Beleza? How's it going? January 25, 2010

Hello my family!

Great hearing from each of you. I enjoyed hearing about your weeks. By the way Beleza is the Portugese equivalent for What's up? Elder Henz is teaching me some Portugese.

So any word on BYU- Idaho yet Reece? I pray that they will accept you and give you scholarships, too! Guess what? Elder Henz and Elder Vieira, the Brasilians that live with me are both applying to BYU-Idaho as well. If they do get accepted it would be fun to room in the same apartments as them with all of us together! I am sorry you lost your phone, [Reece's new phone slipped out of his pocket at the top of a roller coaster at Busch Gardens!] but glad they found it and that you have insurance on it. I have heard a lot about Busch gardens; we'll have to go there someday together. :) I am glad you got my letter and I look forward to yours. :) How did your missionary exchange go?

Remi, Sounds like you had a lot of fun with Mom and Dad! Hope everything at school is going well for you. To answer you questions: everything is going great here in Melbourne/Viera florida! This week we had two investigators at church, both really nice older gentleman, one of them over 90! We will be setting a baptismal date with him (Bro. C.) tonight at a FHE with the member family who referred him. We have great missionaries in the Viera ward! Our house is not doing so well, haha. Recently we had to change the plumbing and then yesterday our toilet overflowed all over and I had to clean it up. It was pretty nasty but I took care of everything. President Darrington is doing great, he continues to lead our mission in excellence! The talks on Sunday were focused on reverence in sacrament meeting (the theme for January) and I really enjoyed sister Z's talk. We are going to the Z's home tonight along with 11 other people to celebrate Elder Henz' 21st birthday! It will be a lot of fun. Hope to hear from you soon.

Mom, I was very happy to hear about your visit to Grandpa's. I am so glad he is doing better! I have been praying for him every day and like you witnessed recently with Grandpa, Lana, Roger, and Dad, I know that prayers are answered, too! I look forward to getting your letter. :)

Dad, it was great to hear about your week. Sorry that your customer ended up not going with your display, but I am happy that the other display is coming along well. :) I can tell you have a lot of creative talent and put effort into everything you do. Thank you for your great example. Thank you also for your encouragement. Hope your week goes very well.

Things are going great here in the Cocoa Zone. We went on two exchanges this week, one with Cocoa (Elders Lussier and Moon) and one with Melbourne (Elders Vieira and Shepherd). With both companionships we had successful exchanges and learned a lot from each other. I am loving the work here. Our zone currently has 5 baptisms but we are still striving to reach our goal.

I love you all. Thank you for all you do for me. I will write more next week about everything because this week I had to type two baptismal records. Stay strong and have an awesome week!

Love,

Elder Miller

Hello Family! Jan 19, 2010

Hello Dad, Mom, Reece, and Remi,

It was great to hear from you Dad and Remi. Mom, I hope you are enjoying your stay with Grandpa and that he is doing better. I got your letter and will send you a reply soon. Remi, thank you for your letter as well! I will reply soon. I hope you are having a great time at school. Reece, I think it is great that you were on MTV Cribs. Tell me when the episode comes on and DVR it so I can see it in August. I loved hearing that Beau was reading the Book of Mormon on camera! Dad, thank you for sharing your family home evening lesson with me. I am going to print it out and hold on to it to use for future reference. How's the house coming? It was great to see your displays and I will keep an eye out for them in the stores. I love you all!

This is a very exciting time in the FOM[Florida Orlando Mission]! I am so glad to be a missionary at this time in my life and I look forward to seeing the blessings that come from working continually to achieve the lord's battle plan (our mission goals). I love sharing the gospel! I can see how the Lord has shaped me and sculpted me over the past year and a half and it brings me joy. This week is going to be an awesome week for the Cocoa zone and for the mission! One Lord, One Faith, 100 Baptisms! GO FOM!

Saturday we had Mario C's baptism and it went really well! The service was in Spanish but I can now understand about 80% of what I call "contextual Spanish" so I understood most of the talks which were very well given. Mario was definitely "golden" and he is so happy now. I am grateful to have played a part in his step of baptism!

Lately we have really been working with the members. Dad, remember how I asked you a while back about how to seek referrals? Well we have been having a lot of success and I even used some of your suggestions in a training I recently gave. Our members in the Viera ward are awesome!! We will be teaching a member referral tonight who came to church with his friend. We also began teaching the Gonzolez family who were referred by their member friends. There are 6 in their family and they look forward to our further visits. I am excited for them!

Yesterday we had our zone p-day at the beach. Cocoa beach is very nice! I took some great pictures and I will try to send you some in another e-mail. We had a spiritual message and a prayer and then watched the sunrise. Afterwards we built sandcastles, took pictures, and played Frisbee. I look forward to going to the beach with my own family this summer! After the beach we went to Ron Jon's Surf shop, a huge surf shop just off the coast. I almost continued my tradition of getting a sweatshirt like I did at Pancho's, but their sweatshirts weren't cheap and the least expensive ones were bad quality. I'll try again next time though and see what they have.

I hope all of you have a great week! Love you!

Love,

Elder Miller

Sa was dee! January 11, 2009

PICTURES:
- Takiya T's baptismal service: Left to right- Elder Henz, Takiya, me, Brother N. (Takiya's great uncle who is a convert himself)

- the Cocoa Zone "Moroni Pose". Florida Orlando Mission = 1 Lord, 1 Faith, and 100 Baptisms!

Sa was dee!
That's Thai for hello!

It's always great to hear from my whole family. I wanted to greet you in Thai, because we taught a man and his family from Thailand and they taught us some words. Although what I can type is only the pronunciation (they have symbols) I thought it was still pretty neat! The man's name is Ray and he is a member referral from our Bishop's son who was here visiting for the holidays before he goes back to BYU. Tyler (the Bishop's son) served his mission in Thailand and made great friends with Ray when he went to his restaurant (Thai Hana) for the first time; and they've been friends ever since! Ray was amazed the first time he heard Tyler, an American white boy, speaking fluent Thai! That opened the way for us to share the gospel. Tyler gave Ray pamphlets in Thai and we gave him the finding faith in Christ DVD which has dubbed in Thai. He loved that! We also taught his fiance' and her father and we taught them at Ray's restaurant. They gave us a delicious Tahi meal for free and after we ate with them the started asking us questions about the gospel. We explained many things to them and we hope to teach them the message of the restoration soon in their home. Right now Ray is attending Church with his fiance' but hopefully when they understand the need for the restoration and feel the spirit testify that it is true they will change their minds.

Our zone had a great ZDM which reflected the same lessons and spirit that were present at our mission wide meeting. We even took a picture together of us to look like the Captain Moroni painting. I will send it if the computer lets me. Our missionaries caught a glimpse of what 100 baptisms looks like (our goal for each month in 2010 as a mission is 100 baptisms) and it is my hope and faith that we will see this become a reality this month!

I went on exchange with Elder Lussier this week, the district leader in Cocoa, and we learned a lot together. He is a very hard worker and a gifted teacher.

We are working with Enijae and Eshawn towards baptism on the 23rd. We addressed the concerns their mom had and hopefully can help here feel the spirit as well so that she can be baptized with them. It may take her seeing all her kids get baptized before she does, to help her experience conversion, but whatever it takes we help her with it.

Mario from Guatemala has been safely transitioned over to the Rockledge ward and he will still be baptized this coming Saturday. I look forward to attending his baptism! I will send pictures.

Lately, we have been doing lots of service for the members (pulling weeds, washing dishes, writing thank you notes, etc.) and we hope that they recognize our gratitude for their wonderful missionary work in this area. They are all amazing missionaries. They all pitch in and do their part in the Lord's work and I have learned a lot from their example. This is the kind of ward I would want my own children to grow up in.

Yesterday I spoke in Sacrament meeting. The Bishopric asked me last week if I would fill in for someone who wasn't able to be there this past Sunday and of course I was happy to. My talk was based on a talk by Elder Lawrence of the Seventy given in April of 1991 (his first general address) and the topic was our Sunday Worship Service. I spoke on 5 points to help our reverence and increase our spirituality in Sacrament meeting. My talk went well and a lot of members commented on how they liked it. This was reassuring since I had prayed for help so that my comments could be of benefit to the congregation. My prayer was answered!

Tomorrow is transfer day. Elder Hager is getting transferred to Goldrenrod (Orlando zone) and my former companion, Elder Nelson, is getting transferred to the zone I left (Deland Zone). It was nice getting to serve around Elder Nelson again and I know he will do great in his new area.

Mom, I was sorry to hear about Grandpa, but I am glad you are going to see him tomorrow. Please tell him that I love him and he means the world to me. He is the only grandpa that I have on earth and I miss him. I wish you a safe trip and a safe return.

I look forward to hearing how your first day of work goes. I know it's not for a little while but let me know when it does. I did get your letter, thank you! I hope to write back when I get done with Reece's letter (it's taking me a while) :). Have a safe week and please let me know how it goes.

Reece, that was awesome to hear about MTV Cribs! I hope you get to see the episode! Make sure to record it so I can see it in the summer, too. I am so sorry about your letter not being ready yet. But it is almost finished so it should come soon. Just know that I didn't forget, it's just taking me a while because it is a special letter, k? It definitely has been cold here lately! But not 22! That's freezing cold! Sorry that the Corolla got messed up but I am sure you can get it fixed. Did you see any snow? I know many parts of central Florida got snow this past weekend! I even got to see some flurries. Stay warm this week and have fun with school and work and mtv. :)

Dad, I am doing great! I am glad you found those pictures. I will be keeping an eye out for your displays. So how are the young men doing? How is the Lakeland ward? By the way... is my missionary plaque in Lakeland or Visalia? I hope you have a great week at work!

Remi, thank you for writing me a letter. I will do my best to respond back to you soon. Are you enjoying the cold weather? Elder Henz is doing well. He is staying with me for his last transfer and then he will go back to Brazil. I am glad school is going well for you! Have an awesome week!

Well, I am going to try to send that picture now. I want you all to know that I love you. Please send my love and kind regards to all of our extended family as well. I hope that you stay warm in your nice house (thanks remi for the description) and I will try to stay warm, too. Our heater was out for one of the cold days (it was no big deal though), but it turns out it was just the breaker had been tripped so I fixed it. We're doing great here and I will let you know how everything goes this week. Stay strong and be safe. May the Lord be with you.

Love,

Elder Miller

Happy New Year! January 4, 2009

Dear Remi, Reece, Mom, and Dad,

I enjoyed hearing from you last week. I am still hoping to hear from you today. [MyLDSMail couldn't handle our e-mail with photos attached. Luckily we got this from Elder Ryan and resent sans pictures!] But while I am waiting I will let you know how my week went:

This week was a great start to the new year! I can't believe my mission "black year" (from January 2009 to December 2009) is already over. I realize how urgent missionary work is because many souls still need to be brought to Christ and there is little time left to do that in.

This week I went on exchange with the Spanish Elders in Palm Bay. Our exchange went well and for me it was amazing to see the kindness and the hospitality of the Spanish members.

This week I have had the opportunity to teach many lessons in Spanish due to our Spanish investigator, Mario C., and the exchange I went on with Elder Jonson, one of the Palm Bay Spanish Elders. I'll share with you two neat experiences I had with each of these opportunities. When we were teaching Mario I was able to share scriptures in Spanish (reading them out loud as well) and understand the lesson. He really impressed me with his recollection of the chapter we left him to read and also his understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Restoration. My other experience, while on exchange in Palm Bay, was being able to teach a less active member an entire lesson on my own about the book of Mormon and its importance to our gospel knowledge. I spoke in broken Spanish and had to use some words in English but the spirit was strong and we understood eachother! I shared with her the testimony of the three witnesses and explained how the book of Mormon came to be. It was a testimony strengthening experience for both of us!

By the way, I have met Bishop Saxon of the Melbourne ward, but at the time I didn't know that his wife is the sister of Sister Fullmer! That's really neat though and I will let her know next time I see or talk to them.

There are already exciting things happening in 2010 for the Florida Orlando Mission. Our two districts each set goals of 7 baptisms for January and we are working towards these goals as a team. Through fasting, prayer, faith, and hard work I know the Lord will help us accomplish our goals.

I look forward to an inspiring meeting on Tuesday morning! It's our Zone leader/ District leader/ Senior Sister meeting with President and the Assistants that we have each transfer, but this time it's a special meeting because we are implementing the goals and plans we made for 2010! It will be complete with posters and emblems to post around the mission houses. I look forward to seeing the result of all the goals and plans we have set as a mission with the help of the Lord.

On a funny note this week I had bad luck with animals: I was bit by a dog (it didn't break skin), attacked by a crazy cat like Nemo, and pooped on by a bird. The only one I was worried about was the dog but they were all minor encounters, not to worry about. It was funny, though!

I had a great new years! We went to a Spanish family in our ward, the C's, who had all of their family there! We had great food and great company. We still went home at the same time but i thoroughly enjoyed it!

Reece, I recently sent all of our family letters except for yours, which took a little longer but is hopefully going in the mail today. You should get it soon. How is work at Mimi's coming? I see a Mimi's Cafe every week when we drive to and from appointments and I think of you. Do you ever get any employee discounts for working there? Have a great last day of vacation! I love you.

Remi, I hope you got my letter and enjoyed it. Thank you for all of yours. Hope you have a fun last day before school! I love you.

Dad, I hope you got my letter and that it made sense. I hope everything is going well for you at Max Pak. I am still keeping an eye out for displays at the stores you might have made and when you send those pictures I will have a better idea of what they look like. I love you.

Mom, hope work is going well. I love you

Love,
Elder Miller

Thank you so much for resending this. [He got our e-mail!] I am sorry I wasn't able to answer all of your questions since I just got your email now. Myldsmail is frustrating sometimes! Oh well. And mom, I am sorry I got cut short on your paragraph, I was being kicked of the Internet and had to send it quick. Here's what I wanted to say: I wish you the best at your new job. I hope everything goes well for you! I was looking at the library workers here and realizing that you will be doing the same things! That is pretty neat. I love you.

I am sorry to hear about Grandpa. I sent him a Christmas card that I hope he received. Please send this in a e-card for me: [A message for his Great-Grandpa, who is in the hospital.]

I am going to take a look at the pics now before I go. I love you all!

Love,
Elder Miller

Happy New Year December 28, 2009

Dear Family:

It was good to talk to you as well. I know our phone conversations are short, but don't worry we only have one more before I finish my mission. Hopefully for my sake it doesn't go too fast but it seems time still passes quickly whether I want it to or not. :)

Dad, I didn't feel that your questions were a quiz, but I did feel that the short amount of time that we have as missionaries to call was not enough to really say everything that we wanted to. But that's okay because we can talk about all those things in letters and in August. No, I haven't had any converts fall away that I know of but I have just seen good families get close to baptism and then fail. But I understand it's going to happen so I am not devastated, I just want the best for them, you know? I love you and enjoyed our conversation.

Mom, I enjoyed our conversation as well. The rest of my day was great -- we ate at President F's house for dinner and there were many families there. Our members take great care of us! That's crazy that Reece gets to be on the TV show with his friend! He didn't e-mail me this morning but maybe I'll have to ask him about it another time. I have glanced at your blog, you do a great job. I love you and hope you have a great first day at your new job in January!

Remi, I enjoyed talking with you,too! I am glad you enjoy your gifts so much. Thank you for the shorts I will hopefully use them next pday for basketball. :) What are you doing for the rest of the Christmas break? Have a Happy new year! Love you!

Reece, It was good to hear your voice on Friday and I hope you have a fun time at your friend's beach house! I love you and I hope to hear from you soon.

Things are really going well here in the Viera area! The members are awesome and we receive so many member referrals. We taught Hermano R's friend Mario in Spaninsh during the 2nd hour of church yesterday and the lesson went really well. I just had my mini English preach my gospel on one knee and Hermano R's Spanish PMG on my other knee. With this I was able to contribute to the lesson more and because I can now understand most of what is being said during the lesson I was able to follow along very well. The Lord definitely blesses His missionaries! The ward continues to impress me more and more. It is just so organized and everyone pitches in. The attendance at Takiya's baptism was heartwarming, especially since it was the day after Christmas and everyone could have justified just staying home with the family. But the Relief Society room was packed and many members brought their families and even non-member friends! This is the kind of ward that I could see raising my own future children in.

Our zone is doing great and we look forward to a promising January with many baptismal dates already set for the month. We ended December with 5 baptisms as a zone but we plan on reaching double digits in January! I will keep you updated on our progress.

President Darrington in his weekly email to me used a verse in 1 Nephi 14 and it happens to be where I just read in the Book of Mormon recently. This chapter along with 1 Nephi 13 are my favorite chapters in the first book of Nephi because they teach so clearly the message of the restoration. Nephi saw in vision everything that would happen to his people and all the things to come to pass in the last days, thousands of years before it actually happened. Because of a loving Heavenly Father and the truthfulness of this church we have this available to read from today! We will continue to share this message with everyone we come in contact with and we look forward to reaching the goals we have set for January as a zone!

I love you all and wish you a happy new year and a great 2010! You are in my heart and in my prayers.

Love,

Elder Miller