Ciao Ciao,

Well, thank you all for your letters. I think I have yet to go a week without crying when I read my letters from home. Well, it has been one of those super challenging weeks. One of the ones where most nights I ended up on my knees for about 40 minutes. Sometimes not knowing what to say, or how to express it, but just kind of letting it all out to someone who I know is always there to listen, and understands perfectly that which I'm going through. I cannot express in words how I have come to know my Savior, and how perfect his love is for each of us. I know he loves us. I know he hears our prayers. I know that the more we study his life, and his teachings, the greater desire we have to be more like him.

I have been thinking a lot lately about Jesus Christ and his Atonement. We have an investigator that cannot comprehend that Jesus Christ really suffered for our sins. OK, no, not that she can't comprehend, because I cant really comprehend it either...She doesn't really BELIEVE that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World. It is sometimes hard, thinking, how do I explain to someone this concept? Then I think to myself, well what is the Atonement for me? Its me being able to be happy, after I make mistakes, its me being able to know that I can still fix my mistakes and move on. Its basically just HOPE, and HAPPINESS. If there were no Atonement, we would all just be miserable and hopeless.

For me, the mission has brought to the surface every weakness that I have. But I know that we have weaknesses to truly bring us closer to God. I can say that I have truly come to feel my Saviors love for me. I have seriously just learned to love and appreciate the Atonement more that I ever have before.

We are working hard to get Grazias whole family involved in the lessons. This is an awesome family, with tons of problems that has so much need of the gospel!!!!!!! It was an awesome surprise on Sunday when she came, even with her recently broken foot! Her husband also came, which was beautiful, since he has told us very bluntly several times, that he will not ever get baptised. The more that he can be in positions to feel the spirit, the better! He smokes, and doesn't really want to give up other habits, which is hard for me to understand sometimes! I have seen miracles with people quitting smoking. Like Angelo, who smoked for over 40 years, and then in one day he told us he would quit, he gave us his lighters, and never smoked again. I have also worked with people like Paola in Siracusa, who we worked with her for 6 months trying to get her to quit smoking, but could never succeed. It is so sad to see people want to give up eternal blessings, for a little vice like alcohol and tobacco.... SAD to see!!!!!!!!!

We challenge them to read the scriptures together as a family for just 5 minutes a day after they eat together at lunch...Eh, we hope they will get there. We are really focusing on HELPING THEM FEEL THE SPIRIT! We did a lesson with them with several members in church after church on Sunday where we were able to talk about Temples, and help them connect all that they are learning from us, to the principle of ETERNAL families.

Fabiola is our Venezuelan investigator who he have had several very spiritual lessons with. This week we were able to finally see her again which was very relieving. She lives with her in laws who are very against us teaching her. We finally were able to pass by her apartment after several attempts and find her at home. She has started to read the Book of Mormon by her self, from the beginning. We read together at our appointments, to help her to be able to understand that which she reads on her own. We were able to figure out this week that we need to go back to the beginning in several basic doctrines...For example, the nature of God, and the fact that God and Jesus Christ are two distinct beings etc.

Basically the Temple Groundbreaking was the sweetest thing ever, and I was bawling my eyes out like a little baby. These people deserve a temple here in their own country. The best part was when President Monson threw in his last 2 cents at the end with the fact that his son served in Italy, and has rubbed off to them the Spirit of these Italian people, which is very near to the Spirit of God. I love these people. We found some young people this week when we were over at the University who were pretty excited. We have been trying to recruit the young kids, especially because we do so much work with the young single adults here. I basically just feel disgusting every day and frumpy. Haha. Make up was a goner like months ago. Baptisms are an exception, and haven't had tons of those. I'm not trying to impress men here, and my clothes are worn out, but they've gotta last me another 4 months. I will come home empty handed. aka. leaving everything here! I will be excited to feel like a woman again, and feel maybe even PRETTY one day in the future!

Ha. sorry for that little outburst there. Anyways.

I love you all so much. sorry I don't have time to respond to everyone individually, but just know HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE YOUR LETTERS!!! GRAZIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Vi voglio un mondo di bene,

Sorella Miller

Oct. 20, 2010

Subject: ciao from BARI

Ciao Ciao famiglia,

Well, its been a whirlwind of a week adjusting to a new life here in ITALY. I am not gonna lie, i have gone through Sicily "withdrawals" all week. I will Say that it is really different actually. it just "feels" different. Much more refined up here haha People dress nicer, walk faster, speak clearer, go to school longer, have more sophisticated jobs, etc. Just different. I will always love Sicily, but I'm trying to love it here just as much. Even though our apartment is infested with cockroaches, I try to love that too.....

We live on the outskirts of Bari, about a 30 minute walk to get to downtown Bari. The ward here is pretty big, and way on top of missionary work. Pretty impressive actually. We are doing a very different work up here. We are the missionaries assigned to work with the GANS (YSAdults). We do weekly meetings with a senior couple who have a new service calling that is devoted solely to what is called a GANS Outreach center. Basically a place in the church dedicated for the Young Single Adults. We do a report of all of our investigators that are the age of young single adults, and use our ward missionaries (who are all young single adults) to help us integrate these young investigators with this Outreach center. This is something totally new to me. My companion Sorella Tinoco is really on top of it because in Genova she was in the Presidency for this YSA outreach center. these are new in Europe, but we didn't have them in Sicily, because we just barely got a stake there. So yea, we do a lot of work with these young people which is cool.

My companion was born in Peru, but has lived in Genova since she was 11. She is definitely Peruvian, and still claims to be more Peruvian than Italian. It has been an adjustment to speaking Italian all the time, but its been really good at the same time. Funny, everyone up here tells me that I have a Sicilian accent. haha. The Bari accent is kind of weird, but I try to speak like them, and BE more like them. We were able to go over with the Anziani to the Engineering university and do what was called a "Blitz" basically we went over to the campus and walked around and tried to teach people using the initial approach as advertising for English Course. It worked out really well. We found a girl named Anna who told us that she would read the Book of Mormon in two days, and then let us know what she thought! Haha. It is still always just a mind game of telling yourself that these people don't have the gospel, and I might be the only chance they ever have to hear about it--that helps me get over my sometimes FEAR of talking to people, especially walking around a college campus haha Even after a year, its sometimes still hard!

We had a really cool experience with our investigator named Fabiola the other day, who is actually Venezuelan. OK PS, We do like a half hour of spanish every day at lunch, because we have a lot of Spanish speaking investigators surprisingly. So yea, I have been able to start confusing myself again. Fabiola has been here for a few years, but still doesn't really speak Italian. She married an Italian who also speaks Spanish, so hasn't really tried to learn Italian. We went and picked her and her two little girls up the other night, to walk over to a family in our wards house for a family home evening. By the time we got there I was saying things like "andiamos" a mix andiamo (Italian) and "vamos" (Spanish). Her two little girls speak like this weird language of Spanish and Italian. (poor things are so confused!) Haha yea, I just have no idea what I will do when i get home. it honestly stresses me out. oh well.

We have a family here who is investigating. The mom has a date to be baptised on November 6th. her name is Grazia. They have 4 kids. two sons and two daughters. their one son's name is Michele, he is 21 and is pretty interested. Then their little girl Aurora who is 9 is really excited. She and her Mom came to church Sunday, and have come several times. They are a really cool family though.

We have English course Tuesdays and Thursday nights, and lots more meetings than I am used to. I have felt like i haven't been doing as much "missionary work" and its been a little frustrating, but its true that the nature of the work changes in each city, so I just have to get used to it. It has been raining almost every afternoon here.

I love you all, thanks for the love and prayers.

un baccione,

MONICA

...Sorella Miller

October 13, 2010

Cara Famiglia,

Wow, well, I write to you from the last time, from my beautiful Sicilia. I will indeed be leaving Ragusa. Tonight in fact! I am going to be heading to Bari. That's right, I'm going to step foot on the main land! Bari is up in the Puglia aka, DA' BOOT! I I am super excited actually. Bari is bigger than Catania, but smaller than Palermo. I have heard nothing but awesome things about Bari, so I'm pretty stoked. Most missionaries I know who have served there said it was their favorite place to serve. There are two wards there, and 6 of us missionaries. I think it's going to be a pretty big change for me, since I have been in two fairly small cities. Siracusa has about 90,000 citizens and Ragusa about 60,000. I think there are about 300,000 in Bari. It will be fun to have that experience of serving in a BIG city. I hear we will be doing a fireside on Saturday night (all 6 missionaries) for the members, on how we can help them create opportunities to talk to their friends about the gospel. The nature of the work and the atmosphere with the members will change a lot I think.

I have heard from most people in Ragusa of course, that it is nothing like Ragusa...Ragusa is WAY more tranquil and calm than Bari, but I am pretty excited. I also have a belated Birthday present....Remember what I have been praying for for the last year of my mission? I will have an Italian companion! Her name is Sorella Tinoco and she is from Genova. She came in the same transfer as Sorella Foote (she is starting her 3rd). ) I am really excited to be able to finally serve with an Italian. Not gonna lie though as excited as I am, things are going to be EXTREMELY different these last few months of my mission than they have been for the first year! Haha SYL 24/7 baby. I'm going to just wear my self out these last few months!!! I talked to her on the phone yesterday fro a few minutes. I told her "you know Sorella, I'm basically Siciliana..." And then she laughed, and said, "yea, I can tell from your accent" HAHA YESSS!!!!!! I love my Sicilians!!!!!! She has a beautiful North Accent, so I am glad that I can finish off and rub off a little bit of her classiness on my dirty Sicilian/Italian that I have attained in this last year. HAha that made me feel so good. You might not think it would, but I just love Sicily so much that I was happy to hear I have picked up their accent here in the dirty/breathtaking South : )

Speaking of dirty. Mamma mia, I got those pictures! THANK YOU!!!! That was like Christmas morning!! You all look so good! So clean, not sweaty, fresh hair, not tired. Haha for a few minutes I had a bit of a selfish moment and really really started craving getting a fresh color on my hair, and maybe feeling "cute" for a minute...Then I remembered that doesn't matter for now. Anyways, you all look amazing!!!! I can't believe how much everyone (all the nieces and nephews that is...) have changed!! It's crazy!!

It's been a good week here in Ragusa though. As always, sad to have to say goodbye to people who I have come to love so much here in Ragusa, but it will be good to have a fresh start, and finish these last 3 Transfers strong, improving my language, and just living every day as it were the last day in Italy. I have come to see how when I truly just put myself out there and try to talk to everyone, try to love them, and see them as children of God, the Lord blesses us with people to teach.

We found two new investigators this week, after a couple of low days where it seemed like everything was falling through. We found a girl named Bianca from Romania who speaks perfect English. She just came to Sicily 3 months ago wtih her daughter. She is divorced, and the night before we met her, she found out that her dad had been diagnosed with Leukemia. She is desperately trying to save money to make it back to see him before he dies.

The other investigator we found was a lady named Rita. We were on our way to District meeting, running a few minutes late. We passed a lady, and as we passed her something inside for me told me we should talk to her, but we were late tp District meeting so I kind of brushed it off. Seconds later, my companion Sorela Foote said to me, I think we need to talk to her. So I said that is great, because I had just seconds before ignored that same prompting. So we awkwardly pretended for a minute to not know where we were, and stalled for a minute so she could catch up to us. So we spoke to her, and found out she is from Como (northern Italy) but has been here for many years with her husband. She has a Book of Mormon, and so yesterday we went back to talk to her. So we had a great lesson with her.l She got a little bit offended if she would put out her cigarette as we were talking about God, struggling to see each other through the cloud of smoke, but she quickly got over it as we all were edified by the strong spirit that shortly thereafter came into the room. She told us how about 4 years ago she was studying with Sister Missionaries (in Ragusa) but after she had a car accident, she stopped. This is why...So she had been in Como visiting her sister/celebrating at a festival for some Catholic Saint. She then was on her way back to Ragusa and got in this accident. It was from that point on that she believed that this Saint had saved her....And since we don't believe in Saints, she took that as a sign that it all wasn't true. She told us that since then she has avoided all missionaries/contact with the Church, but that the other day when we approached her "something inside me(her) told me (her) that she should talk to us" Wow. It was a testimony that we HAVE to follow the Spirit. At the end of that lesson at her house she was really excited, that maybe this was God giving her a second chance! They have some great work for them here in Ragusa.

We went to Comiso on Monday to make amends with a HUGE misunderstanding that we had with Angelo teh other day when we were supposed to go to his house fro a lunch apt, but we forgot to tell him that we needed to have another woman in the car. He took it personally that we didn't trust him, and it created this huge drama, but in the end he said " I knew that you would come back" (When we came walking towards the plaza we always teach him in, Monday evening. I think with him it will just be time..

Well, next week I will have an exciting letter from the waters of Bari! I am excited to be able to go back to the Sea! I have missed that the last few months! I also have heard that Bari is a city where everyone puts on weight, because there are tons of members that love to feed the missionaries. And also because its where most of the CHEESE originated from....uh oh. Imma be careful though.

We head to CAtania tonight where we will sleep, then I take an early train tomorrow morning, then a boat ride away from Sicily, then another train to Taranto (about an 8 hour trip) then my comp will be waiting for me in TAranto, from TAranto we have about 2 hours to Bari, so I should be arriving in Bari by Thursday evening after a long trip. I love you all and hope life is well!

Vi voglio ben' assai,

MONICA

...Sorella Miller

Tribute to an American Hero Mark Forester

"Tribute to An American Hero-Mark Forester " Senior Airman Mark A. Forester

Thank you for forwarding the Tribute. I can't believe that Mark Forester died. I totally was crying in that tribute to him that you forwarded. He was a super nice guy. Oh my gosh I can't believe that he died!!!! He was such a cute guy. You just cannot ever take life for granted. Just the other day I was telling my companion that I had never really known anyone who has died. Wow. Please tell his family how sorry I am, and that I never even met him in person, but that I was super impressed with him in our limited capability to get to know each other. Wow.

That just made me cry. He was such a sweet guy. I cant believe it. All the pictures, CCT, the faces of children, the picture of his body coming home in the rain!

The "Fly Over" performed by the U.S. Airforce must have impacted many hearts at the Alabama vs. Florida game. I watched the video you forwarded at the end of the tribute "the lighter side of Mark" and it totally has me bawling. What a sweet person, a good good person who truly thinks of others. You just think things like that will never happen to good people. That is why this message of the Gospel is so important that we as missionaries are taking to the world!

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13

Sorella Miller

Ciao Famiglia,

Well, this week has been difficult- We were supposed to have Tina Ragusa's Baptism and Angelo getting baptised this week, but both of them backed out. We had the lesson on tithing with Tina, and it went similar to the lesson on Tithing with Rosa, we had months ago in Siracusa. She basically freaked out. The Bishop came with us to that lesson, and she was throwing out lines like, "well The catholic church just passes around the donations basket, and why does this church ask you to give so much!?!?" But just imagine things like a million times more embarrassing to have the Bishop present for. Oh well. Pazienza, pazienza, mammamia. then Angelo, despite coming to two sessions of conference and loving it, he said he didn't feel ready for baptism. I am worried that the longer he waits, the harder it will be for him to eventually gather up enough courage to get baptised. He comes to church every week, and has countless spiritual experiences. He tells us all the time he knows its true, just incredible how Satan gets into your thoughts, and gives us fear, not faith.

Charlotte. We met two gorgeous Swede's the other day. They were beautiful and spoke perfect English. Atheist. The girl told us that most people there are Atheist. i told her my sister served as a missionary there like 12 years ago and loved it. She said she had never seen Missionaries there...It was cool.

The most exciting thing here is that the Bishop called us and told us that on October 23rd there will be the Groundbreaking of the Rome temple! Rumor has it that President Kelly would like to be able to send all the missionaries up to Rome to be there! How awesome is it that I have been in Italy to witness first hand this enormous growth of the church!! I have seen a branch turn to a ward, a District to a Stake, the calling of the first Bishop, the groundbreaking of a chapel in Ragusa, the calling of a Patriarch, the groundbreaking of a temple!!! Its amazing!!!!

Well. other than that, just trying to figure out how to help these people. Its like I have prayed and prayed for these people some of them for 5 months, and it is stressful sometimes feeling like you don't know how to help them. Being SO responsible, yet feeling so inadequate and clueless basically. I just know that this is the Lord's work, and all we can do is invite.

I hope you all are well, I will try to send some pictures home tomorrow. Never take life for granted. I love the gospel, and my Savior Jesus Christ.

MONICA

...Sorella Miller