Week 2: July 29, 2013

A picture Tanner's Mission President sent of a lighthouse in Washington. Week 2: ayyy everything is going great here in dubtown! we are working really effectively I am usually the one that will get us into doors or start the conversation with people and he is the one that will know the sctricputes by heart and stuff like that so were like a one two punch and weve been really successful. we found 4 new investigators from tracting but the best one her name is Jackie. it was toward the end of the day and we knocked on her apartment and she opened it and you could tell that she wasn't into us, I started just making convo with her and then she was kind of backing up from the door but then I asked if she had ever met with Mormon missionaries and she was like uhh noo and I was like what! you have never met with Mormon missionaries??? that's definitely something you gotta do for your bucket list ya know!? I don't know why I said it cuz that's so stupid to say but it was the end of the day and I was tired and I guess the spirirt wanted me to say it, and it worked because she laughed and let us right in. we have had two lessons with her since then on the restoration and faith and she is like the perfect investigator. were meeting with her tonight and im really stoked shes progressing so much every time and she doesn't have a problem with anything we teach her. so yaaa shes probably the investigor that is closest to baptism and stuff like that. so ya weve been having a really good week and it is flying by. we have a little DVD player that we got some music on a USB and we listen to normal music every night and it keeps me sane so that is good too! weve been doing a lot of service for people and were basically remodeling this chicks house who close to our apartments her name is Adell and she and her son and daughter are members but she still uses meth and she has a problem with cutting herself but every time we go over (almost every day) she will give me her razors in a bag so that I can throw them away for her. she always goes and gets new ones but its progress for her to realize that its not good for her and her wanting to stop. we have cleaned her whole house and I went and bought some paint stuff and we painted her kitchen and living room because it was really bad and its still nothing like what I am used to living in, but it is so much better and I rthink its really good for them just to start somewhere ya know. we got them to come out to this dinner and testimony meeting at a members house last night so there is definitely progress being made we just gotta keep going! if you guys would please pray for Adell, River, and Daley I would really appreciate it! love, tanner

Tanner with his first Companion

Tanner & Elder Cook

Week 1: July 22, 2013

Week 1: hey everyone sorry that i ddnt have time to respond to all the emails i had like 50 when i got on and there was only 30 mins that i have to do this. i am doing better and better each day! already i have met like 5 people that i know would not talk to the missionaries at all if it wasnt for me because of my laid back approacch on everything! my companions name is elder cook, he has been out 20 months and this will most liekly be his last area here in blaine. it is a really small town an its a really drug controlled town. almost everyone we have talked to (members included) have been addicted or are currently using meth or heroin. its crazy how poor everyone here lives and how almost everyone is into these drugs. each small house that we visit has like 15 people living in each of them. it madde me so grateful for the town we leave in and how belssed we really are. i love so many people up here already i cant wait to further progress with them. i will tell you about one of the guys we met, his name is josh. ok so first off there is this house pretty close to our apartment (were on bikes) and we go there like every day. a lady named Adell lives there. she has two kids, river and daley, who are 14 and 12. Adell is an inactive member, she uses meth sometimes, has told us that she cuts herself, and is currently not working. she loves the missionaries however because she says she wants good examples for river and daley. she gets mad when we dont come over for a day. she so funny and awesome i love going over there even though shes doing a lot of not so good things, she knows our church is true and has an awesome spirirt about her. at her house there is about 8 other people living there. i ahve only gotten to know a few of them because some of them dont want anythng to do with the missionaries but one of them that i have gotten to know really well is named josh. he didnt want anything to do with us the first day, but me and river and elder cook were playing basketball outside and josh came out to shoot. i started being myself and joking around with him (maybe a little innapropriately ;) ) and he openend right up to me. he couldnt beleive that the missionaries were normal people. me and him rreally started talking and he told me he is going to rehab at the first of auguest to try and get clean. he has a little son named JJ that is about 4 that lives at Adell's right now as well. JJ really likes me and he always runs up to me whenever we go to Addels's and gives me a high five and starts telling me what he has been playing with or doing. josh isnt around much at the night times when we go to adells but the last time he was i talked with him alone away sort of from the group and just felt inspiried to bear my testimony to him just about gods love and stuff. he really felt it i could tell and he started tearing up and we talked about what he beleived in. it was really awesome and i was just telling him while hes in rehab to pray and stuff and he would be able to stick it out. hes going to do it for JJ and i think thats so awesome. josh is just one of the many i hadve met so far and they all have a different but similar story. we have so many appointmemnts next week with mpeopel we met out tracting so well see how it all goes! well we gotta bounce this commmputer is oging to turn off but i love you all and i lvoe to hear from you! hopefully i will be able to get on a little later and if not i will have more time to email next week! write me because its a lot easier and i have more time to write! the letter address is: Elder Tanner Smith Washington Everett MIssion PO Box 13390 Mill Creek, WA 98082 much love! namaste tanner

Tanner with President & Sister Bonham

Dear Bro. and Sis. Smith: this is just a short email to let you know that your son arrived in the Washington Everett Mission yesterday. It was a busy and rather long day but all of the new missionaries are now with their trainers and out working in their areas. You should hear from him on Monday. Thanks for sharing him with the Lord and us. President Bonham Washington Everett Mission The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Tanner is on his way to Washington!

Tanner left the MTC this morning! We got to talk to him while he was waiting at the airport. He said he is leaving with 26 other missionaries that are on their way to Washington too. The most current address I have for Tanner is:

Elder Tanner Rigby Smith
Washington Everett Mission
POB 13390
Mill Creek, WA 98082-1390
United States

Packages can be mailed to this address:

Washington Everett Mission
16124 35th Ave SE
Mill Creek, WA 98012
United States

Email Elder Smith: tanner.smith@myldsmail.net

Thank you for all your support and prayers on Tanner's behalf! We sure appreciate it! He will be a great missionary!