Hola! What's happening in the home of the brave and the land of the free?? Or should I say land of the freezing?? Can I just say you all are the best! I think last week I was feeling a little down, please forgive me. This week I received three packages!! FIRST off Megan, PB and Pictures. She is so great and going to ITALY? that's no big deal. Second the WEIGHTS, wow it was really like everything I was thinking I needed there in this package. I was a little in awe thank you!! And Third my MOM she knows that white chocolate is the fastest way to my heart. Really thanks everyone, you all lifted my spirits!!!!

OK so this week was nothing short of eventful. First off I hit my year mark! So I burned a pair of pantyhose. I lite them on fire and then started waving them around, so joyful of course, this is a moment one can only dream of right. Well it was until those stupid pantyhose started my hand on fire. I got away with just a few blisters, but I guess I should have seen that one coming after I always get mad at the elders for getting hurt doing stupid things. I've been humbled- ok.

Que mas?? Umm wow we had a spiritual lesson with an investigator and a member. THis lmember wanted to teach a lesson with us this week, he does not seem like much right? But when he opens his mouth and talks about the gospel the spirit fills every corner of the room. After the lesson he drove us home in his little piece on trash on wheels (truck) with his daughters in the back as the rain poured down on them (ps I've been through.. count them.. 6 umbrellas). We sat there me on top of my companion bouncing along clinging to the door and praying it wouldn't fall off while this little man preached. He started talking about his mission to us, how it changed his life. He pounded his chubby little fist against the steering wheel and said "you let this change you, you give it your all, you go home with one convert, with yourself converted". I sat there a little bamboozled. I had completely misjudged him. In this moment I didn't see his patched up clothes or anything else that would distract one from what he truly was, a powerful man who had sacrificed so much of his life in service of the Lord, who will one day take his throne. THere's a scripture in 2 Corth 4:18. It invites all to look at the things that are not seen with physical eyes. The things of God must been seen with spiritual eyes. Take off the blinders and see what God sees.

LOVE YOU ALL MORE THAN little beans. Hooraw for ISRAEL!
Hna Tavenner

HEY. What´s up Fam??? I don´t know if anyone is still reading this, I kind of doubt it haha. I¨ve noticed once the year mark comes everyone kinda forgets that you exist. ´Just kidding. But seriously....

So I've had a ton of changes. Last week President called me at like 11pm and told me he would be moving me to a different area. I would be opening a new area and training a new missionary from Guatemala. So I started to pack like crazy and try not to feel crushed about not saying goodbye to any of the members or the converts I had. I was in that area so long it started to feel like a second home to me, 6 months in the same zone!

So I am in a place called Meijanos; it´s still in the capital and I´m close to the mission office.

This is the house I stayed in my first night in EL Salvador waiting to be sent to my area the next day. It is so funny to read my journal entry that night something like ¨what the heck am I doing in this place? There are bugs crawling all over me, and I get scared just thinking of using the bathroom, I think I´d rather just have a catheter put in, and there is no way I´m eating anything out of that fridge.¨ Little did I know what I was in for, this apt is the nicest I¨ve had so far.

As for the nursing part of my calling I have a cell phone and the elders can call whenever they are sick or need anything. Then I go to the office on Tuesdays and send a medical report to the area Doctor and fill out insurance forms and stuff like that, loads of fun right?

My new comp is Hermana Estrada. I¨m a little nervous for this change. She is way home sick. I´ve been looking in my drug book for something for that but can´t seem to find anything. Maybe I need the more up-to-date version.

Hey thanks for the letters. I will do everything to try and find a post office in this area, but please have patience with me. I love you all and am always praying for you!!!!

HOORAW FOR ISRAEL::::
Hna Tavenner

Hola ¿qué tal mis queridos hermanos y amigos? Ojala que la vida para Ustedes es muy buena, que la mano del Señor esta en sus vidas y nuca faltan su comida, ¡su comida rica de papas!

I am SOOOO good here. OK so Monday night we had FHE with familia Garcia, hermano Jose. We talked about covenants. It was a good lesson, I asked Jose in what way he could show his heavenly father he was willing to keep the commandments. IN a very sarcastic tone he said, by being baptized. I looked at him and said ¨hermano Jose I hope you don´t think we are here just to get numbers. Just to say we had another baptism. We are here because after this life when we are all eating pupuas at that big family table, we want you there, after this life when we are playing soccer as a family, we want you to play too.¨ He didn´t say anything. Then Tuesday night I my comp got a call. I was out washing my clothes in our little cement thingy when I hear her start to yell. I came running in asking what was up. She said it was Sofia on the phone and her husband wanted to be baptized. This Saturday.
So we threw everything together. Saturday morning Sofia came to our house and said that morning Jose woke up and said look at what these missionaries are doing to me, first I cut off my hair and today I'm getting baptized, what has happened to me??

It was the most beautiful and spiritual service I have been to and hermano Jose was beaming the whole time.
There is nothing greater than bring people to a knowledge of the gospel. inviting them to partake of the fruit of eternal life. Never forget your purpose here. Never settle. Love you all. Thanks for your prayers, you´re always in mine.
THIS WORK IS SO GREAT!!!! HOORAY FOR ISRAEL!!
Hermana Tavenner
meet you at the tree

Dearest Family,

How are you???? I was quite overjoyed this week to receive a letter from Anna W., Kelsey, and my grandparents, and my little sister. I think they were for my birthday! Thank you all; you are the BEST EVER: I have to say it´s really hard to find a post office here, so please forgive me! I have letters here i´m waiting to send, just give me time I have not forgotten you all. And just so you all know I do get dearelder letters, it´s free and i get them like 2 or 3 weeks after you send them, which is the same and normal mail, it´s just free.

OK so Jose. I doubt I will ever see this man baptized! OK no I just don´t know what else to do with him. He´s been to church for two months and has a testimony but he always just says he´s not ready to take the step. But everytime I pray for guidance for him I open a scripture about patience, haha so I am trying to learn patience.

This week in church we learn about the law of the fast. Rosemarie, the lady who was baptized last week, explained how she had been in the hospital with her youngest son who is really sick. They don´t have any money at all to pay for his medicine and she did not know what to do. She fasted for a solution and two days later someone had donated all the medicine her son would need for a year. Then Hermano Martinez, our convert who smoked, gave the closing prayer and broke down in tears thanking the Lord for providing her son with medicine. Awesome to see people change!!!!

Did I ever tell you my story of hiking the mountain with the bucket on my head? If I did forgive me, the days blur together for me here. But we are always looking for opportunities to serve right? Well we had just hiked up this crazy steep mountain to visit some people and were almost at the base when we saw this cute little lady with a huge heavy bucket on her head really struggling to climb. I ran over to her and asked if we could help. She quickly pulled the bucket off her head and onto the ground. She pulled the sweaty towel they use to balance the bucket off her head and put it onto mine. I started thinking oh no, what did I get myself into. I attempted to hoist the bucket up and put it on my head but it was so heavy, I could not lift it up. Then the little lady helped me lift it up onto my head. My companion looked at my like I was crazy. Looking ahead at the mountain we would be climbing, I thought to myself I am crazy. We started to climb. I started to pray.

How in the world I climbed up that steep mountain balancing a huge bucket so heavy I could not lift it with my arms, I don´t know! But I know if I wasn´t a missionary I couldn´t do it again!

The Lord is in the work!!! I LOVE THE WORK. KEEP THE FIRE OF MISSIONARY WORK GOING. It´s the blood of the church! HOORAW FOR ISRAEL::::

Hna Tavenner

What´s up everyone??? Wow what a week.

First NICKI is engaged!!! WOWZA. Congrats. I¨m still waiting for the pic of this fiance of yours, and thanks for the letters grandparents skids.

This week we planned a marriage and after had two baptisms. It was really great. This Rosemeris is a funny lady and it has been fun to teach her. After we taught her the first vision, we asked to pray about it. The next day she told us that she had received an answer. That night she had had a dream that she too saw a pillar of light and heard the words that Joseph Smith heard. It was a neat experience. Her husband was not baptized. He has work every day and every Sunday and the first time I met him was at the wedding.

Jose went to church again this Sunday. That makes like two months going to church, but he still does not want to be baptized. He is stubborn. Also our convert, Carmen bore her testimony at church this Sunday and it was so cute! She was so nervous and said if I bear my testimony will you too? We walked up together and she was first. She just starting crying. She said she knew the church was true and was so grateful that we had found her and brought her the gospel. Afterwards she just sat down and held my hand. I told her she´d have to let go just a minute so I could share my testimony too.


THE CHURCH IS TRUE:
HOORAY FOR ISRAEL::::

XOoXOXOOXOXOOXOXOOOXOXOX
HNa TAV