“If we find it is true then we will be baptized”

                                                                January 23, 2012

Dear Family,

It was a super busy week for me and it flew by.  I imagine it has been crazy around the house with all your sisters there and Whitney and baby showers all the time.  It snowed this week quite a bit.  Elder Rudd was excited for it because he hasn't really seen snow before because he's from Mesa, so he was taking tons of pictures.  It’s been pretty cold and the snow here is straight ice, no powder, which makes the roads all icy and pretty dangerous.  I am staying warm though.  I wear my thermals and wool.  The heated blanket is very nice and keeps me warm during the night but makes it really hard to get out of bed in the morning.  I hope you didn't take my weight bench down and trade if for the treadmill.  It sounds like you are starting to do all the finishing touches to the basement which is good.

Interviews with President Topham went really well.  After interviews we went to a lesson with some new investigators.  We are teaching the Rivera family.  The whole family is investigating the Church.  They are from Puerto Rico but they speak perfect English.  They are really interested in the church and the mom wanted to cry as we were watching the restoration DVD.  That is a very powerful DVD which is usually the make it or break it for many investigators.  If they like it and feel the Spirit then they are more likely to get baptized.  I asked the Rivera family if they would be baptized and they said “If we find it is true then we will be baptized”.  After our visit with the Rivera family we went on an exchange with President Topham which was a great experience.  He first took us out to dinner at Panera bread (the best place here, kind of like Zupas) then we went to the church where we had two lessons, one with Philip and one with Tom.  The lesson was really awkward with Philip because he is awkward and I don't think he understood the question that President asked him so that might have made him feel weird.  The lesson with Tom went really well.  We told him that we have taught him everything and that it is his time to find out if the things we taught are true.  He asked inspired questions such as "How did you guys find out that it was true?" and "what did your answer feel like?"  Elder Rudd and I were able to express our experience on finding out that the church was true and the feelings we got from the Holy Ghost.  Tom ended with a great prayer and then asked President Topham if he was a prophet (probably because Pres. has perfect white hair) but President Topham said “no”.  Tom also came to church on Sunday for the first time ever!!!!!  He's been getting taught for 6 months so it was awesome to see him finally come to church!

Wow!  That will be a totally different experience for AJ but it will be good because he needed a change from being an office elder.  He did that forever! I guess they are trading all the office elders with senior couples so I won't ever get to be an office elder which was my dream position as a missionary haha.

I can't believe Nathan Powell has cancer!  What kind of cancer does he have?  It is really cool that the Priest’s quorum would all shave their hair for him even bishop Rosner.  That is sad though.  I will keep Nathan in my prayers.

Chester quit smoking.  It was amazing.  We went and saw him on Saturday when he had finished the smoking program and he said he felt great, not just health wise but inside he felt happier.  He looked really good and you could tell he had the Spirit with him for following the Word of Wisdom.  He is getting really close to baptism.  His date was going to be the 28th but he has only been to church once and he needs to come three times before he can be baptized.  So, we had to move his date back one week or maybe two but I hope only one.  He knows the church is true and that is the cool part because he is willing to give up all his old habits so he can be a member of the church.

This week has been really good number-wise and we were able to find 4 new investigators.  Two of them, Joseph and Donna, look like golden investigators.  I found Joseph on the street and he gave me his number. A couple of days later I called him and he didn't want to meet with us but his wife called back saying she would like to come to church and meet with us.  She said she and Joseph were going through some marriage problems and she could really use the church right now.  We met with her at Burger King and taught the first lesson and we gave her a Book of Mormon.  The next week we were supposed to meet with her but she had a virus.  She said she had been reading the Book of Mormon and wanted to meet with us because she had some questions about baptism.  Then after we talked to her, Joseph called us and said he wanted to meet with us now too.  We set up a time to go over but the night we were supposed to meet with them Donna called and said Joseph was entered into the psych ward for trying to commit suicide.  The next day we went and visited him in the hospital and he said that he had a drinking problem and knows that he needs to stop and knows it's causing their marriage to be bad.  We gave him a Book of Mormon and left.  After that we got a phone call from Donna saying that they are thrilled with us and want to be part of our church and are willing to do anything it takes to be as happy as we are... Crazy experience and all this happened just because the Spirit told me to talk to the man in the street.

Cathy is another investigator and is hard.  She likes what we talked about and knows it's true but she is not a US resident, not married and is probably moving back to Guatemala because they don't have money.  So, we will keep teaching her but we’re not sure she will be baptized.  It is really sad because her boyfriend is really mean to her and she is scared of him.  She had a baby with him and he doesn't even like the baby but he listened in our last lesson so that could be a good thing.

I also taught another Spanish family (Adrian and Nancy) this week with Elder Kenley.  We watched the restoration DVD and both of them started crying. I asked them to be baptized and they said “yes”. That was probably my favorite lesson this week.

I love you!

Elder Mouritsen

It's amazing what people will do when they know that the church is true!

                                                                                                                        16 January 2012

Hi Family!

Well, all the libraries and the hospital was closed again today so we didn't get to email at the normal time so I am emailing you now and this email will be short because I don't have much time.  We are going to go visit with the Reyes because they just got home but first we are going to go check up on Loannva.  This week has been super busy for me.  We had tons of appointments and also had exchanges with the district leader.   The exchange with the district leader was just what I needed.  He helped me be a better planner and he showed me how I can have more effective studies with Elder Rudd. 

This week we taught Chester the “stop smoking program” and he is really doing well with it.  I can't wait until he will be done so we can get him ready for baptism.  It's amazing what people will do when they know that the church is true.  Chester knows it's true and he is willing to change his whole lifestyle so he can become a member of the church. 

This week we are having interviews with President Topham and after interviews he is going to be coming with us on an exchange for the night.  He's not staying at our apartment which is good because that would just be awkward for us and him.  I am excited for interviews though because I really haven't had a good interview or sit down talk with President Topham since I got here. 

Chris Ackerman looks like he is doing so well and is having all sorts of baptisms!  His apartment looked nice I thought.  It had cool green walls.  Our apartment is just ugly white with scuffs all over it. 

I am glad that grandma is staying busy.  Whitney's showers sound like they were a complete success!  I am so happy for her and I can't wait for some pictures.  I will send you some pictures next week when I have more time to write.  How was everyone doing?  Debera’s family?  All the old and new neighbors?  That is great that we now have a treadmill that you can actually run on without it breaking.  Ya, I remember that treadmill was pretty hard to move into Sonnet’s basement.  Well family, I am working as hard as possible to be a great missionary and you are always a great inspiration! I love you all!  Have a great week and I will too. 

Love,

Elder Tanner Mouritsen

Super Busy

                                                                                                                                  09 January 2012

Hi family,

I was glad to talk to you last Wednesday.  The spirit has really been helping me through grandpa's passing because I haven't even been able to dwell on his passing since the day we talked.  The spirit doesn't let me.  Even when I try and think about him I can't.  It's weird but I think it is good for me. 

The weather was really cold on Wednesday and snowed a little bit but not much at all.  After Wednesday it warmed up a little bit and became bearable.  On Wednesday it was so cold that it just went right through your coat, having a coat almost felt pointless because it would go right through it.  I was shivering pretty badly.  It was weird but we were able to talk to lots of people. 

This week has been super busy as far as missionary work goes.  Chester has a baptismal date for the 28th and he attended church for his first time and he loved it.  He felt the spirit very strongly as people bore their testimonies and he said he could relate to them.  Jim came to church and he bore his testimony, which was so cool to see and I think it gave him a lot of confidence.  Oh, and he also shaved his face but he left a mustache so now he looks a little cleaner.  I love him.  Who knows, maybe he will shave everything for next week.  Bert also came to church and her daughter bore her testimony so hopefully we can have a great lesson with Bert this week and we can set her with a baptismal date.  I don't know if I have told you too much about Chester but, he is a black man with a super deep voice and we have been teaching him for about two months now.  Elder Stewart and I found him and he turned out to be a real winner.  He has to stop smoking so we plan to do the stop smoking program with him this week.  We were able to see Loannva a few times this week and she is doing really well.  She says she gets a lot of crap for joining a Mormon church because the blacks think the church is only a white man’s church but Loannva knows the truth and she loves it. 

 

One crazy thing that happened this week that showed me that Satan is real and that he uses little tactics to not let people know the truth.  We were at our new investigators house.  His name is Jacob and he is sixteen.  We were talking about our missions and we read a chapter in the Book of Mormon with him.  After that, we decided to watch the restoration DVD with him.  We started the DVD and we were all watching it until Joseph Smith started praying asking his question.  Right when God and Jesus were going to appear Jacobs’s phone rang and he left the room.  We paused it and he came back a minute later saying that his girlfriend was almost to his house and that we would have to finish another time.   If we had five more minutes then we would have been able to finish but no, Satan had to interfere!  That always happens during that part of the movie.  If there is a baby in the room it will be completely silent until that part of the movie and then it will just cry for no reason.  It is so frustrating!   

I met with Elder Kenley twice this week and we were able to do some Spanish study.  It was nice.  Sister Kenley fed us some breakfast while we were studying.  I think I am going to try and meet with him about two or three times a week to work on my Spanish.  On Thursday night we went on splits with Brother Piercy and he speaks Spanish really well and he gave me a great pep talk on how I can study Spanish and what I need to do to become more immersed in my language.  He told me to watch lots of videos in Spanish and always be listening to Spanish music so that I could constantly be hearing it. 

We taught Cathy this week with Brother Piercy and he did most of the talking but I did contribute as much as I could.  Brother Piercy was able to explain the gospel really well and I was able to ask her if she would be baptized.  She said she would but she is a little hesitant because she is totally illiterate and can't read the scriptures.

I have been a little down these past few days, a little because of grandpa but mostly because I feel like I could be a way better missionary.  I feel like I am trying to give it my all but the fire that I had when Elder Stewart was here is not here anymore and I have been trying to find it again.  My new companion is taking some getting used to.  He is way funny and I love him and I am working really hard to be a good example and trying to keep us super busy.   

I love you guys and will keep you and especially Grandma in my prayers.

Love Elder Mouritsen

A Day of Sadness and a Day of Joy

06 January 2012

Hi family,

I knew that grandpa was sick and that he could pass at anytime but I still had hoped that his time to go would never come.  He had more will power than any man that I have ever known.  From the beginning he told himself that he wouldn't let his cancer overtake his body, and that he would be able to see Dylan return home from his mission, see Colton off to his mission, and see me leave to serve the Lord.  As much as I would have loved to see him again when I return home I understand that his mission on this earth is done and that he has a greater mission ahead of him. 

I'll never forget going to Yellowstone with him for the last time thinking that he might not live much longer after that trip.  He quickly showed us that he would be around for a while longer by never letting his spirits down.   I am so grateful for that time after Yellowstone because, for me, it was the time in which I was able to come to know my grandpa and grandma more than ever.  I learned a lot about grandpa at that time but one of the biggest things that I learned was that I loved him more than just my grandpa but as a friend and someone that I could trust, and rely on to give good guidance and wisdom.  I will always remember the time when I worked on the garage at the old West Valley house.  It was a great experience for me, I would work for a few hours then go and eat dinner with grandma and grandpa being able to learn from them and find out how truly great they are.  One day grandpa wanted to come and give me some help but I think he just wanted to use his nice new drill set that he bought himself.  Anyway, I handed grandpa his drill and a screw and watched as he tried to it into the piece of Trex.  It was at that time I was able to see the true effect that his cancer had had on his body.  He put everything that he had into screwing in that one screw.  I could tell that his pride was broken.  A task that he easily did a few years ago had become seemingly impossible but, he never gave up.  Eventually that screw went in.  Grandpa had great will power but it was his body that let him down.  I am grateful that he is now out of that failing body and he is now in a state of paradise where he can rest from all his troubles, sorrows and cares of the world and live in peace.  He will be missed there is no doubt about that but, I am so grateful for the plan of salvation that offers me the knowledge that I will get to see him again and hear is amazing/funny stories and this time, he won't have to worry about his body because it will be perfect.  He was man of faith, hope, charity and love, and I will always cherish the time I had with him.   

Love you Grandpa.  May God be with you till we meet again!  

Love Elder Tanner Lars Mouritsen

Happy New Year

A few questions to and responses from Tanner                                                            03 January 2012

1.  How was your trip to Pittsburgh? 

The Pittsburgh trip was fine we pretty much drove all day but it was nice we had to leave at around 6:30 in the morning to get to Pittsburgh by 10:00 so i was pretty tired and just slept most of the ride.

2.  Who went with you?  

It was just Stewart and me.  We drove there and then immediately after getting there Stewart drove back to his new place with the office elders while I went and had a training meeting with all the trainers.  

3.  Did you talk to President Topham and Sister Topham?  

Yes, I talked to President Topham for a little bit but he was super busy with all the new trainees that came in.  There were 17 new missionaries so there were a lot of people training this transfer. 

4.  How is Elder Rudd settling in?  

I think he is doing well.  He really likes missionary work.  I think he knows the scriptures pretty well.  He has a ton of scriptures memorized.  He was one of those kids that would memorize all 100 scripture mastery's in seminary.  I don't know anyone that does that. 

5.  Maybe you can help him to learn some Spanish phrases so that you can continue finding Spanish speaking investigators.

Yes, maybe, but Spanish was already hard to learn and know it is going to be even harder.  These last few days of study have been awful.  I have no time to study Spanish because it always gets interrupted by other things.  It makes me mad because I really want to learn Spanish and work hard at trying to speak it, I just don't have any opportunities.  Everyone I talk to all speaks English but I think I am going to start going over to Elder Kenley's and have him help me because he can speak Spanish and he can listen to what I am saying in Spanish and give me feedback.  We did have one Spanish lesson this week with our investigator Cathy.  Elder Kenley and I taught her the plan of salvation and invited her to church.  Unfortunately she never showed up to church. 

6.  How is your ankle doing?

My ankle is still a little swollen so in physical therapy I haven't been able to do any strengthening exercises which kind of stinks because all I do there is just stretch it out and ice it which kind of feels like a waste.  I will probably need to go to more physical therapy than just the five that the mission doctor recommended.  I have hardly been able to rest my ankle and let it heal and that is probably why it is still swollen but, I can't help it, we are constantly busy with mission work and you can't do any mission work lying down. 

7.  How are your investigators and new members doing?

Loannva is doing really great!  I took Elder Rudd over to meet her for the first time and he loved her and was pretty jealous that Stewart and I got to find and teach her, because she was a golden investigator and I don't think many missionaries get the experience that we had of finding her on our own, teaching, and baptizing. 

Jim struggles constantly.  He has no support other than us so he has gone back to some old habits.  He does come to church every Sunday though and he participates in the lessons and stuff so that is good.  We have started to teach him the new member discussions which have been good and they seem to be helping him.  He trimmed up his beard and was wearing his new Sunday clothes President Hurley got him for Christmas.  He looked pretty good.  I'm not giving up on him. 

Our other investigators are doing well.  Chester has a baptismal date for the 28^th so we just need to get him to come to church three times and for him to quit smoking and then he will be good.  We have a new investigator named Philip.  He is cool.  He was a Mennonite but now he is interested in the LDS church so we are teaching him.  He is a farmer and is as strong as on ox.  He held a sledge hammer strait out from his body and held it by the end of the handle and slowly let it drop to his nose and then brought it all the way back up 6 times.  I don't know if that made any sense but, I couldn't do it and Elder Leavitt couldn't do it either.  He has to be way strong.

8.  Did you have to be in early on New Years Eve?  Did you bang on your pots and pans and make a lot of noise? 

Yes, we had to be in at 6:00 which was fine but no we didn't bang on pots and pans.

9.  Any news on your apartment?   

Yes, we are supposed to be getting a new one with new carpet pretty soon they just have to paint and install new flooring.

If I didn't baptize one person on my mission it would be fine with me because being here on my mission has made my testimony grow more than ever and has converted me in many ways.  I am a strong believer in missions, that they can change anybody.  I don't care what people say about a mission not being their thing, it can be anybody’s thing and it will change their life forever. 

I love you guys very much and missed you during this holiday season but there is no other place I would rather be than on a mission at this time. 

Love Elder Mouritsen