Hermana Miller: Week 11: GREATEST CHRISTMAS EVER (Oh and PS I am basically a pro wedding planner now....)

12/30/13

Hermana Miller:  Week 11:  GREATEST CHRISTMAS EVER

(Oh and PS I am basically a pro wedding planner now.)

  

Ahhhhhhhh what the heck it is already P-Day?! Time goes TOO FAST. It is so weird that this year and transfer is almost over. Time really does fly on the mission. I have so many new goals and I am so excited and motivated to work even harder than ever. Man, I can't tell you guys how useful writing goals and planning is. It really gives you a purpose every single day-I love that! I will never be able to live without a planner or goals again. I challenge all of you to prayerfully set some goals this year, write them down, and then assess them with someone every week so you are accountable. My goal in my future marriage is to kind of set aside time each week for like a "goal assessment and companionship inventory" sort of deal. Those two things really do make all the difference. Anyways, enough of the boring stuff!

Christmas was AWESOME. I can't tell you how much I loved it. We went and sang to the old folks in the Skilled Care part of one of the hospital's out here-they sure loved it! (And it was sooo funny! We went to the Lutheran hospital and we told them all we were missionaries so this tiny old lady asked us which church we were from. We said "The Mormon one!!!" and she got really quiet and her face went white and she just said "Well I'll be darned." I seriously almost lost it you guys, I was holding in so much laughter. It took all I could to keep from leaping at her and growling or something haha. GET THE HOLY WATER! Is that Catholic? I dunno. But the point is that by the end she loved us.) I really enjoy serving others on Christmas, that is definitely going to be a tradition in my future home. It really brings Christ back into Christmas! It was good to see everyone! You guys all look great. Family of models, I swear. Good news-I didn't even get homesick! I just more excited to go out and work! Yesss! I love this work, and I love to work hard. That really is the cure for any illness.

Sooooo we had a wedding this week! We're basically pros at planning a wedding in one day now. so if anyone needs help with that.......you should probably call someone else. Haha I never want to do that again. I was so stressed. But for my sweet Esthela, it was totally worth it. She looked beautiful and so happy. (Plus I got tres leches cake and a hug out of the deal so not a bad payback.) It went really well, I am so happy for them. We will not be able to get her baptized before she leaves for Mexico, but that's okay. She's basically a dry Mormon right now anyways, and she is excited to get back and get baptized so that is good. I just don't like not having a date. We'll figure it out.

Ummmm okay so remember that one time I saw that Sudanese family when we were trying to contact a member who had moved, and then we randomly decided to go back and visit them and they were GREAT?! Well we had the Restoration lesson with them last night and one of their family friends and they are AMAZING! I love them with all my heart. They told me all about the African Christmas traditions and it just made me want to go there all the more. (And I already have crazy dreams to go there, you know that.) But anyways, at the end of the lesson, all they older ones wanted their own Books of Mormon (the little kids did too, but we made them share.) So we ended up leaving them 5 copies and a Finding Faith in Christ video. (Which they turned on before we even left!) AND, get this! We asked at the end if they would be baptized and they all said YES! (But we better make sure they know we mean into our church haha.) But holy of all holies, guess what?! Turns out her sister is a member and they are in the other ward in our building! YES! And something else great, we are going to do a church swap with them, so I will get to go to their Sudanese church and they will come to ours! I am so excited. (But, heartbroken to turn them over to the English sisters. But they really love us so we are going to keep visiting and checking up on them.) I will send a picture. The guy on the end with the Cool Runnings hair is their awesome friend, Jacques. they might be my favorite people. I love them with all my heart. Almost as much as you guys!

 Good luck to Brynne and Grandma this week! I am soooo proud of both of you and praying for you like crazy. You will do amazing and you are both so well-equipped for your respective adventures! Grandma-don't be nervous! Being a missionary is the greatest thing ever. Brynne-get out there, work hard, and date a lot! You will love college life, if you manage your time well. If you don't you will just be stressed haha. I love you both and am so excited for you!

Something I noticed this week is how much I am learning and changing. Something big is how bold I am about this work! I thought I was going to be really nervous, but not even close!!! (And that is a big deal because I was the girl in high school who was so nervous to talk about the church when people said "Are you a Mormon?" I would get so sick about it, I distinctly remember trying to avoid that question.) Something I thought about is why in the world do we have fear about sharing a message of hope and love?!  That's ridiculous. I challenge every one who reads this to create a family mission plan this year, and assess it and tweak it at least once a month with your families for FHE. Members truly are the key to this work. Other changes I have noticed is that I am becoming more patient, better at letting things go and compromising, (mildly) less prideful hahaha, and way more compassionate. A mission truly was irreplaceable for me.

I want you guys to enjoy some verses I loved as I did my studies this week. Go read 1 Nephi 19:9. After that, go read Moroni 7:45-48 and substitute the word "Atonement" for where it says "Charity." Then go read Alma 7:11-13 and put your own name in where it says "my people." It is amazing.

I love you all! Happy New Year!

Hermanita Miller

PS- I saw a man accidentally rip his pants from belt line to knee this week. This representative of Christ had tears in her eyes from holding in laughter and then laughing so hard. And almost getting mooned. Nice. I love Nebraska.

Hermana Miller: Letter 10: Feliz Navidad a mis queridos gringos!!

12/23/13

Hermana Miller:  Week 10:  Hola Queridos Gringos! 

(Jajaja I love being able to say that.)

  

MERRY ALMOST CHRISTMAS! I am going to apologize in advance, this is going to be really short because I have zero time. But it is the thought that counts, right?

This week was a blur. We had our Zone Conference and that was incredible. I truly love all these missionaries, and especially the Westons. They are amazing. Some people knitted all the sisters in the entire mission slippers so that was darling. Guess what I did at the Conference? SANG. I know, right?! I don't even know who I am anymore. I have a video but you will have to wait 16 months to hear it. Sorrryyyy. (We can't use Flickr according the white handbook.) Hermana Pocock, Sister Reidhead, and Sister Fulbright (Yeah, Bri Fulbright's COUSIN! Small world!) and I sang "Cantan Santos Angeles" which is "Angels We Have Heard On High..." mixed in English and Spanish. It was really nice! The theme of the Conference was the Atonement so it was amazing.

We had to move Esthela's baptism. (BOO!) But it is okay because we are throwing her a boda this week. That's right-she is going to get  married finally! Then she has to go back to Mexico for a month but after that we will baptize her. I love her so, so, so much. I have been really sick this week. (Pneumonia is what all the cool kids get here. Don't have it yet, but heading there possibly. Don't worry mom, I am using my inhaler and feeling fine. And don't worry dad, I am still working my behind off. Walking around in the cold for hours most days still.) But Esthela has been my mom. She gives me medicine and herbal tea, and even gave me a beautiful scarf that matches my red skirt. WOW.

Hermana Pocock and I found a Veteran's care home right near our apartment and we are going to start volunteering there. I can't wait. I already love them all so much. We were in there the other day and got a mini-tour sort of thing and talked to a hilarious man named Lou who is 95 and acts like he is 25! He is the greatest. I can't wait to see him again, even though he told us he was planning on kicking the bucket soon. What a card!

Anyways, don't have much time. Sorry! But I love you all and hope you are remembering the reason for the season. Keep Christ in CHRISTmas. He has given us everything, and He asks for so little in return. Just our hearts. I love my sweet brother Christ with everything that I have. And my Heavenly Father is just too good to me. He keeps my spirits high when times get frustrating out here.

Todo mi Corazon!

Hermanita Miller :)

Hermana Miller: Week 9: It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like NAVIDAD! :)

12/16/2013

Hello everyone! Can I just start by saying FELIZ NAVIDAD?! I love the Christmas season! People are much more willing to listen to messages about Christ and hope. (Well, the Hispanos at least. Every door we have knocked that a white person has answered has been shut in our faces with some less-than-nice words sometimes....also, some lady told us that Barack Obama is a Mormon now and he wants to kill everyone. So that's nice! Bet you didn't know that! Hahaha. What a loon.) But the good news is that I am out here serving Spanish speaking, so you know what they say- "Like water off a duck." Seriously, though. You learn to get thick skin out here on the mission. Sometimes people treat us like lepers! In fact, one lady in the supermarket restroom ran out without washing her hands when she heard we were Mormon missionaries! Hope she doesn't work at a restaurant. Yikes. But despite all that, life is amazing. We have been walking a lot this week, which means we have been talking to TONS of people. (And I have some nice windburn going on on my poor little cheekies...) I have lost every ounce of shyness I had! I will walk up and talk to anyone! It's the best! The great thing about being an Hermana serving Spanish speaking is this: (In the words of a less active member...) "I don't know about white people, but for us Mexicans, when you see a beautiful lady standing on your porch, you are gonna listen to whatever she has to say. It's like 'HEY LADY! YOU NEED SOME HELP OR SOMETHING?'" (You should have heard him saying all that in broken English and with his accent and expressions. It was priceless.) Hispanos are so great.

Yesterday in la reunion sacramental we have about 40-50 people there, which is double our normal attendance! My heart was so full I thought I was going to die. The sacrament hymn, although sung by a bunch of tone-deaf, sweet-hearted Latinos, was the most lovely thing I have heard in so long. I felt like I was surrounded by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir! God is so good to us. We are working our buns off out here, and there is still so much work to do, but He is blessing us every step of the way. We met this family from Guatemala the other day in the supermarket, and went and visited them last night. They are so wonderful and sweet and spiritual! Rocio, the mom, agreed to be baptized once she got her answer. (Which, we know she will.) And she "coincidentally" (nothing is ever a coincidence with the Lord,) had her brother in law and his family there and they want us to come teach them too! So amazing! And then this morning I prayed that we would find a family with three kids to teach today as we were out and about, and we started talking to this lady and come to find out, guess what, holy of all holies, SHE HAS THREE KIDS. HALLELUJAH! The heavens really are open here in Grand Island, NE, and the blessing are just pouring out, so much that we don't have room to receive them! We just keep having so many great experiences like that, and we are meeting TONS of people to teach! (And we haven't even started knocking in the trailer parks yet!) Investigators are just falling into our laps. It's incredible how when you just follow the Spirit and listen to every single tiny prompting you have, what the Lord will bless you with! I can't say it enough everyone, FOLLOW THE SPIRIT. You know, like the Nike motto, JUST DO IT.

Something else wonderful this week is we had Spanish training in Omaha! So the wonderful Hermana Pocock and I took a roadtrip and got to sing to EFY music the whole way! (It is about a 2.5 hour drive. Oh and PS I am the designated driver in the companionship so that's pretty fun! I won't get rusty! Or maybe I will since we only have a car every so often...) Oh by the way, Sister Burt, who works in the mission office and is like my NE grandma, served a mission in Switzerland too, dad! She called me like two times the other day just to chat about it and about talking to you haha. I want to hear your side of the story! Tomorrow we have Christmas Zone Conference in Lincoln, so that will be fun. Oh, and guess what, (you guys are not going to believe this,) Hermana Pocock and I will be singing! We are going to sing "Cantan Santos Angeles," or "Angels We Have Heard On High," for all you Gringos out there. I can't believe how much I am singing out here. We sing for the people we are teaching every single lesson! (She studied voice at USU for two years.) I don't even know who I am anymore!

Well, we are going to make some holiday treats today, we are thinking about making Rice Christpies, or would you call them Christ Rispies? Hahaha! (Is that sacreligious? How do I spell that? I am forgetting how to English...oops here comes the lightning bolt!) And we are going to go caroling to all our neighbors and less-actives. (And maybe hand out some of those "Happy Birthday, Jesus" bookmarks too. Haha, thanks mommy!) Anyways, I sure love you all and hope you are thinking about what gifts you are going to give to Christ this year! I know I am! But a good place to start would be with your whole heart. ;)

I love you all! I love this gospel! I love Grand Island! I love Spanish! I love being a missionary!

Todo mi Corazon,

Hermana Miller (Or H Millz, whatever you prefer.)

Hermana Miller: Week 8: Hola-laa-l​a-la-la-la​-laa-la!!! (fa-la-la-​la-la-la-l​a-la!)

12/9/13

What a week! And I don't have much time again to explain everything, sorry guys! But this sure has been a whirlwind of emotions! I feel like I am riding a roller-coaster...you get really high highs and really low lows sometimes as a missionary. But Heavenly Father is so good to us and the highs outweigh the lows by like a bajillion times. I will just have to list stuff for time's sake.

1.)  UHHHHMMMM MY BELOVED FIRST INVESTIGATOR, Estela, IS GETTING BAPTIZED!!!!!! AWWWHHH YEEEAAAAHHHH!!!! Words cannot explain how much I love this woman. I feel like I have known her all my life. She always hugs me and kisses me (All Hispanic woman kiss you on the cheek when they hug you. The right side of my face is going to be so beautiful by the time I get home!) and she calls me her "hermanita preciosa" which means her precious little sister! I think I terrified poor Hermana Pocock during the first lesson because I asked her to be baptized, but it was incredible. We literally watched her receive her answer from the Spirit in that exact moment. She said "I think I will..." and all of the sudden her face changed and she started bawling and said basically "Yes! YES! I will!" and was so overcome with the Spirit and she got up and basically tackled me with a hug and she said she had never felt that way in her whole life before. Well, since being bold worked the first visit, I decided to do it again in our second visit haha. (Poor Hermana Pocock, I always jump the gun. She is so good and patient with me.) I asked Stella to be baptized on December 27th. She started bawling again and was saying things that basically translate to "What emotion! What happiness!" and she just could not believe it would be so soon. She came to the Christmas party and saw the font and started crying and cried again in church. She is so ready and sensitive to the Spirit it is incredible. I want the best for her because she has had a hard life.

2.)  The Christmas party went well, but it was stressful for sure. But it was very spiritual and there was TONS of food. (TAMALES. OH MI CORAZON. I LOVE HISPANICS.) They said it was the best turn out they have ever had!

3.)  We found about 10 new investigators this week! Some from Cuba, Guatemala, and even Honduras! This really is the promised land!!!! :)

4.)  This car share thing is going to kill me from stress. But God is providing. Somehow, every day so far He has given us rides and all sorts of blessing.

5.)  I had to give a fifteen minute talk on tithing! SCARY. But I think it went okay! We got quite a few non-active members back to church so that was great!!!

That's all the time I have unfortunately. :( (Thank heavens for journals!!!)

I LOVE EVERYONE! I hope you got the letter I sent!

Stay strong and be member missionaries, it makes all the difference for us out here!

Happy almost birthday, mom! I have something for you in the mail.

Todo mi Corazon,

HERMANA MILLER :)

 

Hermana Miller: Week 7: First Week in Nebraska!

12/2/13

Wowwww I have so much to say and soooo little time! Heart attack time! What a humbling and incredible week!

First of all, it is no secret that I have been a little hesitant about Nebraska, but as the plane was flying over the state and I was looking around I just got this overwhelming feeling that this is where I am supposed to be. I am so grateful to be here. And speaking of being grateful, this was the best Thanksgiving EVER! WE spent our Thanksgiving at the Mormon Trail Center at the Winter Quarters temple. IN-CRE-DI-BLE. We have so much to be thankful for, everyone! These people gave up everything for this gospel and to ensure that we could have it as well. We have eternal families and temples. We have the true and restored gospel! We have countless blessings! And now we need to make sure we live in a way that honors the sacrifices of the early Saints and Christ and also live in a way that ensures we are worthy of those blessings. I thought I was going to be really homesick but I wasn't which was a massive blessing. These people have become my family here in Nebraska. Sister Weston wants us all to call her our "Mission Mom" and is just the greatest little gal ever. Some other very special ladies I have met are Sister Sherman and Sister Burt-two of the senior ladies who work in the office. Oh my goodness they are like my other grandmas! We bonded right off the bat. Sis Burt is so sassy and hilarious and Sis Sherman is one of those great "TV" grandmas. I love them. Thanksgiving night we opened another mission call which told us our assignments! I am now in Grand Island, NE (about 2 hours west of Omaha) with Sister Pocock! Sister Pocock was the first Spanish speaking sister in this mission. There are only six of us total now! Wow! That is a lot of pressure but so exciting! She is from Idaho and so wonderful. I love her already and we are working our little behinds off.

We are opening Grand Island! We are the very first Spanish speaking sisters here! And let me tell you-it is the promised land! It is about 50% Hispanic in this area, and so there are plenty of people to teach. And they are so diverse! We actually have a whole ton of different dialects-mainly there is a massive population of Cubans. (That is like learning a whole other language, let me tell you.) We have also met Guatemalans, Bolivians, and all sorts of other people. Saturday we went to a baptism the elders had for a little man from Spain named Eduardo! Oh he is just the greatest thing! He is so funny and chatty and just a fireball who is so excited to serve.

Our branch is going to be a challenge for us-it is having a lot of problems. Out of 200 members right now we are lucky to get 30 to church on Sunday. Uh ohhhh. But we have been doing lots of visits and got some people to come yesterday and also to Eduardo's baptism! We found out a lot of little girls between 8 and 10 have not been baptized, so I had this idea to throw a little "tea party" where we would have cookies and hot cocoa and teach about baptism to the daughters and their moms, so that is something exciting in the works!

As hard as it has been so far, we have been seeing miracles! We met a Guatemalan family with three tiny kids that we get to teach this week, another Mexican family who have four kids and an inactive father-in-law to teach, and a lady that had moved in and replaced where one of our members used to live. Our directory is really inaccurate because everyone is always moving here, so we have been stopping by to visit and verify, and at first that was a major burden, but we keep finding more and more people to teach that have moved into those houses! Incredible! The Lord is so good. I am so happy to be here.

It is so humbling to be out here finally. The area and the people are so poor. We have been in so many trailers this week. (And I have seen so many cockroaches.) It actually makes me feel bad to go home at night because our apartment is newly renovated and so lovely. But I know these people will see blessings as they come back to church! The big stressor right now is our car share-we only have 500 miles a MONTH and tons of spread out people to see. Pray for us!

I love you all! Sorry this is short!

Love, Hermana Miller

PS If you want to send a big comforter for my bed that would be nice. I am freezing my tush off at night.

PPS Everyone thinks I am Italian or Puerto Rican. Apparently I speak like one and look like one. They love it! Especially Eduardo hahaha.  

Hermana Miller: Week 6: ¡Para siempre Dios este con vos!

....We are as the Army of Helaman, We were prepared in our youth.  

And we will be the Lord's missionaries and  Bring the World His Truth!

Hello hello hello! 

Well, it is finally here! It is crazy to think that tomorrow I will be in the "campo," the field. I love that in Spanish, the word for field is campo, because it reminds me of a military camp, with an army ready to defend what they believe in. And don't be fooled, we are all truly in a very real battle with Satan. He is trying to infiltrate every corner of our lives, and specifically destroy families. Whatever you do, don't you dare get lax and let him do that! Because once he does that, he has destroyed countless eternities. Don't give him that power, he does not deserve it. And truly the only way he can have control over you is if you give it to him. Don't any of you dare sell yourself short on that. The word for endowed in Spanish is "investidura," (or at least I think it is because I saw it on a garment bag once talking about how only endowed members can wear them...) But that is besides the point. Your Heavenly Father believes in each one of you so much He is willing to spiritually invest, very literally, in YOU! He receives His glory by our actions, and so this Thanksgiving, if you truly want to show Him how grateful you are for everything He gives you, which is literally EVERYTHING by the way, show it through your heart and actions. If you have something you want to change in your life to be better, DO IT! I know I will be doing the same thing. This week I am truly feeling the urgency of our great work. Do not procrastinate anything! Don't procrastinate following a prompting, don't procrastinate edifying yourself through the scriptures, and especially don't procrastinate using the Atonement. Trust me! 

I think Satan is really trying to keep me from going into the field this week...that stinker! He is pulling out all the stops! I am feeling healthy right now, other than a headache and a bit of a sore throat and back. But earlier this week Satan was trying to send me home in a very real way. I think it was Wednesday night, I was sitting down and all of the sudden I felt a grinding pop in my lower back and was immediately in excruciating pain. Hermana Buhler had gone to bed early so I did not wake her up, I just crawled into bed and tried to sleep it off. Wellll, joke was on me because I don't think I slept more than an hour that night. Every time I tried to turn over I did not have the strength in my legs to move them and I was in so much pain I just sat and cried. (Quietly, I did not want to wake my companion.) The next morning I could barely walk. I could not sit, stand, lay, anything without feeling like I was going to be paralyzed. It felt like all the strength was gone in my legs and had been replaced with hot and electric wires. I prayed for the strength to get to my district room because all I wanted was a blessing. I managed to make it over there and Elder Mendivil asked if I was okay and I started bawling and asked for a blessing so he ran all the way back to the dorms to grab Elder Garff to help him and they were back sooo fast. I think they sprinted all the way, bless their hearts. Elder G was the voice for the blessing and it was incredible. It was all about how God knows exactly what I am going through and that He loves me dearly. He knows where He needs me and He will prepare a way for me to be there and do the things He needs me to. And I was also reminded that the Atonement is not just for sin, it is for all pains as well. I felt comforted after that and they helped me to the clinic where Dr. Dusty Pills (I nicknamed him that because all the medicine is like 30 years old and he thinks sleep cures everything...my district loved it and now they all use it too.)  proceeded to tell me that a backache is normal and I needed to deal with it. I got a little mad at him (but I did not yell, I was just very direct,) and very clearly  told him that I was well aware of what a backache was and this was not it. I then retold him the entire drama before the mission and he actually listened this time and got really worried and actually started checking me. Turns out I ruptured a disc in my back and it is putting pressure onto the spinal cord. He was seriously debating sending me out into Mexico City for an MRI and possibly home to get surgery and recuperate for a few months. But I told him that I refused to be beat and to give me a few days. My district and friends started praying for me and I just told the Lord that if He wanted me to serve then He needed to help me right now. And if He needed me home for some reason and I had served my purpose that even though I did not like it I would do what He wanted. Well, here I am a few days later basically 100% perfect, other than a little bit of soreness and tightness! The Church is true, everyone. God DOES hear AND answer your prayers. I promise that. And the Priesthood is an incredible blessing and power-I refuse to not have it in my future home. I am so incredibly grateful right now, and it is evidence to me that God will always beat Satan. I am supposed to be in Nebraska for a reason, and God is providing miraculous ways for me to be there. The Elders have all been so wonderful and helpful for me. They just keep calling me their sister and telling me that as brothers they have to take care of me. I love them. They are such blessings. 

Anyways, time for the secular part because I need to wrap things up and go pack!

1.) Because it was a little chilly a week and a half ago the Comedor started offering cider and peppermint tea. Well all the elders brought some to class one day and Hermano Ramirez got mad and made fun of them because, and I quote, "Tea is for WOMANS." 

2.) I LOVE my maestros and I am heartbroken to leave them. i have legitimately become friends with all of them and I am going to stay in contact. They brought us real churros this week and HOLY GLORY THEY ARE INCREDIBLE. I definitely was humming as I ate them. Costco is a cheap and dirt lie of an imitation.  

3.) My entire district is forgetting English. Here are two great examples. 

-Elder Mendivil: "That was so easy! It was a cakewalk in the park!" 

-Me: "Elders! What are you whispering?? I heard my name! I heard it out of the corner of my ear!" Awesome. Hope you all learn Spanish while I am gone because I for sure won't speak English. I dream, write, speak, pray, EVERYTHING in Spanish now. 

4.) All the Latinos here either call me "la alta" or "la modela" because I am so tall. They all want to take pictures with me. Even the workers. They all want me to email them pictures of my baptisms.

5.) Speaking of the workers, my buddy Noe, who had me put his name in the temple and then got me candies, came over to me during Sunday dinner, and pulled a little yellow box out of his pocket and gave it to me for "being a good friend to him." He left and I opened it and he gave me EARRINGS! They are so cool and Mexican! He is so sweet and such a kind guy. I wrote him a big long thank you note and am going to give it to him tonight. 

6.) I did service in the laundry area this week and LEARNED HOW TO FOLD FITTED SHEETS PERFECTLY! Hallelujah! I took step by step instructions and will put them on flickr hopefully next week! Life skills from the mish. 

7.) One of the maestras accidentally called me Hna Bown this week, that got real awkward. Now all the elders are planning Elder Bown and I's wedding. Grrreeeeat. He left last night and said "See ya in two years, then we can plan for real." I almost punched the little tease. 

8.) Saying goodbye to my family here is so hard. I am learning to love so deeply (the Latinos are teaching me that,) and so it does not feel fair to have to leave everyone. But I can not wait to meet my Nebraskan family. 

I love you all! Attached is a picture of my district! From left to right it goes: Robinson, Bernhard, Garff, Me, Jensen, Mendivil, Bown, Buhler, Whitehouse, Abbott. I LOVE THEM! They are my CCM family! For better or worse. 

Remember to read the Book of Mormon EVERY DAY! It is the key to EVERYTHING! If we do not understand how important it is, we have nothing. It is incredible. Stay strong. Stay true, Stay faithful. 

I love you all and will return with honor! 

Love, Hermana Miller! :) 

PS-Happy Almost Turkey Day! Gobble gobble! 

 Hermana Miller LOVES the colors of Mexico City

 Her CCM District found "AWESOME Futbol jerseys & got our names & #'s on them!"

Hermanas Miller (Omaha NE), Bullough (CA), Dutson (CA), Buhler (Omaha NE)

 Hermana Miller & her beloved CCM District 

 Her new scripture covers she bought ....

One of the Elders personalized her books for her...

Her district paying tribute to Elder Mendevil (2nd from the right)

Hermana Miller: Week 5: The Final Countdowwwwnnnnn!!!

Holy smokes. GUYS. I can't believe it is my last week here in Paradise!!! Time is just flying. I can't believe a month of my mission is already come and gone. It actually makes me sad to think about it ending...being a missionary is THE LIFE. I LOVE it!!! Don't let anyone tell you that having a strict and busy schedule and so many rules is a bummer, because it is not at all. All that means is they did not have their heart in the right place. This is the way the Lord intends His children to work and live, and I am so grateful to be a part of it. I am so exhausted at the end of the day but it feels good to work my little tush off and know I am doing something productive and of eternal value. I go to sleep with a smile on my face, wake up with a smile on my face, and work with a smile on my face. A smile is just as important a part of missionary attire as the black tag is. I've become famous around the CCM for saying "Siempre bien!" whenever anyone asks me how I am. One of the ladies here-Sister Jones, calls me "Hermana Happy." But it is true, even when days are long and frustrating, it is difficult to be upset when you work for the best boss in the world-the Lord!

This week has been interesting-first of all, I have been sick as a dog. Not like a cold, but my lungs physically hurt to breathe and I keep coughing so bad and then I had such a terrible migraine for three days that the doctors in the clinic made me go home and sleep for a full day. (Which I fought because I wanted to teach!) It's been positively miserable, but everyone has been so great. Hermana Buhler took such good care of me and all the elders are so dear and sweet and when I am around they remind each other to be quiet so my head doesn't hurt. Hermana Buhler drew me a picture and got a bunch of people to sign it and I love it! Everyone always asks how I am doing, Elder Mendivil gave me a caramel apple sucker (I will be sick for one of those any day,) and when I came to dinner after the day they sent me to bed all my elders clapped and cheered for me in the middle of the Comedor. (And then apologized for being loud.) Love my district. I prayed last night to feel better so I could go to the temple today, and guess what? I feel basically perfect! Yes! Prayers are so great. Heavenly Father is so great.

Something great about this week is all the new responsibility I am getting! First of all, I have been the "district mom" for a long time now, but this week it is really bumping up a level. All the elders come and talk to me for comfort and advice when they have problems, and I have been sewing buttons back on suit coats, fixing pockets on shirts, and sewing ties back up all week. (I think they are breaking their ties on purpose because every tie I get I embroider RWH for Return with Honor on the back and they are all fascinated.) It was hilarious-the other night Elder Bown kept teasing Elder Mendivil and I hear Elder Mendivil yell "MOOOOOM! BOWN WON'T STOP TOUCHING ME!" And I turned around because I automatically knew they were talking to me. Haha, it is funny, but it is helping me to get even more excited to be a mom one day. But the big responsibility has been this-I now have taken over the 30-45 minute grammar lessons every day for my maestros. They asked me at the beginning of the week to teach one and from then on they want me to teach every single one. I have taken it very seriously, and I am learning that I love to teach. Maybe that can be a career path for me one day. Who knows!

Speaking of teaching-this has been a real turning point for how I approach teaching investigators or even just talking to my elders when they have problems or worries. I am learning to stop listening to myself and to listen strictly to the Spirit, and if I don't hear Him, I just open my mouth and trust the words to come...and they always do. All our lessons this week have been absolutely incredible. My favorite part about letting the Spirit teach is that I am edified and taught right along with my investigator! The other day Rodrigo was asking a bunch of really hard questions and doubting his faith (he struggles to believe in what he can't see,) when he asked "If our Heavenly Father supposedly loves us so much, why in the world would he ask us to do things we don't want to, or that may hurt?" I really didn't know what to say. All I could do was pray in my heart for the words that his soul needed to hear. I did not know what to say but I just started talking, and let me tell you-none of it came from me. I looked at him and said "Hermano Rodrigo, when you are in a building, at what part do you think you can see the most of your surroundings?" He told me the top. And then I asked him at what part of the building he felt he was in. He told me he thought he was probably below the floor. I told him that basically all of us are that way, and then I asked him where he thinks God would be, and he told me at the very top. I said "Exactly! That's why we need to listen to that counsel of our Heavenly Father. Sometimes the things he asks us may seem hard or strange, but he can see all the storms and trials and tests on our horizon that we can't, and because He loves us and wants us to have the faith and strength to withstand those when they come, He asks us to do things now to help us fortify ourselves or and be prepared." He started crying and just said how grateful he was and how he could feel how much I loved him and how much Heavenly Father loved him. It was such a powerful moment and I was just overwhelmed with gratitude, and the Spirit, and love for him. I never knew my heart could love so much as it does every day here. And as I walked out of that lesson and I was thinking, I kept getting this thought over and over "You were born to be a missionary. You are here at this exact moment for a reason. You needed to wait for a reason. I can see what you cannot-you are doing the right things. Every challenge and struggle you have had in your life has prepared you for this time. You were born to be a missionary." I started crying and as I am writing right now I am getting teary too. I know I am here for a reason. I am grateful that even though I have lived a far from perfect life, my Father in Heaven can still use me for good, and is using what were once my weaknesses to strengthen other people, help me relate to them, and help express how important these laws and commandments we are given are, and express the glory of the Atonement. While I don't recommend the path in life I took, I can honestly say that for me personally, I would not be anywhere near as grateful and close to my Savior as I am now if I had not been forced by my decisions to rely on Him. I have been reading the New Testament since I have been here (LOVE IT) and I read this week about how Saul turned from this man who was trying to destroy the church and torment the members into this incredibly strong apostle. I love that story because it shows that it is never too late for ANYONE who has done ANYTHING to turn to Christ, be saved, and become a powerful tool for good in His hands. The Atonement is incredible. USE IT. EVERY DAY. I am serious. Don't procrastinate using it-you will never regret it. Repenting is not hard or scary-sin is. As soon as we honestly desire to change and forsake our sins, our Heavenly Father forgets our mistakes (it is like they never happened,) and He moves on. The hard part is forgiving yourself! Repentance is not a sad or gloomy process-living in sin is. Repentance is full of love and joy. Take it from someone who has had to use it in her life more than most people. Do not delay repenting-you are only delaying feeling overwhelming love and compassion from God.

Okay, funnies time!

1.) This week Elder Whitehouse washed chapstick in with his tan pants...when he told us about it, he said it "Literally chapped my khakis." Hahahaha

2.) Elder Robinson in my district always has really pretty ugly ties, (he says that himself,) and Hermano Ramirez, our teacher, always makes fun of him. Well Ramirez spilled some stuff on his tie the other day and Robinson stands up and shout "QUIEN CORBATA ES FEA AHORA????" Which is really bad Spanish for "Whose tie is ugly now?" We all fell out of our chairs.

3.) Some elders tried to convince me into thinking they were from South Africa this week. (They probably picked the person who has watched the most documentaries on Africa out of the entire CCM...numbskulls.) But instead of telling them I knew right away that they were lying, for two days I acted like a ditzy Africa lover until they were miserable and felt so bad. (They live in the same dorm as some of my elders...who got a kick out of it when they would come home and feel awful.) Finally, when I decided it was time to turn it up and get them to tell me, I told them I wanted to talk to President Pratt and ask him to have them sing their South African National Anthem at a devotional. They cracked and told me and I just laughed and laughed and they felt really, really dumb, but now we are all friends.

4.) All the Latinos here think I am a native. Twice this week I got asked if my parents were latinos because of the way I speak. Mom, Dad, am I adopted?

5.) On Sunday an elder got up and told us "Estoy muy enojado para servir un mission." He should have said "Estoy muy agradecido..." which would have meant he was grateful, but instead he declared he was extremely angry to serve a mission. Lucky for him, only the Branch Presidency and I caught it. (Perks to being in a branch with a bunch of gringos I guess.)

6.) My district has taken to using Batman and Bane voices to say stupid things and make them funny...my favorites:

Batman:

-"If you light the Bat signal after 7:00 on a Tuesday night...please make sure it's a really good reason because that is when America's Next Top Model is on."

-"If you turn on the bat signal...you are probably wasting a lot of electricity which could be used for better purposes."

Bane:

-"I have come to purge Gotham of stale pastries."

-"If you feed me an old donut...that would be very painful. For you."

-"What will break first...your oven or your will?"

We also have been using those voices in class to bother our teachers. Priceless. Missionaries get so bored sometimes.

Well, gotta go! Love you all! Stay strong! The gospel is worth everything-both dying for it AND, most importantly, LIVING FOR IT!

Todo mi corazon,

Hermana Miller

PS- I saw a comet the other night...so cool.

PPS- I want to adopt all the Mexican dogs. Every time my district sees one, which is a lot, they yell "Miller! Puppy!!!!" and I die.

PPPS-I have made very good friends with one of the comedor workers...he is probably a few years older than me and I always ask how he is and every morning he brings the lactose free milk to my table for me. And then today he asked me to put his name on the prayer roll at the temple for him which I did with joy, and when I came back he had written me a little thank you note and gave me a thing of candies. Such a sweetie!

Hermana Miller: Week 4: Hola, me llamo Hermana Miller, y soy Mormon

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY. I am soooo tired all the time but sooo happy all the time too! (I think it is church doctrine that you have to be exhausted as a missionary. If you are not, that means you are doing something wrong and not working hard enough.) I feel like I was born to be out here serving the Lord-it is just a testament to me that my Heavenly Father is aware of me and has been preparing me my whole life for this-even through all my challenges and struggles. I sure love my Heavenly Father for never giving up on me. Because seriously, there is nowhere else in the world that I would rather be right now.

This week has been a week of growth for sure. I am being tested like crazy. It is not that anything that we are studying is specifically hard, but I am being refined right now because I need to develop more Christlike attributes to replace some of the less desirable characteristics I have. I am learning patience to replace impatience. I am learning compassion to replace callousness. I am learning the wisdom to know when to hold my tongue in place of speaking without thinking. I am learning confidence and boldness in place of being shy and timid. I am learning to trust people and open up in place of being closed off. I am learning to see people for who they can become in place of being judgmental. I am learning to encourage in place of criticizing. And I am learning to trust the Lord and listen to every single tiny suggestion of the Spirit...because you never know why it is important...and maybe you never will...but it is. Stop worrying about if it is a prompting of the Spirit or not, if it is a good and Christlike thought, JUST DO IT. It may seem weird or awkward at first but you bet your bottom dollar that the Lord and the Spirit know more about life and what people and you need so just set aside your pride and DO IT. You never know what miracles you can work if you simply listen. I promise you that.

So I got my itinerary, I leave to Nebraska on November 27th, so the day before Thanksgiving I think. (I have no idea what is going on in the real world anymore or when anything even is. And honestly, I don't care one bit. I love getting lost in the work.) Also, my branch here got dissolved because everyone but our district left to the field so we are getting reassigned this week. (I will still be in the same district, I will just attend Sunday services with a different branch.) I am a little sad about it because the first counselor in my Branch Presidency brought his little son to our sacrament last week and man, that kid was ROUND. Cutest thing I have ever seen. Not even kidding, he is the real-life version of Chancho from Nacho Libre. I kept being nice to him and letting him use my himnario and complimenting his tie in hopes that he would let me borrow some sweats and give me his mother's lucky machete. I guess I should have been nicer though because he didn't. Boo.

I feel like I am really starting to hit my stride here, both as an individual and as a team with Hermana Buhler and the Spirit. Personally, I am just getting more and more comfortable with both my mission languages: the language of Spanish and "the language of angels," which is the Spirit. I know I can't do anything that I am without the help from Christ, Heavenly Father, and the Spirit. We do this activity in class to help us preach simply where we go through the lessons and teach each principle in one minute to our teachers, and if it is simple and clear we get to move on to the next principle, and if not, we have to keep repeating it. Well I did a couple rounds of that and it was going really well so Hermana Olmos (one of my teachers,) decided to have me do the judging and coaching with everyone while she took a companionship in another room to talk to them for thirty minutes about how they are doing. It was so fun. The more I teach people here (like helping my district with the language or stuff like that,) the more I think I might like to be some sort of a teacher. I don't know. I just love to learn and I love to help others learn.Hermana Buhler and I really do make a very good team. This week our lessons have been sooo much better because we have been letting the Spirit teach, not us. We committed Rodrigo to baptism this week-after a looong struggle. He struggles to believe in things he can't see or touch-he has a very logical mind. We were teaching him the doctrine of Christ and he could not get around the concept of faith, when all of the sudden I just had a scripture pop into my head that was PERFECT. A man had randomly shown Hna Buhler and I the scripture earlier and at the time it was like "Okay, that's nice....but why?" And all of the sudden in that moment I knew that man was inspired to share that with us because we would need it later. The scripture was Alma 32:16-18. Go check it out. It was definitely the Spirit that told me to share that and brought it to my memory because normally I can't remember where scriptures are for the life of me. But I found it without a struggle and had him read it out loud and the Spirit was so strong it was like a tank just slammed into all of us. So amazing. That lesson was hard because he had so many tough questions, but afterwards when we talked to Hermano Ramirez (who plays Rodrigo, who is a real person in his life,) he told us how proud he was of because we were truly preaching DOCTRINE. Not just fluff. Doctrine is when you take the principles and apply them to the person. The application is the most important (and hardest) part of teaching, because that is how Christ taught. He taught people, not lessons. I dare you to find a single lesson where he did not cater it to the people he was teaching. That was an amazing experience. I love having the Spirit with me all the time, and I will do anything to keep it with me for forever.

I feel like each email is so full of funny things, and I feel bad for making everyone read all of them. But I make a point to write them in my notebook as they happen every day because I think you guys would all laugh at them too. Here are some of the tops from this week:

1.) I challenged my district to use a Nacho Libre quote in a lesson some time. (Appropriately.) Turns out it is surprisingly easy! "Why have you not been baptized?? I'm just concerned about your salvation and stufffff."

2.) The moths here are HUGE. Like the size of my hand; and for those of you that know me and my fear of moths, I bet you can imagine exactly what happened when one flapped all over my foot. If you guessed that I ran about fifty feet all while screaming, you would be right.

3.) The other night at dinner Hermana Buhler went to refill her drink and Hermana Field walked over to Buhler's plate and got so mad and was like "WHAT THE HECK. WHO ATE MY.....oh wait...this is not even my plate..." and walked off. I just died laughing. (I love Sister Field, we want to travel the world together.) Oh, speaking of sisters I love, my best friend here (Hermana Bullough) has a 17 year old brother who is 6'6"....and still growing. We made a genius plan to have him marry Erika so we can be sisters. I think it is a golden idea.

4.) I have been craving Ophelia's sandwiches ALL WEEK. But I got both my favorite foods-flan and tamales, so that was a pretty good 

6.) All my Latinos and my best buddy Elder Dunyon left this week. I am so sad. But we got a lot of good pictures they should be emailing me! I am going to miss hearing all my latinos shouting "Seester Meeluhr!!!" everywhere I go! I love them all so much. And I already miss them.

7.) I am terrifically bad at soccer. My district always plays and I am simply rotten. But I am very good at sending controlled passes...to the other team.

8.) The desks here are the kind that are shaped like trapezoids so you can make them whatever shape you want. One day this week we set a ton up in a big long rectangle conference table thing and all sat in the middle of the room at the massive table and decided we are the LDS- Legion of Dastardly Supervillains. Every time one of our maestros walked in we would say "So we assume you know why we called you here today..." and we would laugh maniacally. We also came up with super villain names. I don't remember everyone´s but here are the ones I do:

Me and Hna Buhler: The Vice and The Variant

Bernhard: Dr. Indecisive

Jensen: SupaStrat

Bown: Director Destructive (he wanted Bown Chicka Bow Bow but we vetoed that.)

Robinson: The Shrug (because he always shrugs. But he wanted to be D Rob.)

And my favorite, Whitehouse was Darth Poopy Pants because he wouldn't sit at the table with us. Classic.

Anyways, I have a lot to do and my hands are going to fall off so I better go. I love you all! Pray hard and do your best and let God take care of the rest!

Love, Hermana Alyssa Miller

PS-I got my first second of homesickness today when I walked into the little store and they were playing Christmas music. But I got over it.

Hermana Miller: Week 3: Latina 4 Lyf!

Ayoooo familia!!!

How's it going?! Crazy stuff at the Miller house again I hear...prayers from Mexico. My sweet district fasted for mom's health this past Sunday...maybe we picked the wrong Miller, eh? No word on the transfer situation yet....I think they realized how big of a pain in the butt it would be to change everything. Only time will tell I suppose. A few important things before the fun stuff- can someone get me Jake Powell's email? Also, why did I never get a missionary plaque? If you need a scripture, let me know. If someone could tell cousin Zack to email me that would be pretty cool. I want to ask him a question about grandpa's missionary tag. Thanks! (And I cannot look at the family pictures because I can only use email here.) Oh and remember that girl that introduced herself at my farewell? She is here now-Alison Young. Such a sweetie.

Okayyyyy so this week has been a blur. It's the gospel truth (take it from a missionary,) that a day here feels like a week and a week feels like a day. Crazy stuff. Can't believe I am coming up on a month. I am learning so much. First of all, I am not responsible for anything I am doing out here. It is literally ALL the Lord. I owe Him BIG TIME. It just makes me want to work harder to show him how grateful I am. I am learning to become more patient and compassionate and a heck of a lot more trusting in people. Life lessons and I am only three weeks in. A mission is irreplaceable. Trust me. I am going to be 100% different when I get back. Hallelujah! Okay I have a ton to write so I am going to just bullet point.

 Missionaries have an intense need to relieve frustration in interesting ways. My district has come up with a few: Saying "gosh-stinking-darnit" and "salchichas." Also, we tell jokes. Two of my favorites: "Why did the plane crash into the mountain?" "Why?" "Because the pilot was a loaf of bread." and "What is brown and green and hurts if it falls on you from out of a tree?" "A billiards table." Genius. Thank you, Elders. Also, Elder Mendivil  got candy from his mom, and the other night during language study he whispered my name so I looked over at him and he had giant gummy eye candies on his eyes and I nearly literally DIED laughing. Everything is ten times funnier here.

The mosquitoes here are AWFUL. And EVERYWHERE. Poor Elder Abbott looks like Lazarus he has so many bites. About a week ago something bit me on my ankle and it got really swollen and painful and red and veiny and it hurt for about five days, but now it is fine. Thanks, Mexico.

-The food here is really pretty good. We had flan the other night. I though I died and went to Heaven. For real. I can't decide if I am gaining or losing weight though. I love the fruit-Hermana Bullough (my best friend here) discovered that watermelon is AMAZING with lime juice on it. TRY IT. Our new saying is "Well, at least we still have watermelon," anytime anything bad happens. That is how good it is. It fixes EVERYTHING.

-Halloween here was non-existent. Some sisters dressed up like the Young Women's values and caught the third degree from Hermana and Presidente Pratt, so that killed the Holiday spirit pretty well. Not Lazarus-style either…..there  is no resurrecting Halloween at the CCM. So we just had a normal day full of hard work, which is better than a holiday anyways.

-Hermana Buhler and I found a pregnant Siamese Mix kitty here on campus, she is so cute and sweet. We named her "Darla Too" after Hermana Buhler's grandma's cat. (Yes, it was an intentional use of "too.") I hope we get to see her kittens.

-I am heartbroken because Dia de los Muertos was this last week and I didn't get to see a single decoration. But the sweeties in the Comedor made sure to get us all some pastry skulls which was nice. Every night we hear fireworks and music blasting. In fact, our language study time the other night was interrupted by the Ghostbusters theme blaring over the city loudspeaker. I absolutely  LOVE Mexico. It's a fiesta all the time.

 -I love Mexico and I love the people here. I have made friends with all the workers and teachers. My teacher, Hermana Vargas told me the other day "All these other missionaries are gringos, but you have been Latina since the day you came." Haha, YES! Actually, people have been telling me I look Italian or Native-American or Spanish since I got here....so maybe all this Mexican food is taking a toll. Or maybe it is the sun. (I now have zig zag tan lines on my feet from my shoes.)
-So Elder Phillips and Elder Dunyon (some of my favorite Elders-Phillips is this giggly teddy bear and Dunyon is like a sarcastic Superman,) told me something funny about Nebraska this week. They said: "Hey, did you know that Nebraska is the only state that uses a toothbrush?"  and I was super confused for a second until they said "Yeah, everywhere else uses teethbrushes, but in Nebraska everyone only has one tooth each!!!" They're too sweet to me, hahaha.

-So in case anyone wanted to know how to speak Spanish like a Latino, let me tell you the short cut. My teachers told us this:   Chile+Frijoles+Tortillas=El don de lenguas. I am convinced it is the truth. The hotter the chile, the faster I talk! And the elders had their own little addition: Chile+frijoles+tortillas=Mas flatulencia. Hahaha it has not bothered my stomach one bit, but I can testify our classroom windows have been open for a reason, thanks to my sweet Elders... love those smelly boys.

-I have three investigators that I teach nearly every day now- Rodrigo, Juanita,and Rosana. Los amo con todo mi corazon.

-We watched the John Tanner story and Unto This End Was I Born...both so good. We have the most incredible gospel...what are you guys willing to give for it? Would you die for it? But more importantly...would you live for it? Food for thought.

-Went to the temple today...amazing as usual. The Celestial Room here is  PERFECT. And I got to do the entire session, even the veil, in Spanish. The Spirit was so strong. I just kept thinking how much I want that place to be the keystone for my future family. I am so grateful for eternal families. Something way cool was some of the missionaries on our bus wrote their testimonies in a Libro de Mormon and we handed it out the window to this family on the street. The dad said they would read it!!! YES! Also, we were singing hymns all together and a guy ran out of his little store on the side of the road and started waving and blowing kisses to us. I got so teary, and I waved and blew him a kiss back. And later a little kid was looking out a bus window right next to mine so I waved to him and smiled and he giggled and waved back shyly at first and then waved more until he was out of sight. My heart melted. I love the latino people. I can't imagine having gone to the Provo MTC. This is paradise.

Anyways, I think that is about it. I love you all so much, and hope all starts to go better. I love this gospel and I KNOW it is true. I challenge everyone to read Moroni 10:3-5 and do it with a sincere heart and real intent. (Which means you are determined to act on the answer you receive.) I promise you will get answers. I promise this to you as a representative of Jesus Christ.
I am sorry I don't get time to write everyone individually...but time is short and I am always excited to get back to work.

Todo mi corazon,

Hermana Miller :)