"..yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, god would deliver them." Alma 56:47

Happy Mothers Day

I hope everyone enjoyed their mothers day, I know that I did. It was so great to talk to my family yesterday and to hear their voices. I can't believe that was my last phone call and that the next time I talk to them will be in person. Time seriously goes by too fast. I understand the quote "time flies when you're having fun" I am having so much fun here in Lake Placid and things have been going really well. We found one new investigator and we are meeting with someone tonight we might pick up as a new investigator. Things have been going well here in Lake Placid and we are working hard to hit the goal of 2 new investigators a week. The Senior Missionary couple serving here had a baptism on Saturday which went really well. I offered to do a musical number if they wanted it and they were excited to have that. I sang the Song "This is the Christ" it went really well and I think they were glad that I did that. It was fun to see a baptism in the lake Placid branch and to see it grow. It just pumped me and Sister Caton up to get a baptism. So we are working hard. Things have been going good. I don't have to much to talk about today because I already talked about everything with the fam. Hope you all have a great week!

Love ya,

Sister Stacey

Pictures 1and 2: These were last Sunday driving back from Potsdam. Me and Sister Caton with the Senior couple the Overtons.

The rest of the pictures: These are pictures of the big Olympic center here in lake Placid. I didn't know this until we were going on the tour but this is where the movie Miracle actually happened. I have a picture of the arena where they won in 1980. It was fun to actually be there because I loved that movie and it was such a cool story. So many fun things to see here in lake placid!

"...they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophesy, and revelation, and when they taught, they taught with the power and authority of god." Alma 17:3

Hello,

This week has been better and the more people I meet the more comfortable I get with the area. This week at district meeting we tried to focus on bettering ourselves in someway. Our mission has been struggling at finding new investigators. So on Saturday we started a mission wide 24 hour fast. Our goal as a mission is to find 2 new investigators a week. So Saturday we started our fast as a companionship and it was amazing to see the blessings already coming from it. That night we went to see a potential investigator and he happened to be home and we taught the plan of salvation and we picked him up as a new investigator. Later that evening we were walking down the street talking to people and one of the people we stopped to talk to was excited to hear our message and she gave us her information. We were already seeing the blessings. The next day was Sunday which was our District Conference which is held in Potsdam. We had a member from the Odgensburg branch give us a referral as well as another member from our branch give us a referral. We seriously couldn't believe it. The blessings from our fast was just coming from every direction! This experience has really strengthened my testimony of the power of fasting and praying. Fasting really does work! I hope that we can find two new investigators this week. Keep me in your prayers!

Love from Lake Placid,

Sister Stacey ps. I forgot to talk about the pictures

Last p-day we had some extra miles so we decided to explore our area. We found out that we have the North Pole in our area. There is literally a place called Santa's Workshop. Sadly it doesn't open until the end of June so we just to pictures. So cool?! We drove around Lake Placid taking random pictures! So fun!

My new address:

319 Old Military Road Apt. 2
Lake Placid NY 12946

North Country Fun!

Hello,

Leaving Syracuse was the hardest thing I have ever had to do on my mission and the first was leaving Glenville. It just gets harder and harder each time I leave. It was really hard saying goodbye to my recent converts and the Stantons and the Sampsons. My last night in Syracuse I was able to spend time with both families to say goodbye. I know that I will see them again though. I can’t believe that I was in Syracuse for 9 months I didn’t realize how much I really did love it there. Transfers were on a Wednesday and it was so hard to say goodbye to Sister Horne. We were a perfect match I would like to say, when it comes to a companionship. We worked so well together and we were always unified in everything we did. It’s always hard leaving a good companionship. I know that she will do well taking over the area. We drove to transfer meeting and I met Sister Caton (my new companion, she is from Riverside California.) From there we drove for 3 and half hours up to the North Country. It was such a beautiful drive and it reminded me of home. The north country is so beautiful. Lake Placid is awesome and it’s the cutest town ever! I am the fourth Sister Missionary to serve in Lake Placid since the 1930’s. I thought that was way cool! Whoop whoop! Lake Placid reminds me of Estes Park with all the cute shops and fun things to do. The town is all about the Olympics and I think we might go visit the museum today. People have told us that people training for the winter Olympics live here in the winter and train all winter long. So maybe we will see some famous people around. Coming to lake Placid straight from Syracuse has been a major culture shock. I went from teaching 3 to 4 lessons a day to teaching 4 lessons a week. This area is hard and it’s only a branch, but I have faith that we will find people to teach. We have 4 people in our teaching pool right now and I still haven’t met some of them. All we have been doing is finding, finding, finding.. Its been hard, but I have faith that we will be able to find someone to teach. Going to the branch on Sunday was an experience. Sacrament meeting started and I turned over to Sister Caton and asked if this was everyone she said "yeah pretty much" haha I was called to be the branch chorister and I need to start practicing the piano because they need musical talents in the branch. So I was put to work and that was good. It was good to finally meet some members. Keep me in your prayers to find some people! I miss Syracuse a lot and I knew that I would be leaving but I’m happy that I could be here in Lake Placid. (pray that it will warm up soon! Haha)

Love from the North Country,

Sister Stacey

First 3 pictures: Saying goodbye to Erin, Stantons, and Sampsons :(

Last 4 pictures: Me here in Lake Placid!

ON MY WAY UP NORTH TO THE ADIRONDACKS!

HELLO,
     So we got transfer calls on Saturday and I was stressed all day wondering where I was going to go. I saw my mission president earlier this week and he asked me where I wanted to go and I said quietly..um.."lake placid" He said that he wanted me to experience a branch and that he was thinking about me going to Bennington Vermont as well. So all week I was trying to guess if I was going to Vermont or Lake Placid. One morning I went to get dressed and my dresser drawer was loose so I pulled it out to fix it and I saw a t-shirt shoved in the back corner. I pulled it out and sure enough on the shirt it said Lake Placid! I screamed "I'm going to Lake Placid its totally a sign!" haha Sure enough we get transfer calls and I found out I'm going to LAKE PLACID! I'm so excited because this is where I wanted to go. I really wanted to experience a branch. I'm so excited to be back in nature. The Adironacks is I think the largest national forest in the United states. Also Lake Placid is where the Olympics were. So I'm way excited! My new companion will be a sister that served in an area that's close to mine so I already know her. Things are good.
  Sunday was really hard saying goodbye to people. I've been here so long I've forgotten how to say goodbye and how to pack. I haven't moved in so long its so weird and I'm sure it won't hit me until my first night in lake placid and I'm no longer in Syracuse. This place has truly become my home and the people have become my family. Its going to be most hard to say goodbye to the Sampsons and the Statons tomorrow night..tears might be shed. I tell everyone see ya later because I know that I will be back. We said goodbye to one of my favorite investigators Ryla and we were praying and she added in at the end of the prayer saying "Please help sister stacey in her next area and when she has a hard day let her remember that her effort was not wasted here with me." It was so cute and made me feel so good about leaving. This is the longest I have lived in one area with out moving since I graduated high school. This will be a really hard move, but I know the Lord is with me. Change is hard, but its always good in the long run. If I never experienced change then I would have never come to Syracuse and met all these amazing people! I have loved my time here and the people will be missed!
    I hope you all had a great week as well. Next time you hear from me I will be up north!

Love from the cuse,
                       Sister Stacey

PICTURES:

First 2:  Saying goodbyes to my favorite people

Second 2: District meeting

Last: Saying goodbyes

"...wherefore all children are alike unto me; wherefore, I love little children with a perfect love; and they are all alike and partakers of salvation." Moroni 8:17

 Hello,

 This week was a great week. The last couple months Edwin hadn't been coming to church and wouldn't let us come see him. We called and told him that I was leaving soon and he let us stop by. He was so happy to see us and it was so good to see him! He said he still reads the Book of Mormon everyday and had been out of town helping his wife at her home. He is going to try coming back to church this week. It was so great to see him before I left and to know that he is still going strong. His testimony is so powerful its amazing to see him grow!

 Erin went to the temple this weekend. She said she got really nervous before she went in and the second she got in and started doing baptisms the nervous feelings went away and she felt the spirit. Its so much fun to see her go to the temple and it makes all the hard days we have worth it. It makes it so worth it to see her go to the temple and help others. I love being a missionary! What could get any better than that!

 So we have been going to the Stanton each week to teach brother Stantons little sister. We have fallen in love with their family and look forward to going to their home each week. They have 2 of the cutest kids in Syracuse and they love when we come over. (maybe because we always bring treats..haha) So the primary was doing this dinner night at the church where each kid from the primary had to invite someone they admired or appreciated in their lives. So when Sister Stanton was explaining to her little 4 year old who he had to bring she started to list off names of people that have been close to him. Then she said out of no where he was like "I want the missionaries to come!" She hadn't even listed us. So Saturday night we went to this dinner with all the primary kids and when we walked in he was so excited for us to be there. He yelled "MISSIONARIES!" It was so much fun and we love him. It's fun to see that he knows who we are and that we have made that big of an impression on him. This is probably my last full week here in Syracuse and its going to be so hard to leave. I'm not sure if I'm going to survive the goodbyes.. so I'm just going to have to say "see ya later" I will be back, I know it. I just love the people here and they have been so good to me. I find out saturday where I will be going.

Have a great week!

 Love from the cuse,

 Sister Stacey

Picture 1 and 2: Primary Dinner with Sye so fun!
Picture 3: Last visit with Edwin

"He is not here, but is Risen"

HAPPY EASTER! Hope you all had a great Easter, I love Easter! I don't know if you have seen the new video on lds.org but its amazing! We showed people that all week preparing for Easter and it's just well done. So you should all go see it! I always think about the time when I was in Jerusalem at the Garden tomb. I love the words that are written on the door "he is not here, but is risen" I love those words because it brings such hope. I love Easter because we can focus on his resurrection and remember how much he has truly done for us. He is alive and we will one day become perfect like him. I'm so grateful for my Savior and all he has done for me. I love being able to share that beautiful message with others!

This week was full of lots of finding, but we did find someone. A recent convert wants us to start teaching his daughter who is about our age. We had a great lesson and she is excited to learn and come to church. so that was way exciting! We are hoping that Samantha will get baptized. She wants to be baptized but everyone wants to make sure she knows that it's a commitment. So were waiting to here about that. We had Easter with the Sampsons which was so much fun! Things are going well and we hope to keep finding people!

 Love from the cuse,
 Sister Stacey

 Most likely I will be leaving Syracuse on the 25th so make sure you send letters to:

PO Box 149
Whitesboro NY
13492-0149

Picture 1: The Sampsons girls and us at Easter dinner!
Picture 2-4: Erin (our Recent Convert) lives on a farm. They have baby bunnies so we spent the morning at her farm with the animals. It was way fun and just in time for Easter!

"Are you a mormon?" "No." "Well you should be!" (L Tom Perry talk)

Hello,

CONFERENCE WAS AMAZING! I just love conference so much and it's so sad that it was my last one as a missionary. I don't know how to explain it, but its just different as a missionary. This week I'm just going to write some of my favorites from conference.

It seemed like there were a lot of talks about raising a family. I don't have a family of my own so I tried to relate the talks as much to me as possible. So whenever they would talk about raising kids I would act as if my investigators were my kids. haha A great example of this was Larry Y Wilson's talk about unrighteous dominion. I can't force my investigators to do the right things. I have to show them the way and let them make their own choices as hard as it can be at times. So I thought that was cool. Donal Hallstorm did a great talk about how its possible to be active in the church, but not in the gospel. I think we can all easily fall into this trap and we should be careful to be active in the gospel.

In Dallin H. Oaks talk he mentioned sacrifice which was amazing. I felt pretty good that I had already made the sacrifice to come on a mission. I laughed so hard at the part when someone ask him how they get the young people to go on a mission and the Prophet said "well we just ask them" That was funny! Sacrifices truly do bring forth blessings and I have seen that on my mission. I sacrificed a lot to come, but the blessings that have come.. I would never change it for the world.

There were a lot of great talks on forgiveness which is great for everyone to hear. I laughed a lot when he said "STOP IT" Wow is it really that easy?! I guess it is! I thought that was funny because we don't realize how easy it is to really just forgive and forget. What a great talk.

The Prophet gave an amazing talk on the plan of salvation and I think this is a great tool to give to our friends who have asked us.. "where were we before we came to earth?, What is the purpose of life." I encourage everyone to give this to someone who has once asked them those questions. Such a great talk! Maybe i should just give that talk to our investigators instead of me teaching the Plan of Salvation. haha

The last thing that I loved was the talk by David F. Evans. He told a great story about two friends and one was preparing to go on a mission. All the work his friends had done for one person and at the end he was asked if it was all worth it. I think in the church when we are trying to work with Less actives to come back to church or inviting friends to church activities we should remember this talk. Its worth it, its worth them living with their family and heavenly father forever. I think this gave me encouragement to never give up with people and its always worth the effort even if we dont' see the immediate result right now. I loved that!

I'm so grateful for modern day prophets and apostles to give us guidance on the earth today. We are so lucky! I hope you all had a great weekend! I know I did!

Love from the cuse,

Sister Stacey

Pic: Lizzie and I at FHE. She is awesome!