3/31/2014
Before
anyone jumps to any conclusions, let me start by saying that I know this email
has an odd title choice for a missionary. Don't worry, you'll understand it
soon.
Soooo
guess who broke their footie this week?! This girl! (Insert round of
applause here.) And since I know you are going to ask what happened,
(like everyone and their mother in Nebraska has been doing all week,)
I'll tell you first thing. (I had a member ask me in broken English
"Oh noooo, seestuhr! What happened to your leggy?!" I am not sure he
knows the word is actually "leg," because he kept saying
"leggy." Hilarious.) Wednesday we stopped by an
investigator's house and she wasn't home, so we were walking away and I was
deep in thought trying to figure out where the Lord wanted us to go, and then I
got distracted by a BLACK CAT across the street and lost all focus and didn't
see a step, and rolled my left "leggy" and, well, yeah. That was
that. So I hopped over to the car on one leg, got in, and just cried for a
little while. Because it hurt, and also just because I have been so overwhelmed
lately. It was the icing on a very frustrating cake. We drove over to a
member's house and they gave me ice and an Ace bandage and we called and had a
bunch of phone lessons as we iced it. Then we just packed up, got in a van with
four elders (yes, it was allowed,) and road-tripped our way to Omaha for
SPANISH CONFERENCE! Yesssss! We stayed the night with the Omaha Hermanas and
then got up in the morning and had the conference! So fun! I loved getting
to see Elder Robinson and Elder Garff, my brothers from the CCM. They are the
greatest.
Anyways,
after hopping on one leg into the church, President Weston found a pair of
crutches in the mission office. They were a huge miracle, because they had no
idea how they got there and they just happened to be adult talls. Super
fortunate. Spanish Conference was great, Hermana Pocock, Elder Saunders, Elder
Ferry and I sang "Oh Dios De Israel" as a special musical number.
Afterwards, we road-tripped back and one of the English members took us to the
urgent care, where they x-rayed my ankle, foot, and knee. Turns out I broke two
bones in my left foot! (They want me to come back on the 4th though to take
more x-rays and maybe a CT scan though, there were discrepancies between two
doctors about if there is more going on though.) So I have been modeling a very
stylish black boot and crutches all week, and will be for quite a little while
it seems like. (Don't worry dad, I haven't missed a single day of proselyting,
even though we didn't have the car! I am determined to carry on your "up
and at 'em" legacy.) Everyone has been so kind, and Heavenly Father has
definitely answered my prayers and given me the strength to make it through
each and every day. My whole body hurts so bad, (I tweaked everything up
through my knee and thigh on the left, my right hip is popped out from all the
strain and my right ankle is stressed as well, my back is acting up again, and
my entire upper body is just dying from crutching around everywhere. Plus I'm
getting a cold! Yippee!) but the Lord gives me the strength and grace to
overcome every challenge. There was a moment on Saturday when we got
up to this trailer and I looked at the tall and rickety stairs to get up to the
door and I just starting crying. I just couldn't do it. I was done. I was so
tired and so sore, but I prayed in my heart for the strength and He gave it to
me! Prayers truly are answered!
I
have had so many prayers answered this week, even though it has been one of the
most frustrating and hardest of my whole mission so far. As many of you know,
Hermana Pocock and I have been put through the Refiner's Fire for the last
transfer and a half. I try to be very positive, but it wears on you after a
while. This week we had several hard things happen again, and I was honestly a
little down on faith and positivity. At Spanish Conference, Obispo Spangler
shared some experiences from his mission and shared his testimony with us. He
is incredible. He told us that missions are 90% hard, heartbreaking, and so
challenging. And then 10% of the time, you have so much joy it overshadows everything
else. It's been a long time since Hermana Pocock and I have seen the 10%, it's
been really hard for quite a while. But he told us to get on our knees and
just pray until that peace comes, and it will come. My peace came through the
General Women's Conference and sacrament meeting this week. I haven't felt the
Spirit that strongly in such a long time. I just cried and cried out of
gratitude and being overwhelmed with love and peace. He truly hears and answers
our prayers. I know that. Will our trials be automatically taken away? No. But
just like the people in Mosiah chapter 24, He WILL strengthen us to get through
them.
"I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel
them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand
as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know
of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.
weree made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with
patience to all the will of the Lord."
(Mosiah 24:14-15)
If
any of you are going through a tough time, keep going. If you feel like God has
abandoned you, get on your knees and beg for his love. If you have mountains to
climb or burdens to bear, keep on keepin' on, have faith, and trust the Lord.
He knows us and what challenges we need to learn and grow. He knows exactly how
much or how long we can handle, and as our loving Heavenly Father, He won't
exceed that. Let Him prune you. Let Him teach you. Let Him strengthen you. He
will do it. I can testify of a surety of that. Stay strong. He is aware of you
and loves you, even when you look all around you and don't see Him there. He
is. I know that. I have felt the Spirit witness that to me and I cannot deny
it. No one and nothing can take that testimony from me. God lives. God speaks.
God loves us.
I
love you all! Stay tuned-this week is transfers. Prayers would be nice.
Love,
the always BOOT-iful Hermana Miller
PS-Miracle of the week! Our branch will have
it's very first Elder ever leaving
on a mission in June! Franchesco got his mission call to El Salvador! It was so
wonderful to be there and feel that excitement and Spirit again as he opened
his call. Missions are the best thing ever!!! :)
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