It Was The Perfect Question

Monday December 17, 2012

Dear Family,

On Tuesday I had an exchange with Elder Leavitt in Fairview and that is who you saw in the pictures that the Kenley's sent you.  On Tuesday night after our dinner Elder Leavitt and I went to go visit a potential investigator that they had found and the lady said stop back by sometime.  As we were walking to this lady’s house we could see that she was standing on her porch with her friend and with her fiancé.  As we got closer she started laughing as if she was embarrassed that we had shown up.  It was a little awkward at first but then Elder Leavitt started talking and the fiancé started talking to us then the friend left.  We were a little confused on what was going on but then the lady, who was about 23, finally started talking with us.  We started by talking about where they worked and what they did and then pretty soon she started feeling comfortable with us and asked us “when is the world going to end?”  It was a perfect question and from that point on we were able to share the plan of salvation and even a little bit about the restoration.  After talking to them for a while we found out that they were both a little lost and both wanted to do what was right.  They knew that living together wasn't right and they both want to quit smoking.  After talking for about 45 min in the freezing cold they invited us in so she could check her schedule to see when we could come back.  She even asked if we wanted any shampoo or gel because she cuts hair.  It was a really cool experience and at first I thought that they were going to tell us to go away but we were blessed and Heavenly Father softened their hearts so that we could share our message.  

On Wednesday we did some service at a retirement center and then the Kenley’s came and took us out to lunch to the Applebee's.  It was nice talking to them and catching up on Chambersburg.  They said that Kevin Kramer is getting the priesthood and then this Saturday he is going to baptize Jonah the 8 year old foster child.  

On Friday we had Zone conference.  It started at 9 am and we were able to hear from Doctor Brower the mission doctor.  He shared a presentation on how we can stay healthy and what we can do when we are sick.  He shared a lot of great information but one of the biggest things that I didn't know was that you can buy the 88 cent medicine at Wal-Mart and it is the same as buying the $6 name brand stuff.  So, mom and dad never buy the expensive stuff you will just be wasting your money.  After his presentation we had some training from President Topham where he taught us what we need to be doing in our companionship studies so that we can become better teachers.  It was really helpful and Elder Spohn and I have been putting it to the test.  It truly has been helping us to have better companionship studies and also become better teachers.  We then had lunch and I was able to talk to Elder Lozano about Lebanon and he told me that Sam is going to get baptized this Saturday!!!!   After lunch, we heard from the AP's and then we had to do some zone leader training which I felt went really well.  We taught about rescuing.  Our new purpose is to find, teach, rescue instead of find, teach, and baptize.  We still want to baptize but we want to rescue all those less actives and by rescuing those less actives we can then get referrals from them.  We did a lot of role playing in our training which is what president told us we need to do.  He said that every companionship study time, every district meeting, and every zone meeting should have 30 min of role plays because that is where you learn the most.  It is true.  If you want to become good at teaching then role play it to someone and when it comes time to teach it to a class you will get all the stupid things you might say out of the way.  We ended Zone conference with the mission video which was pretty awesome!

Thank you family for all your love and support.  I love you so much and can’t wait to talk to you this Christmas!!!  Have your questions ready!  

Love you!!!

Elder Tanner Lars Mouritsen 

PS.  My new address in Hanover is 500 Frederick Street 2^nd floor, Hanover, PA 17331.  I might have given you the wrong ZIP before.

My First Zone Leader Council

December 11, 2012

Dear Family,

We went to Pittsburgh this last weekend for Zone Leader Council. We went down on Thursday and had our council on Friday so we ended up staying with Elder Nelson in his apartment because he is the zone leader in Pittsburgh.  It was really fun to catch up on everything that has happened since the MTC.  He and I have pretty much had the same mission experience with a few differences.  We both want to serve together again so we kept hinting to President Topham to let us serve together.  He has also had some major girlfriend problems on his mission, which we were able to talk about.  He is also going through the same challenges that I have with learning Spanish so it is nice to talk to someone that knows what I am feeling.  I think it is cool that we will be coming home on the same day to the same airport to the same town.  I hope we can work something out to where we can go to the same university.  Oh, also transfer dates have been changed so I will be coming home a week earlier than what was expected, July 31 2013.

I am adjusting to being a Zone Leader.  It has been pretty much the same except we do more paper work and we have to go to Zone Leader Council where we talk about the rules of the mission and things we need to do to make sure the mission stays close to the Spirit.  We are also trained by the AP's and president on stuff that we have to train our zone to do.  The meeting at my first council meeting was good and the Spirit was strong.  We learned about rescuing less actives and getting them to the temple.  We also did some role plays on how we should use members in teaching less actives and how we can have that less active have a friend in the ward.  We will be having zone conference this Friday where we have to do an hour of training on the stuff that we learned in zone council.  Hopefully everything goes well and Elder Spohn and I can teach well together.  

Yesterday as we were E-mailing, the Gettysburg elders called us and said that they had an emergency.  They had been in a car accident and asked us to call President Topham.  We called the president to let him know and then we went out to the scene of the accident because the car was totaled and they were going to need a ride back.  It took us awhile to find where they were located but we eventually did.  As we pulled up we saw several cop cars two ambulances and a fire truck.  Yes it was pretty serious...  We got out and went to go see what had happened.  Elder Munoz who was the passenger was fine, he just had some bruises.  Elder Paralta was in the ambulance because he was having bad pain in his shoulder and neck.  The lady that hit the elders was also in the other ambulance and was being rushed off because she was in the worst condition.  The Gettysburg elders went off to the hospital in the ambulance and we ended up going to the hospital two hours later to give Paralta a blessing.  We got to the hospital and had to wait until the nurse called us.  Paralta ended up being fine.  He just had some strained ligaments in his shoulder.  I was amazed that they had no serious injuries after seeing their car.  They were both truly blessed.  We don't know about the other lady but we are trying to figure out how she is doing.  We heard her leg might have been broken.  

How the accident happened:

Elder Paralta is a very obedient driver and had stopped behind a stop sign.  He looked both ways and then pulled out into the intersection.  As he did, he was hit broadside by a jeep going anywhere from 45 to 55 miles an hour.  The elders ended up getting pushed about 30 yards from the 2 way stop.  The side air bags came out in the elders new Ford Fusion and the front air bags came out in the Jeep.  Both cars were totaled.  It is the fault of Elder Paralta because he didn't pull out far enough to see around a bush that was blocking his view.  If he would have pulled up a little farther he would have been able to see around the bush and prevented the accident.  I feel really bad for him because crashing sucks!!!

Both the Gettysburg elders speak Spanish fluently, so I can practice with them and we will be going on exchanges with them.  I will also being trying hard to find some new Spanish investigators so I can practice my Spanish.   

The work is going well we have some investigators that remind me of the Kramer’s and we also have Michael a 22 year old that wants to be baptized and a guy named Paul who is very interested.   

Love you!!

Elder Mouritsen

He answered his door with his M-16...

December 3, 2012

Dear family,

This week was transfers.  On Monday I spent the day saying goodbye to all the families that I had grown to love and finished packing.  On Tuesday we made the journey to Harrisburg where I met my new companion Elder Spohn and Elder Lozano met his companion Elder Morris.  I packed all my stuff into the car which was not easy because we had two elders with luggage; me and another Elder that was going to Gettysburg, and two more missionaries.  Once we finally stuffed all the stuff into the car we were off.  I got to my new area Hanover and my new apartment, which is quite nice.  It has two bedrooms, a nice bathroom and lots of windows so it doesn't feel like you are in a dungeon like it did in Lebanon.  I spent a little time unpacking and then we were off working in my new area.  It is always weird to get to a new area because you don't know anyone or anything about it but that is completely normal.  These last few days I have just been meeting all our investigators, getting to know Elder Spohn and getting used to this area.  So far I have been enjoying it and it is nice to be with a companion that is not brand new and actually knows what to do.  Elder Spohn has only been a Zone leader for 6 weeks so he is still pretty new to the whole zone leader thing so we will both be learning together.  

We have been having fun and we have some great investigators one being a man named Paul.  Paul is a character.  When I first met him he answered his door with his M-16 strapped to his belt and acted like he didn't want anything to do with us.  I found out later that Elder Spohn and he had been planning it.  His wife is a less active and that is how the missionaries originally got in contact with him.  He is really fun to teach because he is smart, has questions, and understands the importance of the gospel.  He also took us out to eat the other night with his family which was really awesome because normally investigators don't take us out for dinner.  

Elder Spohn came out to Pennsylvania with me on the airplane so he has been out about the same time as me.  He is from South Jordan, Utah.  He lives next to Glenmore golf course but went to Copper Hills instead of Bingham.  We have a lot in common and we even know some of the same people.  He likes to play sports, work out, eat well, and is smart in the gospel so our companionship studies go by fast because we have a lot to talk about.  

I am also back in the Zone with the Kenley's and the Kramer’s so I will get to go see the Kramer’s again!!

It’s crazy that Tess is in the MTC!  I can't believe she is gone!  I remember just like it was yesterday when I was saying goodbye to you guys on the curb at the MTC and I felt I was ready and within the first couple hours I found out how unprepared I was.  I am glad I am not going through that again but I would be nowhere without the MTC.  She is probably going to feel a little overwhelmed in the MTC at first.  She is going to do great though and I will try and send her an email or a letter. 

Last night (Sunday) we also watched the Christmas Devotional which was really nice.  I liked all the stories that they shared and how the focus was how to receive a gift, not just give but receive.  We don't always need to give a gift back when we receive a gift.  I thought it was nice and the music was phenomenal.  It was a cool experience because we had planned to watch the devotional with a less active and her son who is not a member but is investigating the church.  The less active sister wasn't feeling well so the investigator ended up inviting us over to his house.  We ended up watching the devotional on a laptop which at first didn't sound too great but the Spirit was still strong and you could tell that the music and stories had a big effect on our investigator and his girlfriend.   

I am off of z-pack and my ears are feeling better but I still kind of have a sore throat which is super annoying!  I should be back to normal this week.   

I love you guys!!!

Elder Mouritsen  

I am being transferred to Hanover, Pennsylvania

November 26, 2012

Dear family, 

This was a good week but sad because I knew I was probably getting transferred and I found out that I would definitely be transferred on Saturday from the Zone leaders.  I am being transferred tomorrow.  I will be going to Hanover, Pennsylvania to be the York Zone leader.  Chambersburg will be in my Zone so I will be able to see the Kenley's and the Cramer’s again. Yahoo!!! 

Things went really well this week though.  We had some great lessons and we had all of Rebecca’s family come to church; Sam, Sambo, Omari and Fernando.  We also had one of our Spanish investigators named Elizabeth come to church.  It was my first time having a Spanish investigator come to church.  It was awesome!!  We ended up having the Gospel Principles class in Spanish and Hector Morales taught the class.  It was so different having a Spanish investigator there and so surprising that I almost didn't know what to do with myself.  On Friday we had a lesson with Elizabeth.  In the lesson we watched the new bible video of Jesus being baptized by John and then after that I asked her if she would be baptized.  She accepted and then Elder Lozano set a date for the 22 of December.  We bore testimony that what we taught was true and of the priesthood.  She was happy and she also loved church.  Elder Lozano will be preparing her for baptism in these next few months.  After our lesson with Elizabeth we had our scheduled appointment with Rebecca and her family.  Sambo wasn't there but Sam was and Rebecca had made us a whole turkey dinner which was delicious.  We ate our turkey dinner and then shared a thanksgiving Mormon.org video.  After the video I asked Rebecca what she was thankful for, she quickly started tearing up and said “why did you have to ask me that?”  She then started saying that she is thankful to be a member of the church and for the opportunity that she had to come to America from Thailand with her family and to have always had a job since she has been here.  It was really touching and the Spirit was so strong.  We then asked Sam what he was thankful for and he explained himself, which was cool to hear.  Elder Lozano and I then shared our thoughts and then I asked Sam if he would be baptized on the 22 of December and he said YES!!!  I was shocked but not really because I could feel the Spirit witnessing to his heart that it was true.  Many things are starting to happen in the Lebanon area and I will be really sad to leave.  I have grown to love the people here and the ward. 

Thanksgiving was great!  On Thursday morning we had a Turkey Bowl at the park and Sam and Fernando came to that with us.  There ended up being about 35 of us so the teams where huge and lots of confusion but it was still really fun and I was able to show off all my football skills, haha just kidding.  After football we went home to shower and get ready and at 1:30 brother Gooden came and picked us up.  We then went and got Rebecca because her family was all leaving to go to other places, so we invited her to come with us, of course with the Gooden’s permission.  We got to the Gooden’s and everyone was playing Speed (a card game) and cooking food.  I was able to meet Sister Gillan’s Son Mathew who lives in Utah, taught at the mtc while I was there, and tutored me there.  He also dated Shea Renouard and new Chris Ackerman!  Crazy right!  Small world.  At around 2:00, we had dinner which was terrific!  We then played card games and I taught Rebecca how to play speed which she enjoyed very much.  At 6 we left the Gooden’s and went to the Whitney’s where we ate again and then played Texas hold em haha... no money was involved but we had fun and the had some none members there that we were able to talk with. 

The whole day on Thursday I had had a bad ear ache so after the Whitney’s we went to Jeff Sabey's house where he checked me out again and told me that my ear infection was back.  He ended up putting me on z pack and let me borrow his humidifier.  He also told me to use the Nettipot.  I had to buy a Nettipot and have been using it to clear out my sinuses.  It seems to work...  I am feeling a little better today and things are starting to clear up.  

Also this week I went on an exchange with Elder Platt in Hershey and I was able to talk to a Hershey med student and I think I want to be a plastic surgeon. 

This week for district meeting I taught on the Christmas Campaign.  Go to mormon.org/christmas and you can share the message of the true meaning of Christmas with your friend the family.  There are free e-cards on there which are pretty cool.  The Church will be putting up a lot of advertising within the next month on YouTube and Facebook. 

Thanks for the Thanksgiving card!

Love you!!!

Elder Mouritsen

Things are starting to come to fruition

November 19, 2012

Dear family,

Things are going well here in Lebanon.   It was a pretty normal week as far as missionary work goes except on Thursday I was able to have an exchange in Harrisburg with an elder named Elder Ward.  It was a good exchange.  We even had the security guard at the Hospital come up to us and started telling us that he thought that Romney should have won and then he told us that he listens to Glenn Beck all the time and loves listening to what he has to say.  He was really interested in us and what we do and we ended up setting up a time where we could meet with him and share a message.  It was cool because he came up to us and that usually doesn't happen but I think the Lord is preparing him.  Elder Ward and I got along really well.  We are both from Utah and we had a lot to talk about.  

I got back to Lebanon on Friday just in time to go to a lesson at Rebecca’s.  She had made us some Cambodian salad that was pretty spicy and I kept feeling like I was going to get the hiccups.  She also fed us some really good egg rolls that she made.  I don't know how she cooks so well because her kitchen doesn't have any counters.  The lesson that we had went really well.  We shared the bible video about the atonement.  The Spirit was really strong and both of Sambo's kids where there because they were sick and staying home from school but I think it was a blessing in disguise.  Sambo's son Fernando was able to watch the video with us and then we invited him to come to church.  On Sunday we had Rebecca's son Sam come and he brought Fernando.  They only stayed for sacrament but it was really nice to have them there.  Fernando is only ten so I ended up playing tick tack toe and the dot game just to keep it interesting for him.  

There are a lot of good things going on in this area and I will be sad to leave.  Transfers are coming up next week and I will most likely be transferred because I have been here for 6 months.  I am sad and I really don't want to leave though.  A lot of things are starting to come to fruition that we have been working hard on and I want to see the results.  Also, I want to keep speaking Spanish with Elder Lozano.  I love the ward and the members here and we are about to do some reaping in this area.   

This week is thanksgiving.  We will be having dinner with the Gillon's and the Gooden's.  We might also go and visit the Whitney family.  Brother Whitney is a jockey living in the ward.  He is supposed to be inviting several jockey friends to his house for dinner so hopefully we can get some new potential investigators while at dinner.  We also will be having a turkey bowl that morning where I will be able to show off all my turkey bowl (football) skills.   

I love you guys and pray for you constantly!!

Love Elder Mouritsen