Week 2!

6 more days in the MTC!

I'm so ready to get out of here and start teaching real people. Role playing gets so repetative sometimes. This week has been alright though. I've been a little sick ever since Thursday and I just started to feel better this morning. So it was really hard to concentrate on stuff this weekend at all my meetings and classes. I found out the hard way that Sudaffed works better than Dayquil. But it's all good now.

We had some great lessons this week and a couple of them were taught by one of the missionaries in the Preach My Gospel DVD's, Brother Hallam, he's a great teacher. It was really amazing how fast this past week flew by when the first 4 or 5 days seemed like an eternity.

I got my flight Itinerary this week! I leave on the 30th at 9pm from Salt Lake, leave from LAX at 11:55pm and arrive at Sydney at 9:30am on the 2nd of December. And then arrive at Perth at 2pm. So I'm going to spend the entire day on the 1st of December over the Pacific Ocean. And we're told to look presentable to our MIssion Presidents when we get off the plane, but it's going to be really hard considering how long we'll be on that plane. It's so crazy that is in 6 days.

I really enjoyed the letters this week. But it's true that the mailbox becomes your enemy when you don't get any mail on a mission. I guess I'll have to get used to that though since I'll probably be getting even less mail in Australia.

This past Saturday was my first time teaching the 2nd lesson and it actually went pretty well. Speaking of the 2nd lesson, we had the most amazing lesson about the Plan of Salvation in our District meeting on Sunday. I learned so much more than I ever have in my life about the Plan of Salvation. It was taught by a member of our Branch Presidency named Brother Bott. I wish I knew his first name because he has 2 books out and they're apparently really really good. Maybe you can look it up online or something. But yeah. It was awesome.

We got to go up to the Temple on Sunday to take pictures and while I was up there I ran into 3 out of 5 of my pageant friends that are here and we all took a picture together. I'm still really bummed that I can't get pictures developed here. But I'm having my companion print me out a couple from his camera and I'll send them home sometime before I leave. I think on Monday I'll get time to write letters one more time before I leave and do laundry one more time too.

Zach, that's awesome that you made Drum Major! It's too bad I'll never get to see it. But I got news for you too. Elder Holland is going to be here on Thursday. It's going to be awesome! I can't wait to hear him speak. Especially since the past 3 devotionals have been uber good and they haven't even been general authorities coming to speak.

Well, It's about time to get off. I got 7 and a half minutes left if you wanna send a quick reply.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

Love Elder Tanner 3.0

Week 1

Well, first P-Day at the MTC. This week has been pretty awesome. I've already learned so much more than I ever have in my life. And I'm slowly but surely learning how to become a better teacher. I've said more prayers in this last week than I have in an entire year probably. It's such a good habit to get into. It just makes the day so much easier. We had our first experience at the Referral Center yesterday, taking calls and such. That was actually pretty cool. I'm excited to go back tomorrow and get better at it since we were only there for about 30 minutes yesterday. The devotional on Sunday night was awesome. Sheri Dew was the speaker. She's the president and CEO of Deseret Book and she spoke on a lot of good topics. Mostly about teaching. I don't have my notes right here next to me but it was a really good talk. Tonight's Devotional should be even cooler because the choir actually gets to sing. We're singing a really cool arrangement of Faith of Our Fathers. It's by far the biggest choir I have ever sang in. Awesome. My companion is very much from Utah. That's all I think I have to say. He's a pretty funny guy.. In an "I'm from Utah" kind of way.

Today being our first P-Day we got to go to the Provo Temple this morning and it was awesome. My 3rd Temple to be in in a week. That's a new record. Definitely not as huge and awesome as the Salt Lake Temple, but the spirit in the Celestial room was just as strong, if not stronger. Or maybe that could be just because in this last week I've learned how to listen to and feel the spirit so much more. Especially when I'm practicing my teaching.. It's like I don't get nervous at all.. which is totally not like me. I love it.

Thanks for all the letters and I finally got my backpack finally. Now that we have a new group coming in tomorrow (a group of 700 because Thanksgiving is next week) it feels like we're not the new guys anymore and everything just seems so easy and comfortable now. I think that we're all excited to get out in the field though. I'm really going to miss the half of my district that is going to Riverside, California. They are awesome. And I'm also really glad that our district leader is coming to Australia. I really hope I get to be his companion down there at some point. He's 24 and he's a great guy. And such a great teacher. I've learned so much from him. And whenever he's in the room it's just so much easier to be on task.

I really miss all of you but I'm working hard, and according to everyone that has already been on a mission, if I work hard, I'll be home in no time. 30 minutes is so not enough time to write an email.. but now I'm going to go write some letters and do laundry... woot. Can't wait to hear from all of you again!

Love,
Elder Tanner 3.0

p.s.- I tried to get my pictures developed here so I could send them in a letter but the machine doesn't recognize my SD card. The machine is ancient and my SD card is brand new though. Hopefully I don't have that problem in Australia.

November 11, 2009... First night in the MTC!

It actually wasn't as bad as I had pictured. My companion is a pretty cool guy, Elder Neibaur (pronounced Nye-bur). He's from Pleasant Grove, UT, but our roommates are from Las Vegas and Southern California. They are pretty cool guys as well. And it's great that all four of us are going to Australia because by the end of the two years we'll probably be pretty close. I'm pretty sure that this is all still just sinking in for me, I mean, I'm on my mission! Our classes were pretty great today. We got to teach some mock investigators and learn what kinds of things we should ask or not ask people. I can't wait for the initial shock of being at the MTC to go away and just have it all become like home. It's pretty easy to get lost, but people that have been here for even just a week seem like they have been here much longer just because of how well they know their way around and how much more full of the spirit they are. Our zone leaders are going to Croatia and Syrbia. They are really full of the spirit and they have only been here 4 weeks. So I imagine that at the end of 19 days I'll be more ready than ever. We got so much reading material today. It's just so much to try to take in all in one day, but thankfully there is more time.

One funny thing, when we were in our first big welcome meeting they went around and asked where people were from and I was the only one out of about 350 people from Oklahoma! Well, today was a long day and it was only a half day so I'm going to hit the hay. A saying that I've heard twice today and have never heard before is: "The days drag on, but the weeks fly by." so we'll hope that's true.

Love you all
Elder Tanner 3.0

November 11, 2009

Dear family of Clark Daniel Tanner,

We are pleased to inform you that your missionary has been safely checked in at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. We thank you for supporting your missionary and know that your family will be blessed as a result.

Your missionary's mailing address while at the MTC is:

Clark Daniel Tanner
MTC Mailbox # 162
AST-PER 1130
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604-1793

Communicate with your missionary weekly through letters sent to the above address or through the email account that the missionary will set up within the first two weeks. This account is to be used by immediate family only. Telephone calls for missionaries cannot be accepted. Your missionary will correspond with you on his/her first preparation day.

Sincerely,

Provo MTC Presidency