Last Letter

Hola Everyone!!! 

I hope everyone has had a great week! 

Some cool highlights from ours:
Korean BBQ on Saturday
Temple on Tuesday
District meeting on Wednesday
Ward Dinner on Sunday


All of these were super fun! I really enjoyed being able to participate with so many great people and missionaries in those activities. the Temple was awesome to go to! 

So if any of y'all ever want to go to a Korean BBQ, be warned. It is a LOT of GOOD food. Like a ton. And you get to cook it yourself too!! Our Chinese investigator took us there as a goodbye. he said that owners were friends with his Mom and that they keep it very authentic. So that was pretty cool! 

"There's a grief that can't be spoken. There's a pain that goes on and on..." (name that song) These are the words that filled my head this morning as I stood in the shower. I don't want to go. I would give ANYTHING to stay (sorry family). It's terrible! They give you these two years to fall in love with missionaries and members and your mission president. And then they say "alright good job, time to leave". Like that is really not okay. There should be some kind of integration program so that you just stay in your mission for the rest of your life. I would be okay with that. 

I feel really really really tired. but that's normal! So the YSA ward yesterday at church was brutal. Everyone was just ripping into myself and Sister Lovstedt. It was merciless. Kinda funny looking back on it, but really terrible too. The ward dinner was a lot of people saying goodbye. Super Super strange!! It was strange ending there. They are all friends. They aren't really ward members. The bishopric was awesome too. They are so kind and are also friends versus people I served. That was a strange phenomenon. 

Well I look forward to seeing many of your bright and smiling faces(Well kinda looking forward)

I love all y'all and each yall
Elder Miner
NRM
777 till I die

"When I was a Highschooler, I spake as a Highschooler, I understood as a Highschooler, I thought as a Highschooler, But when I became an Elder, I put Highschool things away."

High school is over. It's time to go to work

Will is very excited for Chandler to come home

All together again!!!!

Baptism!!!

How are you doing??

This week truly has been a good one. 

Two major events happened:

1 Final interview with President Chesnut

2 Baptism of Robert Lopez

With the interview I essentially cried for over a half hour with President. We both shed many many tears as we talked about the last 2 years. He talked about some comments that I had made in meetings that had been having an impact on other missionaries. He told me that I was being quoted across the mission.  That was really neat to hear. Then he paid me the highest compliment that I have ever received and it was an answer to prayer. Everyone wonders if their mission had been a success and accepted of the Lord. I've never really struggled with knowing that, but The Lord still told me an answer that I was starting to want. 

On Saturday we had that baptism for Robert Lopez. Elder Wegelin was able to come to it too! I wanted to share with you something that Robert said while we were changing after performing the baptism itself. We walked in and he said "Thanks for baptizing me. I've actually been baptized before in my Mom's church, but thanks for doing the one that counts" So I said "Thanks for picking me to baptize you. It was a privilege." Then he said something along the lines of, "Well I picked you because with you I changed the most. You helped me to overcome a lot of different things and change to become how I am now. I had a lot of missionaries, and you made the difference." That was something that I've been told once before, several years ago. That struck a cord with me. It brought back memories of a mini mission when I was a punk 17 year old kid. I know the Lord has a reason for where He sends us. I was sent here to this area for a couple reasons. One of the chiefest, was Robert Lopez. I told him, "You definitely aren't the same person who I met 3 months ago." And Robert Lopez truly isn't the same. He has changed. He has brought forth the fruits of repentance. He has desires to go to the temple. He has a hope for what can happen in the future. He wants an eternal family. He reads his scriptures on his own. He prays so many times all day long. When he first met the missionaries about 6 months ago, he was an atheist who was talking to the Sisters more out of curiosity than anything. I got to the area right when he had an experience where he felt the spirit. He felt some pain go away. That was his first chance that he had to know that the power of Christ's atoning sacrifice can do something. From there he spiraled downward for a little bit. But he has recovered completely on his own. He asked us to be baptized. He asked us how to go to the temple. He asked us about receiving the priesthood. And now, he stands at the beginning of his new life. He is a new person. He has been born again, and EVERYONE can see it. They can see the stark contrast of Robert Lopez six months ago and Robert Lopez today. He is someone that I hold as a close friend. 

He was confirmed yesterday. It went well as friends and leaders stood in the circle. It was a great occasion. One I do not wish to forget anytime soon. 

Pretty much, it was a good week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That took me forever to type.. 

I love y'all and each y'all!

In the 60's in January

So how are things going for you? Things are going well over here in the YSA. We are really really enjoying our time here. We seem to be having success. We are teaching people. We are helping them build their faith. So it works out pretty well. Also, in contrast to my last winter, this one has been SUPER nice! It's been about 60 for the past 3 weeks or so. Not bad for a supposedly cold climate!

We have a baptism coming up this week for Robert Lopez! We are really pumped for that! He has changed so much since I've first been here. When I got to the area, he wasn't sure if there was a God. Now he has a testimony of the atoning sacrifice of our Lord. He has felt a token of that power. He has passed his baptismal interview(again). He asked us to be baptized. He is ready. He is committing himself to do things. He is reading the scriptures on his own. He is praying on his own. He comes to church on his own, and all the activities. Many of the people in the ward think he is already a member... So we are EXCITED for this week and to see the support that he will get. 

Going to MLC this week was eye opening. As we talked about 1 what I've learned as a leader and 2 what traits are in my favorite leaders, I've been able to figure out what things I still need to develop in myself. As I've looked back on my favorite leaders, Young men's leaders have come to my mind, my parents, my uncle and aunt, my Bishop and so many other people that I can't even list. But they all have traits that I love. That I want to emulate. That I NEED to figure out how to emulate. They are all friends. I feel oh so confident in saying that they are all friends. That is what has been the biggest impact on me in my life, is having someone that I could talk to. Whether for 3 hours or for 3 minutes. And as I thought back on what I've learned as a leader, it's that very thing. That being a missionaries friend will go a lot longer and further than being anything else. Not their "pal", or their "best bud", but a friend. Someone they can trust and they can council with. With my leaders that has been the thing that I've desired the most. 

Looking through who the Lord has placed in my path at what times has been really cool. I've loved to see which people I've connected the most with. Whether it be companions, or members of the zone, or whoever. I've got a lot of people that I would name among some of my best friends who I've met on the mission. I have companions who know who I am on the inside, as well as the outside. Who I trust that no matter what the situation is, they will say the right thing. That no matter what the problem is, we can work together to figure it out. Both on and off the mission. It's funny how the Lord puts people in your path like that. 

I love being a missionary. I love the joy it brings as we participate in the great work of gathering souls unto Christ. It means everything to me. 

I love all y'all and each y'all!
Elder Miner 

Happy New Year

This week was a little strange for us. Because of the holidays, there are not many YSA's at home... But we've been doing our best to stay busy and stay effective. It has been a little difficult for us to do that. Also the stress of the holiday's seem to be getting to our investigators. A couple of them had strange issues this week... But, we set up a TON of lessons for next week! We are SUPER pumped for that!!! 

We picked up a new investigator this week from the Sister missionaries His name is Louis. He is from China! So we are looking to see a repeat of Ming from the district 2. He doesn't have a huge background with Christianity. But he is willing to keep learning. He is a mechanical engineering grad, so he thinks pretty logically. We are super pumped to help him come close to the Savior and also to find out who the Savior is. Also his English is pretty funny. He is a cool guy. He loves church and enjoys the activities that the YSA ward does. 

With everyone that we've been teaching who've left out of town, we've managed to stay in touch with them. We aren't gonna let them escape!!! 

I was able to go on an exchange into the Rama Sierra this week with Elder Whetton! It was a fun exchange! I was able to do a little YSA work while there for the Spanish speakers I am super glad that will be my only exchange into a Spanish area though, it was SUPER strange to not understand what was happening! He is a good missionary, and I would consider him a very very close friend. 

Last week I was able to go on exchanges with Elder Judd and Elder Sorochan. Both of those were into my area, and we had a ton of fun! Elder Judd and I got to talk a lot about Fallon and Arizona. Still super strange to be around him. Turns out, him and I are VERY similar people. I am super excited to have him with me later on in life. Elder Sorochan and I got to enjoy our time together and get to know each other a lot better. Both are also good missionaries and good friends. I love being able to do these exchanges because I get to make so many close friends. You get to see another missionaries perspective for the day! It's super sweet! 

Christmas was also GREAT!!!!! I love Christmas as a missionary! We played a LOT of Catan and watched Moana.(A WAY good movie) It was a good day to be able to spend with Members and Missionaries! 

It was a good week. Strange, but GOOD!

I love all y'all and each y'all!

Elder Miner