Week Fourteen - Caraz

Here is Elder Miller's weekly update:

From Elder Miller -

This week was just as much as an adventure as the last wow! I stayed in our apartment exactly two times this week, on a bus to Trujillo two nights, with the zone leaders two nights, and in Carhuaz one night! It was a fun filled week with lots of traveling.

We went to Trujillo on Tuesday night to listen to Elder Uceda of the 70 and his wife along with President and Sister Rios during the day Wednesday. It was very cool. He is so powerful. He taught us about how we can better study the scriptures and about how we can better study to prepare for investigators. I learned a lot and we got to eat papa johns pizza after. That was definitely a treat. Then later in the night we went to the temple as a Zone and that was so so so amazing. The new temple in Trujillo is beautiful. Then we went to the mall to kill time and eat dinner before our bus left that night. It was such a fun day.

When we got back to our áreas on Thursday morning we got to sleep a Little bit then we went proselyting. It has been an interesting week with proselyting with trying to find the people, but I

guess that's the nature of the work. We did have some major success with our missionary night this week, however. We had a big fire with marshmallows and hot chocolate. There were a lot of people at it so that was really awesome to see.

On Saturday in the afternoon we went to Huaraz with our Ward council to meet with Elder Uceda again which was such a cool experience. It was a conference for all of the Ward councils in our stake and he brought up the Ward council from Caraz to be an example so that was super cool. He showed how by just activating one family you could potentially be activating their entire family in the  future like their kids and their grandkids and on and on. Then later that night we went to Chinese food with the zone leaders and that was delicious. Chinese food here is basically rice with chicken and eggs and soy sauce. Its a nice treat!

I have learned a lot this week. My favorite thing is that in order to study the scriptures like an apostle you need to do two things; study them profoundly and consistently. I know this church is true and that this work is so very important. I am so grateful for the love of our savior and his atonement in my life because I'm nowhere near perfect.

Week Thirteen - Caraz

Here is Elder Miller's latest e-mail/letter.  He sounds wonderful. 

Elder Miller writes:

This week was amazing. It was a Little bit frustrating at times with the work, but im learning patience and strengthening my faith. I received a package this week with stuff from my mom and from the school. Thank you so much!!!! I feel so blessed and I wish I could show my thanks better than in an email. I also received the card from our ward mission night. Thank you to everyone who wrote to me. Deer Lodge Ward is the best!!! I don’t really feel like I deserve all of this love and I wish I could say thanks in a better way, but know that I feel so blessed and that it means a lot to me.

This week was a little different in the missionary work. Two of our investigators that were progressing moved away to different towns so that was a little tough, but some very great things happened this week too. One of them was that we were finally able to contact a family that is part members that are inactive. I have hope!!

This Friday we went with the bishop to Santa Cruz(a city in the mountains) to give a family permission to administer and partake of the sacrament in their home when they aren`t able to come to Caraz for Church. It was the coolest experience and its so cool how the Lord always provides a way for everyone to keep his commandments. I finally got some pictures there of people plowing with their cows and I also got a picture of the members horse all saddled up when he rode out with us as we walked back to the car. I got to eat Cuy for lunch with them. They fried up the whole thing. The guts and everything. It was pretty good actually! I got pictures of the lady gutting them in the creek. I also got to help them pull up some potato plants in their field to send some potatoes with us. It was like a dream day for Elder Miller.

Today as a zone we hiked to a laguna up in the mountains. It was so amazing. We were at almost 20,000 feet of elevation. I have some great pictures from the whole experience.(by the way I have a bunch of pictures but I need to buy an adapter but I can only send them on some computers I will send them to my parents one of the weeks) The mountains are so amazing here.

I am definitely feeling sooooo blessed this week. WOW! Heavenly Father knows his children so well. My first area in the field is in the mountains with agriculture everywhere. I am loving life. The mission is such a learning process and its really hard at times, but it is all worth it. I am so grateful for this opportunity that I have to serve my Father in Heaven and I am so grateful for all of the support he has placed in my life. Wow!

Week Twelve - Caraz

Here is the latest e-mail from Elder Miller.

 

Elder Miller writes:

This week was a great week! I have officially completed one transfer in the field as of yesterday. I definitely learned a lot my first transfer and look forward to learning lots more this transfer. I have the same companion for this transfer because you are always with your trainers for two transfers so that is awesome. Elder Sánchez is really fun and a great teacher.

This week we have been working with a few different investigators. Two of them are references from our awesome Ward misión leader. He has been such a great help to us. Working with the members to find and teach the investigators is so much easier. Wow! The members here are great. One day this week we had one member drive us to yura coto for a few people there and we had one lesson with an old investigator that was great. She is very receptive and really trying to learn. Which as a missionary is a dream come true! When the investigators actually pray and read the book of mormon and the pamphlets It is so awesome. You can really see their growth as they study and ponder.

Wow the misión is such a learning process. Between learning more about the góspel and the scriptures combined with learning the language its kind of overwhelming at times, but Im learning and growing so that is good. Some days i have tojust laugh at myself and realice that im going to make some mistakes. I love to look back and see the progress that I have made though. This Sunday we went to Yungay for their sacrament meeting there in a house with about 20 to 30 people and it was a great experience as always. The people there are so nice and always have a special spirit about them. I gave a talk about building your life and family on the rock of the Lord.(like the wise man) It went great! My whole talk was in point form too. The gift of tongues is such a blessing.

I know this is the work of the lord and that there are people being prepared right now to receive it as it says in Moroni 7. It is such a blessing to be in such a beatiful place and with great people. I have definitely felt the love of the Lord in my life throughout this experience so far.

Week Eleven - Caraz

Here is the latest e-mail from Elder Miller.  He sounds wonderful. 

 

From Elder Miller;

Wow this was an awesome week! President Rios came and visited our whole zone and we got to study and plan with the assitents. It was a great experience. The work is moving forward here in Caraz which is such a delight to see!

The members here are so amazing. We have a new Ward misión leader who is amazing. He gave us 20 references to his friends this week! He is very Young and he is a return missionary. He actually knows some people from Helena from his misión which is very cool.

President Rios came and checked out our room this week to make sure we are keeping the place in good condition and dont worry…he approved! We then went and visited a member with him here that is having a Little bit of trouble with her teenagers. He gave such a great lesson! He said teenagers are like mercury in the palm of your hand. If you squeeze too hard it escapes, so you need to almost balance it in the palm of your hand. You cant let it totally run free, but you cant totally restrict it. It was such a great lesson that ill definitely remember. He is such an inspiration!

This week we had one of our less actives attend church that we have been working with. It made me so happy to see him in church. He was participating and everything! He is a very Smart kid the same age as me so it is fun to see him be a great example for his family.

We have been teaching some new investigators this week and its very interesting to see what people think they know about mormons. I love how the góspel is so simple. Every question or opposition can be answered with simple plain precious truths of the góspel.

We have really been focusing on helping everyone understand the sabath day because that is the big focus right now here. We have really been tying it to the Savior and as ive learned more about the Savior my love for him and understanding of his atonement has greatly increased! I love this góspel and the opportunity I have to share it. Heavenly Fathers loves us so much and I am so grateful for that.

Week Ten - Caraz

Helo everyone from Caraz! This week was another great week here! The rainy season is getting ready to start so we got a Little taste of that this week as well as some super nice sunny weather. It is so beautiful here. The work is moving forward here. Some days slower than others, but it is moving forward!

This week I got to see some very cool things! First of all the rainstorm was super strong holy moly! Elder Sanchez and I got soaked. We had an opportunity for service in the rain however which was a blessing! An older man was pushing a cart up to his home with two of his smaller grandchildren I am guessing and we happened to pass them and were able to help them pus hit the rest of the way to their home. All the while we were laughing because we were completely soaked from head to toe! When we returned to our apartment our ties were so wet that we could stick them to our faces. I also saw some farming in action here this week in our travels which was very cool. There was a horse and buggy out in the middle of a field and the people were piling corn plants on it. As well as people working up the dirt in their fields using a single plow with two cows.

We had the opportunity to spend almost all of yesterday with the members which was awesome. They have  a really strong core group of members here the thing is we just need to add a lot more people to it. The members are so generous, nice, fun and have such strong testimonies. Yesterday in the morning we went to Yungay for the church meetings there. Their was about 30 members present. The spirit was very very strong! They meet in what is called a ¨ family group¨ they meet for two hours every Sunday for sacrament and Sunday school. The second counselor from the branch here presides over their meetings. He is so amazing! We got to work with him a Little bit this week. He is so happy and up beat I love it.

As far as investigators go we are on the search for more as always! It is a fun adventure. We have a few that are progressing a Little bit which is so cool to see. Teaching the lessons is getting easier for me as my spanish gradually  improves which is such a blessing! I love being a missionary! I have really been thinking a lot more about what makes our church special lately and one thing that  keeps comin to mind is something that Joseph Smith`s father said in the Joseph Smith movie ¨many churches teach men to fear God too much and love him too little¨ Im not sure if thats exactly correct but you get the idea. I love that! We should Love him and his perfect plan for each and every one of us.