Eating lunch on Lake Michigan was something Sister Tanner will never forget. On the way to their District meeting Tuesday, they stopped to enjoy the beautiful view of the Lake. It was a breathtaking sight! Their district meeting was all on Family History. Sister Tanner loves it! After the meeting, Sister Tanner met up with her former companion, Sister Hancock. They went on exchanges with one another! It was so fun having Sister Hancock come to Kenosha with her for a day! "It was so fun to be with her again. We had a couple of lessons and it was so cool just jumping right back into teaching together again. I love it! We spent the whole evening talking about how we should be roommates after the mish. She'll definitely be one of my best friends", Sister Tanner said.
Wednesday was a great day for Sister Tanner! She was able to contact and teach many people! One family she taught, was a part member family. The husband is not a member, but loved Sister Tanner's lesson on the Plan of Salvation. "Slowly his heart will soften, I know it", Sister Tanner said. Later that day, the Sisters exchanged back to their normal companions. It was an amazing day for Sister Tanner to serve with Sister Hancock again! That night, the Sisters attended Institute. It was amazing! Sister Tanner loves having the opportunity to go. The teacher led a discussion on the last few chapters of the Book of Mormon. The teacher said, "You can't sincerely read the scriptures and not be changed by it". Sister Tanner says how true this statement is! She loved the lesson in Institute that night!
Thursday was a busy day for Sister Tanner! After teaching a lot of lessons, she went to the Family History Center. She wanted to work on her own family history, so that she can be better at teaching it to others. While working on it, she found a huge gap in part of the Tanner family history! She hopes to be able to find out more about that missing gap! After that, she taught a lesson to the girl who is being baptized this coming Saturday. "She's blasting through the Book of Mormon", Sister Tanner said. "And she loves it! We went over the baptism interview questions and she answered all of them great!" How exciting! Sister Tanner cannot wait to see her be baptized in a few days! After her lesson, the Sisters seemed to run into so many people who wanted to hear the message they had to share. It was incredible! They continued on their quest to contact all 600 people on the ward list. They went to a home where they didn't know what to expect. No one answered the door, so they started to walk back to their car. Right then, a car drives up to the home! The woman gets out and says, "Are you the Sisters?" "How did you know to come here?" It was as if Heavenly Father led Sister Tanner to this home. "She told us how she just moved here and didn't know where the Church was and was just baptized like a year ago and so she emailed her Sister Missionaries that taught her, and asked them to help her know what to do and how to get in contact with the Church. BAM. We showed up. Miracles. The timing was absolutely perfect, we were an answer to her prayers and I'm sure the Sisters she emailed prayers too. And she was an answer to our prayers to find a family, because she has a less active husband and 3 kids who are old enough to get baptized, but haven't been. The Lord is truly in charge of this work", Sister Tanner said. What an amazing and powerful experience!
Sister Tanner had the opportunity to volunteer at the Shalom Center on Friday. It was amazing! Afterwards, it was time for exchanges again. It is fun for Sister Tanner to be able to go on so many exchanges now! It's a great way to be able to serve in many cities in Wisconsin. She went to Elkhorn, Wisconsin with another Sister. They enjoyed a delicious dinner at a Mexican restaurant, and were able to give their sever a Book of Mormon. Afterwards, they had a meeting scheduled with one of their investigators. When they showed up, she wasn't there. However, her friend was there babysitting her kids and her own. "We got to teach all the little kids about the Restoration and we taught them how to pray", Sister Tanner said. "This one little girl was super into it, and I was telling her about the Book of Mormon and the Holy Ghost, and she said she was going to start reading it today! She was so cute and sweet! I love teaching kids!" Sister Tanner can feel the sweet spirits in all of those children! She hopes they are able to learn more about the gospel! On their way home, the Sisters pulled over to take a picture with a "Mormon Road" sign. A woman saw them, and pulled over to ask if they wanted a picture of both of them. They ended up talking to her all about the Church. By the time she drove away, she had a Book of Mormon sitting next to her in the car.
"I can officially do anything in a skirt", Sister Tanner said. She had a full day of service in Elkhorn on Saturday. She was able to clean a lot, and help many people. She only wishes she had brought service clothes! She had a fun time with her exchange companion for the day. Sister Tanner learned a lot from her. "She's a beast at the family history thing", she said. Later that day, Sister Tanner returned home to Kenosha with Sister Peterson. She was happy to be back! Her beautiful city hit 80 degrees that day. So amazing!
"Sunday was amazing", Sister Tanner said. They had 4 investigators at Church! A lot of less active members were there as well It was a beautiful Church program. After church, the Sisters visited a woman in their ward, at her care facility. Sister Tanner taught a wonderful lesson to the woman and her roommate about the Stripling Warriors. She taught about how their Mothers made such a difference in their lives by teaching them what they needed to know. It was a great Mother's Day lesson. After tracting and meeting a few potential investigators, it was dinner and skype time! Getting to skype home twice a year (Christmas and Mother's Day), is something Sister Tanner looks forward to! "Ah it was so great", Sister Tanner said. "Thank you for being the amazing family you are! I really don't know how I got so lucky to come to this family. I can't wait to be with you guys in only 6 short months. Thanks for making me laugh yesterday and being the greatest, most hilarious people I've ever met. I love you so much family! Thank you for supporting me and being the greatest examples to me. Happy Mother's Day Mom! Thank you for making the decision to get baptized and to raise and teach us in the gospel. Thank you for your example of selflessness and sacrifice for the things that matter most. Thank you for being the reason I am here today! I love you Mom!" Sunday was such an amazing day! Sister Tanner's spirit filled the room even through skype. What a perfect Mother's Day it was!
"The gospel brings families together and helps people change. I love our family so much I can't even describe. I feel soooo lucky to be a part of our family!"
- Sister Karlie Tanner
Sister Tanner's Testimony:
"I love you all so much! Thanks for your prayers and everything you are doing! One last thought... My testimony of the Book of Mormon has increased! Every single time I pray about it, I get an answer! I tried it again this morning and Ether 4:11 was my answer! (Ether 4:11; "But he that believeth these things which I have spoken, him will I visit with the manifestations of my Spirit, and he shall know and bear record. For because of my spirit he shall know that these things are true; for it persuadeth men to do good.") I know the Book of Mormon is true! It helps us become better. It changes our nature and helps us become more like Christ. I know that Heavenly Father answers prayers, every single one. I know they come in his time and in his way, but they come. I know that being a missionary, we are literally tools in his hands and he helps us answer others prayers as well. I LOVE everything I've learned this past year. I love the person I've become and I love the testimony I now have. Missions change lives! I love you all so much!"
Love,
Sister Karlie Marie Tanner
Happy Mother's Day!
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