Another Week Down!

Hey Family!

Guess who? You`re favorite missionary son/brother/cousin/nephew/grandchild/best friend! Reporting in straight from Guatemala in a really weird, dorky mood this morning.

I don`t have a lot to report this week besides the fact that my Zone Leader responsibilities took me out of my area and away from finding and teaching almost this entire week. It was all for a good purpose though. See, when Preach my Gospel came out, they had a district of real elders and real sisters make videos illustrating the separate principles that PMG teaches missionaries. The videos were good, but they lacked focus and...the comfortable feeling of real life situations, I think. Anyways, recently (or, I guess the Church has been working on it for a while) the Church came out with a new set of videos for Preach My Gospel instruction called "The District 2". The First Presidency decided to make the new videos to illustrate and teach the fundamental principles that a missionary can/should learn from PMG in a simpler, realer, and more direct way. So this last Wednesday, the whole Xela Mission had a conference in which President Lorenzana and his assistants explained the separate parts and teachings of the new curriculum. It was a great conference and everybody learned a lot. I took great notes that I`ll have to share with you when I`m home. The normal missionaries went back to their areas afterwards, but ALL the Zone Leaders had to stay behind, sleep in a hotel, and then return to the Mission house for further instruction the next day. It was an AWESOME training that President gave us that second day and I learned things that will help me become the Man God wants me to be FASTER and EASIER. The principles that I`m learning now will help me achieve success for the rest of my life. I`m really excited to share what I`ve learned more fully once I`m home, but for now know that I`m really enjoying what the Lord is teaching me lately! We`re not having a lot of success in our area, but that might be fixed soon...not sure...it sounds like President Lorenzana has plans to take the mission`s leaders out of their areas to train them personally for quite a bit of time in the coming weeks. I`ll keep you all posted on how it goes.

I didn`t get emails from family today, so I`m assuming that all is well in the Tucker and Welling clans. That`s one thing I`ve learned...never to really freak out about anything anymore. I guess it`s understanding the concept of "no news is good news" SOMETIMES...not ALL the time. =P I hope that Brooke and Kate enjoyed their honeymoons and that they`re really getting buckled down into newly married life with their spouses. I`m really excited by the fact that every day brings my friends and I closer to being reunited again so we can all glory in our Lord and the experiences he gave us in the mish. I love my Family and my Friends...your prayers and love and thoughts support me day by day and the people around me can feel you love through the happiness you all bring me. I`m so grateful for the Gospel plan that joins me to you all in an Eternal chain, especially if we`re obedient to the will of the Lord. I love the Plan of Salvation...it brings me comfort in the hardest part of mortal life. I understand the power of my Maker and trust him and pour out my soul to him often. I`m developing a better relationship with the Spirit and am learning the depend on him when the good ideas run dry and when the heart needs uplifting. I love and know my Savior, and He loves and knows me. I testify that His Church is TRUE and the Gospel has been restored for us in these later days. I work hard to share my testimony and make it stronger so I can bear my family up for ALWAYS. I`ll talk to you all and see you soon.

Love Always,
-Elder Preston William Tucker