Letter #50 . . . . . the work is picking up here in Maryville! (Adam-ondi-Ahman)

Hey fam and everybody!! 

Hope life is good!

Adam-ondi-Ahman

Highlights of the week . . . we had Interviews with President, then went to Adam Ondi Ahman! We had a worldwide missionary Broadcast and some of the Twelve taught us how to be better missionaries, and they changed some of the missionary morning schedule to help us be more effective. :) I love those men. They're flippen awesome.

I went on an exchange with my first companion, Elder Amosa! We sang lots of songs and found an awesome new investigator in our area named Taylor! She is 16 and is the friend of one of the youth in our ward. She was so happy to see us. She said she has been waiting for us to come back because she wants to take the discussions!! The work is picking up here in Maryville!
 

I miss the fam! Spence is just like me, I was his same size at his age.The boys look like they're getting big! Josh, that vid mom sent of you driving in with your left hand and laying it up is insane!! I never got THAT good!! I've showed a ton of missionaries that vid... 


I've started reading the Book of Mormon again, and I am amazed every single time I read some of it. That book is true, and I'm so thankful to have it. It brings me so much peace.


Love you all,
- Tan

Letter #49 . . . bacon and eggs for every meal?!

Hey fam!

Life is good out here in Maryville. We're visiting a lot of less actives and we just heard our ward is like 70% inactive. We're trying our best to bring some people back to church! 

Yesterday we played "Come Thou Fount" in Sacrament . . Me on piano, Griffiths on cello! It was super awesome. I'll try to send you a recording of it! Here is the link . . click here!

Griffiths is a pal. He's so dang funny. We get along super great.

Other stuff this week . . . we talked to some people in the Amish
community. We have one of the few all Amish little towns in the US in
our ward boundaries! Click here to see Amish sighting

We had bacon and eggs like 4 times this week at member's homes
because there was some rumor that got out that that's all we like.....?
Haha I'm fine with it.

District meeting

We volunteer at the ministry center a few times a week. It's like a little thrift/grocery store for struggling families. We met some really nice old people from a bunch of different churches and they were super nice and all would gather around us asking questions about our missions. It was so interesting and impressive to them that missionaries drop everything for two years and serve the Lord! It was a cool experience.

Griffiths got 2 baseball mitts, so we play catch for exercise in the mornings! It's been fun, I miss baseball! Griffiths is playing pitcher at Dixie when he gets home.

I've been reading a lot about the life of Gordon B. Hinckley. He's one
amazing dude, I've learned I need to be more positive and focus on
the virtue and good in people, and not the flaws and imperfections.

Much luv,

Tan

Letter #48 . . . it's as cold as the Grinch's heart!

Hey fam bam and everybody! 
 
Why yes, it is cold as the Grinch's heart out here in Missouri. 
Church was cancelled in our stake more than 24 hours earlier
because of the nasty forecast that said there was going to be super
bad freezing rain. I've never heard a storm more hyped up than this
one, everyone is talking about it! 

A little basketball on p-day! (video at the bottom of post)

We've been in contact with Abi, the girlfriend of the bishop's son. She wants to learn more but lives so far away . . it's been tough. Especially because the weather has been rough.. So we're hoping things will work out and we'll be able to teach her! 

We've been working with less actives a lot. Like 60% of the ward is less active. There's a lot of nice people we've gotten to meet. We drove a little over an hour to the very tip of our area, like the VERY top left of Missouri, to a little town called Rockport, with a few hundred people in it! It borders Nebraska and Iowa!! There are some less actives over there we were able to visit who hadn't had a visit from anyone from the church for 15+ years.... :/ you'd think a ward this small would have an easier time reaching out to everyone. But when only 3 percent of the ward home teaches, it makes it a little interesting!

That's fun you got to go out with the missionaries momma! I wish I
would've went out more with the Elders! Too bad I tried to avoid them
like the plague.. Now as a missionary, I know what it feels like... :)
Britt, you seem like quite the catch these days! Lemme know how those
dances go. Write me beebs, I'd love to hear from you personally again!
I wanna hear the deets of this bowling team, and who you're hanging
with these days, and who you're liking and all that jazz. Hahaha
that's the sweetest thing ever you guys started a bowling team, lemme
know if you beat my high score 146. :)

Heyyyy we got a cello that we're borrowing. Griffiths and I are going
to play Come Thou Fount in Sacrament this week! It's been fun jamming
with him, he's pretty good!! I surprisingly don't play the piano we
have in our apartment all that much, but it's still so nice being able
to have that as an outlet when I need it. I've also been getting back
in to drawing. I've been drawing a lion on my iPad that's pretty
sweet. I'll send it when I'm Done!

Grams passed away exactly a year ago? Wow, I miss her lots. I think 
about her all the time, especially when I listen to Sleeping at Last! I bet
she's loving it up there in heaven! :)

Much luv,

Tan

PS. Claire is such a cutie. She keeps getting cuter and cuter!! My
comp loves watching videos of her too. Send more more more!

Elder Griffiths after making a full court shot! 

PSS. Here is a video of us on p-day playing basketball at a rec center . .  
click this link: Two Dunks! :)

Letter #47 . . . saved millions, town heroes now! :)

Hey fam bam!

Playin' the Banjitar!

Sounds like the weather's pretty nasty over there! We've had a few snowstorms, but I'm keepin' pretty warm tho, except for the day it gone down to -12! We have a full time car. Our area is the biggest in the entire mission. It takes 2 hours to drive from one end of our area to the other!! We out in the middle of nowhere hahaha. I like it tho. Our ward is struggling. They had like 8 super solid families move to Utah. So now there is an increase of not-so-solid people filling in all the callings. :/ But it's fun being in such a small ward!

Some highlights of the week: our bishop's son brought his girlfriend to church, she's 16 and is super nice! She loved church and loves being there! The Bishop's wife invited us over to their house for cookies that night, and she was there. We are going to start teaching her the lessons! So excited! Other cool thangs.. I just barely had some way yummy Filipino food at a member's house, and I got to play a Banjitar (banjo/guitar) at another members house who is the lead singer in a country band (pictures below!) It's been sweet. I've 
been able to play a lot of piano and stuff for members. Makes things fun! 
Yesterday I played "Everything" by Michael Buble at the request of 
Bishop's wife. She thought it was awesome! They are seriously the 
coolest family. Mom, go Facebook stalk 'em . . . Chris and Laureen G.! 
They just visited family in Draper I think. 
 
Oh also, yesterday we called 911 to report a forest fire. Because of our quick 
thinking and pure bravery, we were able to save the lives of millions. We're basically town heroes now.  Lol nah just playin'! It was a tiny fire. Didn't hurt a fly. #stillheroestho

Looks like Utah!  Maryville, Missouri

Man I miss J-jazz! Enjoy it while you can bros! Send me your highlight mix tapes!! I've been playing a ton of basketball out here. We have a rec center with super nice courts that we play on in the mornings a few times a week. I'm getting pretty good! I fully expect to be on the Warriors roster in 2018 starting over that Stephanie Curry gal... Sar, I'm loving the vids of you and Claire playing the piano. Claire is gonna be a prodigy I can tell. Dad your looking good in that photoshoot for your website!! Those are sweet.
 
Miss you all lots.

Love, Tan

PS. Lovin the ol' country life, still don't like country music...

Comp, Elder Griffiths

Zone Meeting

Crazy zone photo!

Letter #46 . . . transferred to middle of nowhere with new comp!

Hey All, 

Tanner and new comp, Elder Griffiths

I left my last area, Blue Springs, that I'd been in for the last 4 1/2 months! I was transferred out to the boonies, (aka middle of no where) to Maryville Missouri,  and Elder Griffiths is sweet! 

Fun fact for ya -- the rapper Eminem was born and raised in a little town called St. Joe like 25 minutes from Maryville! His childhood/mother's home is in our
district boundaries! Maybe we'll convert Mrs. Mathers! ;) 

I've been blessed with awesome companions. Elder Griffiths is a baseball/basketball playin, hilarious cellist from St. George, Utah! He's my age. He loves jammin out on the piano with me and naming out songs and stuff. We're gonna get a cello, and play a song in Sacrament meeting. 

I'm excited to be out here!

Church was interesting in Maryville. It was way different than what I'm used to! But I still 
liked it a lot. The people are great! We had 40 people at church. We gave talks and prepared 
the Sacrament.

Crazy that it's 2017! I learned a lot this past year. From preparing 
for my mission, to serving almost a year of my mission, I've
had so many cool experiences where I've felt the Spirit and the love
of God toward me and his children so strongly. My testimony of this
gospel & the truthfulness of the restoration has grown to a pretty
unshakable faith. I can honestly say with all confidence and sincerity
that I know God lives, and that I will never fall away from this
Church. This year, I've seen my weaknesses come into view, and I've
had to learn to deal with them. I know through Him I can overcome
my weaknesses. I'm humbled and proud to serve as a missionary for Him.

Love, Tan

PS. Here's me and Elder Griffiths and a copy of the talk I gave in Sacrament Meeting. 

Letter #45 . . . mostly photos . . after the Christmas call!

Hi! 

I loved talking to y'all too! I'm sorry I was a little off, but I was starting to feel sick! Had a little stomach bug all day which was no fun... I feel better today tho! 

Yeah I'd love to talk to Grandma and Grandpa next time!! 
 
It's been a good week. Christmas as a missionary was awesome!!

Just a short letter today. Here are some pics from the week!

Elder Townsend 

And a few photos from our phone call with Tanner . . . we couldn't get our Skype to work on our tv and so Matt's phone had to do . . it was fun talking to him! 

Letter #44 . . . missions are good for you!

Hey hey!

Missions are good for you. That's what I'm learning. Even in tough
days my testimony is growing. We talk to a lot of people, and a lot of
them are really nice and you think the gospel would just make so much
sense to them. But then most of these people don't accept, and
sometimes even make you feel like the one in the wrong for believing
in these things. But man oh man, I know this gospel is true. I used to
have doubts about the Book of Mormon creep into my head every now and
then, but now I never do. I know what I've felt while reading that
book is the Spirit testifying and giving me peace that the simple
truths and promises in it are true. Read it people. Just read it!

Tanner and Elder Reber in Independence, Dec. 2016

Highlight of the week was our lesson with our RLDS investigator Matt Boyd. Brought President Cato with us, and it went amazing. Most powerful lesson of my whole mission. Very short version of president Cato's story is this . . he was a Pastor of a congregation of 350 people in one of the few RLDS branches. Their church started going way off the path and becoming very political. His family went on a trip to Utah at that point without him and found the Mormon church to be true. They were all baptized except for him. His friends that helped him lead the congregation accused him of teaching Mormon Doctrine, even tho he didn't even know what that really was. He told his 
congregation that he needed to take a break and do a little soul 
searching for a while. His best friend that was his counselor on the 
stand, then walked up to the pulpit, and in front of the whole congregation 
said, "Dennis Cato is under the influence of Satan." From that point on, he's 
never been back. Matt really was impacted by his conversion story, and 
related very well to it. President Cato seemed to say everything he needed 
to hear to help him take that leap of faith that has been tough to do as he's 
met with missionaries over the years. President helped him realize he 
already has gotten his witness 

Making cookies with some members!

that it's true, and that he now has a responsibility to act on that witness. President Cato promised him that God has great things in store for him and his wife and two cute little girls. Matt whole-heartedly agreed to everything he was saying. President committed him to pray with his wife and have a date he wants to be baptized by our next visit. We gave him a Priesthood blessing of comfort and guidance as well to be able to tell his mother about his decision without her freaking out. He listened and seemed to feel something like he never had before.
Finished Ballard's book, Our Search for Happiness. It's a good one for
sure! We've been getting in with a crazy amount of less actives. We're
taking advantage of the fact that they feel bad for us walking around
in the 5 degree weather haha. We met with a less active named Lindsey,
who just recently quit smoking for her daughter. We shared Alma 36:
12-21 with her. These are up there for some of my favorite scriptures
in the entire Book of Mormon. It was so powerful reading these things,
about the power of His Atonement, and the infinite reach of his love.
I invite all of you to read those verses!  She got emotional and
shared how she wants that peace back in her life but feels she's
messed up too much. Some of my favorite opportunities on my mission
are testifying to people that they CAN get that peace back. Whenever
they want it, if they come to Him. I love that promise, I've felt it
countless times in my life.

Visiting during an Ice Storm!

Played and sang "Be Still My Soul" at our zone conference! After the meeting we all walked across the street to the temple and did a session! That was my 4th time going, 3rd time here. It was probably my favorite session. I wasn't worried about messing up or anything, but I decided to just focus on just listening and feeling the spirit. I got far more out of it by doing that.

We met this kid Ryan at Thanksgiving dinner, he was really into film and knew of devinsupertramp and Parker. That was cool to be able to talk to him! He wasn't planning on a mission, but we were able to talk to him about how the mission is the greatest thing you can do for your life at this time, and all those other things will be there  =when you get home. We got a call from his Aunt that's in our ward, and she said in tears that he's working on his papers, and that our conversation with him was pivotal. He's an awesome kid.

Mom, the weather seems to be pretty similar to Utah out here. Only
difference is we get ice storms, that make EVERYTHING shut down.
Including missionaries. President told us to stay in and not drive
because of the ice. My clothes are keeping me nice and warm! I have
not opened your package yet!! Dang. I was thinking you wanted me to open it
on Christmas!! 
 
I'll be praying for the Parkinson's. Wow, that's tough...
 
Dang, dad was the best Gospel Doctrine teacher alive. His lessons are
what kept me at church haha.

Love you all,

- Elder Townsend

PS.  Two random videos that Tanner sent this week:
Tanner test driving a guy's wheelchair and
Elder Reber throwing a rock into the water?