Dangerous, I know ! But hopefully it will be good.

April 8, 2015

Hello everyone and Happy Easter! I hope you have had a good week! We definitely have. Thank you for all the prayers!

First off, thank you so much for the Easter package and all the Easter cards I got! Wow you guys are the best. Seriously I think I'm the most loved missionary out here thanks to you all! I absolutely LOVED all of that package too! Perfect balance! You're the best!! And thank you for all the Easter cards and letters! :) [also I got another letter from the stake presidency and my name is now spelled correct! Wahoo!]

BIBLE JOKES:

1. Who was the best financier in the Bible?

2. What man in the Bible had no parents?  

Sister Smoot is really fun! Something I really wanted and needed right now. She is from Utah and also the middle of 5 kids. She is super pretty and has the cutest clothes. Goodness it makes things hard. I never get to have lazy days because she is always looking so cute! Lame. Anyway, it's good! She doesn't like peanut butter or breakfast..which are like obviously my favorite things ever. She loves junk, which I'm not a big fan of. She loves soda..and I don't drink soda. She hates working out..so we can't go to the gym anymore and therefore we can't see our gym friends :( she is 20, worked before the mission, and has a brother out on a mission and a brother that just got home from a mission. (Her and two of her siblings were adopted and so they are around the same age). she goes home in August and so she wants to work really hard to finish strong which I love. So ya, that's about all I got for Ya! 

Last week at transfers president was telling us how when the new mission president comes they will only spend about an hour together but they aren't allowed to talk about missionaries at all and he won't leave behind any notes or anything for the new president. Then at the end of transfers I was walking back into the chapel as president Morgan was walking out and he stopped me and asked how I was feeling about staying in Monticello and all that and he asked about sister Quackenbush and how she was doing. I explained how work was really picking up her and he said "well bishop Nixon asked me when you are going back to Manhattan" and so I said "Ya president! When am I going back?!?" And he laughed and said "never! Not while im here!" And then I said "okay fine, I'll just tell the new president that I want to die there" and he said "well maybe that will be the only rule I will break! I'll leave him a note and tell him no!" And then he laughed walking away haha I told him he is rude and then he laughed even harder. he thinks he is sooo funny. haha i love president Morgan though! 

The week was roughhh. Our Thursday was awful. Everyone cancelled again! We tracted ALL. DAY. Talk about a rough way for my new comp to start an area, geez embarrassing. But president keeps telling us to work hard no matter what. So that's what we did. We didn't give up. Friday we had an APF with the a Elders. Well I'm the one that has been in this area the longest (but I'm the youngest mission age wise btw) so they asked me to pick where to tract for the APF). So I decided to go to the apartment complex across from the church. I prayed so hard about this area because since its right by the church I knew it had been tracted up and down a thousand times. Being the youngest missionary, I didn't want to lead them to an area that was awful for their first couple days here in Monticello, but I felt it was good. So we tracted 2 hours there and we found quite a few people to teach and so did the elders! It was good. I was very happy that we all had some success there. Definitely an answer to my prayers...but then later it became interesting. One of the guys we talked to for about 15 minutes texted us like 3 hours later and told us he really liked all we taught him and that he wanted to learn more......well it took a turn for the worst when he turned out creepy and didn't stop texting us even when we didn't reply. But he came to conference on Sunday. So we introduced him to the elders to have them teach him. He has really good genuine questions but he is 39 and his wife is 24 and He kept saying to us "man I wish I was twenty..and Mormon!" So that's awkward. He also told us he stopped smoking the day we met him and he isn't sure why. Like he legitimately seems like he wants to know more, it's just a little awkward haha. But then when he was going to meet with the elders he said his wife said no because she like hates Mormons. She has all these misconceptions about us. Anyway so he kept asking if we parties and drank and stuff and then he asked if he could just meet with just us two and we said no and explained how we have to have someone with us and he wouldn't go for it unless it was just us two so we said ya nope and he said he would let us know when he was ready  to learn more. Pretty much he dropped us. Lame. But good cuz he was creepy haha 

Something that happened while Tracting was that we tracted into a Jehovah's Witness! You might be wondering why that is cool, well she was really nice and gave us each a silver Bible of hers! Haha we are going to go back so that we can go to her church with her and in return she will come to ours hopefully. Either way, she was awesome so it's fine.

So did you guys watch Saturday sessions of conference?? Did you hear the people yell to oppose?? That was crazy! Then he said that if someone opposes they need to contact their stake president woww I would hate to be that stake president. I'm not sure how some on can oppose the prophet of God. I mean I guess that prob happens a lot but you normally can't hear it. Another thing I thought was different was that I thought they do the statistical reports Saturday morning not afternoon? Maybe I'm wrong. But also poor president monson, he hardly spoke. He didn't even close the conference with goodbyes. And he only spoke at the beginning of the first session rather than the end. The prophet always speaks at the end of the first session right? Anyway, it was An amazing conference, I think my favorite session altogether was Saturday afternoon, but I really loved Sunday. I don't think I can pick a favorite talk though.  

I loved how a common theme, especially Saturday morning, was families. It's Cool because in February our initiative from our mission president was on families and the family proclamation to the world. President Morgan is just so inspired. He's going to be a general authority one day. 

Sunday morning was weird. I'm not sure if I have ever told you about Susan. If not, let me do so. So Susan is a person that has been coming to church for about a month and a half now. "She" use to be a "he" and it is weird. We aren't sure how she became friends with one of our members but he brings her every week. So before conference she kept following us we decided to talk to her. We asked what she likes to do and she told us she likes to go shopping at Victoria's Secret. She preceded to tell us about a three in one bra she likes there so it got awkward and we asked what else she likes to do. She said she likes to go on yachts with other women to get a tan. Then she said "I'm not a man...person" and oh my goodness was it awk. Then she started talking about this cake that was in the kitchen and she said "I'm the girl that jumps out of the cake!" Awkward. So ya, that's monticello for ya.

The rest of the week was good. People cancelled so much this week. Yesterday everyone cancelled so that was lame. We have been Tracting more than I ever have in a week I swear. And we have done a ton of less active and potential lookups. It's been good though! We have a lot of fun while Tracting. We took sister hsieh with us for like two hours and had her contact people and it was hilarious. She would always introduce herself and say she is from Taiwan and people would just laugh haha it was cute though. It's a lot of fun Tracting with someone, so if you ever have time, go tract with the missionaries. They would love it. Afterwards we asked her if she liked it and she said "no, that was not fun. Nobody wants to accept the gospel. It's so sad." Haha she is great. 

Yesterday we were suppose to have language study with the elders but they cancelled so we did language study with the hsiehs and taught them text lingo and it was hilarious. We taught them everything, old stuff and newer stuff, things Like btw, lol, ttyl, brb, nvm, np, jk, bae, rofl, ty, l8r, all that kind of stuff. It was hilarious. They are the greatest. 

Today we are having lunch at the hsiehs and then sister Smoot is going to cut my hair! Yep, i am going to let her touch my hair with scissors. Dangerous, I know! But hopefully it will be good. 

ANSWERS:

1. Noah. He floated his stock [animals] while the whole world was in liquidation.

2. Joshua, the son of Nun. 

I love this scripture..."Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you” (John 15:13–14). IF we WANT to be his friend, we have to follow his commandments. I don't know about you but I sure want to be Christ's friend. He is the best listener, He gives us comfort, He knows exactly how we feel, He died for us, He was resurrected for us, He loves us. All we have to do is get to know HIM. He knows us perfectly, he knows how to help us when we are sad. He knows what makes us happy, what better friend is there than that? So it's up to us to choose to be His friend by keeping the commandments and doing what we are suppose to. 

I know that this gospel is true. I know that each of us have a specific purpose here. We are each a piece of a puzzle and every trial we have is its own piece just as elder pino said in conference. I know that families are of God and that we will be able to live together for time and all eternity and not at "death do we part." I am so thankful for the chance that we had to hear from the prophet and apostles and other leaders of God. Conference is the best. We are so lucky to have such a loving Heavenly Father who ensures that we are guided in the right direction. 

I hope you all have a good week! I love you so much! Xoxox

Love, 

Sister Tanner <3