Machete Mowing

Why are you getting so much rain?  That is crazy!!!!  I thought that God promised that he would not flood the Earth again!  It  has been rainy here too, but today it is going to be a sunny spring day.  

The time is flying by.  Rebecca wrote me this week that I have less than 80 days.  I can hardly believe that!  It is crazy.  Shannon sent me some pictures of Maggie and it reminded me how much I miss her. I wish I could take her to school with me.  

This week is Temple week for our stake.  Everyone is going to be gone for the whole week while they are gone to the temple.  I don't know what we are going to do without them!!!  General Conference is coming up too, so it is going to be a really spiritual couple of weeks for our ward.  

This week we were helping an older lady with service and I was just thinking about you!  I was hoping someone was able to help you too this week somehow.  [I love how he equates me with the old people]. We were able to pull all of her weeds and move some wood for her.  This is a picture of Machee with the machete, he says that is how they cut the lawn in Samoa.  He has some crazy machete skills.  

We had heaps of miracles this week.  Since the transfer ended this week I have been really pushing Elder MaChee to lead the area more and do what he wants to do.  It has been cool to see him follow the spirit and see him do all of these miracles.  So last night, I asked him what he wanted to do and he said to visit this one guy that I would have never thought of visiting and so we went there.  He had a friend over that used to meet with the missionaries but had stopped.  So we met him and he said that he really wanted to be baptized.  We had a great lesson with him and his less active friend that we went to see.  So, we got another new investigator.  I love this work so much, and the spirit that God has given us to guide us in these last days!

I love you all so much!

Elder Tuckett

I got another lava lava.... I love them!!!!

Bipolar Weather

This week's weather has been bipolar.  One day it is spring, and then the next we are back to cold rainy winter,  it is no good!  And.... An Elder took my nice rain jacket, so I am wearing a crappy one that just barely gets by.  It is all good though... 3 months.  I am away staying here in Porirua this transfer.  This transfer is only going to be 4 weeks.  I am staying with Elder Machee and I am still district leader.  I like being district leader.  I have it figured out now pretty good.  We are also getting 3 new elders in our district which will be fun.   The other benefit of not getting transferred is that you don't have to pack up.

This week I learned a lot about repentance (it wasn't for me, I promise, it was for one of our members). I am just so grateful for the tender mercies of The Lord that he shows on us.  We get to repent for things we do every week when we partake of the sacrament.  It is the whole reason we go to church to show humility to The Lord that we will remember him and follow him.  

I also found out that's one of the recent converts from about a year ago went to the temple this week and got sealed to her husband.  (I think that this was the sister he baptized in Queenstown) This was the greatest news to hear.    This reminded me of how grateful I am for this gospel and that I am sealed to my parents that I love, and my sister too.  

Well, we are going to play basketball today at the chapel.  We are going to play against the other district.   I love basketball so much now,   It is a good game!!!!

We go on daylight savings time next weekend, we lose an hour of sleep.  I really don't like all this changing of times every season.

I love you!!!

Love, Elder Tuckett

Changes!

This week has been Mission Changing!  We had Zone Conference and were able to meet with President Hudson!  It was so great to see everyone again.  So, at the meeting President Hudson announced that we can teach girls now as long as a responsible adult is there.  This means that the sisters don't get all the baptisms and aren't having to travel everywhere to teach everyone!  This was so great to hear, and we are really excited to see this change the mission and see more baptisms!  We are able to teach everyone that is in our area now and we know that we will be able to get more members involved in teaching too as we use them to help teach the sister investigators.  Already this week, we have been given 2 new investigators and a couple of other potential investigators that the sisters were never able to catch up with.  I am really looking forward to this week.  

Elder Christensen and Vimahi had a baptism yesterday and we got to go because one of our investigators said he was coming, however, he didn't show up though, even though his wife sounded so excited for it... UGH!!!  So this baptism was a wife getting baptized by her recent convert husband who got baptized about 2 months ago.  It was so spiritual as we got to see this recent convert baptize his own wife.  Their two children were sitting and watching.  It was so cute!  Plus, his brothers came and it was just so awesome,  I love to see families enter the gospel!  

There are also two 9 year old girls that we are going to start working with that we can teach now!  They are both so awesome!  I just had this great idea for them to become friends and we can teach and baptize them at the same time,  they both have great families to help them but they are both on the edge of whether they want to be baptized,  so, lots of work to be done with the members and less actives.  I love these new changes!!!!

Love, Elder Tuckett

 More from Zone Conference

Elder Machee holding the full moon this week!

Have a great week!!!

Exchanges this week!

I think I might be getting transferred this month, but I don't know.  Transfers are in two weeks.  So, do not send any more letters to this address for now. It's not for sure, but just in case.  President Hudson is still pretty new, so I don't know for sure what will happen this transfer.  But most likely, Elder Machee or I will be leaving.  I am really hoping to go to the Nelson district.  I have heard that it is just beautiful and I want to drive again.  I miss driving.  This week, someone asked me what the first thing that am doing when I get back to America.  I told them that the first thing that I am going to do is to go straight to the Gilbert Temple.  I want to see the new temple and I haven't been to the temple in 2 years.  If that is not possible, I want to take my truck out for a joy ride! So fill up the tank!  

This week we had a district meeting and Elder Angilou taught the lesson.    He came the same time as Elder Machee.  It was so cool to hear him talk after 2.5 months.  What an improvement!  I know that we have the gift of tongues in this church, and especially as missionaries.  

I have been reading the D & C a lot lately.  It is an amazing book.  It proves that God loves us and sent a prophet to set up the church on the earth today!  I am so grateful for all the trial and tribulations and hard work they went through. There are so many revelations that the prophet asked for and received, and they all still apply to us today.  

I love this church.  I know it to be be true!  I am grateful for my Father and everything he has done for me and given me. Both my earthly Father and my Heavenly Father.  They have both provided me with a home and a way to return to them. They both love me more than I can imagine and I feel that love every day.  I can't wait to see the both again and give them a big hug and tell them how much I love them!  In about 100 days I will see one of them!

I love you so much! 

Elder Tuckett

These are some pictures from exchanges this week....  We found an Indian guy that is interested in learning about Jesus and we were able to teach him this week.  Our other investigator is running away from us, but we are going to catch him later today!

I was being like Jesus and walking on water, no big deal, just keep your eye single to the Lord!

Pretending to go for a swim!

This is a Tui bird.  We were able to get really close to one this week.  You should look them up, they make really funky sounds.  

Elder Machee made me a gift yesterday because it was Father's Day, was it Father's Day for you?  I can't remember when it is in America.  

I love you!!!!

It's official!!!!

I talked with President Hudson this week and my release date is December 17!!!  I have two more transfers, September 24th and November 5th, then next one will be December 17.  Shocking, sad, but true.  

So, my week was just fantastic! I told you last week about the Samoan church history thing we were doing this week right?!  I felt like Sister Tuckett (Abby) being a tour guide. [his cousin is currently serving on Temple Square] It was so much fun!  We sat them down in a room and turned on a movie about the history of the church in Samoa! After the movie, they asked questions and we bore testimony, then showed them some pictures in the other room! When no one showed up we went and sang hymns in the chapel! It was quite fun! 

Our investigator promised us he would be to church this week for Ward Conference, but he didn't show.  We will meet with him this week and see what is going on and let him know we are here for him.    I am pretty sure I have met most everyone in this area now, so we are just following up on everyone for now.  

For P-day, we are going to play basketball.  I have really grown to love basketball.  Sad, huh?  Who knew?

I love you...

Elder Tuckett

Exchanges and Prayer Meetings

We had a very good and busy week.  The highlight was the exchanges with the zone leaders. I got to be with my good friend elder Christensen. He took me to the mission home so I could finally say I went there. I was able to see how big and nice it is. It just reminded me of a Utah home though. The mission president and his wife were gone so we didn't get to see them but we did see the cleaning lady who told us that a general authority would be spending the night. I guess they have their own room at the mission home! Really cool! 

On exchanges we were invited to go to another church. I don't remember the name of it but he said it was a break off of the Revivalist Church. When we went we figured out it wasn't church just a prayer meeting. They started off with a bible study and read some scriptures and talked about some Christ-like attributes which I absolutely loved and it was spot on true. They said some prayers and "spoke in tongues" then we had a meal afterwards. We didn't get to eat much because the guy who lead the prayer meeting came over and was telling us how we don't talk in the gift of tongues, so I showed him scriptures and he was amazed and then he left. It was quite fun, I really loved it! It was a great experience. I just wish he would have let us talk a little bit more and that he would listen. Maybe someday he will. 

Elder Christensen's fridge broke so we bought 8 burgers at McDonald's and had a feast! 

While I was gone Elder Ma Chee met this lady and her son who really sound interested.  She has lost her husband and lots of other people in her life so they shared about the plan we have.  Her son is in a wheelchair so this really meant a lot to her and gave her a lot of hope.  So hopefully we can meet with her this week and teach her about all the information we have about the next life.

We had flat checks this week where they make sure we are taking care of the houses and that everything is in order.  And they sat us down and shared a scripture.  It was really cool to be on the other side of the couch for once.  It actually made me feel loved and that they care about me and my companion.  I understand now why we do this, share scriptures and do our home teaching.  It was cool for me to experience this.

We saw the Stevens family and met his wife.  We texted him on Saturday and he said he was busy.  I thought he was avoiding us but we went over last night. They are awesome! He said they were all sick this last week. Things are going great with them, I just don't know if they will be ready for baptism in September.  

This week we are doing a really cool Samoan church history thing.  They are setting up a museum in the Samoan chapel. We have been inviting everyone to learn about Samoan church history.  Hopefully some people will come.  The zone leaders said we will be helping a lot since my companion is Samoan.  It should be a fun week.

I love you so much. I got your package this week and realized how much I don't like American food anymore (except for the oatmeal cookies!).  I realized how much food I have lived 2 years without.  Thanks so much for the package though! I loved it and needed the pens! 

I am so grateful for the scriptures in my life and the knowledge and truth we can get out of them if we are humble and willing to accept the Lords will. He is our creator and we owe all things to Him. I love Him and  can't wait until I see Him again.  

Love, Elder Tuckett

This is my new lava lava that I like to sleep in!!!! 

Transfer week.

I got to see some familiar faces!  I served with these guys in Queenstown.  One of them went home this transfer.   We also changed around all the furniture in the flat since it is a new transfer, so we can think it is new.  Ha ha...

This week was fantastic.  Mostly because I got my study guide for the D&C.  It helps it to make more sense now, and I am loving it.  I also read some things that made me understand the Book of Mormon better.  I have read it so many times, and each time, I learn something new.  I love my personal study each morning.  I really hope that this is a habit from my mission that I keep when I get home for the rest of my life.  We need to get lost in the scriptures to gain a more eternal perspective.  I loved the survey that Brother Eagleston sent you, but I love your answers even more,  people often forget to do the simple things in this life that will bring them closer to The Lord.  I love how you said that Satan is camped outside our doors.  There is a pizza place here in New Zealand.  It is named "Hell".  They put a coupon in the mail box and it says... "See you in Hell"....  I took that coupon and hung it outside the door of our flat.  Because.... It is Hell out there and Satan's angels are waiting for us to mess up so they can get to work on us!  I noticed this week as we visited homes, that we let them in through the Internet and television!  The best homes that I go to, do not have TV!  I love it that there are not distractions, and that there is better family communication, and they have more time for important things.  Friends, family, the poor and the needy.  

The guy we have progressing to baptism was unable to meet with us this past week, so we have two appts this week.  I'll let you know how it goes.  We are praying and crossing our fingers.  We also have a few new families that we are working with too.  I am excited for that.  I know that there are people prepared for us out there.  We need to find them!  They are waiting!

We were able to meet with President and Sister Hudson this week.  They motivated us with a talk from Elder Holland that I loved.  It was from general conference in October of 2012 (I think).  He talked about the love that we need to have for the Savior and what it means when we say that we love the Savior.  You should all go listen to it.  I love the Savior so much!  I don't want him to ask me three times if I love him when I see him again.  I want to say the first time, "Yes, look at what I did for you on my mission, and after in my entire life, I am your disciple".  I am changing the world for him one person at a time, and do it all day, every day, and I will always love him.  I know he is my Savior, my older brother, and my friend.  In his name Jesus Christ, Amen.

I love you !

Elder Tuckett