**TRANSFERS**
New companion ELDER RUDD!
Elder Miles, Elder Rudd,
Elder Grosbeck, Elder Raddon
And AWAY they go!!!
(Thanks a bunch Alexx Summers for snapping these shots!)
October 26, 2015 Keep working hard & things will work out
Training has definitely been an experience. I don't know what I am doing 99% of the time. And it is frustrating because I don't feel like an effective missionary…
(per Elder Miles' request his "venting" was for his parents only:) Surely other missionaries can relate) he continues...
…I guess just keep doing what we are doing and have faith that things will eventually work out.
Some good things this week… It was Elder Rudd's birthday on Friday. So I made him breakfast! Also, I figured how good I am at basketball! (and how much of a waste it was that I didn't play in high school) I like watching the sunsets here. They are so colorful every night. The clouds look like cotton candy and I want to eat them. It really isn't as bad as I make it sound I guess. But it just has been super slow the last couple weeks. It should pick up here pretty soon.
Well sorry about the not so good email. I just had to vent a little. Anyways this week should be better. We just have to keep working hard and things will work out. I will talk to you next week.
Love always,
Elder Miles.
(per Elder Miles' request his "venting" was for his parents only:) Surely other missionaries can relate) he continues...
…I guess just keep doing what we are doing and have faith that things will eventually work out.
Some good things this week… It was Elder Rudd's birthday on Friday. So I made him breakfast! Also, I figured how good I am at basketball! (and how much of a waste it was that I didn't play in high school) I like watching the sunsets here. They are so colorful every night. The clouds look like cotton candy and I want to eat them. It really isn't as bad as I make it sound I guess. But it just has been super slow the last couple weeks. It should pick up here pretty soon.
Well sorry about the not so good email. I just had to vent a little. Anyways this week should be better. We just have to keep working hard and things will work out. I will talk to you next week.
Love always,
Elder Miles.
October 19, 2015 We're sending you our prayers Elder Miles!!:)
Well another transfer down. And I also hit my 3 month mark this week. Tomorrow is transfer meeting and Elder Wight is getting transferred. I also will be training a new missionary for the next 2 transfers! Crazy weird. When I found out that I would be training on Tuesday it made me get really stressed out. Probably more than I have been stressed in a long long time. Mainly because I still don't know the area because it is so huge.
So this week wasn't the greatest. Our recent convert, Lili, has been making excuses to not come to our ward and to only go to sacrament meeting and not to come to activities and to go shopping on Sundays, etc. And that has been really frustrating for Elder Wight and I.
I have also gained a fear of white people. There are a lot of hispanics in my area and when you see the rare white person they are usually a basher looking for mormon missionaries.
You guys have been asking a lot of questions about how missionary work is done here so I will update you a little bit. We never tract. It is the most uneffective thing you can ever do. We contact on the street to people we pass by. We only place a Book of Mormon if the person sets up a return appointment and is willing to take it. So that is very rare. A set of the elders in our zone had this investigator that wouldn't even look at the Book of Mormon because she had been told by her "Christian" preacher that they are all cursed and you will die if you look at the Book of Mormon.
Our mission motto is "Laser beam." We only work with the elect. Drop those that aren't quite there yet. It isn't worth the time to work with somebody that isn't going to act on what we ask them to do. In this mission we find, teach, and baptize. It is all very fast pace, no lollygaging around. I don't know how to spell that. Lessons have changed from how they used to be. We are trained not to memorize anything from Preach My Gospel. We teach from our own experiences and knowledge. So that is a little background on how the work is done down here. I like it though because there is always something productive to be doing. And it is fun when we work hard. "If you don't attack the mission, the mission attacks you." - President Kendrick. Because I am in a YSA ward right now we don't use bikes we drive everywhere because our area is the size of the southern end of Salt Lake Valley.
I am glad that I decided to come on a mission. It has brought so many blessings in my life and in the life of others as well. And it is way cool to see that. Anyways I have to go now. Talk to you all next week.
Love always,
Elder Miles
So this week wasn't the greatest. Our recent convert, Lili, has been making excuses to not come to our ward and to only go to sacrament meeting and not to come to activities and to go shopping on Sundays, etc. And that has been really frustrating for Elder Wight and I.
I have also gained a fear of white people. There are a lot of hispanics in my area and when you see the rare white person they are usually a basher looking for mormon missionaries.
You guys have been asking a lot of questions about how missionary work is done here so I will update you a little bit. We never tract. It is the most uneffective thing you can ever do. We contact on the street to people we pass by. We only place a Book of Mormon if the person sets up a return appointment and is willing to take it. So that is very rare. A set of the elders in our zone had this investigator that wouldn't even look at the Book of Mormon because she had been told by her "Christian" preacher that they are all cursed and you will die if you look at the Book of Mormon.
Our mission motto is "Laser beam." We only work with the elect. Drop those that aren't quite there yet. It isn't worth the time to work with somebody that isn't going to act on what we ask them to do. In this mission we find, teach, and baptize. It is all very fast pace, no lollygaging around. I don't know how to spell that. Lessons have changed from how they used to be. We are trained not to memorize anything from Preach My Gospel. We teach from our own experiences and knowledge. So that is a little background on how the work is done down here. I like it though because there is always something productive to be doing. And it is fun when we work hard. "If you don't attack the mission, the mission attacks you." - President Kendrick. Because I am in a YSA ward right now we don't use bikes we drive everywhere because our area is the size of the southern end of Salt Lake Valley.
I am glad that I decided to come on a mission. It has brought so many blessings in my life and in the life of others as well. And it is way cool to see that. Anyways I have to go now. Talk to you all next week.
Love always,
Elder Miles
October 12, 2015 The AP'S are GREAT!!
Sorry, I forgot to tell everyone, because yesterday was Columbus day that all of the library's are closed. So that is why I am emailing a day late.
That is awesome that Jackson got his mission call!! Tell him how cool that is from me and I wish him the best of luck. Or he can email me too that would be sweet.
This week was really good. Everything is still pretty slow, but we were able to go on exchanges with the Assistants to the President. Elder Green and Elder Farley. I went with Elder Farley. They are really great missionaries! I learned so much from them with even just being with Elder Farley for a couple hours!
Last Tuesday we had a really late dinner with a member. His name is Danny Tanner. We went to this place called Rubio's. It is basically a fish taco restaurant but I was able to get some enchiladas. As we were finishing eating and about to leave this lady walked up to us and started saying how we "have such a good energy" and that she felt comfortable talking to us and asking us a question. She asked us if we could give her a ride home. Of course as missionaries we can't, but Danny said that he could & she said how grateful she was. Then she said, "I have also been training to be a spiritual channeler." As soon as she said that I knew that it was going to go downhill from there. So she started off by "channeling" Elder Wight. Saying how much his mother loves him. And how he has a beautiful girlfriend and how she loves him too. Then she went to me saying pretty much the opposite of what she told Elder Wight. Then she went to Danny, saying how he doesn't have a girlfriend, (which is technically right because he is engaged) and how he will meet her in exactly 4 months. Then she grabbed all of our hands and said that she is sending all of us love through her touch. Then she went to the bathroom and Danny was freaking out saying how he wanted to leave and how she is going to kill him. But we told him that we would follow them to make sure nothing would happen. So she came out and we got in the cars and started driving. They ended up pulling into this dark alley that was lined with apartments so we just pulled off to the side of the road and waited...
This is the account from Danny of what happened. She was telling him how jealous she is of this girl that he is going to meet because he is so good looking. And said, "Can I at least have a hug before you leave?" Then Danny replied, "Uhhhh I .. guess." So as she was getting closer he realized she didn't want just a hug. She was going to try to kiss him as well. So he turned his head and she pretty much made out with is ear. Gross!!! Then she awkwardly got out of the car and went inside. Then Danny called us freaking out!... If it doesn't sound funny as you were reading that, it was hilarious in person because this lady was absolutely nuts! And her shirt said "love at first sight." So yeah she was pretty weird. So that was one of the funny parts about this week.
Another good part is we have another member who has a girlfriend that is starting to get interested in the church and we are going to start teaching her here in the next couple days. So that is going to be solid. But other than that things have been pretty mellow. But I have to go now so I will talk to you all later!
Love always,
Elder Miles
That is awesome that Jackson got his mission call!! Tell him how cool that is from me and I wish him the best of luck. Or he can email me too that would be sweet.
This week was really good. Everything is still pretty slow, but we were able to go on exchanges with the Assistants to the President. Elder Green and Elder Farley. I went with Elder Farley. They are really great missionaries! I learned so much from them with even just being with Elder Farley for a couple hours!
Last Tuesday we had a really late dinner with a member. His name is Danny Tanner. We went to this place called Rubio's. It is basically a fish taco restaurant but I was able to get some enchiladas. As we were finishing eating and about to leave this lady walked up to us and started saying how we "have such a good energy" and that she felt comfortable talking to us and asking us a question. She asked us if we could give her a ride home. Of course as missionaries we can't, but Danny said that he could & she said how grateful she was. Then she said, "I have also been training to be a spiritual channeler." As soon as she said that I knew that it was going to go downhill from there. So she started off by "channeling" Elder Wight. Saying how much his mother loves him. And how he has a beautiful girlfriend and how she loves him too. Then she went to me saying pretty much the opposite of what she told Elder Wight. Then she went to Danny, saying how he doesn't have a girlfriend, (which is technically right because he is engaged) and how he will meet her in exactly 4 months. Then she grabbed all of our hands and said that she is sending all of us love through her touch. Then she went to the bathroom and Danny was freaking out saying how he wanted to leave and how she is going to kill him. But we told him that we would follow them to make sure nothing would happen. So she came out and we got in the cars and started driving. They ended up pulling into this dark alley that was lined with apartments so we just pulled off to the side of the road and waited...
This is the account from Danny of what happened. She was telling him how jealous she is of this girl that he is going to meet because he is so good looking. And said, "Can I at least have a hug before you leave?" Then Danny replied, "Uhhhh I .. guess." So as she was getting closer he realized she didn't want just a hug. She was going to try to kiss him as well. So he turned his head and she pretty much made out with is ear. Gross!!! Then she awkwardly got out of the car and went inside. Then Danny called us freaking out!... If it doesn't sound funny as you were reading that, it was hilarious in person because this lady was absolutely nuts! And her shirt said "love at first sight." So yeah she was pretty weird. So that was one of the funny parts about this week.
Another good part is we have another member who has a girlfriend that is starting to get interested in the church and we are going to start teaching her here in the next couple days. So that is going to be solid. But other than that things have been pretty mellow. But I have to go now so I will talk to you all later!
Love always,
Elder Miles
Pre-Mission photos...I can't believe I haven't posted these yet! Brit Mitchell, you are AMAZING Girl & we love you bunches!!! Thank you so much!! You captured our
Elder Miles perfectly right here...Oooo they are all beautiful, but I
must say this is my very favorite! Ethan's contagious smile is forever
frozen in time & etched on his mama's heart...
Elder Miles perfectly right here...Oooo they are all beautiful, but I
must say this is my very favorite! Ethan's contagious smile is forever
frozen in time & etched on his mama's heart...
Oct. 5, 2015 Move on and WORK HARD!!
Yes, Conference was amazing this weekend. But I still can't say that I have watched every single session. I missed the whole first Sunday session because we were up at Edson Range teaching the Marine recruits. But we did have a baptism up there Sunday morning so that was worth it anyways! It is funny because the font is in a non-denominational christian church building that they have up there. And when we walked in to start setting up they were just finishing up their service. They were all up dancing and yelling and there was this live band that was just crazy loud with electric guitars and everything. And then they walked out whispering to us that our church is wrong hahahaha. Elder Wight and I were just laughing. And seeing all of that just made me so grateful for the restoration of the gospel. So that we know how to correctly worship Heavenly Father and to truly feel the spirit.
I forgot to bring my notes that I took from conference and can't remember what I wanted to share. So I will share it next week. This last week has been pretty uneventful. We haven't had anybody solid to teach since our baptism. So all we have been doing is walking around contacting. It is rough sometimes because a lot of people are so negitive. I am legit scared of white people now haha. Because they aren't afraid to speak their mind and we aren't allowed to say anything back if people start to bash us. So we just sit there and take it. But it is amusing most of the time. But it is so much more fun when we just forget the last shot and move on and work hard.
Sorry my emails haven't been very descriptive lately. We have had so much to get done on pday lately and that is the same today. So I need to go now but you all are always in my prayers and I love you all so much and grateful for your examples.
Love always,
Elder Miles
I forgot to bring my notes that I took from conference and can't remember what I wanted to share. So I will share it next week. This last week has been pretty uneventful. We haven't had anybody solid to teach since our baptism. So all we have been doing is walking around contacting. It is rough sometimes because a lot of people are so negitive. I am legit scared of white people now haha. Because they aren't afraid to speak their mind and we aren't allowed to say anything back if people start to bash us. So we just sit there and take it. But it is amusing most of the time. But it is so much more fun when we just forget the last shot and move on and work hard.
Sorry my emails haven't been very descriptive lately. We have had so much to get done on pday lately and that is the same today. So I need to go now but you all are always in my prayers and I love you all so much and grateful for your examples.
Love always,
Elder Miles
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