Mission Week Fifteen Moquegua

There was a strike in the area where Shaw was emailing us, he had to leave and we didn't get an email this week.  We received a few exchanges and this, "Got to go Power shut off there are huge strikes going on and they are turning the power off! Love you! I am Safe dont worry! Just a lot of angry taxi drivers! LOVE YOU!!!"

 But this letter came through the following day.  So glad it came when it did. 

Dear Tanner Family,

                I would like to tell all of you that I miss you, however, the experiences I have had in my few months here in Peru have helped me grow and learn things that would otherwise be unavailable to me. The Mission has been an opportunity and I hope I can make the most of it!

                The most crucial aspect that almost always results in success is unity. I have learned only through unity in our companionships and our Zones can we find true success. Missionaries work hand in hand with many ward members and church leadership. We all have to trust in one another that we are going to do our part in the work of the salvation of souls.

 6 Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.

 7 And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls.

 

                Dear Tanner Family, These two scriptures have helped me see things in a more broad and eternal spectrum. God does not work in today or tomorrow or yesterday. He works with an eternal purpose in mind and at times we have to wait centuries to see the fruits of our labors. My companion had a recent baptism in his old area. The Recent convert had 87 years the day of her baptism, She met the missionaries at the age of fifteen… after seventy two years of knowing the church she was baptized. The missionaries that had first met this daughter of god would never be able to see her be baptized in this lifetime.  You all too have a part in a plan longer than centuries. You have the opportunity to change someone’s life with something as simple as a smile. This work is grand and marvelous and I earnestly plead with you to pray for opportunities to take part in this work.

                You have many talents and much strength that the world is in dire need of.  One of the most powerful tools you have is your example.  All of us have committed to take upon ourselves the name of Christ this means to follow his example.  When we are following the example of Christ we will easily obtain the unity and drive to have successful families and companionships.  In this time that you all have I invite you to lift one another and you will find yourself being lifted. In this time of bonding and upholding the sacred bond that binds our family together we can find true happiness. I testify that only through apoyando uno al otro, pudemos llegar a ser mas unificado y Nosotros podemos obtener un visión eternamente!

Mission Week Fourteen Moquegua

Its been a week, it has not felt like a week. I feel like the time in my mission is sand slipping through my fingers. Right now we plenty of people to teach but not enough time to teach all of them! We have started to work a little bit more with our Ward council but its a bit hard when your ward mission leader tries to through you under the bus when he has not completed an assignment... It caught me off gaurd, I was suprised and a little offended but we cannot hold grudges. We have been working more with the less actives and part member families and I found that a huge barrier between us and the investigators was a complete lack of relationship. We need to teach and know the doctrine but we also need to listen to those we teach. Elder Guzman has helped me to learn to have patience with our investigators and Less actives. It is amazing to see how much love he has for the people of moquegua. Elder Guzman is a very different companion than Elder Bonilla. I knew more about Elder Guzman in the first few days than I knew about Elder Bonilla in the whole time we were companions. I feel really guilty because I never really knew my companion and its deffinately my fault but I feel like Elder Guzman is my brother! We have been sharing a mormon message about how we can find Jesus christ in our lives no matter what the moment is. I have definately been looking much harder for what my heavenly father wants me to learn from times of difficulties and hardships. Thank you for your time and your advice!

 

Love Elder Tanner

Mission Week Thirteen Moquegua

Here it is

 

Well this week has been a whole new experience with my new companion Elder Guzman. It has only been a week but I feel like we are working harder and more importantly I feel like we are working together. It was quite the change but we have great companionability  and camaraderie. I feel like I am actually making a diference in our investigators lifes. We have been working on finding new ways to present the lessons to some of our investigators whom we have been teaching for a long time. Right now We dont have anyone on the verge of being baptized but I am not letting that get me down. We never will know when heavenly father will drop a prepared investigator or less active right in our way. 

 

Looking back at how much I have changed from when I left my home it is amazing. I was sitting in the gospel doctines class with one of our investigators and realized that I was not straining to understand what the teacher was talking about or teaching. It is amazing to me that in these short four months I have grown so much mentally. I find that my problem solving skills are faster and my reaction time is quicker and even my balance has improved in the mission. 

I have also seen major spiritual growth in my life for some reasons I will get the urge to talk about something completely off topic but it leads to a gospel doctrine that is close to the investigators life. I have a much deeper knowledge of the scriptures too. yesterday our investigator was talking about how she does not understand how everyone can be resurrected and for the first time in my mission I had known exactly where to go in my scriptures because I was already opened to the page! It was Alma explaining to his son what the ressurrection means. 

 

I would like to tell you how much moquegua has changed in my time here. I feel like the entire mentality has changed profoundly. We have become unified and we are working together as the zone of Moquegua.

 

From San Francisco,

 

Elder Tanner

Mission Week Twelve Moquegua

I freaking love moquegua! Before Elder Webb came in we hadnt had a ton of great leadership. It was kind of known for not being the best zone.  We are having more success than we have ever had before and I am glad that I get to be a part of it! We had the most baptisms out of all the zones this change and we are having a change in every single companionship except two i think... Everyone before expected moquegua to be the area where everyone struggled but now its a ton more!!!

 

Its really strange that Elder Bonilla is going to be leaving and I am not sure how to react. I have been told that Elder Guzman is a very hard worker and I look forward to being his companion. Its strange I don´t know how I should feel at this time but I am sure everything will work out fine. We had a pretty hard ward council today. The members are expecting a lot from the missionaries (Which they should) But a lot of times they don't realize the difference that the missionaries make. We are just going to have to work harder and keep on trying to do what's right and keep on improving. 

We had a baptism and good news is Denise is very excited to be a member and her daughter has decided that in due time she wants to be baptized also. Its amazing to see how fast the rock cut from the mountain without hands is consuming the whole earth. 

Also I punched a Doberman Pinscher and all is well! God is always watching over his missionaries!

 

Everyone is saying that Moquegua has a new spirit and sense of pride but thats all for this week! Love you tons mom!