It's gettin real!!!

Hey Friends!

This week was a great week! There were a lot of fun adventures, and I loved every minute of it!!

But first, for the big news… 

Drum roll please…I have my FLIGHT PLANS!!

It's officially real!! I am headed to the Philippines in exactly 4 days!!! CAN YOU SAY EXCITEMENT??!!

 

I know…, it’s a little scary too, but I am trying not to think about that part too hard. It is also going to be so good! Extra bonus: because we leave on Saturday, we get extra time to go to the temple AND because we leave at a very reasonable hour, we don’t have to wake up early! Double Bonus.

Now, for the cool, fun, exciting, adventures that you have all been waiting for…

This week was the Mission Leader’s Seminar! Basically, all the new Mission Presidents and leaders came to the MTC to get trained. It was sooo cool! A couple of reasons made it extra special:

1. There were a ton of Mission Presidents just walking around, and they were so cool and so excited about missionary work!
2. We got amazing food! The MTC did not have time to make food for us and the Mission Presidents, so we got Chick-Fil-A, Subway, Wendy’s and more. Plus, some of our other meals were fancier. It was a good time.
3. Last one, best one! THE APOSTLES WERE HERE!! It was soooo cool! They were just walking around, and they were so sweet! It was so fun to see them!
   
   

With the apostles all being here, we had our devotional on Friday and Elder D. Todd Christofferson gave it! He talked about the importance of the Book of Mormon, and it was a powerful testimony. I loved it!

Also, with the apostles being here, we spent a lot more time outside studying. We were trying to see as many of them as we could. It was a fun game of “I spy”. I loved it!

 

We weren’t allowed to stop them and talk to them… But we did see Elder Cook, Elder Gong, Steven Lund, Sister Cordon, Elder Soares, Elder Christofferson, and Elder Anderson just around campus. Elder Cook and Steven Lund waved at us, which felt like a claim to fame. We then also saw most of the apostles at the big devotional, which was epic! We study their words. They are God’s instruments on earth! Seeing them—in person—was definitely a highlight in my life! The spirit at the MTC this week was just amazing! 

 

It was a great segway to my leaving the MTC. To be honest, I cannot believe that I am already leaving! It seems like yesterday that my sister dropped me off. As I contemplated my leaving, I experienced a lot of emotions. On one hand, I am kind of terrified. The MTC is like this safe little bubble. It’s almost like I am still pretending to be a missionary. If I say the wrong thing in Tagalog, it's ok—my teachers know what I mean! Or, if I don’t know the Tagalog word for it, I can just say it in English! Haha! It’s true…, my safety net is going to be set aside. I am going to be in the middle of a foreign country where no one is going to understand me. BUT, on the other hand, as I have been thinking about it this week, it has helped me realize that sometimes we are asked to do hard things in life. My faith is so strong in a God that watches over us. He truly does protect us! And help us! And jumping into the language honestly might be the ticket to truly embracing it and learning it.

This week, I have been studying a lot about God’s love and His hand in our lives. The reality of this Saturday was just kind of hitting hard. (I am excited, but my fear of not knowing the language and trying to teach in a language I do not know, was feeling rather large.) As I was pondering, I was reminded of a time in my life when I had a lot of fear, and I had to gain faith to overcome that fear. It hit me that to a certain extent, I was facing a similar trial. Satan was trying to make me feel more fear than faith. I knew my faith was bigger than my fear, so I chose to study faith. For some reason, I focused on a few talks by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland.  and I want to share a couple insights:

1. In his talk, “Lord, I Believe”, he said that we should first acknowledge what we already know, then acknowledge where our faith is lacking. I love that! Satan cannot touch us when we recognize that we have at least a little faith. Just believing is enough.
2. I loved a specific quote in his talk, “An High Priest of Good Things To Come”. He said, "Don’t give up, boy. Don’t you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead…You keep your chin up. It will be all right in the end. Trust God and believe in good things to come.” I love this! It’s about keeping our thoughts in a positive headspace. There are going to be hard things that happen, but if we press forward with faith and trust, then God will be with us.
3. In his talk, “Tomorrow the Lord Will Do Wonders Among You”, I loved it when he said, “Keep loving. Keep trying. Keep trusting. Keep believing. Keep growing. Heaven is cheering you on today, tomorrow, and forever." I love that it says that Heaven is cheering you on! It is so true! Heaven is with all of us missionaries. I feel it. I know we are doing something bigger than ourselves.

 

Even though I know it is going to be hard, I am also so excited. I have a testimony of being a missionary. I am excited to be a missionary to the people of the Philippines. I know that God has called me for a reason. I know that I can do hard things. I love this gospel and I am so excited to share it with the world! I know that God will help me. He will walk with me, carry me, and lift me. This is going to be one of the best experiences of my life!

 

God is so good! I can’t express enough how much I love this Gospel! I think I say it every week, but it is so true! I know that God is real and that he loves all of us! I know that when we have faith in Him, He will make the hard things possible!

I love you all!

The Church is true, God loves you!

Love,

Sister Miller

Pictures: 

We got to go to the temple as a district, and then my companions and I walked to the temple on Sunday! The Philippines flag was flying and we got a fun picture with it! We also took a few selfies this week! Also...I may have run into Hailey and Jaxon at the exercise field (a highlight, for sure!!)