Monday, March 30, 2009

March 30, 2009

Hey Mom,

Health is fine again, so I am all good. The weather is getting a little
better too.

Haha, Mom, you are the best. I can't believe you already got me a yoga mat.
You rock.

I ate all of the Dulce de Leche, they were really good. I enjoyed them so
much. I am about half way done with the thin mints. Haha. Having food
around usually isn't a good thing, I'm always hungry.

Oh, I thought I told you about the new mission president, whoops, must have
not. Yeah I found out a few weeks ago. He was the CEO or something of IHC.
He seems like he should be good. It will be weird to have a new mission
president.

Not Jamaica the island, there is a place in New York City called Jamaica,
like right now I am in Dyker Heights, earlier I was in Flushing, Jamaica is
another part of the city. So not the island. Just Bermuda. We do have a
missionary serving here that is from Jamaica though, the island, and he has
the cool accent.

So tomorrow are transfers. We got our transfer calls yesterday though.
Obviously, my companion is going home, haha, and then both of the sisters
are leaving, and a sister is coming in and is going to be training a new
missionary. And as for me, we will find out tomorrow. SO it will be weird,
out of the whole district, I will be the only one that isn't new. Crazy.

I don't want to be mean towards my companion or anything, but it is going to
be a big relief tomorrow getting a new one. I hope I really get a hard
worker, someone to get me back in the zone. There actually is a chance that
an old AP will come down, that would be really nice, it would be his last
transfer too, but he vowed to work his hardest his last transfer, it would
be so nice to have him, but obviously there are hundreds of possibilities on
who my companion could be, and that is just one, so I will let you know next
week who my companion is.

Okay, lets see, what cool stories. So yesterday, guess what I had for
dinner? Taco Salad, haha. It was so cool, because it is like your
favorite, and then it was a real hispanic taco salad. It made me think a
lot about you. They don't call it taco salad though, they called it
tortilla loca. Haha. Crazy tortilla. So maybe you will have to start
calling yours that.

Not too much exciting has gone on. I am excited for the next couple weeks,
because the 2nd Counsel in the Bishopric asked me if I had any ties I didn't
use that I could donate, so people in the ward that don't have any could
have one, and I gave him like 10 I grabbed real quick, and told him I could
get him more, anyways, I am really excited to start seeing the ward members
walking around with my ugly ties. Haha. It will be great.

Anways, I think things are going to start going really good. I am really
excited for the spring/summer. Coney Island I have heard is crazy in the
summer. It will be cool. Heck, maybe I will be here until the hot dog
eating contest, I'll just enter and win. Haha. JK.

Well, I better get going. I miss you a lot, not too much, just enough. I
love you all so much, and I will talk to you next week. There will be a lot
of new news next week.

Les amo mucho, y te amo mama.

-Elder Miller

Monday, March 23, 2009

March 23, 2009

Hello,

Well, it does seem the cold is back for today, it is supposed to be gone by
the end of the week though. So we'll see.

The insulin arrived nice and perfect. Thank you so much. You do not even
understand how excited I was for the girls scout cookies. Haha. And the
one was even spanish. Dulces de leche. Do you know what that means? It
means Milk Sweet. It was so cool. I am so excited to eat them, but I am
going to save them for a special occasion.

I will try out the syringes and see what I can do. ALso a reminder for when
you send the hyblicins, I want just a handfull of plain syringes, if you
could. Thanks so much.

So just clarifying, you don't want me to send back the boxes? Can you get
more? Just want to make sure.

As far as the scary areas, they are a normal part, but we don't go there too
often, just because it is far away and takes a lot of time. Just wait, in a
few transfer I will probably get transfered to East New York, and in that
area there is Brownsville, which is the most dangerous princinct in America,
or I could get transferred to Jamaica, which in that area is the place where
the rapper 50 Cent got shot like 7 times. SOrry, I will stop telling you
these things, I won't scare you anymore.

I still can't get over the fact that Sterling is already home, it really
seems like he just left, well, it still feels like I just left, so. . . .
Haha.

It does sound like everyone is doing pretty good. I've been doing alright.
I got a little stomach virus the last few days which was no fun, but I
finally broke down and bought some antacid and was drinking it like soda
(exaggerating of course, I was taking the doses I was supposed to) and it
helped a lot, so I feel pretty normal and good now.

So things are going about as normal. I am still struggling with my
companion, but it is only one more week, so I just have to get through that
and move on to whatever the next stepping ston is.

So I came up with another thing to ask of you, go figure. Sorry for always
asking for things. But I got a good one. A yoga mat, and a book on Yoga
moves. It would be so nice for morning exercises. So anways, just a
thought.

Things are about the same as always, nothing really cool happened this week,
just the normal. I love you all so much.
I will talk to you later.

-Elder Miller

Monday, March 16, 2009

March 16, 2009

Howdy Hey Hey,

So today the weather is like 55 I think, really humid, really hot feeling.
The weather is so crazy. I actually have already put my short sleaves to
use, there has been some hot days, where you just have to put a short sleeve
on under my suit. Starting the week after General Conference we don't have
to wear our suits every day, only on Sundays and for big meetings, so that
will be really nice, my suits have already about had it, haha, I am getting
really good at stitch work, so it will be good on them not having to be worn
every day.

Okay, so the insulin we be here on Wednesday or Thursday then, right? I
hope that is the case, because that will be perfect, if the office doesn't
call me (I told them to) I will call them on Wednesday or Thursday, and make
some arrangements to get them, whether that be them bringing it down to me,
or me going and getting it, we'll see. But that sounds great. :) You are
the best.

I have got one package from Amazon, well 2 if you incluyde the hair
clippers. You are again, the best.

I am not sure exactly how the A1C is going to work out, I am working on it,
but I do know one thing, Missionary Medical will not cover these, because
they are preexiting conditions, but our insurance should, I think, so maybe
when you find some referalls, you could find out if they take our insurance,
and then I don't have our insurance card, so, I would assume you will need
to send me one??? I don't know, I am new to all of this stuff. Anyways, let
me know, you are the expert.

So far I have just used the hair clippers once for myself, I think I am
going to try to keep in mostly that way, because when you use them a lot,
they wear out, and I want to keep them nice to cut my hair nice. Not all
missionaries cut their own, actually only a small percentage cut their own,
some go to barbers shops, which i don't like because it costs money, and
then a lot of missionaries have other missionaries cut there hair, or
something get members to. I have cut like 8 missionaires hair so far.

I got the pods on Monday. Thanks so much again.

Haha, I knew the stories would make you a little edgy. Even though I am in
a lot of questionable places, I would never do anything to cause problems,
and as long as you are smart, nothing will happen. When you are being dumb,
like being in scary places when it is dark, or stuff like that, that is when
problems happen, and I don't get in those situations.

I am not sure if Wai Pan ended up going, I know it was close, then a yes,
then a no, then I didn't hear, so I am not sure.

Wow, Chris is enjoying his early days, those first few weeks are so weird.
Maybe if you get me his address I could send him a letter, in spanish, haha,
it would be cool.

Sterling is already back? That is crazy, it was just barely his farewell,
wow. Time goes by way too fast. On Friday I was sitting in District
Meeting and thinking, and I was like, wow it is Friday the 13th, that is
cool, and then I was like, wait, 13th, I know that date, and then it hit me
I had been out for 7 months. I don't know how that happened. It feels like
I have been out for a day, not 7 months. It freaks me out.

Okay, so cool story for the week. On, um, I think it was Thursday, we
something play some basketball with people from the area, get some
fellowshipping, with members and non-members, well the members and
non-members always play, something we play as missionaries, once every
couple weeks, anyways, we were playing three on three, our time was me, my
companion, who is a bigger, shorter, hispanic, so not too great at
basketball, and then a member kid who is 18, and very clumsy. The other
team was 3 20ish year old Brooklyn kids, I don't know if you can picutre
brooklyn kids, but tougher looking kids, and me and my companion were in our
tie and all, and we were playing, and then a bunch of other people came, and
they were getting kind of impatient, they wanted to play, we were playing to
15, and they asked the score and they said, It is 8 to 10, and so the people
waiting were like, just go to 11 so we can play, and then they responded,
not it is 10 them, and everyone freaked, haha, and we kept playing, and we
ended up beating them 15 to 12, it was so funny, all of the hard core
brooklyn people were freaking out that they lost to two guys in ties and a
small kid. It was so funny.

So I found out yesterday that 2 people that we were working with in Flushing
are getting baptized this Sunday, it is so cool. And then the converts
Anthony and Ismeldy, they are getting interviewed for temple recommends to
do baptisms for the dead this week. It is so crazy. It makes me so happy.

Well I think that is about it for this week, I can't think of too much else
really exciting. Things are still hard with my comp, but oh well, all I can
do it try to work and keep a smile on, so. I love you so much and
everything you do. You really are the best.

Love,
-Elder Miller

Monday, March 9, 2009

March 8, 2009

So you know how it was freezing and snowing last week? This week it is hot and raining. Haha. Yesterday it was like 68 degrees or something crazy like that. What a crazy place New York is.

Ok, let's see, some things before I forget. If you could send me some hybiklins sometime, that would be sweet. Also a few syringes. I realized I only have 2 or so, and thought that is probably not a good idea for 2 years. Haha. Also, see about this. You know how you said if there are any big big emergencies that I could go and get stuff at Wal-Mart, and they could probably look up my prescription? Well, abou that, there is like one Wal-Mart in all of New York, and it is all the way out on the Island, like way out there. New York is not a Wal-Mart place at all. So if you could maybe get the prescriptions sent to a Walgreens, Rite Aid, or a Target, just for emergencies, that would be sweet. I don't know how that works, but if they could have it on file, those are the places that there are a lot of in New York.

Okay, as far as an appointment. I talked with the mission doctor, I got a prescription for an A1C test, so now we are just looking for a doctor, maybe you could talk to Jon and Brett or something and get some names I could give to the office to arrange one. That is where I am at. Thanks.

Okay, also, I know this is random, but if you could get me the Hamilton's Address, like Matt's family, that would be sweet. It should be in Heidee's school directory, look under Julie Hamilton. Thank you.

I got the hair clippers and used them already. :) Thanks so much. I am going up to the mission office today to get the pods, hopefully they are there, because if not it will suck, because it is like a 1:30 trip. But oh well. As far as insulin goes, I assume you are doing it over night. Please send it as soon as you can. It makes me nervous only having a vial and a half. And when you send it, you can call the mission office, you will want to talk to Elder Rencher. Tell him that you are Elder Miller's mom, you are sending insulin, and he will expect it, and when it comes, he said he will bring it down to me. So that's the deal on that. Awesome, you are the best.

Okay, for some good stories.

So on Wednesday I was on exchanges with one of the Zone Leaders. We were down in Coney Island in one of the Projects (government housing) because we got a media referal from down there. The media turned us down, saying she didn't ask for any video. Anyways, when we walked into the building, I looked around for a bit, turned to Elder Checketts, and said, "If my Mom knew I was in places like this, she would make me come home." Elder Checketts said back, "My Mom would too." And laughed. There was not a wall in the building that didn't have graffiti on it, it reaked of all sorts of smells, and was just a bad place. Pretty scary place. So just so you know, I am in scary places somtimes trying to teach the gospel. We knocked quite a few doors in the building, since we were already there, got swore at a lot, saw a lot of scary big gang type people, it was really fun.

I right now can say a bit in Chinese, Korean, and ASL, and I am going to try to learn a little Russian. It is crazy how many people are from so many different places. I have learned how to say hi in about 20 languages.

Lets see, any other cool stories for the week. It was a pretty good week. Things are going alright with my comp, it is really hard, and I am sure it will be until the end, but it is only 3 more weeks.

Well, I will let you go for the time being. I love you so much. Thanks for everything you do. Until next week. I love you.

-Elder Miller

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

March 3, 2009

Hey Mom,

So another week is up and gone. It is crazy how quick they go by. You know
what else is really crazy? It is March. I'm not really sure when that
happened, but time is going by way too fast. It still feels like last
August, anyways.

Things are going good. We are in a storm right now. It snowed about a foot
last night, so that is pretty lame. I like snow, when I am not a
missionary, I get to sit at home, maybe watch a movie, maybe with a girl,
just kidding, but as a missionary, there are few things worse than snow. It
is not so fun to truck through. The high is supposed to be like 20 today,
but by Sunday it is suppose to be 58. Crazy New York weather. It doesn't
make any sense. You need 8 coats one day, and you want to be in shorts the
next.

So this week nothing too exciting happened. We just taught normal lessons
and such. I am still trying to get used to the area and find our where I am
all the time. The other day we were out on Coney Island, and I saw the
Nathan's Stand, I'll have to make it a point to go on a P-Day or something
and get a hotdog, so I can say I've had one from the original stand.

Oh yeah, you asked if I knew any Chinese. I know enough to do a street
contact, and bare a brief testimony, it is a very strange language. Haha.
It is kind of funny, all of the time I will get people on the street walk up
to me and start talking to me in Chinese, because I am a white teenager with
a suit and a nametag, and sense most of the missionaries in the area speak
chinese, they think I do too. It is funny.

One thing I really realized this week, English is a very hard language, not
that I didn't know it before, but I was teaching English class about the
past tense. As far as how the verbs conjugate, about half of English verbs
are irregulars in the past tense. That is a joke. That is half of the
verbs that you just have to memorize, there is not other way to learn them,
they don't follow any rules. What a pain. It was fun to try to explain it
to all the students. Haha.

The economy is making things hard right now. We have one investigator who
is ready to be baptized, but he works on Sundays, and he can not find a job.
It is just impossible. It makes things so hard. He actually had me write a
letter in English to give to his boss to see if there was any way he could
at least have a few hours off on Sundays to go to church, he has asked
before, but he just wants to give it one last try. So I wrote a letter out,
and he should have given it to his boss yesterday, so pray for him that that
will work out.

Lets see, other than that, nothing too exciting happened, just normal stuff.
We got flipped off, had a couple crazy people run up to us and talk to us,
things like that. Nothing exciting.

Well, that is my week, things are going pretty well, still working to keep
my companion going, it is hard, but I'll do my best, if worse comes to
worse, it is just one more month. So, I'll just keep it going. I love you
all. Talk to you later.

-Elder Miller