Elder Tanner Hutchens: What a Week!!!

Where do I start?

Saturday after I got done writing my emails it started snowing, then the sun came out, then it rained, then it snowed again? Utah is so weird and it makes no sense to me. But hey, I love it out here. This Sunday I was called to serve as the district leader, and it surprises me. I never saw myself as someone of a leader type position. But its really taught me alot about responsibility so far and I love how its helping me grow. But Sunday also brought a lot of funny and spiritual events. Sunday as we we was doing our devotions with just my teacher and district, we were all speaking and I don't remember exactly what I was attempting to say to my teacher in Spanish, but i tried to say something and I said this... "Mi pato es musulman".....for those of you who do not know Spanish that translates..."My duck is Muslim." So after I said it I dont remember anything else because we all was just dying laughing. Its been an on going thing now..I believe Pato (duck) is the word now. Sunday was also a very emotional day, the hermanas (sisters) in our zone left. We have grown so close to them in a lot of different ways, they were our mentors, our best friends and almost like our actual sisters. Once they left Monday morning we all felt a sense of emptiness, but they are going to be doing wonderful things in Mexico. I will be sending this to all 6 of you guys, from district 123, all 4 of us love you guys and we pray for you everyday. You guys had such an impact and we cannot thank you enough. Good luck, Hermana Ibarra, Parslow, Ramirez, Wells, Bullock and Powell.

I've also learned that missionary prepares you for a lot of things. Like death....you're going to meet people that you'll probably never see again in your life. So being a missionary certainly prepares you for something in the matter of death. Kind of funny, but true. Tuesday I got word that I am now apart of Dobson Ward? Can someone explain that to me because I'm not entirely sure how that happend, and its sort of scary. Tuesday also marks the day that we got to hear from Elder D. Todd Christofferson. That makes the 4th apostle of Jesus Christ that I've had the opportunity to meet and listen to speak. The Lord truly works in amazing ways. Since the sisters left Sunday, we got a new zone in on Wednesday. We got to have a orientation with them and as a district leader i got the chance to greet them and work the orientation. They seem like a really nice bunch of missionaries. 4 Elders and 4 sisters. Not too bad. Thursday I got an awesome package from the Eldredge family full of food and some other goodies. Just a shout out to the Eldredge family, I tell everyone that you guys are like my second family. Also May the 11 I will have the opportunity to call home for 30 minutes. I will let you guys know the exact time next Saturday.

A special experience I would like to share. My 10th day here at the MTC we had the chance to watch a video entitled "Jeffery R. Holland, Missionary work and Atonement" I got the chance to watch it with just my district. We watched the video and all 4 of us was just crying our eyes out. Its just a graphic and emotional video and I recommend LDS and non LDS members to go watch it. Seriously will change your life. Anyways with the new missionaries in our zone, I've had the chance to watch them. They have been scared and super emotional and it seemed at times they felt that they were alone. We have devotionals every night from 9:15 to 9:30, and as a district leader I have the chance to choose who picks the hymns we sing and who picks the video that we watch. I felt a prompting from the spirit earlier in the week to show the Elder Holland video to the new missionaries but my district felt it was too early. Honestly, that was one of the very few promptings I've probably ever had from the spirit and I knew that showing them this video was the right thing. One of the sisters in the new district had been really struggling and discussing with our branch president about going home, that missionary life wasnt for her and that she missed her family. I made the decision to show that video last night hoping that It was the right thing to do. We all piled in our room, made sure everyone was watching and cut the lights off and i hit the play button to start the video. As soon as I sat down I knew the spirit had lead me right. We watched the video, and the spirit was hovering around our room. It seemed like I could almost feel the spirit crawling down my back. When the video was done, I looked back and not a single person in the room wasnt crying. We all had tissues and we all was just crying our eyes out. I knew the spirit had guided me to the right thing. The girl that had been thinking about going home came up to me after the devotional and shook my hand and said these simple words..."Thank you so much for showing that video, I've been thinking about going and I've been praying for an answer as to what I should do. After watching that video, I know now this is where I'm supposed to be, and i just want to thank you so much." In that moment the phrase "missionary work" had taken a whole new meaning on for me. Not only am I here to spread the gospel with people that aren't apart of the church, but to help my fellow man, to help my friends in times of struggle or sorrow. God knew was he was doing when he prompted me to show that video, and it paid off. We all have hard times here at the MTC but when I start to struggle or I start to think "why isn't this easier?" It was never EVER easy for Jesus Chritst, so why should It be easy for me? What he went through is far more worse than what I'm dealing with I know, but its nice to know that I'm standing shoulder to shoulder with the greatest man to ever live during my missionary work. Hes on my side, and thats really all I need.

Game 7 for my Pacers tonight, hope they can win. Seriously I'll cry if they lose. GO PACERS...

Shout out to my brother Travis on getting them puppies here, it seems God is looking after you guys and It brings so much joy to my heart to see things looking up.

I'll be honest, I'm ready to leave the MTC, just 2 weeks left and I'll be heading for Argentina, crazy right?

The pictures are of the whole zone that includes the hermanas that left and a picture of our zone, can you guess which one is me? Hermana Wells, Ramirez, Parslow, Ibarra, Bullock, Powell and Elder Hutchens, Staples, Baker and Perkins.

I love all of you guys so much, and thanks for all the support its beyond amazing to feel the love back home and I'm so far away. Its been an awesome week, and I hope God has an even better week in store for me this coming week. Take care, until next Saturday...

Elder Hutchens.