Well done.........

Good Bye-Pres and Sis Harding

Waiting,waiting,waiting.......Thanks to the Koehler's for the posters.

"I can't breathe"

First Glimpse

All together, but for how long? 

Hello................

Kaydie, got the first hug

He is home,now what do we do with him? Good thing Sierra is around

Sending out a missionary is hard but so worth the experience of having him come home. He has returned with a stronger testimony, new friends and ready for the adventures life has in store. Welcome back. We love you!

Goodbye Elder Charleswort

What a wild week! I really have been too busy even to think about coming home! Even with every single person telling me that I am leaving hahaha. Investigators, Members, Missionaries all of them hahahah.

Yesterday after a wonderful and reverent sacrament meeting where the two V boys were confirmed after their baptism on Saturday. The branch threw me a little going away party with cake and everything. I think my favorite part about it was the cake said "thanks for everything Elder Charleswort" haha because spanish does not have "th" sound they all say my name with just the t and that's how they spelled it on the cake hahahaha oh I will miss them!!!

We were running wild all week from place to place teaching a bunch of people. Going to meetings. Getting the V's ready for their baptism. We were even able to go out on splits with two different members and get twice as much done. There was one day we had 4 appointments from 7-8 and only 2 of us so we called in the recruits and had a great night doing splits and got a lot done!

While on splits I was teaching a family that I have talked about before. We have been teaching them but had not seen them in a couple weeks so I was not sure what to expect. After talking about the book of Mormon and the sacrament they asked some questions and then I committed them to baptism. Their only question after that was, "Do we have to get married?" I said of coarse and we will help you do that! Then I told them the experience we have had with the V family and they are all on board now! I really think the hardest part is that we have been teaching so many people and so many of them are progressing towards baptism and I won't be here to see any of it. Clearly the important part is that they get baptized I am not an important factor in that, but you grow to care about them and I just wish I could go the whole journey with them! See it all the way through, even to the temple.

It is very bitter sweet. To be totally honest though I don't feel like I am going home. Its really hard to explain, like I am excited to come home but it seems so far away that its not really on my mind even though it is in three days or something like that. Really there is to much to do still. We've had to find new apartments for new missionaries and new areas opening in our zone. We've had to create the boundaries for those new areas. Plus teach all of our people that we are teaching and much much more. I like being busy like this! Its very nice!

Saturday night we had a little FHE in M. house one of my recent converts. She is like my Guatemalan Grandma. We had a short lesson, played some bingo with her and her grand kids and then left her with a pray. After I prayed she asked if she could say one. She said the sweetest pray asking God to watch over me and protect me and bless my family etc... It touched my heart to the very core. She is probably one of,if not the strongest converts I have taught. She lived the Gospel, it is part of her life.

I also got some really cool news yesterday.  A lady that we taught and baptized way back last April moved to the DR and is now in the Relief Society presidency there!!! It is the greatest feeling knowing that those you taught are firm in the faith and living up to the covenant!

As this all comes to an end I have really come to realize how much I truly love being a missionary. That no matter what happens I will still be able to share the Gospel and bless people lives. No matter if I have a tag on or a t-shirt this Gospel is just as true and I can bear my testimony and share that will anyone! That is pretty neat!!!

I have loved it here and will eat up and live up the next two days I have in the field!!! Still time to find at least one more family!!!!

Love you all

Love Tanner

Blurry week

This week well as usual was a blur!!  I am trying to remember what happened all week.

This week was really different. We were doing zone leader stuff almost the whole week. We had to find apartments and then show them to the housing coordinator which took all day. We also have been really trying to help out a couple of companionships that struggle a bit. Mostly because one of the pairs has only been out for 8 weeks(each of them and they are together hahaha) and we got a call to go give a missionary a blessing which is always kinda neat to do but it took us from the "work" almost all week. We only got a couple hours a day in our own area. The only day we were able to work all day was Saturday. We started out early and worked ALL day and night and had a super great day. We taught lessons all day long. Set a couple baptismal dates. It was awesome!!!

On Monday we took a missionary who had been staying in the hospital with another missionary for awhile. We went to the "graffiti tunnel" it is really cool! We spent way too much time taking pictures but it was cool! I just got really tired of pictures! 

Elder Baugh has been pretty sick ( not going to lie, its about time it was not  me being sick) so that slowed us down just a tiny tiny bit. He went to bed early one night and decided I wanted to study in PMG and the scriptures. I was reading about goal setting and accountability. I read this little box that had some bullet points. I have read the whole book before but you learn what you need to when you need to learn it. One line stood out to me it said. Pray mightily about the goals and numbers you have set. At this point int he week we had only taught a few lessons because of the being all over the place and not in our area. So I decided to take God up on that. I started praying, and kept praying. In the morning I prayed again and a few times throughout the day. Well like I said Saturday was a really good day. We met all of our goals for that day! God answers prayers. That is a lesson I learn and learn and learn over and over and over! Its pretty incredible! 

No more pictures!

Graffiti Tunnel in Atlanta

Also I forgot to tell you!

Saturday night was a wonderful night! About a year ago we started working with a less active. She was young, 18 at the time and at first she was resistant and would not open the door. We kept going by. After sometime she let us in and we had many many wonderful experiences with her. She soon left her job and came to church every Sunday since. She opened her mission call to Los Angeles California Saturday night!!!

WOW what a wonderful experience for me personally, and even bigger for her! To see that change from a year ago to now is proof enough that God exists and does miracles. If she was the only person I helped on my mission my whole mission would be worth it. The amazing thing is the Lord has used me  to help more than just her. Now its her turn to go and save souls. It was a very powerful experience for me.  She told me that she feels I was sent back to this area to keep motivating her to get on a mission and give her support and to witness her open her call. I think she might be right, that is probably one of the reasons I came back for my 3rd time hahaha!!
Well I bore my testimony in the Chamblee branch for the last time yesterday, I still have one Sunday left but it was fast Sunday yesterday. A few members are in denial and they keep telling me that I am not going home next week and that I still have 6 weeks left. They are dead serious as well which is pretty funny! I have been here in this branch for a year! I have gotten pretty close with most of them!  It has been really neat to see the growth here. Seeing people I have taught and have gotten  baptized, have callings, get the priesthood, less active families become active. Its been so great to see it all!!!

Well I love you all,

See you next week :)

 

I love to see the temple

Sorry I'm getting to this letter so late. I have to run to the hospital so this is going to be short.

It was an amazing week. I got to go to the temple and do a Spanish session. See a bunch of members from Peachtree City and see a Family get sealed together! It was so amazing. It was the first time I have ever seen any kind of sealing and it was incredible. The whole time in the temple I felt so warm. I literally felt warmth and peace around and in my heart. I never had experienced it in the way i did that day.

Yesterday I got to confirm L, the sister we baptized last week. It is always so neat to give people the Holy Ghost. Such a precious gift!!!

Yesterday we had fun cooking at a members house. They didn't have the ingredients I needed so we made do and it turned out great!!!!

We have a lot to do today and this week, So i am really sorry this is so short!!!

I wanted to thank everyone for all the support. Family, Friends, Ward members. Soon I will see you and can actually thank you all in person and give you all hugs!! The support as meant a lot and I can feel your prayers. Thank you so much.

Seeing someone get sealed and a member get their endowments out really pulled it all together for me. We teach, and bless so people can be baptized for the remission of sins, then they get the Holy Ghost who helps us and we are qualified for eternal life so as we endure to the end building up Gods kingdom on earth and make more covenants in the temple with the lord we get so many blessings. It all narrows down to Baptism/Holy Ghost, Sacrament, Temple. I have changed the way I teach so much. Inviting everyone almost in the first lesson every time to be baptized and about the sacrament and the temple. The V family is getting ready to be baptized together on the 9th of March(yes the week end before I get home) they already have the goals to get sealed in the temple in a year. They have truly changed. I have seen so many miracles because of this Gospel. People literally CHANGE its so incredible!!!! The Vfamily and so many other people have made this all worth it!

I love you all!!

Love Tanner

I forgot to tell you about going to the Hospital yesterday. It was really neat

 

President Harding had to have surgery so he's been in there a couple days. We stopped by after church and went to give a lady a blessing and then gave her, another Elder the Sacrament. We had a mini Sacrament meeting a little later with President Harding, his wife and son. He is in the hospital with his shirt and tie on, his tag and his hair done. He just had a pretty major surgery and he is in there smiling and making everyone around him feel good. I don't think it is just the morphine either hahaha. It was really neat to see how important the Gospel is to him and even something "small" (even though its the most important thing in the church  as the sacrament is to him. He is such an inspiration. He is still doing work there from his bed all dressed up and everything ready to go. What a stud!

Firm in the Faith

MOM note: Tanner only has 22  days left! It seems like the closer he is to coming home the shorter his letters are. I'm told this a sign he  really is pushing hard to the end and not  just tired of writing to me!

Every other day or so Brenen will quietly come to me and say "24 days" or whatever amount is left. He doesn't say anything else, I take it to mean he is pretty excited for Tanner to return but doesn't want to make a big deal about it.  Tanner and Kaydie have it planned that she gets first hug and I get the second one. I'm not sure how I feel about the plan ;) 

L got baptized!!! The members all kept saying that we accomplished what no other set of missionaries has not be able to do. She has been taught by like 5-6 sets of missionaries over the past year and a half or so. I myself had even taught her in the past. Well the Spirit of the Lord touched her and it was finally her time. We really didn't do anything special or anything that any set of missionaries couldn't have done. It was her time. The biggest reason she was baptized is because of the MEMBERS, yes the members. They never gave up on her. They loved her, and kept her part of their lives until the Spirit finally spoke to her and she was ready to give up her old live and join the army of God! She is doing great. The service was was neat! the Spirit was felt very strong.

 

The V are still doing awesome. They had to work this weekend so their kids were not able to be baptized but they will be soon. We were over last night and L made us dinner, with out telling us he was going to so we had already just eating. He does that to us too much. SOOOOO we ate again. It was really good but wow I was way too full. He started telling us how he had read all of 1st Nephi. He acted out the story of when they go and get the plates. It was so funny and so nice to see that he is really applying the scriptures to his life. He told us the whole story perfectly. He also told us how he had been praying because he has diabetes and every 3 months he goes to the doctor and the doctor gets mad cause his sugar is to high and he didn't lose any weight. We he said that he prayed this week, and then at worked he started helping a lot of other people with their jobs because they were so busy that he stayed late and went early just to help people. He said the doctor was so impressed this time. He had lost 3 pounds his sugar was the lowest its ever been and in fact it was at a normal level. The doctor took away some of the pills and said keep it up. He was so happy and every time we go over he has a story like that. He is so firm in the faith.

 

those were the big things that happened this week. A lot of good stuff did happen though. We had a lot of little miracles that will bring to pass great things. For now I am just focused on finishing strong and getting as much done as possible in my last 3 weeks!

 

Hard to believe but its coming to an end. President told me though if I don't get the zone to meet their goals this transfer I can't go home hahaha. SOooo pray that they do. He was just kidding (I think)

 

Love you all

 

Love Tanner

My dream calling-someday

So, I decided that I would write a letter this week. hahaha

We are very excited for this weekend. B and A V will be baptized on Saturday and then L will be baptized on Sunday. L is someone that I have known since my fist transfer in Chamblee. She lived with a member and came to church. She however did not want to give up her party life to be baptized. She continued to come to church and now over a year later she has finally had her heart touched and has decided to be baptized. Mostly because the members have never given up on her. Someone has always taken her to church. They have been a help and support to her the whole time. She had to fellowship and finally got the faith to give up the life and start a new.

We had zone leader council which was fantastic. I love those meetings. Despite that fact that they run from 9am-5 or 6pm. They are worth it. Elder Steele the kid I trained back last May is the new assistant to the president. Love that kid he is so legit and I didn't do anything. Basically he came pre- trained hahaha.

Zone Leaders Conference. Yea we don't have to cook.

We got a new 70's over the region and he came and spoke to us on Saturday for 2 hours. He is Elder Suarez from Brazil. I loved his talk. He really hit the nail straight on and it was a good boost for my last sprint here at the end.

I have been reading the Book of Mormon in spanish I'm trying to finish it before I get home. The way it looks I might have to finish it on the plane ride home because to finish I need to read 10 pages a day. Sometimes I can do that, most the time no. WAY too busy. I am in Alma though in the 20's so I'm not that far behind. Today I was reading about Ammon and his brothers. I LOVE the parts about king Lamoni and his father. They have such a wonderful, powerful conversion and Lamoni even sees Christ. Because of Ammon's dedicated service and his love for Lamoni, His father converts as well. Ammon took himself out of the work or i guess better said he took HIS WILL out of it and gave it to the Lord because of this the king saw that Ammon did not want to hurt him and his intentions were only good ones because of this he invited them into his home and Aaron was able to go and convert him. Such a legit story I love it! It got me so pumped up!!! The Book of Mormon haha or I guess El Libro de Mormon!! is probably the best book ever and I recommend that all of you never stop reading it.

I have decided that my dream calling in the Church is to be High councilmen over missionary work in the stake (a stake outside of Utah) I love missionary work and would love to serve in that aspect! At least ward mission leader, outside of Utah because missionary work is different (not in doctrine just in the way it is done) I guess the part I like is you get to work closer with the missionaries here.  In Utah you share the missionaries with like 7 stakes at a time. I know because I offered to go out with them whenever they needed a team up while I was home waiting to go back out and they NEVER called once. They never needed to  because all your work is with members and part member families and referrals from members so I would like to be a ward mission leader outside of Utah haha

I hope all is well!! Everyone Have a great week

Love Tanner

The official word

No formal email from Elder Charlesworth. He mentioned quickly that he is not getting transferred and will finish out his mission in the Chamblee area. Wow this is his last (non) transfer. Is he really getting that close to coming home?  He also mentioned that he and his companion did some service for a member family and then were headed to a zone p-day.
We did get the official letter of when Tanner will be released. 

Almost moved in

Yesterday I had such a powerful wonderful experience in a lesson that is a result from a blessing we left with a member on Christmas night, asking who do you know and then not giving up. This wonderful sister has had it really rough lately. Her husband was caught driving with out a license and is in jail. We went over soon after Christmas to give her a blessing and had a really good experience. We taught her one time after that with the family that referred us to her but with her crying child we had to leave early because he was very very ill. After missed appointments and things not working out we were finally able to teach her again last night. She has commented to me in the past that she loves it when we bless her and she feels so good when we do so. She has even been confronted by some anti and told her friends she didn't believe it because she knows we always talk about Christ and she felt good when we were there. As we answered her questions and the member family bore their testimonies I felt the Spirit come over me and I bore testimony of how much God loves her, and the relationship there can be with prayer, that he lead us to her and that the message we teach will change her life and many other things. She began to cry and the room was so full of fire. She asked me to say the prayer at the end and so I blessed her and she began to cry again. She had read the restoration pamphlet and the verses we left her in the BOM. She told us her friends have invited her to their churches but she wants to come to ours. She WILL be baptized. All this happened because we put her on the power list and didn't give up. We will teach her in a members home this week and commit her to a date. I had the very strong impression that she is one specific person that I was sent her to meet. She is one of the reasons why I was changed from Mexico to Atlanta. She is why I am here right now where I need to be. God Really knows HIS children and what they need.

 

 We are all moved into our new apartment and getting stuff unpacked still. Its pretty hard since we are NEVER home, but slowly we are getting it done.

 

 Everything is going really great! Everything is working out well. L wants his kids to get baptized before he and his wife can. 

 Had many wonderful experiences this week. The one that I shared was the one that hit me the most. I really hope that I stay her for my last 5 weeks. Transfers are next Wednesday and I really hope that I don't have to go to a new area for the last 5 weeks. Pretty sure I'll stay here, but you really never know!

 

Hope all is well at home. Love you all

 

Love Tanner

I miss the "Utah" cold

HEllO!!! I hope everyone is doing great!!

Well the weather sure has changed here. It went from 75 and dark skies to 38 and sunny... tell me how that works out?? This wet cold and wind sure does make it seem much,much colder! I miss the Utah cold where when you put a coat on it keeps you warm haha.

The Coke Couch

This week we were busy as ever! We focused a lot of our time on teaching those people who had baptismal dates, but due to situations outside of our control they were unable to make those dates. President put out a really great idea. Something I had done in the past and it works really well. You set up a calendar with them for their baptismal date. We took it, translated into spanish and then put it in play. With the V family it worked really great they were excited and set their goals to make everything happen so they can be married on the 14th of February (just like you mom and dad) and then get baptized on the 16th that following Saturday. The biggest thing we are waiting on is paper work  to get here. That will be the only hold up!! They are still super excited and doing their part.

M had fasted twice, prayed and then asked her boss for Sundays off they said no. She was feeling slightly down and asked us if we thought she could be baptized still. We said of coarse!!! and the next day we set the calendar up with her.

Downtown Atlanta

She regained hope and is putting her faith into action by fasting 3 more times and praying daily for help with her boss and then she is going to invite her boss to her baptism and tell her she needs Sundays off to go to church!!

We have been getting really close and spending time with the G family. The Gospel is the way they live their lives. We have been doing a Noche de Hogar(family night)with them every week now and trying to focus on her  parents who are not members, trying to spark their interest again. They later invited us over for Posole (a mexican soup) after stake conference on Sunday. They are such a huge example of how the Gospel should be part of your life and not just a Sunday thing. Their life is the Gospel and they live it so well. They are far from perfect, but their whole desires are to do what right.

We are working with tons of people right now. Staying busy and basically trying to get everyone married so they can get baptized. Basically its part of the process for almost everyone I've baptized hahahaha. I love helping people obey the commandments of God and then get baptized its the best!

The Braves are #1-even before his mission

 Time is flying by and we have so much to to.
 We are moving apartments on Thursday which I'm not excited about. The one we live in now is really nice and its quiet and clean! On top of the move we have to still find time to teach all the people we teach and find time to find new people to teach hahaha. Never a sit down moment ever. Life is better that way I think. Except I'm not gonna lie a break would be nice sometime, but hey thats what the plane ride home will be right?

Have a great week!!!! Love you all.

Love Tanner

Where's the shorts

I'm not going to lie, I am kind of tired of writing these weekly letters, I realized the other day I have only taken pictures of our baptisms this month, and that's about it. We are so busy and We do missionary work everyday. Yes incredible things happen, so many things that I am so grateful for, but they all blur together by the time Monday comes! , I just feel like I don't have time anymore and everything literally is a blur!!! We run from appointment to appointment with no time between! If we are not doing that we are knocking doors and looking for new people to teach. Its hard to pull things out after all this time.

We are still just really excited about the V family! They are incredible.  Last night we basically planned out their wedding. They are so funny, and we have so much fun with them. We talk about the gospel 90 percent of the time there the other 5 is random stuff and the the other 5 is laughing! They are having a lot of really neat experiences with reading, praying and receiving personal revelation. They are doing their part and getting the rewards! They have also started with the habit of feeding us each time we go over. It started with Chocolate (hot coco) and cookies and now its a full meal hahaha. They don't give us the choice either its, okay lets pray so you can bless the food and then, we'll eat and keep talking it does not matter if we tell them we just ate haha. Yesterday we ate 4 dinners!!!!!! I felt so fat and so sick, but it tastes sooooo goood!!!! Mexican food is the best!

We have a lot more people we are still working with. We also keep finding new people to teach which is great. Basically we are going to go from teaching 20 lessons a week to teaching 30 here in the next couple weeks. We already have days this week that are totally filled up, no room for any more appointments. Its just a big problem ;)

Jack glad you got to go skiing!  Sure do miss that snowboarding. Here its 75 degrees with no sun! It does not feel right to me! It was way colder last year! Here we are wanting to wear shorts and you are all bundled up like Eskimos!!! hahahaha its raining here though and I don't like it, but hey at least its not freezing!!

Hope you all have a great week! Stay out of trouble and don't freeze!!

Love Tanner 

No time

This is all that Elder C posted this week.

well I gotta run, sorry no email today I spent a lot of time trying to figure out that email and I had to email President about when I'm  coming home. 

Things are good though. Love and miss you all

tell them all I say hi!

Love you bye