Our Journey Home

 Hello friends!

First, I have to share with you a funny (but a little gross) story:

We have had a little mouse friend in our apartment for a couple of weeks, but so far, we have been unsuccessful in catching it.

Well, this week, we found where it lived (in my drawer). We went and bought a sticky mouse trap, and I watched it while we did our personal study. (It was not a very productive personal study). It kept on running around the trap. However, we finally caught the mouse! But no one in my apartment wanted to kill it. My dad should be so proud of how far I have come in 14 months, as I was the one to kill the mouse…and the baby mice that we found. (Sorry to all of the animal lovers). But it is gone, and it is not eating our food anymore!

More important than our furry friends, I had wonderful experiences this week that brought me closer to my Savior.

First, Nanay Erlinda was baptized! She has been prepared to meet the missionaries for a long time. 

This week, she told us her version of how she met us… She said that for many years, she has seen the missionaries walk by her house. They said “hi”, but never stopped to talk to her. The night that we met her, we were standing under a streetlight, almost waiting for her. We said “hi”, but then we also asked her if we could visit her. It was then that she decided that maybe it was time for her to come closer to God. 

I know that meeting her on that road was not an accident. I was on exchanges that night and all of our lessons had fallen through. I felt that we should explore an area that we had not before explored. We stopped at a streetlight and saw Nanay walking towards us. Sister Latavao and I decided to wait and see if she might be interested in our message. It was at an hour that most people, in the Philippines, do not want to talk with us because it is too late, but she did. She accepted a return appointment!

Five weeks later, Nanay Erlinda was baptized!

I know that God is aware of Nanay and her desires. I can’t tell you how excited I am to help her continue on the covenant path.

She is a miracle.

I have really had my eyes opened to miracles here in Ramon. I feel like I talk about miracles every week in my email, but there is no other way to describe what is happening here.

God is preparing people. I feel so blessed to be able to help the people that he has prepared make covenants with Him.

This week, we were able to invite Susan and Magdalena to be baptized. This means that all of the sisters in this family, as well as their mother, have baptism dates. We are so excited for them, and we are hoping to help their kids and husbands accept the gospel as well. 

Another miracle of the week was our friends coming to church. Early on Sunday, we got a text from one of our friends that said that she could not make it. I was disappointed, but my companion, spiritual as she is, said that it was ok, because God would provide the miracle. 

And He did.

Even though a lot of our friends were not able to attend, a lot of new people came. I saw God helping prepare other people and encouraging them to take a step closer to Him.

I thought a lot about our Heavenly Father and His love for us as I did my personal study this week. One of the days, I read a talk by President Uchtdorf called Your Wonderful Journey Home.

It is an amazing talk. But one thing he said really touched me about our Heavenly Father. He said,

“Heavenly Father’s interest in you does not depend on how rich or beautiful or healthy or smart you are. He sees you not as the world sees you; He sees who you really are. He looks on your heart. And He loves you because you are His child.”

I love this so much. God loves us more than we can possibly imagine. No matter what, He loves us. Even when we make mistakes, He loves us. He loves us so much that He wants ALL of us to return to Him. That is why we have commandments, commitments, and covenants to keep. That is why we have challenges to face and trials to tackle. All of it is because we have a Heavenly Father who loves us. 

I want to invite all of you to study the love that our Heavenly Father has for us. I have noticed that as I have, I have gained a greater desire to serve Him. A greater desire to attend the temple. A greater desire to pray. A greater desire to share His love with all of His Children. I know that as you study it, you will be in awe of His love for you.

This church is true. God’s plan is to bring us home. The journey is hard, but it is worth it.

I love you all, and I hope you have the best week!

The Church is true, God loves you,
Be happy, Be brave, Be smart,
Love,
Sister Miller