Week 18 - Caraz

We were able to Skype Elder Miller on Christmas Day for 1 hour, it was wonderful to see his face and talk to him!  

Here is a little summary from him.

From Elder Miller:

My first Christmas in the mission was great! Different than at home, but it was good. Like I said in Skype it is always so fun to be with a bunch of missionaries. We basically spent all week with missionaries and members. It was great. We had a Christmas party in the church and Elder Sanchez and I did a few skits on the spot with a few members and they were pretty funny. We ate super good this whole week. Lots of apple pie on Christmas and basically an American Thanksgiving dinner.

My companion gets transferred today to go be a Zone Leader so that is awesome for him. He has helped me so much. I have learned a ton and really learned to appreciate my time in the mission with him. I'm very happy that I get to stay in Caraz for one more transfer for sure. I'm excited to start working with my new companion here in Caraz. We have a party in the church this week for the new year so that should be very fun hopefully we can help some investigators and less actives come and enjoy the time with us too. 

That's basically my summary for the week. So you can share it with whoever haha thanks mom!

Thanks so much for all of your support and all you do for me mom. It was so fun to Skype. It looks like you all had a great Christmas! Have a great week this week and a very fun new year. Here we come 2016! I love you and miss you tons! Be safe!

Christmas Dinner with Companion (Elder Sanchez)

Dinner with Hermana Flor Tacos

District at Christmas time, I think they performed at a Christmas Concert 

(hence the matching bow-ties)

Week 17 - Caraz

Here is Elder Miller's weekly update and pictures too!  We love pictures.  We get to Skype him on Christmas Morning, so we are anxious for Friday.  Merry Christmas everyone.!

Here is what Elder Miller wrote:

This week was great. I really realized the blessings of working with members. We are currently working on teaching all of the families in ward council the lessons to refresh their minds and strengthen them. In our lessons with them this week we found a few new investigators waiting for us when we arrived to their houses, so that was a great surprise. We also found a new family in a little town called Yura Coto(kind of a cool name) that wants to learn more and wants to have us come visit them so that was great as well. I love working with families. 

This week we had interviews and a Christmas devotional with President Rios and his family. Which were so great. They are so inspired. Hermana Rios told me something that really motivated me. She said that if you give all you've got and are obedient in your mission right now then you will receive tons of blessings in your mission after your mission or in other words your life after your mission. I passed both interviews by the way hahaha President Rios really helped me to understand how to have more confidence in myself and he always teaches with examples which i love. He compared the mission to driving a car. When we first learn how we are nervous, but after experience we become more comfortable and confident.

Yesterday we went to Yungay in the afternoon and taught a family and after we went to her orchard above her house and she gave us a bunch of fresh apples and lemons. They are soooo good! The people here are so generous. 

I have really enjoyed learning more about Christmas and helping others to do so too. I am so grateful for this time of year and that i am at least able to see the snow this Christmas. I am realizing that i took a lot for granted at home especially at Christmas time. Nothing will ever beat a Montana Christmas with my family thats for sure. I will definitely have a good time here though its so fun to be with a bunch of missionaries. For Christmas here they eat a ton of Paneton which is basically sweet bread with sweet little fruit bites in it. Its actually super good. A lot of people have lights and fake trees up so a lot of their traditions are very similar. 

This opportunity that i have been given is so amazing. I am learning so much and I hope to be making my Heavenly Father, my mission president, and my family proud! 

Helado in my new tie this morning.  Feliz Navidad!

Yes, mom those of inca cola and coca cola are glass!

Christmas Party with Mission & President & Sister Rios' family

Elder Miller & Companion with President & Sister Rios & one daughter

Week 16 - Caraz

Here is Elder Miller's weekly update:  He received his Christmas Package.  Thank you for all of you that took the time to write & send something!

From Elder Miller:

This week was so great we have been preparing as a zone for christmas. We are singing for Presidente and Hermana Rios this weekend so we have been practicing some singing haha its been fun to listen to its not my favorite thing to do but i love listening to it. Im very excited for my first Christmas in the field. It wont be anything like a good ol Christmas in Montana with my family and the snow, but it will be fun. We are going to eat and spend the day together as a zone in Huaraz which will be very awesome. 

This week we traveled to Chimbote(a town on the coast) for my reunion of 10 weeks with all the people who started the same time that i did in the field. It was really fun and really nice to know that we all had similar struggles our first few weeks and as President Rios says ´its normal.' I really like the assistents too. One of them Elder Weber was our Zone Leader last change and he is so awesome. I got to spend a day proselyting with him last change and that was a great experience. He has helped me a lot. 

This week we didnt get to spend a lot of time proselyting, but we did get a few people called as ward missionaries so it will be super fun to work with them too. We had one lesson with one of them with us this week and we watched a movie about the restoration with our investigator. It went really well. The purpose was to show him why the restoration was necessary and the movie got the point across very well. 

One of my favorite studies this week was in Ether chapter 12. I love this chapter. It really made me think of my experience as a missionary so far. For Ether it was really hard to preach to the people and he was a PROPHET! and he asked why is this so hard and was very discouraged at times, but I love verse 27 and the rest of the chapter after that. In this work I have realized there is so many things im not good at, but if I continue to have faith Heavenly Father will make these things become stronger for me. I really am so grateful for this opportunity that i have to be a missionary and to improve and prepare every single day for my future! Its pretty sweet :)

Week 15 - Caraz

Here is a little summary from Elder Miller. 
He kept it short so he could send more pictures. 
Enjoy his summer and enjoy the pictures.  What a beautiful place he get to serve in. 

We  had a great week this week. I truly love being a missionary. It is so challenging and at times discouraging but I have learned so much and am becoming much stronger. I am learning that part of serving is facing your fears. Elder Uceda told us if your afraid of knocking on a door for instance you go right up and knock on that door. If your scared to invite someone to pray invite them to pray. I really like his concept of facing your fears. This week we have been working with a few references and we had a cool experience in a lesson with one of our references from our mission leader. We asked the investigator if he had seen a change in his friend(the mission leader) and his answer was a certain yes and it was so cool. The power of an example is so real. The last thing I want to talk about is the devotional last night. Wow that was so amazing. Every single moment was a powerful spiritual experience. President Uchtdorfs talk was the best talk I have ever heard in my life I think haha I am going to print it off today actually. This is such a great experience. I love being a missionary and all of the opportunities this service offers me to learn and grow every single day. My favorite study this week was about the scripture D&C 50:14. I pretty much dissected it for 40 minutes. It was great. The very first thing i learned in the process is how important the role of a mother and father is in teaching their kids the gospel. It was actually a commandment given to Adam and Eve. The first parents on the Earth. I'm so grateful for the family that I have and that we have been able to learn and grow in the gospel together.

Look at that plow.  Elder Miller is loving seeing all the agriculture in Peru.

Potatoes! Check out that hat.  (he referred to it at his Indiana Jones hat).  ;-)

Mountains 

 

Elder Miller & Companion

Elder Miller & his companion.

'

Elder Miller posing

Elder Miller & Zone Leader

He thought it was sooo funny, they were so wet their ties stuck to their faces.  :-)

Elder Miller & Comp at Trujillo Temple

Selfie in front of tree at Mall.  (He knows I love trees).