Transfered and training again.

Hey you all, Gattens and other people that love me enough to care and read my letter! I hope that your all doing awesome, and that your healthy, happy, and making it in each of your personal life journeys. Take a minute and appreciate those around you, and take a deep breath…your alive.
I heard that Tim had surgery this last week or something. It is good to hear that he is recovering well, and that he is in such a great place for the rehab. Mom said that it is a renowned place with great doctors and such, so yes he is in good hands. Get better big brother! Love you!
Brynne, and Jon are up to the usual aren’t they, working out, playing sports, and living the dream! It is so neat to see them grow up and stuff as parents, but not loose their personalities, and continue with their passions. I want to be like them when I grow up, that is if I do
How is grandpa doing? I have not heard anything about him for a while now. I hope that he is doing well, and that he is not three sheets to the wind yet. I want to see the old man so bad, I love his guts out! Have you guys started cleaning out his back yard yet or no? I know that that is a dreaded job….
So, I told you all that I thought that I would not be transferred and everything, but I was wrong. Me and my companion were transferred from the area, and the president shut it because of lack of elders. That way the ward only has one set of missionaries instead of two. So my companion stayed close to the last area that we were in together, but I came here to the center of the city, in an area called Dom Pedro. It is located about five minutes southwest of the mission home, so it has been worked a lot. My new companion is from Salvador, Bahia, Brasil. He has a little bit of time on the mission, about three months. Lots of work ahead of me, training is not as easy as it sounds. The Brazilians are usually more prideful than the Americans when they get to the mission because they just left their houses, and they are still in their own country. Until now no problems, so cross your fingers. His name is Elder De Lima. He is the only member in his family, and has three years in the church. He is blacker than Obama, and is really quiet. I am District Leader over five or more groups of missionaries, and the areas are big, so lots of responsibility on top of the day to day work. I don’t know how I do it all, and I don’t know how long I can handle it. The area is difficult, but that is not a big deal to me. They have not baptized in nine months here, so as some people call it the hole of the mission. I wonder why I got put here, but I know already….President wants me to light a fire here, and to animate these elders. It is easy to get down when your not baptizing because you feel worthless, but I am here to save the day. I started it our by having a hard core spring cleaning in our house. They don’t understand that the spirit cannot reside in an unorganized place. So pray with me that we can turn things around here, that the members can humble themselves and work with us, and that we can truly find someone, anyone to baptize. I know that as I am obedient and diligent the lord will bless this area. I have no doubt, its all about attitude. For some reason this last week I felt really weird. I felt like the spirit was not with me like it had been the last year and seven months. I seriously did not know what it was. I asked my president what it was, and he told me that it is something that happens to everyone once in a while. We get so caught up in the work that we forget to feed ourselves spiritually, and that the true dose of medication I needed was prayer and scripture study. So I took his advice obviously, and wrote a list out of the blessings of which the Lord has poured upon me during my lifetime. The list was so huge, but helped me realize how much heavenly father loves me. After, I kneeled and began to pray, only thanking the Lord for the thinks on my list. In the end I felt as if I had poured out my soul as Enos did in the Book of Mormon, or when Joseph Smith did. After finishing, I stay exactly where I was for who knows how long. I could literally feel the Lord speak peace to my heart, and I could feel the presence of the spirit. I became overwhelmed; I know that Jesus is the Christ, and that Heavenly Father lives, and they love me. It was an experience that changed my life. I am so blessed, loved, and cared for. After everything that I can do, say, express, or anything, in the end it will never be enough. I wish I could write music, because I truly feel that it is the way to put words into feels, and as a result influence others and make them feel as you do or did. I am speechless, I know this church is the church of our Savior.
Thank you for your prayers, and thoughts. Things here are going awesome. Summer is getting here, and the heat is unbearable. I hope I can loose a couple pounds here as I continue with my Marine push up program. I am surprised at the progress in such a short amount of time. Besides that, I am alive, I am breathing, and I am preaching the true gospel. Cool huh?!I´m out Boys and Girls
Elder Gatten