Mt. Sinai

Some weeks are just crazier than others!! Buckle up, because this week was WILD!

First things first, I just want to say how blessed I am. This week there were so many things I learned but I have really been able to see that God is watching out for me and keeping me safe always. He is so good to us.

Well, let's just jump right into the craziness. Wednesday around 5 pm, I started to have a lot of abdominal pain. I didn't think much of it, and kept doing missionary work! The uncomfortable pain turned to more aggressive as the night wore on. By the time Sister Lines and I had made it back to our apartment, I was not in good shape. I felt so sick, and I had no idea why. Sister Lines called our mission doctor who instructed us that we needed to go to the ER. We were able to quickly get to the hospital and check-in around 9 pm. As they hooked me up to an IV they ran several tests and told me they feared I was experiencing appendicitis. They told me that I would need to get a CAT scan. And then the myriad of doctors left and I sat alone on a bed in the emergency room. It was then, that a little bit of fear crept into my heart. Would I have to go home? What was wrong with me? It was my fifth week of being in the field, why was this happening? I pulled out the Book of Mormon and began to read a verse in Alma 31:31. It says, "O Lord, my heart is exceedingly sorrowful; wilt thou comfort my soul in Christ. O Lord, wilt thou grant unto me that I may have strength, that I may suffer with patience these afflictions which shall come upon me." In that moment, fear left my mind. I was reminded in whom I was to trust. I was able to take a deep breath and remember one of my favorite verses in 2 Nephi 22. "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord, Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation." As I sat in the hospital I was filled with peace. Funnily enough, the name of the hospital is Mt Sinai. Moses went to Mt Sinai to hear the voice of God. It was a very sacred place. While my hospital bed wasn't quite what I pictured as a holy place, that is exactly what it was. A holy place. I knew that God was with me, in an emergency room far from home. He knew where I was, and I knew there was no reason to fear.

In those next several hours, we were able to talk to my nurse, Jon. We shared with him about our mission, why we were out, and what it meant to us. He listened and asked questions. We were able to invite him to go to church, and got his phone number!! We have been able to refer him to the missionaries in his area. It was amazing to see that perhaps the reason we went to the ER was to help our friend, Jon, find the peace he has been searching for! Around 4 am, the doctors called and told us they couldn't find anything and released us to go home. When I woke up the next morning, the pain was gone. I felt brand new. They told me that if it were appendicitis, the pain would increase, and yet there was nothing. It was a miracle. We still don't know why I was feeling that pain in the first place, but perhaps it was to find Jon. Or perhaps it was to teach me about trusting God. Whatever the case, I am truly grateful for all of you who found out my situation and said a prayer on my behalf. I know it was because of your faith and prayers that I am okay and that my pain is gone. Thank you.

The rest of my week was just as crazy. We had to push back Anna's baptism because she didn't feel ready yet. Please continue to add her to your prayers as she faces these coming weeks! We love her so much. We had a really cool experience this week as we taught her about the temple. We shared with her all the blessings that come from the temple and she excitedly took notes. At the end, she prayed that her family could one day be sealed to live together forever. It was a beautiful moment, and we are so excited to help her get there!!

Because Sister Lines is a Sister Training Leader, I get to go on exchanges every week! It is so awesome to be able to learn from so many different people. This week I was able to go on an exchange with both Sister Benefield and Sister Wu.

On Friday I was able to go to the Westside with Sister Benefield. I learned so much from her and her example of absolute positivity in every situation. She is a bubbly, happy missionary. One of my favorite experiences from that day was in personal study. As we studied for their people, an inspired question came to mind to ask their friend Marissa. I quickly wrote it down. In the lesson, I was able to ask that same question. That question invited the Spirit and guided the rest of the lesson in a way that was able to meet her needs. Afterward, I just marveled at how amazing God is! He was able to place the perfect question into my mind specifically for Marissa. I know that God knew exactly what Marissa needed, and He inspired us to be able to find that need. His hand is in it all!!

Okay, last thing!! On Saturday I got to exchange with Sister Wu in Chinatown! It was awesome. As you know, I don't speak Mandarin, and so I knew that I wouldn't be able to help out much in the lessons. But as I sat and listened to each of the lessons, the Spirit testified to me that whatever Sister Wu was saying was true. I knew no words that were said, but the Spirit testified of its truth. It was so powerful to feel that special witness in a language that I do not speak. It was a special opportunity for me this week to experience that and feel the power of the message of the gospel in a whole new language.

Wow, it really has been a crazy week, one that I will never forget. I feel so blessed to be here in Manhattan. God has shown me every day that He is here. He is helping and He is aware of me, now and always.

My spiritual thought for the week comes from something Gordon B Hinckley once shared. I found it particularly powerful. 

"I come … with a plea that we stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight. I’m suggesting that we accentuate the positive. I’m asking that we look a little deeper for the good, that we still our voices of insult and sarcasm, that we more generously compliment virtue and effort."

I love this quote. No matter what we are facing, there is sunlight to be spotted. Even if it is behind the clouds, we can trust it will come back around. We can believe the best in our future, and in those around us! We can believe that God hears us always, even if our circumstances don't change. Life is good. Life is what we make it!! Let's make it one of joy, centered on Jesus Christ. In the inspired words of the Beatles, "Here comes the sun"!

I love you all.
The church is true!
Be happy. Be brave. Be smart.
Love,
Sister Miller

Other random fun facts:
I saw STEVE CARRELL THIS WEEK!!! CRAZY SAUCE!
We gave a Book of Mormon to someone at Chick-Fil-A!!

ALSOOOOO
EVERYONE ALWAYS ASKS HOW THEY CAN HELP ME! I have the answer!! We have a Facebook page called "The Church of Jesus Christ in Manhattan", and it is where we find a lot of people to teach!! If you could do 2 things, it would help us so much!!
1) Like the Facebook page!! It helps get more people to see it!
2) Please open this link below and upload a video!! It is super easy! And it will directly lead to me being able to find people to teach!! Please please please take 30 seconds and upload a video! You guys are the best. Thank you for EVERYTHING!! Here is the link!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf9SI69Q7-1r2BBxGS7YccRbfptTRYvlDMacYaxWOEisCDMXw/viewform?usp=sf_link

Pictures:
1) Things Sister Lines and I are grateful for!!
2) Central Park and the skyscrapers
3) ^
4) The Met
5) Sister Benefield and I in front of The Met
6) ^ and I in front of The Globe
7) Pizza in the rainstorm!! 

HayBay,

This is what I wrote about going back home:

When I was little, my family would move to the “ranch house” every summer. The “ranch house” was really old—even when I was a kid. My grandpa homesteaded the old place when he was just a young man, and the family farm was built around it.

I remember climbing the stairs to my bedroom as they creaked beneath my feet. As I tried to fall asleep, I often traced the patches of plaster lines from the ceiling with my eyes pondering on the story of my grandma being inspired to move my aunt—who was a baby—from that very spot, just before lightening struck breaking through the ceiling. There was history in that old house. Generations of history.

As my siblings and I grew, the old house was a part of us. It was part of our becoming adults. And now—as adults—the old house has sat vacant for many years.

This video is filmed in my childhood farmhouse. It is now broken and falling apart—even more so than when I was young. Despite its condition, there are treasures and memories I hold dear. And just like this story portrays, there is more to this old house than meets the eye. And just like there is more to this old farmhouse, there is more to us.

If there are times when we feel broken and beyond repair, there is someone who can fix that brokenness.

One of my all-time favorite poems is called “The Touch of the Master’s Hands”.

’Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer

Thought it scarcely worth his while

To waste much time on the old violin,

But held it up with a smile:

“What am I bidden, good folks,” he cried,

“Who’ll start the bidding for me?”

“A dollar, a dollar”; then, “Two!” “Only two?

Two dollars, and who’ll make it three?

Three dollars, once; three dollars, twice;

Going for three—” But no,

From the room, far back, a gray-haired man

Came forward and picked up the bow;

Then, wiping the dust from the old violin,

And tightening the loose strings,

He played a melody pure and sweet

As a caroling angel sings.

The music ceased, and the auctioneer,

With a voice that was quiet and low,

Said, “What am I bid for the old violin?”

And he held it up with the bow.

“A thousand dollars, and who’ll make it two?

Two thousand! And who’ll make it three?

Three thousand, once, three thousand, twice,

And going, and gone!” said he.

The people cheered, but some of them cried,

“We do not quite understand

What changed its worth.” Swift came the reply:

“The touch of a master’s hand.”

And many a man with life out of tune,

And battered and scarred with sin,

Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd,

Much like the old violin.

A “mess of pottage,” a glass of wine,

A game—and he travels on.

He’s “going” once, and “going” twice,

He’s “going” and almost “gone.”

But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd

Never can quite understand

The worth of a soul and the change that’s wrought

By the touch of the Master’s hand.’

-Myra Brooks Welch

We can all be transformed by our Savior’s touch. He is our Master. He can heal every heartache. He can lift every soul. As we let Him in, He can transform us and make us who we were meant to become. Our brokenness no longer has to be broken. Thisis the true desire of my . This is what speaks to me. Words cannot write my gratitude to my Savior, Jesus Christ.