Hey, it was good to hear from you guys today. As for the transportation when you come, it will be expensive if we use taxis. The city here is pretty big, and complicated. And when we go to visit people, it will be hard to use taxis because we will be in like a neighborhood but they are big, and confusing, plus the fact that people could easily rob us, which is a real fact and concern. But we will see what we can do. This is the thing that I am worried about, but we will see.As for the schedule when you guys come it is more or less like this:15 November 2009 – My last interview with President Jayme16 November 2009 – The morning I will have a self-reliance class at 10am, then I will have the rest of the day to go visit people and to pack my bags. At 18:30 I will be going to president’s house to have my last dinner with him and the other elders leaving in my group. We will be done around 21:15; from there I will get our Executive secretary and will go to pick you guys up at the airport. Your flight comes in at 22:29. I will be there to pick you guys up, and then escort you to the hotel tropical with me.17 November 2009 – 8:00am we have to be at the mission office for the transfer meeting. There will be all the elders and their companions that will be getting transferred to other areas. Lots of my friends will be there and everything so you will be able to meet them and take pictures. The rest of the day from like 10:00 am we have nothing planned. Possibly go to the water meeting place of the Rio Negro and the Amazon. Go see some historical things in the center.18 November 2009 – We leave sometime to go to Ariaú I think you guys said21 November 2009 – We get back from Ariaú some time. At 19:00 we have the baptism of Hevelyn. Dad will baptize her. The area where they live is super far away from the hotel so we will have to hurry there. They will have a dinner and whatever after I think, or maybe before. There you will meet lots of my recent converts and friends. It was my fourth area. Nova Canaã. 22 November 2009 – Church 8:30am in my current area Dom Pedro. You will see my current companion and all my recent converts and whatever here. It will be awesome. We will spend the rest of the day visiting people here, and relaxing. 23 November 2009 – We will go to the center to buy stuff for everyone at home, and to see some historical things. You will walk a lot so get ready, and bring a towel, because you’re going to sweat a TON. At night we will visit my third area Laranjeiras. Possibly also we could go look at presidente figeredo. There a ton of waterfalls and stuff there, but it is like an hour or more to get there by car. I don’t know what we will do for transportation. 24 November 2009 – We fly out at 11:50 am. We have to get there AT LEAST two hours early. So 9:50. People will be there to say good-by to us and send us off….The tears will start falling if I have any left. And the nervousness starts…I will be going home. Sad. That is a super ruff draft of what we are going to do. We will be packed with things to do here; it’s just hard to plan every hour. I pray everythings goes well, and you guys enjoy the trip.

As for the weather, it has been really cool as of lately seriously, it has been windy and raining once in a while, which is unusual. The rainy season is starting early. It is still like 38-40 degrees Celsius. That’s like 100-104 degrees Fahrenheit. Then you have to take in the humidity which is abnormally high because of the rain. You are wet almost 24-7 or all the time in other words.

This week went awesome. We baptized Cláudio, a man that is the next door neighbor of a family that we baptized earlier. He is so awesome, and is really firm. He will receive the Aaronic priesthood Sunday, and has been firm for like three months. The baptism was astonishing, and spiritual. Like I have said and I will never stop saying, there is nothing like baptizing, and helping your fellow men achieve their salvation. It is so miraculous. I love the gospel, I love the people. I don’t know if I will make it going home, if I will be able to hold it together. I will have to find myself again. I love you all. I feel like a burden in so many ways to you guys. I feel like out of place or demanding of your time and attention. I can’t wait to just get home and to have the opportunity to serve you guys. I find true happiness in it. Service is everything, and there is nothing else of such great importance. When we serve our fellow beings we are in the service of our god, and if we have not charity we are nothing. I have learned so many lessons on my mission I can’t wait to put into practice at home. I have sat for hours these last couple days, and plan to sit for many more hours for the next week writing down my life goals for when I get home. I don’t know exactly what I am doing, but putting it down on paper is better than nothing. The lightest ink is brighter than the brightest memory. Without goal we will pass through life without reaching our full potential.I love this gospel, I know it to be true. I bore testimony of it this last Sunday for the last time I could in front of a Brazilian congregation. It was really emotional for me. I know this church is true.Any questions let me know. Elder Gatten