Loud and Proud

Since it was a holiday yesterday on P-day, we only get 30 minutes to email so I will try to be fast.  I don't know if I will get them all read, but I will at least send you a short one.

As you saw on the weather, it has been raining and raining.  I am biking in the rain today in Masterton because I am on exchanges again!  It has been flooding and it has been so much fun!  The rivers are running fast!  I will send pictures next week, I don't have time to send any today.  We were on exchanges Friday and Saturday with the Zone Leaders which was fun.  They gave us hope and made us realize there is potential in the area, even after all the time we have been there.  We sometimes lose our vision of seeing everyone in white!  

Saturday night, Masterton had a big fireside and ward activity.  It consisted of a team quiz on the prophets and apostles and Book of Mormon and lots of little questions and activities!  So much fun!!!  It really made me miss a ward so much.  Everyone in the branch complains about coming to church and having to do everything, that we rarely have any branch activities.  So, that was quite fun for us!!!  The fireside was centered around this boy coming home from his mission.  So, his parents spoke and he did too.  It just made me think, "I hope this doesn't happen when I come home"  (ha ha)  But, it was very spiritual and made me grateful that I still have a while on my mission.  Every second is so important! 

Then, we had Easter Sunday!  I wish I could have recorded it!  It was just interesting.... our branch isn't very musical.  I really wish you could have seen it.  It made me realize how strong their testimonies of Christ are though!  The people who aren't really strong, barely sang, but the really strong people really sang out loud and proud.  It was awesome. It was like they were bearing their testimony!  So many people came to church, but none that we invited.  

The scripture I have been sharing this week is Mosiah 16:6-9.  I am just to grateful for everything that Jesus Christ has done for us and very few people recognize how important He is in our life.  Like that video on lds.org, "Because of Him", like the title says, it is all because of Him!  I am so grateful for coming to know my Savior through the scriptures and trials that I have faced on my mission.

Yes, I got your package!!!  It was awesome!  I wore the tie on Sunday, and the poptarts are gone. We got paid late, so we lived on those mostly!  That package was an answer to our prayers!  Thanks!  

Thanks for sending me Tyler's letters.  His stories remind me of  "The Other Side of Heaven"!  He is the man!!!  Send me some of Jaron's.  

I will keep you all in my prayers -- Hope you and Mary are feeling better soon!  

I love you so much!

I will write more Monday, I have got to email the President!

Love,

Elder Tuckett

Inviting for Easter....

These two weeks are really busy for us.  We have been inviting people to come to General Conference and to come and worship with us on Easter Sunday.  We have been going throughout the branch list and inviting all less actives to come to church on Easter Sunday. For conference, we invited them to come with a question in mind... I know if you do this, that your question will be answered.  We also have Branch Conference coming up with speakers from the Stake Presidency.  I am looking forward to that.  We have been working with the branch president to help him get things going.  Every week he asks us what the ward can do to help with missionary work.  We told him that we need to get the home teaching going, so we have been helping him get that set up.  We feel like that can really strengthen the branch.  

However, sadly, no one came to share in the spirit of General Conference.  Is makes me sad be cause they would of had the opportunity to be taught by an apostle and prophet.   It really made me miss the Melchizedek priesthood holders in Mesa.  In the states, most usually you ask the men to do something, and they gladly help.  Here, we can't even get them to go to church.  We had 5 people watching the priesthood session.  So sad.  

I would like to share with you my top 6 conference talks....

1. Best of course was my favorite person ever, Elder Holland.  He is definitely a motivator for missionaries.  I loved how conference started with him.

2.  President Uchtdorf -- staying true to the gospel, our branch really needed this one!  

3.  Gary Stevenson -- So sporty, and a great way to look at ordinances of the gospel.

4.  Elder Bednar -- the truck analogy was fantastic.  People always complaining of things they have to do. 

5.  Elder Ballard -- on following up... So important for missionaries,  I just loved it.

6.  Elder Hales -- everyone can be more obedient!!!

I just love General Conference!!!!

Hopefully people will come to the Easter program we have planned for next week.  

Here is a little frog that we saw hopping across the road while we driving, so we stopped to rescue him!!!

This is the view from the top of the hill at Featherston.  On the top left, you can see the steeple of the chapel.  

Here we are at the train station.... I really want to take a ride on the train...

This is a massive tree that we had to stop and get our pictures with.  I forgot my camera, so we had to use Elder Usalia'a which he didn't focus too well.  

Winter is coming..... I have on jeans and a jacket today!  

We are going to be going on exchanges this week!  We will be working with the zone leaders!  I don't know what we are going to do, every street in this town has been knock on 3 times!

Love, Elder Tuckett

P.S.   Please tell Brother Merkley congrats on his new calling.  Our branch president would love to have counselors like Bishop Garn has.  He really has no options to choose from, so he does it all himself.  He calls on us to help him a lot. 

"Who was the last person you rescued?"

Sounds like you had a fantastic missionary week Mom!!! That is exciting.  I am happy you know that it is so much better it is when members give the referrals.  You have begun a rescue effort!!!  That is one question we have really been asking people!  "Who is the last person you rescued?"  It is a deep question.  Or, it could be very simple at the same time.  It can be as easy as smiling at someone who looks lonely and sad. Or, you could invite someone to hear the missionaries and save them for the eternities.  How much do you want to save them?  We should save everyone!  Find the lost sheep, and feed them!

This week we had a fantastic Family Home Evening with this family. The mother asked us to speak on respecting your parents.  I thought, I don't know, it is just something you do. The only thing that I could think of to teach them how to have respect was to love more, so we shared everything we know about loving our parents.  Our parents are the manuals to this life.  They have taught us so much and have taken care of us all of our lives, how could we not have respect for them?  Then I bore my testimony of almost not having an awesome family to raise me up in the gospel.  You guys are so dear to me.  You are the biggest blessing that Heavenly Father has blessed me with.  A family who loves them is the greatest blessing anyone could ever have.  Then we did an awesome activity,  we broke up into teams and the parents were the captains and they gave the guidance and the kids had to listen to them.   It was an awesome lesson.  Now, another family has asked us to do it this week.

So this week I have gained a testimony of the blessings of families and how important they are in Heavenly Fathers plan. They are so important that we can be sealed to them forever.  This was so important to Heavenly Father, that this is what the first book in the Book of Mormon is about.  It's all about a family!  They have their ups and downs just like us!  I know that Moroni saw these last days and he saw that Satan's biggest target would be the family.  I love The Book of Mormon!!!!

I can't wait for General Conference next weekend!  I am hoping that our investigators come!  I got a picture from Ryan in the Conference Center at Conference.  [the young guy he baptized last year in Napier] He is so lucky to get to go to conference.   I have never been to conference, but at least I have been to the building.  

We need new investigators!!!! So hopefully this week will bring nothing but finding!!!!  I am staying here with Elder Usalai'a for another 6 weeks.  

Thank you for the thoughts that you send me each week.  I write them down and then share them with people and say that my fantastic mother helped me notice this!!!! 

Just 5 more weeks and I get to seen and talk to you on skype!!!!!  I can't wait!!!!

I love you so much!

Elder Tuckett aka....