Howdy everybody!
It's week 5 in Spanish Fork! Holy cow, where did the time go? Elder De
Leon has been here for a long time now, so we're pretty sure that he
will be leaving the area. Sad. :'(  .
So, who's looking forward to General Conference? I can't wait!
Seriously, it's like to Super Bowl, but way cooler. And don't quote me
on this, but someone was telling me that it has been since 1904 that
three Apostles have been called at once. Exciting, huh?
Aside from that, we have an opportunity to hear the prophet of the
Lord speak. That idea has never filled me with so much awe as it does
now. The Lord speaks to President Thomas S. Monson, and our beloved
prophet conveys the word of the Lord to us. Our other church leaders,
all inspired men and women, will also speak to us as directed by the
spirit.
I can't believe that I used to think that General Conference was
boring. Let's all be listening and o hear what the Lord wants us to
hear.
Love y'all!

Elder Muller Muller Muller

Hi, everyone!
So, it looks like I am leaving Nephi. We got our transfer calls this
morning. I will be leaving Wednesday morning, and I will find out
where I am going when I get to the transfer meeting. My companion,
Elder Hamilton, will stay in Nephi as district leader, and they asked
him to train! I'm pretty sure that I am feeling better about myself
than he is.
In other news, this week has been really great! There is so much work
to do here in Nephi. Today we had a zone activity, and we went out to
the Jerusalem set, where they film all the Bible Videos that the
Church produces. That was a really neat experience. The authenticity
of the entire place was incredible, and you could imagine yourself
walking the roads that the Savior walked during His mortal ministry.
There is a very powerful spirit there. There was a a pair of Senior
Missionaries guiding the tour, and they had so many incredible stories
to tell about the building of the set, the production of those videos,
and the opportunities that they have had to share the gospel. I hope
to go back again someday. I don't think that they let tour groups
through there very often.
Anyway, I am really going to miss Nephi. The people here are so
amazing, and, I'll be honest, I've grown comfortable here. I think
that that is why I am being moved. The whole point of this life is to
grow, but as a very wise man once said, "there is no growth in a
comfort zone, and there is no comfort in a growth zone." I have no
idea who said that, but how true it is! If he Lord wants to help us
grow, how can He if we have become complacent? So He changes things
around, He lets us face new challenges, and we have new opportunities
to grow. So I am grateful that I am being transferred. I am looking
forward to seeing what the Lord still has in store for me.
Talk to y'all next week!
Elder Miller

(No Subject)

Jonathan Miller

 

 

8/24/15

 

 

To: Tori Pickens, Sister Markel, Sister LeDoux, Sister Gibson, Sister Burdett, Sister Bishop, Mom, Melissa, Wells, Thornley, Rimer, Prior, Oswald, Martell, Hornbeck, Dad, Brother Tinsley

Howdy y'all!!!
Another week has gone by. Hey, I remembered to email 2 weeks in a row.
I'm feeling pretty proud of myself. This week has been really good.
It's been hot, my companion has been sick, and everyone is going back
to school, but it was still good. Weird how that works, huh?
The transfer is almost over already! In just a week, we find out if we
are staying or going. I really hope that I will get to stay here in
Nephi. I also hope that I get to keep Elder Hamilton as mi compañero.
He has been awesome to work with, and I hope to keep doing so. Anyway,
Nephi is doing great! The work has been slowly picking up these last
few weeks. Next month three people will enter the waters of baptism.
It's been so interesting and so humbling to see the windows of heaven
open in this area. All we did was put forth a little more effort, and
look what happened. I feel like Ammon, who had such great joy in the
work that he was led to boast in his God. I know that the hand of the
Lord is here in Nephi. No matter who it is that is serving here, the
Lord is in control of it all. He will continue to further His work,
anywhere and everywhere on the world.
Love y'all!
Until next week

Elder Miller

Nephi

Jonathan Miller

 

 

8/17/15

 

 

To: Tori Pickens, Sister Markel, Sister LeDoux, Sister Gibson, Sister Burdett, Sister Bishop, Mom, Melissa, Wells, Thornley, Rimer, Prior, Oswald, Martell, Hornbeck, Dad, Brother Tinsley

Howdy!!!
It has been sooooo long since I have written everybody, and for that,
I apologize. I am trying to repent of that.
Quick update: I am still serving in Nephi. I have been here for almost
4 months. I am driving a Toyota Corolla (#no acceleration), and my
companion is Elder Hamilton. He is from Houston, Texas, and he has
been on his mission for 21 months. It has been a lot of fun working
with him.
This area has had its ups and downs since I got here. There have been
times of great productivity, and there have been times when there has
been a bit of a famine. This is one of those times when things are
flourishing. We have around 50 people that we are actively teaching,
with a lot more prospects on the horizon. The Lord is blessing this
area, far more than Elder Hamilton and I have earned.
It has been amazing to see the tender mercies of the Lord as I have
been here, especially during the down times. It was harder to see them
then, but looking back now, the Lord has had His hand in the work the
whole time. It reminds me of, in the Book of Mormon, when Ammon was
giving a summary of their mission to Lamanites. He talked about the
times when there hearts were depressed, and when they desired to turn
back. There have been a few times when I was just about to hit bottom,
and then something would happen; I would meet someone, or teach a
lesson, or hear a talk in sacrament meeting, that was exactly what I
needed to keep going. Often times, those tender mercies come so gently
that we have trouble recognizing them. But as we pray for the Lord to
open our eyes, He does. And then we see just how much He cares. And it
is such a humbling experience.
That is what I have been experiencing the most. The adversary is all
about the noise, the distractions, the bright colors. The Lord works
quietly, gently, sometimes even anonymously. As we serve others the
way that He serves us, we come to know Him better, and we become more
like Him.
I love you all.
Elder Miller

By small and simple things

Jonathan Miller

 

 

6:35 PM

 

 

To: Tori Pickens, Sister Markel, Sister LeDoux, Sister Gibson, Sister Burdett, Sister Bishop, Mom, Melissa, Elder Wells, Elder Thornley, Elder Rimer, Elder Prior, Elder Oswald, Elder Martell, Elder Hornbeck, Dad, Brother Tinsley

Hi everyone!
This week has been great! This area is super busy, and we are looking
at having two baptisms this next week. Good things are happening.
So, this is my last full week in the Utah, St. George Mission. On the
1st, I will be a Provo missionary. I'll try not to break anything
(like the mission, for example). Anyway, next week we will have
interviews with the new mission President. That is both exciting and
terrifying. What will he be like? What kind of rules will he make for
the mission? What kind of person is he? Naturally, we are all a little
curious. But, of course, no matter what he is like, he has been called
of God to be the Provo Mission President, and that is enough for me.
The Mormon Miracle Pageant is going on this week. I have never seen
it, but I have heard about how great it is. We will be going down to
Manti on Friday to see it, and I am super excited. We went on
Saturday, but we just stayed to greet people; we left before it
started.
Something happened yesterday, that has happened a thousand times, but
for some reason really struck me this time. We went to contact an
inactive man, who told us to go away, and said something to the effect
of, "I served a mission; I know what it is all about; leave me alone."
Seeing that tore me up inside. This man had been exactly where I am
right now, with the fire of the spirit burning in his soul, testifying
to the world of the truth of the Gospel. What on earth happened to
cause such a change? The answer: very little.
This past week was zone conference, and our mission President spoke to
us about obedience. He talked about the very little things, that over
time cause a huge change in us. Daily prayer, scripture study, the
small acts of obedience, will over time transform us into sanctified
disciples of Jesus Christ. On the flip side, failing to do those
things will over time degrade us to the point that we will lose the
spirit. When that happens, our vision becomes clouded, and the
adversary easily leads us away from our Father in Heaven.
So when the time comes to choose, we absolutely cannot afford to move
even an inch! Because one bad choice becomes two, then a dozen. You
know what happens to a snowball when it rolls down a hill.
The Savior has commissioned us to be perfect, even as He and the
Father are perfect. Obviously, none of us are, but should that keep us
from trying? Will we ever be perfect if we never try? Of course not.
Perfection may not be possible through our own power, but as we deny
ourselves of ALL ungodliness and offer our WHOLE souls as an offering
unto God, then we are perfected through the power of the Atonement.
Nothing less will work.
This is coming from a person who is anything but perfect. I know
exactly how hard it is. But is it worth the effort? Is it worth the
pain? Absolutely. The cost is nothing when compared to the reward:
everlasting salvation in the kingdom of God.
I love all of you. When I get to that place that God has prepared, it
is the wish of my heart to see everyone I love there. And I know that
it is through obedience to all of God's commandments that we can all
be there one day.
Elder Miller

Hiya!

That's "hi, how are ya", not the death cry of a ninja warrior. 

This has been a great week. I have to say, I felt kinda weird packing up all my stuff to move across town. But it has turned out to be a great experience. The work is going really well in this area. There are so many opportunities to teach and serve. We had the opportunity to help out with a fence building project up in the mountains. That sound kinda epic; "In the mountains". I tell you what, though, I didn't feel epic climbing that last slope. I wanted to curl up and die. Its amazing how little energy you have in a low oxygen environment. 

On a more spiritual note, I have gained a greater testimony of the healing and converting power that service has, both on those serving, and those being served. We also had the chance to help an inactive man. All we did was hang some kitchen cabinets for him. But that man came back to church this last Sunday, for the first time in over fifty years.

I worry that sometimes we think that the work of salvation is too hard. How can we, through our own efforts, help others to come unto Christ? Well, that's the whole point, isn't it? If we try to do the Lord's work on our own, how would we ever succeed? Who in their right mind would send out a bunch of 18+ year old's to share the gospel with the world, if the work depended on their own strength and abilities? The work would be doomed.

But the Lord's work is just that; His. He stands at the helm. I will admit, there are moments when the work is hard. There are times that the Lord needs to teach us a lesson. But never, for even a brief moment, believe that we are shouldering this work alone. We may at times look around, and all we can see is the talents and abilities of others, and the fruit of their efforts. But when the Lord of the Vineyard called His laborers at the end of the day, to give them their wage, who received more? No one. All were rewarded equally, because each had done the duty assigned to him, and had labored while the day lasted. So it is with us. We are the laborers, and we have each been given a work to do. No matter how "great" or "small" that work is, if we do our part, the reward is the same: everlasting salvation in the Kingdom of Heaven. I know that these things are true, and I bear that witness in the name of the Lord of the Vineyard, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Elder Miller

Hi, y'all!
So, this is an interesting development. Here goes: with the creation
of the new Utah Orem Mission, the boundaries of several missions are
being redrawn. As a result, missionaries are moving, and basically a
lot of people are freaking out. But as of July 1st, I will be serving
in the Utah Provo Mission! To those of you who are saying "okay, so?"
let me just say that this is a huge deal for missionaries in the
field. My mission call is essentially being changed.
I have to say that I was freaking out at first, but the Lord has
blessed me with peace. He really does hear prayers, and, as He
promised His Apostles, He does not leave us comfortless (John
14:18,26-27). And now, as I am undergoing such a big change, with new
leadership, new mission rules, new goals, new expectations, I feel at
peace about all of it. And I know that it comes through faith in the
Savior, however small that faith may be. I know that He is in control,
and that He is watching over each of us. All we have to do is trust
Him, and He will lead us, and we will know that we are led by Him.
As far as transfers go, I am being transferred. I actually think that
it's kinda funny. I am being transferred all the way to Nephi South
Stake. So I have to pack all my stuff to move 5 minutes to the South.
Nice; I can't wait. My new companion will be Elder Slate, from North
Carolina. I've met him before, and he is a pretty cool Elder. I'm
excited.
Love you all. Next email will be from the Provo Mission.
Elder Miller

Yes, I have already been gone for over four months. I can't believe
it. I know I still have a long way to go, but still; four months. 1/6
of my mission.
Let's recap. No, their is too much. Let me sum up.
It's amazing how much you learn on a mission. Not just about the
Gospel, but about life in general. For example, if you already are
feeling ready to burst, and you still have half of the burger; save it
for later. Don't try to finish it.
Seriously, though. I have learned so much about myself, and about
other people. Most of all, though, I have learned about the Lord. The
more I learn about Him, the more I realize how little I comprehend
Him. But that does not mean that I cannot love Him with all my heart,
or that He does not love me. Because He does. He loves each of us;
personally, individually and perfectly. It also does not mean that we
cannot come to know Him.
I would like to relate an allegory. Some of you may have heard it,
some not. I may have told it before, I can't remember. But when I
heard this story my mind caught hold of it like a steel trap. And it
has resonated with me to this day. The story is called: The
Interviewer.

Two men were called into an office, one by one, for an interview. The
first came in and sat down in front of the desk.
"Well", the man behind the desk said, "what do you know of Jesus Christ?"
Surprised, the first man responded. "I know that He was born in
Bethlehem, of the virgin, Mary. I know that a new star appeared, and
that angels heralded His birth, and shepherds worshipped Him."
"Very good," the interviewer said, "But what do you know of Him?"
"I know that He was baptized by John the Baptist. I know that He
taught the sinners, healed the sick, and raised the dead. I know that
He called Apostles, and sent them to testify of Him."
"Very good, but what do you know of Him?"
Now perplexed, the man continued. "Know that He suffered for our sins.
He was crucified, laid in a tomb, and resurrected on the third day. I
know that He lives."
The Interviewer nodded encouragingly. "Very, very good. But what do
YOU KNOW of Him?"
The man had nothing left to say. He had exhausted his knowledge of
Jesus Christ. He left the office, wondering how he had not answered
the question correctly.
The second man entered the room. The chair was instantly forgotten.
Upon seeing the Interviewer, he fell to his knees, exclaiming in
wondering awe, "My Lord, my God."

What can be learned from this story? I won't tell anyone what it
means, because every time I read it, I learn something new. I will say
this: I want to be second man. It is my greatest wish to stand before
my Lord, and to know Him immediately as my Savior. And by living the
way that He wants me to live, doing what He would have me do, and
becoming, through his grace, who He would have me be, I have faith
that I will know Him the way He would have me know Him.
I love you all.
Elder Miller

er give up

Hey!
Greetings from Nephi, Utah!
This week has gone really well. It has actually been raining for over
a week here! People must have been praying extra hard, because it is
starting to feel a little humid here. It looks like it might rain
today as well.
We had a baptism on Saturday. Our investigator, was only nine years
old, but I have never met a sharper kid in my life. When he bore his
testimony, the spirit filled the room. He was baptized only two weeks
after we met him.
There was another event this week, very different circumstances but
equally amazing. One of the investigators from my last area was
baptized. She has been meeting with missionaries for five years, and
two days ago she was finally able to enter the waters of baptism. My
heart goes out to those many missionaries who have taught her over the
long process of her conversion, and I thank my Heavenly Father for
them. The scriptures teach that the worth of souls is great in the
eyes of God. I know that this is true. I know that she is a beloved
daughter of God, and that the Angels rejoiced when she was baptized.
We all know someone who is struggling in life. We all know someone who
could be blessed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. And we all know
someone who we think will never come unto Christ. But I know that the
Lord sees those people differently. He sees their potential. And He
will never write them off. He will never give up on them. And neither
should we. Those people are precious children of God, and as we come
to truly see them that way, then we can love them the way the Lord
loves them, serve them the way He would, and be led by the spirit to
help them on the long journey back to their Father in Heaven. All we
have to do is never give up on them.
I love you all
Elder Miller

  

This week has been good. This area is so different from Cedar. In answer to your question, reopening an area is hard. We have to sort of jump start the area, get the excitement up, dispel discouragement from the members, and get the work flowing again. My new companiado is Elder Urbina. He is from Miami, and he has served in this area before. He was here when they closed it. We are really short on missionaries right now, so some areas had to be closed to reopen this area.

Speaking of bikes, I will be using one of the mission bikes up here in this area. This whole experience is entirely new to me. I have really begun to appreciate the challenges that missionary work presents. I can feel myself growing, becoming stronger as new struggles arise and are overcome. I'm not to the point where I am praying for challenges, but I see them in a new light. I recently saw a Mormon message called the refiners fire. That video really strengthened my testimony of the purifying power of adversity. I know that the challenges we face in life are consecrated by the Lord, and help us to become the people that our Father in Heaven wants us to become. How will we ever learn our true potential if we are never stretched?

The weather is warming up here as well. We got to help an elderly Sister get her garden area ready to plant. One of the sisters in this stake has Nubian goats, so that was really fun. We are going down to Ephriam today to play football with the zone.

Re: Hey, Jon!!

This week has been awesome! Btw, thanks for having us kids work so hard. Learning to enjoy hard work is probably one of the most important lessons that I have learned yet. This week we worked so hard, and I loved it. So thank you.

Anyway, we got transfer calls on Saturday. I am getting transferred! Tomorrow morning I will be going up to Nephi. President Center informed me that this is as far north as this mission goes. Also, get this: the area is bilingual! My new companion is Spanish speaking. So I will be learning Spanish, but I won't have the extra time to study it. Oh, and then the icing on the cake: we are reopening this area! I'm not sure how long it has been closed for, but we are going to be the jumpstart for missionary work in that area. So yeah, I am so excited. I am going to miss this area so much. I never realized how much service cultivates our love for others. I have put my heart into this area, and the fruits are beginning to show. Now someone else will have the privilege of harvesting that fruit. But I will always remember the wonderful people in the Cedar West Stake. 

I am about to enter an entirely new era of personal growth. I have one doubt that I am about to face challenges that I cannot face on my own. But I also have no doubt that I will not be facing them alone. And that is what makes this work so wonderful. Through the Lord's power, we can do things that would be impossible on our own. So watch out, Nephi! The Lord has a work to do.

This week has been awesome! It had it's ups and downs, of course, but overall it was a good week. We gained a new investigator, and lost another. We taught 26 lessons this week! Not our highest number yet, but still a busy week. Transfers are coming up, but the likelihood of my being transferred is relatively small. More likely, Elder Gordy will be transferred, and I will be in charge of this area. :O I only have a week left of training left, and then I will be cut lose from the training wheels, as it were (dont tell Elder Gordy that I referred to him as training wheels) ;). There are a lot of exciting changes going on in this area. We just got a new high counsellor in charge of missionary work, and he is so awesome! He brings a lot of enthusiasm to the work, and he is really encouraging the ward mission leaders to magnify their callings. It really is amazing to see the difference in the wards where missionary work is an active focus, as opposed to those who  are not quite so enthusiastic. To anyone who thinks that missionaries can get along just fine without member support, think again. Where members are not engaged in missionary work, the work suffers.

I have learned something really important, both for full-time missionaries, and for member missionaries: If you are trying to do missionary work the way that somebody else does it, you probably wont have much success. The ways of sharing the Gospel are as varied as the people who share it. Heavenly Father has made us entirely unique, each with talents, skills, and abilities that we can and should use to further the work. Some are successful by boldly crying repentance, others by gently and lovingly guiding others to the Lord. Just because we dont have the same talents as someone who we see as a great missionary, doesn't mean that the Lord does not have a work for us to do. He does. "By small and simple things are great things brought to pass". Alma 37:6

Until next week. 

Elder Miller

 It snowed last night, and it is cold today.
We are planning on a seeing a couple of our investigators, including
the new one. :) we are super excited about that.
I thought before that I understood missionary work. I thought that I
understood what it means to be a witness of Christ. But I am
discovering just how far I have to go. But instead of being
discouraged, I am excited. The work is difficult, but the blessings
that come from it far outweigh the cost. So I say, let it be hard.
I heard a wonderful quote by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. He said that
some missionaries ask why the work cant be easy. why cant it be simple
to help others come unto Christ? why dont people flock to baptism? But
it is not easy, because Salvation is not a cheap experience {imagine
Elder Holland's voice speaking those words}. Why should it be easy for
us, when it was NEVER easy for Him who made it all possible?
We can all use the Atonement a little more in our lives. We all should
use the Atonement a little more. He paid for this gift with His life.
The least we can do is show our gratitude by living the way that He
would have us live.

Hello, world! I am grateful for monday emails. It reminds me that the world still exists outside of Cedar. This week has been full of ups and downs. Mostly ups. The work continues to move forward, and it is all we can do to try and keep up. I was able to perform my first baptism this past Saturday! I am so excited for Sister Philips. I hope to see her go to the temple soon.

Our Father in Heaven loves all of us. His arms are extended to everyone, and those arms are only one heartfelt, earnest prayer away. Sometimes, when we feel the distance between ourselves and Heavenly Father, We wonder how we can possibly cross that great divide. But it is the adversary that wants us to believe that the distance is too far. When we open our hearts in humility to Him, then He crosses that divide that we have created, and we can feel His loving arms wrap around us. He is very aware of our struggles, and He wants to help us. Let's let Him.

Elder Miller

Howdy, Y'all!

It's spring time in Cedar City! The weather has taken a drastic upturn in the past week. It is time for short sleeves and.... well, that's about as casual as we get. Anyway, its better that the slush that we were in for a couple of weeks. And, this weather means that we have started running in the mornings. :) emoticons are great. people have no idea what your actual expression is.

This scripture has been bouncing around in my head for the past few days. "ponder the path of thy feet". How often do we take time to wonder where our feet are taking us? I am reminded of a talk that Elder Uchtdorf gave, about the measure of a few degrees. If a plane gets off course by even 1 degree, the destination changes drastically. Are our feet taking us where we want to be? More importantly, are they taking us where the Lord wants us to be?

It is easy to get off course. It is easy, when we notice that we are off course, to say "Oh, I'm not that off course. It's no big deal, right?" One degree. That's all it takes. And when we notice that we are way off course, we will (not may. will) be tempted to say, "Why bother? its too late". Brothers and Sisters, Children of a Heavenly Father, it is NEVER too late to correct course. There are legions of angels waiting to help us walk that path that leads to God. We have a Savior, who loves us enough to conquer death and pain for us. 

May the path of our feet follow the path that His feet trod. The path that leads over the mountains of our tribulations, and to the throne of our Father.

I love you all

Elder Miller

Hello, The rest of the world!

Still in Cedar. Really, there wasnt much movement in this district for this transfer. I am still with my trainer. Most of the snow is gone, and I am starting to remember that I am in fact in the desert. :) Oh well, I still love it here.

WE HAVE iPADS! So, yeah, I actually have no idea how to use them as a missionary, but who cares? we have ipads! Seriously, though, they are a great tool. And we will learn more about how to use them as we go. As you can probably tell, I am pretty stoked. I wish you all could hear my mad scientist laugh. It's pretty great.

I have some exciting news. One of our investigators is on day 10 without smoking! This is something that she has been struggling with for years, and now she is beating it. This has been the highlight of my first month. I am seeing the cleansing power of the Atonement in her life, and the change is so drastic.

The rest of the past 2 weeks have been good. The work has slowed down a little bit, but it goes on. I still cant believe that an entire transfer has gone by. I was told that the days would feel like weeks, and the weeks would feel like days. Heh. Everything is just flying by, and I found myself worrying about being transferred. I was actually pretty stressed out. I wasnt ready. I was untrained. I was unqualified. Do you know what I discovered? So what. There is no such thing as a perfect missionary. There is no such thing as a perfect disciple of Christ. But I heard something in sacrament meeting yesterday that struck me. The Lord does not call the qualified; He qualifies those He calls.

So I will happily go wherever I am called, and all of us should. The Lord has a work for each of us to do, but He cant steer us if we aren't moving. Faith is an action, a step. And as we take that step, we can trust that the Lord will guide us in the right direction. Because He will. He always will.

Love you all.Take care

Elder Miller  

This week has been awesome. We are continuing to find so many people to teach, and we will be seeing some baptisms in the very near future. The Lord is blessing His missionaries very richly in this area. My first transfer is almost up, and I cant believe how fast the time has gone. I will send more next week, and I might be in a new area! you never know.

Elder Miller

From the desert city currently buried under a foot of snow, HELLO! Seriously, just when we had gotten rid of the last snow, more came in. According to a reputable source (that lady on the street) traffic has been worse in the past 2 weeks than it has been in years. Surprise, surprise. I actually feel sorry for the Sister missionaries in our district. One is from Texas, and the other has been in St. George for the past 16 months. They don't like the snow, lets leave it at that. Anyway, enough about the weather. This week has been soooo busy! I went on my first transfer this week. I went over to the North stake, and the district leader, Elder Henderson, came to our area. The Elder I was with, Elder Baker, is awesome. He is 18, but he looks like he is in his 20's. He is also a big joker, and for a while I was honestly afraid that he was going to start contacting people while speaking with a Spanish accent. But he does take the work seriously, he just has fun doing it. 

 Elder Gordy and I now have several more people to teach. I almost wrote that we had found more people, but in reality, the Lord led them to us. I have seen amazing things this week. I have seen hearts softened, even transformed. We now have three siblings who are preparing for baptism, and they are a great example to their less active parents. A young girl is hearing the lessons, in spite of the lack of support from her family. Actually, scratch that. There are two girls in that same situation. I thought I knew what faith was, until I came out here. I have seen acts of faith from complete strangers that have left me in awe.

I had an interesting experience this week. In the past little while, I have struggled at times to find the courage to open my mouth, and declare the gospel. There has been sickness going around, and several missionaries have caught it. I also caught it, but unlike the others, I completely lost my voice for 2 days. Let me tell you, not speaking  is completely different from not having the option to speak. It reminded me of the parable of the talents. We may at times feel like the man with one talent. And maybe we are. If we are, then we need to show the Lord what we can do with that one talent. And when we show the Lord that we can be trusted, then He will bestow more talents upon us. I have gained a great appreciation for, not only the opportunity, but the ability that I have to raise my voice and declare that I know that the Lord lives, that His Priesthood authority exists on the earth, and that His church has been restored to the earth in it's fullness. To all those that read this, I invite you: identify the talents, the gifts, the blessings that you have received from our Father in Heaven. We all have them. Find them. And then do something. Share what you have, use what you have been given to bless someone else's life. I promise that as you do this, that our Heavenly Father will shower you with blessings. This is my testimony. My talent. And I share it in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, amen.

Elder Miller 

P.S. Yes, Mom. I am better now. :)

For the first time since I got here, it actually feels like winter. Greetings from the winter wonderland otherwise known as Ceder City. Fun fact: 2 feet of snow on the windshield can really mess up your windshield wipers. Elder Gordy and I were out driving this morning. We stopped at an intersection, and all of the snow that was on the roof slid down on the windshield; not conducive to a pleasant driving experience. Anyway, things are going well here. We were stuck in the apartment all day yesterday, because Elder Gordy was sick. I have never gotten cabin fever so quickly. By the end of the day... well, lets just say that I had Elder Gordy worried.

It is amazing to look back on the last week. Often times, miracles can only be seen in hindsight. This has certainly been the case this past week. I can testify that the Lord has been walking with us on this road, and we knew Him not. Sometimes it isnt until the end of the day, and you are looking back that you can see the hand of the Lord in your life. There have been many times that we have been cancelled on, or the people were not home, and our last minute change of plans resulted in the opportunity to serve, bless, or testify. I feel like one of the laborers in the field, called at the eleventh hour, and receiving for my labors a wage equal to laborers far greater than I. As we do the work allotted to us, and put forth our best effort, then the Lord will be walking with us. Then, it our duty to recognize Him. 

Until next week. And be careful on the roads out there.

Elder Miller

Greetings from Cedar City!

This week has been good. Of course, there are always ups and downs, but for the most part it went well. We had a zone-wide fast this past Sunday and the fruits of it are already showing. We found several more people who are interested in the Gospel, and we look forward to teaching them. This past Monday Elder Gordy and I went hiking with one of the families in our stake. We went down to a little place called Spring Creek. It was the very first slot canyon that I had ever seen. I will send pictures when I can. It is absolutely beautiful out here.

I have been surprised to discover that the most that I have learned has nothing to do with lessons or contacting or talking to people. I have learned more about myself in the short time that I have been out than I realized there was to know. I am learning about my limits, as those limits are certainly being stretched. But like a friend that I made in the MTC said, "there is no growth in a comfort zone, and there is no comfort in a growth zone". But above all else, I have learned that no matter what our limits are, the Lord can take those limitations and stretch them farther that we can imagine possible. He can and will give us strength beyond that which is known to man, as we follow His example, and adhere to His teachings and are faithful to the covenants we have made with the Father. I know that Heavenly Father is watching all of us, and that, as with the widows mite, however small our offering may be, if it is our all, than it is acceptable to Him.

I love you all. Until next week.

Elder Miller

First Area!!

Hey, guys,

It was great to hear from you.That's awesome about the Larsens (new home). And speaking of them, let them know that I actually met someone else named Jantzen. Granted, it was a hippie dude in a plaid shirt, but still.....

These past few days have been amazing! I'm in Cedar City now, and my trainer's name is Elder Gordy. He is really cool. He has really had to pick up the slack while I am finding my feet, but he has been totally cool with it. I am learning a lot, and am surprised by the number of people there are to teach. This area is really busy. Of course, this may be due to the fact that we are covering eight wards! The people that I have met are so cool, member and non-member alike. Sister Hunt is like the mom of the Cedar West missionaries. Bishop Neilson reminds me of President Blau, and Elder Levitt (he's an area seventy) reminds me of Bishop Burdett. Several members from the 13th ward are helping us put together a musical fireside for investigators. Everybody wants to help.

Miracles are happening all around. A woman who has smoked for years has quit cold turkey. she is preparing for baptism. We knocked on a door when it looked like everyone was in bed. The family that lives there has been inactive for years, and had no interest in us. Then Elder Gordy offered a prayer over the house. The spirit was so strong, and the mother was sobbing when we left that evening. We have hope for them yet.

Despite how enamored I may sound, the work here is hard. But I've learned that the harder you work, the more the Lord blesses you. In fact, I've learned a lot of things;  I've learned that 30 seconds of prayer can mean the difference between whether or not you have the spirit with you; I've learned that something as simple as a child laughing can make the worst day all right. And I have learned that the Lord truly does guide His missionaries. 

I love you.

 until next week,

 Elder Miller