Hermana Miller: Week 13: He Never Forgets Us!

Hermana Miller:  Week 13:  He Never Forgets Us!

1/13/2014

What a week! We got transfer calls! Both Hermana Pocock and I are staying in Grand Island, which I could not be happier about. I absolutely love my sweet companion and this place. (Not actually the place but the people. I love them! Oh man...I am starting to sound like a missionary now!) Hey mom, I went to the doctor finally! I have an ear infection, a sinus infection, and bronchitis starting! But they gave me some sweet meds so I am feeling gooood!

This week has been a serious blur. Time goes so fast on the mission. I can't believe I am already coming up on three months! I am not counting down because I want to go home, I am panicking because I feel like I don't have enough time to work hard for the Lord! I seriously LOVE being a missionary. It's super hard some days, and we are always EXHAUSTED, but it is SO worth it. It feels so unfair sometimes because I just want to show my love and gratitude to Heavenly Father through working my little tush off, but He keeps blessing us so much it just doesn't seem right! This time has been irreplaceable for me. The biggest blessings I have seen is I truly can see and say that I am starting to become the woman I want to be. A woman of God. I am learning lessons now that I KNOW I will use as a wife and mother, and I couldn't be more grateful for this time. It's truly priceless. Heavenly Father is just too good to us.

Keyla, our little gal who was going to get baptized this coming Saturday, won't be getting baptized until next week now because she was sick and could not come on Sunday. Ughhh. :( Things always happen to our baptisms! But it is okay because the Lord always provides! He really and truly loves us so much! We had that baptism "tea party" for the little girls in the ward this week and it was a beautiful experience. We taught them all about baptism and the five steps of the gospel of Jesus Christ. (Faith, repentance, baptism, gift of the Holy Ghost, endure to the end.) It reminded me of my baptism and got me so excited for Brock to be baptized soon! I am so proud of him! Sometimes it is hard because we really are working SO hard every day and trying SO hard to be exactly obedient, and our baptisms and investigators have kinda been dropping or falling through recently. It's been heartbreaking, honestly. I sat and just cried one day this week when we stopped by for a first real lesson with an investigator we were really excited about (We randomly decided to stop and knock her house and found out her husband recently died in a tragic accident. The Spirit was so strong and she could not wait to have us come back and teach her more about eternal families!) because she opened the door and wouldn't even let us in because her pastor's wife said not to listen to us because we would confuse her. That was the hardest moment of my mission so far. To know that she felt the Spirit, that she is super prepared and ready for the gospel, that she needs it desperately and could be so much happier and more comforted knowing that she can have an eternal family, and watching her just reject it because of the opinion of another. I was so, so, so devastated! I just love her so much and pray for her every night that she will remember what she felt. I am going to write her a note today. So sometimes it feels like we are not making a difference; in moments like that it is easy to get discouraged. But we are truly seeing miracles and working hard. We had the highest numbers in the zone this week and I still want to push them higher every week! So we know we really are working and changing lives, it's just that sometimes Satan tries to tell us we aren't, or that we aren't good enough to be out here because of our pasts.

I had an amazing study session today that helped me truly feel the love of our Father. I started reading in 2 Nephi 26 and found this tiny little line that meant the world to me:

"all those who have dwindled in unbelief shall not be forgotten."

He never forgets any of His children! Even the ones who have forgotten Him. We all go through points in our lives when we dwindle in our faith, and yet His faith in us never dwindles. He has never doubted our goodness, He doesn't now, and He never will. His arms are always stretched open, waiting for us to run to Him for a big hug. If you continue reading in that chapter you will find these, some of the most tender verses about God's love that I have found so far:

"24 He doeth not ^aanything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he ^bloveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw ^callmen unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation.

 25 Behold, doth he cry unto any, saying: Depart from me? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; but he saith: ^aCome unto me all ye ^bends of the earth, ^cbuymilk and honey, without money and without price.

 26 Behold, hath he commanded any that they should ^adepart out of the synagogues, or out of the houses of worship? Behold, I say unto you, Nay.

 27 Hath he commanded any that they should not partake of his ^asalvation? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but he hath ^bgiven it free for all men; and he hath commanded his people that they should persuade all men to ^crepentance.

 28 Behold, hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his goodness? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but ^aall men are privileged the one ^blike unto the other, and none are forbidden."

How incredible is His love! No matter what we have done or who we have been, He ever stands, waiting for us to return to Him. He will never deny us His love. He will never deny us forgiveness. He will never deny us the opportunity to become new and become tools in His hands. Often, I feel just like Alma the Younger when he said:

"28 Nevertheless, after wading through much tribulation, repenting nigh unto death, the Lord in mercy hath seen fit to snatch me out of an everlasting burning, and I am born of God.

 29 My soul hath been redeemed from the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity. I was in the darkest abyss; but now I behold the marvelous light of God. My soul was racked with eternal torment; but I am snatched, and my soul is pained no more."

I know I have been forgiven by my loving Heavenly Father. I have lived far from a perfect life, and I know I must have caused Him countless tears, because I am aware of how many I caused my earthly parents to cry. But the past is to be learned from, not lived in. We all are imperfect, and we must learn to look forward to the future, not to dwell in our yesterdays but to gloriously and confidently march into our tomorrows. I am so grateful for the perfect and empowering love of my Heavenly Father. Feeling that, I can't help but to want to be a better daughter. I love Him. With all my heart. And I am so grateful for this time to help other feel that love too. Because everyone deserves it. It is the most valuable treasure, and yet it is free.

I love you all and hope all is well. Stay safe, warm, and worthy of the Spirit. Never forget that it is never too late to return to Heavenly Father. He will never reject you.

Much love,

Hermana Miller

Hermana Miller: Week 12: Feliz Ano Nuevo!

1/6/14

Well hello, hello, hello!

First I need to apologize for sending out Christmas things to everyone late. I'm a real jerk sometimes. Haha, sorry guys. But in reality you should be glad because it just means that I am working so hard I don't have time to go to the post office so, hey! Totally a good thing, right?! Life is soooo busy. This week has been FULL of miracles. Just chuck full of them. In fact, every single day is that way!

I wish I had the time to sit and tell you all of them. Actually, I don't because that means I wouldn't be out working and that is my favorite thing to do. Sorry everyone! I will have to make up for it in a year and a half. :) I can't believe my first transfer out here is coming to a close. Time really does FLY on the mission. Hermana Pocock and I had a bit of a panic attack the other day freaking out about how little time we have left in the mission! (She has 9 months left and I have like 15...that's not enough!) We have so many high hopes and dreams for this area and these people, that we truly know will come true, that every second we have we just want to work so hard! And we want to be 100% obedient too! Something I am learning out here is obedience with exactness. As a missionary we hear this quote all the time:

"Obedience brings blessing, but obedience with EXACTNESS brings MIRACLES."

Ummmm, yes please! We can't do anything without the Spirit of the Lord. Without that power, we are useless. And we can only have it when we are being as obedient as possible-to the spirit of the law as well as the letter of it! We are seeing countless miracles every day as we are striving to be the most obedient and hard working missionaries we can be-and it always touches my heart when we see another miracle because it tells me that my effort is acceptable to the Lord and that He is proud of me. What more could I ask for? I just want to work harder and harder every day. As I have been prayerfully considering and setting goals for this new year, I have been trying to keep this in mind- what we do today should prepare us and teach so we have a greater capacity to do more tomorrow. If we do not have a purpose to work towards every day, I can promise that we will fall short of our great and divine potential. "If you want to get somewhere you have never been, you must take a path that you have never before walked." That is a thought that came to my mind the other day, and I know it is true. I once heard that the definition of the word "insanity" is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. That's so true. In contrast to that, In Hebrew, the word that means "joy" also means "eternal progression." How can we be happy if we are always staying the same? I don't want to look back tomorrow and realize I am the same person I was yesterday. I want to be better. I want to grow. And ETERNAL progression is key, too. We continue to progress in the Celestial Kingdom. I know that. I think that "hell" essentially is a state of static being, a state where you can no longer progress and change. How awful would that be? If Adam and Eve had never been cast out of the Garden of Eden, they would never have been able to learn or grow, and we would not exist. "Adam fell that men might be, and men are that they might have JOY." (Or eternal progression, since we just learned that they are interchangeable and dependent upon one another.) We must too leave our "Garden of Eden." We cannot grow in our comfort zone. It is impossible. One day we must go out into the "lone and dreary wilderness" and grow and experience both the good and the bad, and learn. And you know what? One day what once was a lone and dreary wilderness will become a comfortable Garden of Eden, and we are going to have to leave again so we can continue progressing, continue finding that joy. Change is good. Embrace it! Let God lead you where He will. He knows better than we do anyways. If there is anything I have learned out here, it is that. Trust Him, and He will make you an instrument in His hands to do miracles. I can promise you that with all my heart, as a representative of Jesus Christ.

How amazing is that?! That God, who is perfect and all-powerful, let little old me, Alyssa Marie Miller from Mead, Colorado, find, teach, and gather His oh-so-precious children. Alyssa who is scared of moths and spiders, Alyssa who has zero self-control when it comes to Reeses Peanut-Cutter cups (Thanks, Mom! Now I am gonna get more fat! Just when I was trying to start "losing myself in the work,") Alyssa who didn't even really become dedicated to the gospel until a little over a year and a half ago. If I can change and become a worthy and powerful servant for the Lord, so can anyone else in the world. If you doubt that, go read Mosiah 27. Like, right now. I love the story of Alma the Younger. If you want to know how I feel, read verses 28 and 29. So beautiful. God has never given up on you, and He never will. We all can change. We all can have eternal progression. We all can feel JOY. Live every day so that you will gain that. Serve the Lord and He will provide. Go read Mosiah 5:12-13 too. Serve Him, and He will serve you. I can't say that enough.

I love you all. Work hard every day. We owe it to Him. He will make it worth it.

Hermana Miller

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.