Tuesday, May 26, 2015

#73

What a week. What a year. I can´t believe it´s already almost over. (Sorry this is so long and boring- don´t read it all if you don´t want it´s mostly just me blabbing! Haha since I don´t write in my journal this is basically all I´ve got) 

Well, it looks like this is my last email, writing as a full time missionary.  It hurts a little, also just still hasn´t hit me yet so I´m not crying. But wow...it really does in many ways feel like I just got here yesterday. It hasn´t always felt like that, and even this last week there have been many break downs, and many low moments...the adversary has been tempting me even still, even here at the end. It´s frustrating but thankfully Hermana Hurtado has been an angel to me. She has ehlped me through those hard moments, and ah, it was just so inspired to have her here! I´m so grateful for her, we joke that she was the little all spanish speaking machine i´ve tried to order my whole mission haha, but really though I´m so grateful for her. And not just for her perfect spanish, but for all that she´s taught me. She´s taught me so much about missionary work, and just about life. 

Being here in Dos Hermanas has not been easy. I have felt very weak at many points, really questioned if I´m doing more damage than good, and if I´m really capable of finishing out my mission strong.  I have also had so many moments where Í´ve just felt so much true love, for the people, for my companions, for who I am, for this experience and for the gospel. I know I´ve learned a lot here about who I am and what God expects of me, and how much He´s willing to be patient as I work out my salvation.  I have looked back and reflected a lot on the past 18 months, how fast and slow and fun and exhausting and frustrating and satisfying and rewarding it´s been.  

This last week, well yesterday in fact, Elder Shoell, Elder Evans and myself had the opportunity to go down to Málaga to have our last interviews with President Deere. We´re all in the same district and all going home at the same time. There are like 27 people going home this transfer so there was just no way that they could do it all the same day. So it was a little sad, yesterday we were going to have to miss the sacrament, which I really really didn´t want to miss, but at least we were going to go to church for like 40 minutes. Well we went to go get an investigator and they couldn´t find their keys so they were looking for them for a while and we waited but in the end they never found their keys and by that time it was too late to go to the church because we would´ve missed our bus to go catch our train.  So I was kinda sad to leave Dos Hermanas on that note, but I´ll just have to call the members to say goodbye to them. But anyway, so my companion went to Sevilla to work with the Hermanas there, and the Elders and I went down to Málaga. It was cool because I got to see Hermana Merrill randomly- she walked by on the street as we were by the church! So that was a cool tender mercy. Ah, I love that girl. But yeah, also, after my interview with President I saw tons of people from my home ward, ward 1 of Málaga! We screamed and shed a few tears and hugged and it was so wonderful! I´m excited to go to church there this upcoming sunday- I miss that place. So yeah, all that was just wonderful and even though we had to travel straight to Málaga and straight back to Sevilla in one day it was worth it! 

My interview with President went well. I feel so so priveleged to know that man. I have so much love and respect for him, he has had an impact on my life that will affect my future home on a very real level. He has taught me so so much about the love of Christ, how to show that to people and how to inspire them to want to repent and live the gospel. He is a true disciple of Jesus Christ and he radiates it. Ah, he talked to me about a few different things, and he asked me what I had learned over the past 18 months. Honestly the first thing that came to my mind was desires and the Book of Mormon. Really when it comes down to it that´s what I´ve learned. I have learned that desires are so important, that as I have changed not only my behaviors but desires, I have come to want to live my life more in tune with the gospel of Jesus Christ. I have been and still am far from perfect, but I´ve come to have an inner desire to want what Christ wants. I just want all to come unto Him, and to feel that filling feeling that comes from knowing Him a little better everyday. This gospel fills me in a way that nothing else can.  The Book of Mormon has come to be my favorite book, not because people tell me to read it and say that my life will go better if I do (which is true if you apply it), but because I have lived it, experienced it for the first time out here, and really come to crave the teachings in it. 

Yesterday one of the senior couples, my very good friends the Frosts had us in there home for a little while right before our interviews. Elder Frost talked to us about return missionary life, and he told us that the first person we´ll confront in the airport at home will be our old selves. We´ll have the tendency, as we are around our family and friends, to fall back into some of those old behaviors and habits.  I have changed, in many ways I haven´t, but in many ways I have. I´m not expecting to go back and be perfect, man, I´m not even partially perfect out here. But I do have desires to not let these last 18 months become part of my past, something I did and then after went home to start from new again.  I hope that this becomes a building block, a firm foundation for the rest of my life. I hope to go home and keep progressing. I know life will be different, but I refuse to let myself think that when the name tag comes off...I don´t know exactly how to explain it, because I know things will be different, but I just can´t fall into old habits. I refuse to.  The other day I was having a rough day, and I started thinking, man, this is hard. Even still, after 17 months and 3 weeks this is really hard. Some aspects just haven´t gotten easier. And as I sat back and reflected on my mission, my heart still hurt, but I was filled with joy, thinking of how I have seen the hand of the Lord here, and how I cannot ever deny the spiritual experiences I´ve had here. I know what has happened, and God has invested a lot in me, and been very patient with me- I have to move forward and upward to thank Him for this. 

I talked on the phone with one of my friends here the other day, he is finishing this week too. And he told me that when he gets home, he doesn´t want to just expect everything will go well. He was like, ´´The mission has been hard work, life before the mission was hard, and I don´t want to just expect that life after the mission will be easy just because I served a mission. I expect there to be lots of hard work after, and I know I can go forward patiently, because the blessings do come.´´  It really made me reflect, am I willing to go home with that full trust in the Lord´s blessings and timing? I realized that I have to be willing to go, expecting to work hard, not expecting that things will go perfectly or be easy, but trusting that the Lord is pleased with what I did out here, has even greater things in store, and with time and work I will get a better idea of the plan He has for me.  If I haven´t learned anything else, at least I´ve learned to love the Book of Mormon, and to trust in the Lord´s plan. Almost every transfer I´ve thought, ah, I don´t want change, this has been the best! And then my next comp comes, or I go to my next area, and I can see and feel why this change needed to happen. Every transfer has been so inspired, and I assume this next one will be no different. 

Family-- I´m so excited to see you! AH. I´m so excited to show you this beautiful place and these beautiful people- my family in Spain. Ah. This country and these people will always have a special place in my heart. I will never forget what´s happened here. I will never forget the refiner´s fire this has been for me.  It´s been my desert and my promised land- many times all at the same time! Thank you for your letters. Thank you for your encouragement, support, prayers, packages, emails, love, and examples. I know the Lord loves me because of the wonderful people He´s put into my life.

I can´t wait to see you all soon!  Jesus Christ lives. He is our Savior. There is only one way, He is the way. We have the tools we need: the scriptures (particularly the Book of Mormon), prayer, church, the sacrament, our leaders...He has shown us the way. He begs us to enter in by the way, and He cleanses, heals, and strenthens us along the way. He is the only way to true happiness in this life, and forever. This is His church, with His restored authority through the prophet, Joseph Smith. He truly saw God the Father and Jesus Christ. In this moment the heavens opened, God showed us that He´s willing to answer the humble questions of any of His children. I testify of this vision. I testify of the Priesthood authority that is found in this church. I will never doubt, because I know the Book of Mormon is true, and I also know Thomas S. Monson is our living prophet today. Through him Christ guides us to the Father.

Thank you for everything!

Love,  Hermana Miller
Mormon 5: 21-23

Monday, May 18, 2015

Me and some of my best friends in the mission (these are from concilio, the Sevilla Cathedral, all the fun things!)













#72

Oh man...what a week! So to start it off, we left early monday morning to go down to Málaga for concilio- which was amazing! I got to see Hermana Read my old comp again, and see lots of people I love for the last time. It was an amazing experience.


Then right after concilio, we did intercambios, and I was out of my area and worked in Sevilla with an Hermana Ashby from Washington! It was fun because I´ve been around her area a few times in the mission but had never worked with her, so it was fun getting to know her! Then on Wednesday afternoon we got back, and Friday morning we had zone meeting and I had to give my ´´dying testimony´´ so that was surreal. In January, when Hermana Bangerter died I was bawling and dreaded that moment of the dying testimony, because I knew it would come fast for me. And it did, way to fast. But in the moment I didn´t have tears, and I didn´t really cry tons saying goodbye to people. Until I said goodbye to Hermana Garcia, my hija in the mission. That was sad, haha but I still think i´ll be seeing her before I leave, just the thought of leaving her makes me sad, I love that girl! 

But then right after that I went to go do an intercambio in Huelva with an Hermana Rodriguez and that was fun! Except for that I have really bad allergies and have been coughing and being gross since Thursday night so that was kind of sad haha. 

But ah, we saw so many miracles! Well, so anyway, I´ve been pretty stressed out this week. I don´t know why, well, i kind of do, I mean...I just have lots of emotions inside of me about the upcoming weeks. But yeah, so on Tuesday we needed to catch a train to go do intercambios, (it´s one that comes like every half hour), but anyway, so we were running late and we had to sprint to catch it, and right as we walked into the station, and it was there (and we could´ve caught it), a woman in a wheelchair asked my companion to help her, and so she did, and we ended up missing the train. It was fine because another was going to come thirty minutes later, but I felt like such a fail. Even though I was so so grateful my companion helped her, and I wouldn´t have changed that, I was just sad because the other Hermanas were waiting for us and I had forgotten to bring a few other things and I just felt like I was letting everyone down. So I started crying and my companion was talking to the woman. I called the hermanas to tell them we´d be late, tried to pull myself together and then went to go talk with them. It turns out this woman has some really awesome questions about the atonement and we had a really great conversation with her. Then a few minutes later the husband of one of our investigators came and talked to us (and normally he avoids us), and then another woman talked to us and we ended up getting her information and ah, it was just so cool to see how the lord works with our weaknesses, and He is involved in every aspect of our lives! He lives! Have a great week!

Love, Hermana Miller
3 Nephi 27:5-10

Monday, May 11, 2015

#71

One of the most important days of my entire life happened this last week. We had the mission wide conference about the iPads the Spain Málaga mission is recieving.  Maybe the thought passed through my mind for a minute that it really wasn´t important for me, since I will be going home before ever getting an iPad. But I. Was. So. Wrong.  The conference wasn´t even about iPads, it was about so so much more! 

So, Elder Timothy Dyches and Elder Allen, 2 general authorities of the church came and spoke to us. And of course, President Deere. Ah, I have never felt the love of Christ so strongly as I do when that man speaks to us. He shines with the spirit. They all said some very important things and really made me think.

Elder Dyches asked us, ´´Which master are you serving in this mission?´´ and he invited us to ´´Forgive the old man, and forget the old man´´ that we once were. They talked to us about how we need to reprogram ourselves, and develop good habits. They talked a lot about self control, and how strong Satan´s pull is today in the world. We can´t even afford to get close the the line. We can´t allow ourselves to be pulled into the current, we have to use our agency to act in righteousness, or we eventually become an object to be acted upon.  I was under the impression that most missionaries in the world had iPads, but actually they told us that there are only 86 that either have it or will be getting one very soon.  

One thing that REALLY hit me was what Elder Allen said, he told us that we´re getting the technology is so that we can learn how to use it.  First and foremost it´s to teach the use how to use technology righteously, and a side benefit is using it for proselyting.  How honest it that? It´s like, when the age for missionary service was lowered, many people said, ´´the church is only doing it so that kids don´t get in trouble before.´´ In the conference they said that is one of the reasons why! Too many people were getting lost inbetween high school and mission time, so lowering the age saves people. The same goes for this technology- we are going to learn how to use it here so that in the transition from the mission to ´´normal life´´ we don´t get lost as we go back to using technology. Honestly, I am a little sad I don´t get more time out here to really practice that principle in this enviornment of the mission, but I can tell you that the Lord allowed me to be in the mission at this time so that I could attend that conference and learn some seriously important principles that will help me to not waste time on the internet like I did before. 

He said that technology is like a pen, you dont just hold it in your hand and have the cap off, looking for things to write on- we wait until it will serve a purpose- THEN we pull it out. We have to learn to do to the same thing with technology. I don´t even want to think about all the hours I wasted, browing through the internet or my iPad, just looking for things to do. Elder Allen suggested getting into the habit of saying, ´´I´m not turning my phone on until I have defined what my purpose is.´´  If we want to know the weather, we pull it out, turn it on, look at the weather, then turn it off.  He said that we have to raise our children up to a new level.  He also talked about being transparent with what we do on the internet. We should feel comfortable with our families looking at our accounts, seeing what we´ve been up to on our phone. Also, in the handbooks on how to use technology the leaders of the church have created (that I will be taking home with me and studying regularly), it says that we should use technology when we´re stressed or tired- and it´s so true! It would help avoid so many problems.  

This life is a fight against our natural man. A fight to help the spiritual overcome the physical. A fight to learn to put God first. I´m not afraid anymore, because I know where my loyalty lies.  Yesterday in sunday school we talked about the difference between followers and disciples, and talked about the story of the young rich man.  I was a little frustrated because people in the class kept bringing up tithing or giving possesions up for God. And it just hit me when we were reading the story that- This isn´t about money! It´s never been about money. I used to read that story, and the part where it says something about it being harder for a rich man to enter into heaven than for a camel to enter into an eye or something like that..and i thought, ´´Ha, menos mal that I´m not rich!´´ Wrong. I think what it means is, How difficult will it be for those that aren´t willing to put their all on the altar of sacrifice. And is it difficult to enter in, because we´re trying to get in but the Lord won´t let us? No. It will be difficult to enter in, because those things that occupy space in our hearts won´t let us enter into the gate. We will have a longing for those things that we have to drop at the gate. We will be weighed down and be walking to the gate at a slow pace, hesitantly approaching, having our thoughts and hearts set on the things of this world- and not just worldly possessions, but worldy desires, pride, lusts, negativity..we have to be willing to put all of that aside if we want to respond to the Saviors invitation to follow him.  And one thing that hit me also, was that we can choose to physically do it. We can go to church every week, do visiting teaching, go to the temple, go on missions even and we can still miss the mark.  That´s not the goal, the goal is to change. Those things are tools the Lord has given us to accomplish our goal- but we must keep the real goal in mind. The real goal is not just to not to bad things so we can make it to heaven, the goal isn´t even to do enough good to make it into Heaven- the goal is to change, to transform, to convert. So that when we see the gates of heaven in front of us it´s not a hesitant approach (for any reason, reasons of unworthiness or even reasons of hoping we did enough), it´s a full out sprint. And not because it´s a race, but because our hearts have been set on it all along. That´s where our hearts been, it hasn´t been in the world, but it´s been on our Father´s Kingdom. We won´t just deserve a place in His kingdom but we´ll desire it. We are not obligated- if we do things out of obligation it doesn´t serve for much. I read the Book of Mormon before the mission, but it was mostly because people told me it would bless my life and I figured I should do it. Now I run to it. I love it, not because I know it´s a commandment, but because a true love has grown in my heart, and now it truly is my favorite book. 

I don´t know who´s life has been affected by my being here for the last 17, almost 18 months. But I do know, that with all my heart that this mission has been my salvation. Christ has lifted the burdens that I was carrying as I walked toward the kingdom. I was headed in that direction, but weighed down by worries and sins and just plain old distractions. I was going there, but at a slower pace, not allowing myself to fully embrace His gospel. I still have A TON to learn, but now I can walk, and run freely, because He´s lifted me from off the ground as I´ve repented of my sins, He has helped me to walk in a more straight direction as He has showed me that the things He has to offer are better than the distractions of the world, and He has helped me to run by strengthening my step, through His atonement He has not only given me strength but has given me desires to do His will. 

I´m just really grateful for true conversion. I´m sure I´ll look back in the future and just laugh at how little I knew...And I hope so. I don´t ever want to stop learning and progressing. I want to live the gospel of Jesus Christ fully, every day. I want to be His disciple, forever. Sorry this was so long, it´s just been a good, and stressful week! Menos mal that my companions is the cutest and she wants to help me finish strong- I´ve still got a lot left in me! 

Ah, I don´t have time, but I didn´t even tell you about the family we found! So  fast, last sunday I had the feeling there was a family here in Dos Hermanas waiting and ready for us. So we prayed and searched and we met this man, ha, in a really funny way actually, but anyway, he said we could go and visit him, and he has an 18 year old wife (I think he´s like 23 ish) and a 1 1/2 year old daughter and they´re the cutest! Ah, so yeah, the wife is so super faithful and told us she´s willing to follow Christ to ´´another world´´ if she has to. So we´re excited about that. Excited to show her that other world that He has to offer her! A world that takes some faith to walk into, but we do it because we know that even though it comes with trials, it also comes with more happiness than we´ve ever experienced. At least that´s what I´ve seen in my life, and in my mission, and I´ll forever be grateful for it. 

Happy mothers day, I love you all! 

Love, Hermana Miller
John 6: 25-71

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

#70

This week was amazing!  It was our missions ´´consecration week´´ and we learned a lot!

Our mission´s assistants sent us texts throughout the week, telling us miracles that the missionaries in our mission were seeing.  It was so cool to hear about all the incredible stories and seeing the Lord´s hand! 

We met a woman this week, her name is Monse. We found her name and her daughter´s name in our area book, so we decided to pass by.  Her son was there and was tired and told us to come back the next day.  We went back, and met Monse, his mom. She told us she wasn´t really interested but that we could come back another day to talk with her daughter (she had met the missionaries before but didn´t really study with them).  We started asking her questions to get to know her, and came to find out that she had lost a lot of her faith just a couple months ago. She just feels really tired and wonders why nothing ever seems to work out for her, even though she tries so hard everyday.  She told us, ´´if you had come a couple months ago, maybe I would´ve wanted to listen to your message, but I don´t really believe in anything now.´´ We started testifying to her that even though sometimes it feels like we´re fighting and fighting and going in circles the Lord sees our efforts and He knows exactly how we feel.  She told us that she only lives for her children, and thinks it would´ve been better if her mom had just aborted. She said, ´´I ask my mom, ´why didn´t you just abort? I don´t want to be here.´´ We testified to her that God has a plan for her and her family. She broke down in tears and we started tearing up too. This poor woman had lost hope, and couldn´t see past the dark clouds in her life at this moment.  She told us that we could come back. She said, ´´I don´t know if what you´re saying is true, but I´m willing to try it.´´ She said she hopes it will change her life. We promised her that if she´ll let it, it will.   

 Having the week of consecration really made me reflect, am I leaving the piso everyday expecting to see miracles like this? I decided that maybe I do, but I am going to focus this week on FINDING miracles like this. Dilligently searching for them, thirsting to find the people that are prepared. Inviting all, and expecting them to accept. Listening to the Spirit as I speak with them, to say what their soul is waiting to hear that will touch their heart and make them realize that they need and want this message. I know the Lord is preparing people, I know He constantly has the miracles awaiting us. I know as I come to more fully recognize that, and ACT so that the promises I have read in the scriptures can be fulfilled- we´ll see miracles. And this ´´semana de consagración´´ can become ´´mi vida de consagración.´´ That´s honestly what I want, I know it´s the only way to inner peace and lasting happiness.

So we´re going to do it this week. I was a little disappointed in myself because I don´t think I pushed myself during the week of consecration like I should have. So my companion and I are having our own semana de consagración this week I want my life to be consecrated, but thinking about it like that can sometimes stress me out or lead me to put things off...so I´m going to take it day by day this week, making every day, ´´un dia de consagración,´´ and making every day count! We´re seeing the miracles, and this week we´re gonna go on a treasure hunt, searching for them.

Also, Mary (the 10 year old girl) came to church yesterday! Ah, she´s the cutest! We asked her last week how she feels about being baptized.  She said she feels really good about it, she keeps praying and reading the scriptures, hasn´t felt a definite answer yet, but keeps going. She said, ´´I haven´t had any huge experiences, but I still feel really good when I read the Book of Mormon, so little by little I am getting my answer.´´ Ah, this girl is incredible! I asked her yesterday how she felt at church and she said, ´´I feel good here, I like being here, I learn a lot while I´m here...I know I need to keep coming.´´ So we´ll keep you posted! Her dad said he´s good with her being baptized, and her mom is too, she just wants us to explain it to her a little more! So hopefully she´ll get baptized this week!

Still no updates on Evans...he doesn´t answer his phone or the door, we just keep praying for him. He has been prepared for years, and I know things will work out eventually! 

I love this mission. I love my Savior. I love Spain. I love my family here (and can´t wait to talk to you guys this next sunday!). Ah...and I testify that HE LIVES. 

Gracias a que Él vive...I can be forgiven of my sins, strengthened in my weaknesses, and start again.  

Love, Hermana Miller
Galatians 6:9

Also! This Wednesday all of the missionaries in our mission are coming to Sevilla! This is the first time in my mission where all of us have been together, and 2 general authorities are coming to train us on how to use technology! Our mission is getting iPads, ah I´m so excited to see how this hastens the work! But...I won´t get one, and I think they´ll get here like a week before I leave haha. It´s okay I´ll just share the gospel from my iPad at home. Hahaha. But yeah, I´m excited for this conference! So cool to be apart of this age of missionaries.

Wednesday, April 29, 2015


















#69

Hey! This week has been wonderful! Hermana Hurtado and I have way too much fun together. And we´re working hard and seeing so many miracles! The Lord has blessed us a ton! 

This last week, as we were walking through the street, we saw a woman with heavy grocerices, and normally when we ask if we can help the people say no.  And understandably so...but this time the woman was like, ´´Yes! Ah, thank you so much, I didn´t know how I was going to make it all the way home, you are angels!´´ And so we helped her carry her groceries home, and on our way there she told us that her cousin in Peru is LDS! She has heard quite a bit about our church, and she invited us into her home and we sat and talked with her for a while. We taught her about the Restoration and she is willing to read and ask. So we are very excited about that! She´s way cute. And she´s peruvian so my companion made an instant connection with her.  We have talked to several people from Peru this last week, and it´s so fun because Hna Hurtado can quickly connect with them.  She has a fun, crazy and outgoing personality and I love being around her! 

Also, how did I forget! 2 weeks ago we went to a family in our wards house and had a BBQ- they´re americans! They are her because the dad works in the military, but yeah, it was so fun, we ate meat with bbq sauce and baked beans and salads (with Ranch instead of olive oil and vinegar! But I actually really love salads with olive oil and vinegar now so...)  and they bought me Jif peanut butter! It was a happy day. We had so much fun, just all freely speaking in english and being in an actual real house!" Haha, we got permission and all 6 of us missionaries went.  It was a fun experience, we were all like, ´´Is this what it would be like to serve in the states?´´ haha.

Also, last week we went to Sevilla to check out the Fair! Every year there is a huge fair, and people come from all over to see it! We went Monday during the day...and it didn´t open up until the night haha. So there wasn´t much to do but we still had fun walking around, and we saw lots of people wearing flamenco dresses and it was a cool atmosphere. 

I have to tell you about the most incredible little girl! I think I mentioned her last week, the one who is 10 and understands the scriptures so well! Yeah, well this last week we went over and read 1 Nephi 6 with her, which is a fairly short chapter, but she just expounded the scriptures to us in such and amazing way...I was shocked. Then we asked her how she feels when she reads the Book of Mormon, she told us she feels good because she knows it´s the word of God, and that He inspired men to write it.  Then we asked her how she came to that conclusion and she said, ´´I read it, thought about it, and then prayed. You have to read it if you want to know, and God hasn´t told me immediately after, but little by little, the more I read it the more I know it´s true.´´ I told her she is a lot smarter than a lot of other people, and she was like, ´´That´s because lots of people don´t want to do anything, they don´t ask God, or they don´t read and just expect to know, but you have to do your part!´´ It was incredible, I was in tears at hearing this little girls testimony of the Book of Mormon, it´s so simple and she understands that. We invited her to be baptized, and she had a few questions, she asked us if maybe there could be more than one true church, we explained the restoration to her, and she was like, ´´This sounds right to me, but can I have time to pray about it?´´ We told her she absolutely could. But we set a baptismal date goal with her and she´s reading and praying everyday to know.  I have not seen such real intent.  I feel so blessed to be here, to be able to be taught by the examples of humble children.  It amazes me becaue I am telling you kids are just coming into the world so much more prepared now! I know this has been prophisized (spelling?), but I haven´t seen it so first hand like I am now. 

Another woman in our ward has cancer, and because of low defenses she can´t come to church, so we told her the bishop could come pick up her son if he wanted to come. He´s 11, and so cute! He loves coming to church. And Saturday we forgot to call to see if he still wanted to come to church sunday, and so we call at 9:30am, and when we asked if he wanted to come she told us, ´´Oh yeah, he got up a while ago, he´s already showered and dressed and ready,´´ and our church doesn´t start til 10:30!  And sure enough, he came with a huge smile on his face...just so cool.  All of the prepared people.  I love seeing the examples of why Jesus Christ commands us to be like little children...submissive, meek, humble, and curious.  I never want to forget their examples.  

Something else I´ve also noted has been the huge effect that parents´ examples have on the children. It´s mainly adults that we talk to that tell us, ´´Yeah I´m not reading in the Book of Mormon...I just don´t have time!´´ Members and non members alike. I´ve only gotten that excuse from a few children (and those are the one´s who I´ve heard their parents say the same thing time and time again). And of course I understand that, as we get older there are more worries and more responsiblilities...and I used that excuse A LOT before. But I hope I never get roped into that lie again, because reading in the scriptures and doing what the Lord asks us to should be #1 on our list of ´´to do´s´´ those are the things that are going to shape and mold our character little by little, day by day, and verse by verse, and the difference isn´t always notable, but with time it is.  I don´t know...I´m just grateful for our Savior, who always has time. Is always willing to listen, always willing to strengthen, constantly has His arms outstretched...let´s take it. And not look back.

Love, Hermana Miller
Helaman 3:27-28

#68

AH I LOVE MY NEW COMP. Guys. She´s so cool! And really it´s quite fun talking in spanish all the time. We do practice english sometimes though, so she can learn it. But it´s quite fun, cuz you have a native right there who can correct you! Except for she´s said several things wrong since she´s gotten here (like, wrong in spanish!) so we joke that just being around me is making her spanish worse haha. But we´ve had fun and have seen miracles already! 

She is peruvian, and cooks so well! She likes to cook and I like to clean, so I try to clean while she cooks. It´s a good little system we´ve got going on. Ha, but I told her she has to teach me how to cook because I can´t live with a peruvian for 6 weeks and leave not knowing how to cook some peruvian dishes! 

But yeah, really there´s not tons to say about this week. We´ve just been working hard, talking with everyone, lots of people don´t want it for right now, but that´s okay! We´ve talked to many people who do, and they need it.

Also on saturday night we were at this beautiful little park, right in the center of Dos Hermanas. There are tons of bars by it, and a beautiful fountain, tons of trees, it´s gorgeous! I love it. But yeah, we were sitting on a bench, waiting for an investigator, and there were two little boys and a little girl playing futbol, and I told them it had always been my dream to play fútbol with little kids in Spain haha, so they let me play and we had a blast! We took pictures together, I will for sure send them next week! 

Also, miracle! We´re teaching this little 10 year old who is incredible! Her name is Mari and she´s so prepared. We read the book of Mormon to her and she explains it to me better than I can even explain it. The other day we read about Nephi killing Laban, and she explained to us that he had to do it, so that his children, and all of the people could have the commandments. God allowed him to break that commandment, so that everyone else wouldn´t break all the rest of the commandments for generations. I was like, I literally didn´t understand that until several months ago...it´s unbelievable. And she came to church with us Sunday, so yes, keep this beautiful little girl in your prayers!

Love, Hermana Miller
2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Monday, April 13, 2015

#67

Gente! This week was....interesting. So many ups and arounds (i would say downs, but they weren´t downs, just weird...haha) but overall it was a great week! 

So first off, we have transfers! So that´s pretty sad since Hermana Read is one of my best friends. She literally is like a mix of Kylie and Taylor and I love her and we just have way too much fun together. So yeah Í´m gonna miss her, and she´s going to be comps with one of my best friends, Hna Rocha in Jerez! So she´ll still be going to concilio and I´ll see her there! And yeah, so I´m getting my first native comp! Hermana Hurtado, I met her 2 weeks ago for like 5 minutes and I like her! She is Peruvian, but has lived in Madrid for a while I believe. I´m way excited! 

As for Evans...so first off, we switched his baptism to the 11th, and the ward planned everything. Literally I´ve never seen a ward like this, they planned out the program, had his calling ready for him, they just had it all together! But yeah, so on our way to the church to fill up the font, we see one of his friends, and we asked if he was coming to the baptism, he said, ´´He´s not getting baptized, his dad doesn´t want him to.´´ And Evans had told us that, but he is a grown man, so it´s not like he needs his fathers permission, but of course he wanted his fathers blessing. So he´s going to wait, and be baptized later! He´s still good though!

Love, Hermana Miller
Matt. 4:19-20

#66

Happy CONFERENCE WEEKEND gente!

So this last week was great! Conference was basically the best thing ever and man, just what I needed!  Also our talk in concilio went well, we felt really good about what we did! Then when we had to give it again it wasn´t quite as good, but it still went fine. Haha, it was about the importance of the area book and organizing it...because guess what?! WE´RE GETTING iPADS. So yeah, finally, we will have that tool of sharing the gospel in an even more effective way and i´m so excited it´s going to change everything! I am grateful I get to be around to see this switch. We will get them the second week of may, and I´ll get to participate in the switch for a couple weeks and then have to leave it. But we have a couple of general authorities, Elders Allen and Dyke coming to introduce them to us and train us at the beginning of may. I just have a testimony that we have the technology we have to help advance the work of the Lord, and even though there are risks that come along with such a huge tool, I know that this is what the Lord wants us to do- use technology to further His work so it reaches more of His children. 

Speaking of technology- I also loved general conference and all of the references to technology and not wasting our time. I know I wasted so much time before my mission with technology, and I don´t want to go back there. I want to apply all the things I´ve learned here, and really I haven´t feel any empty holes in my life from not using all the technology I used before, so I just want to be smart and use my time wisely so I can achieve my full potential. Elder Bednars talk about fear was so written for me also.  I have been pretty sad and a little scared about coming home soon, I really have just fallen in love with my life here and I cant imagine it being any other way.  I really felt an overwhelming feeling that I need to just always keep my eyes focused on the Savior. As disciples of Jesus Christ our purpose never changes, we are always inviting others unto Him. It doesnt matter what the winds and waves of life bring- keep your gaze focused on Christ and maintain a ´´consistent focus on our heavenly destination.´´  I am enjoying and trying to take advantage of my time here, but it comforted me to hear his words.  I also loved how right before that the choir sang your favorite song dad! ´´I stand all amazed.´´ You could say that was Hna Read and I´s theme song for the week. We had several opportunities to learn more about the atonement through our weaknesses and imperfections, and it brought us closer together and closer to the Savior. I testify that He lives and that the relief that comes from repentance is so worth it! Some people don´t feel worthy to pray, whether it be for big or little things they´ve done. We know that´s a lie, but I know how it feels. Just to feel like you´re constantly falling short, and sometimes you know you even knew better before. That´s when it´s really hard. But I know that the Savior is our Healer. It isn´t always easy to humble ourselves and come unto Him, but I know by my personal experience that it is worth it. That relief is found in His arms.  

I am so grateful for the resurrection! This past week has been ´´Semana Santa´´ and it is huge here in the Sevilla area! They have parades and images of Jesus and the Virgin Mary going through the streets all the time! It was crazy, we went out on our porch Thursday night and there was a parade and TONS of people in the streets. And it´s been like that all over town all week! I´ll have to send pics it was crazy! Haha, and on Friday morning we woke up at 7 30 and needed to take our trash down, so we get our exercise clothes on and go out and there are tons of people out there who had been up all night and the Virgin Mary was outside of our piso building! haha we were dying. But anyway, there was just a lot of focus on His death, which was so important, but I was grateful for the conference focus, on that He lives! The tomb is empty!

Love, Hermana Miller
Moroni 10:32

Saturday, April 4, 2015

#65

Ah, this week has been wonderfully crazy! We have been running all week..but literally we just run everywhere. It was fun and we stayed super busy!  

First of all, on monday for pday our district went to Sevilla, and we went to some beautiful gardens! It was free after a certain time, and right as we walked in it was nothing special, and we were like..okay...but then it turned into this gorgeous garden and it was wonderful! We took tons of pictures, i´ll have to send them to you! I love my district now, we have so much fun together. And it was also funny because as we were standing in line waiting, there was a couple who spoke english from holland behind us, and so we started talking to them about their lives and what they liked to do, and we also talked to them about why we´re here, and told them it was our ´´preparation day.´´ It was so funny because at the end of our conversation we asked the woman if she would like missionaries to come visit her in Holland, and she said no. So they we pulled out a ´´Gracias a que Él vive´´ card, (Because He Lives), and commited her to looking up the video when she got home. She laughed and was like, ´´I thought this was your day off!´´ and we laughed and told her we want to share it with everyone so really there are no days off. Haha it was funny and she was nice. 

Then on Tuesday a senior couple came to our chapel and district meeting, and the other district in our zone came too, and after the meeting they made us waffles! But like..American waffles. It was wonderful. And they gave us sausage too, and links and it was the most american thing I´ve eaten in 16 months. It was soo fun and good. With peanut butter and...it just felt so home-y. It was a fun little tender mercy for all of us Americans I think. Not that I don´t enjoy the meat here in spain it´s just...different sometimes. Unique, you could say. Haha, i dont know if it´s actually unique or if it is just interesting to me because they have cured meat here that you can leave out of the fridge, which i´m sure we have there, but it´s just a lot more common here.

Then we did intercambios in Sevilla, and I got to be with Hna Garcia (the hermana i trained)! We had so much fun. But so much fun. I loved catching up with her! We had such a fun time! 

Then on friday we went to a chinese buffet with a member named Gloria and her son Angel, for Gloria´s birthday. Gloria was inactive for many years, and she was recently reactivated and her son (who is 14) was baptized the week before I got here! They are absolutely wonderful, she´s like our adopted mother/best friend here. It´s so fun. And then i tried to sing ´´happy birthday´´ in chinese (like i think you taught me dad!) and the chinese lady told me i was wrong. It was awkward hahha but funny. 

Then Saturday morning we had a good time! We went to help a family move, and we spent a solid hour going up and down stairs carrying heavy boxes and things of wood...it was exhausting but so fun! Then we got to clean and paint a little and we had a good time. They thanked us by feeding us colombian food after. And of course, we don´t need to recieve anything for our service...but Colombian food is so good that we weren´t going to turn it down! 

Then on Friday President called us and asked us to speak in the concilio in Málaga (today). So wish us luck on that..should be fun. (All of the great opportunities the Lord is giving me to learn to love public speaking haha). 

And yes, Evans is doing well! He will be getting baptized after general conference on Saturday night, if all goes well! So keep him in your prayers, and thank you for your prayers. I feel them and I know the Lord is listening!

Love, Hermana Miller
John 5:5

Monday, March 23, 2015

#64

So this week was basically the craziest week ever. But ever. I have never been so stressed and never had so much fun and ah, I enjoyed every minute of it. For the most part haha.

So one of our amazing investigators, Evans, he´s from Nigeria. He is the one who said ´´do you have my bible?´´ the second day we met him, that´s how bad he wanted the Book of Mormon! Well, we saw him basically everyday this past week and he has taught me so much! 

We were with him, and we were just answering all of these really sincere questions he has about the nature of God and about the mosaic law and things like that. Well, we had had a couple of lessons with him up until this point, and he is just one of the most amazing people I´ve ever met! You can tell by the way he talks and acts that he honestly just wants to obey God. Sometimes teaching people about the law of chastity can be a little hard or awkward, but i could just tell that we needed to teach him all of the commandments as soon as possible, because he´s the type of person who wants to know them so he can live them. So this week we taught him the gospel of Jesus Christ, the word of wisdom, the law of chastity and tithing and fasting, and wow, his reactions are just incredible! Because he accepts everything, but not just in a way where you´re like, ´´okay, do you really understand what we´re teaching..?´´ but instead he asks good questions and verifies what they all mean.  When we taught him about the word of wisdom, and we told him it´s a commandment of God that we don´t drink coffee and tea, he asked, ´´oh, that is sin?´´ and when we told him yes, he said, ´´okay, it will be no problem then.´´ What an example of obedience! Hermana Read and I were talking about it, and kind of just asking ourselves if we were like that. Do we hear every word and command from the prophets and apostles, and recieve them with attitudes of ´´oh, that is sin? okay.´´ Do we recieve the counsels from our leaders and bishops and stake presidents and mission presidents and joyfully respond, ´´Oh, that is sin? Thank you for telling me so I can change!´´ If we all received counsel that way we would be happier and I know our Heavenly Father would be pleased, because part of the blessing of keeping the commandments is that inner peace that we are changing, and the happy attitude is part of the blessing! I don´t know...I just know I have a lot to change to become more like Evans. 

And we saw the biggest miracle with him yesterday. So, he has been planning on being baptized on April 4thOn saturday night we had a lesson in the church with our ward mission leader and his wife, and as we were walking there Evans told us that he couldn´t come to church on sunday. He said he was so sad about it, but that he doesnt have a job. He has been looking for one, and the only one he has found is for sunday mornings.  He goes from8am to 2pm and gets paid after right on the spot. It´s the money he gives to his roommates to contribute to his part of the food for the week. If he doesnt go sunday morning, he wont have any money for to give to the food fund. We told him to pray about it, and to keep looking for another job, and that God would guide the way. But we told him for the time being we understand, and our ward mission leader told him that God does want us to be self sufficient and work. So that´s where we left off on Saturday night. Well, Sunday morning while getting ready, that´s all i could think about. Just thinking about all the people that we beg to come to church, but that don´t want to come or get up early, but could totally go. I thought about all the times it´s been hard for me to want to go. And I thought about Evans, he just told us that it breaks his heart to not be able to go, because he knows that ´´Sundayis a day for God´´ he told us, and that he just wants to worship God on that day. Well, suddenly at 8am, the phone rings, and Evans told us to meet him at 10 in the park, and we were all going to walk to church. We just started tearing up and got on our knees and thanked God, we didn´t know how it had happened, but Evans was coming to church and was going to be able to feel of the spirit there is there, and the peace that comes from obeying the commandments. 

We saw him at 10 and he told us that all night he just hadn´t felt comfortable, and that he knew he needed to worship God on sunday by going to church. So we went, and luckily lots of our members are americans (from the military base close by) and others speak english, and one of the missionaries was always translating for him. But he felt the love of all the members, and even though he doesn´t know what he´s going to do this week for food, he knows he did what God wanted him to do. So please, keep him in your prayers. He is one of the most obedient, amazing people I know. And I know God will provide for him. I can´t imagine how it must make God feel, to see His children obey Him, and with happy hearts. Children that trust Him, and trust His promises. Now i´m not saying everyone should give up their jobs to come to church, I´m not even sure I would have the faith to do that if I was in a foreign country with no family to provide for me if I don´t have money- but I am grateful for Evans´ example. That is discipleship. That is giving up everything, and not begrudgingly, but with pure desires to keep every commandment of God. That is understanding that commandments are there to guide us, help us, and push us to reach true and full happiness.

So yeah, that´s all I have time for! But it was a great week, a fun week, and a miracle week! Love you all!

Love, Hermana Miller
Alma 38:10-12