I know that the Priesthood is real!

March 19, 2012

Dear family,

Mom, it was great to hear your voice this week! I could've talked with you for hours but Sister Topham said keep it short but it was a nice call! Does my voice still sound the same or has it become deeper or more angelic, haha? I saw the doctor on Saturday night and he told me that it was most likely a fungus on my ungus, haha. He didn't know exactly what it was but he gave me some fungus cream and it seems to be working. I haven't been on it that long so we will see if the rash on my face gets better in a few days.

We didn't get the new apartment yet. It has been quite the hassle because they told us that they were going to repaint all the cabinets, walls, trim, put new light fixtures in and put in new carpet. Well they are running low on money so they didn't put new carpet in they just cleaned it and then they didn't give us new lights and they only painted the front rooms’ trim white. It looked so dumb because everything was good in the family room and then you go into the kitchen and the bedroom and the trim was all brown and ugly still. So we talked them into finishing painting and putting in new lights. They were supposed to be done on Friday, so I went to go check on the progress and the guy got really mad at me. I think he just needed to take his anger out on someone and it happened to be me. They are so lazy though. Every time I watch to see what they are doing they are just standing around their truck! If they would put their minds to it they would be able to get our apartment done within 2 hours but no, it will be done Thursday now.

Elder Rudd will be transferred this week to Jamestown NY; it is close to Lake Erie. I think it will be great for him. He will learn a lot. His companion has some learning disabilities so Elder Rudd will learn a great deal of patience. I liked Elder Rudd and we made some great improvements to the area. I did learn to love him and we taught really well together. I am excited about transfers as well. My new companion is named Elder Rivas (I’m not sure how to spell his name). He is coming straight from NY and he is originally from El Salvador. He has not been to the MTC so he is really green but I am excited. It will be a whole different experience than Elder Rudd was. I will be traveling to Pittsburgh tonight to pick him up tomorrow morning.

Our investigator, 12 year old Thomas Hunt, was baptized on Saturday. It was a great day for him and us! Jacob, another investigator came with us to the baptism. Afterward we all went to lunch and talked with Jacob and really got to know him and showed him how cool being Mormon can be. It was really good for Jacob to see the baptism and for us to be able to hang out with him. I think that the only way he will ever be baptized is if he is fellowshipped by the missionaries, because there really is no one his age in this ward and my ultimate goal would be to get him baptized and then get him to serve a mission. I really feel that he could serve a mission and it would change his life forever.

We had a very cool experience with Jacob last week on Friday night. We went and visited him. He was just getting home from being with his friends. He had us sit outside while he made some food and then he came out and sat with us. He told us that he had broken the word of wisdom that night but he had to because he had been in a brawl involving shot guns. He told us that he had to pull out his brass knuckles and almost had to use his knife, luckily he didn't have to use it. He said they made it out safely but that they were all worked up and needed something to calm them down. They got some alcohol and drank it. He said he wasn't drunk just a little tipsy but I felt he was a little more than just tipsy. So we talked about the word of wisdom for a while and then he started telling us that he wished we could have showed up about 7 months earlier before he had joined the "Illuminati"; which is selling your soul to the devil to have success and fame. It is said that Jay Z, and Drake are part of this organization. Anyway he starts telling us that he keeps getting visited by the Illuminati and that they are very angry with him for talking with us. We asked him who the Illuminati are and he wouldn't tell us but he said that he feels really close to the devil. I told him that the devil does have power and he might bring you fame and money but our Heavenly father has even greater power that will bring you everlasting happiness. Then I brought up Priesthood blessings. We talked about blessings performed by the priesthood and then he asked if he could have a blessing. We said yes and he had Elder Rudd anoint and I performed the blessing. It was probably the most powerful blessing I have ever given. Jacob was shaking and breathing really heavy as I spoke the words my Heavenly Father would have me say. I blessed Jacob that he would be comforted by our Heavenly Father and that the devil would leave him. After the blessing, we all sat down and it remained quiet for about a minute and then Jacob told us that he was thankful that we gave him a blessing because he felt so much closer to God. We asked if he would come to Thomas’ baptism and then ended with a prayer. I know that the priesthood is real and it is more powerful than anything on this earth. I am grateful for this opportunity to perform under the direction of the priesthood.

We haven't heard from Jim this week.

The cookies Aunt Debera sends me always get here safely and they always taste great! I weighed 175 lbs. according to the doctor’s scale. Mostly muscle though, I am getting bigger with this weight bench and now I will get to work out on it for another 3 months, haha.

Everything else is going well. I am nervous for this next week but also very excited! I hope everything is well in South Jordan.

I love you family and pray for you!

Love,

Elder Mouritsen

I totally burnt my peanut butter bars!

March 12, 2012

Dear family,

It sounds like Dad and Sydnee had a really long drive back from California but great practice for Sydnee since she was able to drive part of the way home! I can't believe she is already driving she is still my little sister who would get mad at me for looking at her in the morning.

That is good that mom had a good time in Cali and was able to help Whitney with cute little Georgia. The pictures that mom sent me today were so awesome. It makes me want to hold her so much, but I am glad that you will send me out to see her when I get home.

Dad, I wish I would have taken more opportunities to talk to you about the gospel. Now I just want to have companion studies with you, haha.

Wow it is crazy that I have been gone from you guys for almost eight months. How long was Braydon Spencer in the MTC? That place is not fun, haha, even though I learned a ton there. I would never want to go back as a missionary but maybe as a teacher.

I like a lot of the music on the iPod you sent me there are just a couple of things that are old that were made around same time as the movie "Together Forever" and if you have ever seen it it is old and lame! haha Afterglow.

Loannva has a good sense of humor I just wish she would come to church more. She likes everything about church she just doesn't come every week.

Dad, you probably could bench 275 lbs. if you wanted to. You have that grandpa strength which is even better than old man strength or missionary strength. You could probably lift a car if you wanted you just never feel like it so you don't, haha.

I think things are all good with our neighbors upstairs. Her boyfriend is back in the house so everything must be going well. I want to go talk to her and her boyfriend because they both play golf and he has played in some amateur and PGA events.

Brett and Brittany are great! We are going to teach them about families and being married forever in the temples next time because they are not married. They really don't see the point of getting married in this day and age so I think they will like our next lesson. Ethan is the son of Brittany. He is 8 and smarter than most 12 year olds.

My recent talk with Jim must not have been good enough because the other night he stole the dog and now he is on the run. Glenn, the guy that owns the dog is pressing charges of trespassing and stealing his dog. So I really don't know what is going to happen to Jim. It could've been the last we saw of Jim. It is sad. I was really hoping that he would change his life around and he was until he started fighting more and more with Glenn about the dog. I was really thinking that I should've had the dog killed to save Jim's salvation.

I totally burnt my peanut butter bars. They were rock hard when they cooled down. I will have to try again but I never realized how expensive baking was until I had to buy butter. It's like $4.

Dylan wrote me today. It was nice to hear from him and it sounds like he is doing well.

My new ankle brace works like a charm. I will never sprain my ankle again with this brace! My ankle feels good but it cracks all the time though and is still really weak. I have been doing calf raises to strengthen it.

I got to go to Costco with the Kenley's recently. It was the best. I was able to buy a 20lb bag of chicken, edamame, trail mix, roles and milk. Our freezer is full. Nothing else will fit in it, which is good because the ward has been slacking big time with feeding us.  I do almost all the cooking.  Elder Rudd is the worst cook. I don't think he has ever cooked anything besides Lean Cuisine and Campbell’s soup, haha. I have taught him how to make a few things though like Oatmeal, eggs and chicken.

I saw Elder Stewart recently and he's great. He doesn't like being zone leader but he is doing really well. My MTC companion Elder Nelson is doing well too. He is training but his companion is a little different, haha.

I still have the rash on my face and I think the cream the doctor prescribed is very slowly taking it away.

Since we got the weight bench I am getting pretty huge, haha, but all my clothes still fit great. My pants are a little snug around the waste but that is from all the treats that members feed us. The six-pack is slowly coming back though.

I'm sorry there is not too much about the investigators in this email but my email time was cut very short because Elder Rudd ran off and I had to find him and then talk about his feelings, haha,. Hard stuff missions are.

I love you guys and I am glad you all had a fun time at Whitney's and made it home safely!!

Love,

Elder Mouritsen

Everything always works out when you tell the truth.

5 March 2012

Dear Family,

This week has been great! To start off the week we had an exchange with the zone leaders so I got to spend two days with my trainer Elder Stewart! I was fun to talk to him again because I hadn't really talked to him since he was transferred but, he is still doing well and he gets to speak more Spanish in his new area. I wished he could've stayed longer. Stewart was the bomb! We went and painted Loannva's front door while Stewart was here so he was able to see her and Loannva loves her door. She is so funny. She talks all gangster-like even though she is almost 60 and she was acting out the way Elder Rudd acts and how Elder Stewart acts in front of Elder Ika and me.

The other night we went and had dinner at the O’Hara’s and afterward she had us move some furniture to her garage. While were moving things we found a weight bench and a bunch of weights and immediately we asked if we could borrow it. She said yes and now we have an Olympic bar and all kinds of weights for it. We are going to get so jacked now! That night we brought all the weights and everything home and right away the other elders came over and we all maxed-out on bench. I benched 235, the most I have ever done. It must be the missionary strength that you get out on missions that eventually becomes old man strength. After we did that we tried to organize everything in our apartment so we could have room to work out with all our new equipment. As we were getting ready to go to bed we heard this big ruckus coming from upstairs so we got really quiet and listened and we heard the lady above us yell "don't touch my stuff" and then a little later we heard "get the heck out of my house" then there was a big commotion down the stairs so we hurried and turned off all the lights and looked through the blinds. We saw her boyfriend slam the door and then do an awkward move throwing something at the door. He then walked to his car, lit up a cig and called her on the phone where they argued over him breaking the door. Then he left in his car and 5 min later he came back and knocked on her door. They argued for a while using lots of profanity and then she told him to leave and she shut the door. He didn't like that so he busted the door down and left and she started crying hysterically like she was back in the 6th grade and someone had just hurt her feelings. It was so immature of both of them but it was insane, and while all this was going on Elder Rudd and I watched and heard the whole thing. We have most of it on camera, haha. After the guy broke the door we called the cops and they came out and looked at the damage, filing a claim. We were shocked! It is probably the craziest thing I have seen on my mission!

We have a new family that we are teaching that are looking to be very promising they are Brett, Brittany, and Ethan. Brett is a mason and really enjoys learning new things and studying to know the truth for himself. The church and the book of Mormon are perfect for him.

Jim came to our apartment this week and said that he wanted to become a good Mormon and he is willing to change everything. I brought him inside and he and I had a good talk and I told him what he needs to do to straighten up his life so hopefully he follows the guidance I gave him. I told him that he needs to gain the trust of people because no one trusts him and so once he gains the trust of people they will be more willing to help him. Being trust worthy is one of the greatest qualities that you can have. I am grateful for the examples in my life that have shown me how to be trust worthy because everything always works out when you tell the truth.

Baby Georgia is the cutest baby in the whole wide room! No, just kidding, she is the cutest baby in the whole world! I love looking at all the pictures and she is already smiling a little bit. Is she a really happy baby? Has she even cried yet?

It sounds like fun being in California with Whitney, Garrett and the baby! I will probably go live with Whitney when I get home so I can be close to my new niece and always have nice weather, haha.

I got an antibiotic for the rash on my face and it did nothing. My eye just got worse so I called the doctor again today and he was going to send me to a doctor in town.

My ankle is doing really well. I just bought a really good brace today. I had bought one at Wal-Mart but it sucked so I went to this medical store that sells walkers, crutches etc., and they had a really nice one so I bought it. It was $32. It will show up on your gold card but it was 30% off. Awesome right!

We have not gotten a new apartment. I am mad. They are taking forever. It will probably never get done because the guys that are doing it are lazy and keep having other projects come up. But we got a new couch this week and it makes our apartment feel so much better and nicer. The other couch was deep down dirty!

We go to bed every night at 10:30 and get up by 6:30 and I have yet to take a nap. I have the best sleep ever! I am so tired that as soon as my head hits the pillow I am asleep.

Transfers are in two weeks and I feel like I will stay with Elder Rudd for one more transfer.

I will probably send back my IPod so you can put some more stuff on it like talks and some classical instrumental music because some of the music is just annoying like Eclipse. I can't stand them, haha. The Spanish music is great and George Dyer is the bomb. He was my primary teacher.

We are going to Costco with the Kenley’s tomorrow in Harrisburg because they have a Costco card and we will be in Harrisburg for zone conference.

Love you family!! I hope you have a great week with the baby!

Elder Mouritsen

I am an uncle now!!!

27 February 2012

Dear family,

Wow, this is so cool! I am an uncle now and I want to meet little baby Georgia really bad. I am glad that everything went well with the birth but that kind of stinks that Whitney had to have a C-section and has to stay in the hospital until the tomorrow or Wednesday. She looked so happy and so excited to be a mother. I think it is amazing when people bring new little life into the world. It is fascinating to think about the process that the woman’s body goes through to bring forth a new spirit. God is a genius and has planned everything out so perfectly that it astounds me. I can't even begin to comprehend his IQ score. Baby Georgia was pretty long I think. Isn't 20 1/2 inches long for a baby? She is really cute. I think she has Garrett’s nose from the pictures that I saw but it is hard to tell, she was still waking up from her nine month nap. Whitney will be a great mother and Garrett will be a great father. Both of them looked so happy and I know that baby Georgia will have a lot of love from the family. I already love her!

The Kenley's are the best! Elder Kenley makes me laugh so much. He reminds me of the old guy from the movie “UP”. Elder Kenley is only 5 ft. tall and has what he calls a Buddha belly, haha. I think his legs are about 2ft tall but he is a scriptural genius. He knows everything there is to know about the scriptures and he is a wonderful teacher. His favorite thing to teach is Church History. He teaches an institute class for young adults and old adults every Thursday and Friday, so sometimes we get to go with an investigator to his class. This week we had Leadership training meeting and we were able to ride with the Kenley's to Harrisburg where it was held. After the meeting we went with the Kenley’s to Five Guys burgers and fries! It was really nice of them to take us there and the burger was great. I don't think I have had a burger for a good 8 months because I always eat chicken, but it was a nice treat. There is everything in Harrisburg Costco, Chipotle, Five Guys, everything we have in Utah pretty much. I wouldn't mind serving in Harrisburg, it seems like a good area. I like to ride with the Kenley's, I am glad that I had the opportunity to have so many talks and discussions with grandpa and grandma because I feel that I can talk to an older generation and I like hearing their stories.

Wow, I would have loved to meet President Summerhays (former Pittsburgh mission president). He sounds like a great guy and I know he had a big impact on Elder Stewart. He was a very successful business man and was able to run things in the mission almost as Donald Trump would. The missionaries that were here when he was here all say he was a great leader and really changed the mission. It is great to see that the mission is still improving with President Topham. Everyone seems to stay really motivated to do work and to boost the numbers of the Key Indicators of missionary work. I have a lot of respect for President Topham and I think he is a great guy and same with Sis Topham, she makes me laugh all the time. She was in all these Role plays at leadership training and she just makes them funny and fun to watch. She is full of energy and reminds me a lot of mom. Probably stressed at times but always has a good attitude about things and supports her husband 100%.

We keep trying to work with Mark. He is fun to talk to. He owns an antique store on main St. and he travels all over the world to get antiques for his shop.

The rash under my eye is going away. I was able to call the mission doctor and he called in a prescription for me. I know my body probably looks the same, it just feels different because this is a different way of life and I have no one to boost my self image, haha. I think it was just my eyebrows. I haven't been able to give them a good trim since I left home so they were pretty gnarly but luckily Elder Leavitt had an eyebrow trimmer and I was able to use it. Now I can think clearly and I can have a confidence boost, haha. Most importantly though is that I am here for the Lord and not for myself like you said, so it doesn't really matter what I look like as long as my Heavenly Father is pleased with the work I am doing.

Your Stake Conference sounds like it was really good. That is insane that Patriarch Chipman has given over 1000 blessings. That amazes me. How long has he been a Patriarch? My Patriarchal blessing was one of the most spiritual experiences I have ever had and I am so grateful for it to help guide me through my life. The water/well drilling rig that John Renouard invented is ingenious and so simple. I can't believe no one else has come up with something like that. I sometimes try and think of little inventions that I could design and make when I get home. I haven't really come up with anything yet because I think Heavenly Father is clouding my mind of all the good inventions because that is not what I am supposed to be focusing on. It is weird when you are out on a mission you begin to forget a lot of things from your past like names of movies and actors. All the things that don't pertain to missionary work are lost.

Chester didn’t get to meet with President Topham yet because President Topham didn't want to drive all the way to our area when he was coming in two weeks for stake conference. It was probably good though because Chester has still been having struggles every now and again but he is doing great and he came to church yesterday. He really enjoyed it I feel. He listens really well and I know his mind is just trying to take it all in making him think and question and find the truth.

Jim is struggling major. He hasn't been to church in a long time. He was kicked out of the trailer he was living in because he can't give up Lizzy his dog. Is it wrong to kill a dog to save someone’s salvation? Probably, but something’s got to happen because all of his problems come from this stupid dog. I gave it my all but he broke my heart. I really do believe he could make a change. He just needs some guidance, almost like a parent because he never was taught from his parents. I think his parents messed up all their children’s lives.

Loannva is doing well but I feel she is really confused about the church because she was asking about the Book of Mormon and wondering what it was because it isn't found in the bible. I was like what?!... Do you not remember anything that we taught you? I didn't say that but I wanted to. We had two lessons with her this week and in the second lesson I taught her how to pray correctly because she would pray but it just wasn't the right way so I taught her the right way which Elder Stewart and I should've done but we didn't. At church, the lesson was on prayer in Sunday school so it all worked perfectly.

I have a cool story well, I have two.

First, I asked one of our investigators if he would be baptized and he said he would, so last night we taught him the Word of wisdom and Elder Ika and Elder Leavitt were there with us. Elder Ika used to be in a gang and did all sorts of bad things so he relates to this investigator really well. We ended up telling him to straighten up and that he couldn't do drugs, drink or anything like that and then Elder Ika just went off talking about his experiences and was telling the investigator that he could do anything especially quit drugs. It was the coolest lesson about the Word of Wisdom and at the end he said he would keep the Word of Wisdom.

This week something crazy happened. I was on exchange with Elder Medina and we went by one of our investigators to see if she was home because she hadn't been answering her phone all day. We got there and I knocked on the door pretty hard just in case she was asleep, no answer. I knocked one more time. This time she came to the door unfortunately in her underwear, something I wasn't expecting to see. She quickly ran into her room and put on some clothes. She then came back and let us into her house. I saw that she was there with her ex-boyfriend. They were trying to work things out and from the look and sound of it it must have been going pretty well. We taught her the first two principles of the Gospel, Faith and Repentance, afterward she asked if she and her boyfriend could live together. They are both married but split apart from their spouses and since it is the 21st century (It’s against the Ten Commandments but since it is the 21st century don't you think we can?) This is pretty much what she had asked me. I was stumped for a minute and didn't know how to answer the question but mostly scared because I knew that the answer was No, but I didn't want to offend her or her boyfriend with the answer. Also, I didn't want to make lite of the subject because it is a big no no. I paused for a little bit and then the Spirit filled me with an answer. I told her that God is the same yesterday today and forever and that even though the world changes, God doesn't and neither do his laws. We finished and left but I was praying that my answer wouldn't turn her away from the church. A few days later we visited with her again. She told us she had read a lot in the Book of Mormon all the way up to chp. 13 in Nephi, but the best part was in her reading she read the verse that says God is the same yesterday, today and forever. God works in mysterious ways but it is the coolest thing to be a witness of Him answering questions the way He wants them to be answered.

Elder Rudd and I work well together and we get a lot done. We see Elder Leavitt and Ika probably more than we should. They end up coming with us to teaching appointments if I think it is ok. We usually see them every P day but they are great. I love them!

I love you guys all so much and I pray for your safety and success!!!!!

Tell Whitney and Garrett I love them and congratulations!!

Tell Georgia she has an awesome uncle that is on a mission and he loves her!

Love,

Elder Mouritsen

Missions really humble you in every way

23 February 2012

Dear family, 

Grandpa Max is 70!  No way!  I thought he was still 65.  Is Grandma Ruth almost 70 too?  A pork taco bar sounds so good and same with Dunford chocolate donuts.  We rarely ever get good Mexican food except for when Sister Reyes was here.  She made really good Mexican food but the Reyes’ are gone now.  They moved to Georgia which is kind of sad.  Also, this week a nonmember named Mark, who loves the missionaries but doesn't believe in religion, took us out to lunch to Tito's Tacos which was really good, probably the best Mexican food I have had here.  It was fun to talk to Mark and hear of his thoughts about the church and to hear his thoughts about heaven.   He says that heaven wouldn't be fun because everyone will be perfect and there would be no competition so everyone would be winners and no one would lose. 

My right eye is has some sort of rash around it and so does my chin and I have no idea what it would be from because I haven't been using anything out of the ordinary and I wash and my face every night and morning.  I will probably have to call the mission doctor and see what he says because I have had it for a good week now and it doesn't look too good.  Everything about my body is falling apart.  My hair is thinning.  My neck always has razor burn even though I have tried everything to not get razor burn.  I even talked to a professional barber and asked him how to shave properly.  He told me what to do and I have been following what he told me to do but it still breaks out.  I am really white and my chest has more hair than ever which grosses me out sometimes.  I am out of shape because all missionaries do is sit all day long but, nonetheless, my brain has never been worked out so much in my life.  Missions really humble you in every way, even your appearance.   

That’s great that you have been making a quilt for the baby.  You are the master quilter now.  Are you going to buy a sewing machine?  You will have to send me a picture of your quilt and how it all looks in baby Georgia's crib.  It is way exciting that Whitney is having a baby!  You are still too young to be a grandmother but I think you are ready for it.  Are dad and Sydnee going to be going down in Cali with you or is it just going to be you.  Our family is getting bigger!! 

I am at the Kenley's right now emailing you.  They are so nice and I love having them so close to us and having them here to help me with my Spanish and to feed us breakfast every once in a while.  I don't think we will ever get into our new apartment at least while I am here because the maintenance people are so slow at getting things completed around our apartments.  I did get a new mattress this week and it is so great.  I sleep better than I ever have on my mission and it helps me to be more awake during the day.  We get to go shopping for a new couch for our apartment because the one we have is deep down dirty.  It has a moist feeling and you definitely get dirtier by sitting on it.   

Our 12 year old investigator didn't get baptized but is waiting for his family to get in town so he will be getting baptized the 10th of March.  Our investigators are doing really well.  

Jonathan is progressing and reading a lot in the Book of Mormon.  He always has good questions for us but one thing he didn't understand is why Nephi had to slay Laban if “thou shalt not kill” is a commandment.  So, at the end of the lesson I told him that he should pray about it since he was having such a hard time with it.  That is exactly what he did and after he said the prayer in front of us he said he felt a really weird feeling.  He said he felt goose bumps on his neck and he just wanted to laugh.  I told him that that is the same feeling that I get when I feel the Spirit (goose bumps).  He said he felt like he was getting an answer. 

Jakie came to church and had bought a bunch of new outfits for church so that was cool to hear and she wants to make a huge change in her life.  She is my favorite person to teach.  She is like a sponge and she always has good questions and gets very emotional.  I think she has cried every time we have taught her. 

We have been doing some less active work lately and this week we were working with the Snider family.  They invited us to one of their son’s high school basketball games.  We went and got to see him play.  He was really good and his team won, but most importantly we were able to set up an appointment to go over to their house.  A couple days later we went to their house and it was such a sweet house!  It was an old bare distributing building that they had converted into house.  It was very modern and you would have loved it mom.  I will have to try and get some pictures of it.  The snider dad is a CEO of some company.  They also have 110 lb bull dog.  The Snider's are very nice but it may be hard to get them to come to church again. 

Chester is being interviewed this week by President Topham so I hope everything goes well with that which I am sure it will because Chester has a strong testimony and he loves the church. 

I received your letter Syd and all your friends’ letters.  Thanks, I will be writing you back soon. 

I can't really think of anything else that you would want to hear but I love you guys and hope you all have a great week and that Georgia is healthy and strong when she is born.  Tell Whit she is the bomb.com. 

Love you.

Elder Tanner Mouritsen