Happy Valentine's Day February 6, 2010

Hello my favorite family!

This week went well. I enjoyed your emails. It sounds like Grandpa is doing well, Mom, but I will pray that the tests go well, too. I haven't sent his letter yet but I will send it to the address you gave me. Thank you. Congratulations, Reece, on being accepted to BYU-Idaho! And I think you mean going to school this year, right? haha. I knew you meant next school year. My companion is doing well, Remi, he is just a little "trunkie" for Brazil and his family. He has been buying all sorts of random stuff that you can get for cheap in the U.S. but not in Brazil. He is excited but of course has mixed feelings. Dad, the house sounds like it is coming along at a steady rate! There sure is a lot of work that goes into it, isn't there? I have enjoyed the beautiful weather, too.

NEW MISSION PRESIDENT! (This is from an email from President Darrington. I thought you might like to know:)

"Last week, the Church announced the new mission president and his wife assigned to the Florida Orlando Mission. It is Garth Vaughan Hall, 63, and Sharon Laub Hall from the Rexburg, Idaho North Stake. President Hall is Vice President, Brigham Young University-Idaho. He is currently serving as a ward mission leader and temple ordinance worker. He is a former bishop, counselor and high councilor. For many years, he was employed as a college football coach working at several universities in the West.

Sister Hall serves as a ward Sunday School teacher and temple ordinance worker and is a former stake Primary president and counselor, counselor in a ward Relief Society presidency, counselor in a ward Young Women presidency and ward Young Women adviser. Both President and Sister Hall are originally from Salt Lake City, Utah.

We welcome the Halls to the FOM. It is with mixed feelings we contemplate our departure on or about July 1st as the Halls take the reins of this mission. It is our job in the meantime to make sure this mission does not miss a beat that the work continues forward with the transition to a new mission president and wife." ~President Darrington

Crazy huh? Already getting a new president soon! The weird thing is I go home the transfer after President does. :0 Isn't great, though, that President hall is Vice president at BYU-Idaho?

Well to be honest I was heartbroken this morning. I had the opportunity of a life time slip through my hands and I felt horrible. A kind member in our ward set it up so Elder Henz and I could go with him to watch the last night-time shuttle launch this morning. It required us getting up at 1:30am and our phone alarm was set on the wrong mode so only beeped once, not loud enough to wake us. My other alarm (I always set 2 or 3) either malfunctioned or wasn't loud enough to wake us up either. :( We missed it, but half of our zone got to see it, some of them in person. This is probably the saddest I have been in a long, long time, but I learned something from it. I thought of the parable of the ten virgins and the five whose lamps did not have enough oil. That was me this morning in a temporal sense, but I never want this to happen again! More importantly, I absolutely do not want to be in this position in a spiritual sense when the savior comes again. If I felt anguish for something so temporal I know it would be 10 times worse in a spiritual case. There will be other launches I suppose, just not like this one. Lesson learned.

In brighter news I was able to go to Kennedy Space Center today. I'll send pictures sometime soon. My favorite part was riding the launch simulator. So even though I missed watching the launch I did get to go to outer space!

We're meeting with Bro. C, tonight. I am so impressed with this man's humility and grasp on the gospel. I am excited for him to be baptized!

We're receiving lots of member referrals lately! Our member presentations are a great success thanks to the help of the Lord and the awesome members of the Viera ward.

Well, I hope each of your weeks go well! Thank you for sending the package and the letters. I really look forward to receiving them. I love you all!

love,

Elder Miller