Letter from Elder Miller delivered by Elder Toone

The following letter is from Elder Derek Toone.  Elder Toone was a zone leader in Elder Miller's first area.  Elder Miller sent a handwritten letter home with him to give to our family.  Elder Toone was a great blessing to Elder Miller and an answer to many prayers.  Elder Toone included a note to our family along with the handwritten letter from Jake.

Dear Miller Family,

Hello my name is Elder Derek Toone, I was in your sons zone.  I just wanted to send a quick note to say what a respectable and honorable missionary you have, and to also send you a letter he gave me before I left the mission.  Elder Miller is such a hard working, go getter, obedient missionary.  He was a team player and just an outstanding example to me.  Thank you for letting us have him.  He truly is a tiger missionary, and you should be the proudest parents on earth because he is doing excellent, and touching many lives in the mission!  Thank you once again for your son, he became one of my best friends in the mission.

Con amor,
Derek Toone




Miller Family,                                                                                                31 Mayo, 2010 Lunes


Mexico, Mexico, Mexico.  It is definately is a very unique and interesting place.  Only in Mexico you can find 5 people on a motorcycle riding down the road.  I can't think of any more "only in Mexico's" right now.  I thought up a whole bunch of good ones, but at the moment it seems that my mind has gone blank.  Oh well, I guess the heat can do that to a person. ha ha  I don't know.  I'm really excited for the rainy season, then it won't be so hot.  The locals have been telling me is that when it rains, it rains.  All the streets are just full of water, and it is an everyday happening.  I'm sure I'm going to have a lot of interesting experiences with the rainy season.   Who goes out when the American Navy does not?  The Missionaries!!  Who goes out when the Air Force does not?  The MIssionaries!!! ha ha The Lord has a great work for us to do.  I am right smack in the middle of it.  This work brings me great happiness.  It is eternal happiness.  It is not temporal.  I am very grateful for my many blessings.  The opportunity I have to be down here in Mexico with my fellow brethren.  I am becoming one of them.  I am serving them.  I am laughing with them.  I am crying with them.  I am loving them as I become more and more engrossed into this culture.  My big goal is to return to the states and relearn my english. ha ha  The Lord called me to speak spanish and thats what I am going to speak.  No matter how hard it is, I am going to be able to speak and understand this language with the help of the Lord.  I know with the Lord it will come even faster.  I know this, "Love speaks louder than any language".


Here in Buenos Aires I love it!  I love the area, the people and especially my ward.  Hermano Espiritu and Hermano Carrillo will be my life long friends, and many others but these two in particular.  I have learned so much from these two men.  All sorts of things, things of life, culture, spanish, the gospel and a lot about how I should be after my mission.  They are great examples.  They always are trying to further the work of the Lord by serving.  Even without the missionaries they are finding less actives to visit.  They always have great attitudes and a great desire to share their testimonies of the this gospel.  They are amazing.  I love going on splits with them every sunday afternoon.


Family something that I have learned and I am still learning about since I have arrived in Mexico is "feeling".  This is one thing that my comp doesn't have.  He never shows emotion.  Yeah he smiles and laughs, when we talk.  But in lessons, he totally changes and is stern and direct.  When I need a shoulder to lean on, I don't go to him.  He can't even understand what I'm going through.  He expects me to be perfect.  These first few months have been really difficult and lonely. But I have found the shoulder I can lean on or cry into.  It is my brother Jesus Christ.  He gives me great comfort.  A lot of times I just want a big hug from Mom or anyone of you.  Physically I can't but I know you are with me spiritually and so is Christ.  I'm not the only one who needs comfort, many people are searching for this same comfort.  I want to bring it to them.  I can't do that if I am a robot.  If I need to laugh with the people, I will.  If I need to be bold and direct, I will.  If the spirit touches me in such a way that I cry bearing my testimony or if I need to cry with the person, I will.  If these people need something, I will do all I can to help.  I have felt the love the Savior has for me.  I know that I am a child of God.  But many don't know this, many don't know what it feels like to feel the love of the Savior.  Through me as one of the Lords instruments, if 1 person can feel the love that the Savior has for him or her, I will be filled with eternal joy.  I have seen it in many lives already and I hope it will be 1,000's of more people while I am here on this earth.  I want others to have the happiness that I have.  That is my purpose, this is our purpose  "Bring others unto Christ through the restored gospel.  Through
*Faith in Jesus Christ and his atonement.
*Repentance
*Baptism
*Receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost.
*Persevering to the end.
This is how these people will receive true happiness.


Know that I love you with all my heart family.  You all mean everything to me.  I have a very strong testimony of Eternal Families.  I am so grateful that we are an eternal family.


Love Elder Miller Smith