The Mission of LIFE

This week one of my teachers said that the most important mission any of us will serve is the mission of LIFE! so what do you want to accomplish in your life mission? i encourage you to write those things down and make goals about them because a goal not written down is only a wish. food for thought

This week was AMAZING!!! There are so many things to write about so I'm only going to choose a few haha but I learned so much about becoming a missionary, making specific goals, how true the gospel is, and that my district includes some very talented people! To practice our Portuguese these week we had a talent show and there were acts from playing Popcorn Popping on the guitar to dunking on an over-the-door hoop to singing in Portuguese to dunking on a real hoop to reciting the whole Living Christ from memory and a whole bunch of other wacky things in between!! I'm glad to report that my avocado toast making was a hit and I may have just found my new favorite word in Portugues-abacate (prounouned a-ba-caught-chee). 

My favorite thing said by one of my teachers this week was "Heavenly Father asks difficult things of those that can do them." If you feel like you're going through a hard time right now, that's only because God knows you can handle it!! He loves each of you and always wants you to be improving so sometimes he gives us hard things to go through to grow into who He needs up to become! I've definitely felt this as I've had some hard days in the CTM trying to learn Portuguese and explain all my feelings about the gospel in another language, but I have grown more than I ever have before!!! I know this gospel is true and that Christ is the only way to get through all the hard things in life with joy!! Hope you all have a great week and find a small way God has shown his love for you! This week mine was through the laughter of my family, companion, and my district :)

<3 Sis Mill

ps if anyone has ever learned a language and understands reflectives...your girl is VERY confused about it hahah

 our district talent show. had to get creative on how to show swimming as a talent over zoom!

my cute nephew ikaika + some fun photobombing sisters ;)

Growing Pains ;)

This week I got reassigned to labor in the St. Louis Missouri mission immediately following my CTM instruction! I've never been to St. Louis but I am STOKED to go see what the Lord has in store for me there!! If any of you have lived there, know relatives or friends there, have cool stories, or have even driven through there feel free to email me about it! This week St Louis has been in the 70-80s with rain every other day and about 60% humidity so that's basically the same climate as São Paulo haha!

This week was CRAZY!!! So many things happen every single day haha but I love it! Don't get me wrong, it's super hard but hey when has anything good ever come easy? This past week my dad shared a quote from Joseph Smith with me that I LOVE that's been inspiring me whenever "A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation" (Joseph Smith Lectures on Faith, lecture 6 verse 7 if you're interested). What a powerful truth!!! If I decided Portuguese was too hard and asked to do something easier, that wouldn't be acting in faith and wouldn't help me become the person I know God wants and needs me to become! I know there's a reason I'm learning Portuguese right now and even if I'm not going to Brazil right now, and even if I don't ever go to Brazil, I know there is  a reason I was called there and that I'm learning Portuguese right now! The Lord has a marvelous plan for me and everyone of you, and if you're ever doubting that I encourage you to pray and ask for some guidance or knowledge to help you see His plan a little more!

One of the best things I had the opportunity to do this week was to visit my companion!!! Sister Hassler only lives about 45 minutes away so on Thursday I drove up to her house and we spent the whole day together!!! Let me tell ya, doing zoom classes with another person is SO MUCH MORE entertaining, especially when you are muted and get to laugh so much as we did haha :) her family was so kind to let me stay over and it was so nice to have another person during class and to practice with between classes!

I also got to see a few more of my Brazilian CTM friends when we had a combined class this week! Sister Van Woerkom and Sister Sweat are doing great if you any of you know them ;) 

I'm learning so many things about the gospel and Portuguese and how to be a missionary and better disciple of Christ every single day!! I'm so grateful for this gospel and the JOY it brings me even, and especially, when doing hard things like learning a language and how to be a missionary! I encourage all of you to find little things to make you happy this week, like pretty sunsets and listening to someone play the guitar and homemade food! God loves giving up little tender mercies to make every day better :))

I love you and God loves you!!

Sis Mill

Sister Hassler

I love her!

Played kahoot to show our Portuguese progress haha

“Annotate” is our teachers favorite tool on zoom :)

Got a visit from Sister Esplin!!!

Online MTC --> CTM

This week we got reprimanded for calling it the MTC cause in Portuguese it's called the Centro de Treinamento Missionário. I formally apologize haha.

WOW how has it already been another week? Our teachers are keeping us busy with lots of words and phrases to memorize and tons of things to study on our own time, but it's all been so good!! The gift of tongues is real and I feel God helping me understand and be able to speak a little more every single day! Not only have I been learning more Portuguese but I've learned so much more about the gospel through my classes and studies by myself and with my AMAZING companion Sister Hassler!! I've never connected with someone as fast and I have with her and she makes every day so much fun with lots of stories swapping and stretching breaks and tons of laughing in between all our studying :)

This week we got to teach one of our teachers role playing as someone interested in the gospel and WOW what a learning experience!! I realized listening to someone speak Portuguese is VERY different than reading it, but it was great practice and it's amazing that God trusts simple young adults like me to go out and teach His children the gospel! Never underestimate the power you have, regardless of your age guys!

There are definitely some hard times in the CTM and trying to figure out what being a missionary at home means, but this week I learned more than ever that attitude is EVERYTHING!! Have a bad attitude and you'll feel overwhelmed and inadequate, but have a good attitude and you learn how to rely on your Heavenly Father to calm your fears and strengthen you so that you can do His will and become more like Him!! Even when your internet dies four times during class ;)

Today I want to leave you with something my teacher Irmao Santos told us. He is the most energetic, loving person I've ever met and at the end of our classes yesterday he told us "WOW! You guys have learned so much in only a week! I know it's not because of my teaching but it's your studying and practicing and the Lord helping you guys to progress so quickly. I'm so proud and excited for you guys!!!! But Heavenly Father is  much more excited for you guys than I am!!" Think of the most supportive, hyped, enthusiastic person you know, and your Heavenly Father is 10X that excited about YOU!!!!!

This gospel is so true and I know God answers prayers and is your BIGGEST cheerleader!! So if you ever need a pep talk, give him a little prayer ok? love you allll and hope you find little ways to be happy this week!!

<3 Sister Miller

sister hassler and i met up in real life and did a hike today!!!!! what a cutie head!!!

Elder Bailey serenaded us on the guitar while our teacher did 1-on-1s

cafe riooo

And I was, as you Ameicans say, shooketh

Hello hello everyone!! These first couple days in the online MTC have been AMAZING!!!! Even though this is not the experience I was expecting, or really wanting, I'm learning so much more about God's plan and trusting in His timing than ever before!!! My companion is named Sister Hassler from Mapleton, Utah and she is the cutest human being ever!!! She is super sweet and we connected the first day we were told we were companions, even if our zoom connection wasn't very strong ;) She is SUCH a hard worker and very diligente and I'm so excited to learn with and from her in these next 6 weeks!! My district is made up of three sister companionship and two elder comps, all of us from Utah except for one kid all the way from Boise so we're hoping to all get together in real life one of these days! We were all pretty awkward at first trying to figure out how to use zoom and get to know each other virtually but we're all friends now and I can't wait for all the experiences we're going to have together!!

I've been sooo blessed to continue learning Portuguese from native speakers in Brazil as if I was at the MTC in Sao Paulo!! My two teachers have both lived in Brazil their whole lives and have taught for over a year and a half so I know I'm in good hands! Learning Portuguese online has its challenges, but it's still possible and I've grown such an appreciation for the technology that allows me and my district to do so!! Although there are challenges, I'm learning that attitude is EVERYTHING!!! The times when I've been discouraged by a weak internet connection have been more frustrating but when I just take time to breathe and laugh at the setbacks we experience, good things can come from it! In fact, one of these little glitches kicked our teacher out of one of our zoom classes but when he connected again about 10 minutes later he explained his confusion at the situation through the sentence in the subject line which made all of laugh and reminded us that we can appreciate the seemingly bad times just as much as the good!!

In addition to class, learning Portuguese, studying on my own and with Sister Hassler, I've been able to spend extra time with my family!! What a blessing!! We've gone on lots of walks and drives and even went on a hike on pday! Being able to just eat dinner and spend the evening with them at a time when I expected to have to be away from them has been super sweet!! All of you that are home I encourage you to take a few extra minutes to hug your parents and siblings and remind them how much you love them (even if you feel sick of them because of all this social distancing and staying home ;)) !! 

Lastly I wanted to remind you all the God knows YOU and He knows what you're going through RIGHT NOW and He has a plan for you!!!! He knows your fears and concerns and He will comfort you, even when there seems to be no calm in this world. He loves you and is shaping you into who He knows you can be during this time!!! For anyone feeling unsure about what they should be doing at this time, I encourage you to read Doctrine & Covenants 51:16-17 :))

I love you and God loves you!!

Sis Miller

Hike to Lake Blanche with the fam

first picture with my district

nature is so beautiful!!!

my greatest role model/companion when I go outside :)

my greatest role model/companion when I go outside :)

ps if you ever need to feel how powerful God is, be in the mountains during a thunderstorm. Truly incredible!!!