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 :)