Hello to all my loved ones!! You are the best.

   Things are going good! The helix area is awesome and I love it! (things are always good, AND they are about to get even better!)

  Gabriel was so excited to meet with us which is awesome! Our ward had a joint luau with another ward (It was awesome! Complete with dancers and real authentic food and great decorations- felt like I was in Hawaii for an hour haha... it was put on by a bunch of Polynesians... it made me miss Hawaii- good memories!!) and he came to that and had a good time! He said he would be at church the next day... but then called his ride and cancelled. Bummer. So things have been a little rough for our investigators and Satan is attacking them at every angle, which makes me sad, but I don't let it get me down! No way, man! 

   There aren't any new updates for Kenny. BUT we met with Derek (the first Doug) and he seems too awesome! We went to Dougs appointment but he wasn't there so I was a little leery about the appointment with Derek, but he's soo GREAT! He's had a rough life but he is looking for more purpose and direction, well well well, the gospel can certainly help you out with that one :) So that's really exciting! Unfortunately he's been sick the last few days, but we'll be meeting with him soon hopefully.

   OHH AND our recently reactivated Hugo- he's awesome- is now starting mission prep AND temple prep class. He's starting to really prepare for a mission, YAY!! I'm so excited for him, ahh he's just so great, he has the biggest heart and he's just on fire immersing himself in the gospel! It's so rewarding to see :)

   We've been focusing on our members. We've been visiting a lot of our members and getting them excited with the new mormon.org profiles, and I think it's going really good! The ward council is still struggling with finalizing a ward mission plan. We've been working a lot of Brother Williams our ward mission leader and he seems to be coming aboard with the working with members, ward missionary plan, member missionary work and so on... which is way exciting! If he's on board I know the rest of the members will eventually follow. I'm working on having that long term view, with short term urgency.
  Here's a few new updates, Sister Stott and I are considering starting a dinner calendar, we feel we will be able to get to know the members a little better and create a stronger trust, meanwhile it would give them an opportunity to invite their friends for dinner to meet us. Also, we are considering working with the Cuyamaca college to start a booth for the church... hopefully being ran by the members that go there. We would be there to help answer questions and meet the students! I'm so excited for that one! When I was in the La Jolla ward, we had a booth at the Mesa College Campus and it was so fun, I loved it! So we'll see. It's in the works, we have to make some plans and some phone calls so we'll see!

   So guess what tomorrow is, TRANSFERS!! Sister Stott and I have been together now for 4 transfers and we have no idea what will happen! Maybe be together for another one? Maybe not? Maybe I'll go? Maybe her? Who knows! We'll find out in the morning! Sit tight and you'll hear next week.

   I hope you all have a GREAT week, I love you all so much! Hey if you haven't checked it out already, there's a great new website, new.lds.org check it out! It is AWESOME!   

   I LOVE you all.

Love,

Sister Miller

Hello all my loved ones.. you're the greatest, I just love you all so much!

  This last week started off rough with Kenny and Jackie not really responding- I think we'll be sending the spanish missionaries over to Kenny's house to teach his whole family. We've talked to his Dad before... well we tried. He doesn't know much english and well my spanish has dwindled just a little since high school ;) so the awful verbal communication that resulted in just using hand gestures was funny! It's a christian family and they go to a Presbyterian church but his Dad loves it when we come over and even encourages Kenny to come to the activities. But we're thinking maybe Kenny will progress even more if he's being taught with his entire family, so I think that's our next step with him.

  Even though last week was rough... this week has started with a BANG! Yesterday was the BOMB. It all started with us stopping my this referral we received (we tried meeting up with him countless times before but somehow we always miss each other. His name is Gabriel and his first contact with missionaries was 2 Sundays ago when he saw Elders walking to their apartment from church, Gabriel called out to them asking how church was and if he could go with them sometime! The Elders gave him a Book of Mormon and talked with him a little about the church. Since he's YSA age they gave his information to us. Well we called and called and finally he called back asking us when we could meet up- yay! But then, he buffed us. So we called again- nothing. Finally we stopped by his place and dropped off a flier for our wards halloween party Saturday night. He called us that night asking if he could come but that he would need a ride- of course he could come! So we scrambled around and found him a ride... but when his ride went to pick him up, he wasn't there. Well we got ahold of him Sunday and he said he ran to his cousins and didn't make it back in time but that he'd love to meet with us (are you thinking he's just a tease? Because at this point, I was!!) Anyways, we randomly stopped by his house yesterday morning and HE WAS OUTSIDE! He recognized us right away as missionaries and asked us to sit down with him. We talked about the Book of Mormon and about prophets- he told us he's excited to learn more! We invited him to the FHE that night which was going to be at the Mormon Battalion and he agreed to come. So we scrambled around and found him a ride. This time when his ride went to go get him, he was there!! AND Carlos was able to come to the FHE too! THEY LOVED IT!! They had so much fun! They were able to meet a lot of the members in our ward and just have a good time, it was a hit!

   Yesterday we were also able to meet up with a less-active in our ward who is just SOO nice. We've been able to meet with him a couple times and even though we aren't sharing any doctrine with him other than a quote or two... he's able to feel the spirit and he recognizes that. He always thanks us soo much for coming. Aww I just love being able to help people with things I have a little experience with and then slowly bring them back to the fold. I've never been more appreciative of my downfalls,trials and mistakes I've made, I have a great opportunity to relate to those around me.

   Yesterday we also contacted another referral we received from the spanish elders. His name is Doug. When we pulled up to the house, there was a tall lanky kid knocking on the same door we were going to. We waited and when he went inside, we then took our turn of knocking on the door. We asked for Doug and this short guy with red facial hair comes out. We asked him about how he ran into the elders and talked about the church a bit and set up a return appointment. We said our goodbye and headed back to our car. Then we saw a lady walking across the street on the other side so we went and talked to her. After a little while we were heading back to our car which was parked out side of Dougs house. Right as we were getting in, Doug comes outside asking us if we were looking for Doug. We said yes and asked, "well, aren't you doug?" He said no I'm Derek, Doug is my brother, I'll go get him. At this point we were thinking back to the conversation we had with him not 5 minutes ago and how he responded to us calling him Doug! We're thinking ok, whats going on... is this a prank? Are they going to come out with water balloons (half hoping they were just because that would be so funny.) Then that same tall lanky kid that knocked on the door in the first place comes out... I'm doug he says. So we talk for a bit and set up an appointment with him. SOOO CONFUSED! Well long story short, we have an appointment with Doug and Derek-- not really sure whos who and if their story is correct, but it was fun and exciting!!

   SOO IT WAS A GREAT WEEK and things are picking up!! I love it!

   Anyways, time is short and I have to go! I love you all so much and I'm so thankful for your support and love and prayers! Sorry to cut so abruptly. I hope you all have a great week!

Love,

Sister Miller

Hey everyone :)

   This week has been a GREAT week.. not so much of a rollercoaster- few, finally a bit of a break and I'm starting to see a peak on the horizon (with every peak there has to be some valleys) and I think I'm starting to make my way out of this valley and I'm heading towards the peak- and man am I EXCITED!!

   This last week we had an appointment with our investigator Kenny at the church, but right at that same time there was a baptism for someone in another ward, so we went to that instead! The baptism was for the 80 year old woman. It was kind of a funny/cute baptismal service. Those in attendance were >60 years old, minus the missionaries. There actually had to be an additional person in the font to help lower and lift the woman because the one baptizing her was over 70 or so. It was just so cute! It just goes to show you're never to old to change your ways, and there is ALWAYS a path back to our father-- no mattor how many detours we might take and how many years of our lives that takes up. It's never to late.

    We had a great lesson with another one of our investigators that we just started teaching. His name is Carlos and he has the biggest heart ever. He's met with missionaries before but he never really felt an answer to his prayer. Well we've been meeting with him and we taught him the Plan of Salvation recently, after the lesson (we used a cut out diagram) he rearranged the cutouts to where it was just birth, earth, and death. He said, that's how I used to think, but I'm beginning to see and believe that there really is more to it and that there's a purpose for life here on earth. Ahhh it was just so AWESOME! I love when things are just starting to "make sense" to those we meet, I love it! Yess!!

    We've also started to meet with this girl named Jackie, she is soo so SWEET! I love her! She was dating a member of the church and he referred her and that's how we met her. She's came to a couple of activities and church but never really learned the beliefs, she just tagged along with him. Although we haven't been able to really teach her much (she went out of town), there's a light in her eyes and the feeling that she really wants to know the truth. From a young age, she was always the one in her family that was asking her mom & dad and siblings to go to church with her, but then that just got too hard for her so she'd lost the fire and motivation to go. Now, she's ready to go back to church and get closer to God again, I'm excited to help her do that!

    Yesterday I was able to go on exchanges with Sister Seguin (she's in my group at the Mormon Battalion) I love her soo much! We had so much fun, she's an amazing missionary. We were able to see a lot of miracles- unfortunately a lot of the people we met happened to be YSA age than for the family ward that she's over. But I think it really helped both of us to work together and learn new/different ways of doing missionary work. It was a success, I learned a lot and I hope she did too!
   Alright well, time to get going, I love you all so much! I hope you have a GREAT week!

Love,

Sister Miller

Hello everyone!

   It's been an up and down week (would you really expect anything different?) not so good things happened... but it ended will some great things, so that's good!

It's interesting how God needs to bring us low sometimes so that he can lift us high. It reminds me of a quote Elder Thulin shared with us at our Mobatt devoational... "there have to be valley's in order to have peaks". Apparently I was in need of some humbling so that I would remember that I desperately need the help of my father in heaven to be able to truly help his sons and daughters on their path back to Him. I know that without his help in this work, it will not work. Likewise, without His help throughout our life, it will not work.

   Veronica did not end up getting baptized. Apparently she went to another church and decided she liked it better. So at the point we're at now, we are no longer meeting with her.

   Cassidy has been through some pretty hard things recently as well, at the beginning of last week especially. He refused to meet with us, come to church, or read the Book of Mormon, he said he needed to do it on his own for a bit (the worst decision he could have ever made) from Monday-Saturday were the hardest days for him ever. Finally he agreed to meet with us Satuday night and after a long discussion, he agreed to read the Book of Mormon, pray, and attend a general conference session the next morning. So that very next meeting, we called him to make sure he was awake and ready to meet us there... no answer. So we watched the morming session and then went and visited some people before the second one. With 30 mins before it started we decided we should go knock on his door and invite him again, so we went. We knocked, no one home. knocked again, still no answer. As we were walking back to the church building through his parking lot, I decided we needed to call him and try again. We called, and lo and behold- HE ANSWERED! We talked for a bit and he said he'd come but he'd be 30 mins late. So we went back to the church and started watching it, 30 mins into, still no Cassidy. An hour into it and still no signs. Finally we saw him! Standing in the doorway, HE CAME!! We waved him over and he joined us for the rest of the session. Afterwards we were able to talk to him and find out what kept him, apparently he found the link online where you can watch it and he started watching it and he couldn't leave in the middle of the talk, it was just that good! Haha YAYY! He's back! He also told us he had read and prayed and things were going much better. So, he's back! And hello, General Conference was SOO GOOD! Oh my goodness, I could not get enough of it! I have no admit, I wasn't a fan of conference before the mission... but now!? Holy cow, ITS THE PROPHET SPEAKING!! How can you fall asleep during that! I couldn't write fast enough... good thing the ensign is coming out with all the talks.. phew.

   I haven't heard from Gilberto lately, but I know he went to conference!!

  Aaron, well, we are no longer meeting with him either.

  Hugo our less active went to conference too! And Justin (our other less active)... fortunately they are BOTH completely active and going strong, they are so great. It's been so amazing to see them come back into the fold and partake of the amazing blessings that are available to us when we do what's right and live a righteous life... it just makes you happy! That is exactly what I see in both of their eyes, complete joy. They are both preparing to serve missions and I couldn't be more excited for them! Missions are the best! I LOVE IT!

  This past week has been such an exciting week, minus the things that weren't so favorable happening, every day we continued to see miracles. We had Missionary Training Evaluation where we were instructed by President, he is so amazing. I just love him, I have the best mission president around! We practiced introducing the Book of Mormon and a couple of other things too. We do a lot of practicing, or role playing- in Companion Study we practice for lessons, in District Meetings we practice things and Zone Conference.. basically whenever there's a group of more than 2 missionaries haha. It's the best, sometimes it can be awkward... role playing.. but it's the coolest thing ever. One of us plays the role of the investigator while the other is the missionary, that way we're able to see "how the investigator feels"- it's pretty neat and I have to say, it helps a lot!

   Well I love you all so much and thank you again for all your love and support... I really am blessed with the best family and friends... no competition. Thank you :) I hope you all have a GREAT week! You're in my thoughts and prayers (mostly prayers.. my thoughts are directed towards my missionary purpose ;/ sorry! haha but prayers is what matters most, right?) I love you! Take care!

Love,

Sister Kimaree Miller

 

Ps. One more thing, in the training we had this last week we were also told to invite every member we talk to, to check out the brand new website http://www.mormon.org/me/158G-eng/ it was just redone. On the webtsite, there's a bunch of profiles of members around the world, sharing their testimonies and answering some brief questions. The goal of the church is to have 100,000 member profiles by the end of the year, we've been asked to invite everyone to go to the website, check it out, and create their own profile. Please do it! It is really cool... plus, I'm able to check out the profiles, so maybe I'll see you!? The purpose of the website is to give the members a tool that they can use to help them do missionary work. It's an easy way to get someone to learn a little about the wonderful mormon beliefs by simply saying, "hey, you should check out my profile online" Haha it's simple, and fun! Report back and tell me what you think of the website and whether or not you made a profile, I love you!! Have a good day!