First Report from Salt Lake City

Finally got an email from Gabe after his arrival in Salt Lake City.  He's so happy and busy and loves the work.Here's what he said:

Hey so I am here in Salt Lake City doing the work till I go to Mexico!! So we left the MTC so good and we sang "Til We Meet"- that song in Spanish - its a tradition. So we got our companions the first day and guess what!!!!!!!!!!! My companion is FROM Mexico Cuidad Juarez! It is such a blessing. I think I came here so he can help me! He is a great teacher. His name is Elder Vital and he's soooo glad I'm going to his city. He leaves in four months back to Cuidad Juarez. WE get a long great. He's awesome. I love serving with him. I have taught some people and it's all real life now. haha So I gave a woman today a blessing of comfort. Also we had a baptism Saturday and it was so nice and very spiritual. These people like party after their baptisms haha. They have a big party - it's crazy. Also every day we eat with people and its hard to stay fit but this other elder from Honduras is helping me and I'm loosing weight. I love being with these guys. I love being with everyone. The Mexican babies are so cute. haha Going to church is fun with them. Its weird here cause the parents don't know much English but the kids do so its like Spanglish. Well I don't have much time.. We had p-day today but we had dinner appointments and service we did. So I can't say everything I wanna say - I am summing it all up. This is awesome work. Well I got to go. Tell everyone I love them. Bye I love you guys! This is the Lord's work. Nos vemos!

Leaving the MTC for Salt Lake City

Yesterday I got a text from a neighbor saying he had seen Gabe with a group of missionaries on the FrontRunner train.  Last night we got this email and photos from the Salt Lake East mission president:

Dear Parents

Your missionary arrived safe and sound in the Utah Salt Lake City East Mission.  They take the Front Runner in from the MTC.  We welcome them, photograph them and get their luggage.  After breakfast and orientation we had a wonderful transfer meeting and training.  Please know that we will take care of your child as if they were our own.  We are excited for this new adventure in their lives and want it to be positive for them.  Please write to them weekly and encourage them to be obedient.

Thank you

President and Sister Eberhardt

Good luck in Salt Lake, Gabe! You are so close but so far.  I hope your few weeks in the Salt Lake East Mission will be a great learning experience.

The Frontrunner train arriving in Salt Lake

The new arrivals - Gabe is right behind the mission mom on the right

Gabe and His Mom

Gabe and His Mom

Gabe and Kathy Castleton

Gabe sent us a letter and I wanted to share it with you all.

Familia, 

"Hey, how is everyone? I am so happy here. I am doing so good. Lots of Spanish! I pray in Spanish and bear my testimony in Spanish. I have felt the spirit more than I've ever felt in my entire life. I feel the Gift of Tongues and it helps. I pray like 20 times a day. It's weird. Also wearing church shirts is so normal. Wearing my p-day clothes is weird. 

Family... I have a testimony that Joseph Smith saw God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. I testify of it. He did translate the Book of Mormon. He went through so much. I'm so grateful for what he did. This is truly the true church. I can never deny. I will take the truth and preach unto every soul. I feel the Savior's love for me. I LOVE all you guys!!! Jesus loves you!

Take care. The church is true! I testify of it. I am a representative of Jesus Christ. I am so blessed and proud.

My belt broke. I'll buy a new one. Love you all!!!!!!!!!

Elder Castleton

He sent this letter in a box with his broken belt and his cell phone.

Hello!

       Yes estoy recibiendo todos. It is hard to mail all the time cause im busy. I get them and they make me feel better. Dane??!!!! if you see dane soon tell him to email me and give him my email address. No one emails me.....:( only you and dad and suzy and eva. It is quite sad actually. People say ill write you and stuff but no one has. I like get pumped to email on friday and I love it but I wish I new how my friends are doing. ya know? its kinda sad. But mom I miss you! I will write to graham and eva. I hope you are all doing well. I know you will be blessed because I am here. I have wanted to come home a few times but I am staying strong. I am learning so much spanish. like I am forgetting how to say some words. They tell us to like take out english words and replace it with spanish. also like out side of class we speak spanish. We speak spanish all day 24/7. I am understanding the gospel so well. when my companion and i teach we dont use books or anything we just practice and we learn how to say it. we pray in spanish and testify in spanish. Also tell jed if you see him that his cousin I think its his cousin is here and hes a stud. we have talked. Also I have seen russell and I have talked to him a lot before he left. It was so good to talk to him again before he left. It really feels wierd here like this is all a dream or something. i dont know. Its a wierd feeling. I am learning so much and I am ready to go. I have been assigned to be leader of the trip thing leader where like when we leave and we head to mexico I am in charge of a few districts and help them and make sure everything is ok. no one knows anything about the air ports and their scared of them haha I told them I new how it all works and their like yay good! haha. So we bus to salt lake and then fly to phenix arizona and then ALL THE WAY DOWN TO Guadalajara!!!!!!! hahaha its crazy why we are going all the way down their then from their we go to Cuidad Juarez. My birth grandma is in guadalajara. haha :) awesome. well I got to go. I love you mom!

Last week Gabe sent us some worried letters. He found out he will be serving in Salt Lake instead of Juarez for a little while. He was afraid he'd done something wrong. Not so. He just didn't get his visa in time. Since he won't be going to Juarez he needed a coat. We didn't know when he would be transferred so we grabbed his coat and a sweater and a new tie and put them in a box and dropped it off at the MTC.

Mom and Dad the people here said I do not have my visa yet. and even though I am a duel citizen I had to have a passport from Mexico. So i guess we turned the passport I have here in a little late, but they didnt tell me anything. I didn't know what to do so one day they called me and took it and didn't say what they were doing with it. I went in again and asked hey whats up and they said it won't be in on time. So NOW I have been assigned to serve in the Salt Lake City East mission UNTIL that comes through. and also incase I need to be there with the Mexican consul it I have to be there in person and sign stuff and all the fun stuff. They said i will be here in SL for a transfer. I am just notifying you. Soon I will be in Mexico. Other than that I feel nervous and scared. I feel ready and happy but It is hard teaching people and stuff. This is pretty hard work. I am excited though. I also saw keith and his two daughters at the Provo temple. It was nice to see them and some one of my family I miss you guys. i was happy. I dont know when I can email you next I think our p-day is gonna be different but Idk. I will be sure to email you when I can. Also I am in need of winter cloths. I have nothing to put over my suit. it is getting cold too. I only have warm cloths. I have one sweater but its like what I wear on p-day and I have a rain coat but it doesnt fit over my suit. ill figure something out. If I need to buy some warm things could you put money on my card? I love you guys and miss everyone. It is a strange feeling being aways this long. The lord is taking care of me. Thanks for everything. Love you Mom and Dad 

Visa Troubles

Gabe got some bad news today - his Mexican visa hasn't come through and he will be assigned to the Salt Lake North Mission until it arrives.  But he also got some good news - he ran into Keith and his daughters at the Provo Temple this morning.  Here is some of his email:

Mom and Dad,

The people here said I do not have my visa yet. So I guess we turned the passport I have here in a little late, but they didn't tell me anything. I didn't know what to do so one day they called me and took it and didn't say what they were doing with it. I went in again and asked "Hey, whats up?" and they said it won't be in on time. So NOW I have been assigned to serve in the Salt Lake City East mission UNTIL that comes through. and also in case I need to be there with the Mexican consul if I have to be there in person and sign stuff and all the fun stuff. They said I will be here in SL for a transfer. I am just notifying you. Soon I will be in Mexico. Other than that I feel nervous and scared. I feel ready and happy but It is hard teaching people and stuff. This is pretty hard work. I am excited though. I also saw Keith and his two daughters at the Provo temple. It was nice to see them and some one of my family. I miss you guys.. I was happy. I don't know when I can email you next. I think our p-day is gonna be different but Idk. I will be sure to email you when I can.. I love you guys and miss everyone. It is a strange feeling being away this long. The Lord is taking care of me. Thanks for everything. Love you, Mom and Dad

(Note from Chuck: I called the missionary travel department.  They said there are no problems with Gabe's passport and paperwork.  There were several missionaries in his group who just didn't get their invitation letters from the Mexican government in time.  Apparently they are just a little slow sometimes.  So they will be temporarily assigned to stateside missions until their visas are completed.)

Life in the MTC

What's Gabe doing every day in the Missionary Training Center?  Here is a link to an article and video from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints about life at the MTC.

Life in a Mormon MTC

A Father's Musings

Throughout Gabe's life, and especially since he received his mission call, I've had powerful feelings that Gabe has an important role to play in fulfilling the purpose of the Book of Mormon.  The title page of the Book of Mormon says it is written "to show unto the remnant of the house of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever—And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ..."

When Gabe was set apart as a missionary his blessing said he was called to take the Book of Mormon to his brothers and sisters who are, like him, the children of Father Lehi.  Teaching the gospel to the descendants of the Book of Mormon people is one of the primary preparations that must occur before the second coming of the Savior, and Gabe has a very personal part to play in this preparation.  Here are some of the scriptures that have come to my mind as I have pondered this:

Enos 12-18 - The Lord covenanted with Enos and his fathers that their record would be preserved and brought forth to their descendants when the time was right.

1 Nephi 15:13-14 - Nephi saw in vision that the fulness of the Gospel would be brought by the Gentiles to the remnant of his seed.

3 Nephi 16 - Christ tells how the gospel will be brought to the descendants of the Nephites and Lamanites.

Mormon chapter 7 - Mormon testifies directly to the latter-day Lamanites.

Gabe, the work you are doing has been foretold for centuries.  It is a critical part of the history of the world.  Be strong and courageous.  God is on your side.

Love,
Dad

Half Way Through the MTC

Here is the email we got from Gabe this week.  The  frightened boy we dropped off at the MTC  has become  a confident, articulate and spiritually powerful man.

Hey, Dad!

        So I have had a great week. You are welcome. Thanks. I got the cookies. Thanks! They were good. I am actually trying to get fit and loose weight. One of the elders in my district is good with personal training and hes pretty buff. haha. So yea I am actually sore from last night and this morning. My body is a temple and I really need to take care of it and attend to it. So also we had a companion switch in our district. I switched companions and I have Elder Misalucha from the Philippians! he is so cool. We work so well together. So basically if I were to have really taught some people the gospel I would have baptized 2 already. My old companion is with our district leader. He is cool and he went to AF.  He knows a lot of my friends like Brad and Kimball. and Braden.

Tell our ward they're awesome. tell them the MTC is fun and its not what most people expect it to be like. When we really study the book of mormon and really dig in. It makes so much more sense. So I am so glad to be here. It is hard. I miss friends and seeing everybody and I MISS my FAMILYs! but its what is right. One of Brynn's friends works here at the wyview campus in the creamery and I get to say hi. Also today we went to the temple and I saw old friends and they are friends with Brynn.

Dad I love you and I miss you. You are the best dad. I know a lot more about the church here and it is making me grow a stronger testimony. This church is true. I don't know how a young uneducated boy can make up all that stuff. or even like a dream and he saw all that cause thats one heck of a dream. haha. I know this church is true. It is so much easier to teach and stuff. I can teach really good without a book. I am apparently the best one in our zone in Spanish so everyone asks for help. Haha its a good feeling. Well Time to go.I will talk to you next week. Tell mom I love her. Shes the best mom. She has been their for me. I love you all. Keep suzy going get her reading and praying every day. Satan will do all he can to stop here. She is at  a hard time especially at school and trying to fit in. I can't email everyone now cause we got a busy schedule so sorry! I love you all. Adios! 

Elder Castleton