Yankton: My Personal Winter Quarters

Hello Everybody!

OK, so, Mom may hate me for this, but I completely spaced it last week and forgot to mention that we were going to the temple this past week. So now I've visited both of the temples on either side of the mission, and I'm only in my second transfer out. This time, however, we were able to go to an endowment session, which was awesome to do with some members of the branch and our Branch President. Everything is in a different light in the Celestial Room. We were able to go because a member of the Branch was receiving her endowments. The poor sister stresses out very easily as it is, and seeing as she had been convinced by the catholic church her entire life that freaky things go on in the temple, she was pretty stressed, even for her. But to see her face in the celestial room was amazing. She looked so happy, probably from discovering that no creepy things go on there, and also because it's just a sweet experience to go through the temple. So that was an awesome experience.

Thanks for your email, Mom, it seems that a lot of what you said applies to my life right now. I've been in the middle of long carrides since leaving Muscatine, and can feel your pain. Between traveling from Muscatine here, to here to Des Moines and back, to here to Winter Quarters and back, to Sioux City again this week for district leader council, to just the fact that to get to anywhere in our area you have to travel forever. I don't know if that sentence is entirely correctly worded, but I don't really care anymore.... Anyway, point is, I spend a long time in cars now. Mostly sleeping, but still, it's a long time.

Also, your description of your branch in California years ago sounds a lot like the branch here. A lot of the faithful members are, in their own way, basically serving missions of their own to keep the branch off the ground. We've got our work cut out for us here in less active work alone.

And, congratulations mom and dad on your calling!! I think that's awesome for you two to do that and perfect for your situation and for the YSAs. It'll be cool to have you two in the program there for two months when I get back.

I won't lie, when I first got to Yankton, I was mad that I was here. I wish I could have had a normal mission, for once, and stay in my area. It also sucked when I got to see some people from my MTC District at Zone Conference and have them be so surprised at all the transfering and strange things I've been through. Even experienced missionaries that are going home soon are surprised by how weird it is for a missionary that's being trained to be in a spanish threesome and then whitewash and reopen an area. But after Zone Conference, I felt different on the matter. Sure, It's a lot of switching around and junk most greenies will never face, but I know there's a reason for me to be doing it. I knew that before, but I still was angry. I still worked hard, don't get me wrong, but I wasn't very happy. But I think Zone Conference helped me receive a more humble view on the matter.

Speaking of Muscatine, they now have five baptismal dates. A lady that had almost been baptized last transfer has a new baptismal date. So that's good.

And on the Yankton end, we have an official investigator! This week has been weird with all that's been going on with Zone Conference and trying to drive all over the place to visit people and meeting with members to go over the ward list, but there's a definite sense of antagonism against us here in Yankton. I don't know why, but there is, more so than Muscatine and the areas around there. So we're hoping to spend some more tracting time on the surrounding villages (glorified tiny neighborhoods is more like it. Yankton's only 12,500 or so as it is. Vermillion is 10,000, with school in session). The work's going well, tough, but well. I'm looking forward to the challenge in store for me here. It may be a long road ahead of us, but I can see things really coming together here. It just needs some elbow grease and a lot of work that can only come from one source.

Elder Wickman's address to us in Zone Conference was really good, and it was great to hear from a Seventy and shake his hand. He answered some questions very well, and also spoke of how commitments are the main reason we're here anyway, because without them there's no reason for us to teach. President Talbot also did a great training on an article by Orson Scott Card that was sent to him by an unnamed source concerning the fact that members aren't lazy in missionary work for the most part, they are just looking for the right missionaries to give their friends to teach. No pressure for the missionaries reopening an area.... And Sister Talbot did an awesome training on humility, which is probably what I needed to hear the most. It was also great to see the missionaries I served with in the MTC. I found out that apparently my MTC Companion has gone home from not being able to sleep. He's apparently planning on going to BYU-Hawaii now.

Last time I gave out my exact address, I moved and received a letter from Michaela right afterwards that I still have yet to receive from the other Elder Nelson, along with my jeans and my Muskies shirt that I left.

I know this gospel to be true. I know there's a reason I'm here and a reason why my mission is so crazy so far. I'm glad I'm here and doing the Lord's work. There's no place I'd rather be.

Love,
Elder Charlie Gates