Receive the Holy Ghost: Yes

What a week it has been.

Let's begin at the high point! PEDRIN GOT BAPTIZED! It was incredible. I have never seen anyone smile so wide. There is a prayer we pray when someone is being confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It goes like this:

"We confirm you a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and say unto you, receive the Holy Ghost." As those words were said, our sweet Pedrin soaked in each phrase, and immediately declared his intention to fulfill that challenge: "YES," he said.

What a spirit-filled event it was. I'm so happy to have been a part of it. Pedrin was long ago prepared by the Lord to receive this special ordinance of the gospel. I hope we all follow the example of Pedrin and actively choose to receive the Holy Ghost in our lives: first by baptism and then by constant seeking. We have the opportunity to receive it each day as we pray for its guidance. We have the opportunity to receive it as we study from the words of the scriptures, ancient and modern. We receive it as we say kind words, do kind deeds--ultimately as we choose to be a little more Christlike each day. I hope we choose to receive it as he did.

The rest of this week was a blur. A lowlight for sure had to be the day after Pedrin's baptism. I didn't know I could be so attached to someone in just 2 short weeks until Sister Patterson got in an Uber and zoomed around the corner. Off she went to Thailand and I burst into tears. I'm sure grateful for my mission in giving me some dear, sweet, lifelong friends. My heart is full.
In the same token, I now have Sister Sadler as my companion--and I'm excited for that. She is spunky and easygoing. We are going to have a lot of fun together.

I had a cool experience on the train this week. Yup, another subway story. Buckle up for this one. Or, in New Yorker fashion, just hold on to the rail!
I got on a subway this week and began talking with this lady when all of a sudden, we missed our stop. I got carried away in conversation and we were running late to our appointment. We got off and hurriedly ran to the train on the opposite end, going the other direction. We stumbled onto the train just in time. A young man sat down and my eyes fell on him and I felt an immediate need to speak with him. I knew at that moment that he did not speak English. Acting in faith, I sat down beside him and asked how he was doing. To my luck, he was a Spanish speaker, not Russian or Ukrainian, as we often run into around here. My dear friends, what happened next can only be explained as the gift of tongues. I cannot remember what was said. I cannot remember how I said it. But my newfound friend, Eddy, and I held a conversation about the Book of Mormon and the atonement of Jesus Christ for about 5 minutes. I was able to get his number, share a verse with him and invite him to learn more. It was miraculous. He is now being taught by the Spanish sisters. I felt oh so blessed to be a part of God's glorious work, even in some small way. The Lord used me, a flawed instrument, to do His work. I felt complete joy to be a part of it.

This weekend was the first weekend of October, which is an absolute HOLIDAY in the missionary world: General Conference. We get to hear from prophets and apostles twice a year in an online conference. It is magical. Watching this time was no different than before. I was enthralled. Going into Conference I had several questions I wanted to be answered. I felt it was my opportunity to seek the will of the Lord for me. I was shocked as I listened to the first speaker, the second speaker, and the third speaker. Each talk seemed hand-crafted to me and my questions. The fourth talk was no different, as was the rest of Conference. It was a testimony builder to me that God does indeed have a prophet. He speaks to Him and guides the people of the earth today. His love has never changed nor has His pattern of leading us in love.

I wanted to share a spiritual thought with each of you from General Conference. I loved hearing from so many of the talks, but one thing really stood out to me in Jeffrey R Holland's talk. Some of you may know and others may not, but the end of my mission is not that far away. I have been terrified, to say the least. Registering for classes, finding housing--I've been pulling out my hair. Some of me can't even remember how life was before my mission. This has led me to really seek answers on how I can be the Lord's instrument even when I will no longer wear a tag every day as His representative. As Jeffrey R Holland spoke, peace entered my mind. He was speaking to all of us, not just "missionaries" when he said, "The loyalty we place to the cause of Christ is to be the supreme direction of our lives."

That hit me like a brick wall. Yes, I will return home someday not too distant, but nothing will change about what I am doing. I may not spend all day every day teaching others about Christ, but I will be following Him. I may not be wearing His name on my tag, but it will be emblazoned upon my heart. I will follow God's plan for me all the days of my life. I don't need to be worried or stressed as long as I keep my Savior as the key figure of my life. So as a guiding principle we can all ask ourselves: Is Christ the center of my life? What might I do to put Him at the center?

I love my Savior, and I love each of you. I know that as we choose to make the sacrifices necessary to place Him at the forefront of our lives, we will see miracles take place.

The church is true.
Be happy. Be brave. Be smart.
Love,
Sister Miller