Out with the Old, Hellllllo to the New!

Hello Po!

This week was chunky jam full of news! WE HAD TRANSFERS!! But before I get to that I have the FUNNIEST story to tell you. On Monday, all four of the sisters in the apartment decided to go to Harbor Point Mall after our zone activity. This place is literally like America. I felt so weird and cold! I forgot what real air conditioning felt like! So, we are walking around in this huge mall trying to hunt down the Crocs store. At one point of our excursion, we were going down an escalator and Sister Diosan was talking about her dandruff. (I don't even remember how this topic came up!)   So my kasma, Sister Leakehe said, "Ah, I hope I don't have dandruff... check my hair!" So naturally Sister Diosan started looking through her hair, but what she found sure wasn't dandruff! All the sudden Sister Diosan yells, "SISTER, YOU'VE GOT LICE!!!!!" Now this is a big place and voices echo very easily. Suddenly everyone was staring at us! To make matters worse, Sister Leakehe started FREAKING OUT!! She was literally about to have a panic attack. She was yelling, "OH MY GOSH!! GET THEM OUT!! GET THEM OUT!!" I am almost literally dying laughing at the whole situation. Needless to say I felt like I needed to add to the mayhem so I start saying, "She's contagious! Quarantine her!!" Sister Diosan and Sister Johnson started looking at her hair to make sure and Sister Leakehe is still freaking out!! She was doing the girl squeal and jumping around, as if that would help. Ah man, I haven't laughed so hard my whole mission! Finally, we all took a deep breath and resolved to go buy lice shampoo for the four of us. It turns out she was the only one who had them but we all used the shampoo anyway. When we got back to the apartment, everyone went to work picking out the lice from her head. Of course, being my mothers daughter, I ran and grabbed my camera to document the whole experience!

LICE!!!

On Wednesday we had transfers and my dear kasama left me! It was sad because we got super close. We really had the same sense of humor and just loved being around each other. But all good things have to come to an end, right? Well, right! Not only would I get a new kasama but I was also assigned to train her...which means she is fresh from the missionary training center and doesn't know Tagalog yet! Her name is Sister Jayaweera and she is from Sri Lanka...AND she speaks English!! She is really nice and is hard working. I know that everything will work out and can already tell I'm going to grow a lot through training her.

 

You're the best!  No, YOU"RE the best!!!

I will miss you!



Sister Jayaweera from Sri Lanka

 

I know that no matter what trials we have in our life (like being only 12 weeks in on your mission to a foreign country where you aren't fluent in the language and then training someone who also doesn't speak the language) Heavenly Father is aware of us. I know that he loves each and everyone of us. I am so happy to be here teaching the Filipino people about Heavenly Father's plan for them and seeing the change this knowledge makes in their lives!

I love you all!

-Sister Miller

 

The new zone

 

New Assignment -- Trainer

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Philippines, Olongapo Mission

Km. 140 National Highway, Mangan-Vaca

2209, Subic, Zambales

Philippines

05 Dec 2013

Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Mark Miller 
10420 S Millbrook lane 
Olathe, KS 66061 
United States

Dear Brother and Sister Miller,

I am very pleased to inform you that your daughter, Sister Marissa Noelle Miller, has been called to serve as a trainer of new missionaries.  Several factors are considered in the selection of a trainer, and your daughter satisfies them all.  Her new companion is Sister Rowena Winnoni Jayaweera.

Sister Miller is an outstanding proselyting missionary. She follows the mission rules, and has earned a well-deserved reputa­tion for her obedience, work ethic, and ability to get along well with members, investigators, and her fellow missionaries.  She also exemplifies Christ-like leadership among her peers.

As a trainer of a new missionary, she will work closely with her companion and be a mentor to her in all aspects of missionary work.  With her quiet dignity, she will be a shining example to her companion and to others that she will come in contact with.   Her obedience and love for the work will be passed on to her companion and much success will come because of her lasting influence
.

We are proud to have your daughter in our mission and we are excited to see her growth in fulfilling her responsibilities as a trainer. 

Sincerely,

Roberto Bayobo Querido

Philippines Olongapo Mission                                                   

Mission President

RBQ/mfg

We are the Champions!

Hello all!

So this week has been insane in the membrane!! We are approaching the end of my training and transfers are on Wednesday! We are pretty sure Sister Leakehe will be transferring but there is really no knowing. Nonetheless, we wanted to make our "maybe" last week together special so we decided to break a zone record. It took a lot of work and a lot of finding people but we ended the week with 27 NEW INVESTIGATORS!!!! Normally the average is like six, so we were really working! The old record was 25 and it was set by a companionship of Elders who I think are top notch. I felt a little bad crushing their record but I think I'll get over it. ;-)

Flower children!

 Check out our matching muu-muus!

Breaking this record really made me realize how important referrals are. Seventeen out of the 27 new investigators we taught were from referrals. Today there is so much emphasis on member missionary work and for good reason! The chances of someone accepting this gospel are so much greater if they have a friend fellowshipper whom they can ask questions of and go to church with. I never really did my part as a member missionary because I thought that's what the missionaries were for. I see now that just as important as the missionaries who teach investigators, are the members who fellowship them. So go out and give the missionaries referrals!!! YAY!

We were able to have "Thanksgiving" dinner at a recent convert's house. Thanksgiving is in quotations because she didn't know it was a Thanksgiving dinner but my companion and I did! We went to Sister Jennifer's house and she taught us how to make some Filipino food. I forgot what the main dish was but we also had sour soup. Man, is that an accurate title! The food was all so good and we also got to play with all of her nieces and nephews while the food cooked. They were so cute! They danced for us to What Does the Fox Say, Roar, and Whoops Gitty.

 

Getting ready for "Thanksgiving" dinner!

I love these kids...

and these kids, too!

 

I seriously love all the kids here! They are all so cute and they laugh at my accent. They are always quick to correct me so I actually learn a lot from them. It breaks my heart to know how poor everyone is here. Yesterday at church, I had some markers and the kids were so amazed that I could afford 10 markers and that they all actually worked. There is this one less-active family that we always bring food to. When I first got here, I was hesitant because I didn't want them to come to church just because we were bribing them with food. I soon found out that the family was so diligent and they always came to church even though they had nothing. The dad was in and out of their lives but the mom and kids were always so happy! We would bring them anything we could and you could see their faces light up from just one package of ramen like you were handing them a whole Thanksgiving turkey. I just want to help all of these people so much! It makes me realize how fortunate I am to be living the life that I am. I have so many blessings in my life and all I want to do is share and share and share.

That is really the mentality of a missionary, SHARE!! We share something with everyone! Whether it's candy to kids on the street or a lesson with the lady at the bakery who sells us our donuts, we are always looking for opportunities to share. There is, for sure, no selfishness in missionary work, and I wouldn't have it any other way!

I love you all and I love being a missionary!!

Love,

Sister Miller

Another baptism...

Hello one and all!

Well, it's happened again...somehow this week just flew by! 

We had another baptism on Saturday! Our convert's name is Brother Vitty. We want to baptize his whole family eventually! In the picture are his two sons and baby girl. Brother Vitty lives, literally, on the top of the mountain! It takes us a good 15 minutes to walk up there and the path is SUPER steep! The trek is worth it though because he has such a strong testimony and loves the Book of Mormon! He always wants to tell us what he read about Lehi and Nephi. He also loves karaoke, as do the rest of the people in this country, myself included! Whenever we go over there, he is usually belting it out into a microphone! He is really good and goes to competitions and events. I think it's funny because everyone here sings mostly songs in English and they all have Filipino accents! I am working on perfecting my Filipino accent so I can come home and speak with  it and tell everyone I'm from the Philippines! I try to tell the people here that I'm Filipino but for some reason no one believes me!! :)

 

 

 

As much as no one may believe me, I'm telling you I'm turning Filipino! I love it here and love everything about missionary work. I know this work is true and worth any and all sacrifices. I miss you all so much. I miss driving. Heck, I miss wearing sweats everyday but I wouldn't be anywhere else in the world than here. (Even with KU bastketball dominating this year...ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK!) I love this Gospel and I love seeing the positive changes it makes in the lives of all of my converts and in my life, as well!

Oh yeah, and just in case anyone wants to send me a pumpkin or anything like unto it, I would suggest otherwise! I guess it's the thought that counts, right, Mal? Haha I loved it nonetheless and it got me in the Halloween mood just in time for Thanksgiving!

 

This is what happens when trying to mail a real pumpkin to the Philippines!

 

I love you all and want you to eat a lot of turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, and everything else for me!!

Love, 

Sister Miller

The Work Continues...

May I start off by apologizing...I have no idea where the time went but I only have a couple of minutes to write to you! My bad....

I am so thankful for all the concern from everyone on my behalf. I am okay and my area wasn't affected by the typhoon. I've been hearing stories about the missionaries in Tacloban and other missions who were hit directly and it's heart breaking to think of their experiences. It's amazing that they were all safe and able to get to Manila. I know that Heavenly Father was watching over and protecting them. The people of Tacloban are still really struggling. I can't believe such a catastrophe happened and I didn't even know about it until it was over!!

I had another baptism this week, Sister Jerica. She is the granddaughter of a recent convert and she is so strong in the gospel! She gave her testimony at the baptism. It was so sweet and she was super nervous but she was smiling the whole way through and so was I!

 

 

We also had zone conference this week! Four zones got together and President Querido spoke with us. It was so good...all about how our success in the mission is all up to us and the choices we make! I loved it and couldn't agree more. I know that no matter what the world may throw at me, I can get through it all based on my decision to. It's the small decisions everyday that make the big decisions easy to make. Especially the decisions we make here on the mission about obedience. I know that through exact obedience I can receive many blessings and my work will continue to progress daily!

Zone Conference - Olongapo, Calapacuan, San Antonio and San Narciso Zones

I love Sister Querido!
 

This principle can be applied in everyone's lives, too, not just missionaries. I know that through our dedication to make right choices on the little things, it will be so much easier to choose the right when it comes to the bigger things in life. Like making a decision about how we are going to react in a certain situation before we actually find ourselves in that situation.  If we choose to be obedient in the small things, how much easier it is to be obedient to the big things! I am so grateful for this knowledge and how much easier it made growing up and deciding to serve a mission!!

I love and miss you all!!

Sister Miller

Miracles Times Three!

Man, has this been a week of miracles!!

 

The first miracle, which I wasn't totally aware of, was my safety. My area wasn't affected by Typhoon Yolanda that hit central Philippines on Friday. I know there was much loss of life and property in Tacloban and other areas and I am praying for them and their families.

 

 The second miracle...I survived training for a day!! My companion, Sister Leakehe, just became a Sister Training Leader so she had to go to a meeting at the mission home on Wednesday. I was going to just be added to another companionship near my area, but the Mission President had something different in mind. All I knew was that another STL's companion was coming to my area and we were to work together for the day. So I go to drop off my companion and pick up the other sister. Now when I first met her, I thought she was Filipino and immediately in my mind I'm thinking, "I have to act like I actually know this language and really impress her!" So for the first 10 minutes of being with her, she seemed pretty shy, only giving me short replies and mostly just nodding her head. Now my thoughts are, "Crap! She's Filipino and she can't even understand my Tagalog. I thought I was doing so good!" Well, it turns out she really couldn't understand me, but it was because she was actually from the Marshall Islands and had only been in the Peens for a week and a half, not because she was a Filipino and couldn't understand my Tagalog! So I got to be her trainer for the day! I didn't really have time to feel overwhelmed by the fact that I myself had only been here for 8 weeks and we were about to teach my investigators in this weird foreign language neither of us really knew. We just went out and did it! It was such a great experience. It made me realize that I can do hard things! I can teach a lesson nearly solo in full Tagalog! I'm not saying I've got it 100% down because that may never happen, but I know I always have Heavenly Father's help in this work and I'm so thankful for that!

 

And the third miracle.....NANAY BELINDA GOT BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This was truly a miracle! I can't remember how much I told you about her, but here's a recap. Nanay Belinda has had the gospel in her life through her son for over 25 years and she has always wanted nothing to do with it. Missionaries after missionaries tried to teach her and she would literally hide from them. She had never been to church and was very content with her relationship with God. So this is where we come in. We received her name as a referral from her son who told us, "This is my mother. Good luck. You'll need it!" We were planning on visiting her later in the week but we walked by the way to get to her house one day and my companion and I both thought we should pay her a visit. Our only hesitation was that we had Nanay Baman with us, who is in her 60s, and we had to climb many, many uneven steep stairs to get to the house. We decided to tough it out and help Nanay up. When we got to the top, we were all tired and the only person we could see was an old lady smoking. Then all the sudden from behind me, I hear Nanay Baman yell, "BELLLLLLINDA?!?! Sisters, you didn't tell me we were seeing Belinda!!" Immediately, the old lady who was smoking jumped up and ran to hug Nanay Baman! I guess they were best friends back in the day and hadn't seen each other in a long time. They were both so happy and Nanay Belinda insisted we come into her home. We didn't hesitate! They talked for a little bit and then we cut in and said how excited we were to share a message with her. At the end of the lesson, we asked when she would like us to come back. You'll never guess what she said... okay I'll tell you... she said, " EVERYDAY!! EVERYDAY!!" Can you believe that! We sure couldn't!! We thought, "Is this the right Belinda?!" We weren't the only ones astonished! Her son and the Branch President and anyone and everyone who knew her were amazed.

 

 So through the course of us teaching her, she came to the realization that she needed to be baptized. Oh yeah, did I mention that she told us that on the third lesson?! Our jaws were literally on the floor! Everything really came down to her little problem of smoking. She was reading the Book of Mormon everyday, going to church, praying, she was doing everything right but she was still smoking a pack and a half a day. We really pushed her to quit but she simply told us it wasn't possible. We suggested she get a priesthood blessing for strength. She did. We were always praying for her and we all fasted for her.

 

 Now, her son's job is taking him away to another country for two years but Nanay Belinda really wanted him to be at her baptism, understandably. So it's the weekend before her son leaves and Nanay Belinda is still smoking 6 sticks a day, but she really wants to quit. We got special permission from the Mission President that if she could not smoke a single cigarette this whole week she could be baptized on Thursday before her son left on Friday. We made all the plans but, ultimately, it was up to Nanay and she was convinced she couldn't do it. We taught her about fasting and she decided that she needed to fast for help to break her addiction. Well, I kind of already ruined the ending for you, but needless to say, she hasn't smoked since and was baptized Thursday night by her son!

 

 

This is the favorite experience of my mission so far. To see how hard Nanay Belinda was willing to work and to feel the love and support that so many people had for her was truly amazing.

 

 I love being a missionary and being able to experience the change this gospel makes in the lives of those whom we teach. I know that Heavenly Father is watching over us all and that he is so ready and willing to pour out blessings upon us.

I love you all so much,

Sister Miller

The Best Email You'll Receive All Week!

I feel like it was just yesterday that I was sitting here in this little internet cafe emailing you guys! It never ceases to amaze me how fast time goes by here!! 

 

This week I just want to brag to you about how amazing my investigators are!! I don't have time to tell you about all of them but here are a few highlights!

Solly & Max: So these two are a couple we have been teaching the entire time I've been here. They are really converted to the gospel but aren't married so they can't get baptized until they get married or stop living together. They chose marriage. Solly didn't have a birth certificate so they are in the process of getting that and then they will be able to file for marriage. They don't have any money and have been working really hard and taking on new jobs to try and pay to get married. I can really see their desire to be baptized and even though they know it will be a while until they are able to do so, they stay so diligent and come to church every week and read the Book of Mormon everyday. I hope they don't get discouraged in the long wait for their baptism! I also hope I am still here to see them get married and baptized!!

Vitty, Charito, and John: This is a family we found through I2L-ing. (Inviting to learn) It's basically being nice to everyone as we walk and sharing about the gospel. Their house is literally on the top of the mountain! It takes us about 12 minuets to get up there and we have to stop for a break mid-way! I thought my calf muscles were big before but now they're HUGE!! The work out of getting to their home is worth it though because they are so golden! They've had a lot of trials in their lives and have been searching for a church to go to for a while but said none of them felt right. They said this one was different and was answering their questions! Ahhhhh! How awesome is that?! I want so badly for them to be baptized but I know they need to progress in their own time. They are our goal for this month! I'll keep you posted!

Belinda: So I wrote about her last week but she seriously amazes me every time we visit her! She started to get discouraged about the word of wisdom, she has been smoking since she was 9!! She said she prayed about it and realized she is meant to be baptized no matter what or how long it takes!! She comes to church every week and actively participates in 'school'. (That's what she calls classes.) 

So that's just a few! I love ALL my investigators and will update you all throughout my future emails.

This week, one of my besties from the MTC had to go home. Her back was really acting up and she was in a lot of pain. It really shook me that she was going home. This sister was the ideal missionary and someone I really looked up to. The whole situation made me realize how blessed I am to be here and what a privilege it really is to serve a mission! It made me realize that I need to strive to be my best every second of every hour of everyday of every week of every month!!! I want to work everyday like it is my last so if for any reason I had to leave, I would have no regrets! 

In true missionary fashion, I have a commitment I would like to leave with whomever may read this. I just finished a book and I loved it and would like to extend to you the invitation to read it also. It's called Our Search for Happiness: An Invitation to Understand The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was written by M. Russell Ballard, an apostle of the church. I loved it and loved the way he so simply and clearly explained many church doctrines! I've been a member my whole life but I still got a lot out of reading it! So there it is...my challenge for you all! Please read this book and email me your thoughts!! Members of this church or not, I know you will learn something! So do it!! :)

I love you all so much!! 

Sister Miller