ilovemyselfandmom

 This week was so fun!! Every week is fun but this week especially! 

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday were probably my favorite days of my mission so far! On Thursday night we went to a referrals house but it turned out we didn't have her exact apartment number so we decided to try knocking a few doors! The first 3 didn't answer but (classic missionary story) I was feeling real good about the last door so we knocked and the kindest family ever answered! They are from Afghanistan and welcomed us out of the cold and fed us and let us sit with them! We visited and they told us that their mom was really struggling because she didn't have any friends who spoke her language here in Virginia. They invited us to come back in two weeks for a big holiday celebration where we'll get to be with their whole family! I'm so excited! But the story gets better!!!! Then on Saturday we were doing some studies in the park and a cute couple was having a picnic near us and we started talking and they invited us to eat with them and we ate by hand all the food they had prepared and guess what!! They are from Afghanistan and speak the same language!!!! Crazy miracle!! We invited their family to an interfaith event we had that night and they came with their ENTIRE FAMILY like 22+ people! So tender. BUT THEN the miracle continues! Another family from Afghanistan invited us to eat lunch with them in the same park and we had pizza together and THEY SPEAK THE SAME LANGUAGE TOO!! God is aware of His children. All walks of life. All people. He cares. So beautiful. So inspiring. 

Friday we got to go to the D.C. Temple AGAIN and go to the visitor's center and hear from Elder Rasband with the Washington D.C. North Mission! It was a really cool opportunity!! He talked a lot about the new change with sister missionaries being able to go at 18 and what a blessing it will be for the church. I love it. He said "Now you understand why we had to open 55 new missions!! We are about to have thousands more amazing sister missionaries!" YAYAY!! 

Lots of new members came to sacrament this week!! Seeing our friend Belardy come in with his mom Norma and his three little cousins I actually thought my heart was going to explode. 

Oh also we helped a woman carry her groceries home a couple miles away and then she let us in and we helped her with lots of stuff around the house and we made tortillas and in the end we gave a little spiritual thought and it was such a spiritual experience. She confided a lot in us about the things that she is facing right now and they are SO difficult. It is so hard. But we were able to minister to her and cry with her and have someone come to give her a priesthood blessing and I'm so grateful that Heavenly Father trusts me with his so precious children, especially in times of crisis. That's something I've been reflecting on a lot this week is the trust that Heavenly Father has in each of us. He gives us assignments, responsibility, stewardships, and even friendships to show his trust in us! That is empowering! 

This may be common knowledge but I have a big problem that I truly can not focus on anything else if there is a TV anywhere around me. It's becoming a severe problem because we have a lot of lessons in restaurants with massive TVs that are also playing sports and I can not function. Pray that I can be less of Mike TV. 

We had lots of great lessons this week with a lot of different friends which is always a highlight! We went to Hibachi Grill and stuffed our faces perusal. Hibachi is not for the faint of heart because the members expect you to eat at least 4 or 5 plates. It's hard work but we got it done. Also PSA: If anyone is thinking about quitting playing the piano, it is not worth it. I am appalled at my lack of skill these days and it haunts me slightly.  

This week and transfer and the majority of my life I've tried to study hearts because that's something mentioned in the scriptures, by the Savior, and by living prophets all the time! I'm trying to learn how to make my heart a little softer everyday. I think I have a tendency to be a little hard hearted and I can feel that it pulls me away from Christ and from the people I teach so it's something I've really been wanting to work on. I'd love your prayers that I can keep making some progress. And, if you have any good insight I'm all ears!

Other notable things!

- ate delicious breadsticks 

- Hermana Morales puked in her water bottle

- was exceedingly sore for like 6 days

- HELD KOI FISH

- discovered my unknown love for pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, truly any seed

-went to the library!

-got to see Kathya! 

That's pretty much all. God is so good. Virginia is so good. The people here are SO good. My companions are so good. Life is good. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to serve a mission. Love you all!

Hermana Miller

EDIT Best week ever!!

 [transcribed from an audio message]

Okay this is probably the most inconvenient thing I could send but I just don't have time to type so but I would rather send something than nothing because this week was sooo good! We had Santo’s baptism which was incredible and amazing and was my first baptism on the mission Of someone that like we taught all the way through and it was literally so good and so spiritual and probably the best day of my life that was so so beautifulWe yes it was just amazing and he bore his testimony and it was so touching and it's like my happiest memory  so that was amazing and we have another friend David who’s also on date to be baptized, his date is December 7th, and we met him this week And he's amazing and so I'm so excited to keep we'll see you later tonight and later this week so keep David in your prayers cause he's awesome. This week We've just been running Trio life which is so fun we went to the marina to go look at the Potomac a couple of times this week So fun we went to the marina to go look at the Potomac a couple of times this week and that was so fun, we’ll do our calls as we walk along it  really awesome my companions are literally amazing so that has been so fun Virginia is kind of like Utah in that some days it’s like freezing and the next day it’s really hot and sometimes you’re so cold but then at night you’re sweating…So we've been trying to navigate that  because we'll leave in the morning with our huge coats on and then it's like so hot but then when we wear short sleeves then it’s freezing so just try to see that. Our friend on her he brought us to get like ice cream this week which was so so fun I had a delicious banana split it was so good. Our other friend bolari he gave me a little haircut! Helped kinda shave the back of my head,  I love it it's been super nice. He also shaved my eyebrows up, he's a really good barber, I’m so grateful. Obviously ate some amazing meals this week per usual, saw some of my favorite cats which is always a big highlight, the members here are just so so nice and they are so kind to us and so gracious and they feed us so much which is so kind of them and honestly a sacrifice for a lot of them. A low light of this week is that they discontinued the penny, and hermana mcgee had a generational crash-out about it and fair And fair because it was quite sad but I was laughing so hard about it. I got to use a bathroom at a gas station that was like outside. I can't even explain it but it was like the most intriguing event of my life. I was like what is happening where am I. They gave me a key that was attached to like a numchuck which was crazy, but it saved me so that’s valid. What else happened this week, this upcoming week we get to go to the temple to have a combined Fireside with the DC North Mission which will be so awesome I'm so excited, even just to see the temple grounds is always a pleasure. This week has been so good, so many miracles every single day; it's so fun I feel so happy which is so exciting and I was like…surprised cuz I thought I was going to be a little bit more scared and sad, but no it's been so fun and there's good to find in every day, even when it’s hard. So my little spiritual thought for all of you today is honestly just based on the members of my ward, they are incredible missionaries and it's made me think a lot about how we can be better just as member missionaries or full-time missionaries, whatever that looks like in your life right now, but how can we just be better examples of Jesus Christ and all the things that we do? I had a lot of interactions this week with people of different faiths and they had so many insightful things to share, and it grew my testimony a lot to hear Savior or the way that they can be more like him and the way that they treat others and especially those that are not of the same Faith as us of the same thing as you just making sure that we have that respect that Curiosity that genuine kindness for people it changes everything and I have been so blessed by the people here in Virginia and especially here in Woodbridge who are just so considerate and so kind people whenever they reject us are so nice and they always tell us that they're so grateful for our message they're so grateful for the work that we're doing in that I don't know everyone here's life just like really is focused on God and on the Savior and that's something that I'm trying to work on too it's just how can I have that focus in my life that can keep me a little bit more grounded and humble and diligent the things that I'm doing so let me know your thoughts I'm so sorry that this is an audio message that's annoying but it is what it is for this week and I will send a better one I swear but I hope y'all have a great week I love you all so much if you want to just keep a few folks in your prayers we would love prayers for Santos, the newest member of the Church, and ANHIL, our friend Rosa, our friend David, and Balardi – he’s trying to pass his driver’s license test. I love you all and hope you have a great week, ok byeeee.

3>2

 Such a good week out here!! Life is crazy but it's full of good!!

There's a lot of times when it's easy to feel pretty down when so many people here are living such challenging lives but whenever I feel that way God always provides! I got to see a video of a corgi in a wheelchair doing a race and it changed my heart. It was so incredibly touching. That is humanity. I love it. 

In other news WE'RE STAYING IN POTOMIC!!!! I am stoked out of my mind!!! And WITH HERMANA MORALES??? So fun. We get to train a new Sister as well!! Hermana McGee is awesome and I can already tell this transfer is going to be SO FUN! Our whole district is the same too!! I love it. 

Our friend Santos is getting baptized on Sunday!!! He is incredible and inspires me everyday. He has sacrificed so much for the gospel and it is so beautiful. Good reminder to me of what's important! 

It's been fun bringing Hermana McGee to all our favorite places and people in Woodbridge!! I love it here! 

This week I've been thinking a lot about simplicity. A lot of people we talk to everyday have extremely complicated lives and situations, and I think that is what makes the gospel so appealing! We can find simplicity!! I've kind of boiled it down to 4 steps

1. Prepare!

2. Show up!

3. Act!

4. Review and Evaluate!

At the end of the day this is what God asks of me as a missionary and of all of us as disciples of Jesus Christ! We prepare our best but then we just show up and act! After we review and evaluate where we can improve! Showing gratitude for Gods help and repenting for the places we fall short! So simple! I love it!

-got my tooth fixed!!

-Hermana McGee has great clothes. Big blessing

-went to Dennys!

-watched an amazing soccer game. officially a Barcelona fan. 

-had fun member meals!

-know a little more Spanish everyday!

I love you all so so dearly!! God's got you!! Have a good week! Lmk if you have any soccer footage I'm a big fan now apparently!

Hermana Miller

You must be God's Princess!

Hope you all had a good week!! Having lots of fun and laughing SO hard out here!!

It'll be so brief today because I don't have very much time but alas!! 

This week we saw so many miracles!! Our friend Santos is on date to be baptized!! He is amazing and iconic!! 

We had SUPER MEGA REJECTION this week which was crazy! Doors slammed and yelled at the whole 9 yards and it was crazy! I laughed so hard though I have been so blessed and it's getting easier to just laugh and feel light hearted so that's good! 

We had a mission tour from Elder Holland and Elder Cuvuliar and they taught us a lot!! I was reminded of how important using the Book of Mormon is and how relatable is can be to all of us! We are all experiencing things that the Book of Mormon can help with!! I know its true!! It has helped me so much to feel peace!! I got to sit next to Elder Cuvuliar at lunch and we hyped up my bff Elder Schmitt. Love it. 

We have transfers tomorrow so we'll see what happens over here!! 

-bought matching skirts!!

-crazy savers hauls!

-so many cats!!

-Freddys again!!

-went ice skating!

-led the music in church!!

-celebrated dia de los muertos! 

-saw the most beautiful baby I've ever seen ever

-wore a jean trench coat!

- ran in a crazy rain storm

-was a biking missionary for the day!!

-go dodgers!!

Please pray for Santos and Rosa!! They are such lights to me!!

Love you all!! God loves you!!

Hermana Miller