Sooooooooooooo hey guys.   This week we had bounces like no ones business, so what do you do when you are a white guy with a fair amount of knowledge of the gospel, you end up arguing with drunks. Here are some of the highlights.

Number 1 The good news.

So just after finished fighting off a matatu conductor ( they really don't like you if you want to walk to your house).  This drunk man starts to walk with us.  He wasn't asking for money so that was a nice change.  Anyways he asks "If we are men who work for jesus?". We say "yeah in fact we do".  Then he asks us, "is he coming here?" ." Yes" Then he gets all excited and he shouts "I KNEW IT WAS TRUE!"  I was like "what do you know"?  He is like   "Jesus is in America and he is waiting for his visa to come here!  Last I heard he was in Florida."  Then he just danced away, not walking dancing. Turns out Jesus is chilling in Florida waiting for his visa to come to Kenya; could be a few months though cause I know how pesky those visa papers are.

Number 2 Nataka kuongea na msungu pekee yake, si wewe. (I want to talk to the white guy alone.Not you.)

This was told to my companion after a drunk man came to the gate of the church and wanted to meet with us, he of course wanted money.  But he hated my comp and really really really liked me.

So after talking to this guy for about four or so minutes, we are trying to leave. This man after a little is shaking our hands and he holds mine for a little while inspecting my white skin. Then grips my hand real tight and pulls me into a head lock and starts inspecting my hair, like a mother gorilla.  Not what I meant when I said I am the real Tarzan.  Anywho I fight my way out of the headlock and this guy, goes in to kiss me on the cheek!! I am furiously pushing this mans face away from mine, but he still has is one arm grabbing mine. So I ended up kicking him in the gut, and he never made it to my face. Then I am like get in the church, so we get on the opposite side of the gate from this dude,  and we lock us in the gate of the church.  HE WON'T LEAVE!! I am a missionary so we give him a word of wisdom pamphlet ( My personal favorite for drunkards) and he proceeds to almost do the splits put his hands on his chest and say " ninakuwana mwanamke"  ( I have a woman). So we gave him another pamphlet whilst totally failing to keep a straight face. 

Number three what flavor is this?

So on Saturday we went to the duka (small store) across from our flat to get food for sunday, and some candy so we don't fall asleep in sacrament. We ended up wanting soda. I knew but I wanted soda but I wanted to try something new. So I see one that looked good and tried to find what flavor it was.  No flavor all it said was not for children.  So I am like whatever lets get it. When I reach the counter my companion is laughing his head off.  Turns out that I was about to buy some vodka mix soda. Apparently though you only have to be eighteen to buy alcohol here.  I ended up getting fanta. 

Apparently Jesus can be resurrected and appear to the apostles, John, Paul, and other people at different times in the Bible, but if he is seen in America it's a problem??? We hope to have another baptism in a few weeks. You can pray for us to find people who are searching for the truth. 

Anyways that is some highlights from my week,  tune in next week for more!

Elder Tucker

Missionaries sang as they walked and walked and walked and walked and walked.

So as you can see from the subject we have traveled pretty far this week.  I have talked about transport a little.  To explain more Matatus work kinda like taxis except you gotta to get the right one.  In our farthest part of our area it's about an hour walk and it is extremely hard to get a matatu to and from.  Unless you are at the stage ( area where they load and unload) so we end up just walking most the time.  It is pretty fun except right now is the start of the rainy season so we have either mud puddles or dust, no inbetween. Its great, I like to splash in the big big puddles, then sometimes I lose my shoe under like six inches of mud.

Lets see for stories. I will give one fun, and spiritual.

Story #1

So we were visiting with this less active member and she loves church history.  So she got the Mountain of the Lord video about the building of the Salt Lake Temple.  She told us we could watch it while we waited for the food to finish cooking. Most people start cooking when you arrive. So we were talking and half watching the film, and it was at a part where they were cutting the marble out of the canyon.  The Sister turns to me and asks " So do they have rocks like this in your homeland?" I have told her I am from Salt Lake several times. Kindly I say "Sister, that is my homeland, that canyon is about twenty minutes from my house." And she was in awe, like "oh my gosh so this is your home!?" " Yes that is the Salt Lake Temple.  I am from Salt Lake, hence I know the temple and the canyon."  She was very impressed for some odd reason.

For spiritual

We have an recent convert who received the priesthood last week.  Then he was assigned to bless the sacrament. We visited with him and taught him how to bless the sacrament.  What everything he will do represents, showed him Moroni chapters 4 and 5.  He blessed the sacrament yesterday. It was one of the best sacraments that I have ever had.  Because to me it showed that I showed this man the restored gospel; so that he could repent and return to his father in heaven.  Now he is the one blessing the sacrament to give that blessing of repentance and the atonement of Christ to the whole branch!  It was just an awesome feeling!  He only messed up once, so that was great.

Anyways internet is being crazy bad right now so no pictures this week, sorry I know all of you just love to look at my beautiful face.

Till next week, stay blessed.

Elmer Trrrrruuuuuckyyy (as the drunks pronounce it)

(There will be pictures-mom hasn't got them on from last week.)

Want a good leg workout? Laundry. Want a good Arm workout? Laundry. Need Socks? Laundry.

So I am not exactly sure why but recently I have love to do laundry, no clue why it kills your hands but it is just so fun.  Yes I am crazy, I know it, I live it, I love it, be jealous.  How's it going though, everyone doing fine? Great let's get started.

Lets see how much cocoa we can make Elder Tucker drink

For the record the answer is five cups, and I cannot feel my tongue at all.  Had a straight pili pili (chili pepper) yesterday, nothing no reaction, it was kind of cool.  We get a lot of cocoa or soya which is way better btw here in Kenya.  Every appointment they we had they gave us some.  As a white guy in 87 degree weather drinking chai ( chai means tea, but really it is used for any hot drink, so when people say chai tea, they just say tea tea) is not great, after our third appointment and fourth cup of chai. I was sweating like a polar bear in Jamaica. Then we got bounced so we visited a member in the area, she loves loves loves missionaries.  We stop in and guess what she gives us, soya.  so we drink one and say thanks and start to leave when she says " Elders, nimesifuraha, kwa sababu mjamliza thermos" she is not happy because we haven't finished the thermos. so we drink another cup of chai, give some to the cat, cause we are done. We go give some to some other dude in the compound and return the thermos.  I was super super hot all night ( I mean I always am, but in a different way this time.)

BAPTISM! ( and the surprise)

We got another baptism this week and it was super super awesome! So we cleaned out the font, and the church on Friday. One problem no power, no power means no water pressure, no pressure, no font.  So we found one faucet that kinda worked and filled up the bottom of the faunt then went home cause it was eight o clock and we have to be home by eight, African rules. So in the morning still no power, so we turn on the generator, get some hoses and start filling it up. But it was not going super strong so we ended up filling it up mostly with buckets, it was super fun.  Now earlier in the morning we got a surprise call from President Msane ( not usually a good sign) he wanted to go on splits with us that evening and said he would be there around five, so we hastily cleaned the apartment and confirmed appointments. In the middle of the baptism (around three) in walks President and Sister Msane.Now the Branch president is all flustered and nervous, the branch mission leader is having the hardest time speaking, and Pres. Msane doesn't speak swahili so they are trying english and doing alright but swahili is easier for them.  The baptism goes smooth and president was very complimentary.  It was my first time in the water with someone so that was nice to hear.  Then we went to the appointment, which went awesome.  The investigator only really spoke swahili so I got to show off my new skills to the big man, it was dope. Then on Sunday B. was confirmed, it was awesome!

These are the highlights of my week. I am absolutely loving Kenya, everything about Africa is amazing, for those of you waiting for a call pray for Kenya.  Its "The mission for men", that's a quote by a general authority not the missionaries here. 

ninapenda wote, asante sana kwa mombe yene, barikiwe

Elder Tucker

Hey ya'll  so transfers were this week it has been absolutely crazy. I was an usher for all the leaving and returning missionaries. I got to greet and say bye to absolutely everyone! I got my new Companion his name is Elder M he is from Kyulu.  He is super funny and only a bus ride away from his home. 

So I don't have many stories from this week, but lets see what I can muster up.

I will be having another baptism with a kid named B. on Saturday he is Awesome. I am super pumped and I get to be the one doing the baptism!  I don't know if we will get pictures though in the water because it is freaking freezing.  Should be fun though.  

Elder C's new friend.

So with everyone coming and going, I was with Elder C for a few days.  While we were heading to the bus station to pick up my new companion,  we were stopped by these Trolly men.  They are guys that just take packages on Dollys around town.  Well Elder C loves to mess with people when they shake his hand, by moving his hand when they try to grab it.  So this guy goes to shake his hand and elder C totally jukes him and the dude almost fell down (he was drunk). Elder C apologizes but the guy was still pretty mad. 

My new friend

We met with this dude who was crazy drunk on the road,  and he started speaking to me in his broken english, hooow ruuuuu my friiind.  I was like okay, lets have some fun. I start speaking Kiswahili and convincing this dude that I grew up in Tanzania.  He loses it, screaming that "I am a liar"!  I tell him the truth. I said," I was from Utah.  He was convinced that "Utah doesn't exist and I am making it up".  Sorry guys apparently Utah is fake, "in America there is only California, and New York" that's what he said.

So I finally got a package, thank you so much!  However I still didn't get the Christmas card.  I got the Season All, Goldfish and the Puzzle.(Anything I have mailed has gone missing-this Pringles can had so many different pictures of Jesus stuck all over the package it made it through! Mom for the win!) 

I am feeling good. My new companion doesn't like to run. So I have just been running stairs and around the compound, it is hard. But I know after all I can do the lord will bless me.

Elder Tucker

Why does he have to make a silly face?