January 26, 2009

Hey :)

Typing is kind of hard for me today. I cut my finger this morning, so I
have a bandaid on it. Haha. Don't worry, it is just a small paper cut,
nothing big.

It sounds like things are being rough for a lot of people. That is sad, but
one thing I have definately learned since I have been out on the mission it
that what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger.

Speaking of which, this week was rough for us in that way. My whole
distrcit at one point in time got this virus thing. It was pretty pad. It
made you weak, tired, ears hurt, eyes hurt, throwing up, the whole bit. It
was bad. Luckily I never threw up, but the rest I got. Being sick on the
mission is no fun, because all you want to do is to go out and to work, but
you are so weak you can't do much. So it was an interesting week because of
that. I was sick Monday, Tuesday, Wendnesday, and started feeling better
Thrusday, and felt fine by yesterday. So it is nice to be feeling better
now. The sisters are still feeling a little weak, but they are doing a lot
better too.

So that made the week pretty slow, but we worked the best we could. Things
were slow, but it is amazing how perservering really blesses you. Sunday we
had the most amazing day. We taught a bunch of lessons, and found a bunch
of new investigators, so that was awesome.

So there wasn't really any amazing stories this week, but everything is
going great. THe work is really coming along. We have some potential
baptisimal commits coming up, so that will be exciting.

I will be at the mission office on Wednesday anyways, because we have Zone
Conference, so hopefully it gets there. If the strips don't last until
Wednesday, I will probably just buy some will my home card, so if you would
check that, that would be great.


Some dishcloths and scrubbies would be awesome, because, obviously, we have
to wash all our own dishes, and we don't have dishwashers, so those would
actually be great.

Okay, I know I make requests almost every week, but I have two more. Sorry.
Okay, Jon Schmidt CD with the song called Pachabello's Cannon Meets U2, or
something like that, and then some really nice hair clippers. THose would
be sweet. The hair clippers we have kind of just rip the hair, not cut,
haha, and some of the sizes are missing, so it is hard to work with some
time. But yeah, sorry for asking all the time, but I like to ask when it is
on my mind, or otherwise I know I would forget.

So today is the first day of Chinese New Year, in China Town, there is
suppost to be a big parade, but it is yet to be seen. It is suppose to be
down on Main Street, which I am on right now, and nothing has even been
blocked off yet, so maybe they cancelled it, because I think it is suppose
to start in like 10 minutes, but I don't know.

As just a regular update, because you always do that, haha, I am doing
great. I am really enjoying this transfer, the only thing that has gone a
little hard was being sick, but I can deal with sick. Things are just
awesome. One of the Zone Leaders was actually talking to me and my comp the
other day and talking about how there are lots of hard times and problems
going on in the zone, basically every companionship has a struggle, except
for our district, so he was really greatful, and asked us to try to keep it
that way. So things are awesome. It is crazy how when things are going
good times flies too. It seems like it was Christmas yesterday. At I was
home the day before that. So that is my update, things couldn't be better.
Oh yeah, I don't remember if I told you, but I finished the New Testament,
so now I am on to the Old, then I will be doing D&C, after that I think I
will try to do them all in Spanish.

Well, it looks like my time is up. Thanks for everything you do for me. I
love you very much.

-Elder Miller

January 19, 2009

Hola,

So it is a Holiday, I don't even know if I know which one, Martin Luther?
Something like that. Haha. It is crazy how you really don't know about
anything as a missionary. So I am at an internet cafe because the libraries
are closed. So no free e-mail today. It cost me 2 dollars. Haha. Oh
well.

Vanessa does a little update thing were we all send a little letter to her
and she puts it together and sends it out to everybody, so I hear from
everyone like that, and I have heard from a few of them directly a couple
times. Not a lot, but it is because missionaries don't have time to do
that. I totally understand. I don't have time to write them, haha, so it
all works out. I think today I got almost caught up in the letters I wanted
to write. There were some people I hadn't written back from like 3 months
ago. It is crazy being so busy all the time. I love looking back before
the mission and thinking of all the times I said, "I'm so busy, I have no
time, etc" Because now i look back and I had so much time. Now I have no
time. Haha. Anyways.

So far including the MTC I am up about 3 pounds I believe. I gained like 9
in the MTC, and lost about 6 since I have been here. I am hoping to get
back down to my high school weight by the time I get home, becase I put on
my Freshmen Fifteen (that is lingo for about 15 pounds most college freshmen
put on). So I want to get that off too.

I think I am good on pods for quite a bit, and I am fine on insulin. I will
make sure to give you an exact update of exactly what I have next week. So
test strips and alchohol swabs should be on the way?

My blood sugars have been really good, considering all the crazy activites I
do. They have been low a bit and high a bit, but nothing worse than when I
was at home.

Okay, as for the plane crash. There was a plane crash. That is about all I
can tell you. That is all I have heard. Haha. I really am so seperated
from the world I don't know anything. All I heard is that there was one,
the pilot if a hero, because he did everything perfect, and that everyone
lived. So you probably know more than me. Oh yeah, I also heard it was
because of segulls or some bird flying in both of the engines, and everybody
said that it is impossible for two birds to go in two sides at the same
time, so everyone jokes that they were Terrorist Segulls. Anyways, that's
all I know about it.

I really enjoyed everyone commenting in e-mails and letters one how cold it
has been in Utah. A low of like 15 right? And that is a dry cold. Oh how
I miss dry cold. Here it is a wet cold, and it is really windy. The wind
is the worst. The wind chill can take the temperature down 20 degrees or
more. Okay, so you have you dry cold, low of 15. Two days ago the high
was. . . . .. . . . 12. Haha. It is so cold here. When it is about 35
here it is about what 15 feels in Utah. It is crazy cold. So as for
undergarments, if you could send a few more pairs, the same size, i would
love them. They have been working great. The lowest it has been so far has
been like 6 or something like that, but February apparently is the coldest
month. And they are saying this will be the coldest winter in like 15
years. I miss Utah weather. Haha.

That is horrible about Justin, but it is good they caught it. It is better
to catch it early and start doing treatment then to not notice and have it
spread. I hope he is okay, and gets better.

Everybody seems to be doing pretty good. It makes me happy. That will be
funny when Heidee comes. It is just a train ride away.

So lets see, what has been going on it my life.

Um.

Oh yeah, yesterday, we had a baptism! Haha. It was awesome. Anthony got
baptized yesterday. It was last minute too. He was going to get baptized
this Sunday, because he could not get work off to save his life, he was
trying so hard. So we told him that was fine, and we could do it the next
week. Then he called us like Saturday night and said his boss finally gave
in to letting him have this week off too, and was wondering if we could do
it, and we said of course. It is amazing how much work he has put in to
getting baptized. He went from working every Sunday, to like once a month,
and I know he'll get it to the point where he doesn't at all. So yeah, the
baptism was great. He had the most awesome feelings after he was baptized,
I ask him how he felt, and he said he couldn't even describe it. It was
awesome. So that was way exciting.

Work has been going really good. I really love my new companion. We work
great together, and it is just great. We found a bunch of new people this
week, we taught tons of lessons, and we have a few investigators who are
diffenately progressing towards baptism. So it has been great. Other than
that we have spent our time trying to work hard and stay warm.

So, what else can I tell you that I haven't yet. I always forget what I
have told you. I am still in Flushing as you know, which is still great.
Serving in China Town, Spanish speaking. Haha. Next monday is Chinese New
Year, and I get to spend it in China Town, how sweet is that. I don't know
if I told you about the district for this transfer. My district is two
elders and two sisters.

Okay, time out, the guy at the internet cafe is talking on the phone over
some online dating service thing, it is really funny, he is flirting with a
girl, it is really funnny, anways, I just had to say that.

So the district is Me, my Companion, Elder Powell, who is awesome, he is the
district leader. Then there are two sisters. Sister Heinginge, who has
been with me for the last two transfers, she came out with me, she is super
cool, and then Sister Richey, who has served with us for the last 3 weeks,
because they got emergency transfered here, i don't know if I told you that.
I know I told dad. But she is super cool too. She only has like 2 more
transfers in the mission. Elder Powell has 5 or so, he is about exactly a
year further than me in the mission. So it is the best district ever. We
all get along really well, and we all work really hard.

So that is about it. Things are going great. I am loving this week, thing
are going great, and fast. I love you. I will talk to you next week. Let
mek now if there is anything I need to do for you.

I love you.

-Elder Miller

December 8, 2008

Hello,

Things are still going good. It is really starting to get cold here. Today
the high was like 19 or something like that. But that isn't the bad part.
The bad part is the humidity and the wind. With the wind chill the
temperature is definately in the negatives. Mail seems to take a long time
to get from here to Utah, a lot longer then I thought it would, but I guess
that is okay.

I took some pictures of my tree in my room that I will send you.

I got my Christmas presents today, which is the 8th. So I took it home with
me. I didn't know we would be opening them or anything like that at Zone
conference tomorrow. They told us taht we could pick up our packages at
conference, but I didn't know open them. But I have to tell you the truth,
I am very tempted to open them. Haha. If everyone else does tomorrow at
Zone conference I probable will, I don't know. I feel kind of like waiting
for Christmas, but not really, because our Christmas isn't really going to
be anyting special. I just get up and have to study and everything like
normal. I can't take time to do anything too special. BUt I guess we will
see what happens.

So are you sending me more christmas cards? I started writing on like 3 of
hte ones that you sent me already, should I not send those? Also, could you
send me a big list of addresses, because I looked and I only have like 13
addresses to send cards to. So let me know on that. I guess I will wait
until next week.

Okay, so I got two packages in the last two weeks. Both from amazon.com.
One was a box full of cereal, and one I got today was a box full of
pringles. Do you know who sent these? I need to know so I can thank them.
I have no clue who they are from they have no billing address or anyhting in
them. Please let me know.

I bet Christmas won't be that much difference. I'm not too loud or crazy or
anything. Mine will be difference, but won't. Because I won't even realize
it is Christmas. That is what happened with Halloween and Thanksgiving, it
didn't even seem like they were holidays, they just blew by.

So here is a cool story for ya. This week we were on exchanges with the
youth. I went to an investigator, and my comp went to another one. At my
investigator I went and taught him the Ten commandments and had a special
focus on keeping the Sabbath day holy, because he works on Sunday. He took
it all great and the spirit was very strong. He said that he would talk to
his boss right away to see what he could do about getting work off. At the
end of the lesson and told him he was the best investigator that I have had
yet and that I cared about him a lot. I then told him I thought that if he
started coming to chruch he was ready to be baptized, and I asked him to be
baptized on the 28th. He said of course he wanted to be baptized. So that
was amazing. My first commit. SO please pray for him and his boss to get
work worked out so he can come to church. That is the only thing that will
keep him, but I am super pumped.

while I was on the exchange my comp met with one of our other investigators
and asked him if he would want to be baptized too. And he said yes too. He
said he didn't want to set a stricked date yet until he had come to chruch,
but after he comes he wants to see if he likes it and to set a date.

Not a bad day, huh?

Lets see, what else.

Oh yeah,

55-10 103rd Street #2B
Corona, NY

That's our apartment address, I think. We are in the apartment in the
morning unitl about 10:30 every day, and then we normally aren't there until
about 9:30. So that is the deal-o on that. I just like pepperoni on my
pizza's.

It sounds like things are going pretty good at home. I hope they are. You
all deserve it. I hope these last few months have gone as fast for you as
they have for me. I miss you guys to, but not in a way that is distracting.
I think Heavenly Father has blessed me with that ability to not let things
from home bug me. It's been great.

So this week I taught English class for the first time. We offer a free
english class. We put up fliers and stuff. Little do people know that when
they come to English class we are going to teach them the gospel too. Haha.
But yeah, we had a bunch come last week, so I taught the advanced students.
and I will probably be teaching the beginners next week. So that will be
cool.

Entonces, ese es todal por este dia. No tengo mucho tiempo. Gracias a Dios
y gracis a tu por mi muchos bendiciones. Tenga un marvilloso dia.

I love you all so very much. Thank you for everything. I will talk to you
again next week. Love you tons.

-Elder Miller

November 24, 2008

Hola Todos,

HOw are things going for everyone. I am going to have to write this e-mail quick, something weird happened witht he computer and I only have like 8 minutes. I will try to get on again though.

So I got all the packages great. Thank you so much for everything. It really has been so wonderful. The thanksgivign stuff was so cute. We still don't really know what is going on for Thanksgiving, but I guess we will find out soon.

So here is one cool thing that happened this week. We had a special stake conference and Elder Perry was coming to speak at it. Awesome. So we were heading to the conference, it is pretty far away, took a couple trains and such. So we get there and right when we walk into the parking lot Elder Perry gets out of President Bennion's car. We were busy greating some of the members of our ward and such, and when we were done talking to all of them, Elder Perry said, "Hey Elders" and so me and my comp got to go over and talk to him for a little bit and shake his hand and such. He asked where we were from and how the work was coming and a few other things. It was pretty sweet to get to have like and actualy conversation face to face with an apostle. So taht was one really cool thing that happened this week.

So, guess what today is? It is the first official day of the second transfer. Isn't it crazy that I have been out that long? So the transfer calls came out last night and everyone in my district is staying, so we got the same district for at least one more transfer. It should be good.

So not much else exciting went on this week. Lots of tracting, lots of lessons, lots of good stuff. This week we met our goal with members with a lesson present, so that was sweet.

So on Tuesday we were passing out Hand along cards and stuff on the street. We has four people on four corners handing them out. Anyways, a lady came up to me and yelled as loud as she could, "YOu are a bigot!" It was pretty funny.

Anyways, got to go. Love you all so much. Keep in touch. Sorry for the short e-mail. I will try to write if I have time.

Much love, you are in my prayers.

-Elder Miller

November 18, 2008

So here is my super cool crazy story for the week. On sunday all the other three missionaires were speaking in Sacrament. My comp and the two sisters, and then we were singing a song. So I get to church about 5 minutes before it starts, and Hermana Heinigne comes in to the room and says, good news Elder Miller, Hermana West is sick today, so you have to speak. So I had to give a talk in Sacrament meeting without having prepared one, and noneless, in Spanish. It went alright. I wasn't scared at all. I said a couple things wrong. BUt anyways, that is my cool story.

Also this week we had a great lesson with a man and at the end we asked him if he wanted to be baptized. He said, "Of Course!" so that was awesome.

So we were looking at the earliest date he could, because we have rules about attending chruch and such, anyways. We said this would be the earliest date. And he told us, oh, I am moving back to Colombia the week before that. BUmmer, Huh? So we are going to teach him all the lessons.

He will get to colombia, meet up with the missionaries, tell them he has been taught allt he lessons, and get baptized there. Kinda lame for me, but it is still good because he is getting baptized.

November 11, 2008

Ok, so I don't know what happened, but I got gipped out of like 15 minutes of my computer time, so this will be really short. We will see if I can write a quick letter sometime today too.

Things are still going well. Hard work. We got juked a lot this week. We had two people that we were considering committing to baptism, but they both got juked. It has been hard to see Satan working so hard against such good people. We will meet with them both this week though, and get things back on the ball.

One cool thing that happened, we have been teaching a recent convert/ less active couple. They haven't been to church in a couple months, so we have been really trying to teach them well and show them that we love them.

Well, they finally came to church last Sunday. It was awesome. I hope they keep coming.

Um, let's see, what else. Hmmm. My companion really frustrates me at time.

But it is all okay. It is teaching me patience, and that is a Christ Like attribute.

We had my first Zone Conference, so that was cool. I got to meet a bunch of missionaires and be spiritually inspired, so that was great.

Well I will see if I can get a letter out tonight, if I can't, I guess I will write again next week. Hopefully this e-mail will do if I don't get a letter out.

I love you all very much, you are all always in my prayers. Hope to hear from you all soon.

-Elder Miller