February 19 - Nuts and Blessings

Dear Friends and Family,

Greetings!

We recently had the opportunity to go to a cashew "factory". Before going, we were able to see some cashews growing on a tree. The woman in charge of the factory store told us about how they process the cashews. If the fruit is freshly picked, they eat the fruit but if it has been a couple of days, they can't eat it. They dry the nut out for 2 to 3 days then they begin to process them. One woman cuts the cashew in half. There were two at the table using a metal pick to take the nut out of the shell. Two young men were cooking the cashews in oil over an open fire. They would drain them and set them out to dry. When the cashews were cooled and dry, they took them into the building where two ladies would bag and seal them. We were humbled by their willingness to work so hard. The tediousness of their work made the nuts we purchased from them even more precious.

Kent has been busy this past week making arrangements for our AATS Conference. There are many things to be planned and prepared and he will be doing most of that. He's gotten really good at power point presentations. Kent also gets to be the problems solver for issues that come up with anything to do with technology and callings. The employees do all the work with the equipment and they support the other employees but there are senior missionaries who come to him with problems they have with the work they do and he helps them. We have both learned a lot about technology on this mission. We came with no answers and lots of questions. We learned how to find answers and who to ask. Now we (Kent more than me) can answer many questions without asking our workmates for help. They are still looking for a replacement for us so if you know someone who is up for the adventure, let us know. They don't even need to know anything about computers, it's on the job training here.

This past week a new group of missionaries came to the MTC. A young man came to the clinic with a large lesion in his jaw - probably not cancer but the lesion destroys the jaw bone. This is the second one we've seen and it always leaves me with such mixed feelings. I mourn for the missionary and sorrow for the disappointment he must feel at having to go home for treatment. At the same time I rejoice for the tender mercy that the lesion was found and can be treated and pray for the full recovery of the missionary.

During General Conference the past year, encouragement was given for us to live so we would be prepared for the Second Coming. I wondered what that meant, what we needed to change and do better. In the country-wide stake conference that was held while Elder Holland was here, he answered my question beautifully. He also shared a quote from many years ago by George Q. Cannon that I would like to share with you in case anyone else had the same question I did:

"By the Saints refusing to be led by the influences of Satan, and not yielding to his seductive temptations, he is virtually bound so far as they are concerned; and, when the head of the family can attain unto this power, and persuade his wife and family to do likewise, the power of Satan will be bound in that habitation, and the Millennium will have commenced in that household; and if all should take this course, man and the earth would soon be prepared for the coming of Jesus and the ushering in of the full Millennial glory, and the complete binding of Satan, of all of which glory they would already have a foretaste. (George Q. Cannon, 17 July 1864, Millennial Star, XXVI:514) 

May we all do our best to prepare for the Second Coming individually and in our homes.

Love,
The Tuckers

February 11 - February

Dear Family and Friends,

Mabuhay! (the miracle of technology is that you can google this and find out what it means 😀) The past few weeks we have been to Legazpi to train new assistants and we were blessed to have a son and a daughter (they came at the same time) come to visit us here in the Philippines. We were given permission to take a few days off to show them some of our favorite spots and to visit some new ones.

The region around Legazpi is known for their chili peppers. They are tiny but they really have a burn. We stopped at a restaurant that served Sili (chili) ice cream. As you can see by the first picture, there are different heat levels you can order. We had Level 1 but one of local people we were having lunch with had Level 2 - they don't even want the highest heat (Volcano). This ice cream is very interesting. It is cold and creamy when it touches the tongue but the burn starts in the back of the mouth. The burn doesn't go down the throat, it pretty much stays in the the same place unless you eat more than one scoop in one sitting, then the heat starts to spread. We had a tiny taste of the Level 3 and that one is really hot! The little things sticking up out of the ice cream in the picture are the chilis. Elder Tucker tasted those and found out they are really, really hot.

When Aubry and Rhet were here, we went out one evening for a "Firefly" tour. We rode a boat into the mangroves which grow on the edge of the land out into the water. We've seen fireflies on land before but part of this tour was seeing bioluminescent plankton in the water. At first it was like little fireflies in the water, little sparks of light in the wake of the boat. The guide that was with us gave us sticks that we put in the water. When we would dip or splash the water with our sticks, it looked like a lighted sparkler or a fairy wand of magic sparkles in the water. It was amazing to see all that light in the water - so beautiful! An added bonus was seeing all the stars in the sky while we were out in the dark. God has created so many beauties for us to enjoy - on land, in the sky and in the water - everywhere! I tried to take pictures but it was too dark for my camera so your imagination will have to do. I am including some pictures of some of the sights we saw with Aubry and Rhet so you can see how beautiful this country is.

As we've thought about Elder Holland's visit, we have realized that the broadcasts we had with him have been a highlight of our mission. These broadcasts are part of the reason we are here. We are doing our best to get people trained in every unit so that real-time broadcasts like we had with Elder Holland can be available to every member in the Philippines. There really isn't anything we can do about wifi dependability but to have trained people in place to set up and troubleshoot broadcasts such as these is what our work has been. The country-wide Stake Conference Elder Holland held and the Devotional for Married Couples were the responsibility of the Technology Specialists. They use Facebook Messenger to communicate with each other too. It was great to see their conversations when one had a problem and someone would answer to help them resolve the issues. We couldn't really read what was written because they sent messages in Tagolog but we could watch the action and see how they worked together to have successful broadcasts. Ours is a work that we don't often see the results but this time we did and it was satisfying to know that through technology, the good word of the gospel was reaching more and more members. Of course this wasn't all because of our efforts alone. It took many people doing their jobs to make the connections work. We were just happy to be part of the team.

As our time becomes shorter and we know our mission will soon come to an end, our tendency is to look back and determine what kind of a “wake” or ripple effect we’ve had. More than ever, we witness this is the gospel of Christ, His work rolls forward and our testimonies are stronger because of these past months. The prophet Nephi puts it this way, “and thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them...” 1 Ne 17:3 Our witness is this is true. We are doing all we can to work and make a difference and gradually ways open so we can accomplish the things which need to be done.

We love each of you and are grateful for your prayers of support. We can feel the difference your prayers make in our service. Thank you.

Love,
The Tuckers

January 15 - Happy New Year

Dear Family and Friends,

As the new year and a new schedule at church begins, I want to share a thought that our high councilman shared with us in Sacrament meeting. He was speaking about the new emphasis on home centered gospel learning. He compared the change to food. In the past, the teacher would cook and bring what she made to class to share with her class. Now, we all cook and bring what we had prepared to share with everyone. It becomes a banquet for all. It doesn't matter what exactly we cook or if it is the same as someone else's, it matters that we cook and come and share. If someone doesn't cook, there is a shortage in our feast so we all need to do our part. I really liked this analogy. It helps me understand more about the change. We look forward to what the changes in church meetings mean to us in our home.

I would like to pretend I sent this when I started to write 2 weeks ago but I didn't. We've been pretty busy. We've spent the past 2 weekends training new assistants and I have been training a new sister to help in the Dental Clinic. We just found out that we will be having a conference for our AATS. It will be great to have them all together for our meetings. We look forward to having the conference but there are a lot of details we need to get started working on.

This week has been a spiritual feast for us. Elder Holland came to the Philippines for the groundbreaking for the Urdaneta temple - that's on Wednesday the 16th. He came on Saturday and a country wide stake conference was held. We love how Elder Holland always speaks with such insight and power.

Elder Holland also spoke at the MTC in a devotional for all the missionaries. At that meeting, he came in early and said he would like to shake hands with all the missionaries but we were to act like the meeting had started,be reverent, no laughing and talking. All the young and senior missionaries got to shake his hand and greet him. When he was speaking, he told us that he had interviewed each one of us. He said the interview happened when we spoke to him and he looked into our eyes. His talk and counsel was so powerful. He has such a great sense of humor too.

Today was another spiritual feast as Elder Holland spoke at an Area Office employee devotional. The first part of his talk was expressing gratitude for the employees. He even shared with us, so far away from Salt Lake City, the new domain name the church will use to replace lds.org. The end of his talk was about our Savior. We are grateful we could attend these meetings, feel the Spirit and receive a witness that Elder Jeffery R. Holland is truly an apostle of the Lord. I felt a little of what the Nephites must have felt when the Savior came and taught them, I just wanted him to stay and teach us more.

Rather than end this letter with a written scripture, I want to share with you a truth that we heard Elder Holland say in more than one address. He said,"Obedience is the first law of everything." I can't write all he said about that but if we will ponder the creation, the atonement, temple covenants, sealing covenants, etc., we will know he is right.

Thank you for your caring and love.

Love,
The Tuckers


Each place we go the tricycles are a little different. This is a tricycle Palawan style

Everywhere we go, there is a basketball court and usually a group playing basketball. Not everyone has shoes but they don't care.

Elder Holland shaking hands with the MTC missionaries

December 16 - December

Dear Family and Friends,

Hello!

The past couple of months have been very busy. We have had big batches of missionaries arrive at the MTC which means we have been doing a lot of dental work. Even though I don't actually work on teeth, the front desk and scheduling keep me very busy. It's my job to keep the 3 dentist here scheduled with patients, keep records, order supplies, and other various duties. while I have been busy keeping up with the demands of the dental clinic, Elder Tucker has been busy with the technology assistants. More assistants have been called and there is paperwork and training to do with them. He creates power points to help them understand what they need to do and he keeps them up on the latest developments and changes. We keep in touch with them with a monthly newsletter too.

We had another miracle in the dental clinic a couple of weeks ago. A sweet sister missionary from Tonga arrived and had the usual dental screening. When the doctors looked at her x-ray, they saw a wisdom tooth in one of her sinuses. When they examined the area, they realized there was a hole in her sinus and she was having a lot of drainage out of that area. They suspected she had an infection. They took her to a doctor associated with the best hospital in the city and the missionary got a CT scan. The doctors found a tumor (not cancer as it turned out) that filled her sinus cavity on that side of her face. They operated and treated and the sister is fine now. She used to have really bad headaches and didn't know why. They are gone now as is the constant drainage from the hole that was in her sinuses. We were blessed to be a part of her healing. She is quick to tell anyone who asks about it that the Lord provided the way. Many Tongans have been called and have been awaiting their visas. She was the first sister in several months to get a visa and come to the Philippines as scheduled - she came ahead of many others who were waiting. We know she came in time to receive treatment and depart for her mission as scheduled - no delay. No question that this was a sweet and tender mercy for our loving Heavenly Father.

The Philippines have been blessed to have one of the church's giving machines. We love that all donations go to local needs. What a great gift that the church gives in covering all the administrative costs. It is fun to use the machine and choose our gifts - it's like a kid in a candy shop but feels so much better because others receive what we buy. I'm including a picture - if you zoom in, you can see some of the choices. It's amazing how much can be bought with so little money. The least expensive is 30 pesos (60 cents) for a notebook and pencil. Everything in the machine is much needed and greatly appreciated.

The second picture is one we snapped while driving in Manila. These painters are painting in their bare feet and are able to use their scaffolding like real acrobats. We are always amazed by the resourcefulness of these great people and they do it all with a smile.

We love the Book of Mormon! Scattered throughout its pages are so many teachings and truths about our Savior. Not all tidings of great joy are found in accounts of His birth. In Alma 39:15 it says "An now my son, I would say somewhat unto you concerning the coming of Christ. Behold, I say unto you, that it is he that surely shall come to take away the sins of the world; yea, he cometh to declare glad tidings of salvation unto his people." We have so many sweet reminders of our Savior's love and life on the earth. His life was all about doing His Father's will. How grateful we are that He was born and fulfilled His mission here. This is a great time of year to reflect on how we can become more like Him.

We just saw this video last night. Check out this great way to Light the World.

Love,
The Tuckers

November 19 - Butuan

Dear Family and Friends,
Happy Thanksgiving!

We look at the calendar and see it is November. We remember the crisp fall air, the beautiful fall leaves, and the smells of the holidays. Here the weather is pretty much the same all year - beautiful green and hot. We are grateful for the decorations that remind us what time of year it is.

This past week-end we were able to go do some stake training in Butuan. It has been several weeks since we have been able to help with a group training and I didn't realize how much I missed that part of our assignment. Even though it was the first time we had been there, it felt like coming home to be teaching and bearing testimony again. Because of the airline canceled our original flight back to Manila, we weren't able to stay there for church on Sunday. It is always a delight to meet with the Filipino saints and feel of their love.

While we were in Butuan, we had a few hours to see some of the city. Our AATS, Elder Davis, and a friend took us to two museums. Outside both museums were children and watching them was our favorite part. Here, like other places we've been, the youth often gather in the parks and learn dances.  Where they perform or do these dances, we have no clue but we have seen it often enough to know they love it. Another group of children were out in the street playing a game with a can and one flip flop. It is called Tumbamg Preso (the direct translation, Fall Prisoner, doesn't really describe it) It involves an empty can in the middle of the street and the children playing each throw one of their flip flops at the can and try to knock it over. We watched them run to a line and back but couldn't quite figure out the game. What we were impressed with was that children figure out games with very little and they were having lots of fun together. Money and things aren't required to have a happy childhood.

Nephi tells us," Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ having a perfect brightness of hop, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life." (2 Nephi 31:20) Our Savior made the fulfillment of this scripture possible. The turmoil in the world does not need to spread to our homes and hearts. We are the keepers of both and we can press forward with faith.

We love you all. Thank you for your prayers. They strengthen and sustain us.

Love,
The Tuckers

This is a picture of the young people learning a dance. I love their school uniforms! . When they saw me taking their picture, several turned and smiled - they love having their pictures taken.

The children who were playing the Tumbamg Preso game. The index finger and thumb in a L shape means handsome.:)

November 12 - The Ber Months

Dear Family and Friends,

We hope it's ok with you that we share some of the culture of the Philippines in our letters. Our work isn't always news worthy but we are having a wonderful experience and want to share some interesting things with you.

The 'ber' months started in September but this year the Christmas decorations didn't really get going until after Halloween. We didn't see many decorations for Halloween last year but this year there were a lot more. There were still some buildings that had their Christmas trees up in September though. I was expecting them to put up the same decorations each year but they didn't, they are totally different. I thought you'd enjoy seeing some of this year's decorations.

Elder Tucker and I were able to witness a miracle this week. A brother had been asked to be an Assistant Area Technology specialist. He contacted us and said he couldn't do it. He had worked with ICS in the Area Office several years ago and had some bitter feelings about the circumstances that led to his departure from that job. Kent wanted to reply but felt he should wait. The next day, the brother sent another email and said he would pray about it. The following day he wrote and said he and his wife had prayed about it and decided they would accept the call. We met with the couple yesterday to train them and before we left, he shared with us that he had been carrying that resentment for years and didn't realize it. Through their prayers, he had finally been able to let go and be free of the hard feelings. He seemed free and excited to serve. This change he has chosen has bless him and his wife. It was sweet to talk to them and see the gift of release and forgiving accepting this calling brought.

Last week in Sacrament meeting, a sweet sister shared her testimony of the temple and her temple recommend. She said she had kept her temple recommend with her all the time from the time she got it signed. It was the day before she went to the temple for the first time. She said she usually left her computer and wallet in the living room but because she waned to keep her temple recommend close to her, she put it and her computer by her bed that night. During the night someone broke into her apartment and took some things. When she got up in the morning and opened the bedroom door, there was a knife on the floor outside her door. She saw she had been robbed but she had not been disturbed in the night. She knew she was protected because she kept her temple recommend by her side. She still never goes anywhere without it. I had never thought about our temple recommends bringing us protection but when she bore witness of it, I felt her faith and testimony. The temple means so much to her, it is something she treasures. I have taken the nearness of temples for granted until I came here and heard the stories of sacrifice from families who saved and worked to get to the temple one time. There are missionaries who go to the temple for the first time after they come to the MTC and their companions are their escorts. I think of the times I have been blessed to be an escort for someone going to the temple for the first time, what an honor it is to be with them. These missionaries parents never get that . I honor them for their faith and willingness to send their children on missions completely giving them to the Lord and not being with them during this important part of their lives. Would I be able to do that? I hope so.

We close with Alma 38:9;"And now, my son, I have told you this that ye may learn wisdom, that ye may learn of me that there is no other way or means whereby man can be saved, only in and through Christ. Behold, he is the life and the light of the world. Behold, he is the word of truth and righteousness.' I love that Alma wants his son to learn about Christ from him, his father. It seems this is what we are encouraged to do in our homes - teaching of Christ and bearing testimony in our homes. How grateful we are for parents who had testimonies and did their best to teach us. We love to speak of Christ and are grateful for Him - that he is our light and our Savior.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Love,
The Tuckers.


Halloween decor in the lobby of our apartment building

This year's tree and peacock- they have lots of lighted birds and animals.

I loved this little guy having his picture taken with the giant squirrel

They do a lot of painting by hand - no stencil, no sprayers.

October 18 - October

Dear Family and Friends,

Wasn't General Conference great? This was my favorite conference ever - but I think it is true every conference. The talks were all just what I needed to hear - we hope you fell the same. Now to go to work and make what we heard a part of our lives.

We had a wonderful group of new missionaries come to the MTC last Friday. 5 Sisters and 1 Elder from Thailand; 3 Sisters and 1 Elder from Mongolia; and 2 Sisters and 1 Elder from Mainland China who will all be learning English and will be going to different missions in Australia. It is such a delight to see the glow on the missionaries faces on the day they arrive. I am sending a picture of the 2 sisters from China (the 2 on the right) with one sister from the Philippines - aren't they beautiful?! When the missionaries come to get work done, the dentists (senior missionaries) often ask them to tell about their background in the church. Some are so proud to say that they were born in the covenant. Others will tell stories of being kicked out of their homes because they joined the church and when they wanted to serve a mission. For some, when they serve a mission, it is the first time they have had 3 meals every day. Every once in a while, the sister missionary companionships like to dress alike. I'm including a picture of a threesome that came into the clinic today. They are so cute. A couple of times a sister (usually from an island) will come and bring matching skirts for her companions - so sweet!

On Saturday a couple of weeks ago, a few senior missionary couples got together and went on a hike through Masungi Georeserve - a conservation area about an hour away from us in the rain forests of Rizal. It was an amazing experience to hike through this area. We hiked on stone lined paths through the forest, up rock outcroppings, through a cave, to high peaks, over a hanging bridge and there was even a ropes course. We've never seen anything like it and it was a fantastic experience.

Our scriptural thought this week is this: “…How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him…” 1 Kings 18:21. Elder Maxwell quoting Brigham Young said this about that particular verse: “Trials, why bless your hearts, the man or woman who enjoys the spirit of our religion has no trials; but the man or woman who tries to live according to the Gospel of the Son of God, and at the same time clings to the spirit of the world, has trials and sorrows acute and keen.” Elder Maxwell then concluded “WE MUST CHOOSE AND NOT TO CHOOSE IS A DECISION!”

We witness this is the gospel of the Jesus Christ and our testimonies have been strengthened by our commitment to serve. We have faith the same is true for all our friends and family.

Love you all,
Elder and Sister Tucker