Week 33: People...how are we here already? #transfer5

So it's kind of a weird phenomenon. I feel like everyday moves pretty quickly and I'm always shocked when it's time to start walking home, but then it feels like Christmas was months ago. I guess technically it was month(s) ago but still! The good news is that Elder Wagner and I are together for another one. Bonus round for team Malibu! (insert fistbump) I feel pretty excited because there are also two greenies coming to our district. Nice! Now i get to be the older brother missionary rather than the pretty-young-but not-a-greenie missionary. Progress.

In other news our awesome Zone Leader, Elder Evans, finishes his mission this week. He is such a successful, happy, hard working missionary and he will be missed. He and my trainer both are both getting reassigned: Member missionaries! It is an odd feeling to see the Missionary who picked you up when he was 3/4 done with his mission head home. It makes me feel old. Well at least in mission terms. Heck, I'm still 18! But with Elder Evans leaving there was a gap in missionary leadership. Elder Evans' comp Elder Anderson is becoming the district leader and training and Elder Wagner is going from district leader to Zone leader. Wowza! Truth be told, this was our unspoken prediction for transfers but it is still a shock. It means that I become assistant to Elder Wagner and inherit new responsibilities, Yay responsibility! I think I'm in charge of all of the junior comps in 청주 zone. Yikes...

But in other news, we found a family investigator this week! They were a referral from members in my last ward. So cool! So we went to their swanky apartment complex. Walked past the receptionist/guard and he paged our family saying: "...the Mormons are here. Did you call them?" Classic! But pretty much their golden! really really golden! He is a psychiatrist at a really big hospital and their two daughters (ages 4 and 2) are the cutest! It was pretty awesome when we got into the elevator and realized that their apartment had forty-two floors. What the heck! It was probably fancier than any hotel I've ever been in. wow. .  . . .. I'll send pictures when I can stealthily take some. :)

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This week was full of great revelation! I really really love reading the new testament! The only thing that is hard is when I get lost in cross referencing and forget where I started! I've come to appreciate more fully the infinite outflow that is possible to tap into when you study with the spirit! I testify that the scriptures are true! They really are God's word and you really can find the solution to any problem you face therein. So awesome. God is awesome! I'm glad to be His missionary

I love you all so much

Onward and upward!

Elder Tucker

Week 32: "They Can Smell Fear!"

Hello World!

I think I will apologize in advance for the briefness of my email. Time is short, but I will do what I can!

So the background for this week's subject heading goes as following:

Elder Wagner and I had just finished our appointment at the church and were walking the long way home for dinner in the hopes of being able to talk to more people. The long way has more shops and a couple of bigger schools. We pass the university in town and also past one of the really big girls high schools. (Because they are separated in Korea.) So we were walking down the sidewalk when out of the corner of our eye we see a gaggle of giggling girls, probably 15-18 years old, fearless when there are cute Americans involved, and with smart phones in tow, moving pretty quickly in our direction. And it's not like I'm scared of teenage girls or anything, but flirting is the worst as a missionary! (It was really awkward two weeks ago when Elder Wagner and I got asked on a double date by two of the sister's investigators...(#Koreaprobs)) Elder Wagner spotted them first and said in a firm tone: "Elder, Lets cross the street. Right now..." So we did (perhaps breaking some minor traffic laws...j-walking! The nerve!) and just in time too because as we did a little fast walk out of the area I could see them all taking pictures of us on their smartphones in the distance! I turned to Elder Wagner, a little surprised at the whole thing (because I didn't see it coming) and asked why they all showed up so fast. "Elder," he said, "They can smell fear!" True story! I can now add Korean teenage girls to the list!

Also had some really spiritual lessons this week! Managed to pick up six new investigators and had four out to church this week so I'm glad the work is rolling forward too! God is blessing us and I am so glad to be able to serve him! This week I have had some great studies in the New Testament and I'm trying to "learn of Him". I have been amazed at the Spirit in reading His own words, observing His actions, and trying to read between the lines to understand Him and His disciples better. Keywords in my study thus far deal with Fulfilling (fulfilling the law and more important to me: being filled full by Him) and Laborer (best when cross reference to Jacob 5. I feel like fishers of men would also do some good work in the vineyard. I love gardening and the ocean! So great!

I love you all and am totally out of time! You are in my prayers and thank you for sustaining me with yours. We live in a time of miracles! Just open your eyes, look up, look out in order to see them!

Always,

Onward and Upward

Elder Tucker  

some 우유 (oo yoo) (milk) while I read the words of my homeboy James E. Talmage. Deep doctrine never tasted so good!

Elder Kim loves eggs.  He bought like eight or nine dozen... He is really into protein right now.  Got to get huge, you know!

another selfie just for good measure....

A nice reflective shot with Jesus in the background.  I'd say he's photobombing but that feels inappropriate... Funny, but wrong!

Elder Wagner.  The hair says lets have a fun time, but the eyes say let's start comp study and cease the photo session.

a last selfie just for funsies

The best text messages this week!  Teaching English and spunky college kids is the best!  Life really is so fun!  These just speak for themselves!

Week 31: I'm so tired..I LOVE IT!

Hello World,

Salutations and howdy-do! This has been a whirlwind of a week and I am kind of shocked that I'm already back at the keys. I also realized that one of the hardest things I do all week is try to figure out what to put in the subject line of the email. I sit there and ponder, looking for something epic or especially meaningful, but I usually just sputter and just throw out something random. Well, thats ai'ight too. This week's subject title actually came from a song that has been playing almost every day on the radio when Elder Wagner and I go to the gym in the morning. The song is "nobody to love" by Sigma  I think, but I just love that I'm tired, but I love that being tired is never bad or hard. Missions are kind of weird because we work really hard, and it is kind of a go-go-go kind of lifestyle with lots of hurry-up-and-wait, but I'm less tired the more that I put in. I think it just chalks up to the fact that the more I do and the more give, the more I get blessed, so it never seems like too much. I guess that's the gospel: the more you give the more God will give you (both blessing--talents to use and multiply-and experiences to get over.) God is so great. I'm happy because I feel like I'm learning

So I think the craziest day of the week was last Wednesday. Elder Wagner and I got back together from our split (Which was funny and unfortunate because we split with the zone leader, Elder Evans, and Assistant ZL, Elder Anderson, who both happened to have mild food poisoning...really unfortunate, Elder Anderson is such a trooper doing street contacting with me in -5 degree weather with me when really he just needed to chill by the bathroom. Thank goodness for public restrooms and gas stations! But we did work!..anyway) We had three appointments pretty much back to back. We met the first individual who was a new investigator. (So funny. He has interest a lot because we're American, and he wants to learn English better. He also wants to meet and marry a foreigner because his celebrity crushes are Taylor Swift and Victoria Justice from Victorious. Classic.) We had a lesson with our baptismal date investigator, and that went great. He is having a hard time quitting cigarettes but he loves the Book of Mormon. He has a hard time reading it, but he loves it just the same. So good.

Our third investigator is Im Jan Ho (임잔호)  who is a college student and remarkably fashionable. His fashion sense has nothing to do with the story but I just like how he is always well dressed...back to the story. We were showing him the First Vision video and right in the middle of it a lady shows up to the church needing help to get home to a city like 2 hours away. Elder Wagner had to momentarily step out of the room to help her and take a call from bishop and things got exciting the moment he turned his back on us. So right then our investigator grabbed the remote and tried to turn down the volume because he thought it was too loud and in the process dropped the remote, dislodging the batteries. I tried to fix it but put them in backwards and then just resolved to use the buttons on the TV to lower the volume. The problem is the TV is in Korean, and the room was dark and I pressed the wrong button sending the TV into static and very loud static at that. All the while Elder Wagner is trying to help a needy woman in the hallway. He came in and fixed the TV and the lesson ended well, but things got pretty hectic for a moment. It a was a great moment in the Korean adventure.

Anyway, I am totally out of time but have been loving reading Jesus the Christ by Talmage. Such a superb book, and I am just in awe whenever I read it. I've read it a lot this week. So good. I also just love the Plan of Salvation. I had a couple chances to teach and study it in depth this week and I am just awestruck by how amazing it is. God is perfect and he does all of this for us. He loves us and He lives! I know it and am so blessed to share that!

Love ya,

Onward and Upward,

Elder Tucker

Week 30: #Embark Welcome 2015

Howdy everybody (Family, friends .I love ya all.)

Happy new year! This is so crazy that we are already here. I'm not sure what to think..I guess I'll just type.

This week has been crazy busy actually. We have had a bunch of appointment and five new investigators. We have been getting a lot of referrals recently and had ten hours of teaching time this week. New personal record. I love it when the lord trust us enough to give us a crap ton of work to do. It is so fun here in 흥덕 ! I feel like missions are fun. It is like being a super hero and my super power is sharing the gospel. Pretty fantastic! I used to always say that I'd want the power of flight--you know, levitation, or telekinesis, but I guess I'm content with the power to move people. You know, with the spirit and all. I think all of you should resolve to give a little more to God this year. Right now as a mission we are focusing on and studying about consecration--consecration of our whole selves to God. Tad R. Callister has a great talk on it...but also doing missionary work just makes you so happy. Why? Because when we do missionary work we are doing God's work. We are advancing his purpose to bring about immortality and eternal life and let's be real: this is the plan of happiness! Sharing it will make you happy and it'll make them happy for eternity! Happy new year! (Read my "happy" gospel sharing vibe into it next time you wish someone a festive new year...:)

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Anyway, besides the small rant I was so happy when I watched the new mutual theme video. The #Embark one. 

It is so great. I have been studying D&C 4:2 really hard today and I am amazed. It is calling us out and calling us up. It is all about onward and upward! Give it to God. We are His and as His He will strengthen and bless us and lead us by the hand. He asks is to be lights unto the world--to be examples of the believers. As we do we will find ourselves with greater purpose, greater power, and a greater ability to be His. To be happy! I love you all and pray for you everyday. This year is the time to embark! What are you embarking on? Where are you going and why? I think I'll study embarking a little more and get back to you with my ideas. What are your thoughts? If you want, shoot me an email (john.tucker@myldsmail.net) or shoot me a snail mail response.  Let's do it! The doing is the hard part so we might as well start now.

Loves. Lots of love.

Onward and upward,

Elder Tucker