12/29/14 Christmas and Years

All the sisters in the Eureka Zone are doing great! I am doing great! I am so excited to be here in Arcata. We are excited for this next new year. Sister Whimpey and I get along great! We are trying to build up relationships with ward leaders, and we are working hard to complete assignments that they give us. The ward mission leader seems eager to help, and I am excited for this next transfer. Things are starting to quiet down after the holidays, and it seems like we find miracles everyday. We are doing a lot of finding, and Saturday the zone gave us a blitz, on which were found some really awesome people. We are both excited to build up a good foundation here, and something that our zone wants to focus on is setting baptismal dates.

I am excited for camp Liahona this coming week. I am excited to learn, and to learn how I can do better. I am also excited for Elder Nelson to come in January. Sister Whimpey and I set a goal to reach a goal of at least 20 contacts everyday, and we also talked about really focusing in on our baptismal invites everyday, even if it is in a street contact.

We are going on exchanges with Sister Afoa and Sister Eyden this week after district meeting, and we are really excited about that.

It was amazing to be able to talk to my family on Christmas. They have had a lot of struggles the past year, especially the past few months or so, but when I saw them on Skype, I really could see and FEEL that Heavenly Father has been and will continue to take good care of them. That is a huge burden lifted for me. It was also a little scary as they spoke to me about the next seven months.... seven months. Wow. Time flies. I try not to think of it. I just try to enjoy it, and work.

And I know I say this almost every time I write, but I really do love being out here. There isn't any other place that I would rather be. I've learned so many things, and I couldn't imagine who I would be if I hadn't come out on a mission. Sister Whimpey and I talked about that last night... how we wish we could go home and get married and have a family, but STILL be missionaries. Funny enough, we think that that is when the work is REALLY REALLY going to hasten even more... when you have all the fire-ball missionaries out, and all the fire-ball returned-missionaries out there working in the field together. I'm excited to see the next few years, although I wish time would freeze. There are moments as a missionary that only you and your companion and Heavenly Father can understand.

We picked up this man named Peter this week. Older, and a "spiritual" sort of guy, he was willing to listen to our message,, but as we started to share the Book of Mormon with him, his demeanor changed from a simple openness to a sincere interest and curiosity, and then as we explained the promise that Moroni gives, he asked to buy the book. It always takes me off guard when people do that. "No! no!" We explained that we wanted to give it to him, and inside I felt like I could never sell a Book of Mormon because it could never be bought. It is worth so much more than that. It is priceless.

As we handed him a Book of Mormon, Peter just held it. That moment was priceless, and it lasted a good moment. When we invited him to be baptized he just shook his head, real slow, in a good way. The silence was killing me, but we kept waiting. I then started to try to explain the "As you know that it is true" part, but he spoke too before I could finish and told us yes. The Spirit was so strong. He then asked about church on his own. It was amazing. We prayed, and he gave us oranges and pictures that he took of Mother Teresa in Calcutta ministering to the sick. He called then called us angels.

Those are the moments no one can understand. No one but Heavenly Father.

I've been noticing lately that a little light goes off in my head when I feel the spirit. I am starting to recognize it more when we teach and more when I am studying in the morning. I'm trying to look for it more. I've learned that I don't feel it as much through emotions than I do through the chills, or just through a calm stillness.

So yeah. Also, this next week we are going to a three day camp out for Zone Leaders and STL's.... training and rebuking by the spirit. I am excited, and really scared. First of all, we won't be in our area almost all week, which is not good. Secondly, I am excited and scared for the rebuking, but excited to be able to improve. Thirdly, I am super scared for the drive down there. It's going to be nuts. It's a crazy windy drive, and Sister Whimpey and I have felt really really sick the past couple of days. Either a really bad cold, or a really whimpy (no pun intended) flu. Who knows? Either way, Heavenly Father is blessing us... We haven't really had to stay in. We've been making it alive.

We had a blitz in our area this past week. A blitz is where everyone in the zone will come and work in one companionship's area for two hours. There were so many miracles. We found a few formers who were interested, and also we found a Less-Active named Bethany that isn't on our ward records and Sister Whimpey gave her a Book of Mormon to read. That was Saturday. We went back Sunday. She's in 2nd Nephi already. Wow. Miracles. She was a convert when she was 15, but then hasn't been to church since she was a late teen probably. She's never read the Book of Mormon, and so she is really excited to.

Also, We ate Christmas eve with the Kautzer's... another less-active famliy. Miracles. We had a spanish dish pronounced "Moh-lay." Don't ask me how to spell it. Basically, it is chicken with a spicy chocolate sauce over it. Probably one of the coolest things I have eaten on my mission. Anyways, I just wanted to document it. Also, Sister Kautzer is awesome. She had chosen to start coming back to church on her own just a few weeks ago, and hasn't missed a week since. She works nights, and so when she comes to church in the morning, she is coming without having slept in like forever. That'd be like the equivalent of a normal person going to church at like 11:00 at night or so. I'll never complain about church being too early. If Sister Kautzer can do it every week, I can too. Please remind me of that when I get home.

Also, It was amazing to speak to my family. That meant the world. There were a few people I missed talking to. This is just a shout-out to you to let you know that I did notice. Anyway, It was a balm of Gilead for me, because I could just see them. The time flew by way too fast. It always does. It was weird though. It helped me feel like me. It helped me realize that even though I will be different when I go home, I will still be able to be missionary minded. I don't know. It makes more sense in my head. Like, there are those missionaries that are afraid that when they go home they will lose all the ground they gained in personal development. I was so afraid of that. Now I am not. I know that I can do it. I will be different, but just a better version of me. I will be a better servant of my loved ones. I will have a better view on life. I also learned that I don't really want to go home yet, which hasn't been an issue, but sometimes you just miss home, of course. I just learned that I don't want to go home because it's not time. This is where I need to be, and it is also where I want to be. I have grown to love California, but it is much more than that. It is being a missionary that I really and truly do love.
Heavenly Father taught me a lot during that Skype home.

Well. I am excited for this coming week. Exchanges in the Eureka Sisters area... (Sister Afoa from New Zealand... this makes transfer number 6 that I have served around her. Sister Eyden... who is from Texas and is on her 3rd transfer. She was born here. So fun.)

Well. That's that.
Happy new year!
Remember, set goals... but also MAKE PLANS! :)
it's not enough to know you are going to do something, you have to prep and plan for it. HOW are you going to do it? Involve the Lord.

Also, "I heard the bells on Christmas Day" is awesome.

Also, I love reading the New Testament about the Savior. I've learned so much. This week I am going to study in depth John 15, if you want to study it, I will probably write more about it next week.

Also, thank you mom for that picture of the Savior, and thank you Sister Allred for the wonderful Christmas Devotional. It's been the best.

Also, I love reading the New Testament about the Savior. I've learned so much. This week I am going to study in depth John 15, if you want to study it, I will probably write more about it next week.

Also, thank you mom for that picture of the Savior, and thank you Sister Allred for the wonderful Christmas Devotional. It's been the best.

I love you all!

The gospel is true! No doubt about it! It's more than just a church building. It's about taking the sacrament, and then really taking what you learn at church, and DOING something with it during the week. If you aren't going to church looking for answers, it is a lot harder to find any answers.

Also, I just wanted to share this cool little experience. There are a lot of hobos up here. I just talked to one outside of Winco.... I told her she was a daughter of God, and she just cried, and gave me a hug. Sister Whimpey and I were talking about that this morning... If people even knew that they could become like Heavenly Father. Not become Him... but become LIKE HIM.... If we could only see ourselves the way that He sees us.... If we could only trust Him enough with our lives to live them in service to Him. If we could only set aside the sins that so easily beset us... If we could only see ourselves the way that He does... what would we live like? Sometimes I get glimpses of it in others... I get so frustrated with people as a whole, but then I look at the individual, and I am in awe. Especially with the wards out here. Sometimes as a missionary you get frustrated, because they just can't seem to help as much as you would like, but then you take a step back and look at them from Heavenly Father's perspective. They are Pioneers. They are standing for the truth everyday. People notice them everywhere they go. They are missionaries without even knowing it. One day, I hope to be like them. Build up Zion where ever you are, and where you are is here and now. 

Zion is the pure in heart. It is in the hearts of the righteous. Seek, and ye shall find.

I leave you all with a challenge for this week. 

Pray, and ask Heavenly Father to see a glimpse of who you can become, who you really are inside. This might come right away, or it might take some time, but I promise it will come. 

Then listen. 

Then, before you get up off your knees, ask what is one thing that you can do now to reach that potential. 

Then again, listen. 

Then get up and GO AND DO that one thing.

That's how you get a miracle. 

I love you all! I know that the Savior lives. Somewhere, out there. Right now. He's aware of you, but even more than that, He loves you.

I love you all, too. Very much. :) Every single one of you. Thank you.

Love,

Sister Miller