Tan the Man

HOLA!

2009-09-02T12:31:00.000-07:00

Dear family!

Thankyou so much for the letters and the emails of encourgement and comfort. I have really needed them I have had a hard few days, Just a little discouraged but I will lift my head up and keep pressing forward. Well let me tell you a little about my week.
Fridays are "game days" and so everything that we do in the week is preparing us for friday. It's pretty fun we all start singing 'estamos listos', which means, We Ready. Its a song that i think every team has sung before a game. I think our teachers get a kick out of it too! So fridays are the days we teach people that volunteer. For the most part we will always teach members that put on an act but every once in a while a 'Real' investigator will come in. This past week was awesome! We taught a girl from south america and she barely spoke english but just enough to be able to have the lesson in english. But she totally felt like an investigator! The spirit was so strong. Our teachers tell us to take The TRC serious because they can still come closer to Christ. And I think she really did! :)
Yesterday we had Elder Sybrowsky speak to us and he is a member of the quorum of the 2nd 70. And he works with Elder Jensen in the church history department. I asked him if he had ever met dad but he said no. Kinda a bummer! But he knows Elder Jensen. haha. But he has 9 children 8 of which have served missions and 1 is about to turn 19 and will serve in most likely january. He was pretty neat to hear speak.
Ok so i will go on with adressing everyone!
Mom,
Thankyou so much for your letters. Thankyou for getting those things sent of! Im excited. Spanish is coming along. we have learned all of the grammar principles that we need and we are jsut starting to only speak in spanish this week. Kinda crazy! It is wierd I can understand everything my teachers say but i have no idea how to respond! But i am expected to preach it in that language in 4 weeks! So i will just do the best i can. Thankyou for all the goodies! those cinnamon rolls were quite amzing. I didnt share those ones. ;) Lol. When i address riley i will say something along the lines of ITS NOT WORTH IT! to drive like a maniac. It really lessens the coolness of a car when it flips over on its back. And the jeep is pretty cool by itself it doesnt need to be rallied! So ill tell him that! :) ha! And i will try and take a picture that i would like to be on the plaque. I will send some pictures home. but you have to excuse the last one. my companion and my roommate and I got a little wierd. Just dont put it one Your blog. Ha
Casey-
So How are things? I hope all is well! I have been having the best time here. It is just wierd because i have no idea what happened in most days its all a blur. Because days literally feel like they never end. I couldnt tell you what i ate for lunch on any day unless it was spectacular! Ha well i love you. AND... I say this lovingly but help me miss your wedding! HAHA.

Chelsea-
Thanks for you letter. I love getting mail and hearing how things are going! i am excited for you to have your baby. you are gonna be a great mom! And he is gonna be the coolest kid. I love you and hoe all is well. I will be able to call in 4 weeks and again in about 4 months. So i will see how everything is then!

Aaron- Thanks for writing me. Im stoke taht you are going to school. I wrote you and Chels a letter a few days ago i dont know if it has made it to you or not. But thanks for everything you do. You are a great example! I love ya

Riley- Read what i said to mom!!! HA i love you broseph. Thankyou for your email. yes I am Dl and I get release on sunday! Im pretty excited to see one of the others in my district have to put up with the same things! but then things will start buckling down because then there is one more person who knows what its like to have to be in this position. Well seriously ry i love you and i dont want you to get hurt! So just remember what happened to spencer davis's jeep. Its totally not worth it! just be smart and start sucking up to Mom and Dad and try to get it back. And do the RIGHT thing. Love

Hunter- How is school! are you getting ready for lacross! it is so wierd to think when i will be back that you will be in highschool. Well stay awesome and work hard at everything you do. Love you hunter.

Dad-
I love you so much! thanks for your words of inspiration. I get tears every time i hear from you. You and mom mean so much to me. That experience taht the both of you had is so amazing! It was so touching to hear that! SOunds like you are busy this week! that is going to be crazy going to the world trade center! that is pretty awesome. I hope that you are finding ways to make life less stressful. Read the book of mormon. And i really hope that things are good always for you. you are awesome! i love you so much. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF.

Mom Can you forward this to Leah?

Angeleah- Thankyou for your letters! Im so happy that you got all my letters finally! Thankyou for the pictures and for the snacks. No bakes were awesome. And the Indoor smores were even more awesome! Thanks for everything Hope all is well, you can write me to my email if you want to drop a line! but i still want letters and goodies! :) But i cant write you back directly. So just drop a line or two for wednsdays! Have fun with your new roommates! ill be writing you a letter and you should get it by friday! I love you!

Well everyone! I hope all is well and taht life is great. Life is great here and just keeps getting better. I will send pictures today in a letter I love you all!

Love,
Elder Hodson

Our first pics!

2009-09-01T11:59:00.001-07:00

Email!

2009-08-26T13:55:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to see he had written - love to find his name in my "you've got mail" box!!! Seriously tho, he hasnt gotten anything this week? I've sent 2 letters, 1 care pkg & everyone else in the family has also written... I'm going a little crazy here!

Hey there family!

well i didnt get any emails from you this week so i will just write a general email! I got a few letters from you all and thank you so much. It is pretty exciting to get mail. Since I pick it up i always go through it to see if i got something haha and I have been pretty lucky so far.
Well this week has been somethin! we were able to attend the Oquirrh Mountain Utah temple dedication. And that was a pretty neat experience. We also were priviledged to hear from Elder Richard G. Scott. That could have possibly been the coolest experience ever! He first started out by telling us that the Brethren (1st presidency) prays for us each day. And that we are constantly on their minds. He next said, "As an Apostle of the Lord I confer upon you the gift of tongues and it felt as if he had laid his hands on my head and gave me a blessing himself! It was a wave of confidence and of peace that we are in the Lords hands. We are on His errand. And he will bless us with the things that we need to be successful missionaries. He also 'As an apostle of the Lord' gave us a blessing of protection and guidance. He was very uplifting and very excited to be there. When the Mtc President stood up to introduce him Elder Scott stood up and went to him and said, " Just get to the part about how I love Missionaries." It was pretty funny. He truly is an Apostle of Christ. I now have a strong testimony of Apostles.
Well this is going great I love all of you so much and I look forward to hearing from you. I hope Riley and Hunter Have a good few years in school and I hope Riley doesnt wreck the jeep. Ha Just messin. Well i will write again next week! I love you so much.

Hey I Have some things that i need you to send as well!

I forgot the shoe shine thing from jos banks
i forgot my umbrella
i forgot my pillow tie. And there is a purple pillow tie in my room.
That myth about no cool ties is a lie. So send me some sweet ties!
And ask dad if he will send a set of those awesome scriptures for my companion. You know the Redish ones
Also there is like 4 or 5 of those black hangers that come with the jos banks bags. The black wire ones I forgot those. COuld you find some of those and send them to me?
And if there is anything else around that it looks like i might need.

I love you all so much! I cant wait to hear from you.

Love, Tanner

...and the second email today!

oh also here is my quick message on the restoration in spanish! Muchas verdades llanas y preciosas fueron perdido despues los apostoles de Jesucristo han salido la tierra. Pero Dios ha restaurado los verdades otra vez a través de el profeta José Smit. si tenemos fe en Dios y la iglesia de Jesucristo, Dara a nosotros muchas felicidades y paz y seremos prosperos. La evidencia es en el Libro de Mormón. si leeremos y meditamos y oraramos, sabremos que estas cosas son verdadero

Many plain and precious truths were lost after the apostles of Jesus Christ left the earth. But god has restored those truths again through the prophet Joseph Smith. If we have faith in God and the Church of Jesus Christ He will give us much happiness and peace and we will be successful. The evidence is in the Book Of Mormon. If we read, ponder, and pray we will know that these things are true.

Love you All,

Elder Hodson

So amazed by him! :D

(a few more trailers today!)
Hey,

One more! Hey if dad has any of those gold ties with angel moroni on it tell him to send six. for my district!

Love you!

Elder Hodson

Oh And Happy BIRTHDAY RILEY!!!!!!

Love you Brother.

Dont wreck the Jeep!

Or Die!

I love you all very much I got the package today and i got the dear elders as well thankyou so much!

I love you family!

Tanner

my companions name Is Elder Corbin Lee Skinner

He thought of everyone!

2009-08-20T11:46:00.000-07:00

I love Tanner's letters! They make me smile... they make all of us smile! I love that he tried to address all of the questions & remarks that we've made to him in our previous letters. I love that he expresses his love for his brothers & sister as well as to him Mom & Dad...can't get enough of that!

Dear family!

So I only have 30 minutes on the computer so i will only be writing one general response and if I can maybe more. But in this letter i will try and address everyone.

Mom- Yes i have recieved the packages and all of the letters and they were much needed and much appreciated! I did get my license and i was worried sick as well because i wasnt sure if you had put my name in the mailbox. But i was very relieved to see that my license came. I am so excited for Court that is so amazing that he got it. I hope that he comes quick maybe ill still be in the Mtc. When does he leave and what mission? Tell tally that i miss her and to write me sometime. It is good to hear that she will be back in the ward. Just help her out! Everyone needs to have Charity and Love at all times!

Haha i love that i you got the flat tanner! I unfortunately cannot receive pictures in the email so i would love it if you could print those off and send them to me! i regret not bringing pictures with me! I miss all of your wonderful faces. ;-)

This week has been great! we taught our first lesson and I was so excited. The Spirit nailed it! we just got to open our mouths for Him. I also was able to meet elder tucker, our neighbors nephew that is in the referral center. He is 70 pounds and about 4 foot 10. But he is awesome! My companion and I get to start teaching an investigator on the phone starting tommorrow so that will be neat. Well everything is good here let me know when Louie dies. Or if he is gonna make it. Ha I love you mom!

Dad- I was so excited to get your letter! It was so cool to read that you bought that book. that is really neat! I was also very overcome by emotions when i read that Adam is going to be able to go to the temple and receive his endowments. I am so happy that he will be able to serve. He will be so blessed! I went to the temple today and I just thought of adam and how he was doing and his situation and i know that the lord is watching over him. Ha i am nice to the hermanas. They are pretty great but they are leaving on tuesday for the guatemala Mtc. So my district is going to be down to 6 elders. They all loved their mo jos and told me to say thankyou. Everyone is carrying theirs. I am so glad that i am out here dad and i cannot wait to get out to honduras. I love you so much. I am always thinking of pops. You and mom are amazing! i love you.

Chels- yes i did write back! and no i didnt just look at your letter and then put it in a drawer. But thankyou so much for writing me a letter and giving me encouragement. I needed it! 8 months prego! that is pretty intense! im almost an uncle! haha. Well i wish you luck and I hope all is well! I love you.

Casey- This is so hard! a mission was never meant to be easy. I thought i was tough but im not! haha i am getting better but it really is humbling. Dad told me what you said to him and Thankyou so much for what you are doing! you are such a good example to me and I am so grateful for you. Thankyou for being my friend the past few months. I miss you a lot and I love you!

Riley- School is coming up pretty soon huh? big junior year? you are almost about to drive the jeep! dont wreck it! haha im sure you wont. I miss you brother and read what i sent for dad. This is important. I love you Riley. Be good. Im excited to come home and see where you will be going and be able to know where you get to serve.

Hunter- 7th grade in like a week ish. that is intense! im excited for you! stay away from girls and do your homework! I hope that everything is good for you. I hope you have fun in your 7th and 8th grade year. I love you hunter and be good

Alright everyone! I must be getting off now. I was so excited to hear from you and i am looking forward to hearing from you again. Just think in 7 weeks We will be able to talk a few times on the phone while in the airport! October 5th and i will call you. It might be at 3 in the morning though!

I love you all so much and i cant wait to talk to you again.

Love,
Elder Hodson

ps thursdays suck because it is the longest most boring day every!

(have to find out what's really up with Thursdays???)

How cute it he??

2009-08-18T14:53:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, August 18th.
just recieved this one today...such a treat!

EMAIL...EMAIL...EMAIL!

2009-08-17T15:23:00.000-07:00

Monday, August 17th
Woke up this morning to the best surprise... Tanner got his email set up at the MTC! yeah! What a great letter. We could all feel his spirit oozing out between the lines.

Dear family,

Today is P day and it is wierd because i do not have a strict schedule like every other day and i havent really been doing much. Other than the temple all i have done is free time and laundry.
This week has been crazy! there has been good times, and hard times, and i have no idea what i am doing times! Haha but i will only focus on the good times. but before i do that i will answer Moms questions. So my companion is great! he is from California and his name is elder Skinner. We get along really well and he seems to think pretty highly of me. Which i think highly of him as well. The food is awful, it really is terrible! I ate cereal for about the first 3 days for each meal. But my standards are getting lower and the food seems to be getting better! The district is really great! There are 7 Elders and 3 Hermanas. The hermanas are great! they saw Holly Fowler at the temple in the womens dressing room this morning and Holly said she would tell you that i was going to email you. If you talk to her tell her that we go to the temple every wednsday at 7: 40 in the morning. Spanish is going great! i have learned to pray in spanish as well as bear my testimony. I was also made district leader! i was dreading the moment that the Branch pres would make that decision, and i was off the hook at first. but then our Dl go switched to another district. Then i was made DL. It hasnt been too bad but jsut a lot of meetings.
I have learned so many great things so far and i want dad if he feels alright about it to read it to the young men in our ward. I learned in a talk that our Prophet has been told that there is a need of mission work. We are not here because of us we are here because of the Lord. If the Prophet could go out and teach the people of the world, HE WOULD! but lets face it that would be quite impossible! So that is really why we are called. Not because it will be a good experience, or bring our families blessing, or that we can learn a language, but it is literally a call from god. There is a scripture in D&C 62 V 1 that says the Lord knows how to succor those who are tempted. Succor means to run to relieve someone. Christ not only atoned for our sins but he runs to us in our time of need! Christ made the ultimate sacrifice....
Let me know how everyone is doing. I cant wait to hear back from you. I am so excited to get an email from you. I love you all.

Love,
Tanner

Fun with "Flat Tanner"

2009-08-17T14:55:00.001-07:00

I ordered up this full-size cut-out of Tanner about 2 weeks ago & it came the other day.... LOVE IT! This will be the way we include Tanner in family photos of trips, weddings, births & family life. We got carried away on our "photo shoot" with our flat Tanner. Too much fun!

Flat Tanner at dinner

Chels helping him eat

with Dad

Casey showing how much he misses Tan

pumping iron

hanging out with Hunter

singing with mom

Riley's take-down

Cooking dinner

helping with dishes

holding Lucy

playing guitar!

(thanks Aaron for your extra long arms!)

Short but Sweet

2009-08-17T14:31:00.000-07:00

FINALLY! Our first letter! Phew...he's still alive. Derrick & I & the boys gathered & read it out loud! It was great to hear from him!

No email set up yet... suppose he'll get to set that up on his P-day. FYI, I've already sent him 3 letters & 2 pkgs... D's written & so has Chels!

.... waiting

2009-08-17T11:42:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, August 12th. Well it's been a whole week as a missionary & we're still waiting! No letters... no emails....bleghhh. But we did have a little glimpse into Tanner's missionary life via a voicemail from our good friend Holly Fowler. It went like this:

"Heh, I was in the Provo temple this morning and my first thought when I walked in was oh, I wonder if I'll see Tanner today. Well I didn't see him but I must have felt his spirit because as I was leaving the restroom there were 3 sisters with spanish name tags there. I asked them where they were going & they said to Honduras! I'm like, do you know Elder Hodson and they're like YES & he is SO amazing... he's stellar! I'm like, tell him the Fowler's said hello & that he needs to write his mother!"

(btw, Holly is the mother of a stellar missionary son as well!)

OK so it wasnt as good as an actual letter but it made our day as we all listened! And isnt it just like him to have already wow-ed the girls? hmmmmm ;-D

MTC...here we come!

2009-08-13T22:08:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, August 4th
Tanner, Derrick & I got up Tuesday morning, put on our "missionary" uniforms (church clothes), had family prayer & after his final goodbyes with Riley & Hunter (very sweet), headed off to Provo. It was great to visit with Tanner on the 6 hr. drive. He is so easy to talk to. Derrick shared story after story of his mission. Couldnt tell if Tanner was eating it up or if he was just "mmm hmmm-ing" at all the right places! Maybe a little of both?! (I've been doing that for YEARS with his mission stories!)

We stopped in St. George at the hospital there to visit Adam Bergquist. Loved our time we spent with him. We were able to feel of his struggles & left with such sincere empathy for him. He's a remarkable young man.

Provo Marriot was our next stop. We dropped our bags off & headed out for our final dinner together. I had tried to arrange a dinner with the Utah family & friends that live there but nothing worked out. So the 3 of us headed up to Sundance Ski Resort for dinner. Tanner did the driving, pointing out all the best places to eat there in Provo along the way! The drive up to Sundance was beautiful! We chose a restaurant called "The Tree" - a gourmet cowboy cuisine. It was FAB!

There were still a few things Tanner needed to take with him so we decided to make a stop at the mall hoping to at least find the watch he wanted. Then back to the hotel room where later that evening some of our dearest friends stopped by. The Fowlers - everyone of them but Alec who is serving his mission in N.Y. It was so great to see them!! We visited for about an hour. We were pretty exhausted afterwards so we had a sweet family prayer & headed off to bed.

Before he left the room I snapped a few shots of his mission ring that Derrick had made for him.... he's pretty proud of it.

Wednesday, August 5th
Wednesday came too soon. Tanner didnt sleep well. I didnt sleep well. Neither of us ate much of our breakfast. His arrival time wasnt until 12:00 so we had some time to kill. We went to another mall there, still looking for that watch he wanted. He compromised & bought a different one! He felt like he needed a haircut (this kid ALWAYS needs a haircut & a shave) so we stopped by a super cuts! Sorry Chels, he should've had you do it for him one last time!

Then was time..... the drive there was quick!

The MTC had recently changed it's drop-off rules. Instead of going in & having an orientation meeting & doing the singing thing & watching them walk out through a door, never to be seen again (eek), they have opted for the "drive-by drop-off" method! IT WAS LIKE PULLING OF A BANDAID!! Painful but quick! From the minute we pulled onto MTC grounds there were men waving us down & directing us to our final stop there... the curb! There were so so many families there doing the same thing with their boys.

The sweetest older man greeted us with smiles & a clipboard...checked off Tanner's name, gave me his official MTC address & then said, "ok mom & dad, give him a big hug...we'll take good care of him". Uh, EXCUSE ME???? I felt rushed. We pulled out our cameras & snapped a few pics, hugged our boy.... hugged him again & said goodbye. Tanner shed a few tears, I shed a little more....Derrick lost it.

As he was walking away, I had him turn for one last shot. I didnt get it on this pic but he made a fist & flexed his arm as if to say it's all good & I am ready!

I was left with a very strong visual impression of the MTC. There were hundreds of young men milling around the property there...all the same age...with the same hair cut.... wearing white shirts, dark pants, black shoes & ties. And for the first time I saw them collectively as a literal "army of God". I felt peace & confidence that Tanner would be well taken care of while in the Lord's service.

And that was it. Our boy was on his mission! We drove away in shock at the 5 minutes it took to do the drop-off thing & tried to compose ourselves. But then my phone rang. I reached down, grabbed it & turned it over to see who it was.... & to my surprise, it was Tanner! hahaha I loved it! He called to tell us to come back - he'd forgotten to leave his phone with us! I wonder how often that happens? The drive home was spent extolling the virues of our Tanner! What a GREAT experience!

Family Night

2009-08-11T17:56:00.000-07:00

Monday, August 3rd. We gathered as a family, took a few "last pics for 2 years" with all of us & waited for President Schlauder to arrive.

He was very sweet to come to us - across the street - instead all of us going to the st. center. President Schlauder conducted a family fireside with us. He asked each family member to share one word & meaning with Tanner of something we would think he could use while on his mission. Hunter chose the word BRAVE & how Tanner would need to be brave in his area & be brave about opening his mouth & sharing the gospel. Riley's word was EXAMPLE. He shared that not only is Tanner an amazing example to him but that he will also be an incredible example to everyone he comes in contact with on his mission. Chelsea chose the word MUSIC & reminded Tanner how important music is to her as well as to Tanner & to turn to music to invite the spirit. Aaron's word was PRAYER & he encouraged Tanner to pray often & shared how important prayer is to him. Casey's word was LOVE. He encouraged Tanner to love the people of Honduras & that those same people will in turn learn to love him. My word was PATIENCE. I challenged him to be patient with himself in learning the language, with missionary companions that may frustrate him ;) & with the spirit as he waits for answers to his prayers. Derrick's word was OBEDIENCE. He cautioned Tanner to remember that obedience is the key to a successful mission & manditory for safety & for blessings. It was a so wonderful!!
Then President Schlauder, along with Derrick, Casey & Aaron, set Tanner apart as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! What an incredible blessing!! The spirit bore witness to us all of the power of the Priesthood. Tanner was now an official missionary & was told he needed to have his companion (Derrick) with him at all times!

A few more family pics.... (Casey really was there - unfortunately he's not a fan of taking pictures)

Then it was off to a special dinner at Flemmings... yum!

LOVED, LOVED, LOVED our evening together!

Open House

2009-08-07T15:51:00.001-07:00

What a great day! We were so spiritually fed at our Sac. Mtg. services & then got to meet together with the Hodson's & the Tonks sides of our families as well as the MANY friends & neighbors who joined with us in wishing Tanner well! FUN!!!

Mom & Stephanie Evans taking a minute to eat & visit

Kyle Garrett & Brian Bowman

Hunter

Tanner visiting with his Aunt J.J.

Riley with cousin Cameron

Heather Bertoldo, MaryKay Mendenhall, & Leah Bertoldo

Tanner & Leah

Cousin Stacie & Damon

Aunt RaeAnn & cousin Melody

Dad & Grandpa Hodson

Riley & Sarah Mendenhall

Mom, Aunt Cheri & Stephanie

Tanner with Aunt Cheri & Uncle Russ

Cousins Amanda, Trevor & David

Cousins Jessica, Kayden & Bobby

Chels with Tanner

2 Bishops... Dad & Bishop Lords

Riley with baby Braxton

Tanner & Leah again!

Aunt Karen, Grandma Tonks & Mom

Riley & Aaron

A little fruit with Dad's whipped cream!

"Blue Steel" impression

Chels with her "old man crush" Kyle

Mari & Kyle Hansen

Riley & Mom...again with the blue steel impression

Matt Thorley, Leah & Court Oswald

Grandpa Hodson, Uncle Alex & Aunt J.J.

Uncle Kenny & Cousin Sydney

Heather & MaryKay

Grandma, Sydney & JoAnn Evans

The Farewell

2009-08-07T15:42:00.000-07:00

We had ALL been so looking forward to this day! And the day didnt disapoint as all expecations were met! Everyone who spoke did a great job, the musical # was performed almost without any mistakes & MOST importantly, the spirit was there in abundance!!

D came across this program cover at the LDS book store & we knew we had to have it for Tanner's program. This is a copy of Tanner's favorite art piece. It speaks to him. We got him an artists print of it for his 19th birthday. So how appropriate to have this image as a constant reminder of his farewell!

Had to giggle when I first heard what the subject of the meeting was going to be on... "our pioneer heritage".... it couldn't be on prayer, or testimony, or sacrifice - much more appropriate subjects for a missionary farewell! So I had been curious to hear how Tanner would deliver his talk. I had to giggle again when D told me he was speaking as well. I KNEW he wouldnt have any problem speaking on his favorite subject!

I LOVE my Tanner.... he is so amazing to me. I loved his thoughts & testimony about the Prophet Joseph Smith. He loves Joseph Smith - an admiration that was solidified while on the church history tours he was able to go on. I love his comments about my Grandmother Tonks. We only have a 12 page life sketch of hers but it is like scripture in our house. I am so grateful that the reverence that I feel for her has been passed down to my children. And his testimony...? STELLAR! I felt such a calm assurance that he is ready & more than capable of serving this mission. I also loved D's comments. I feel like if I wasnt tethered to him that I'd be left behind in the grand scheme of spiritual things! "True blue through & through". What a great way to describe Tanner and all of the other missionaries in our ward!

It was at Tanner's request that my sister, Karen (organ), Stacie, Casey (violins) & I (piano) perform "Come Thou Fount" again. I worried about repeating it so soon after the Bunker's farewell. But we all felt that there would largely be a different crowd there - family mostly - and that our ward members wouldnt mind! :) It's a blessing to be a part of something that was such a "spiritual conduit". We definately had some loved ones there!

Honduras is getting an awesome missionary!

Party Planning

2009-08-06T22:30:00.000-07:00

Planning for the open house? That was the easy part! CALL THE CATERER!
The plan was to send out these invites to all of our families & friends but after reading up on the Bishops handbook, Derrick decided that probably wasnt appropriate.... So we were obedient. I sent them in an email instead.

Temple Day

2009-08-06T21:57:00.001-07:00

Thursday, June 11th

It's an incredible feeling to have your children with you in the temple... hard to explain just how sweet this experience was with Tanner. He was ready to be there. The session was filled with family & friends. Almost everyone there, we knew. I imagined that that'll be what Heaven's like! :)

Some of those who supported Tanner there were Grandpa Hodson, Grandma Tonks, Chelsea & Aaron, Aunts & Uncles from both sides of the families & even a few cousins! Our St. President, former bishop & wives, and many of our ward members & closest friends. We have the BEST family & friends EVER!

I brought my camera. I just brought it with a dead battery. So I regretably only got these 3 pics. It was a most beautiful day!

Preparation

2009-08-06T21:09:00.000-07:00

The report date for Tanner was set for August 5th which left about 2 1/2 months to get him all prepared. The packet that the church mission office sent was COMPLETELY thorough in all of the things that needed to be done. It als introduced Tanner to his mission president & his wife, Samuel & Olga Cruz. These were just a few of the items on his list:

immunizations (including Typhoid...which made him sick) - 9 shots in all on the first trip to the health district
dark colored suits (Casey bought him those...sweet) - he was told he would only wear those at zone conferences
short sleeved white shirts, ties & slacks (this would be his uniform there due to the 98*, 100% humidity there)
bug spray
sun screen
water purification tablets
apply for a visa (which involved "tricky timing")
pedigree chart
passport photos
list of personal items
etc...etc...etc...

Chels took a bunch of pictures of him to send back to the mission office....

This is the one we used.

Along with the list of things to buy & provide he also had Doctor's appointments, dentist appointments, chiropractor appointments & optometry appointments.

He was very busy!

...the beginning

2009-08-06T16:14:00.000-07:00

Tanner recieved his mission call on Friday, May 22nd. Because of a break-in of our home mailboxes, Tanner had to pick it up at the post office. He said he saw it instantly in the stack of mail that was handed to him!

After the family had gathered, Tanner opened the envelope. Derrick was too funny attempting to "take over"! And so so sweet that he wanted to have Leah on the phone for the opening....

Finally, the reading. Tanner's reaction is priceless. Derrick's reaction is typically Derrick & Hunter's reaction is hysterical! (Hunter may need a geography lesson ;)
This is his actual call. HONDURAS SAN PEDRO SULA It was a GREAT day full of emotion! We all felt the spirit bare witness that this is exactly where the Lord wanted Tanner to serve his mission. What a blessing!