When you pray for an answer...

Some new friends...

She wanted to do our hair

Look at that cute smile

the girls made me buttons

where people are from that I'm teaching

our neighbors daughter

I am so happy I brought a heater

Sorry Dad...I know you liked it too

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Family,

MAIL SHOUT OUT!!!

Miss Olivia Brooks sent me the most hilarious email. LOVE that girl. and Grandpa Stucki! Thanks for those. I got spoiled with mail again this week from the WHOLE family which was AWESOME!! Dylan, Ethan, Ty, FOUR LETTERS FROM MAKENNA :)  Eli, Mom... and the Brooks family!!  As well as Spencer...Brystal ...and Kylie.... LOVE Y'ALL. I love mail. Keep it coming. Yeah?

So WEEKLY RUNDOWN...

Monday:
Was preparation day.....we went to Zone Sports because it was our last week together as a Zone and we played Cracker...Snap.... (Missionaries are SO Weird). I guess...what you do is you put a rubber band on your arm with a saltine cracker in it and you chase each other around with paper swords and try to break each others crackers in half....... it's a real thing... stop laughing....Super Intense. I think they somehow related it to the Book of Mormon.  So it was approved. We also played Mormon Mafia....so Celestial. I'm telling you. THEN we got into the real stuff. SPEED. (the basketball game) with the Elders. I got some Elders out so that was good stuff!  Considering I'm five feet shorter than them. REPRESENTING.

Later that night we got to watch the Old Johnny Lingo movie with an investigator and talked about how our WORDS influence others. They do.  So much! I think if I could go back to High School that is one thing I would really CHANGE.  How I talked and what I said to others. Not that I was like...terribly rude.  But High School can really make or break a person. I wish I would have spent more time looking around me in the halls and reaching out to those people that didn't have...well...anybody. You know? Just a simple smile or Hey how are you? Or inviting people to do things... I mean WE invite people 24/7 out here and it's NOT that hard to simply invite somebody. It could change the whole course of their life!!

Also...as we were driving home we got a call from the Bishop saying we were WANTED by the POLICE!  Which was Super Sketchy. There was a Full description of us. (can you imagine: WANTED: Two:  Five foot Blond Girls in Skirts with Missionary tags Preaching the Gospel)
WANTED FOR...
Well we were wanted because when we flipped a "U" in our car we 'Tresspassed' approximately  four inches onto this Guys driveway. He has a camera out there and it was a serious problem, apparently.
To him. So he called the police. It was Interesting!  So... yeah mark that off the bucket list right??

Also I bought some super cute oxford looking things at target! and a Super Warm sweater at TJ.
So that was pure luck!

Tuesday:
MY TWO MONTH-O-VERSARY OF BEING A MISSIONARY *tear* so proud.
We celebrated by...wait for it........wait for it..................

FASTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously. We decided to fast for our investigators.  They were not really progressing and also to find new people to teach. We had our last meeting as a District and dropped a couple people. That day we actually did meet lots of people and talked to everyone! So that was Super neat. We came up with a new challenge for the members that involves referrals because they know people better than we do out here! 

Our Mission President called us about the police thing :/ So that was awkward. We went tracting for three hours. Got TONS OF PANERA BREAD from the lovely O. family. Which made our apartment smell awesome BTW.

One of our appointments fell through.  She felt bad so she left us a gift on the front porch....guess what it was?  Iced Cappuchino's baby!!  ha ha. So they are currently just chillin' on our counter.  We don't really know what to do with them because giving them to somebody would be condoning coffee..... she also gave us a Subway gift card so that's cool! (and super nice)

Wednesday:
Was February fifth which is KAILEE GOOCHES BIRTHDAY!!!
Happy birthday wherever you are you future Korean you.
Also...it was my last day as PERMANENT BACKER!!!!
Yes ma'am I can drive now. So you bet I'm lovin' life. We went and cleaned K's house again and she gave me glow in the dark stars for my ceiling. We got canceled on a lot and had to reschedule our entire day. Don't worry...we always find SOMEBODY to teach. ;)

Thursday:
We were last minute invited to transfer meeting to watch Saratov approach.  Cool huh?
It was nice. BUT oh my...during Transfer meeting President had us STAND UP and told EVERYBODY about the Police incident! That was Fun. Super great. ha ha. I think everybody had a good laugh that WE were the ones that got the Police called on us.  Out of Everyone in the mission. I mean come on ... look at us. We are babies.

Then it was Super Cool because President got up and talked and told everyone in the entire Mission that he had received an email from somebody in Our ward (Sister Schramm and I)  Here in M. and told everybody what it said!

The member said 'Thank you so much for sending these Missionaries to OUR Ward. They are young but they are confident and bring the Spirit so strong and have such a strong testimony' and on... and on... about how awesome Sis. Schramm and I are.  How thankful they are for us? Cool eh? I was like woop woop *fist bump* impressing the President.  Also we moved H. baptism date up to the fifteenth meaning this Saturday!!

Friday:
We taught a Seminary class at six in the morning. It went really well. Then we visited an Older Lady in the Ward at a Rest Home.  She was in a BAD mood.  So she was ignoring us singing to her.  It was really funny... I took a video... ha ha.  I'll send it soon. <3

As we were singing to her this other lady named A. was watching and stopped us.  She asked us about our Church.  So we had a good conversation with her.  She doesn't live in our area.  So we are referring her because that was awesome. She was really impressed by us.

Also the parkxfelt CD is awesome...so thank you Parker Feltner in Fresno. 

Saturday:
We got new missionaries in our Zone.  So I'm not the baby anymore. (?)  That was nice. H. got his Baptismal interview and passed ;) We visited C. and her family.  She wants to be baptized.  We need to have more lessons with her though and get her to church! We had dinner at a Mexican Restaurant with a Member.  It was Delicious. Then we went to visit a less active. On the way a lady named S. stopped us and invited us to her house.  Which was sketch.  She was kind of high or something. But we had a nice little visit with her anyhow.

Sunday:
Well Sunday was Super Busy and Super Full of Meetings. We had dinner at the B. home.  Lots of soup.  I love soup.  It was delicious. Then we visited M. and his family. They are from Egypt. They are super funny. M. is... well he has a very interesting sense of humor. He is so serious. Then we visited S. & T. Mom - she framed that picture, of the baby and Jesus,  you asked me to give to her! She loves it SO much. Which makes me Happy. She shows me it every day ;)

So that was my week!
Hopefully I didn't forget anything.  Still working on my memory problems :{  Today we are going to play soccer with the Elders.

Anyway... lots of crazy things happened really. Being a missionary is just a lot of work and a lot of crazy things go down! One thing that I realized TODAY during personal study was interesting.
So this will be my Gospel message for you today.  Okay? cool.

So I always kind of wondered why I never have had one of those Super Cool Spiritual Moments. Where its just like this big SIGN ya know? Because whenever investigators feel the Spirit it is so NEW and Overwhelming and Crazy and Miraculous. Don't get me wrong I've had small experiences.  Some here. Some there.   But I forget them often.  These little instances made me wonder if the Spirit was ever even really there at all?  OR if it was just me thinking that. BUT on my Mission I've realized many things. One being that some people have never felt the Spirit before, ever.  So when they DO feel the spirit.  It is a BIG DEAL. Their whole lives have been so empty and difficult and different.  So when they keep one commitment.  Such as Praying or Coming to church the feeling they get is Overwhelming because it is so Powerful and New!

I Finally realized that for me, especially having grown up in the Church and being a missionary now. Having the Spirit in my home was never Overwhelming or New.  It was CONSTANT. Which is such a blessing.  Beyond Belief.  Although, it can also make it difficult to recognize what you have been given. I had prayed about this very thing.  Hoping to receive this overwhelming confirmation or feeling of  'The Spirit' and I didn't receive it...THEN.

It wasn't until my companion and I entered into a home where the atmosphere was tense and well...wasn't a place where the Spirit could reside that I got an answer to my prayers. The Spirit in the room left immediately and left us feeling empty, scared, mislead and unsure. It left a pit in my stomach and a weight on my shoulders.  That is when I realized that I truly recognized..the Spirit!

Rather than receiving this strong witness that it was there with me.  God knew I already felt that.  Since my brain couldn't put two and two together.  I then felt the REVERSE when the Spirit left. It was very distinct. I'm so grateful to have a home I've grown up in where the Spirit resides all the time.  Where I am safe, happy and comforted. I realized for me..I've always known the Gospel was true.  I didn't need this big manifestation of it! I know it.  I live it. That is what matters. I also realized God doesn't always answer prayers the way we expect him to.  Because I was not expecting to receive an answer to my prayers in a way where the Spirit LEFT me. But I did.  I realized it because my heart and my mind were open to a new answer.

So that's a challenge for YOU.

When you pray for an answer.  Forget the answer YOU want to hear.  Be ready for a learning experience. With an open mind and an open heart.  You will get it every time.  Because God has promised his children that. and We are all His children.

Well I love you guys tons.  Thanks for all you do for me! I'll write you letters back today. Love you.  Have a great week.  Be good examples.  Extend a helping hand to those around you.  You will be happier!!

Love sister stucki

(via e-mail February 10, 2014)

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Don't Pass 'Em UP

I've tried this new thing called having an (incredibly) open mind......

IT IS AWESOME.

My mom is reading some weird book, but she told me the basics of it is "To have peace with yourself you must act on all impressions. If you do not act on impressions and continue throughout your day, you will not have peace of mind. Therefore you are puting yourself in a box."

Weird book right? But its true. I'm pretty sure every single person on this earth even YOU gets little impressions throughout the day. "I should do that.." "I should say hi to her.." "I should shoot him a text..." But we ignore them because they are inconvienient or we do not know what will come of it. Well, my track record has turned out great with acting on impressions! Because even if i never know what will come of it... it somehow influences my life. I feel at peace, and it gives me something more to think about.

Impression Numero Uno: Lady walks into PFPV (My Work) She asked when it got cold around here. SOO we talked about weather. I had an impression to ask her where she was from, i shook it off at first, but of course... I could hear my mom telling me YOURE PUTING YOURSELF IN A BOX. Sooo i did. Turns out shes from the glorious east coast SOUTH CAROLINA. Why on earth did she wind up in Utah??? We talked about all the amazing things to explore back east, i told her i was moving to Washington DC here in a couple months. She asked why? I told her for a mission. And for the 6787654567876545678 time i got that look of "Like james bond or...?" So i added, LDS Mission, for my church. You could see her face was a little bit puzzled. But we continued on our conversation. She was really nice and had a family. Nothing more came from my experience in talking with her about the church. But it planted a seed because guess what??? SHE KNOWS WHAT A MORMON MISSIONARY IS NOW. And she left a five dolla tip so holla.

Impression Numero Dos: Sit by the Loud Rowdy Kids in the back of Youth Meeting ;)

Yes. I was asked to speak a little bit to the youth of my ward with the Elders and my dad on sunday. The WHOLE TIME there was this couple boys sitting in the back being so obnoxious. I could hear them laughing and talking and poking at eachother and i was sitting clear in the front! Silly boys... so the next half of the meeting i decided, hey, i'll go sit next to 'em. So i did. And their faces? PRICELESS. (I hope they are reading this hahaha!) There wasn't even room for me so i pulled up a chair as close as i could and smiled at them. I continued to raise my hand and make comments every five minutes or so, because everytime i did, all eyes went to the back corner and the boys all went silent. I even got a few of them to put their phones up in the front and pay attention imagine that??!! I told them they would get something from it. I think they expected candy or something... i meant scriptural knowledge? And at the end of the lesson one of them looked at me and said... "Its blessings isnt it?" I smiled and he rolled his eyes. It was picture perfect. Gotta love them highschool boys getting blessings doncha? It was an awesome lesson. 

Afterwards, i did hold a really good conversation with a couple of them. I told them that it took me til my senior year to realize if you actually LISTEN TO YOUR SEMINARY TEACHER you will gain something. Weird right? They were amazed too. I don't know if i changed their opinion on serving a mission or even listening to seminary. But at least they know that I KNOW the church is true, and that I KNOW how much it has affected my life. Hopefully someday they will feel the same. Goes to show you can be a missionary and example even to the members of your ward! They are awesome (:

Impression Numero Tres: CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL RANCH BBY

So me and my brother... well okay let me start over. MY BROTHER talked me into taking him to CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL RANCH right before it closed last night. So, off we went. We were looking for some new 'Boots' and started talking to this kid that works there. He was a nice kid. And low and behold our topic of conversation turned into missions. I told him where i was going and etc. Said goodbye, didnt even catch his name. Well, this little experience actually turned on me. I think he was the one who had an impression he didn't pass up, and i gained immensly from it. I got a text in the middle of the night, it was from this kid. He mentioned i probably didnt know him and it may be weird that he was sending this, but he felt like he should send me these specific scriptures because they have helped him immensly within the church and in regards of serving a mission. They were right on key, exactly what i needed to hear. How cool is that?

I think what comes around goes around. Pray for experiences. And search them out throughout your day. Don't pass any up! You never know what can come from them, and you never know what you will find in return! Look at the little, simplest of experiences and blessings and apply them to your life. You will see differences in every situation. Its so cool who the Lord will bring into your life sometimes. Gods timing really is perfect. And people, they are awesome. Stay positive and love the little things.

Love you all! Have a fantastic Tuesday!

Sincerely Yours, Sister Madison Paige