Elder Tucker In Mexico: Los Cocos, La Diligencia y La Conferencia General

¡Hola Amada Familia Mia!

This week was another very good week for me in my mission and my life. It´s difficult out here, I don´t think any mission is easy, but the mission is always filled with so many little tender mercies that are always enough to keep me esforzando.

Thursday we visited the Hernández Hernández Family and showed them the video The Lamb of God which I downloaded on my USB. Afterwards, their cousin, Ricardo, came over with his machete to climb their 30 foot palm tree and cut down some coconuts. I was so impressed how easily and quickly he could climb it without ropes or anything to help him. This all happened when it was getting dark outside so I couldn´t even see when I was almost taken out by one of the coconuts that fell right between my legs! Thankfully, that´s probably the most dangerous thing that`s happened to me since I´ve been en México. Also, the coconuts were SO good! I`m a little confused how there´s so many good coconuts, mangos, etc. here right now when it hasn´t rained once during in my time in Jamiltepec, but oh well, I´m cool with it.

Friday, Elder Tilley and I taught our english class in La Casa de Oración. 4 members and one non-member showed up. We didn´t have time to contact the non-member as she had to leave right after the lesson but we will continue teaching the classes and hope that she and more people will come!

Saturday and Sunday we watched all sessions of General Conference in the chapel in Pinotepa. So many great messages were shared and I hope you all had the opportunity to hear them. Something I didn´t know before was that the translators for all of the speakers don´t have the script, but have to listen and translate every word live. Talk about the gift of the interpretation of tongues! It was also powerful listening because sometimes the Spirit hits the translators at different points of the talk than the speakers and you can hear them getting emotional. Also Sunday, I did my first baptismal interviews as district leader for America and Nereida Mendoza Valentin. They probably were the easiest baptismal interviews for someone doing their first interviews because America and Nereida are sisters of 10 and 11 years old. Anyways, they passed and will be baptized this Saturday!

As of right now, the closest investigator Elder Tilley and I have to baptism is Diana. If you remember, Diana is an investigator of Elder Noh and I and other missionaries, but she could never get baptized because she wasn´t married to her boyfriend that lives with her. Elder Noh and I taught them the importance of marriage and families and they were finally about to get married when José, the boyfriend, started having a ton of drinking problems. Diana has been progressing ever since the first missionaries met with her and wants to be baptized. Elder Tilley and I have continued to meet with her and she made the decision that she will find more temporal and eternal hapiness if she splits up with him and is baptized. Long story short, they´re splitting up now and it´s sad, but the good news is Diana will be ready for her baptism when he actually leaves, which should be this week.

Tomorrow, I complete 6 months as a missionary! I´ll be honest, these 6 months didn´t feel like they were going by that fast, but when I think about already being one-fourth of the way done with these two years, I start thinking wow, I really gotta keep doing everything I can with the time I have because this is my only opportunity to give everything I have to the Lord and the people of México!

Thank you for all the love and support! I know the Jesus Christ lives, I know that this is His Church, and that Thomas S. Monson is His Prophet.

¡Tenga una buena semana!

Remember that Conference isn´t just something we listen to every 6 months, but something we should study throughout the whole year!