We made light sabers with crayons!

Elder Marzolla from Germany and I ate this whole Bag of dried fruit in one day of class! ha ha Thanks Mom!

One of my two teachers Sister Birdsale she served in Milano

Sorella Prima/Two Italian Missionaries from Roma/Sorella Cozzens

Sister Hostetters last P-day I will miss her. She leaves for Catania!

Oct. 27, 2009 "The Way Things Happened Were For a Reason"

Tuesday Oct. 27, 2009 "I was feeling pretty down about the fact that I could have been leaving this week, then I got a reassurance that the way things happened were for a reason, there will be someone in my last area who needs me that I would have not have been able to meet if I would have gone a month ago." "This week I was starting to feel the exhaustion of missionary work kick in and I was frustrated that I was so tired during the day. My Christ like attribute for the week was diligence. I turned that a bit and decided to be diligent in my obedience. I realized that I was going to bed at 10:30...10:34...10:40 some nights. So, I decided to be in my bed, falling asleep at 10:30 and wake up at 5:10am to read my scriptures before going to work out. I wanted to prove to the Lord I was willing to be exact AND diligent. I felt LESS tired this week. It was amazing. The Lord is so aware. There have been a few times I start to think "I can't do this. This is so hard", Immediately, if not shortly there after, the Lord picks me up. Somehow. An inspired devotional given, seemingly like it was written specifically for me, or a lesson by one of my teachers directly for me, reassuring me that the Lord needs me in Catania. There are people waiting for me." "I have sung in the MTC choir which is awesome.""We did a blindfolded obstacle course this week when we were learning how to give directions and when it was me, I jumped over two trash cans blindfolded and the Elders thought it was sweet that I cleared it and actually jumped! ha ha I love this gospel and being a missionary. Continue to pray for my District, for me and the people in Catania. Thank you for your prayers!!! Sorella Miller"

October 20, 2009 "Tender Mercies"

"I love the Lord and this experience is real and is happening. The Lord has people he is preparing in Italy to hear the gospel. There are people who are searching for truth and lasting happiness. Please pray for those people, and please pray for me to be able to be an instrument in the Lord's hands and recognize them. I took it upon myself to memorize Joseph Smith's 1st Vision in Italian and checked that off last night. It is an amazing account that is powerful to recite to people who know nothing, or little about. I know Joseph Smith saw God the Father and His Son, and that that is truly what makes our church unique. Through that experience Christ's pure and basic truths were restored". "Please pray for my District and the people in Catania. Read the scriptures and have earnest prayer. I have never felt the effects from those things so strongly in my life as the last few weeks" Sorella Monica Miller

MTC Sorella Miller

October 13, 2009 MTC Week ONE!

"1 Down 8 to go. MTC Week ONE!" "I am so happy to be here. I got here and jumped right in. I cried for about 30 seconds when it first hit me, then that has been it since I got here. I'm too busy about preparing myself to teach Heavenly Fathers children in Italy to think or worry or second guess myself being here. It is the right thing. I was greeted by two other sisters. They are both in my zone and got here 3 weeks ago. They are going to Milan. We took my stuff to our room where we have 4 bunkbeds. 3 Sisters who are all going to Italy.One is technically my companion but I am what is called a "Solo" Sister meaning I'm the only sister in my district. I am with 7 Elders in my district all day and without other sisters. One is from DC area and we have a lot in common, I feel like I've known all of them for months! They are all awesome. One Sister sings opera and is from Alpine, the other was an HS English teacher from AZ.

I wake up at 5:45 for an optional exercise time from 5:45 til 6:30 then we have breakfast at 7. The highlight of my morning time exercise, is the classes they offer to sisters like aerobics and stuff, but they have music that is like cheap karaoke hymns ha ha ha it so funny. My District consists of 7 other Elders who are all awesome. One Elder is from Spain and speaks no English so I translate most of the time for him. I know that I was put in my specific district for a reason, he would be so lost in the language if I couldn't help him. My Branch President asked me to make sure I always sit with him at church to translate, but he learns more and more English every day, he's awesome. Another Elder is from Frankfurt, and he too is so awesome. He speaks pretty good English though but is hilarious! The food is nasty, I pretty much eat salads every day which either consist of bulk amounts of chicken that comes from who knows where, bacon bits, or apples with chucks of cheeses engulfing it. The iceberg lettuce is pretty unsatisfying meal after meal, but I never have time to care! ha ha I have seen a ton of people I know here. My roommate from Spain teaches here, guys from my Colorado home ward and two girls from my ward in Provo. One who teaches here, and one who is in the MTC going to Korea. Its an awesome spirit that is here, it is so involved in the work of sharing the gospel, that is is unlike anything I've ever felt. The language is ......cake. I understand 80-90% when I hear it spoken. I am slowly trying to speak more, I try to talk to everyone in Italian, including Italian Elders here who are from Milan. They laugh because I just start saying whatever I know in Italian, then improvise with spanish, making up random words to fill in the blanks of what I don't know. They say I speak Italian in a Spanish accent. I'm trying, but sometimes the words are so similar its just easy to switch occasional words, but it truly will be a blessing. I'm not worried. I have two teachers here at the MTC of whom switch off, one for 3 hours in the morning and one for 3 at night. They are incredible because they love the Lord and just want you to be the best missionary possible. Very inspirational people. I can bare testimony in Italian, and yesterday I gave the first lesson on the Restoration in more or less....Italian. Broken Italian/Spanish to a fake investigator ( a return missionary who went to Italy volunteer) It was awesome. I taught with another Sorella and the Spirit really testified to me as I listened to her of the Restoration. Bits and pieces of things I never completely understood were witnessed to me as truth. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ. At the end of the first day for a few moments I wondered " What did I get myself into??? the days are just incredibly long and intense amounts of information are crammed in, but I am loving it more and more each day. I've had a hard time sleeping at night because I am so excited to learn that I can';t figure out how to shut my brain off when its time to stop thininking. I love learning and I am soaking it up. This time at the MTC is precious and it is wonderful preparation time. We have one Italian zone so only about 15 missionaries are here at the whole MTC that will go to Italy, quite small. Church on Sunday was great. We have church with our Zone and we all have to prepare a talk each week and be prepared to give it if our Branch pres calls on us at the moment in Sacrament meeting the next week in Italian! WOOOO We have RS separate and we went to music and the spoken word. I'm feeling good about my wardrobe. Oh we had a fireside on Monday where I got called on out of the thousands of missionaries to go up and introduce myself, say what mission I'm going to , where I'm from and something I gave up to go on a mission it was really scary because there were a billion elders staring at me, there really are so few sisters when you are in those groups with all the Elders. Its an awesome feeling though. I forgot to say which mission I'm going to hahah oh well. We return to our rooms at 9:30pm and lights are out at 10:30. Its crazy how busy we stay, but it is seriously such a high. The gospel is true. io so che gesu cristo e vere e che il libro di mormono e vera. lo so che joef smith he restarato il vangelo en questi ultimi giorni per tutti. I love you all please write me. The mission is awesome I haven't second guessed the decision except once the first day. I love it. Its going to be an incredible experience. Arrivedercci Sorella Miller

Packing, Goodbyes, and Early Morning Arrival of Sorella Miller at the Provo MTC Friday October 9, 2009

Sorella Monica Miller is Called To Serve...

I have been called to serve as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and enter the MTC early tomorrow morning, October 9th 2009. This is my priviledge and opportunity to serve the people of Italy/Catania for 18 months. My mother, Margo Miller, will be updating this blog with pictures and bits of my letters to keep friends and family updated on my adventures!