Pictures

This week was a lot more relaxed than last week.

Monday we went and saw penguins but not super close except for one which was kind of cool. If we really wanted to see them we would have had to pay and I wasn't feeling like it, but i got a picture of the one.  Then the card we use to pay for gas wasn't working so we had to be at the gas station for about thirty minutes until the other elders could bring another one.

Tuesday I lead the area which was fun but a little bit stressful, because we were on exchanges with the Zone leader's. The one with me was a new Zone Leader that just got transferred from Umtata really fun. 

Rest of the week was pretty chill. Lessons with new investigators, visiting the members and service. For our service we did shoveling and helping people move.  We have a new investigator that has somehow been related to two of the fellow shippers we take with us to visit members. Which was very interesting and really funny. 

Then this morning we went and hiked Lions Head which is one of the peaks in Cape Town.  The hike was very fun. Also very cool because when the first missionaries for the Cape Town mission came in 1853, they hiked up to  Lion's head to dedicate the mission. Then in the 1970's I think, President Kimball came to re-dedicate the mission and re-dedicated the mission from Lions head. Really cool to have done that like the first missionaries did. 

This week has been a pretty intense week here in Gugs. 

So first off Monday was boring I got some stuff to have music and things then got a hair cut. Apparently all the missionaries I have gotten emails from are doing that these days.

Tuesday was cool because the AP's chose our area to do testing the promises; which is  basically they take all the new elders and have them go place copies of the Book of Mormon and restoration pamphlets and such.  The elder I got to do that with was from Ireland and South Africa originally he was awesome and we got a ton of referrals!

  

Wednesday was funny because of two reasons. One Teron is super fat in the Christmas card.  Don't deny it.( Mom-Yeah finally card was mailed on Nov. 20th.) Two: We were driving to a lesson and going through a round about when a guy tried to overtake another car.  He saw me and swerved back onto his side of the road. He could have easily just corrected himself but no.  He continues to turn and drives strait into a wall. My companion, our fellow-shipper and I pull over to see if the man is alright and he was.  When we got back to the car we all started dying.  Because the guy couldn't back out and just kept ramming into the wall.

Thursday was boring. Friday on the other hand, oh boy.  So we get ready to go to district meeting and my companion and I go to the car. Which is still the gold Etios a manual with no stereo. The Etios is not starting so we call the fleet manager.  He says to "push start it". Neither elder K or myself have ever done that so we call another elder who had driven an Etios all his mission and get the directions on how to do that. It works and we continue on with our day.

Then later that night we go to a recent converts house to teach their family.  All the family is either members or recent converts or very young. On Tuesday when we visited we were told that when we parked there some tootsies (criminals) wanted to hijack the car so we pull the car in.  We go to do that same thing this time, but I left the keys on the seat.  I went to help close the gate and BAM! The cars locked with the key inside.  We call the fleet manager. He is not in the office and no one is. We have to break in. Now I was really the only one that had some experience and knowledge with this. I said "I will need a couple wire hangers and a thing to wedge open the door". We got the items, and I tried to fish the keys.  I got them after a little while but when I got them the thing I was holding it by snapped and the keys went under the seat.  Now all we could do was roll down the window because the locks weren't the push down and pull up one . We wedge the door and we roll down the window slowly since it was a hand crank.  Thank you Heavenly father!   Finally unlock the door and get the key yada yada yada that's Friday.

Saturday:  We always play soccer at half ten on Saturday in the area so we do this, when we come back to the flat the lock won't turn.  We had the keys but the lock was not working.  NOW we live on the third story so we ask people what they would do and the senior couple there said "to take of the door knob". I  am not sure if they realized that wasn't going to do anything but the other elders were sure it would help.  IT DID NOTHING!.  So we are down to one option.  The land lord said "we can borrow a ladder and go through our balcony windows since they were open.  Yeah that's what we do.  We extend the ladder get it up there and we look at each other and say. Alright who is going up?  All three of them look at me....  They said I was a rock climber and I am the lightest.  I knew those ab circuits would bite me in the butt. So I go up and it wasn't to bad except near the top the ladder started to bend some but luckily I just grabbed onto the balcony and climbed on then went through the window. I opened the door from the inside.  I can now say I have broken into both of our possessions where thieves would want to go. Fun Stuff. ( I would send pictures but both of the times my camera was locked in the car)

Sunday: We had the Baptism which was incredible, spirit was strong good stuff yeah not much to tell. I gave a talk on what baptism means. We had one lesson with an Investigator that I Really want to get baptized.  We talked about the Book of Mormon.  This guy can talk for days LITERALLY! He starts going off on faith and growing your testimony and things and I couldn't help but smile. I told him at the end of his sermon I guess you could call it that everything nearly word for word that he had said the past hour was all in that book. HE WAS SHOCKED!  He then decided he was really gonna read it. That's my week.

Thank you for tuning in to this weeks adventures in SA. Just remember I love you all. 

Elder Tucker (the gangster)

Pictures of the car they broke into.

This weeks  Adventure In Cape Town South Africa

Story Numero Uno

Last Monday we went on a drive to Fish Hoek  to see a place called The Misty Cliffs, which was fun.  I might have seen some penguins but the other elders didn't want to stop and and catch any. Sorry family one day there will be a penguin.  The drive was beautiful and the waves crashed really hard against the rocks to make the mist and that really explains it.  Fish Hoek is gorgeous.

Story Numero Dos

Well it all starts on exchanges with elder G one of the missionaries on the other side of Gugs.  We are driving to teach a lot of new investigators. Elder G is not speeding while driving and get this he is from Utah.  He hates speeding HOW DOES THAT WORK? We get a call from the other elders saying their car is dead or dying so we need to take it back to the flat. We did, then we get a new car the next day. At the end of the day the check engine light comes on and so we take that car in. Now there is only one car we can drive at this point, the Golden Etios a manual car. My companion had only driven manual for about thirty minutes in total before his mission. So Colter, Dad and Lane Thank you for teaching me and letting me gain experience. Driving in Utah and now the townships, WAY DIFFERENT! The lord has helped us out a ton with everything.   

Teaching recent convert families about the temple is probably the most fun and best lesson we give.  My first convert baptism is coming up on the twenty second she is way prepared and ready. She chose to be baptized this Sunday because its her birthday so that's pretty cool. 

Welcome back to Adventures in SA with Elder Tucker 1 ( the one stands for superiority Elder Tucker #2)

So  stories: Well the first one: We were teaching these investigators we met on a finding activity at the mall. They have an incredible story.  When we got to the door a new guy was there.  We asked him to join the lesson and he did. We were talking about the Plan of Salvation last lesson so we get going by following up.  The new guy actually had started reading one of the other investigators copies of the B of M and asked for his own. So we were like yeah you can get your own! Then we dove into the lesson and got to the creation and the fall and this guy KNEW HIS BIBLE!  We asked him if he could summarize it for us and he quoted Genesis. It was awesome then he and the others just got talking about the doctrines and things behind them. Thanks to this young man!  Super awesome people.

We have another new investigator who we were teaching about the restoration. We got through and he understood everything but he had one question.  "Why did God and Jesus Christ manifest themselves to Joseph Smith but for Mary it was the angel Gabriel?"  Elder K. and I looked at each other and just let the spirit flow man. I think we talked about how important the church was to god and how it was an answer from God because that's who he asked. Needless to say he was totally content with the answer the spirit gave, fun lesson!

Last Monday I learned how to make magwinya which is like a scone but denser and it was super fun. One of our less active members taught us. I will have pictures of that. I have really no idea what order they are in now. One of them is my companion making magwinya and the other is me. The lady that taught us to make magwinya her name is N. The other picture is with one of our awesome fellow shippers who is actually preparing for his mission he just needs to talk with the stake president and his name is B.

So New years is pretty crazy so this week drunks everywhere. Fun stories I will share coming up on Adventures in SA with Elder Tucker 1

Monday was usual but Tuesday was funny.

We were on exchanges I was in Langa with one of our zone leaders elder W. We were looking for a fellow shipper and came across this family with an open door so what do we do? Go talk to them. They saw us go by once and were like, they have to come here.  We were stunned and then this lady there was like you guys are men of god right? We are like "Yeah we are". She then told us that she could see the Light of Christ and of God written all over our faces. super powerful.

Later that day we were in a lesson when a drunk guy comes to the door and tells us he is just passing by; but wants to meet us later we shrugged it off. Our fellow shipper just starts talking to this guy!  This man was so off his rocker that he started yelling about politics and how much he hated the lady we were visiting! Elder W decides to give him a pass along card to send him on his way.  DOES NOT WORK.  We were sick of the dude so Elder W says "happy birthday good bye".  The man then starts singing happy birthday in Xhosa and twerking on the stairs. We  couldn't keep it together we died laughing. FINALLY he left and we were able to get to another appointment. It was terrible and yet funny.

Boring week until new years eve.  We started out by deep cleaning some of the boarding(appts.) in our zones.  we went to Plumstead some of you may know H. S. he gradated from Woods Cross with us.  He is in my mission this was his boarding. Quite nice stuff. We get a text from the AP and AAPs to hurry back to the flats. We got there to find they had somehow gotten a braai stand (grill). So we bought meats and braaied off our balcony since were on the top floor. The zone leaders then left and the real fun began.  We were going to go let off Chinese lanterns found in the boarding but when we got to where we were gonna send them it was far too windy. So we go back to the flats to send them off the balcony.  Plot twist the first one went down not up onto the balcony of the lady below us. She is nuts. We were laughing so hard but we knew we had to retrieve the paper balloon.  We have some wire for some reason so we tried to fish it off her balcony from ours. NOPE.  We then get a broom and a makeshift hook from the wires to get it. NOPE. The time is now About 11:00 PM.  So we get another broom tape them together to make it longer and go from our balcony. We were close but still nope.  So we get another broom to extend it and we finally got it from Rita's baloney and swung it over to the AP's and called it a night.  Finished this fiasco about 11:30. If anyone is or is about to serve a mission.  OBEY THE RULES!!!!!  The lord will curse you if you don't.

What will happen next week on Adventures in SA? to find the answers to these questions tune in next week. same missionary time, same missionary email.

Ndiyaku thanda

Elder Tucker 1