3/16/15 We Too, Like Redwoods

I am getting tranferred to Davis... which is 10-15 mins away from Woodland. :)

I'm am so sad to be leaving Arcata, but I felt peaceful the day I knew we were getting the tranfer doctrine sent out to us. I seriously thought I was staying. I have laughed, cried, and everything else. Sister Whimpey is staying and will be training (pretty cool... that was our goal... to get this area to AWESOME!) and yeah. I will be follow up training and STL in Davis. Pretty cool.

I am so sad to leave Arcata, though. Here I have learned so much about who I am, the nature of God, about the purpose of missionary work.

We have two really solid progressing families that are amazing. The Noriegas... who are getting baptized in two weeks. Seriously, so cool. A father and a son that we found caroling on Christmas. They were the last people we thought were going to let us come back. They are unlike anyone else I have ever taught because they are so willing to read their scriptures everyday and pray and come to church, and they are humble. We have really grown to love them, and they have progressed so fast. They basically teach themselves in lessons. I love them. :) I'm just happy they are getting baptized. They really really understand what it means, and they want it so bad. It's really cool.

The other family is the Youravish family. We met with them last night for my last time. My heart just broke. I teared up a little at the beginning and we taught them about the Atonement. One of the family members is going through something really hard, and so it really meant a lot. They too are so cool. Every member of the family comes in, sits down, participates, asks questions, and all of them are so willing to follow the spirit. They are amazing. So committed. We invited them to pray about a date to be baptized last night, and they said they will. So cool.

Also, we are going to be saying goodbye to the Sonatos tonight. That will be the hardest I think. I love them so much. We have gone over there every few days and they are like family.

Here, I have learned that I, like a redwood tree, must start out small. There must be rain. There must be fog. There must be other redwood trees greater than I am all around me, so that I too can build off of their strength. There must be all these things so that I may grow.

I have absolutely loved serving here in Arcata with Sister Whimpey for these past transfers. I can honestly say that these have been the best two transfers of my whole mission. I feel like I finally get it now, and that it is all falling into place. I feel like everything that I have learned is coming into one great whole. I think the key to being a great missionary is two things... and then everything else will fall into place. 1) Having a Christlike love for EVERYONE! and 2) Being completely focused on the missionary purpose. I feel like this transfer has been a fusion of these two aspects of missionary work, over and over. I have found myself more patient with people as I have been more genuine with them and have learned to love them, and also, I have found that I listen better, and I have a stronger desire to help them and address what they really need. As we have done this together, ways have been opened up for Sister Whimpey and I to teach amazing lessons to amazing people. Truly, the families that we are teaching are miracles. They are unlike anyone else we have ever taught. They just get it. They read and pray, and they are progressing towards baptism. They live what they learn to understand.

I will forever be grateful to have been put with Sister Whimpey. She is an amazing missionary. I feel like she is my older sister. I have learned to truly be unified, and because of how we have learned to work together, I have a better understanding of companionships. I feel like I have learned the "why" to all of it.

I really don't want to leave, but I have learned to trust the will of the Lord and I felt calm all Friday before the transfer call. That was also confirmation. I have truly loved it up here, and I feel like I have connected to the people like never before. I am excited to take what I have learned up here in Arcata and apply it to Davis. I am excited to meet my new companion and love her!

It's amazing to think that when I first arrived here, we had no one. No investigators. We were both new. We've done great things, but in all reality, it is the Lord that has done these greats things in us.

We too, like redwoods, must start out small, with the rain and with the fog, so that we may become like the Greatest of them all....

Sincerely,
Sister Miller