You look miserable.-Me

This week has been really interesting because my companion got bit by something that has been terrorizing our zone.  We think its a spider but man it makes you super sick.  This was basically what I told him everyday.  He not only looked miserable, he was. But onto Stories.

Story Number 1: Look to your left. Now back to me.  I have a new companion.

So this week with my companion being sick I had a different companion everyday from Thursday.  One was an Elder that was serving in George.  It was really fun to be with him.  The other was an Elder serving Kwanobuhle because his companion was sick.  It was rather fun, a good way to see how well you know your area.  Needless to say I was totally smooth.  Never got lost.  Did take the long way a few times though. As well as it was great to learn from their teaching styles and characters.  Great fun.

Story Number 2:  Baptism interviews

So this week we had four baptism interviews of the ideal investigators, I hope your not afraid of the letter "P" .  The ideal investigators are prepared potential priesthood holders progressing toward baptism.  So we were going on short companion swaps with the zone leaders for them.  It was great because they all are gonna be baptized next week!  So we are very excited about that.  One of them is in his thirties and two are early twenties and lastly a thirteen year old, that is from a part member family.  All are super powerful.  So be ready for pictures (remind me though, I always forget to upload them).

Any who I hope you all have a lovely week.  Love you all.

Elder Tucker

" His arms are like Redwoods compared to mine." Me

This is quote will be used to explain part of a story later on.  So we might as well just jump right in.

Story 1: Bxxxx Family

This week I had the opportunity to go on exchanges with one of my former companions.  We were together in Guguelthu a year ago.  But on this exchange we went to this family that they have been working with for a very long time and they are prepared for baptism, but their church attendance was not enough due to the wife being deathly ill.  And that is meant literally!  When we went there though, man! It was truly amazing to see their faith and dedication to be a part of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.  They knew the doctrine.  And we got word yesterday that they made it to church yesterday!  Whooohoo!

Story 2: Water water

So one of the families in our area supposedly does this game where by they get water and make the missionaries "Supa wet" as they say.  Well my companion wanted to test this and he is super stoked about doing this.  Now they were joking about it for quite some time,  then Mama gets a jug and splashed my companion.  Now they did not know that we were prepared with about twenty five liters of water in our boot.  So my companion grabbed some of that and went to retaliate.  I like every good companion locked my self in the car and played the ukulele.  Until there was no water left.  Then I let him in.  Unfortunately I think they are going to get me today.  I will make sure to take a towel.

My companion told me to hold one of the members down so he could splash him. The statement above is what I said.

Until next week.  Stay dry.

Elder Tucker

Pictures, I think you can figure out. If not make something up.

"Well here comes a dry mormon". Former Bishop

This was a quote from a lady telling us her conversion story.  Now this lady would go to church every Sunday.  She did this for a couple years before getting baptized.  The Bishop said "she was a dry Mormon because she had never been baptized". This quote changed her perspective.  I thought it was hilarious.  So did the lady that was telling the story.  She was the first member in her family and then two of her kids and her husband joined after her.  Powerful story!  Now to stories from the week.

Story number 1 :  Shhh.  I'm hunting Ukuleles.

Now let me begin with saying, where I stay and where I serve is a small town called Uitenhage.  Now there's not a lot here in Uitenhage.  My companion and I really want to learn the Ukelele, so we went hunting.  Checked the first and only store that was likely to have it.  They didn't.  So we kept looking, there are about five pawn shop of Lenduka things in Uitenhage.  We went to them, and guess what.  Nothing.  At every shop though when we would ask, we would always have to do the motions of an Ukulele because no one knew what they were.  At one shop the lady thought she knew what we did and showed us a little tiny guitar thing that court jesters play.  It is okay though.  The hunt continues today in new hunting grounds.

Story Number 2:  Golden Investigators.

Apparently we are doing something very right here in Uitenhage.  Lately we have been finding some very very very prepared investigators. I will speak of two of them today. They are college students, one is in his third year of studying electrical engineering and the other I am not sure about.  They are so ready for the gospel.  Its like when you go there you don't teach them at all.  You introduce and their minds just open to the gospel and everything links together.  They will one day be incredible priesthood holders.  Possibly even missionaries. 

Well that's what I have for this week.  I love you all, have a wonderful week. Elder Tucker

Don't let the Bishop call your wife as Relief Society President-Brother Devenish

This is what we were told by a member yesterday as he was trying to leave the chapel.  I think you can piece together what calling his wife has.  He is a very funny person. He was probably just hungry.  Now on to other stories.

Story Number 1: Old English Couple

This week we had the opportunity to have lunch with some old time members from England.  It was both a very amazing learning experience and laughing experience.  One because they have a lot of life experience and knowledge they shared with us, and also it was always a low key argument.  Some times my companion and I had a hard time not laughing.  It was so fun.  Also a great lunch.  Mac and cheese was what we ate.

Story Number 2: I am an Eagle - Cxxxx

We had some free time during one day and we decided to contact an investigator previously taught.  Let me tell you that was one of the strangest things ever. Right when we walked in the door she had questions about our church, not like gospel questions really just trying to find faults. So she starts asking about the sacrament and talking about how her church is called anti-message and only runs of the Bible.  Then she started asking about our dress code at church and how women aren't supposed to cut their hair or wear make up because the lady that did that in the Bible was dog food.  My companion and I were on the verge of bursting into laughter.  We were able to calm down but then she asked our names.  We of course said Elder Tucker and Elder Owen.  Then she said, "No, no secrets, what is your name."  I was still holding in my laughter then she told us we had to many secrets.  And that God gave us revelation so she needed everything now.  I threw the scripture line upon line, etc.  Then in complete and total seriousness told me she was an Eagle and that I was on the on the underground level.  That is when my companion and I lost everything.  We said we would come next week and left with a prayer.  Hopefully it goes better next week.

Elder Tucker

An update about Rain Cape Town from Elder Greengrass "Cape Town had a big festival where people were coming together to pray for Rain.  They had "TONS of people!"  "What was cool it actually rained that night!". 

Hmmm, maybe I should get a camera-Me

My companion now was a professional photographer when he was home so he is trying to convince me to get a camera.  Which  wilI consider because it is actually very interesting.  There is a lot of cool pics I could get at home when working as a guide for THAT. Enough of that though, onto STORIES!

Story Number 1:  Transfers

We start at Amalinda Chapel in East London, here we have five missionaries starting their quest as the pioneers of a new exchange route to Port Elizabeth.  Instead of flying, they will be driving.  Now let me tell ya, the Eastern Cape has a lot of cool hills.  Some people might call them mountains but they are hills.  It was a very beautiful drive to see the country side and go to this little town in the middle called Grahamstown.  Very cool little town with a lot of trees, in between two mountains.  Then the rest of the drive was kind of boring but we saw some huge sand dunes that you can sand board at.  Hoping to P-day there one week.  An all around good road trip to Port Elizabeth.

Story Number 2:  Mission calls

This week in our ward two elders got their mission calls.  Brought back memories of Teron and Myself opening our mission calls.  It was truly a fun experience because it was done right after sacrament meeting.  One of the guys is going to Johannesburg and the other is going to Madagascar.  They are leaving on the twenty sixth of April to the SA MTC.  Both are very jazzed about their missions.

My new companion is on his last transfer before he goes home on April 26 th as well! His family has moved from New Zealand to about 2 miles from where I live. He is great. Weird we meet in South Africia. 

Sorry this letter is a bit quick.  I am on a tight schedule today.

Love you all,

Elder Tucker

Hell awaits us-Elder Seni

This week we have been having trouble with our car, yesterday was the worst.  As we were leaving a house this is what my companion said.  It killed me.  Our car would not start so we had to do some messing around with and it finally started.  We haven't had trouble since.  I guess it just needed some sense beat into it.  But onto stories.

Story Number 1:  He is Fijian.  Polynesians don't mess around with food. - Me

Every Sunday here in Mdantsane, we have a dinner appointment at someones house.  At this appointment we got there and they gave us food, and prayed.  To me that is a sign that you start eating. We did.  Then our bishop comes to the house and sees that we have finished our food.  Now this was not his house but he came in and said, Elders, you're finished?  You did not wait for me?  We all just kind of sat in shock that he was saying this because we had no idea he was coming.  We were not told anything and no one stopped us from eating.  So I pointed at my companion and said the above statement.  Then we all had a good laugh.  It was funny.

Story Number 2:  Faith and Works

Yesterday and here in Mdantsane, I have learned a lot about faith and works.  And yesterday we had a great example.  We were planning on walking with someone to church.  We left the boarding early, drove to the area and walked to his house, which was the farthest part of our area.  When we got to his house.  He wasn't able to walk with us to church because he got stabbed by broken glass the day before and got a pretty gnarly gash on his foot.

For some reason I was not bummed because I knew somewhere somehow we had put in work and we would get blessings.  And we did!  When we got to church we had 11 of our investigators there! A son got baptized and was in another ward. He wanted us to teach his whole family in our area.  The whole family that could not come to church because of work;  But the family was able to get work off!  We were overjoyed to see that. We love when converts want to share their happiness with their whole family.

I have been transferred back to Port Elizabeth in a different area. I am excited. 

Love you all Elder Tucker

Seni, wait I have to rebuke this guy. Elder Smith

This comes from an exchange that my companion was on.  To hear this story, there is sometimes some people like like to rebuke us as missionaries, which usually ends up as a boomerang, kodwa ke, no shame in trying.  During a lesson this guy tried to rebuke this Elder by interrupting,arguing and quoting scripture and shame for the guy. The Elder was having none of it. Elder Smith is a Great Missionary.  But on to other stories.

Story Number 1: Bread

Now as the driving companion I always am talking to petrol attendants when getting gas.  Then sometimes my companion will go get some bread or what not.  It usually takes him  a few minutes because he is also fighting in himself about which Cadbury chocolate bar to get.  I keep telling him, "he can never go wrong with Oreo".  He still takes time choosing though.  This time however he went in and out really fast.  I asked him "what happened"?and he told me there were girls in there. They asked him "how he was?" so he got his bread and ran.  I love this guy.  Yes I got his permission to share this.  It has been a good laugh this week.  Almost as good as a limited edition watchmen.

Story Number 2: Silence brings revelation.

This week some Elders in my district were having some baptisms coming up so I needed to do some baptism interviews.  One of them was a bit difficult to be frank. Most of it was just silent so that I could follow the spirit as best as I could. I did and it was wonderful!  But it just goes to show that sometimes we need to be silent in order for the Spirit to talk to us. 

My mom asked some questions about a picture Elder Greengrass took. Some people put up shacks in an area they want to live. There is no indoor plumbing in these houses or running water. They are generally trying to wait for a house in the area to open up. Like American camp grounds with better furniture. They bring their water from a central spigot to their houses, and use communal bathroom facilities, or like porta potty's. (Picture below)

We had 7 investigators at church but no one over 18. I was sitting in Gospel Doctrine thinking what can I do? We haven't had Gospel Principles  in 2 weeks. When the work is slow sometimes you want to hear a "hey your doing a good job". My Dad always tells me I am doing a good job and it means alot.

That's all I have for you this week.  Love you all

Elder Tucker

From Elder Greengrass-used by permission.