May 26, 2014

Hey Mom,

Sorry again about the letter from last week, not a lot happened. Don't be worried everything is all right with me, in fact the things here are amazing. I feel right at home every Sunday, in the ward I am serving in right now, there are even little kids that cry and run everywhere.

This week a lot of good things happened. 

Everyone knows that Elders are good for a lot of things. One of those things is helping people move. In the United States people take the stuff out of the house load it on a truck then drive to the new house and then unload everything. Here in Medellin, in some areas a truck is not an option. The only option is to carry your things from your old house to your new house. That is what we did this week, we helped a family move their things. But the cool part is that their old house was up in the mountain, and their new house was even farther up in the mountain. So, yeah we had to carry all the things up the side of the mountain.

Here in Colombia, I have noticed that the missionaries are involved in everything. This week we had a very special night for all the couples in the ward. We planned a really cool activity. A lot of couples came and had a great time. I don't know if I have told you, but my companion is about to finish his mission. So I like to joke with him. Whenever we see a couple kissing or managing their 3 kids I always like to tell him, "Look companion, your life in 3 years, kissing and crying kids!" We always get a good laugh out of that one. So now that I am thinking about it, I could say that to Mitchell and to Greg. HAHAHAHAHAHAH. It’s a funny joke, right?

And to top the week: we had a baptism! After 8 years of investigating the Church and working hard to gather what was necessary for her marriage, Sister Virgelina finally got baptized. Ever since I got here, I have seen her at every baptism with a sad face because she was not yet baptized. But on Saturday her smile could not have been any bigger. I am very thankful that I could be here in this ward to share in this experience.

Last short story, I should get my package this week. Don't miss next week’s episode for the details.

I love you Mom and all other readers,

Love Elder Rucker

 

May 13, 2014

Jason, Tori and I got to Skype with Jayden for exactly 60 minutes on Mother's Day.  It was great talking to him and kind of "seeing" him.  (The quality of the picture wasn't fabulous.  He looked like a Picasso painting.)  Right now he is serving in the hills of Medellin. He is a District Leader and staying very busy!  We LOVE you Elder J. Rucker

Jayden didn't send a letter this week but he did send a few pictures. (of course, there would be one of a dog!)

May 5, 2014

Hi Mom,

Sorry I didn't take any pictures of what I looked like after the fall. And sadly there are no pictures for this week either. Also another sad story—I think my birthday package is lost forever. 

First off, I want to tell you about an investigator we are teaching right now. His name is Alfonso. We found him one day as he was walking from the store to his house. When he saw us, he stopped in the middle of the street to stare at us, so we decided to talk with him. He invited use to visit with him in his home. As we talked, we came to know that he is 97 years old. But he acts and talks like someone who is in their 70s or 80s. Then we met his wife, Maria. She is 85. They are a really neat couple. They have been married for 65 years. Every time we pass by their house to teach there are always more family members and neighbors to teach. They are really Catholic but we are going to keep teaching them and see how it goes.

These past couple days I have been a little sick. But don't worry it’s just the croup. 

In my Zone there are four North Americans. The past couple weeks one of them has been trying to make mashed potatoes. And for the past couple weeks, he has arrived at our weekly district meetings without accomplishing his goal of making mashed potatoes.  I gave him a couple of pointers and he still couldn't do it. So one day he called me up on the phone and I walked him step by step through the process. Long story short—he now knows how to make mashed potatoes!     

I can’t wait to talk with you guys on Mother’s Day.

Love, Elder Rucker