The Epic Week of Church :)‏

Such a good week!!!! So many things happened this week. I can't even.. :) So starting with Monday.. We were going to go over to our ward mission leaders house to watch the prophet of the restoration with an investigator that is close with them. So after going all around town to get the movie from people we ended up watching the testament instead. Which seemed great... :) haha most awkward thing Eva!!! It kinda turned into a "Friday night movie" deal even though it was FHE so there were people cuddling and being cute and icky then there was just me and Sis Giles in the corner being the awkward sister missionaries. I have never felt sooooo much awkward in the air. Then when we got home the other sisters car was already there and their dome light was still on but there was no lights on in our apartment. We were like uhhhh what the? And we unlocked the door and no one was there and then BAM they scared the crap out of us. I almost peed myself. It was so scary. We thought they had been taken or something and one of them was like that wouldn't happen and all I said was "Saratov Approach" and she was like ....... Yeah.. Now I'm freaked out! Hahaha it was so funny though :)

The next day we studied and then I went on my first exchange with the sister training leaders! Super fun! The sister I went with was awesome. I spent the night in their apartment and we were in the YSA ward. Super fun! We were on campus so we got to walk around and talk to some cool people that are my age :) we had some super cool lessons too! We taught this girl that was super close to baptism and then she dropped the sisters hardcore because she had doubts from false stuff she has read. Then a friend in the ward resolved her concerns and she started meeting with the sisters again. We were going to teach the restoration but instead she had questions about the plan of salvation and we talked about that. She was soooo cool! She had lots of perfect questions and it was amazing. When we first got there she was like oh I was just listening to conference talks! What? She's an investigator ahh and she was talking about " when" she gets baptized and what "we" believe and she aid she wants to be married in the temple. She was amazing! Then we had dinner with an awesome sister that went to USU and she was the coolest person ever :) and made excellent cookies. Haha :) then we met with a recent convert that told us about a talk she heard at a devotional and it was about what will happen when we get to the other side and people will ask which prophet was on the earth when we were there. Some will say they lived in the time of Abraham and such. Then some will say Brigham Young and everyone will be amazed at the strength of those saints. Then we will say Thomas S. Monson and everyone will go quiet and be astonished because of the strength that we have in the last days. It gave me chills when she was talking about it :) super cool.

Then next morning we studied together then did some service at the YMCA then met back up with our companions and then I went to a lesson with the as me girl that watched the movie with us. She is so great. She is still having a hard time with her family though. But we had set out to do the restoration with her, and I had no idea what our real plan was, but then my companions pulls out the plan of salvation cards and we taught that and it was a powerful lesson. She said she really needed to hear that message of hope because she was having a rough time, and we told her that was not even our plan but the spirit prompted it and she was amazed. She got emotional and told us thank you. It was so cool!!! These miracles just don't quit. :) after that we had a lesson with Donna the one we found my first day. We got to the door and she says "I only have 15 minutes but come in!" She was having a bunko party :) haha then we ended up talking until her friends got there but before we had left her with a plan of salvation pamphlet and she read it and it was sitting on top of her BOM facing us again. And then she asked if that copy was hers and we were like YESSSSS and then she told us how comfortable she feels when she is with us and how she told her friends about us :) like what?! You aren't even embarrassed about us? Haha and her friends asked them why she even let us in and she totally stood up for us and said because she likes us :) haha then she said she would like to learn mor about the 3 kingdoms thing next time :) haha we didn't even have to set up an appointment. She is awesome! :) then we went to mutual. Haha these girls crack me up! They kept asking for our first names and I finally got to use the line "sister" haha just like the elders did to me when I was younger.

The next day we went to do service and the bishops house with his wife. She is awesome. Her garden was just going nuts so she couldn't keep up. So we picked tomatoes and then sliced pears for them to dry. Totally reminded me of when I was a kid helping Mary Ellen with all those kinds of things. So I still got to help in a garden after all! Be sure to tell Rex that. :)  Then we were planning for this week and got interrupted with a call saying we would be moving to another apartment. Haha in the middles of the transfer :) then we taught a sweet lesson on King Benjamin's sermon and committed the sister to come to church :) the next day we had new missionary training and district meeting. It was great! Our mission theme is being fishers of men so we talked about what that means and went fishing! We used a real pole and everything to fish for bags of candy. Haha super fun! Then we went home and packed up our stuff and moved! Haha so we are now living in a little   (so I typed the first part of this on my ipad and then a heck of a time trying to get it from there to the library computer for some weird reason) technology seriously hates me. anyway. we are living in this little apartment above a members home. Still outside our area... but President didn't want all 4 of us together anymore. :(  We were the only missionaries in the whole mission that had 4 in an apartment. haha but it sounds like it's a temporary move so I haven't unpacked like any of my stuff... haha :) tis the life of a missionary I guess. The family we are living with are the Cottles. The mom reminds me sooooooooooooooooo much of Lisa Porter :) it's so cool! I love her already. The apartment is soooo old school. I was going to take a picture of the shower cause it's kinda comical when it's not you showering in it. the shower heads points towards the curtain and it's very small. haha :) Sister Giles started cracking up just telling me about it because I'm practically a giant compared to her. hahaha. anyway, it's really fantastic :) After that we went to dinner and guess flipping what!? I had split pea soup and didn't gag once!! haha So much like baby food... so much. The member goes "A lot of younger people don't like it" Uhh so you make it for the elderly sister missionaries huh? :) Then we had a lesson with the little girls that have some crazy issues. one just literally kicked and screamed and swore at her mother the entire time. super sad. the oldest one is amazing though!! we sang I am a child of God with her and during the screaming she just kept singing it. I love her :) We are going to make her a CD of primary songs today :) then we had a lesson with a woman that I think I have mentioned before, but who knows? :) She is super knowledgeable, but she has been baptized in a couple of other churches and doesn't understand the need to get baptized again. We had a fabulous lesson with her about covenants and I was so impressed to tell her that if she comes to church and gets baptized she will have the strength to overcome her problems with anxiety. It was so cool! I couldn't believe what was coming out of my mouth haha :) She was in tears and she goes "Do I need to get baptized again?" Yes sister :) you do! She said she would think about church and such and call us the next day. So she did :) The next day we helped out at a funeral. Interesting.. but after that she called us!! She said I thought a lot about what you girls have been doing and the only thing you have been doing is inviting me to choose to be a part of something. so I will come to church!! :) That night we had a couple of lessons. One of which the topic of Guy on a Buffalo and Llamas with hats came up bahahahahaha My companion had no idea what we were talking about. It was hilarious :) haha that night we had halibut for dinner..... :/ meh. I had to keep telling myself it was chicken because the texture was icky. and the member would not stop talking.... haha :) she talked for an hour straight about genealogy and we were like well we have to go now..... and she kept talking. We finally had to just be straight up and say we really have to go. and she still followed us out the door talking. ahhhh Oregonians. :) 

Yesterday was fantastic! the 2 older ladies came to church!!!!!!!  We were so excited!! :) The Lady we taught this week stayed all 3 hours despite her anxiety and she was a rockstar. Our Ward Mission Leader teaches Gospel Principles and he is so good. I'll write you a letter about the lesson because it impacted me a ton!! :) It was so fantastic. And after church she said she LOVED it! she said she has always felt like a feather floating around and she felt like she belonged here. and she asked what her next step is :) Is this for real?! Like these things really do happen! We are planning on committing her to be baptized next month. She is seriously the most prepared person ever!! :) We had a few lessons and I got to show some members the Come unto Christ music video. My favorite! :) then we had dinner at the coolest members house :) I love that family. Then we went to finally watch the Prophet of the Restoration and it was a lot less awkward this time. I love that movie!! :) and now you are all up to date on my life I think! :) 

Can you even wait for General Conference?!?! I'm so excited!! :) 

We should still be having a couple of baptisms next week! :) super excited and I'll keep you posted on Marvina! Can you handle the suspense?! I can't!! :) 

I just love this. It's so great to be a missionary. I couldn't imagine not meeting these people. They are truly wonderful :) 

OH! We had a butt ton of member present lessons this week too :) It's a big deal. 

Okay :) well, I think that is it. So have a wonderful week! :) I love you all bunches!! :) 

Love, 

Sister Stucki

Week in the life of a Sister Missionary

Hey hey hey! How are you all?! This week went by so fast! It's great to be on missionary time :) \

so I'm just gonna give you run down of my week.. I brought my journal so I could remember things :)

So Monday night we had a Labor Day BBQ and it was great!!! A lot of people came and had fun and it was a great missionary opportunity. Pretty much people that were in the park just wanted to come join cause we were just having so much fun. We talked to some cool people. and we invited this mom that has 3 daughters and a son that are all little the oldest is like 11 i think? Not sure. But they are some rough people. I love them though. but anyway, Sister Giles has just been kinda like a friend for the last couple of months to them and they came to it and so we sat and talked to them and promised that the Gospel would help with behavioral problems and such and they agreed to actually meet with us :) so we were able to do that and we sang I am a Child of God with the girls and they loved it! We also taught them how to pray and let me tell you, that is my favorite part of being a missionary already. Teaching someone how to talk to their Father in Heaven is so priceless!! 

Tuesday.. I wish I remembered everything cause I don't even have that much time to write in my journal.. but pretty much we went tracting.. This is where my pride kicks in. I'm not a fan of it still. I'd rather just walk up to people on the street any day than knock on their door and talk to them. Anyway. My companion had me pick the street again and wanted to role play what I would say. I get so frustrated about it.. anyway. whatever. We got chewed out my a Catholic woman that was talking about deep doctrine and not understanding and it was kinda funny then we saw some people on the street and went to talk to them and they were not interested, then we saw another family so we walked a little farther and skipped some houses and they weren't interested then we went to another house and had a fantastic conversation about families and the world. and she asked if she could keep the Family Proc. we were like YESSSS!!! haha :) and then I shared Alma 36:3 and she loved it, so she said that she would read the rest of the chapter and we could come back and talk about it with her. :) It was great. Miracle of the story is that if we had not skipped over those other houses to talk to the people on the street then we would never have gotten that far to talk to her. Coolness! :) 

On Wednesday we started off the day doing service! It was super great! Like really :) I miss being outside and working at home... haha who would have ever thought that? ;) maybe it's just that I get to wear pants... :) haha but like 16 missionaries went to this ladys house and we took all the blackberries out of her yard. Blackberries grow wild here and they are super thorny. so that part was fun. but it went so well. We had fun doing it and we were able to accomplish a lot. She isn't a member, but she was so grateful and she said "you are all truly living your religion" Best compliment ever!! It was so stinking nice. You never know how you can touch someone's heart :) it was so crazy. One elder was using a machete and yeah... it was an interesting day!! :) Then we went to help with some humanitarian quilts for a bit and that was fun :) I love the little old ladies in this ward. They are the cutest.  You know that lady I told you about last week that was watering her flowers right when we were going to our car? Well we had our first appointment with her and for the first 30 minutes we were sure that she was going to drop us. She had the BoM facing us and everything. But then as she told us about herself we were able to get to know her and her issues and then we gave her personal stories and she really opened up to us :) It was so cool. Her concern is really about the evil even in her family and she is just trying to be a good person. So we gave  her a Plan of Salvation pamphlet and the a mormon.org card and she thought it was super cool that there is personal testimonies from around the world. So she is still a miracle :) hopefully she keeps going that way :) Then we got to go to mutual and paint our nails and it was super fun :) 

Thursday was a great day! we did some more service for someone needing help cleaning. haha there is a lot of help needed for cleaning in this area... :) then we had a couple of teaching appointments that went very well. and one of them was a hand off kinda deal. This girl that is best friends with the son of the Ward Mission Leader in our ward was being taught over skype by the son and his companion for a little while so we are now actually teaching her :) She is very intelligent and the only thing that would ever hold her back is her family who do not approve of Mormons very much. Please pray for her:)  

 Friday was even better!!! :) we had training meetings for new missionaries (I'm already sick of being a "new missionary..") haha and then a zone training meeting. They were both really great! then we went out to lunch to this BBQ place. holy cow. it was so good. I can't even describe how great it was. haha :) then!!!! We had an appointment with the mother and son that are golden. :) We talked about the principles of the Gospel and when we got to the part in the scripture that talked about baptism the mom got kinda quiet and thoughtful and the 12 year old son was like are you gonna get baptized mom?! haha :)  we didn't even have to be the ones to ask! We shared another scripture about following the Savior and being baptized so I invited them and they both said yes!!! :) it was fantastic! They are on date for the 27th :) it was way good. 

 Saturday was kinda blah. haha we had a rough day. Sister Giles gets really bad headaches so we had to take it kinda slow. She took a nap and I cleaned the kitchen (the ants here are horrific so I'm OCD) but yeah. just kinda blah. 

Sunday was great!!! during testimony meeting this man (totally looks like a mtn man) got up and said how grateful he is for the Elders who have been working with him to stop smoking and how they never once have judged him. He started out smoking 3 packs a day!!! now he is down to less than 1 :) he got so emotional and was just so happy and he said "This is just the greatest thing ever" about getting to talk about it :) he was awesome!!! I wish I could explain it better. I got to thank him afterward for what he shared and it was just cool :) Our night kinda fell apart on us. People cancelled. blah. But we had dinner at a less actives house and it was really great! :) they used to live in Rigby so that was a good little connection. They were asking me about some Stuckis there.. I'm pretty sure they must be Karl and Renae's. anyway we watched the mormon message dare to stand alone and they loved it. :) Hopefully they come back soon. 

Now we're to today. :) I love it here. It's really great!!! The people are so cool and inspiring. A lot of people here are converts and it amazes me the things they have had to go through and the ways that the Gospel touched them. It's so cool :) I love you all. I pray for you a lot :) Keep being awesome. :)

Love, 

Sister Stucki  

FINALLY IN OREGON!!!! :)

Ah life is so crazy! So starting off from talking to you at the
airport I'll just give you a run down of life now.
Got on the plane. Only freaked out a little bit.. It was a super small
plane. So we were shoved in. Haha I was sitting by a huge Elder that
fell asleep before we even took off. So that was fun. But the ride was
good. My ears didn't hurt too much, and they actually popped pretty
fast. So that was really good. The Eugene airport was tiny! Haha and
everyone just stared at us while we walked in this army of 16 Mormon
missionaries. It was great :) President and Sister Russell were
planning on picking us up but they had some other things to do, so
that was different. But a senior couple did and they are the sweetest
people you'll ever meet! Then we went to the mission home and got
settled in kinda and we had a group meeting just to go over some
things and how the schedule would go, and then we had lunch. It was
the best meal! Haha it was a sandwich. The MTC food was good and all,
but..... It was so processed and yeah... Then we had a group thing for
a while. The same guy that picked us up at the airport stood in for
President and did interviews with each of us and we got the low down
on Oregon and we went over driving rules and who to contact in certain
situations and all that jazz. Then we had dinner and it was soooooo
good! Those senior couples are the bomb. They were working so hard and
it was great! President and Sister Russell got there in time for
dinner and talked to us and they are AMAZING!!!!!!!! They are my kind
of people and super inspiring it 's such a blessing. :) then each of
us went to a lesson or something of that sort with a companionship in
the area and it was so cool. I went to a recent convert lesson and it
was so great! I really don't know how to describe these things, but
they are super amazing. After that we went back to the mission home, I
was the first one back so I got to talk to Sister Russell and she is
the best story teller I have ever met. We got to know each other and
she totally reminds me of you mom which is a good thing :) and then
the other missionaries came and we had a little devotional type thing
and we all talked about the things that happened. Some had to knock
doors, some had a mock lesson, some went got baptismal dates set. It
was a good night! We went to bed. And then we got up and had breakfast
and waited to meet our new companions. We went to the church and a
bunch of the missionaries that are in this area sang and such and then
we got assigned. My trainers name is Sister Giles. She is great! 

but we went to our area which is the Springfield 2nd ward. It's just

outside of Eugene and it's an interesting place..... :) but the people

are also really amazing. The first day we went tracting which I'm still

trying not to have a problem with :) but I prayed and decided on a place

on a map and we went to the area and my companion was thinking oh no....
That's not going to be a good place. So we knocked on the door I was
thinking about and no one was there which was discouraging. And then
we saw some people walking to their car and we invited them to the
Labor Day BBQ and later we found out that they were a no contact. But
they were super nice and hopefully they will come tonight. Then we
knocked two more doors.. Haha the first was a lady that was a Jehovah
Witness. She politelyish declined us. The next was a lady that was
some sort of minister.. It was so funny to me. W asked her her name
and she said it and then swiftly volunteered the information of her
being a minister. Hahaha then we asked her if she knew anyone that
could use an uplifting message and she got irritated and said yeah!
There is a whole hospital full of people down the road! Hahahaha it
was funny. But whatever. Then we were going back to our car and found
this amazing woman! :) ah I'm just smiling thinking about it :) we
started talking to her and she talked about how she prays every day
and how there is so much evil in the world and she started to get
emotional and the Spirit was so strong. We shared ether 12 with her
and she said she would read it and we could come back and talk to her
about it. She was like oh can I just photocopy it before you leave,
and we're like oh no :) this is yours. It was great. All of that was
in a matter of 15 minutes. What? Miracle!!!!!! Then we did ward splits
and that was great.  We talked to a lot of people that aren't active
and I think it would be fun to do in the ward at home. It was super
chill and it was a good way to invite people to the BBQ. Then we have
just been studying and training and talking to a lot of people. It's awesome.
We live with two other sisters which is fun! and it's just all great!
Idk what else to tell you :) but that's pretty much the gist of things
:)
 

 
Okay I love you all a lot. Mail wanted. :)
Have a good week!
Love,
Sister Stucki
 

Here is Sister Stucki's farewell talk!!!

This if for those of you who weren't able to be there or anyone who just wanted to read it!

Why I Decided to Serve a Mission 

I can’t even believe I’m finally to this point! It’s crazy how fast time has gone by, but I have loved every minute of it! I’m even kinda excited to speak you all J

As most of you know I will be serving in the Oregon Eugene Mission and I leave this Wednesday for the Provo MTC. A lot of people have asked if I am disappointed I’m only serving a little over 700 miles away instead of someplace exotic, and ONLY speaking English. It’s a fair question, and even when I tell them I’m not, they’re disappointed for me. Kinda silly. This is why I’ve decided to tell you all why I have decided to serve!

            Deciding to serve, as a girl, is somewhat difficult. We know that men are expected to if their circumstances allow it, but for girls it’s pretty much up to us and the Lord. When I was younger I would think about serving, but mostly as a passing thought which I guarantee many sisters have thought such as, “Maybe if I’m not married by the time I’m 21, I’ll go on a mission.” Or “Depends on my schooling and job situation.” But as many know that time frame got 2 years smaller when President Monson said sisters can go at 19. That made me really think about life and what I wanted to do with it. I think I decided half a million times on serving, and another half a million on not serving. I prayed and prayed and prayed some more and I just wanted a clear out answer of YES or NO. But that’s not how prayer works. Our loving Father in Heaven gave us the ability to choose and I was trying to take away my own agency in a sense by asking that of Him. So I decided I would take mission prep my senior year and see if that gave me a clear answer. I still kept on deciding over and over.  I tried to get in the habit of attending the temple regularly, so some of my dear friends and I would go as often as possible. I had so many great experiences with doing these things, but I realized it was still going to be up to me. I had lots of great advice from people very dear to me, and so I  kept it in mind and last summer I was constantly trying to find things that would help me decide. Finally, I watched the District. If you’ve never heard of it, it is probably the only “reality” show worth anyone’s time. It is of real missionaries teaching real people and doing all those great things we know missionaries do. While watching it, I was filled with love for the people that don’t know what I do. The Spirit spoke to my heart and it wasn’t as much of the question of whether I should serve or not, it was whether I WANTED to or not.

            Even after that, I didn’t tell hardly anyone that my plans were to go on a mission. I didn’t want to jinx it J so I kept it mostly to myself, and went to a semester of college. I had a hard time a college, and it was a huge learning experience for me, and strengthened my resolve to serve the Lord first. So I deferred from school until I will get back from my mission, and I worked to save some money. I took mission prep again and turned in my papers. It has all been a whirlwind since then!

As I’ve reflected on it I realized there were a few massive components to my decision: my agency, the Atonement, and eternity.

Going along with agency I’ve looked at *this* in my room for some time now. I have kept it since I was in Primary and if one of you out there was the teacher that gave it to me, thank you! I have kept it because I always thought about serving, even if it wasn’t a resolute decision. Some of you might have seen me wearing it a couple of weeks ago to match my primary class. During my last lesson I decided to give my kids a “Future Missionary” tag. And we all wore them together. The thing about these that makes them so special is that the name of the person serving is right next to the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ. This is Christ’s restored Gospel on the Earth today. When someone is set apart to serve Him, they also get to serve alongside Him. In Doctrine and Covenants 84:88 it says; “And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.” I don’t have to do this alone! That’s why Heavenly Father put His trust in me. He knows I can do it, especially since I won’t have to do it alone. One night when I was reading my patriarchal blessing I gained a spiritual insight that has changed my perspective. It talks about following the Spirit when it comes to service. I realized Heavenly Father just wants me to follow the Spirit and I’ll be able to serve those who need me. I even ran up to my mom’s room in the middle of the night just to tell her about it I was so excited! J

Also, the Atonement. Jesus Christ is my Savior. I know it. He has made it possible for me to be forgiven, to have a broken heart healed, and to genuinely have faith. I remember a talk given by a past young womens leader where she talked about a book she read saying that Christ most likely pictured each and every one of us while He bled at every pore and hung on the cross. That is a big deal to me. He knows me? He cares about me? If He could do that can’t I tell other people about His Gospel? A few months ago I came across this poem written by an Elder serving in Texas it is titled “He’s been there before” “The Alarm bell rings at 6:30, I stumble to my feet 
I grab my companions bedding and pull off his sheets
A groan fills the room, is it already time to rise?
It seems like just a second ago I was able to shut my eyes.

The morning activities follow- study, prayer and such
When it’s time to leave the apartment, you feel you haven’t accomplished much

“We have a super day planned,”
My comp. says with a grin
I lowly utter a faithless breath,
“Yeah, if anyone lets us in.”

With the word of God and my faithful Schwinn, we ride off in the street
Prepared to face another day of humidity and heat
It’s 9:30 in the evening, the day is almost through
My companion and I are riding home not accomplishing what we thought to do

We ride up to the mailbox, hoping to receive a lot
Only to look inside and hear my echo reverberate “air Box”
We go up to our apartment, the day is now complete
The only thing to show for our work is a case of blistery feet

It’s past 10:30 p.m. My companion is fast asleep,
Silence engulfs me all about and I begin to weep
In the midst of sadness, I kneel down to pray
I need to talk to Father, but I’m not sure what to say

“Oh, Father” I begin, “What happened to us today?
I thought we’d teach somebody, but everyone was away
My hands, my aching hands- worn, hurt and beat;
If our area was any smaller, we’d have knocked every street”

“Why on missions are the days so much alike?
The only difference about today was the flat tire on my bike
Will you send some cooler weather? The heat is killing me
I sweat so bad, it gets in my eyes, it’s very hard to see”

“Why do I have to wear a helmet, isn’t your protection enough?
People always laugh at me, and call me stupid stuff
Please send us investigators so I may give them what they lack
I want to give them Books of Mormon, the weight of them hurts my back”

“And what about my family: They don’t have much to say
I’m sick of not hearing from home day after day after day
Oh Father, Why am I here am I just wasting time?
Sometimes I just want to go home, I’m sorry but that’s on my mind”

“My companion, Heavenly Father, what are you giving me?”
The way he rides his bicycle, I don’t think he can see
Now you have it, I can’t go on, I don’t know what to do
That, my Father in Heaven, is the prayer I have for you”

My prayer now finished, I stand up, then jump right into bed
I need my rest for tomorrow, we have another long day ahead
Sleep starts to overtake me, I seem to drift away
Then it seems a vision takes me to another time in another day

I’m standing alone on the hill. The view is very nice
A man walks towards me and says, “My name is Jesus Christ”
Tears of joy well up inside, I fall down to His feet
“Arise,” He states, “Follow me to the shade. You and I need to speak”

My attention’s towards my Savior, total and complete
He says, “Your mission is similar of what happened to me
I understand how you feel, I know what you’re going through
In fact, it would be fair to say I’ve felt the same as you”

“I even know how you felt when no one listened to you
At times I felt not quite sure what else I could do
I know you don’t like to ride a bicycle, for you a car would be sweet
Just remember the donkey I rode wasn’t equipped with 21 speeds”

“I understand you don’t like sweating, in fact it’s something you hate
I remember when I sweat blood from ev’ry pore, oh the agony was great!
I see you don’t like your companion - you’d rather have someone else-
I once had a companion named Judas who sold my life for wealth”

“It’s hard to wear a helmet and have people make fun of you
I remember when they put thorns on my head and called me King of the Jews
So you feel burdened down by the weight of your pack
I recall how heavy the cross was when they slammed it on my back”

“Your hands hurt from tracting and knocking on doors all day
I guess when they pounded nails into mine, I ached in a similar way
It’s hard not to hear from home when your family’s not there to see
I lost communication on the cross and cried, “Father, why hast Thou forsaken me?”

“We have a lot in common, but there’s a difference between us you see
I endured to the end and finished my mission, so follow and do like me”
He embraced me with His arms and His light filled me with His love
With tears in my eyes I watched as He went back to the Father above

I stood with awe and wonder when a beep rang in my head
I listened and heard the alarm, then realized I was in my bed
My companion let out a groan, “6:30 already, no way!”
I sat up and said, “Come on, I’ll even carry your scriptures today!”

No matter what we go through,
when we feel we can’t take more
Just stop and think about Jesus Christ,
He’s been there before."

I’ve had many trials in my life, and I know that a mission will not be a walk in the park. It will be difficult, and I’m sure some days I’ll feel like the missionary in this poem, but the Savior has been there before. Another great reminder of the Atonement is this analogy; "A basketball in my hands is worth about $20. A basketball in the hands of LeBron James is worth $19 million per year; it depends on whose hands its in. A tennis racket in my hands is worth about $17.00. A tennis racket in the hands of Serena Williams is worth about $20 million per year; it depends on whose hands its in. A baseball in my hands is worth about $3.00. A baseball in the hands of Derek Jeter is worth about $35 million per year; It depends on whose hands its in. Two fish and 5 loaves of bread in my hands would make a few fish sandwiches. Two fish and 5 loaves of bread in the Savior's hands will feed 5,000 people until they’re full, and still have 12 baskets leftover; It depends on whose hands they’re in. Some nails in my hands are worth about 5 cents. Some nails in the Savior's hands will provide eternal salvation for each person who has lived on this earth, And for all of Heavenly Father's children. It depends on whose hands they're in. When we put our lives in the hands of the savior we can achieve infinitely more than we ever could on our own. It depends on whose hands they are in."  He’s healed me many times, and He will continue to in my mission. I want my life to be in His hands.

            The last component for my decision was Eternity. A couple of years ago I was going through a really rough spot. I was talking to one of my closest friends on the phone crying and my heart just ached. We were talking about families being sealed together forever, and I expressed that was what I want more than anything in this life. He told me that I deserve it, who doesn’t? And I felt better, but then I realized, I don’t just want this for myself and my family, I want it for everyone. I want other people to know that families don’t have to be “till death do we part” I want them to know that a core element of Heavenly Father’s plan for us is that we can be together forever through the holy promises we make with Him in the temple. In the temple, The House of the Lord, the sense of Eternity is enormous! Everything we do there, the sacred covenants we enter into for ourselves and on the behalf of those that have passed before us, is of eternal value. I want and wish and pray that everyone can feel what my heart has felt in the temple! It’s quite literally the best! J

            Truly, the answer to how I feel about serving 700 miles away, the state next-door, is I am honored. I am excited. I am nervous. I am filled with love and compassion. And I am thankful to my Father in Heaven that He would trust me with this great work. One little bit of my testimony on missionary work is mentioned in this, It is called the Fellowship of the Unashamed by Bob Morehead. “ I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The dye has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, small planning, smooth knees, color-less dreams, tamed visions, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need pre-eminence, positions, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk with patience, am uplifted by prayer, and labor with power. My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven. My road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, divided, or delayed. I wil not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiaite at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won’t give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, and paid up for the cause of Christ. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. And when He returns for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My banner will be clear.”

                                                                        ***TESTIFY***

1st P-day

So the MTC is crazy!! It's super awesome though. I'll try to attach a picture of the schedule, but really we have something to be doing every minute from 6:30 to 10:30. It's exhausting. In the best possible way though. 

So you know how I didn't understand how the MTC investigator thing worked? Well now I surely do. So one of the ones we start out on is a teacher. So the MTC teachers that we are assigned to as a district (which there is 8 in mine), well the teachers act as an investigator that they had on their mission. It's soooooooooo crazy. Like they are completely different people. We had the opportunity to teach them the 2nd day we were here. and thankfully the Lord knew I would have a mental breakdown if I had to know another language, because those missionaries have to teach in their mission language (on the 2nd day!!!) but yeah. That's pretty awesome. It is super cool though! It has really opened my eyes on how we are teaching and getting to know people. not just giving them lessons and telling them what to do and how to feel. The first night we had a workshop where we taught 3 different actors (can be investigators for real, recent converts usually) and as a group we totally failed. People were in tears. It was sketchy. I was like what the heck just happened??! But it is better now that we know those things. I just feel bad for the sister that made the investigator cry... It is like ingrained in my mind. anyway... We also have a TRC investigator (acting also) but ours is super tough... we teach her again tonight. but when we talked with her about prayer she related it to her telling us to run through the wall and being able to go to Hogwarts. That's how that went.. Somehow I ended up telling her that she does believe in God. Which sounds rude. But I felt the Spirit the whole time. So we'll see how it goes tonight. Prayers please!!! We also get to teach members!!! It's so cool! So on Monday we got to talk to the sweetest sister. Oh my heck. We went into thinking we'll talk baout God's love for her and all of His children, and member missionary work and how it's so awesome and important. And she totally opened up to us. She told us her nephew was in a mental institution and he went to mormon church and was like this is awesome!! God still loves me! Which was super great. and thennnnnnnnn she was talking about her son going into the marines instead of going on a mission and I could tell it kinda upset her. So we shared a scripture about faith from Enos. and my awesome companion talked about her faith and testimony in the BoM and then I got the biggest prompting ever!! It was crazy cool!!! I said I know what it's like to watch loved ones struggle and such.. and then I promised her, and said "as a representative of Jesus Christ  I promise you that as long as you put your faith in the Lord everything will turn out just like it is supposed to." Like it was soooooooo powerful. The room was so full of the Spirit. I've never understood the power and authority we get as missionaries until that very moment. It was even cooler than it sounds. and we were all crying. It was awesome!!!! :) I'm for real a missionary. haha :) can you even believe it? 

Sundays are kinda weird here. They don't do the whole block of meetings at once. It is interesting. The districts are split up into branches. so there is a couple of districts in each branch. so sacrament is small. and a little awkward. but it's fine. haha :) Relief Society is awesome! We have all the sisters meet in that. ahhh soooo many missionaries! It's great!! Umm we also had a Devotional on Sunday night. and Jenny Oaks Baker spoke and played for us. She is Elder Oaks' daughter. Am I the only one who didn't know that?? haha :) But she was great! Her 9 year old plays the cello 10000X better than I do.. sad day for me... but it was great!! :) We also had a devotional last night with all the missionaries. it was awesome!! Sister Oscarson (YW general President) spoke to us. She is so nice and fun! She spoke about how to improve as missionaries. haha there is a lot I can work on :) for sure. 

Some cool things about being here: I see Sister Grover all the time!! :) Love her! I've also seen Elder Fitzgerald and some others from High School! It's been a party! :) And yes. I am supposed to always refer to everyone as Elders and Sisters... not even saying "you guys" is okay.. Our district makes you either run laps for gym time or drink the orange juice (which causes issues I've heard...) so yeah. It's a big deal.. :) haha um oh yeah! I sang in the choir for the devo. It was awesome. We sang precious Savior, Dear Redeemer if that means anything to you.. I had never heard it before, but it was fun! This morning I got to do a session in the Provo temple! It was super great! and a stress reliever! I almost fell asleep. Well, almost might be an understatement.. but that's just cause it's hard to sit for any amount of time, let alone in such a peaceful place!!! Oh the other people that are in my district are Elder Earl (who is 25 cool huh?) and Elder Bearss. Elder Howard. and Elder Kelsey. We have fun alllllll the time! They are great! :) Ummm there is soooo much to say. I never have enough time for anything!!! Oh! We pray all the time. It's cool. I have gotten used to people having conversations while other people are praying and saying prayers in the weirdest moments. haha :) but every time I do it helps me in one way or another. It's a huge blessing. :) ummm soo my flight. I will leave the MTC at 6:30 am on Wednesday morning. My flight leaves at 11:30. So sometime in between there I will be able to call you. :) That's pretty exciting!! :) 

I LOVE YOU ALL SO STINKING MUCH!!! 

I'm loving it here so don't worry too much okay?! :) You're the best. 

Love,

Sister Stucki   

Long time no see :)

Well, my version of next week is a little off...... sorry!! Life has just been downright crazy, and with all the craziness, blogs/ technology and I haven't been getting along so well ;) So since my last post (feels like a decade ago) I have had lots of experiences, ups and downs, and a copious amount of tears. haha :) don't ya just love words like copious? just kidding.. kind of.

Experience usually comes in a couple of different forms right?  In the Gospel we learn by the Spirit plus other important things. Which is so fantastic or I would be super spiritually challenged without it. While I've been preparing to serve a full-time mission I've grown a ton! Some examples are: Tender mercies, TRIALS, temptations, preparing, and long talks with my Father in Heaven. So I want to tell you about some of these things!

First off tender mercies! Oh boy. I have been blessed beyond compare! I could go on and on about it. :)
So having my call 5 months before my report date has been kinda tough, but Heavenly Father blesses me at least once a week with meeting someone from that area that reassures me that I will love it! Weekly I'm telling ya! I have had customers at work that are complete strangers tell me about Oregon and who they know from there or someone who is serving there. What a blessing to have that constant uplift from Heavenly Father's children to keep me on the excitement train to Eugene. :)
I'm also blessed with my friends and family! I look up to them so much! I love that when I'm discouraged, and I pray for peace and happiness, it comes through these awesome people that I have been blessed with! I sincerely hope they know how much I love them!
A huge tender mercy is the temple. I live 8- 10 minutes away from the temple. Can life get any better?! I think not! As I ponder the covenants I am helping others make I always have a renewed love for all of Heavenly Father's children. Not to mention, I get emotional every single session I go to, because the Spirit is so strong and I love it there. I love the Gospel. and I love my Savior. All of it points to that. It has been a MASSIVE helper to staying at least close to the Iron Rod! :)
There are sooooo many more! My journal is loaded I swear!

Trials. There is no way of getting around them in life. But I am starting to understand the people I used to think were a little crazy for saying they were thankful for their trials. I get it now. There is no way I would be the same person if life were just a breeze. I get it when the scriptures say that they wrestled with God. Don't we do that daily? I am know I could probably take a piece of humble pie at least once a day! I have had trials as small as the difficulty of finding mission clothes and shoes (I'll save the shoe stories for another day... the struggle is soooo real), and lacking vitamin C, to feeling life I didn't have my "eye single to the glory of God", to teaching the 5-year-olds in primary, to having loved ones make decisions that break my heart, to having no confidence in myself as a missionary, and so on. There are lots of trials. but Christ can either be our stumbling block or our safe harbor. I know He is the Savior, so I'll take the safe harbor,  And I don't even have to sail alone.

Moving on to temptations.. Holy cow. They come in every shape, size, number, letter, color. Whether it is plain and simple doing something I know I shouldn't, or opening my mouth at an unfortunate time, or letting the above trials weigh me down, I'll tell ya, the adversary knows when the best moments in life are about to happen, and he stops at nothing to try to prevent everything that is good in life. I have always heard that Satan tempts those who are about to go on a mission more than ever, and I never knew how that was possible, but I sure do now! It's rough out there. The only things that keep my safety on are going to the temple, being with my family and close friends, and reading til my eyes can't stay open anymore. And that's okay. I'll show Satan whose boss.


AHH Preparing. Every single person that knows I am going on a mission has at least asked me once "So.. Ya ready?!?" I usually smile and nervously say "hahahaha yeahhhh! I'm excited!" Are you kidding me? haha am I ready?! I don't know if there is a single way to be ready for something that is life altering, if so please let me know:) But in the mean time I sure will try to be ready! I have learned that the only way I could ever be ready is if I have a testimony. and I do. I'll give it to you sometime :) That's how I check my readiness.

Finally, I am so glad that we have a loving Father in Heaven. If I talked to any friend as much as I converse with Him, I'm sure they'd get sick of it reallllllllll fast. But Heavenly Father is all knowing, all powerful. He knows me. His only begotten son died for me. Whenever I pray, I get what I need. It may not be what I think I need, but He assures me, by the Spirit which I can feel while writing this, that He loves me and He will take care of everything. I don't need more than knowing that. I want everyone I know to know that. It's the biggest comfort of all in my life. It's how He shows love for us. And at this point in my life, I'm about to do something kinda crazy. I need Him more than ever! And I'm grateful He is always there.

This is turning into a longgggg post, but I guess it makes up for the last 3 months...? :) I can't wait to get out there. 17 days and I'll be immersed in helping others come unto Christ. :) Best life ever!

My next post will *hopefully* be my packing list and what I am taking with me to the great OEM! and then I will post my farewell talk! Can't even comprehend that this is real life! :)

Just kiddin'. Imma post my call video first. It's da best! :)  so here it is... Then I'll be done :)

Miracles!

Holy cow. There are soooooo many miracles that Heavenly Father gives us! He must really, truly love us. :) In fact I know He does. Since I haven't wrote anything in two weeks, there is a lot to talk about. So I'm going to rewind to talk about some miracles...
Before I got my mission call, my mom and I decided to make a little prize for whoever guessed the closest to where I am going. So we took a trip to the good ole dollar store and got some treats. And I remembered a "random act of kindness" idea I saw on Pinterest about giving your mail carrier a gift. So we got a bottle of Propel, some nail polish and I wrote a note after I opened my mission call. I told her thank you for bringing the most important letter EVER and told her where I was going. I thought she really must deserve it, because let's be honest here, who ever thanks their mail person? Yeah.. If you do, you're pretty dang awesome! So last week, I went to get the mail and there was an envelope to me that didn't have the normal postal type things on it. In it was a card that had the loveliest note to me in it. AND.... a $100 bill. This generous, Christ -like woman does not know me. We've never met face to face. But she told me that she could not think of a better way to spend the money than on my mission. Miracle!
That same week I got a check in the mail from a couple in my ward with a note that said "hope this helps you get your temple clothes. We're proud of you!" Miracle!
I'm not saying that miracles only come in that form, because there are so many more, but this was a huge tender mercy to my family. We have had a rough time financially the past 3 years, and it causes tension and things that no one likes to do. So this came as a huge blessing and proof that Heavenly Father is so aware of us.
The next miracle happened as I entered the House of the Lord. :) The most beautiful experience of my life. I have so much to learn, but that is okay. Some quick things about my day---
1. I loved the sense of eternity
2. The Spirit is so strong
3. I think the Initiatory was my favorite experience of the day :)
4. There were angels all around me, both living and those who have passed already. And it was wonderful to feel them there.
5. I loved the beauty in the temple! Seriously. Everything is gorgeous!
6. My beautiful mom, sister, and grandma were sitting next to me. Plus all the others who were there to congratulate and support me. It was so amazing!
7. I hope to understand more each time I go!

Some tips if anyone who has yet to go ever  reads this... :)
1. Prepare as much as possible. Read the scriptures. It's all in there. Study talks. Try to understand the symbols in the scriptures. Do what you can to be spiritually ready. The most devastating thing in life is to watch someone break covenants they have made because they didn't understand any of them.
2. Measure yourself before you buy your garments... It might sound weird, but I wish I would have. It's pretty awkward to have things falling down or rolling up during such a reverent time. Not to mention distracting!
3. Do what you can to stay in the front seats of the session. If it is super full like mine, and you have to move rooms, you slowly get pushed back.
4. Don't worry. There are so many people helping you. :) It's so wonderful!
5. Get enough sleep before. Don't start snoring in the middle of the session.. :)
6. Don't fast. Being hungry in that situation would be super distracting.
7. Most of all. Focus on the Spirit. and ask yourself "what do Heavenly Father and the Savior want me to learn from this experience?" That's what helped me to not be too overwhelmed. :)

So, the temple is the one of the biggest miracles we could ever have! :) The Atonement is what makes all of this possible. That's the amazing part. Everything can be made right because of Him. That is the real miracle! :) #BecauseofHim

The day after going to the temple I got to listen to General Conference. You could say my weekend was jam-packed with spiritual experiences.. :) Cause it was! It's always good sitting down to listen to inspiring words of encouragement. And to think... the next time I listen to them I will be in the mission field!!! I can't wait! Then I'll be one of those full-time missionaries they talk about! Doesn't get better than that ;)


I think that pretty much catches up on my life! I can't wait for Oregon! :) Til next week!

My beautiful sister Ashley

My lovely as ever Grandma Stucki 

My beyond amazing mother :)
The colors weren't even planned :) but dang, we did fantastic at it!