No Power??

October 29, 2018

As for me this last week was super normal, lots of running around and doing missionary stuff, helping people move.  Turns out couches in Kenya are really light, at one point me and another guy were moving one, and he let go to greet some dude, and said, "oh flip now Tucker knows I am not lifting anything!!"  Turns out I can move Kenyan couches all by myself, it was fun.  Things for me are going good. I am another week down, and am doing my best to keep the spirit.  We have zone conference on Wednesday and I get to bear my final testimony, that will be super interesting.

Love you Momma

*That's it-probably no power.

"GIVE ME MONEY" Conductor. "NO". me

GIVE ME MONEY" Conductor. "NO". me

October 23, 2018

This week was really funny.  I don't exactly know why but people around this time in my area are really really animated.  It is super funny sometimes and other times super annoying, luckily though the majority of the time is the first statement.

1: Subject

Like I have said before, if you cant bargain in Kenya, you will be screwed.  Here my friends is another example of the previous statement.  Well after my last interview with President Msane we were trying to get a bus home.  Well we got on the bus we needed knowing the price is twenty.  Well for some reason the dude who told us the price and the dude collecting money were not on the same page.  So this conductor doubles the price for us.  Now I was tired and didn't feel like playing. I just gave him twenty bob, and this dude FREAKS OUT! I honestly thought he was like 4 years old at one point, after yelling at us for a long time he gave up and took money from other customers for about ten minutes.  Then he comes back to try and get our money again, this time accusing us of never having paid.  Again I was tired and wasn't playing, so for some reason this dude so funny to me I couldn't help but bust a gut laughing at his temper tantrum over ten bob.  Well he then starts yelling at us that we will be kicked out of the bus and that "foreigners should not be telling the conductor the price of transport". I just kept laughing and it was hilarious.  Then the best part is he kicked us out of the bus.  But this man was whining so much and so long that he took us to where we wanted to go.  Moral of the story is when someone is whining, let em, because they lose sight of their goal and play themselves. You save ten bob!

2: They wasn't ready for us....

Today we got to go to a really big mall.  it was awesome I  got Arizona lemonade, and Dr. Pepper (no root beer) and had Carl's Junior, it was really nice!  Also there was this thing where you can ride scooters and skate boards and hoverboards. Naturally as the show off I am; I had to show off.  It was hilarious cause at one point we would lay down on two hover boards and snake around and drive through peoples legs, man it was hilarious.  You could tell that the dudes running the show were thinking "oh fetch it was a bad idea to give these to these kids". It was super fun though.

Anywho Love you guys. Elder Tucker

"Kasabuni, ndio place nimegrow, kasabuni ndio place inaniroar" Kaligraph Jones

"Kasabuni, ndio place nimegrow, Kasabuni ndio place inaniroar" Kaligraph Jones

October 16,2018

So this is a quote from a song by a Kenyan rapper named Kaligraph Jones (look it up, he has got some nice songs).  I include it cause Kasabuni is in my new area, so that is why I included it. Here are some stories

1: Follow that bus!!!

So here in Kenya your flat will run out of water at least two or three times a transfer, usually you can just make it through the day, and it will come back later.  We had General Conference on the day we didn't have water and kinda needed to not smell like dusty sweaty missionaries.  We ended up just going to the neighboring areas flat and showering there.  But we accidentally dropped the only key to our flat on the bus ( we realized after getting of the bus) and ended up just chasing this bus all the way to the stage to retrieve the key, it was an exciting morning!  We did get to shower and go to conference and get the key though.

2: "I can get it for ten give me thirty seconds" *goes to conductor, Swahili screaming, returns thirty seconds later* "ITS TEN GET IN!

So when it comes to transport in Kenya it is all about bargaining.  If you can't bargain and you are white you will be ripped off, but luckily I am really good at it when I need to.  On our way back from conference we needed to pay for the ride home, but I only had ten bop for the last Matatu.  So my comp was saying that it was impossible to get for ten, and that we would have to just walk, ( I was super tired and we were far so I wasn't down for that) So I said the above, and went and had a nice discussion about stealing with the conductor and made a friend who said he would take me for ten just cause of the fact that he has never seen a white guy as bold and savage as I was.  I went home for ten bop.  Moral of the story is,  be bold, use what you got, and you will get where your going.

I am good, I am working in like the slums of Nairobi, it is really fun! Street food is super cheep here, so I don't go hungry haha. I have cool people here too, like super happy fun people. I am still trying to teach the kids how to treat me like a person though.  They are learning slowly,  They don't all freak out when I walk by anymore and we are becoming friends. My companion is super cool,I love him. He is from the Congo and loves Ugali like it is the bread of the celestial kingdom.  I am with Elder P. a lot cause he is the other companionship in the area.  

Have a great week guys ! Elder Tucker

Just when you think you have got it all figured out.........

Just when you think you have got it all figured out.....Me

Oct. 8,2018

You know one of the biggest lessons that I have learned on my mission is that God loves just to mess with people.  Imagine after almost twenty three months you would think that "yeah, I have got this down." Then God is like "Angel Dave, " shoot him with the humble gun." "yes, sir" BAM and then you just end up laying on the couch at midnight staring at the ceiling like "what the heck??"  Here are a few examples.

1: Transfers 16: Elder Tucker 0

So one of the most exciting times as a missionary is transfer news night.  For us that happens saturday of week six, usually around 11:30pm.  Well we always try to guess what is going to happen.  I have never been right once.  Every time I am like "yeah it has been a while I think I am leaving" I stay.  When I say nah man I am staying my comp is leaving, I go.  This was no different.  Due to the fact that I only have one transfer left, and my companion has only been in the area for one transfer I felt pretty safe that I was going to stay and finish here .( Which I would have loved to do).  God has other plans though so I will be finishing my mission in the Lucky Summer ward now.  But I am excited I know a few people over there and we will have a wonderful time together.

2: Baptism

So here in Kenya, baptisms sometimes are as common as a trip to the local swimming pool.  SO teaching people that they need to be baptized again is always difficult.  You teach priesthood, and the great apostasy and how the priesthood is only found in the church, but the only response you get is still "no, my pastor had the authority, he was a pastor I have already been baptized." Now the reason they are included in the email, is cause I was about to just call it, say "you know we have tried everything i know how to do, and they will learn in time. Now isn't the time though."  Luckily my comp said "no".  We went with one last final show, tried everything we could think of and then some,  and guess what?  THEY GOT IT!!! It was so powerful, when they finally said "yeah okay I see what you are saying and it makes sense."  We were so excited, I mean not just a baptismal commitment but much progress was made and it truly humbled me.  I thank the lord for my companion and his patience.

welp, that is about it for today guys.  Love y'all

Elder Tucker  

Bring it sheep-Me

"Bring it sheep"-Me


10-2-18

Whats up guys?  This week we came earlier to make sure I have time for the weekly.  Here are your stories

1 The sheep

So here in Kenya there really isn't much of a "this is where animals graze" and a "this is where animals don't graze" type thing.  You can get sheep, cows, goats, etc. all  over the place. The funniest is when a slow cow causes a traffic jam, in the middle of the town.  its just norm here.  Well anywho there was this stupid sheep that kept trying to get into the compound and eat the grass.  Everytime he would just book it into the church and then I would chase him out.  Well the stupid thing wouldn't stop so finally I just waited for him to get in the gate; then chased him to piss him off enough to get him out of the church for good.  When I started chasing the thing, It went to charge me, but I was too quick.  So as it came trying to ram me I dodged and it ran straight into the chain link fence and then just spas-med on the ground for like thirty seconds. At which time I grabbed a small reed and whipped it out of the compound.  The whole branch was just laughing as I was trying to get the sheep out. It was really fun.

2.  The rain

So Saturday we were blessed with an insane rainstorm here in Kitengela.  My comp and I didn't feel like staying inside so we just walked around and got soaked, and it was super fun!  The most interesting part was this one lady was so worried about us walking in the rain, that she started just  yelling at us about how we were gonna die, She wouldn't except a book from us because she thought we were lunatics for walking in the rain, but it really wasn't that bad at that point.  It is just funny to see how this whole country shuts down in a rainstorm.

My week was fairly good but ended pretty mah.  We had some powerful days on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  Friday things started to slow down a bit then Saturday and Sunday just blew. We got bounced  by everyone. I was trying just kinda make it through put on a smile and stuff at church.  Just playing with the kids cause that really cheers me up!  Elder Fuller gave me a call and it really helped,  My comp helped me cheer up, he is awesome.  We are on the last week of the transfer though so that is keeping me super excited! Now I can say "next month".  

Love you guys

Elder Tucker