Week 42: These Two Cute Grandmas...

So this week was pretty great! Fun story for the now is that on the way to emailing, Elder Wagner and I stopped at a stop light. (novel concept I know:) And there were these three cutest old women. They were like 80 year-old grandmas and were wearing cute floral patterns and were all bent over with age. The oldest one looked at me and my companion and came over and said to us in Korean "You two are SO cute! You are just the cutest things. Wow. I'm like your mother. She would tell you that you are such cute little things". Then the other two came over as the light turned green and patted our backs as we all crossed the street together. I'm not sure if I get my "helping the elderly" merit badge yet, but that was pretty great. We got to the other side, bowed, and they went on their merry way. Cute grandmas are the greatest! Shout out: I have the best Grandmas ever! I live 6,000 miles away and I can still feel their love! The power of prayer is real.

A fun story from yesterday. So we take the sacrament every week to a lady named (in rough English translation) Jo Yeh In. She is the nicest lady ever. She was super catholic. Like she still prays in Latin sometimes when she feels moved to. She can't come to church these days because she is taking care of her husband who is in liver failure. Anyway, she is a super member missionary  when she can make it out, and after we took the sacrament she asked if she could come with us to visit our investigator Anna who works at the burger restaurant. We agreed and met later last night. It was terrific! She is awesome. She showed up wearing this fun tied scarf and poofy black coat and she kind of looked like Korean-Nanny McPhee or something. She is actually very similar to Anna because they both have worked in restaurants their whole lives, have been heavy smokers, drinkers, catholic, and both love the missionaries. So they were talking and Sister Jo politely told Anna that she needed to have faith that she could stop smoking and get baptized this Sunday on Easter so that she could be reborn on the anniversary of Christ's resurrection! Anna balked a little, and we actually had to leave a little before they finished because they wanted to keep talking and we had to get home by curfew, so we'll find out how it went tonight, but I love this gospel. I love how a testimony comes from God and through that knowledge we become converted. The Holy Ghost confirms truth to our souls and no power can shake it so long as we hold true. Sister Jo is really converted. And I know that as I am out here I keep getting converted too. I pray this week as you have the chance to hear from our living prophets and apostles that you are touched, that you feel the truth of their words, and that you can become a little more converted. I know that God hears and answers our prayers.

P.S. General conference is pretty much the best time to get answers. SO... have ears to hear!

Jones has ears to hear.

I love you.

Onward and Upward

Elder Tucker  

me and my ZL friend Elder Andrews.  He is the greatest.

And some blurry pics of zone conference!

I love these people!

Here is the best of eastern medicine!  The best is that we did it all in the middle of Anna's burger restaurant.....

And nobody said anything.  They just kept eating their delicious burgers.

We had to do acupuncture on Elder Wagner's foot/ankle because he was so swollen when he sprained it. So we had these cool suction cup things and a hand pump and you suck the skin then use a cool needle tool so it starts bleeding. Then you put the suction cup back on then you let it suck out all of the "bad blood". Crazy coagulation and such. The crazy thing was that within three days Elder Wagner was doing leg days at our gym. High fives for eastern medicine. I was in charge of cleaning the old suction cups and supplying new ones.

Week 41: Long week and short of time!

Ok ladies and gents!

First off, shout out to my best friend Summer Stapley and I am so excited for your mission call. I'm going to guess ...Spain? Barcelona? Yep, that's my guess.

This week has been so great!

This week I traveled to Daejeon and had an awesome Mission leaders conference. The spirit is so strong and plus we had pulled pork sandwiches for lunch! Where is the kimchi?!

I helped perform acupuncture on Elder Wagner. Good news: I can be a doctor. Turns out I think blood is really cool and not distinguishing. So that's a plus. Pics to follow.

We had zone conference (*technically combined district meeting)

President, Sister Shin and the AP's came over to do House/area book inspections and interviews and then they made us lunch! This time we had kimchi. And brownies.... Man, I love Costco.

Miracle of the week is that one of our investigators hasn't been able to meet for about 8 weeks and finally met again this week. He has been reading the Book of Mormon every night! He hasn't understood it well, but has read! He came to church and is progressing so well! Thank you Heavenly Father! Plus, the funny fact about him is that he first heard about the church via South Park. He wanted to know why Satan said the Mormons were right. Then he looked us upon the web, read a whole bunch of bad stuff, didn't believe any of it, then met us on the street a few weeks later. Such a miracle. Thanks South Park.

2.0

Short, but I loved a quote from MLC from President Shin. We were talking about investigators who could get baptized this transfer. There are many with potential, but they just need to change their lives. President Shin began talking about the atonement and said "If you have enough love, you can change." If I have enough love I can change. Through the love that I have I can't necessarily change others, I can influence them for good, but if they can come to possess His love they can and will change! I testify that Jesus Christ loves you! He lived, He died, and He lives for you! I know that He is our Savior and through His atonement all can be made right. We can change and be made better. Be made whole! I testify of that. It is true!

I love you.^^

Onward and upward

Elder Tucker

Week 40: New transfer and talents and BABY!

Hello world! 안녕하세요!

I was so pleasantly surprised to open up the email today and find out that the world is a little brighter! I am so happy that little baby Calvin Levi Pace is now here and ready for business! YAY! I'm an uncle again! Nice work team Pace! (especial kudos to Jordann for doing the heavy lifting. OR pushing as the case may be....^^) Back to point. I am so excited and happy! I wish health and happiness to everyone and all! I think the weirdest thing is that when I take off the cape and tag and am forced back into civilian life that Calvin will be where baby Jones was when I left and baby Jones will be a grown up. Man they grow up fast.

Also this week marks the beginning of my 6th transfer in Korea. I know! I too am asking myself how I got here so quickly and why it is that I seem so old when I feel so young still. It is weird to think I've been a missionary since Baby Calvin was a twinkle and if I were a sister missionary I'd be over the hill. Thank goodness that I'm an Elder! This transfer should be pretty fantastic. I am with Elder Wagner for our third together in 흥덕 area and fingers crossed that our fantastic investigator Anna gets baptized on April 12th. (And if along with crossed fingers if you could pray for her too I would appreciate it so much! The power of prayer is so real and I know that collective prayer power engenders action and always brings miracles!) In other news there is a lot of the same, except that tomorrow Elder Wager and I go to Daejeon for a misssion leader conference. I am pretty excited! They are always great and I love seeing President and Sister Shin so much. Plus the bonus for this time is that Sister Shin said she would buy me some Quaker oats at Costco (I love that Costco is a worldwide thing these days:) so it seems that breakfast will be a whole lot happier soon. Man, I love Asia. I also love oatmeal!

2.0

So there isn't much time today but I'll say what I can...

This week in one of our companionship studies Elder Wagner and I cracked open the parable of the talents. I learned so much. Some of the insights I got deal with success and how it is our talents increase. In the parable it is important to remember that all of the talents and the servants themselves were the Lord's. He gave them what was his so they could grow. He grows and is glorified when we gain glory and then we give glory back to Him and so on. The best way we gain talents is by sharing them (investing) them in others. When we do this others grow (more glory) and our talents multiply and the whole economy of God grows and gains glory. The truth is that God does everything He does for our growth and development. He is always working towards the happiness, the glory, the eternal life of what is most important to him: His family! I love that this is His work and that I can share it with others. I know it is true!

I love you.

Onward and Upward

Elder Tucker

Week 39: And another one bites the dust...‏

So I threw out that Queen reference because ladies and gentlemen I have come to the end of yet another transfer here in Cheongju. We just got our transfer calls from the AP's and Elder Wagner and I are stating the same. Nice! I am pretty excited because some great things should be happening this transfer! #baptism

This week was pretty exciting because of both my split with Elder Parker in a neighboring district (which is notable because I was senior--which is funny because he is 26! Yeah, that means he was born in 1988, eight years before I was born! weird. He has a great life story) All went well.

Also this week was Stake conference! Nice! This is my second one in Korea, and I liked it so much more because I could actually understand part of it. It's not all there of course but I love this awesome relationship I'm developing where the better I get at Korean, the less I day dream in church. Progress baby! I'm on the up and up! But really it was great. Our most progressing investigator, Anna came to church and loved it! It was awesome because she said she needed to leave a half hour early  to get to work next door, but she just had this feeling and she couldn't  leave. Nice work Spirit! So yep, she is doing great and is most likely going to get baptized in the middle of April. I am so excited! She just has to kick that whole smoking thing! But things are on the up and up! What can I say? I'm a positive guy and I'm really happy that things are going great!

I also Love personal study! My favorite is when a whole study is spurred by one footnote. Enter ...

2.0

Matt 3:2 John the Baptist in the wilderness proclaiming repentance and he said to the people: "Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand"

The Greek on the word "repent" denotes "A change of heart" i.e. "a conversion"

Wow. I love that take on repentance. I love the idea that repentance is never a negative word but is perhaps one of the most hopeful I know, synonymous with grace. Repentance allows an escape. Repentance is the cocoon process that turns all of us sill squishy caterpillars into really nice butterflies! Looking at repentance and its significance took me to Alma 9:27-28 "And behold, he cometh to redeem those who will be baptized unto repentance through faith on his name." Some pondering and reflective notes on this section spurred a great study and scripture chase on the Gospel of Jesus Christ (our third lesson we teach) and it culminated in 3 Nephi 27. I still need another study session to attack chapter 27 because it is so rich, but I just love the scriptures. I love how they are living scriptures in the idea that they will grow and change as we change and come back to them. I have grown so much through them. I love the word of God! (and I'm really excited for conference.a.k.a. the Superbowl of the mission world) and I hope that as we each reflect day by day on who we are and seek that change of heart to not only be  a better person, but as is sometimes in my own life, pray to want to change or improve, that we will! That is my testimony and I am sorry that I am so out of time!

Love you all

Onward and upward!

Elder Tucker

Ok, so this week we had a FHE at the church and I snapped a pic with some of my favorite Korean My good friend with the glasses is HoYong and he is fantastic. He graduated from high school a little early to hit the mission field in Seoul and has also already done his two years of mandatory military service. He is great, is going to BYU Hawaii soon and helps us out on member lessons all the time. so great! members! They are all awesome but I only had time for a few.

Here is a picture of the cutest kid ever.  Picture and blur don't do him justice.  His Korean name sounds like Danny.  Cutest!

Also despite appearences, Elder Wagner is not from Idaho.  He just looks like a potato.
It's what happens when we forget to turn on the floor heat at night then try to do studies.... missenprobs

Week 38: Hello Everybody!

Hello Everybody! (These are my people!)

I know that most people won't get the reference of my salutation, but I was making a subtle shout out to my adorable cousin Dakota! She is the greatest and so cute. I hope she and all of you can feel my love. Sometimes it's hard to convey love through the internet....but I try. Gotta love the internet.

This week there is very little time and though it isn't my first choice I fell like the tactics of my great compadre are appropriate here. Yes, I am indeed invoking a list!

1. This week I rode a train for the first time since the Polar Express. I wonder how many people out there know that there is a real polar express and that it happens to be in northern Arizona. Fun fact! The train was nice and Korea was beautiful!

2. I had a split this week with my good old friend from the MTC district Elder Godfrey. He is my 6'7" Canadian friend and even though he had a terrible cold we both survived and it was a great senior moment for both of us because we were the oldest missionaries in the house and got to help others: the Best!

3. Ok. a two item list is pretty lame but I am out of time.

2.0

The lesson from this week come s from Moses 4:23 and is also reflected in Genesis 3. Essentially God tells Adam and Eve after their little experience with tree that he will curse the ground for their sake. He will curse the ground for their sake! The point is that God gives us challenges, there are literal and figurative thorns and thistles in all of our lives, but he does it all because he loves us. Remember that he is always about his business of forwarding our eternal life and salvation. I love and regularly recall Elder Christofferson: "I am the Gardener here and I know what I want you to be." in this life it is critical to remember that He is God. He knows what is best and He will do that for us. Sweat and tears and blood are to be expected in this, our mortal sojourn here. The great thing is that there is Hope. He is hope! I love being a missionary and that I get to tell people about this every day. It is pretty much the best thing ever!

I love you all

Onward and upward

Elder Tucker

So the jury is in and we decide I look more like James Potter than Harry.  No prob.  I like James better anyway!
District meeting was great too!