¡Muchas responsabilidades!

Hola Familia!

This week was going pretty good until all of our investigators, like my fellow Mexican missionary Elder Trender would say, choked in the 4th quarter and didn´t make it to church. I felt pretty lousy because I felt like it was because I haven´t been a good enough missionary, but it´s all good. All I can do is keep working hard and keep my hopes up. We had some great lessons this week nonetheless.

Friday, I gave my first training as district leader in the Pinotepa zone training meeting and I was a little nervous but it went well! I really like my zone and district. Everyone´s working hard and building their branches out here and I think we´re going to have a lot of success this change!

Saturday, interviews with Presidente y Hermana Ávila again. I always love my interviews with them! But I realized that I need to be doing more to help Elder Tilley. We get along fine but I need to teach him more and include him in everything. Sometimes I get too focused on things and I realize I´m not fulfilling my job as trainer by including him. These next weeks will be better. It´s all part of the learning process as a missionary. Learning from your mistakes and staying motivated!

As we approach General Conference weekend, I invite you all to prepare yourselves mentally and spiritualy to listen to the living prophets of today! What an amazing opportunity we have to be lovingly counseled and directed by men who literally speak the words of the Lord. Also, remember when I was in the CCM and heard a talk from Elder Bednar about how we should take notes in Conference? Well he said that we should divide our notes into three sections: one for doctrine and principles that are shared; another for the invitations to act; and another for the promised blessings. I know that if we take notes like this during conference, we can better analyze what is being said to us and why.

Sorry, but I don´t have any more time to talk about investigators or send pics, but have a great week and enjoy Conference!

Love,

Elder Tucker

El Patriarca de Pinotepa

Hola Familia!

So we had changes and it´s all been great! Elder Tilley and I are staying in Jamiltepec which is good because we should be able to make a lot of progress in these next six weeks. Also, Elder Murrane got made zone leader in Pinotepa so I´m pumped that I`ll still be seeing and working with him. I now am officialy the Elder with the most time in the Pinotepa Zone so they call me The Patriarch.

As district leader my new reponsibilities are to do accountability with the missionaries in my district and to report to the zone leaders. I also will conduct district meetings every week, go on exchanges, and do the baptismal interviews for everyone in my district.

Becuase we didn´t have a lot of time in our area this week, there´s not a whole lot to talk about. With more responsibilities, I sometimes feel a little stressed or incapable, but I have so many great resources and leaders to turn to for help. I know that if I just continue working hard and staying focused I will be successful with my assignments and as a missionary in general. President Ávila told me that one of the many things I can learn in these moments of my mission is to perfect my obdience. I think that obedience is how we prove our desires to be righteous to our Father in Heaven.Often times, God is just waiting for us to obey a commandment so that He can pour out more blessings into our life. That`s why Satan tries so hard to tempt us and keep us from being obedient. Because he knows how much more happier and better we will be if we follow Jesus Christ and keep His commandments.

Gracias por todo su amor y apoyo. Tenga una buena semana!

Alma 41:10


Love,

Elder Tucker

pics-

1, The son of the owner of our apartment building, saved a puppy in the street and is keeping it. His name is Bobby.

2, Elder Tilley drinking his first Arizona haha

¡El Nuevo Líder de Distrito!

Hola Familia!

Sorry I couldn´t write Monday, but it was because Sunday, I received a call from the APs that I´m going to be made a new district leader next change (starting Monday, March 20) and I had to travel to Cuernavaca to receive a training. I don´t know what else is going to happen this change, but I´m guessing that I´m going to finish training Elder Tilley in Jamiltepec! We also had Elder Tilley´s halfway training today in Cuernavaca so I haven´t spent any time in our area this week unfortunately.

I´m so thankful for the trust that the Lord and President Ávila have in me to give me this assignment. I´m so excited for what´s in store!

Thanks for the love and support!

Love,

Elder Tucker

Thanks for the letter, Mom! So cool to hear about Wes! And I´m so happy for Brooklyn Taylor, that was actually one of my dream missions before. I think I might've gotten one letter from Sister MacMickens. Sounds like Ghana was a great experience. There´s not very many kids in Jamiltepec, but they´re so funny haha. Always eating candy with chili power. The Work is good! Sometimes I feel inadequate, but I know those are just feelings from the adversary. I hope we can make a lot of progress this next change.

Sad to her about Grandma, but I´m glad you´re visiting and spending time with her. I´ll keep her in my prayers.

Fotos de la conferencia de Zona

El Entrenador Misionero en Santiago Jamiltepec, Oaxaca

¡Hola Familia!

Another great week as a missionary en La Gran Misión!

Monday we had interviews with Presdiente y Hermana Ávila in Pinotepa. They are both so loving and inspired. I´m convinced we have the best mission president in el mundo. My interviews with him are always short and chill. I´m assuming it´s because he likes and trusts me. Perhaps one day I´ll understand, but it´s not a language barrier issue, it´s something bigger.

Tuesday we had a zone conference in Pino with the Ávilas and the assistants. I especially liked when President said that as missionaries we are promised that the field is white already to harvest. Not tomorrow, not next week, not next transfer, but today! Maybe Elder Tilley and I are a couple of 18 year olds that aren`t perfect teachers, but that doesn't effect the truth of our message. We can bring the Lord´s escogidos to the Light.

Something that´s been on my mind lately is that the most successful missionary is the one that is completely converted to Jesus Christ, because if we are converted, our will is the will of the Lord and we are made instruments in his hands. And an instrument in the hands of the Lord is more effective than anything!

Elder Tilley and I found another family this week that is bien receptiva. Juan Carlos and Jessica Morales are 25 and 26 years old. They have three little kids and are very religious. They`re members of la iglesia pentecostesa, but are interested and willing to investigate la iglesia mormóna haha. We`ll visit them this week with another young member family and hope that they can progress. I have a great feeling about them!

Religion has been a big part of the history of Jamiltepec. Catholic, Jehovah's Witness, Christian, whatever, if you`re not religious, it`s usually because you don´t want to be because so many missionaries of other faiths have already passed by here. That means that most of the people that are willing to listen to us have a deep background in some religion. Which can be good and bad in some ways. I´m glad to be here. I continue to learn and improve a lot everyday. My trainee is doing good. I need to do a better job of helping him to have more confidence in his Spanish, but we´re working hard!


Thanks for the love and support!

¡El campo blanco esta ya para la siega!

Love,
Elder Tucker

I Love You 

Mis Primeros Bautismos

¡Hola Mi Querida Familia!

What an amazing week to be a missionary in La Gran Misión!

Elder Tilley and I baptized and confirmed converts Roberto and Francisco Hernández Hernández in the Casa de Oración this week!

Francisco and Roberto were contacts of Elder Noh and I that we found on Christmas Eve. We originally walked passed Francsico, 20, cutting grass in front of his house, but I felt a prompting to go back and contact him. I know that it was a prompting from the Spirit because he was super interested and invited us in to talk to him more about the Plan of Salvation. When we sat down on his porch, that´s when we met his older brother, Roberto, 21, who was also super interested and accepted a return visit. They come from a Catholic background but were never very active, and Francisco noticed some differences between the Bible and the Catholic Church which caused him to not believe. In the first lesson, the Spirit was incredibly strong and they both accepted baptismal dates! They both progressed so fast and started attending church right away. After Elder Noh left, Elder Tilley and I taught them all the commandments and got them ready to be baptized. It´s been so amazing to be made an instrument in the hands of the Lord to bring Roberto and Francisco to the Lord´s Church. They are so great.

We´re also teaching their younger sisters, Rosa, 18, and Lorena, 12, who aren`t progressing as fast, but we`re hoping with the examples of their older brothers, they will be baptized and confirmed in the coming weeks as well.

Todo está super bien! I`m happy and motivated to keep working hard, improve, and bring many more of God`s children to His Church en México!

¡Los amo mucho! Tenga una buena semana.


Love,
Elder Tucker