First and foremost I love my dad! He is the best man that I
know, the smartest, nicest and will make anyone the best playlist ever--really
he's great! (now say it like tony the tiger: Ggggrrreeat!!!) I hope that you
dad and the fam are having a brilliant time in paradise! I love the pictures
from Hawaii and can truthfully say I'm keeping my jealously at a low. I'm so
glad that the blessings from the windows of heaven include plane tickets to and
a beach house in tropical paradise! Life is good. And I'm doing fine because
I've been loving Korea so much!
This week has been pretty great. And it's great that it's
over. Elder 박..Park...and I were in charge of combined district meeting this
week which means we held a 5 hour meeting with all of the missionaries in our
zone with the APs and President and Sister Shin. We were in charge and
President did interviews. So exciting, I got to lead the whole zone in an hour
long discussion of the "Sister Susan Fulcher Case Study". We got the
paper in the MTC as part of in-field orientation and we have used it on and off
for different mission things since I've been here. Pretty much it's the best. I
have my copy from the MTC still but it's cool because the Korea version is
included in the Korean version of "the power of everyday
missionaries" (actually they have like a ton of bonus features in the
Korean version. I chalk it up to brother Christiensen serving in Korea and I'm
just happy because I can read all those cool circles and squiggles now. I
wonder what Korean looks like to all of you
guys?? ㅋㅋㅋ이 것을 읽을 수 있어요?? Yeah, we had a Korean
class this week where we're teaching some foreigners Korean. So funny. I forgot
how weird Asian sounds when it's translated literally. "I know that God
lives" Oh, you mean? " I God(honorfied subject marker) lives(present progressive conjugation)thing
know!" Yep. Korea! This weekend there was a special broadcast for all off
Korea. It was a stake conference of sorts. Elder Ringwoood from the Seventy
gave his talk in Korean (so cool!) and we also heard from Elder Maynes and
Elder Christofferson! So great! I think I need to go back and download and
relisten to it because due to some odd circumstances where I had to help
translate the first part of stake conference Elder Park went with our
investigator and listened to the broadcast in English and I listened to it in
Korean. Life, man, sometimes the irony just gets me.
2.0
And this week was super good. From combined district meeting
and also my interview with President I recognized my urgent need to step up and
raise the bar and be more of the leader who God and the mission need me to be
right now. I think since receiving my new call to serve with Elder Park I have
allowed myself to be a little overwhelmed and have been acted upon more than me
leading out and being what I'm capable of. It comes down to faith I think. I
have confidence in God! I know He is just and perfect and can do all things and
I know that my call comes from him. I have faith in President Shin and know
that he leads us by revelation and I was lacking faith in myself. Who am I to
doubt the President and the Lord. My calling comes from the Lord and according
to my asking he promises me revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon
knowledge, and the spirit in greater abundance than I have ever know to do the
job before me. I realized that I am going to be lacking. That is part of the
plan. I live in deep waters and that is okay. I lack so that I can turn to God
when I'm lacking wisdom or strength and he can give me liberally and upbraid me
not. Duh!~ Elder Tucker has been tutored by the spirit and I have been able to
approach the tasks before me much better this week. I have realized that all I
need to "step-up" or really, to magnify my priesthood is the spirit.
The Spirit and the gift of the Holy Ghost contain all the gifts of God and my diligent
application unto that will change me and transform me into a servant of the
Lord. This week I have been thinking about the difference between
"obtaining" the priesthood and "receiving" the priesthood
(D&C 84:33.35). I think it is similar to "receiving the gift of the
Holy Ghost". They both require active choices on our part and will be the
greatest difference in our individual ministries.
So that's what my mind has been on recently. I pray that the
spirit is with you (man, I sound like a jedi sometimes! Awesome!) and can tutor
and teach you what you need for your individual lives!
God is good. Look to Him and live..
Onward and Upward
Elder Tucker (I love
you dad! Happy father's day!!!)