The Bates Family

Caroline
Luke
Jesse
Cameryn

Christmas in Bucaramanga

Hola Familia,
Well it was a VERY good Christmas in Colombia. Ha, it never really felt like the same kind of Christmas as at home, because it was very hot the whole day, but it was a very good experience. On Christmas Eve and Christmas day our Mission President said that we were supposed to have regular days of tracting, but also they told us if we got invited we could go to visit member families. We tried at the start of the day on the 24th to do some contacts and get some lessons in but it was very clear that everyone was going to be partying all day and night. We taught a few lessons with investigators that were already confirmed and then visited member families.

On Christmas Eve night, we went to a big park called the Concha Acoustica with lots of shrubbery and trees and animals walking around. I got some pretty good pictures and it was nice to relax and just think about Christmas. After that we got invited for a Christmas dinner with a member lady. She made what they call a tamale although I think it’s different then the tamales we know. I think it had pork inside some kind of wrap. I guess it’s a Christmas specialty. Our President told us that we could stay up on Christmas Eve just as long as we turned the lights out because everyone parties and does fireworks and plays music all night. We got home and my companion was dead tired so he went to bed. I decided to stay up with the Zone leaders on the roof deck of our building and wait for the fireworks and everything at midnight for Christmas.

Before that I made some hot chocolate and the mashed potato mix you sent and decided to read in the Bible the story of the first Christmas. It was very cool to have a Christmas where I wasn’t thinking about presents or any of that and be able to think about the Lord and all the great blessings that I have. After that I went up on the roof with the Zone Leaders and we just chilled and talked etc. and waited out the fireworks that everyone does at midnight. It was definitely unlike any Christmas I have ever had, but a very good experience. My companion was awakened by the fireworks, so he came up and watched a little and we finally got to bed about 1:00.

At 6:30 A.M. we were back up and we did our study and the normal stuff. Ha I got a little gift from one of the members. It was a bottle of cologne. I opened it on Christmas morning but that was it. I had already opened your parcels last week. Christmas day was ridiculously hot. We left and tried to do contacts and found that the entire city was either dead asleep from drinking and dancing all night or else sitting on the curb still drinking. Ha we tried to do contacts for about 2 hours and no one was up and the streets were completely empty.

Here the tradition is that on Christmas Eve they have a big dinner at about 11:00 at night and at 12 midnight they open presents if they have any. Then they dance or just stay up and talk all night and listen to blaring music.

But anyway, Christmas day we ended up visiting all the members that had invited us. I've never eaten so much in my life. I think I had 5 full meals after 1:30. It was very humbling to see how they celebrated. The majority of the homes I went into didn’t have Christmas presents under the tree. For a lot of the families it isn’t even a thought that they will have presents. We visited one member sister who just had a bag of special Christmas crackers and cookies for her and her son for their Christmas. Anyway, my first Navidad away from home was very good. I am very humbled by these special people.

As far as Friday and Saturday, we were very busy trying to get everything organized for the marriage and baptism of Noira and Nelson. It was a very busy day of taking taxis all over the city to get it all done, but it was worth it. It was quite a challenge to get them ready and out the door to the Notaria (where you get married in a civil service). Ha, a lot of the people just don’t understand what “on time” is. But we got them there and they had a very humble marriage in the office with the family around and a few other missionaries. It was very nice.

After that we squeezed in a few lessons and then it was time to get ready and do the baptism. I baptized Noira and my companion baptized Nelson. It is REALLY rewarding to see how much the gospel changes people’s lives and a great feeling to see someone get baptized. Also the Zone leaders had two sisters who got baptized.

They introduced us to them one day at the chapel and the little sister (13) wanted me to baptize her so I baptized her as well. Ha I had to do it twice because her foot came out of the water. That was very cool to be able to baptize her as well.

The other day, for a Christmas present, I offered to take Elder Amador out to an Italian restaurant that is near our apartment. It was about 40 thousand pesos for "fettuccine alfredo" (although it wasn’t like Olive Gardens or moms) and lasagna for him. We had big ice creams for dessert. But 40 thousand pesos comes out to about 20 dollars, so it wasn’t bad at all.

Today on our Prep day, we have been looking around some large stores etc. and ha-ha I bought a jersey of the Colombian national soccer team for 5 dollars from some street vender. That will be a very good souvenir.

Well I hope all is well at home and that everyone had a Merry Christmas. Much love to everyone and thanks for everything.
Feliz Cumpleaños! Will

More Pictures

This is a picture of the Elders eating at their Zone Conference.


This is a picture taken at the Zone Conference. Will, an A.P. from Bogota, a missionary couple and Elder Lee.

We just got off the phone from talking with Will. We were able to talk for about an hour. The connection was pretty good but there was a bit of a lag. We could understand most of the things he said. He called from a little Internet Cafe near their apartment. We had a hundred questions to ask and it was so cool to hear his answers in person. It is interesting, both Bruce and I noticed right away that he is beginning to think in Spanish. His speech and answers reflected that. He is happy and healthy and loving everything about his mission.

Merry Christmas

Will said that this picture was taken from a large store downtown in Bucaramanga. It looks like it could have been taken in SLC except for the palm trees and all the little cars parked backwards.



December 22, 2008

Hola and Feliz Navidad,
All is very well here. I’m going to try and send some pictures but it takes forever to download them on the computer I work on so I may not have as much time to write to you. We have lost a few investigators that we thought were going to progress, but we have found some others that are very interested so it is still going well.

This week we had Zone Conference, so the Mission President came and talked to us. We had a lunch with him. It was only the third time I have seen him. He was really pleased with how well our Spanish is coming along, (Elder Lee and I). I have really noticed the improvements. I can understand basically everything that is said in church and with the other missionaries. Presidente Camargo is very friendly and has a good sense of humor. It was good to talk to him and see all the other Elders.

Last night was the Ward Christmas party so we went to that. They had 6 of us sing a few hymns for it. It was basically the same as one of our Ward parties would be, just with a smaller ward. We have kind of a little run down chapel so they are going to tear it down starting tomorrow and rebuild a new one. It’s going to make things a little difficult because we are going to have to take people to another chapel farther away but I think it will be just fine.

This morning we got up at 5:30 and took a couple named Noira and Nelson to finish their papers so they can get married and baptized this week on Saturday. The other members of Noiras family are members but they had this baby and they have been living in union libre for over a year now. She has always wanted to get baptized but the missionaries never could get them to get married. So I am very happy that we were able to help them. They will be married this Saturday at noon and baptized Saturday night so I’m going to get to participate in some more baptisms :)

Also, we found a young man named Marlon who is very interested and immediately seemed to believe the Book of Mormon. Hopefully things will work out well with him.

Today is of course our Prep Day. We took Noira and Nelson into the centro (downtown) to get their papers done. We then went and looked around at a few of the stores etc. We got a few good pictures. I also took out some money with my debit card. It’s pretty amazing that I can go into an atm here and take money out of a bank account from Evanston and get pesos.

Ha, it’s very different to be getting so close to Christmas when it is so hot. They had Frank Sinatra singing "I’ll be home for Christmas" playing in the mall and it really reminded me of home, but I am so glad to be here in Colombia.

Usually the missionaries don’t go out on the 24th or 25th but at Zone Conference,the Presidente said that we are going to work as normal. He said that not many may want to listen to anything on those two holidays, so if members invite us, we can go to their homes and spend a little time and talk with them. We have already been invited to 3 or 4 houses so part of my Christmas will be spent in member’s homes.

I got another package the other day. Thanks a ton for everything. It was nice to have some ramen noodles for the first time in forever. I know the little kids will love all the little toys you sent.

As far as the call, I think tomorrow would be the best day to do it. There are little places here where you can go to call, so I am thinking tomorrow at 8 pm my time I can call and then we can head to the apartment right after. That would make it 6 o’clock there.

A lot of the Elders here have little albums of their families and friends etc. Everyone asks to see my family so could you send maybe a little album with pics of my family, friends, and Evanston or whatever.

Ha, sorry my writing is all over the place but we’ve been up since 5:30. Well I’m not sure what more to say but thanks a ton for everything again. As of now, the plan is to call at 8 here or 6 there tomorrow night.

Much love to all of you and Feliz Navidad!

Noah Barnard Heaven

Happy Birthday Noah

Noah playing on the beach at Bear Lake this summer.
"A mind once stretched by a new idea never regains the original form."

Uncle Will and Noah this summer just before Will left on his mission.
"Being an uncle is better than being a super hero."

Noah Barnard Heaven was born December 5, 2001. He is the third son of Bill and Amy. I remember thinking what a cute little baby he was, when we travelled up to Calgary to see him. He has strawberry blonde hair and big blue eyes. He is sweet, loving and kind.

Noah loves everything boyish. Lately, his passion has been for the Megatron Transformer. He has been researching the Megatron for several months now. He has gone on-line and literally searched the world over to see what he could find out.

On his birthday, he awoke at 4 A.M. but of course was sent back to bed. He got up at 5 A.M. and was sooo excited to open his new Megatron Transformer. His family and a friend, all went to Chuck -e-Cheese and then to the movie "Bolt." He had a great time.

Prep Day News

Elders Lee and Barnard - I think that they are the only gringo Elders in that neck of the woods.

The people in Colombia are so receptive and excited when they hear the full and complete Gospel truths from the Bible and Book of Mormon. They recognize it because of their humility and innate goodness.

A wonderful group of Elders enjoying Prep Day. We are so proud of young men who have the courage to stand up and face others directly with their testimonies and the truth.

We are so excited every Monday because that is the Prep Day for Will and the other Elders in the Bucamaranga area. We get a new e-mail updating us on everything. Will says that this has been a really good week. He loves everything about being on a mission, even the hard work. He knows that the Lord is really blessing them all.

A special thanks to Elder Lee for the pictures this week. His mom kindly e-mailed them to me. Will loves to be able to get together with him. They are the ONLY ones who speak any English in their district.

Lorelei Heaven

Amy and Lorelei this summer at Bear Lake. She loves the water.


Lorelei in a little fantasy garden. She appears to be looking at the fairy.
"There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again." Elizabeth Lawrence



Lorelei is our youngest grandchild. She turned one year old on November 15, 2008. What a joy she has been. She had a rough go when she was just a few days old. She was re-hospitalized at the Children's Hospital in Calgary with a nasty virus. She didn't respond really well for a couple of days, but once she was on the I.V. medications and fluids, she started to recuperate. It was a scare for all of us.

She has used sign language with her mom for months. Now, she has started talking and has an expanding vocabulary of words. At 11 months, she even started putting two words together into tiny sentences. She usually has such a sweet little voice. She has the trademark red hair of the Heaven's. Her's is more of a shimmery copper color like her brother Max. She started walking at 10 months and boy is she happy to get around. She is adored by all of her siblings and gets lots of love and attention.

She went with her Mom and Dad to Hawaii last week where Bill had a business convention. She actually celebrated her birthday there. I flew up to Calgary and took care of the other kids while they were away for the week.

Benjamin Jesse Bates

Ben's birthday is November 13. He was born in Powell, Wyoming but grew up in Idaho. Ben is a wonderful husband, father and son. He graduated from High School in Driggs Idaho. He served an LDS mission to Halifax, Canada. He met Angie at college. They went on a blind date, arranged by some friends. I think that it was pretty much love at first sight. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple on May 2, 1997.
Ben is the father of four children - Cameryn - 9 years, Jesse - 7 years, Luke - 5 years, and Caroline - 21 months. They all have beautiful blond hair just like their Dad.
They have just moved to Kansas this summer from North Carolina. Ben keeps extremely busy with his own business and church obligations.

Ben, Angie and kids went on a handcart trek through Martin's Cove this past summer. Most of his family attended and it was a fun family reunion. If you look closely, you can see the four kids in the handcart.




This past summer, when all of our kids were here, we put in some new cement. Little Luke was running around and inadvertently ran right into the freshly poured cement. He ran about two steps before he realized the problem and then stopped dead still with a look of panic on his face. Ben just calmly helped him out and told him not to worry - they would fix it together. Here are some wonderful pictures of them doing just that. What a kind, gentle father he is.

Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving celebration at Will and Donell Atkinson's home this year. Those present were: Will, Donell, Adam, Ben, Joni & Gabe Atkinson, Lela, Bruce, Janine & B.J. Barnard, Bryan & Lizabeth Blumell. We had a yummy feast with all the trimmings and good company.

Bryan and Lizzie spent the week-end with us. It was a break from their rigorous studies at B.Y.U. We watched lots of movies, had lots of treats and good times.

Grandma Lela Barnard loves good food and company. I think that it was a very enjoyable Thanksgiving for her.

Colombia Updates

This is Will's apartment in Bucaramanga.


This is a family that he and Elder Amador are working with.

November 24, 2008

Hola mi familia,

Hope all is well in North America. All is good in Colombia. We continue to be very busy and by the end of the day, I am beat. Tons of walking and humidity and heat and teaching but I LOVE it. The Spanish continues to progress and every day I understand more. I've been here in Colombia for three weeks now. It’s still difficult to know all that the locals are saying but it gets a little easier day by day. I heard the other day that it was about 5 months before the APs could understand people and communicate well, so I know I need to be patient, but I still think I'm where I should be language wise.

Thanks a ton for all the news etc. When you told me of that returned missionary, I can see how people could feel lonely or isolated when there is so little contact with any English speaking people. At first it was a little scary for me, but really, it hasn’t been a problem. I know I’m working hard to learn and I’m where I should be so it doesn’t bother me.

I was able to send a few pictures, but I’m not sure how often I’ll be able to because its quite slow to do. But once in a while I’ll send a pic or two. This Saturday, we baptized another kid named Christian who is a friend of the kids last week. Next week we will baptize his sister who is 22.

Every week my ability to teach progresses a little more and yesterday I taught the majority of one of the lessons by myself. I’m pretty sure they understood me. I had my talk in Sacrament meeting yesterday and they said I could talk about whatever I wanted so I choose the Book of Mormon. I read some things from Preach my Gospel and some teachings of Ezra Taft Benson and then I invited everyone there to always study the Book of Mormon and bore my testimony. Lots of people told me I spoke very well and they understood everything I said. A lot of the time I was reading but I did talk impromptu tambien.

As far as p day, our President says we aren’t supposed to play sports and we are to stay dressed in our missionary clothes. There is a basketball court in Estoraques (the barrio where we do all of our work). Once a year there is a super p day where we can play sports all day. I think it’s coming up soon but I’m not sure.

I don’t have any pictures of the family so if you could send a few, that would be very nice. Everyone always asks to see my family or hear what Los Estados Unidos is like.

Ha-ha that’s awesome that you could see me on Deal or no Deal. You should try to put it on a DVD or something so it doesn’t get lost.

As far as food, we really do have humongous lunches. In Colombia, lunch is the main meal of the day. It’s a little tough to go work and do stuff after eating so much, but to do bien. Usually lunch is enough to be set for the rest of the day. Sometimes, when we are hungry there is a little pizza stand by our apartment, where a family cooks pizzas right there, so sometimes we stop by and grab a piece of pizza before bed.

I know this letter is all over the place but I just write stuff as I think of it or remember your questions. Today for P day we are going to ask people about some cool sights to go see and stop by an Electronics store. I guess the electronics are incredibly cheap here, especially for Americans.

I have a great companion. His full name is Alisandro Amador. Like I said, he is a very hard worker. He does get very stressed and worries about things a lot if something doesn’t go right. I try to tell him to relax and enjoy what he is doing once in a while. Transfers are coming up next week and there is a very good chance he will get transferred because he has been here for the usual time they keep missionaries in an area. I sure hope he doesn’t. It would be a little weird for me to only have a trainer for 4 weeks and then get a new companion, but... Ire y Hare lo que el senor ha mandado.

The other Elders in my apartment are from Chile and Peru, I really like them and they are very funny. They always sing songs from Backstreet Boys or other American artists they have heard and talk to me about the NBA and the players they like. America really does affect the whole world. They know all the music and sports and movies etc.

I know I told you, but I stick out like crazy because I am the only gringo missionary a lot of them have ever seen. ha Everyone stares at me as I walk down streets and even people driving by on motorcycles try to yell things they know in English like “What ees jour Nayme" etc.

We are supposed to give 4 hours of service each week and last week we went to Estoraques and about 10 kids fro m the school, who are in English classes, came and I helped them with their English homework for about an hour and a half. It was pretty cool.

I get to see Elder Lee every week and it’s nice to talk in English every once in a while with him. We were talking at the baptism and about 10 people just stood around us and marveled, they really think English is cool.

But like I said the work is going great. You always feel like you could have done something better or differently but we really do try to do the best we can so I feel good about it. President Uchtdorf said to do your very best and the Lord will do the rest. Also every night in your prayers, offer up everything you have done to the Lord. Then ask him to help you to lose all regrets and have comfort that you have done what you can and that you can be rejuvenated to do it again the next day.

It’s frustrating not to be able to express everything I want to, but its all good, everyday I get closer. For example the other day we were teaching a lady who gave us all these reasons she didn’t believe our church and I knew exactly how to explain it in English but I didn’t know what to say in Spanish so I just bore my testimony. Maybe it’s better that way anyway.

It’s hard to believe I’ve been out for over 3 months and in Colombia for 3 weeks already. It’s really flown by so far and I already feel settled in here. Thanks so much for all your support and prayers. I hope all is going well at home and I pray that it is every day. Thanks again, much love and I’ll talk to you next week.
Love Will

Pictures from Colombia

Will on the airplane going to Bogota.


Will standing in front of the temple in Bogota


Will and his companion, Elder Amador from Argentina, with a wonderful family ready to be baptized. He was able to baptize 14 year old Jolman.


November 17, 2008

Well hello,
Life is still crazy here in Colombia but I’m getting used to it, even the frigid showers. The week has seriously flown by. There is a little shop under our apartment where they let people pay to use computers. The dollar is like 1.9 times the Colombian peso right now so everything is incredibly cheap for me so it’s no big deal. As far as emails you know that we do them only on our Prep. days. You can send as much as you want, because we get an hour to do the writing and we don’t have to count the time reading them, so send me news of what’s going on at home etc.

As for the mission, like I said the week has flown by. We are up at 6:30 and are able to exercise a little, have personal, companion and language study before we leave to begin tracting for the day.

Every day we eat lunch with members at about 1:00 p.m. A lot of them are quite poor like I said and even the richer ones really don’t have much compared to us in the states. After that are lessons and/or contacting all day. My companion Elder Amador is a very good worker and he is very organized with all the stuff we have to get done which is helpful since I’m still figuring things out.

The people here are so receptive and willing to be taught. It is rare that we are not either in a lesson or on our way to one. We spend most of our time in 3 barrios because we just keep finding people to teach there. We have about 6 people right now who are progressing solidly and others who are close to it. Ha the lessons are pretty tough because I still don't understand everything that the investigators say but I always put in my 2 cents and Elder Amador does a good job of setting me up for opportunities to bear testimony and teach.

Every day I understand a little more but it’s a step by step process. I am starting to figure out a lot of the idioms and phrases people say and when I focus I can usually follow the words and piece it together. But the important thing really is to have the spirit. When we have the spirit strong you can see it on the people’s faces that they can tell and the words really come more easily.

Guess what, I had my first baptism... three of the kids from a poorer family in the Estoraques barrio named Guadalupe 12, Jeri 11, and Jolman 14. We visit the family often because there are 2 families that live together and they all have been baptized or want to. My companion was going to baptize all 3 because they set the date before I got here but Jolman said he wanted me to baptize him. It was really amazing and such a humble meeting, just the kids and a few family members. All the people have at least 4 names so I was very scared I was going to forget his names but I said it just fine (besides with a gringo accent). The spirit was so strong and it was so cool to see how happy they were after.

This week we have 2 possibly, 3 more baptisms and 1 or 2 lined up for each of at least the next 3 weeks with possibly more. It really is amazing how much you start to love the people especially when you go from contacting them and talking in their apartments to seeing them get closer and closer and see the spirit working on them.

I think I said in my last mail that I stick out like no one else here because I'm a gringo. Everywhere I go people look at me and just stare or whisper things under their breathe. One crazy man started screaming “DIABLO DIABLO”, (Devil) at us as we walked by the other day and there are a few that aren’t friendly, but for the majority, everyone is very friendly and nice to us.

The poverty in some of the poor areas is not like anything I have every seen. The other day we taught a lady with a chicken and little chicks running around and eating stuff off the floor. The climate is very hot usually but the last few days have been overcast. It is also very very humid. The ward members are great, I wish so bad I could carry on good conversations with people but they talk so fast and I’m just not quite there yet, but everyone I've talked to just says it takes time and practice.

The Bishop, for some reason asked me to speak in sacrament next week! He said I could talk about anything I wanted so I think I’ll talk about the Book of Mormon and I can use information from “Preach my Gospel” and the scriptures.

My companion is a very good missionary and very humble. I was lucky to get him for a trainer. He is actually 24 years old because he had to work for a few years to have enough money to go on a mission. The other night he just started crying because we have had so much success recently and he said he didn’t ever want to go home. He is a very good Elder.

I’m not sure what else to say, Colombia is crazy but I’m settling in and really starting to love it. Don’t hesitate to write because I have time to read. I will try to find a way to send pictures but I’m not sure if I can. Thanks for all the support, much love and I’ll talk to you again next week.
Love Will

HE IS IN COLOMBIA !!!

We have been anxiously waiting for the past six days to hear from Will. Today is his prep. day and they are allowed to e-mail us. This is his first letter from Colombia and it sounds like an amazing place.


November 10, 2008

Hello family,
It’s now my prep. day so I’m doing my first emails. I am alive and in Colombia so don’t worry. I have about 45 minutes so I´ll try to tell as much as I can.
We left the airport in Miami and went on a humongous plane to Bogota. It was like 8 seats across and many rows. We got into Bogota at night and luckily they just took my passport and stuff and didn't ask me many questions. After that we got our bags and the AP's flagged us down and threw all our stuff in a van. They were both gringos from Utah with a member guy who drove the van. They immediately started telling us all about Colombia and how much they like it. They took the Elders that are going to Barranquilla to a visitors center at the temple to stay the night and leave in the morning and they split the rest of us up to stay with other Elders in the area until we had all our paperwork etc done. Elder Lee(Utah) and I went to some Elders, who had been here a little over a year. One was actually from Utah so it was helpful to have him so we could know a little bit of what people were saying. We stayed in an apartment right off a huge road in Bogota on mattresses on the floor. The traffic was ridiculously loud and they said the water was bad so I only drank it with my filter water bottle.

Honestly it was a little scary for those first few days. The people talk very fast and it is very difficult to understand everything they say. But the next day we went to the Presidents house and there were a bunch of other elders there (no Americans except my group and the one other and the APs). We sat there and talked for a little bit. Then the president came and we had a very, very good dinner and he had us introduce ourselves a little. He doesn’t speak English but he had the AP's translate what we didn’t understand. I suppose he is a pretty funny guy because people laughed a lot at what he said (ha I just don’t know what it was). Then we did interviews with him and we were done there. I can usually get my point across to people and I usually have to ask them to speak slowly and I can make out somethings that they are saying.

After the mission home we went and got all our money changed and did paperwork stuff. I guess right now the dollar is double the Colombian Peso so I have a lot of money but I don’t take very much with me. This place really is a whole different world. It was quite scary to be in this strange country with no one who I could understand and with such weird stuff but I´m getting used to it just fine. I told my Mission President "Ire y hare lo que el senor ha mandado." Anyway after that we went and started tracting and doing stuff. We tracted and did contacts with the Elders who are in Bogota for a while and I started a few contacts on my own and then kind of passed them to the others when I couldn’t understand. It basically stopped being scary when I started doing the work. That night we had dinner with a member family who was very nice. The food is definitely different but it’s alright. Then we went and taught a lesson to one of their investigators. Those days in Bogota I got to be with the Elder from Utah, which was really helpful so I could talk a little English. We got there and they asked me and Elder Lee to teach the investigator about the sacrament and we went for like 15 minutes just talking about sacrament and bearing testimony, It was very cool, although I'm sure my accent is still ridiculous.

We stayed in Bogota for another day (we found out we were going to Bucaramanga right away but we had to finish our paperwork stuff) and then at about 6 at night a few days ago they put Elder Lee and me on a bus and sent us on a "quick" 9 hour bus ride to Bucaramanga. They played Indiana Jones in Spanish and tons of people talked to us about what we were doing and where we were from. We got here at 3 in the morning and the Elders from this area were there waiting.

My companion is Elder Amador from Argentina. haha He doesn't speak any English. He is a hard worker and I can understand him somewhat cuz I”m getting used to him. They took us to the apartment and it is actually quite nice. He told me it is the second nicest in the mission. It’s on the 8th floor of a big apartment complex and it has a kitchen, 2 bedrooms and a washing machine. Upstairs there is a big deck thing on the roof where you can walk right outside onto the road and there is a very cool view of all the big buildings that are in downtown Bucaramaga, a few miles away.

There are 4 Elders in the apartment. One other companionship and none of them speak a lick of English. I can usually get my point across when talking to them but when they have their own conversations I usually have no idea. The water in Bucaramanga is all safe and good to drink unlike parts of Bogota. However there is NO hot water in our apartment. It’s great to drink but showers are absolutely freezing, it definitely wakes me up in the morning. A lot of the stuff here makes me realize how lucky we really are. We got there at about 3 30 am and went to bed and the next thing I knew, I was up and we were doing daily study. I just read PMG and scriptures in Espanol and try to learn all I can and then my companion and I discuss what we studied for companionship study and go over stuff for investigators.

Then we hit the road and started doing the work. It is really hot and humid here. Almost all the people in my area (Real de Minas) live in little neighborhoods called Barrios. They are for the most part, quite poor. The barrios are basically a bunch of apartments together with a few stores built in. ha to describe the usual scene The people are always sitting outside talking and little kids running around with weird Spanish music blaring and usually a few people drinking. The people are so humble though. We first went to a lady who is a member in one of the barrios and she is helping some of the poor families who are progressing or just baptized. Everywhere I go I stick out because I'm a gringo, and everyone stares at me and whispers things as I go by, I just smile at everyone and talk to whoever I can. My first day some crazy man followed us around for like 15 minutes and tried to get me to help him with his English. Tons of people try to say the English words they can to me and ask me to talk in English and then they laugh like crazy when I do.

We usually have lessons scheduled for most of the day and when we don’t we walk around and contact and it's pretty easy to get people to let you teach them. They are so humble and receptive its amazing. You introduce yourself and talk for a minute or two and ask if they would like to know more and I would say over 50% of them say yes and we end up teaching them. We teach about 5 lessons a day usually and always have lunch with a member family. It’s pretty sad how poor some of them are and how little they have. Every meal we have gone to, they give us the most food and it’s usually humongous plates. It makes me sad, for example we went to a single lady member, who had 2 sons, for lunch the other day and her house was cement with an old used couch and run down everything and yet she gave me this gigantic plate of food that I could barely eat and you know it was hard for them to come by, but you need to eat it or they would feel terrible. It is very humbling.

My companion and I have 3 maybe 4 baptisms set up for next week, I don’t know if I will do any of them because they started before I got there but right now we have 4 or 5 more that are very close to being baptized. Like I said they are so receptive and they believe you as soon as you start teaching. The other day we were walking down the path in one of the barrios and a little girl asked me where I was from. We ended up going in and teaching the whole family and they want us to come back, I think they all have potential to be baptized and are interested except the mom worries me, I didn’t realize it cuz I can't understand everything, but according to my companion she really, really wants me to meet her older daughter next time. But as far as the lessons, Elder Amador does most of the explaining and teaching and I add in as well as I can, I teach one or two of the principles and bear testimony. I can’t wait until I know the language better and I can fully communicate with people but the Elders say I speak very well for a new gringo.

I think it is an advantage to be an American down here because a lot of the people just like to see a tall white person and they are interested in listening to my terrible Spanish. But really they are so receptive to the message and able to feel the spirit. It’s like in the book of Mormon, over and over the Lord humbles the people and then they find the gospel. These people have definitely been humbled and they are ready for it.

I went to church on Sunday and it was the same, yet very different. There just aren’t a lot of people who are well equipped to be priesthood leaders etc. The counselors to the Bishop are returned missionaries of about 5 months and about half the people don’t have church clothes so they put on their best blue jeans and tee shirts and come to church. I keep saying it's incredibly humble and I respect them a ton. For us it's so easy to be members and have everything we need, but for some of these people, it’s a big sacrifice to get to church each week and do everything. During gospel doctrine class they didn’t know the names of the counselors in the first Presidency so I was asked to go write them on the board and tell them some of the other apostles. They had me introduce myself so I did and bore my testimony and everyone wanted to know where I was from etc.

I don’t understand everything that people say, but I can get my point across and I am improving bit by bit everyday. According to everyone I talk to it’s like this for everyone and I'm doing fine. Honestly it was quite scary at first but now I’m just great. It’s frustrating not to have the language down but I’ll just stay patient, por que se que el senor nunca da mandamientos a los hijos de los hombres sin preperarles a via para que cumplan lo que les ha mandado 1 NE 3. 7. But the church is true, even in Colombia it’s amazing to see how although it’s way different, it’s the same.

I’m running out of time but all is well. I love you much and I´ll write next week.

Great News

Will wearing his Colombian t-shirt very proudly.



This is a picture of their District along with one of their Instructers. Will is the tall one in the middle of the back row.



This is one of their Teachers. He is from Colombia and Will said he is an amazing person.

Well, the news that we have been waiting for two and a half weeks finally came at noon today. We got a call from Will. It was so nice to talk to him in person - it's been about 2 1/2 months. It made me cry.
He and the other Elders are so excited that their Visa's came this morning. By noon today, the Church had them all booked on a flight to Bogota. They leave the MTC at 3 A.M. tomorrow morning and head to SLC. Their first flight goes to Dallas and then Miami and then Bogota. They will reach Bogota at about 8:30 P.M. (our time). It will be a long day.

Will has been assigned as the Group leader while they travel. I hope everything goes well. He sounded so happy to be doing what he is doing. It amazes me, that an All-State football and basketball player who LOVES athletics, has hardly said a word about sports the whole time he has been at the MTC. Now, he has focused and dedicated his life to something much greater. (He does love that one hour they have in the gym, though). My nephew, Taylor, left on a mission almost a year ago. My sister Debbie kept saying how much he loved it and how happy he was and now I can really understand it. All of our nephews have served missions. The youngest and last, Scott Blumell, is preparing to go next year when he turns 19.

Summer Memories

We had so much fun with everyone here this summer. I love scrapbooking the pictures. I'm so grateful for a loving, close-knit family. We are so blessed.
We are still anxiously awaiting any news about the Visa's.

Update on Visa's

Will (on the right) at the MTC

Last Monday, three of the ten Visa's finally arrived at the MTC. Those Elders will leave soon. Will is one of the seven whose Visa's did not arrive. They are fasting and praying that things will move quickly.

Will says that they are no longer on the regular schedule of taking classes each day etc. He has been going to the Temple each day and studying the scriptures and Spanish on his own and with his companion. He is being really productive but says he is very anxious to get to Colombia and start the "real" work. He has just about finished the Book of Mormon for a second time in the last 2 months alone. Also, he is spending time at the Referral Center. It is where they make calls to people around the country who have requested LDS literature. He loves doing it. He says that they are now calling Spanish contacts around the country and he has had some amazing experiences. It is really good practice. I think it is amazing that they can already understand the basics after only two months of Spanish classes. I know that it will be difficult to understand things when they get to Colombia because people will speak much faster, but they will get the hang of it. He feels a strong spirit with him when he bears his testimony to them. Six of his contacts have requested the missionaries to come and teach them. We are so proud of what he is doing. In each letter, he bears a beautiful, strong testimony of the gospel.

Will was asked to say the closing prayer at a devotional in which Richard G Scott, one of the Twelve, spoke. They ask the Elders to say the prayers several weeks prior to the devotionals so I guess they can be prepared. Will waited excitedly for two weeks to have this opportunity. There are about 2400 people at the devotionals. He said, "I got to sit up on the stand the whole time and it was very cool to be so close to him. I was able to shake his hand after. He gave one of the strongest testimonies I have ever heard. I could definitely feel an amazingly strong spirit there."

Happy Birthday Luke

Luke Benjamin Bates is one of a kind. He is now five years old. I remember when he was born on October 25, 2003. Bruce, Will and I travelled to Rexburg, Id. and were fortunate enough to be present at the hospital when he was born. What a special experience. He was a cute little blond haired baby. I knew that he was going to be a boy because I was with Angie when she had a sonogram. She and Ben did not want to know, but I did. Angie agreed that I could find out if I kept it quiet, so the technician told me. It was very hard to keep it a secret for the remaining months. I do not want to do that again. Anyway, Angie and Ben were shocked when he turned out to be a boy. They really thought that they were having a girl. He was their third child - Cameryn, Jesse and then Luke.

He is all boy. He loves everything his Dad does. Ben owns his own business and once in awhile he will let Luke go with him to work. He loves watching the crews work and the big machines around the work site. Of course, Ben watches him very carefully. He is a sweet brother to his three siblings. He is very solicitous and kind with his baby sister, Caroline. He helps her with a lot of things. He loves to play with Jesse and Cameryn. We love you Luke.

Here are some pictures of our birthday boy.

Visa's Delayed

Bruce and I were working out in the yard. When we came in the house, Bruce checked and we had a message on the answering machine. It was from WILL. We felt so bad and disappointed that we were not here to talk to him directly. We haven't heard his voice in two months. As you know, they are not allowed to call us, except at Christmas and on Mother's Day. We knew it had to be important and it was. He and the nine other Elders going to Colombia were set to leave on Tuesday morning, October 21. The church had sent out all their Visa's some time ago. They had not arrived back at the MTC, so they cancelled their flights. Apparently, they will stay at the MTC for up to two weeks. If the Visa's don't come within that time period, then they will be sent somewhere in the U.S. until they do come. He said that his zone is fasting and praying that they will come quickly. They are all so disappointed.
Here are some pictures of Will and his friends at the MTC. We had to laugh at his hair. He has never parted his hair in his life so I'm sure he really has to gel it down.


Will studying Spanish at the MTC.


Will and the Elders from his District at the Provo Temple.

B.J.'s Birthday

B.J. loves birthdays - especially his own. Actually, he LOVES ANY celebrations. He takes such great joy in life. I don't think that he is ever unhappy. He loves to start a countdown until the next one. The day after Christmas he will say, "Only 364 days until Christmas."

We have had a great day. B.J. got some nice presents. He is very hard to find things for because he is so content with what he already has. He doesn't want the newest or latest gadgets etc. He usually ends up with some new clothes and a game or joke book. The present that he loves the most is spending quality time with his family.

Bruce and I took him to dinner to his place of choice. He chose Don Pedro's Restaurant where he ordered his favorite dinner there - Enchiladas a la Crema. They surprised him by coming around after we had finished the main course and putting a huge Mexican hat on his head. They then sang Happy Birthday. He was grinning from ear to ear when they placed a beautiful dessert of Fried Ice Cream with chocolate syrup on the top, in front of him. He could hardly wait for the Birthday song to be over with before he dug into the ice cream.

What a fun day and hey - it's only 364 days until his next birthday.

Happy Birthday Sis

It will soon be my sister Debbie Sutor's birthday. She and her daughter came to visit us just before Will left on his mission so I was able to take some pictures. Debbie and her husband Greg live in Calgary. He is a Landscape Architect for a large firm and she is a great Elementary School Teacher. They have two children.

Taylor, the oldest, is currently serving a mission in Georgia. He spent the first part in Atlanta and is now in smaller towns. He loves it and the people there.

McKenzie is looking forward to college next year. All of the grandchildren love McKenzie. She is so sweet and kind and loved to play with them while she was here.

Two Sweet Girls

"Every girl's life is a Fairy Tale written by God's finger."
by Hans Christian Anderson

I love this picture of Amy and Angie. We lived in Des Moines when I had this picture taken. Amy had just turned three and Angie was 16 months old. They have always been close sisters and best friends. They have always supported each other, even through their teen years. Even though they are thousands of miles apart they still maintain a really close relationship. Isn't it wonderful to have a sister?

I scrap booked this layout using a digital kit and idea from Lorrie Davison. I just love her designs. I used to love fairy tales as a little girl and I haven't changed. It is wonderful to have the digital graphics available to scrapbook and design our own fairy tales with.