Why me?

You gotta love Hospital murals

you know your a redneck when..

Snow days...

Snow days are service days:)

Awesome people make us amazing Valentines Dinners

Look who I found... Elder Holdaway he worked for Uncle Brian's Pizza Factory

And... Mrs. Person she was my choir teacher in St. George
~Small World

Mini MTC

What is everybody doing with their lives right now? Plz send pics!

I've gotta say Olivia and Madi are probably the best descriptive journalists I've got on my email list. Thanks for the pictures and stories. #vicariousliving

I never ACTUALLY know what to talk about in these letters. So much goes on in our day to day lives, and after a week I forget half of the stories I want to tell you guys, or the things I learn. But I have a few stories I found particularly thought provoking to tell you about.

We have a District prayer list.  On our prayer list we asked our district to pray that we would find some "finding opportunities" and meet somebody new that was ready and prepared to hear the gospel. As we went about our week Sister Eddy knocked on a guys door.  He welcomed them right in. He had just recently found God in his life and moved across the country to turn his life around. He was reading his AA book when they knocked on his door and he thought it was a complete miracle.

Our first lesson we met at Great Harvest Bread and we were talking about the difference between missionaries and members and how members are just "normal people."  And these two ladies leaned over and said, "Hey, Sisters... we heard your conversation and we are members and normal. Hi."

It was super funny. We have been meeting with him about two or three times a week which is awesome.  He is a great guy and we are really excited about that miracle and the progress he is making. At church on Sunday it was completely full. So many people were there.  We actually just had sacrament meeting and then canceled the rest of church because of "freezing rain." So everyone went home. We did not have church last week either because it was cancelled. But hey there was a good turn out which was sweet and another miracle in itself.

So the first interesting and slightly thought provoking conversation I had this week was with this missionary mom. She was talking about how much she wants her missionary son to marry a returned missionary girl because all the Sisters she has met are so mature and carry themselves confidently, professionally and act grown up. (And on and on about Sister Missionaries) I was thinking about it...  and my thoughts were lol'ing because I totally know there are some awesome girls who are great wives and mothers who have not served missions (like my mom for example) but I also totally get it.  I have seen guys that come home from missions and are on this super awesome mature spiritual rockstar level and they date girls who are incredibly immature college kids that expect way too much and give way too little. I was raising my hand like hey, hey, yeah that WAS me.  Right BEFORE my mission. 

I don't know if it is accurate or not but I just felt like she was this concerned mom because she didn't want her son to marry a difficult bride to be. I think that literally every adult I have ever made contact with is super grateful that I left home to serve a mission and is hoping and praying I don't return the same kid I was before I left. So that concern was amusing to me.  I hope I can reach all you "mature" people's expectations when I get back. 

*plz accept me*

I am so far beyond imperfect.
But I have definitely learned a lot.
And changed a lot.
And I do feel like it will benefit many aspects of my life.
Especially considering the whole growing up, being a wife and a mother aspect of my life.

Amen missionary moms. Amen.

This week we went on Double Exchanges. Back to back with Sister Kelly and Sister Malufau. We also had a Technology meeting with a member of The Quorum of the Seventy. The Missionary Leadership Council (MLC) is getting new iPads this week.  Soon the whole mission will as well. We will be off of Facebook for probably a month as we reboot and reset our technology. Everyone has to buy new iPads.  However if you go home from your mission before AUGUST twenty third of this year you don't have to buy one. Those who buy them take them home with them. But I don't need to buy one so don't pay the extra four hundred parents. It was an interesting meeting. He mentioned the whole age change thing, and said that the reason for the age change was...

"Not to increase statistics But to save this generation."

I found that very thought provoking as well. I feel like my mission sure did "save" me from lots of things. Thank goodness for it.

Another interesting experience I have thought lots about was when we knocked on this ladies door this week and she just talked and talked about all the things we do wrong for an hour. It is SO HARD being patient and humble and kind towards people. I feel like because I wear this badge that literally says Jesus Christ's name on it I have to do everything in my power to control my temper. 
So that was fun. 

I don't get it though. Because she said she was "christian" but she was tearing down everything she knew about "Mormons" which most of it was not very accurate. But idk.... 
I know people are not perfect BUT I think if we are claiming to be christian we should be a little bit more kinder than that. I listened to most of what she had to say.  Her opinions about scripture and the godhead and what not. Everyone is entitled to their own belief system. But then she said something to the effect of...

~What we (Mormon missionaries) are doing isn't going to help anybody. We simply need to preach God, not all the other "Mormon" stuff. It's not going to help anybody, trust me. I know.~

At which point I was thoroughly offended and called her out. AH. you can have your own opinion on your religious beliefs, but unless you have served a full time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints you have NO SAY and your opinion is completely irrelevant as to what does and does not help people.

Why?

Because I've seen lives changed

Because of this Gospel.
I have seen people turn their entire lives around.
I have seen people in their darkest hour.
Their bitterest moments.
Their rock bottoms.
And pit falls. 

And I have watched The Gospel of Jesus Christ completely change them.

And I mean THE Gospel of Jesus Christ. 
THE Restoration of the Gospel, the Plan of Salvation, the Commandments, the Laws and the Ordinances. The lessons we teach and are taught. I mean the things THIS church is teaching people completely changes them. I have seen that.

And for somebody to say it's not working
Somebody who really has never experienced what it's like to be a 
"Mormon missionary" first hand...
For one door to have this opinion that we are not doing anything 

...was pretty messed up, that's all.

But everyone is entitled to their opinions, don't worry I'm not mad.
I'm just really grateful for the gospel in my life
I'm really grateful for the miracles I have seen
I'm really grateful for learning experiences
I'm grateful to be serving a full time mission because man,
I GET IT.

 After we walked away from that door we saw a man walking down the street and felt like we should talk to him. We thought after a long conversation like the previous one that this would be a super huge miracle golden guy ready to hear the gospel. I think we got five words out before he said "NANANANA I'M COLD LADIES GOODBYE."

I think I may have started laughing at how childish that was and how crazy that night had been! It seemed like one person after the next made it more and more apparent that it was us against the world. Rough life right?

On our way home that night we were slightly discouraged and just ready for bed. Kind of wondering why all the harsh words and opposition tonight man? Couldn't we see at least one little miracle? As we were walking up the stairwell I saw a badge sitting on the railing right next to our apartment door. It was Sister Eddy's missionary name tag. 

I wondered what person found it
Picked it up out of the snow
Brought it to our door
Set it nicely on the stairwell
And went their separate way without leaving any trace behind


Who takes their time to do that?
Such a simple thing.
But it was pretty cool.

And I thought about all the people we had met that night.

The ones that really put themselves out there and made their beliefs very apparent
By keeping us out in the cold and ignoring us and talking over us and telling us were wasting our time and putting us down and discouraging us.

And then the one who we will probably never know that took a little time out of their day to show a little act of kindness and charity. Making someones life a little bit easier and not asking for any credit or reward. Just leaving a name tag by a door.

I don't know.  It is a very opposite end of the spectrum of ideas but it meant a lot to me.

And I know which kind of person I want to become.

The third thought I had this week...was about us as individuals. On Saturday night President Riggs called a last minute MLC meeting in Centerville at 9:15 PM! We knew it must be important for that to happen because Centerville is forty minutes away and nine fifteen is bedtime! So we went to this meeting for a couple of hours and didn't get home until almost midnight (which is exciting and rare in this whole Sister missionary life thing we got going on)

But it was pretty cool.

When we got there, we went on a church tour. We only talked about two things. We stopped at one picture on the wall and talked about the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in this dispensation through the Prophet Joseph smith. Then we stopped at another picture on the wall talked about Jesus Christ suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane for the sins and temptations and hurts and heartaches of the entire world. Then we went into the chapel and listened to President Riggs talk and express his feelings.

If we back it up a little bit earlier this day... I was talking to my companion about how I don't have her new missionary fire and I lacked a lot of motivation to get up and go. I just didn't have that same energy and vibrance. I thought it was interesting the events that took place in this meeting after that statement.

I thought about a lot of things. One, how cool it was that I got to experience meetings likes these ALL THE TIME. What other group of twenty year old young adults were spending their time late at night on a weekend receiving revelation on how to improve and become more Christlike and feeling the spirit so profoundly. Idk. Missionary work is so... exciting that way. I take that for granted a lot. I just have all these spiritual experiences lined up for me. It's so easy to feel that closeness to God and the spirit.

I also thought about my personal importance. The fact that I was born into a family that taught me the gospel. The fact that I have TONS of knowledge about the gospel and doctrine. And the fact that I have this opportunity to share it with everyone I see all the time for eighteen months. Somebody at the meeting asked the hypothetical question "Why me?" And it's so true.

WHY ME?

Why was I given so much? How am I expected to live my life because of it? I reflected a lot on my own value and importance. I was reminded again and again of the story of Peter, when the Lord made him a great fisherman and then asked him to "leave behind your nets and follow me." (Matt 4) Often times I feel that way, like Peter YA know. I feel like the lord helped me become a pretty decent person before my mission. And I decided to serve. But simply coming out here on a mission isn't enough! He asks us to leave behind our nets. Our nets could be anything! He's asking us to literally, be. All. In. Leaving everything behind to follow him.

And not just as missionaries but as disciples of Christ.  What are our nets? What's holding us back? I reflected on that a lot. Why shouldn't we have motivation? To be a missionary? To fulfill our callings? To go to Church? To pray or to read? What is holding us back? 

As I was listening I heard somebody say something to the effect of
You don't need motivation if you just remember your purpose or your call.
Realize what you have. Realize your purpose. Your potential.
You don't need motivation. 
You need to know who you are.

Who are you?

And that really made me think. As a missionary..
Who am I?
Why am I here?
Why was I prompted to serve a mission?
Why did I decide to?
Why me?

Later President used that scripture in like 22 that says,

"And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, 

that he may sift you as wheat."

Then asked if we know what sift you as wheat meant. I always thought it meant to like grind you up in a meat lab or something painful like that, obviously my vocabulary stretch is super minimal. But his answer was quite interesting he said sifting you as wheat means to make you...

Ordinary.
Plain. Mediocre. The same. Like everything else. 
Nothing more. Nothing spectacular. Just plain, ordinary.

And I though that was so interesting. That the adversary would use that as a tool.
Mediocrity, being the same, being ordinary, nothing more.
How sad! When we have so much potential. And people settle for that.
When really, we could be achieving so much more,

He then read the next verse..

"But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: 

and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." 

Luke 22:31-32

Again this made me think of our value. Our importance.
Especially the importance of reaching our potential
Of becoming converted,
Not only for ourselves but so we CAN have the power to 
"Strengthen our brethren"
To help others along the way.

I can't help but think how applicable this is to all of our lives, everyday. Not just as missionaries, but as mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, neighbors, primary teachers, bishops, visiting teachers, friends. As members of the Church ls Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 

If you ever find yourself asking the same question.
What is my motivation?
Or thinking you don't have any..
FOR ANY REASON

I think this applies to you as well.
Not just me. Not just missionaries.


"You don't need motivation 
if you just remember your purpose 
or your call.
Realize what you have. 
Realize your purpose. 
Your potential.
You don't need motivation. 
You need to know who you are.

Who are you?
Why are you here?
Why you?"


I've found myself reflecting often on that question. Why me?
And I've found great responsibility in that.
Great motivation.
And also great joy.


Just a couple thoughts.
I love you guys!
Happy March!

Sister Stucki 
March 2, 2015
Sent from my iPad

The things we do...

Splits With Sister Stott

Super Windy Day :/

As we were leaving the Bishops House

His DOG jumped in our car!

Funny girl - One week she says NO more treats - the next...IN NEED

hey family!

Mom,

Thank you for the packages with the treats and the shirts and the necklace. It was super nice and fun having something to implement into my wardrobe this week because I always feel like I'm wearing the same things. It was nice having something new to wear. 

So we got iPads this week.  They are iPad minis the latest version I believe. We have to go to public places to get wifi.  Everything is on them our calendars, plans, scriptures, everything. I still take my personal Book of Mormon around with me.  Because I have things marked up in there but the iPads are still very handy. We can show Mormon messages.  Reference all kinds of stuff and Facebook is becoming more productive because we add people right then and there.  Which is cool.  We can keep up with them on video chat and etc. It's way nice. If you guys could find one of those keyboard's you hook up to the iPad that would be way useful! Not a case one though because we already have cases for them. Just a wireless keyboard for it. IDK look around and lemme know what you find.

I think I'm going to be buying a new bag today because the handles on mine fell off.  I'm using carabiners right now to keep it together which is awkward.

My bag fell apart quick ha! So I'm gonna go find a new one to carry my iPad and stuff. 

So this week was CRAZY!

Monday:

P-day.  We were on lock down because of the snow.  So we didn't do anything. We made no bake cookies and visited our friends that live in our complex and played board games and stuff with them.  So that was fun. We also cleaned our apartment so that was a nice thing.

Tuesday:

Was my THREE MONTH-O-VERSARY!!!

sweet right? (:

three months FLEW by. Transfers are on the 20th.  So my training is almost over! woop woop. We had District meeting.  We talked to the Sister Training Leaders and ya...  that was Tuesday... basically. 

On the bright side.  Personal study was good (: I was reading about Gifts of the Spirit, Spiritual Blessings and Talents the Lord gives to us...  if we are worthy. They come a little at a time, as you are ready for them and as you bring your life in harmony with Gods will.  You will gradually receive the Gifts in Great Measure. 

that was pretty cool to me! 

that we can receive all these Great Gifts!

Wednesday:

We got our iPads and had a big training on them.  It was pretty funny because we were sitting there listening to President talk and then he was just like "alright Leaders go grab enough iPads for everyone at your table" and they just walk over to this MASSIVE pile of iPads and grabbed a handful of them and started passing them out. 

Crazy huh? 

It was awesome. 

They are confusing.  

But we are getting used to them! 

We also visited F. (one of our investigators) with a member. We got lots of Member Present lessons this week.  (meaning members came with us to lessons)  Which is awesome!  because then our investigators have friends in the Ward already! 

Wednesday we also got a phone call from someone who was worried about a family member... they wanted us to go bang on the door until they called them on the phone.  They must have called because the person called us back just crying and thanking us. They are struggling with LOTS.

IMPORTANT:

Please share so people are aware.  

"Facebook  Missionaries"

We have lots of RULES.  Don't comment Love Mom, Dad etc. Don't complement me.  I will have to delete anything like that.  You are welcome and encouraged to comment and share posts.  Please keep comments in line with my purpose: "Bring others closer to Christ"  The purpose for this is because we work with investigators and members through our Facebook and we do not want our pages and comments about "US" and how great we are to be missionaries.  Rather keep the focus on Christ.  It could cause problems and would result in privilages being taken away.  Comments should always build others up. Anything you would like to say to me personally, can be done through email on Mondays:) or via a letter:)  

thanks (:

Thursday:

I was reading in Alma 33 and the thing that really stuck out to me was when Alma was teaching about when the people only had to LOOK, cast their eyes, and they were saved. The two things that prevented them from doing so was a.) the hardness of their hearts (pride) 
b.) a lack of faith. (unbelief) 

Today this happens a lot...with the Atonement. 
It is the Greatest Gift we have.  So what stops us from using it? 
Because it is hard? 
Because it is to easy? 
Because we don't believe? 
Because we are to prideful? 
Because we have lost faith?

Alma goes onto say... to believe that the Son of God will redeem his people. ALL you have to do... is cast your eyes... in his direction and follow his example.  AND you will be happy. 

In vs 23 he quotes "all this can ye do if ye will"  WILL meaning we have agency. What is keeping you from reaching your full potential?

We also taught J. & N. about the Restoration. It was a super long lesson. They have lots of questions about the Gold plates and Arch of the Covenant. All kinds of stuff. 
They used to be drug dealers... they are awesome. 

Also I got Makennas letter this day.  I've got to say..it was absolutely hilarious. My companion and I were CRYING. (In a good way, from laughter)

Also we are totally loaded on Oreos...thanks guys!

Friday:
We taught C. and family.  They had friends over so we taught them all the Restoration.  It was great.They were really interested. We gave them a Book of Mormon in Chi.(?) 

We also visited a lady who was a former investigator named C. She is awesome.  She knows so much about the church. She was first introduced when she was about eleven years old.  She has been taking lessons forever! One year ago she stopped...and we stopped by her door! She got all excited to see missionaries and gave us all this food and we started talking. She loves Mormons.  We are going to start working with her. 

It amazes me when people are so willing to take strangers in and tell them about their lives and give them food...but hey I'm down.

Saturday:
I committed to something I'm unsure about. 
It's gonna kill me. 
So J. (an investigator) is being a stinker about reading the Book of Mormon. He really wants us to do this "Plank Challenge."  Everyday you plank for ten seconds more than the day before. So me and my companion said we would do this Plank Challenge for thirty days.  

IF he reads the Book of Mormon in thirty days and he agreed!!! 
only problem is there is NO WAY I can plank for five minutes straight...
So pray for me? 
He better be reading because my body HURTS. 
The things we do to get people to Read the Good Word...Good Grief. 
(if you don't know what planking is look it up...then try it.)

We also stopped by and visited the D. family who just moved into the ward. The Dad has been reading the Book of Mormon. He is really old. I guess he is really the Grandpa. Anyway, his wife died four years ago and he really, really misses her.  He had so many questions about heaven and where the Book of Mormon talks about heaven. So we showed him. He got really excited. It's so cute how much he loved / loves his wife. We told him about how he can get sealed to her in the temple and see her again!! He has read clear to Alma in the Book of Mormon so far and is thinking about baptism. It makes me so happy when he talks about how much he loves his wife!!! But man it makes me cry like a baby. He's adorable. I wish I could have met her she sounds like an amazing woman. I know that there is work she needs him to do! I hope that we are able to work with Ernie more and help him and his family (:

We also taught a boy named J. who is eighteen along with his mom and step dad. J. ended up coming to Church. 

Love
Sister Stucki
(via email March 10, 2014)
(letter continued in next post - on Miracles)

FUN. fun. Fun. FUUUUUUUUN.

Holy! Time is Flying.

In approximately three hours i will officially be 69 days away from leaving this beautiful city of St. George for the Provo MTC, and from there to Washington DC. Yup, the big capital of this Country! GO USA.

I'm so excited.

And nervous.

Mostly excited though.

Okay so this past weekend i was getting really nervous. Ya know. Because seriously i'm going to be in a "random place with random people teaching random people with random leaders...."

And I was getting super nervous right? Well lemme teach ya a little something I learned this weekend.

First stop Ross. Just buying some mission gems. And this, very kind, security guard striked up a conversation with me. And it turned into a total missionary experience. Which is funny because... its supposed to be the other way around. But God knows me. And Gods timing is perfect. We talked about the gloves i was buying, which led to why i was buying them, which led to his historic childhood memories in washington dc. His face lit up when i told him i would be spending the next eighteen months where he cherished so many memories!! And he wanted to know why it was i was going there. So i told him "oh a mission!" Expecting him to just 'know' what that meant. But no he had no idea! At first i was like Common dude you live in Utah, i know you know that i know you know what this is man...common........................

Nope. No idea. So i explained to him briefly what i would be doing while we walked up to the checkout. Yes, this guy followed me to the checkout. And we chatted. And it was good. I feel like i left a very good impression of the church. The only thing i was lacking was a stinking pass along card so he could learn more about the church. But i do remember him saying as i left 'Goodluck on your Mission!" as if he knew all about the mormon church. It was a unique experience that really boosted my confidence about this whole preaching the gospel thing. Which led to the next days adventure....

I met this boy. He asked me if i was attending college and i said no. Follow up question: Oh just hangin' out? layin low?

HAHAHAHAHA YEAH MAN.

So i told him, i was going on a mission, but this time i decided to be more specific because EARTH TO MADI most people think of james bond not mormons when you bring up the topic of 'missions.'

He too asked whats a mission? and what i would be doing. So i gave him a brief summary, thinking, eighteen year olds don't care about this, he probably thinks i'm stupid. And to my surprise... he answered "Wow. Thats really cool. I love learning about religion, i think it is so interesting."

WAIT WHAT?!?! COLLEGE KIDS FIND RELIGION INTERESTING??

K. Can i take a minute to rewind and tell you again. GODS TIMING IS PERFECT.

Right then and there, it hit me. My mission, my companions, the people i'll be teaching, the people teaching me, it is not random. Gods timing is perfect. We are all going to be at that place, that time, for a reason unknown to me right now. But it is most definitely not random. And this wasn't either.

I asked him if he belonged to any specific religion, to which he replied something about being "sort of catholic but not really." But he had read parts of the bible and found it quite interesting. He was concerned though, because some of the verses scared him. He said....and i apologize in advance for the profanity, but he seriously said this. He said it freaked him out that Christ was going to come down to earth, a second time, on a chariot, with a serpent tongue and f shiz up. MY FACE. If i could have gotten my face on camera at that moment, man. Million dollar photo right there. My jaw dropped. But i pulled it together and listened to the rest of what he had to say. He continued to tell me that he was even more terrified of the scriptures about lucifer! Because if their is a God there MUST be a devil as well! And started telling me about some belief about satan coming to earth for three days and capturing people and.....................................that was a tangent. He paused for a second and waited for me to add to this three days of tourment thing going on....

And i started up the plan of salvation conversation. It was Perfect.

I told him my church believed that before we were born, we were spirits in heaven. God needed somebody to atone for all of our sins, have you ever been taught about the atonement? (he said no) Jesus Christ came to earth, he was crucified and suffered for all the sins of the world, and if we believe in his name, follow the commandments and endure to the end, we can repent and become like him (he mentioned something about how he had learned about this before and nodded to go on) I told him, Jesus Christ and Lucifer both offered to come to earth and had a plan, Christs plan was that we would have agency, Lucifer wanted us to be forced to do what was right *He screamed PLOT TWIST, apparently he was blown away by this thought of Lucifer being in on the whole plan thang* Yes yes plot twist exactly. But God presented Christs plan. And Lucifer was angry so, he fell away and took followers with him. (This freaked him out he wanted to know who the followers were!) No no, the followers fell away too. Us being on earth, shows our commitment to this plan. We chose this willingly thats why we are here, to be tested and tried, we were given agency for this purpose, it was Christs plan. And he has given us a way back to him.

This conversation went on for a solid half hour before it was interupted. He was fascinated that he had made his own choice to come to earth, and by the talk of the atonement providing a way for us to go back to heaven and live with our families again.

I can honestly say i've never had such an in depth talk with the church with a nonmember my age. It was amazing! And has boosted my confidence immensly, i am so excited to have conversations like this all the time on my mission. I don't know what will come of that conversation, i haven't talked to him since! But if anything, it really prepared me in many ways.

One being, i always worry about what i'm going to say to people I am no biblical genious. But at that moment, the casual conversation just flowed. I just KNEW what to say. Its just the simple gospel teachings and docterine that fascinate people. I think as members sometiems we take for granted some of the simple blessings of the church, that mean so much to people who have never heard these things. Watching his face light up and these new teachings made my heart melt and my testimoney grow beyond anything i can describe. It was so simple, but i can see how it can change a life around.

The gospel is amazing and i cannot wait to teach it everyday for the next eighteen months.

From the famous words of my amazing stake president topham "You don't have to be a drone, have fun."

Seriously! Don't look at the mission rules and down on them. Don't look at them as rules! Look at them as guidelines coming from God to make your mission experience the best it can be. Look at them as goals and challenges. Make it fun, make it enjoyable.

Amen Brotha.