HEEEEELLLLLLOOOOOO

So right now it is freezing here. For whatever reason, Nevada is a dumb state and can't figure out what season its in. Like yesterday it was 70 degrees and sunny. Last night it snowed over a foot...... So now we are chillin in the snow. And someone upstairs thought it was a good idea to put the two elders from Texas and Arizona together who have NEVER driven in snow.  So this morning was a lot of fun lol. We woke up to a blizzard. I woke up my comp by yelling "what the...". To which he responded "no flipping way". I haven't seen this much snow since snow boarding last year, which is kinda cool because I'm wearing that same jacket right now lol.

So my new comp. He is pretty sweet. I really like the dude. He's from San Antonio Texas. He's been out for 6 months. He is like the complete opposite of Elder Lyman. But he a super good Elder. I can definitely see why I have two trainers. It sucks, because it forces me to become a much better missionary very fast, but it's great for the same reason.  He is a super funny guy and me and him laugh so flipping much. I love him lots. He knows what he is doing out here.

Monday and Tuesday kinda sucked last week, just because i had to help Elder Lyman pack up. But things really brightened up when I got a text from a dude named Isaac with my cousins mission call info. Shout out to my Cousin Michael Shaw for getting called to Indiana Indianapolis mission!!!!!! Speaking Es-pawn-y'all!! I'm pretty sure I'm the only missionary in like 5 years from my ward who wasn't called Spanish speaking???? I don't get it, but oh well.

This week was a super different week because I was the one in charge of it. It's really weird trying to go and see everyone, when you don't quite know everyone. But we figured it out. I'm only 8 weeks out and I'm running an area. Little strange. Elder Latham has the experience, but I have the knowledge and the relationships in the area. We have been working together very well to pool our resources together. This week has been so much growth. It has been brutal, but a successful week. This transfer happened because it needed to, in order to help me. Just over this past week I've grown so much as a missionary. And i know it wouldn't of happened without the Lord's intervention. The Lord really knows what we need. And he gives us that. Heavenly Father loves us enough to let us experience trials and hardships. Like it says in 2nd Nephi 2, there must needs be opposition in all things. We have to experience the bad, so that we can recognize the good.

Super Duper excited for General Conference next week!!!! I('m jealous of my old MTC district buddies who are in Salt Lake City East, because they get to go to conference live. Lucky them!!! 

Being a missionary is awesome. The badge we wear lets us talk to every single person. The calling we have lets us help others bear their crosses. We get to help people come closer unto Christ every single day. And what better time for that to happen than during the week leading up to Easter and on Easter Sunday. Going around and talking about Christ is the best thing ever!!!!!!!!!
 

Oh and we're pretty sure we saved someones life too this week. Like legitly saved her life. She would've most likely died if we didn't help her. So we were going around on our bikes and we saw this old lady laying on the grass and it looked like she was pulling weeds or something. So my comp asked her if she knew anyone that needed service and she said "me, can you help me get up?" So we go over to help her up and she has a bump on her head larger than an egg. Not even joking. You can ask my companion. She was taking anti coagulants so her blood was pooling in her forehead. So we get her inside her house and she says we must've been raised by good christian parents. Then she sees our name tags and says that she was raised RLDS. So that was a little different. We're gonna check on her this week to make sure she didn't die. Poor old lady. Her husband said he would take her to the ER.

I seriously love being a missionary. I love my companion. I love everything about the #NRM (Nevada Reno Mission). I love Christ, and I know he loves me. Our savior lives. He and our Father in heaven watch over us and protect us, and help us to grow. Everything down here happens for a a reason. And I love finding out what those reasons are. Go out and share the gospel.

Happy Easter Y'all!!!

I love all y'all and each y'all

Elder Miner 

View from our room

Tons on our car

View from a hill

Transfers!!!!

Okay so this week has been super duper good until last night! Last night was sad. But the rest of this week has been great!!

So Monday last week was a lot of fun because we go to go to a nearby shopping center! It's like San Tan mall, but smaller! It has a store called Scheels in it. I think that's how you spell that? I don't really know. It was a lot of fun. I got a cool shirt that has the words "Home Means" and then a picture of Nevada. It's super cool. Also got to eat some Chipotle so that was pretty sweet. I introduced my companion Elder Lyman to it.

Tuesday we were able to finally meet with a referral we got way back in the beginning of February. His name is Chance Henderson. He is 21 and a super cool guy. We got in, talked for a long time about us and him. Really got to know him very very well. He told us a lot of personal stuff. He is pretty religious and so we showed him the Easter Initiative and he LOVED it!! He even asked for some pass along cards so that he could share the video with his friends and family!! We talked a lot about the Church and about Missionaries. He had us stay so that we could meet his girlfriend Ashley! They are high school sweethearts lol. She is even more religious than him! We showed her the videos too and they both really loved it and want us to come back!! So we will be going back this week hopefully!

So the Easter Initiative is super duper cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! EVERYONE OF YOU NEEDS TO WATCH THOSE VIDEOS. LIKE AS SOON AS YOU READ THIS EMAIL. Please please do it. Just follow Him.

But the rest of the week was pretty good. I can't quite remember what happened because I have a new planner with me, so I can't go back to see what happened. But it was a very good week!!

On Saturday we got to go do Baptisms for the Dead with Devon Turner!!!! It was super cool!!! A very very neat experience! She really felt the meaning of it, and didn't want to leave after it was done. It was a super awesome experience and we were super glad we were able to do it before tomorrow. I felt very privileged because usually to go do baptisms you have to teach 3 of the lessons. I've only taught 2 of them, but President Chesnut made an exception to the rule. I am very very lucky. And very grateful for him letting me go with Elder Lyman to do that.

Okay this email is going to be kinda shorter than other ones, just because I am kinda sad and nervous for the next 6 weeks so I can't think straight right now.

But last night was our East Celebration!! It was super good!! A bunch of bible videos about Christ and his resurrection. It was incredible to be there! The stake center was packed! Tons of non members and lots of investigators!! It was a very good time there! Also, our wars Easter program was super good! A very powerful speaker. Former Bishop Wolz spoke. Very powerful man. He took a lot our of Jesus the Christ which is super cool!! Lots of stuff I recognized and lots of new stuff. Very very powerful talk. It seemed like everyone but me was in tears? Which is the strangest thing ever, because usually i cry at times like that. Maybe it's a missionary thing?

Last night was transfer calls also. We thought that we were pretty safe from being changed since I still need to finish my training. Guess we were wrong! 😭

Elder Lyman will be leaving tomorrow. We are both devastated. And so is our ward lol. I'm really sad that I'll have to say goodbye to him. He is a super good missionary! My new companion is Elder Laythem. he came out the same time as Elder Lyman. He has spent his first 6 months in Fallon. Or Fallabama as the missionaries call it. Elder Lyman is going to Reno YSA ward. So he's not even in the Zone anymore! Really bummed. But oh well.

Last night was really hard for us both. We both weren't expecting it. Elder Lyman only got like 2 hours of sleep. I slept fine. I was super nervous. Still am, but less. I really felt inadequate. I felt like there was no way that I would be able to lead this area. I haven't grasped the language very well (lol). I felt like this would hurt the area. So i prayed. I prayed a lot, We got the call at like 10;25 too. So not a lot of time to prepare. Oh my gosh the power of prayer is incredible. I prayed and prayed that I would accept it and be able to feel peace with this change. Boy did I pray. I don't know how it'll work. Me being trained, but teaching my new Companion about the area. But I KNOW that it will work. I know for a fact that this is meant to happen. That this is the Lords will. I know that it will be okay. I know that this area will continue to grow, and that I will continue to grow.

These next few weeks might be a little rough around the edges, but every day is a good day when you're a missionary. There aren't bad days. Just good days and better days. I trust the Lord. He will lead myself and my new companion to those whom we need to teach. It'll be okay. I know that for a fact. I have felt the atoning power of the Savior in helping me understand this. It doesn't just work with sins. It works with pains too. And sadness. And sorrow. It will be okay. Our area will blossom over these next few weeks.The ward mission plan is almost ready to be implemented full scale. Elder Lyman and Hawkes got this ball moving, now it's up to me and Elder Laythem to keep it going.

Through Christ all things are possible. I encourage each y'all to remember that this Easter season. Pray to know if He lives. I know He does. You may too. But pray to know it anyway. And "The Holy Ghost shall be shed forth bearing witness to all things". I know its true. In the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen 

I hope y'all are doing great back home and abroad. Over Land or on sea. lol. 

I love all y'all and each y'all 

Elder Miner 

Elder Miner, Devon and Elder Lyman

Reno Temple

Dole Whip

Ho-law y'all

So this week has just been very delightful! and that is not sarcasm. The work here is progressing with each passing day! Elder Lyman and I work very well together and we have noticed it in the work. I'm still kinda figuring out my way through things but that's okay because i have tons of great examples in my life, both back home and here out on the mission of who I need to be in order to be a Real Missionary. I love getting weekly emails from all my missionary pals from around the world! I get to learn from their experiences about how to be an effective Missionary! 

There have been a few things on my mission that have brought me pure joy and happiness. not all of them, just some. One, seeing your investigators walk into sacrament meeting late(because you already are feeling despair). Two, seeing them getting dunked in a baptismal font. Three, seeing an investigator or less active feel the spirit testify the gospel is true. Four, hearing from back home that people are starting their papers, or getting their calls. All of those are amazing things. For whatever reason, hearing about people doing their papers or getting their calls makes you so much happier once you're a missionary. Maybe it's cus they'll (or you) soon will be joining myself and 75,000 other people in the work of the Lord. Soon they (or you) will be part of "the army of Helaman". They actually sing that song with a couple words changed as missionaries. We are now the Lords missionaries who go out to bring the world his truth. It's weird, you think of things differently has a missionary. Things are more black and white and make more sense. 

Oh my gosh, so there is this AMAZING thing in the world called Dole Whip. Now it is pretty much pineapple ice cream but good gosh it is delicious! Now you can only get it in two places on the earth. One, Disneyland. Which is actually where i had it! Two, Hawaii. Where sadly I have never been, but my family is currently there.....  Now this Dole Whip is simply amazing. BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT There is ONE MORE PLACE you can get it! And for whatever reason that is Sparks Nevada at a store called Kieva Juice. AND IT JUST SO HAPPENS TO BE IN OUR AREA! To quote Elder Lyman "I now know why I have been called to this mission in this area.It was to find DOLE WHIP!" it's sick as frick lol. So just for all you Dole Whip fans out there, that was for all y'all.Come to this mission.

But this week has seriously been great! We found 3 new investigators this week!! That is a lot for us! Two are married and their names are Nick and Kaushal Shukla. They are from India. They are Hindu. Boy this'll be fun! For everyone's knowledge, Hindus believe in many many many gods. So now we get to teach them about our Lord and Savior. They were actually a referral from the Hermanas. They are very curious about the LDS Faith and have gone to church many times in the past. They are pretty cool people!! We are very excited to do more with them!! The other new investigator is a former one who was dropped because her and her less active boyfriend are waiting for a house to be sold before getting married for legal reasons? Something strange like that. They know the church is true and are waiting on that to get baptized. So Elder Lyman and I will start teaching them again and try to get them as active as possible in preparation for the (hopefully soon to be)wife's baptism. We didn't know why they were dropped or anything. Their teaching record was not well filled out. All we had was a name and address. So we are very very excited to start teaching them again, and they are too! 

We had zone training this week on tuesday so that was a lot of fun! Learned a lot from the other members of our zone. I'm kinda worried about how much our zone will change after transfers next week. it'll be sad! Oh and i am halfway through being trained too! So i'm halfway to being a full missionary lol. Everything about being a missionary is awesome!! I really love all the aspects about it! Everyone out here is awesome. Oh and i think i figured out why the ward here is so trusting of missionaries. This used to be the AP area. Then it became the Sister Training Leader Area. Now it's our area. So they are used to super awesome missionaries and it's great being here. So I encourage all y'all to reach out to your local missionaries. The work progresses so much faster with the members helping out. With member support we can do anything! 

Guys i love all y'all and each y'all. I love the savior and I know that He Lives. He has risen. I invite all of you to think of him during this Easter Season. He is the reason for everything. Through Christ we can all be saved. Through Him we can find Eternal Joy and Life. I know it's true. So do 15,000,000 members. So do 75,000  Missionaries. So do 14 Apostles. So does 1 Prophet. Jesus is the Christ and He is the best man to ever walk the Earth. In His name amen

That's all folks!! 

Love Elder Miner

The Area Elder Miner is Working in

These last 2 pictures are at 6:45 am at 8:55 pm     

 PS. DAYLIGHT SAVINGS IS AN AWFUL IDEA

wazzzzup

Hey y'all,

So i guess its been another week, which is the strangest thing because I feel like I just got here! It is the 6th week of the transfer!! So normal transfers last only 6 weeks, but this one is 7 weeks because of the MTC being a longer time now. It is really weird to think that I'm halfway through being trained right now. 

Elder Lyman is a boss!! He is the bomb! He is a such a good Elder! I love him lots! I feel so lucky that he is my companion!

Okay so I'm going to try and not write another super long email with me getting really fired up because that took me about 45 minutes to write. Mostly because i have no auto correct and my fingers aren't used to keyboard anymore lol.

So this week has been great to be a missionary!! I love my area, It is truly the best area in the entire mission. It is also one of the smallest too. Last Monday we had a zone activity and that was super really a lot of fun. We got to bond more and more as a zone and got to know each other pretty well. I feel like i am a part of this zone and that everyone is my friend. I am sad that it will probably change a lot after the transfer in two weeks. I really hope Elder Lyman doesn't get transferred away. I kinda still need him here to teach me how to be a Real Missionary.

The time really flies out here and I feel like every day is a week and every week is a day. I feel like I just entered the MTC. So on Wednesday we had four set appointments, which is a lot to have in one day. And guess what? They all got canceled. But that didn't matter. We just kept going on and pressing forward. I love being out here and being a missionary. Every day is a good day to be a missionary.

On Friday i got to go on exchanges with Elder Gamble in his area of Shadow Ranch! It's right next to ours, but twice the size and it's a biking area. So that was a lot of fun to be in a biking area this week! It was a really good day and i got to know him really well! He is a super good missionary! This is his first transfer in this area. His last area covered downtown Reno and boy does he have some crazy stories!

Yesterday we had a miracle happen! So our recent convert Devon got a new job that keeps her from church every other weekend. So her and her husband John (who is not a member) now go on alternating weeks. So we were really scared that John wouldn't come, but he did!!! Then we went to his house after Church and made some Chorizo.  It is a super good Mexican breakfast! We've had it a few times and it is delicious. I can give y'all the recipe if any of y'all want it. The ingredients are the picture I'm including with this email. But we showed John the Restoration video, because he wants to learn more about Joseph Smith and we are super excited for him!

All of y'all should go look up some scriptures: Mormon 5:22-24. Ether 4:12. Moroni 12:12-13. They are really super good scriptures!!

I know that the Lord Lives. I know that God is our father in heaven and that he loves us. I know that by going to church, reading our scriptures, and praying (CPR) we can learn all things whatsoever we should do. Jesus is the Christ and he is our savior. Read the Book of Mormon and it will be testified to you by the Holy Ghost

I hope y'all have a good week

I love each y'all and all y'all

Elder Miner

The ward was super nice to him for his birthday

Fun little note

We got this great little note on Facebook this week.  I love getting these little pictures. I love seeing how he is serving!!!

Elder Lyman and Elder Miner helped me put up some pictures tonight smile emoticon I asked if I could take their picture while doing it because I love the height difference lol They're both taller than me though, so thank goodness they were able to help since my man couldn't! Better to get the pictures up and out of the way before a four year old comes over wink emoticon

Hola

hey y'all,

I'm curious to know how everyone is doing! 

So this past week was crazy!!!! Just tons and tons of good stuff!! Being a missionary is awesome!!! It is seriously the best thing in the entire world. There is nothing better. at all. ever.

So last Monday I got a lot of birthday wishes from lots of you and from lots of people in my ward! The Bishops wife has the same birthday as me, so she made sure that I was taken care of that whole day! We went over to say happy birthday to her and we kinda ended up in a silly string war with my Bishops family? That was really fun! She got a cake for the family that was feeding us so that we could have cake. She is super awesome! Their whole family is super great!! 

I think we had pizza as dinner like 5 out of the 7 nights this week. And four of the nights it was Costco pizza! It just happened that way and it was awesome!!



Okay so i have some confessions to make.................................. I ate bacon.......................

For all of you who know me pretty well you would know that I really didn't like Bacon. Well i had it in the MTC and have been eating it occasionally since! I know that part of being a missionary is getting the gift of tongues (such a good place to make a joke), but i think part of that has to involve food. Because I don't think i have had a bad meal yet, and I have eaten just about every thing possible. Just about every genre of food imaginable. And most of it is things that i really didn't like before the mission. I still don't like mustard, pickles or onions though. But besides that i will really eat anything. Which for many of you is very strange to read. Because I was a pretty picky eater a month and a half ago!

Time really flies when you're on a mission. Maybe because every waking moment is fun!! (except for waking up. That sucks) i have genuinely enjoyed being out here. Me and Companion Elder Lyman had a super good Companionship inventory yesterday and we just more or less expressed how much we are grateful for each other and each others willingness to be obedient.  I can only attribute that to those who are among my framly (friends + family). Seriously though, the more I go on the more grateful I become for all of y'all. A very old friend of mine had a quote :"you are a piece of every single person you meet" and boy is that freaking true. I can look at myself and figure out where little bits of my personality or knowledge come from. And they come from many of you. I am understanding more and more why everyone says to watch out who your friends are, because they truly do have an influence on you. There are many things that are from my friends that are a big part of who I am. 

But enough of that! Theres something you are all dying to hear about (I know this from your emails to me) and that's about Exchanges!!!!!!!! Lol jk.         But really though exchanges are pretty cool!! Because I have the privilege of being companions with a district leader, I get to go on exchanges with the Zone Leaders!! Now for all of y'all who have no idea what i am saying, exchanges are where you spend 24 hours with another missionary and learn from them, either in your area or theres. I had the wonderful opportunity to go the Zone Leaders area. Which just so happens to be Sun Valley. Which is the second largest trailer park in the world!!! WHOOOO HOOOOOO. Apparently it was closed a few years ago because missionaries were getting shot at too much? But now its back open and it is awesome!!! sorry Mom. I was with Elder Johnson and that was pretty dang cool. I Absolutely loved it!! My Spanish is getting better! I can now actually follow along with conversations! Elder Johnson speaks it really well and so we had a lot of Hispanic street contacts he was able to talk to. I learned a lot from him and he helped me to grow a ton. So that was friday.

Okay now i will talk about the highlight of the week. Saturday, at about 8 pm, two people i very much care about entered into the covenant of baptism. Devon Turner and Carolann Webb (her daughter) were baptized!!!!!!!!!! Oh my gosh the support from the ward was insane!!!! soooooooooo many people came!! The mission presidnet and his wife came!!!! They DO NOT come to every baptism. Not even close. But they came to theirs! Ohmygosh the spirit was so strong. You could probably could have cut it with a knife. It felt like there was a pressure all around us. Everyone felt it too. They for sure felt it. You CANNOT tell me this gospel isn't true. The joy i saw in their eyes is not fakeabe. There is no way in heck that this is not Christ's True Church. I will defend this true till the day I die. The Holy Ghost witnessed to Every Single Person there that that baptism was ordained of God. As missionaries we hold the authority to act in God's name. We are representatives of Jesus Christ, our friend and our redeemer. That night, everyone knew that He Lives. We were blessed enough to be those vessels that helped this come to pass. It was our privilege to work with them and to guide them. We are out here on the Lords errand. I know that for a fact in My heart. No one in Heaven or on Earth or somewhere in between can take that knowledge from me. I am our here to Teach Repentance and Baptize converts. I am here to invite others to Come Unto Christ. My friends and family, that is what we do. We do nothing else but share the gospel. And that night, the culmination of 5 missionaries efforts came to fruition. Those two were confirmed members of The Church Of JESUS CHRIST Of Latter Day Saints yesterday. One by my hand, and one by the hand of my companion. That Blessing has been the greatest one I have given by the power of the Holy Ghost. Nothing I said was me. It was all things that Our Heavenly Father wanted me to say. 

People ask if missionary work is easy. Or they ask why missionary work isn't easy. To paraphrase Elder Holland: Missionary Work is not easy because for Him it was NEVER easy. Salvation is NOT a cheap experience! 

I do not want any of you to think being out here is easy. That being a missionary is easy. It is Not. Anyone who tells you different is lying through their teeth or was not someone who followed the rules. It is hard work. But it is made lighter through Him.

I'm going to quote my favorite hymn. It was the one i said in sacrament meeting and the one we sang at the baptism. 

"Brightly beams our Fathers mercy, from his lighthouse ever more. But to us he gives the keeping of the lights along the shore.

Dark the night of sin has settled. Loud the angry billows roar. Eager eyes are watching, longing for the lights along the shore.

Trim your feeble lamp my brother. Some poor sailor tempest tossed, trying now to make the harbor, in the darkness may be lost

Let the lower lights be burning. Send a gleam across the waves. Some poor fainting struggling seaman, you may rescue you may save. "

People are out there waiting for us. We have a light that shines. We need to arise and let it shine unto all people. We may be able to find those poor sailors. Those eager eyes. Those people who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it. Help people find it. Please

Though Jesus Christ all mankind may be saved, His Atonement is Infinite and Eternal. It doesn't apply to just sins. It applies to every, single, aspect of our lives. He is our kind friend. He died for each of us. He Loves each of us. He Lives. Amen

Love Elder Miner

The baptism of Devon and Carolyn