"Hey! Its a recipe for a microwave cake. I am gonna try it!"-Plumb

"Hey! It's a recipe for a microwave cake. I am gonna try it! " Plumb

Sept. 5, 2018

Let it be said that we tried it and it turned out actually pretty darn nice.  Especially with ice cream.  It was a great departing gift.  Well any who let us move onto stories.

Story Number 1: Transfers.

This week I got transferred.  There was also a new way of travel for those of us in Eastern Cape. I got to ride a bus for about Eight hours all together.  It was pretty awesome but also not because they did not give us food.  One of the cool parts of the trip was that we got to meet nearly all of the missionaries in Eastern Cape because we were in east London For their transfers!  IT made things very fun, brought back memories of waiting at that air port for my companions.  Life of a missionary.  Then after wards we got on another bus heading to Queenstown and unfortunately they were playing a movie on the bus, but it was about acts of random kindness.  Very good movie!  Then we arrived safely in Queenstown and got burgers and shakes at Steers.  It was great!

Story Number 2:  WOW!  That is a lot of Plates.

Yesterday we went to  a house to bless the sacrament for a Makhulu who is the age of my grandfather! 100!!  She likes to dance.  Well any ways, while we were there we get fed! We helped dish out the  food.  There had to be at least thirty plates that we were dishing out for.  Turns out this lady has done this thing for about ten years, and its still growing. Their kitchen was full, but at least it was a large kitchen.  I think probably the nicest/largest houses I have been in during my mission have been here in Queenstown.  IT is an absolutely amazing area.

Well that is all I have for this week.  Love you all and enjoy life.

Elder Tucker

Is this your excuse for swimming? -Bishop

"Is this your excuse for swimming?" Bishop

August 28,2018

This week our baptismal pump is still broken, so my companion and I took an hour out of our day to bail the font.  It went a lot faster than we were expecting.  That was fun!  My back was a bit sore afterwards. It was a great work out.  The subject line is what our Bishop asked us whilst we were bailing  Any who I know the reason you read these is for the stories, so here they are.

Story Number 1: Pass along cards can work.

The other day my companion asked me if i had ever had someone call us because of a Pass along card.  I had to think, and out of twenty one months on my mission; I had never ever had someone call because of a pass along card.  Then last Monday we got a text message at four thirty in the morning from a gentleman that said "he needed Christ in his life."  We made an appointment for the next day, when we were actually awake.  When we went there we asked how he found our number.  He just pointed to a pass along card.  When we looked on the card, guess whose hand writing it was! It was mine!  I felt super cool! That was awesome, then we had a great lesson with him.  Unfortunately he has vanished lately.

Story Number 2: You never know what your news might be.

This last Saturday was transfer news, which was given to me by my Zone Leaders.  Now from my time in Uitenhage I have had some interesting plot twists during transfer news.  This was one!  Mid-training my new companion they are transferring me to a new Area!  IT came as quite a surprise, a real Shocker! The other day as I was contemplating if I felt that I had done everything I could have done in this area.  I looked back at the people I had taught, the friendships and the relationships I had made here, and felt that it was enough. I will miss my companion. I have really loved serving in this ward though and I will miss it, but I am very excited for my next area.  Which is Queenstown!  Sometimes there is Snow there, I hope I can see some. I will be a Zone leader in Queenstown which is really the only area of the mission I have not seen.  I am very excited about that.  

Well I love you all and have a wonderful week.

Elder Tucker

Elder we have no food for breakfast. I am making cookies.- Elder Plumb

"Elder we have no food for breakfast. I am making cookies." Elder Plumb

August 20,2018

So this MSF cycle was kind of long, and we ran out of some breakfast foods like cereal, and someone, broke all the eggs on the floor one morning.  Luckily we had things for cookies.  We had snickerdoodles for breakfast and basically every other day after that at some point in the day we have cookies.  It has been really good, probably not good for us though.  We did eat a ton of oranges though so I think they cancel out.  Any who on to stories.

Story Number 1: What can I do to get baptized?

This week we had no people on baptism date, now I know in some missions that is usual, but for Africa its pretty easy to get people on date.  Now this week we were at a lesson and we were teaching the plan of Salvation, and as we were closing up the lesson he asked this question. So we opened up into the scriptures to Doctrine and Covenants 20:37 and discussed it.  Then after we had expounded the scripture, my companion extended a baptismal invitation.  He accepted and we set a date for him.  The coolest thing about that was it was my companions first Baptismal invitation ever on his mission.  He was on a different level after that.  It was kind of scary.  He was very excited, as was I.  That was a powerful Lesson!

Story Number 2: It's funny what you see at a bus station bench.

This is what I told the elder that I was on exchanges with. We were having a day full of drops, so we sat down at a bus stop and just watched people walk by.  The best thing we saw was, wow that is a palindrome!  Sorry, any way, the thing we saw was this little tiny dog that thought it was the big dog.  Hated passerby's so it would bark and nip at them.  We watched this dog go at a few people until we saw this wonderful gentleman coming home from work swing his lunch box ever so nonchalantly down the road.  Then the dog came at him.  I have never seen anyone give less care than that man.  He just gracefully picked up a pebble, not a rock but a pebble, and continued to walk by swinging his lunch box.  After the dog started coming back he just lobbed the pebble with a hook shot and kept walking.  Me and my companion were laughing so hard.  I love the care this gentleman gave.

Congrats to my grandpa! He is a 100!  I could never ever seeing him like attention Ha Ha.  That does not sound like grandpa at all.  Open house sounds like it was fun.  Here was a very usual week, nothing really happened except I am finding I am way more upfront with people about their questions, especially drunk people. Then I mess with them, my comp. told me that you can tip them over by swaying.  I hope I can try that this week.  It will be funny.  Dad sorry no travel plans this week.

Well I love you all, have a lovely week  

Elder Tucker

"What is going on Elder? I have no idea."

"What is going on Elder?" Elder Plumb "I have no idea." Me

August 19,2018

This quote doesn't necessarily come from a specific story, usually this happens at least once or twice a day.  This week though, it was quite memorable though, so onto stories.

Story number 1: Subject line

This week we had about a five minute walk to our appointment in about forty minutes.  In order for us to kill some time we decided to do some tracking. When tracting we came in contact with this one dude, who wanted to sell us a phone.  We did not want the phone; but I have been asked a lot of times if I knew someone who was selling a phone.  After the which  he asked what type of phone we had, which is a simple call or text phone.  But then he just took it and started calling some people.  I looked at him and was like, "Mfethu, what are you doing?"  He just kept saying, "No its your phone I will give it back now now."  I got quite frustrated and my comp was asking what was going on.  The guy had our phone for like three minutes just trying to guard it from us.  That is when I knocked it out of his hand and the battery came out.  He was not happy but serves him right.  Then he just kept asked if we trusted him.  Moral of the story don't trust any one.  Not even your reflection.

Story Number 2:  I will let you off with a warning

So this week we went to Addo,  and one of the elders was taking pictures but the car was in the way.  Unfortunately he was not aware we are not supposed to be out of the car.  So we were going out of the park and the ranger almost slammed him with a huge fine,  luckily he did not.  It was a pretty good laugh though.

Also there was a baptism this week. Here are some pictures.

"NOPE! I am not going anywhere. I will sleep in this chair, Plumb can sleep on the floor." Me

"NOPE! I am not going anywhere. I will sleep in this chair. Plumb can sleep on the floor." Me

August 13,2018

First off let me start by saying.  It finally rained.  Which is super nice because it has not rained in a very very long time. There was only one problem though.  To explain the problems, we move on to stories.

Story Number 1:  Subject line

Luckily I come from Utah where most all Utahans know,  the weather is kind of moody, so we are pretty prepared for anything.  Now we lost our car, the mission took it for some of their reasons, so we walk now. I felt like I should take my jacket and I told my comp that he should take his too.  He did.  As we were walking to one of the houses that we were visiting, it started pouring rain hardcore.  Then came the quote above because there was no way that I was walking all the way to our finishing point in that downpour.  Luckily PE is like Utah so the weather changed five minutes later and we were able to get to the chapel without getting too wet.  Then we were able to get home via cab.  It was awesome.

Story Number 2: ITS YOU!  YOU BROUGHT THE CURSE!

This last week, in the last few minutes of having our car  we had not one, not two, but three flat tires!  We figured the last one out after the car was taken though.  The first one was because of rocks on the road and small roads and big trucks,  it was not fun.  The next one we are not sure how it came to be, and we don't know about the last one either.  The tire place knows us though.  They are pretty cool people, with nice beards. To explain the title of the story though, my companion was telling me in the week before he came on mission he had four flat tires on three different cars.  Two of those tires were at one time.  I am pretty sure he cursed us. 

Well that is all I have for this week, love you all.

Elder Tucker

"Elder its cold." "Elder it is not that cold." "YOU CAN SEE YOUR BREATH!" "True"-Companionship

"Elder it's cold." "Elder it is not that cold." YOU CAN SEE YOUR BREATHE!" " True" Companionship

July 30,2018 

Hello everyone

Winter finally hit this week.  It was quite nice. My companion finds it cold though (he's from Arizona). This was the conversation we had while standing outside the church scouting for investigators.  He will get used to it though, then summer will hit. HAHAHAHA!  Anywho onto stories

Storie Number 1:  MAN I JUST SHINED THESE!

This week I have shined my shoes I think four times. This is because something always happens that gets them dirty again.  The first time all of our appointments had to be dropped due to rioting. Rioting includes burning tries and putting rocks in the road. 

 We went to a members home and helped shovel some dirt so they can build and extension to their house.  Mom asked if the members do better financially in our church. Yes, yes they do. Our members work together help each other with service. Missionaries help as well. Also they have a church clan which helps them to network for jobs.The members also participate in the self reliance classes that our church does. 

 The other times I ruin my shoes is when it gets dark, its hard to see areas with mud, or its just muddy.  I have been quite tired of shining my shoes.  Gotta look my best though. I represent the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Story Number 2: IT'S TRUE OR NOT!

This week I have been studying in Preach My Gospel a lot.  Specifically in chapter three.  As I was studying there was a sentence that stuck out to me.  The Message of the Restoration is either true or its not.  And I thought, "Wow, that is so simple."

A lot of times I have heard on my mission that people believe that God and Jesus Christ could appear to Joseph Smith, but the church is not the only true church. Just silly things like that, and it goes to show that there is no partial truth in this message. It's either all true or all false.

 I would like to share my testimony that the Message of the Restoration is true, God and Jesus Christ showed themselves to Joseph Smith, and that the Book of Mormon is truly the word of God, as well that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the Lord's true church established on the face of this  earth.  I say these things in the name of  Jesus Christ, Amen

Love you all.  Have a great week.

Elder Tucker

Transfers.

Transfers

July 24,2018

This week was transfers, I am staying in my area and I am training a new Elder!  He is from Arizona and talks really fast.  I am training Elder PlXXX.  He has a desire to learn IsiXhosa though so that has been really fun!  I am working on my Afrikaans, to be more multilingual.  That has been very fun.  Afrikaans is a lot different though. 

My companion is a farmer, also is a cross country runner, so we have a lot to talk about. He is super fun to be with and it will be awesome to train him.  I have realized though, I either talk really slow and sound like a hippy, or he just talks fast.  Since I have been told hippies smell bad, I like to think he talks fast.  Anywho Lets move on to stories.

Story Number 1:Timkhulu

This was the clan name given to my companion after an act of good doings.  This act was going to a house to take a fellow shippper.  The mama of the house said, "Hey your timing is right, we need your help."  We helped.  What they needed was to move about twenty bags of cement into their home.  The cement bags were about 110 lbs.  My comp was just like "okay no problem"

, grabbed a bag like a sack of potatoes, threw it on his shoulder and was in and out in less than a minute.  I did not want to test that. I had one of the other scronny guys help me carry them. Figured out he can do that because he used to do it with 150 lb hay bails everyday.  Really was not expecting that at all. Don't judge strength by looks!

Story Number 2: Elder is this the street? Maybe, not sure, its more of a path than a street though. 

This week we have gotten quite a few referrals!  Some of the street names are really hard to find though because they are super small streets in this maze of houses.  We were trying to find this house address.  Could not find the street, or even a path for that matter. There was a point though that we were trying to get back to the car using a short cut.  It was not a short cut, but a dead end.  My comp said to me before we went, if there is no path it means we were sent to this door to find someone.  So we found someone! Unfortunately he is not in our area, just watching over the house.  However he was in some other elders area and they can visit him.  It was not at all a waste of time or energy.  But we were lost in the maze for a few minutes.  Truly it was a blast,  white people speaking IsiXhosa is always a shocker for kids.

Well that is all I have for this week.  Love you all.

Elder Tucker

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