These last few letters have been so fun to read from Loren, he seems so happy, and sounds like he is LOVIN' the country life(which includes lots of bbq.)We are all a little curious to see if he comes home with a pair of cowboy boots on.I have also really loved seeing these great pics of him too!

June 28th-
Dear Family!

Waller was great this week, we are trying to get in the groove of things out here. We are working on a lot of less actives and part members out here, tracting wont get it done. My companion is great, he leaves here in 3 weeks or so and I have to learn a lot more about the area but I will be fine. It is getting hotter and hotter out here and the summer is definately here. We have been doing a lot of service out here in the heat but we are getting plenty of water so no worries.

I feel like I am breaking the word of wisdom out here, haha, by eating so much meat! We have BBQ every day and they know how to cook it out here. Its all about coals, wood, and cut out all the oxygen and you let the meats smoke. I have come to love Brisket, it is a texas thing out here, and we dont use any sauce out here because its all seasoned up while its cooking. For 4th of july we will have church and meetings then probably have dinner with a member and be in by like 7 because people can go a little bit crazy with fireworks. A tip for uncle mike and aunt sandy in Alabama, a tip to beat the heat is to drink water more than eating food, haha, it gets pretty nasty heat, also eat lots and lots of fruit, and stay away from candy or sweets.

Waller is very open and very widespread and full of cattle and horses and farming. It is pretty nice and people are very friendly and love their BBQ. Sorry to bring it up again but BBQ is the thing out here, its how people gather and get to know one another. The other night we had BBQ that was fantastic but we had it the next day too, so i hope i dont get tired of it.

The other day it hit me really hard that my mission is on the downhill and with the way things are going so fast, I will be home quick. It is already the end of june and so I am done with june's on my mission! So you want me to tell you all I can about my new area, well I have told you a lot already but yeah we dont have any investigators except in the F ward, we have a part member family we are working on. The wife and the kids are members but the dad is not, but however we did have a major breakthrough, we got him to come out and play volleyball with the elders quorum last week, something Elder wood has been working on for a couple transfers now. Bro. M (investigator) has been taught by the missionaries before and we are working with the ward to fellowship him so it would be easier to teach him with fellowship because I think that was the problem with him in his last ward he was in.

Well family all is well, I have a lot of pictures to send you and I want you to see the cool country living in Waller. So i best be fixin to do that right now haha! I love you all so very much and hope that you are making the book of mormon a priority in your daily schedule, it will improve every thing I promise! Be safe this week and I look forward to the news of next week! Also dad, is leBron with a new team yet? Hows Boise state? anything new? But you can answer those questions next week, thanks for everything family, my mission is the springboard to the rest of my life! I know that everything good that will happen to me in the future, will come from this two year service to the lord. Love you!


Love

Elder Loren James Miller

June 21st

Dear Family,

Greetings from Waller county, TX and I am so happy to know that you got the package right before Fathers day. I actually kept that hat for a long time, and I almost thought about leaving it in Spring. But I chose to do what I originally planned and send it home, I am so happy to be in the country! It is so beautiful! We cover like 4 little townsand we cover a huge but rich subdvision in the Fward. There is so much country folk mixed with humble people and lots of BBQ! Oh man I have had BBQ everyday this week, out here in waller they know how to cook some good ol brisket, sausage, pork, and chicken. In fact the ward is putting on a huge labor day weekend BBQ for the whole county basically, so the ward members can invite their friends to come to it. Whenever we work in the F ward though we bike but it is no biggy to me because biking there is so nice because its all connected with bike trails. We do service at a non-member's who is a rancher and rodeo guy and he has horses and has a ranch, it is pretty cool.

My new companion is Elder W, He is very laid back and very calm and is really experienced.He actually goes home a week early than when he is supposed to so he could go to a family reunion/ festival in his little town. So I have to learn the area in 5 weeks and get to know everyone, It will be a challenge but I will be fine. You know that question about killing off companions can be answered easily, it is because President is inspired and has been set apart by the Prophet to lead the missionaries here. Elder w is a lot of fun and I am grateful to be his last companion and to serve with him. President when making transfer decisions goes to the temple and meditates and recieves inspiration in the lord's holy house. He has several transfer meetings the last two weeks of each transfer and meets with his two assistants to decide who goes where.

So I talked to the sister missionaries who took elder m and my spots in k ward and they are doing really good. J will get baptized soon, actually right before we left J told us he will get baptized soon and the reason why he wanted to get baptized last weekend is because he wants to share his testimony and conversion with others. It was powerful to see this man have the faith to know and to want to share what he knows to be true. He told us when he makes his mind up on decisons he sticks with them. The sisters also said that they talked to A and her mom and they are going to start teaching them again and helping them out, which is great! Dad, I hope you know that I love you and that next father's day I will be there with you and celebrating and honoring you! Thanks for all that you have done, I wouldn't be here in Houston if it wasnt for you. Your a major part of who I am and I love you and miss being there and hanging out with you. Everything you have taught me has stuck with me and has been excellent help during my mission. I have 11 months left, and I want to make every minute count, and time is flying by so pretty soon I will be home.

I cancelled my gym membership and I absolutely love the ties you sent me mom! They are great and I am currently wearing one right now. The work is moving forward and I am loving my new area and I am really blessed. People out here in Waller will take care of me like the rest of my wards have.
Well I love you all soo much and I hope that you are safe and sound there. I appreciate dad that you are putting together your baptism story, I think of it as a treasure to me because of the eternal impact of your decision to get baptized. Be strong and pray as a family for missionary opportunities around you there in caldwell. Thanks for everything! I will be excited to hear back from you and I gotta go, we are fixin' to leave real quick hahaha (texan) .


Love your son

Elder Loren James Miller



June 13th
Dear Family!

Well Big Big news! I am being transferred!!!!!! I am being transferred to Waller, TX! It is pure country! I cannot wait! They are placing sisters here in the K and W wards, I am so excited to move on! It was such a big upset! Nobody thought I was going to get transferred! But I am and I am going to Waller and I am going to be with Elder Wood, who goes home at the end of July so I am "killing him off". This is good that sisters are coming in because they can probably connect with some people that My companions and I couldnt connect with.

So J didnt get baptized, So the transition with sister missionaries is good because they can probably connect with J's wife and instead of just him getting baptized it will be a whole family. J's is so golden, he told us he really wants to get baptized so he can be a better husband and father. He also told us that he wants to meet with the bishop of the ward and ask him for some counsel on his marriage and other things.

I am going to really miss some of the families in the wards I covered but I know that the time has now come for me to move on. I have seen a lot of people that have changed and become stronger and I am so excited for the future of J and other people we were working with. So there is a family in the K ward that are amazing and great missionary members, and I got really close with them over the past six months, and I am going to miss them. Their names are the Scardino family, they actually got me a going away present, History of the Church, which is an 8 volume set. She is sending to you pretty soon, so be ready for that and also I sent a box in the mail with some random stuff I dont have room for. Sister s joined the church 7 years ago and is amazing! Her mom is not a member and has been over at their house a lot when we have been there and we have definately helped her mom a lot by just talking to her about gospel things, nothing formal but just being a support to her. So there was a huge seed planted with Sis S's mom, which if she does get baptized in the future , I really want to come back and see. People's lives can change mom and dad by just being the person heavenly father wants you to be, it is really that simple.

So I have not much time to email, but I will have a lot more to right next week after my fist week in the country, I am just thrilled to go to Waller! I love you all so much, I have to go because we have to go deep deep clean our apartment for the sister missionaries who are moving in. I love my mission so much and I am blessed to be a representative of this church and of his gospel, I thank you my loving family for the support and raising me in the way that the lord would want any child to be raised. I am going to be missing some people here in Spring but change is good! Keep reading the book of mormon! It will inspire us to greater lengths and to more accomplished goals I promise!

Until next week, I love you! Be safe!

Love Elder Miller