Tuesday was Zone Conference for both of the South Milwaukee Zones! When the Sisters and Elders arrived to their building, there was smoke everywhere! There was an electrical fire! Zone Conference was delayed for a bit, but it gave all the Missionaries time to catch up with one another! Sister Tanner was able to visit with 4 out of 6 of her companions! It was so fun to see everyone in one place! Sister Tanner also found out she was the victim of a hilarious prank. Last week, she received an anonymous letter from a guy professing his love for her. It was quite creepy and stalkerish, especially since she had no idea who it was from! At Zone Conference, she found out that her former companions Sister King and Sister Newton were the culprits! "THEY WROTE IT and sent it to me! Hahaha! These are my friends you guys! They totally pulled a prank! We were all dying laughing", Sister Tanner said. What fun Sister Missionaries!
"Zone Conference was really good", Sister Tanner said. "It was all about how to become more converted ourselves." Afterwards, Sister Tanner went on exchanges with the Lake Mills Sisters. Sister Plante went to Kenosha with Sister Tanner for the day. "She's hilarious", Sister Tanner said. "We had fun together and it was really good for her because her and her companion are having a hard time getting along, so I think she enjoyed having a day of hard work and lots of laughs." The Sisters had a great time together, and were able to spend their dinner hour with a fun family! After dinner, they ended up finding an amazing new investigator! "He's totally interested, and has a family! YAY", Sister Tanner said. They ended their day by teaching a lesson to the woman who is being baptized. Her husband was there as well. He isn't a member of the Church, and struggles to understand why his wife is being baptized. The Sisters read him the Family Proclamation, and he loved it!
"Lots of good things happened", Sister Tanner said of her day on Wednesday. "A few of our less actives we are working with, have non member daughters who are interested and reading the Book of Mormon. So hopefully we can start teaching them soon!" How amazing! Sister Tanner had a wonderful time serving with Sister Plante for the day. After the Sisters switched back with their companions, they had a busy evening ahead. They taught lessons and met new investigators. They also attended Institute. The Sisters had invited a less active single adult in their ward, and she came! "She became instant friends with one of the recent converts that comes. Yay, that was so good", Sister Tanner said. It ended up being an ice cream party, which made the night really fun! What a great day!
Sister Tanner had so much fun baking cupcakes on Thursday. The Sisters helped bake for a fundraiser in Kenosha that was helping to raise money for a disabled boy in their ward. They were the cutest cupcakes ever! Afterwards, Sister Tanner taught a girl who is preparing for baptism. It was a really good lesson! Then the Sisters headed to the church for another girl's baptism interview. "Everything went great, and she passed her interview", Sister Tanner said. She is so excited to see her be baptized! That night, the Relief Society put on a gardening activity. Sister Tanner loved it! "It was very interesting and informative! Makes me want to start a garden", she said.
After volunteering at the food pantry on Friday, the Sisters had one last lesson with the woman who was being baptized the following day. "We invited all her family and friends that live in her house to come to the baptism", Sister Tanner said. She hopes she can start teaching some of them soon. The rest of Sister Tanner's day was spent teaching many new investigators.
Saturday was baptism day! Sister Tanner was overcome with joy for this daughter of God. "The spirit was really strong and she said she felt amazing. I love baptisms", Sister Tanner said. After the baptism, Sister Tanner had a hard time. The Sisters had many appointments and lessons lined up for the day, and every single one cancelled. All of them including their dinner appointment! Instead of feeling sad and down, the Sisters just parked their car and started to walk. They were able to completely change the outcome of their day. "We walked for 7 hours straight, tracting and talking to everyone. It was beautiful outside so it was the perfect day to do so! It was so great! We met so many people and found a bunch of new investigators and potentials! It was awesome being able to testify so much and give so many Book of Mormons away. Lots of people are one step closer to the gospel now", Sister Tanner said. What an amazing example this can be to all of us who are struggling with a bad day or week. Instead of getting down or giving up, we can just try a little harder. Sister Tanner shows how this can be beneficial not only to ourselves and our own moods, but to everyone around us. After the Sisters were walking for 7 hours, they were definitely in need of food and a bathroom. Right then and there, their ward mission leader and his wife drove by. The pulled over and picked up the Sisters! The took them out to a fabulous dinner. "Seriously the biggest tender mercy ever", Sister Tanner said.
Sister Tanner had a tough day on Sunday. Her favorite day of the week seemed so trying and full of struggles. She described the day as being "unreal", and at certain points she thought she was dreaming. Out of respect to everyone involved, these stories will not be shared. Sometimes the most trying moments are when we learn the most about ourselves, and when our testimonies become most strengthened. Sister Tanner had the pleasure of seeing the sweet woman she taught, be confirmed a member of the Church. It was amazing! "He thought it was best that she got confirmed right away, so she can have the Holy Ghost. So they confirmed her in the Bishop's office and they let us be there for that", Sister Tanner said. After church, her and Sister Peterson talked to the Bishop's wife for a bit. "She served a mission and totally understood everything that happened. She made us feel so much better", Sister Tanner said. It was great for the Sisters to be able to talk to someone who was so understanding! When they returned home from Church, they decided the best way to get out of their "funk" was just to work, and to work HARD! It definitely made everything better. "As soon as we were inside these people's homes, testifying of the Book of Mormon, we felt so much better. We just kept having to remember the saying that President Cutler tells us all the time, "If you aren't feeling opposition, you're doing something wrong." With all the opposition we felt this week, we must be doing alright", Sister Tanner said.
Sister Tanner may have had a week of trials, but she chooses to focus on her successes! She worked very hard, and was able to find so many people that are open to learning about the gospel. That is what missionary work is all about. We are so proud of our Missionary, and her ability to shine even when times get tough!
Sister Tanner's Testimony:
"What a hard week it's been! I am grateful for trials and hard weeks, so that we can become stronger and learn to appreciate the good days even more. So we are looking forward to a week full of miracles and good things! I found a really cool scripture this morning that shows how we have relatives in the Bible!"
Acts 9:43; "And Peter stayed many days in Joppa with a Tanner named Simon."
"I love you all so much! Thank you for your prayers. I can feel them! Prayer is the only way we make it through our trials and hard days. Because no matter what trial we face, Christ understands. He's felt it. Every time I prayed this week, I didn't get immediate answers, but I felt immediate peace and calmness that Christ understands. I'm grateful that trials help us to turn to God more and become more reliant upon him. I am grateful that there is always light at the end of the tunnel, and that trials always pass. Missions aren't supposed to be easy, but they are sure worth it! I love you! Have a great week! I'm praying for all of you!"
love always,
Sister Karlie Marie Tanner
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