GRACE

 Hello, my lovely friends!

I hope you had another great week!

We started the week at the Sisters` Conference! Sisters’ Conference is where all of the sisters in the mission gather together. There were sooooo many of us! We played games, were spiritually uplifted, met new friends, and had a giant water fight! I loved being able to be with other sisters and learn about their experiences on the mission. It felt a little bit like I was at girl's camp with cheering, games, food, and a bunch of girls!

Unfortunately, it ended up going a bit over on time, so we were not able to travel back to our area on Monday. Therefore, on Tuesday, we enjoyed a nice 4-hour bus ride back to our area. Despite our shortened days, we still had time to teach so many people. God definitely magnified our time, and I can’t wait to tell you about it!

First and foremost—and the most exciting news—Angel passed her baptismal interview!! 

Angel is so ready for this commitment! She is so excited! And we are so excited too! Her attendance at Seminary and her preparation for FSY are keeping her focus on what matters most. I cannot wait for her to be able to make this covenant with God. She is absolutely amazing! It is hard to explain, but when you teach someone the gospel and you watch what it does to their lives, you feel so much love and excitement for them. I feel that way for Angel. I am so grateful I have been able to be a part of her conversion. Please pray for her and her baptism this upcoming Saturday!!!

I think my theme for all of my emails has been miracles, so let’s jump right into God’s miracles for this week: 

Most of these miracles happened with members who have not been able to come to church in a while…

One day, Sister Bacot and I were walking in an area we wouldn’t normally go. It was not on the main road but tucked a little bit away on a small skinny path. For some reason, it simply felt like this was where God needed us to be, and then—as we were walking on this path—a man stopped us explaining that he was a member but hadn’t been to church in a while. He invited us to his home where he introduced us to his family, gave us food, and asked us to share a lesson with his family. It was a tender moment, for sure. And it was such a testimony to me of just how aware God is of us all. This man is one of his lost sheep, and God wants him to come back to the fold. I know we were on that path for a divine purpose that day. God truly is aware of all of his children. Please pray with me that he chooses to come back.

My second favorite miracle of the week also happened with members. There is a couple in our ward—they are simply the coolest people ever—that spend quite a bit of their Friday afternoons helping us teach the people in our area. They quite often come on visits with us, and simply help us fellowship. This couple has been helping us with one of our friends we have been teaching. The plan was for them to help us with this friend, but she happened to be busy. However, as He always does, God had a wonderful plan... Because our plans fell through with the first sister, we invited the couple to come with us to Henry’s house. Henry has not come to church in a while, and once again… the spirit prompted that this was God’s will. Our meeting with Henry went so well! The couple was able to help him feel more comfortable. And, we are hopeful that he will have a desire to come back to church as well… While we were visiting Henry, we asked him to pray again about the Book of Mormon and ask if it was true. He told us that he already knew that it was true. He then bore testimony that he knew that it was true when he had chosen to be baptized before. His faith was amazing. I loved helping him remember what he believed before and rediscover a love for God. Again, I can see God’s hand in the details of our lives. He wants each of His children to feel His love, and He is aware of each one of us.

Both of these experiences were really special for me. I loved hearing about how they gained a testimony in the first place. I love feeling God’s love for the people here. I am growing closer to God every day; I am so grateful for this time to be a missionary.

For my spiritual thought this week, I wanted to share with you something that is becoming very important to me.

My mom sent me a book about Grace. It is called “Grace Where You Are” by Emily Belle Freeman. It is quickly becoming one of my favorite books. 

I am still learning what Grace is to me, but I am loving what I am learning. One of my favorite quotes from this book says, 

“Grace is what you cannot do.”

I love this. Grace is not about filling in the gaps. We don’t have to do a certain amount to qualify for grace. But grace is simply always there. God gives us the gift of grace because He loves us. He sent His Son here to earth to die for us, to suffer for our sins. And because of this perfect sacrifice, we can receive forgiveness and grace. 

It is what we cannot do. We cannot make it to heaven on our own. It allows us to become clean, to one day return to our Father in Heaven.

God’s plan is perfect. He loves us. I cannot wait to continue to learn about grace and learn about God’s love for me. 

I love you all! Have another great week!

The church is true, God loves you,
Be happy, Be brave, Be smart,

Love,
Sister Miller