Day after Christmas letter

¡Hola!

Well, its another P-Day here, and its hot...again. And there´s humidity...again. But, it´s all good :-) It was another good week in Argentina this week. We got together as a Misison on Monday and had a Christmas celebration with everybody. It was awesome! We had a gift exchange and a talent show as well. I played Carol of the Bells with God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen on the piano. It was so much fun! We ate so much for Christmas, Asado (Beef), Pollo (Chicken), Chancho (Pig), Chinchulin (Pig Intestines), Empanadas, Lingua (Cow Tongue), and other miscellaneous stuff like chips and soda pop. The pig intestines and cow tongue were epecilally delightful. Seriouslly, they were really good. I got the opportunity to talk to my family as well on Christmas Day. On Christmas Eve in Argentina, the people here launch fireworks when it hits midnight. So my companion and I had the opportunity to watch fireworks on Christmas Eve. Not much to report this week, but just know that I love you all and I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! (¡Feliz Navidad y Feliz Año Nuevo!)

Christmas

We got a phone call this afternoon from Garrett. He sounded so good, and it was great to talk to him. Let me see if I can remember some of the things he talked about.

He said that Christmas in Argentina isn't commercialized for Christmas at all. It isn't a big holiday like it is here in the United States. They had dinner with a family on Christmas Eve which is unusual because the members have dinner so late that they can't go to dinner. He had pig intestine and said he liked it. They usually have lunch with the members instead, but last night was a special occasion. Then after dinner they went home got up on the roof of their apartment and watched the fireworks.

His companion is from Columbia and is 24 years old. He speaks very little English, and Garrett has said that he really struggles to understand.

He was calling from the Bishop's office when he talked to us, and he said the Bishops office is the only part of the building that has carpeting because of mold problems.

He said that he has to wear sandals in the shower because the tape worms will get into your skin through the bottoms of your feet. YUCK!

Loves his mission president, and his wife. They take really good of the elders and know of all the elders health issues. They are taking care of Garrett's high blood pressure. Mom is relieved!

There isn't really anything that they are restricted to eat except a kind of herbal tea. Not because it is bad for you, but the people drink it for hours on end, and so since the missionaries can't stay in someones house for longer than an hour they cannot have the tea. He said the people like to talk a lot and are very friendly.

I'm not sure exactly what all these pictures are except his mission president, but he looks like he is enjoying his mission. He loves the gospel, and even though he struggles with the language, he looks forward to learning it well. He says hello to everyone, and please write!

Merry Christmas!

Even thought these pictures were taken at the MTC, I thought they were great!

As most of you know Garrett is in Argentina now, and loving it. I can hardly wait to talk to him this Saturday.

Christmas is not about the gifts, the decorations, Santa Claus, the tree. It is ALL about the Savior. He is the reason for the season!
He gave his life so that we could live again. I'm thankful, and I know Garrett is thankful for his sacrifice for us!

Merry Christmas!

Hey!

Well, another week in Moreno, and it was a good one. Turns out, I lost like 10 pounds since i´ve been in the field. I´m starting to lose it all around my face, yeah! I´m going to come back a skinny handsome man! Haha
Our Ward in Moreno had a Christmas Party last week and it was pretty much the best ward party I have ever been to in my life. I have pictures, but I didn´t know we were going to come to the computers right now. I thought we were going later. I will send them ASAP. During the ward party; the Bishop was playing some music on his computer and it was music in English. Althought the lyrics weren´t the best. But, knowbody understood English so they didn´t know! It was hilarious. He eventually turned it off because he asked me what it meant. Totally hilarious.
Okay, I need to answer some questions. First one, I didn´t come on the computers until now because we had a Christmas Mission Conference this morning in Haedo, which is about an hour by train to the main mission office. We had the opportunity to listen to both the President and his Wife, all in Spanish of course. But, I could understand when they spoke, but everybody else, no way. We had a gift exchange with all 170 missionaries in our mission and it was tons of fun. It was nice to relax a little bit and be spiritually recharged for the week. For lunch we had: Hot Dogs (for those people that never had them before), Asado (which is like a thick steak), Sausage (Delicious), Fruit Salad, a vegetable salad with mayonesa (the people here love mayonesa), juice, and a salad with like lettuce and carrots and a little bit of vinegar. It was delicious. So, yeah we got back at like 6:00pm Argentina time. Its about 7:05 now so sorry for the late letter. We had a talent show where I got to play a special musical number on the piano (God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen plus Carol of the Bells). It went pretty well. Two Elders in my District (Elder Hart and Elder Woodruff) decided to have a Dance-Off during lunch. And the President loved it! He was laughing so hard he was about to fall on the ground laughing.
I did recieve the package from you today. Thank you and I look forward to enjoying it as soon as we get back to the apartment.
I don´t know what time we are calling on the 25th, but be ready for a call anywhere between 6am-12pm that day. Because of the time difference and I don´t know when it´s going to happen.
I got to see my companions from the MTC at the conference today, Elder Alkema and Elder Jones. They are doing well and they are in the same boat I am with Spanish, that is, not a lot of understanding but can speak well.
About the yellow tie in the MTC pictures, I found about 5 ugly ties in the ceiling tiles in the MTC in our residence hall. Every friday, we had ugly tie friday for our zone. But I didn´t follow it much, because I always like to wear a good tie. But this other Elder didn´t have any ugly ties. So, I asked if he wanted to trade one good tie for 5 ulgy ones (because I deserved a reward for my exploration and excavation). He agreed and thus, I have the yellow tie.
During this Christmas season, we need to remember the gift that the Savior gave us. He gave us the opportunity to live with our families forever in the presence of God after we die, clean from sin, and perfectly happy. A plaque in my Mission President´s Office says: "The most important things in life are not things". Remember that as Christmas roles around, accompanied with advertisements, sales, and propaganda surrounding the latest toy or gadget for the holidays. Christmas is a time to celebrate the Birth of our Savior and the life that he lead for us.

¡Hola!

Thanks for sending an email back! It´s so good to hear from you guys.
Know that I love you and I think about you everyday (not that I´m
getting trunky at all, because I´m not) but I still miss you all
terribly. I wish you could all be here with me, because It´s so
beautiful here! Minus the heat of course. The people here are the
nicest you have ever met, well the members are anyway. I have had
Empanadas twice since I got here. It filo dough filled with meat and
sometimes scrambled eggs and other spices and then pan fried. They´re
pretty much the best thing the world. I´m really getting sick of the
cucarach music here, but I guess I will learn to love it, after all,
I´ve still got a while to go. The food here is pretty good, when you
an get it from good places. My first area is a little city called
Moréno, its like Coeur d´Alene compared to Spokane. The people here
are either dirt poor or they do pretty well for themselves. We helped
somebody build a house the other day. Nothing but brick and mortar and
concrete, no insulation. We poured cement and laid bricks, it was
pretty tough work, with the heat and all. We live in a tiny apartment
above a soccer uniform shop. The place is boiling hot during the day,
because the only AC unit we have is in the bedroom. So our bedroom is
nice and cozy while the main room could boil water if you left it out.
Coming out in the field made me realize how bad my Spanish is, but the
members seem to understand cause they smile and give me very kind
looks when I speak. My companion is super nice and helps me a lot. Our
Mission President is pretty much the man. He is the kindest man I have
probably met in my life, and he loves the new missonaries. Plus, its
super nice that he´s from Boston because he speaks English. Mom, don´t worry
about me having money in my account. The exchange rate here is pretty
amazing. I saw a hamburger the other day for one and a helf pesos.
That roughly converts to $0.56. I didn´t get my package yet, but
everybody gets mail here on Tuesday when we have district meeting, so
I may get it on tuesday. Anyway, I´ve got to go so I will talk to you
later. I love you all, and I will see you soon.

Con amor,
Élder Garrett Brighton Rook
Misión Buenos Aires Oeste

Letter December 7th

Hey Everybody!

Well, I made it to Argentina! And its hotter than blazes down here! There are so many people and more dogs! I just wanted to email and say that I am safe and I made it okay. The flight was extremely long and very uneventful. It was a whole 10 hours! Our apartment is something else. Its a two bedroom, the main room is just as hot as it is outside, and the bedroom is fairly cool with a super noisy air conditioner. My new companion is awesome! His name is Elder Cortes, is from Colombia, and he speaks very little English. He is the nicest guy on the planet. We didn´t waste anytime today. We touched down in Buenos Aires and drove to the mission office. We greeted some other new missionaries from all over other Latin countries and got to meet our Mission President. He is so cool and definititely made me feel welcome. Its definitely a whole new world down here and it´ll take me a while to get accostumed to it. But, I´m excited nonetheless. We were walking around getting some errands done and we were contacting people. We met like two nice people out of 15 who were actually courteous to us, at least I could tell by the tone of there voice, because I didn´t know what they were saying :-( Its going to be a very long next couple weeks, but it´ll get better once I know the drill. Anyway, I´ve got to go so I will talk to you later!

¡Vive Argentina!

Élder Garrett Rook

P.S. I will send more pictures once I get more time and I remember to bring my camera :-)

Letter to Mom and Dad

This child has grown up just in the last 2 months! He sounds good, and excited to do the work.

Dear Family,

It's been such an exciting week this week! Just an hour ago; I got my travel plans for Argentina! We leave Salt Lake City at 12:00 p.m. noon on December 6th and arrive in Atlanta, Georgia at 5:33 that same day. We leave Atlanta at 7:35 p.m. and arrive at Buenos Aires at 7:50a.m. on December 7th. I went to the Missionary Mall with my companion because he needed to get some shoes repaired, and I got some free ties! Plus I'm playing a special musical number on Sunday for the entire MTC! It's going to be during a devotional.

I am still printing pictures, so I will send them to you right before I leave. I'll send them home among other things that I don't want to take.

Congratulations to Paige for being accepted to U of I! Work hard and keep your head up!

That is so cool about Dad's job! It makes me so happy to know that things are going well, or are at least is going to go well. Your trip to Italy seriously makes me jealous, but you guys need a break, and they do say that Buenos Aires is the Paris of South America!

So turns out that the church gives me a credit card when I get there, and I can use my card for personal items such as souvenirs and what not.

Gavin, I understand it's going to be hard to be the only one at home, but Paige will only be 2 hours away and I'll be home before you know it. Don't worry... keep your head up and stay busy!

It was so crazy at the temple today! When we were getting dressed before the endowment session, one of the laundry workers came up and asked us, in a very heavy Spanish accent, where I was going on my mission. I said Argentina and he went crazy with excitment and started rambling in Spanish, and I understood him! He said he was from Buenos Aires, and he said the people down there are the best in the world. He also said the Asado (steak) is fantastic. It was so cool! The gift of tongues is real, because I experienced it first hand today!

Sorry for not writing Grandma and Grandpa, I will get a letter to them asap. I also apologize for this letter being late. They shut down the mail service here early and it will be closed on Thursday because of the holiday.

I do see Adam and Kelton also daily here. They both take their language class in the same building as me. Kelton leaves for Italy on Monday.

Well I've got to go! I will write you next week! My second to the last letter before I'm in Argentina! Ahhh!

i Haz lo Justo!

The MTC

Garrett is doing really well. He is loving the MTC. From his letters, we can tell here at home that he is growing by the day. His language skills are coming along as well, but I'm sure as he enters the mission field, he will be saying, could you slow down?

Garrett is standing with his companions in the first picture. He is in a threesome, and seems to be enjoying it. Their names are Elder Alkema, and Elder Jones. I'm not sure where they are from. The second picture is Garrett standing in front of the temple with Adam Thurgood. Even though they aren't going to the same mission, they see each other frequently in the MTC.

Another thing that we noticed in this picture, is Garrett's tie. That tie was not in his suitcase when he left this house. The child hordes ties! He probably traded that day with somebody. Too funny!

At any rate these missionaries look fabulous! They look happy and well adjusted. Missions are so good for children. They grow up so fast, and really learn the gospel. At this Thanksgiving time, I miss him terribly, but I'm so thankful that he has chosen to serve the Lord!

The Last Leg of our Trip

We arrived in Ogden to stay with Aunt Justine and Uncle Blaine. It was a good trip, but we were so glad to get out of the car! We visited with Justine and Blaine and Melissa that evening, and enjoyed a great dinner. The next day we went to temple square and enjoyed the sites. We chatted with a Sister from Argentina. She assured me that the members would take good care of Garrett there. Dad didn't say much. He was fighting back the tears. After this Sister left, Garrett turned to us and said, "Do all the girls look like that?" She was a very pretty girl!

Salt Lake City has sure grown a lot! We took Garrett to Chuck A Rama, a favorite of his. (I think it's because he can eat as much as he wants!) From there we went to Mr. Macs to get Garrett his one last suit. The customer service at that store is amazing! The suit would be delivered to the MTC the following Monday at no charge. Great service!

The next day was the big day! We got up early and finished getting everything together and ate breakfast. Garrett was able to play the piano for the last time before entering the MTC. We had a word of prayer, and the spirit was very strong. We said our good byes, and off we went. First we had to stop at Crown Burger for a huge burger! Then we went to Provo. We spent some time on the temple grounds taking pictures and talking to some missionaries who were very friendly. For Dad and I it was an experience that we really weren't looking forward to, but Garrett was so excited that he said do you think I can check in early? We asked the parking attendant, and he said of course.

As we drove up to the MTC there were a string of missionaries all lined up to help. The spirit again was very strong! I can't even imagine the spirit that dwells in those halls. My heart was pounding as we stopped the car to let our son out. The elder that helped Garrett said, "Don't worry we will take good care of him!" I'm surprised that I didn't break down right then and there. I was saying goodbye to my son! It is such a bittersweet feeling. I know I don't want him to be anywhere else but here, but I will truly miss him. Garrett picked up his bags, and off they went. Garrett didn't look back, and his Dad said that is good. He will be a good missionary because he didn't look back. He will be a dedicated servant to the Lord! I will miss him so much. God Speed Garrett! We love you!

Traveling to Salt Lake

Okay so 3 bags later, 2 years worth of stuff and we didn't even have to sit on the suitcases to get them closed.

We originally were going to just send Garrett on the airplane from Spokane to Salt Lake, but Grandma and Grandpa had other ideas. They wanted to come see us in Post Falls, but Grandpa just can't travel anymore, so we went to them. They were very generous in sending us money so that we could make the trip to see them, and then take Garrett to Salt Lake City.

The trip was wonderful! We left Paige and Gavin at home to fend for themselves. They are old enough right?

We left early on a Friday morning after we had a tearful good-bye, and Paige and Gavin went to school.

We arrived in Boise that afternoon, and enjoyed a reunion with Grandma and Grandpa. It was great to see them, and to feel of their love for us. It was also nice to be back to a city that we once loved. We spent the rest of Friday visiting with them.

Saturday afternoon we went to Uncle Steve's for a huge taco feed. There was so much food! Including corn on the cob and guacamole! Yum! I'm surprised we could move after we left there. It was a total pig out!

Sunday we finished up our visiting and just relaxed. We also had a nice meal which Grandma always has a big spread for us, and had a hard time sleeping. I think we were all anxious. We were up bright and early on Monday, and left for Utah. Thank you so much Grandma and Grandpa for making this trip possible for us. It was great to see you.

Setting Apart September 30, 2010

It's a big job getting a missionary ready to go. We had clothes to buy, places to go, doctors to see.

We went to JC Penneys one day to get his shirts. As we were getting ready to check out and I had 10 white shirts tucked under my arm this couple approaches us, and says you must have a missionary going out. Now in Utah that is a given, but up here in Spokane that was really funny to hear since there aren't very many members up here.

Garrett found everything he needed, and had the money set aside for his needs. That in itself was blessing.

I really enjoyed being with Garrett to help him with finding everything, and really his leaving hadn't really sunk in until this day of being set apart. It affected us all because now we knew he would be leaving soon.

The blessing that Garrett received was so wonderful! The spirt was so strong, and our stake President, President Nichols is such a great man. After the blessing there were lots of tears especially from Gavin. Even though Gavin and Garrett argued constantly, he realized that he would miss Garrett terribly. Garrett was set apart almost 1 week early because we traveled to Boise to see his Grandparents and then on to Salt Lake City.

The Farewell Party!

The farewell went really well at the ward, but we did things just a bit different from the norm. We had a double farewell. There have been so many missionaries leave from our ward that there just wasn't enough Sundays to get them all done before they all needed to leave, so Adam Thurgood, and Garrett shared the 12th of September. It was a beautiful day! We couldn't have asked for better weather! Justine and Blaine came from Utah to enjoy the celebration with us. That was a long way for them to come, and it was so awesome to have them with us. Also Lew, Carol and Cari came over from Spokane.

As you can see in the pictures Garrett fully enjoyed himself. A lot of his friends came to the open house. We had it later that same day at the Thurgood household. Good food, good friends, and a great time. We will always remember that day.

Going to the Temple

Going to the temple is an awesome experience! One that I won't soon forget, even though I can't remember the date that we went. I believe it was sometime in August. It was very warm that day, and the sky was so blue. I remember telling the stake president that I wanted Garrett to go fairly early before his mission, so that we could attend with him often.

We had many join us that day, but the picture shows a family from our ward whose son was also entering the MTC the same day that Garrett did. Adam Thurgood was called to go to the Philippines. Also present were his parents. Daniel who is standing next to Adam is Garrett's best friend Daniel Stuart. He left about 3 weeks before Garrett on his way to Oklahoma. So awesome to have 3 missionaries going out together!

Called To Serve!

Oh my gosh, the letter took forever to reach us! Actually it was only about 2 1/2 weeks, but it about killed us waiting for it! Finally that day arrived and we couldn't hardly stand it! We waited until that evening to open it because we had close friends that we invited over to open it with us.

Elder Rook you have been called to serve in Buenos Aires West mission Argentina for a period of 2 years. (That wasn't the exact words), but you get the idea.

He received his call sometime in Aug, and entered the MTC October 6th. A lot of preparation went into getting him ready, and so that's why it has taken me so long to get this blog going.

Each day I will work on this until I get caught up. Enjoy reading!