Week 72 - Huaraz

This week was a great week here in Huaraz! It started off a little bit slow Monday and Tuesday, but by Wednesday we got busy with more lessons.
This week we got to visit with Hermana Estela a few times, and we got to help her a little bit. She progressing well. We are really trying to help her with  few of the commandments right now, and she is very willing to be obedient. This week we went to visit her with one of the sisters in our ward and she really helped Hermana Estela understand the blessings of living the commandments. Being obedient to the commandments can bless your whole family. It the end of the lesson Hermana Estela prayed and it was the most sincere prayer that I have heard from her. I am grateful that the Spirit has helped her progress so much in the time that we have been visiting her. One of the happiest moments of this week was this last Sunday when Hermana Estela came to church with her mom, daughter, and her sister. The gospel has really helped them to be more united as a family.
We have also started working with a young man about our age this week. His name is Hermano Franklin. He is very willing to learn, and we got to teach him about the restoration and the Book of Mormon this week. It is always such a blessing getting to teach people who are willing to listen. The message of the restoration is such a blessing for those who choose to listen to it and accept it.
This last Saturday was a pretty great day as well. I cant believe that I am 20 years old. Time here in the mission sure is flying by. We ate tacos for lunch, and when we ate dinner we ate cake as well. Our pensionista is very generous to us.
Yesterday was an interesting day. We had transfers last night. I am going to be staying here in Huaraz for one more transfer!!! I am very happy about that! I feel very blessed that the Lord has put me where I am at at this time. I know that he knows us and loves us.

my birthday lunch, tacos!!!!! Hermana Gaby really spoils us

my companion made sure that I enjoyed the cake. I guess its tradition here in Peru to take a bite out of the cake, so I went for it!

Week 71 - Huaraz

Weekly Summary from January 9th, 2017

Another week in the mission has flown by.  It was a great week filled with lots of rain and a little bit of sunshine. Its hard to imagine that its so cold at home when its more like summer here.
Hermana Estela is still progressing and its so awesome to see how her desires to keep learning and do the right grow every week. This week we taught her a little bit about a few commandments and she seems pretty determined to keep them. She also got to go see a  baptism this week that the other missionaries in our ward had. It was a great experience.   
This week we also got to know one of our less active member´s dad. In my time here I had not had the chance to meet him until this past week. He works in another town, but comes here every now and then. He hasn't every really been too excited about his family listening to us, but this week when we were teaching them he arrived just as we were starting the lesson. He accepted the lesson really well. We talked a little bit about the plan of salvation and in the end we talked with him a little bit about the importance of his family. He told us that his family is part of who he is. We then talked to him about how he can have an eternal family. It was so awesome to get to talk to him finally, and in the end he told us that we are welcome to teach him and his family. 
This week we also got to visit Hermana Roxana and another convert named Reinaldo. We got to talk to them a little bit about the importance of reading the scriptures as well. I am very grateful for the vision of the tree of life in the beginning of the Book Of Mormon. I know that the story of that vision has been preserved for a purpose. I know that the Lord has given us the Book Of Mormon for our times. 
I am very grateful for the time that I have to be a missionary. I am grateful to be able to help families. I know that families can be eternal and that the principles of the Gospel and the commandments have been given to us to protect us and guide us. 

Week 70 - Huaraz

his week was a great week. It was interesting and a little bit challenging at times, but it was still a great one. Many people have gone on vacations so it was tough to find a ton of people to teach, but our legs are a little bit stronger after walking a little extra this week.
Last Monday we got to go play soccer with the second councilor in our ward along with the other companionship in our ward and a few members. It was pretty fun! The people here are pretty good.
This past week we have gotten to visit Hermana Estela a couple of times and we also got to visit her sister, Hermana Delia, as well. They are doing well and have really sincere desires to learn, but they don't really like to read very much. We are trying to help them to read the Book of Mormon a little bit more so they can strengthen their testimonies of the restoration.
This week we also got to visit Hermana Agripina, Hermana Roxana and Hermana Yaquelin a little bit. They are doing well. They are still studying their Books of Momon and had a few questions for us. It is so important that we can keep them holding fast to the iron rod.
The people here in Peru are so generous. Many times this week the people that we were visiting gave us paneton and hot chocolate to drink. Paneton is a big loaf of sweet bread with little pieces of fruit in it. Its actually pretty good. I am very grateful for the generosity of the people here, but I'm pretty sure that I dont need to eat páneton again for a while! I actually said to my companion on Saturday night, after being so full of paneton, that I never wanted to eat it again. It was funny, however, because when the sacrament tray came around on Sunday I realized that they used paneton for the bread. I had to laugh a little bit about that.
It was a great week and I am excited for one more week in the work. I know that the principles of the gospel bless our lives. I am grateful for Jesus Christ and for his atonement. I know that thanks to him we can always become better.

Christmas Party with President & Sister Rios

Christmas Party

His Zone, Huaraz

Elder Miller with President Rios' youngest daughter, she gave them their Christmas gifts.

Elder Miller & his companion

Opening gifts

Christmas Dinner with President & Sister Rios

Merry Christmas!

Week 69 -Huaraz

This past week was an awesome week. I feel very blessed that I was able to celebrate Christmas here in Huaraz again with the great members here. Its a great time of year. One of the coolest things we got to see all week happened Saturday night. We were visiting a family here and they gave us hot chocolate and paneton. They had told us that they weren'


t going to be with their family members that live in Lima this Christmas because the bus tickets were expensive. They had great attitudes, however, and were excited for Christmas. When we were visiting with them all of the sudden someone knocked on the door. The daughter went to open the door, and the rest of their family flooded in the door. It was awesome to see a family get together for Christmas. 

This past week we have gotten to visit Hermana Estela, her daughter, and her sister a little bit. They are progressing really well. We have been talking a lot with Hermana Estela about baptism and her desires to be baptized are growing. She is always so grateful that she has gotten to learn a few of the principles of the Gospel. She and her daughter actually came to church yesterday as well. They are starting to gain and nurture strong testimonies. It is great to see. 

This week we visited a less active sister with her family, and it was nice getting to know them and talk with them. We are really excited to get to work with them because they expressed desires to go back to church. The Lord is always preparing people for us to teach and help.

Christmas was great. Our pensionista made us a delicious dinner getting to skype our families was great as well. With the sacrament meeting in the morning we started of the day on the right foot. I especially liked the scriptures from first Nephi about the vision of Lehi that our first councilor shared in his talk. It is so interesting how the people in the Americas looked forward to the birth and coming of Christ. I am grateful for his life and for his example. I know that the principles that he taught help us to find happiness, success, and peace. I know that Christ lives.

Christmas Dinner at Pensionita's 

A picture of Elder Miller and his companion skyping his companions family on Christmas Day

Christmas Dinner 

Week 68 - Huaraz

Merry Christmas! I can hardly believe that this week is Christmas! It is a great time of year. This week was a great week. It started off a little slow, but ended on an awesome note.
Hermana Estela is still progressing, and we got to know her sister this week as well. Her sister had a few doubts about the church and had been going to another church for a while. This week when we finally got to know her and visit her she opened up a little bit and asked us a few questions that we were able to answer. In the end of the lesson, she asked us if she could take a Book of Mormon to read. We were happy to leave her with a Book of Mormon. One thing I have learned while on my mission is that people can always find answers to their questions, and many of these answers are found as they read the Book of Mormon and pray. This Sunday Hermana Estela went to church with her mom and her sister. I am very grateful that the Lord has answered our prayers.
This week we also got to know a few new families. Almost all week we couldn't find many new people to teach. We have learned to be patient, however, even though its a challenge at times for me, and we got to know a few new families this last Sunday. One of them has listened to the missionaries before. The dad is actually a member, and he really wants his wife and kids to go to church with him. In the end of our lesson with them they were excited to read the Book of Mormon. I'm excited for the opportunity to help this family.
This last weekend President Rios came with his family and we had our little Christmas celebration with them. It was a great time. President wanted our Christmas celebration this year to be more of a spiritual experience and it was awesome. We watched the church´s videos about Christmas from the past years, and talked about them a little bit. Then they had a little surprise for us. We got to see the videos that our families sent us to wish us Merry Christmas. It was so awesome! I am very grateful for President and Sister Rios.
I'm grateful for the chance to remember the Savior a little bit more this time of year and I'm especially grateful for the opportunity I have to learn of him and to strive to be one of his disciples. I know that thanks to him we all get to have second chances in life and we will live after this life.

Week 67 - Huaraz

This last week was a very great and busy week. My companion left on Tuesday morning and I worked all day Tuesday with a missionary, that is serving in a little town outside of Huaraz called Carhuaz, who was waiting for his new companion as well. We had a great day and were able to find a few people to teach. Our new companions got here Wednesday in the morning. My new companion, Elder Torres, Is awesome. He is a hard worker and has a great attitude. He is from Chiclayo, Peru. Ive included a photo with him
We visited a few people Wednesday, then Wednesday night we traveled to Trujillo to a training with president Rios and the assistants. It was a great training. My favorite part was analyzing 3 Nephi 11 with President Rios. It really shows just how important baptism is in the Gospel. As I have studied the Gospel a little bit more this past week I have realized how much it blesses our lives. I also realized that at times we take for granted some of the greatest blessings the gospel has to offer.
This week we got to work with the Santiago Family a little bit. They are farmers and are willing to learn about the gospel. One of the difficulties that we have is that they understand the native language ketchua better that Spanish. We have been patient with them, however and little by little they are understanding.
Hermana Estela is still progressing. She is developing a firm testimony and she has helped my testimony to grow so much. She has a lot of opposition, but she keeps pressing forward. We talked to her a little bit about the scripture in Ether 4 this weeks that explains how we don't gain a testimony until after the trial of our faith. This Sunday i was worried when she didn't show up to church, but she finally did get there with her mom. I was pretty happy!
The highlight of my week was finally getting to visit our convert´s aunt. She has been less active for about 30 years, and wasn't really too excited that we wanted to visit her. We finally got to visit with her, however, and she was really sincere with us. We are excited to help her to receive the blessings of the gospel.
I know this is the work of the Lord. I know that the Holy Ghost is a real gift that brings many blessings into our lives.

with Elder Pacherres this last Thursday in Trujillo

My new companion, Elder Torres, Is awesome. He is a hard worker and has a great attitude. He is from Chiclayo, Peru. I've included a photo with him.  

Week 66 - Huaraz

Wow one more great week in the work of the Lord has come and gone. One more transfer in the mission has also come and gone. This week was very busy. My companion and I have still been working with Hermana Estela and she is really progressing. She came to church again this last Sunday with her mom. Her faith has been growing as she has prayed and come to church, and we talked to her a little bit more about baptism this week. We read 2 Nephi 31 with her and invited her to be baptized....and she accepted the invitation. Yeahhhh!!! She has been testifying to us in the lessons and has come a long way. I'm very excited to help her progress in the weeks that come. I am very grateful for the Book of Mormon and for the way it teaches the doctrine of Christ.
We also had a pretty awesome experience yesterday. We had a goal to find a new family yesterday. Our plans didn't go as well as we had hoped, but we decided that we had to find a family. We kept moving along, and then met a family in the street. We got to teach them a little bit. It turns out that they had actually listened to missionaries before and were very grateful for our visit. The Lord really prepares people and families for us to teach each and every week.
We got transfers yesterday and my companion is going to Casma tomorrow, so I will have a new companion. I am very grateful for the time that I have had with my companion and for the things that we have learned together. He is a super powerful missionary and always has a good attitude. He is a very firm teacher and I have learned a lot from his example as a teacher.
I will be staying here in Huaraz for at least one more transfer. That means that I will be here for Christmas and for my birthday! I'm pretty excited about that.
I am very grateful for the mission and for the opportunity that I have to learn and to grow each and every day. I am very grateful for our Lord and Savior and for his example and atonement. I know that he lives.

lunch today. Arroz con mariscos. Rice with seafood. it was pretty delicious