Happy late Thanksgiving!

   Thanksgiving was great out here in the mission field... as are ALL holidays! We had a feast at the Mormon Battalion that one of the senior couples organized, Sister Stutz, she's an event planner and boy did she go all out! We opened and combined the theaters, set up tables with place mats and creative center pieces. There was a crafts corner where we were able to make pioneer dolls from corn husks- so fun! Everyone signed up to bring something.. theres 22 young sisters and 4 sets of senior couples, so there was PLENTY of food and plenty of people! I'm so grateful I was able to spend some time with "my family" here at the historic site! The thanksgiving feast at the historic site was complete with having to take breaks from eating to take a tour. The site was still open and wouldn't you know we still had some guests come in- mostly foreigners! It was so fun! We ate and laughed... does it get better than that? Um. no. After the shift at the mormon battalion we were invited by our 1st and 2nd counselor to go to their combined thanksgiving dinner. We arrived late but they still insisted on us grabbing a plate and "eating up", we picked at few things but then rushed to the crafts corner where all the ladies there were making fabric flowers for headbands, belts, and whatever else you could possibly use a flower for! I made a headband. It was so fun to just be gathered around a big family of saints, sharing stories and being creative with hair accessories. From there we went to our recently reactivated friend in the ward, Hugo's house where he invited us for thanksgiving dinner. We arrived late so they were finished already too, they convinced us to eat a little and just visit, they're a great family! SOO yes, I had a GREAT thanksgiving! It was a great day :)

    As a group leader I have a great privilege of going on exchanges with the sisters in my group so yesterday I went on exchanges with Sister Nielsen, she's from Holiday, Utah and is a FABULOUS missionary! I am constantly impressed with the other missionaries around me and just what righteous followers and disciples of Jesus Christ they are. I'm also amazed at just how much we can all learn from one another. When we aren't trying to nit pick and point out faults, but rather life, encourage, and inspire one another... miracles happen and you seem to just love everyone more sincere and feel a greater joy. There's a great talk from General Conference called Teaching and Learning in the Gospel and it's a good one! He was telling us how the most important thing about being a good teacher is the attitude of the teacher. We must treasure the scriptures and live the principles and teachings of Jesus Christ, working our hardest in every aspect of our lives and listening to the promptings of the spirit. He also instructs us that when we read the scriptures daily we will be able to recognize more the voice of the spirit. I encourage you all to have a more meaningful scripture study, that you may learn to hear the promptings of the spirit.

   I love you ALL and I hope you have a fabulous week! Work hard and do as the scriptures say, pretty much the carnally-minded will be in trouble and the spiritually-minded will be BLESSED! I LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU!

Love,

Sister Miller

Ps. the lights on the temple go up tomorrow, how exciting!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Aww what a wonderful season it is... isn't just WONDERFUL? What a great opportunity to look around and notice the small acts of service by others, the color change in leaves, the love of a close one, the heat of the stove, the healing and soothing power of the atonement. I personally am so grateful for each and every one of you, and your emails of support, your letters of encouragement and love, and your prayers on my behalf and my investigators. I am grateful to be serving a mission, I just LOVE it, it is the best thing in the entire world. Serving our God. Serving in this manner brings me joy and happiness! And I hope and pray that you will all look forward to the day that you can serve a mission, whether its as a married couple or a young sister or elder, it's incredible. Look into it, it is well worth your while. I promise you as a representative of our Savior Jesus Christ and the Lord promises you so many blessings as you give of your time, talents, and energy in building the Kingdom of our Father.

   I love you all so much and again, happy Thanksgiving!

Love,

Sister Miller

Good Morning!

   Wow what a GREAT week! We had zone conference on Friday where we were instructed by President Donaldson from 9-3... it sounds like a long time, but it was INCREDIBLE! I learned SOO MUCH... I can't even begin to explain it, ask when I get home. It's just so amazing how much was effected by the apostasy... even the meaning of words. I'm so blessed to have such an knowledgeable president who knows hebrew and greek! Everything he says just blows me out of the water. Thank goodness for note taking.

   We also had a mission president's fireside this last Sunday evening, it was amazing as well! There were a few different special musical numbers and I was part of the main choir so we sang a version of Because I Have Been Given Much. There spirit filled the room and all those in attendance. It was a great privilege to sit up front facing the audience, witnessing the tears that filled their eyes. We had a few investigators come and they seemed to really enjoy it! Miguel came. MIGUEL now that's a cool story. He is a roommate of a member in our ward. We met him last Sunday at church when he came and then we had an appointment with him last Wednesday evening... long story short, he's getting baptized this Sunday! The Lord has really prepared him so well. He's been through a lot of hard times and trials but the Lord has helped him the entire way and Miguel is ready and eager to embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ. That Wednesday of our first visit with him, we walked into his house and he shut off the tv and as he was going to sit on the couch he said, "I just have to tell you something, I just want you to teach me! Everything! I want to learn how to pray." As he offered the closing prayer, in it he asked Heavenly Father to help him to become mormon. He is a precious son of God and he has such great faith and I desire to change his life. It's an honor to work with him.

    Things are going really well and I just want to say thank you for all of your prayers. I love you all so much and I hope you all have a wonderful week! I apologize that this is so short... hopefully next week I'll have a bit more time. I love you!

Love,

Sister Miller

Hello everyone!

   This week has been another GREAT week! This last week, the elders and Sister Stott and I have been working extra hard to work together in unity and we've come up with a great way to do that. So here's what we've came up with, to make it a more unified missionary force in the Helix ward, the investigators that Sister Stott and I find are not just "our" investigators they are ours and the elders. As well as the investigators the elders find, they aren't just theirs, but they are ours too. We are both teaching everyone that is in the Helix area, taking turns and meeting the needs of these precious brothers and sisters of ours. There's just some things the elders can do and there's some things that sisters can do, and both of these forces being put together for each person being taught.... I think it's going to be GREAT!

   This last Sunday was a special Sunday because it was Stake Conference for the stake that meets in the building that our ward meets in (we aren't in that stake... it's confusing I know.) So we had to push church back a few hours and just have sacrament followed with break the fast. So we sent out mass texts, fliers, and really advertised this PERFECT opportunity for members to invite their friends for an hour of testimonies and an hour of food! It was AMAZING! We had 6 nonmembers there and they loved it! I just loving being able to get the word around and have the members trust us and the leaders in charge enough that they will feel comfortable bringing their friends, knowing it will be a successful activity.

   Sister Stott and I had a cool experience yesterday. We went to visit someone in our ward and as we were knocking on his door this older woman was coming down some stairs near by, she called out to ask us if we were going door to door and as we responded no but that we were just visiting our friend she goes, oh shoot, I was afraid I was going to miss you while I was out (she was just leaving to walk her dog). Well as we were just going to turn and talk with her, our friend answered the door so we couldn't go to her! It was great that he answered and it was nice to get to talk with him.. but at the same time we were bummed we missed that chance to talk to her! When we finished talking to him and said our goodbyes we were writing a note to leave on her door. As we were doing that she came walking by again and we told her about our note (she wasn't ready to come inside yet) but she said to just leave it by the door! We walked up to her door and while we were finishing the note a young man came out and we started talking to him! Apparently this older woman, him and his business associate are all roommates. We talked to him and introduced who we were and well long story short, we have a return appointment with him!! It's just so amazing to see how God makes sure that everything works out, that even though we weren't able to talk to that woman the first time, God made sure we would have another chance AND it was perfect how we had to go up to her door to leave the note where we ended up meeting the guy! PERFECT! God really is in charge of everything and all we have to do is trust in Him.

    San Diego is doing great and I am LOVING every minute of it! Anyways, I have to get going, it's Sister Hutchinsons turn! I hope you all have a great week. I love you all so much!

Love,

Sister Miller

   Hello my wonderful family and friends! How are things going for you? Well, since you really can't respond right now I'm going to fill you in on how I am doing :) THINGS ARE GREAT!

   Halloween came and went... can you believe that? We had a way fun Halloween party and the Mormon Battalion for all the sisters and senior couples. We were having a talent show and some of the sisters and I thought it would be fun to show off our soccer juggling skills... but then we realized that it was on a Sunday and that might not be so appropriate. So I bet you are wondering... what the heck I did. That's exactly what I was thinking on Saturday.. the day before- WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?!Well some other sisters were struggling to find something too so we all got together and signed and sang the primary song Love One Another- it was SO FUN! Oh and Sister Stott and I even dressed up! Not only did we dress up as each other but we went all out, wearing each others pioneer dresses, and even the accessories that we usually wear. It was fun and we got some pretty good pictures so you'll be seeing those soon!

    Oh so to let you know what happened at transfers, you might have already been able to figure it out... Sister Stott and I didn't get transferred! That means this is transfer #5 together! Haha isn't that awesome? This is going to be GREAT.

   Anyways, more important than THAT- this last week came and went! Another week gone... I don't know how that happens! We've been seeing a lot of great miracles as far as working with our ward members and such. We've received quite a few referrals from them and that is SO EXCITING! All we have to do now is contact them, and that's been a little difficult, BUT it's great that the members are thinking about their friends and and trusting us enough to refer them, that is a big step! Now we just need to take that next step and help them to become progressing investigators. But these friends they are referring are going to do GREAT because they have a member friend who will be able to hold their hand throughout the whole process and ask questions to and such.

   The ward itself is making some great changes. We had our ward mission plan due this last Sunday and we've been trying to tell the ward council that this needs to get done for awhile now... so Saturday we were in a frantic mess trying to get the ward council to realize the Ward Mission Plan was due the very next day. Us and the Elders all came to ward council and kind of started things off in the right direction to set some goals and make plans (Sean wasn't there, he's in Fresno proposing to our recent convert, Brooke!). The bishopric really got excited about setting goals. The ward really has so much potential, we know it, the bishopric knows it, and its just a matter of helping the ward members to recognize it and do everything that is in their power to actually reach their potential. I think this last ward council really helped the council members to realize that potential. They all supported the goal of having 10 convert baptisms/month in 2011!

   So you want to hear something kind of crazy? Alright so each companionship gets a cell phone- that's not real crazy... but get this... we were just informed last week from President Donaldson that we now can receive and send TEXTS!! Haha isn't that nuts? At first I was a little weirded out by it, I felt like it wasn't really ok and it was just some kind of joke! But really, we can text now! Which we've found to be such a big help, especially with being in YSA wards. The members/investigators find it easier and more comfortable for them to text rather than call, which is kind of funny but whatever. I was a little rusty at first but boy did those texting skills come back fast! But here's the thing, I'm so glad I had my first year of my mission without it because I know how to live without it AND whenever we text it still has to be missionary focused which means I'll be texting with a PURPOSE in mind... not just to do it which I'll be honest before the mission I texted just to text. Not so anymore! Anyways, I thought it was kind of funny... I can only imagine what you're thinking.... "what was President Donaldson thinking!!" Haha it's a good thing I promise. This will really help the work move along, we have to keep up with the times, people can't be thinking mormons are so fred flinstone age... hence the new dress standards.

   So here's a really amazing experience I had the other day. ok so I was calling a former investigator, Aaron (who became a former because he went to his grandmas church instead), hoping to get an appointment with him. While I was on the phone with him it didn't feel right to get an app., and it didn't feel right to get off the phone. SO, in the awkward silence, I sat wondering what I was supposed to say. It was then that he told me his grandma had a question for me. When Gail got on the phone she began asking me questions about what kind of records the church keeps, and if we keep a record of everyone who ever gets baptized. I assured her we did, and she continued on to ask if there would be some way for her to access that so she might be bale to research her ancestors to see if they had been baptized into the Mormon church. I informed her of the Family History day at the Mormon Battalion and she was THRILLED! She asked where and at what time the class was. I informed her that we would be able to get her a ride, and the instructor would love to help her with her family history, she was so excited! Who knows, this might be the opportunity for Gail AND Aaron... yay for the spirit of Elijah! At the class she found out her Great Grandfather was a member of the church! Isn't that so amazing!?

   Things are great and I LOVE serving the Lord. It's just amazing how the Lord really does answer our prayers. We've been praying that we'd be able to work with the ward members more and look at what is happening... the ward is starting to catch on FIRE! They are catching the missionary fever! Here's a neat story about how GREAT the Holy Ghost is. We were down a car so we were sharing with some other sisters. Well we were coming to pick them up from the church building and I could either go down Magnolia st. or Avocado st. Usually I go down magnolia but for whatever reason I felt that was wrong, so I flipped around and headed down Avocado. Well once we were pulling into the church parking lot the sisters text us to let us know they were on Magnolia (so why did God prompt me to go down Avocado and miss them?) Well when we finally got to where the sisters were, we pulled over while they were finishing up talking to this man and his daughter. When they got in the car they told us of this miracle man who wants them to come back that night to teach him more!! Had we gone down Magnolia we would have seen them and picked them up before they ran into this guy. Each day of our lives are filled with small miracles like these. The Lord micromanages our lives so that we can help others around us and be of most use to our Father in Heaven. I know that nothing happens coincidentally, the Lords hand is in everything. Look for Him, He is there. I testify to you that He lives and loves us and is ALWAYS there for us through the rain and sunshine, he's be our side. I love you all and I hope you have a GREAT week!

   Love,

Sister Miller