LA Fonda and the Fall

August 02, 2021

LA Fonda and the Fall

One whole transfer in CT. Now that's wild.

We had transfer calls on Saturday night and we had heard that it was going to be crazy. The rumor was that President had really switched a lot around. That was the truth. Of the entire mission, only 6 companionships did not change. Unfortunately, that meant that yes--even my companionship changed. Sister Avondet is headed out to Astoria, Queens. I AM SO SAD, but it'll all work out. Sister Mather is coming up here to the blessed land of Bridgeport. So much craziness all around.

This week, we saw many beautiful miracles. I think the one that touched my heart the most was the fact that 5 of our friends came to church. Two of our wonderful members took a few of our friends to church. They talked about the blessings of the gospel with our friends as they drove. Our friend Robert was clearly touched. THERE IS SOMETHING SPECIAL when we get together, pray, ponder, fast and study together in church. I just don't get how Sundays weren't my favorite day before the mission. Fridays are officially overrated. Sacrament > anything else.

Our sweet Olivia got baptized this week. She was so cute. She had to get baptized 3 times since she didn't go fully under until that third time. After she said, "OOH let's do it again! That was fun!" She was precious. In church the next day, she got up to bear her testimony. She said something cute like: "I want to bear my testimony on commandments. I love commandments. John 14:15 says, 'if you love me, keep my commandments.' I love Jesus. I was able to follow a commandment and be baptized yesterday." Amen Olivia, amen.

On Friday, it was raining cats and dogs. SERIOUSLY. Turns out, there was a hurricane, so that's why haha. But Sister Avondet and I had ran out of food in the apartment so we had to go out to dinner. Luckily, we had found a cute ‘lil Mexican restaurant on Google maps called La Fonda. SOOO we hopped in our car amid the POURING rain. (The rain was so awful, we could hardly see.) When we got to the restaurant, the rain was coming down harder than a shower--but the Mexican food was calling our name inside. So we hopped out and began dashing towards the door. To say I was doused would be an understatement. We were destroyed. But hey, the food was fantastic. Would recommend.

We had an especially cool experience this week teaching our friend Edzer about the word of wisdom (a health code we follow as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). Usually when we teach this lesson, I get fairly nervous. We invite people to try to live this commandment and to put aside several different substances with the promise that they will see many miracles in their life--all of which is true. But, it isn't always an easy lesson to teach. As we explained this commandment to Edzer, he immediately accepted it. To be honest, it took me and Sister Avondet off guard a little.

"Edzer, are any of these going to be hard to give up?" I stammered out.
"I mean, I never knew about it before, but I will follow it now. God has told me that this is right. I will follow Him."
This is where my jaw dropped. What an amazing example of faith. We may not know why we are asked to live certain commandments, but as we choose to LIVE it, we will find the testimony we seek (John 7:17).

As a side note, we taught our friend Bobby yesterday about God's plan for us and he was blown away. We talked about how Adam and Eve's decision to partake of the fruit led to our existence. It was ALL a part of God's plan. Nothing caught God by surprise. As we read from the Pearl of Great Price, he was amazed. We talked about how "the fall" relates to our lives. We all fall. We all make mistakes. We all will fall short of the glory of God time and time again (Romans 3:23). But our Heavenly Father planned for this, He provided us a Savior. Our mistakes don't have to define us, they REFINE us (Elder Uchtdorf). How grateful I am for the mistakes I've made. I hope I don't make the same mistakes in the future, but I wouldn't trade my experiences for anything. They have made me who I am. So if you've made mistakes--congratulations--you are HUMAN! That was a part of the plan. We all have the opportunity to grow and rise from our own personal falls. I hope we choose to rise again and again. I know that the Lord isn't as concerned with how many times we fall, but He cares more about how many times we try again.

For my spiritual thought, I wanted to share a quote that I read yesterday that was particularly powerful to me. Lionel Kendrick once said, "Christlike interactions are those that are filled with affection, not anger, truth not fabrication, compassion and not contention, respect and not ridicule, counsel and not criticism, correction and not condemnation. They are spoken with clarity and not with confusion. They may be tender or they may be tough, but they must always be tempered." I LOVE THIS, especially as it relates to our interactions with others. It is so very important to lift and encourage. There are times when as mothers, fathers, leaders, and even siblings that we will need to correct--but we don't have to condemn. We don't have to criticize. We can be compassionate and affectionate, even in the most difficult situations. Recently, I have begun to pray in the morning that the Lord will give me His mercy and His grace. He gives others so much of it, and I want to have that same compassion and grace towards others. It has been beautiful to see that not only as the way I act has slowly changed, but my thoughts have become kinder. More gentler. Change is real, and it is possible through our Advocate and Friend. We must plead for it daily, and as we do, we will find that the windows of heaven will open for our benefit.

MY FRIENDS THE GOSPEL IS SO TRUE, AND I LOVE YOU ALL.

If there's anything this transfer has taught me, it's that we can choose to laugh at every situation. It will make it 100 times better. So the next time something is hard, frustrating, tiring or painful--try laughing. Before you know it, you will see the good in the hard, the funny in the frustrating, the upbeat in the tiring, and the joy in the painful. Laughter surely is one of the greatest medicines our Heavenly Father has given us. Let's use it a little more.

Be happy. Be brave. Be smart.
LOVE ALWAYS,
Sister Miller
(Your favorite Connecticutian)