Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Email for Hope - Received Monday, June 29, 2009

Hey Hope!

Dont worry about not writing specifically for me lately. I understand how the end of the school year is, but I am so glad to hear that you have been working your buns off to help mom and do your best at school! That end of year trading activity sounds fun! I hope you win yourself a lot of Beaver Skins! Glad to hear that Bear Lake is awesome. You always are the first one in the water, even if it is cold. =) It makes me smile to hear that you and Kendal had a great time hanging out together at the Lake House. She`s a good friend and I think you should try your very best to stay great friends with her. She could end up being like Josh is for me. Wouldn`t you like that? I can always trust and rely on Josh and I know how important it is to have a friend like that in your life. When I was your age I didn`t have a lot of friends, but I do know how nice it is when you have a good friend that you always enjoy being around. Hold on to that. Be kind, sweet, generous, and loving like I know you can be and everything will go well in your friendships and at school. I`m sure you`re already really enjoying the Summer. Just try not to make Mom go crazy with keeping her busy. Continue to help her in the house and be patient when you want something. Patience will pay off in the end, I promise. That`s the only thing I`m really struggling with right now in my mission is patience...I want to be home, I want to see you and Mom and Dad, I want to enjoy the Lake House, the new boat, the summer with you and all of our family...but right now I need to work. Just keep sending me news and I think I`ll be alright. Dont forget EVER how much I love you Sis! You`re my whole world cuz we get to be Family Forever. You mean more to me than I could ever express. ALWAYS remember that your Brother loves you. Write back soon and I`ll be waiting. =)

Love Always,
-Elder Preston William Tucker


P.S. I have three baptisms so far! And I`m sending pictures home on the next memory card so you can all see who I got to baptize. Being about to baptize them reminded me SO much of when I got to baptize you and it was such a wonderful feeling...remembering you and doing my missionary work at the same time. I love you! Be good!

Monday, June 29, 2009

Email - Received Monday, June 29, 2009

Hey Mom and Dad,

I already sent letters to Hope, Josh, and my mission President, so I dont have a lot of time, but...I`m hoping you can glean a bunch of my sentiments and feelings and the events of my week from the other emails too. If you`d like, I wouldn`t mind it if you posted those two letters on the blog too. The one to Hope and the one to Josh. I sent them both the Mom`s email. As for right now...I have about 12 minutes left to write...sorry. =/ I`ll try my best to write everything I can.

Not a lot happened in terms of lots of work this week. We had Zone Conference which lasted two days from about 9AM to 3PM each day and that was very interesting and fun. The theme was Establish the Church and the focus was the Book of Mormon and how we should be using it in every aspect of the work. We had the opportunity to learn from President Baldwin and that was great. The Assistants he has chosen are very thorough and they teach very well too. Monday was P-Day this week...not a lot happened. After we finished Zone Conferences, my companion and I got sick and were laid up for a bit of every day afterwards. He has a flu and for some reason my back has been giving me problems...but dont worry...we`re getting better. I AM taking care of my self Mother...don`t worry. =P We also had a Trainers Meeting in the capital at the Mission Office and that was fun. I just basically got the chance to see all the missionaries that entered with me and we all had the opportunity to report on the work we had been doing so far. I felt so proud when I was able to stand up and report, in Spanish, that my companion and I are having success in a wonderful ward. When you two come to get me after I`m done with my mission, I would definately love to bring you to Promision to meet these wonderful people. Some have pretty big challenges and none of them have life easy, but they are wonderful people and I love them so much.

About the news from Home. I wrote to Hope about her news and was excited to receive a letter directly from her this week. Mom, I`m glad you had the knowledge and the means in order to help Metzie resolve her...(stiffles a laugh) getting stranded in Willard issue. ;P Just joking Metzie, I love you! Glad you`re safe. It`s good to hear that my family is interested in hearing about the work I`m doing for the Lord. I`m glad you enjoy my testimony. I know how thankful I am for it right now. It`s my favorite part of teaching...getting the opportunity to testify of things that I know in my heart and my mind and in my soul. It`s probably my favorite part of the mission so far. Testimony...gotta love it! =D

I got letters from Kim, Sis Poulsen, and Mom this week! Thank you all so much for the wonderful news and I will try to write back soon! I love you all and I will be sending new pictures home soon too. I`m sorry Mom and Dad, but my Mission Journal is kinda just falling through the cracks...I`m hoping my letters are sufficient...for now. Just, at this point in the work...I haven`t figured out how to fit it in. Maybe I will in the future...at this point I cant tell. I REALLY enjoy sharing my mission with you all through my emails though. I love you all and am out of time for this week. Write back soon and keep us in your Prayers! Trust in the Lord and He will trust in You!

Love Always,

-Elder Preston William Tucker

Monday, June 22, 2009

Email - Received Monday, June 22, 2009

Hey Mom, Dad, and Hope!

I love hearing so much news from Dad about you guys. I miss you and think about what you might be doing every day. It`s good to know that all your plans and fun times are starting to come to pass for this summer! I`m happy that Ben got to fly in and see the family. It`s too bad that you all didn`t get to go out with him on the boat, but just imagine if you were trying to enjoy boating season here in Guatemala...where it rains at least once every day! =P Most of the time it`s not bad, but last night we forgot our umbrella and on the way home we got completely soaked. When half of your clothes are being washed and the other half are wet from running in the rain...it gets a little frustrating. Luckily everything dries pretty well over night. Anyways, Dad, by mentioning big breakfasts, Crown Burger, and Tucano`s...are you TRYING to make me go insane? =P On an extremely serious note...I miss the food in the States and especially at home! Mom, get ready because you`re going to have one very HUNGRY man on your hands in about 21 months. =D Here we get good beans, bad rice, and very good fresh bread for almost every meal, but we hardly every get meat and when we do, the portions are definately not Preston portions. ;) Anyone that reads this and has seen me eat knows EXACTLY what I mean by a ¨Preston Portion¨. Yup, definately planning on gaining weight when I get home. =) As to that subject...everything is getting big on me. My suit is still comfortable, but my shirts and pants are starting to show how much weight I`m losing without even stepping on a scale. It`s kinda cool to see actually. =P And guess what? Remember my temple pants, how we had to buy 42`s? Yeah, well now they`re my baptism pant and I definately have got some extra room to move now. ;)

Speaking of which...guess who has THREE baptisms now?! =D Elder Preston William Tucker! Haha And I actually got to baptize two of them! Denny Lopez and Debora Valladares. I dont know why they chose me to baptize them...but it was a WONDERFUL experience! To have such success with such wonderful people is a taste of the delicious, sweet fruit of Lehi`s Dream. To see Salvation begin for someone...is just spectucular! I got pictures and I will be sending home another memory card soon! =) I just wanted to share with you all the pure JOY that I feel for the decisions these people are making to follow Christ`s example and be baptized into the one True Chruch. I even had the opportunity to bear my testimony to a room full of members, loved ones, and friends of those that we baptized. Everything flowed, and I was able to say exactly what I wanted to express. By no means, was my Spanish perfect in that moment, but it was close. ;P Thank you for your prayers and love for these people that you dont even know, but that I can feel that you care for just as much as I do. They still need your prayers, but I know that they`ve taken their first step and it`s all about joy and eternity from here on out.


I`m so happy that Rob`s Farewell went well! I know he has the skills and intelligence needed to become an excellent missionary. He was well prepared for this throughout his life by his family and the Lord and now He`s going to make us all very proud. Rob, if your get the chance to read this before you go, I love you and miss you, but I know that what you are doing is right. It`s the right decision at the right time in your life and I have no doubt that the Lord will keep you in the hollow of His hands. He will protect you, love you, and support you like you`ve never experienced before. Trust in His power and love and you will do wonders. =D That`s called Faith cousin, and you`re gunna need every drop that you have to serve the people of Spain. Do your absolutely best and the Lord will do His. And I testify that the Best of the Lord is enough to accomplish absolutely anything in this world because it is His, we are His, and this work is His. I know that this Chruch is True, that the Book of Mormon is full of the True Gospel of Jesus Christ and that it contains answers to all of your questions and problems, and I know that the Light of Christ is in all His children...waiting for you to awaken their rememberance and lead them back to their Father in Heaven. I love you cousin, I`ll see you in about 25 months. =)

Dad, Happy Father`s Day, late, but it`s all I can do. Love you. I`m so glad that you`ve gotten the opportunity to use your boat and enjoy your summer with your family so far. I miss you and at times really wish I could call you for counsel and just talk, but I know there will be plenty of time after this work is done for me. =) And also...I have no idea what an Orbital Buffer is... Hahahaha! Sounds like Metzie has really been pushing to get the basement in Bear Lake ready for summer. Take pictures, beacuse I want to see what yòu all have done with the place =) Enjoy your summer and use Bear Lake to the fullest. Say hello to the Sessions Family for me. Tell them I love em and I wish the best for their missionary too!

I`m actuially not surprised to hear about your emotional moments at the Farewells of Josh and Rob, Dad. I knew you probably wouldn`t miss me to the point of tears, but I knew before I left that you and I truly are Best Friends now. I miss you too and I`m proud of you too. I woudn`t be here without your guidance and loving support. Know that I appreciate everything you have ever done for me. Gain a Testimony of your Son`s Love for you. ;) Because your son loves you more than he can express. You`re my Hero and my Friend, but best of all you`re my Father. I love you and I`m grateful that we`ve been given eternity to be together as a Family forever.

Sorry I don't have much more time. We used a new place for email this week and the computers are on the fritz...I`ve already lost two other emails I started to you and I dont want to lose this one. So I have to say goodbye for now. Thsi week is Zone Conference. I`m excited for that new experience and I`ll be thinking about you a lot over the next two days as I receive training and counsel. Mom, stay strong, enjoy your summer, and keep up your studies! I love you to the Sun and back 10,000 times! Hope, Dad tells me that you`re doing the best you can to do well in school and help out at home. Thank you so much for listening to me. I love you and I want the absolute best for you in this life. I`m so extremely grateful for the opportunity to be your brother for forever. I miss you and think about you every day. Keep up your good work and we`ll have plenty of time to hang out when I`m home! =D Dad, you know now how much I love you. Keep me up to date and keep doing your very best for the Family and for your Work. Succeed! That`s an order! ;P I would love to hear more about how the company is doing and what your current interests and cool experiences are, so fill me in when you get the chance. Love you for eternity and I cant wait to hear more from you. Until next week...

Love Always,

-Elder Preston William Tucker

Monday, June 15, 2009

Email - Received Monday, June 15, 2009

Hey Family!

I was so excited to see that I had gotten two e-mails to read and respond to today. I´m sorry though, While I was writing my report to my Mission President, the power went out and the internet cafe didn´t give us our lost time back. Moral of the story, I dont have a lot of time to write today. Sorry... =( I´m not very happy about it either.

So here´s the deal, I didn´t know about it until we had District Meeting last week, so I´m sorry I didn´t give you all a heads up, but we do our letter writing on Monday instead of P-Day. We do it because we have District Meeting and it´s held near an internet cafe and that way we can all go as a district to write. But I´m glad that I still have the opportunity to write for an hour each week. The absensce on technology in my life now is...well, strange to say the least.

I was so happy to hear that Josh´s Farewell went without a hitch. I´m glad that he was so prepared and I´m just astounded at how much the Lord has blessed that kid. I love him so much and I wish I could´ve been there, but I´m not gunna lie, I´m glad that I´m already 2 and 1/2 months into my mission. I´m so grateful that the Lord has provided for him temporally and spiritually and I can feel that he is as ready as he could be to start his training. Josh, be excited, cuz you´re in for one heck of a ride my friend! I miss you and think about you often while I´m out walking the streets of Guatemala and I know that you will do SO well on your mission that you´ll be the envy of every other missionary in your Zone! Haha Just stick with it, study hard, and apply yourself in everything that you do in the next 9 weeks. You´ll do wonders, I know it!

Speaking of wonders! Guess what?!?! My first three baptisms are scheduled for THIS Sunday, the 21st! How crazy is that?! Success in my first two weeks. Truly the Lord has His hands over my area and has blessed us already with a harvest of beautiful souls. Family Valladarez, Daniel age 14, and his mother Debora are both so excited for their baptism and I can see their love for the Gospel of Christ growing everytime we see them. Denny Lopez age 15, sister of Vildalia Lopez, had a few struggles at first with her prior beliefs, but she is also ready and happy for her baptism. More good news, two nights ago we received a reference from a less active member that we are reactivating to go teach the family of his sister. They are a family of four, unmarried, but extremely loving. I loved teaching them because it reminded me so much of my own family and I could feel the love of Christ expanding as they listened to our message. Both my companion and I feel that the three of them that aren´t members (the step-father, and the two kids) are ready to receive the gospel and we will be able to set baptismal dates with them soon. =) We are still working on Zaida age 12 to get her registration papers with the Guatemalan government, but I feel that as soon as those are ready, she will be baptized as well. Oh how wonderful the blessings of Heavenly Father are for his Children. I feel his love everytime we teach and I can see his Love blessing my family as well.

I´m so glad that everything is going well at home. Mom, you´re awesome, keep working and playing hard. The Summer is your time to shine and be free. I know that you´ll enjoy Girls Camp, you always do. Dont worry about the yard, all will get done in its proper time. In the mean time, enjoy the rain, enjoy your studies, and enjoy your family! I´m sad that I cant enjoy this Summer with you, but trust me, the Man that´s going to come home to your from this mission in two years will be completely ready to live up the summer with his Family! Hope, love you, miss you, every day. Help Mom, have fun, and be good, okay? =) Swim hard and remember my promise about the Olympics! Miss you, write soon! Dad, sorry about the surprise e-mail, but at least for the next 4 weeks you can count on receiving my e-mails on Monday, okay? Thanks for checking on my bank accounts. I forgot to get those expiration dates for you today, but I will have them for you next week. I dunno how you´d be able to fly out and bring them to me, but that definately sounds like a fun idea. I think the way it was explained to me by a friend here was that you could get me new cards, send them by secure USPS post, then I´d notify you when I received them and you could then activate them. I Dont know what you think about that, but it IS another option. Love you, you´re so great for taking care of me, even when 2200 miles away. As for my ASU account, i dont remember my login, so what you´re going to have to do is find my SunCard, my ASU ID card, and get my ID number off of it to use the (forgot ID/password) for the login. I cant remember where I put it, but I know I left it at home. And you´ll need the second number, to the right of the first in the middle of the card. I think it´s either 12 or 14 digits. Then you´ll just have to have my last name and my birthday. That should do it. I hope nothing is wrong with my account...I´m sure you´ll do your best to find out.

Enjoy the boat, get it broken in, and I´ll be back in about 22 months to tear it up with you. I think I´ve lost about 25 pounds so far and I´m looking better than I have for about 2 years. I´ve been comparing myself to the pictures of the day you dropped me off at the MTC, and I think I look terrible in them! Haha I really let myself go! =P But I´m doing a lot better. My pants are loose, my suit fits great now...even a little big in the pants, and my shoes are very comfortable. No blisters, I promise! But anyways, my point is that I´m going to look and feel great when I get home, I can already feel the Lord´s hand in making me healthier than I have been for years. All the better to serve Him, right?! =) You guys stay healthy too, or get healthy if you´re not happy right now. Again, try the MTC diet: three meals a day, same time every day, and no snack in between. You´ll be amazed at the results. ;) I´m about out of time for this week, but everyone know that I love you and I miss you all every day. I look at our family photo everyday and know that if blessing you all were the only reason I served this mission, it would be enough reason for me. Luckily, I know that my reasons extended eternally further than just blessing my family. I love blessing the people here in Guatemala and am learning more each and every day. I love you all and can't wait to hear more news and love from Home. Keep praying, I know I´ll need the blessings and so will my investigators. Know that God is with me and I am striving to be worthy of His protection and trust. God be with you this week.

Love Always,
-Elder Preston William Tucker


P.S. Josh, cant wait to hear from you in the MTC man, it´s gunna be awesome for you, I guarantee it! Miss you more than anything Bro, make Heavenly Father proud. I know you will! Love you!

Monday, June 8, 2009

Email - Received Monday, June 8, 2009

Hey Family, Friends, and Future Missionaries,

Guatemala is beautiful, the weather is beautiful (although it rains at least once a day now), and the souls of the people are beautiful. It surprises me how fast and easy it is to fall in love with the people here in Guatemala. Their way of life is VERY different than ours in the States, their food is more simple and in smaller protions than in the States, but the personalities and the spirits of the people here are the same. I´m catching myself being reminded of certain people as I continue to meet and teach more members and investigators in my area and it is fun to see how similar we all are in very simple and sometimes barely noticeable ways. So that´s the big news this week: I love it here, but I haven´t and am not going to forget my home and every single one of you, my Family.


First, Mom and Dad, there are just a couple things that I have been forgetting to include in my emails for the last few weeks that I need you to find out for me. First, I have both my Debit and Credit Cards here, but am not allowed to use the internet to check their balances. So first, please find out what my debit balance is and make sure that my credit card is at even zero. Then, in your next email, just include a note about how much I have in my debit account. Next, we didn´t thing about this before, but both of my cards expire before my mission ends. Dad, I need you to find out if it is possible to extend their expiration dates until April of 2011 and then see if you can send me new cards (with the same pictures) with the new expirations dates. If you cant or if the bank wont allow that, I guess you´ll just have to wait until they expire and then renew them for me and send me the new cards at that time. Thanks! We get a debit card out in the field to manage and withdraw funds and it is refilled each month with about $190 (not much per month huh?). I feel confindent that I will be able to live within my assigned amount, but if I ever need any help from home, I might have to ask for it...Is that okay? Thanks for taking such good care of me in the past and teaching me to be a good saver. And that Thanks goes to you too Grandma Welling! You taught your grandson well. =)


Today I got a letter from a few of my friends from our home ward in Syracuse! I was way surprised and way excited to see what you all had done for me. Sending a letter with a bunch of letters from a bunch of different people is a cool idea and it really made me smile huge! Almost as huge as I smiled when I found out that we might be able to have four baptisms this month in our ward! To the Sucese Family: I miss you all SO much! Taylor, you´re crazy cool and I´m so glad that You made sure I knew you sent your greetings and love. And yes, Mama Sucese, I DO miss chocolate chip cookie nights! Be sure to have a batch ready for me in about 22 months okay? I´m totally gunna want some right about then. ;P McCalle, thanks for keeping an eye on my family for me, although I´m not sure if Taylor will appreciate that. =P To the Beeston Family: Thank you so much for your support. I just hope that I can set a good example for others and do the best that I can for the Lord. You are right Carolyn, the MTC was full of the spirit, but so is the field. The only difference is the work that it takes to create the same environment outside in the world. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. And to Ashley Ashby: Thanks so much for sending your hopes for me out here to Guatemala. I miss the nights that I used to hang out at your house too. Maybe someday after my mission we´ll get to hang out like that again. But for right now I´ve got a few other people that need that comfortable spirit from me and I´m ready to make new memories so that I can share them when I get back, okay? =) Do your best in school, support your family, and we´ll have lots to talk about in about 22 months.

Now, to my Family and Future Missionary Friends! Sounds like Mom, Dad, and Hope have been really busy playing and working hard. Mom! How does it feel to be done with your first year as a Syracuse Titan?! I´m sure your happy for the rest and the opportunity to set yourself up with goals (metas) for the summer and the coming year. I know that the Lord is opening the windows of Heaven and pouring out His blessings on you, my family, becuase of your love and obedience...and maybe a little bit because I´m out here trying to do the same. =) I´m trying to share my heart, love, and gifts with the people here and I can tell that parts of my Patriarchal Blessing are becoming familiar. My Mission President believes that our missions are Spiritual Rendezvous and that every person that we teach and love here, we knew in the Pre-Existence and we were meant for this Time, and this Season, and this Harvest of the Lord. I believe the same as each and every day there are moments where my soul seems to transcend the veil and recognize the spirit of a brother or sister that I knew before and that it is now my work to bring them back Home. How Great is My Calling!

Hope, hold on, Summer is coming. I know that sometimes its hard not to be impatient, but all blessings come with time. =) I miss you and love you and hope and pray for all the best things for you every day. Try your very hardest to do well in school, swim hard and fast, and be obedient at home and I PROMISE that you will receive blessings! Okay? =D Love you!

I´m glad to hear that the procedure went well with Grandma. Thank you Mom, for keeping me up to date on stuff like that. It may seem little, but its very important to me.

To answer your questions in your DearElder that I received today, Mom: The climate is temperate here in the Capital. Usually a little warm and cool, lots of sun, until the rain for the day comes. The food that our neighbor cooks for us every lunch and dinner is great so far. We spend about $2 on each meal, which is not much considering Hermana Chacon´s generousity. Be comforted Mom, I´m getting fed well, but I am getting more fit every day. =) I think I´ll probably come home a little thin, but definately in good shape. =D For that I am extremely happy and thankful for my blessings. I believe We are in the same season, although the natives call this Winter (I think because of the rains). My new study goal is to read the Bible in English and study the Book of Mormon in Spanish. Thanks for your praise Mom, it was a big accomplishment for me too to read the Book of Mormon all the way through in the CCM. I DO listen to my music. I got it out yesteday and have listened to it a lot since then. I think even my companion likes some of it. Hermana Chacon does our laundry each week too, so that´s going to be fine. And I´m learning the mail system here and will get letters mailed soon.

Josh, keep working hard and get prepared. Travis, I´m so excited for your call! Learn Spanish well and we´ll have a lot to talk about after, OK?

Love you all, my time is up. Until next Week!

Always,

-Elder Preston William Tucker

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Email - Received Thursday, June 4, 2009

Hey Mom, Dad, and Hope

So, today, Thursday June 4th, is my second day in the field. Luckily, the mission is set up so that every time a change happens, the missionaries get to go to an internet cafe and use email to update their families. I will get an hour every week to email, so expect long emails from here on out. Today I have a lot on my mind, but I´m not sure if I´ll be able to get it out on the page. First of all, let me update you on the last two days.

Tuesday morning: Everyone woke up VERY early to get their bags (maletas) downstairs and outside for pick-up by the AP´s (Assistants to the President). Everyone was ready to go and that went smoothly. The Mission Home, where President Baldwin lives is just across the street from the CCM, so we didn´t have to go far. We got to the house at about 6:30AM and then President Baldwin started the initial interviews after a brief welcome to the Mission Home. He went in alphabetical order, so i had a while to wait. It was weird being the only North American newbie...I haven´t really heard much English since I left the CCM...But that´s okay because I´m understanding more than I thought I would. Every experienced missionary I have met since then has said that my Spanish is very good. I´m taking heart in this, even though I still frequently get lost in the middle of a conversation. Anyways...After my interview with President, which went very well by the way Mom and Dad, we all had breakfast and then had more orientation. It was probably the best breakfast that I´m going to have for the next 22 months... After the orientation we had a little time to study or rest because we had to wake up so early. After rest and lunch, more orientation with the mission nurse and the AP´s and Secretaries. The upper levels of the Mission Leadership have it pretty nice here, but my perception of the ¨comfort¨ factor was about to be shattered the next day. We all went to bed on time and I got my first opportunity to give a priesthod blessing in Spanish. One of the Latino Elders was having sinus trouble and asked me if I would give the blessing. It was extremely hard to think of the words to say until I started feeling the Spirit, then it was easier. It was short and not well structured, but it was a priesthood blessing nonetheless. I´m sure that I will be giving many of these in the next 22 months.

Wednesday...was an interesting experience. The morning went just like the day before, in comfort and structure, but when it came time to receive our assignments and go the Mission Office, things got difficult and fast-paced. The Assistants tok our bags to the office beforehand, so that wasn´t a problem. The real experiences started after our tour of the Mission Office and the introduction to our Trainers. Here is my assignment information for all those that are curious:

My Mission= Guatemala City Central
My Zone= Villa Nueva (New Way)
My District= Unión (Union)
My Area= Promisión (Promise)
My Trainer= Elder Molina (from Honduras, speaks Spanish fluently and quite a bit of English, he has five sisters and his family are all members)

Everything in Guatemala runs on the buses, so my traveling to my area was very interesting, considering that every bus is always packed to the gills with people and baggage. Trying to haul around three bags was hard and I sweat like a pig, but I´m very glad that I have the provisions and clothes that I have. It started raining about 10 minutes from our area, so when I got off the bus I and my lugguage were instantly soaked. Dont worry though Mom, because my bags are hard backed and pretty waterproof, not much got wet at all. I just have to let my bags dry out. Anyways, our apartment is tiny, we rent it from a small family that lives on the other side of the wall, and I was shocked at how dirty it was. But, just like I was trained by my parents...I immediately started looking for a solution to this problem. I asked my companion for water, bleach, and a rag and then I got to work for about an hour and a half cleaning my desks, my side of the study room and the ceiling above my bed. There were tons of little spiders and I think it´s going to take a while before the apartment is really ¨clean¨, but I think we can evertually get there. In true bachelor fashion, all the missionaries before me had left the rooms uncleaned, the bathroom a mess, and tons of their old stuff behind for others to throw away or use. I´m in a situation, but I´m definately going to try to make the best of what I´ve been given. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for teaching me how to live clean and organize...I think I´ll need those skills a lot over ther next 15 changes. Also, we visited two families last night. A newly converted family, Familia Rodas, and a member family who was celebrating a birthday for their daughter Michelle. It was fun to get to know them and to try to teach a couple spiritual thoughts to real people. Overall, a very long, but full day.

Thursday, today, we had a morning full of more interesting things. I cleaned more, exercised, studied a little, then we left to go to a District Meeting and our Zone Counsel. Our District is pretty small, only six elders, but our Zone is made up of about 16 elders and 6 sisters. It was nice to meet everyone a little and get to know how these meetings go. Now we are here in a internet cafe writing for a bit. I have a lot of appointments tonight with members and investigators, so I should have a lot to do tonight. Right now I just got informed that i have to write President Baldwin a letter and I only have ten minutes left. So this is Goodbye for now, sorry this letter wasn´t very spiritual, just filling you in on the details of the last couple days. I´ll write again on P-Day which is on Tuesdays still, now and for the whole mission. I love you all so much and look forward to hearing more from you. Love you SO much and miss you EVERY minute.

Love Always,

-Elder Preston William Tucker