Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Queridas Amigas!

Familia,

What a week! I wrote in my journal last night that I feel as though it has gone by so slowly but then when I realize today is another p-day I wonder where it went.

I am really grateful for the opportunity I have to train this transfer. Hermana Urbanawiz is amazing! She doesn't believe me or anybody else when they tell her, but her Castellano really is so advanced I can't believe it. She'll be speaking better than I do at the end of her 12 weeks I think. This first week she has done a lot of observing but when I turn to her and ask her to share a testimony or explain a principle she does it despite any fear or doubts she has. She is also doing great at coping with the culture shock, the schedule and the demands of the work without a word of complaint. I have no doubt she will become a wonderful missionary in no time.

My hijita!
  Hermana Urbanawiz is from Georgia (where
the Masters Tournament is).  She is 20 years old
 and Awesome at Spanish!
About a year ago, my trainer in the states sat me down and gave me advice for the day I would train. I remember her saying that as a trainer my first priority will not be myself, the area, or even our investigators, but will be the new missionary with whom I am entrusted to care for. I am learning so much about patience, love and humility as I try to dedicate myself to loving and serving her completely. I am also loving the opportunity to refine my teaching skills as I am charged with being able to teach the whole lesson if needed and being able to practice every day in the 12 week program. I couldn't ask for a better way to end my mission than by returning to the basics and becoming what the Lord would have me be as a missionary.

As I have focused so much on my new companion this week I have also been thinking about my companions of the past. My last four companions went home on Wednesday and my heart was full as I said goodbye to each one and listened to their words of advice in the transfer meeting. I thought about all the moments we shared together and how much I learned from each one so I wanted to share with you a little of how these quedida amigas have changed my mission and shaped the person I am.

Hermana Miller and I shared an extremely stressful and extremely sacred transfer together in Lujan. I think I cried more with her than any other companion. She let me open myself completely to her about all of my doubts and insecurities as a teacher, as a companion and as a missionary and helped me to work through them all to become a confident servant of the Lord. She helped me to become a senior companion through pure love. Every time I see her we still give each other a giant hug and express our love as we really have become hermanas, in the good and the bad. From her I learned how to love my companion.

Hermana Morales taught me what it is to have faith in others. I don't know if I've ever known an hermana who gives so much of herself to her investigators. She was their friend, their teacher, and member of their family to each one of her converts and the members with whom she worked. From her I learned to love my investigators.

Hermana Peterson is my hero. She is one of the most Christ like people I know. She is a virtuous, dignified, courageous and powerful teacher. She knew how to teach in a manner so simple yet so true, which drove the conversion of our investigators to progress and reach baptism as worthy converts who will always stay strong in their faith. I remember the first day being so amazed at the spirit that I felt being with her. That spirit and joy stayed with us the whole transfer. I will forever remember that as the most joyful of my mission in which each day I was filled with happiness. From her I learned how to love the work.

Hermana Rohm is a light. In the past week, since she left, every member and investigator has talked about how she just "has something special". Her animo lifts every person she talks to and changes lives, including mine. She radiated this light to each of the missionaries with whom we worked and really was an inspired leader that changed Ramos Mejia. She was patient in every trial and never showed discouragement. She smiled, laughed, talked and joked constantly and is an example of the believers just by being her. I know she will continue being a missionary every day. From her I learned to love life.

I cried as I thought of each of them leaving, full of love and gratitude for what they have given me. I now have the opportunity to teach my "hija" everything that I have learned from some of the best missionaries the BAW mission has ever seen.

Sincerely your favorite mommy (if you don't understand ask a returned missionary),

Hermana Millet

PS. A few notes about the actual work this week:

1. Alfredo came to church again! He has now come three times on his own! He also said that he prayed and felt better at night and was able to sleep (which he usually can't do because he is crying about the death of his daughter) and that he knows this is the true church because he went and just knows haha. He also asks about Hermana Rohm every day and wants me to tell her that she should't be in the US because they are killing people and there are wars and she are going to die haha. If he keeps progressing like this I feel confident he will be ready for baptism on the 11th!

2. We taught an amazing restoration lesson to a family of FIVE that all accepted a baptismal invite! It was amazing! They were all crying and said they were so grateful for us for coming. The youngest, Kiara (11) as she gave me a hug to leave said, "please come back again".  We will now see if we can find them again, as our pattern lately seems to consist of amazing lessons with people who then fall off the face of the earth but I have FAITH!

Monday, September 22, 2014

Grateful for a wise and caring Mission President!

This week I am grateful for a wise mission president.

On Tuesday I was extremely anxious about some decisions I had to make. I then went to district meeting and received pressure from our leaders to baptize Alfredo. I was about at the breaking point. I was praying but not feeling like I was receiving answers. I just knew that I needed to talk to President. On Wednesday I was able to talk to him about everything and since then I have felt such peace and know that the decisions I am making are correct.

He gave me counsel about Alfredo to stay strong with my decision, even if those around me don't agree. He told me "the path of a leader is sometimes solo" but that he supports me 100%. He gave me such peace about doing things for the right motive and not just to achieve a goal. He also helped me to feel peace about my work here in Ramos.

I am just so grateful for the opportunity to have someone I can talk to in the mission (who is more than 20 years old haha) and has such wise advice.

We're Missionaries!

Hermana Rohm

The highlight of my week was a lesson which we had Tuesday afternoon. All transfer we have had a reference named Romina from another investigator, Adriana, that we haven't contacted and Monday night I was questioning Hermana Rohm how we could come in contact with her. She didn't have any answers so we left it at that, but Tuesday afternoon the Lord placed her in our path.

We were able to meet Romina in Adriana's apartment and then she invited us over to her house next door to talk. We taught the restoration and it was one of the best lessons I think I have had in my mission. It felt so incredibly natural and I felt as though I were just explaining it to a friend. She had such great questions because she actually understood! When we shared the first vision we paused for a moment and she just said, "Wow." It was a wonderful lesson and I am excited to continue teaching her.

Less Active Friends
This is Felicia, whom we are helping to learn to walk again.

Paola and Amir, a couple of my favorites

We painted a patio.
Our other great moment of the week was our activity in the plaza. We have been planning for weeks to show Mormon messages in one of the plazas.  We had to ask for permission from the city and get official authorization. On Saturday the moment finally arrived! Unfortunately, the people weren't quite as excited as we were and only a few were brave enough to come sit down and watch. There were others, however, who watched from a distance and we were able to make a lot of contacts and receive some references. It may not be the most effective method for the future but it was a great experience and I hope that at least one heart was touched.

Peliculas en la Plaza
(Movies in the Plaza)
Showing Mormon messages in the Plaza
That's about all this week. We have transfers on Wednesday where ALL of my companions will be going home. Guess what Daddy?  Your wish will probably come true.  President told me in my interview I will probably be training. There are 7 hermanas from the states and 3 from Chile that are coming. I don't know if I will get a Latin or an American, but I'm super excited to receive my new companion and attack Ramos.

I love you soooo much!

Love,

Hermana Millet

Asado!

Hermana Rohm found a way to get us an asado her last
Saturday AND Sunday.



Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Vamos Ramos!

Dear Family,

Wow, the email time goes by sooo quickly! Almost as fast as the mission! I can't believe we are in the last week of the transfer. Here are some of the highlights:

Saturday was Mormon Helping Hands.  We went with our stake
to the children's hospital to clean and work in the gardens.
We were a little short on tools and supplies but I wanted
to get a weed out so badly.  We tugged and pulled forever
but finally got it out! Yay!

Service!
This week I was excited that we came a lot closer to reaching our goals than in the past. It is one of my personal goals for the week to plan better throughout the week to reach our indicators. I know it is possible if we focus a little more and plan a little better. Although we are starting small I know that as we reach these goals we have established we will be able to accomplish greater and greater things each week.

Las Hermanas de Ramos Mejia
We had a great break through moment with Alfredo this week when our ward mission leader came with us for a lesson. Our ward is anxious for a baptism and was very excited to have a possibility in Alfredo but when our ward mission leader was able to see his level of understanding he helped us to feel better about postponing Alfredo's baptism and focusing more on other investigators who have greater potential to progress.

I wanted so badly to help Hermana Rohm have one last baptism in her mission. I know that she felt a special connection with Alfredo and had a great desire to see him be baptized this weekend but I felt so much peace when she and our ward mission leader confirmed my feelings that he is not ready. Although I am sad that we will not baptize this month I feel much more peace knowing we are focused more on Alfredo and his needs than our own selfish desires for baptisms. The good news is that he came to church on his own yesterday! Maybe with time he will be ready in the future.

We walked outside Sunday afternoon after church not thinking
it would rain too much...half an hour later we realized
we were wrong.  It was a wonderful WET day!
This week we found another new investigator named Daniela. Following what we learned in the special training we have been focusing on teaching the restoration and establishing her testimony of the Book of Mormon. As a result we have seen some of her doubts more quickly but I believe if she continues and prays with real intent her conversion will be so much stronger.

She didn't feel comfortable going to church on Sunday but she was open with us Saturday night about her fears and we were able to address them. Although she did not come, I believe she sees that we really want the best for her and are not going to pressure her to make decisions just for us, but that we want her to make these changes for her good. I hope to continue to see her progression over the coming weeks.

Visitors!
This past week the hermanas from Bragado came to spend the night in our pench. Unfortunately they didn't get there until about 10:30 so we had a sleepover and were a little disobedient talking in bed until like midnight. I don't know the last time I was up so late!

They brought cute little coin purses that match for each of us because we have all been companions. (Hermana Cuevas was here in Ramos last transfer and now is in Bragado with Hermana Peterson.)

I was able to hear of some of the success in that area. Yesterday one of the investigators I found and taught, Alejandro, was baptized and the rest of his family will be baptized in a few weeks. Another family that we were working to activate has been going to church and their daughter will be baptized this next Saturday. A small selfish part of me was a little sad hearing of all the success that they are seeing but I feel as Alma describes in Alma 29,

14 "But I do not joy in my own success alone, but my joy is more full because of the success of my brethren, who have been up tothe land of Nephi.

 15 Behold, they have labored exceedingly, and have brought forth much fruit; and how great shall be their reward!

 16 Now, when I think of the success of these my brethren my soul is carried away, even to the separation of it from the body, as it were, so great is my joy."

I am so happy that they are seeing so much success and I know Hermana Peterson and Cuevas are there for a reason. I also know that I am here in Ramos for a reason and that the success will also come here if I am humble enough to continue learning and developing my faith in this area. I feel excited to keep working this week and develop what the Lord is giving us.

Thank you for all of your love, support and prayers. I love you all SOOOO much!

Sincerely,

Hermana Mijo

P.S. I found the word Millet in the dictionary. In spanish my name really should be Hermana Mijo! Isn't that great!

Tacos with the Ward Mission Leader

Natalia and her family.






Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Change takes time and time brings change!

Family,

This week I had divisions with Hermana Benson. It was kind of a terrible, horrible no good very bad day in which everything that could go wrong did. We had a disaster weekly planning as a zone, Hermana Rohm took the keys to our apartment to San Justo so we were locked out, and pretty much no one was home or opened their doors.

However, Hermana Benson was a super good sport about it and was so full of optimism it was hard for me to be grumpy. We also finally were able to teach a lesson to a less active woman, Paola, and her brilliant 8 year old son, Amir, about the restoration. He won't actually count as our convert baptism because his mom is a member but we're  enjoying teaching him to prepare him for baptism anyway and helping his mom to become active again. He practically began teaching us as he understood it and his mom came to church on Sunday! (He was with his Dad for the weekend) Hermana Benson is an amazing teacher and the spirit was super strong.

We also bought ice cream at night to celebrate her 9 months in the mission.

Hermana Benson and Hermana Millet
It's Hermana Rohm's last transfer so each p-day we find ouselves on a new adventure. Last week we ate hambugers off the street with about 5,000 toppings. It was sooo unsanitary, sooo unhealthy and sooo delicious.

Yum!
I am so full of different emotions today I'm not quite sure what to write about. Part of me is disappointed about what we accomplished this week and what I yearn to see happen here in Ramos. Part of me is full of concern for our Hermanas in Ramos and some of the challenges we are seeing with them. Part of me is full of inspiration that I have learned this week from Elder Gonzales, from other missionaries and from the spirit. And part of me is full of hope and gratitude at some of the small blessings we have seen this week.

Last week I wrote to President with a question about one of our investigators, this is what I said:

Our progressing investigator is a man named Alfredo. He is 83 years old and his daughter (his last family member still living) just passed away about a month ago. We have been teaching him since I came to Ramos. He is a really sweet old man who always accepts us and if we come to get him is willing to go to church. He cannot read because his eye sight is really bad (even with a big Book of Mormon and glasses) and still has not been able to give a sincere prayer without reading a piece of paper or being directed. He is living all of the commandments but cannot remember anything about the lessons we teach. I have been really torn in the past few weeks about what to do. I have a lot of regret that some of my investigators in Lujan are not active and living worthy of the covenants they made and I made a commitment that I would not baptize anyone but a worthy convert who understands the covenant of baptism and is willing to live it. Right now I do not feel that Alfredo will go to church each week, read the scriptures or pray, and I am not confident he will pay tithing or keep the word of wisdom (more than anything because of ignorance). However, I know that each of God's children needs the covenant of baptism.

So I would like your advice President. I am willing to baptize Alfredo if it is the Lord's will. If he is not able to understand everything and just needs to pass through this covenant I will help him. But I don't want to place a burden on the ward of a member who cannot live the commandments or baptize someone who will not be a worthy convert. I am continuing to pray and trying to listen to the opinion of Hermana Rohm but I would love to have your support to help me know what is the right thing to do.

He then replied:

Sister Millet:  You have such a pure heart. I look forward to your letter each week. If you don't think that Alfredo really understands the baptismal covenant then I think it would be best not to baptize him. I would recommend that you bring him up in ward council and explain how he is alone and see if the ward would be willing to show love and support to him. Not to prepare him for baptism, but because he is a son of God that has no one else in his life. Eventually he may understand enough to be baptized. If not, all that will take place when Christ comes.

With that said, I don't want you to get the wrong idea about baptism. If the people that you taught in Lujan believed and were willing to repent, your job was to baptize them. We never know who will stay strong and who will not. Some people I baptized that I thought for sure would be General Authorities are now inactive. A young man that I baptized that I wasn't too sure about, I ended up running into in the temple 10 years after his baptism. We have to keep baptizing; we just have to make sure we keep working with them after the baptism for many months to help them endure.

Go forward with faith. I know there is a reason you are there.

Un abrazo,
President Robertson

Alfredo wasn't able to come to church on Sunday which may actually be an answer to prayer. I didn't feel right about us having to go search for him in the morning knowing that his baptism was planned for this upcoming Saturday. When we went Sunday afternoon, however, he was dressed in a white shirt and tie with a suit coat, slacks and dress shoes. All of them old and a little dirty, but the best he has, ready to go to church. It gave me a little more hope that he is understanding more than I think.

He also came with us to a baptism on Saturday night and was feeling excited about his baptism. We taught him a little more about the covenant of baptism and gave him the pre-interview and I feel that with a little more time he can be baptized. I hope to work more with the ward council in the next few weeks so that we have a plan of action to help him before and after his baptism.

Ramos

Springtime in Ramos.
This last week I have been studying obedience and noting things that I believe we need to improve upon as a companionship, such as keeping our lunches under 1 hour, and using our time more wisely with members. I also want to put more effort into incorporating the members in effective ways to find more investigators. We have been getting to know them over the past few weeks and now that I feel that we have some confidence with them I would like to begin to work in a better way with them.

This past week we had some great experiences with member referrals. I am learning how, especially in Ramos, some of these referrals will take more time. They are not people that we can immediately teach and commit to baptism, but are individuals with whom the members have been working for months or years. If we can be patient and continue to encourage these efforts I believe they will pay off with long lasting converts.

Yesterday I learned that one of the members who grew up in Bragado is talking with one of the investigators I left it that area, Alejandro. She was friends with him growing up and shared the gospel with him but he was never ready. In a facebook conversation he told her how Hermana Peterson and I arrived at a time when their family needed so badly the unity of the gospel and how excited he is. Hermana Peterson and Cuevas have continued to teach them and they have all come to church the past few weeks! His wife and children are progressing a little more slowly for a baptismal date in October but he has plans to be baptized on Saturday!

This member worked with him for years and the fruits are finally coming! I have a goal that if every member of the ward in Ramos could have one or two families with whom they are working and praying to share the gospel, we could baptize every month. The work is a little slower, okay A LOT, here in Ramos, but I know it's just because there are things the Lord wants me to learn and apply to become a better missionary and a better daughter of God. I am learning to be happy all day every day because I am doing the Lord's work.

I love being a missionary! I love you all! I love my savior Jesus Christ and his plan of happiness for me!

Love,

Hermana Millet



P.S. I finally found an Argentine world cup jersey with Messi's number. It's trucho because the real ones cost like 700 pesos but I love it!

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Amamos Ramos!

Family,

How are you all! I hope you have a wonderful Labor day! I hope you remember how much I love you!

To answer some of your questions, yes, I have a washing machine! I have been washing all my clothes by hand although I did take some of them to a Laudromat twice.

So we went to Subway last week (not the same but still
really good) and they had the Mundial chips.  I don't know
if they exist there in the states, but here they have chips for
every country with special flavors from their signature food.
Obviously, Argentina is enserio...it tastes like asado!
Gotta love Argentina!

Asado Lays.  Yes, they do exist.
We are way closer to the offices and are there at least twice a week now. They are actually in my area (the offices are attached to our church building). That part is nice because I get your letters and packages every day and can get help when we need it.

Have I told you how this woman is the daughter of the
Relief Society President in Bragado?  She filled me in on
Sunday that David and Cecilia went to the temple Saturday.
Yay!
I think you already heard that we had a Relief Society activity
on Saturday and each ward had a decade.  We were the 40's
(totally the classiest) and so we dressed up the best we could.
These are our 40's faces as we tried not to laugh.
The city is waaaay different. To be honest I really miss campo, but I'm trying to enjoy Ramos. We can walk all day and not teach any lessons here and finding new investigators is really hard. We also have a hard time getting members to help us. There are little experiences that are great because I'm still a missionary preaching the gospel, but I think I'm more of a country girl.

This is the back of my planner.  It's there to remind me
what life used to be like before I had blisters on my
toes and my legs were killing me. LOL

Here's what's going on here in BAW!

Although we had a few discouraging days without much success  this week it seemed that the Lord blessed us with tender mercies to help us have animo to keep going. On Thursday we had a few lessons fall through and were a little discouraged but that evening we were finally able to have a lesson with a woman named Lorena and her daughter Areseli. They had listened to the hermanas before and like our visits but don't have great desires to act upon what they learn. We talked to them about eternal families and the blessings of the temple. Lorena was really touched by the idea of having her family forever and felt the spirit but when it came time to make a commitment she second guessed herself and began to give excuses. We knew that she had felt the spirit, however, and were extremely bold in responding to her doubts. It was a wonderful moment of feeling the power of the spirit in our words as missionaries. I hope we will be able to help Lorena act upon the knowledge that she now has but I will be able to know that we fought for her salvation.

This is our viajito investigator Alfredo.  Don't mind my
"hurry and get posed before the picture flashes" face.
Friday we had another long day with few moments of success, but on Saturday we learned it was just because Heavenly Father was building us up for an awesome Saturday.

Before lunch we had our first lesson with a street contact named Tito. We said hello to him in the street and he stopped and asked us if we are from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He then proceeded to tell us that he had been to church two weeks before! He told us he is searching for more peace and direction! We were able to teach him on Saturday and when we invited him to be baptized he looked at the picture of Christ's baptism and said, "Yes, that is the true baptism." He literally is a blessing that just fell from the heavens and we are so incredibly grateful! I can't wait to see his progression.

Companions!
Hermana Millet and Hermana Rohm

Hermana Rohm finished her last month celebration
so we bought some really expensive ice cream.
It was sooo good.  We may or  may not have eaten
the whole thing in one sitting. :)
Perhaps the best moment of the week was Saturday night when we were finally able to teach a less active woman that we have been trying to contact since I arrived in Ramos, Jaqueline. She was extremely open with us from the beginning and told us all about her past. She is from Paraguay and her parents are very active in the church. She grew up active but when she married her husband (who is a nonmember) she stopped going. She told us that she knows she has no other excuse and that she just has to make the decision. It is hard to describe how I felt but I was just overcome with love for this woman. As she talked about her desire to come back to church and have her family in the gospel I felt one of the strongest spiritual impressions of my life. I had an overwhelming feeling to promise her that if she will come back to church her husband will eventually accept the gospel. As she talked I felt as though she is my purpose here in Ramos. I know there will be a lot of work to help her but I believe I came to know her for a reason.

This week I went to Atalaya for divisions with
Hermana Stevens.  She lives in good old WVC and
went to Cyprus High School.  She knows Kirsti Henroid,
who I played soccer with, and is in the same ward as a
teacher from Diamond Ridge.  She's also taller than I am.  YES!!
I am so excited to see the work in Ramos begin to move forward. We have so much to accomplish here. I know I have so much to learn and grow before I go home and I am excited to give my all to become what my Heavenly Father wants me to become.

I love you soooo much!

Sincerely,

Hermana Millet