Elder Ranch Boy Miller

How the heck is everyone!!!!!!

This email is going to be a little short, but I’m sorry. I have had no sleep for 24 hours and I'm still going on no sleep right now.  We got a phone call last night when it was absolutely dumping rain, like buckets. I’m not kidding, the streets were rivers. Our zone leader said he had bad news. Well let’s just say that my boy Elder Aragon is gone. Yep they transferred him, and I received my new comp. He is from Bolivia and his name is Elder Villca. He doesn't have much time in the mission but he seems like a stud. I can tell that he has a desire to work. I am stoked its going to be saWeet!!!! I am going to have more responsibility now, but you know what--its good for me. I love a challenge.

Yesterday we had a baptism and it was truly a miracle. Her name is Lourdes. She is in her 40´s and is in a wheelchair. She has been one of our investigators for about 2 months. It is just that she was a slow learner and she had a really huge fear of water. With much prayer and fasting Lourdes was finally ready to enter the waters. Lourdes isn’t the littlest lady, lets just say she is quite a bit bigger than me in weight. We got to the edge of the font, I said Lourdes do you trust me, she said yes. I took her in my arms, the way the groom carries his new wife when they get married, and down into the water we went. I put her on the chair in the water. My comp said the prayer and baptized her but her feet came up and I knew the chair wouldn’t work. So I got on my knees and took her in my arms. She had her arm around my shoulder. My comp said the prayer again. After, I didn’t know how I was going to baptize her. I just felt that I should go with her, so we both went at the same time. Yup all the way under the water and up out of the water we came. She just had a big smile on her face and so did I. I was so happy. This truly was a miracle and Lourdes was so courageous. None of this would have been possible if we didn’t have the help of the Lord.

Thanks for the shoes, I got both of them and they Rock!!!!!! Thanks for the letters too, they touched my heart. Mom, how is sister Lakip?

Dad for the backpack, um one that has good support but is not to huge. A little smaller than a Brahma bag but bigger than a hiking pack. Colors aren't too big of a deal. But not colors that are way bright and yeah!!!!

Oh I had an amazing 4 days with Lopez in Uruapon. We saw many miracles together and many spiritual experiences. I hope I can serve with him some day down the road longer than 4 days.

Mom, I have a lady in my ward who is going to be emailing you a whole bunch of recipes so get stoked. ha ha

I love all of you so much!!! More than all of the miles that I have taken in the bus.

ha ha love ya

Wear your smiles this week

those dang quesadillas

Que Tal familia!!!!!

I know it is a bit early for me to be writing you guys but I am headed off to Uruapon for 4 days to do some sweet work.  Oh and in Uruapon it isn’t hot. Ah I’m so stoked!!!! It is going to be saweet. I’m going to be working with Elder Lopez again. So, I am stoked.

Yesterday after a good day of church with lots of people in attendance and lots of investigators in church, we went to the comida. It was with the familia of our ward mission leader. Horacio, is his name, he is a stud.  He is an ex missionary, but you would think he was still a missionary. He is always visiting menos activios and coming on visits with us. He is a stud. But, the food. First we had a big bowl of soup, which was awesome!!!! I really liked it and it had a whole bunch of meat. I was getting done eating my soup, the madre of Horacio puts down a plate of quesadillas. It was a whole dang stack and there was cheeze goozing out of them. Then she told me that it was for me. I was in a little bit of shock because there was so much cheeze. I was like, how in the world am I going to eat these. I started praying that I could receive the gift to eat. I started to believe that I could do it. First, I started dipping them in salsa.  This helped a bunch but then the salsa got way to hot.  I thought I was going to die because I had so much heat in my mouth. So I started eating them plain.  I think from eating the salsa I was able to eat them plain because the salsa damaged all my taste buds and there was enough tortilla to get rid of the nasty texture of the cheeze.  I did it, I ate my quesadillas. I ate cheeze familia can you believe it!!! In this one meal I ate more cheeze than I have eaten in my entire life. I was super grateful for the meal. The Hermana´s always love it when I eat with them, because I eat a lot and it makes them feel good. If it makes them happy, I will eat whatever and a lot. I am starting to see a little bit of the affects. I am starting to get a little gut, which is not good. I can’t really help it, it’s the food. I’m doing more exercises because I don’t want to have a gut when I come home. I won’t be able to get a date. Ha ha  Oh, Brady remember when we were in the good ole state of Wyoming and we were pushing our guts out?  My gut back then, was nothing.  You should see it now. Ha ha. I am exercising more because I want a date. Ha ha It makes me feel better (physically, mentally, spiritually) and my pants are starting to get a little tight around the ole belly. Ha ha Gotta love the food here.

So I don’t know why but I had a whole bunch of people contact me in English this week. Which is very weird because this never happens. It was saweet because a couple of them live in Utah and are here for vacations. It was so hard. I can’t talk in English to save my life. I haven’t really spoken English since I got to the ranch. It was a challenge for me to speak with these people. I had to think of the words and sentences in my mind before I spoke with these people.  I also tried talking about the church and would just start speaking in Spanish because my Spanish just flows out of my mouth. It was wild and I cannot teach or contact in English. I like talking in Spanish a lot better right now.

Well I gotta head out. Sorry it is short this week but there is work to be done. 

Know that I love you with all of my heart. You guys give me inspiration and I know that you are with me.

Love your little ranch boy Elder Miller 

Mom really fast my backpack is dying. I am going to need a new one. I have had it for years and it has been through many battles with me but it is time for a new one. If you could send one that is a little bigger that would be awesome, but not too big just like a normal backpack but has good support. That would be amazing and the color doesn’t matter.

I would use my other one from Mr. Mac, but I gave it to my comp.  I let him use it one day because his backpack was hurting his back really bad. He absolutely loved the one from Mr. Mac so I thought he needed it more than me. So I gave it to him.

thanks so much 

love ya

living it up in the ranch

What is up!! How the heck is everyone!!!

Well, I am loving life, we worked our butts off this week and taught a whole bunch of lessons and contacted until I thought I wasn't going to have a voice. Oh, this week rocked. We found a lot of new cool people. One lady named Isabel (I met her last week when I knocked on the door to use the bathroom, this lady was in the house.) We visited her and her 3 kids this week. Her oldest doesn't believe in God. We had an awesome lesson with them. I'm excited to visit them again this week. She owns a soccer field and they have tournaments 3 days a week. Sik, I want to play, but I can play after my mission. There is work to be done.

Do you guys remember Angela? I baptized her like 3 weeks ago. Well I had a very special spiritual moment yesterday in church. I was sitting in sacrament just loving all of the testimonies when I saw little Angela stand and start walking to the front. She got to the pulpit and gave her testimony. This girl is nine years old and has been a member for only weeks and went up all by herself. Her testimony was very simple, but it was a testimony from the heart. As she was speaking, I was just touched by the spirit, I was crying. I couldn't help it. I know that this gospel is real and it is simple. Sometimes we forget that, but really it's simple and we can always be reminded that it is simple by listening to the little children pray or give their testimonies. I love the little children here and back at home. They always bring a smile to my face. I always joke with them and laugh and we just have a good time.

Pops and Brady guess what? I have this buddy and he works in a leather place. He is cool but doesn't want anything to do with the church, but he made me a DOPE!! belt and scripture case!! I was talking to him and he told me that they hunt these little deer here. He showed me some and they are pretty saweet. What is even more exciting is that they hunt black panthers in the hills above Apatzingan. Yah sAweeet huh. I’m so stoked, I have a contact now after the mission.  I can come here and get me a big ole black cat.

Tell dad that he needs to fill me in on the hunt down on Johnsons. I want to know. I miss it bad. The morning of September one I knew it was the opening of the hunt so when I woke up, I started doing elk bugles and cow chirps. I think my comp thinks I'm some crazy mountain man. But hey, I'm just being me.  Ha ha.

We are going to have some baptisms this week. 1 for sure with Mayco and 2 others if we can get the couple married. Homero y Casandra. Keep them in your prayers. This week is going to be awesome. 

Well I love all of you so much. Always know that I'm doing the work of the Lord and I am loving it. It tries the heck out of me at times, but it's good for me and I'm learning a ton. 

love you 

Until next time, this is Elder miller and I'm signing out.

Oh mom, if my blanket isn't to big and can fold up into my suit case you can send it. That would make me really happy!!!!