Letter #23 . . . lots and lots of service!

Tanner, Elder Kirkham and Chris Winkie

Hey hey friends!

It's been a good week here in Hickory Hills. This week consisted of lots and lots of service: painting rails in the disgusting heat, helping out 4 families that moved in or out of our ward, and lots more fun stuff! This week we also had our first district meeting of the transfer. My comp is the DL, so we have been doing a ton of exchanges as well. It's been tiring, but a good week!

I like the area, it is like right next to my last area... Like a 25 minute drive away. It's a poorer area. But people still aren't very humble.. Haha. Not many people will let us in. My new companion's pretty cool. We work hard and have fun! Funny story . . . we were moving a family into our ward, and they had like 10 kids all under the age of 12. They had a piano there, and I had them name songs and I was playing all of them and they were having seizures on the ground they were so excited. Hahah! It was awesome. Also this week, we had a mini missionary tag along with us for 3 days. His name was Chris Winkie...Haha that name tho... He is leaving on his mission in September. He was a cool guy! He got a 34 on the ACT!

Dang I wish I could've came to the cabin!! That looked so fun in those
pics!! Tennis? Sweet!! Keep them going with that. We play tennis out here
some mornings and it's super fun. I wish I would've played more
growing up. I feel like I'd be pretty good! I miss seeing Claire.
She's getting cuter every single day. How is that even possible?!

Sorry not the longest letter today! I'm running low on time, forgive me! 
Love you all. Keep reading the Book of Mormon! It'll change your life.

I completely agree with my wise friend who once said "This gospel is
so true, it's freaky." - Lauren Ogden

Love you all!

Elder Tanner Townsend

Letter #22 . . . new companion, new area, new apartment!

Hey all!

Tanner and new comp from Alaska, Elder Kirkham!

Transfers were this week. Found out I was leaving Red Bridge, so I said my goodbyes to my fave families, the Niederhausers, the Paces, Christian and Madison Salazar, etc. My new area is the Hickory Hills Ward with Elder Kirkham. It's in the Lenexa Stake in Kansas, in the stake right next to my last one... I like it. It's alright so far. Kind of a tough area. There are a lot more socially different families/people over here, but it's all good. Elder Kirkham is sweet. He lives in Alaska and is a stud. He's a pretty quiet dude, but smart, and awesome and sensitive. He wants to be a Neurosurgeon! Reminds me of Mike your brother, Mom.

We do A TON of service in this area. Lots of people movin' out... Not surprising haha. We did this cool thing called The Lost Sheep Initiative where the ward council splits up, and each group goes and visits a list of members we do not know, to either confirm they don't live there anymore, or talk to them and let them know they are missed at church. That was pretty cool. I have never seen that done in any of my wards from home. First Sunday here was interesting. The ward is pretty different and disinterested. The general attitude is that  they don't want to be there so that's kinda lame. But the ward is sweet, I like it!! There were some cool talks given today. Andy Reid's daughter, and her husband who is the strength and fitness coach of the Chiefs both are in our Ward and spoke today. Andy Reid, the Coach of the Chiefs meets at our ward building . . . his ward overlaps ours! Hopefully we'll meet him 
sometime!

Kansas City Temple

I loved those pics of the parade! Sar, you are LEGIT! Can't believe you've grown that business into what it is now! Claire looked adorable as always. I've watched the video of her saying dada like 100 times, my companion is probably sick of it. Dang Brady!! Sorry your shoulder got jacked. That sounds awful. Love and miss you man! Happy Birthday this week Britton!! Miss you. That seriously blows my mind that you are old enough to date and drive. I remember when I used to change your diapers... Jk. I was flippin dying when I saw that waiter singing to you. I swear I have seen him before!! Pretty sure that same dude did that to me one time... I wish I was there, that was so dang funny...

Today we had Niel L. Anderson of the Quorum of the Twelve come and speak to us! It's funny, he called President super last minute telling him he'd be in the area and wanted to come visit the missionaries as he looks at church history.  According to president, Elder Anderson's phone call to President Vest went a little somethin like this. "Hello President Vest! This is Elder Anderson!" To which President replied, "Umm... Who? I don't know an Elder Anderson!" You see, Pres was confused because he thought it was a missionary calling, and he has no missionaries out here named Elder Anderson... Elder Anderson then said, "President, it's Elder Anderson of the Twelve." Sources say President Vest then allegedly pooped his pants... I was right on the front row! 

There is seriously nothing that brings the spirit more in my life,
than listening to an apostle of the Lord get emotional while he testifies 
of the reality of the Savior. He bore such a strong testimony of the 
truthfulness of the Restoration of this gospel. He said, in tears, how 
special it's going to be when we stand face to face with the Savior, 
and recognize him because we loved him with all of our heart, 
might, mind, and soul, and knew him in mortality... Ahhh so awesome. 
I got to shake his hand. It was super awesome.
 
I'm happy out here. I love the Savior. He is everything to me.
 
Love, Elder Townsend

Letter #21 . . . big changes coming!

(Mom note: sadly, no photos this week) 

Hey all!

Can't believe 5 months is already up! Time flies! Miss you guys!
You're all looking older in the pics you send me! Pretty simple week.
We had a few lessons, played a bunch of Bingo, had dinner at our
investigator Christian's house. They're so awesome. Torrico has 4 days
left, and he can't wait to be home. He's all packed haha!I'm guessing 
I'll stay another transfer. As far as getting a new companion, I'm not sure 
what to think. I'm keeping my expectations pretty low. I'll be fine with 
anyone. I've noticed it is really easy for me to get along with everyone! 
I'm just going to go into it with a clean slate...

Couple days ago, we went and visited this sweet old lady named Patti
Ogara. Torrico got really close with her in his last area. She is RLDS, 
and has an amazing testimony of Christ. She even gave him this amazing,
framed, 70 year old picture of Christ. As we were leaving, Torrico set
his iPad on the car... and we drove away... The iPad fell off the car,
and we couldn't find it. We retraced our route, searched the road, and
never found it. The next day, we called the police and they said some
lady called and reported an iPad she found. So we went and picked it
up! It just had a tiny scratch!! He's so lucky! That's the second time
that's happened.

Can't believe Britt is almost driving and dating... Stud. He's getting
huge. I'll bet he's bigger than me now... And Claire, oh how I miss her
squishy face. Send a bunch of vids of her being cute!! Sar has a
float in the Draper parade?? That's sweet. Wish I could come cheer you 
on! How's your teaching going Sar? How's work Brady?? Park and Lex 
came to visit? Tell them to come visit me next please. I miss them lots. 
Also, you should send me those old home videos!! :)

I'm starting the Book of Mormon again. Before that, I went like a week
without reading it, and in that time I noticed how much harder a
mission gets when I'm not constantly feeling the spirit and the peace
that the truthfulness of this gospel brings. The Book of Mormon is
amazing. I am amazed every time I read it. For everyone looking for an
answer about something in your life, read the Book of Mormon cover to
cover, and I promise you'll get an answer as you read and study what's
in that book!

Love you all!

- Elder Townsend

Letter #20 . . . 4th of July in Kansas City!

Endowment session at the Kansas City Temple! Loved it!

Happy Fourth of July my lovely friends!! Enjoy your parties and fireworks. All fireworks are slightly banned and illegal here. How lame is that... Guess having fun is against the law in Kansas. As for us... Nobody parties harder on Independence Day than the missionaries in the flippen INDEPENDENCE Missouri Mission... #Pun (I've been waiting all year to say that) Transfers are on the 15th, We went downtown today, checked out the World War II museum, and explored the city a bit. Taking some cool pics along the way. One of our favorite families, the Pace's, let us borrow their nice Canon DSLR camera. So y'all betta believe we are having some fun 
with that... :) I will send you those pics 
tomorrow. I miss making videos. 

Kansas City on the 4th of July, 2016

Happy Fourth!

We got to go to the temple with Cecil Short, a recent convert of about
a year this week. Torrico was asked to be his escort for his endowment
session. He started to serve in Cecil's area when he had already made
the decision to be baptized. I loved it. The temple is amazing.
Torrico's leaving in less than two weeks, so we decided to put on a
funeral at district meeting. We went all out. I was a speaker. We have
a video of it but it's too long to send. I'll send a little clip of
it. It was hilarious.  (Here is the little snippet!)

Beautiful Kansas City Temple

That night we went to the church to sync our area books on our iPads. We also went down to Liberty for an appointment, and we went and visited some people Torrico knew in his first area. That was super cool. I loved being out in the beautiful open fields . . . a good change from rich Leawood.

This week we've been meeting with a couple new investigators that are friends of a returned missionary in our ward. One of them, Monica, is a sweetheart and seems genuinely interested. The other is a little more hard hearted and intelligent minded. He seems like it's more of a curiosity, and not a sincere desire to learn. HE GOT A 36 ON THE ACT TEST, AND EVEN SKIPPED A GRADE. Crazy... We also met with Madison and Christian a couple times this week. I love them so much. 

We're doing lots of service as well. We helped a less active move. Remember Renlund's talk this past conference where he says that the further away the person is from the church, the more entitled they feel to immediate assistance from them? Let's just say, this lady was that, times 100. She was so unpleasant to be around, and was not ready to move. So we spent the first three hours packing everything for her. It took all day and she still didn't hesitate to boss us around and be very impatient with us the whole day. She felt very entitled to the free labor of 20 men. Haha It was very frustrating.

Finished Jesus the Christ yesterday. I felt so peaceful as I finished
it. I KNOW without a doubt in my mind, that God the Father and Jesus
Christ appeared to Joseph in the Sacred Grove (which I'm dying to go
back and visit again) and that the fullness of the gospel was restored
by divine power through Joseph Smith. I just know it!!! I know the
Book of Mormon is true. Because I've read it three times, and have
prayed about it, and have felt by far, the most peaceful, happy
moments of my life as I've read it and finished it. I'm so thankful to
be born into this gospel. I'm so excited to show my future kids how
amazing this gospel is as well. I think about that all the time. That
is going to be the most fulfilling thing to see my kids eventually
read the Book of Mormon, and feel the truth of it like I did. It means
so much to me. I love my Savior Jesus Christ.

And I Luvs Youz,
Elder Townsend