Title: How Sweet It Is

I'm absolutely sick of eating corn. For about the last two weeks I've had corn on the cob for almost every single meal. Apparently Taylor is famous around these parts for their sweet corn. It was really good the first three or four meals, but it's gotten a little ridiculous. We have a bag of old corn cobs sitting in our apartment right now. We really need to throw those away...To top things off, this past weekend was the annual Taylor Sweet Corn Festival. I guess it was pretty fun to have the parade go right by in front of our house. The theme was "How Sweet It Is". We got about a dozen free frisbees and an entire bag of tootsie rolls. The only downside to the festival was that just as the whole corn thing was dying down, everybody got reminded of it, so we're eating even more corn now than we did before. It was fun to see everybody come out for the festival, though. They had a rodeo, which usually is a pretty big deal for the people here. We live right behind the rodeo grounds, so it brought a lot of excitement to Taylor.
I'm getting better at riding my bike! It doesn't take me 10 minutes to go up each hill anymore. We usually go at least 10-15 miles every day, and it's finally started to build up my endurance. In addition to all the biking, I have to exercise 30 minutes every day. That's way more than the 0 minutes I did back at home. Surprisingly, I'm getting a lot better at it. I still make a complete fool out of myself every time that I play basketball, though. I'm no Jimmer.
The people down here keep getting more awesome. Teaching Patty and Benny is always the highlight of my day. Every day they get funnier, happier, and more spiritual. I can't believe all the things that they keep teaching me. I never get tired of hearing about their faith in Christ and how dedicated they are to Him. They're such a great example. I feel like I'm a pretty stubborn person and that it takes a lot for God to get me to change. When Patty and Benny know something is true, they change. They don't need somebody to push them along, but they show so much trust in the Lord. It continues to amaze me.
The other Taylor elders had a baptism this past weekend! They baptized Kayla, a teenage girl. It was awesome to see all her family come out for such a sacred experience. I love baptisms. I especially love the account of the baptism of Jesus in the book of Matthew. "And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him. And lo, a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." I love what it says about the Spirit. I definitely felt that as Kayla was baptized, taking that essential step to coming unto Christ, and I know that Heavenly Father was pleased in the decision that she had made.
So things are going pretty awesome so far. I haven't been deported to Mexico, so that's always a plus. (Especially considering how much darker I've gotten since getting down here.) I love this work. There's nothing that I'd rather be doing right now, and I really mean that. Tying into the theme of the Sweet Corn Festival, I'm thankful for how sweet it is to be able to work with the people of Taylor, and how sweet it is to be able to see the light of God in other people, of all faiths. I love the Book of Mormon's account of Lehi's vision of the Tree of Life:

"And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy. And it came to pass that I did go forth and partake of the fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted. Yea, and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white, to exceed all the whiteness that I had ever seen."

I know that God has sweeter blessings for us than we can even imagine, and it truly is wonderful to come unto Him.

Thanks for your letters and all the support! Sorry I take so long to write all of you back. You're all in my prayers, and may God continue to bless you.

Love,
Elder Miller

Navajo Word of the Day: Shi-kiss (Brother/friend)

Greetings From Taylor!

Yateeh!

(That's Navajo for hello!)

I've finally made it to Arizona, and I'm absolutely loving it. We flew out from Provo on the ninth, and went right to Phoenix. Our mission president, President Ellsworth and his wife were waiting for us and President gave us all a big hug to welcome us. After loading up our things, we went to the Mesa Temple, and got to meet in the Visitor's Center. I can't begin to tell you how beautiful that temple is, and how much of the Spirit I felt as we walked the grounds. After a short testimony meeting, we went to the mission home in Scottsdale, where we were interviewed by President Ellsworth, and then sent out right away to work. I got paired with Elders McBride and Keating. We had some great experiences teaching some families and I completely fell in love with the valley. The palm trees and sunsets are absolutely gorgeous.

The next day we finally got to meet our companions and find out where our first area is. I've been assigned to pair up with Elder Lyon in the town of Taylor, whose population is about 2000. It's almost as north as you can go in the Mesa mission, and is actually about 4 hours away from Mesa. The town reminds me a lot of Casselton, my home town. It surprisingly looks and feels a lot like North Dakota, except of course for the fact that it's about 80 percent Mormon. The other awesome thing about Taylor is that there are a lot of Navajo people here, who have just been incredible. I've learned about a dozen Navajo words so far, and hope to learn as much as I can while I'm in the area. One family we're teaching is Patty and Benny and their family. Elder Lyon and I just love them. Every time we go, we see how the gospel has lit up their lives as they've struggled to make better choices and follow the example of Jesus Christ. They've made some incredible steps and I admire them so much. Not only have they taught me Navajo, but they've also taught me how to really rely on Jesus Christ and have faith in His Atonement.

Although I've seen incredible miracles and felt the Spirit more than I ever have, this week has been probably the hardest of my life. A wise person in the MTC said that a mission is "the greatest miserable thing that will ever happen to you." I have physically and spiritually never had to push myself to the limits that I have in just this first week. We're a biking area, and some of those hills have been completely ridiculous to climb. I've been sore every day and more tired than I've been in my life. Waking up is the hardest thing. I don't think that I can move sometimes. However, the greatest comfort comes each morning and night as I get on my knees and thank Heavenly Father for all He's given me, ask Him to show me what I can do to serve Him that day, and promise that I'll follow the promptings of the Spirit. By the time Elder Lyon and I are done studying, I am excited to get out and work harder than I ever have.

I absolutely know that this is Jesus Christ's church. This is His work. Through Him all things are possible, and if we have faith, repent, are baptized, and do all we can to serve Him until the end of our lives, we'll return to Him again and be united with our families, with more joy than we can even comprehend. I know Christ lives and loves us. He suffered so that all these things are possible. I bear my witness of these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Love,
Elder Miller

Elder Ammon Miller with his Mission President and Misson President's wife.

President and Sister Ellsworth

First Mission Pictures

Me, Tre, and Nate (two of Ammon's roommates from BYU).

Me and the elders Tre and I taught with in Salt Lake.

The Salt Lake Temple

Nate and me at the Salt Lake temple

Me at the visitor's center

My nametag

Blurry pictures of some of the guys from our district

Elder Allen sleeping and Elder Dobbie laughing at him.

Our district: THE SANDSTORM DISTRICT

Back row:(L to R) Elder Finlayson, Elder Tremelling, Elder Bybee, Elder Rydalch, Elder Robinson

Second row:(L to R) Me, Elder Wadman, Elder Brown, Elder Allen, Elder Dobbie, Elder Weston, Elder Lloyd. Elder Child is in the front row. He's in Texas and was only in our distict a couple days before he left.

Elder Wadman and me

Mike and me

Eldr Weston and the Title of Liberty

Mike and me at the map

Me and Elder Tim Billings from Minot

Week One

 

What a week! I've hit the ground running in my first seven days as a missionary. Tuesday morning I flew to Salt Lake, and was met by Tre Barnes, my roomate from BYU and one of the coolest guys ever. After unloading my stuff at his house, Tre and I went out with two missionaries and taught right there in Salt Lake. We were able to meet with Javier, a twelve year old boy that wants to get baptized, Ricardo, a husband and father who just wanted to learn about the church, and we were even stopped in the middle of the street by an old woman who wanted us to join her family in scripture study. It was a great night.

I spent the next morning with Nate Jones, another roommate of mine. We were able to go to a session in the Salt Lake temple, which was absolutely incredible. To feel the Spirit in that historic building was just amazing. Afterward, Nate dropped me off at my sisters' workplace. We got my things together, and after a few hugs, I was finally at the MTC.

The first two days were some of the longest of my life. Not in a bad way; there was just so much information and learning that was crammed in...I feel like I've been here for two months. Again, it's a good thing. I've learned so much about the doctrine of Christ, and the personal relationship we can have with our Heavenly Father. Another one of the main principles we're taught at the MTC is to teach people, not lessons. I've tried to take that to heart. One elder in my zone put it best: "They don't care how much you know til they know how much you care."

Our purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ. We must do that in His way: with perfect love. It might take me all my life, but I hope that I can come even just a bit closer to having the kind of love Christ had for all of us.

My district is amazing! As we're all going to the Arizona Mesa mission, we have been officially dubbed "The Sandstorm District" by Elder Allen, one of the funniest people I've ever met. He and his companion, Elder Dobbie (No, not like Harry Potter) are both in the same room as Elder Wadman (my companion) and me. Elder Allen is from Samammish, Washington, but is adopted and originally from the islands of Kiribati. He and I share a lot of the same interests in movies, TV, and random internet humor. He's my brother from another mother if I've ever met one (No offense, Devin). Elder Dobbie is SO quiet, but we all love him. He's got a great spirit. He's only been a convert for two years, but he teaches more powerfully than a lot of us.

Elder Wadman is awesome. Even though I've only been here for a week, I can honestly say I love my companion. It's not even our personalities that let us work well together, but our unity in purpose and our prayer that has helped us be such good friends. Elder Wadman has a powerful testimony and unwavering desire to serve the Lord. He loves God's children with all his might, and is a great example to me. He has worked diligently and with great faith to overcome personal struggles and is a blessed servant of the Lord.

Our district leader, Elder Tremelling is everything a leader should be: loving, caring, a great example, willing to give counsel, he corrects us in love, and he does everything by the Spirit. He does that all while being a goofy guy and being just fun to hang out with.

The MTC has pushed me harder than I've ever been pushed. I've never had to study and work on something for so long during the day without any breaks. I haven't had a single nap in over a week! It's been crazy! This very blog post has been my first hour of free time since I've gotten here. But I am grateful for it. In the last week, I've barely thought of anything but the work. It's been a brand new challenge, but it has been more satisfying than any other work I've ever been involved in. It is His work.

"And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent" (Mosiah 3:17)

God bless, and don't forget to write!

- Elder Miller

Called To Serve

I had waited for this day for almost 19 years. It came down to two sentences.

Dear Elder Miller: You are hereby called to serve as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Arizona Mesa Mission.

So what exactly IS a missionary, for those of you guys who might not know? Of course, we're best known as those overexcited, naive, annoying guys who knock on your door asking if you'd like to hear a message. But that's never how I've seen it. I think the best way to describe a missionary would be to tell you a story. A story about one of my heroes. The man I'm named after. This is the story of Ammon.


The Book of Mormon is an ancient record of God's dealings with the people in ancient America. Around 600 BC, a group of people left Jerusalem after being warned that it would soon be destroyed. They headed out to sea to get to the Promised Land on the American continents. Their population grew, and they eventually separated into two main groups, called the Nephites and the Lamanites. The Nephites were mainly good guys, listening to God and doing the stuff they were supposed to. The Lamanites weren't so great, and were always looking for a fight, because they felt that they had been wronged in having to leave Jerusalem.

Time passed, and there was still a lot of tension between the Nephites and the Lamanites. Meanwhile, in the Nephite territory, a man named Alma traveled around the land with his friends, who consisted Ammon and his three brothers. They did everything they could to destroy God's church. This was especially bad, because Ammon and his brothers were the sons of the king, Mosiah, and Alma was the son of the high priest, also named Alma. After seeing all the terrible things they were doing, Alma's father prayed to God, asking that his son would come to know of the truth of the gospel. Mosiah 27:11-14,18 explains what happened next:

And as I said unto you, as they were going about rebelling against God, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto them; and he descended as it were in a cloud; and he spake as it were with a voice of thunder, which caused the earth to shake upon which they stood. And so great was their astonishment that they fell to the earth, and understood not the words which he spake unto them. Nevertheless he cried again, saying: Alma, arise and stand forth, for why persecutest thou the church of God? For the Lord hath said: This is my church, and nothing shall overthrow it, save it is the transgression of my people. And again, the angel said: Behold, the Lord hath heard the prayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father; for he has prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the knowledge of the truth; therefore, for this purpose have I come to convince thee of the power and authority of God, that the prayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith

And now Alma and those that were with him fell again to the earth, for great was their astonishment; for with their own eyes they had beheld an angel of the Lord; and his voice was as thunder, which shook the earth; and they knew that there was nothing save the power of God that shake the earth and cause it to tremble as though it would part asunder. 

After this experience, Alma, Ammon, and his brothers turned their lives around and dedicated themselves to the gospel. When it came time for King Mosiah to confer the kingdom to one of his sons, they all refused, wanting instead to proclaim the truth to anyone who would listen. What shocked King Mosiah the most, however, was that his sons wanted to preach the gospel to the Lamanites! This would have been suicide, as the Lamanites hated the Nephites with a passion. However, the sons of Mosiah had faith that their Lord would protect them, and Mosiah was assured by the Lord that they would be protected.

Ammon traveled to the land Ishmael to begin his mission. Almost immediately he was bound by the Lamanites and brought before their king, Lamoni. Ammon was asked why he was in this foreign land, and he simply replied that he was there to dwell with the Lamanites and to serve them. Surprisingly, the king was pleased by this and told Ammon that he would be in charge of the flocks of sheep. Ammon immediately went to work, doing everything that the king asked of him. As he was watching the flocks with his fellow servants, other Lamanites came out of nowhere and scattered the flocks, in order to try to take some for themselves. The other servants of King Lamoni were afraid, because they thought that the king would kill them, as he had to other servants who had let the sheep go. However, Ammon cheered them up and with God's help, collected every single sheep. When the other Lamanites saw this, they came out to scatter them again, but this time Ammon fought back.

(We look exactly the same, right?)

Alma 17:36-38

But Ammon stood forth and began to cast stones at them with his sling; yeah, with mighty power he did sling stones amongst them; and thus he slew a certain number of them insomuch that they began to be astonished at his power...therefore, seeing that they could not hit him with their stones, they came forth with clubs to slay him. But behold, every man that lifted his club to smite Ammon, he smote off their arms with his sword; for he did withstand their blows by smiting their arms with the edge of his sword, insomuch that they began to be astonished, and began to flee before him; yea, and they were not few in number; and he caused them to flee by the strength of his arm. Now six of them had fallen by the sling, but he slew none save it were their leader with his sword; and he smote off as many of their arms as were lifted against him, and they were not a few. 

That's right. Ammon didn't mess around.

Anyway, eventually the word got back to King Lamoni about the inhuman power of Ammon. The other servants, after seeing everything that he did, assumed that he was the Great Spirit. Lamoni agreed, and began to fear that he was about to be punished for having killed so many of his servants before. When he asked where Ammon was, he was surprised to find that he was preparing his chariots, just as he had been asked, even after this great display of power.

Lamoni sent for Ammon. When he arrived, there was silence for an hour, as Lamoni was too afraid to speak to who he thought was the Great Spirit

Alma 18:16

And it came to pass that Ammon, being filled with the Spirit of God, therefore he perceived the thoughts of the king. And he said unto him: Is it because thou has heard that I defended thy servants and thy flocks, and slew seven of their brethren with the sling and with the sword, and smote off the arms of others, in order to defend thy flocks and thy servants; behold is it this that causeth thy marvelings?

King Lamoni answered that indeed, these were his thoughts. He asked Ammon how he had such great power, and Ammon agreed to tell him. He explained that he had the power of God within him because he was called to serve and teach the Lamanites. He then proceeded to share God's plan with King Lamoni, including the creation of the world, the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, and how we can meet our Heavenly Father again through the blessing of repentance. King Lamoni believed all the words, and was touched by what he heard.

Alma 18:41

And he began to cry unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, have mercy; according to thy abundant mercy which thou has had upon the people of Nephi, have upon me, and my people.

After this prayer, King Lamoni fainted. Three days later, he woke up, changed and converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because he had chosen this path, eventually many of his own people were also converted to the gospel. Because of the righteousness of Ammon, a whole people were converted that nobody would have thought possible just a few years before!

I have always been fascinated by the story of Ammon, and his incredible faith and righteousness that led to so many miracles. I've always wanted to serve a mission, and I hope that I can have just a fraction of the courage that he had. Although I know that my mission won't be nearly as dramatic as his, I know that it can be just as satisfying, and that it's something that I'm supposed to do. Not because my parents expect it, not because so many people at BYU go, and not because I want to brag about going on a mission. Honestly, I'm nothing compared to so many of the other guys that go out there. I'm going because I want to share the truths that I have learned. Some of these truths are:

• God loves us and sent his son Jesus Christ to help us return to Him again
• The atonement of Christ not only saves us from sin, but from any pain, trials, or weakness we struggle with.
• By following the commandments of God, we achieve happiness through his Plan of Salvation.
• The original church of Jesus Christ has been restored once again upon the Earth
• Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and translated the Book of Mormon 
• The Book of Mormon is true and will help us come closer to Christ
• Families can be together forever
• Prophets are on the earth today, and help us know how to deal with the problems of this world.

...And a lot more. Now I'm not perfect by any means. I'm often arrogant, naive, annoying, and just plain stupid. But it's comforting to know that only one person in this entire world has ever been perfect, and He's willing to help me along the way. Ammon from the Book of Mormon did some pretty bad stuff before he turned his life around, and the Lord still helped him do amazing things. I hope I can be just a little bit of the man he was. So I'm ready and excited to go to Arizona. It's going to be tough to be away from family and friends for so long, but I'm excited to dedicate two years of my life to God, which is the least I can do after everything He's done for me. It's going to be hard work. I'm sure that many of the days will be uneventful, or perhaps extremely difficult. But I know that I'll come out a better person.

D&C 128:22

Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free.

I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true. I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world and can help us with anything we are struggling with. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that Thomas S. Monson is a living prophet today. By following his words, as well as the words found in The Book of Mormon and The Bible, we can find happiness in this life, and secure happiness in the life to come. I know that the atonement of Christ is real, and has helped me through every trial I've ever faced. I say these things in His holy name, Jesus Christ, amen.

http://mormon.org/