Tanner's almost in Tokyo

ear Friends and Family,

What a bitter sweet Memorial Day it has been at our house!!

Tanner finally left for Hiroshima this AM at 8:30 Am from SLC International Airport.  We got to talk to him for about 15 minutes when he was in SLC and for about an hour in LAX.  He left LAX about noon Utah time and will land in Tokyo at midnight our time…12 hours.  Then he will have about 2 hours till he catches another flight to Hiroshima that lasts about an hour.  When he arrives in Hiroshima, he will be greeted according to our letter,  by the Mission Pres and his wife.  He will stay in the mission home the first night as it is zone conference there.  He’ll meet his new companion and then go by train to wherever he’s assigned on Wed.

 

Wow…All I can say is we feel today like we did at the MTC 11 weeks ago.  It was brutal!!!  So great to talk to him but so tough to say good-bye again.  I think we’ll maybe be a little more used to it when we get his phone call at Christmas and it won’t be so hard…since we won’t be saying Good-bye again.  I cried for a  good hour!! (less than the 10 hours last time!!)– I’m such a wimp!!  It was a perfect day though…all 5 of us were here crowded around my cell phone which was on speaker phone.  He bore his testimony several times in Japanese and it was amazing! – I couldn’t believe how well he sounded! – He sounded excited and so confident! 

 

His President at the MTC challenged him to place a Book of Mormon while at LAX and get to Hiroshima with a referral for someone in Tokyo.  So…who do you think he placed the Book of Mormon with…come on…this one is EASY!! – THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT!!  Actually…It was a real experience and he was so happy! – I teased him when he told us that he had to place a Book of Mormon in LAX and was going to do that before he called home…that he just needed to find a cute girl and get it done and call me.  He said no way mom…it can’t be a single girl…I need to find someone really interested! – He said that he prayed on his knees for someone to be put in his pathway and when he was on the plane, he was studying and reading his scriptures.  The flight attendant came up to him, knelt down and asked about the book and what he was studying and asked about our church.  They went back and forth for the rest of the flight when she had time.  She read the introduction and he challenged her to read the Book of Mormon.  She accepted the book and said she promised she would read it.  Kind of cool for his first experience.  He loved it.  I’m pretty sure Tokyo is going to be a little tougher!!

 

The only bad news we heard was…Pres. Eyring shut down all use of email in several of the missions in Japan because of the inappropriate internet café’s they would have to go to.  Ugh…no email for Tanner…  Snail Mail only.  It takes about 8 days.  So send him one soon! – I’m sure he’ll need it!! J  Don’t send him email…he won’t be checking it for a couple of years!

 

Here’s a few things Tanner said to us today on the phone…

He’s been praying for a native Japanese companion – but that is very rare in Japan.

He has LOVED the MTC.  He is looking forward to getting out there but has loved the experience he has just had in the MTC.

He said he feels good about the language.  Wishes that he was better at it but considering how far he has come in the MTC – he feels pretty good.

He told us that he was one of only four I think…in 2 districts of Missionaries that are going to Japan that has had no former Japanese in school or lived there etc. WOW!

He said that when he started to hit a wall when learning the language, he would stop studying the language, turn to the scriptures and that would re-energize him so he could go back to the language.

He said he switched off with the other district leader and would give a “Sermon on the Mount” every Sunday evening from 7:30 – 9:00 on the hill by the Temple to the District.  (wow Tanner – too bad I didn’t know that…I would have attended!!)

His final words to me after we said our family goodbye’s was “Mom….I love you…The Church is true, keep Praying, go to the Temple..I love all of you…I’ll see you in 2 years…then he rattled something in Japanese…and said Goodbye”

 

Thanks for all of your support! – I just came in from a walk and Scott said…”Man … this day has been tough! - opened up some old wounds -  (from the MTC goodbye)”  I agree! – We just miss him a ton – but so proud to report that he is doing so AWESOME!!

 

Love, Sue