December

Dec.6th,2010
Dear Family,

I am doing pretty good here, my new companion is a lot more obedient and fun to be around than the past few, so it is good. He is from Las Vegas, he is really funny and likes motorcycles and cars and stuff. Elder C and I are trying our best to live the higher standard.

Disneyland pictures were crazy to look at, I can't believe how much older everyone is looking. I definately think I want to go to see Emily above anything else and I think Texas would be fun to come back to sometime in the future. Well I do not like the snow either, I just don't like the mess it causes and the slow down of traffic. It is getting colder down here in Houston area, not crazy hot anymore.

Well we had a pretty interesting week this past week, we got in touch with a part member family who we are going to be teaching. The husband isn't a member and he is from India, he has been taught for years and years. His wife is a member and she is from Sweden and is a convert. She is active and wants him to be a member but he thinks all churches are good and he hasn't been taught for a year or so. We are really excited to start teaching him, We are way confident that we can seal the deal on this one. The ward is pretty suprised about it because they thought that it would be for a while before he would start to be taught again. We are also teaching B still, and we had a really good lesson with him this past week and the ward is really doing a good job in supporting us with a place to teach him. I have seen a lot of families from the K ward this past couple weeks because I am right next door to the area. An investigator in W got baptized and the elders didn't even tell me, I found out at the mission office when I was getting Elder C. The investigator's name was A and she was way solid and I taught her a lot before I got transfferred to K. I am glad she finally got baptized, and now they are teaching her mom and so it is pretty cool!
This week we have a lot ahead of us as far as finding new investigators, because we dropped a lot of the ones that Elder T wouldn't drop. They weren't going anywhere and just liked missionaries not wanting to progress, and I am glad I am here to re-establish the trust with the members.

Well I am happy to say that I am doing great and I am looking forward to three more weeks until I get to speak with you all.
I love you all and I am grateful for the sacrifices you have made to get me here and sustain me for the past 18 months. The time is passing by and I need all the prayers I can get to finish strong and to be the best I can be. I am grateful for the blessings that we have recieved and for the help that we can get if we are obedient and faithful. Please be safe and remember christ this christmas season.

Love

Elder Loren James Miller

Dec.13th, 2010
Dear Family,

I am doing great here in the K and M S ward, even though it is getting freezing cold outside compared to the heat of the summer. Elder C and I are getting along pretty good and we are working pretty hard to get things rolling in this area. We are really trying to rebuild the teaching pool because we totally are starting from scratch. It is pretty good to serve with Elder C because he wants to work and be obedient, and he is fully invested in the mission. We are rebuilding trust with the wards here because it is need of it, and we are really making progress so far.

This past week the M S ward had their christmas party and an inactive member who's brother is the elders quorum president, came to it with his nonmember wife. This member is very inactive and is still a teacher in the priesthood, missionaries havent had any success with him in the past, so it was great to see him there. The whole time elder c was telling me that we need to go and talk to them and set an appointment to teach them, I told him that we need to be patient and let the members and the lord take care of it. So the next day at church they showed up to church for all three hours and we were hanging out by the bishop's office and he was filling out a tithing slip. The ward mission leader said that we might be teaching them in the near future. It is way sweet to see this happening, the members are really fellowshipping these part member families. That has kind of been the focus of Elder C and I's planning and prayers. So we will see what happens next week, and another part member family came to church as well for three hours and the husband is active and the wife is not a member.
Well I love each and every one of you and I am grateful to know what I know. I am grateful for my membership and my testimony that I have so diligently strived to gain the past 20 years. I am thankful for all the support and help you have given me. I love you and always keep you in my prayers.

Love always

Elder Loren James Miller

Dec. 20th, 2010
Dear Family!

Well it is great to read that email and her about all the exciting Christmas Plans. This week is the big christmas P-day with the whole mission, it happens on wednesday and then on Thursday it is the mission temple day. We had a really good week this past week and we are starting to pick up some support from the members. Elder C and I are doing really good, we are very happy to be companions. I hope I get to stay here another transfer with him, it is good to be with a companion that wants to be here.

We are starting to teach the part member family that came to the christmas party. We had a crazy dinner with them on friday, the wife is not a member and her name is c. C's brother came and is just returning from the army, and he is living with them for a few weeks. Well he was completely anti mormon, when c first said I have a few questions. He just kept bringing up contentious questions. Even c's husband (s) who is a member, was upset and wanted him to stop. We both kind of sat back and laughed it off, everything he said was funny, all of it was Anti mormon statements that I have heard all before. So we read 3 Ne 11:29 and left the scene, c was really embarrassed because her brother was a complete idiot. So when we got in the car, we both prayed for c and s, we prayed so long, we just really are hoping they can overcome this.

Well our prayers were answered, s's family lives all in the area in surrounding wards, came up to us at church, (a few attend the same building) they are all active and the dad lives in the ward next door and he called us. They all told us that S and c went over to S's parents house and talked to them till 2 in the morning about the gospel after the meltdown at dinner. Seth's dad called and set up an appointment with us to teach S and c. S's family told us all yesterday that it is a miracle that we are being a part of. One of his brother's was in tears, telling me that 20 years of family prayers for s to come back and be active, have been answered. It is incredible what I am a part of, seeing a family rejoice and are way happy because the Black Sheep of the family is returning to the fold. S has been to church the past two weeks with his wife, pays tithing now, both live the word of wisdom, c studies the book of mormon and is really seeking the truth. Elder C and I are so excited to teach her and see a family be started in the gospel. I will tell you more on saturday over the phone alright? Pray for us! I am grateful that are family is all active and we are staying close to the church. S hasn't been active since he was 15. His dad was in tears on the phone with me last night and I got a little choked up.

We will probably set a goal for c to be baptized by end of january. We hope that s will baptize her, if he is worthy, and ready to. B called us yesterday and he wants to be baptized January 1st, so we have to teach him tonight and get him interviewed for baptism tommorrow. He leaves thursday for louisana and gets back on Jan. 1st in the morning. We are excited, because he is ready, he is young, but he has formed friendships with the ward youth. So yeah!!! Things are going great!


Well I love you all so much and look forward to the big phone call! I am not a hundred percent sure when we are going to call but I am guessing about later in the day like 5pm or later. I might send you a little one minute call in the morning to let you know when. I will call dads phone alright? Well I hope all is well at home and I am grateful for the gospel and the authority that god has entrusted his servants with. I am so thankful for my membership and our eternal family, it is so beautiful to bike home at night or drive home at night and to live a football field away from the temple. I look forward to hearing your voices, I am grateful to have you as my family. Heavenly father has definately blessed me! Be good and be safe. Study the birth of the savior from the book of mormon or from Luke. I promise if you do that christmas will be more purpose centered.

Love you and talk to this saturday!

Elder Loren James Miller

Dec.27th,2010
Dear Family!

Well it was quite an adventure to talk to you the other day! I really needed that phone call because it has been forever since I have heard your voices!

So C might be baptized this saturday! We have to teach her like everyday this week to make it happen. She wants it to be done quick! She has a testimony and knows everything is true! It is incredible! We will be working with her this whole week and preparing her for the baptism. We are going to hopefully do some finding this week and find some new investigators. It is getting pretty cold here and hopefully we get some people outside to talk to.

We have the spirit with us more when we attend the temple and we gain more spiritual strength. I definately want to to go to the temple once a week when I get home, because it helps me out so much.
I am working hard and trying my best, I just need to keep looking forward and not look back. I am trying to be happy and trying to find joy, I am doing some amazing things here and I have changed a lot. I am really excited to be home in may but right now I got a lot more things to do. My companion and I are doing the right things and are trying to help others do what is right. I am not really worried about home things right now or feeling trunky! I love my mission and I love the work that I am doing. The lord has molded me into the adult I need to be for my future. I love you all and hope you have a great week, be safe and keep me in your prayers always! I look forward to next weeks email!

Love

Elder Loren James Miller