More Baptisms--8/1/11

ok ok ok here are the baptismal photos of the last few weeks....

Ruben and family  

Abrahm and family 

A beautiful Verecruz sunset in Aleman

Baptism of Yair

I hope you enjoy them! 

Pictures!

Xalapa: Week 3

Hello fam, and anyone else...

Happy New Years! This letter will probably be long because i didnt end up getting on the internet last week.  So we will start with Christmas. The whole skype thing was pretty sweet and fun. The time went by way to fast! THe work has been so slow this christmas season, which has been a bummer, but it's challenging us to be diligent.  for christmas we went and ate with Hermans Blanca, the wards here didnt really invite us to do anything exepts her, so we ate dinner with her, elder moreno talked to his family while i helped cook, then we did a little kareoke, adn around 10 we went to the zoneleaders house and played risk untill 230 in the morning.  We woke up, did the mourning routine then as  zone we did our zone gift exchange, i fogot to take pics of the whole thing so ill work on getting those from other elders, after that we went and did service at soem kids shelter, but nobody ended up being there so we just sang to the two that were thatere and elder casteneda layed the guitar, then the elders that brought gifts gave a bag of gifts to the shelter, (they were all just cheap little toys bought off the street).  THen it was back to the normal work routine up untill new years.  New years night we all ate as a zone in a members house, it was good we ate tukey spageti and mached potatoes with Jamaica ( a really good drink here) we didnt do anything for new years night, becaus of all the fireworks it soundouded like worldwar 3 unti8ll 3 in the morning, so i just wrote in my journal and read a little bit, nothing like the old testament to but you to sleep with its mazelike verses! haha but for new years day we had a zone activity from 10 to 4 so we watched toy story 3 and ice age 3, i really liked toy story 3, actually all of them are good to tell the truth, well have to hve a toy story marathon some day! then we played soem games, including risk again, and then after all that it was already 4 and time to get to work.  I just realized it hasnt taken long at all to describe these last two big holidays, so if there are any specific details you wanna know just ask me im sure ill remember it! SO the work here had ben slow, right now we have a baptism set fo this week with Carlos, i dont know if i have said anything about him yet or not, but her has been really good, we have been teaching him 3 weeks and he is already about to starat mosiah, so that awesome, im not comletly sure why yet, but when investigators readl the bom that gives me one of the best feelings ever.  Carlos seems to be progressing really well, we have already taught him everything so now we just reviwe the baptism questions and wathch church movies with him because they bring the spirit really strong, but im exited for his baptism and it will be neat to ha my first here in Xalapa after knocking a million doors and many false attempts to contact people in the street.  We are also teaching Juan, i dont know what i have said about hhim, he didnt go to church last week so i think if he gets baptized it wont be untill next week.  Last lesson we had with him we had to basically go over the book of mormon invitation all over again because he didnt read or pray, man if people only understood how important that part is! SO after about an 45 mins of testifying and convincing and talking and answering his endless dounbts he finally realized he needs to read and pray, so hopefully wqe can see him soon to see how things are, i hopw all is well wit him, he wasnt at church yesterdy so im growing worried.  THen last night the district leaders had a training, so those of us who were jr coms just chilled and studyied and elder Watson, who is from utah just talked about anything and everything it was fun, it always feels good to have a good conversation in english.  By the way mom, you would be proud to know that the other day a sister said i had to be the most polite missionary that had ever eaten at here house, just htought you would liek tpo know that! SO Jumping back, new years day nihgt, everybody was drunk and wasted form teh day before, so there was nobody in the street and nothing going on so me and elder merino had a nice conversation, and at the end of it i re learnded something very valulable, which is that I just need to be myself and stop worrying about the changes that I want to make on the mission and what I think I need to change, because the Lord already accepts me the way I am, and with that I can do anything.  so thats what i have been working on, and then last night wfter the training we were invited to a family home evening of some members, so we went and it was about talents, and we had to do the whole thing where you sya a talent and a gift that other people have and it was interesting to hear what people who dont know me had to say about me, the said im very happy person and i guess the best translation for alegre is upbeat, maybe but they said i have a very strong desire to do the right things and to do good, i though that was an interesting first impression ha and then i learned i need to work on my ability to trust and use the Holy Ghost in all things and that i need to learn how to not only have faith but to learn and exercise it, so those are three things im starting to work on, it will probably take more than my life to start, but as for now, i hav enow idea where or how to start.  BUt i guess oyu could say thats the week, always remember that i love you all and som so gratefull for you love and prayers for me!  Take care, and dont enjoythe cold too much while im away! pS i found my charger again so ill work on getting more pics of the city for yall! 

Updated Album

We have pictures!

The happiness that can come to us is limitless

Transfers

Hey! Guess what?! I got transferred to the complete other side of the mission!!! I am now in Kamas Utah.... haha I love it so much! It’s a lot like Preston, Idaho I think. It’s so green and pretty here. I’m about 20 mins East of Park city. In fact, Park City is in my zone! It’s so cool out here! It reminds me a lot of the Nelson cabin for some reason. But yeah, I’m in Kamas, Utah. Our area covers Woodland to Oakley or something like that. It looks a lot like the area that the Utah house is in. I really love it. We are in a car again, so I’m submitting a big music wish list for ya! Thanks!

Members

The people here are so great to us. We get so much food from the members. I miss feeling hungry sometimes, hahah. But it’s so good. The members here really have sooo much respect for the missionaries.

Companions

My New Companions are Elder Hernandez from Mexico, Elder Torrez from Mexico, and Elder Ferrin form my MTC district. Elder Torrez and Hernandez are such good teachers. I’m really learning so much from them. They are such good missionaries. I’m so glad to be in this area with them. They are improving my Spanish so much because they don’t talk in English, hahaha. And they are such funny guys! Man they are so funny. They are really hard workers and we have so many people to teach here, and there is always something that we can do because of their hard work! I’m really trying to learn as much as I can from them! Elder Ferrin has his Visa, so he leaves for Mexico sometime this week, so we won’t be double working the area anymore. This makes us even busier! It’s crazy stuff! But I love it so much!

They have me participate in teaching the lessons so much, and a lot of the time, I won’t even know that I’m teaching the main part of the lesson until we are at the door. They are really improving my ability to act fast. They’re also so dedicated to studying. Elder Torrez gets up at like 5 a.m. every day so he can get more time to study. He knows the bible so well. It’s so fun to hear is bible bashing stories. My companions are really teaching me so much. I’m so glad to be here.

The Area

We are within 45 mins of Salt Lake. Being on the other side of the mountains is like living in a whole other world. It’s just so pretty and amazing. The people environment is so great. There is so much love for the Elders. Everybody has so much respect for us, it’s incredible.

Learning Lessons

I am really starting to understand Mosiah when he says that it is not expedient for man to run faster than he is able. My whole time in the field I have been trying to run like a missionary who has been out for more than a year, which is like trying to swim a 500 after one week of swimming—you’re gonna get freaking tired, and it’s gonna be one of the worst experiences of your life. All the stress from that was really making things difficult, and I wasn’t really happy with being on a mission. But then in personal study I was just reading about how God’s whole purpose for us is to be happy. Everything is meant to make us, his children, happy. And I have just been slowing down and trying to learn and not do. God has blessed me with teaching skills, but I just don’t know how to be the missionary I want to be. My mind is a lot more closed when I’m stressed out and that was really interfering with the spirit. But in being with my new companions, I have learned that the mission doesn’t have to be stressful and you don’t have to go a million miles an hour. Just be calm and happy. The spirit while guide you to where you need to go. I have trusted only myself way too much. I have been relying on myself so much, and that is a foolish thing to do when you have the all-knowing source on your side. I still have to work hard, and some things are going to be hard. But it’s important to remember that I’m in the learning stages of my mission.

It’s basically required of me to make mistakes, to embarrass myself by telling everybody “estoy bueno” and not “estoy bien,” (estoy bueno means something different, like something you wouldn’t expect to hear form a missionary. But I’ll let you figure out what it means to Spanish people…haha). And the other day in a lesson I told the people I have 7 kids instead of 7 brothers and sisters, hahah. It was funny. But God’s whole intent for us is to be happy, and Paul says God loves a happy giver. So I’m just still working hard while really changing my approach to the whole mission life because things have been a lot better since I have done that. It has really made such a difference, so I challenge everybody to just find the joy in every moment. Make every moment worth talking about and remembering. I promise that it will make a difference in your life. Pray for it. And if you’re not praying, start praying. That makes a big difference in itself.

Other Insights

Family, please, please, please (!) strive to have Family Home Evening, Family Scripture Study, and Family Prayers. How can I teach and require this of other people if my own family doesn’t follow? I promise that the Gospel of Jesus Christ can fix any problem with time and enduring. Always strive to have a cheerful attitude. Everyone believes that we have every reason in the world to be unhappy, but really, we have so many more reasons to be happy. We chose to come to this earth because we knew it was the best option that we had in the pre-earth life. We did have a choice, and we knew there were high risks to come here. Nut there was also the highest reward possible. So please, please, please do your best to unify the family and I promise you just as I promise many people every day, that this gospel can heal any wound—no matter how deep. But only if we permit, so open your door to the light and gospel of Jesus Christ. We levitate how much happiness we have in our lives, we choose our path, and we choose the intensity of the light in our path. So, flip the switch and stop wandering in the dark. Get over yourself and live to your full potential of happiness as sons and daughters of God. We are Queens and Kings of the most high God and the highest kingdom of them all.

Closing

Family, Glen, Katie, Jacob, Hanna, Paige, and Sophia: I love all of you so much. If I didn’t show that before my mission, or if you doubt just a little that I love you, then shame on me and I’m sorry. I promise that I’m working on repenting of that. So family, please open the windows to heaven and lighten your path as much as possible. I love you all so much; I really do. And much of the time I’m disappointed that it took me being separated from you to realize how much I love you, but I really do love all of you, and I hope that you can feel my love for you just as I feel your love for me.

Strive to make the gospel more relevant in your lives. I have met so many people out here who were members but then allowed themselves to lose their faith. And they lost their faith because of their choice to not do the simplest of things like pray and read the scriptures. I promise the happiness that can come is limitless. I have seen the difference in all kinds of homes according to how they live and apply the gospel. Don’t get caught up in the lies that you don’t need to do these things because remember that Satan teaches a man not to pray!

Pictures

We got pictures! Check out Tanner in the MTC.

(captions, as written by Tanner, are below each picture)

Elder Nelson and Elder Adams. On the Tuesday before Tanner entered the MTC, he got to see Jake right before Elder Adams boarded his plane to Europe.

These are the Elders that left for Peru last week. Names read clockwise: Elder Ricks (great shirt), Elder Haderlie, me, Elder VanValkenburg, Elder Kay, and Elder Whiteside

District 13-A. Names read left to right: Elder Nelson, Elder Ferrin (Mexico City), Elder Haderlie (Lima, Peru), Elder Kay (Lima, Peru North), Elder Ricks, Elder Havili, Elder Llyons, Elder Ray, Elder Anderson, Elder Whiteside, Elder VanValkenburg, Elder Clark (Mexico City S.)

District 13-A nametags

This is my planner. I think this was last Thursday. I rise at 6:30 AM. Breakfast is from 7-7:30. Yellow is when we are in class. Lunch is at 11:30 AM. Blue is Personal Study Time. I usually read Preach My Gospel and the Book of Mormon. Red is Companion Study Time; this is usually the time when we set up our tutors. Green is missionary directed time--it's basically more time to study or to set up teaching appointments. Pink is Missionary Directed Language Time. That's when we have time to study the language. Dinner is at 4:30 PM (this killed me at first but I got used to it, and it's good for my metabolism).

This is me having fun in the resident hall.

"I can do anything!"

Pictures!

It looks like Elder and Sister Button found Tanner. We're grateful they could share their photos.

The MTC Drop-off

After all the festivities at home, it was time for Tanner to become Elder Nelson. On Monday afternoon the Stake President came to our home to set Tanner apart, and then it was off to Provo! (with Mom, Dad and Katie)

We had a great last couple of days with Tanner before kinckin' him to the curve at the MTC. We had a great flight on Monday, Tanner, Mom and Dad had a nice day in Salt Lake on Tuesday, and on Tuesday night Katie joined the family for a tasty dinner at Carabas.

On Wednesday morning our original plan was to go for a walk up and down the Provo River Trail, but the weather did not permit. Instead, Mom, Tanner and Katie went grocery shopping where Tanner was able to get some last-minute snacks for the next 8 weeks. (As if the MTC doesn't have enough food :-) )

When it was time to say goodbye, Dad had all of us gather in the hotel room so he could share some final thoughts. (Tanner swears to his grave that he wasn't nervous to leave for the MTC, but we think otherwise). :-)

Then it was off to the MTC! Look...he's a missionary!

We'll see you in 2 years, Tan Man!

Pre-Mission Pics

We'd like to thank Rachel B. Reidhead for taking all of Tanner's mission pictures. She did a great job! Check out more pictures here.

Mission Farewell

We weren't very efficient with our picture taking, but we did get a few snapshots of the event.