Letter #19 from Tan . . . tons of cool peeps out here!

EldersTorrico, Townsend and Amosa!

Hola!

We had a good week! We were on foot this week . . but we get the car back today. It's hard to do much work without a car because we live in the middle of the rich no-proselyting  area, so to even do anything we need to walk like 30 minutes out of the neighborhood! It has gotten so hot recently. Members are saying it's going to be a nasty summer because it usually never gets so hot and humid so early. So those two extra shirts you sent will come in handy. :) They fit perfect by the way.

There's a ton of cool peeps out here. We have an awesome zone. The zone leaders Heinrichson and Odland are some of our best buds out here. We hang with them a lot. We have a large majority of the missionaries going home this transfer in our zone so everyone is trunky haha! Torrico is ready to go home, but he's hanging in there.

This week we had interviews with President and Sister Vest. It went
great. They're pretty cool! They have a year left. This week was stake
conference. Our stake president is so awesome. Missionaries share
notes with each other throughout the mission from conversations with
him! He really understands the gospel. We also did some service this
week. There was a fishing fundraiser at the local park. There were
like 100 sets of father-son fishing duos, and they had 30 minutes to
catch the most fish! We were the judges and just wore red vests and
counted the fish! We have a missionary Zach Jones that just returned
home from the Las Vegas mission. He has a friend named Monica that
came to his open house. He introduced us and she agreed to take the
lessons! We taught the restoration and she is super ready to read the 
Book of Mormon and learn more!

Downtown Kansas City

Finished the Book of Mormon for the second time out on my mission, and third time total. I've been reading a lot of Jesus The Christ too. I love that book so much. Yesterday I read 100 pages haha! I'm on page 575! I also have been reading a lot about John Tanner and his awesome conversion story. Missionaries love him, and the video the church made for him. The fact that he's my fifth great grandfather makes me a celeb
here haha. Missionaries these days.

Much luvs, loved hearin' about the fam. I love getting updates on all
you guys! :)

- Elder Townsend

PS I need more Claire vids!!

* Note from Mardi, Tanner's Mom: Our ward has been asking for a photo of Tanner to put on his mission plaque hanging on the wall of our ward. These first 3 shots are Tanner getting a couple shots for me! :) His arms are filling out! He doesn't have twiggy arms anymore!

Tanner with a little meat on his bones!

How's this one for the mission plaque? :)

Awesome sunsets . . .

And awesome views!

A little modeling fun? :)

Beautiful!

Letter #18 . . . short letter but doing great!

Hey hey!

Crazy that it's been four months! Weeks fly by, days are super long.
:) Sounds like the fam is doin  good. Miss y'all. That vid of Claire singing
is amazing!! Hahaha so cute. Send me more! Love hearing about all my
bros.

Our investigator, Ray decided to push his baptism date back a few
months. He prays about it and feels like that's best. He is so
awesome. He's not changing the date because he's not sure if he wants
to be baptized. He is 100 percent sure he wants to but his family is
strongly opposed, and he wants to soften their hearts so it doesn't
create tension in the family. He said he wants to try to convert them
so he will probably be baptized in October like Christian.

Recently returned missionary Zach with Tan and Elder Torrico!

This week we had Elder James Hamula of the Seventy come and speak to us. It was super cool. He talked a lot about repentance, and how it means to turn. I felt way ahead. Dad, you've already taught me the same concepts he was teaching! Haha. He said how repentance is not
just for sinners, but it should be an everyday thing for everyone. Everyday we should evaluate where we are, and turn back to God.

We got our housing situation all figured out. We are moving out July 15th, which is the same day as transfers, to some nice apartments about twenty blocks north. It'll be so nice to be in our own apartment.  I'm guessing I'll stay one more transfer here.

With Elder Hinrichsen, June 2016

I just started Ether in the Book of Mormon. I'm just loving it more and more as I read it more often. I'm going to try to read it as many times as I can on my mission! Short letter today. I'm doing great.

Love y'all.

- Tan

Letter #17 . . . baptisms coming soon, BOOM!

Dear All,

P-day a week or two ago at the church! 

This week two of our investigators have committed to baptism! The first was Christian Salazar whose fiancé is Madison Alston. His date is one week after their wedding in October. We have taught him all 5 lessons. He loves the church, and the missionaries, and the Book of Mormon. It has changed him. He is so happy now. Our second guy's name is Ray Brandley. He is 18 years old. He has a friend in our ward who is about to leave on a mission. He was taught about the gospel and loved it, but his parents were totally against him learning about the Mormon church. But he turned 18, and so we've met with him a few times. He has read to Alma in the Book of Mormon, knows that it's true, and said he is 95 percent sure he wants to be baptized. So  the next time we taught him, we asked him to be baptized July 2nd, and he asked if he can do it a week earlier than that. BOOM! So that feels really good.

A little silly fun at zone meeting!

This week we worked super hard. Things are good. Sounds like the family is growin' up and stuff! I'm guessing I will probably stay another transfer or two here in Redbridge. We are moving out of Redbridge at the middle of July. I'm super excited about that.  I loved reading about how everyone's doing. I miss y'all so much. I'm so jealous you got to see Jeffrey R. Holland speak!!! He is amazing.

Hope you guys know, I'm happy out here. It is very tough at times but I am happy out here. There are a lot of missionaries in our zone that want to go home from the mission but I'm going to stay. My testimony is being continually strengthened. I am in Helaman 5 of the Book of Mormon. It is so amazing. It is even more amazing seeing an investigator is being changed by it. I love you all, I'm sorry I don't have as much time today.

- Tan

A little more seriousness at Zone meeting, June 2016 :)

Letter #16 . . . this gospel is so magically delicious!

Hola!! 

Hope all of my fam and friends are having a good day today! I miss you guys. Loved reading that last letter. This week has been good. I have a simple letter today! I just wanted to tell you all how I feel extremely blessed to have this gospel. Lately I've been studying the Book of Mormon a lot. Now hold on, don't tune me out yet!! I know how many times you've heard people talk about that book. I know at home, when people shared their testimony of it, I would start to tune them out because I'd heard it so many times. About a year back, I had a hard time even reading through missionary letters like this. Their confidence and faith in a book that I didn't have much faith or confidence in was very intimidating. But folks... I encourage you to not take my word for it, but read it and find out for yourself. Even if you've already read it, read it again, or for the first time if you haven't read it. Test it. I promise you. Your life will change. It's amazing how much more I'm getting out of it this time than I did last time I read it. I'm at Alma 38 right now. I love that book more and more every day. 

 

June, 2016 with a newly returned missionary from his area!

Yesterday was fast and testimony meeting. I had a huge prompting to go up and bear my testimony. Usually I would choose to brush aside a prompting like that. Talking in front of a congregation is scary!! Throughout my life, it's always been easier to just retreat and avoid the prompting so that I wouldn't have to experience anything out of my comfort zone. But this time, for some reason it was so easy to do. I felt like the least I could do for my Savior is testify of my feelings toward the Book of Mormon, and the ways it's continuing to change my life. I didn't know what I was going to say, but I followed the prompting and went for it. I shared about how hard, stressful, and anxiety inducing my life can be at times, and how challenging a mission becomes when the spirit is gone. But, I went on to talk about how every single time I ignore my stubborn natural man, and just open the scriptures and read, the truthfulness of that book rids me all of my worry, and gives me peace. I got pretty choked up talking about those times, because all too often I am too stubborn to simply just look to him, but every single time I do, I immediately feel that peace that comes from the Savior. I can feel it getting easier to overcome my natural man the more I do it. 

Too often I'll find myself stressing and getting anxious about all that's happening in my life. Lately I've been learning how much happier life becomes when I am in that spirit. My hardest times here, and in life in general are simply when I'm not in the spirit. That's it. It's the base of all of my problems. Too often I forget that joy and peace from Christ I've once felt. Lately I have been recognizing when the Spirit is gone, and praying and reading the Book of Mormon in hopes to feel at peace again. Every single time I do that, I immediately feel content again. It's brought a lot of peace to my life as I've learned to put my trust in God, realizing he has a plan for me, and knows better than me what I need. I've just found personally, If I'm always striving to get back to that spirit of conversion I've felt, I'll end up where I need to be in life. Period. No need to stress about the future. I'm getting better and better at that, and I can honestly see the Lord blessing me with comfort and patience to be able to endure my trials and infirmities as I am sincerely trying my best to come close to him.

One of my favorite scriptures is Alma 31: 38. I'm starting to understand what it truly means when it says, "And the Lord provided for them that they should hunger not, neither should they thirst; yea, and he also gave them strength, that they should suffer no manner of afflictions, save it were swallowed up in the joy of Christ. . ." We have all been given a specific allotment in this life. Because of that, we are always going to have trials and afflictions to pass through, that will never change. There will always be unfair, unexpected opposition in all things. But the joy of this gospel, and the joy of Jesus Christ have been mercifully given to us to partake of as freely as we choose to. We can choose to take advantage of it and become sanctified, or not. That joy swallows up our afflictions and provides a way to feel peace in any situation. Life doesn't have to be full of excess anxiety, worry, and fear. If Christ's atonement wasn't infinite, life would ultimately have to consist of that, and we would have no other choice but to rely on ourselves to get through our trials, and continue not feeling content in our lives. But Christ suffered an infinite atonement, so that we can experience peace and joy, regardless of the circumstance. I know that's true. I'm seeing myself being changed by it. 

Those are just some thoughts that have been on my mind. This gospel is so magically delicious. Just like #LuckyCharms. 

Love you all! 

- Elder Townsend 

Week #15 . . . kittens, guitar and driving!

Hey all!

It was a good week! I miss you guys!! Miss hanging out with my brothas. Mom, I haven't got the package yet... Did you send it to 517 Walnut Street as the address? It'll come eventually! Sounds like you guys are doing good. You guys are going to be so old and stuff by the time I get home it's crazayyyy!! Sarah and Brady will probs have a squishy Claire #2. Jake will be married to the girl of his dreams, with three kids (at least.) Britt will be drivin like crazy, and will have already been on 10x the amount of dates I ever went on. Spen will have pit hair, and unlike me, he'll start to get all the girls because of his voice. Haha still waiting for that to happen.. Josh will be in middle school, have 3 girlfriends, AND be in the NBA and NFL... Looking forward to seeing all that... ;)
 

Tanner and Elder Torrico at a member's house

Had dinner with Madison and Christian Salazar this week, he's one of our investigators I've talked about. He is progressing amazingly and wants to be baptized, but their wedding isn't till October. They are living together.. So he has to wait to be married to be baptized. So that will be awesome!! Hopefully I could stay here another transfer so I could work with them, The Clardys, and Shawn Chestnut and a couple other peeps some more.

We have transfers coming up this week. I hope I stay with Torrico, he's awesome. We get along so well and make each other laugh pretty hard haha. He's crazy, he ran a marathon on the treadmill the other day hahah!! Since he's the district leader, we had to do exchanges with the whole district this transfer. They're fun sometimes. This week I went to Ottawa, a super small town like an hour away with Elder Fili. I drove for the first time out here that day. I love drivin, it was great. Elder Fili'moe'ulie is his full name... Haha He's this Tongan dude, barely speaks English, and he's freaking crazy. I'll send some videos of us 'singing!' ;) Elder Fili was singing my song I did for last years EFY Strength of Youth Album all day, it was so funny. So he brought it up at our dinner at the member's house, and I sang my song with their guitar. (Click here to play the EFY song with guitar!) 
 

It was the first time I played guitar in almost four months, and it felt like I hadn't been away for a second! It immediately came back. I thought I would forget and get rusty because I have an awful memory. Haha but it turns out, for me at least, playing piano and guitar has nothing to do with memorization, and seems to be one of the ONLY things not affected by my bad memory. It's engraved in my brain. It's become a part of me, and I think being away from it, and not playing it as often has engraved it even deeper. When I sit down and play, I don't have to consciously think about it at all anymore, it's awesome! 

Playing with kittens!

Fun thing this week, we played with like 10 little kittens at this member's house. It was amazing. I don't like cats. But kittens... Different story. This week I've been making up some songs in my free time. I want to come home and record an album of songs I've written out here. That'd be schweeet. Another thing we had to do this week, Elder Torrico had to take a mandatory math accuplacer test out here to place him in a math class for school, because his ACT expired and he starts school 3 days after he gets back. He paid fifty bucks, he took a three hour test, and his test results just said 'No Placement' because he didn't even get a good enough score to be graded... Haha my goodness, I hate school!

Soooo I think we will be at the Moore's for a while. It's a weird situation. We randomly got a call from the housing coordinator about moving us into a new house, right after sister Moore freaked out at us for forgetting to lock the doors on a few occasions. After that call, we thought she was done with us, and we let her know we will find a new place asap. Then she acted like she knew nothing about it, idk I don't really believe her. But I love it here, and am grateful to be here... We'll see if I stay next transfer!

Love you all! Send me more squishy vids of Claire being squishy please! She's just getting cuter and cuter . . how is that even possible?! 

- Elder Townsend