Silver City Week 21

Hello everyone,
It's hard to believe that I only have a few more weeks left in Silver.
It's seems like it's been forever and no time at all at the same time.
I love it here, yet I'm ready to experience something new; I'm quite
conflicted in thought.
There was tons of service and not a whole lot of lessons this week
(just enough to hit standards of excellence - which are goals set by
the mission president for each week). Brother Flythe's house is still
a work in progress, but we've accomplished a lot from when I was first there five months ago. The other Silver City elders invited us to help them volunteer at a horse rescue every Tuesday and Thursday morning; lots of dirt digging and manure shoveling, but it beats knocking doors at nine in the morning. We started teaching a part member family named the Peters on Wednesday. Ralph, the husband, is a non member, but he has a firm belief in the Bible and is fine with where he is. Rather than asking him to take the missionary discussions we just gave his family a reading assignment out of the Bible, so we can discuss it when come back next week. So he doesn't know it, but he's a new investigator -Ha!
I hope you all enjoy your holiday and give thanks to Lord for all themarvelous blessings He has so generously bestowed on us.
Elder Miller

Silver City - 19th Birthday!!

Hello everyone,

I'm having a good day because it's not only P day, but I'm turning 19 today! Thank you everyone for your birthday notes; it's very much appreciated.
This week was pretty good. We had zone conference on Wednesday in Thatcher, Arizona and we got to listen to the one and only President Passey and his wife. Also got to have trainings from other missionaries on a whole bunch of different tools we can use to help those we are teaching. A good edifying experience all together. After the conference I got to exchange out of Silver City for the first time ever. I was in a town called Deming in New Mexico with Elder Swain, who is one of my zone leaders. It was nice to experience something new and work with different people for a day.
I don't know if I've mentioned him before, but we have someone new who's on date for baptism. His name is Bob Sroka; he was a referral we got from some Elders in the Albuquerque mission - one of their investigators knew him. He is definitely ready. He came to church for all three hours yesterday. Elder Stephenson and I were teaching Gospel Principles, and he participated and fit right in the class. We were talking about the signs of the Second Coming, which is a pretty difficult subject for someone new to the church. The lesson manual mentioned the new Jerusalem that was to be built in Jackson County, Missouri; I was just praying he wasn't going to think we were nutjobs and stop meeting with us, but he had no issue with it. He lightheartedly commented "It's quite ironic, from Missouri [misery] comes Jesus." He's going to be a great member, and it's an other baptism I'll have to miss. Oh well.
I get to speak in Gila Ward next week during sacrament meeting. The bishop asked me to use one of the talks from last Conference to work off of. Tell me what your favorite talk from the October conference was and I'll consider using it for my talk next week.
I hope you enjoy your week,
Elder Miller

Silver City Week 19

Hello everyone,

I hope everyone is enjoying their Monday as much as I am. Sometimes I feel I enjoy non proselyting days too much; but I can't help but to feel satisfied when resting after a very good week. Our teaching pool
grew by three this week and they practically fell onto our laps; whenever we went into one of our normal lessons, someone new would be there, wanting to learn more about our beliefs. We went to go follow up on a referral we helped move last week and a friend of hers, Buck,
accepted a Book of Mormon from us. Buck is a Seventh Day Advent (they
worship on Saturday like the Hebrews and make a big deal of it), and he had a lot to talk about of his beliefs when we met him. Nevertheless, he was open to reading the Book of Mormon, but he also
wanted us to take some religious literature of his (which I accepted -
it's only fair if I read it - he expects me to read it just as I expect him to read the BOM). He wants us to find prophecies of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon in the Bible the next time we see him as
well (I like a good challenge).
Brother Jones grandson, Coltan, moved into town from Utah and sat in our lesson with Joseph on Thursday as well. He recently began to study the Bible and wants to learn more about our church and the Book of Mormon. Of course we'd be happy to assist him in that. In our lesson with Marie and Carrye (the first one we had in a while), Marie had a friend of hers over named Anthony. Anthony was in and out of our lesson but up an immediate interest in the blue book we were
reading out of - the Book of Mormon. As we were teaching, he took out a Bible and started to look for the verses and books from the BOM in the Bible. With a confused look on his face, he asked us why he couldn't find them. We explained that the BOM is an entirely different
volume of scripture and so forth, which made him want to learn more, too.
There's great power in the Book of Mormon, and people seem to be more
interested in learning about it when they have an idea of what it is. My only admonition is to share it and testify of it whenever the opportunity comes. All you have to do is explain and invite to learn
more. I doubt any friendships have ever ended from a simple invitation to learn more of something that's important to you, and if one ever did, that friend was probably no good in the first place.

Have a good week and know that you're loved and missed
Elder Miller

Silver City - Halloween

Hope everybody had a good week. Today is my last day with Elder
Andersen; he was a good companion and the ward really enjoyed his stay here as well. Elder Kapele of first ward is also leaving for Gila Valley, so everyone that was here when I first came here will be gone; it's pretty weird. Tomorrow I get to go to Safford to meet my new companion, Elder Stephenson. This will probably be my last transfer here, but I really wish it wasn't; Shalako Bradberry should be getting baptized in late December, and it'd really be too bad if I missed it. I finally got to drive this week! For the first time in four and a half months; it was so strange. I was on exchanges with Elder Bangerter. We just found out Saturday that he will be training a new missionary right after he's done being trained - crazy.

Here some pictures of the sights I've seen from the past few p days.
We went to see the Gila Cliff Dwellings, which is a settlement made out of the side of a mountain by the Mogellon people about 700 years ago. And City of Rocks is a group of rock formations caused by the cooling of lava from a volcanic explosion about 34 million years ago.

I hope everyone enjoys their pagan holiday and has a good rest of the week,

Elder Miller

Silver City Week 17

Hello everyone,

Sorry I'm so lazy on P day and hardly get to writing these. Silver has been treating me well and Elder Andersen and I had a pretty good week. We're teaching someone fairly new names Shalako Bradberry who's husband is a recently re activated member. She is very much ready for baptism and has been going to church for a while now. In our last lesson with her, we taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ; she shared with us that she feels she's definitely in the repentance process right now and has started to make lifestyle changes by her own accord. Her coffee pot broke the other day and she has made a resolve not to replace it (we haven't even taught the Word of Wisdom, yet). It's too bad I might not be able to see her baptism, since it will be in December so her husband can baptize her, but I'm excited for them, nonetheless.

On Sunday, we had five investigators come to church, which is one of the best weeks I've had so far. We even had someone in Gila Ward come, and it's hard to find new people there. Luckily, a new couple moved there and haven't had their door knocked on like everyone else there. The husband came and he got a warm welcome from the Ward, since they haven't seen a new face in a while. They say their not "joiners" and aren't considering joining a church, but as long as I'm here, I'm going to do what I can to change that.

Elder Miller

Silver City Week 15

Hello everyone,

Hope you all had good General and stake Conferences this past few
weeks. I especially enjoyed Elder Yamashita's talk about being
"ambitious for Christ." Those of you from Huntington might rememberhim talking to us at the Palmyra Visitors Center when we went therefor youth conference a few years ago.

Elder Andersen and I are now teaching a couple we helped moved up in Gila Ward (the other unit we cover). When we introduced the Book of Mormon to them they were so fascinated it all. They thought it was amazing how Christ came to the Americas and how Jospeh Smith receive his call to be the prophet to translate it. I give away plenty of Book of Mormons, but rarely do you come across someone who actually WANTS you to give it away. It's moments like these where I'd like to be the people I'm teaching and be able the restored gospel for the first time - just to know what I'd be like. I just hope their great curiosity grows into something they will act on.

Elder Miller

September 26, 2016 - Silver City Week 13

I'm so glad I'm going to be in New Mexico for six months; I absolutely love the people of this area. Elder Andersen is my new companion and he is a lot of fun. He always has a joke to tell, and members and investigators a like seem to enjoy him as well. It's very different for me to have constant charge over the area and being the one who knows the area in the companionship. This week was especially hard since everyone seemed to either not be home or falling through. This meant lots of finding activities - which I detest. But I find it has payed off as we have a lot of possible new investigator lessons lined up for next week (FYI, you have to teach someone before you can call them a new investigator).

In relation to the upcoming general conference, I encourage you to
study the story of Naaman the Syrian in 2 Kings 5. Elijah commanded Naaman to simply bathe in the river Jordan seven times to be healed. Naaman was upset because he was not commanded to do something great, nor did he have something great shown to him. But his servant reminded him that if he would have done some great thing, then why not do this small thing as well. Often times we may hear a talked in conference and be like Naaman: "This is all things I've heard before; it's the simple things I've always known. Although we might not be getting a new mind-blowing revelation or a new section to D&C anytime soon, we need to keep in mind the prophets are given us instruction specific to our time,a no heeding to it will bring us safety from the adversary and great blessings.

Elder Miller