The Chicago Temple!

A chilly and snowy week it was in West Allis, WI for Sister Tanner. The Sisters had a wonderful and memorable week though! It started off amazing on Monday, as they are so close to having one of their investigators be baptized! She is praying and reading the Book of Mormon! Sister Tanner prays that she can be baptized the weekend before Christmas! What an amazing gift not only to her, but to her family, the Sisters, and to the Lord! After their lesson with her, the Sisters got to spend some time getting in the Christmas spirit! A lovely family invited them over for Family Home Evening. Sister Tanner taught them a lesson and gave them an activity. Then they all decorated the Christmas tree! Sister Tanner said, "It was such a meaningful family thing that they let us be a part of which I am so grateful for. It made me miss putting up the ornaments with you guys, but I am glad I got to help another family do it!" How sweet of this family to let the Sisters experience that special Christmas moment with them as a family. 

Sister Tanner with her tree

Sister Tanner attended her District meeting on Tuesday. Her Zone Leaders were able to come, and it was an amazing day! Following that, her and Sister Hancock had dinner with her "favorite family ever"! The Sisters had such a fun time at their home! They invited them both over for Christmas to skype home! We are so blessed and thankful for this family to give us the best Christmas gift ever! We are looking forward to that day, and so is Sister Tanner. "Heck yes! It's going to be the best Christmas away from home that there could ever be", Sister Tanner said. 

District Meeting

Sister Tanner was able to teach a wonderful lady on Wednesday! The Sister Missionaries in West Allis had taught her previously a few months ago, but then the lady took a trip to Mexico for a few months. She is home now, and Sister Tanner was able to meet her! Here is a clip of what Sister Tanner had to say about her. "She's back and ready to dive in to the gospel. The spirit was so strong in our lesson. She has the strongest faith ever and she told us she knows the Book of Mormon is true. We invited her to be baptized on January 11th, and she accepted. She's so hungry for more and she's been so prepared by the Lord." We are so excited for this woman, and so proud of our sweet Missionary! We know this woman's life will forever be blessed by this choice she is making. 

Later in the day on Wednesday, Sister Tanner and Sister Hancock went to visit a few less active members in their ward. One woman is in the hospital, so they went to visit her and carol! They sang "Away in a Manger". Sister Tanner said they couldn't stop laughing afterwards because, they had messed up some of the words! I'm sure the lady was very touched by their visit! Afterwards, the Sisters went to visit this sweet 13 year old girl. I almost did not add this part to the blog to share. After thinking about it, I realized it needed to be shared because of how different and memorable this must have been for Sister Tanner. The young girl that they visited lives in a polygamy family. Her family used to be LDS, but the reasons are obvious as to why they are not any longer. However, this young girl is baptized into the Church. Sister Tanner felt so bad for her, because she is growing up thinking this is what is normal. The most bizarre part of the entire visit was seeing The Family: A Proclamation To The World hanging on their wall. Sister Tanner said, "It was something I will never forget, for sure." If you have any questions about the Family Proclamation or the role of Polygamy in Mormonism, please visit www.lds.org to learn more. 

On Thursday, the Sisters had a lesson with a new investigator. They met her while visiting her future father in law. It was more than coincidence that they met her. She is so prepared and ready to learn about the gospel. Sister Tanner said, "She's so ready for the gospel. She has been reading the quad, and a book about Joseph Smith. She has a lot of really great questions. She said, 'You guys really knocked on the right door because I've been wanting to learn more for awhile.' It was the spirit that led us there!" What an amazing experience! Afterwards, the Sisters got treated to custard! Sister Tanner wishes we could all taste Wisconsin custard!!!

"Friday was the best day ever", Sister Tanner said. She was able to go to the temple! It was her first time attending while being out on her mission. A lady in their ward drove the Sisters to the Chicago Illinois Temple! It was a day Sister Tanner will never forget. I'll share with you what she had to say about her experience there. "The temple was everything I needed. It was so nice to go there and feel peace and for 2 hours to just be me, Karlie. It felt like I was able to let go of the stress that Missionary work brings, for just a little bit. I gained a lot of answers to my prayers and I felt a renewed strength and energy to work harder and become a better missionary. I love the temple. I didn't want to leave. When I get home, I want to go to the temple at least once a week. It truly is the one place on earth that we can feel complete peace and feel closest to our Heavenly Father. I am so grateful I was able to go!" After her amazing time at the temple, they were treated to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. Then they had the opportunity to go see the Nativity display that their stake was putting on. It was a live nativity with musical numbers as well. So many people from all different faiths were there to celebrate! Even the Sisters' neighbor attended! Sister Tanner and Sister Hancock preformed Christmas hymns in front of everyone that night, along with the other Missionaries who were there. "It was so fun to feel the Christmas spirit touch so many non-member's hearts", Sister Tanner said.

Chicago Illinois Temple

Sister Tanner was able to teach a very powerful lesson on Saturday. The family she taught only has a few children who speak English. The parents do not. So the children had to translate for them. She thought the language barrier would make it hard, but it was quite the opposite. The spirit was so strong, and everyone's hearts were touched. Sister Tanner said, "They all committed to read the Book of Mormon. The mom said she's spent her whole life searching for the truth, and every time she prays about a religion, God tells her to keep searching, so she hopes her search is over. It was really powerful." That night, the Sisters went back to the Nativity for the last night of it. More people were there then on Friday night! They were able to meet so many people! It was another wonderful day!

A crazy snow storm came their way on Sunday! Although, it prevented many people from being able to attend Church, it didn't stop the Sisters. They had a wonderful day, and were even able to start rehearsals for their Christmas Sunday performance. Sister Tanner and Sister Hancock are singing with the Elders in their ward! One of the ward members put together an arrangement of 3 Christmas songs for them to perform. She can't wait! The Sisters ended their day by watching the Christmas Devotional broadcast!

Sister Tanner's week was one that she will never forget. Getting to attend the Chicago Temple was an incredible experience. She hopes she can go again! She also loved the moment when her investigator agreed to be baptized in January! She cannot wait for that special day! We are all so proud of her and miss her very much! I will now leave with you her testimony.

"Christmas is quickly approaching! Thank you for all your prayers of warmth! I will need it! I am so grateful for the knowledge we have of the gospel. I know Jesus Christ is the Savior and I know HE lives. I know this is His work, I am just a tool through which the spirit can work. I am blessed to be doing the Lord's work and to see the miracles that come from it every day. I love each of you so much. Thank you for your examples in my life. I miss you all so much, but I know Heavenly Father is blessing you and watching over you! I love you!

Love always,

Sister Karlie Marie Tanner"

Here are a few pictures from Sister Tanner's last week in Prairie du Chien before she arrived in West Allis.

Prairie du Chien district

Only in Wisconsin

Prairie du Chien LOVES Halloween!

So many festive people in Prairie du Chien!

Greenbay!

Prairie du Chien Branch Missionary couple

One of Sister Tanner's favorite families in Prairie

The Children performing for Sister Tanner's last day.

Goodbyes are hard

Locking her Apartment for the last time.

Bye Prairie

Adios Prairie du Chien!

Bishop's family

One of her favorite Branch members

A Wisconsin Thanksgiving

Press play and enjoy this beautiful song as you read this week's blog post.

Thanksgiving was a very special day for Sister Tanner. Being away from home during the Holidays is hard, but the ward members in West Allis did so much to make the entire week special for all the Sisters and Elders there. We are so grateful for all of them!

Sister Tanner's week started off with lots of snow! She is slowly becoming more used to it. On Tuesday, the Missionaries enjoyed having their Zone Conference. Sister Tanner thought it was amazing, "I gained a lot of revelation and the spirit was so strong", she says. She felt spoiled being fed so much yummy food and deserts. A ward member even made her a special gluten free desert! Yummy! Later that day, the Sisters split up and went on exchanges with another Sister Missionary. Sister Tanner's companion for the day ended up being her friend, Sister Vance. They were in the MTC together, and came to Wisconsin on the same day. Sister Tanner loved getting to spend time with her, and see how much they have both changed since being in the MTC. The Sisters spent the night in Kenosha, WI.

With other Sister Missionaries at Zone Conference

South Milwaukee Zone

Kenosha was as cold as ice on Wednesday morning! The Sisters had a wonderful day there, and even found 2 new investigators just from talking to people outside. It was a great experience being in Kenosha, and Sister Tanner was happy to be able to spend it with a dear friend! That night she returned to West Allis, and realized how much she had missed it. Sister Tanner said, "I missed it so much even though I was only gone for a day! I love it here! I wish I could stay in West Allis the rest of my mission!!"

Thanksgiving day was full of so much love, and open doors for Sister Tanner. The first meal of the day was spent at the home of a family from their ward. They had so much fun, and were able to spend it with other missionaries as well. The food was amazing, and they all played games together! Sister Tanner said, "I am so grateful I was able to spend Thanksgiving with a family." The Sisters, Elders, and family members all went around the table to tell each other something that they were thankful for. Sister Tanner was definitely thankful for this sweet family to host such an amazing Thanksgiving for all the Missionaries in the ward! Afterwards, Sister Tanner and Sister Hancock went to another home for yet another yummy meal. She said, "I thought I was going to barf from all the food! Hopefully the same thing doesn't happen for Christmas!" She was very loved that day!

Friday was spent visiting with many people, and contacting others. At one point in the day, Sister Tanner and her companion came across a group of teenage girls on the street. They loved the Sisters and chatted with them for awhile. The girls all went on Mormon.org on their cell phones, and kept asking the Sisters questions. Technology really can be such an amazing tool in Missionary work! That night, the Sisters were able to attend a Thanksgiving dinner that was being held for all the Missionaries in their immediate area. Around 25 missionaries in the West Allis area enjoyed a beautiful meal at the Mission President's home. "It was so fun", Sister Tanner said. "I am just so grateful to be serving here and be able to spend so much time with them. We all went around the tables and talked about one person we've met on our mission that has changed our lives, and something we are grateful for that we weren't grateful for last year. The spirit was so strong as we basically all took the opportunity to bear our testimonies and talk about how much our lives have changed in the past year. I love the Cutlers and I love all the Missionaries around us here!"

Dinner at President Cutler's home

All the Missionaries with the Mission President's daughter

Sister Tanner had a wonderful experience on Saturday. Her and Sister Hancock went to a man's home whom they had been trying to contact. When they arrived, they learned he was not home. However, his girlfriend was there and seemed interested in talking to the Sisters. She ended up being very interested in the church, and loved chatting with them for awhile. Sister Tanner said, "She's so prepared!" Sometimes little bumps in the road bring the biggest blessings. Sister Tanner could have chosen to be discouraged when the man wasn't home, but instead she took that as an opportunity to make the situation better. In return, they met a wonderful woman who seems completely receptive of the gospel teachings. What a blessing! After that, they visited with one of their favorite women in the ward. They taught her a lesson, and were even able to provide a little service for her.

Sunday was an amazing day at Church for Sister Tanner. It was all about Christmas! Sister Tanner loved being able to internalize the true meaning of Christmas. One of the members of their ward is really in the true spirit of Christmas. She asked the Sisters for 25 Book of Mormons. She wrote her testimony in every single one, and tied them up with beautiful ribbon. She is praying diligently and fasting before she gives them out to her friends for Christmas! She is a true example of an amazing member Missionary! 

On Monday morning, Sister Tanner taught a lesson before her email time at the library. She taught one of her investigators who is so close to baptism! She even shared her testimony with the Sisters. Sister Tanner said, "I love her so much! Next lesson she'll probably be set! So your prayers are much appreciated right now!"

We are all so proud of the hard work Sister Tanner is doing in West Allis. It was hard not being with her for Thanksgiving, but we are thankful for this opportunity she has to serve the Lord! We are excited for her week to come, and hear about her first temple trip while on her mission! I will now leave you with her testimony.

"I love you all so much. I am grateful for this special season and as a representative of Jesus Christ, truly being able to understand the real meaning of this special time of year, and the true meaning of our Savior's birth.  I miss you all so much already, but I know that the greatest gift I can give to my Savior this year is to do his work. I love you all so much! Have an amazing first week of December! 

Love,

Sister Karlie Marie Tanner"

"Never Postpone a Prompting"

Sister Tanner had a wonderful week in West Allis. Waking up to 5 inches of snow is definitely putting her in the holiday spirit. She was even lucky enough to receive a tree from a member of the ward. Her apartment is looking quite festive, and makes her feel at home. On Monday for her p day she was able to spend time with a family for FHE. They all made Thanksgiving bracelets, and had so much fun together! Sister Tanner is so thankful for the love she is being shown in West Allis.

Sister Tanner and Sister Hancock had an exciting day on Tuesday! They were able to help a family in their ward open their new restaurant! How amazing! Afterwards another member from their ward came with them to visit and teach many people. Sister Tanner said, "It helps so much when our members will give us rides and come out with us." The Missionaries appreciate the help of the ward members so much. While out looking for a particular family, they came across a new family. They are from the Dominican Republic! The parents did not speak much English, so their 15 year old daughter translated for them. They taught and testified of the Book of Mormon and it went wonderfully. The family is open to learning more, and to start reading the Book of Mormon. "We are so excited! I know the Lord led us there for a reason, because they are prepared. We can't wait to teach them more", Sister Tanner said. 

Sister Tanner has started a challenge with her ward members. The challenge is for everyone to make a list of things that they are thankful for. On Wednesday night, the Sisters had dinner with a wonderful family. Their 6 year old daughter was so excited about the challenge. By Sunday she already told Sister Tanner she had a list of 9 things she was thankful for. She said by Thanksgiving day she wants to be at 500 things. How amazing! Sister Tanner just loves their family. It's obvious that they feel the same way towards her. Sister Tanner is truly being an inspiration to so many people, especially the young children.

That same night, Sister Tanner felt truly prompted to ride the bus. She had no idea why, she just knew she needed to be on that bus. So her and Sister Hancock went for a ride. They chatted with a few people, but didn't understand exactly why they were there. Right then and there, they received a text message. It was from a young man whom they had been unable to contact, but who was interested in learning more about the Church. The Sisters sent a text back, and started to find a time when they could teach him. As they are looking over their planner, they notice a guy staring at them. The next text they received said, "Are you on the bus right now?" The man was sitting right by them! "Obviously we were supposed to be on that bus and meet him", Sister Tanner said. They were able to talk to him, and get to know him better. It is amazing how in tune to the spirit Sister Tanner is. As Thomas S. Monson has said, "Never postpone a prompting". 

On Thursday, Sister Tanner was really able to see her hard work pay off. She has been teaching this amazing woman. She is already in Alma of the Book of Mormon. She understands everything, and truly grasps all the principles that she has been taught. She is currently praying about her baptism date! How amazing! After their lesson, Sister Tanner and Sister Hancock had to unfortunately take a visit to the police station. Sister Hancock's library card was stolen. Someone checked out MANY books without returning them, and racked up quite a large bill under her name. The library is being kind and not making her pay, as long as she files a police report. Who knew a stolen library card could cause so many troubles? "Only in West Allis!" 

Sister Tanner realized on Friday how many investigators she has! Weekly planning is quite a puzzle, but she feels so blessed for that! How wonderful it is to have so many people who want to be taught the gospel. What a miracle! They decided it would be better and more safe to have the Elders teach the young man whom they met on the bus. So instead of teaching him on Friday night, they were able to do dishes for a ward member. They also enjoyed an amazing Brazilian dinner that night! Yum! 

Saturday was a full day of activities and teaching for Sister Tanner. The Sisters had intended to rack leaves for a woman that morning. However it was only 15 degrees out, so they moved their helping hands indoors. They were able to install new windows in the kitchen of this woman's home. This will help her house stay warmer. Sister Tanner is learning all kinds of handy skills during her mission! After their time helping with windows, the Sisters had several lessons. They were even lucky enough to receive 2 dinners that night! The second dinner was at a home where the father is not a member of the Church. They felt truly prompted to read him Alma 32. 

Sunday was another rewarding day for Sister Tanner! So many investigators and less active members came to Church with them! What an amazing feeling that must be for the Sisters. Church was going wonderfully, and then in Relief Society a huge fiasco began! Women began to argue over who was having the Missionaries over on Thanksgiving! People were crossing each others names off the calendar. What a great problem to have! Sister Tanner is so lucky to have such amazing members who have such a strong desire to take care of their missionaries. Luckily, the Thanksgiving day calendar all got figured out. The Sisters are going to go from one place to the next the entire day! What a fun and loving way to spend Thanksgiving! We are all so thankful for those wonderful members in West Allis who are showing so much love to Sister Tanner! 

Sister Tanner's week was amazing and full of love. She is so thankful for the wonderful people she is getting to know and teach in West Allis. She is thankful for the promptings she receives, which leads her in the right direction. She is looking forward to this Thanksgiving week! She will have zone conference, and exchanges! The following week she will be able to attend the temple for the first time in Chicago! How thankful she is to be able to be so close to the house of the Lord. 

"I am so thankful for all of you. Thank you for supporting me, thank you for being examples to me and thank you for your prayers, emails, and letters. I love you all! Have a great week and keep being the amazing people you are! Happy Thanksgiving! =) 

love always,

Sister Karlie Marie Tanner"

Snow, Tornado, and Rain..... Oh MY!

Sister Tanner has taken West Allis by storm, literally. Sunday's tornado gave their city quite a scare, but everyone is okay! Her week was amazing, and she is loving her new city! 

Her week started off with lots of snow on Sunday! So exciting! She spent the day playing sports with the other Missionaries in the area. There are 50 of them! It was so much fun! She also got to spend time at the Mission home. She was excited to find mail for her there! She was able to sight see a bit, and check out the big mall they have there! After running errands and grocery shopping, she was able to have Family Home Evening with a new member of her ward. Sister Tanner just loved her!

Tuesday was spent at district meetings and also tracting. Sister Tanner was so blessed to find a new investigator! Her and her companion also met a young man while riding the bus. He came up to them and said, "Hey, I know you, you guys are the missionaries for the Church I went to on Sunday." He is dating one of the young women in their ward. The Sisters were so excited to talk to him! That night they ended their day by having dinner with a wonderful family from their ward. The son is preparing to serve a mission himself, so the Sisters loved talking with him about it.

The following day, the young man called the Sisters and wanted to learn more about the Church. He already is showing such a strong desire to be baptized. Sister Tanner and her companion taught him about the Restoration of the Church, and he was very receptive to everything. He cannot wait to start reading the Book of Mormon!

Sister Tanner started her day on Thursday by volunteering at the local thrift store. It was a great experience getting the opportunity to work in West Allis. Afterwards, she felt inspired to contact many people from her area book. These are people who were previously being taught by other Missionaries in her area. Sister Tanner said, "Oh my goodness, Miracles happened." "A bunch of them were just people the Missionaries lost contact with and now they are totally prepared and ready for the gospel. We are so excited!" Sister Tanner and Sister Hancock had such a wonderful and rewarding day. Sister Tanner already considers her one of her best friends. They work so hard and have fun doing it! Their days are filled with smiles and laughter.

The bus seems like a popular place to meet people who are interested in learning about the Gospel, and Friday was no exception to that. The Sisters were able to meet a few new people while traveling to and from their destinations. That night, they enjoyed a wonderful dinner at their Bishop's home along with the Elders from the ward. They had such a fun night! The Bishop's wife even gave them winter hats she had made for them! What a sweet gift!

Saturday was a very rainy day! The Sisters said a prayer in the middle of their day, and right during the prayer the rain stopped. They were so grateful! That night as Sister Tanner was going to bed, the phone rang. It was a lady they had met on the bus! She called to ask them if they believed "John Smith was Jesus Christ". Sister Tanner explained who Joseph Smith was, and that he restored the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. They explained that he was a prophet of God, but not Jesus Christ. The woman really wants to learn more, and they are excited to teach her soon!

Sunday was the day of the tornado! Sister Tanner and all the other Missionaries had to leave their meeting to go into a hallway. The ward who was having their sacrament meeting also had to leave their meeting to join them. Everyone was together waiting out the tornado! After the storm cleared, Sister Tanner enjoyed an amazing Sacrament meeting. One of their investigators came to Church! They were lucky enough to hear from the Mission President and his family. The Mission President gave a talk on standing up for what you believe in and know is right. He talked about being proud of who you are and your religion. He also talked about each Missionary serving in their ward, and told everyone something about them. He told the ward how Sister Tanner graduated from Fashion School. It's amazing how he remembers so much about each of the 250 Missionaries. "He's incredible", Sister Tanner said. After church she was able to chat with the Mission President's wife for a bit. She is so excited that Sister Tanner is there, and that they get to see her often. The Sisters were invited to their home for dinner on Black Friday. They are having a day after Thanksgiving for the Missionaries who serve in their building. Sister Tanner is so excited and so happy to be there! 

Sister Tanner continues to have amazing weeks, one after another. She is working miracles in West Allis, and loves every minute of it. She is so grateful to be able to serve in such an amazing place! She is loving life, and loving the Lord's work. Even through the harsh weather, she finds warmth in the love she has for the Gospel. I'm sure her smile and happiness is contagious to everyone there! We are all so proud of her! "I love West Allis! So much is happening here, and I love it! Thank you all for your prayers", Sister Tanner says.