Mission Week Twentytwo Moquegua/San Francisco

In little words: This week has been hard but a good one. Two days we left and we only we could only find two people to teach but those two lessons were fantastic. We also had divisions with our district leaders. Elder Turnblom and I were able to find many of the investigators who had been eluding us for quite some time. Eliodoro shared with us his feelings and he told us that he could not say that he did not have the ability to go to church and that he needed to make changes so he could go every week! It was amazing to see how one of our investigators can see the importance of going to church. One thing that many of the less actives here struggle with... Our Ward council did a 180 this week! They are really focused in the families but before it was dificult to plan with them but this week we planned with the spirit! In every aspect of the mission the Holy Ghost is crucial! I have realized that without it I really cannot do anything let alone talk. Our Zone Conference was amazing and Elder Guzman and I have been thinking about potiential, and how we have unlimited potential how much more we have to achieve. Excuses exist but when it comes down to it is our determination versus the devils and we decide who will win. I am looking forward to the multi zone conference in tacna with anticipation. 

 

In detail: This week we had an activity with the primary, We went to the streets and contacted people, It was good to see a recent convert Nilda talking to people left and right! We had about 80 missionaries that day! Some young and some old but everyone worked together to tell everyone the blessings that they could recieve through the blessings of the gospel. I was suprised and that at the end of the activity I was asked to give my testimony! I did not think much of it and that the kids would be distracted... I got up to the pulpit and it was intimidating to see 80 little pairs of eyes staring right at me. I remembered the look of a childs eyes as she her brother and her mom were running away from an abusive situation. Eyes that looked up to me like I was some kind of super hero. I remember how I used to look at the missionaries when I was little. It made me think... What more can I do to be the superhero that these kids deserve, these eighty kids who were going to be missionaries. It touched my heart and I started to cry but quickly regained myself and started testifying sobre los cosas que son mas importantes en este vida. Que nosotros necesitamos los bendiciones del evangelio! Realmente Ellos son el futuro del evangelio. Les amo mucho siempre voy a recordarlos!

 El siguiente Día Fuimos a la casa de Nilda Y la encontremos haciendo un cometa Grandote! La ayudamos terminarlo y fuimos a volear lo. (Lo siento for the spanish) We took her giant kite up to the big hill close to her house and it took to the air. We talked about the holy ghost and how he is like wind we cant see him but we know he is hear because we can feel his presence. Just then we saw an investigator whom we had been searching for! Eliodoro he shared that he was still very interested and wanted to learn more and we are going to ask him if he would like to get baptized in the near future and start preparing him! We have been running into so many people that we have not been able to find before. Elder Turnblom and I left the room with two lessons that we planned ahead of time and the lord blessed us for having faith and he guided us to people that were in dire need of finding us! My message for you all this week is follow the promptings of god whole heartedly, he will bless you and you will always be able to see the path that you have walked after the trial of your faith. The Lord will guide your footsteps one at a time and you will find yourself walking strange new paths and you will learn that you can always trust in the lord! I have a testimony of the guidance of the lord! He is here and he will always find something that we can do if we take the time to listen.

Elder Tanner

The kite is also another lesson we can teach! This kite is amazing. It represents the imagination of a child and the lack of pride, the humility and diligence of Nilda! Nilda lives in a poorer part of san fancisco. you can see the houses behind Elder Turnblom and I, They are not much more that wood with a tin roof. Many children live here and they are some of the happiest I have ever seen! They do not have grass or televisions, a lot of them don't have running water and they have to wait for their turn to receive their water from a hose but they are always extremely happy. This kite is made from nothing but recycled from broken wooden fences and walls. They use plastic garbage sacks and what yarn they can find... its amazing to see the ingenuity of all these little kids.

Mission Week Twenty One Moquegua

After spending a good amount of time recuperating, Elder Guzman and I have hit the pavement hard! Now covering two areas our number of investigators has DOUBLED and the amount of walking has been trippled! We have been Focusing more on Reactivating the members who already exist because our number of investigators has been starting to grow smaller but we are asking all the People we teach if we can visist their friends and family! One of those families is the familia Vargas! They are all going to church and avoiding classes on sundays to keep the sabbath day open for church activities! We gave the names of Elizabeth and Lucio to be considered to be called ward missionaries! They will definately help in the work of the lord!

 The other day we were walking in the street and we found fifty centimos in the street and we used it to buy oreos! It is just one of the millions of blessings that i have recieved every day in the mission. Look for the small mercies of the lord every day!

Lastly a little bit of scripture study from today!

 5 Yea, and I know that good and evil have come before all men; he that knoweth not good from evil is blameless; but he that knoweth good and evil, to him it is given according to his desires, whether he desireth good or evil, life or death, joy or remorse of conscience.

 6 Now, seeing that I know these things, why should I desire more than to perform the work to which I have been called?

 7 Why should I desire that I were an angel, that I could speak unto all the ends of the earth?

 8 For behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word, yea, in wisdom, all that he seeth fit that they should have; therefore we see that the Lord doth counsel in wisdom, according to that which is just and true.

 9 I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy.

we all have a part to play in the lords grand and marvelous work! Ask the lord what is your part!

Mission Week Twenty Moquegua

This Week has not been the most productive week We have had... My Companion and I have been taking turns being sick with the flu and more. Although we didn't have much time to leave and teach we had a lot of time to study the gospel! I was able to read a good portion of the Book of Mormon and sharpen up my Spanish! I realized How much being out Teaching helps with your testimony! It was much harder to keep the spiritual growth that I was having before when I was able to leave the room. The Blessings from the mission are huge and they are not easily won. It takes a ton of obedience and patience. I know that these two years will not be easy at times they will not be fun but they will be the best two years for my life!

 

 

Mission Week Eighteen Moquegua/San Francisco

My area is new! Also I am moving to my new room soon but the good/bad news is that The zone leaders Left sanfrancisco 2 and no one is coming to replace them!!! MY NEW AREA IS SANFRANCISCO MOQUEGUA!!!!! ITS HUGE AND THERE A LOTS OF PEOPLE AND I AM SCARED!!!

 

Today is the first day of the last transfer that I have in moquegua. This transfer has made an unusual amount of change in the mission and its a little hard to adjust to, We have completely new leaders and the only person that is here from my first change is Hermana Sanchez. With new transfers we have new challenges. In this transfer all of our district leaders and zone leaders left including Elder Webb and Elder Mackay. We shared a pension with them and spent a good amount of time together everyday. They Left Our zone of San Francisco and no one is coming to replace them. The area of Elder Guzman and I has now doubled in size and with that size comes many more investigators, and members. We are not sure how we are going to be able work with it all, but we will figure it out soon. More than anything it has been extremely lonely in San Francisco, Elder Webb and Elder Mackay were not only extremely excellent leaders but very close friends. I was looking at all the photos that Elder Webb had on his camera and I found it extremely funny that he had all of my time on the mission in his camera with photos from all the major events I have had in the mission. I can´t describe how much they have helped me in the five first months of the mission. Right now I am looking forward to the new challenges! The number one strength for me right now is Elder Guzman! I could trust him with absolutely everything and he is very calm and collected and never runs out of patience. I learned from him that many of the latinos in the mission don´t have proper grammer, actually its quite the abhorrence to him. Good news for me studied history and languages before the mission and his spanish is amazing. We always remember to work hard with a smile on our face and we will continue to do so until the day that they decide to send me somewhere else(Approximately 1.5 months) but until then i will be here! SAN FRAN MOQUEGUA!! CIAO!

 

 

Mission Week Seventeen Moquegua

This week was a little bit slow but Sunday came and dropped blessings like rain! The missionaries have been working with a Sister in our ward for about a year now and she has been going to church but she has a person who she is living with and they are not married. we had just gotten back from the church when we recieved a call from the young womans president saying that we needed to come to the church. This investigator had asked to talk to the bishop of the ward and told him that she was ready to move on in her spirtiual journey with or without her partner and that she needed to be baptized and soon! It was amazing and then we talked to a father of a recent convert who is going through a similar challange but He has seen the blessings in his daughters lifes and he wants the same for himself and his two oldest children!

Needless to say the Field is white in San Francisco Moquegua but its up to us to get to work! 

Mission Week Sixteen Moquegua

I have had a fairly tough week  but I am looking forward to the challenges of the mission. We only have so much time in the mission, only so much time to grow. I have always noticed a huge difference in the people who come back from their missions. At times I ask myself "am I changing the way the lordwould want me to change?" I have been taking a lot of things for granted on the mission. I give thanks in my prayers but I feel like I can still do more. It has helped motivate me during the hard times. I have never been the best at anything but I am giving my best to the lord.

 

I want to tell you how much Elder Guzman has helped me a lot in this change together that we have had and I still absolutely love Moquegua. Elder Guzman told me I was probably going to leave this change after you told me that I had accumulated some time here in Moquegua. I would be sad to leave but willing to go wherever I am needed.

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!