Letter #59

Dear Family,

I express my deepest love for you. I know that I am who I am because you are who you are ; )

I will try to talk a little about myself this week, but let me tell you, having spent the first year of my mission developing humility as the best junior companion of all time it;s going to be tough. Bear with me ;)

Well, on preparation day we took off for the center of the city to get a big box of copies of the Book of Mormon, our weapon of choice, and lugged it back to home with some letters and stomachs that we choose to fill with Subway sandwiches. Call it a bachelor's day, no cooking, only joy. That and we don't have any more gas to power our stove, and have choose not to buy more because we are eternally hoping to move. Keep on hoping. Doesn't look like it will happen soon.

We worked our tails off Tuesday to Thursday, perhaps some of the absolute hardest work I've done in the mission. Sun up to sun down, talking to literally every person in the street and contacting hundreds of references and teaching lots of lessons.

Thursday we began to run behind the people that were going to be baptized during the week. We had I think eight splits with other missionaries helping them to help their investigators. Saturday I spent almost the entire day doing interviews or traveling to those interviews.

Had a division with E. Luchman, extremely fun, he has a gift to get people excited and I was very thankful for that.

Much of last week and moving on to this week was focused on the work between members and missionaries. A letter I wrote to the President of the mission last week with numbers I had done for my time here precipitated a series of events leading up to the meeting marked with the stake president, bishop, mission president and myself for tomorrow night. Simply put, the wave is coming. I have done this in such a way that it has created a strong bond between myself and the bishop. President Genaro and I have identified this as an excellent moment to create joy in members helping the missionaries. Before they get really flattened by the wave that will be arriving soon. The Tsunami. We're just the messengers of what's coming.

Biggest thing: have effective leadership and meetings. Make practical use of your time, looking at specific inactives and people. We are a church of individuals and that is the way that it should be. People come into the church one by one, and if they are not cared for they leave the same way. Who in your ward was baptized in the last two years that is not with you today? It would be good to go get them and bring them back. As well, we share the gospel on an individual basis, one by one. Or one family by family. I invite you to study the site of the church about hastening the work and look at what responsibilities will make your efforts in the work more effective. That is the watch word of our day, effective accelerated large scale work on an individual basis. It's so exciting!!! I spare details for this episode because I think it wise, but needless to say, after one year of preaching this to the members and to the missionaries I feel the Lord has truly set in action a series of events that have allowed this issue to come to the front of all others, and for good reason. It's what is on his Mind. Look at General Conference, etc. Missionary work is the encompassing work of our day.

Well, I'd love to share things with you all day but I'm afraid I can't. I love you so much. I hope you will continue to be the shining examples to all in that area.

Three ways to help the missionaries this week:

1. Teach a lesson with them and bear your testimony of how the gospel has blessed your family.

2. Invite someone to be taught in your home the next week.

3. Invite someone to come with you to church and present them to the missionaries.

Alright that´s my challenge. Who will you baptize this month?

Love,

Tanner