I want to apologize, but that wouldn't be enough...

Here are Loren's August Letters- enjoy!


8/02/10
Dear Family,

Well I am so happy to be back in a two man companionship, the three man thing was not fun! I am having a lot of fun learning and working in the spanish community! Elder S is really cool and is really helping me out a lot with spanish. Him teaching me spanish has really helped unite us together so we can teach better because when companions are not united or don't get along its hard for the spirit to be there. There is a lot of spanish people that Elder S talked to this week, it really is hard to just sit there and watch him teach them in spanish, but I am learning and paying attention to him and what they are talking about. We have so many appointments this week, we have 5 houses right next to each other of spanish families that we have appointments with in one day. The ward is really helping us out with the work and really is excited to have a dual companionship. There is a lot of members that speak spanish because of their mission and they still use it to teach the less actives so that is really good. Elder S is kind of in a culture shock because he is so used to everything in the spanish language and so it is really hard to pray at members home in english.

I am glad that you enjoyed the pictures that I sent you and hopefully I can start taking more pictures because it has been hard to find what and when to take a picture. I dont want to look like a tourist or a cameraman, I want to look like a missionary.The W ward is really focused on reactivation and retention because there is a lot of those that fell away not too long ago.

We started doing service recently for a lady that is not a member who manages a property and has her own property for her horses. Last week we cleaned out her horse stalls and picked up her corrall area a little bit. It is so hot and it was good, hard work, and I enjoyed every minute of it. August has just started and that means that I am done with July's on my mission and the summer is almost over.
I have become a consistent and diligent journal writer on my mission, and I am almost done with my second journal.Time is flying by and it is scaring me. Elder H told me the other day that getting close to the end of the mission is really scary. He goes home in October and I really am going to miss him a lot. I had so much fun with him and he is doing so good right now in his new area.

I love you all so much, I really am so blessed to be where I am at and doing what I am doing. If you could pray extra hard for me to help me learn spanish and teach people in spanish. I have a testimony whatever language the gospel is being preached in, it still brings the holy ghost to the hearts of the people. I have witnessed this the past few days when working amongst the spanish community, people are looking for that special thing, and we could be the answer to their prayers. Thanks for all that you do mom and dad, I am the person I am today because of our family.

Love,
Elder Loren James Miller

8/09/10
Dear Family,

It is very hot here and very humid like always and the barbeque pits full of brisket dont help!
This past week we taught a lot of people mostly in spanish, it is really hard to sometimes sit there and just be quiet and listen to elder Steagall teach it all by himself. We have a few potentials on the english side that are coming from members doing their own missionary work so we hope to have an english baptism and spanish baptism in the future. We have a spanish investigator that speaks english but wants to talk and be taught in Spanish. It is kind of hard to swallow but he is really a golden investigator, he reads the assignments we give him and he talks a lot. The wards out here are really stepping up and helping us out with splits, referrals, and just being friendly.
We are getting pretty busy and working hard out here and the ward's are very helpful. I have a feeling like I will get transferred in 4 weeks when transfers happen because it just feels like I am only supposed to be here to help get the trust back of the members. The area is such a beautiful area and there are some great people that I have met. But all my other areas I was there for atleast 6 months and I dont feel like I will be here for that long.
We work on the ranch in 90 degree weather on wednesdays for this nonmember who got our number from her neighbor who is an inactive member. It is very hot and we work until we are just drenched in sweat, and the lady we do the service for usually feeds us. We are really softening her heart through service, hopefully we can teach her something soon. I have accomplished my goal of having better studies by focusing on the needs of my investigators and the weaknesses of my teaching. I need to set some new goals for this month and I will hopefully put some good thought and prayer into setting them.

Well family this past week, I have witnessed a lot of tragedy in the homes of those in the ward. I have came to a better understanding that satan attacks the family especially the strong ones. One of the families in the ward is going through a divorce and they have 4 kids and they are converts of 10 years and the father was a Branch President a few years ago. There temple marriage was not honored and the father is a ward missionary and he is still coming to church and is helping us. But I can tell that he is going through the hardest thing ever and I know that he is going through much sorrow. We also got a call last night from an inactive member in the ward who was in the hospital who was assaulted by her husband. She wanted us to visit her but the hospital was so far away so we called the bishop. Mom and dad, can you please find a place or time this week and pray as a family all together. Pray for the families in the world in or out of the church who are struggling. I know that our family can help others and as long as we do what we know we are supposed to be doing, everything will work out.

I love you all, Be safe and remember the covenants we have made. I am safe and watched over, you will see me soon, and I will be the man I am supposed to be.


Love
Elder Loren James Miller

8-16-10
Dear Family,
The members around here are veryexcited for school to start because summer break gets a little old. The W ward is reallydoing some great things and we picked up two english speaking investigators last week. We have some spanish investigators and less actives that are progressing. This area is really moving forward and I owe it all to Heavenly Father, it is a difficult area and without hishelp, my companion and I would just go crazy. The members are really helping us out with people to teach and with a good direction. I think most of the nights this week, a member is going with us to teach or is taking us to go home teaching to some inactive families. In fact a old member, who hasnt been to church in a long long time, who's wife isa ctive, told his home teacher he wants us (missionaries) to come over and cut his grass for him. The spirit of missionary work is reallyg oing strong out here and I have to say it is all because the members are re-uniting themselves. There is a little activity on Sept. 4tht hat I have forgotten to mention to you all about. One thing Elder W did was suggest an activity for members to invite non-members to.Well the ward mission leader ( the realest texan I have ever met) took hat idea and ran with it. He has organized a bbq, I mean like this is omething that I have never seen organized before. He has been having embers sign up for items the pasttwo months to bring to the bbq. I mean there is going to a flat bed trailer size bbq pit, there is goingto be brisket, chicken, stuffed jalepeno eating contest, water melonseed spitting contest, tug of war, hay rides by tractor, pinatas, tonsand tons of food. This thing is not just some potluck, this is like aprofessional party. Members were a little hesitant at first to thisbbq, but now the bbq is going to be a huge success because throughthis the ward has re-united. There is supposed to be about 400 peopleat this bbq most of which will be non-member friends. I will send youa flyer in the mail this week, it is going to be so much fun plus alot of hype has been built into this , the stake has its eye on it.This is a big missionary opportunity that the members are reallytaking advantage of. So to answer some of the questions you asked: I am working on the bbqskills thing, it has been crazy busy out here. My spanish skills aregood, like i can understand what elder s is teaching and whatthe investigators say, its just that I cant speak that well. Also membersdont just fix a meal out here, they fix buffet, so we never go homewithout leftovers. I really hope President transfers me to a bikearea, so I can shed some pounds, it is hard in a car area to keepweight off especially in waller county.I know that HeavenlyFather has blessed me so much out here and that my mission has builtme into a man, a disciple of jesus christ. I know that our family isbeing blessed so much and that we needed this mission, it hasfortified our family.I am alsograteful for Elder W, he sent me a letter this past weektalking about how much his mission has been the best thing he has everdone. He finishes in 5 months or less, he is a friend to hold on to,and I grateful that we moved to Utah four years ago. Family, lovethe gospel and look at how many things, even little things, that aregood that has come into our lives. I will definately make sure thatevery moment counts and work my hardest. I love you all so much and do some good for others whenever there isan opportunity. I am safe, healthy, and protected, this is the lord'swork and he has course for me that I must be diligent and faithful tomaintain. I cant wait until next week!
Love Elder Loren James Miller
8/23/10
Dear Family,
This past week was a great one, a lot of success is happening in the W Ward. Elder S and I are doing really good and the members have recognized it. TheBBQ is coming here quickly and it is the talk of the county. I was outof the area for two days, because of exchanges with our zone leadersand our district leader. In fact I went back to the S Branch areafor a day and it was really weird. It felt like I went back and droveby a old house we used to live in. I was really happy to return to w though because we have a lotgoing on out here and we are busy. We are going to have a baptism in a few weeks with our investigator M, he is the son of a member who used to live in w. He islike 32 and is really spiritual and loves talking the gospel inSpanish but he does speak great english. He reads the book of mormonreading that we give him and he even does the cross references witheach verse. Also we are going to start working on some englishspeaking member referrals that are promising. This week we have a lotof appointments on both sides of the area. Also this week we have zoneconference and Elder Kikuchi is going to be speaking to us for a longtime. He has asked us a month ago to memorize the standard of truthquote by joseph smith and D&C 4. I thank you dad for always pushing usin young mens to memorize that and recite it each week. I hope youstill have it memorized dad. I really need to start losing some weight out here because we get fedso much and we are in a full car area with no gym near by. I am tryingto run each day so hopefully that will start to progress. I dontreally drink any soda anymore, mostly water that we get for free frommembers that have water purifyers. It is really really hot down hereso I be thankful for the weather up there. It is football season and Icant even imagine doing two a days in this humidity, oh man that would be crazy.I love you all that read this letter, be an example to others andbe the best you can be. I have came a long way and it is because ofthe gospel of jesus christ, nothing else has influenced me more. Thereason why we are having success in life is because of christ andbecause of our obedience to his laws not our own wants. I am having ablast and I am safe and well taken care and I can't wait to hear backfrom you next week.
Love
Elder Loren James Miller
8/30/10
Dear Family,
Well this past week we had a great opportunity to hear from anespecial witness of Christ. Elder Kikuchi came and gave a phenomenal zone conference and our mission definitely needed it. The meeting wasabout 8 hours long and we got a lot of help for our teaching and ourfinding methods. He talked about how we need to slow down in ourteaching and let the Holy Ghost be there and speak as well. He emphasized how important the story of Joseph Smith is and how we needto teach it slow and sincerely. He told us that obedience to keepingthe morning schedule is our tithing to lord so he can pour out theblessings from the windows of heaven. He told us we need to have ourown sacred grove experiences in our prayers. He also taught us aboutthe different experiences he has had in reactivating and sealingfamilies. He mentioned the families in Idaho and after zoneconference I went up to him and told him that I am from Idaho.Elder Kikuchi taught us other ways to approach people and ElderSteagall and I have tried each one since conference and they all work! The Waller ward is getting really jazzed up for this activity thisSaturday and we are going to have a little booth with informationabout what we believe. Our ward mission leader in the W ward isamazing and he is like Captain Moroni, not kidding at all. He gets thejob done and is a leader and really is restoring the W ward.Members are really doing a lot of missionary work out here by invitingtheir friends to come to the BBQ and paving the way for gospel topicsto be discussed. It is going to be weird after the BBQ, because thisall that anyone talks about out here. This past week members evenbought us groceries and have helped us with rides into C for district meeting. We live in the middle of nowhere but we aredefinitely making some noise. We have a good teaching pool ofinvestigators and tonight we are teaching someone who is prepared tobe taught. We are teaching L tonight, he is a teacher/soccer coach at W HS and a year ago he noticed something different about one of his students who are the member who introduced us to him. Thatmember gave him a book of Mormon and invited him over to the family’shouse for FHE a lot. The whole family has taken him in andfellowshipped him and he has been to the singles ward every Sunday thelast 2 months in C. He knows the Book of Mormon is true and thechurch is true and he is a great guy. So I am excited to teach in English!! Haha, by the way Idid bear my testimony of Joseph Smith in Spanish in a lesson! Crazyhuh! We are very busy this week leading up to the BBQ and also thisSaturday night we get transfer calls. I am really nervous because Ithink I might be leaving because I was in my first two areas for awhile and I just have a feeling about it. But whatever happens I love W and I don’t mind staying!I love you all and I am doing great, the lord isproviding ways for things to get going in this area. I have reallystrengthened my testimony of the first vision and the reality of it inmy life. Everything in my life that has been good comes from thegospel and Joseph Smith’s visit from the Father and the Son. Takeadvantage of the time now to study Joseph’s vision and ponder it. All is well here in Houston, I look forward to hearing from you nextweek and I pray for each one of you everyday in my sacred grove.
Love Always
Elder Loren James Miller