July 19 - July

Dear Friends and Family,

Greetings from the Philippines!

It seems like July just started and it's half over already!

We had a sweet miracle happen in the Dental Clinic last week. An elder came in who needed a root canal. As the dentist started the process, the elder became afraid and anxious. The first I heard about what was going on, his dentist was asking the lead dentist if there was any way for him to do general anesthesia. It was explained that we don't do that here, the elder would have to go to a hospital for that. The elder was shaking and crying - this was a traumatic experience for him. I heard later that he was afraid of needles and blood but there must have been something else going on for him to be that frightened. I was listening to what was going on, wondering what I could do to help, when things got quiet. Shortly afterward I heard the dentist working. The elder was calm and able relax and let the dentist do the work to save his tooth. Later, I asked what had happened. I found out that the dentist had given him a blessing and he was able to get his tooth repair completed. How grateful we are for the power of the Priesthood that can calm the troubled waters as well as a troubled soul.

Technology training took us to Cebu this past weekend. We love everyone we serve with and feel so blessed to be able to meet with them and those they serve in person and go to church with them. Even though we don't understand everything that is said, most people use enough English when they speak that we can catch the meaning of what they say. They sing all the hymns in English which is nice for us. This past Sunday we were invited to eat lunch with a group of friends who were gathering for a meal after church. Some of these good people are shy about speaking to us, others converse with us like we are their family. We love to hear their stories and feel their faith.

We’re getting used to the traffic situation here and what challenges there are to getting around. Our training took us from Cebu to Bogo, a four plus hour van ride on two lane roads to the north end of Cebu island. We drove for a time along the coast and enjoyed the beautiful views of the water. Another adventure in our travels around the country. We’re blessed to have the chance of meeting so many wonderful people.

We witness again and again how the Lord’s hand is upon this nation and how the Filipino saints will lead in taking the gospel to all of Asia. We’re happy to be doing our part to make the work of the Lord prosper and move forward. Our lives are full of miracles and tender mercies. We are humbled and grateful for the Holy Ghosts influence in our work.

"And Christ hath said,"If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me. " Moroni 7:33

Love,
The Tuckers

The first picture is one of a couple of men getting breakfast. This is a common sight outside of the cities. Some people cook and bring pots of whatever they made to their sari-sari store to sell.


The second picture is of a Cebu jeepney. Often the jeepneys have more people in them, this must have been a slow time of day.


The next picture was taken at a ukele/guitar factory. A lot of careful handwork goes in to their creation.


The last picture is of the factory area. If you look close, you can see the open buildings around the perimeter of the yard. That is where the workers do all their work.

July 5 - Traveling Again

Dear Family and Friends,

The weeks seem to fly by so fast! Kent and I have started to do more training and that means more travel. We love to get out of the city and into the provinces. I especially love seeing lots of green space. This country is so varied and beautiful.

We were able to assist with training that was held in Cauayan last week. It is always such a blessing to meet with the saints and feel of their willingness to learn and to serve the best they can. We are grateful that so many of those we work with are willing to do whatever they are called to do and do their best. There have been some changes with technology recently and the Stake Technology Specialists can really be a help to the Stake Presidents in making sure things are as they should be. Technology here is so different from the US. We are back in time about 20 years with spotty coverage and unreliable connections but the internet companies here are working to improve so they are moving in the right direction.

In our travels this week we were able to see the Banaue Rice Terraces. I've included a couple of pictures of those. These rice terraces are over 2,000 years old. The first terraces were made out of wood and caribao bones. Later as they built farther up the mountain, they used rock and mortar. The mountains all around the terraces are very steep. We are so impressed that they have been able to maintain them for so long. The people there are all related. Most are born there, live their lives there and die there but now more of the children are moving out. I hope enough stay so the terraces will be maintained. They really are breathtaking to see.The area is pretty remote. We found this pay toilet - check out the sign by the door. For 5 pesos you could use the facilities but it cost 10 pesos if you want toilet tissue.:) We love the Philippines!

In 2 Nephi 4:16 it says,'Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard." when reading this recently, it brought to mind Elder Bednar's talk about tender mercies and Elder Eyring's talk about seeing the Lord's hand in our lives and recording it every day. As we ponder our days and see God's blessings upon us, we will feel His love more strongly. Even on the difficult days, we will know that God is watching over us and encouraging us.

We love you all -
The Tuckers

June 18 - Intramuros

Dear Family and Friends,

Greetings! We hope you are enjoying summer. Last year when we arrived, we were told it was rainy season but it really didn't rain that often. It has rained everyday for the past 2 weeks and I don't mean once a day and the clouds go away. It is cloudy most days and rains on and off throughout the day.

We were blessed to have Elder Christofferson here and to be able to hear him speak at a devotional for the MTC and the Area Office. He spoke of Pres. Nelson's recent talk about personal revelation. I had the impression that this talk is very important because the message was being repeated. We should all read it again. Within his talk were several nuggets of insights and some of his own experiences that personalized the message of our need to learn how to receive personal revelation. This was a special talk for me because he answered two questions that I have pondered off and on for several years. When apostles come to the Philippines, they have a very busy schedule that tires much younger men. The people we work with in ICS (Information and Communication Services) were all out of the office for a few days and some all of the days Elder Christofferson was here supporting him with all his technology needs ( microphones, computers, etc). These good people work very hard behind the scenes to facilitate all the work that apostles do while they are here in the Philippines.

This month for our senior missionary outing on Saturday, we went to the oldest part of the city of Manila called Intramuros which means "within the walls". The walls were built around the city around 1600. Unfortunately, this is also where the Japanese made their last stand near the end of WWII so much of it was destroyed in the fight for control of the Philippines. To begin our tour, we met at a non-profit school where they help the children in the area who are struggling with regular school. On Saturdays, they have a music class. We were there when it was time for the class to start so the children played and sang 3 songs for us. Their instrument is called an Angklung and the children shake them to make the sounds. I've included a picture of the instrument. The Pasig river borders one side of the walls of Intramuros and there is a nice golf course out side of other sides of the wall. I have included 2 pictures from the walls. Our guide told us that this golf course area is the only open space in Manila. There are very few parks in all of metro Manila and those are mostly in gated residential neighborhoods.

Kent's turn to write...

Our work has its ebbs and flows. At times we are crazy busy and then other times we want for things to do. This coming week we have some exciting meetings scheduled. We are helping with a training for all the stake and district presidents and their stake technology specialist in one setting, together. We’ve not had that opportunity before and hope the meetings will have a positive impact on their technology use. That gathering will occur in Cauayan, about an ten hour drive from Manila… (we’re flying not driving).

We are pleased to be serving and trying to make a difference. President Monson shared this thought years ago, ‘The Redeemer chose imperfect men to teach the way to perfection. He did so then; He does so now.’ CR, Apr 2004. In our own imperfect ways we’re trying to serve well.

President Nelson’s emphasis on the Holy Ghost and his critical role in keeping us safe now and in the future is ringing true in our lives. We pray that all our loved ones will live worthy of having the needed companionship of the Holy Ghost daily. Elder Oaks taught this, “The idea that scripture reading can lead to inspiration and revelation opens the door to the truth that a scripture is not limited to what it meant when it was written but may also include what that scripture means to a reader today. Even more, scripture reading may also lead to current revelation on whatever else the Lord wishes to communicate to the reader at that time. We do not overstate the point when we say that the scriptures can be a Urim and Thummim to assist each of us to receive personal revelation.” Ensign, Jan 1995.

Read, ponder and pray every day.

We love you all,

The Tuckers

June 11 - Letter

Dear Family and Friends,

Magandang gibi (Good evening)

Tuesday marks our completion of one year in the Philippines. We have learned so much in our first year here. We hope now that we are trained, we can serve even better than last year. Kent has refined our training plan and we have been blessed to have opportunities to teach in settings other than our Technology Area. I can't say we are technology experts but we sure know a lot more than we did when we arrived a year ago.

It's so interesting how things work out. Before we left, I went back to college to get my Associates degree. One of the required classes that had been added to the requirements since I left school almost 40 years earlier was a computer class. It was a fast paced class and I had to work hard to keep up with the teacher and the other students who grew up speaking "Computer". That class has turned out to be a great blessing to us in our work here. I learned some basics about power point presentations and excel. We are using both quite a bit in our work here. Power points (Kent actually makes most of those but I've made a couple too) for the training and teaching we do and excel in the dental clinic. At the time I was taking the class, I wondered if I would ever use that information again. It turns out that what I learned there has been more helpful than most of the other classes I took.

As things change in all of our lives, there are joyful times and difficult times.. The scripture that echos in our hearts at all of these times is Psalms 3:5-6:" Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direst thy paths." We know our Heavenly Father is aware of each one of us and He will help us through the smooth and the rough places in our paths of life. We can depend on Him. We can trust Him. He loves us and wants us to come home to Him. He will help us.

Warmly,

The Tuckers

I am sharing some more pictures of our good memories here.
The pictures are:
1- a 32nd floor view of metro Manila
2- You may have to enlarge this pic to read the sign next to the street. It says "Beware of Snatchers"
3- Two sweet little girls we met at church while on the island of Cataduanes.
4- Love all the wires!

June 3 - Looking Back

Dear Family and Friends,

Hello! We've been in the Philippines for almost a year so I thought it would be fun to share some pictures from the past year. Hopefully I won't repeat very many of the ones I've already sent. It has been a wonderful year.

We've met so many nice people. It has been hard to say good-bye to some missionary couples who became great friends but have completed their missions and have gone home. But then we get to meet the new couples and realize how blessed we are to become friends with them.

Progress is slow in our assignment. Like so many areas of our lives, there is an ebb and flow to our work. We are trying to get AATS called in each of 29 areas that the Area Presidency helped to align for our assignment. We'll get someone in one area then someone else will finish their mission in another area. Most of those we work with in the different areas are Church Service Missionaries, meaning they serve while living at home and doing all the regular things they do. Some of the missionaries will request an extension of their missions so they can continue working with technology in their areas. It is better that they train the local people because they can speak the right language and the people can understand them. There are more than a hundred and fifty languages spoken in the Philippines - 8 -13 major ones (depending on which Google site you read) but only Tagolog and English are taught. We often help with training meetings and feel like the people understand most of what we say but they are reluctant to ask or answer questions. Most Filipinos understand English pretty well but are reluctant to speak it because they aren't very sure of how well they speak and don't want to embarrass themselves. Having local people called to teach and train technology is the best way to help every stake and district become self-reliant in technology. Our job is to encourage callings to be made and to train those who do receive callings. In a couple of weeks we will be going to Cauayan to what we hope will be the ideal meeting - Stake Presidents, and Stake Technology Specialists. We feel we can reach them better with smaller group meetings - we'll let you know how that goes.

In Sacrament meeting today, a sister shared a scripture that helped her through a very difficult time when she was afraid she was going to fail the exam that would let her go to school to become a doctor. 2 Timothy 1:7 " For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power and of love and of a sound mind." Too often I don't recognize my anxieties and frustrations as fear but when I finally do, I know that fear does not come from God. He can and will help all or us conquer what we fear.

All our Love,
The Tuckers

Now for the pictures...
1-The first is of a Primary room in Olongapo. All the church buildings we have been to in the Philippines have white tile floors. The chapels have benches but almost all other chairs are brown plastic.
2- Early in our mission we traveled to Guimaras, an island known for it's delicious mangoes. We had a mango pizza. It is the best pizza I've ever eaten.
3- This man (I think he has feather dusters and some kind of microfiber cloths to sell) is one of many people who come out into traffic to sell their wares. They will stand at the side of the road until a light turns red or traffic is heavy and slows then they will come out to sell whatever they have. We have seen them sell nearly everything you can imagine - water, chips, rolls, bread sticks, single cigarettes, coke, balloons, flowers, dusters, peanuts, really just anything.
4- I love seeing signs like this in different towns.
5- Our mall recently added this special place for pets - a dog park and cafe
6- Lastly - this man carries his hammock with him whenever he is with his truck. I guess you never know when you might get a chance for a nap. To be fair these people work very hard - often 10 to 12 hour a day, 6 days a week.

May 28 - Memorial Day

Dear Friends and Family,

Today (Sunday) we had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Memorial Day Ceremony that was held at the Manila American Cemetery. It is a beautiful place and there is such a sweet reverent feeling there. It must be a sacred place because it is the resting place for so many who gave their lives fighting for freedom for all. Many terrible battles were fought in the Philippines, many atrocities committed and here those sacrificed so much are laid to rest or honored. The walls in the monument buildings are inscribed with the names of those who were declared missing.

The program was so nice. The opening prayer was given by a senior missionary who is serving as legal counsel adviser here. Prayers were also given by a rabbi and a priest. Talks were given honoring the sacrifice and courage of the many soldiers from both the U.S. and Philippines who fought together to be free from the Japanese oppression. The Filipino military band played the national anthem for the Philippines and the U.S. It was an honor to sing the Star Spangled Banner in such a sacred spot.

From Elder Tucker:

While it is important to recall the heroic actions of so many brave souls it may be more important to not forget what they fought for, freedom. Because of these and other historic battles freedom is secured in this country and religious freedom enjoyed. The Philippines have become a seedbed for the gospel of Jesus Christ to spread throughout the Asian area. It is such a rich blessing for us to be. We are proud to be Americans, to wear our black name tags representing modern day religious soldiers of Christ.

Living away from home sure makes one respect the sacred symbol of the American flag. We were thrilled and chilled to see each and every grave of the more than 17,000 buried dead adorned with the United States and the Filipino flag, side by side, bound and bonded as companions.

We express to each of you our love. Thank you for being an important part of this experience with us. God bless and keep you…

Love,
Elder and Sister Tucker

D&C 98:16

"Therefore, renounce war and proclaim peace, and seek diligently to turn the hearts of the children to their fathers, and the hearts of the fathers to the children."

May 20 - Tacloban

Dear Family and Friends,

Mabuhay! (Filipino greeting meaning Life/Live!)

Kent and I traveled to the Island of Tacloban for a couple of meetings on Saturday. This is a beautiful island with a challenging past. This is also one of the islands that Gen. McAuthur promised to return to and reclaim during WWII. The people are grateful for his return and freeing them from the Japanese. They have erected the McArthur Landing Memorial National Park (picture) We met with a sister who had been 4 years old during the war. She told us about her experiences of hiding from the Japanese during the day in the trenches with her uncles and of the Japanese atrocities she saw or was told. I hope she will write her story. We also learned about Typhoon Yolanda from a young man who had been on the island when it hit in 2013. He told us that most houses are built to withstand the wind and rain (they are built out of concrete) but no one expected the storm surge. The water rose so fast that it was up to his chest before they left their home. The water rose enough to cover two story houses. There was only one home in their village that was three stories and most of the people went there. Many homes and lives were lost in a very short time. Their family was blessed to have relatives in Cebu who bought airline tickets for them to come and stay with them. Their family stayed 2 months until electricity was restored on Tacloban. Many places have been rebuilt but a few things remain as they were left by the storm. Big ships were brought to shore and came to rest on top of houses that had been covered by water. So much devastation yet the people carry on and the earth heals. Tacloban is a beautiful place.

The Pathway students we work with are really wonderful. This week their assignment was to write an essay about something they believe. Some of them read their essays to the class. One shared his essay about being able to go to college and his Dad telling him that now the cycle of poverty could stop in their family because of his education. One shared about always loving to be physically active and being outdoors but when she had a child born with physical problems and they were at the hospital and doctor's office so much, she started running with a friend and they ran marathons; that got her through a very difficult time. One wrote about miracles using examples from the scriptures and a miracle of healing that he was part of because he was able to help give a Priesthood blessing to the woman. Besides their assignments, the class has become good friends with each other. A couple of weeks ago, a member of the class had his house burn down. The fire started in another house near them and burned several houses. Someone in the class gave us money to give to him so he wouldn't know who gave him the money. He was so grateful and humbled by the kindness. It is so sweet to see how this class has come together and really cares about each other.

The Primary President was not able to be at church today and asked me to do sharing time for her. She had it all prepared and ready to go. The subject was tithing and the scripture was Malachi 3:10; "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in my house; and prove me now herewith saith the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it." In Senior Primary, one boy shared how when their Dad was in college and they were very poor and often wondered what they were going to eat. He said they paid their tithing. Then one evening, they went to the door (this is Primary so we don't get all the details like if someone knocked or rang the door bell so use your imagination) and there was a pizza. They didn't know who had left it but they were very grateful for the food. My heart was touched not only by his story but by the fact that he knew the story and he was just a toddler at the time. That meant his parents were teaching their family about tithing and sharing their testimonies. How about you? As you read this, take a minute and think about blessings you have received through paying your tithing. The windows of heaven truly are open and pouring out blessings as we obey this command.

We love you and pray for God's blessings to be upon you.

Love,
The Tuckers

Picture 1 - The plaque at McAuthur Landing

Picture 2 - A local tricycle (they are a little different in each area)
Picture 3 - A solar powered Jeepney (if you look closely, you can see a TV inside)

Picture 4 - Memorial Landing
The last two pictures are of some of our Pathway Group

We were talking to Tiffani the other evening and started talking about pictures. She said I should share more pictures but as Senior missionaries we have been counseled not to put our pictures of having fun on social media or any public place. Tiffani said I could share more pictures with the family. I'd love to share more of what we do with you so I will be sending extra pictures to you and no one else.

In our last letter, I told you about the storm surge after typhoon Yolanda. They cut off part of one of the ships that got pushed onto the land and came to rest on many houses. I'm also sending a picture from the back of the ship of the houses that have been built between where it landed and the shore. The ship ends at the stairs to the back of it.

I also told you about my new friend Belen who was 4 during WWII. Here's a picture of the two of us (Yes, I feel like a giant next to many of the Filipinos).

Finally I am sending a picture of Filipino life - the Ice cream man - he played the tinkling music that ice cream trucks in the U.S. play and a Tacloban jeepney.