John Tanner, What an Inspiring Story!

March 8, 2017

Another week down with loads of fun! My cough went away as I got some really expensive medicine. With that being said I also bought a vile of eye drops for the small strain of pink eye that I seem to have gotten. It was small and is gone now. Chest x-rays are this week! Hooray for TB!

We had our interview with the President sometime last week. That went by very simply - in and out. We also had MLC last Monday and Tuesday. Monday night was fantastic with a lot of inspiration. We watched the 20 minute John Tanner video, if you haven't seen it, I recommend watching it! This man donated over $50,000 to the church in the early 1800s. That money and his property are now worth over $1.5 million. Talk about consecration! I wish to be like that some day. We will all have to live the law of consecration at some point in our eternal progression. I wonder what it will be like!

We also watched the new First Vision video. That was such a cool video kind of showing a bit of what it was like. They combined all 9 accounts of the first vision into one and man it was cool! I also recommend watching it.

Rico is doing great! He didn’t make it to church last week though but is still trekking along! We had 3 new investigators make it to church last week—Gretchel, Leah, Meme Dukai; all sisters in their late 20s and early 30s. My heart jumped when I saw them walking up to the church!

My 12-year-old homeless friend is still my friend. We haven't managed to teach her yet because she always is with her friends when we schedule a visit.

Gayford has made it home from Mindanao. Something happened to him... not so sure what.

Oh and the mother and daughter were hiding from us last Wednesday, and by last Saturday they told us to not come back. I will admit that that made me a bit angry. Faithlessness always makes me mad. It’s like people don't know what they are passing over. You know how many miracles I have seen just in my work alone when people listened and came unto Christ? Gayford came to church just once and he found a job that very next week after 3 months of nothing. Rico was very hard hearted and would refuse to pray or read but the past few weeks he is WAY more humble and is almost completely done with tobacco and coffee. I have seen hardened fathers (non-members) come to church with their whole family after years of refusing the missionaries. I've seen healing, fathers provide food, contentions boil down. And why? Well that is simple. Ether 12:12 states,

“For if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith."

Oh how true that is! And that is what ticked me off a bit. Faithlessness of people to EVEN TRY!

I do wonder a bit about life after the mission. One thought always comes back is what if I get off and sit there and say to myself "Did I really do that? What just happened?" It is very simple that my attitude needs to not be "Did I..." or "what just..." but should be a "I just did that and I will take what I learned into action." I always fear going home and ending up not making much progress in my own eternal progression. Always striving to be better is what I am trying to do. I just hope that I do end up being someone who is not who I was. I want my family to think that I am weird:3. I want social interaction for the first few weeks to be that uncomfortable, uncertain situation where I am not sure how to hold a casual conversation. I am getting there but haven't made that last push.

It has been so fast! Just like a 400 meter dash, you sprint very hard for the first 100, coast at your top speed for the next 150-175 meters and then just fight every doubting feeling you may get as you push down the last strip to the finish line and continue to sprint for 5-10 meters after you have finished. The mission is like this. And here I am. I love it here. Serving here really is like a 400m dash. Hurts while you do it but boy is it rewarding.

Ok now I am just blabbering on. I hope you all enjoyed that last sermon of mine. I did:).I hope you all are doing good back at home! I love you all and can’t wait to see what you all have become as you see what I have become.