Dear Family,
You know how when we were ak ids and Christmas Eve would be the longest day of the year because we were just waiting, waiting, waiting? (Sometimes we'd even try some strategies to make the day go faster, such as running in place and jumping "through time"...?) Well, This was the longest week of my mission because we were just waiting, waiting, waiting for the water to come back. "They" told us it would be back on Tuesday some time, and then it kept getting pushed back. Finally it came back on Thursday morning and there was joy again in the pink house. Luckily, we never got to the point of convulsing people, just extreme physical discomfort, because I like to shower...daily if possible. We were lucky though, in that we got to shower every other day...we showered on Monday morning in the Mission home, and then again on Wednesday morning in the Office (it was so cold!). On Wednesday when we found out we weren't getting water until later, we decided to go home to get our jugs to fill them up (did you know it is 2 1/2 gallons to flush a toilet?!). When we got home, we were blessed with a water truck right outside our house and the task that we thought would take a long time ended up being only 20 minutes. That was definitely a blessing of the Lord. So, not so much sitting (nor running in place or jumping through time for that matter), but lots of waiting and wishing this week.
I feel like we did a lot of knocking doors this week, because a lot of our investigators have fallen. They were really great, but they just don't have time to meet with us or to keep their commitments, so hopefully other missionaries in the future will be able to pick them up again and help them. One of my favorite stories from this week while knocking is this one lady that we knocked into while it was raining outside. It wasn't even raining that hard, but she flipped. out. Seriously. She was like "No! You're going to get wet! You're going to get sick! No!" She wouldn't even listen to us. It just kind of cracked me up because we're like, what?! You're not going to get wet, and we're still in the rain...you should let us into your house! But seriously, I guess that has happened to Hermana Reid before in her other Puerto RIcan area. It was just funny.
We also met a new investigator this week while knocking doors, named Pablo. Pablo is a retired theater teacher. And you can tell. He is so dramatic and very animated. It is really just a joy to go over to his house. He is a really great guy, but didn't quite understand our claim to the authority of Jesus Christ. We were talking about this is Companion study one day and how we need to be more bold, because a lot of people just think that if it talks of God, than it is good and therefore true. That is why there can be so many churches here in Puerto Rico that are supported by the people. So, we read him a verse in 1 Nefi that clarified that... and I felt really bad reading it, but I think it may have worked...we'll see next time we visit him, and what's more, he still like us afterwards and gave us treats and refresco. He just cracks us up without even realizing it because his personality is just so stereotypical drama-type, and it's fun. He told us that he wasn't going to answer the door to our shouting, but that something told us that he should come and talk to us and let us in. So, that was really cool and I liked to hear that.
We have one investigator, Carolina, who is really cool. She has a young son and we have been teaching her for a while now. She always keeps her commitments and reads in the Book of Mormon, even if it isn't a lot, she has always read in the assignment, which is really exciting, because no one ever keeps their commitments here. We were visiting her this week and she told us about one of her friends that told her that we practice plural marriage. We told her that it is against the beliefs of the church and any one who practices it is not a member of our church (although they may do it under the name of the church). She told us what she told to her friend when her friend told her not to listen to us anymore, and it was cool! She said that she feels good when we're there and she feels good reading in the Book of Mormon and that she likes the Book of Mormon and that she is going to ask God if she should keep listening to us, instead of listening to what her friend says. Yes! It was so good to hear that, because now we know:
1. She can think for herself and does
2. She feels the spirit
3. She recognizes the spirit (we talked more about why she felt the way she did)
4. She trusts in us enough to voice her doubts
It was a really good lesson. And then we went back later this week with a member, and the member bore a really powerful testimony, which was great. She testified that Carolina really needs to gain a testimony for herself and that we were there to help her, but she really needs to work and look for the answers for herself. We were so happy that her testimonry really focused on that aspect of the conversin process because it is something we've really been focusing on with investigators lately, ever since Elder Bednar came. It was a really great lesson. And on top of it all, she is a great mother. I am jsut really excited for her. She commited to come to church on Sunday and we arranged a ride with the Primary president to guarantee that she would make it, but then she called on Sunday morning and said she couldn't (I think...I still find I difficult to understand Spanish on the phone), but she didn't make it to church. And I find it encouraging that she called instead of just not being at home when the ride came, so we still have a lot of faith in a hope for her.
Joshua is still learning and progressing wonderfully. We're very excited for him. He had to go to his grandmother's house this weekend, and that is the hard thing with him. That is, that he doesn't have a lot of control over his own time. He missed a cita once because he had to go to his aunt's house, and then this week he missed a cita and church because he had to go to his grandmother's house. But, we know that he is ready because he is keeping his reading commitments and is excited about everything we tell him, and he just tells us always that he wants to know more.
Thanks for all the love and support. Missionary work is great, and I am learning so much! I know that this is the Church of Jesus Christ; the same church that he organized when he came to earth, and that only through the principles and ordinances He has given us can we reach our goals to live with Him and our families forever.
Love,
Hermana Miller
You know how when we were ak ids and Christmas Eve would be the longest day of the year because we were just waiting, waiting, waiting? (Sometimes we'd even try some strategies to make the day go faster, such as running in place and jumping "through time"...?) Well, This was the longest week of my mission because we were just waiting, waiting, waiting for the water to come back. "They" told us it would be back on Tuesday some time, and then it kept getting pushed back. Finally it came back on Thursday morning and there was joy again in the pink house. Luckily, we never got to the point of convulsing people, just extreme physical discomfort, because I like to shower...daily if possible. We were lucky though, in that we got to shower every other day...we showered on Monday morning in the Mission home, and then again on Wednesday morning in the Office (it was so cold!). On Wednesday when we found out we weren't getting water until later, we decided to go home to get our jugs to fill them up (did you know it is 2 1/2 gallons to flush a toilet?!). When we got home, we were blessed with a water truck right outside our house and the task that we thought would take a long time ended up being only 20 minutes. That was definitely a blessing of the Lord. So, not so much sitting (nor running in place or jumping through time for that matter), but lots of waiting and wishing this week.
I feel like we did a lot of knocking doors this week, because a lot of our investigators have fallen. They were really great, but they just don't have time to meet with us or to keep their commitments, so hopefully other missionaries in the future will be able to pick them up again and help them. One of my favorite stories from this week while knocking is this one lady that we knocked into while it was raining outside. It wasn't even raining that hard, but she flipped. out. Seriously. She was like "No! You're going to get wet! You're going to get sick! No!" She wouldn't even listen to us. It just kind of cracked me up because we're like, what?! You're not going to get wet, and we're still in the rain...you should let us into your house! But seriously, I guess that has happened to Hermana Reid before in her other Puerto RIcan area. It was just funny.
We also met a new investigator this week while knocking doors, named Pablo. Pablo is a retired theater teacher. And you can tell. He is so dramatic and very animated. It is really just a joy to go over to his house. He is a really great guy, but didn't quite understand our claim to the authority of Jesus Christ. We were talking about this is Companion study one day and how we need to be more bold, because a lot of people just think that if it talks of God, than it is good and therefore true. That is why there can be so many churches here in Puerto Rico that are supported by the people. So, we read him a verse in 1 Nefi that clarified that... and I felt really bad reading it, but I think it may have worked...we'll see next time we visit him, and what's more, he still like us afterwards and gave us treats and refresco. He just cracks us up without even realizing it because his personality is just so stereotypical drama-type, and it's fun. He told us that he wasn't going to answer the door to our shouting, but that something told us that he should come and talk to us and let us in. So, that was really cool and I liked to hear that.
We have one investigator, Carolina, who is really cool. She has a young son and we have been teaching her for a while now. She always keeps her commitments and reads in the Book of Mormon, even if it isn't a lot, she has always read in the assignment, which is really exciting, because no one ever keeps their commitments here. We were visiting her this week and she told us about one of her friends that told her that we practice plural marriage. We told her that it is against the beliefs of the church and any one who practices it is not a member of our church (although they may do it under the name of the church). She told us what she told to her friend when her friend told her not to listen to us anymore, and it was cool! She said that she feels good when we're there and she feels good reading in the Book of Mormon and that she likes the Book of Mormon and that she is going to ask God if she should keep listening to us, instead of listening to what her friend says. Yes! It was so good to hear that, because now we know:
1. She can think for herself and does
2. She feels the spirit
3. She recognizes the spirit (we talked more about why she felt the way she did)
4. She trusts in us enough to voice her doubts
It was a really good lesson. And then we went back later this week with a member, and the member bore a really powerful testimony, which was great. She testified that Carolina really needs to gain a testimony for herself and that we were there to help her, but she really needs to work and look for the answers for herself. We were so happy that her testimonry really focused on that aspect of the conversin process because it is something we've really been focusing on with investigators lately, ever since Elder Bednar came. It was a really great lesson. And on top of it all, she is a great mother. I am jsut really excited for her. She commited to come to church on Sunday and we arranged a ride with the Primary president to guarantee that she would make it, but then she called on Sunday morning and said she couldn't (I think...I still find I difficult to understand Spanish on the phone), but she didn't make it to church. And I find it encouraging that she called instead of just not being at home when the ride came, so we still have a lot of faith in a hope for her.
Joshua is still learning and progressing wonderfully. We're very excited for him. He had to go to his grandmother's house this weekend, and that is the hard thing with him. That is, that he doesn't have a lot of control over his own time. He missed a cita once because he had to go to his aunt's house, and then this week he missed a cita and church because he had to go to his grandmother's house. But, we know that he is ready because he is keeping his reading commitments and is excited about everything we tell him, and he just tells us always that he wants to know more.
Thanks for all the love and support. Missionary work is great, and I am learning so much! I know that this is the Church of Jesus Christ; the same church that he organized when he came to earth, and that only through the principles and ordinances He has given us can we reach our goals to live with Him and our families forever.
Love,
Hermana Miller
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