In a forum like this, it is generally a good idea to READ a thread to see if it already contains the answer you are looking for.
If you are having the disappearing contacts problem, then most likely you need the answer in post #3 above.
Here is a direct link.
http://androidcommunity.com/forums/67126-post3.html
Regarding getting your initial set of contacts into the phone, it is probably easiest if you are able to get the contacts on your computer, and then import them into your gmail account.