(fe)licidad

Dear Family:

My terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day!  So yesterday we were studying before church and had about 15 more minutes before we needed to head out when I received a call from Felisa, our less active sister who can't walk. She was alone and needed someone to help her change and give her breakfast etc. I didn't feel like I could say no so we walked as fast as we could the 20 minutes to her house and helped like a tornado to get everything done.

I knew it would be completely impossible to make it to church on time but luckily our wonderful investigators who live relatively close would be going in their car. I called and begged for their help and they swung by on their way to pick us up. In the car was Rafaela, Daniel, Jaqueline (the menos activo) and her 6 year old daughter (my new best friend) Candela. Well, as we're driving we hit a bump and Candela's gum falls out of her mouth right into my  hair. We tried getting it out on the way but to no avail.

So I arrived late to church with a big wad of gum in my hair haha. Luckily I was so stressed out about everything all I could do was laugh and later that day when we finally went back to the pench I was able to get most of it out (or most of my hair-one or the other) and now it's basically normal.

Hooray for the mission!

What?  Gum in my hair!

Okay, I'll finally get to writing my official letter. I was enjoying too much reading all about you all and your wonderful lives. It'll be short then, sorry.

This week in district meeting our district leader put on the board for us the word: (fe)licidad and we talked about how happiness is not really possible without faith.  (Fe means faith in Spanish and felicidad is happiness) If I have learned anything in my mission it is that faith really is the key to everything, especially happiness.

Daniel, Rafaela, Sofia and Ramon

Right now we are really focused on Rafaela and her family. I want so badly for them to experience the happiness that I know they deserve and that their Heavenly Father wants for them but I know that without faith it will not be possible. Right now Rafaela and Daniel (her son) are both showing great signs of faith in reading, coming to church, praying for answers, etc. but what I am learning in my own experiences and with them is that the real test of our faith, and therefore the real chance for happiness comes when we make the hard decisions.

Right now Rafaela is in a difficult situation in which she is juntado without acutally having relations with this man. She likes to have the family feel of him and her daugther around to have someone to take care of but they don't sleep in the same bed or have any kind of relationship. She doesn't want to marry him but also doesn't want to loose the family that she has grown accustomed to.

Daniel is also struggling to have hope that God really exists and loves him and that he can make commitments and give his life over to God. He is reading but says he stills feels uncomfortable praying.

Sometimes I wish I could have the faith of Nephi:

3 Nephi 7:18 "for it were not possible that they could disbelieve his words, for so great was his faith on the Lord Jesus Christ that angels did minister unto him daily."

That is the power of faith. I want so badly to develop that faith and bring about the change in their hearts. I know it will come, whether through my faith or the faith of my companion, or future missionaries that they will be able to make these changes in their lives and receive all of the happiness available in the gospel.

These last few weeks have served to be a little more difficult in the finding aspect of the work, however, I would walk all day in the sun for the next four weeks just to give thanks to my Heavenly Father for the miracles he has let me be a part of in this past 16 months.

I love this gospel soo much. I am so grateful for the happiness I find in it.

I hope you all too can find the joy in the journey this week and the faith to lead to happiness. I love you!

Hermana Millet

A few random notes just because I want to share:

Familia Alldredge was just transferred to the offices so they are now in Ramos. HOORAY!

I am singing in a choir that will perform when we have 2 members of the 12 apostles come the weekend before I leave!

I ate probably my first and last super delicious chocolate cake yesterday.

Rafaela and her family love my wannabe our brownie recipe.

I'm sick. :(  I'm determined not to need to take a day off though because I haven't had to do so in 18 months.

The primary president asked me to help play for the primary program and then we realized it's on the 23rd! Ah how cruel.

I'm going to cook all sorts of wonderful Argentine food for you when I get home.

I'm not going to be sad for one minute that I get to leave before it gets any hotter. I'm already starting to die.

I think that's all.

I LOVE YOU!

Only one month left!

One month from today Jennifer will arrive home!!!  Yay!!

If you would like to hear about her mission experiences and testimony, she will report in church on Sunday, November 30th at 11:00 am at our ward building which is 4505 South 3420 West.  Everyone is welcome.

Dear Family,

First of all, Happy Mother's Day! Yesterday we celebrated Mother's Day Argentine style. I thought of you mommy. :)

This week has been one of the most difficult in a long time, but it also had some of the most miracles and direct answers to prayers.

Our teaching pool has been decreasing as of late and we have had a difficult time finding new investigators that will progress and keep receiving our visits. Therefore, this week we didn't end up teaching very many lessons.

I have also been feeling a little overwhelmed trying to work with the members to organize lessons, family home evenings etc. and feeling a little as if I am doing it all by myself as senior companion.

Therefore, I was feeling pretty discouraged. Throughout the week I then talked to various elders, with good intentions, who asked me how our work was going, what we were doing with the members, encouraging us to improve in our lessons etc. All of the stress and feelings of inadequacy build up and I began feeling as though I just couldn't do it all.

The Lord, however, is so merciful and patient with me and my weaknesses and showed me how this work is not mine at all but is His. Amidst all these trials and feelings of failure, he answered so many prayers and worked so many miracles through our weaknesses.

One of these miracles occurred Friday night after I broke down crying from the stress. I wasn't sure what to do with our last bit of time and so Hermana Urbanawiz stopped and said a prayer to ask for direction. A name occurred to me that wasn't in our plans but who lived just a few streets away and we went to find her. I had contacted her various times with Hermana Rohm but had never been able to teach her. In this moment we were able to contact her and enter her home to teach her! She has been passing through many different trials as of late and really needs the gospel. We were able to share a little about how the gospel blesses families and invite her to begin reading the Book of Mormon. It was something very small and simple but a complete direct answer to our prayer that night.

Another small answer to prayer came Sunday morning. Last week, Alfredo was not able to be confirmed after his baptism so I wanted to be sure that he made it to church yesterday to complete his ordinance. Therefore, we went by his house at 8:20 to walk with him to church, which begins at 9:30, however he wasn't home! All I could think to do was pray, so we did, and then I continued to pray the whole way to church. When we walked in the door, there he was sitting in his spot in the middle of the chapel.

I am so incredibly grateful for a Heavenly Father that answers my prayers.

And more...

All week long we have seen great strides of progress in Rafaela and her family. Each individual has been progressing in their own way and their own time. Rafaela is praying to know if this is the truth. Sofia is praying to have more faith. Daniel is PRAYING (a miracle in and of itself). We talked to Jaqueline in person for the first time in weeks.

Sunday it all culminated in a great miracle when they ALL came to church together! Jaqueline and her daughter as well as Rafaela, Sofia and Daniel. They LOVED it. The talks could not have been more divinely planned with exactly what they each needed.

As we walked out of church yesterday, I just couldn't believe how such a huge miracle had taken place after such a difficult week. We had five investigators in church! A first in Ramos in months! All of our plans worked just as we had hoped. Each of our investigators felt the spirit.

I had done nothing to deserve such miracles. How could that have all happened? This is not my work. The Lord really is behind everything. All I have been able to do is offer prayers of gratitude, promise to improve and keep trusting in Him to change the lives of those in Ramos.

I am so incredibly grateful to be a part of the work of salvation and watch the hand of the Lord change my life and the lives of all of his children. I KNOW with all my heart this is His gospel and His church.

Sincerely, your favorite, never want to leave Argentina missionary,

Hermana Millet

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!

Familia,

What a wonderful week of miracles!

The greatest of all occurred with Rafaela. My love for her and her family is continuing to grow so much! On Saturday we stopped by to confirm plans for church on Sunday and she and all of her family were outside working on their house (they are constructing a second level). They told us to sit down and wait for them to finish and then we could talk but obviously we weren't going to do that. It was a perfect service opportunity! So we jumped in and started helping to bring the cement in buckets to the men working on the roof. It was really something little and as we were there I had a few thoughts questioning whether it was the best use of our time when we were so in desperate need of new investigators etc. but we kept working.

After a while we finished up and were able to talk to Rafaela for a few minutes. She explained to us how previously her sister, who is an active member in Paraguay, tried to talk with her about the church but she didn't want to have anything to do with it, but now she wants to hear everything. She told us how she loves having us come over and wants to learn it all and go to church! My heart was almost beating out of my chest as I listened to her share her change of heart with us. It was so incredibly beautiful.

This experience was such a testimony to me of how a simple act of service can open so many hearts. The husbands of Jaqueline and Rafaela were both there working and haven't liked listening to us much but their attitude toward us is changing little by little as we gain their confidence. It also softened the heart of Rafaela to share with us her feelings.

The Hermanas

The blessings didn't stop there, however. After our baptism that night we were still short a lesson with a member for our goal as well as contacted references and new investigators. It was 8:30 and our plans had fallen through. We stopped by the house of a part member family in which we had received a reference and miraculously they were there. We talked to the member for a few minutes and she told us she was just leaving and didn't have time to talk. We set up a CPV and asked if there was anything else we could do when she said, "Maybe a prayer." She invited us in and went to search for her husband who is not a member! We then were able to pray with her and her husband and teach them a little about prayer and how it can strengthen families. I could not believe how the Lord had paved the way for us to be able to contact this family and have such a great lesson with them at the end of our day. I know that when we are focused on the Lord's purposes He will help us to achieve His goals.

I have been so incredibly full of joy these past few days. I just can't hold inside all happiness that I feel in doing the Lord's work. I am so excited to come home but sometimes I wish I could just be a missionary forever.

Thank you for your support as always. I am so lucky to have such wonderful family and friends, in the US as well as in Argentina. I LOVE YOU!

Sincerely a missionary forever,

Hermana Millet

Alfredo got baptized!  Hooray!

PS. Alfredo's baptism went wonderfully. Although he complained about how cold the water was and slipped in the bathroom it was a beautiful service. He told us he will go to the regular meetings but he never wants to take a bath in the church again haha. I just love that old man.

Alfredo showing off the necklace Hermana Rohm
bought for him as a going away present.
It's boca (one of the soccer teams here).

PSS. Today is Columbus Day and they do celebrate it here in Argentina because he discovered all of the Americas.  Whatever excuse they've got they celebrate haha.  It's great, aside from the fact that it's Monday and everything is closed.  Luckily we still have ciber and the supermarket.

Zone Activity

Last Monday we had a zone activity and played sports. It was way fun. The zone leaders tried to organize hockey and Frisbee but we always resorted back to futbol because it's way more fun.

I LOVE playing soccer with the elders because they are all so good. (And they all get a little impressed that I can actually play haha, That's my prideful side coming out though.)

"I went and I felt it"

Family!

What a wonderful weekend of conference! I found the pattern of priesthood authority and receiving personal revelation to follow our leaders quite interesting. I hope you loved it as much as I did! I was so excited to be able to hear some of the talks in Spanish. It was a wonderful addition that helps remind us how worldwide the church is and how God speaks in every language.

This week the greatest progress we have seen is with an investigator named Rafaela and her family. A few weeks ago Hermana Rohm and I visited a less active named Jaqueline. With her I had an amazing personal experience in which I felt the impression that I am here to help her. Since then, we have not been able to teach her again, however, she gave us the reference to visit her aunt who has listened to the hermanas before.

Her aunt, Rafaela is very evangelical but is surprisingly open and always so sweet to us when we go by. We have been visiting about once a week because she has not accepted a baptismal invitation and doesn't quite understand the whole authority, only true church thing and we were not sure if she would progress or just accept our visits. In the process of meeting with her we have also had lessons with her two children Sofia (18) and Daniel (26 mas o menos).

This past week we talked with her son who is not sure if he believes in God. I was pretty bold in telling him how sad his Heavenly Father must be that he is not relying on him and challenged him to read part of the Book of Mormon and pray to know if God is there.

When we went back for our return appointment, we showed Rafaela and her daughter, Sofia, a video about the apostacia. Sofia LOVED it and told us how she has also been searching for a church that meets her list of things that she believes should be part of the church of God. The first thing she said after it ended was, "When are we going to their church, tomorrow?" It was an amazing experience!

With both of these lessons I have seen Rafaela's heart soften. She told us how the words we spoke to her children really touched her and she now has a much greater desire to come to church. She called her inactive niece, Jaqueline, and organized to go to conference together.

Unfortunately, Satan got in the way and they had a family emergency which impeded them all from going this week. However, my faith is not lost. I am so excited to have renewed faith in Rafaela and her family and work with them to help them all find the peace and happiness that the gospel can offer. My love for this family is growing and as my love grows I know they will be able to feel the spirit more and make the commitments necessary.

Random picture that came with no explanation. :)

In other good news, Alfredo came to conference and is ready for his baptism. He is not going to be a convert who understands everything, however, it has been a miracle to watch his progression and see how his mind is opening up more and more. He does feel the spirit and knows that the church is true. Although he cannot explain himself well, the other day when I asked him how he knew that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is true he said, "because I went and I felt it."

I have been trying to help Rafaela understand that the church is true though explaining the Book of Mormon and the restoration, but maybe I just need to follow the simple advice of a stubborn 83 year old Argentine, and let her go and feel it. Maybe that's the answer for all my investigators who need to take that next step in their progression toward Christ.

I love you all soooo much! Thank you for your wonderful support and love.

Sincerely, your favorite general conference lover,

Hermana Millet

P.S. How did you like conference? We were able to watch them all, even the women's meeting. It was great. I LOVED that they talked in Spanish. It was awesome!!!

Also, guess what? Crazy news! President was kidnapped last week. I don't know the details but they robbed him in his car while he was on the phone with his wife so he told her he was about to be robbed and then they kept him hostage for a few hours before dumping him off on the side of the road without his car, phone etc. He is okay but it was in the news. This is the second time he has been robbed since being here.

Good news and bad news!

To family and friends of Jennifer:

We have good news and bad news.  First the good news.  The Lord's tender mercies continue to bless Jennifer.  Because of one beautiful blessing to the family of a teacher at Diamond Ridge Elementary where Jennifer did her teaching internship for the 2012-2013 school year, a teaching opportunity has come to Jennifer.  In order for her to be able to take advantage of this wonderful blessing, instead of coming home the week before Christmas she will be coming home the week before Thanksgiving.  We of course are very happy to have her home early, but she meets it all with mixed emotions.  Jennifer wrote on Monday "Wow, thank you soo much Daddy. I really don't know how to thank you enough for all that you have done to help in this process. I believe you are right that a number of prayers are being answered and that this is what Heavenly Father wants me to do. It's a little hard to accept that I will be coming home so soon and tears are running down my cheeks right now as I think of how sad I am to leave, how happy I am to come home and how grateful I am to you and Mrs. Koji and Terri and most of all Heavenly Father for allowing all this to work out."

The bad news is that Jen's mission president had a troubling experience last week in that he was robbed and temporarily kidnapped. You can read about it on KSL.com or by clicking on the link below. 

President and Sister Robertson

http://www.ksl.com/?sid=31786327&nid=148&title=armed-bandits-held-robbed-mormon-mission-president-in-argentina&s_cid=queue-9#

We of course are somewhat anxious by this news and would ask for your prayers in behalf of Jennifer and all the missionaries in Buenos Aires or around the world for her and their continued safety.

I have appreciated the opportunity to share this blog.  Jen got it all set up for me and taught me how to do it. Even though I'm sure there are things I could have done better, I have learned a little bit on this journey.  I had no idea when we started this project how far reaching it would be.  People from many states and countries have followed the blog whether they have met Jennifer or not.  We have felt of your love and support and are grateful that Jennifer has been able to share her experiences and testimony during her mission through this blog.  Again thank you for remembering her in your prayers. 

Pam Millet
aka Mom