March 13, 2018

Family,

This week has been pretty slow. We were able to meet with our investigator Sister (N) which was really good. She has been super busy lately just trying to get bills paid after her husband's death and just trying to get her life figured out right now.  We were also able to teach a couple lessons to (K) which was way good. She's awesome and we will probably be having a baptism for her pretty soon. Her parents are just trying to find a day that all the family will be able to make it.

On Saturday we had the Festival of Finding. The whole mission goes out finding from 10 am - 5:00 pm. It was good. It was like the first super nice day we have had this year. It was clear and warm so that was nice. We also went to another Marshallese baptism in the branch Elder Delp used to serve in. It's so funny going to them. They are not formal at all. The Marshallese people are super flaky so they never ask people to give a talk before hand because they will say yes but then just won't show up. So they just ask people when they get there. In this case there were not to many people there so they asked me to give one of the talks. ha ha On the bright side there were not to many people there so it wasn't a big deal. They are fun baptisms to go to.

Sunday was just a good day of church and a lot of meetings. We had 2 investigators there as well which was good. The investigators we are teaching are doing good but they are just moving a long kinda slowly. But still forward!!! So that is good! (K) is doing awesome and will get baptized pretty soon. I'm sure.

Monday was amazing!! We basically had a full day of being taught by President and Sister Rasmussen and Elder and Sister Costa!! Elder Claudio R.M. Costa is a General Authority. One of the 70. Right now he is assigned to work in the missionary department. So it was really cool to hear from him. He's a funny man and just so full of wisdom and knowledge. It was so fun to learn from him and his thick Brazilian accent. We had a devotional with him from 9:00 - 3:00. After that we were able to have a special MLC meeting with him as well. So we learned a lot from him today!!

I love hearing from the Lord's anointed servants! I am so grateful that we have them here and for the knowledge that we have of living prophets and apostles. Something that was talked about a lot at the devotional is the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is so essential in our lives today! We need it now more then ever. We know that it was written for us in our day. It is so important that we don't take it for granted but that we read from it, we study it, and we ponder it's message!

I have grown to love the Book of Mormon so much! I have a goal to read it everyday for the rest of my life. So when I see you all when I get home you all better follow up with me on that!!! Keep me accountable. I have this goal because I have seen how much it has blessed me as I have read it each day here in the mission. I have felt the love of God and the tender mercies of the Atonement of Jesus Christ as I have read it each day. That is something we all need in our lives. We don't want to go on this journey through mortality without the blessings that come through the Book of Mormon and without the knowledge of the Atonement of Jesus Christ that we can gain from the pages of the Book of Mormon. I'm preaching... but this is important to me! I know the Book of Mormon is true!! I know God is real, that he sent His son here for us. For our benefit. And that it is only through Christ that we can return to live with Him again.

Please continue to read the Book of Mormon or start if you haven't been. Gain a testimony for yourself that these things are true. Continue to ask God if they are true EVEN if you already have a testimony. He will continue to manifest the truth of it to you! I love the Book of Mormon. I love this gospel. I love my Savior. I love all of you!! 

I'm sorry for ranting and preaching but I'm tired and I just got done with a long day of sitting at the feet and learning from a General Authority and I'm just feeling the Spirit and I gotta share it. I love you all and hope you have a good week!!!

Elder Ethan Wayne Stucki

**I have lost 15 lbs since my last area so that is probably another reason why my shirts seem big on me right now. I could use some more razors and the shave oil stuff. I would like it if you can get that again

Okay. I love you all have a good week!!

March 6, 2018

 (this is the backyard of someone we taught)

Family,

Tuesday was a really good day! We had our district meetings which were really good. We took the first 20 minutes and talked to the zone about how things are going and set some new goals to improve. The past 2 weeks have been really tough as a zone. In the past 2 weeks we have only found 1 new investigator as a zone. There are 6 companionship. Normally we find around 5 as a zone each week. But we set some good goals to improve. We also started teaching (K) she is 9 years old.  Her family are members and they are a super awesome family!! She has been wanting to get baptized for a long time and we are now beginning to teach her so we are super excited!!

Wednesday I was on an exchange.
Thursday was a lot of time in the apartment. We had our normal daily studies then we had our weekly planning which is 3 hours and then on top of that we had 2 hours of entering information from the area book into our phones. So we were in most of the day. 
Friday was also a very busy day with mission leadership council or "MLC" that takes up most the day. We didn't get back until 6:00. It was good though. 

Saturday was wide open though. We had nothing planned so we did a lot of finding through formers and potentials. It's also weird now being on Facebook and having things to do on there. We can now teach people who don't even live within our area or even the mission. I was able to contact a recent convert. I had to see if we could start teaching her brother because she had mentioned in the past that he was beginning to be interested! So it's been pretty cool!

Sunday is always good. It's usually a pretty busy day with church and then a lot of meetings but it's nice to have a full day. We got a call from a member in Wyoming who has a daughter and a grandson who live here in our area who are interested in the gospel so that was exciting. We are going to start teaching them next Monday. It was also transfer calls tonight. I thought I was going to get transferred because I have been in each of my areas for 3 transfers and I just finished my 3rd transfer here... but nope I'm staying another one! I will also being staying another one with Elder Delp. So it will be the longest I've ever been in an area and also the longest I've been with a companion. But I'm excited because we should have some of our investigators getting baptized this transfer!!

Monday was pretty good for it being a Monday. It wasn't our pday with it being transfers this week so our day was pretty open. We did a lot of finding and ended up tracting a street. And we are glad we did and we are done with it also because the people weren't to interested. ha ha It was pretty interesting.

We went to a former investigators home that was just wild. We read the information about him. It said something along the lines of his house is sketch and he's always in need of service. So we went... His house was SKETCH... it was actually a massive home but it didn't look quite complete on the outside. We knocked on the door and some man in his 50's came to the door and said, "the door was open - just come in" so of course we go in. The house was jam packed of everything you could possibly think of and the house was just plywood. It wasn't finished. You could see the trusses, the wires running through the walls and there was no installation. It wasn't just like this guy is building a home and it's not finished yet but this house is probably over 15 years old so things are getting old. It was pretty wild. He was a crazy nice guy though.

That was about our week. Nothing else to terribly exciting happened. I'm looking forward to this next transfer and to hopefully have some baptisms go through!! Thank you all for your love and support!! I love you all!!

also so you know.

pday will be Tuesday the 13th next week as well cause we have a General Authority, Elder Costa coming on Monday.

Preach My Gospel just got a new chapter to it that will be related to phone use but it applies to a lot of things and how the things we learn here will bless us in our lives when we go home!

Gotta go have a good week. I love you all!!
Elder Ethan Wayne Stucki

February 26, 2018

 

February 26, 2018

This week has gone well. Wednesday we had our zone conference that took up most of the day. It was a lot of training on how to use the smart phones and how they can benefit us and help us in the work. It really opened my eyes to how many more opportunities we will have to share the gospel with those in our areas and even those outside of it. It will definitely be a huge tool and resource that we will have now to assist us in the work. There's just a lot we have to do before we get there. For the next 2 weeks we have to spend 2 hours a day entering in all of the information from our area books into our phones. Everything will now be on our phones. So it will be nice when that is all done.

Thursday we had an exchange with the Puyallup Elders and I was with Elder Maughan in Puyallup. We had a good day we found a new investigator for them who was super open and receptive. He has 5 kids he has been raising alone for a while because his wife went to prison. We don't know why but she has been there for the past 5 years. I guess she gets out soon. Then we had an awesome lesson with a investigator who is a world champion arm wrestler! The guy is huge he's the coolest guy though!! I'll send a picture we got with him. He wanted to take a selfie to send to his girlfriend to show her he is "being good" his girlfriend is a member. Less Active though so hopefully she comes back if he joins.

We also had another really good lesson Thursday night. There are so many less active members of the church. So 2 of the apostles, Elder Rasband and Elder Ballard came up with a plan to "Rescue less Active Melchizedek priesthood holders" cause these are individuals who have once had testimonies and many of them have served missions and now have families. The plan and the idea they have set up is pretty intense and so powerful!! It was the first time I have been a part of one of these lessons and it was so good! The spirit was super strong and the guy we met with is just solid and I believe will definitely come back to the church. This plan they have is something they did a few years ago over in like Maine and it was super successful so now they have us doing it here.

Friday we ended the exchange and I went back to my area. Elder Delp and I were driving home and we get a phone call from a less active member we have never met and he said that he is just heading off of the mountain and he wants to come to church on Sunday!! He wanted to know when it was and we said perfect because there is going to be a General Authority here! Super awesome though it's not every day someone calls you up and tells you they want to come back to church! The mountains have a good way of bringing people back to Jesus!

Saturday was just an amazing day! So I got to go back to Enumclaw for another baptism!! It was for a girl named (R). She is someone that Elder Heal and I started teaching a few weeks before  I left. I was super sad because I only got to teach her the first couple of lessons but I knew she would end up getting baptized. I was way excited to be able to go back to it and be there. Her grandpa was able to baptize her and it was a special moment something I'm sure he's been wanting for a long time. He is in the bishopric and just an awesome guy. So that was super exciting. It was way cool because the person who said the closing prayer at the baptism was (T)  One of the other converts I taught while I was there. And it was way fun to see her and she said she is thinking about a mission!!! I'm so excited for her and I hope she goes she would be awesome!

And to end our night just amazingly we were able to go and have dinner with one of our investigators (D) He is the son of (G) They are the Hindu family. His wife made us a bunch of Indian food that was just so good!! We were then able to have a little spiritual lesson with them. They are super strong in their faith and are not planning on changing but are seriously the nicest people I have ever met in my life!! They would stop anything they are doing at anytime to feed us or do anything. They are awesome! It was a pretty cool experience.
One last awesome thing for today is that our investigator Sister (N) invited and took a non member friend with her to the adult session of stake conference tonight with Elder Dube!!  So that was awesome too! It was just a way good day!!

Sunday was also really good. We had our stake conference and Elder Dube of the 70 came to it. So I got to meet him again and shake his hand again. Which is always cool. He came and toured our mission last year so I met him then as well. But he gave a really awesome talk about the importance of the Book of Mormon. Both him and President Monson implored each of us to read the Book of Mormon each and every day. Also to read a scripture to someone and then hand them the book and invite them to continue reading. He told of his conversion story and how he had a Book of Mormon for 3 years before he ever read it because no one ever told him the importance of it or why he needed to read it. When he finally got around to it he loved the book and the spirit was so strong and he was later converted. The Book of Mormon is one of the most powerful tools that we have to share the gospel with others. Continue to read it every day and share things you've learned with others! The Lord is hastening his work! So be a part of it and receive the blessings Heavenly Father wants to pour down upon each and every one of you!
I love you all thanks for the love and support!

Elder Ethan Stucki

February 19, 2018

February 19,2018

Wednesday was a pretty good day. We set up our smart phones and that was pretty neat. It feels strange having a smart phone now that I have gone 17 months without one. But there are a lot of cool apps and features on them so I can definitely see the benefit of having them. It is also nice because we are able to download good short videos onto our phones and then when we are out tracting we can share the video right there on the spot! Also one plus to having the smart phones is that I can now write in the notes section every night and then write more about what happened through out my week for you mom ha ha because I usually forget most of it by Monday when I get to the computer lab.

Thursday 

We had a lot of good things and crazy things happen today... so this email isn't to terribly long I will just write the best of them. We had an amazing lesson with (F) today who is the investigator Elder Christensen and I found. We taught him the restoration and he was so prepared to receive it. He doesn't have much of a religious history and he is very humble and asked the best questions and accepted them. At the end I asked him if he has ever received an answer to a prayer. He said he feels like he has. So I asked him if he believes he could get an answer right then and there, if he were to pray, to know if Joseph Smith was a prophet and if the Book of Mormon was true. He said he feels like he has a good enough connection to God to receive an answer! So he prayed!! After he prayed he said that he felt peace and that a burden had been lifted off his shoulders. We testified to him that was an answer to his prayer! (F) is so solid and so prepared to accept this gospel and we were stoked after our lesson with him! We are so grateful that God has lead us to him and that we are able to teach him at this time! 

Friday 

Friday was a pretty good day. We did some service at the food bank in the morning it is something that we do every Friday morning. So that's pretty fun. We did a lot of tracting. Something we have really been working hard on is just finding new people to teach. We have been working hard at it ever since I got here because it's just been like the same 3 people being taught on and off for literally the past year. We have been getting referral's from members lately so it has been good! We taught an awesome lesson today to a members coworker named (J) He's like 25 and just solid! We taught him the plan of salvation and he just soaked it all up. The member though is wild. He's super intelligent but he just talks 1000 miles an hour and so it can be hard to understand him at times and he goes a little deep for the investigators. 

Saturday 

Today I was on an exchange down in Sumner and it was honestly a pretty tough exchange! When we woke up that morning the Elder I was with started throwing up and was sick and ended up sleeping until about 11. When he woke up he said he was good to go so we headed out. We were on bike and it was pouring rain and super windy so it was a pretty cold and wet day! When I got back Elder Delp  was telling me how he got a phone call from brother Nuttal who is the fellowshipper of (J) and (J) was telling him that he had a lady come into his work that day who is a recent convert of 2 years. This lady was telling him how amazing the church is and how he needs to be a part of it. On top of that she was also Hispanic and she was showing him all of the videos that the Spanish branch throws and it got him super excited! He was telling Brother Nuttal how he has been getting so many signs and just things happening in his life that is leading him to the church. I love watching the Lord prepare his children for the gospel and seeing these miracles line up. It's so amazing! 

Sunday 

Sunday was alright. We only ended up having only sacrament because we got like a full 3 inches of snow🤔 and that was just up on the lake. Our area is up on a hill. Down in the valley in Sumner where the church is we didn't have to much snow. But they wanted people to get home safe so they ended church after sacrament. It was to bad because we were supposed to have some investigators at church today but when it snows not to many people leave there homes so they didn't make it. 

Monday 

As you can see Monday was not pday because it was Presidents day. But we had a good day. All I can say is I just love the Spirit!! It's one of the greatest gifts that we have been given so we need to listen to it! Today we were leaving a area that we had been knocking doors in and as we were driving out I had a feeling that we should go by (G & D's) house They are investigators that we found a few weeks back. The Hindu family. But I thought "no we have gone by a ton and they are never home" and I was about to keep going but then the thought came to me again and I just couldn't ignore the Spirit again so we went there and they were home!! They let us right in and they are seriously the nicest people. They offered to cook us Indian food right then but we felt bad having them do that so they set up a time for us to come over this Saturday and they will cook us all their favorite dishes! We invited them out to stake conference this week as well because Elder Dube will be coming to it so it will be really good!! But we always need to listen to the Spirit!! We will never go amiss if we do.

I think that's about it for this week. This email is probably a little bit long sorry idk if I'll write about every day or not cause it just gets lengthy. But I love and miss you all thanks for all you do!! Yes we started using our phones but it is super weird. I don't like - it but I do. It is a love hate relationship. There are a lot of good apps and things to use on them but I just don't like the fact that it is a phone. I'm a missionary. I don't need a phone. But I get one.... it's fine though. The only down side to that is you just bought me a super nice camera and idk what to do with it now because the phone has a good camera so I don't carry the camera anymore...? 

Transfers are March 6th so I will email Tuesday March 6

Thank you i love and miss you all have a good week!

Also there are these really cool water pitchers that they have here if you'd want one or not a lot of the members have them here. They are shaped like a fish. They look good though not awful. But when you pour them it makes a gulping sound!!! They are pretty sweet. They are the cool things to have here ha ha I don't how much they are though but I'll look at them today

Elder Ethan Stucki

February 5th and 12th 2018

February 5, 2018
This week went pretty well. The members have been giving us some good referral's lately.  Saturday we taught a members co worker that he has been trying to get to meet with the missionaries for a while. I was not there. I was on an exchange but I heard the lesson went really well and the guy (J) is pretty solid. I was on an exchange with Elder Leckington in Puyallup and that exchange went really well! Elder Leckington is a awesome missionary and we were able to teach a couple of lessons that day. He is an awesome teacher. 

As we were tracting we knocked on this door and we were let in by this man and he said he was busy but we could talk to his son. His son was about 21 and we taught him the restoration. It was a super good lesson! The Spirit was strong and we committed him to pray about the Book of Mormon and he said he would. At the end of the lesson we were about to pray and the dad walked in and asked what was going on in there like he didn't realize he let missionaries in or something. He would not let us close with a prayer because he did not want us praying to our God in his home. He then proceeded to tell us how Joseph Smith is a fool and made up the Book of Mormon. The sad part is that he has never even read the Book of Mormon, had never prayed about it, and was not willing to even try. The son was way into it and wanted to learn more but then the dad would not allow it. It is just sad that people won't even give it a try. They are missing out on so much! 

It is okay because there are prepared people still!!! We ended the day going and teaching a lady that has been having discussions over the phone by the MTC missionaries and we finally got to go and teach her and she is so solid and wants to be baptized. It is great because she even defends the Book of Mormon to her family. She has not even read it yet ha ha I love it. I just wish she was in my area so I could continue to teach her because it was so much fun!! People like her I just love. People that are just so open and willing to do what it takes to learn about the gospel.

That is awesome that you all are still doing good on your family study. Keep it up!! It will bless you and all the family!! We all need those blessings. I love you all thanks for the emails I hope you all have a good week!

Thanks for everything I love you. Have a good week!!
Elder Ethan Stucki

February 12, 2018

Yes this week was a pretty good week. We were able to go on an exchange with the assistants and that went really well. I was with Elder Christensen in the North Tapps area. It was a good exchange we were able to find a new investigator named (F) so that was really awesome. He seemed super prepared and felt like if there was a prophet on the earth then that would bring so much peace and certainty into his life. It is so awesome when the Lord leads you to those whom He has been preparing! 

Saturday was an awesome day!!! We went to a masonic funeral!! Yes... like free masons. Our investigator Sister (N) husband passed away a week ago and he was a free mason. So we were invited to the funeral. It was held at this old Methodist church it was pretty neat! I was  also able to attend (G) baptism on Saturday. (G) is a lady that me and Elder White found Feb. 21st of last year!!!  So it was cool that she was finally able to be baptized! She has had a pretty crazy life and a lot of terrible things have happened in the past year including having her husband fall at work and be in the ICU for 7 months until he passed.  Then she found out she has a brain tumor and lots of other health issues. But she still stuck through with learning about the gospel and Saturday she was able to receive the blessings of baptism!!
So awesome!!

That was about it for this week. Thank you all for your love and support. I love you all.
Yes I got my phone today. I haven't opened it yet but thank you!!

I love and miss you all

Elder Ethan Stucki