Hey everybody! I have so much to say. First of all, thanks for all of your Emails. I just read them all and appreciate them. It means so much. Also thanks for all the letters you send and the support you show me. It makes it so much easier to be out here. Well, for Thanksgiving we are eating with the Turner's daughter and son-in-law. They invited us over for a late afternoon Thanksgiving dinner. That should be fun. Other than that we are encouraged to do service as much as we can the rest of the day. We are going to be serving everybody we can during the day when we are not eating with the Turners. It will be very tough to be gone for Thanksgiving, but I will manage! Like you said, another holiday gone means I am that much closer to being back. I have to miss 2 of everything (except maybe my birthday) so why not get them out of the way right off the bat. I hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Wow a blizzard is hitting right now, eh?! Crazy! I wish we got snow instead of rain, but oh well. I always wish the weather is different than what it currently is. Speaking of weather, we got snow!!!!!!! That never happens! It only lasted for a few hours until the rain came and melted it, but I wish we got enough to stick. Guess what, right now is the first time in 2 weeks the sky has been clear and sunny. It snowed last night and the snow is still on the ground, but might melt soon. I hope not! The temperature is below freezing here and might climb into single digits this week. Our high for the day is about freezing and our low is about 19 degrees. It is absolutely freezing here!!!!!!!!!!
I am doing well! My health has been excellent. I have never been healthier. I am doing lots of bike riding and walking and exercising and running in the mornings so I am getting plenty of exercise, too (along with the weekly basketball exercise which is enough to last for a whole week the way I play!). Am I staying warm? Hahahahahahahahaha. Good joke. But on a serious note, I am staying as warm as I can. My hands, ears, and feet can get really cold when it rains. The galoshes keep my feet warm and dry whenever I wear them. The other day it was not scheduled for rain and it didn't look like it would so I forgot to wear them outside to do some contacting. It downpoured!!! For the most part, my shoes and feet are dry and warm, though. My ears are very cold and I am going to look for some heavy duty gloves today to keep my hands warm. It is colder than you would think here.
The bike is doing great. It snowed on our bikes during church on Sunday and when we went outside the bikes were covered in snow. The Turners gave us a ride home in the truck with our bikes in back thankfully. Nothing unusual or exciting for P-Day is planned today. We did laundry, studied, cleaned and planned this morning. We are going shopping, eating, and going to the East Stake Center for our P-Day after I finish the Email. The car is still being fixed and so for probably another week none of us will have a car. Brother Child has been a lifesaver driving us places on P-Day and other places throughout the week when he isn't busy. He is awesome!
Here comes the big news................................................DECEMBER 7TH IS WHEN THE DREIERS ARE GOING TO BE BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are so excited, as are we! He came to church again on Sunday and just has to continue to come and he will be good! We scheduled a meeting for his interview with President Greer and we are so excited. Usually the baptism interview is done by another Elder who was not one who taught them, but because of circumstances (it's a long story) he has to meet with President Greer. President is so happy about the Dreiers! That will be 3 more baptisms. It is on a Tuesday evening at 8:00.
We are continuing to teach Cisco (the black gentleman we ran into after church a week ago on the road) and he came to part of sacrament meeting! He came to FHE again and loves it! We taught him about the Gospel of Jesus Christ after FHE last night and he is considering baptism! Another investigator named Rob is interested in baptism and has read the B of M and is in the D and C and has come to church for almost a month now. He is awesome. He was originally contacted and taught by other missionaries, but moved to this area and is now under our teaching. How amazing! Andrew Nihipali, Corey Vaumbar, Cisco, and Rob (Andrew and Corey are less active members in the YSA ward who we have been teaching) all came to church on Sunday! How neat!
We put up the best numbers we have had since I have been on a mission last week. We were into the double digits on teaching again and we are receiving referrals from YSA members, less active members, Mountain View members, and everybody we can. We are teaching lots and it makes the time fly by! We taught 3 lessons alone yesterday! How exciting is that?! There are days where the work goes slower than other days, but it is picking up well! I'm so thrilled! Elder Cashin and I still get along well. We have our differences sometimes, but we get along great and work everything out. We are very different, but I learn lots from him (even though he still doesn't usually talk very much because he is kind of shy).
Now onto my list of things to tell you! I opened the 2 month package right after the Email last week. Thank you so much for all that you sent me! It makes my day, week, and month so much better! We love the Christmas CD's so much. I noticed you sent the original CD's. I hope you made a copy for yourself of them or that you can get some at Deseret Book because you will want to have those CD's for Christmas, too because they are so awesome. Everybody out here loves listening to them.
Please read Alma 26:11-12 and also Alma 29:9-10. Last week I came across both in my personal studies and they mean a lot to me. Remember those scriptures. I am now in Alma 52. I hope to finish the B of M for the 2nd time on my mission by the end of the year. It is great stuff!
Like I said, there is no car for now. Hopefully by next week it is fixed. When it does get fixed, we still may not get it, but I hope we do. If we do, I will be driving. For now, we are out in the freezing cold on foot or bike! Random thought, my tithing box in my drawer in my room at home might have tithing I forgot to turn in before I left. If it does, can you fill out a slip and turn it in for me? Thanks!
Erin, thanks so much for the awesome package with everything you put in there! I got it last night and opened it up! It was so amazing to hear from you and hear about your great trip! You don't have to feel bad if you don't have time to write very often. I know you are extremely busy with school. Thanks for writing me and sending that, though. It really meant more than you can ever know.
Well, the sun is starting to become covered by the clouds darn it all. The sun has not been out in 2 weeks it seems like. It was out for a minute last week when I wrote you, but we haven't seen it since. There is frost here daily now. There is also a thing called "freezing rain" here. It is when the rain hits the freezing cold ground, cars, etc. and turns to ice as soon as it hits. Cars get iced over, the roads are iced over, houses are iced over, and everything shuts down up here. They shut down school for any snow at all. Can you believe that?! I wish they did that in Utah. People don't know how to handle snow up here. I prefer snow over rain because it is prettier and falls softer and doesn't soak me as badly. It also reminds me of home a little bit, so I wish it snowed more often. Like I said, when it does snow, it doesn't every stick for very long at all.
I am still planning on sending you guys a Christmas package with pictures, letters, and other things that you can add to my missionary book at home. I printed some CD's a while back, but might print a few more because I have taken some good pictures since then. From my area, you can see Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens. From my mission boundaries you can also see Mt. Adams and a few other big ones. There is snow up on top of these mountains, but Vancouver is only about 100 feet above sea level (or so I'm told) and so it doesn't get hardly any snow. Good luck in the blizzard at home. I wish I could be there to help you shovel. When are you putting up Christmas decorations? I wish I could help do that, too. The Turners put up their Christmas lights last week. They look awesome and remind me of home. Well, I hate it when Email time starts to wind down, but it's that time.
Dad, thanks for all the letters you write me. They really do help me make it through tough times. I appreciate your mission stories, too. They help motivate me so much. I appreciate all you do for me. I am glad to have you as my dad and am proud to be your son. I want you to know that. Never forget how grateful I am to you and all you have done for me my whole life. You are so selfless and encouraging and I appreciate you. Good luck with work and church callings and everything you have on your plate right now. I pray for you daily!
Mom, I miss you so much, too. I got your letter last night and it makes me so happy to read them! I also love the church articles you enclose. They really help me. Thanks for your love and support. I hope that you stay warm and dry in the cold weather there, too. I think about you daily and miss you so much. I pray for you daily. Please tell Bruce Barnard that I pray for him and Christy daily as well. They are always in my thoughts. Some people have to get off the train earlier in life than others, but they will be there when the rest of us get off the train to greet us. I don't know what will happen, but I want you and them to know that God has a plan for all of us. It is hard sometimes, but he does everything for a reason. The Barnard family has helped me so much and they are great people. Let him know how much I appreciate him and Christy and his family. Let them know how great they are! I love you so much, mom. Never forget how much I love you. I am sorry for any time that I ever took you for granted at home. I apologize for anything I have done to offend or make you upset. I want you to know how much you bless my life. Take care and have a happy Thanksgiving.
Brooke, Rocky, Jacob, Taylor, and Hayden, wow you guys are so awesome! I wish I could be there to see the changes take place in your lives. I love each of you and pray for you daily. I feel your prayers in my life. Let the boys know that I feel their pure love for me and their sweet prayers. They don't know how much of an impact they have on their Uncle Matt. They never will until they go on a mission and feel the same love of others for them. Take care in all you guys are doing. Know that I love all of you so much. Bran and Anni, your letters are so cherished. They make my life so much happier out here! Your support doesn't go unappreciated. Always know how much you mean to me and how much your letters and encouragement mean to me. I love you guys so much and good luck with everything going on right now. Keep me informed on any new news from home or in your lives.
Erin, I am glad your trip went well and that you got back safe. What a neat experience. I have a testimony of everything you said and know it is true as well! Keep up the good work at BYUI and good luck at USU in January. That will be a fun experience. I love you and look up to you so much. Stay healthy and do well in school! Well everybody, it's that time! I love you all and not a moment goes by (especially during this 1st holiday season) that I don't think about each of you constantly. Your love, support, prayers, letters, etc. don't go unappreciated. I am so blessed to have a family who loves and supports me so much. I am so blessed to have a family who loves the gospel. I am blessed to be on a mission. I am blessed with trials, opposition, struggles, difficult situations, weather that sucks, and many other things that make life hard. If I have learned one thing out here, it is that I learn so much more in the difficult times than in the easy ones. It is easy to be happy when things go well, but when they don't, we buckle down and fall back onto our foundation of faith and our testimony. Nobody can take away my testimony. That is something that is mine forever!
I love my family, the church, my mission, my friends, neighbors, and all other people who pray for and help me. Please stress the importance of my love for the whole family on Thanksgiving as you read my letter. It may be boring to some people, but it means a lot to me. Let the family know I think of them all daily and wish the best for them, too. Have a happy holiday season an Thanksgiving. I love you all and will work as hard as I can and let the Lord help me. Take care. I will talk to you next Tuesday! My love is with all of you. Be thankful always.
Love,
Elder Matthew Larson Bates
P.S. Zone conference is during the game on Saturday. I am saying the opening prayer. I will pray for BYU! Just Kidding!
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