{The AiRPorT}

Tanner called us from the Atlanta airport! It was so wonderful to talk to him. Because his gum graft was unsuccessful, and the tooth was not anchored into any bone, it was decided on December 23rd to just pull the tooth. The periodontist also grafted some bone into his jaw, and re-did the gum graft. This way, he won't have to worry about his tooth needing a root canal. The periodontist anchored the top part of his tooth to his permanent retainer, but told us that it would likely not remain there long, and that he would most likely end up with a lower gaping hole in place of his front tooth. We will have a dental implant put in when he returns. He was so happy, a bit restless, and VERY excited to get on the plane to Panama. He said that he LOVED the MTC. Actually, he said that it was the best two months of his life!!! We love him so much. It was a bit painful to talk to him, as I know that I won't be able to hear his voice until Mother's Day... but he is on his way, and so happy to be where he is!!!

{I feLT so MuCH loVE foR HiM}

Hola!

Esta es mi ultimo P-Day! It's crazy that we're leaving in a week. Dad I really enjoyed your talk...I wish I could have been there to hear it but I know you did great! Christmas season is going really well here. Our Christmas tree dominates all the others...it looks good. I'm excited for all the sweet gifts so thank you so much...but I'm even more excited to celebrate the true spirit of Christmas here at the MTC. The Spirit has been amazing here.

So...it turns out the gum surgery wasn't very successful by the look of things right now. After Dr. Bailey took the stitches out the graft slipped down a ways. We went the next day to get it checked out and he said that was about as good as it would get. But over the next couple of days it gradually just fell away and now it looks about the same as it does before I had the surgery. But i'm going in tomorrow to get it checked out. Oh and i'm going to need a tooth implant when I get home because he said i've had pretty much 100% bone loss. I'm doing all I can to take care of it though.

Anyway, last night in the RC one of the Elders in our district called someone who didn't really speak english and he couldn't understand him. So he asked me if I wanted to try to talk to him and we talked for about forty minutes. ps nobody was answering phone calls for me for about the first forty minutes or they would just hang up. So this man's name is Martin. He had been going through some really tough times. He's been a member of the church for nine years...but he has been having problems with his girlfriend right now. She's not a member and her parents are really hardcore presbyterian. Anyway he told me she's pregnant and they want to move in together.

I talked to him for a while about the law of chastity and about trying to make it to church when possible (he lives thirty minutes away and doesn't have a car). He used to be an alcoholic too. He was so grateful for our talk and after about half an hour he asked me to pray for him. It was a really powerful experience for me. I sent him and his girlfriend copies of the book of mormon in spanish...and I'm praying that he will have a good christmas. His girlfriend hasn't talked to him for a while and he just kept telling me how hard things were going right now. I felt so much love for him. it was hard to get off the phone.

That was pretty much the best experience of the week. So...flight plans. We leave here at like four in the maldruga next tuesday (way early). We fly to Georgia at seven and then have a five hour layover in the Atlanta airport. Then we head to Panama and get there around 9:40 pm! I can't wait! I'm so excited to meet the Panamanios!

Oh and remember that I'm not calling on Christmas...but I'll have some time to write you (which is way better!). And i'm writing each of you letters today so I hope they get to you by Christmas! I love you all! Seriously thank you so much for all the love and prayers. Tell people if I don't write them back that I'm really sorry...but tell the Putnams thanks for the cookies they're way better than the galletas here at the MTC.

I don't know if i'll have time to write our grandparents today which makes me really sad so tell them THANK YOU for all the delicious sweets. And tell grammy i am indeed brushing my teeth.

I hope all is well with the Henrie's...know that I took mom's advice and I'm not "wasting time being homesick"...but that doesn't mean I don't love you. I pray for you daily. Have the best Christmas ever because I know I will! Feliz Navidad! Para siempre Dios esté con vos!

Con mucho amor,
Elder Tanner

PS give tuck a hug for me...and abbster too. hasta luego!

{ChRiStMaS DaY}

Hey Family! It is Christmas Day... finally! This morning was so awesome. We have the biggest pile of food I've ever seen in our room right now... I'll send pictures. And Papa Noel stopped by as well-- I'll send you pictures of that, too. We had a great time going around and opening presents and having a crazy fiesta this morning. I love the camera and the printer so muchas gracias! Our district is excited to be able to print pictures.

Last night we had a really great Christmas devotional. I got to sing "Still, Still, Still" & "O Come All Ye Faithful" with that missionary choir with 32 elders it was fun. And some of the Hermanas sang, "O, Holy Night"... it was the most incredible thing I've ever heard. And there were a few conversion stories shared. And at the end they talked about the gift of Christ. It was a very powerful devotional.

Right now I'm sitting in the Christmas morning devotional! A couple days ago Elder Anderson of the Quorum of the Twelve came to talk to us and I think we'll see another apostle today. Whoever comes it's going to be so amazing!

This is the first time I really thought about what Christmas is all about. Being in the MTC we're constantly thinking about Christ, teaching about Christ, and trying to be more like Him. Last night we were going to teach the nuevos a lesson... but we dicided to all sing "Noche de Luz" (Silent Night) together. And then we told them not to worry about their families and to think about Christ... not themselves during this time. It was a good experience.

Elder L. Tom Perry just finished talking to us about a lot of different testimonies of Christ and his birth in the scriptures. He and his family ate lunch with us afterward. I didn't get a chance to talk to him, but it was still really neat. We are going to watch a talent show this afternoon and I can't wait for that.

Well family, I hope your Christmas is great... and Happy New Year! I love you all so much!! FELIZ NAVIDAD!

Much Love,

Elder Tanner

PS We get to Georgia at 12:18 pm... our flight from SLC is at 7:00 AM I think (12/29) --So I'll call you around 3:00 PM UT time. If it's different I'll try and let you know. And if this letter gets to you after the 29th-- I'll figure it out :)

{FuN HerE aT ThE MtC}

*Tanner wrote each of us a letter for Christmas. We each LOVED getting our own letters! Here's what he said:

Dear Padre,

Hey dad! Thank you so much for all of the talks. I really did enjoy the talk you gave in church. It made me think about all the different blessings I take for granted in my life. One of the biggest ones right now is the opportunity to serve a mission.

I really do love it here. I'll miss the MTC but I'm excited to get out and talk to people. I'm sitting next to some elders right now from Mexico. It's so fun to listen to even though it's tough to understand. Oh, I forgot to tell you... one of the counselors in the branch presidency was a mission president in Taiwan, I'm pretty sure somewhere around 79-82. His name is Brother Baker & he's incredible.

Well... I hope you have an incredible Christmas this year. Our district is going to have a great time! I love you! iy estay ilusionade por Panama!

Con Amour,

Elder Tanman

Dear Madre,

Wow this is exciting! I can't believe my time is almost up here at the MTC. It flew by! And this Christmas weed has been absolutely incredible. This week is our "teaching week" at the MTC--- which means we don't have nearly as much class time. We have a lot of time to set up appointments and teach lessons. It's amazing! Not to mention we get to sing in the Christmas

Eve devotional in a choir of 32 elders. Four elders in our zone are doing it... I'm excited!

I just wanted to share with you how grateful I am for the encouragement and help you've given me while I've been here. The phrase "Keep the Faith" has stuck with me ever since you sent it to me a few weeks ago. That's something one of the counselors int the brach presidency really emphasizes a lot--- except he always says "stay the course".

I love you mom. Thank you for teaching me the gospel as I grew up. I know that there are some Elders/ Hermanas here who don't have supportive families & I'm grateful that I do.

Don't ever worry about me here... life is great! Some days can be tough, but that just makes the good days better.

Merry Christmas!

Con mucho amour,

Elder Tanner

J-Dub-DEEZY,

?Como esta hermano? I just sent a sweet email... but I only had 3 seconds left so the end might not make sense. I wanted to tell you that I know you're gonna be jealous because of all the seafood I'll be chowin' down on in Panama next week! Mmmm.

I'm Kind of worried that I'm going to mix up the words for "fish" & "sin" though. Fish is "pescado", sin is "pecado". I just know I'm gonna say "Me gusta los pecados ". I like sins. Ha!

Anyway, just wanted to wish you FELIZ NAVIDAD!, Eh?

I'm having a sweet time in the MTC. It's way fun here... especially when you're really busy. I'm hoping we have some good speakers. Me and some of the other elders are going to sing for the Christmas Eve devotional on Thursday it should be sweet!

How's everything going? How's the new place/life/school, etc.?

I love you a lot! Merry Christmas!

Con amor,

Elder Tanner

Jess! Hola!

So I'm kinda jealous that I still haven't heard you sing. I think I remember my mom saying they watched you sing in church recently... that's awesome. How's everything going with the new life?
We've had a lot of lessons this Christmas time about charity. It really gets me thinking about things I can change about myself. I really liked the Christmas devotional message this year from President Monson. So many teachers in the MTC have been focusing on this subject.
It makes me really excited to serve the people of Panama! I've been absolutely loving the Spanish language... it's always fun to talk to Native Spanish speakers -- but they talk soooo... fast! Anyway, just wanted to wish you a merry Christmas. I hope you remember what Christmas is about this year. Being at the MTC makes me think about it with a totally new perspective.
Sorry this is so short, but you know that time is like on the mission. Feliz Navidad!
Con Amor,
Elder Tanner

MARSHMAN!

Hola Hermano! Qur bay de nuevo? What's new? I think that literally translates to: "What there is of new?" I heard about your game with those Butler chumps. Don't worry about...after you grow just a couple more inches you'll be able to slam it over there (sp) heads!

So I hope you're as excited for Christmas as Libby is. I can't wait for Christmas! Hopefully one of the apo'stoles will come to talk to us. We had two come Thanksgiving week... it was nuts!

Cool experience this past week- we taught a lesson to a volunteer named Daniella last week and it was so powerful... not because we're good teachers but because the Spirit was so strong. I'm so excited to teach the people in Panama about God's plan for them.

Enjoy the spirit of Christmas and have charity for everyone. I love you a lot bro. Work hard in school... listen to mom. And enjoy life!

Con Amor,

Elder Tanner

LIBSTER!

How ya' doin' sis? I hope you are having an amazing Christmas! I can't tell you how excited I am to open those sweet presents that you sent me! They're sitting under the tree right now.

I hope you enjoy the stickers I sent. Make sure you share them with everyone! The ones that say"Soy una hiija da Dios" mean "I am a daughter of God".

I'm sure Santa has brought you some really great gifts this year. Just so you know... I still tell every missionary about you all the time. They love hearing about you, and all the crazy stuff we do. I've been having so much fun here at the MTC! It's not quite the same without you every day but I love it here.

Well Libs... I just wanted to wish you a very Merry Christmas! Feliz Navidad! I love you so much!

Con Amor,

Elder Tanner

{EvERY DaY I PraY fOr YoU}

*Note... I re-typed this. Since I don't speak spanish, & since Tanner writes reaaaalllly small, there might be a few words that are lost in translation! Erin

Hey y'all!

Sorry the e-mail was so short and this letter has to be kinda short, too. But I don't have the bishop's address so I was hoping you could deliver the other enclosed letter to him! Gracias!

Estoy agrodecido por mi familia. Coda dio yo oro para ustedas. Estay muy agradecido por el evangelio restaurado. Y tambien por la oportunidad de tenor uno familia eterna. Gracias por sus cartas, oraciones, y su amor. Recuerdan, guardon las mendamientos para recibar felizidad! Os amo mucho!

I am grateful for my family. Every day I pray for you. I am very grateful for the restored gospel. And also for the opportunity to have an eternal family. Thank you for your letters, prayers, and your love. Remember, keep the commandments to be happy. I love you all alot!

Con amor,

Elder Tanner

{I LoVe ThE SpAniSH LaNGuaGE}

Hey fam!

K so i accidently deleted my email so i'm going to try to send you another one real quick sorry.

Dad that story about you falling on the driveway was pretty funny..haha. But i'm glad you're not hurt. And I can actually totally see it happening.

This week has been really great. I spoke with a man named Rolando on the phone yesterday and it turns out that Rolando doesn't speak any English...so I attempted to help him out with getting a Spanish bible in my limited Spanish. (luckily he was a member so he was very patient with me)

And I talked with another man in Spanish in the temple last week! It was sweet. I love the Spanish language it's so beautiful!

Libster I'm sorry you're not feeling well...I hope your sniffles are cleared up soon...I'll be praying for you don't worry. And i'm jealous that you get a Christmas tree in your room! Not fair!

Luckily I haven't had to deal with any sickness really but a lot of the elders in our district are pretty sick. I got the swine flu shot and took a round of tamaflu.

it's been chilly here but luckily I've got James' coat to keep me warm..i'll be sending that back soon along with some containers that had the food in them.

That's awesome that J Dub is doing biomed. now! Good luck with that brother! I hope you enjoy your classes and do really well in them. Ps did you get the email?

If you get a chance to send me any pair of jeans that you think would fit that would be sweet, i've been doing service in my dry clean only pants that I accidently washed. oops.

I'm lovin it here! One of my teachers, Hermano Crapo, is leaving on wednesday so we only get one more class with him i'm pretty sad about that. He's had a huge impact on my life in the past few short weeks.

Sorry this email's so short...i lost the other one. I love you all more than you know and I pray for you every day! Para siempre Dios este con Vos!

Con amor,
Elder Tanner

{It MaDe EVerYthiNG WorTh iT}

Hey Henries!

Que hay?! So this week was a little more difficult not being able to talk and everything...but I still had a great time. Thanks so much for sending me those letters from the other missionaries! It's so good to hear from them. I'll write for that next week don't let me forget. Oh, and I forgot...you did send my passport to the SLC travel offices right? wouldn't that be sweet if I left and ended up not having a passport haha. Sounds like Christmas is going great there...i'm really excited for Christmas here. It will be an awesome experience being able to hang out with our district on Christmas they're amazing.

The surgery went really well...Elder Dangerfield gave me a blessing and I've really had no pain whatsoever. And I can still eat pretty well, which is all that matters. Today I'm going in at ten thirty to have it checked up on....and then once a week until I leave. So leaving the MTC has been a pretty routine thing now.

Last Tuesday was pretty rough though...I wasn't happy with not being able to talk/smile. And I couldn't pray out loud, sing, eat all that much, it was no fun. But I realized that thinking about myself all week would make it tough and it's been good since then. I got a letter from Hermano Fogg the day after surgery and he told me that at the wedding he said my mom and dad both were so happy. He said he felt like you were finally at peace with James. I got the strongest feeling that that was true...and that's the happiest I've been at the MTC so far. It made everything worth it. I realized that the blessings we receive from serving missions aren't possible to number. I receive more and more blessings every day. This place is amazing. When we sing hymns at mission conferences or devotionals...I feel like there are more than just missionaries singing here. And every time you go to class you learn sooooo much. I love it here!

I hope everything is going well. I love being here. Dad thanks for teaching me to work...I'm really starting to see how important work is in life. My perspective has really changed a lot since being here. I've realized that the only thing that matters for us is returning to live with God, and having an eternal family.

Thank you for everything family! Marsh...i heard you took over the cell phone. That's ok as long as you stay shorter than me. I love you brother. You're awesome...make sure you go to seminary so you don't have to memorize nine thousand scriptures a day when you're here like me.

Libster...I love you. Mom, thanks for all the morning chats about the Gospel before work. It's made a huge difference.

J-Dub and Jess I might have to write you snail mail I'm runnin' short on time.

I love you all!

Con el amor,
Elder Tanner

Post note: Here is the letter from Brother Fogg to Tanner:

30 November 2009

Dear Elder:

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving in the MTC. Our family enjoyed getting a letter from you and everyone keeps saying they need to write you, but despite the good intentions, this letter may have to suffice for now.

Anyway, we just wanted to let you know that we think and speak of you often, and we hope that all is well with you. From my experience, the MTC is a wonderful staging area to better prepare missionaries to be conversant in both the language of the spirit and the language of your mission. Enjoy the moment – it goes by too quickly, but the memories last forever.

It was fun to see your family at JW’s wedding reception. He and his bride looked so handsome/beautiful and happy to be newly weds. While standing in line, we all enjoyed watching the side presentation, which had sides of all the brothers growing up together – good times. More importantly, I felt that your mother and father were finally at peace with the loss of James and truly were happy for the first time in a long time. Perhaps you already sensed this when you were in the temple together with your family, but it was not apparent to us until seeing them at the reception. Your parents are certainly proud of their children, particularly of you and your decision to serve a full-time mission.

You will notice an enclosed a copy of my talk that I gave in sacrament meeting on 22 November. Parents from the four senior missionaries (Bishop Brewster, Brother Reghr, Sister Heiner, and me) spoke about their missionaries and principles of the Gospel taught by them through their missionary service. Thought you may like to read some of the excerpts taken from Eric’s email that were shared.

Well, we want you to know that we love you and are proud of your decisions in life that have lead you to where you are now, and that you are involved with a great work that will forever change for good not only your life, but the lives of many whom you will associate with while serving in Panama.

Know that you may be away for a season, but that you are always in our thoughts and prayers. Study hard and serve well.

Brother Fogg

{It'S WhaT MakEs Our CHurcH DiFFerEnT}

Familia!

I swear every week just gets better...i'm so glad the wedding went well and I hope J-Dub and Jessi are having a great time. It sounds like it was a lot of fun. That's hilarious that they choreographed a disco dance...definitely sounds like them haha. I've pretty much been busy out of my mind. Last night I woke up at 12:30 thinking it was time to get ready. So I got out of bed, prayed, got in the shower, and then Elder Dangerfield comes in: "Elder, it's 12:30" ...not a good moment but it was pretty funny. I haven't been sleeping a lot here, but Elder Dangerfield and my roommates gave me a blessing and I'm honestly doing much better. I have hardly been tired at all since that blessing.

That's cool that you got to give a blessing this week dad. I'm starting to realize how important the priesthood really is. It's what makes our church different. Last night in the RC I was talking with a lady named Shirley on the phone...she was a 70 year old Catholic and probably the sweetest lady I've ever talked to. She wanted to know what made our church different. I told her about the priesthood and she said "oh, like the pope?" I had to explain to her that it wasn't like that. I taught her the first vision and the Joseph Smith story...taught her the first vision, and read her Moroni's promise. She was incredible. She just kept saying "I'm looking for something more in my life" can't tell you how good that makes you feel. One good phone call makes up for a night of getting hung up on haha.

After I talked to Shirley I called a lady named Linda. 27 years old, and loved hearing anything about Christ. I was able to talk to her for a while about the difference this Gospel has made in my life. And than I sent the missionaries to her house (Shirley didn't want missionaries to come over). Linda said she's been attending church and the best thing I've ever heard was "I know everything you're saying is true." Oh man! Definitely a good night.

I like what you said about all the general conference talks and how the theme is centered on love. Love, charity that is, is the only way to do missionary work. The moment you start thinking about yourself it gets pretty tough. Just so you all know I've been thinking about you...not homesick, but I just love telling people during lessons how this Gospel has blessed my family. Some of the best moments in lessons come when I get to talk about my family or when Elder Dangerfield talks about his.

So yesterday, we didn't speak any English (for the most part, I cheated a couple times) it's so ridiculous. I'm just glad Spanish isn't Mandarin. How's everyone doin' at home? Marsh have you taken over the entire bachelor pad yet? It's pretty nice, eh? Lib, are you dominating the violin and loving preschool? Oh, and Libby you should be expecting some mail soon...just sayin' :)

That reminds me, our district sang Te Necesito Si (I Need Thee Every Hour) on Sunday for the musical number. That's been my favorite hymn for a while and I love it in Spanish. I sang the first verse solo it was a little scary. But we had this elder named Elder Cannon play violin with us. He started Suzuki when he was four and he's so amazing! It was way fun.

Let's see...I guess i'm havin surgery today. Don't worry dad I'll ask lots of questions. It's during the time that we go to the temple which is kind of a bummer but it's all good. And we've got ten nuevos coming in tomorrow. Eight of them are going to Mexico and two to Peru! I'm way excited to meet them (even though i won't be able to talk to them haha). Oh, and our zone is dropping like flies. I think there's four or five in quaranteen right now it's no bueno.

I love you all and I hope you have an amazing week. I pray for you every day

Love,
Elder Tanner