Letter 30:: 4/29/2013

Well hi there :) So yes this week has been crazy. I pretty sure I almost passed out yesterday because I was so tired haha. but it is a good feeling to be that tired. I have been able to be in a trio this last week with Elder Dabell and Elder Magelby and we ran both of the areas in Passaic. Their area and ours. Kind of stressful at times, but a good kind of stressful haha. It was really fun tho. We are all really good friends because I have lived with them basically my whole mission. Most of my mission with Elder Dabell and my whole mission with Elder Magelby. But Elder Magelby and I will be split up tomorrow :( because he is getting transfered... We have a saying in the mission that whoever trains you is your dad. So my dad was Elder Pico, Elder Pico was his dad as well so we are literally brothers. ANd it really feel like that haha so my big bro is moving out.. 

   I am also really excited for the next transfer. I get to stay in Passaic!!!! :) I love it here and I love the people. Also I am really excited and feel really blessed because this transfer I will be able to serve with a new missionary  as a trainer. We had a meeting with the mission pres and he was able to speak of our responsibility and the sacredness of this calling. I honestly feel so grateful for this opportunity to help and serve this missionary and I know I will learn a lot from this experience and that I will learn more from him than he will from me. But I am just really excited and feel really blessed. Plus I get to do it in the best place ever!! (for missionary work) Passaic :)

Oh also I want to tell you about this guy we met this last week. We were just walking down the streets and some sketchy looking guy stops his car and then asks us if we need a ride or want some food or anything. At first I was thinking well that is wierd.. What is he going to do to us.. Then we got talking to him and it was a really cool story. He talked about how he was baptized in guetamala as a member of our church. but then got lost heavy into living the life on the streets. pretty much doing all of the above. went to jail and everything, then in jail he read a lot came back out and has been gaining more faith in God. That is why he stopped us. He told us how much he loves us and what it means to him that we are out here doing this and then he was willing to give us anything he litterally was willing to give us the shirt off his back. We later went to his house and had a great lesson with him.   I dont know I dont think I am good at explaining but it was such a Miracle because we could just see how much that man truly loved God but just got caught up doing the wrong things but he really was such a good man, and how much God loves him and is reaching out to him to bring him back. He told us how whenever he sees any Elder, he can feel a glow and feels like he is looking at angels. It made me feel grateful even more to be out here and strengthened my testimony even more.

We also have another investigator whose name is Radolfo. and that man is great. He knows the gospel is real and true and wants to be baptized now he just needs to do it :) 

I have really come to learn even more this week how to follow the spirit and to recognize the small miracles that happen. I cant really explain it but I have seen Gods hand blessing me so much this week and it is through small things that I used to not recognize but now that I do I realize the reality of God and that this work really is true because of the spirit I feel. That is the coolest thing I learned

So yes that was my week, Pretty good huh? so sweet you are finished with school dad!!! cool beans.

I guess I probably should get going but yeah I am in Passaic so I am not against you sending some pics and a package ;) like you said haha.

I pray for you all everyday. Pray for me. 

The Gospel is so true and amazing. Jesus Christ lives and is our Savior, this is His work and it is real. THe Book of Mormon is true and God is our Heavenly Father. Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ and we have the Priesthood Authority of God. It is great.

Cuidanse

Les amo!!

Letter 25:: 3/25/2013

Well I dont even know where to starrt all of the letters I got today were so good and made me feel so good now I dont know how to respond haha but yeah anyways I will try my best so dont judge me :)

 Mom I am happy you liked my card I really liked it too. I am sorry If you dont understand what it says.. tho haha o well it is authentic. It sounds like your birthday week was pretty good tho.. other than working, that stinks, sorry , but that is sweet you saw wizard of oz did they come out with a new one or something. I forget that life is still going on over there sometimes haha.

 That really is so cool abour maclean being ordained tell him congrats. and he gets his call this week!!!!! sweet! Well my hope is that he gets called here to NJ but I guess you said I cant guess that, so my guess is New York City Polish speaking ;) haha It will be something close to that. Thats crazy tho I never would have really thought that we would be out at the same time. It is soo cool.

 Yes last week was amazing and I am not going to lie this week was pretty great as well. Some days were hard of course but that is just missionary life..

 We had a really cool miracle occur this past week. We had been looking for a Former investigator named tina and in the process we set up an appointment with someone else in the same appartment but still could not find Tina. So the next day we went to our appointment with the other man. He wasnt there we waited, went to another house and nothing happened and we came back. Then we saw a woman with a child trying to get in the house. We felt like we should talk to her so we did and then came to find out that it was Tina the woman we were looking for earlier. We got to know her a little but and she explained how she was going through a hard time and her kids were sick. Right before we were about to leave I had the impression to let her know that we can give a blessing of health to her kids. us in and were able to give the children blessings. Afterwards she opened up and basically told us all her problems. She is really going through a hard time and her children needed a blessing. She needs the gospel.She broke down and and was so thankful because she felt we were sent to bless her home. I felt the exact same. I know God sent us there at that time to help her. It was a very cool experienece. She is ready to hear more of the Gospel and to accept it in her life.

 Also we had like General Conference fo new missionaries. All who have arrived since October. It was a training for two day given by president Jeppson, the assistants and the Zone Leaders on the 8 fundamentals of missinoary work and we Role PLayed A LOT. It was so great tho. I learned so much about how to be a better missionary. The last two Role plays were with President Jeppson and I was kind of nervous. Especially because I just happened to be teaching the Law of Chastity to a Sister Missionary.....and he listened in. IT was just a little awkward. But the other Role play was really cool I learned a lot about how to ask inspired questions and teach people not lessons.

 Last thing... Dayanara was Baptized Yesterday!!!!! IT was really cool experience and she was so happy.. Pretty much the whole Branch was there to welcome her in to the Branch too. She was really happpy. She is also really excited to receive the Holy Ghost next week. Its is cool because Elder Pico and I found her and her mom in a wierd way on a day when pretty much not much was happening. Now she is baptized so yeah that was my week but I am going to go so I can send you all some pictures ;)

 Oh mom my apt # is #2 so yeah, there you go. And I am good with whatever. Healthy Snacks, and the maybe the easter faves :)

 SO yes I hope you have a great week !

 Love Elder Tanner Boyer

Letter 21:: 2/25/2013

To start off, here are some pictures Tanner sent his parents from Christmas time::

When he arrived to New Jersey, his NEW home!

His homemade Christmas tree :) Love this one! Gotta love missionaries. {and Tanner of course}

 opening the anticipated Christmas package from his parents....

Ok, now to his letter this week and then some even MORE current pictures :)

Hey everyone well it sounds like it really has not been the best week over there. I am really sorry to hear all of that stuff that has happened. Also that Mark Thorne passed I way. I love that man but that is good that he is honestly in a better place now able to do the missionary work that he loved to do. I will definately keep you in my prayers like always and I know that everything will work out how it is supposed too. That is what our main lesson has been on this week to the members. Faith, at the point when  it seems like it is all over or nothing good will happen that is when deliverence comes. Just like when moses parted the red sea, or when Joseph Smith was praying in the sacred Grove the Miracles both happened after the faith was tested after moses was stuck between egyptians and the sea and when Joseph was attacked by Satan. at the very point he felt he was going to be destoyed He saw a pillar of light. So that is my thought this week just keep pressing on with faith and I know that you will receive whatever it is that God has in store for you and you will be blessed.

My week here has been pretty good. Nothing to out of the ordinary just doing missionary work. My companion and I are learning more and more about eachother and are beginning to teach with more power and unity. Also I think my spanish is improving :) I can almost understand all that is being said. I have been really blessed with the perfect situations to learn and be the best missionary I can be. I am really grateful for that. We met with Dayanara again that was good she is still being prepared for baptism. Oh and we had another cool experience with a less active. We have taught her since I first got here on my mission. She works in a dry cleaners and the first time we saw she straight up went off on every reason she left the church and what had offended here for about an hour and for like the first month she always would. our first goal when we went in there was to get her to stop talking. bad I know.. but after awhile we realized how we just needed to show her more love and continue to share messages and invite her back to church. We invited her everytime and she pretty much got mad at us everytime we did. but SLOWLY that changed and she changed eventually she started going to another chapel but stll not ours because she was offended then three weeks ago she came to our chapel but sat in another room. Then she came the next week and sat in the chapel. She desribed to us how the spirit was working with her and she knew exactly what she needed to do. And this week we met with her and I have never seen anyone so happy it was awesome we had a really cool lesson and every person that came into her store she introduced them to us and we taught them. It was awesome. she told us she now had the spirit of missionary work and she was so happy it was really cool to see and probably the biggest change I have seen in my mission so far. Really cool.

ANyways it was a good week. Some hard times as well. But prayer again is what pulled my through when I thought I wouldt feel better, i had a sincere prayer and God spoke peace to me. I love prayer.

Anyways sorry about last week but ya I cant wait to see the newcountere tops that sounds really cool!! YAyA! haha but got to go God is really there and will listen to you.
 Love Elder Boyer.
 ps. It has been a year since I first left..crazy eh?

Elder Pico and Elder Boyer :)

If I were to GUESS, I would guess this is his current companion Elder Gonzalez...

Elder Pico again....

Letter 20:: 2/21/2013

haha hey family sorry I am a day late but because it was president's day yesterday we could not really email. so I am sending you a quick one right now :) but I am a little frustrated because I printed your email off yesterday so that I could have it written and then just come type it today, and then I just realized I left the paper at home that I was going to write to you.. and it was really good too.. sorry   will try and match it but now I am all rushed so we will see how that goes..

But I will just give you the basics.. Yes Elder Pico is gone... :( but he was pretty excited about it once he knew it was what God wanted him to do. So now he is back in good old Arizona.

So my new compaion is... Elder Gonzalez. He is from Mexico City, Mexico and he is soo awesome. He has only been out a couple of transfers longer than me so we are a young companionship.. but he definately knows spanish haha. He speaks english really well too but we just decided we are pretty much going to try to always speak spanish together. SO hopefully I will speak like a pizano by next transfer. But I am SO excited to work with him. We get along really well. He works really hard but also does it in a way that is creative and fun which is exactly how I like to work. I have already loved my first week with him and know that I am going to learn a lot from him and that this transfer will be great. The lessons that we already taught together were great so far and we have seen some miracle. but yea I am really excited if you cant tell.

Kaleb Shoell got his mission call!! That is so awesome and crazy .haha tell him that he is awesome and I tell him congrats and to get ready to do missionary work at the best time. That is even cooler about Maclean!! Tell him the same thing it really is so cool to be out here at this time. Crazy things are happening and we get to see them first hand. Last transfer we recieved the first effects from the announcement in conference. We got 27 new missionaries. It was crazy they all looked super young. Like some of the sisteres looked like they were 14. It is so cool and the next few transfers we are going to receive even more plus Elder Christofferson and Elder Callister are coming to the mission in the middle of March I am pumped. This work is real and true.

 OH by the way thank you for your package. .I loved it. And thank AAronand marissa and twins for the sweert shirt. I wear it to bed every night now haha. :)

 Mom and Dad thank you for your words and your thoughts. They really do help me. I like the thought of sharing a scripture though each email so maybe I will share one that has helped me this week that I actually learned yesterday. Well it is mostly the talk I learned from but our monthly scipture as a mission is d y c 8:3-4. It is so cool because it talks about the spirit of reveltation and how to recieve it. By "coincidence" I decided to read a talk yesterday by Elder Holland 'Cast not therefore away you confidence" it was one we got in the group. You should read it but anyway. In it he talks about how we recieve reveation wwhen it is an urgent situation or when we really need an answer. That is what it means by "real intent" we really need to know the answer and then do all we can. and God will bless us. Just like the example used in this scripture with Moses when they parted the red sea. That obviously was urgent. Then he says once you receive that revelation of confirmation. Dont forget that feeling because satan will always try to get you to doubt but we just need to move forward and have confidence in what we know what we have felt. I know that I have felt that this really is true. I know I felt the Book of Mormon is true.and my goal is to move forward and always remember that feeling. I invite you to do that too :)

 But I should probably go. Oh yea and I emailed Elder Draper so dont worry about that :) I love it out here so dont worry about me!

 Have a great week.
 LOVE Elder Tanner Boyer