Please Save Me.. Just One Last Time!

Wearing out my favorite shoes

Lunch...

Service...

Look... The Elders...

I have a 5 year old friend named Graham he reminds me of Eli

We like to party

Birthday Packages

Bedazzled Car?   Only in Virginia :)

David's Gift  (it's a tie... Of course)

I literally feel like I've never experienced FALL until I moved here

Kendra's Baptism Gift

ASL Missionaries from DC North, ASL Branch President, David, Shenendoah Sisters

What a great day

Me and my babies (the Sisters I have been able to train)

& The lovely Sister Schramm, my mommy (she trained me)

Amazing Day with Kendra

Super cute Birthday coat. Thanks!

Quick Birthday Dinner on Sunday
Do you like the Cake?

and my favorite..............
LBS of Gummy Worms from Winco
I feel like I've been lying to everyone all this time
my obsession has always been gummy worms
I just forgot about it because I haven't been to the Winco barrels for a year
so thanks Kylie for rekindling my childhood love for making myself sick in Boise
while editing pictures and creating videos with you all night
while eating pounds of gummy worms
I cried!
love:)

Family & Friends,

I turned twenty this weekend.
I want to give a a big thank you shout out to all those back home 
and here in Virginia who made it extra special.

I appreciate all that you guys do and love you each so much. It meant
a lot to me to hear from each of you this past week, thanks for making
my birthday fantastic!

(Mom: please hunt down and spoil the Sister missionaries in St George.
Buy them things. Take them places. Drop off food. I get so spoiled
here. Please make sure the Sisters in St George are getting spoiled
back... It means so much.  Especially during the holidays. Don't let them
forget they have a church family that wants to take care of them while
they are away from home.)

Something really bizarre is I will still be twenty when I come home.

20 years old and a RM Woman! Sup.
I lol every time I think of calling myself an RM.
That was a curve ball in MY life plans.
?? not mad!

This next week I hit my eleven month mark. I'm completely undecided
about how I feel... so no use asking. This year has flown right past me,
I have learned more than I can put a price tag on. If you're considering
serving a mission but are unsure... LET ME HAVE A TALK WITH YOU.  I
can't imagine how my life would have turned out, without learning all
that I have. In the least cliche way possible, I wouldn't be who I am
right now.  I wouldn't think the way I do now.  I am afraid I would
have struggled with many, many more things had I not served a mission.

I am a complete missionary advocate now.

You'll never understand until you know.

Does that even make sense?

My goodness.

We went to our Ward party which was a chili cook off / trunk or treat. 
My companion and I and half of the children in the ward were characters
from Frozen. Please applause at our accomplishment of maintaining
"quiet dignity" yet pulling off this costume. Especially because I
haven't even seen Frozen. Props to Elsa. Thanks for teaching me how to
fishtail Kailee Gooch! There was this little four year old boy that
followed me around the chili cook off all night. And finally his dad
came up to us and said are you guys dressed up as Elsa and Anna for
Halloween? Because he is in love with Elsa. And he thinks your her.

I lol'd so hard.
I love 4 year olds.

Elsa & Anna

It may have been a "Frozen" party

We had a great week with working with members in Burke. We went on
lots of exchanges with the ladies in the ward and had tons of fun
getting to know them. We've been having many member visits as well.

On Saturday D. was baptized. D. is from the Shenandoah ward. 
We taught him the gospel and he taught us sign language for a while.  
Which was fun. He is awesome and has such a great sense of humor. The Elders from the DC North mission were able to come help us teach and be part
of his baptism.  They also translated the entire thing as well. The Branch
President from the deaf branch was able to baptize him in sign which
was one of the coolest things ever. I was excited to go back and see
D. and the Shenandoah YSA's and etc.

I actually spoke at his baptism.
It was funny.
I spoke on the topic of baptism.  I started by telling everyone the
story of the first time we invited David to be baptized.

"Over the summer my companion Sister Rossi and I would teach David the
lessons and he would teach us sign language back. We were pretty
confident that we were getting fairly good so one day sister Rossi
decided it would be a great idea to ask David if he would be
baptized... in sign language. The sign for baptism is bending your arms
with your thumbs up. However sister Rossi simply thought it was
keeping the hands flat. But without the thumbs your saying death or die.

So that being said... We were teaching David about baptism one day and
Sister Rossi asked him in sign language to be baptized, but forgot to
use the thumbs which translated into something to the effect of "will
you die?" She used the death sign rather than the baptism sign. D's
face was priceless. He snagged his keys, popped out of his seat and
bolted for the door! 

Thankfully we stopped him in time to explain what we actually were
trying to say.We had a good laugh.And we realized were not that great
at sign language. I'm grateful for D's sense of humor."

Then went onto talk about baptism and the symbolism behind that.

We then went to K's baptism. It was lovely. She ended up getting
baptized into the singles ward here in Fairfax county. I don't
remember if I ever told you about how K. decided to just walk up
and talk to the missionaries at Cafe Rio because they were so happy?
Now she's baptized and is working towards serving a mission of her
own. Such a power house missionary already. She's adorable. Bishop
L. of the Singles ward is working with her to prepare to serve.

Aside from other miracles that have happened this week I thought I
might share one simple.... tender mercy that touched me personally. It
was a pretty rough week(s). I've felt as if a lot of weaknesses of
mine have been slipping right up to the surface and everyone has been
pointing them out. I keep reminding myself of Ether and how 

"god shows us our weaknesses so that we may become strong" 
but man, it's no fun!
being the missionary that seems to FAIL MISERABLY at everything. 
And that's how I have felt lately!

In my last area I felt like a powerhouse. I thought I had this whole
"Sister" thing on deck. But lately that whole idea has come crashing
down around me.  Maybe I got to prideful and needed a little humbling.
Unfortunately I didn't get a little. I've gotten a lot. Which isn't
very comfortable. In fact I feel as though I've been placed in the most
uncomfortable situations. 
I mean I was perfectly fine where I was at!
Why did I have to change? 
Or be told I have weaknesses 
when I was doing quite alright?

This probably sounds funny to those reading.

I know.

I'm dramatic.

Sue me.

But really! I was beginning to get real down on myself. So of course I
did what anybody would do and I prayed. And I was expecting to receive
some sort of conformation that I was doing fine or that I was needed
or appreciated or whatever... Immediately!

Like, hey
Show me the signs!

But I didn't get it.

And I carried about my day. Slightly disappointed.

The very next day I got a package in the mail. At first it was just a
birthday package. It contained a few super cute items that looked
interesting and I was grateful for that! There was this little book in
there called the Peter Potential. During lunch I decided I would flip
through it, so I did.

The books format was written a bit differently as to captivate the
reader instantaneously. And as I read I felt like the words on the
pages were written exactly for me, as an answer to my prayer. I wish I
could just quote the whole entire thing for you... but I won't do that,
however I will share a couple favorites and leave the rest to you to read
it yourself.

The Peter Potential is the story of Peter, the Apostle.

It begins by talking about how Peter was a simple fisherman in
Galilee. He thought that was the life he was meant to live. He didn't
feel like he had greater talents and abilities, he thought this was
it. And he felt comfortable with his life as a fisherman.

Jesus Christ extended invitations to Peter, to be a better fisherman.
He pushed him a little further, as to help Peter build faith and
strengthen his skills. Being pushed was inconvenient and
uncomfortable. But Because Peter trusted The Lord, he eventually was
led to the biggest catch of fish in his entire career. He was blessed,
strengthened and confident in his career as a fisherman, because The
Lord helped him improve and become great.

But The Lord was preparing to extend one more invitation to Peter.
This time something even more inconvenient. The Lord asked Peter to:

"Leave behind your nets and follow me" (Matt 4:19-20)

Then the book asks...
What did Peter do?
What would you do?

Here he is a fisherman. The Lord helped him achieve greatness as a
fisherman. And now The Lord is saying, give it all up, follow me.

WHAT.??
What would you do?

There has definitely been times in my own life where I've felt that
The Lord has helped me and I've reached my highest potential. Where
I'm comfortable. And I'm on neutral ground. But to have The Lord up
and say, leave behind all that you've just done, and follow me.

Would you do it?
Could you do it?

"To each there comes in their lives a special moment when they are

offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique to them and

fitted to their talents. What a tragedy if that moment finds them

unprepared and unqualified at what could have been their finest hour."

-Winston Churchill

What if Peter would have been unprepared to give up his nets?
What if he would have thought that being a fisherman WAS his call?
What if he was too prideful to give them up?
What if he thought this was his greatest duty, to be a fisherman?

Imagine the life he would have missed out on.
He would never have discovered what The Lord saw in him.

How often in our lives do we find ourselves in a similar predicament.
Where we've become comfortable. And we think THIS is what my duty is,
this is my purpose, this is my highest potential. But The Lord stands
beckoning, calling us to an even higher potential, asking us to leave
behind our nets, follow him, to change.

Even as a missionary. In my last area, I WAS COMFORTABLE. Things were
going just GREAT and I saw NO NEED for change. I thought I reached my
highest potential and I was good. But that's not true. The Lord sees
what we can become, he expects more out of us. We aren't meant to come
here and be comfortable, floating by with the potential we see as fit.
Just as Winston Churchill says "what a TRAGEDY if that moment finds
them unprepared in what could have been their finest hour!"

Just last night, my companion and I knocked on a door of a sweet old
man. We began talking to him about faith. He told us he didn't have
any! And he wasn't willing to try to find any. He said he couldn't
imagine anything greater than this life right now. He was perfectly
content with living, and dying. And spending the rest of eternity in a
dark abyss like he was sleeping. There was no need for a God, for a
life after this! He was happy with what he had.

He was comfortable.

I admire the fact that he was happy with his life,
But what about the potential The Lord has for us?
There is so much more than this life alone.

God had a plan for us.
That plan is to follow Christ.
And if we don't choose to follow Christ,
We are settling for less that our highest potential.

Only with Christ can we achieve greatness.
Like Peter, sometimes we have to leave things behind.
To trust The Lord and follow him.

Of course, it's not easy.

This takes us to the story of Peter walking on water. During a storm.
The Lord asks him to come. So he steps out of the boat, begins walking
on water, but becomes afraid, losing faith and begins to sink. 
He calls out to The Lord for help!

The book goes on to say...

"Do you know what it is to doubt?
Have you ever felt afraid?
Unequal to the task, inexperienced, not good enough?
Destined to fail?
Are you familiar with the great storms of life?
Have you ever approached The Lord soaking wet and wind blown?
In the sinking moments of life have you ever wondered if you might drown?
Have you ever cried out,
Lord, save me?"

"In those sinking moments in life, remember what happened to Peter.
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him.

Where was The Lord?
Within reach.

"Not on the shore shouting instructions or in the safely of the ship

giving directions.. He was in the water, with Peter, reminding him 

not to doubt."

And That was the answer to MY prayers.

I think it's silly that it took a book to remind me of the simple truth
that my Savior is always there. Right beside me. He never leaves.
This is His work. He won't leave us alone! He's always within reach.
Shouting instructions and reminding ME not to doubt.

What a PERFECT answer to MY prayers.

And the reason I thought this was beneficial to share with you
(reader) is because Christs love and grace and guidance, isn't just
for me, or just for the missionaries. Or just for Peter, or people in
times of old.

It's for everyone.

And in your sinking moments of life, He is there.
Within reach.

Why do we doubt?
Why do we fear?

When he's the one who knows our potential. He knows our duty, what
we are called to do. And if we trust Him, and turn towards Him and
follow Him

Leaving our nets behind, or whatever it is that may be holding us back

He will save us.


But if we look back at the beginning of Peters story, if Peter would
have held onto his nets, if he wouldn't have given up what he
originally imagined was his greatest potential.... 
He would have never known the life he could have lived.


Often times we cry out for help expecting The Lord to change us when
were so latched onto something that he has told us to let go of so
many times before.

"Maybe The Lord has extended the same invitation to you to leave

something behind. Yours might not be a fishing net, but it will be

just as difficult to walk away from."

The Lord can save us from drowning but first we have to let go of our nets.
And always remember He is within reach.
That we have great potential


"Welcome the task that takes you beyond yourself" -Louise Robison


So I haven't yet finished reading this little book but that's what
I've read so far and I wanted to share because it was beautifully
written. I also want to say Thank You to the family for sending it
my way because it truly was an answer to my prayers.

It's interesting how The Lord works in so many ways, 
and through so many people.


Bottom line.
I am Grateful.

I'm grateful that The Lord sees potential in me.
A simple (20 year old) girl.
I'm not more special than you, or your family, or anyone else.
But he cares enough to build me, to shape me, to direct me, to enable me,

And to die for me.

So that through Him, when I turn to Him, He can save me.
And help me to become something greater than what I originally thought
was my highest potential.


You know I never planned on serving a mission.
I never planned on a lot of things.
But The Lord has been there along my way pushing me, inviting me to do
HARD THINGS...

it wasn't EASY leaving my family behind.
It still isn't easy.
It isn't easy to be a missionary.
It isn't easy to be a member of Christs church.
It isn't easy standing up for what's right.
It isn't easy standing up to people you love.
It isn't easy sharing what you believe.
It isn't east having it be thrown back in your face.
It isn't easy going through trials.
It isn't easy watching people you love struggle.
It isn't easy leaving behind your nets.
It isn't easy being a disciple of Christ.

But it doesn't matter!
Because the easy path doesn't lead anywhere.

Sometimes we have to do hard things to become greater.

The Lord has high expectations
And with him we can reach high expectations.


Elder Kabischka of the Seventy came and talked to our mission yesterday.
He talked a lot about this subject. Or maybe what he talked about made
me reflect more upon this subject. He talked about how Christ is the
author and the finisher. And how sometimes we walk in darkness to see
the light and to see that we survived, that Christ brought us through
it. Like Paul when he was sinking after walking on water... The Lord
didn't let him drown. He slipped into darkness for a split second only
to realize that He couldn't save himself. The Lord saved him, and yes
he survived!

 He said sometimes we turn to him and cry out,
"I don't know how I'm going to survive this..."
And how we can always ask
"Can you help me anyway?"

It made me think of this cute little... clay, statute thing my mom has
sitting on her desk at home in her office. It is of a little man hanging
off the edge of a cliff crying out

"DEAR LORD PLEASE SAVE ME, JUST ONE MORE TIME"

And there's a little angel above him rolling his eyes, like this was
the 1000'th time this little man had cried out that same plea. And
every time I see it I smile because I think we are all like that little
man. Crying out for help "just one more time" like it's the end of the
world. When in reality... it'll never be the last time.


I love that.



One last thing.


Christ
is the light of the world.
When we follow Christ we are not walking in darkness.

What others do is not our business.
Who they are, the choices they make.

Our business, is to point them to Christ.


So to be clear,
The point of this blog post is because
I want to point you to Christ,
To turn to him.

If you're struggling
Or if you're not struggling
Whatever your situation may be

Come unto Christ!
If you haven't been that person in the past, start today.

He will take care of you and the things you worry about.

He is the author and the finisher of your salvation.
He is your Savior.
He loves you.
He died for you,

And he wants you to return home.

You have great potential!  Don't settle for anything less!


I really do love you guys!
Thanks for reading, share this with a friend!
S.Stucki
(via e-mail October 28, 2014)
Sent from my iPad

Memorial Day in Washington DC South Mission

Small World... First day serving in Singles Ward this Random guy asks if I might
know a Kylie Stucki?  Really??  She is just my favorite person / cousin  ever:)
(They were both at BYU Hawaii.)

Mother's Day Skype call...Not the cutest picture
BUT we sure love and miss Madison.

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!

I guess we still get to email because we have ipads. woop woop.

My companion is on an exchange with some other Sisters going to the temple.  We can only go every 6 months and I have already been.  So I'm at home in a trio right now so things are kind of hectic and I don't have a lot of time.  HOWEVER here is a quick wrap up of my week :)

This week was just Grand out here in Virginia. I GOT 

"VIRGINIA IS FOR LOVERS" STICKERS. 

Super Stoked about life. I guess one of the Bishops in the had a billion so I got a couple. I've been searching for them my whole mission. 

SO MISSION GOAL: ACCOMPLISHED

Monday was preparation day. I got an email asking me to speak in church.  The topic of "How Following Christ Will Lift Our Burdens. We taught W. with the Elders.  The lesson was on The Law of Chastity and The Word of Wisdom. His mom wants to learn more about the gospel and he is giving up coffee. I talked to Dylan a bit about Preach My Gospel Lesson two.  The Plan of Salvation. He said he would read it. I think the family should read it together. 

This is me following up with you. 

DID YOU DO IT?

Tuesday was District meeting. I helped put together a video for some big thing the Mission is doing. I got a letter from KYLIE which was a great thing. I miss her like crazy! 

Wednesday we taught W. and M. again. He is getting ready for his baptism this weekend. Can you send another tie mom? Thanks (:

So I finished The Book of Mormon. As I was reading I was highlighting and leaving sticky note insights throughout the entire thing.  I'm going to send it to Spencer and he is going to do the same.  Then I'm going to send it home for the NEXT missionary in the family to READ, STUDY and HIGHLIGHT.  So be looking forward to that (: 

So now that I'm finished with The Book of Mormon I'm starting The New Testament. I was reading in Matthew Chapter Nine the other day. I really love reading about all the stories we hear growing up about Jesus Christ and comparing the different gospels. I thought it was really interesting in Matthew Chapter Nine verse twenty when he was talking about "a women which was diseased with an issue of blood..."; Now I know they are talking about a blood hemorrhage and this is like five billion years ago in bible times but the first thing that came to my mind was my whole blood transfusion issue when I was sixteen. I was able to really put myself into this picture.

This story is about a woman who reaches out and touches the garment of Jesus because she knows if she does she will be healed. I guess I didn't really ever know the background of her because when I read her reasoning's it really stuck out to me. In Matthew she says to herself "if I reach out and touch His garment I shall be made whole!" No longer suffering from her blood disease in which she was troubled with. So with all her strength she reaches out and touches his garment as he is walking along the street. and Jesus noticed it. He turned about and when he saw her he said;

"Daughter be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. and the woman was made whole from that hour."

That is all it says about this story in the gospel of Matthew where I am currently reading but those three verses meant a lot to me personally.

Background story on me:  

When I was sixteen I guess I wasn't very smart and didn't realize a menstrual cycle should only last approximately a week.  I remember it was February of my sophomore year and I was constantly out of energy, sleeping, tired, white as a ghost and bleeding way more than I should have been. Apparently it was due to some other problems with my back having scoliosis and building up muscle on only one side which put pressure on my organs contributing to my excessive bleeding problem. Over the month of February it just kept getting worse and I was passing out left and right. 

We went in to see a Doctor and told her what was happening.  She gave me a pill to stop the bleeding within 24 hours. I kept bleeding and passing out and ended up in the emergency room that night.  The staff was freaking out at how weak and pale I was.  Immediately they ran blood tests and told me I was going to need a blood transfusion.  It was an awful cold feeling as they stuck a million needles into me and started pumping someone else's blood into my body. They started the blood transfusion and I was transferred an hour later by ambulance to the Women and Children's Hospital where the transfusion was completed.  

I didn't realize the urgency of the situation until they were strapping those metal stickers all over my body in case I had a heart attack. Which probably could have happened any second. After this whole ordeal happened I realized how close I could have been to... well having a heart attack and dying. It was scary thinking that if I hadn't been in the right place at the right time I might not be here today. 

This may be a little far fetched but as I was reading those few scriptures in Matthew I pondered back on this whole experience and put myself in this women's shoes when Christ said to her "daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. The women was made whole from that hour."

I know that there is a reason I'm still here today.  I have a work to do. If I have faith like the women in the story I can work as a tool in the hands of The Lord. There is a reason that I was in the right place at the right time and I know I have a purpose.  Which brings so much comfort to me. Fortunately I haven't had any problems since that experience, but it opened my eyes to how fragile life really is.  God is the true giver and taker of life. I know that because I am here.  Because I am blessed.  I have an important role in blessing the lives of others. We all do.

So later this week we found out one of our investigators was in jail so we got information on him and we were going to go visit him but he got out and we had a lesson with him and he dropped us. It was really weird because after he dropped us he responded to one of my Facebook posts and asked me questions and said he would come listen to my talk in Church. And he did. He has never come to church after all the time we've spent teaching and working with him. It was really cool. He said he loved the Hymns and the music.  I was super glad he stayed for my talk because it was exactly what we had been talking about when he dropped us. I know he will get back around to learning about the gospel and influencing his life.

We drove clear out to Chantilly and I accidentally touched a tick dog. So nasty. Hopefully I don't get any ticks. Limes disease is like a craze out here.

We taught B. again and we invited this guy named Jimmy who just returned home from his mission to translate into Chinese. We got him on date for June but we passed him to the  Chinese Elders.  I'm sure they are excited to work with him. B. is so solid and is a great guy. We are sad we had to pass him.  Hopefully he will still come to activities and etc.

We also started teaching a former investigator named C. she likes to party and do drugs. She asked all these questions about Adam and Eve and the Fall. She compared the bible story to a rave she went to last year that was themed the Garden of Eden (like what pervert plans a rave based on the garden of Eden? did this really happen? what????) Anyway. She asked us if we had ever been on an acid trip before I was like....

NO!

...and she was like well I had a vision. She told us all about how she talked to Jesus and he gave her trippy sunglasses and she saw the Tree of Life and how the earth was created and it ended with the tree dying and she decided never to eat fruit and then all of the sudden the police came...

OK.

Moral of the story:  DON'T DO DRUGS!!!

We also met a former named M. I'm super excited to teach him. 

1. Because he is solid and totally ready and prepared to learn about the
gospel. 

2. HE DRIVES A MAZDA 3 2012 AND LISTENS TO MAC MILLER.

holllllaaaaaa

Anyway I told him were homies and it would be the greatest lesson ever. Super stoked about it. Great things are happening here in Shenandoah.

Lastly I spoke in church on Sunday. There was way more people than usual because all the Vivent and Moxie boys were there.  So it was a fun time. I talked about how following Christ lifts our burdens. I also was asked last minute to talk in Relief Society about President Uchdorfs talk on Gratitude. So they listened to me talk and rant and cry way too much yesterday. But anyway, here is my talk to wrap up this weeks summary!

Thanks for everything you guys do for me and for being the best ever. I love you all so much. If you have any questions pllleeeaassseee email me.  I love hearing from people. Family, Friends, Future missionaries (: if you have any great ideas for my blog leemme know! I
love you guys! enjoy the rest of your week

love sister stucki

My Talk:

How Following Christ Can Lift Our Burdens..

Last week I received an email from home. My dad told me about this family in our ward whose father passed away in a tragic plane accident. The father wanted to learn how to fly and while he was out with the pilot, some sort of malfunction occurred and the plane went crashing down into the ground taking both the lives of the father and the pilot who was with him.

When my Dad received word of the terrible news he raced over to this families home to give aid to the mother and her four young children.  The oldest boy was nine years old. He was upset and confused with this trial he was being put through. My Dad felt so sad for this family.  During the evening the boy said to my Dad, "Bishop, I have so many questions about death, dying and my Dad.  Where is he?  Did he hurt? What is he doing?  Will you answer my questions with the scriptures?"  My Dad sat down and read the scriptures with this young boy for quite a while.  Later that evening my he told his mother what he had read about in the scriptures and that he felt better.

This nine year old boy is such an example to each of us, of the kind of Disciple and Follower of Jesus Christ we should be. Although he was being faced with the most difficult challenge in his life, he knew where to turn for answers and strength.  He chose to be faithful in following his Savior, rather than giving up hope and becoming lost in despair.

He found that BECAUSE of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, his Dad was okay. BECAUSE of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, he would see him again. And BECAUSE of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, he could feel peace, hope, comfort and guidance throughout his life, and his burden could be lightened if he but acted upon his faith in his Savior.

In Preach My Gospel it tells us that as we rely on the Atonement of Jesus Christ, he can help us endure our trials, sicknesses, and pain. We can be filled with joy, peace and consolation. All that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He did NOT however eliminate our personal responsibility. We must show that we accept him, repent, and that we will follow the commandments.

In order to truly accept Jesus Christ as our savior we must have faith in him. Faith is the first principle of the gospel. To have faith means that we recognize Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Savior of the world. Faith leads to action.  Action such as keeping the commandments Christ has given us through the scriptures, Prophets and modern day revelation.

As we obey the commandments, he blesses us. He gives us power to meet life's challenges and helps us to change the desires of our hearts. When we have faith we know that Christ really is there for us to help us through our times of trouble, heartache and afflictions. When we know he is there for us carrying us along our way, our burdens can be lifted.

Like the nine year old boy searching the scriptures and finding that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, he could see his Dad again.  We too can find peace and solace in our faith in Jesus Christ. As we continue expanding our faith and knowledge about the gospel our minds can be enlightened and our hearts can be filled knowing that all will be made right if we but turn to Him and believe.

The second principle of the gospel is repentance. Our faith in Christ will lead us to repent and to change. If we sincerely repent we turn away from our sins and do them no more. Our desire to follow God grows stronger and deeper and we feel forgiveness and peace in our lives. Our guilt and sorrow are swept away and we feel the spirit in greater abundance. We can feel great joy in repenting daily, and our burdens can once again be lifted knowing we are free from our past guilt.

One of my favorite examples of the blessing of repentance and change is Alma the younger.  When he tells his conversion story to his son, Helaman. At first he talks about how he was "racked with torment" and "harrowed up in the memory of his sins." But then he remembered what his father had prophesied unto the people concerning the coming of Jesus Christ the son of God, to atone for the sins of the world. When he remembered this thought he cried out for mercy in repentance of all his past sins and transgressions. When he earnestly repented he said, (19) "And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more."

(21) "Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy."

I love the comparison he gives when he says there was nothing so exquisite and bitter as my pain, and nothing so exquisite and sweet was my joy. Through Christ we really are able to feel that exquisite sweetness if we truly accept him, have faith in him, and repent.

The third principle Preach My Gospel gave was keeping Christ's commandments. Christ gave us commandments for a reason. Not to constrain us and layout a bunch of rules. WE HAVE OUR AGENCY. He gave us commandments because he loves us, and wants the best for us. One of these commandments he gave was being baptized and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. When we are baptized we make a promise that we will obey all his commandments and strive to do good works, serve others, and follow His example. By keeping these promises, we are enduring to the end.

As we follow this gospel path, and endure, we can draw closer to God, conquer temptation, and develop a pattern of living. Peace and Joy come from following the way Christ has prepared for us. By keeping simple commandments such as prayer, scripture study, and attending our church meetings we can learn more about the promises and blessings God has in store for us as we continually live righteously.

A long time ago I heard this poem, that I loved, about our burdens being lifted as we follow Christ and I thought it went along perfectly with this topic. It says:

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with The Lord
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
Each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints
Other times there were one set of footprints.
This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life
When I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.
So I said to The Lord
You promised me lord, that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed during the most trying periods of my life,
there have only been one set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?
The Lord replied
The times when you have seen only one set of footprints in the sand
is when I carried you.

I love this poem because countless times in my life I have seen how following Christ's example has blessed dear friends, family, and myself. Christ has promised us he will be there with us, to carry us, to lighten our load and lift our burdens if we follow him. He leaves it to us to CHOOSE whether we will follow him and to CHOOSE to recognize his hand in our lives. There is never a time we should feel alone or like it is too late to start over and begin new. Christ has already suffered for each of us individually, he loves us, he is
always there.

I know that as we strengthen our faith, repent, and keep his commandments we will be happier and our burdens will be lightened. We will still be tested and tried, our lives are never going to be PERFECT but PERFECT is not what we intended to come here for. As we grow closer to our savior, he will help us be strong and make it through life's challenges. I know the gospel of Jesus Christ is true and everlasting. The more I learn the more I grow and understand the importance of it.

I would hope that if anyone in this room does not feel like they have a personal testimony of the importance of the gospel, of the savior and of the Book of Mormon, I would hope that they would start now in working towards gaining that testimony. TODAY. 

Through Jesus Christ we can feel peace, hope, charity, love, and happiness. We can live with our loved ones again. We can be an instrument in his hands to bless the lives of others, and ease their burdens as well. Through Jesus Christ we can reach our full potential, And there is nothing greater than that.

In 2 Nephi 31:20...

(20)"Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."

I know this promise Nephi gave in the Book of Mormon is true. I hope we all can press forward, feasting upon the words of Christ and endure to the end so we can reach our full potential. I'm excited to be serving here with you in the Shenandoah ward.  I know that each one of us is important in hastening his work of salvation so that others may know of these precious gospel truths which we have. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ amen.

Sister Madison Paige Stucki

Washington DC South Mission
Sent from my iPad

(via email May 26, 2014)