Gatten Thanksgiving

The turkey is gone, the cranberries too,

And Dusty and Angie, our favorite two.

Too many pies, was the status quo,

As the Gatten Thanksgiving, again was a go.

The best was the huckleberry pie that was Steve's,

Banana and coconut creme went like the breeze,

Of course there were pumpkin, and Lemon meringue

Plenty of food for this hungry gang!

However, as blessings are not few this year,

Our thoughts turn to others, the ones we hold dear,

Tom's family, Cassie's, Spike and A. J.,

Truely were missed as we gathered this day.

Life just keeps passing, each day seems a year!

As brushing our teeth, we look in the mirror,

Who's staring back, with wrinkles and all?

But me and my hubby, we've had a great fall!

Dusty and Steve spent some days with a gun,

And got this nice buck, but mostly had fun.
Dust had hunted in Washington with Angie his wife,
They liked being outdoors, but NO deer was his strife.

Then just for a while, only girls had some fun,

For those who know EDWARD, really, it's not a pun.

The movie was watched and cretiqued by us all,

Yes, "Twilight" enjoyed by us girls, what a ball!

Lizzy, Brynne, Angie D., Jean, Mikin, Angie B.

Brynne's deer 2008

Steve has been taking Brynne up on the mountain for a few weeks now to help her get her deer. Well, as you can see, the climbing up the tree stand 25 feet at 7 1/2 months pregnant was worth it!   She bagged this nice 4 point this morning. Dad helped her gut and drag it down the mountain and it is hanging as we speak. Nice job Brynne!

She had the kiss of the scope as her first shot was behind her, over her left shoulder.

I saw this great quote on Ben Lee's blog. It helped me to re-commit to following the prophet. To stand for my beliefs and to feel peace in our continually deteriorating society. We do have truth and must stand as a witness of Christ. Our lights must shine in this world where increasing darkness tries to envelope us our thoughts and actions. We are His sons and daughters. We are the ones to carry forth His work. Love MoM

"Make no mistake about it, brothers and sisters, in the months and years ahead, events are likely to require each member to decide whether or not he will follow the First Presidency. Members will find it more difficult to halt longer between two opinions. President Marion G. Romney said, many years ago, that he had 'never hesitated to follow the counsel of the Authorities of the Church even though it crossed my social, professional or political life.' "This is hard doctrine, but it is particularly vital doctrine in a society which is becoming more wicked. In short, brothers and sisters, not being ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ includes not being ashamed of the prophets of Jesus Christ. . . . Your discipleship may see the time when such religious convictions are discounted. . . . This new irreligious imperialism seeks to disallow certain opinions simply because those opinions grow out of religious convictions.


"Resistance to abortion will be seen as primitive. Concern over the institution of the family will be viewed as un-trendy and unenlightened.... Before the ultimate victory of the forces of righteousness, some skirmishes will be lost. Even in these, however, let us leave a record so that the choices are clear, letting others do as they will in the face of prophetic counsel. There will also be times, happily, when a minor defeat seems probable, but others will step forward, having been rallied to rightness by what we do. We will know the joy, on occasion, of having awakened a slumbering majority of the decent people of all races and creeds which was, till then, unconscious of itself. Jesus said that when the fig trees put forth their leaves, 'summer is nigh.' Thus warned that summer is upon us, let us not then complain of the heat."

Elder Neal A. Maxwell, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
"A More Determined Discipleship", Ensign, Feb. 1979

New Area I love..Spike

Wednesday, November 19, 2008 1:12 PM

What’s up everyone? It sounds like it is getting colder there, and maybe it hás even snowed...who knows?! I heard that you’re all doing good though so that is sweetness.
The ol´ boys came back from Montana I heard. They shot some fatty bucks! They even finished a little bit early and had the opportunity to go to the branch there in Jackson. That is cool. It looks like from the pictures that dad shot the nicest buck! The heaviest that is, with he deepest forks and best looking. Tyler’s looked really wide and mature from being a 3X3. Great job guys. You have to send me some hard copies so I can show them to the people here. They think that it is so weird that we hunt and have guns and stuff. So are there any sweet stalking stories or anything? That is cool that Jon got kissed by the scope. Don’t give him a hard time you have to get used to the new gun. Who had the longest shot? Tyler got a nice raccoon too I heard. Freak I cant lie that makes me a little trunky….ha ha.
This week was awesome for me. I am liking the area, and am meeting new people everyday. The area is like awesome! There are members who cars and wear suits to church! They even do their part being members of the church. They attend the baptismal meetings, and support the new members. They sit by their side, and make friendships, and help them with any questions that they need. Basically all that we do is show up to baptize the person. It is so cool, this area is definitely a richer area, and the people are blessed. The bishop is the man. He always does visits to our investigators, and less active members. He has a son in the mission in Belo Horizonte, who has been out in the field for a while. He knows how to work, and has a love for the people. He is super funny too, and is having his birthday this Friday. We are going to go over there and eat meat until we throw up. The bishop loves barbeques and lives to eat meat. It reminds me of dad. At every meal there is meat on the table, and it is good too. I am loving the area, and the members. It is fun meeting new people, and building up relationships. As you serve a mission you meet countless people, and make friendships that will last for forever. You help people become who the lord would want them to be, and you see them find true happiness. What a satisfaction this work really is.
My companion is from Tremonton, Utah. I thought that I had already told you guys that but you don’t remember. He is 20 years old too. He has a older brother and a younger sister. He loves country music, and is always singing it in the streets. He is super cool. You name any song and he has it memorized. He has gone to tons of concerts and is a die hard fan. He studied a year at Utah University, and just did his generals. He likes singing just like me, so in the morning when we do companion study we rock the house with hymns in Portuguese. He likes to eat meat just like me, so you can imagine us at the lunch table….ha ha. He loves funny movies, and has a ton of jokes too he loves to tell. He is strong, and works out to me. So anyways I will have him write a line for you guys….( ps...his grandma died 103 years old...sad situation, but they saved the baby! we went to the pharmacy to get her a card that says GET WELL SOON!!! ha :)
Here he is: What’s up Gatten Gang? I’m Elder Warner and I guess your son already told you a little about me. From what I can see it is all true as well. Especially the part about the country music. It is pretty well my life. Anyways so far it has been way fun working with Elder Gatten and we get along well. We are always talking and laughing in the street. It is also cool to have an American companion because he is only the second one I have had in all this time. I am sure you are all really proud of him. He is a really hard worker and has a strong desire to help the people here. I am hoping that the friendship we are building can last for much longer than just the mission. Anyways, have fun there at home, I’ll pass back to Elder Gatten now Tchau, Beijo!
So you have heard a little from him now….ha! so this week we had three baptisms. Also we had a wedding of one of our investigators. Milda married a member from the ward, Kleyton, who served a mission in Provo, Utah until 2004. They are awesome. Their wedding was awesome, then after her baptism was super spiritual. I guess that she was crying in the bathroom a ton after. The happiness that the gospel brings is immeasurable. Then Sunday, we had a couple more baptisms of one family that we are teaching. Two young women. They are loving church, and will definite stay firm in the church! I love seeing peoples lives change. I cannot say that enough. That is the satisfaction of being a missionary, you get to help others twenty four seven. You get to share the most precious thing there is with those who are waiting to hear it. We have the opportunity to speak in the name of our savior, and to proclaim repentance unto the children of our heavenly father. What a noble calling. Anyways, I am loving the area, and my new American companion.
My testimony is growing so much. I have no doubt that this gospel is true. What a blessing it is to have the knowledge of such sacred things. Just to have the chance to know the things we know, to have the hope that we have, to have the overall picture, and eternal happiness. We are definitely a blessed people aren’t we? We were valiant in the pre-earth life, and fought for the cause of the lord. We are his royal army, his chosen people. We are elect, and bear the name of Jesus Christ on our shoulders. I am overwhelmed with the blessings that our heavenly father has bestowed upon my family and upon me. My heart swells, and my spirit is full of love for my heavenly father, and his son, our savior Christ. Everything that we have in life is a blessing, given to us based on our obedience. The lord definitely is all knowing. Our thoughts are not his thoughts, nor our ways his ways. He is all knowing, and all powerful. His has the power to command the things of the world, our spirits, and the future that is withheld before us. Just think, he being all knowing and powerful has the ability to open up the heavens and pour his blessings upon us IF we keep his commandments and walk in the footsteps of his son. He has promised us eternal and temporal blessings if we but do what he asks us, and seek his godly guidance. What a loving heavenly father we truly do have. He watches over us and loves us. He knows us each by name, and mourns with us when we mourn, and rejoices with us in our triumphs. We need to develop our faith to follow him. I am a firm believer that faith is the key to the knowledge of all things, and the power o creation and command. The lord has taught us this everlasting principle through his servants, the prophets, from the beginning. Why did he stress it? Why did he say that we need to develop it? The brother of Jared is such a good example of Faith, and relying and believing in the things of the lord. The Vail, the ultimate god created gate between the heavens and earth, was blotted out because he had faith sufficient to have the heavenly truths laded before his eyes. Does the lord make exception of persons? No. then what can happen in our own lives? The same thing that happened to the brother of Jared. Faith is such a deep principle, and I have found myself baffled at times trying to imagine the importance and meaning of the word. The best way to search for doctrinal truths is to read, study, ponder, and pray. The lord promised as we are obedient and seek diligently knowledge he will be bestow it upon us. I know that this gospel is true. I know that we have a loving father in heaven who watches over us, and loves to hear from us day to day in our daily prayers. He wants to bless us, but we must be obedient. I love the lord, his son and our savior Jesus Christ, and the sacrifice that he made in my behalf that I may return to the presence of my father. I love the scriptures. I know that they are the words of the prophets given based upon prophetic inspiration, and visions. I love the gospel. I love you all. Keep the faith, and seek diligently the knowledge of heavenly things. Read, ponder and pray.
Your lil bro,
Spike Lee

Angie's Birthday

Happy Birthday Angie B

The guys were cutting up deer so we got to go out shopping and to dinner. :)

No kids at all.  We should make this a habit!!!

We LoVe YOu AnGie!!

At Red Robin restaurant

L. to R. Shannon Pluid, Angie, Mikin, Jean, Brynne

 Mikin and Brynne acting crazy while Angie models her new tops.

She is soooo cute! 

Mikin-these will eventually fit!!!

Brynne showing off her baby boy.

More photos

Montana deer hunt

The annual Montana deer hunt has come and gone again...much to the dismay of the hunters.  It is a fun hunt with the brother's, brother's in law, that are able to go,  Steve, and a few friends thrown in.  As you can see from the picture, Wyatt was the lucky one this year to be able to go with his dad, Brett.  I am sure they won't be able to keep him away from here on out. It is always successful as the farmers want the hunters to come thin out the deer population so their crops aren't devoured by them. they hunt near Cascade, Montana with the permission of the ranchers.  

Brett and Wyatt, Jon, Tyler, Steve, Tom, and Rick Caudle

Steve went early Tuesday to get all the permission slips from the ranchers and to set up the wall tents and stoves.

 Jon's first big muley with his new gun! Notice the kiss of the scope.  It takes a few shots to get used to a new gun.

Tyler is always fun to have along. Ask him if he sleep talks when you see him next.  

Tom looks forward to this time with his family each year.  He got a nice White tail..not the norm for Montana.  Mule deer are usally all that are taken.

Wyatt got to go with Brett and really loved it.  No greater bond than these two!

Notice the cute "eyebrows" on the deer

Nov 12, Spike

November 12, 2008 7:29 AM
What’s up ladies and gentlemen? It sounds like everyone is doing great there in the rain! It’s cold and nasty there. Just waiting for the snow huh? All of the men are headed out of town today for Montana. That should be fun for them and a relief for you ladies! Ha. The men have to put food on the table though. I heard that Jon got a new gun and they went and sited it in and stuff. That is awesome. I miss that kind of stuff. I am on an important mission though. It looked like everyone had a blast on Halloween. I saw all of the pictures from the parties and such. Wyatt was Matt Hassleback. That a boy. It was cool to see them all, but sad also that they are all growing up so stinking fast. I don’t even know a couple of the new little guys either. Nuts. There will be some new faces when I get home. Brynne said that Cade is starting to talk, and do stuff. That is nuts to me. All of the pictures that I have he is super tiny. I was rolling around with him on the ground when I was home. Tell them all that I love them and that I am thinking about them. So this week we had transfers. I am in my new area called Laranjeiras. It is in the North Zone of Manaus and is really close to the airport. There are constantly huge fatty jets flying over my stinking head which naturally makes me super Trunkey. The area is a lot better than my other area. There are tons of people and lots of houses. Our area is huge, and reminds me a little of Boa Vista. One thing that is different is that in this area there is tons of Ladeira or hills. You are constantly going up and down up and down. And the hills are not anything small and somewhat steep. They are humongous and if you put snow on them they could be a black diamond on the ski mountain. It is steep to say the less. It is really hard on my knees, especially my left one, but I have to keep pressing on. It is good practice if I was training to climb Mount Everest or something. But besides that it is cool. There are lots of palm trees, about every kind that exist, and mango trees like mad. I love it. The people in the ward seem super awesome too. The ward is actually a ward now. There are 150 people who are attending now. Usually there is a little more, but they have to get a bus to the chapel in another area because the rented house that we are in now is being remolded. Well be ready the middle of January they are thinking. The investigators from what I have seen are super cool. We even had a family home evening at one ladies house last night and she is not even a member. It’s hard for me to tell who is a member and who is not here. They are all so cool and helpful. The other elders say that this area is super hard to baptize, but I will prove them wrong. We have a marriage and 3 baptisms already this week. Kicking butt and taking names. Talking with everyone is the key. I think of it this way. There are elders who are walking around and don’t talk to people and don’t make contacts. What good is it that they are walking around then? There isn’t. You have to be like the fisherman who has his line in the water always. If you don’t then you’re never going to have success. Talk with everyone. The same thing with the members of the church. Talk with your friends. Share the gospel. So the area is cool, and I am doing well. It is fun seeing the new missionaries learning and growing. They know like nothing in Portuguese and are totally relying on you. I love the gospel. I know that it is so true. There is nothing more that I want than to live the gospel, and to follow in the saviors footsteps. I love the scriptures. I know that when we want to talk with our heavenly father we pray, but when we want our heavenly father to talk to us we read the scriptures. They are pure revelation. I love you all. Keep the faith, and know that I am thinking of you all. Espero que vocês têm uma semana chique no bode!Tchau e se cuida gente,Elder gatten

Halloween was fun

While our little monkey Brady waited in the car with his sleeping siblings Sally the princess, and Jackson the pirate, their big sister, Kate, the Scary witch came in to scare Nana.   

Brady

Sally and Jackson

Kate

Along came a Bumble bee, ASA

He brought along MIKIN the TIGER,  KNIGHT NOAH,  WITCH KIAH,

PRINCESS ELLA, and TYLER the dad, who carried the bumble bee....ASA.

They brought their carved pumpkins along to share.

THEN OFF TO THE COX'S BARN FOR THE WARD HARVEST PARTY.

There we met up with many family and friends to share some fun.

Jeff Crandall,alias Robinhood, share Dutson's home made scones with Steve, as Brett enjoys a cup cake from the cup cake walk. 

Kyla Ross was there with her G-ma Paula Lee

Cade was there to save us all 

Sophia brought Wyatt along for the fun

We enjoyed the time with many friends too.....

Do you recognize Emmalee and Kimberlee Priebe ?

Bryan Dryden is sooo cool

Linda and Glenn Westover with their apple cutters and caramel syrup.

Bone lady Lori Park hugging her walking partner.

We all had a great time with the games(20 of them) cupcake walk, scones, apples and caramel,crafts for the kids and yummy chili, hot dogs, nachos and candy!  Now that was probably the best Halloween we have had in a long time!

November is HOT in Brazil !

E aí seus bobos? Estou animado pra bota uma linha hoje pra vocês. Mas ainda assim tenho que cuidar o que falarei sobre nosso amado, querido, safado, inútil, retardado, chato, pateta, idiota, palhaço, cota lho Presidente Barac O´bama. Ele é uma filha da Xuxa sem dúvida, não é! How are you guys all doing? It sounds like everyone is doing super! It is definitely getting cold there from all the reports I got from my fans. Winter is here, the last one that I will miss. Cool huh?! Has the snow fallen yet? What are things like there in the mountains these days? The deer in the yard yet? The hunting should be getting good here the next couple weeks. The rut is usually the third week of November, so get your guns and bullets while you still have them (thanks to the new president) and go shoot yourself a nice buck and put meat on the table. So the big news about the presidential campaign…..que bosta!!!! That about says it all. I cannot believe what happened. After everything that I heard I pretty much knew that he would win the race. but we are all sons and daughters of our heavenly father. He loves us and we love him. I think that Barack believes that, noting that he was raised Muslim. Who knows though…. I have to go home to see the real effect that he will and is having on the American nation and the whole world. 

 I would like to tell you a little about my week if I could. The other group of missionaries in our house had problems this week. They stayed in the house once again and so we did divisions with them working in their area and ours. Also we had a sweet family home evening Monday. We had invited tons of less active members and investigators and it turned out to be so much fun and spiritually a bomb shell. The ward seems to be struggling a ton here, so I find myself helping the members more than anything else. It is mind boggling to see how unorganized the people and church can be in an area without real leaders to clear the way. The next Tuesday is transfers though so we will see what happens. I may be coming to you from another area of this burning infernal. I love it here; it is a free suntan without paying for the ultra bronze. So if you’re into that kind of stuff just make your way on down here. Ha. The city is the same. Nothing changes, only the letters you send to me. It’s hard to wrap your mind around that statement, but it is 100% true. I love this gospel. When I think of the many things that I study, teach, learn, and read I become overwhelmed with the amount of love our heavenly father has for his children. My mind is boggled, and my human feelings cannot express the endless joy I feel, which the gospel brings. I have been reading in Jacob and learning and experiencing the same types of things he had. I read and I see endless promises and counsel given directly to men through his chosen servants her upon the earth. I am so thankful for the eternal truths opened before our eyes as we read, search, ponder and pray about the scriptures. In jacó 2 it refers to one promise that the lord has for us. He says search first the kingdom of god and all of the other things in your live will be increased. You will find wealth, happiness, truth, and eternal joy. You will become a choice son or daughter of our heavenly father, and he will oven the heavens and pours his countless blessings upon your life. What a promise huh? The lord promises so much, but what do we have to do? We have to first seek the kingdom of god. What does that mean? What does that mean in my life? How can I seek first the kingdom of god? Am I doing it? How can I change, and follow in the saviors footsteps and be blessed? These are few of the questions I asked myself personally while pondering this scripture in my mind in heart as I walked the streets. I cannot counsel you on what you should do. Take the responsibility and act accordingly. In all things acknowledge the lord. He gave you everything you have. Seek his guidance and follow his path….will he lead you unjustly? No. I love the lord and I love my savior. I love the gospel, I know that it is true. I send my love to each of you. I wish that you could know the gratitude that swells in my heart for being a member of this family and to honor the gatten name. I love you all with all my heart. Keep the faith, and fight the good fight.Élder Gatten