"Will you bring us some hot water?" Ilinge Elders

"Will you bring us some hot water?" Llinge Elders

October 2,2018

For about One and a half weeks.  All the elders in Queenstown except for us have been out of power.  That is because we don't stay in their complex.  Any who they called us today asking for hot water.  I think they wanted to make some sort of medicinal tea.  So we took them hot water from our kettle.  I don't really see why they did not just make a fire for themselves.  People have been doing that for centuries.  Any who I will move into stories now.

Story Number 1: Cape town Exchanges

As zone leaders we get the opportunity to go on Exchanges with the Assistants.  They work in Cape Town.  I got to be the one that leaves the area!  First off it felt so weird because during the flight there I had no companion.  That was the first time in All of my mission I was alone.  Kind of strange.  Any who we focused this exchange on gaining the trust of members.  We had some amazing lessons and meals with members while I was there.  One of which I remember was the first time my comp had visited that person.  We got to use a lot of the ideas and skills that we talked about in comp study. It is like President Lebethoa says, "preparation precedes performance".  Great exchange.!

Story Number 2: Missionary Fireside

Two days ago we were invited to a missionary fireside held by the stake.  It was so AMAZING.  For a few reasons.  The first reason is because our mission president and his wife were there.  We see Pres. Lebethoa a lot but rarely do we ever see our mission mother.  She is usually being a mother to her actual children.  Either way it was great to see them together and that they gave amazing talks and training there.  The most amazing part though was done by the third speaker.  He basically rebuked all of the members there for not doing missionary work.  The thing I liked about it though, is he was so loving when he did it.  Never stopped Smiling.  And the things that he talked about regarding inviting people to Christ were so awesome.  I really think the stake will be more upbeat when it comes to missionary work.  We will see how the next few weeks go.

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

Elder Tucker

Why are you spitting on the ball? To see if I fixed it. Elder S.

" Why are you spitting on the ball? To see if I fixed it. Elder S

Sept. 9, 2018

This week we popped our soccer ball.  Luckily there are a few elders here that know how to fix them.  So this elder tried to fix it and his test was to spit on the ball.  He is a very interesting elder.  I love him a lot.  Well on to stories.

Story Number 1: Wednesday day off

So this week we heard about some taxi strikes that were to happen this last Wednesday.  When we heard  all of our Elders were concerned about getting to their areas since they all use taxis.  Well as my comp and I were discussing what to do, we got a message from the president saying that we were all to stay in the boarding the next day.  We were super bummed.  Yes we were safe from nothing because there were no strikes that happened in Queenstown.  We spent the day playing basketball at the chapel and skipping rocks at a pond near our house.  Going back to basketball though.  In our mission and a lot of the missions in Africa the most played sport is soccer.  I was tired of playing soccer.  My companion is also a stellar basketball player so I wanted to see if we could play some ball.  We did and it was awesome!  I lost,  but it was worth it!

Story number 2:  Gospel principles

Yesterday the senior couple in our ward was teaching a lesson about the family. It was not what we were expecting, but he was truly lead by the spirit in what he did. The lesson was absolutely amazing for all present and was a great way to spike interest in some of the non-members that we had at the church that week.  It was a great lesson.

Sorry this email was a bit short and rushed.  It is a public holiday here and everything closes early.  Love you all and have a great week.

Elder J. Tucker

"I don't even like chicken, I just eat it because it is around". Tata

"I don't even like chicken, I just eat it because it is around". Tata

Sept. 19, 2018

This came from one of the funniest men that I have met in my life.  We went to this families house for dinner on Tuesday and he was roasting his whole family.  IT was a night of non-stop laughter.  Great man, very outspoken. This was my favorite quote from the night though.  Well Let us move on to stories.

Story Number 1: GOLDEN CURRY

In the most recent package I received there was a pack of Golden Curry.  Here in SA we receive a lot of curry but it is all Indian curry and not Japanese. Growing up and as I continue to still grow up I love curry, and I would tell everyone about it.  Especially that we put pineapple in the curry!  They are always confused about that.  Well I finally got around to making it.  It was the most homey meal I have had in a long time.  It felt super nice to have something like that.  It made home so much closer than it already is.  And it turned out fantastic, especially the pineapple.  That curry made my week.

Story Number 2: YSA activities really work.- Pres Lebethoa

This week we had the opportunity to fellow ship with our mission president!  That man is A spiritual giant.  He was able to resolve any and every concern that people threw at us.  He also extended an invitation to one of our progressing investigators that has really helped with her testimony of the Church.  While we were teaching her, we were discussing her baptismal date.  We were gonna move it back due to church attendance.  Before we could though she asked us to move it back. Our mission president asked her about her concerns which was her kids. She felt her children would be a disturbance at church.  After we talked about it he immediately extended an invite to bring her children to church. She did! Obviously she has never heard of the Tucker twins, hahaha.  We are very excited for her baptismal date though.  She is now as well.

  In accordance with the quote above.  We asked how he met his wife and he told us it was through a YSA activity.  Then he proceeded to tell us that the worst thing to hear is when a YSA brother tells him that there is no one to date in the area.  He always tells them the same thing, "Are you for real?!"  Then he explains to them and calls them to repentance.

Well that is all I have this week. Love you all have a great week.

Elder Tucker

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This African sun has been making out with my face.- Illinge Elders

"This African sun has been making out with my face." Llinge Elders 
Sept. 10, 2018

This quote comes from an Elder this morning.  We were giving him sun screen.  He was quite excited about that, and that was his response.  He is a super awesome elder, in his second transfer on mission.  Any who onto stories.

Story Number 1: SO MUCH TRAVEL!

This week we traveled a lot, and I basically spent an entire week out of my area. Here is how it worked.  First on Tuesday we drive about two and a half hours south to East London.  That I might add is a super awesome and cool drive.  There are some really cool towns and canyons that you drive through.  Twas much better on the bus ride up here because I saw nothing.  After getting to East London though we went to the airport and flew into Capetown, very cool flight, I slept a lot of it though.  Then straight into a training from the assistants.  That was a great training on being a Zone leader and correcting behavior.  From there I went back to being a Greenie and staying in the Assistants boarding with other ZL's.  Where my companion and I found tennis balls.  We learned how to comp juggle, which one is amazing because it just is! Plus my comp had no idea how to juggle before that.  He is very talented.  Then the next day we had meetings all day.  Then we flew back to East London the day after and drove all the way back up to Queenstown in the rain.  For two and a half hours it rained. No sun just rain, it was great.  I was so tired after travelling that far that we got home and just slept until the next day.  Great Experience though.

Story Number 2: Mt. Lukhanji

When I came to Komani, I asked about P day activities.  I was told there was a mountain that you could hike called Mt Lukhanji.  My companion wanted to it really bad and so did I when i saw it.  What we were not told is that there is not really a set trail up there.  You just kind of follow this fence and go up.  It was super fun.  The mountain works kind of like steps, you have a really steep up hill to this little rock face that is about five feet high, then you climb up walk a little while and then do the same thing again.  Up until you get really close to the summit.  Then you scramble up rocks and things until the top.  And if you don't go on the rocks you will be waist deep in bush, so its easier to go on the rocks.  Then the top is really flat,  but the view you see is absolutely amazing.  Just mountains and towns.  And the best most amazing part is that at the top there was...wait for it........SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!! It was awesome to play with some snow and have a snow ball fight at the top of a mountain in Africa.  I missed those little frozen sky crystals.  Then after that we went down which was kind of tiring because you don't want to fall so you go really carefully down the mountain but still end up rolling your ankle like six times.  Now I am just tired and exhausted.

Well that is all I have for you this week.  I will make sure to send pictures of Lukhanji next week because I forgot my card reader.  Love you all have a great week

Elder Tucker

"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