{So, ReLeASE DatE}

Henries!

So, release date. I´m almost positive that my plane going home will be early morning the first thursday of november. November third i believe :) Can´t believe that the baby still has been born! What´s going on?? Yesterday we saw a lady going into the hospital to have her baby haha pretty intense experience. I´m excited for you J Dub and Jessi. We went to the hospital yesterday because Elder Morris, my last companion, got HIT BY A CAR! It was insane. He was just really sore but didn´t break anything. His companion, Elder Cobba, broke his wrist and had a gnarley goose egg on his forehead. It was pretty fun though because he´s such a happy laid back missionary that we were just messing around with him in the hospital. Just glad nothing too serious happened. I guess they were at an intersection and a car t boned a big truck and the truck hit them and sent Elder Morris flying and threw Elder Cobba into a wall. We gave Elder Cobba a blessing and when president got there we left. Kind of a crazy story that i´m sure they will be happy to tell to there families!

This week was great! Thursday night we went to the airport to pick up Hermana Ward with the entire zone of Tocumen. It was really great...we had a banner for her and a bunch of roses. She seemed a little sad to have left her family...again, but it is good to have her back in the mission. I think it would be hard for President to do things alone here. I really admire them as a couple...they are super happy and really keep the attitude of the mission super high.

Ooh...I have a great story about this kid named Dani. We took some senior missionaries, the Harrop´s. to visit the familia Perez with us, and there was this kid named Dani. He´s 18, really smart, skater, and has a tough family situation. I started to talk to him about my own family and showed him a picture of us. He told me that he admired how optimistic I was about life and that he wanted to feel that way. He said that he really wants to believe in God and have a happy family. So I asked him some questions to help him think about his relationship with God and shared some scriptures from the Book of Mormon. It was good to just see a sort of light click in his mind as we were talking. Honestly it was one of the best conversations I´ve had on the mission. I felt super grateful for the Spirit and for the chance to talk to this kid that really needed help in that moment. I love him a lot. The familia Perez came to church yesterday! Well, everyone but the mom. The husband is set on his decision to get baptized but the mom is taking more time. Usually it´s the other way around.

That reminds me of an experience we had yesterday. As we were waiting outside the hospital we saw an ambulance pull up and they took out an older lady who had had a stroke or something. We saw her daughter come out crying and looking really worried. I saw the grandson inside and he looked scared and sad and I wanted to talk to him. Right as we were leaving we saw the whole family sitting outside on the curb. So we went up and started talking to them. We just sat down with them and showed them love more than anything. I really feel like it´s not what we say that helps people, but what they can feel from us. They seemed a lot more calm after we had said a prayer and gotten up to leave. They are a good family and will be a good reference for the missionaries in Arraiján.

There are lots of other stories to tell...I have had lots of good experiences with Elder Laidler. He´s an awesome missionary. This morning we got up to go run across El Puente de las Américas, a bridge over the Panama Canal. Elder Dangerfield and his comp, elder Gomez came with us. Yes, I live with Elder Dangerfield, my MTC comp! I think I forgot to tell you that.

Well fam, I love you all. I am really happy in this area. The people are humble and happy. I feel like they are family. There´s this lady named Iris that calls me her son, and she cooks AWESOME food and gives us TONS of references. I love the members here. As we were driving back from the bridge this morning, I realized how grateful I am to be in Panama. It really has become a home to me. Matt Palmer wrote me and said he wants to go back to Japan haha. I´m worried that I will feel the same way about Panama. I know I´ll feel the same way.

I love you all!

Love,

Elder Henrie

ps the familia Salinas gets sealed soon!!! I can´t WAIT! And José Remice already has the Melchisedek priesthood (I have NO idea how to spell that anymore, is that right?) and he and his wife are enjoying their callings. I also heard that Ceferino, from Bocas del Toro, is getting ready to serve a mission! The work is worth it :)

{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

{J-DuB & JeSSi}

That's so unbelievable that J-Dub and Jessi are getting married today! I wish you both the best of luck...I hope everything goes well. Tell the extended family I say hello! I hope your week has been awesome because mine was...

Tell Grammy and Grandpa Turley that they have no idea how amazing those caramel things are! My zone is loving them! And tell uncle tom i loved his letter and he should be expected one from me soon...and tell will jensen that i got his letter as well and that i'll be writing him asap! So this week has definitely been pretty crazy. Everything is in Spanish now...all of our classes...the lessons we teach...basically any time we are wearing our ties haha

And our branch president asked me and elder Dangerfield to serve as zone leaders until we leave for Panama...basically we're here to welcome "nuevos" and take care of zone activities, plan sacrament meetings, ya know. It's going to be sweet because we have such a cool zone! It's kind of like starting over at the MTC though...i felt like I had no idea what was going on for the first little while-no i still feel that way.

I have to tell you that I've never thought about our James as much as I've thought about him here. It's not that I've been missing him but I just can't stop thinking about him and the work he's doing. I'm starting to realize how hard he's working I think. I'm so grateful for the knowledge that we'll see him again. The fact that he passed away makes lesson 2 in Preach My Gospel much more meaningful to me. I haven't doubted for one day that we would see each other again. I know he's been with us a lot more than we realize. When I read D&C 138...it's probably one of the greatest sections of scipture in the standard works.

Oh speaking of which...yesterday I opened up the Book of Mormon for personal study, and then I stopped to write down a question. I wrote "what can I do to better fulfill this new assignment?" or something like that, and than I turned back to my scriptures and suddenly every scripture was talking about leadership-amazing! I think it was 2 Nephi 5:18 or somethin around there.

So last Saturday we went to the TRC again and we challenged our investigator to be baptized. Even though they are just volunteers (a lot of the people there have served missions) it's still kind of crazy extending someone an invitation to be baptized. Oh and he accepted no worries.

Dad...you got an iphone. I'm proud of you. You're gonna be all mac when I get home! Then you'll be able to keep up with mom. Thanks for that part of Elder Gonzalez's talk about the Book of Mormon it's way awesome!

Oh I forgot to tell you...there's an elder in our room (Elder Huckaby) whose mom was pregnant but she just had a miscarriage yesterday. He's having a way rough time with it but he's staying stong. I absolutely love him. And he didn't know his mom was pregnant until he got out here in the mission field...he was so excited about it...it's pretty rough.

Well fam i'm running out of time here. I love you all! Send my love to all of our family members! J-Dub, Jess, I'm way happy for you two! I hope everything is incredible today! I'll be in the temple today to! How sweet is that?! I love you all so much!

Hey lib- Take care of Marsh-man after j-dub moves out. Keep him in line! Love you!

Much love,
Elder Tanner

{Me AnD JaMeS}

hey fam!

This week has been great! Haven't heard from you yet but I hope your week was as good as mine. There was this teacher who came in to our class a few nights ago who went to Panama and he wanted to talk to us about it. It sounds like such an awesome place! J-Dub he said he knows you...he went to Brighton i think the same time you did. His name is Brother Oswald...related to Tressa Oswald. Anyway he talked a lot about the people and the culture there and I'm way excited. Apparently the people in Panama City are really diverse.

I hope planning for the wedding is going well, eh? A week from today right? That's nuts! I wish I could be there but I'm busy having an awesome time learning Spanish/the gospel. A bunch of the elders in our zone are leaving next week for Argentina/DR/i don't know where else but i'm pretty sad about it they're way cool.

I don't know if you heard but Elder Holland is coming to talk with us on Thanksgiving! I can't wait to listen to him talk he's always so intense. We've had some really great speakers so far in the devotionals.

So I heard from Evan and Nate and they are both having good missions. Evan's mission is pretty crazy...he said there's a lot of anti-mormon people where he's at and that missionaries are constantly going home because of anxiety. It sounds really tough but he's enjoying it a lot and says it's flying by.

My schedule is crazy i'm still not used to waking up early. Sunday we have breakfast at seven...study until nine...priesthood meeting from 9:10-10:00, study time until lunch at 11:30, sacrament from 12:30-1:30, District meeting from 1:40-2:30, Temple walk till dinner at 4:15, Study time and then a fireside at 7:00 and then we get to walk church movies haha. Mondays it's breakfast and then class from 730-1005, gym until 1105, lunch at 1130, class until 430, dinner until 515, and then class until nine.Tuesdays p day and then every other day is just about the same as monday with gym at different times.

I've been really enjoying Preach My Gospel, it is the best for planning lessons and teaching. Elder Dangerfield and I talked to a guy at the RC last night named Shane who had just moved to Utah. He was so awesome. He wanted to learn more about the Mormon church because he said he "missed jesus". We had a great chat with him.

Well family, I love you all! I've only got a few minutes left. Mom, Dad, J-Dub, Jessi, Marsh, Lib, Tucker, Abbey I love you guys...and James of course. But I feel like me and James are doing the same work right now. I think it's D&C 138 that talks about missionary work for the dead and as I was reading it I knew that's what James was up to. I'm really glad that i've got that knowledge of being able to see him again because everything else kind of just falls into place around it.

Much love,
Elder Tanner

{It'S CraZy HeRe!}

Hey Family!

Sorry I don't have a lot of time to write letters... it's crazy here! Marshman I hope your back is feelin' better for basketball tryouts. You're so lucky to be teaching the Austins, they're the coolest! And sister Grant is way nice too.

I sometimes forget which questions I have and have not answered so I apologize. I wrote you an e-mail today but I got your letter afterward.

Elder Dangerfield has four brothers and one little sister. His two older brothers both went on Spanish speaking missions. And he played soccer for the majority of his life... even into college at Utah State the past year. He's a way awesome companion-- we're working really hard on being unified in teaching.

I wanted to tell you of another sweet experience I had today in the RC. A man named Gregory called me from Texas to confirm a delivery of the Bible to his house. I started talking to him about religion... he had been baptized into the Church of Christ when he was 10 and just need[ed] a new bible because his old one was so worn out. I then asked him if I could send missionaries to his house and he agreed. Then I got to bear my testimony about how God loves him and knows everything going on in his life. He got pretty choked up and I told him to enjoy his meeting with the representatives of our church. Awesome experience! There's a lot of anti-mormons and atheists and such that you talk to in the RC but then there are also a lot of people who are interested. So tell me what Libby talked on in Primary! I'm sure she definitely was not weaksauce. Tell Tucker I love him!

Love,

Elder Tanner

P.S. I'll send a card with some photos with this letter, but I haven't backed them up so I hope they get to you. There are some pictures under my bed that I forgot. I would love it if you would send them back with the card. Thanks!

This drawing was at the bottom of his letter:

And here is the reply from J.W. & Marshall: (With a bit of photoshop work by J.W.)

Elder Tan Man,

We received your letter with accompanying drawing. I know you are drawing Marshall's muscles from memory, but in the time you've been gone, he's actually been working out quite a bit. He's on a diet where he eats nothing but BodyFortress protein powder (dry!) and drinks straight motor oil. It has added considerably to his physique. Love,

The Fam

{I'Ve AlReaDy GaiNed SeVen PouNDS}

Hey family!

Thanks so much for all the letters and the package! I've been loving the food and so has my district. This week has been way awesome...last night we went to the RC...Referral Center or something like that (Everything has an acronym here it's annoying). And my companion and I got to chat with this girl named Tiffany...she told us that her mother had passed away from cancer recently and she wanted to know whether or not she would see her again. It was hard to see someone who really didn't know what life was going to be like after this but it made me way excited to share the gospel with her. So we were able to share with her about the Atonement and what life is like after this. She felt like her mother had drank herself to death and was going to hell for basically committing suicide. We didn't have long to talk to her but we got her email and we're going to send an email to her today and hopefully set up another time to chat! I can't wait!

The temple was amazing last Tuesday with all the missionaries...this whole week has been sweet! I'm starting to get used to the schedule now...although six thirty is still way to early to be awake. The food here is so good...don't even worry i've already gained seven pounds (solid muscle of course because we work out every day for fifty minutes and then at night again). Sorry I haven't written you more than just the one letter and the email last week...it's been way busy. You did get the email though right? I hope i entered the address correctly :)

Dad...with regards to your questions:
1. Yeah we get mail every day...our district leader picks it up. (and ps it's definitely cool if you call me elder tanman haha it would be weird if you didn't)
2. I did get the letters you sent so thank you so much they've been really helpful
3. I got the package and it basically saved my life!
4. I could probably send back Jesus the Christ if you want to send me that other copy...
5. I was thinking Alma 29:9 for the missionary plaque scripture
6. I did get the ATM card so all I need is the pin. Oh and i got the yellow fever vaccination form so gracias!

Seriously thank you everyone for all the letters...they've been so great keep the mail comin'!

I love you all and I hope you have an awesome week!

Much love,

Elder Tanner

Tanner & Alex in the MTC (from Germaine)

Alex, Bruno, & Tanner in the MTC (From Germaine)

{A MiSSioN iS HarD WorK}

Hola familia!

How is everything going?! These first few days at the mtc have been so amazing! The only thing i have to complain about is getting up early...and that's not all that bad. We've been so busy I can't even believe it! All those people that told me going on a mission was hard work should have told me that going on a mission is hard work. We have breakfast at 7:30 every day lots of class...an hour of personal study, comp. study, and then language study. Spanish is coming along...not really but it will. Our lunch is at 11:30 and then more class until dinner at 4:30. And then some more class. We get 50 minutes of gym time every day it's amazing! I'm going to be so good at sand volleyball by the end of these two months. Actually the field is closed soon but it's all good.

Thank you so much for all the letters they really boosted my week haha. Mail is a big thing here apparently so thanks! I loved all of the advice you all gave me and scriptures and such. Please keep writing frequently!

My companero is Elder Dangerfield...i know, sweet name, huh? He lives up to it too he's such an awesome Elder. Last night i went to the ER with him because the MTC doc thought he could have had appendicitis...or however you spell it. But he's good, just a viral infection or something in his stomach. And all the other elders of our district are the coolest guys ever...we were talking a few days ago when our district leader, elder Black, said he felt like we were all familiar to him...everyone said they had been feeling the same way. I know God knows what he's doing when he puts companionships and districts together.

You won't believe who I saw in the lunch room yesterday...Elder Lima! Yeah, Bruno Lima from elementary school, he's going to Cambodia. And Alex Billany just happened to be there at the same time so we got a picture of the three of us...so awesome. I never thought I would be with the two of them, and what are the chances we'd meet in the MTC?! I see Alex a lot and a lot of other elders from high school. I'm actually really surprised...

So far Sunday was the best day yet in the mtc. We got to go up to the Provo temple and just walk around... no obligations to be anywhere or do anything...it was really strange. Probably the most relaxing hour of my life. I heard someone define the MTC as "the hardest fun" they had ever had...so true. I absolutely love it here. The spirit is so strong in all of the elders in my district and i already feel so close to all of them. Our zone leaders just took off today to Argentina and Chicago. I was really bummed about that because they were so amazing. Another one of the elders that left today lives just down the street from us...elder Glade Snyder. He's so great...last night he came into our room and talked to us for a while. He got us really excited to do missionary work here.

H.S.I. Hablar su idioma...we have to speak our language as much as possible throughout the day here...it's sweet but with such a limited knowledge of spanish i can pretty much say "Open your mouth please", pray, and bear mi testimonio. I'm really feeling sorry for Matt that he has to learn Japanese hahaha

Oh and i kind of forgot a few things...
1. T-shirts (the u of u shirt, harvard shirt, and for sure the pray for panama shirt)
2. socks, just white ankle socks
3. possibly my yellow fever card and passport if you already didn;t send them to SLC
4. addresses... if you can find the addresses of any of my friends somehow that would be sweet. or have them send it to me on dearelder...my mailbox number is 321

Well family, i love you all. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world right now. There's nothing more satisfying than this work. Studying the gospel every day is so uplifting. That wonderful feeling of the spirit is pretty much 24/7 here...and my teachers, Hermano Anderson and Hermano Crapo, are the best. They know so much about the Gospel and how to teach it. Tell Libby I've been showing every single person her picture and how incredible she is. sorry i'm out of time...I love you all! Have an incredible week!

Elder Tanner