June 30, 2014

Hi Mom,

This week was a good week. At the first of the week we worked with the Assistance to the President. I worked with Elder Diaz. 

I also got my birthday package this week. YEAH! (We sent it in March!!!) Although I am sad to say that it is basically gone. I live in a house with four Elders so I split the package into fourths so everyone could eat. I really liked the surprise inside the Pop Tart box. (Beef Jerky. Customs didn't like it last time we sent it!)

This week was a cooking week. My companion and I cooked for a few members and investigators. I cooked the first time and the second time my companion cooked.  I made breakfast for dinner. It was a real shock to the members because I told them I was going to make a breakfast meal for dinner. They had never thought of eating food out of order. I made French toast and bacon with brown sugar. The second cooking activity my companion made. He cooked pork with potatoes and rice. It is called Lomo Saltado in Peru. It was really good.

The Colombians are going crazy down here because the Colombian soccer team is doing really well in the World Cup. We can’t be outside when they play because no one receives us. The Colombians are super fans.

That is all for this week.

Love, Elder Rucker

June 27, 2014

Jason found these additional pictures on the mission website.

June 23, 2014

Hello Mom,

This was a sad week. It was time for transfers and I got moved. I was only in Villa Hermosa for two transfers but was hoping I would to there for four. It was a great area and the members were awesome. My new area is Buenos Aires. It is in another part of Medellin. The cool thing is that it is right next to my old area. And there is a  neighborhood called… Pablo Escobar. Cool right?  In the transfers, I was called as a Zone Leader. My new companion is a Peruvian. His name is Elder Ramos.  

My last day in my old area Elder Roa and I hiked up to one of the high points of our area, which means the TOP of the mountain. So while we were there, we preached to the people of Medellin. We were really high up.

On Sunday I got to know the new ward. It is really cool. I am going to like it here. During sacrament meeting the first two talks did not last very long. So when we started to sing the intermediate hymn the secretary of the ward came and asked me to speak. I have had to prepare a talk in 20 minutes in the past, but never have I had to prepare a talk in 2 minutes! So I am think that by the end of my mission when I get called to speak I will get seconds to prepare. I will tell you though, that I like speak with less time to prepare. Why??? Because you have no time to talk yourself down or doubt yourself. You only have time to gather a few words then rely entirely on the Spirit. I like it better.

Well, this week was an adventure. 

Love you,  Elder Rucker
FYI Greg finishes his mission this week.

June 16, 2014

Querida Madre,

This week was pretty good. One day our lunch appointment canceled, so we had no lunch. The same thing happened with the other missionaries who live in our house. So Elder Meyers and I cooked breakfast. We made waffles, eggs and bacon. It was really good. The bacon was amazing. We coated it in brown sugar then fried it. I would have never thought to do it that way, but Elder Meyers showed me and it turned out really good. 

I finally remembered to take a picture of myself in my USA uniform. Don’t I look like Waldo?

There is a member who has a dog and it had puppies. They are really cute. But the weird thing is that they don't look like brothers. Every time we pass by the member’s house we have to, well…. I have to play with the puppies for five minutes.

OUCH!

 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints is God’s Kingdom here on Earth. I have no doubt about that. Every day He confirms my testimony. The Book of Mormon is as it says on the cover "Another testament of Jesus Christ". The Book of Mormon Changes lives, I have seen it. Think of Mister Sir "You take a bad boy, make him dig holes all day in the hot sun, it turns him into a good boy." Now apply that to the Book or Mormon. You take a bad person, invite them to read the Book of Mormon, if they do, it turns him/her into a good person. I love His work and I am honored to labor in His vineyard.

I love you,

Love Elder Rucker

We also had a Family Home Evening this week that went really well. We watched this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdCPMwhvJ88&list=PL4E784EC0770935C0&index=14

June 9, 2014

Mom,
This week was really good. Last P-day we went to Parque Explora (Explorer Park). It is a park of science. There were a lot of  cool things inside and experiments. For example, I drove around in the human brain, put my body in one of the hand wire things, yeah cool things like that. You will see in the pictures.



In our area there is a big water tank and at night there are really cool lights on it that change colors. When I took the photo it was red, but it also can be green, blue, etc.

The Zone had a birthday party for all the people who had a birthday in April, May and June. So it was really cool.

This week it rained a lot. I know in the picture it does not look like a lot of water, but know that that hill is very steep and there is about 1 inch of water covering the whole street. There was so much water and the hill so steep that taxis could not go up the hill.

In past letters you asked about drug deals. Well, to see a drug deal here is pretty common, but this week something out of the ordinary happened. My companion and I were walking and saw two guys in the street. They were standing right in the middle of the walkway so we had to pass in the middle of the two. Turns out that we walked right through the drug deal. Pretty cool right???

The next story is pretty funny but kind of gross. One of our investigators has a bunny and it acts like a dog. It has to check up on us every little while to make sure we are still where we have to be. Well, during the lesson this week I had to take a call so I got up and walked to the edge of the garden. So naturally the bunny came over to see what I was doing. Then for some reason he went all crazy and started running all around my feet. Then when I looked down I realized.....he had peed all over my shoes. Good thing they are waterproof.  Am I right?

Well, that's my week, enjoy!
Love you, Elder Rucker

June 2, 2014

Hello Mother Dear,

On Tuesday I went to a conference for all the Zone and District Leaders with President Pitarch. He had never done a conference like that but he wanted to do something different for a change.

Every week there is a ward sport night. Members, investigators and missionaries get together to play sports…soccer. When I play, I can't just go and play like a regular person, I have to go all out! Going all out includes the uniform. I bought a Colombian uniform and the uniform for the US team. I don't have a photo of me in the US uniform but it is cool. I look like Waldo from "Where's Waldo".  

So, the World Cup of Soccer is approaching and President Pitarch is really excited. He has invented a World Cup for the mission. We really don't  know what it will include—but it will be good!

There is a cool family in the ward and on Sunday they invited us to eat lasagna with them. It was the fourth time I’ve eaten lasagna on my mission. It was good, but not quite like Mom’s home cooking.

That’s all for this week. 

Love You All, Elder Rucker