January 10, 2011
Hola Familia,

How was the week in the snow and ice? Did I hear grandpa fell off his bike on the ice? He´s a trooper!! How many 80 year old men do you know hitting the icy roads at 6 in the morning.... YES that´s MY GRANDPA.

Thanks for the letters! I received one from Aunt Lorna. You guys are such the BEST. I am going to try and get a letter to you before I go, but I might get home before the letter...

So this week was great. About two weeks ago the Elders in the office came to our area to help us look for people to teach. They found a really great reference. We passed by him and set up an apt. So this week we headed for the apt when my comp asked which of the million of tiny apts it was.... I fumbled through my bag for a long time. Me. flake. Lost the directions. We knocked doors for about 20 minutes but no one knew who the person was. I said a silent prayer that somehow we could find where this man lived. I had the thought to call the Elders. My comp said it was crazy they had been here over 2 weeks ago and would not be able to help us. But I called them. The Elder described to me exactly what the house looked like and where to find it. We found it! Then we started teaching him. His name is Rafael, he has one son and his wife live there. We didn´t have much time but just taught about the apostasy. How after the death of the Savior the truth and power of God was taken from the earth. We planned on teaching about the Restoration the next lesson. As we started wrapping up the lesson he became agitated. "What happens next? God wouldn't just leave us without the truth right?" He caught me a little off guard, but excitedly we shared our testimonies that no God would not leave us like that, that two hundred years ago the heavens opened once more. It was a neat experience. I like to see that despite my weaknesses the work of the Lord continues.

These people are so humble. They could have nothing to feed their family but when we come to their home to share with them a message they sacrifice to give us a dirty cup of rice milk. (Yes this is maybe why I´ve turned into such the little fatty here ok, it´s my love for the people....) Love the work. Love the rice. Love the dirt streets. Love the bugs that seem to love me. Love my mother.

HOORAW FOR ISRAELLLLLL.
Hna Tavenner

FYI: Shanna will be home February 2 and will report her mission on February 13 at 9 am. We had a great time talking to her on Christmas Day and she hadn't told us until then when she would be coming home!!!


Hola familia, como estado todos?? I am missing you all a lot today! I don't have a whole lot of time to write. But thanks for the letters Grandma and Grandpa Skidmore. And also NICKI!! You guys +icecream=bestdayever.....

So we had a crazy New Year. The people here just lite off fireworks (that are more like bags of gun powder they just start on fire) from 9pm until 1am. So we didn't sleep a whole lot. It was a little harder as well to teach people, no one had time to receive us. But we visited the members and then on New Years Day we went over to the assistants house and helped them move houses. Talk about privileges. OK washing machine. Microwave. Three Bathrooms. My house......Cement slab to wash clothes. Little plug in heater thing to heat up food. Bug infested bathroom.

We are teaching this man Joaquin; he is a professional basketball trainer. He says that he has never been interested in receiving gospel studies, but says he really feels something different with us. We are also teaching three families right now. There is something so special about teaching families. I really like it better. The gospel is here for the family. How great is the plan of salvation! The Lord has something so much greater than this place prepared for us. This was my last fast and testimony meeting of my mission. (I think.....) It was really a weird feeling. I got up in front of the congregation and just stood there a second in silence. I touched my name tag and felt a terrible sadness. To leave something I've grown to love so much is really hard. I feel like I am watching one of those sand time keepers. As it gets near the end, the sand starts to fall faster and faster. I want so desperately to stop it but don't know how. How can I leave the family I have here? It's different because I doubt this family I will see again in this life. The Lord has a purpose in all things. Sometimes we have to go where he leads us, even when it's not where we want to go.


LOVE YOU SO mUCHO FAMILYYYY> HOORAW FOR ISRAEL.