"Dude why are you walking so weird?" Elder Jack

A small FYI, another transfer has come and gone. I will again be remaining in Naivasha/Nakuru, with Elder Jack.  In fact most of our district is the same other than we got a new set of sisters.  I guess God wanted to give our District Leader more headaches haha. The people are too used to me here, everyone seems to know me. They say "the Muzungu who speaks Swahili and Kikuyu, he teaches about Christ". Anyway, lets hear some stories:

1: Subject

So while walking this week, my shoe started feeling really funny, so as we kept walking I was trying to fix it by walking different.  After doing this for about a kilometer my comp stopped me and asked essentially "What I was doing?"  It was at this point that I finally looked at my shoes.  As I lifted my foot to look at my shoe the entire heel came off, and half of the sole.  So we thought we should check the other one as well, same thing happened.  I was not prepared for that, so I went the rest of the day proselyting in some cheap flip flops, it was awesome. I will buy new black shoes. 

2:"Moose?"-Elder Mbaya

So this week we also had exchanges.  I got blessed to work with an Elder from DRC Congo.  His name is Elder Mbaya. Anywho somehow in our conversations throughout the day he asked me what kind of animals we have in North America.  In the limited English that he knows I tried to explain a moose, but he really only understood brown, furry, and lives in the woods.  So while we were visiting an investigator,he saw a commercial for national geographic.  It was a scene of a grizzly bear eating salmon.  So in the middle of the lesson, he taps me on the shoulder and says "Elder, moose?" but before I could say anything he just says "that thing looks scary. I don't want to meet one, it will eat me!"  I started giggling at that point, but he just kept saying how afraid he is of moose now, and he saw a bear.  I still haven't told him it wasn't a moose. I just want to be there for the realization moment.

This week was good, we may have a baptism in a week. Then it will take off from there. 

Have a good one,

Elder Tucker the one of two, not the only

STRAIGHT TO HELL AND BACK

So I don't have really interesting intro and funky lines. I do have a sick story all dealing with our outing to a national park in my area called Hell's Gate.  To give you some background it is the only national safari you can enter in without a car, because there are no predators, just SICK animals.  So we took some bikes and saw Cape buffalo, Giraffes, Impalas, Wort hogs, a ton of Zebras, Baboons and Monkeys, it was SICK ! Then there is a slot canyon called "Hell's kitchen" (sorry Colts I was looking but couldn't find Mr. Murdock) so I had a great time today!  Here are some highlights:

1. FAIL!

I was with 2 others Elders, one of them is Elder Fuller he is a little nutz, but I  love the dude.  He really wanted to just chase some zebras, so we got of our bikes. I got his camera, and I started to video him going to chase zebras cause why not?  Anywho this dude takes like three steps and falls flat on his face. I got the whole thing on video it was freaking great.(He was fine.)  I also chased gazelles and pretended to be a cheetah.  I didn't fall though.

2. Devil's Bedroom

We got to go to this slot canyon, cause I am homies with a guide there.  We went to a place called the Devils Bedroom which honestly looks like Zions National Park Slot Canyons. It was a nice taste of home. As a mild rock climber I was freaking out cause I kept seeing random bolts.  So I asked the guy why they were all there ( cause rock climbing is not a big thing in Kenya).  Come to find out that the Devil's Bedroom is actually featured in Laura Croft Tomb Raider 2 and it is where Pandoras box was. I got to touch some rocks that ANGELIGINA JOLIE touched !!! HA!!  Also saw Pride Rock, but I guess since they get a ton of flash floods. Pride Rock is actually sand stone and half of it fell down a while ago.  I only got to see the part where Rafiki held up Simba, but it still lit! 

Unfortunately I still don't have a camera.  I am waiting on the pictures to be sent to me by the other Elders, and will send them to you guys as soon as possible!  But until that just know that we went adventuring in hell today and it was sick.

Have a great week!

Elder Tucker

Sorry I forgot last week, no excuse,just plain spaced it,"Pole".Elder Tucker

So what's up guys?  How is everyone doing?

To sum up what Africa is like these days: I will just quote from "The Legend of Tarzan" "...It's hot" -John Clayton III 

But you guys probably just want to hear some stories cause let's be real, it's the only reason you really read these emails.

Story one: "Dancing on my own, or at least I thought"- Elder J

So this week we went to an area called Rongai for district meeting.  The problem with Rongai is that is is freaking far away, but the great part about it is the buses that go there are LIT.  We are talking supped up with sound systems to make your ears bleed and they just play like 2000's rap music, and swahili stuff.  But as missionaries we take it where we can get it so my companion and I were singing along and dancing.  We were just having a great time.  Well I was sitting one row behind my comp, and the guy with my comp was approaching his stop, so when he got up to get off, he slid right in front of my comp then looks back directly at him, bites his lip and WINKS AT HIM! then gets off.  My comp was mortified. I on the other hand just laughed.

Story two: "I would walk five hundred miles...nah nevermind, its flipping hot"- Elder Tucker

So this is actually from last week.  Me and my comp no matter our best effort we couldn't get an appointment in the morning.  So our first appointment was at the church at 1.  So we decided to do something stupid and walk to the church then get some lunch.  The church, turns out, is three and a half hours away from our house, walking.  The diner we use is another half hour, so we walked for a solid four hours straight, with little shade.  It was a great day, and much bragging rights now. But we got absolutely no contacts, cause the road goes next to a wildlife park and nobody walks the road, cause they aren't stupid like us haha. but it was pretty fun.

Anyways, I would like to throw in that I was sad to hear about the news of President Monson, I loved him, and I do give that man all respect. He truly was a great man, and great leader.

Work is slow but starting to pick up in whatever area we are not so it's great, like if we are in Nakuru, we get call from Naivasha. If we are in Naivasha we get calls from Nakuru.  I am just happy that people are still calling though so can't complain. 

Love y'all have a great week

Elder Tucker

Work is slow but starting to pick up in whatever area we are not so it's great, like if we are in Nakuru, we get call from Naivasha, if we are in Naivasha we get calls from Nakuru.  I am just happy that people are still calling though so can't complain. 

Our flat in Naivasha still has no water. Luckily we have a small shack, an outdoor toilet. Unluckily it just has a cement hole in the ground. I can't wait til we get some water. 

AS for me this week was okay.  We had zone conference, then in the middle there we got the news about President Monson. I was a little off most of that day. My comp and district leader are sick so we all helped each other out, and we made crepes and bought nutella to celebrate his wonderful life and example to us.

(Mom is assuming that the power may be out as well as the water?)  

Let's see where to begin, where to begin....

Well Christmas was a blast and I will give you a couple stories form there in a sec. I loved talking to my family.  Sadly I missed jeron so that was a little bit of a bummer.  A New Years was just as loud and startling as it was last year, but I was a tiny bit more prepared this year.  I celebrated with a box of grape juice, and ice cream it was nice.  but I know you came here for some stories, so I won't let you down.... dkl;atihwe;rfeahrfjodkjfa; ( just because)

1: Singing guitar

After all the festivities of christmas were over, we ended up seven missionaries sitting in a circle while one missionary was strumming a song.  This then turned into us taking turns and if you had the guitar you would start singing a song at the top of your lungs and if any other person new the song they would also sing along.  IT was really fun mostly cause only one person there actually knew how to play the guitar so it was mostly just screaming and randomly strumming this poor instrument.  It got even more fun when some Elders broke out some glow in the dark neon bracelets, so we had a slight rave in the zone leaders flat. Probably the best night that I have had on my mission so far, we just kept going around the circle singing a bunch of songs of all different types for about three hours, it was awesome.

2. "Do you know where we are?" Nope! -me

So this week we were working in nakuru and trying to meet some referrals that came to us from utah.  Now I don't know what it is I did to upset utah but every referral I get from Utah lives fetching far! And in some area that I don't know.  So we call this one guy and he tells me he stays in a place called Kiamunyeki, near the Aic church.  So after getting lost like thirteen times and walking an inhumane distance, we made it to the aic Kiamunyeki church.  We give him a call for further direction, yeah he stays next to the Aic LANET church, which is about five or so kilometers away from where we are, so we again started the trek. Got lost, then finally found the church, and met with this guy, awesome dude, but getting home was also tricky so we got lost again. Needless to say I slept really good that night. Moral of the story, always get as much information as possible from people before exploring to find where they stay. 

I honestly don't know what to think about 2017. It was a year of some of my most spiritual days, but at the same time I have never had a year that has been so full of ups and downs. This year was kinda like the Rocket ride at Lagoon. I got sick-maybe food poisoning for New Years. My companion went outside to see the fireworks and almost got mugged so this year started out a little rough, but it will get better.

 

I hope everyone had an awesome holiday season, and that you will have a great 2018. I mean if that is what you want, cause I can't tell you how to live your life.

till next time
Elder Tucker

Your gonna want to read this one.

I really only have one story for you today, and it is pretty long so I will just get started, but small side note first. I have a new companion and we were in the MTC together ( which in a MTC of twenty six people is actually a pretty big deal) His name is Elder Jack from Zimbabwe.

Anywho here we go.

Story: "I am an idiot" - Elder Tucker

So since this week was my companions last week on mission.  It was mostly spent visiting the people we had become close with and him giving some departing words of advice.  Also we have been trying to get a youth activity done before Elder Ochieng went, which we did.  So we went and visited all the youths of our branch, got an activity planned to play some games and eat food and watch a movie called FREETOWN. (fantastic movie, 10/10 would definitely recommend it  to a friend.) So at the activity we played some games, and had fun. MY team lost in almost everything except musical chairs, but it was still super fun. But while we were playing the games i put my bag and keys on the table.  Well sometime during the party my bag and the keys were moved. I was under the impression that my companion took the keys and put them in his pocket, needless to say I was wrong.  After cleaning the church and getting a Matatu back to our house, about thirty minutes away. I asked my comp to open the gate.  His reply was thus, "I don't have the keys, I thought you had them." After a minute of panicking we devised a plan, on how to break into the house. the next hour and a half is as follows:

 After a few unsuccessful attempts at breaking the back door lock, and turning my weight lifting bar into a cane, we decided to take the door off the hinges ( also not possible).  So we decided to very carefully take off one of the the windows on the door, then work from there.  After trying to carefully take it off, we gave up and just broke it.  Then we found out a way to undo the deadbolts, and finally got inside, ate, then figured that the keys were at the church so we would grab them at sacrament meeting the next day, and went to bed.

Here is where I become an idiot.  We get to the church and look for the keys, no where to be found.  I am now feeling like an idiot, wondering what the heck we are gonna do.  And a little boy comes and sits by me and empties my bag looking for sweets.  Guess what he finds at the very bottom of my bag.....A SWEET! AND THE KEYS!  so in the whole process of breaking into the house it did not occur to me once to check my flipping bag for the keys. Yeah I face palmed pretty hard, then laughed silently to myself for the next twenty minutes, cause I am pretty sure my mind is gone.

That's how I learned, that sometimes the answer to your problem is literally inches from your hands and you have no idea unless you look.

Have a great week, love you guys, and try to keep a hold of your keys

Elder Tucker 

I thought he wasn't able to write then I found this! He had attached this to a letter I had written which Jeron had also responded. Happy Tears flowed.

Mom

I am alive and well we have to be in 20 min. Had a long day but we were helping a member.

I did want to send you a story this week which reminded me of you.  So here Christmas isn't super big.  No one has decorations up and I rarely hear Christmas songs.  But I went into the supermarket the other day to grab some stuff for dinner and they were playing a song from your Christmas list. It was one about peace part of it was "everyone would have a friend, and right would always win, and love would never end". I don't know the name but I remember you listened to it a lot. I walked in and had a crazy big flash back to making soup while you got ready for work listening to that song. I only thought I was standing there for a few seconds, but apparently it was like three minutes.  Because a worker came and tapped me on the shoulder to ask if I was okay, cause I had just walked in and been staring at milk for the last few minutes.  However when he tapped me on the shoulder I jumped and cause I was crazy startled and threw the loaf of bread I had in my hand.  It was a really interesting few minutes.  But long story short, I miss you mom.

Anyways I love you lots and hope this week is great. Ter