I LOVE P-DAY!!!!

WEEK 2- THURSDAY MAY 28 2015


 Good Morning my beautiful family and friends!! I sure can't express how much I look forward to P-day... and letters/packages.. so please keep sending them haha. Thank you so so much for what you have sent me so far and everything you have done for me. The support honestly means so much and is really helping me stay strong and keep going.

 This week was great!! Jeffery R. Holland spoke at our Tuesdays devotional!!!! A true celebrity here at the MTC. It was amazing and we all really needed to hear what he had to say to us. One thing that he said was," This is your conversion, your commitment, your devotion." Everyone that I have talked to said that you are your #1 convert on your mission. IF you do not have any baptisms, what really matters is your conversion and your testimony of our savior and this gospel. 

This is My conversion

We are technically on our 3rd week here in the MTC about 6 more to go. The MTC really is such an amazing place.

                                         I Love MY District.......  This is my Life!

 I sit in class and look at my District and feel like I have known all these Elders and Sisters before. Its crazy. We all get along so well and made it a long term goal that if we are all around Utah when we get home we will try our best to keep in touch and make some K-Town temple runs. (we call our zone and like the lunch table we sit at, "K-Town") Our Branch is the best! Our Rooms are on the top floor of every building, so we are called the Celestial Branch. The Koreans have a very respective culture and they have been teaching us that throughout our classes here. 

The Celestial Branch :)

 Your letters and packages have honestly come at the perfect times and have made me the happiest SISTER MISH there could ever be! Our District leader Elder Orndorff always jokes around with me and tells our whole district that I guess I am the most loved.. haha 
 The Elders tease me a lot.. Yesterday I just randomly started singing "head, shoulders, knees and toes'" in Korean (thank you Soon Haddock for teaching her when she was 2 yrs old) and they thought it was so cool and now they think I am hiding my ability to speak Korean... haha just because I am Korean they tease me all the time and think I am some crazy wizard that knows how to speak this crazy language. haha. But really I love this language and love this culture. 

                                           

MY District

  I gave the prayer in sacrament meeting as well, and everyone thinks I can speak it so well. But really I just have the same prayer memorized haha. Dangit.. I gotta learn a new one cuz they will keep asking me to pray.

  I have such an amazing family heritage and story that I just want to share with everyone!!! THOSE pictures you sent me of my Great Uncle..  I cried when they fell out of the card. These past couple of days I have been filled with so much emotion. because I truly feel like I am coming to understand my purpose, why I decided to serve a mission, and of all places I could have been called to. I was called to Korea. It honestly is so amazing! It makes me SO emotional and SO happy to just see where I am and where I am headed and what journey I am going to have. The letter I got from Elder DeMille's Mother was really something I needed to read. I feel so bad for the sisters in my room haha they probably are like WHY DO YOU HAVE TO CRY SO MUCH!!! hah. but its a Happy cry!!
 I have been called to Korea for a reason and I cant wait to see exactly why? While being here in the MTC I have come to know how much my family means to me. how much I love them and pray for them every second.

I'm Going HERE!!

My companion and I are getting along a lot better. She is so funny!! She is always asking me little things about America and why we do that? She thought it was crazy that we had 3 warm meals a day.. YES we eat all the time! that is why we are getting fat! hah. just kidding. but its great. My District and Branch is amazing. I love being a Missionary and the mass amount of lessons I am learning here!

MY Companion from the Netherlands

IN the Sunday Devotional we had Brother and Sister Allen spoke. They are MTC representatives, and Sister Allen said, "We are away from our families for only a short time. Just like we are away from our Father in Heaven, but we will return home to our Father in Heaven and with our families together forever." That has given me SO much comfort when I feel homesick. I am here to help the people of Korea come to the understanding that through this Gospel we have the opportunity to live with our families and loved ones for all Eternity!! ISNT THAT AWESOME!?!?!? ah I love it! I love this Gospel and the joy it brings in my life!

 I also love the Temple. Ahh yay we get to go today!!! Last Temple trip was so amazing. I was praying and praying for comfort and peace while I went through a session. As we were approaching the end of our session, a cute Brother that was a temple worker exchanged a sly thumbs up to me in the Celestial room, and that right there I knew it was all going to be okay. haha. The little tender mercies like that really brighten my day. They help me, "Walk Tall, Keep the Faith and Finish the Fight." (thank you Lisa DeMille)

                      MY Cousin: Sister Carter (Helsinki, Finland Mission) <3 her!!

The Carters also sent me a package too!!! Ah tell them I loved it and thank you so much!! I havent seen Karissa in a little while but I will tell her too. It really is GOLD!! Again Thank you so much for your love and Support and I'm so blessed to have you all in my life!

XoXo, Sister Tanner

1st WEEK IN THE MTC.

WEEK 1- THURSDAY MAY 21 2015


WOW!!! Already been here 1 week. It feels like ages but it also feels like it went by really fast. We are constantly busy doing something after another so that keeps the days going by. Lets see.. I do not even know where to start. Leaving you guys at the curb, was honestly one of the hardest things I have ever had to do in my life.

                                                                       The Curbside departure:(

 I love my family so much, And I have really come to hold on to that while I am here. I think about you every second of everyday, and pray for you all the time. I hope you are safe and doing well. Thank you so so so so much for the letters and package. It honestly couldn't have come at a better time. Please keep sending them haha. I understand what Billy said when letters and stuff from your family is pure GOLD. It makes me so happy hearing from you! The MTC is hard... I have cried every night leading up to Pday. I was surprised you heard from Karissa that I was doing good. Because every day I saw her I would run to her and try so hard to choke back tears. It has been one of the hardest weeks of my life but also one of the best. I really have come to lean on the savior in prayer. Prayer anytime I feel frustrated, alone, scared, anything. Prayer has been there to keep me going. The first couple of days here were the hardest. Getting used to the MTC missionary schedule, being with a companion 24/7, and getting used to not having Moms cooking. The MTC food is not very good... but they have A LOT of it. I havent had any of the fries yet! oh wait.. I might have stolen one off one of the Elders plate when he wasn't looking. shhh. 

But I loved your package so so much. I cant thank you enough!!!!! 

I got your DearElder as well. Tell the missionaries thank you for that scripture thought. Definitely something I needed to read and hear. (ETHER 12:27)

 I also cant figure out how to send pictures on this computer so i will figure that out and try next week. Sad:(

our schedule is practically like this

6:40 gym time

8:00 breakfast

planning

9:00 personal study

10:00 companion study

11:00 language study

12:00 additional study

Lunch

1:30-4:35 classroom 

4:35 additional study

Dinner

6:00-9:20 Classroom

 SOOOO YA lots and lots of studying and eating. IM GONNA GET FAT. haha. But its been nice to have a schedule and always be doing something. But also have a Pday and relax and just get stuff done.

My companion is from the NETHERLANDS. she is so sweet. She speaks pretty good english, but also speaks.. dutch, french, some japanese and now korean. crazy.. language barrier is a little hard and that was probably the hardest thing here. I see all these girls getting along so well and they love their companion and want to do everything together.. but I dont. But I know that I am suppose to have this companion these 9 weeks for a reason. I am suppose to learn from her and who knows I might have great companions here on out or this is preparing me for how to love "hard" companions later down the road. so that has been the most difficult thing so far but it is getting better as I get to know her. she has never been to america so I have really had to help her with a lot. Thats where I feel like I am doing a lot of the work and planning a lot of the lessons because she doesnt really know whats going on. But its getting a lot better.. and its only the first week. 

The language is coming along.. its hard though, but I am really enjoying studying it. I just want to be able to speak it already!! I said the District prayer in korean the other day so we are making PROGRESS!! first week and can already say a prayer. 

Our district is the best. The Elders are so great and the Sisters are the sweetest. We are all getting along really well. The other older districts are the best. There is this one Sister from Australia and shes honestly the greatest girl. Shes serving in Busan and leaves in 2 weeks:( Im going to miss her so much. if she wasnt here these first couple of days I was here I would have lost it. She has been such a friend to me. She like comes to my closet and wears my skirts already. all the sisters say I have really cute clothes and skirts! (thanks Mom!) haha.

Our branch presidency is also amazing. one of the counselors wives is the sweetest sister ever. She said to me anything that you would tell your mom tell me, that is what I am here for. she really has comforted me when I miss you guys the most. 

Sundays here are so amazing. The sacrament meeting is all in korean and each sunday you have to prepare a talk to be ready to give in korean that Sunday and they wil call your name after the sacrament has been passed. Crazy. This Sunday we are singing in sacrament. Wish us luck! 

                                               My Great Uncle Pak, Jae Am and wife. (couple on R front)

                                                       

Theres a Korean counselor in our branch presidency and I told him about Moms Uncle Pak Jae Am, and he Said, he knew him!!!!  like what? They were good friends and the whole presidency knows him and worked  with him. President Snow conducted one of our district meetings and was giving this intense speech about how our district needs to be close, and then throws in how SISTER TANNERS GREAT UNCLE IS ONE OF THE GREATEST KOREAN PIONEERS and we are doing this for him and all of Korea. then I just started to bawl!!!!!! I felt the spirit so strongly and that is when I knew why I wanted to do this. Serve my family and my ancestors of Korea. I've never wanted to do something more in my life than to learn this language well and serve in Korea. I love you all so much and cant wait to tell you more. Keep sending letters and mail please, it really keeps me going.

 I shared my story about my last night at home before leaving for my Mission in relief society and it made the Sisters cry. They came up to me afterwards and gave me the biggest hug and said you are going to be the best missionary. Everyone keeps saying that, but I want to know for myself... 

Again I love you so so so much!!!! thank you for the support!!!!! 

xoxox

SISTER TANNER

I'M SISTER TANNER

LAST NIGHT @HOME Tuesday MAY 12 2015

Might of had a panic attack last night. okay I did. haha its expected right? packing for 18 months and leaving all that is comfortable in your life. Well..  I woke up feeling a little over whelmed with everything that needed to be done within 24 hours. I still needed to get a bunch of things on my check-off list and I was stressing out. I had family in town all week and had my Farewell on Sunday thus not getting much accomplished. 
 My Mom and I ran all over town getting the last items off my list. Got home and started packing, folding my clothes into seasonal stacks and trying to decide if  I should take everything Now or have some of my winter stuff sent later. I packed everything and was surprised I got it all in my 2 big suitcases. 

This is about 70% of what I packed. After it was all said and done. My Suitcase were about 1.5 lbs over its 50 lb. limit on each suitcase. I will have to leave a few things at the MTC. Thinking I might of over packed;)

My Time has come to be set apart as a Sister Missionary of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I can't believe that I am officially a Missionary. My experience being set apart was quite special. Having my family, Stake President and Bishop there to share this moment was a time I will never forget. I know that this opportunity would have never been without the loving words that were shared to me by my Grandfather. His sweet spirit has guided me through this whole process and I know without a shadow of a doubt that he was there in that room. The tears started to flow among my whole family and really didn't stop till we got home. We Tanners are a hot mess!

I'm officially on the Map!

                                 
Such a tender evening with my family. I love them so much and I'm so grateful for all that they do for me. I completely adore each and everyone of them. Thank you for loving me unconditionally and helping me be prepared for this moment in my life. MTC here I come!