Message From Tanya

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, and I mixed up a letter. I am glad to know you are enjoying this blog, and again, sorry it is not more creative. But, it does match my personality. lol

January 21

Dear Mom,

Ever since my concussion i remember very little before then. so no i have no idea who those people are. Well the boy in the letter didnt get baptized yet. We are working on it but his dad is a huge jerk. So we will see how it goes. Ive started to read evoking the powers of heaven and this past week has been a big trial. Our success was limited but the numbers were good. I am really strengthening my faith here. Its been such a blessing. I thank you for all your support and love you very much.

Transfers started today so i should receive a bunch of stuff on wednesday. It kind of sucks being out in the middle of nowhere. But this area is great and is very ready for growth. I was sick but i think it was just something i ate. They treat there meat and dairy products terribly here. But with the blessings of the lord i have never been sick more than a day at a time. I can pretty much buy everything here. If you could send me some oreos that would be amazing :)

If the PFD doesnt work dont worry about it. Its not a big deal. If you can get it use the money to pay debts please. Emma mentioned a little something about the three new boys in the family should be good for them. Dont worry about sending the oil it only complicates things and i dont want to have it break and waste all that money. Oh and please dont put popcorn in the box again it wasnt worth it. Love you mom :)

January 14

Dear Mãe (Mom),

Rain? Thats a twist. Good luck with that one. We are also getting rain here. Today is a somewhat cool day of 85 degrees with lots of clouds. Funny how a few thousand miles make that difference.

Well im glad that you will be getting a substantial raise and i hope that it is a substantial one. It sounds like you are getting the rythym of the place down. You dont appear as stressed as you were. I will pray for you to pass that test of course. After you know about alcohol maybe we can get a drink after i get home i will be 21 after all lol

Thats not very fun being a grandma without grandchildren. Im gonna have to get married fast to make up the difference haha ;)

I really hope that colby prays soon. The mission is the best option for young men. It turns us from boys to men. I have felt a great difference in my desires and attitudes. When colby goes on his mission you should get him Evoking the powers of heaven. Its a book for all members but is especially for missionaries. I recomend you read it as well especially as you are wanting to share the gospel with Frank. It talks much about faith and how to obtain spiritual gifts. I am in the process of reading it as well.

The teaching is going well. Would you please pray for Jonatan. He is a nine year old boy whos parents are members but the Dad has no testimony and is completely seperated from the church. We are trying to get him to understand the importance of baptism by correct authourity and we hope that this will motivate his dad to reactivate.

Beyond this nothing to report. I love you and pray for you often :)

January 7

Dear Mom,

I didnt know what else to say. I was thinking about what to say and then you were like well gotta go. But its not important i got to see you and that was good :) I still havent gotten any other package but transfers are soon. So i will see.

Thats ok mom starting managers screw up a lot. They understand its a lot of pressure and even seasoned managers can make mistakes. Just keep your head up and smile :)

I will make sure to wish dad a happy birthday. I was wondering when you would buy something like that. Im suprised you didnt buy that a few years ago. Haha

Dont stress about the birthday thing its just another year. Besides we have eternity together so two years is nothing. Im glad that trevor has that desire to get his blessing. It will help him alot. Has Colby gotten his yet? Emma drives that soon? Thats scary. I hope that Colby does realize that going on a mission is the better option.

As far as new or scary experiences i just have one. I finally figured out that attitude is super important. My attitude was pretty poor until now. I wasnt slacking off but i wasnt putting my heart into it so naturally i was frustrated and not getting anywhere. I read in Revelations 3:16 and decided i wasnt coming home any time soon. If i wasnt doing that then i needed to work and be happy about it. Now our numbers are higher than they have ever been and i am much more happy. I made cookies today and they actually turned out pretty good. Other than this i have had no news or stories. Keep telling me about home and whats going on i enjoy hearing it. I will make sure to tell you of any cool experiences i have next week
Love you mom :)

December 21, To Emma

So Emma,

I appreciate all the time you have putting into sending me a letter. You are absoloutly correct it really hás no feeling of Christmas here. But we had a mission christmas activity yesterday and it is feeling a little more like christmas. But without snow and family it wont feel much like it. I heard that Hayden got back. Mom says that he looks really different. I still have a long way to go before i come back so i will have to keep looking for things to bring home. What kind of a gift do you want from here?

I have been trying to be spiritual in the boys letters to get them thinking about the mission. The earlier that you start to prepare the better it will be. I dont think that i ever had to do bus evacuations but i could be wrong. The last time i rode a bus to go to school was back in Lehi so its hard to remember. Im glad you are finally getting snow. Mom says that you were really anxious for snow and were driving her crazy. Im sorry that you dont see Sam at church any more but you will find somebody else that you can hang out with.

What i found on my mission that made a big difference was the book of mormon. Without the book of mormon there is no proof that Joseph smith was a prophet and all our claims to have a true prophet are gone. Receiving a response about the truthfullness of the Book of Mormon hás changed my mission and my life. I strongly encourage you to look and pray for an answer about it.

Love you nutty :)

December 21

Dear Momma,

Well first off congrats on the promotion and raises. I knew that you would get it :)

3 new screens really? wow thats going to be fun. Well when its so hot that the pavement is literally melting its not really that fun. Its super dry where im at i have to drink an insane amount of water. So i found a member with skype or i have another member that hás a a super deal on calling if i can call to a house phone. Do we have a house phone? If not can you find one? I am emailing on friday because we have interviews with president today. I will email again on monday so please respond. I will probably call at like 4-7 here. You áre about six hours behind me so that should be 11-1 oclock there. I dont have a lot of time today so i will respond to your questions on monday. Looking forward to Christmas :) Love you

December 24, To Emma

I will try and send pics one of these days. I figured out today that the computers we use here have a place for an sd card and i can just upload them. There are lots of crazy people here and lots of people that are just bad looking but its whatever.

I eat beans, rice, and meat for most of my meals. Here in Bahia they have really wierd food because 200 years ago they were all slaves. Because they are pretty much all black here. So i eat lots of food that alot of people consider bad. But its not a big deal i havent gotten sick yet. I have not had any opportunity to baptize anyone yet. But we have this one family that we think we are close. The people here are really wierd. Whenever they talk to you and you are right next to them they always touch you. Every once in a while during your conversation or when they want your attention they just touch you on the arm or something. They are a very friendly people and have no problem with just talking to people on the street they have never met before. Especially if you are talking about Jesus. Everyone believes in God here. I have yet to meet someone that doesnt.

Its pretty cool. I am glad to know that you are doing well. I have heard about your many babysitting appointments. Keep it up and you will be able to fly down here and see for yourself. ;)

Anyway I love you and i have to go.

Elder Jensen

January 1

Hey mom,

It was really good to see you guys on christmas too. I was really suprised that you only talked to me for an hour. I passed new years eve a little bad though. I got to feeling bloated and i had pretty bad diarreah. Soon after midnight i threw up. But i feel much better now.

I have not gotten my pants yet. I actually prefer the medium tops the large ones are pretty baggy. The bottoms are 34 that is correct. I appreciate you looking for inserts for me. The ones i was using for those shoes got ruined by sand. They had gel pads on the bottoms to keep them comfortable and in one place but the sand made them slide forward and make it really uncomfortable. So i took them out and they work but they are pretty spacious now. For the most part i use the other shoes.

Im glad things are looking up for you in your new position. Congratulations on the success you are having.

So i take it the rescue team was Cody Andy and Shawn. Sounds like the usual adventures there. Anyway it was nice to hear from you and happy new years mom. Btw Next year i come home :)