Endure to the End!

Dear friends,

It was so fun to skype! Happy Mother's Day mommy and all mother's out there.
You're all awesome. I can't wait to be a mom one day.

Like Megan, I also was asked to speak this Sunday in church and it's just a
tender mercy from heaven because God always loves, blesses and connects us
in little ways like that.

So today I thought I would share my talk with all of you at home :)

In the book of mormon, the prophet Nephi asks each and every one of us a
question...

"And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and
narrow path, I would ask if all is done?"

So after you have been baptized... is all done?

After you have served a full time mission... is all done?

After you have entered the holy temple... is all done?

And Nephi gives us the answer, "Behold, I say unto you, Nay. 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."

Nephi tells us that we must ENDURE TO THE END! And I just want to start off
by saying that a year ago, when I started my mission, I couldn't even say
the word "endure" in Spanish. During my time as a missionary I have learned
a lot about what it means to endure and the importance of perserverance. I
have learned to trust in the Lord, and trust that he will help me make it
through. And he always does.

Being Mother's Day, I have been thinking about my mom today and how much I
love her. About a year and a half ago, we decided to run a half marathon
together. We ran and ran, preparing months. We had to eat well and drink
lots of water. Our bodies had to be prepared mentally and physically for
the race.

There were days when I didn't want to get up and run... days when I just
wanted to eat a hamburger and french fries... but we had a goal and we helped each other
reach it.

The day of the race finally came and we started out fast, energized, and
excited. At about 5 miles, the sun came out and then things started to get
tough. At 10 miles my legs started hurting. There were hills and windy
roads but I saw my mom at my side and she motived me to move along.

Finally we finished the race and I will never forget that moment. We
endured to the finish line!

In each of our lives, we are all running our own race and must prepare well
so that we can endure to the end and return to the presence of our Heavenly
Father. And there are 3 ways to be able to fo it!

1. Feast upon the words of Christ!

Just how we had to nourish our bodies properly, we must feed our spirits.
We can only do that through reading from the scriptures every single day.
We are weak. We need the scriptures. We must feast upon the words of
Christ. I feel comfort, peace and direction every time I read the them. I
know that the prophets who wrote them saw us in these days and wrote the
words that we need. I love the book of mormon with all my heart. It's
perfect, for imperfect people like you and me. I cant imagine going a
single day without reading from it.

2. Dont forget that you are never alone!

Just like I had my mom by my side, we have all been given help and support
from those here in this earth that we love. Parents, friends, family
members, bishops. The Lord is so good. We also have a loving heavenly
father in heaven who is ever willing to help. I know that he never leaves
us alone. He doesnt just run beside us, but he runs with us and pulls us
along when we dont have the strength to go on.

3. We must use the atonement of Christ every day.

The atonement of Jesus Christ is the eternal sacrifice he offered for us.
Just like mountains and hills we all must individually climb in our own
lives, the atonement gives us the power we need to do it. To change,
repent, be better, and do better. The atonement of Jesus Christ is real. It
works. And we all must use it, study it, and apply it in our lives.

I know that if we feast upon the words of Christ, remember that we are
never alone, and use the atonement of Christ daily we will have the
strength and the courage to be able to endure to the end. I know God loves
us. I know He lives.

Hermana Starke

Happy Mother's Day

This is the gifts we made for the Hermanas teaching

My Breakfast everymorning

Rainy season... We are wet everyday