Yee Haw

I'm happy to say I'm living to type this email after the eighty head of cattle we had to hold down and brand on Friday and Saturday. Saturday we did the bulk of them and they were huge! The biggest ones we hovering around 200 lbs, and guess who had to hold down their legs. What made it even better is that Bishop thought it'd be a good idea to have the young men help out. We held down the first one and Bishop gave the scissors to one of them so they could cut its ears. The calf was screaming and flopping around while Bishop was yelling, and the young man just started crying and climbed out of the pin. Poor kid. The good news is we got through. And by the way, Rocky Mountain Oysters are pretty dang good (if you know what those are).

I guess as far as missionary work goes, the only two current investigators we got to were Keith and Lisa. We had really good discussions with both of them. Kieth had a lot of questions about how we will be judged in this life, and Lisa had a lot of questions about repentance and baptism. We feel like they both could be baptized at some point and would like to challenge both of them to it before we go home.

We also had Shelby's baptism Wednesday, which was super great. Probably the last baptism Elder Sherwood and I will attend as missionaries. A lot of her family were nonmembers, so they also got to feel the Spirit of the ordinance. I've always enjoyed the scripture D&C 84:20 (or something like that), where it talks about how in the ordinances of the gospel the power of Godliness is made manifest. I really believe that to be true, because I felt it this last Wednesday and many other times as a missionary.

Well, we're down to the last three P-Days now. It won't be long at all time I get to see you all again. I hope you all have a wonderful, safe week,

Elder Miller

Cowbob Ranchpants

This week has been a lot of fun. We picked up a new family to teach named the Muniz family. The husband Ted was a former who we contacted and he told us to come back; when we came back, his wife was there as well and she listened and participated in the lesson as well. Then their grandson, who lives a few house down, came in and listened to the last half of the discussion! So in all we've been able to find four new investigators this week, which was more than I ever got in my last area.

On Friday, the other elder's joined us to go out and help our Bishop's dad brand his cattle. That's right, I had to help tackle calves and hold them down while Bishop branded/castrated them. I certainly preferred holding down the legs over the head, it was a lot easier. You had to hold them down just right or Bishop and his dad would yell and cuss at you, haha. We only did fourteen, but we were so tired (and then they had us move literally a hundred bales of hay that weighed 120 pounds each). Then this weekend, we have to go over to Bishop's ranch and help him brand his calves and he has 90 he needs to do on Friday and Saturday! I think I'm going to die.

Shelby texted us on Saturday and said she wants to move her baptism to Wednesday, which is now in only two days! So we are also scrambling to get all her baptism stuff figured out. This may be the last baptism I see as a full time missionary; it's a crazy thought.

Just found out I'm speaking on the 25th of June in Huntington. It's so nuts to be in this position. I honestly never thought I'd get this far.

Love you guys and I hope you have a good week

Elder Miller

One more month ahhh!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day yesterday. It was so much fun being able to talk to me family (for the last time on the mission, too)! Elder Sherwood and I are continuing to work hard in Silver City. President is going to put sisters in after we leave, so we need to get everything in order the absolute best we can before we leave. We've been going through the list of potentials investigators (which is pretty much a list of people that have been contacted by the missionaries in the past, but haven't been invited to be taught). We found two new investigators from it so far. One is a guy named David, who was actually referred to us by his girlfriend in prison who has been being taught by the senior missionaries there. When we mentioned that to him at the door, I think that is what had him allow us to come back and teach him. The other guy's name was Keith, who we actually just saw yesterday. He even let us into his house! He's an artist and a good one at that. He showed a few of his painting he's working on and they are so detailed and beautiful; a lot of them inspired by the desert landscape of the Southwest. He took a Book of Mormon from us and was very intrigued by it. He knows a lot about history and he said he could definitely believe that Jews came to America around the time they did in the Book of Mormon.

Shelby should still be getting baptized on the 26th, and I'm pretty excited for that. Like I said before, it will be wonderful to be able to see one last baptism before I go home.

I hope you guys have a good week and I'll see you all very soon.

Elder Miller