The birthday was awesome!! I especially loved that I got my package on my birthday, so it made everything even more special. I think that recorder and those pics were the coooolest gifts I´ve received on the mission, and thank you so much for the pants. I now don´t look like some homeless beat up kid from the states haha. Surprisingly the smaller pants 32-32´s are too big for me uggghh i´ve got a tiny waist now, but now I gotta get those abs back! But with that new belt you sent they fit me great and I´ve worn them almost every day this last week ha.
I wanted to comment on some of the things people said on the recorder, but I don´t remember everything that was said. I laughed when I heard Brother Haws´ voice and recognized it right away, and laughed when he told you that I´d know who he was. Anyways I absolutely loved to hear from all of them, and was especially surprised when I heard from my teachers at AF High. I loved it all and thanks for all the great things you guys had to say to me, I can´t wait to be with all of you again, and be able to continue on in our great family´s traditions and see the kiddies again. I just gotta keep working hard and stay focused, and I know that we´ll be blessed for our work. The pictures were awesome too! Some of them were ones that I had never seen before, so many dress ups...crazy kid. (Just a note here from Tanner's mom: we sent Tanner pictures of himself for his birthday, from the time he was a baby until now and there were several of him dressed up as a ninja turtle, superman, an airplane etc. That's what he is talking about here.) -back to his email: I hope I have a kid as cool as me some day....it will be hard for him to reach such great heights ha just kiddin. I love you all TONS and tell everyone thanks soo much for taking the time to send me happy birthday wishes, and thanks, mom, for going out and tracking down the people from my good old days.
I found out today that Elder Isom´s leaving. We were sad cuz he´s a great kid, and we worked well with each other. He´s had the same time that I had in Talca, and so it was his time to go. The families here really love him, and I´ve felt kinda awkward and out of place being the new kid still, which definitely wasn´t like that in Molina, but i´m sure things will change. I got a little package from Blake Balkman, Elder Balkman´s brother, with a really cool wallet that he brought from the Phillipines. It´s made of bamboo and banana leaves, it´s way sick and I was grateful that he´d send that to me, so if you talk to them tell Blake thanks!
I also found out that I am training again! I wasn´t expecting that, but everyone this week was telling me that they thought I was going to train again. We have 8 missionaries leaving this transfer, and 15 coming in, so I´m sure that played a part in me being able to train again. I´m kinda nervous cuz I´ve been soooo blessed with comp´s like Elder Balkman and Elder Isom, and I feel like maybe my luck (blessings) might be running out hahaha. Whoever he is I´m going to try to make this mission the coolest thing in the world, and show him that we have the best sector in the whole mission. I´m going down to Concepción tomorrow to send off Isom, and to pick up the new kid. I´m still living with Elder Pierce which is good, cuz even if my comp is hard, i´ll have someone that I can relate with when I get home at night. By the way Elder Pierce is teaching me to play guitar and I´ve set two goals when I get home to help lure in ¨the one¨. I need to learn to cook really good (hint hint mom and Jeff) and I´m going to take guitar lessons for sure. She won´t be able to resist, that along with my spanish, and I´ll be gettin the most beautiful woman ever!!!
Anyways back to the mission...
That´s awesome that Randy´s home. Drew wrote me and said that Chance Peterson also got home this week. I´m getting really weirded out now cuz it seems like every email has news of a returned missionary, and I remember the time when I was hearing about when everyone got their calls until it was my turn, so now I´m living the reverse side. Drew and Andrew don´t have any time left, only a few months and then they´re outta here, freaking crazy.
On Sunday we had a Stake Conference where Elder D. Todd Christoffersen and President Packer spoke. They spoke to all the south area of Chile. Elder Christoffersen amazed me, cuz he spoke perfect spanish. Honestly his is better than mine, and if one closed his eyes he wouldn´t be able to tell he was a gringo, his accent was awesome. President Packer also spoke a little spanish, but it wasn´t so hot haha. They spoke about the importance of the temples, the youth, missions, and the families, or in other words it was a normal conference haha but i really felt the spirit and it was awesome. Elder Pierce and I also had a huge surprise there. When I walked in Elder Pierce pointed to the back part of the room, and there was the Cristi family sitting there and waving at us. I dont know if you guys remember them, but they were the family that lived on the same street as us in Talca, and we´d go over there all the time. They came down to Tomé just to see the conference with us and have a little visit. They left later that same day, but it was awesome cuz we got to eat lunch with them and catch up on old times. I haven´t seen them all since last year. They told me that some of my converts there are doing well, but that there´s some drama in the ward that´s causing problems. Maria Isabel and Patty, two converts from Talca, are still going according to the Cristis.
Anyways it was a cool week, and ended really fun. I´m excited to have my new kid and be a Papi again, pray that he´ll be cool haha. I love you all tons and hope you have a greeeeat week. I´m going to attach some pics from my birthday, and other pictures that we´ve taken recently with the Cristi´s and the zone.
LOVE YOU
Tanner
p.s. the face in the cake is the tradition here, i think i´d rather have eggs busted over my head...
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