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.