So Hermana Bangerter left. That was rough. And Elder Rojas, one of the nicest nicest people i´ve ever met in my entire life went home to Mexico, too. So yeah. There were a lot of tears shed this week. But it was also a way fun one! So yeah, on Tuesday we got to go and welcome in the new missionaries! That was way fun, we had a big group come in! We went out and contacted with them and went to lessons and it was a fun time. And also, Hermana Andrew, my old Almería comp, her companion had to come in for training, so she came in early and we got to go teach a lesson together on Tuesday! I wanted to show her I´d improved in the last 9 months, haha which is prideful of me so basically for half the lesson I couldn´t speak Spanish and was explaining things poorly, and I was laughing as we walked out and Hermana Andrew was just like, ´´I just wish I could explain to you the progress you´ve made. It would blow your mind.´´ So yeah, that was fun. Then her, Hermana Bangerter and I went to eat at Elenir, a member´s, house. She is the one we were with on Christmas eve, who lives out in the gorgeous fields in a beautiful home, and ah, we had a blast! Then the rest of the night we just went and worked, all three of us, and it was nice to spend the day with 2 of seriously my very very best friends. We had a good time! Too good of a time probably, we were like working, but man being with those two it just felt like a vacation. I´m just obsessed with those two. Then we stayed up til like 4 in the morning (I did that a few times last week, staying up talking to hna bangerter and trying to organize the area, but thankfully I still havent felt the effects of it even though we keep waking up at 7am like always) talking about the mission and just life. Ah, I just love love love being here and I am enjoying every day.
And Hermana Jones is making me enjoy it even more because joline this girl is incredible!!!!!! But like really though. We get along so well and for the past few days we´ve just gone around declaring repentance to all and being bold and it´s been so fun! Because we´re doing it with love, so it just feels like we´re doing our jobs. Telling people of the benefits of the gospel and really asking if they´re willing to change their lives. We had a lesson with this one guys we visit every week, and we have been promising him amazing blessings, and I know they´re blessings that come from God. But he still doesn´t do what we ask him to do, so we were just like, ´´It´s not enough to say you believe in Christ. If you truly believe in Him you´ll be willing to act, to repent and come to church and be baptized!´´ and it was funny. And actually really sad because he´s not willing to put in his part so we pretty much broke up with him. But it was just cool, because he´s divorced and he was like, ´´I don´t have time to do this stuff because I have tons of other responsibilites with work and as a father.´´ and I was just like, ´´I´m not asking you to put aside your duties as a father, I´m asking you to magnify them but putting God first and living the principles of the gospel and teaching them to your children, because I know that one day when we stand before God parents will have to answer to Him when He asks them, ´how well did you teach your children the gospel of My Son?´´ Then I testified to him, that my parents have done a lot for me in my life, and have given me many of their things and time, but the best thing they have ever given to me has been a knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That´s the best thing any parent can give to their child. Because other things will only last so long, but helping our children grow in the knowledge that they have a Father in Heaven that loves them, and showing them the steps they need to take to have true joy and to get back to Him is the most lasting and profound thing, that will affect every aspect of their lives.
Speaking of us being God´s children! This week we talked with a muslim and it was the saddest thing ever. I actually think after talking to this man that the muslim religion is very similar to our religion, in many different ways! It really surprised me. But the few things we have different are key and change everything. This man told me that God is our maker, but not our father. That we should respect Him but He does not have a relationship with us like our earthly father, and also he told me that Jesus Christ is not our Savior. It really was hard to stand there and hear these things, it made me sad. I asked him how it is then that we can enter into the kingdom of God, and he told us that god is merciful and if we try to do what´s right he will forgive us of our sins. I do know that my Heavenly Father is merciful, but I also know He´s just. Mercy cannot rob justice. Someone has to pay for our imperfections. I know that Christ is our Savior, He paid the price, and although we might not understand every aspect of that Atonement I know it covers all who lived before Christ and all who will live after Him. I know that the bible is not perfect, that is why God has revealed to us the Book of Mormon. I will never, ever complain for having more of His word. Someone told me this week that ´´the bible is more than sufficient´´ and i´m here to say that It Is Not. We need the second testimony to clarify what we read in the bible. They are one book, the testify together and we cannot think that the Book of Mormon takes away from the Bible, it´s the opposite! It edifies and adds to the testimonies we read about from ancient Jerusalem! What a blessing. But yes, we are not perfect. That all of us have clear. But one thing I think people, at least the people I spoke with this week, don´t understand is that we can do all the good works in the world and it will still not be enough. You can go about serving others, following in that aspect of Christ´s ministry and I know He recognizes those efforts. It is key that we do that and if we don´t we won´t even desire the kingdom of God in the end. But I testify that there are special, sacred ordinances that we must follow through with or we cannot enter into His kingdom. Christ paid the price for us to be cleansed at the end, to be worthy to enter in. We need a Savior, God is just, that is why He sent His Son. Let us not reject or take for granted the simpleness of the way, and let us be humble enough to follow the narrowness of the path. As we stop fighting the truth and start asking questions with real intent that lead us to the truth, you can literally feel your heart softening. And even more so, as we follow through we that seed of faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ, and we have a REAL belief that leads us to humility and repentance, and commitment to actually DO things, that´s when we feel the Atonement start to work in our lives. Let us not fight against God or His word. The one man, the wonderful father who I mentioned earlier (also dont worry we show this man and tell him we love him lots, we dont just repremand him), his friend said, ´´wow, these are some hard things you´re telling us.´´ and we said, ´´yeah they are hard things for those who arent doing them.´´ and of course we then told him that we only want them to do these things because we love them, and really it´s not us inviting them it´s Jesus Christ. I hope you all know we are showing love to these people, but this week especially I have just seen the need there is for some people in this work, including myself (especially myself), to step it up a bit and realize that God expects somethings of all of us. And He loves us infinitely but He does expect us to act. I am grateful for His mercy, especially with me because I need it. I´m the least perfect of us all, and I pray that as I have this wonderful privelege to declare the good tidings of this gospel that I too will continue to be purified. This has been like the refiner´s fire for me and I realized today while I was reading Jacob 5 that all of us go through the refiner´s fire, and it´s our choice if we want to come out better or burned. Let us chose to be molded into what the Savior wants and knows we can become. Being out here he has showed me many of my weaknesses, and I see them. Some of them, too many, are really apparent and I´ve had lots of opportunities to repent even just this past week. And as I´ve done that, and then have opened my mouth to share the joy that comes from repentance, I have felt whole. I have felt whole again. And I know this healing only can come from one source. I am grateful for my redeemer, and for the simpleness of the way. I hope I can always remember to follow it! I love you all!
Thank you for everything! Have a great week!
Love, Hermana Miller
Acts 4:7-14
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