July 29, 2013 "I love the scriptures. Man they're so fun to read now. I read every minute I can. . . "

This week was really great. It was really hard, but we had lots of good times. The only time I'm mad or sad on the mission is when our investigators are being dumb and not keeping their commitments. But when they do its the best. We are working on this one guy, he's commited for the 17 de August.

This place is so fun, I love the lifestyle here. I should've grown up here for one reason, the guys always have their shirts off. It doesn't matter if they're skinny or fat, hairy or clean shaven, odd shaped or sculpted, 90 or 1 years old. I love it, and people spit in their houses ha-ha.  You'll be talking to them and then they just spit! Our ward is so great, it still cracks me up everytime the 1st counselor in the bishopric comes up to me and says what's up nigga?  I told lots of them to call me elder guapo so they do, it's pro. This lady in our ward made me this hot chocolate like milkshake but it wasn't. I don't know, but it was so good.

I love the scriptures. Man they're so fun to read now. I read every minute I can. I wish I would of read them during like seminary and stuff so I would know more, but I guess I'm learning alot more right now.  My spanish is alright, I still struggle a lot but it's fine. I learn more every day.

I went to San Salvador for my Visa this week, its weird. It's like a real city.  We go back the 6th of
August for a temple trip with our investigators.  The people here are so nice, they have nothing and they give us tons.

Man I miss music, family, friends, the shawties, Lebron, and sleep, but this is better for right now! I love everyone. Oh, one last thing, people here are funny, they describe other people like " you know the fat one, with the bad eye?" or like " the dark one with the big stomach" haha its hilarious. but anyways BUH BYE.

Love,
Elder Tanner (this was added by his Mom)

"Mom for breakfast the other day I had a grilled nutella sandwich, orange soda and cookies." --July 22, 2013

A bit of a bummer two of our baptisms we had to give to the other elders because we were teaching out of our area but it's chill, a baptism is a baptism for the Lord! But our other one is having some problems because she isn't married to the guy she is living with, but were working on it because she wants to move so that's good. Her husband is this drunk guy and he always kills our lessons and the spirit. So that kinda makes it a lot harder. 

Haha, but Mom for breakfast the other day I had a grilled nutella sandwich, orange soda and cookies haha. YUM! But we had kinda a hard week, not many people wanted to listen to us, but we find ways to make it more fun. Like it says in D&C 75 about if people let you in their house bless the house, and if they don't dust off your shoes. So we always kick dust off our shoes when they're rude haha. This one lady always makes fun of my Spanish when we're at her house. 

There are so many flies in this joint, you go to hit the fly on your head and you hit like 7 on the way, haha. We do lots of work with less actives and recent converts and we were teaching this one named Franklin and he's had a tough life, he grew up in the US, so he knows English and he talked to me in English the whole time. But he was in prison for 7 years, and has been deported 6 times. He's had some crazy times here, he's been beat up tons. This past week there were two people killed in his neighborhood, it's the most dangerous part of our area so we don't go there much. But anyways how about the US yesterday beating Salvador 5-1!! Anyways much love. 

-Elder Tanner

"I think about every little kid in El Salvador has touched the nozzle of my Camelback." July 15, 2013

That's all great news! First off I wanna start off by saying we have three people getting baptized!! 2 on July 28 and one on Agosto 5. And we're about to get two more! A story about the other ones that we will baptize. Their names are Gloria and Alfredo Tenas. We met them like 4 days ago. We were there last night and Gloria started telling us about her dream she had. About a week before I got to El Salvador Gloria said she was praying about if she should keep attending her church cause she didn't like it that much. But that night she had a dream and she said I was in it. Standing in my mission clothes, saying vamonos, or let's go! So crazy! I know I was sent here for a reason now!

 

But El Salvador is wild, we rode to our area in the back of a truck just hanging out. My comp is Elder Ayala, he's from Peru! He's way cool!! He cooks for me all the time and knows a lot! We walk about 7-8 miles a day, so not tooo bad. Showers are freezing here but it's fine cause it's pretty hot! Stray dogs everywhere and I hate them, they always follow you or bark at you, so you just fake like you're going to hit them. But Salvador isn't as dangerous as it seems, there is lots of gangsters but they don't mess with us, the worst thing I've seen was these two guys swearing at each other (yes I know Spanish swear words from high school) and one guy had a hammer and the other guy had two huge rocks in both hands but they were getting held back, so nothing happened. And it's funny, we aren't supposed to witness crimes, because president's wife told us that snitches get stitches! Ha so funny.

 

The first night we had dinner at president's house, it was way good and their house is really nice for Salvador. The family is way cool, and president is great too. A little strict, but way good. We have different rules than other missionaries, we have to be up at 6 and we only get 45 minutes to write instead of 1 hour. It's good though. We are pretty beat at the end of days because a lot of houses don't have chairs or couches so we will stand or sit on the floor. Everyone here is so poor, it's sad. The other day I used at twenty at the super market and it was like a hundred, she had to get her manager to come open the register and what not. Our lunch when we eat out is 1.50 and pupusas here are like 25-30 cents. Last night members cooked for us.... sooooo good. Oh and the other day I got a Fanta, they gave it to me in a plastic bag with a straw haha.

 

But our first baptismal commit was great, felt so good. Funny story about this, in the final prayer with the family I blessed a different family. Haha but this place is great, so dirty and poor, but awesome. I think about every little kid in Salvador has touched the nozzle of my camelback. I don't know how I haven't gotten sick. Actually I do, because the Lord blesses us. Peace and love.

Elder Tanner

p.s.
I live in a place called Colonial España! Try and look it up. We played soccer this morning and I had two goals! No biggie! Oh and a member of the bishopric always comes up to me and says what's up nigga? Haha it's so funny.

July 2, 2013

Yeah the weeks are flying!   But thanks tons for all the letters, it was so great to see some pics and read notes. I love and miss everyone. I leave the mtc in exactly a week and I'm so excited, I'm not that great at spanish yet, but I can teach lessons and stuff so thats good. I've never had so many blessings and prayers answered in my life. Everyday right before we have sports it starts pouring rain, so me and my like best bud Elder Dalton always pray for the rain to stop and everytime it does, its so wild. and I dont know if youre supposed to do this but I prayed not to get called on to give a talk in sacrament meeting every week and never got called ha-ha. But last week we went to the flea market and around the city. it was way cool.  But the market was wild, they had a meat section and its just all this meat hanging and some has like a green tint and it was nasty, bugs were like crawling all over it and they were hitting the meat with fly swatters to get the bugs off. also pigs heads, feet, and other animals and parts that couldn't be identified. I decided our room was getting boring so I made a fort out of our room and it looked so money, all the other rooms were so jealous. Oh we finally got our cameras for once and I got some great pics of me and my district, companion, and just other people that I love! but they took them back so I'll upload those some other time when I'm out in the field. Our district flag is like one step from finished and I'm so pumped. The hermanas have been doing working on it. Our district is so sick, we all love each other.The last group that left the night before they left, we sang called to serve in spanish with every elder in the MTC packed in a hall right below presidents room. It was so awesome. The spirit was everywhere! We performed as a district and sang, Mas Cerca Dios de Ti (nearer my god to thee) and we had half the congregation crying, it was pretty great. Every once in a while we hold yoga sessions and I'm the teacher, we call it yogamos because if yogar was a verb for yoga it would conjugate into yogamos for we yoga! Sorry for the all over the place emails but I think of stuff randomly. Love everyone.

-elder tanner