Hail!!!!!

This week has been alright.  I really can't wait until these two extra elders get their new flat, move out and we get our house back.  I feel like I am babysitting.  They just look at me and ask me what to do.  Like this morning, we were cleaning the flat, and I had to tell them what to clean.  It was pretty funny.  They are also eating all of our food.  I am probably going to have to spend some of my own money to buy more food this week.  

The work is still moving forward.  We found 2 new investigators this week which is exciting.  Hopefully we will be able to invite them to be baptized.  I would really love to have another baptism before I come home.  I was talking to another Elder in my intake and he was saying the same thing.  He hasn't had a baptism since his 2nd area... Same as me.  We just keep giving our best.  

I love you all so much, but not enough to be excited yet to come home in 143 days.  I sat down and planned out my personal study the other day for the rest of my mission,  it made me kind of sad.  

One thing I have learned on my mission is priorities.  Can you believe how messy this desk of mine is?  Our entire flat is a mess to with these extra elders.  Before my mission, the mess would have bothered me, but I have had to let it go.  

This was a great sunset this week.  I was on exchanges with Elder Aparico from Spain.  Do you remember him?  We flew over here together and were in the same intake.  When we got here he could hardly speak English, and now he speaks better English than me.  He was in the newspaper on his area this week for being the first LDS missionary in New Zealand from Spain and his companion was in for giving up a major rugby scholarship for his mission.  

Thank you for taking care of my school stuff mom.  You are just going to have to get me an apartment with some random roommates since I won't be knowing anyone.  That kind of stinks.  I'll be home for three weeks, then I will be alone again.  I am already having no companion anxiety just thinking about it.  Everyone except one person in my intake will be leaving one transfer early to return for school.  

We wrote our names in the hail.

Winter here this year is just as bad as Queenstown last year.  It was colder down there, but there was no wind.  The wind and rain here just cuts right through you.  It goes through our jackets and makes us colder.  It hailed this week, and that hurt worse than the rain.  

I love you all so much!!!!

Elder Tuckett

p.s.  Thanks for emailing my companion!  He was so excited to get an email!

Rain and rainbows

This week it has rained almost ever day so we really focused on giving lessons this week!  We didn't want to walk around for hours in the rain!  (Even though we did on Thursday and I believe that I ruined my shoes because they are all crinkly now.). We taught 10 lessons this week.  That is a record for us!  The best was probably last night. (Mostly because I remember it most). We talked about the importance of the Book of Mormon.  He has been seeing the missionaries for ages!  So, I told him that you have to read the Book of Mormon or having the missionaries come over is pointless.  It was really quite spiritual, and I might of teared up a little in this lesson.  I just love this book and this could not be the church of Jesus Christ without this book.  We would just be like any other church TRYING to preach the gospel. 

For service this week, we have gotten to know the caretaker of the intermediate school and we helped him pull some weeds and cut bushes, and we were able to have an interesting conversation with him about the church.  A lot of people only see our churches heaps of rules and no fun: no coffee, no alcohol, no smoking, no sports on Sundays, etc.  

We had baptisms again on Saturday!  The Zone Leaders had a baptism and invited us to it.  It was so spiritual.  And then an 8 year old had a baptism in our ward and there were a few less actives and some investigators that came so it was a success.  One of them was a pastor for a different church and we got to talk with him.  He was so nice!  He even came to church on Sunday to watch the confirmation.  

That is about it for this week.  I feel like I just emailed you.  The weeks are going by too fast.  Please pray for my companion that he gets some mail this week.  His mom and dad do not have a way to email him and don't really have an address or a way to send him mail.  He is from a little village in Samoa.  I don't know if I told you but I had to teach him how to use the washing machine because he had never seen one or used one before.  He humbles me every day.... SO MUCH!!! I am so grateful for all of the things in my life that I take for granted.  When it comes down to it, we really don't need "things".   He is going to let me come visit him in Samoa.  He says it is like paradise there!!!  He is the man!  

I also forgot to tell you that we have 2 new elders living in our flat.  They just moved in on Saturday and so we are having a blast with 4 Elders.  I don't have any pictures of them this week.... I'll get some next week.  They moved out of their flat because it got too moldy and nasty.  It is the flat that I put my hand through the window.  It was a really crappy flat.  

Here is a picture of us getting ready to head out in the rain... It is so cold too.  Luckily, Elder Otahouma left me this nice rain jacket.   We still got soaked and had to come home and put our clothes and jackets in the dryer during our dinner break.  Praying for the rain to stop isn't working.  

However, we have had lots of beautiful rainbows and great views this week!  

I love you so much,

Elder Tuckett

The land with beautiful views!

We had a good week.  Our ward is really starting to help with the work and it is exciting.  We are praying that we can be able to see our investigators more.  This past week and the upcoming week this week, are holidays, so everyone is on holiday.  So no one has been home.  I love this area and the people.  I am falling in love with the members here because they are so helpful.  They are so willing to do whatever we ask.  It is awesome!  I have almost all of the streets memorized already in this area.  Thank goodness!  Of course, we are still always looking for more investigators.  We are a finding mission, I can't complain one bit!  

I am so excited that you got to see the Hamulas!  I know they are going to miss New Zealand.  I am still telling people I have six months left.  I don't even want to think about coming home because it makes me so sad.  I was talking to a member last night, and he told me once I get home, I would like blink, and then I would be as old as him (30-40s). I am not looking forward to that!  I really just want to stay here forever.

I am really missing President Kezerian and his motivating letters that he would write to us each week.  We got like 4 paragraphs with great ideas, and stuff, then we each got an individual paragraph. I really miss his personalized letters.

I remembered to bring my camera today -- so here are some pictures...

This is a captain carving on Titahi Bay beach.  

This is Titahi Bay.  It is just beautiful!  

Really, it is so beautiful!  

Same picture as above, just using the cool effects on my camera!

We went on a walking path last week and found some beautiful views.

I am so glad you got to see a lot of people that I know this week.  I can't believe you saw Amelia!  Has she joined the church yet?  And Brother Hughes!  The metal shin man!  I miss him so much!  He is still one of my heroes, and I still tell stories about that exciting hike I was on with him.  

Like I said, there was not much going on this week because of holiday!

Love you so much,

Elder Tuckett

I love being a trainer!

First off... I am sorry, I forgot my camera, so no pictures.  I had some good ones too!   I got a flat tire on the way this morning and I was just freaking out about being off schedule -- Elder Ma Chee has a lot to do, and I want to play basketball at 2:00 today....  This week has been so cold.  We are starting to walk at nights because it is too cold to ride bikes!  This could easily be a walking area if we plan everything right.  I even caught a cold this week, but I am getting over it.  So, the picture of Uncle Matt and Maggie in the pool made me really jealous since I am totally freezing to death right now!

So, let me tell you about my week.  It has been fantastic.  I picked up Elder Ma Chee at the mission office and got to go the the mission meeting with him where they tell him all about the mission, and have lunch with them.  Our new mission president, Elder Hudson was there and he was just watching the whole show and everything because he was just 3 days in the mission!  I miss President Kezerian already!!!! I am having withdrawals!  I know it will be okay though!  President Hudson is a really good guy, and I can't wait to see him in 3 months after learning everything!  

Elder Ma Chee and I are getting along great!  He is a really chill, down to earth elder from Samoa!  He spent a lot of time with the Elders before the mission so he has hit the ground running.  He is already teaching and talking and acting like a missionary.  It is awesome!  He is the MAN!  I love him.  I am so happy that I get to be his trainer.  I love training new missionaries.  

We have really gained a love for our area this week.  I have been really focusing on getting to know the members and asking them for help in the work and asking for people they know that we can teach and visit.  It has been fantastic!  Yesterday, (Sunday) we also got a new ward missionary leader called and we talked with him and he is so on top of it!  He was telling us that everyone we teach must be in a members home!  No excuses!  So this is going to be really a fun next couple of weeks.  This has been the most golden ward that wants to help with missionary work!  We also got to visit with the Bishop and he gave us some names to go see and they were just awesome visits!  I am really looking forward to this week.  We have appointments to go to and the work is moving forward like I have never seen before!  I love doing this missionary work.  I love this gospel so much!  

I love you so much!

Elder Tuckett

P.S. I don't know if you are planning on sending me another package, but I could really use a couple of the non-wrinkle shirts.  Mine are getting worn out and they have lost their non-wrinkle status.  I have to iron every morning, and I hate it.  At least send me one, so I have a nice shirt to come home in.  It doesn't really matter, but it would be nice.  

Memorable Week with some baptisms!

I had a great week!  I was able to see President Kezerian again before he left.  I saw him on Saturday at our baptism.  He left yesterday.  So, we have our new mission president but nothing has changed yet.  We have a Zone Conference on Saturday and we each get to meet with him for 5  minutes.  He sounds awesome!  I'll let you know how it goes next week.   The office couple came to me at the baptism to talk to me and it was depressing...... They wanted to talk about my leaving date.  That made me sad.  My visa expires on Jan 28th.  I said that I need to probably come home for school, so she said that we will have to talk to the new president.  We will see what he says, but if so, I will come home a transfer early.  

I had a great and memorable week with Elder Holladay! I has been fun covering two areas, meeting all of his investigators, and him meeting all of mine!  We can now cover both areas.  We did a lot of finding in my area and found a few potentials!  No one was really excited about the Book of Mormon or anything but we aren't finished with them yet!  Elder Halladay and I are really excited to start training this week and we are excited that we don't have to live out of suitcases any more.  But once we get our new companions, we probably won't be leaving our areas for 12 weeks.  (Which won't be fun). They come in on Tuesday.  We are going to Wellington to pick them up either at the mission home or airport, I am not sure.  That's tomorrow!!!!  

This last week with Elder Halladay went too fast.  Saturday was probably one of the most fun days!  One of our investigators had a massive 40 foot shipping container that he needed to paint, so we had to take grinders and grind off all of the rust on this shipping container and sparks were flying everywhere!  It was a blast!  I forgot my camera though, so no photos.  We only finished the top, so hopefully we can help him some more this week.  After helping him, he took us for some really good grilled chicken!  Elder Halladay said it was like Pollo Loco, New Zealand status..... But it was really good.  It was really expensive though, but much better than KFC.  

Later that day, we had our baptism in my ward.  It was the investigator that the sisters had.  It was fun! (This is where I was able to see President Kezerian one last time, and the office couple.)  Elder Halladays ward came too and I got to see the Chevy, Mesa people again!  Then right after that we got a call from the sisters that there is another baptism up in Titahi Bay for 2 children who were child of record but we had to go help set up and everything.  The meeting started 30 minute late which made me embarrassed.  The bishop asked us if we wanted to do the confirmation, I let Elder Halladay do one, and the grandpa did the other,  it was just a great night.  

How do you like the Lava Lava that Elder Otahouma left for me?

Elder Halladay having some fun!

How about this, I got us both in the pic!

Look at this stuffed dog from our investigators house!  

And I am going to call this a miracle on my mission.  My wound is already healed!  Fastest healing I have ever seen in my life!  It is like gone!  I don't worry about it anymore.  And it has only been a week. Yep, miracle if you ask me.  I love it.

Love, Elder Tuckett

First week of Winter....

It was the first day of winter!  Actually, it has been cold for the last month!  Luckily, we got a car this week!  I think you misunderstood me last week.  I am not in a threesome.  Elder Halladay is my companion for a couple of weeks until our companions get here around July 1st.  We are both going to be training.  We had dinner with the office couple last week and they said that our companions are still in Auckland learning English.... So I am a bit concerned about that.  We thought they were just on a VISA delay.  Elder Holladay is awesome!  He is from Gilbert, AZ! And lives near the new temple.  He also went to BYU-I before his mission, and he took the same Mission Prep course there that I did.  We weren't there at the same time though since he has only been out 8 months.  We are talking about being roommates when he gets home since he will be going back to school too.  

Here is Elder Halladay!

After my companion left this week, we had to drive to the bus station to make sure that the Elders were able to put their bikes on the bus and stuff and take care of an Elder until his companion came in.  All of us that were there were from Arizona!!!!!  Hooray!!!  During this time.... We had a little accident!  There was one bike that did not get on the bus, so we came back to the flat to put the bike away.  It was the first time I had been to the flat and the door is really hard to open because it rubs on the top left of the door.  So, the door opened partway, then the corner was stuck, so I pushed on the window part and my hand broke the window and went through. So, I got this cut on my hand.  It could have been much worse, and many people said that I should go to the hospital and get stitches. But it really wasn't deep.  Since I shake so many hands, I have this big wrap on it so it won't get dirty.  Everyone asks questions about what happened.  It is annoying, but I have had fun telling them I got into a fight with my companion or someone didn't like the message I was sharing. It has been and adventure!  

Here is a picture of my misfortune encounter with the door.

Anyway, our week has been hectic since we are covering both of our areas.  And, our areas really aren't close together either.  So, we spend 2 days here, then head over to Elder Holladays area for 2 days.  It has been good for both of us to really get to know our areas before our new companions get here as we are both rather new to the areas as well.  We have been having a lot of fun together!  

I got a letter from Grandma Engel this week!  It made my week.  She shared a letter from the Oklahoma Tulsa Mission and it made ours look lame!  It was 4 pages and ours is only 2 pages and theirs was a lot more inspiring.  I love talking to other people that went to different missions,  it was interesting to see how theirs is different from ours.  I also got the church magazines you sent and some letters of my missionary friends.  Thanks!  

Last night was fantastic.  Probably the best night we have had in our area so far!  We took out a recent returned missionary with usout on visits.  We went to our investigators and less actives, and even though he had been gone for 2 years he still knew about half of them!  It was so great!  It was like we had an extra missionary with us!  

I love this work!

Love, 

Elder Tuckett

A Chevy lover from Mesa!!!

My companion is leaving this week!  I found out I will be training someone!  However, he isn't coming until July 1st.  So for two weeks, I will be in a threesome with Elder Holladay and Elder Johnson who is training as well.  We will be covering both areas until our companions come in.  Should be an adventure.

So yesterday at church one of our investigators came to church and sat right in front of us!  Exciting, right?  I didn't even find out it was an investigator until that night until we were talking about the day.  Most of our investigators I have only met once or twice but lately I have been feeling comforted because I know it is in the Lords hands, or else I would be freaking out right now.  

This week, Brother Hatch [David Glen Hatch] from Utah came to share his wonderful talents with us here in New Zealand. They started in Auckland, and are making their way to the South Island.  He is an awesome piano player.  It just so happened that I was in Wellington from Thurs-Saturday and on Friday night he did a charity thing and so we got to go to this beautiful building in Wellington.  We escorted people in and gave out the fliers.  Then we got to watch him play his classical music along with about 10 of his students.  It was amazing.  Then on Sunday, in Upper Hutt, we got to go see him at a fireside!  And, I got to see Elder Usalai'a there!!!!  He is so good at piano and made everyone cry,  it was so powerful. 

This is a picture with all the piano players and Brother Hatch.

This is an awesome staircase that was in the concert hall, reminded me of Harry Potter!

We are such a finding mission.... We used a new way of finding this week.... Drawing the plan of salvation on the sidewalk!

I haven't gotten any mail in the last couple of weeks.  I am hoping it is because of transfers.    I love you guys so much!

Elder Tuckett

How about this graffiti we found?  

And best for last......  I found a Mesa, Chevy lover when I was with Elder Christensen this week!  His sister actually still lives in Mesa!  How cool is that... The Mesa temple and a Chevrolet sign!