Tanner Tidwell, of Ringgold, recently completed a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). The LDS Church has 422 missions worldwide, more than 70,000 missionaries, and is represented in more than 189 countries.
Tanner is the son of Bruce and Dana Tidwell and he has three siblings – Lacey Jones, Lauren Pippin and Taylor Tidwell. Tanner’s father serves as Bishop (pastor) of the Brainerd ward (congregation) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located at 3067 Ooltewah Ringgold Road in Ooltewah.
Tanner served his mission in the Utah Ogden Mission. He graduated from Ringgold High School in 2015.
When asked how he felt about his missionary service, Tanner said, "My mission meant the world to me. I loved teaching about God's plan for all of us. God is our Father and He “so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
"Jesus Christ is central to God’s plan of happiness. Through his atonement, Jesus Christ made it possible for us to be cleansed from sin. As a missionary, I’ve seen so many people turn to Christ and live. My favorite experience from my mission was getting to see my best friend from Georgia come unto Christ and be baptized.
"Because Jesus Christ overcame death and sin, everyone will live again. However, where we live will be determined by whether or not we choose to follow Christ and keep His commandments. Jesus gave us commandments to bring us joy because happiness comes from righteousness, or from being Christ-like, and in no other way."
Tanner continued, “Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. He is our Redeemer, our King, the ‘Light, Life and Hope’ of the world, as the Holy Bible teaches. Only through Him can we be saved ‘for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved’” (Acts 4:12).
“I am thankful I was able to serve a mission for Jesus Christ,” Tanner said. “It changed my life and helped me to grow in ways I never thought I could. With Christ, nothing is impossible. He changed my life and He will change the lives of any, and all, who come unto Him.”
Tanner, like all LDS missionaries, served full-time, giving up tv, radio, dating, movies, etc. He was able to call home twice a year – at Christmas and usually Mother’s Day – and he also emailed home once a week, as missionaries are encouraged to stay in contact with their families on a weekly basis while they are away. Like all LDS missionaries, Tanner was not paid for his service.
Tanner will prepare to leave for Utah again, but this time to further his education. "My plans,” he said, “are to work for a few months to earn some money, and then head to Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah for school."