Another week...whew!

Wednesday, March 25, 2009 2:40 PM

Yet again I hope that everyone is doing super, and that this letter finds you ridiculously joyous! I enjoyed all of your letters this week, and it was nice to hear how busy you all are. I think it is funny that everyone writes about the weather to me. It seems like there is nothing else to talk about, but it’s good to know I guess. If you didn’t inform me I would think it was summer there all the time like it is here. It’s warms up a bit, then starts snowing, then it repeats itself. Funny! Enjoy it because there are not that many places in the world that have four seasons, or the people don’t even know what it is like to be cold. People are born, raised, and die without the feeling of snow flacks melting in their hands, or knowing what it feels like to have a cute red little frozen nose. The little things that we take for granted are the differences between nations. You don’t understand how blessed you are to be where you're at, be in your shoes, and to experience the things which you do. People here would love to know what it is like to get in a car wreck, because that means they have a car! Funny, but it is true. Try to take advantage of the little things, and live in the moment.
I was totally floored when I heard about dad’s ice fishing story this week! A little day on a camp stool turned into a frightful memory. How often do you go fishing and end up seeing a wolf chasing a white tail deer on a frozen lake? Get real. This story has to be written down, or the future generations will think that we are pulling their leg. I can’t wait to teach our investigators tonight, and tell them the new stories from home!
Mom is headed back to college I hear. That is so fun that she is getting into a hobby like taking pictures. Now she can take my senior pictures I paid for but never got! I’m sorry, please give me a break. I know that mom and dad want to break my neck right about now. The pictures that she took of Cade and the other little guy turned out super pretty. They do look professional! Way to go mom! Oh yes, I remember his name, Jay. And you have to be somewhat lenient with me; I don’t even know the guy yet. All the little ones seem to run together to me. The names, faces, and stories.
I received mom’s package that she sent me last week, I just forgot to tell you guys. The pants fit perfect, and hopefully here in seven months when I come home they will be big on me. My companion, and the other missionaries that live with us loved the chocolate. I let the Brazilians eat all of it because they have never experienced the stuff. Weird huh. But thank you so much, and if your wanting to know what to send me for Easter, throw in a tie and some sweet basketball shorts. Lakers are my favorite team, or the Cavaliers. I feel so spoiled.
I have fallen in love with this area. As you can tell from my letter last week, this area is the BOMB! I am freaking tearing it up, and taking names and addresses baby. I have really just got this love and desire to just out and baptize the world. It is somewhat unexplainable if you have not served a mission. What is the best, and key to all of the success in my area, and zone is that the members are really missionaries. They recognize their calling, and that they are the ones who find the people for the missionaries to teach. They come up to me and my companion and introduce their non member friends to us, and a lot of them have already marked a date for us to go teach them together. The members really love to work with us, and they are like my best friends. We had a activity this last Saturday, a Integration night. We played a ton of games out on the huge soccer court built behind our brand new chapel. We had a huge sound system out there, and everyone loved it. There ended up being 150 people who went to the activity, and there were 44 investigators. Amazing huh? Then on Sunday the sacrament meeting was totally packed. There were 250 people there, and we had over twenty investigators. The work is going forth, and I know that the Lord is by our side. I know that He is in our midst, and I can feel His presence what seems like constantly. I can now relate to what return missionaries call a spiritual high. I love the work, the Lord, and the ability he has given me to testify or the truthfulness of the gospel. I am so thankful for all that the Lord has blessed me with. The list is without end, and I don’t know where to begin.
To finish I would like to answer a couple of your questions. I am in Nova Canaã, which is located in the west part of Manaus. My companion is from Bountiful, Utah, and is 20. He has about 11 months in the mission, and is the youngest of 5. His dad has a big construction business, that works a ton for the church building chapels all over the world. He loves everything that I love, but no one in the whole mission gets near to being as crazy as our family is. He plays the piano super good, and is a state champion at tennis. He went a semester at the Utah of University. He loves when I tell him about my summer wakeboarding stories, and how our family loves white water rafting. He is super cool, and we are great buds. And yes, I am his senior, and Co-LD with a brazilian Elder Souza. We live with 4, and the others are Brazilians from Paraíba, and Ceará.
That’s all from me this week! I love you all, and thank you for everything you do for me, your prayers etc. Keep your priorities in line.

Elder Gatten
Ps. My new house does not have a washing machine, so I am getting good at cleaning clothes by hand. I realize though that it is ruff on the white shirts. I may need a couple more. 16 thin ones. Loves!