Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Elder Ott and Elder Miller studying


Changes


From: Elder Morgan Miller (elder.miller@myldsmail.net)
Sent: Wed. 9/24/08
To: terryandlaura@msn.com
Well René is still in Bolaños for now, but hopefully he will get the job, but it seems like he hasn’t yet. Dora couldn’t make it to Relief Society even though Irma called for us to remind her. I guess we will work towards her coming this Sunday. We have a lesson with her tomorrow and we will challenge her to baptism in that lesson. We will try to have Irma help her read, maybe a reading night with the two of them.
Wow Evan is on Youth Council, that was a way fun thing for me. Tell Adam Kimball “hi” from me. Tell him to drop me a line in email and I will send him a letter. I remember for our youth council retreat is what we did instead of a barbeque. We went to the Kimball’s cabin, talked about the youth council responsibilities, and ate, and received blessings or got set apart by the Stake Presidency. It was an amazing meeting with all of us receiving blessings. I still remember it very clearly. Have fun Evan. Just enjoy it. When we were done with the year, we got to go to a Grizzlies game in a suite and had all you can eat food.
Elder Ott was transferred to be a Temple Zone Leader, and he thinks he is pretty cool to be serving in his third zone leader area because it doesn’t ever happen. Well as for me, they dissolved my zone into a district of La Mancha. We report to the Las Afueras zone which has the zone leaders in Leganes right near Mostoles and Fuenlabrada. So I guess I will be back in the same old neighborhoods some more. The Zone Leaders actually live in Fuenlabrada. So kind of crazy! President Farnsworth asked me to be the District Leader of the La Mancha district, and to train a new elder. Elder Starley and Elder Cavanaugh were sent out to Badajoz and Cuenca in that order. So their area closed, and now the two of us have this whole piso to live in and the whole city as our area. We just got really, really busy. I stayed in Madrid Monday night after transfers and was serving in Barrio 2 for the night with Elder Nicholl and Elder Brown who are both also training. Then on Tuesday, we traveled to the mission home and met the 5 new elders coming in. Also 2 Hermanas came in, one being a 39 year old single woman who is a physician’s assistant, her name is Hermana Miller. Kind of crazy! We had the training meeting and got some advice from the assistants, and then a spiritual meeting with President and Hermana Farnsworth, the assistants, and office elders all talking. It was just like last time with Elder Peterson but with different talks and we took the pictures outside because its still summer kind of. We had Mexican volcanoes for lunch, and they were just amazing.
I was put with Elder Haynie from San Diego. So now I have another Californian companion along with Elder Gunn who was from there as well. Elder Haynie did a year at BYU before the mission, and he is really prepared and ready for the work. He speaks well, and I am really impressed by his Spanish. We are going to work hard, and have a great time down here in Ciudad Real. We have 7 exchanges this transfer, so that should be hectic to plan those, and then there is General Conference. So we will travel up to Madrid to watch that. We have a special Zone Conference tomorrow and Elder Gertz, of the 70 will be coming to speak to us. (I think that’s how you spell his name.) So it should be a great opportunity for us to learn, and we will also have 2 to 3 hours of practice teaching. Friday is our first La Mancha district meeting, and it should be crazy, because instead of the elders in Alcazar and Valdapeñas having there own district meeting, we are all in the same district now. So, all 8 of us will come here, and that makes for a lot of travel for those elders. It should be a really fun transfer. We get along really well, and I am sure we will have a fun time and learn a lot from each other like Elder Peterson and I did when I trained him. So that’s about it for this week. I love you all, and hope the best for you. Have a great week. The scripture this week is in 2 Nephi 9:52 about prayer.
Love, Elder Miller

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

September 17

From: Elder Morgan Miller (elder.miller@myldsmail.net)

Well, hi to you all at home. I hope all is well.
So things still haven’t gotten back on track with José Luis, or Sergio, but we talked to Ana Maria in the park this week and hopefully we can meet with her soon. I don’t know if you remember René from the beginning of this transfer who had a baptismal date and moved to Valencia. He moved back to Bolaños and is working there. The transportation is crazy and so he can’t make it to church here unless he comes on Saturday afternoon, and then travels back home on Monday morning, or if he rode a bike like 5 km to a nearby town with an early morning train and then rode a train back that night. So it hasn’t worked out for him to get to church here yet, but the happy news is that he might move to Manzanares. It is a town here in La Mancha near Valdapeñas. Nearly all of their members live there and would be amazing at fellowshipping him, and he would get baptized there. So pray for René, that he will get the job in Manzanares, or whatever has to happen so he can move there and receive more light and knowledge and progress in the church towards baptism.
We are still teaching Dora. It has been one lesson a week on Mondays for the last 3 weeks. We have had to take it very slowly, because she almost absolutely does not read, which is really sad. She is a nice Bolivian woman about 30 years old. She can’t ever find the page we are reading in the Book of Mormon. This last week, we had a lesson with het and Luis Gallego and Irma came along. We read through the Introduction to the Book of Mormon but Dora wouldn’t read, we think because she can’t. She prayed after the first lesson, but a Padre Nuestro, or “The Lord’s Prayer”, as I said. Monday she told us in her personal prayers she starts with Padre Celestial, and ends en el Nombre de JesuCristo, Amen. So that is a victory and a little bit of progress. But it took these last 3 appointments to teach the first lesson to her, so it is going to be a slow process, especially because Dora is a workaholic, not by choice but out of necessity. She hopefully can come to church at 11 until 12 for Relief Society. It was awesome because Irma is the Relief Society President, and when she invited Dora to Relief Society, she accepted to come. Also a crazy thing is that Irma knew Dora already, and when we showed up for the lesson, Irma and Dora both remembered when Irma contacted Dora in the street and invited her to hear from the missionaries and to come to church. So Irma is just about the best member missionary. She is a true full-time finder, as Elder Bednar taught us. Luis is an A++++ Branch Mission Leader and Elder’s Quorum President. I love this work. It is so important for us all to be “full-time finders”, and to pray for missionary opportunities. We have used that message with all of the members here. It is just amazing.
Well, I don’t know what will happen with transfers on Monday. If Elder Ott gets transferred it would be way sad to see him go. We are the least likely companionship to get split up in our Zone. If we get split up that will mean all of the other areas get changed as well. So it would be a whole new La Mancha Zone. Who knows? Not me, but the Lord does.
The news of the week, I would have to say actually should have been in last week’s email, but I forgot to write about it. Two amazing people that I taught with Elder Van Dyke in Fuenlabrada were baptized on September 6th. Amas and Miriam were both baptized, and are now members of the Fuenlabrada Branch. They were found about April or May of 2007 by Elder Swartwood and his companion. I taught them for 4 months or so with both of my companions while I was there. We made 3 baptismal calendars to go along with 3 failed baptismal dates. It just wasn’t their time I guess, but now was their time. I am so overjoyed for Amas and Miriam. Also Fuenlabrada with Elder McBride and his second trainee in a row, have 6 other baptismal dates, a few of which might have already been baptized. So since I left Fuenlabrada, there have been 4 baptisms; Amas, Miriam, Raquel (an old woman who is a friend of a member and died about a month after her baptism due to her cancer), and then Alejandra (who I got to interview while with Elder Brown), and maybe 6 more. I am so happy for that area of Fuenlabrada which didn’t yield any success as far as baptisms, but helped me grow immensely while I served with Elder Van Dyke and Elder Gunn. So I thought you would like that little update.
Back here in Ciudad Real, we got in yesterday after knocking on doors at a building. It was actually José Antonio’s building. He is a really funny old man. He was baptized a little more than 15 years ago. He has had a hearing aid that didn’t work well at all, but he just got a new one that he doesn’t use very often because I guess he is saving it for special occasions. So it makes it so he can’t hear us very well still. Thank heavens he has an eye appointment on the 15th of October, that he so frequently reminds us of. He is a hoot. He is always saying the funniest craziest stuff. We sing with him and Nieves to practice for Nieves´ directing the hymns. He also accompanies us to a ton of lessons. Basically, we have a ton of member present lessons due to José Antonio and Luis. Anyway, we were knocking on doors at Jose Antonio’s building. After we had tried to visit some members that were lost and he helped us find them. So we dropped him off at his piso and went up to the 7th floor to knock on doors. On the 4th door we got in to teach Impidio and Maria, a way old couple of Spaniards who are way nice, and love to talk. They talked our heads off as we tried to teach them about the restoration of the gospel. We only got through half the lesson. Then we knocked our way down to José Antonio’s floor and were contacting a man at his door when who walks out and stands behind us, non other than the one and only hilarious José Antonio. He always talks to himself I guess, is what we learned from Impidio and Maria. Everyone in his building thinks he is crazy. José Antonio really does have one of the most pure hearts of anyone I have ever met. He is just amazing. He is little weird but has amazing desires.The spiritual thought for the week is a scripture I found this morning in studies:
D & C 104:42, I believe. It is about the blessings that come from obedience to the commandments, and my grandma also sent this great quote from President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, a former airline pilot: "The Lord's commandments are not restrictions or obstacles, but a flight plan for life that offers a safe and direct path to Heavenly Father." So I love you all very much, and hope you have a marvelous week. Keep up the good work.
Much love from Spain.
Love, Elder Miller

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

September 10


From: Elder Morgan Miller (elder.miller@myldsmail.net)

I forgot to mention that I was sick last week. That was my first real sick time, and I was disappointed because I had to stay in for the first time. It was so boring and crappy, but I got better, and Elder Ott gave me an awesome blessing. It was a pretty brutal Friday night though.
We are teaching Dora tonight, and it should go well. We are teaching her a review of the restoration, and it should go pretty well with Hermano Luis Gallego helping out. He is our Branch Mission Leader. He just is a work horse and really helps us out. He kind of looks like a turtle though.
José Luis has been a weird situation. We can’t get a hold of him through the phone because his wife and mom don’t want him to listen to us, and they are always answering the phone. They just answer "hola, que tal", and then when we respond, they just sit there in silence as we try to ask for José Luis and to talk to him. So they are keeping the truth away from him, and hopefully we can teach him. Other than, that Ana Maria and Sergio have both kind of stalled out and aren’t progressing or keeping appointments.
Elder Ott and I are in Barrio 5 in Madrid by the way. We are emailing and then going to eat some donor kebab. We are with the Puerto llano elders and then the Barrio 5 elders as well. It is right next to the train station Atocha and so it is really convenient to leave your bags there. Elder Brand is Elder Ott’s favorite missionary and he is in Barrio 5.
Brandon Brown wrote me a letter and I am way grateful. I am going to write him back, so it should come in a month or so, the response that is. The trip to Madrid was interesting on Monday. We had studies and then correlation with Luis Gallego, and then we had District Meeting. We cooked a meal at the piso with the other Ciudad Real elders and the Puerto llano elders, our district. Then we caught the Avant train up to Madrid, and then the Renfe local Madrid train to Chamartin, and then the metro one stop to Plaza de Castilla, and then a bus to the mission home just above San Sebastian. It was about 3 and a half hours total, I would guess. But, we got there and started up interviews.
The assistants talked about our stewardships and bettering the member work and the progress records that we give to the Bishop or Branch President and the Ward or Branch Mission Leader. Then Elder Ott and I taught about receiving referrals from members, and demonstrated with a practica. Then we had interviews with President Farnsworth. During the interviews, there were apple slices and crackers and cheese, and then afterwards we had chicken enchiladas that were delicious. Hermana Farnsworth came through again. Then we slept in the garage of the mission home which is a bunk house with a bunch of bunk beds along the walls. The next morning we had Zone Conference which went well, and we traveled there in the mission vans.
So, a little background on Zone Conference- I got a call on Friday, I believe, to direct Zone Conference. It was a little bit nerve racking to think about. I picked the hymns, the piano player- Elder Ott, the music director- Elder Brown, the translators- Elder Hinton and Hermana Layton, the prayers -Elder Giler and Hermana Lester. It went really well for the most part. The two hook ups were when I said resucitar instead of rescitar the missionary purpose. I caught myself after I said it and changed what I said, but still to resurrect the purpose is a little different than to recite it. Oops. Then on the 3 minute talks, President picks missionaries to do them during the conference, and I said Elder Bringham instead of Elder Pringle. The President corrected me and said,” At least Elder Bringham is awake now.” So all went well, and then we still had our 5 minute presentations and the Zone Meeting of about an hour. It went really well and we learned a lot about planning something. President taught us last November, so it was a review and a reminder and a great help. I am really excited to get back to work tonight. Zone Conference just really energizes you.
So all is well and I am having a great time here. Thanks for all of the updates you give me. Well, that was the week, and we are looking for some new investigators this week, and I will tell you how it goes. Love you a ton.
Well, just a little quote for a spiritual thought. It is a thought from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland (talk given October 1996 General Conference.) He said: "Jesus Christ brings a troubled world and the troubled people who live in it, solutions to personal struggles and human sinfulness, a source of strength for days of weariness and hours of genuine despair. In that spirit we declare to all the world that for real and abiding peace to come, we must strive to be more like that exemplary Son of God."
Well the church is true and God loves you. Keep on keeping on, and much love from Madrid.

Love, Elder Miller

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

September 3


From: elder.miller@myldsmail.net

Ok, so it’s crazy to be in September again. On the 11th, I will have been in the field for 1 year. All the landmarks will have passed, one year as a missionary, one year in Spain, done with over half of my transfers, and now one year in the field. Kind of crazy! It will be single digit months. It blows me away.
Nieves is doing better. Going to the hospital and getting medication really helped her out with her depression. She is doing awesome. She seems happier than I have ever seen her in these 3 weeks.
Thanks for the pictures. It sounds like Lake Powell and Colter Bay were both fun trips. I remember we shared a cabin with the Madsen’s forever ago when we went there, and we took my Nintendo 64. We played a ton of games and Turok which was brand new then. Every one of us played Game Boy all day, Pokemon, and Brandon cried his eyes out. I believe it was him, when his game got erased, and we all wore vests. Wow, random memories are flooding back.
Well, so I will start on my week with Elder Ott. We have been to Valdapeñas this transfer, Puerto llano 2 times, including today when we went to switch back from exchanges and visit their email sites. So it has been great to get to know La Mancha areas, all but Alcazar. We have been on exchanges with all of the other 4 companionships in this last 2 weeks. This next week will be interviews and staying at the mission home, and then going to Zone Conference. We have exchanges with the assistants and then the temple on Wednesday, and who knows for the rest of preparation day before we return to La Mancha.
This time I exchanged with Elder Hinton from Arizona and Elder Coley from Arizona as well, who was Elder Ott’s trainee. Both were fun and both were here in Ciudad Real. It is a pretty simple city, and easy to get to know your way around. Today in Puerto llano, a mining town with way nasty water and a strip mine line Kennecott Copper Mine, we hiked up a hill. It was pretty tall. On the way up there is this huge miner statue and then on top is a huge squared chimney. Well in Spanish it is the chiminea cuadrado, and it is about 30 feet tall. It has an amazing view of the city and the roundabout plains. It’s really cool and was a fun little activity. We just have a little shopping to do, and then back to work at 6:30.
Elder Ott and I taught a way neat woman named Dora, like unto Dora the Explorer. She is way humble and nice, but we aren’t sure if she can read, and for her prayer we tried to explain it for like 5 minutes and she still just said "the lords prayer" or padre nuestro. So we will sort that out. Elder Coley and I got into a house knocking with a member named Jesus and taught a nice middle-aged Spaniard named José Luis. So things are good. The thought for the week is from President Henry B. Eyring. He quoted 2 Nephi 4:15 which says, "My soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the learning and the profit of my children." He then said: "Sometimes I go to the scriptures for doctrine. Sometimes I go to the scriptures for instruction. I go with a question, and the question usually is, 'What would God have me do?' or 'What would He have me feel?' Invariable I find new ideas, thoughts I have never had before, and I receive inspiration and instruction and answers to my questions."
Well Grandma Judy, I took another spiritual thought from you. It’s a good one every time, so sometimes I reuse it.
So everyone have a great week and enjoy the cooling down weather. It’s so much better than the smoking hot kind.
Much love from Spain. Love, Elder Miller