July 26, 2010

Hello All,

Yes another week has passed, which is super weird to me. They seem to just be gonig faster and faster. I think I might be a little different in how I feel than you though. For you it seems like I just barely left, while for me it does feel like it went fast, it feels like life before was just a dream. Like it didn't really happen. I basically don't remember not being a misisonary. So it will be a weird day to have to do that again. You would have been married in 3 weeks, and I will be home from my mission in 3 weeks. Haha. Funny.

So within my Zone right now I have already told you, are Elder Furlong, who is Ambree's boyfriend, and then Elder Nagaishi who lives with me. Well the three of us have become really good friends and such, which the Elder Furlong thing is really funny, small world, weird connections. But yeah, me and Elder Furlong fly home together, and then Elder Nagaishi is coming home in 6 weeks. Elder Furlong and I are planning on taking a road trip to California, where Elder Nagaishi is from, and going to his homecoming, then maybe hitting Disneyland and stuff, and then bringing him back to Provo, because he goes to BYU. It should be a blast.

It sounds like your camping was fun. I am sad I missed it. We will have to see about the ward campout, because on the 21st I am going to the Something Corporate concert, so we would have to be back for that. Where are they having the ward campout?

Missionary work went really well this week. We found a couple really good people. One lady we looked up had met missionaries before, lost contact, and has been reading the Book of Mormon the whole time. How cool is that? So she is way ready it seems like. She has read most of the Book of Mormon by herself without the missionaries even being there. Really cool.

I am not for sure for sure, but the New York South mission I believe in geographical size may be the smallest mission in the world. And as far as population it is one of the biggest. Crazy. But yeah, the zones are pretty small, our zone just covers about a 4th of Queens. In our branch alone there are 5 missionaries. Obviously our branch is more like stake size back home, but still, pretty small areas and such.

Well, it seems like everyone is doing well. That makes me happy. I have 2 full vials of test strips left, and just started on the 3rd, so I have like 130 strips left I believe.

Well, I better run. I love you all. Talk to you next week.

-Elder Miller

July 19, 2010

Hey All,

So the interenet is going really slow. I just thought I would mention that. It has taken me like 10 minutes just to get my email up and read all of them. Now I am short on time to email. Oh well. Haha. It doesn't matter.

So another week gone, and what an interesting week it has been. It seemed to have gone really fast, but on the other side it seems to have lasted for an eternity. To think that my birthday was last week is really weird. It seems like it was ages ago. But oh well. So time goes I guess.

Things are still good with the new comp. He will be fun. A little socially awkward, but he keeps things interesting.

I have been pretty updated on what is going on in the NBA world, and it sounds pretty nuts. The Heat will certainly be a force to be reconed with. I am so excited to be able to finally watch it this year. How weird.

Yeah, I will just be sleeping outside. That is how I will like it. You all already know. :)

As far as the new missionary training program Preach My Gospel will stay exactly how it is. INterestingly enough, Matt will not even be taught this program in the MTC, they will still be teaching the old curiculum, and he will be taught it in the field. They will start teaching it in the MTC in about a year. They are doing that so that when the missionaries leave the MTC they go out to a field where all the missionaries already know it. I think that is ingenious. But yeah, the program is pretty basic, which is always good, going back to the basics. Focussing on how we can help investigators and such. So it will be really good.

I think this will probably be a pretty short boring email, because not much happened this week. I actually spent most of my week sitting in meetings being trained on these new programs. They have have been good, but man have they been long. And on top of that now I am in charge of going back and teaching all of them to the district. So that means in District Meetings it is a whole lot of Elder Miller talking, which I totally hate. I get bored, and I am the one teaching. Haha. I wonder how all the others in the district feel. But oh well. Just a few more weeks of District meetings, then I never have to talk in one ever again.

The new Zone actually doesn't affect me at all. It just divided one of the existing zones, one in Long Island, into 2 smaller zones. It is just weird because it has been the same my whole mission, and is now changing.

Investigators are still doing pretty good, but like I mentioned, I had limited time to actually do missionary work this week. I went on exchagnes with Elder Nagaishi and then my companion stayed with him, while we went to the meetings. And our companions spent most of the time working in the English Pool. So yeah, it was a pretty slow week for work. This week will be really nice though. The meetings are done for a few weeks, and so I get to just go and work. So happy.

They have actually now started calling Elders to Time Square, there used to be none. It was probably just beacuse tourists don't want to talk to stupid 19 year old boys. Haha. Just kidding. I am not sure exactly why it was that way. But it is for sure that they don't send sisters to places like Jamaica. We actually have entire zones in the mission that have no sister missionaries.

Well, I better run. I love you all so much. I will talk to you again next week.

-Elder Miller

July 12, 2010

Hey All,

So my new companion is Elder Larson. He is from various parts of Utah, I believe his parents live in Draper now. He is kind of a goofy one, but he should be good. He definitely won't be bad or annoying, so that will be nice, a good companion to finish off. He has been out about 14 months I believe, the same amount of time as Elder Jacobs, my last companion. So he has been good. It will be interesting to see how it goes. It will be weird, knowing it will only be 6 weeks. 6 weeks isn't much time to get to know a companion to well. Anyways.

I was very excited to hear that Spain pulled off the World Cup, I was rooting for them. I was a little upset that Germany got 3rd. Not even one South American country in the top 3. Kind of lame, but oh well. At least Spain won, right?

Thanks for getting my room back in order, feel free to leave whatever you want in boxes and whatnot, I am more than willing to go through all of it. It will be interesting, I don't even remember anything that I have.

I am glad to hear that the camping went well. I heard from everyone that you all seemed to have a good time. That is really good. I am really excited to be there with all of you soon. It will be fun.

So in the mission right now there are a lot of big changes going on. They have started a completely new training program, that they are starting out in the fields, and will start teaching in the MTC in a year. They are doing that so that the missionaries that come out to the field go out to missionaries that already know the training. So it is pretty weird. We are spending a lot of time learning these new training programs and everything, and though it is really good and I am learning a lot, it is frustrating a little bit, because I won't get to use it and apply it much. I kind of wish that I had more time so that I could use it all. But alas, I don't. So I will just enjoy learning it and applying it for the short time I have left. Also they changed a little bit of the schedules, we used to have interviews with President every 6 weeks and something called a Zone conference every 6 weeks, but now we are having both every 12 weeks. So unexpectedly, now I will have one more interview, and I will not have a Zone conference. My last one was my last one, when I was expecting one more. But it should all be good, and I am excited for it. They also changed the boundaries a little bit within the mission and added 1 zone. So yeah, lots of changes right before I leave.

This week we found a new investigator to teach, her name is Rosa and she is from Colombia. She is about 70. When we knocked on her door she let us right in. She was very talkative, but very nice. She also fed us flan. The Spanish culture is cool, but so different. I am pretty sure she would have offered us her whole apartment if I would have asked for it, and it was the first time I met her.

In the district where I am serving they changed it a bit. There used to be my companion and I, and 2 companionships of sisters. Now there is my companion and I and a trio of sisters. So one less sister, but we are still outnumbered. I think Flushing might be the only area outside of Temple Square that has more Sisters than Elders. haha.

Well, I have to get going. I love you all very much.

-Elder Miller

June 13, 2010

Hello All,

This week was an interesting one. Lots of meetings and stuff like that, which took up a lot of time. It was one of the biggest, what we call "juke" weeks ever. Juke would be when someone sets up an appointment, and then is not there when you come. When I got here in Flushing we had a pretty "dead pool" or not very many investigators. We've got that turned around. But so anyways, the first week we had like no set appointments, so just lots of finding. This last week we had like 10 set appointments, and out of those 10, 8 or them "juked". So that was very interesting. It's not really out of the norm I guess, juking happens a lot, but it was a very high pecentage and what not. So it made for a very interesting week.

One cool experience we had was during English class. We only had one person show up for English class, his name in Raul, he has been coming for a while. I am usually not in his English class, because I have been teaching the beginning, but anyways. So he gets taught English, and we always do a spiritual thought at the end, and the spiritual thought goes really deep, end up teaching all about the restoration and everything, and by the end he committed to be baptized on the 3rd of July. So that was really cool. Hope all keeps going well with him. He is 20 and from Guatemala. It is interesting how someone can go from seeming to have no interest to having tons in so little of time. It is amazing.

Other than that all things are going very well. One weird thing is happening today, which I am not really excited about. I live with Elder Nagaishi and Elder Pape (pronounced pop) and they are great. Well, today Elder Pape is going to be changed areas mid transfer, which is weird for him, because he only has 3 weeks left in his mission, so that will be a change for not very long. It is happening because there is another companionship that I guess is struggling quite a bit, so President thinks Elder Pape and Elder Naga can help both of them out, so one will be coming here with Naga, and Pape will go out and be with the other. It is sad to see Pape going, he is great, and only got 3 weeks with him. Hopefully the switch will help out the other companioship though.

Elder Hernandez left from California, I think he had been living there since he was like 10. Elder Oliva did come straight from Guatemala, had been to the states a couple times. His family is actually very well off. His Dad is a retired doctor, and now works for the church and an emergency response coordinator.

I will consider asking for something for my birthday, I will let you know next week, how does that sound?

I did get the other pakcage and it was great. Just what I needed.

So my eating went down the barrel last night as we were fed by a family, and they gave us what are called papusas, which have like 500 calories a piece, and they gave us both 9. That was enough calories for the week. Haha. So that was frustrating, but they were very good.

I do think I will be buying insulin this week, and so if you wouldn't mind checking my card, that would be great. I have been a little bit of a spender lately, sorry about that, but just getting some food things and what not, I really did spend a lot, sorry. I will not be spending much more for the rest of my mission though, so hopefully that will make up for that. Sorry again.

Well, taht is about all that is up with me. I will talk to you all again next week. I love you all so much.

-Elder Miller

June 7. 2010

Hey All,

So it does sound like you had a very packed full week. That is good though. Slow boring ones are always the worst I guess. But then again, I guess as a missionary we count weeks a lot more intensely then the normal person does. Everything we do is either on a weekly or transferly basis.

It is pretty crazy to me that Heidee is now graduated. She is still just the little baby. Weird to think she is all grown up and such. You will have to tell her congrats for me.

Yeah, the place I live is very nice. And I am really enjoying the side by side beds. I definately prefer them over a bunk bed setting, but having slept in a bunk bed for almost 2 years you get accustomed to it. But still, going back was nice. So no worries about where I am living, it is very nice. The days of living in Ghetto places are done.

Here is where my companions have been from.

Elder Hatch - Greely, Colorado

Elder Wahl - St Johns Arizona

Elder Powell - Lehi, Utah

Elder Hernandez - San Salvador, El Salvador and Englewood, California

Elder Heiner - Alpine, Utah

Elder Zimmerman - West Valley, Utah

Elder Goodman - Phoenix, Arizona and somwhere in North Carolina

Elder Alverson - Mesa, Arizona

Elder Oliva - Guatemala City, Guatemala

Elder Oakes - Mesa, Arizona

Elder Call - Kaysville, Utah

Elder Jacobs - Montpeliar, Idaho

So not too many have been too close by. But that is just kind of how it goes, that is where the majority of the missionaries are from, so it is easy for me to have companions from there.

The work is going alright. It is of course, hard. But the hard areas are the best. Totally tackling a hard area makes you feel great. So I am excited to do it again.

Nothing too exciting happened this week. Lots of hard work trying to find new people to teach in very hot weather. So basically it was a week of sweating and thirst. Haha.

I went and got some test strips last week just so you know. It ended up working out for $15, but I eneded up having to have the pharmancist call Dr. Tensmeyer and get the prescription sent there. So yeah, it all worked out. I also will probably be getting insulin in the next week or so, just so you know.

As far as my birthday, this is what I want exactly. And you know how often I tell you exactly what I want, so you better make it happen. Haha. JK. So this is what I want. This year I want my birthday to be delayed until September 13th or so. That is what I want. Lets wait until I am home, since it is like a month away. So as far as other things I may want as like presents, we'll wait on that. :)

Well, I think that is about it for this week. All is well. I love you all very much, and will talk to you all next week.

-Elder Miller

May 31, 2010

Hey All,

Yeah, last week was a weird one, but this week has been pretty normal getting back in the swing of things.

It is super weird to be back in Flushing. Getting to see a bunch of people I already know and love. I am sure it is going to continue to be strange. I will get used to it though. Well, I am already used to it, but it is just trippy to seem like I never left. My companions name is Elder Jacobs. He is from Idaho. I already knew him pretty well, because he was ina neighboring area when I was in Rego. He was also companions with Elder Call, so we share a companion. He is super cool and a good missionary. So I am back in an area that I already know, with a companion that I basically already know. So it is almost not like change, but still a change. And I will almost for sure finish my mission in Flushing, so the only possible other change that I could have is to get a new companion, but that might not happen either.

You will be happy to hear that I am now living in a very nice apartment. And by very nice I mean by far the nicest I have lived in so far. We have side by side beds, it came furnished when the church rented it, so we have very nice furnature, it is all hard wood floors, just everything. We have 3 couches. So it is way nice. It will be good to finish my mission living in a really ncie place.

The weather has been horrible. It has been like 80 degrees inside our bedroom at night. We need to talk to the office to see if we can get another air conditioner. I might die. But I am sure we can get another one. We already have 2 going full blast, and they just don't handle it.

So it was kind of a slower week. The work in Flushing, as it was before, is very hard, because there are very few hispanic people that live there, as you know, it is all Asians, but as you also know, I also enjoy really hard work. So most of the week was spent trying to find people and such. One kind of funny story, just yesterday I believe, I talked to this guy on the street. You'd never guess it, but he was a member, or so he said. He said he was El Salvador, and that he got baptized in Guatemala like 7 years ago. Now for the best part, guess who he said baptized him. . . Joseph Smith. He said Jospeh Smith baptized him. It was pretty interesting. I politely told him Jospeh Smith and been dead for some time, and that was not possible, but he persisted. Very interesting. The people you meet in New York City, no?

It sounds like everyone is doing pretty well. That is good. It is always good to hear.

Just so you know, I will have to buy test strips soon. I was expecting the package to be sent last week and get it today or tomorrow, so I will buy those today or tomorrow, I will remember to try to use that card and see if they will take it. So yeah, just so you know.

Well, all is well. I love you all very much, and will talk to you all next week.

-Elder Miller

May 23, 2010

Hey All,

So this week was one of my craziest weeks yet. You will hear why. So first things first I guess.

Got our transfer calls on Saturday. As expected I am getting transfered, so I am packing my bags today. I still don't know where I am going, and will not know until tomorrow, so that means you won't know until next week. Maybe I will get ahold of Hmo. Ovalle and have him text you so you know. If I could pick I think I would pick to go back to Lynbrook, but we will see what happens. So anyways, that is the big news on that. It will probably be my last area, which will be weird, with one or two more companions.

Okay, so now for my week, I think I will go day by day, so you can see how crazy it was.

Monday - P Day, and then after P Day we went and dropped off dinner for some of our investigators, after which we went to a member and less actives house and had a family home evening.

Tuesday - We had what is called "Deep Clean". We do it once a transfer to make sure that the pad stays looking good. We tore apart our pad and made it look really good. Then at night we had Coorelation, our meeting with the Ward Mission Leader.

Wednesday - Elder Call had to practice with a couple other Elders for a musical number. Then after that we went and did some service at a Senior Citizens Center. Then we went and looked up Media Referrals in Forest Hills, the nicer part of our area. Then we had a normal night of missionary work.

Thursday - went and looked up a few people, then we had our weekly planning. After planning we had another normal night of missionary work.

Friday - We had Zone Conference. Elder Ringwood from the Seventy came and talked to us. It was pretty good. It was nice to hear from him. Then we went home and ate. Afterwards there was a fireside with Elder Ringwood, so that took up the day.

Saturday - In the morning the office elders needed our help, because they were taking some things to go in storage in Manhattan, and when you get there you can't stop the car, so you need 2 elders to move the stuff, and 2 to stay with the car. Well, we get there and there is a Flea Market going on on the exact same street, so we end up not even being able to do it. Lame. So we came back. Then we had like a little picnic with Tatiana and Francisco, a kind of goodbye. It was nice. Then Elder Call had another one of his Firesides, so we went all the way out to Brentwood in Long Island. So that was the day.

Sunday - Church and such.

So it was way crazy and out of the norm. But anyways. Today Hmo. Ovalle is going to take us out to lunch which will be really fun.

Everything else is going well. Just kind of the same old same old. Nothing too crazy or exciting.

I think I am still good on supplies and all. You should be good to send the package whenever you want, feel free to put whatever else you want to put in it too. :) I don't think I can think of anything specific that I need though.

Oh yeah, I sent a couple packages your way just of stuff that I don't want to carry around anymore, so you should be getting those soon. If you could just put them in my room or whatever, that would be great.

Well, I love you all so much. I will talk to you next week, when you know where I am. Haha.

-Elder Miller