I think I am beginning to see a trend here.

This last week was so long. So aggravating. A lot of things happened. A lot of things that I can't really go into detail with.

It was a great week, a hard week, But really good.

 We had those up and down moments. Someone we have been working a lot decided that life was too hard and that smoking and drinking are something they needed. So we did everything we could to help. After a very long hard day I hit my knees. Prayed honestly like I never have prayed and My prayers were answered. It was a very spiritual and uplifting experience. Very personal as well. Last week at this point seems so far away I am having trouble remembering everything that happened. Cartersville is just one big blur as soon as that week passes it just thrown into the Cartersville Pile in my mind haha.

 

Yea! It's a package from home

We made a big "quit smoking pack" for some one else we have been working with a lot. We got a ton of tic tacs, life savers and made 40 signs that say "today I decide to not smoke" and made a GIANT poster board one. Slowly but surely she started cutting back. Some days are better than others but slowly and surely she progressively cutting back. Today (Wednesday) she called us over and handed me her last pack that only had 4 smoked out of it and she said take them I don't want them. Get them out of here. A lot of things lead up to this. We had the chance this week to give like 5 blessings. Each one was very powerful. That is one of my favorite things to do. You are able to feel God's love for that person. One blessing stood out to me the most. It was for the lady we made the stop smoking pack for. She asked for help. She was having a really rough time with a lot of things in her life. The blessing was so powerful, and since then she has really started to cut back.

 

I have always said you know God loves you when He answers your prayers, You know god trusts you when you are the answer to someones prayers. Helping people and making even just a little  difference makes all of these rough hard times here so worth it. Every day is rough, every day also has an experience that gets me through it.

 

I hope every one is doing great. Sorry its so short Just too much to talk about and not enough time.

Love you all

 Lots of ups and downs in Cartersville

Love Elder Charlesworth

Just one of those weeks

Everyone has those weeks that when it gets to the end you go "finally, end of the week is here this week sucked" well this was one of those weeks. It was not horrible, nothing terrible happened, that is it though. NOTHING happened good or bad.
I was still pretty sick all week. So working was tough. We started working early in the day everyday and kept working to no avail. No one was home or no one would open the door. We had a Car Fast on the 1st and I will be honest these are kind of pointless for Spanish Elders, but we do them anyways. No Hispanics are home during the day. It started poring rain as we were walking. I made a list of about 30 or so people to go see and well one person opened the door and the Lady we were looking for was "in the shower" I don't think people realize how unoriginal that is. Just tell us you don't want us to come by that's all it will take. Two people did stop and ask to gives us a ride tho one of them was a random guy, not even a member he was trying to do a good deed. We were at the street we were a block away from the street we were going to knock so we declined but thank him so much for being nice haha.

And thus the week continued no one was home, couldn't get any appointments. No one returned calls. We did have a high light of the week though. A girl in the English Cassville ward that I am over got baptized. I did the interview on Thursday and it went great. She said " I feel like I was prepared by God for this church" and I said "yes, I know you were." She had already told her job she can't work on Sundays. The baptism went really well. We showed up and then they asked us to teach the restoration. Well I have never really taught that in English, but I think it went pretty well. Elder Klus and I did a decent job. He then bore his testimony of joining the church only a year and a half ago. The girl who was getting baptized, her parents were there and I think it really made a difference to them. The spirit was very strong the whole time.

We have come to the conclusion that we do not have the support we thought we had for the Spanish members Yes I agree they should learn English, That however does not solve any problems for why they don't want to attend church right now. they just get nothing out of it other than taking the sacrament. I have a few ideas and have been asking members what the ward could to help them and what they could do to help them selves. They are getting a Spanish temple prep class going so that will be great. I have a few ideas that we are going to start doing these next couple weeks we will see how they go.

The week was tough, but we are doing good. We ended up getting a couple lessons and a new person to teach yesterday. Hopefully this week will be a little easier for us. If not oh well we will work anyways. Klus is really starting to come out of his shell in lessons. He will do good. I know it. It just takes time. We have fun together and get along great so it will be really good once he really opens up. He has a hard time getting comfortable around new people, Especially in Spanish. He is making progress though. Love the Kid.

I hope everyone is doing great at home. I miss you all.
Love Tanner

First week as Senior

Some good hard work feels goods

Elder Klus,I think

I'm officially senior companion. It does make things a little easier to be senior and District Leader.
This week was both really good and really hard. After Elder Klus got his stuff in the house I said okay lets get to work. I didn't even let him unpack. I felt kinda bad but we had stuff to do.
 Thursday we went over to A and had a really good lesson about Jesus and the second coming. We had to be a little fast because we had an appointment to help La Familia Lopez sand the sheet rock in the new addition to their house. I asked A son A if he wanted to come help us. He was very excited, in fact the other two boys there

wanted to come as well. Wish we could have taken all of them. A had a great time and we saw them again the next day and he said he had a good time. He also said he wants to come to church with us and be baptized. He is such a great kid.
 We had a really good lesson with Los L as well. Their dad is not a member and has never listened to a lesson before. He just walked in on his own and listened to what we were teaching the kids about.

Saturday was one of those days. We started working early that day. I was determined to find some old investigators and maybe a couple new people. First we couldn't find an address (it didn't exist) and then no one was home. Out of about 8 people we were trying to locate no one was home (a couple just wouldn't open the door) We did have a great lunch with la Familia J.
 The last two days I have been fighting a horrible Head Cold ( pretty sure its a sinus infection) so on top of this day getting tougher and tougher i felt worse and worse. We kept working though. I started calling people trying to set up appointments and it was Friday night so no one was home. So we hit the streets starting going through the area book. No one was home. So I said Elder Klus lets pray. We prayed where we needed to go. A name came to find and so we went. They had moved and the number we had was for some white lady. So we tried it again. Prayed. A name came to mind.... and no one was home. So we kept trying to find some people. Well nothing happened. No one was home or they had moved.  Rough day.
 Woke up the next day feeling just as sick. Didn't wanna get up or move but fought through it and we got to work. Started the day with Stake conference. It was a broadcast from Salt Lake with Elder Gonzalez someone form the primary and bishop rick and Elder Ballard. The wards had not set up a Spanish room which is very frustrating some times it feels like they just don't care about the Spanish members. Me and Jaime translated. Its so hard to do. White people talk so fast I can't keep up. La Familia M that We have been teaching since I go here finally came to church. They are members who moved here from Chicago and they had not been to church in a very long time. We tried going over a couple times this week and they were not home. So they showed up to church by taking a taxi and they came at 9. They didn't know it was stake conference. I felt bad but they were there so we set up an appointment for that night. We taught the plan of salvation. I think it was a big eye opener for her. She couldn't remember a lot of it. She is determined to start coming back to church now and wants us to help them start Family home evenings. We got on LDS.org and showed her all the temples. Hopefully that will be there next goal.
 We ended finding a couple people on Sunday that we tried finding Saturday it was a good day, just a very long one. Its interesting I thought for sure the praying would work. I don't think it was a lack of faith. Its just funny how when we pray for something and then God gives us what we need not what we want. Rough days like that only make you stronger. It only makes your roots grow deeper and well we will have more hard ships to face and they will be easier, or because we made it through the last one we know it will turn out okay and we will be fine. Just trust in the Lord.
Still can't believe I'm senior already. Elder Klus is really shy(only around new people and lessons) and does not like to talk he has only been out 4 months. I hope I don't screw him up. haha. Its hard not having someone else to fall back on in a lesson. He will talk if I turn to him and said Elder Klus will explain this. He will learn though I promise that. I will make sure of it. He is such a bear, I love him. We get a long great he's from Oakley. We like all the same stuff. We have fun. Its going to be great.


Guppy thanks for the video I loved it!! you have not teeth where did they all go?
Miss you all... Love Elder Charlesworth
*** Here is the link to see the video that Kaydie made for Tanner. She taped this all on her own.
http://youtu.be/oeiRol9c3SQ

Last Week of Transfer

Tanner's version of Plan of Salvation

Birthday cupcakes for a "mom"

It was a really good week. We were really busy. Teaching all week. It was very strange having an English elder with us. Had an extra companion with us for 10 days. We still had to work his area and ours so it got tricky at times but turned out great.
We had a great lesson with M and her family we took a member with us. Brother Q. He speaks spanish so it really helps us out. He is crazy bold though. He told her. There is only one true church on earth and the catholic church is not it.( this was right after she said she is catholic and didn't   want to change) He then explained that there are great people in the other churches that are trying to do good. and that she is fantastic and has a great family they just were not in the true church. Then he invited her to come to his house for dinner and a lesson and it was all going great to plan that Sunday until sister Q got sick and then M ended up not coming to church anyways. Next week though.

We got calls for Transfers on Saturday that we needed a ride. Then Monday they said that Benedict is out and I was staying here and staying DL. Well he has been here 7 and a half months so it was hard for him to leave. My poor new comp is going to get torn apart by aunt Randi she dislikes new missionaries and is so mean to them (she says I threw her off guard and she really likes me so I got lucky) she won't talk to or even acknowledge new missionaries. Poor new comp. haha

I had to speak in church on Sunday. This ward likes me for some reason I keep having to do stuff in it haha. And now Beni is gone so I will have to do everything. I am Senior Companion now. At  7 months (that never happens in spanish) My new Companion is Elder Klus he is from Oakley I served by Him In Chamblee. I loved him then so we are gonna get along great! He had a class with Alisha his Freshman year. Funny huh!!

So this will be a great transfer. Just harder I will be doing most the talking and teaching and DL and all that cool stuff. But Iwill learn a lot so that is great. Looking forward to it.

Hope everyone's week went great.
Love Elder Charlesworth
pictues (The cupcakes I made for Cronweld's mom's Birthday, The plan of salvation pics i made)

Craziest Week Ever

I don't even know where to start. This week was out of control!! To start things off I went on exchanges with Cassville Elders, Elder F went here with Benedict and then I went with S to his area. We went and ate dinner at a Less actives house who's son just decided he needed to go on a mission. We ate GIANT shrimp and you all know how much i love sea food, especially shrimp they were like the size of my hand i wish i would have taken a picture!! Then things went back to normal for a couple of days well like one DAY.

 Friday I had to go down to Peach Tree city for a Training meeting so I slept over at the zone leaders house with Elder Wood my first comp. He is a district leader in Rome the next town over about 25 miles away. We all stayed up way to late talking and catching up we woke up at six and left at six thirty and drove to Acworth to meet another District Leader and get a ride down with a member in that ward, GUESS WHAT?? I met Santa Clause!! The man who drove us is a real Santa Clause he does stuff for the biggest malls in America has posters up in malls around the world, he is like the real deal, Beard, Tummy, Everything! So he told us about being Santa the WHOLE two hours down to Peach Tree which was interesting but he talked sooo much haha. That was not all the craziness. During our meeting President Gonzalez from the 70 decided to show up to our meeting and teach us a little bit. (general authorities can do whatever they want) so after a meeting that went from 9 to 4 we left with the APs to do a few errands. I never want to be AP that would suck, so much errand running, dealing with stupid missionaries, so not for me!! We ran around town for awhile and then finally about 7 we left for home again, The APs had to come up because of some crazy stuff that went down in my District.

I've known it was possible for awhile but it finally happened. This Elder in my district had to go home for some medical issues which cause an ET (emergency transfer) to happen in my District. Elder Foote went to another district his companion came with me and Benedict (he is english so he just sits there and says nothing, poor guy) and another elder came up to file the Elder who left spot. Its been a crazy one let me tell you!

 I talked C into coming up for the long weekend,s one drove all the way back up from Athens (3 hours away) so its been a good weekend none the less, got some lessons in, taught A. That Lady just totally gets it. Her boyfriend won't listen to us at all, or even listen to her. He asked her why she reads this book (BOM) because its not the bible and she said because it teaches me abut Christ more, it only teaches me good things, how could it be bad then she tried to read it to him and he left the room. she was telling us how people need to pay attention to us, she says she knows how hard we work and how ignorant and rude people are that we get doors slammed in our face and etc. but that what we are doing is good and she will keep investigating because she loves learning! she just gets it, she is so awesome!!! I love teaching her because she reads, and she says if she does not understand something she reads it again, she is already in 2nd Nephi on her own, we have not put any pressure on her at all. She Is the best!

 We were informed yesterday at church we were doing a youth fireside for the Cassville Ward( Elder F forgot to tell us before he left)

so we went over, they had us share where we were before the mission and what influenced us to get on the mission. It was really good, we took two prospective elders with us, C and J they both loved it. They also did a question panel they all wrote a question and then then we pulled it from a bowl and answered it. It was actually a lot of fun. I hope that it helped some of the youth.

So right now I am still exhausted from this hectic week and so glad its P-day! Time to Dormirme thats for sure.

I did have a pleasant surprise this week, the Dustin's from home took us to BBQ street(way good place) thanks to an email sent to them they knew i was really close (thanks mom) it was a lot of fun chatting with them. Talked about his mission, whats going on here with our mission and just about random stuff. It was such a good breathe of air after the crazy week, just got to unwind and eat the Spare ribs and Big Sweet potato (you know i love those) it was great! 

Giddy to see Elder H

  A fantastic dinner with the Dustins, Elder Benedict and Saavedra

"what's up guys?"

Cartersville

The Weather here has been so strange. Foggy, wet, not much rain, humid, and warm. YUCKY!!

 The week went well though. We had a wonderful lesson with A and her Family. She might be one of the easiest people I have taught. She remembers everything!!! We asked her about Joseph Smith she told us everything you want to hear someone remember, even about the Book of Mormon. We then had a lesson with her. We showed the Restoration video so the kids would pay attention and they all really loved it. We had no plans of teaching her our plans had fallen through that day and we were in her area and it just happened, that didn't matter though the lesson went so well. We bore testimony of the Restoration and Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. As I was talking I had the thought we need to soft commit her, (just ask if she will follow Christ and be baptized when she comes to know its true) I finished speaking turned to Elder Benedict and the first words out of his mouth were a soft commitment. Its one thing to have to spirit, its another thing to follow it. We both had a common goal of helping her come to know its true and follow the promptings of the spirit, She said yes and then her kids asked 1000,000,0000 questions about being a missionary it was such a good lesson and good night.

I made a pretty good friend here, He is a member his name is C. L. he is 18 almost 19 he goes to UGA so we don't see him much but he was here on break so he went out with us a lot to teach he is deciding on a mission or not. We had so much fun. His mom cooked us Carne Asada which is one of my favorites ohhhh its so so good!  We had a couple more Yougioh Card Battles that rocked I'm pretty good haha who knew?? He went back to school so it was a sad day but we really appreciated his help.

Another lesson we had with a lady named M. That was another unexpected lesson, just stopped by and she let us in. She has not been reading the stuff we left, but she does like what we have to share. So we started to teach about the importance of the Book of Mormon, how its the key to our religion and if she does not read it then it will be very hard to know these things are true. It was going really good. Then she asked us if we grew up in the church we both answered yes and I felt like she was thinking well you only say its true cause you grew up in it. So I turned to Cr and asked him "how long has your family been in the church, how has it blessed you" His family has been in the church for 5 years. He bore his testimony of how it has helped his family and again just another experience that proves how important members are in lessons.

Picture description (Elder Benedict and C hit me with a 6 foot long rubber band  that's the welt and then me beating the little guy up haha just trickin)

Hope everyone is having a great time there starting school again. Miss you

Love Tanner

Well we were in by 6:00 pm on New Years, Not my typical New Years celebration but it was okay we played this fun game called Stragego and Phase 10(I dominate at phase 10, just sayin)

 

Its actually been a really hard week. We worked very hard and went by so many people. All of our investigators are single mothers so we can't go into their homes,  all we can do is see if there is anything we can do and try to find a team up for the appointment we scheduled. It has been very hard working here versus being in Atlanta. In Chamblee we had a couple of people who were available any time, all day, everyday, to go out with us. Here we do not have that blessing, its has gotten to the point where we are going to take non-spanish speaking members with us just so we can teach a normal lesson. Things are going good though.

 

We have some solid people we are teaching who are reading the Book of Mormon on their own, we just need to get in and teach them. We met with the Cassville ward Bishop and he has given us some people we can visit and different ideas so things are picking up.

 

 Its different here, but I like it. Being in the country feels good. I like the country. I am not a city living boy so its nice to be out here, but the work in the city is so much easier haha, thats okay I like a challenge. It has been so cold out here though, it is nice and sunny and then you walk out side and its 24-32 degrees, well today I think it got up to 34 for a bit so thats nice.

 

 On monday for P-day yesterday we went and met up with some members in a park and had a big football game. It was so much fun being active and playing football I have not done anything like that since Thanksgiving, it was so good. I even played really well i was surprised, Caught a few touchdowns, ran a couple in and even threw a couple touch downs, haha it was such a good time. Then we decided to pull out our inner nerd and have a yugi-o card battle, A member has tons of cards so we all went at it. I have not done anything like that since grade school and I still love it I won't lie. I am such a nerd, but I love it!

 Hope everyone had a great new year and you all had fun. Good luck back in school!

Love Elder Charlesworth