Salutations Family and Friends! My love is with you.
Contrary to the subject heading, this email is not about
General Conference. Why? Because I haven't seen it yet! I never really had a
problem with this whole fifteen hours ahead thing until now. I love General
Conference! And I think as a missionary the hype I feel for more words from the
prophet and church leaders is greater than any movie or record release I've
felt up to this point in my life. I'm just like "What is is Tommy going to
say!?" or my main man Elder Holland/ Elder Uchtdorf/ Elder Bednar/ ElderScott.... okay, they're all my main man. Main men, I guess. I love the GeneralAuthorities, They are called of God and whatever it is that they say is exactly
what God, our father, wants us to know at this point. It's kind of like the
game plan or weather forecast for the next six months. "Yes, well, it
looks like we can expect the wickedness to be quite fierce coming form a
northwesternly direction and a calm breeze for those who heed the Spirit of
Elijah and do family history work for their ancestors....or something like that"
I can't wait until this upcoming weekend when I get to see it for myself. (The
Church express delivers it to us) and I will even get to watch it in English!
Bonus!
This week was one of miracles. I keep seeing how when I do
all I can and open my mouth to everyone I see that the Lord blesses me. I don't
always see them but I really feel like I'm being showered (maybe soaked--like a
tub) with blessings. This week we found a capital "g" golden
investigator. He called us because his son received one of the name cards we
hand out on the street and he really wants to know about the Book of Mormon and
everything we believe. He is SO prepared. It is crazy. In the past three days
we've taught him twice with our ward mission leader, and he came to church and
loved it, and we're meeting him at his home at least twice this week! It is so
amazing; I guess you could call it miraculous..literally. God is good.
Sometimes missionary work is hard. Ok. It's usually hard.
Sometimes the language or the investigator's progress is discouraging, but know
this: All that God intends will be brought about through our personal
righteousness and desire to do His will. I am a firm believer in prayer as a
fix-it-all, usually it fixes me to be able to fix my situations or changes my
heart rather than someone else's actions. And you know what? I love it! I love
missionary work and totally encourage everyone to find out what more you can do
to share this precious message, this fruit which is desirable over all that is
desirable to make one happy. I love it.
I love you. My prayers are with you and I feel yours here. Keep 'em coming!
Keep going. Press continually forward! Onward and upward!
It is good to be on the wining team. Fight the good fight!
Love,
Elder Tucker
2.0
Here is my testimony!
well...part of it. :)
I know God lives! You know, for two years I get to serve
with his name hovering over my heart and I am so grateful to my savior and
Lord, Jesus Christ, who knows me and loves me perfectly, who dies for me and suffered
for me personally so that I can come back to him and to Father. I am so
grateful to the prophet Joseph Smith and I know that he did indeed see God the
Father and the Son. He restored Christ's church and I know he was called of
God.
I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. [Editor's note: You are invited to learn more about the Book of Mormon or request a free copy for yourself as a gift.] Through
reading this book God has softened and changed my heart, He has taught me who
He is and who I am. The Book of Mormon brings people unto Christ, it brought
me, and I know that though continually holding fast to it and to its teachings
I can remain faithful, progress, and ultimately return to God. Reading the Book
of Mormon just makes me happy inside and no matter how many times I read from
it, if I go into it with a question and faith, I always come out with more light
and knowledge. I know that this is because the Spirit testifies of truth. I
love the Holy Ghost; he is the third member of the Godhead and through him I've
been able to know my Savior and feel the miracle of the Atonement heal and
change my weak and very-human heart. I know that God is my father. He loves me
and sent His beloved son down here to be lifted up on the cross so that I can
come unto Him and be lifted up at the last day. I love my Savior and I know and
testify that He lives. What comfort that sentence gives! I am so grateful,
forever grateful, for his merciful and infinite atonement that can make me
better than I am and can lift me upward and onward "that the Grace of the
Father may be, and abide in [me]", that "the hope and glory of eternal
life [may] rest in [my] mind forever" (Moroni 9:26-27).