A little note...

[we didn't get much info this week as they were struggling with the Internet this week at the Internet Cafe they were at, here are a few snippets of what he sent]

*  I found an orange in the store this week, that was imported from the US and it really made me miss a good Arizona Orange!

*  It is apple season now, so they are dirt cheap.  They make a really  good dessert that they call Apple Crumble.  It is just like Dad's Apple Crisp that he would make on campouts.  It always reminds me of Dad when we have it.

* I haven't been the best at writing in my journal -- I have been doing it about every 3rd day -- I am so exhausted when we get back to the flat that we just collapse.  However, don't worry, I still get my teeth brushed.

*This past week was transfers, I will staying here for another 6 weeks.  I am happy about that.  However, we are starting to see the surge of new missionaries hit the field.  We usually would get about 5-6 missionaries in each intake and this last time there were 22.  CRAZY!  We had to open up 9 new areas to fit  everyone in.

* I got your Easter package, and I am eating the candy, and I have opened up three of the letters so far. [I sent him an envelope a day for the last week of Christ's life with study materials for each day leading up to Christ's crucifixion]

Elder Tuckett

My week in pictures...

We were saying good bye to our district leader (the one in the suit), he is going to be the Assistant to the President!  We will miss him.

You can do the math on this Petrol -- ($5.70 a gallon)

The week started off by planting a "mumgarden".  These are flowers that you plant now, and they grow into flowers by Mother's Day

 I found Raisin Bran -- I am in Heaven!

These are our district t-shirts.

I had a little mishap in the back yard, I was burying some cat poop and hit a pipe, water was everywhere, I was all wet, my companion wasn't happy, and all I could think about was "There goes my paycheck from the church this week" [love how he calls it a paycheck] The plumber came, and all is well, but they need to learn to bury their pipes a bit deeper.

Life goes on.... The week in pictures!

Role Playing at Zone Conference

Elder Godinet's birthday!

Sunset/Sky Picture of the week

A kid came to our door and asked if we wanted some "apple-cucumbers"

It totally looks like an apple, but tastes like a cucumber, they 

have the weirdest fruits here!

Someone brought us Pizza this week -- we have a Domino's, it wasn't the greatest, but it was PIZZA!

This is me sleeping, I miss my bed, I just have this spring mattress, but I am thankful for it when I think about what Ammah is probably sleeping on in the Phillipines!

I made friends with this kitty while I was waiting on Elder Godinet to write a note.

A Birthday And a Funeral

Last Sunday was Elder Godinets birthday [picture in separate post]!  I hope that you had a great week.  Sounds like you had some missionary experiences yourself.  [we had a funeral ourselves of a dear friend, which always brings missionary discussions]  Make sure that you direct your friends to mormon.org and they can get answers to their questions.

I haven't been able to try my debit card since you talked to the bank, but hopefully I will this week. [he was having trouble last week].  Luckily I had money saved on my church card to get contact solution.  [of course he did, the missionaries all have a debit card that gets funded by the church every couple of weeks for them to spend money, and of course Ryan has spent very little.  He has only spent $4 of his own money since leaving the MTC, and that was in the SLC airport for a drink]  I was glad that I was finally able to find contact solution so you won't have to send it.  I found the exact same kind I use, and it was $40 [i am choking here] and you have to go to a pharmacy to get it.  So all is good with that!

The great experience this week was at a funeral!  In the Napier Ward, there was a death and the people we get a ride to church with went to a little funeral at the peoples house.  All of the friends came to talk about the person that had died.  Anyway, we are sitting outside, then they called us in because there were 2 more seats available.  So, we walk in, and there he is right there on the floor on a mattress with people sitting next to him and all around him on the floor.  People would stand and talk about him, everyone got a turn, then our Bishop looked at us and said, "Is there anything that you would like to say?", oh yea, and we had to speak in his language.  So my companion got up and said, Well, I never met this guy, but I know we knew each other in the pre-exsistence and I know I will see him again.  And then, he went on about the plan of salvation.  We didn't know anything about him, and it was funny that we had to talk.  That is one thing about being a missionary -- be ready to say something at anytime!  No matter what the situation!  He wasn't even in our ward, and was less active, and we didn't even know him so we really didn't have much to say!  Even so, it was a great experience!  

I just want to say thank you for the good parents that I have been blessed with and the wonderful friends that I have.  Thank you all for sending me letters and emails!  There are times when people don't listen to us and the message we have, so I begin to question why I am here!  But then I always think, where else would I rather be?  Home laying around, or at school?  Blah... I would rather be learning about Jesus Christ and learning as much as I can about Him and helping other people come closer to Him!  Then I get letters from people and they would rather me be here too!  So, double whammy, this is where I want to be and what I want to be doing.  I am so thankful for all of my other friends that are putting in their papers too!  It is an experience that you never want to miss!  I wish you luck, and I hope I can read some letters from you soon about how you are doing!  Again, thank you everyone who is reading this and for the support you guys are giving me!  I love you all!

Elder Tuckett

Clouds and a friend!

We have the most beautiful clouds in New Zealand!  [he sends cloud pics every week]

However, we need rain badly.  They said at church yesterday that we need to start praying for rain, or the animals are not going to have food and are going to die.  (sad)

We have these EVERYWHERE!  They are so cute! Every morning I wake up

 and one is staring at me! I Love it -- plus, they are fun to play with!

First Zone Conference

Another great week!!  Sort of....  There is a sickness going around this week here in Napier, and I even caught it and I never get sick, just a runny nose and cough.  I survived the week but thought I was going to die on the bike.  (It really wasn't that bad)  However, a lot of our investigators were sick, so it was hard to meet with them.

The couple I told you about that we need to get married, well we found out that he is only 16 and she is 19, so I think we are going to hold off on the marriage and figure something else out instead!  Sometimes, we feel like counselors that never took a counseling class.  We just have to go by the spirit and do what we feel the Lord would do and it is really cool.

We had a Zone Conference on Tuesday with our mission president, President Kezerian, and awww, I wish I was like him so bad!  That one meeting made my week and I am just in love with my President!  His testimony is so strong and he always has the best attitude!  It is Beautiful!  I left that meeting in awe and it just changed my life!  I am absolutely loving this mission and I just want to stay here forever!  I feel like everything is just so black and white now!  I wish everyone in the world could see the full picture of the Plan of Salvation and never forget it.  So many people are in the world and worry about work, cars, money, music, partners, but all that is going to be gone after we die.  We only take with us the knowledge we attain, our wife that we are actually married to in the temple and our family.  We are not here to get cool things in this life or the life after this... it is all about getting to the Celestial Kingdom baby!  That is what I learned at church yesterday, and LOVED it!

Well, my time is almost up, I love you guys!

Love,
Elder Tuckett

p.s.  oh yea, transfers are this week, and my legs are getting huge from riding the bike.  I have to stretch everyday or they really hurt, next week I will send you a picture of how large our area is so you know how much I am riding everyday.

Come to my church....

Outside of our Ward Building

Me and my companion

More of the questionable food that I have had.  This was supposed to be "chinese" food, the peas and carrots were about all that was edible.  The sauce was called "applesauce" but it was not good.

I love the skies that we have here in New Zealand

My district... ready to go give some service!

Giving Service this week

[this weeks letter contained lots of "business", but life goes on for our Elder]

Will you please send me a picture of the Gilbert Temple and how things are progressing.  We knocked into this anti-Mormon guy this week and he kept asking why he couldn't go into the temple.  I totally forgot about the open house before the dedication -- I could have told him about that.  Anyway, he was a great person to talk to and really strengthened my testimony.  

A lot of stuff was supposed to happen this week but it seemed like nothing came through.  We had a couple ask us if they could be baptized which is pretty cool, now we just need them to get married. 

We did a lot of service this week.  I wish that I would have taken a picture of this ladies lawn before we whacked it all down.  It was taller than me.  We just went through with a machete and it worked better than using a weed whacker.  It was really fun.  We also spent a lot of time helping our new Senior couple get settled.  Being around them really makes me miss you and Dad.  I hope that you get to serve a mission with Dad someday.  Elder "C" served here as a young man, and now is serving with his wife.  Yesterday at church, he found two people that he baptized when he was here years ago.  How cool is that?  Maybe you and Dad could go to Argentina.  

One thing that I have learned this week is that there are people out there who have gone through terrible trials, but there is always a reason!  Maybe to soften their hearts or maybe just for the people around them to open their eyes, but there is always a reason and Heavenly Father is in control.  And that Heavenly Father loves us and he puts us through those things to build us up even higher.  Those people usually have the best and strongest testimonies.  

Thank you for sending the pictures of my baptism.  I don't know that I have received all the letters that you have sent, but I did get the package you sent.  The girl scout cookies were the first to go and I have been having Raisin Bran every morning this week.  It is fantastic.  

I am having trouble finding contact solution, so I don't know if I will be wearing them much longer [hint to send him some]  When you get the letter from the DMV, just send it to me.  Hopefully it will work and I can get my drivers licence.  

Sounds like dad is learning to work around the house again.  [Ray has been forced to do some of Ryan's chores, both at home and at the office]  I hope that you change the light bulbs at the office and won't be sitting in the dark by the time I get home.  

I have been using our cell phone a lot here -- we text our members and investigators.  It is nothing like the iPhone, but I think is it better because it is so simple.  I miss you all so much, I hate it when your letters come to an end -- and I still dream of driving my truck down here.  [still worried about the truck]

I love you all and keep you in my prayers.

Love, 

Elder Tuckett