Oompa Loompa

Hi Family!

I'm emailing so late today because we had zone p-day! That was super fun. I used to hate zone p day... It's where a bunch of weird missionaries get together and play sports.. and I usually get hit in the face. But then I met Oompa Loompa, and my life has changed!! Oompa is like ultimate frisbee, but you play it on a basketball court with a football. It's so fun!!

This week was pretty good! Carolyn finished the Book!!! I asked how she felt about it, and she said, "Like I want to get baptized!" I was blown away. She has changed so much. Her only hold up is that she wants her husband to do it too, and he's not super interested. But things will work out :) Please pray for them. I love those humans so stinking much!

I got to go on exchanges in Chippy again! (Chippenham YSA ward...) it was so fun! I love downtown Richmond. Exchanges are really fun when you get to leave your area. Nice change up :) The city is so interesting and fun!

While I was gone, Sister George had an awesome lesson with Pam. She was super golden, but she kind of disappeared on us a few days ago :( We stopped by, and her roommate told us that she was sleeping, and she didn't want to do the Stop Smoking program any more. It's a big life change, so I think she's just scared. :( Please please pray for her. She is amazing.

After that happened with Pam, I was thinking about how Satan uses fear and self doubt to keep us from being happy and doing good. We feel the spirit work within us, and we start to change, but then we think, "I can't do this. I'm not strong enough." I feel that way all the time as a missionary! It's so easy to beat ourselves up. But it made me think of the story from general conference about the little boy trying to move a huge boulder. It wouldn't budge. The dad told him, "You must use all your strength." He said, "I am!" But the dad responded, "No. You haven't asked for my help yet." With the aid of his father, the little boy was able to move the boulder. It's like that with Heavenly Father. I know He didn't send us here to fail. I know He doesn't ask us to do anything He doesn't intend to help us with. Sometimes missionary work is just plain hard, and I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing. But I know that with the Lord's help, all things are possible. I know this gospel is real. I love sharing it. 

I love you so much family! Have a blast this week with haylie and sawyer! I hope to see pictures :) MOM! Happy happy birthday! You guys better spoil the heck out of her. She is the best mom ever, and she deserves it. Miss you.

Love, 

Sister Miller

August 4, 2014

Oh my goodness, FAMILY. This week was nutso!

First of all, I got a new companion! Her name is Sister George from the lovely little town of Cody Wyoming. She's a good egg :) She's been out 14 months, so I'm learning a lot from her!

Okay, so miracle number one (of many) this week is Carolyn. Remember how we dropped her, and it was really hard? Well, to make a long story short, we went over to her house this week, and she had read from Jacob 1 to Alma 45 in the Book of Mormon! She has been reading it for 2 hours every day!! She knows its true (she already did...) and she's doing awesome!

Next miracle, remember Pat R.? Sweet old less active lady whose husband has dementia? Well, she's been coming to church, reading her scriptures, and being awesome... and she decided she wants to go back to the temple! She wanted to start paying tithing, but she had no clue where the money was going to come from. She said, "I don't have spending money.. but I'm going to take a leap of faith and just see what happens." A few days later, she got her rent and utility bills, and they had dropped $170!

We had a blitz in our area this week, so all the missionaries in our district came over to tract. The Bon Air elders met this guy named JR, and we got to teach him the next day. He just got done with basic training for the Navy, and he has so many questions about life. I think it was the most amazing lesson I've ever been a part of. He was SO humble, and you could just see how badly he wanted forgiveness. The spirit completely took over, and it was beautiful to feel God's love flow to him through the lesson.

The next day, we found Pam. Sister George found a name from the area book and said, "I feel like we need to go see him." When we pulled up to the house, I realized that I had been there before, and that they weren't interested. So we decided to tract his neighbors. Pam was the first door we knocked on. She said she never opens the front door, but for some reason she did that day. She said, "this is amazing... I've never even had a desire for religion before. I never understood people who did. But for the first time in my life... I want Godliness." She had just decided the day before to quit smoking, and she really wants to change her life. 

Later that day, we went park contacting. There were only 2 people there, so we almost decided to leave and do something else. But Sister George said, "No, let's take at least 1 lap and talk to those people." So we did. A young man walked past, and I handed him a Plan of Salvation pamphlet. We started talking, and he told us that he had been searching for something in his life. He had come to the park that day to talk to God, and he was saying a prayer inside when we stopped him. 

It is incredible to see Heavenly Father's hand in this work. This week it hit me so hard that the savior truly wants to forgive. When we are baptized, all our sins are washed away. That is why we invite people to do it. I know that the atonement is real. I'm seeing it work in my life, and I'm seeing it in the lives of the people. I love this gospel with all my heart. It is true. 

I love you!  

Sister Miller

July 28, 2014

Looks like I get to stay in Midlo!! I'm thrilled! I sure love it here! Sister Hansen is leaving me though. She's going to be a sister training leader somewhere, so that's pretty neat! I've learned so much from her.

 

I can't remember if I told you this or not, but Sister Hansen has been waiting on a visa to go to Brazil for 11 months now. She usually wears an English name tag, but a few weeks ago, she accidentally put her Portuguese one on. We was a member that day, and she said, "Hey, is that Portuguese? The lady who cleans my house is from Brazil!" So sister Hansen got to teach her in Portuguese! It was sweet. Katia, the Brazilian, wasn't super interested in the gospel, but she wanted to help Sis Hansen with her Portuguese, so she agreed to take the lessons! She and her husband came over to the members' for dinner, and Sister Hansen taught the restoration. It was so awesome because even though I couldn't understand, I felt the spirit. And I know Katia felt it too. She started answering the Portuguese questions in English, so we all were able to talk about it together.:) She and her husband both promised to read and pray about the Book of Mormon. I won't get to continue teaching them because they live out of our area, but that was a cool experience.

Teaching the gospel is the best. It has been really challenging to find people who want to really learn, but man. When we do, it makes me so happy! We got to teach Denise again this week. She is wonderful. She believes everything, she's just scared of change. Please pray for her to be blessed with courage. :)

 

We also got to teach this super cool guy named James. He's a member of the United Church of Africans or something like that. He just sat us down and asked us every question he had about Mormons. I love when people do this! Because if you sincerely ask what we believe and why we believe it, it kinda makes a whole lot of sense! :) Every person was taught the plan of Salvation before they came to Earth, and I believe that everyone remembers it somewhere deep in their heart. When they hear it, it's like a memory coming back to them. I love seeing that. I love when people realize that they are children of God, and that He loves them and desires their happiness!

Well, that's the scoop! I miss you guys a lot, and I pray for you every day. I love you!

Sister Miller

July 21st Email

Hello Familia!

I hope y'all doing well. I'm emailing so late because we had sisters p-day with all the sistas in our zone today! It was really fun. We went to Belle Island and ate Pizza in Cary Town. :) I love me some Richmond City! Cute cobblestone streets and crazy people and big buildings... makes me happy :)

Transfer calls are this Saturday. Bah! The last month has FLOWN by! We'll see what happens. I'm quite attached to Midlothian, so I know it'll be tough to leave. But whatever happens, I'll be happy. 

It was Sister Hansen's birthday on Wednesday! I made bread pudding to celebrate, so it felt like it was my birthday too! She is such a wonderful companion. I seriously am blown away by her faith. We've come to be such good friends. Every time we know we have to do something hard or awkward or scary, we just start humming "Called to serve." Haha it's sooo cheesey but it works!

We worked really hard this week. We had to drop Carolyn, and that was tough, but I think it was definitely for the best. Even though there weren't any huge miracles this week, there were so many little tender mercies that helped me keep going. I know that Heavenly Father knows us individually. I know we are His children, and I know that "there is not one of us He has not cared for and caressed. There is not one of us he has not desired to save and devised means to save." The Book of Mormon is such a blessing in my life. I know it can help us with our individual concerns. 

Thank you so much for the CD! Sorry this email is short. I love you all a bunch!

Love, Sister Miller

Pics from Midlo & Richmond

July 14th Letter

Hey ya cute family,

I hope this email finds you well and enjoying a nice week of summer! This week was a little bit of everything for me. It started off with some miracles, so let's start there!

On Monday night when we were planning, we asked the Lord for a miracle the next day at 1:36. God isn't limited by time or human requests, but we knew that if we put forth the effort and had faith in Him, He would provide an opportunity for us to help someone else. By 12:50 that day, our plans and all 3 back-ups had fallen through. So what did we do? Tract! After doing that for 45 minutes, not a person had answered. Then, at precisely 1:36, someone answered! And from that point on, every door on the street was opened. We got 3 return appointments and got to teach the restoration! :) We met this amazing woman named Joanna Bartles. She's an artist and a yoga instructor and just a sweet, good soul. Please pray for her! We get to teach her again this week :)

We went on my first full split on Wednesday! I got to teach Carolyn with a girl named Katie, and her mom took Sister Hansen to teach a lady we met tracting named Julia. She is GOLDEN! She's a 21 year old single mom. She's so humble and just knows she needs the Savior. 

Thursday and Friday were both really slow days, but we got to visit some elderly people and play bingo at Ginter again! Poor Sister Hansen. I love old people, and there's a lot of them in Midlothian, so we visit them a lot! One lady we visit is something of an angel. Her husband is in the dementia unit of a nursing home. He can't even remember her name, but she goes there every day to visit and take care of Him. 

We also got to teach this sweet lady named Denice. Her husband left her for someone else a few years ago, and she is just heartbroken. :( Something I've learned from my mission is that everyone has a story. Every person is going through, or will go through, something really hard. That is why I love the gospel. I don't know what it's like to have a dying husband, to have been cheated on, or to be struggling to support a baby on my own. But I know that Jesus Christ understands. I know that the gospel is for everyone, and no matter the circumstance, it can heal. Everything we teach all comes back to Him. We have the book of Mormon because it testifies of Him. The priesthood is here to bind us to Him. We have prophets to reveal to us His words and the way back to Him. I know that He lives. He can change us. 

Here are some other things I learned this week:

- When we're trying to do the right thing, we can ALWAYS expect opposition. The hardest mornings of my mission have always come just before the best things have happened. 

-Helping people makes us HAPPY :)

Well, this was quite the novel. Oh! As for the Egyptian food experience of the week: boiled eggs surrounded by ground meat and deep fried, pasta with oil and pepper sauce, and some sort of chicken! It was actually super tasty, but I could probably go for 3 days without eating and be fine :I "Complete." ;)

I love you all very very much!

July 7th Letter

Hi family!

I got to see Patty, Curtis, and Brinlee! Oh my word, it was the best thing in the world! I was worried that I would get homesick or distracted after they left, but I wasn't. It just gave me a big boost! They are so sweet.

This week was really good :) Most of the people we've been working with were out of town, but we had a lot of service opportunities. Our ward had a pancake breakfast on the 4th, which was really fun. We made red, white, and blue cookies and took them to people and shared patriotic scriptures with them. It started out as a hard day, I think because I just knew what you all were doing. But as soon as we got to work and started seeing people, I was fine. We ended up helping with Bingo at Ginter Hall and visiting a lot of people who were spending the 4th alone. It really changed my perspective. It made me grateful that I have a family to miss. I love you guys so much, and I just love knowing that we'll always be there for each other. You are my best friends! That friendship is such a gift.

We also had our first official English class.... and no one showed up! Hahah. But it's alright, because the next day we had a great class with Osama (the Egyptian man from the park..Triza's brother) and his 2 kids, Andrew and Stephen. They are the cutest little humans I have ever seen (except sawyer.) We taught them how to make friends haha. They're really smart!

We got to teach the restoration to some guys who were fishing at the park the other day. I just love sharing the gospel. It's the happiest message in the world. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. It has brought me closer to my Savior. It clarifies God's plan for us and enriches our personal lives. I love the gospel with all my heart. 

I hope you all have a great week!

A few Pics

June 16th Email

Well this has been the most eventful week of my mission so far, so we'll see how much of it I can jam into an email. Let's go chronologically!

Tuesday:

Carolyn is changing so much. She is loving the book of mormon! She said she believes everything we teach, and she wants to be baptized, but she won't until she reads the whole book. I'm excited for her. Love that sweet lady!

Wednesday:

Sisters meeting! It was a conference with all the sisters in the mission, and it was amazing!

Thursday:

We were walking towards our apartment complex at the end of the day, and just as we were about to go inside, we heard 2  super loud bangs, and the street light went out.  We booked it to the car as fast as we could, thinking they were gun shots. Honestly, I've never been so terrified in my entire life. We found out later that a squirrel had crawled into the transformer on the phone pole and it exploded! Haha!

Friday:

There is this sweet Egyptian family that lives in our apartment complex. (Not Jesseem's fam.) They don't speak very much english, but we always say hi to them. On Friday, they said, "Come here! What church you from?" We told them and they said, "Jesus Christ? We want to come!" They left Egypt 7 months ago because it's not safe (especially for Christians) right now. They left practically everything to come here, and things haven't exactly been easy since they've come. Safwat, the dad, slipped on ice and injured himself, so he can't work. Fady, their son works at Sam's club, and I think that's their main income. They have a sweet 14 year old girl named Kareen, and Susan is the mom. I LOVE them!!

Later that day we played Bingo at Ginter Hall, and this sweet elderly resident told me that he used to burglar for a living. I love those people! Anyways, when we were leaving, it started raining like someone had turned on a shower head. I've never seen so much rain! This chubby black lady had left her windows rolled down, and so she put a grocery bag over her her head and ran out yelling, "Oh Lord! Please say Peace be still!" hahahha I thought I was going to die. 

Saturday:

Teaching the Sheahates family was one of the sweetest experiences I've ever had. Karen had to do some translating, and we had to speak very simply, but the spirit was so strong. Safwat just kept putting his hand on his heart saying, "It feels good." We invited them to be baptized in July, and he said, "Yes. We believe, and we will know. We will be ready." I love that family. They have so much faith. 

We got transfer calls that night... Sister Armstrong is leaving. I'm not going to lie, it's pretty much been a nonstop crying fest since she found out. She's been here 6 months, and it's her fist area.. plus, things just started getting sooo good here! But someone needs her somewhere else, and she will do great wherever. I'm just happy I got her for a little while!

Sunday:

Safwat's family came to church! They loved it! The young women totally took to Kareen, and the ward helped them feel welcome and loved. They  insisted on making us Egyptian food, and that was quite the experience! Susan made an entire roasted chicken, some sort of green soup with pita bread, a pasta casserole thing, salad, and fried potatoes. Everything was good, but they dished us up HUGE servings, and we had just eaten a steak dinner at a member's house!!! She just kept saying. "Eat." We stopped when we couldn't eat anymore, and she said, "You no like it?" We said, "No, it's so good!" and she pointed at the plate and said, "Complete." She did that about 7 more times throughout the meal, and somehow we were able to get a lot of it down. I was sick all night haha! They are soooo so sweet! Just wanted to give us the best they had :)

Then, we were driving to Carolyn's and who do you do you think calls us? A. Hill. The crazy southern lady who gave me a cat book! She dropped us 2 months ago! She said, "Sistah Millah. Ah've been thinkin' it over, and I've changed my mind about it a few times..." (So, of course at this point, my missionary mind is thinking, "Oh my gosh! Her heart has been softened! She wants the gospel!" haha.) But no. She said, "I know a young Christian man who is so kind and is verrrrry pleasant looking...." And proceeded to try and set me up with this random guy from her church! Haha Sister Armstrong almost had to pull over because she was laughing so hard. 

Anyways, sorry about the novel! This week was incredible. I love being a missionary. We are so blessed. Seriously, Heavenly Father has just been so good to us. I love you guys so much. Keep on a keepina keepina keepin it reeal!

June 9th Email

Hello family!

I hope you've all had a fun week in Denver! Mom mailed me a bunch of pictures this week, and it was so good to see all your cute faces! Did you know that you are the best family ever? I also got a sweet package from kar dar this week, which made me so happy! THANK YOU!

So this week we had zone conference, which was super sweet! We learned a lot about family history and how we can use it in our missionary work. It was crazy because the next day, we saw Lori  shopping at a yard sale. We were walking down the road and she said, "Oh my gosh! I was just thinking of you two! Can you please help me with my genealogy??" So tonight we get to go to the family history center and help her out with that.

Another highlight... WE GOT BIKES!!! :) Carolyn was cleaning out her garage and asked if we wanted them. Of course, we said "yes!" We're going to find out if we can use them once a week to save miles, and if it doesn't rain we're going to ride them today :) I can't wait!

But there's even better news about Carolyn! We invited her to be baptized last night and she said yes! but she doesn't know when. That's a pretty typical response for an "eternal investigator," but it was still a big deal to me. She has changed so much. We're reading the Book of Mormon with her, and I can't even describe just how strong the spirit is each time we do. Commitments make her really anxious, so she usually doesn't do them. But this week we assigned her to read 3 nephi 17 on her own and SHE DID! :) She loved it, and she felt the spirit. She knows it is true.

I love the gospel so much. It's so awesome 2 hours every day just to study it! Being in the "bible belt," there are a lot of people who just want to bash. But it's amazing, because each time that has happened, it has given me an opportunity to study and find the answers for myself. I don't argue with people, because I know that "love is the essence of the gospel," and the spirit is the true teacher. But  each time I've had a question come up, I've been able to find an answer as I've searched the scriptures and prayed. I love that!

I know that the Book of Mormon is true. Sometimes I think it would be easier just to say it isn't and go home. But I can't. I have read it, prayed about it, and seen it change lives. I can't deny it! I know this book is true, and I know that it brings people closer to Jesus Christ. I know that helping people is the best way to get happy :)

I love you so much! Have the best week :)

Love,

Sister Miller

Good things in Midlo :)

Hi sweet humans,

I hope you've all had a really good week and are enjoying the first bit of summer! This week there was a cool miracle, but hang with me if the story is really scattered.

When Sis A first got here, she met this Egyptian woman named Triza. She asked if the sisters could help her fill out a job application for her brother because they both spoke little English. 

Our neighbors are from somewhere in the Middle East, and we recently made friends with their son, Jesseem. (Probably Butchered that spelling.) He's Muslim, but is always asking us about what we do. He even asked if he could have some pass along cards to give out to other people. We bumped into him at the park the other day and were chatting when a man walked up and started speaking to him in Arabic. We introduced ourselves and found out that this man was Trizas brother! The one Sister Armstrong had helped fill out the application for! He told us he had been looking for a church with a good youth program where his children could learn about Jesus Christ! He wants us to teach their family and help them learn English too! :) 

Last night, we were eating with some members, and a couple of the young women were there. We found out that they know Jesseem and they want to invite him to church on Sunday! Speaking of young women, holy moly! The youth are so amazing! They all shared their testimonies in sacrament meeting yesterday, and the spirit was so strong!

I love the gospel so much! If there is one thing that I could just tell everyone, it would be this: It's worth it. The gospel is worth it! :) When we make good choices, we are happy. All of the things we've been learning to do since we were little, praying, serving others, reading scriptures, being honest, reaching out... all they really do is just make us happy and make the world a better place! I know that the blessings of the temple are worth it. I know that Jesus Christ loves us, and I know that through Him, all things are possible. 

I love you so much family :) I miss you a ton, but I know it's worth it. ;) You are some incredible people, and you have a huge impact on the people around you. Keep sharing your love and God's love. Keep it real!

Love,

Mimaw

May 27

Hi Fam,

I hope you all had a super good Memorial day! YAY for school being out! This week was pretty good in good o midlo.

We met with Jonathan, and man. That guy is so solid! He's super smart, and every time we assign him to read something from the Book of Mormon, he gets sooo much out of it! When we met this week, there was just something different about him. He said that since we've been meeting, he feels so much more happy and hopeful. He said that when he used to look at the state of the world, he just felt depressed. He said he sees things now with new eyes. It's so beautiful to see the gospel changing his life! Please keep him in your prayers. And Lisa too. She sort of fell off the face of the earth this week, so we are trying to get back in touch with her. 

We started teaching a guy named Zenos! Like in the book of Mormon! Haha he is super cool, but we will probably be giving him to the ysa missionaries. 

The other day, sister Armstrong and I were both just super down. People don't usually put this in their emails home, but there are some days on your mission when you wake up and you just plain don't want to be a missionary. I realized that satan really never wants us to go out and do anything good, and he especially doesn't want us to share the gospel. So we did it anyways! And the first person we met was a young man reading at the  park. We asked what it was and he said, "It's all about how there are tons of different religions with little bits of truth." Wowee, could ya be more prepared?? So that was cool! He'll go to ysa too, but still cool. 

We met with Larry this week.I wish I could just record one of our meetings with him and show you because you would laugh so hard. We were talking about the second coming of Jesus, and he said, "I'm tellin you man, the world is so crazy! I'm going to be the first one on that Jesus bus when He comes. Be like 'Come on sista armstrong and sista milla! We got our chicken salad, we got our RICE. Let's go man! Get us outta hea!' I'mma bring my cell phone, be textin my friends like, 'Wassup I'm in the clouuds playaa!'" ha ha Larry...

This week was pretty long and hard, but I saw the Lord's hand in my life over and over again. Thank you so much for praying for me. I could especially feel your prayers this week, and they are what got me through.  I know that the Lord goes before me and beside me in this work. He's called us "that the fulness of (His) gospel might be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the ends of the world, and before kings and rulers." D&C 1:23. Sometimes it's so overwhelming just how weak and simple I am, but I'm realizing that the Lord doesn't want me to be anything else. I may not know every little thing about the gospel, but I sure love the people here, and I think that's what matters. 

I know the gospel is true. I love the Book of Mormon so much. I know it contains the fullness of the gospel. It brings us closer to Jesus Christ. 

I love you so much family. You guys rule! Have an amazing week!

Love,

Sister Miller

May 19th Update

Hey family!

So many good things happened this week! First of all, JONATHAN AND LISA BOTH CAME TO CHURCH! :) Yay! it was so awesome. Sister Armstrong and I did a special musical number, which was sweet. "There's no growth in the comfort zone and no growth in the comfort zone!" It was scary, but super worth it! Sister Carboni, a less active member played piano for us, and we had such a great time getting to know her at practices. She's a super amazing lady. 

I love the atonement. I love that no matter what, we can change. And it's so cool because when the Savior changes us, he doesn't make us into someone else. He makes us more fully who we are! We truly find ourselves when we surrender our hearts to Him. When we took the sacrament yesterday, my heart felt the way it does when I'm in Zion National park. It's this tiny connection to something soooo huge! "The Lord is able to do is own work." And I'm sure grateful that I get to be a little part of it.

So yesterday Sister Armstrong and I recieved a letter addressed to both of us from the New York New York mission... It turns out, one of her best friends is companions with Daniel Steiner! Haha. Also, I found out that my bishop here used to be in a punk rock band and that he had a huge mowhawk and tattoos. So that's pretty  cool!

We finally got in touch with the Whites! They're not super interested in learning about the gospel right now, but please keep them in your prayers. They're going through a lot. We got to help them out with a ton of yard work the other day, and that was a really cool experience.

Well, I hope you all have a great week! Life is good :) I love you so much!

Love,

Sister Mimi Miller

Staying in Midlo

Looks like sister armstrong and I will stay in Midlo for another transfer! :) So stoked. I still love it here!

I'm sorry my email last week was a little impersonal. So much happened and I was trying to jam it all into one email haha.. I never really know what to put in these still! Aslo, Brooks, I don't have your email address, (because you always send great letters,) so sorry I'm not sending these directly to you. I just kind of figure you all get them. 

Anyhow, this week was good! We had some super crazy weather, which I thought was fun because I'm really not used to it. We woke up to a cold, rainy morning, and by 1:00 PM it was 80 degrees and super humid! There was a tornado warning and the sky was going bonkers. Then it started pouring and it was like someone just turned on a warm shower. Just running through the parking lot, we got completely soaked through!

We got to meet with Lisa again. She is so amazing! My testimony grows so much every time we meet with her. She is prepared for the gospel! She told us that when her niece was born, she just had this feeling like she had been there all along. She said, "I don't even mean it in an endearing aunt sort of way. I just knew I had known her before." We then explained the plan of salvation to her. When she heard that we all lived together with God before we came to earth, it made her so happy! Once again, things just clicked for her. It made me so grateful to have been taught the plan of salvation from the time I was young. Mom and Dad, I really won't ever be able to thank you enough for raising me to know the gospel!

So... ELDER BEDNAR CAME TO MY MISSION!!! Wowee it was soooo incredible! He said to come to mission conference (which was combined with the whole Chesapeake mission) with questions. I never raised my hand, but every question I had was distinctly addressed and answered. Elder Bednar taught completely out of love and by the spirit. It was so powerful! I have no doubt in my mind that he is an apostle of the Lord. I learned many things in that meeting that won't just help me on my mission, but for the rest of my life.

I am so grateful that I get to be a missionary. It's so stinking hard. But I am a different person because of it. President Robbinson, another GA that was there, said, "Your mission is a university for your life... and you're enrolled in some pretty tough courses!" It's so true! In an email, dad referred to an experience I had as "Part of my education." I am learning so much each and every day, and I'm so thankful to be here. I especially love that I have 2 hours set aside each day for studying the scriptures. My testimony has grown so much! I didn't think anything was better than SUU as far as education goes... but Virginia totally wins.

I am happy. I am learning. I love it here. I have a testimony of the atonement. I know that Jesus Christ lives, and because of Him, change is always possible. Nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:35-39.) The sccriptures are true. I love them. I know that angels are real. Sometimes we see them. Sometimes we don't. :)

I miss you guys so much, but I am so happy that mom and dad were married in the temple, because I get to be with all you Julios FOREVER!!! :) I LOVE YOU HUMANS!! I hope you have the best week. Talk to you in 6 days!!!!!!! I can't wait!

Love, 

Sister Mimaw Miller

Good Week!

Dear Family,

We met this amazing lady named lisa. She saw some youth from the church helping a neighbor wit yardwork and wondered if she could have some help too, and they referred her to us. We taught her the restoration and she just kept saying, "Oh my gosh! That all makes so much sense!" I invited her to be baptized, ans she said YES. I almost fell on the floor! We had a sweet lesson a couple of days later, and it was the most amazing experience I've had on my mission so far. IT was beautiful to see just how prepared she was and to watch the light in her eyes as she learned. The member who was with us shared a powerful testimony, and it just felt like, "click." I love lisa! And by the way, she is a huge art history fanatic!! It's perfect.

So before this transfer, Sister A tracted every single door in our area... some more than once. When we had no one to teach last week, we started going through a haystack of former teaching records. I came across the needle named Marcus. Apparently he told the previous missionaries that he wanted 1 year to read the Book of Mormon and then to come back. It had been almost exactly a year since that date! We went back and met him, and he's basically the coolest guy ever. He teaches kung fu, ti chi, and energy healing. He's crazy smart and knows a lot about many different religions. He went from quoting the bible to singing Bob Marley to spitting rhymes all in just a few minutes! Haha it was awesome. We had a lesson over some herbal tea, and it went really well. He's definitely got a pure heart and I'm excited to meet again.

We also visited a guy(Jonathan) who was taught by some elders 3 years ago. We didn't really know anything about him. We rand the doorbell, and he came out wearing a nice sweater and glasses, holding a wooden spoon and a pan of scrambled eggs, and smiling the most sincere smile you have ever seen. It turns out that he had moved away for college, so he stopped meeting with the elders. He couldn't afford it anymore, so he just barely moved back in with his parents! We had a good lesson with him the next day. He's super prepared for the gospel... just an honest seeker of truth!

I feel really humbled and just so lucky to be a part of this work. Last week was rough for a reason. If people hadn't dropped us and our appointments hadn't fallen through, we wouldn't have had time to come through our area book and find Jonathan and Marcus. My testimony has grown so much this week, and I know that this is truly the work of God. I have no doubt that if he wanted to, he could do all of this without a dorky 19 year old like me. But he is so merciful that he wants me to be a part of this work so I can be converted too. The love I have for these people is a gift from Him, and I just feel so lucky to be here. Thank you so much for your support. It means the world. I feel your prayers every day. Miracles are happening. I love you all.

I know that this church is true. Jesus christ is the immortal son of God. He lives and he loves us. I know that His gospel and His preisthood have been restored to the earth. I know that Joseph smith was a prophet of God. He was only 14 when he sought God in earnest prayer, with hardly any education at all. He was imperfect. he was human, "But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and God hath chosen the weak things of this world to confound the mighty." 1 cor1:27. Had this been a man's work, it would have crumbled and fallen. But the Book of Mormon stands as a witness of the divinity of this work. I love the  Book of Mormon. I know It is true.

I love you dearly!

Love,

Sister Miller

Art Musuem

Dear Family,

Sister McGill took us to the Richmond Museum of Fine Arts today! As you can imagine, I LOVED it! It was the best art museum I've ever been to. There were Kandinskis, Reniors, Monets, and a bunch of other awesome things!! Happy mimi :)

On Tuesday we vonlunteered at an assisted living center. WE played bingo with elderly people, and it was way fun. Virginia, the woman I was playing with, fell asleep randomly and then started waiving her arms around with her eyes closed. I got all panicked and thought, "Oh shoot! What if she dies?!" (She didn't.) Other than that moment it was great! Just before going I read Pres Uchtdorfs talk on gratitude. (It was a rough week as far as homesickness goes for me..) I like how he says gratitude does not necessarily mean you are pleased with your circumstances, but that you are happy and grateful IN your circumstances. A landy at bingo mentioned something to me about not being able to remember enything, then said, "But I could loose a lot worse things than my memory! I have my hearing, AND I have this beautiful wheelchair to move around in! So The way I see it, I'm as lucky as a person can be." :) So sweet. That really struck me because there are a lot of people who have it a lot easier than she does, myself included. Yet she chose to be happy and grateful in the moment. 

I don't have a lot to update you on because this week was really hard and slow. But I have many things to be grateful for. I'm learning patience one cancelled appointment at a time. ;) 

Love you all lots. Sending lots of prayers your way! Please pray together as a family. :) 

Love, 

Sister Miller

Loving Missionary Life

 

We are having a blast here in midlothian. I always thought people were just april foolin when they said you meet some of your best friens on missions. But now I know what they mean! We're always speaking in funny accents, quoting the grinch, and what have ya. Sister armstrong and I work hard and strive for the spirit, but holy cats! We have a lot of fun! Speaking of april fools, did you guys placy any tricks?? We sure did! Sis Armstrong gave me a legit looking black eye with makeup, and we told everyone a fire extinguisher fell on my face! The pathetic part is... every single person believed me! Ha ha

 

Another highlight of the week, I got a TICK. Random and gross, right?! We got him out okay, though. We didn't have any rubbing alcohol, matches, or really anything useful, so we went over a member's. She said she had just been praying for an opportunity to help someone today haha! Bingo. We named him Douglass.

 

A great thing about this week is that it's been so warm! I love it because all the humans come outside and we get to talk to EVERYONE! It's fun. We go to a cute park across the street and meet awesome people almost every day. Tuesday we met these two ladies, Linda and Joanne, sitting on a park bench. I started talking, and Linda just jumped up and gave me a hug. She has schizophrenia, so we instantly plunged into an interesting (but incoherent) conversation about AA, politics, and the end of the world. :) Man, I just love how unique humans are. meanwhile, sister armstrong was teaching Joanne the restoration. She is now one of our investigatiors! We saw some cool miracles that day too. Mission life is insane. There is too much laughing, crying, and strait up experiencing that goes on every day.. It's hard to fit it all in an email.

 

More highlights

We had zone meeting on friday, which was cool. Our zone is really unified and solid. I learn a lot from those missionaries!

GENERAL CONFERENCE!!!!! Holy moms, I love conference. When you are a missionary, it's like christmas, only better. What talks did you guys like? They were all so good! I was missing breakfast burritos and back rubs at home, but it was really cool to watch it at the stake center here. How stinking cool that we get to hear from a prophet of God?! It's the best.

 

Well, that's a rap for this week. I sure love you guys so much. Thank you for your prayers. I need them, and I sure feel them every day. Have an amazing week!!

 

Love,

 

Sister Miller

Mimi in Midlothian! New Area (New address on sidebar)

Hello Family!

My word I don't even know how I'm going to fit all of this in an email. This was the best week ever! I'm in Midlothian! It is in the same stake as the mission home, right outside of Richmond, and I LOVE it here. My comp's name is Sister Armstrong, and she is basically a gigantic answer to a prayer. She has such a strong testimony, loves to work hard, and is GENUINE. It is so nice! She's a really confident girl, and we get along great. She has only been out 12 weeks, so she just got done being trained, and now she is "step-training" me. Her testimony is so strong, and she just basically rocks. We work really hard together, but we also have SO much fun!! We've only been comps for a week, but we are already such great friends. Apparently things have been really slow in Midlo for a long time, but this week has been so awesome! We have 5 new investigators!!

I've been out for 2 months now, can you believe it?! The last transfer was really challenging, but now I feel like I can honestly say, "I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!" with a smile, and mean it. :) So here was my week:

Tuesday - Arrived in Midlo! At transfer meeting, we got to hear the testimonies of some missionaries who were headed home. It was amazing! They were so strong and full of light. I just had this huge realization of "I don't want this to pass me by!" It got me so stoked on the work.

Wednesday - We got up at 5 am and went to Seminary. We taught the youth about missions and bore our testimonies. It was great! The youth here are so amazing! They are so stoked about sharing the gospel, and they have some powerful testimonies. Cool thing about Wednesday, everything we planned for the entire day actually happended! That has never once happened here, and I don't know that it ever will again, but it was really cool. The night before we just sat down and prayed that Heavenly Father would help us plan a super effective day, and He did! It just feels really good to work hard.

Thursday -  We had an appointment who bailed on us (classic), so we decided to walk over to a potential investigator's house who lived on the same street. There are no members that live in the neighborhood. Randomly, this car just pulled over and said, "Hey! Are you missionaries?" And then he gave us a referral for someone on that street! He was a member from DC (2 hrs away) who just happened to be driving by at that exact moment. It was awesome. We were really busy all day long, but we found ourselves with 20 minutes to kill just before dinner. We were almost out of miles, so we prayed that Heavenly Father would place someone in our path that we could help. Ba da bing! We drove past this adorable old lady picking up litter on the side of the road! We helped her pick up a bunch of garbage and then had a wonderful gospel conversation. She invited us over to teach her! We got back in the car and it was 4:25, exactly 5 minutes before we were supposed to be to our next appointment. Heavenly Father answered our prayer.  After dinner, we met the Whites!! They are so awesome. They had met missionaries before, but for some reason no one ever taught them the lessons! So we had an awesome lesson with the Mom, and then the Dad came home from work. He really wants the discussions, and asked if we could come back when the whole family was home to hear it! YAY! We spent some time getting to know them, and MAN. I love their family like I've known them all my life. Sister Armstrong and I just walked out of their house speechless because everything went so well. It's crazy how when the spirit takes over, we are almost completely taken out of the picture. When we are focused on the investigators and what they really need, when all we genuinely want is for them to be happy, the spirit speaks through us. I just feel so lucky that I get to be a part of this work. I have no doubt that Heavenly Father could accomplish all of his purposes without the missionaries. But because he loves us, he is merciful enough to let us take part. I have learned so much out here.

Friday- We taught A. Hill, and she gave me this huge book about cats!! Hahah I love her! Awe man I love Virginia

Saturday - Had my first taste of southern soul food!! BBQ chicken, Hush puppies, and mac and cheese. I felt like I was actually in the south, and I liked it way too much. Luckily, we don't eat that way very often, otherwise I would be 3000 lbs when I got home. It was so pretty outside on Saturday! It was kind of rainy and overcast, but super warm. Virginia is really humid, and the trees are starting to get blossoms! Sister Armstrong and I studied on the deck of our appartment in the morning and spent as much of the day outside as we could. How did you like the women's broadcast?! Oh man, that was so amazing! I loved Pres. Eyring's talk.

Shoot! There is just not enough time to write about everything this week!! I just feel like a whole different person, I've grown so much. I know that miracles don't happen until after the trial of our faith (Ether 12:6-12), but they do happen. In the last 6 weeks my faith has been tried more intensely than ever. But now I truly have recieved a witness. I know that God is aware of every individual. I know that He has a plan for us. I know that families can be forever, and that that principle is central to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. No matter how dark things may feel at times, we are never out of the reach of His divine love. When He was on the cross, He lost communication with his Father and cried out, in agony, "My God, why has Thou forsaken me?" Elder Holland's description of this experience is, "But Jesus held on. He pressed on. The faith He lived by told him that divine compassion is never absent, that God never flees nor fails us!" Because he didn't loose hope, he was resurrected and redeemed all of us. I know that his light is real. I have felt it engulf me in the past week, and now I cannot deny it's truth. I know that Jesus Christ lives.

I love and miss you guys so much!

Made it to Virginia!

Mimi made it to Virginia! Her first flight on Wed of last week was canceled due to the storm in Atlanta, so she spent 2 extra days in the MTC and flew out on Friday. She said people in Utah were so nice to them, they took a picture of her and some other missionaries and sent it to our mom, and some nice man bought them all treats at the little airport shop.

She made it to Virginia really late on Friday and Saturday morning met her new companion Sister Rose. She said "She is so sweet and compassionate, I just LOVE her!" A sweet member family had them over for dinner on Sunday and made Cafe Rio and just made her feel at home. She's in a wonderful area called Lakeridge 1st Ward which is a suburb of Washington DC. She said, "The ward is so awesome! We get fed almost every night and we have a car. The ward missionaries are awesome, our bishop is such a kind man, and there are 2 sisters who go on splits with us every week." They also have an exercise class at the church in the mornings for the Relief Society sisters that Mimi and her companion get to go to and share a message since there are some nonmembers that attend. The instructor won't be there this Friday so Mimi gets to teach yoga! She's pretty excited about that.

She had a wonderful experience teaching a member about the atonement, and said she feels like angels are watching over her and helping her through this whole experience. She appreciates everyone's letters and looks forward to getting any mail! We've added her new address on the side for anyone who would like to send her a letter :) As a family we're so thankful that she's in such a good area and being so well taken care of. We'll be back with more updates next week!

Week 1 down!

We got a letter and a family email this week from Sister Miller and she seems to be doing wonderfully. Her companion is Sister Jennifer Ulrich, and Mimi knows two of her cousins. She says "I love her. Seriously, I am so lucky. She's about the most conscientious, kind, adorable companion I could ask for!" They have an entire district of sisters, and all 6 of them share a room. Mimi said it was hard falling asleep the first night with so many people in the room, but she's getting used to it. She says "I'm really happy here. It's already challenging, but for some reason I'm soooo happy...I feel like I was made for this. I'm learning so much every single day! The teachers are incredible and the classes are just the bomb!"

She and Sister Ulrich are the sister training leaders.  She said "The sisters in my district are amazing! I'm blown away by them every day! I seriously love them so much! They will all be in my mission except one, sister Combs. I would take any one of them as a companion any day! I just love em so gosh darn much!! They take awesome care of me, and I try to do the same for them."

She said she really appreciates all of the letters and support she has received. She didn't know it would mean so much until she she was there. She leaves for Virginia this coming Wednesday to start the next part of her missionary adventure.

From Mimi:
"Ps: they have YOGA here and the food is good!"

Called to Serve

Our darling Sister Mimi Miller reports to the MTC on Jan 29th. We're so excited for her new adventure and know that she will be a wonderful missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Stop back by and we'll keep you posted on her mission!