Alaska 2008
Thanks to Tom's great desire to go to Alaska, he talked his Dad and Brett into a trip this summer, since he can't go in the fall to hunt. They decided to go up for the summer salmon run.
Brooke didn't want to have her years
vacation money up in smoke without her so she decided to go too. Thus Angie and I got on the band wagon and all went with the guys.
It ended up a trip of a lifetime. The grandeur and immensity of that place was awesome. We were able to do a lot of fun things
1990 Suburban Steve rented from "Rent a Wreck" All 4 tires were different, including different sizes! It ran beautifully, however, and we can still hear the hum of the engine.
The 1st two days were in Denali National park where we went on a bus trip into the center of the park. We had a Great bus driver/tour guide named Jeremy. Brett is forever a changed man because of him. NICE..... Brett ....right? He was so funny with a dry humor you had to be there to enjoy. We saw doll sheep,momma moose and calf, several caribou, many ducks and geese, baby grizzly bear with momma, large bull moose, And, followed a wolf for a couple of miles as he was on the move. Mt. Mc Kinley was socked in as you can see but we did see the top of it on the way out.
Mt. McKinley 20,320 feet above the clouds.
The boys Dreaming of the September hunt.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Spike's Letter 7/9/08 "e aí parceiro"
Hey! So i hope that everyone is doing awesome there in the best nation in the world. I am so grateful for the many freedoms that we have. I am thankful for the founding fathers and also for the opportunity that we have to have a nation under god. Many people forget of don’t believe in that concept, but when our nation was founded, they knew that importance and truth. So I am thankful.
It sounded like you all had a blast on the clark fork. Everyone was safe and had a good time. That is awesome. It sounded like there were many visitors too. That is cool. I always enjoyed the rafting trips. So many memories. Everyone said that the water was a little high this year. it was a little washed out. That is a bumper. I heard that fang was a huge hole though. Awesome. I cannot wait to get back on the river and hit it. Did you guys end up doing any fishing or anything? The water was hi so that probably was not good. Dad said that the fireworks in st. Regis was like a war zone. He said that is was crazier than any other time that we have gone. Smokes it must have been off the wall man cause I have seen it get pretty crazy.
So who is heading to Alaska? I never really heard who all was going, but I know that they either left today or yesterday. I am curious to hear what you guys are doing up there and how it is and such. The women are headed up there too. That should be a blast. I have never even been to Alaska. You have to write me and give the details.
How is everyone? I got letters this week from a couple of you which was awesome. Thank you a ton. I appreciate it. I love hearing from you. Each one of you make me want to be such a better person. I am so blessed to have the family that I have. Well I am doing well. I did get transferred. I am here in manaus. I caught a plane Monday night at 1 20 in the morning. Got here in manaus at like 3 30. slpt at the mission house. Then went to the transfer meeting with all the missionaries and president at 7 00. I am here in an area called Rais. You pronounce it Hi-eese. It is basically in the center of manaus. It like 5 minutes from the center. Located a little more south. It is a ward also, which is part of the manaus stake. The area is really busy. Tons of buses and cars, people. I want to die. I am like dad. It is making me hate big cities. Its like all concrete. I will have to get used to it cause I will be here for a while. I like it though so far. Today is my second day here. Last night I had to teach the seminary class about the book judges in the old testament. What a welcome huh? I have to teach tonight too. I teach one week, and my comp the other. That will help me a lot I think. My companion is elder prado. He is from Rio grande do sul. He is brazilian. He has a year and three months in the mission. He is a hard worker and is really smart. Everyone says he is a great missionary so I am blessed. He is the leader of our district of 14 missionaries too. He is cool. Little weird for me though but I will learn to love him. That’s how it always is. He is alittle geeky with glasses but is really a stonge spirited person. He has already taught me so much thorough his actions. But his story is….he was raised with his parents. His dad an alcoholic and mother very abusive. They abused him his whole childhood. He loved them so much though. He felt really inferior as you could imagin. But one day his mother grabbed a metal bar and started beating him. The first swind she took she hit him in his right eye. Shattered his skull in that area and blinded him. That’s why he has glasses. So he is blind in one eye. He spent a month in the hospital following. So he lived a tuff life. When he was 20 he started getting the discussions from the missionaries who contacted him in a food market. His parents did not approve. It may seem weird that he still lived at home but that is the custom here. But anyways he commited for baptism and his parents kicked him out of the house. He lived in the streets for 2 weeks then was baptized and moved in with the bishop. He sent his mission paper when he was 23 after dating seriously with a girl but knew that he needed to serve. After he sent in his papers his bother died of brain cancer at the age of 18. that was tuff but he decided to go still. So he left without a brother and rejected by his parents. He got into the mission and he started strong. After 2 transfers and 3 months, he received a telephone call from president itnoise. His father had been really drunk and shot his mother and then himself. Both of his parents were killed. He being alone in the mission was given the option to go home, but he had no home to go. The only uncles he had had already passed away also. So he has no biological family, only him. So having no family to go home to he stayed in the mission. He did not even call his girlfriend which president encouraged for comfort. He stayed. So he worked until about a month ago, last transfer when he got another call from president itnoise. His girlfriend found out that she has a tumor in her brain also, just like his brother. So he is really upset about that. He decided to stay in the mission though because he cannot do anything for her only the medics can and her mother. So he is really sad. He even mentioned to me that many times he just wants to die. His life is tuff. I do not know what I would do at that age and situation. 24 has no family and a girlfriend that has cancer and is more than likely not going to make it either. He has to go in for conseling to this doctor once every 2 weeks also. So that will be strange for me. I will not be spending to much time on the internet I do not think here cause I know that it is unfair for him. He has no one to write and just sits and waits for me. I don’t know what to do. I am his friend, but he does not want me to feel bad for him. I made him breakfeast this morning and such, but I am doing what president said and just supporting him and trying to keep his mind on the work. It is a tuff situation for us both. He is no doubt and awesome missionary though . tougher than nails and is very learned in the scriptures. We have a lot of success here. Even more than boa vista. We have 8 baptisms this week. Should be awesome. He is cool and dosent speak a lick of English. Should be fun. More than likely we will be staying a while with eachother too. Just how everything is ya know. I will grow a lot. It has given me a really strong testimony of family. I think of him and then me. How each of you support me so much. How you are my life literally. You’re my pride, and I would not have a life without each of you. I love you so much. I think so much in the streets why heavenly father has brought this upon him. Poor elder prado. He has taken the high road though and put his faith in his god, and has become such a strong individual. I look up to him so much. His character is amazing and his will undoubting. Someday I want to be like elder prado. Someday.
I live in an apartment complex. It reminds me of a old school jail. Like the area is totally locked up and stuff. It is a little high rise. 6 stories and we live on the 5th. So my legs will get strong climbing stairs everyday. Its freaking hot here too. No wind at all. The sun is stonger than I have ever felt, and I have already cooked an egg on the pavement. Cool huh. The other missionaries that live here are elder dukes from Houston texas and elder Jensen my companion from the ctm. That is totally sweet huh? He is having trouble with the language too so I will have the opportunity to help him. I love the kid. We will have a lot of things to talk about.
So I received a package from mom and dad it had the chocolate and skittles and pancakes, and other things in it. I love it. Thank you so much. But one MAJOR PROBLEM. The shirts that you sent me do not have a pocket in the front of the shirt to put my plack. So I cannot use them. I love the material and such though and they fit around the neck perfectly. I just need a pocket. So that’s a bumper. Maybe more stuff for down there…hint…because it is really humid and wet here. I would appreciate it.
Anyways I love you all and I hope that you have an awesome week. Sorry that I cannot write more but I am feeling bad for making him wait. I love you all. Thanks for you prayers. I know that this gospel is true. Keep the faith! Your all the best. Tell kate I love her!
Elder gatten
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Tradition: Clarkfork River=4th of July!
Being on the Clarkfork River on the 4th of July has been a Gatten family trdition for many years. It is the time we do some great whitewater rafting and have a good time being together. It is only a 2 hour drive from Coeur d"Alene which makes it very convenient for most everyone. We have been camping at many different spots but with 70 or more people this year we just stayed at the USDA campground at the 59 mile marker just passed Superior,MT.
Tom, Brooke and family were up from West Jordan, UT., Tim, Brett and his friends, Mikin, Tylers brother Jonathan, and Brynne were there with their families from the CDA area, Dusty and Angie from Seattle along with two other endo students, my brother Jim and family with extra single adults, my brother in law Scott from Spokane, his brother and family, his son, Jeff Davis family and friends. We did have quite the group. We kept 5 rafts going all the time. The water was high Thursday but still fun and as it got lower each day it became the river we all love. We missed many of our family that were unable to be there this year. Cassie and Andrew are still in St. Louis finishing a residency there, AJ was unable to come due to a bus accident he was involved in 6 weeks ago, and of course Spike is in Brazil. We miss u all. We did have Rick Gatten and his son Corbin from Layton Utah.
I spent most of my time in the truck transporting people and rafts too and from put in and take outs. I did have a blow out on the raft trailer tire though so I was not without excitement.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Spike's Letter 7/2/08 "É bem engrasado vocês entendem nada! boa sorte"
E aí família e paceiros? Como vocês tão ai? Eu tou bem triste agora depois lendo suas cartas da semana. Ela me fazem trunky de mais. Tou tem saudades quando eu recebo coisas tipo...a gente tava pescando....e .....a gente tá indo pra Alaska....e ....nos estamos indo pra o Clark fork aqui em pouco tempo. Ta bem difícil pra ouvir essas coisas mas eu tou grato que tudo ta bem ai e vocês tão bom! So, i love you all so much. It sounds like everything is going well! Actually amazing there! That is an answer to my prayers! I love to hear that your all doing good and that your all happy and making it. I am really blessing you all being on a mission huh? Ha ha. I guess it is about time I do something positive in my life huh? I was always such a pest, and a burden and I feel so bad for it. You guys have to forgive me sometime for it though. I am learning so much here. Much of it is about myself, and how imperfect I am and how I need to rely on the lord always and he will direct me for good. So I also want to take dads advice and not be so hard on you all for not writing me anymore. I guess you guys are busy and have other things to do in life. You all have families and work, and everything on top of that. I am sorry. I am just glad that I get time each week to get a letter out to you guys and let you know that I am okay! Using the internet is such a blessing. So ya I look forward to writing and reading each week. By the time it is Wednesday, it feels like it has been for forever since I had talked or heard anything from you all. It feel like you all are a dream. Like it’s so weird feeling. Seriously. It is unexplainable. I will leave it at that. I still love ya all so much though. Never doubt that.
Mom and dad headed with the grand kids and the Jim lee family to the big hole I heard! That is totally awesome! It sounds like it was really nice there. The weather was not freezing and snowing like some years. Also the water was a little high but that did not stop mom from racking in the fish. She caught the most of everyone.! I CAN believe it. I remember times when we would fish on the Clark fork and she caught a lot. It is nothing new. She just never really wanted to go much cause she did not want to make us feel bad. Ha ha. I remember one time she hooked dad in the face with the lure. Then like 5 minutes later she almost did again. Ha. Good memories. How was Scotty there? Was he sick or what? That is awesome that he was able to get out there. Nikell caught the biggest fish too. It sounds like that is always the story. That’s not the first time that I remember. Dad was just the tour guide it sounded like. He was the navigator and let Wyatt catch a lot of the fish he got. So.. another year at the big hole and a success in the book. Congrats! Oh ya I cannot forget that you guys went to church! You guys loved It I heard. There were some good talks and testimonies shared! That is awesome. I remember going there and after having food. I always enjoyed going to the small branches because there is just a different spirit there. I loved it.
Forward pressing forward….here we come Clark for k river 2008 baby! The river is high and the hopes too! Everyone is heading there this week to have a blast baby! 4th of July and craziness is where it is at. I am sure that you guys are going to have a awesome time! Dusty is bring some of his friends from endo, and your taking a couple of rick´s kids also. That will be tight! Lots of people are going that I heard of so I know that it will be pretty rowdy and fun! The water high will make it a lot more fun also. Dusty how many years do you have? I was thinking of walking in your and tims footsteps as for my career but I do not want to be to old to start. Who knows? But anyways. Where are you guys going to end up staying there? The big pine or what? I know that you guys will have problems if you pack everyone in that camp ground at fish creek. It is getting harder as the years come because we have so many people and there are not many places that can accommodate this number of people. What are you guys p0lanning on doing for the fireworks there? Head in to the st. Regis and go there? That will be fun there. They are crazy! I know that we almost died there a couple times .from the people around us to the firemen blowing up some on the ground…it is a rush! I will be missing you all there, so you all have to make it extra fun and have fun for me too. Promise? Ha! Be safe. And I will do as brynne asked and pray for you guys there cause I know that it is going to be a miracle if everything works out and everyone makes it back in one piece. Ha. I’m praying!
I am so excited that you guys found out that brynne is pregnant! Is that not super exciting or what? I am kind of sour that I will not be there for another baby being born, but what can I do? I am in the right place. They will all just be walking by the time I get home. Weird huh?! I am so excited for her you cannot even believe it! I am really blessing my family while I am on the mission huh? Lots of awesome things are happening!So this week I have though a lot about my life. I continually find myself realizing how imperfect I am. How many imperfections I have in my life and how much I need to improve. I look at my past and I think you know what I did not really have any real goals, dreams, an eternal perspective, or anything. I did not know what my real purpose was in life. I was happy but I was just living in the moment. I did not have such a open mind with true goals and dreams. I would not say that I was lost, but more like I was totally part of the world. I focused more on myself than others, I was worried about what others thought of me, what I was wearing, and so much more. I was a waste of life I think. As I have really waded through my past, until my mission, I really am not to proud of myself. I could have been so much better, and made so much more of my life. A little more effort, a little more studying, and putting god first in my life would have made all
the difference. Now I have to live with the consequences. I never became who I could have been. I don’t have the grade to get into byu or a school of my choice, and I have left a impression on my friends and others of a worldly person: stuck up, with many imperfections. I regret so much, but I have come to realize through prayer that I cannot dwell on the past. If I do I will
just tear myself to pieces. I need to realize what I have, and take my new desire to become someone better and run with it. I need to live my life with no regrets, putting my father in heaven first, then my family, then others, then myself. If I do this I will have no regrets. I will live life looking into the future, and not the past. I will rejoice in the happiness of others, and not be seeking my own because within theirs mine lies. What a heavenly concept. Pure and true. As I have realized this my life has improved so much more. I find myself thinking of others before myself, I find myself lifting up hands and hearts that hang low, and I find myself on bended knee more often asking for the spirit to guide me to those that the lord has prepared. I find my true joy in this. This was one of the two laws that the people lived on the earth before the birth of Christ. This is what moises, Abraham, enoch,….the many old testament prophets taught. Our heavenly father reveals his will threw these men. This is how we know what we need to do to return with our families in his presence someday. We need to listen to the words of the prophets. What a blessing that we have one on the earth today. I am flabbergasted at that truth. We have the priesthood on
the earth. We have the power to baptize, and do things in the name of the father and of the son. What a blessing! I am thankful that we have the fullness of the gospel on the earth today. I am thankful for the gift of the hole ghost to guide us in our lives and to show for us the road we need to take. I love my father and heaven and our brother jesus Christ. Our savior and redeemer. I have been really worrying about what I am going to do with my life after the mission. I think it is because I have brothers and sisters who already have figured this out. I find myself wanting to grow up to early. I think about school where I will go, and I am a worry worm. I think about what profession I want to enter into. It really has been giving me like an anxiety disorder I think. So I have, like I wrote, found myself on my knees a lot this week, praying for comfort, praying for the guidance of the spirit in what I should do. I finally received an answer. I need to focus on my mission. these are two sacred years of my life where I have the OPPORTUNITY to share the doctrines and principles of Christ full time. I need to focus on how I can help others find their purpose in life, and share the message of the restoration of the church of Christ. I have faith that as I put his work before my worries I will be led to what I should do. That is a promise we receive many times in the scriptures from his holy prophets. As we put him first all other things will fall into place or drop out of our lives. His will will govern our lives, and we will find ourselves fulfilling our callings he has prepared from the foundation of time for us. How amazing. I know that we need to put him first. We need to put our scripture study time first, our prayers before our rest, our time in our calling in the church before the things in our lives…..he will bless us. We make covenants in the temple that refer closely to this. We need to build up his kingdom. Our talents are for the benefit of others, and for the building up of his kingdom and the coming to pass of his will. I know that as we do this, we put him first we will find our true happiness. We will find peace in the home and in our lives. I love you all. I know that I am mushy, but I am realizing my and your true puposes. Our eternal purposes. I love you all. I pray for you so much. You are such great people. You make me who I am today. I want to thank mom and dad for all they have done for me. They are so Christ like and I want to become like them someday. I love my savior and my father and heaven. I love the scriptures. Within we find the keys to salvation and exaltation. I know that they are true. I know that this is the true church of Christ. His is our brother and our savior. He gave his life so we could find ours. I love 2 nephi 9:26. his sacrifice make it possible to return to the presence of our father and pass the chains of hell, to live once again with the one who gave us breathe, the holy on of isreal. have an enjoyable time at the clark fork. Be safe, but have fun.
Se cuida gente,
Elder
gatten
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