May 11 - Amazing

Dear Friends and Family,

Greetings!

We are grateful to be here serving among so many good people. We understand that life ever marches on and some of you, our family and friends, are struggling. We pray for you and hope you have the peace of the Lord to comfort, help, and guide you.

Serving in the Dental Clinic has given me opportunities to associate with the new missionaries. This past group of missionaries that entered the MTC was amazing. They came from Tonga, Mongolia, Indonesia, Cambodia,Thailand, and China as well as all over the Philippines. Some wonderful translators came with small groups from different countries. I didn't know how the different languages worked here but I'm learning. The missionaries from China, Thailand and Cambodia, etc, are usually called to return to their home country to serve their missions. They arrive here from their countries in small groups (2-5 missionaries) with a translator. The translator lives in their country and when they have a group coming to the MTC, the translator will travel to the Philippines with them. The translator stays with them for the 2 1/2 weeks they are here then travels back to their home country with them. I am amazed at how well it all works and at how wonderful the translators are. I had an opportunity to have a conversation with the translator from Cambodia, Sister Chin. She speaks great English. She is so kind and capable. Each of the translators has such a loving spirit about them and what a blessing they are to these missionaries. They even come to the Dental Clinic to explain what will be happening to the missionaries when they have appointments. This really helps to calm the missionary if they are nervous or don't understand what will be happening. I can only imagine what it would be like to come from one of these countries, not understand the language, and be ushered to a dental chair. We are so very grateful to associate with these humble, brave missionaries who just come and do what they are asked. It's good they get an explanation of what the Dental Clinic is about and that together with their group, they figure out that the dentists are really trying to help them, so they come. It is an honor to be here with them and feel of their strength to face so many unknowns so that they can serve the Lord on their missions.

These wonderful missionaries from so many countries give new meaning to the words," I will go I will do...I know the Lord provides a way". I know the Lord will provide ways for us to accomplish not only His work but all the work we need to do. There is comfort and peace about all the unknowns found in so many scriptures.

One of our favorites is D&C 84:88:"And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up." We rely on this promise so much as we venture into unknown places and situations.

I don't always remember to ask Elder Tucker to add in his thoughts to our email but I remembered this time. His letter follows:

The scope of our mission assignment has not changed but it seems we are expanding our duties to assist in other ways. Karen and I were asked to go train a group of teachers in a stake nearby (that’s a relative term here) 😉 as part of the stake’s effort to get teaching onto a higher plateau. There were 70 individuals who came to learn and improve their skills. We had been given about two months notice to prepare so we were really ready and had a wonderful experience. The benefit of doing this is that there has been a lot of talk and we’ve now been asked by another stake to come do a similar training for them. Most who are reading this know that teaching is in my veins so this is exciting for me. Any way that we can bless the lives of the Philippine people is something that we cherish.

Our traveling is picking up again as we head into a new travel time… we’ve been away for two consecutive weekends and will do so again this coming Saturday as well. We hear often that we should take a Monday off to make up for the weekends we work but I remind everyone that we’re volunteers, non-paid and having a day off in a luxury. If needed we’ll take a day but we’re here to work and that’s what we do.

I am reminded again and again of the tender mercies of God to us and those we love. I absolutely know that our loved ones are being blessed because of our service. I also know that God is aware of each of us and will bless us as we serve others. It’s His plan. We love you. We miss you, but we would not be anywhere else right now. It’s an honor to be serving full-time. Until next time…

Love,

The Tuckers

I've included pictures of the Cambodian missionaries. and a couple of the temple. The temple has been closed for renovations for 4 months and opened again May 1. We were so excited to see people on the temple grounds again. The black and white picture was taken by a friend.

April 30 - Summertime!

Dear Friends and Family,

Hello!

It's the middle of summer here and hot! It's also humid but it is humid every day so that's a given. School got out the first of April and will start again around the first of June. It's hard to think of April and May as summer, we are so used to these months being for showers and flowers. There are lots of bright, beautiful bougainvillea in bloom right now. We love seeing them line the streets in some areas.

This past weekend, we were able to attend a Coordinating Council meeting (A meeting of stake and district presidents, mission presidents and other invited church leaders, conducted and presided over by an area authority 70 ) in Tarlac, about a 3 hour drive northwest of Manila. Kent spoke to the Priesthood leaders about how having technology specialists can be a blessing to them and he encouraged them to call specialists for each of their units. He also made a great PowerPoint for them. He is getting really good at creating Power Points to teach with. He's made dozens of them by now and who knows how many more to come. Meeting with these leaders is a great experience. There was such a feeling of cooperation and willingness to help us help them. These leaders care so much about helping their members and fulfilling their responsibilities. It is wonderful to know there are leaders and members all over the world living the gospel and doing their best to further the work of the Lord.

After our meeting in the morning, we drove another 2 hours south to Olongapo which is near Subic Bay(a former U.S. naval base). There we were able to do training with a newly called AATS, Bro. Angel. We know the Lord prepares people to be able to serve in these callings. Bro. Angel works with computers for his job and knows a lot more than we do about them. He was humbly waiting for us to share with him what his purpose and parameters were before going out to serve. What a humble and good man!

When we meet new people, I like to find out about them and their families and get them to share stories with us. Bro. Angel said he has lived in Olongapo all his life. I asked him if he was around when Mt. Pinatubo erupted. He remembered it well. Clark Air Force Base was close to the volcano and he said they had 24 hours to evacuate the base before the volcano erupted. He had to help find housing for the Air Force people as they were moved to Olongapo and Subic. They had to be housed with the Navy people. He said the biggest challenge was finding the right places to put the different ranks of military personnel because a private couldn't be housed with an officer and officers of different ranks had to be housed with similar ranking officers. In spite of the volcano disaster, protocol had to be followed. I asked him how his family fared after the eruption. He said his house had wooden trusses so his roof didn't cave in when they got about 18 inches of ash that fell but most of the metal roofs fell in. I'm always amazed at how resilient the Filipinos are. They have had so many disasters here yet rely on themselves to carry on. The government here doesn't take care of the people like ours does and there aren't enough agencies to help with everything so they take care of themselves as best as they can.

Today in Sacrament meeting, the closing hymn was "I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go". As we sang,"But if, by a still, small voice he calls To paths that I do not know, I'll answer, dear Lord, with my hand in thine: I'll go where you want me to go.", I was reminded that when we came here, we had no clue about what we were going to be doing. Yet, the Lord has led us along and bit by bit, he has guided and directed us. We have no idea what the coming months will bring to our calling but we do know that we are willing to do whatever needs to be done because with His help, we will be guided to be able to do His work. What a blessing it is to be here!

We are working hard and trying to make a difference through our service. It is amazing how the Lord will take us as we are and with His help and grace, use us to do His work. We miss you all but know we are doing what the Lord would have us do right now. Thanks for your prayers of support.

Love,
The Tuckers

Photos of a bougainvillea, a sari-sari store and a sunset in the city.

April 14 - Miracles

Dear Friends and Family,

It seems like one of the themes of Conference was "...by small and simple things are great things brought to pass..." (Alma 37:6). Sometimes it is immediate that a small thing will bring about something great. Other times it is the small things repeatedly done over a long time that will bring a great change, even in ourselves.

It has been hard for us to explain what we do here but this week we received a sweet email from the technology specialist in Legazpi that helps put what we do in perspective. Elder Magno is a church service missionary serving as an Assistant Area Technology Specialist , AATS (they LOVE acronyms here). He is a great example of one who magnifies his calling. Besides working with us, he has another calling and has a young family. In his calling, he is responsible for technology in 6 stakes/districts.I am including a copy of his letter so you can get the full story. The letter is as we received it (unedited). As you will see, his English is very good - wish we could say the same for our Tagalog!

"Happy Sabbath 

I just want to share this with you. 

Today is the re-broadcast of the general conference in every stake and districts in the Philippines. This morning i was prompted to visit one of the district and in my mind i know it was Tabaco District. Early i arise and go to that district center. Once i got there i observed that there are lot of members eager to view the broadcast. The sunday morning session was very spiritual but the later part the audio and video coming from the satellite is starting to become static however the broadcast seems fine. Later in the afternoon when Elder Dieter Uchdorft turns to speak (not sure of the spelling) the satellite feed disconnects due to hard rain. It lasted for about 15 mins and i can see members feels dismayed. At first i was hesitant to approach the leaders to help but my body reacts and go derictly to the satellite facility room. I asked them if they had a downloaded copy which i thought they have but they are not sure. The DTS and the district president have ask me what would be the fast solution for these. I grab my laptop and hard drives that contains the downloaded broadcast and cast it out to the projector then resume the video. It was a success eventhough delayed however we recieved good feedbacks that the downloaded video is much clearer (720 pixel) than the satellite feed. It was a lesson for us that time to always have a back up and rely on the promptings of the spirit. 

Before i leave the chapel i met the dts and his assistants (4 of them). My efforts was appreciated by the leaders but back in my mind i asked myself "what would happen if i didnt follow the spirit to go there?". 

It was indeed the power of God that pushes me to go there eventhough it was not on my plans. This was a remarkable experience for me and my added testimony that God is hastening His work by means of Technology. 

I know that this Church is true. 

I love this calling and it shows me how the Lord performs miracles in a different angles. 

I feel so blessed 

Elder Ezra Dwayne Magno
AATS LEGAZPI

We can't say it any better than he did - the church is true! the Lord does perform miracles! and God is hastening His work by means of Technology.

Love,
The Tuckers

PS-Just for fun I am including pictures of ways our little neighborhood is decorated. They are very creative with road barriers (the planters), hiding utility spots with art, and cross-walks.

April 5

Dear Family and Friends,
Hello!

Wasn't General Conference great?! Some big changes happened that we have an opportunity to use to bless lives and serve more effectively We were especially happy to hear that a temple for Cagayan De Oro was announced! What a blessing it will be for the people who live on that island to be able to have a temple in their midst. These wonderful people take challenges in stride and don't waste time complaining about the difficulties they face. Cagayan De Oro is on an island that much conflict and unrest including militants trying to take over cities.

Kent and I were on an island called Siquijor (seek-i-hor) at the end of March. I thought you might like to see the beautiful beach and starfish we saw. The stand with Coke bottles is actually a "gas station". The woman and her daughter who run the stand will use the funnel to fill the tanks of motorcycles that need gas. There are 2 kinds of gas, red and green. The third picture is of a cemetery on the island-all graves are above-ground. I wish we had the time and means to submit info to Billiongraves (an app you can use to help record grave sites in cemeteries).

Our scriptural thought for the week has to do with general conference and what we experienced and now what each of our duties are… D&C 1: 14 “And the arm of the Lord shall be revealed; and the day cometh that they who will not hear the voice of the Lord, neither the voice of his servants, neither give heed to words of the prophets and apostles, shall be cut off from the people.” Our challenge now is to do as instructed and move forward with faith. It is an exciting time to be alive and we are so grateful for living prophets and apostles. We’re blessed to be serving and trust all is well with each of you.

Thank you for your love and prayers.

Love,
The Tuckers

March 24 - It's been a while

Dear Family and Friends,

Hello!

Our biggest news for the month of March is that our daughter, Aubry, had twins (by c-section) on March 1st. Jude came to the world weighing 7 pounds 12 ounces. Two minutes later, Thea was born weighing 6 pounds 2 ounces. Mom and babies are all doing well. I guess with e-mail I have a captive audience to share pictures of our twins. 😀

My apologies for not sending emails for a few weeks this month. I hope no one thought I just skipped them - sadly I skipped everyone and I'll do my best not to let that happen again.

I am learning a lot about many things though serving in the Dental Clinic. The sister who has been the front office manager, Sister Adams, and her husband will be finishing their mission and going home at the end of April so I am doing my best to learn all I can from her. One of my responsibilities is to set up the appointment schedules for the dentists. There are a lot of factors to take into consideration when making the schedule. One of those things is the days the missionaries who come to the MTC who have not been endowed go to the temple. In the past that was just one day that they were not available for appointments. The Manila temple closed for remodeling for 4 months the first of January so the missionaries are going to the temple in Cebu to receive their endowments. That trip takes 2 days. I was told the wrong days and so scheduled several missionaries that didn't come for their appointments. I felt like my mistake had wasted much of the dentists day. But then, as sweet Sister Adams pointed out, miracles began to happen. That day we had 4 missionaries come in who didn't have appointments but needed to be seen and because of my error, they were able to get the help they needed. I am so grateful that Sister Adams was able to see what I missed, that the Lord can even turn mistakes into blessings. The Lord is in charge and knows all that is needed and when.

Today we helped with a training in Naga. It was delightful to meet with the saints there who have callings that deal with technology. I'm including a picture of the view outside our hotel room (Naga is about an 8 hour drive from Manila but we flew). It is so pretty and green there. About 7 am, I heard what sounded like a choir singing. I opened the window and realized it was a recording and then a man was speaking over a loud speaker. I heard the choir several times and the man's voice but I couldn't make out the words. My guess is that it was a morning mass. I saw a couple of men stop and listen. It's so nice that people here are able to share beliefs in God on a community level.

The group picture is of those who attended the technology training today.

Are you excited to hear from our new prophet, President Nelson, and our other leaders next week? We love General conference and the spiritual feast it offers. Whether we are at the Conference Center, at the church, or in our homes, we can feel the Spirit just as promised in D&C 6:32 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, as I said unto my disciples, where two or three are gathered together in my name, as touching one thing, behold, there will I be in the midst of them-even so am I in the midst of you." We pray we will all feel His spirit as so many thousands will gather in His name to hear His word through His servants and as we sustain them in conference.

Thank you all for caring for us.

Love,
The Tuckers

February 15 - In Manilla

Dear Friends ad Family,

Magandaga Hapon! (Good Afternoon)!

We have been able to spend this week in the office but we've had plenty to do. Since I started working in the Dental Clinic, we get up at 4:30am. We need to be there at 6. We could leave at 3 in the afternoon but we usually stay later. I thought we would have more time in the evenings but it works out to be the same amount of time because we go to bed earlier. A new group of missionaries comes to the MTC every 3 weeks on Friday. They are each screened by a dentist. Sometime during their stay at the MTC, the dentists do the work on those missionaries who need it. The dental work is intended to be something that will help them so they don't have problems with their teeth while they are on their missions. There are some countries that have good dental care, like the U.S, that missionaries from there usually don't need any dental work. Missionaries from some other countries as well as the Philippines almost all need some work. I love meeting missionaries from so many countries - China, Mongolia, the Ukraine, India, Thailand, Taiwan, Fiji, Australia, New Zealand and others. They come with such a glow and enthusiasm to serve. It is an honor to be part of this work that blesses so many.

Since we've been in the Philippines, we've been so impressed with their ability to have prayer everywhere. We listen to the radio on our way to the office every day and at 6 am the station we listen to has a "Driver's Prayer" . It's all in Tagalog so we don't understand any of it but the tones are prayerful. The first time we heard it, we thought that it sounded like a prayer then at the end the announcer said it was the Driver's Prayer and she wished us safe driving for the day. Also, when we've ridden on ferries, they have a prayer. It comes on the video screen (They show movies or videos during the ride) as we leave the port. This week I have included a few photos of the prayer. I love that they do this here. I appreciate a prayer for our safety.

We are so grateful for the gift of prayer, for a loving Heavenly Father who communicates with us - He both listens and guides and blesses us. In D&C 112:10, we are encouraged with these words:"Be thou humble; and the Lord they God shall lead thee by the hand and give thee answer to they prayers." Even more than ever, we depend on prayer as we strive to serve however the Lord might need us and to bless our family and friends We and have felt your prayers and they strengthen and sustain us. Thank you. May God bless each one of you.

Love,
The Tuckers

February 8 - Laoag, Baguio, Tarlac

Dear Family and Friends,

Hello! It's hard to believe it's February already!

We've had some great experiences the past week. We were in Laoag for two days for training and got to see a dear friend, Elder Luke Anderson, who is serving in the Laoag mission and just happened to be within driving distance from where we had our meeting. The Facilities Manager was kind enough to arrange a meeting and we were able to meet with him and his companion for a little bit. It was so sweet to talk to him, to see that he still has that glow that is around a missionary who has fully given himself to the work of the Lord. I have included a picture of Elder Anderson and his companion. I've also included a picture of a basketball hoop. There is a place to play basketball in every city, town and village here. This one is in the church parking lot.

We happened to be in Bagio for the opening parade of their month long Flower Festival. It was a really fun parade. Most of the participants were children. The costumes were fun and each group had a small group of musicians with them and their instruments were lyres (looks like xylophones) and drums. Adults dressed in black pushed the cart things that held the lyres and the children marched along and played. Baguio is a beautiful city in the mountains with fresh air and pine tress. There are lots of buildings but also lots of trees. The parade and Baguio are our next 4 pictures.

Our final trip for the week was a short one to Tarlac which is a little more than 2 hours away. We had training there and came home the same day.

On Friday night we were home and able to go see "The Greatest Showman". We loved it! What a treat to see a movie that has morals and values, great music and dancing, and let us walk away happy and uplifted.

For our last picture, I just wanted to share with you a picture of the most amazing dessert we found. We buy it at a Korean dessert place called Hobing. It is a light dessert made out of milk that is like shaved ice only milk, and fresh strawberries with whipped cream on top. They have other flavors but so far, strawberry is our favorite.

We close with a scripture from Alma 32:37; "And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow we will say; Let us nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us. And now behold, if ye nourish it with much care it will get root, and grow up, and bring forth fruit." It is so easy to get casual in or distracted from nourishing the gospel 'tree' within and this scripture reminds us that if the tree is going to grow, it must be nourished with "great care". All the care is what will bring forth the fruit. When studying the scriptures, there are so many gentle reminders from the Spirit about how to take better care of the gospel seed that grows in our hearts.

All our best to you,

Love,
The Tuckers