Sierra Mist with a straw

February 11, 2013

Dear Family,

I am writing a day late because yesterday I had the flu really bad!  I called the mission doctor and he told me to go to the emergency room because he thought it was my appendix.  I just called him to see if I could do anything to feel better because I couldn't even lie down without feeling terrible.  It was weird, I went to bed feeling totally fine and then at 3 in the morning I woke up and felt terrible so I went and tried to throw up.  It finally came.  I felt better so I went back to bed then I just kept waking up every 30 to 40 min and threw up.   After calling the doctor I ended up going to the emergency room.  After hours in the emergency room they finally ruled that it wasn’t my appendix but that it was just a really bad flu bug.  I thought I was dying but after having an IV and some anti-nausea medicine I started feeling a little better.  Today I am feeling pretty good but I haven't eaten anything for 2 days so I am really weak.  

After getting home from the hospital a member brought me a Sierra Mist with a straw because I knew if you were here mom you would have given me a Sierra Mist with a straw, haha.  So, I had the member get that for me. 

We had a pretty good week last week.  On Tuesday, we did an exchange with some of the elders in Chambersburg.  I went to Green Castle which is a new area that has opened since I was in Chambersburg.  It covers most of the area that I was over when I was there.  Elder Spohn went with the missionaries that are serving in the area where Elders Leavitt and Ika used to serve.  It was a good exchange.  The best part for me was when we had a lesson with one of the investigators that I had started teaching months ago.  You might remember him.  His name is Allen and his wife is a member.  So, I guess he has been struggling with a few things about Church but we were able to have a really good lesson.  He told us that he stopped saying his morning and night prayers and it sort of tanked from there.  I testify of that.  When we stop doing the simple things like praying and reading the scriptures we become more prone to fall into our old habits and/or lose sight of what is important.  We need to stay close to our Father in Heaven through simple prayer and scripture study.  

On Friday, we had zone training and President Topham was there.  President taught our Zone about becoming a “Preach My Gospel” missionary, which was really powerful and we had some good role plays.  It was the same training that he gave us in ZLC.  Sister Topham wasn't there so President was a little bolder in rebuking the missionaries.  He isn't taking any more crap from missionaries.  He is tired of all the silly stuff that missionaries do.  He is starting to become like Elder Holland.  I like it a lot though and I am excited to see what kind of changes he will make to help us become the best missionaries we can be.  

After his training we had lunch and then Elder Spohn and I taught on the use of area books and how we can use them as a more effective tool in missionary work.  It went the best I think it could have and we were able to show it on President Topham’s projector so I didn't have to write it down on the board.  

On Saturday, we had a lesson with a girl named Jesi.  Jesi used to meet with the missionaries about 6 months ago and was getting really close to baptism but some things came up in her life and she fell out of touch with the missionaries.  We met her when we were emailing at the library one Monday and she said that she wants to get back into everything.  Saturday was our first lesson with her and it went really well.  She remembers a lot so most of it was review.  We ended by inviting her to come to church.  

On Sunday, Jesi came to the singles ward and loved being back.  At the end of church we invited her to be baptized on March 9.  She said yes, and now we will be preparing her to be baptized.  We are both excited for her and she is really excited as well.  Towards the end of the night we had a lesson with Pablo!  Pablo is the nicest guy.  He is my favorite Spanish speaking investigator I have ever taught.  He understands the importance of it and he has great questions.  He is Catholic but I think he sees some problems with the Catholic Church.  We have been talking about baptism and he is really intrigued with baptism by full immersion.  He said he would be baptized if he finds it is true so that was exciting to hear.  

The weather is really nice today and but it has been pretty cold but nothing too bad.  It hardly snows here.  

I love you family!!

Tanner

PS.  I love you mom.  I wish you were here to take care of me.

Being a "Preach My Gospel" missionary

February 4, 2013

Dear Family,

We had a safe trip to and from Pittsburgh it was just really long and boring.  The truck that we ride in is too small and the seats are really hard and we do it all while sitting in suit pants which is terrible!  Anyway, we drove down on Thursday at 3, stopped and had dinner with a senior couple in a place called Johnstown and then went the rest of the way to Pittsburgh.  We arrived around 9:00 at the AP’s apartment and found that everyone else was also staying in the AP’s apartment.  10:00 of us missionaries ended up staying in one apartment.  It was pretty crowded, especially when it was time to shower because there was only one shower.  People started showering at six am and we all were done by 8:00 and ready for our breakfast with the senior office couples.  After breakfast we went to the chapel to have our Zone Leader Council.  It was my favorite council thus far.  President Topham taught about being a “Preach My Gospel” missionary and then the APs taught us how to better use our area books.  Lunch was provided by President and Sister Topham and that evening, after the council, we went to dinner at the one good Mexican restaurant in Pennsylvania.  We ended up getting home from Pittsburgh around 11:30 pm.  We were both really tired. I was pretty much exhausted from the whole week.  

Wow, it sounds like Tess is doing really well and having an eye opening experience.  That is cool that she has all Spanish investigators and she is in a Spanish ward.  Elder Rivas is from Far Rockaway, New York really close to the Bronx.  

One of the less active men that we have been teaching called on Thursday before we left for Pittsburgh and told us that we needed to come and see him as soon as possible.  He sounded very distressed.  When we got there we asked him what was going on.  He told us that he had had cocaine the night before for the first time and he didn't know what to do.  He told us that he went down to visit a friend of his and she convinced him to smoke some cocaine.  He was scared.  We didn't know what to do so we called the mission doctor.  He told us that there was nothing that we could do and that our friend needed to rest until the drugs wore off.  Keep in mind, he is 62 and the doctor said that that was probably not the first time that he had had cocaine.  Anyway, we left for Pittsburgh and we later got a call from the less active’s mom telling us that he was going to the hospital.  Crazy stuff!  Hopefully we hear from him again soon.  

I love you!!!! 

Elder Mouritsen

God would provide a way for him to follow a commandment

January 28, 2013

Dear Family,

This week was good, a little slow but good.  One downer though is that Elder Spohn got sick and then he got me sick so we are both a little miserable because we don't have our moms, haha.  He is pretty much over his cold but I think mine is still in full force.  I have been using the Netti-pot and Sudafed has been my friend.  

On Wednesday we had a zone training meeting were we taught on the Book of Mormon and the foreordination of our calling.  We used Alma 13:1-7 as a basis of the foreordination of our calling. Everything fell apart when it came time for the training.  We couldn't find a projector to play our power point, Elder Spohn locked the keys in the family history center where I had all my stuff; backpack, Scriptures, etc.  However, with all that, we still managed to get through it.  I wrote the Powerpoint presentation out on the board and we used the TV to show the video that we had.  We spent the first part of the training talking about rules and obedience.  

After our training we went to the Chinese buffet which was gross but it was fun to talk to everyone.  (I don't like Chinese food really).  Afterwards, we had a blitz with the Gettysburg Elders.  I was with Elder Munoz and we did some much needed Spanish work.  We taught a guy named Pablo about the restoration and the Book of Mormon.  Elder Munoz is a really good people person and the Spanish people love him. After that, we tracted the streets in the bitter cold.  It was freezing but the last door we knocked that night was some people from Kazakhstan.  We knocked on the door and they let us right in but they didn't speak English at all.  They motioned for us to sit down, so we did, and then they started giving us bread, tea, cold chicken stuff with salt on it and a hostess cupcake.  We couldn't communicate with them so the guy had us use his phone translator then we realized that there is a returned missionary living in the area who served in Russia.  We called him and he was able to translate for us.  They didn't want anything to do with the Book of Mormon but it was a really cool experience and they were very humble and loving.  They even had gold teeth!  

On Friday we saw Michael and talked about his goals in life.  He brought up his concern about him and Gina living together.  He told us that he doesn't see how it would work for them to live in separate houses now that they have already lived together.  We told him that God would provide a way for him to follow a commandment.  That answer stumped him and got him thinking.  He then said that is a good point and I will have to bring it up with Gina.  He knows it's true he just needs to act on it!

On Sunday we had another lesson with Pablo.  I taught about 3 Nephi 11 and we talked about the apostasy.  We then ended by watching the Joseph Smith DVD which you could tell was very interesting to him.  He is really receptive and nice and I hope that he is the reason I was called to speak Spanish.  

All our other investigators are doing well except Linda.  She got ‘Antied’ and dropped us.  

Love you Family!!!!

Elder Mouritsen