December 28, 2015

Dear everyone,

I have like, no time again to write off a weekly email, but I'll do my best. Sorry, I keep running out of time, but I'll try to get you some information.

First off, I'm here in Mesa. It's actually nice. A little colder than I expected, which is weird, but it's nice. I'm on a bike, so that's been crazy and unexpected, but now that I have fixed my bike, it's actually really fun. 

My companion and I are whitewashing, which means we're both new to the area. His name is Elder Doman, and he's only been here for a 4 1/2 months, so we're both really new. He's from Colorado, and he's really great. We work well together. There's not a whole lot of work here for us to do, but there's a lot of potential, which means there's a lot of work for us to do, but it's exciting. 

Christmas here was great, Skyping home was great, and I've missed my family, so it was great to see and talk to them. 

Suffice to say, a mission has been awesome. I'm tired like all the time, but this is some of the most fulfilling work I've ever done, and I couldn't be happier. Being a missionary is an absolute blast, and I love getting to be bold in declaring the gospel. We have no other purpose in life right now other than to declare the Gospel.

Sorry this was so short, I'll try harder to get a better email out in the future!

Sincerely, Elder Miner

Hee hee, we're rebels.

Christmas lights at the Mesa temple were beautiful. :)

More Christmas

This one is me and my companion (who I suppose you've seen now, but whatever).

Excerpt from Elder Miner's letter to Mom:

We didn't end up opening presents until around 4 because we had a huge lunch/dinner at a member's house. Thank you so much for the sweater, I love it, and it goes great with all the ties my other sweater doesn't go with. I loved the little tsum-tsum too, those are adorable. Thanks also for the subway art things, it's nice to be able to decorate our rooms a little. In short I guess, thanks for sending me a Christmas. I was a little sad thinking that I wouldn't have anything really to open, and then suddenly I got two packages from family and some gifts from members too, including a new tie. But getting yours and Grandma and Grandpa's package really made my Christmas. 
I'm so glad I got to Skype with you and the rest of the family. I hope I'll still be able to in New Caledonia. I think I will be. I hope Christmas was great as it always seems to be at our house. I did get to sing at the Mesa visitor's center and finally got to look at the lights. They were gorgeous, and I wish you guys could come see them sometime. I had some ideas for Frank to add too. ;) 

I do miss being around family around this time of year, and as hard as it is to get missionary work done during this time because everyone is gone, I'm just loving it out here. I don't feel too homesick, and I'm doing my best to just lose myself in the work. It's hard, but it's one of the most satisfying things I've ever done. We finally have a lot of lessons scheduled for tomorrow, and I'm way excited. Trying to get the work going out here has been hard, but we're really starting to make progress I think. 

Thanks so much for all the prayers and support from home. It really makes a difference. I love you so much.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Elder Miner

Talking to Elder Miner

So we got to Skype with Elder Miner Christmas morning. It was wonderful to see him and hear him. Just seeing him erased my concerns. He called first to make sure it was a good time. We had just finished opening gifts. Then we set up Skype. There were a few technical difficulties at first, but Don was able to get them figured out. It was good timing because Grandpa was here so he could talk with him as well. I can't even express how happy he is serving in the mission field. I can't even remember everything we talked about, but we got to talk to him!!!! Can't wait until Mother's Day. (Maybe he'll get to call from the airport when he flies out - whenever that is.)

December 25, 2015

This is a picture of some of the orange groves out here. There are seriously citrus trees absolutely everywhere. 

December 21, 2015

Hey Mom,

Well, here I am in Mesa. So, the mission president and the AP's picked us up at the airport and took us straight to the Mesa Temple Visitor's center. We had a short orientation there and took pictures in front of the Christus statue there. From there we went to the mission office and got more of an orientation, and then a short nap at the mission home. (Best nap ever.) The best mailing address is the mission office, and they'll get it to me from there, and that address is:

2525 N 32nd St

Mesa AZ 85213
United States

I'm really doing great here though, I'm not to homesick, I'm not too stressed, just busy. There's a LOT of work to be done out here, and we need to get a lot more investigators. We only have a small handful, but we have a lot of referrals to contact. My companion's name is Elder Doman. I'll send some pictures in a little bit. He's really cool. He was a cross-country runner in high school, and he's way smart. We get along well, and he has a great attitude. He's only been out four months, so I'm a little surprised he's training, but he's great, so I'm totally fine with it. 

That service project sounds nice. The support of a ward is so so vital I'm finding to keeping members active and happy. 

There's been a lot of cool music out here. Elder Doman and I are over two wards, the Fraser ward and the Three Fountains ward in the Mesa North Stake. Both of their sacraments had Christmas musical programs, and they were both good. I was really impressed by the Fraser ward, they had a harpist who performed "What Child is This," and it was beautiful. 

I actually didn't call Camille at the airport. I suppose it's allowed, but I don't have her number anyway. XD It was a weird situation, I got handed all the boarding passes for people going to Arizona, and I had to find all of them, and so by the time I got in line to check my bags it took forever, and we had to get going to security, so I just ran out of time. I'm looking forward to Christmas though. I was really tired though, we had to get up around 2:30 because they sent us on FrontRunner and TRAX to get in to the airport, so it took a little longer. Not fun. I ended up with a migraine that day, so it was rough. 

I haven't had a chance to see the temple lights yet, we've been SO busy, we moved apartments the day after transfers, and we're still trying to get to know our area because we're white-washing. The missionaries will be singing there on Christmas though, so I have that to look forward to. 

Headed to Mesa

So Jaden left for Mesa today. He called earlier this morning. We had no idea when he would be calling so we kept the girls home until he did. He called around 7:30. He sounded good but tired. It was so good to hear his voice. We didn't have much time to talk with him as he was boarding in about 20 minutes. He is excited to be leaving the MTC and serving in the field.

Later this afternoon we received this email from his mission president in Arizona:

Last Day in the MTC

Some excerpts from the letter I received:


Hey Mom,

First off, thank you so, so much for the chocolates. They were totally, completely unexpected, and so wonderful. I definitely shared them, because I wanted them all to get eaten, and if I tried to do so myself I would probably die. I even gave some to my teachers. I don't know if I ever mentioned this, but I basically had the best teachers here. :)

I'm really honestly OK with going to Mesa. I think it'll be fun to teach in English for a bit and get used to "real" missionary work without also having to struggle with the language, and even though I'll be an English area (probably) I've been told I'll still have language study time. And, if I remember right, I think Isaac's older brother might be in Mesa, I know he's in Arizona, so it'd be way cool if I got to see him or get trained by him. As for the visa, I think it has less to do with time and more to do with how many visas France is willing to grant to the Church at one time, but I don't know for sure. I've been told I'll probably be in Mesa for a transfer or less, but you never know for sure. As soon as my visa comes in they're supposed to send me as far as I know. I did find out today that even this visa-waiting assignment was assigned by an Apostle, so I think that's cool. What all family do I have in the Mesa area? I don't even really know for sure, so you'll have to let me know, maybe send some pictures or something, that'd be great. And is Jason's Mom a member? If not, she will be soon. ;)

....the BYU Men's Chorus was here yesterday for our Sunday devotional, and they were AMAZING. I don't know why, but I just started crying at the end of their last song. I didn't know it off the top of my head, and I can't remember the name, but suffice to say the whole concert was just amazing. There's nothing like music to instantly bring the Spirit to people, and I love how musical our family is. 

Hopefully I'll get to fly out tomorrow, if not, I just figure we need to wait here in the MTC until our visas come in too. I forgot to mention, Elder Graham and everyone else had to come back to the MTC. Their first flight out to San Francisco was delayed to the point where they wouldn't be able to make their connection so they're back here in the MTC until they can get new flight plans. It was crazy to watch him walk into the cafeteria. I'm kinda happy to have him back (as selfish as that is) because he really is awesome and we've grown way close. It was hard to watch him walk away to fly out, so maybe we're all just meant to leave together. Whatever happens though, I know it's for the best. 

I can't wait to call and talk tomorrow, and whatever happens I should be able to call, Elder Graham did even though his flight got cancelled. Not sure what time still though, but I'm thinking I'll try for around 7 AM. 

Thanks again for everything, I love you so much.

See you soon,

Elder Miner

*I find it interesting that even his visa-waiting assignment was given by an apostle. I'm also glad that he is in an area that is similar in climate since he doesn't have cold weather gear,

Elder Miner's last letter from the MTC:

Hey everyone,

So, this is where it all ends, pretty crazy. It's funny, I came in to the MTC knowing absolutely nothing about what to really expect, and now that everything here is old hat, I get to go and adjust to something else completely new. I'm super excited though, I feel like I've learned about as much as I'm going to here, especially in regards to French. 

This week went a lot like all of the others, with a few differences. We taught a lesson to one of our fake investigators, Guillaume, pretty much every day this past week. His story was real and from our teacher's mission, and it was amazing to watch him progress from someone hard-hearted and bitter towards God into someone who was praying and feeling the love of God in his life. I can't wait to watch that happen in investigators' lives for real. We also had a meeting called "in-field orientation." It was different from a lot of the MTC experience, mostly in that it was all in English. But really though, it was a big meeting where we talked about all different aspects of our purpose as a missionary alternated with breakout sessions where we then applied those things we learned in activities. We practiced things like contacting, planning, and keeping our attitude and expectations high. All in all it was pretty useful. 

Funny story though, so I'm sure by now most of you have heard that I am destined to visa-wait in Mesa, Arizona for a bit along with 3 other people from my district while the other half of our district head to Vanuatu. Well, those going to Vanuatu were supposed to leave yesterday, but that didn't quite work out. Apparently their flight from SLC to San Francisco got delayed to the point where they wouldn't be able to catch their flight from San Francisco to New Zealand, so they just came back to the MTC. We're still waiting on new flight plans for them. Part of me wonders if maybe we're all just supposed to stay together until we all have visas. Guess we'll see what God's plan is for us.

I really have enjoyed my MTC experience. While it was a little hard adjusting to how things work here, it really wasn't that bad. It helps that my companion and I get along really well and work really well together. He's been amazing. My French comprehension has increased far beyond where it used to be, and my ability to preach the Gospel in French actually exists now, and is pretty darn good I think. I've also learned what it's going to take to have the Spirit with me all the time. The answer really is strict obedience and constant prayer. It's cool when the Spirit just speaks to your mind and you know what you need to say right in that moment. I've had that happen more than once, and in a lot of different ways. Everyone is different and needs the Gospel unfolded to them in a different way, and that's why there is a need for everyone to serve a mission. Your call to serve a mission could potentially be for one specific person that only you can touch. I truly believe that. My next email will be from the mission field. 

See you out there,

Elder Miner

PS My apologies for the lack of pictures this week, I have no way to get them off my camera here at the MTC anymore since our SD card reader is packed away. I promise an extra dose next week. 

Change of plans

So, I had just sent a Christmas package to New Caledonia earlier today when we received this email from Elder Miner:


So, I just found out today that my visa hasn't come through... 4 of the missionaries in our district, including my companion will be leaving as normal for New Caledonia, and the other 4 of us, including me, will be going to the Mesa, Arizona mission instead. I'll be leaving on Tuesday the 15th now, and my flight leaves at 8:35 AM. I should still be able to call you from the airport at some point during the morning, so hopefully you'll all be available. I'm not going to lie, I'm a little disappointed. I've developed a love for the people of Vanuatu and New Caledonia and a desire to go be with, meet, and serve them. The people of Mesa don't really feel like my people, I guess. I'm also concerned about the French I'll probably lose while I'm there. To be honest though, I'm not taking it super hard. With Grandma and Grandpa having lived there and our other family there, I do love Arizona, I just wish I could be in island paradise for Christmas. It is possible I'lI l see Dan Crockett (Isaac's older brother) while I'm there, I know he was serving in Arizona, I just don't remember what mission. I have faith that there's a reason for this, I just have to try and discover what it is. Wish me luck, and keep praying for me. 

See you soon,

Elder Miner

And this:

It looks like there's an Apache Indian Reservation in my mission area, and I think it would be awesome if I got to serve there. :)

And then this:

Forgot something else, I'll have a bonus half P-day on Monday now to email and stuff, so that's when I'll see your replies. :)

Flight Plans

Here are my flight plans. Crazy huh?

Notice how he loses a day........

December 8, 2015

Hey everyone!

I don't have a whole lot of time to write a weekly email this week, but I'll try and cover most of what happened. 

I had the opportunity to participate in a special 40 person choir for a Christmas devotional for all of the Branch President's and their wives. It was amazingly spiritual, and I was so grateful for the chance I had to bear my testimony through music. It was something I will never forget. We also had a Skype lesson with a native French speaker. It was definitely a different experience, but it was super enjoyable. We had a great conversation, and he was so cool. He was actually a recent convert, and so our message of enduring to the end was perfectly suited for him. I also had my first fast Sunday of my mission. It was great, and I definitely have felt the results of my fast. 

I'm sorry there's not more detail here, not a lot happens that's different from day to day here at the MTC to be honest. 

See you in 2,

Elder Miner 

December 8, 2015

Here are some recent photos from Jaden:

First up is me and the sisters from our zone who were in the special Christmas choir (more on that later.)

This is me and my companion with the two elders from our zone who were in our classroom that are going to the Congo. They left yesterday, and I got to be pretty good friends with both of them. 

This is me and my Branch President. Since this last Sunday was our last full Sunday here in the MTC, we took pictures. :)

This is me, Elder Miller, and Soeur Barton. Go Miners! 

December 1, 2015

This week has been very nice, in that it wasn't the same as always!

Thanksgiving here at the MTC was absolutely amazing. We had a devotional with Elder Oaks in the morning. He and his wife spoke, and Jenny Oaks Baker performed 3 numbers with other members of the Oaks family, and they are all extremely talented. Elder Oaks' remarks were short, but he spoke about the importance of remaining grateful through trials, and oh how important that is for missionaries. We then had thanksgiving lunch, and it was fantastic for MTC food. Real potatoes, juicy turkey, pie, it was so nice. After lunch we had a devotional with one of the church's welfare program leaders. The Church's welfare program is truly huge and amazingly well run. We also heard a talk from the founder of the charity we worked with, and though he wasn't LDS, he gave a great talk about unity as Christians. Because there were so many missions, the service project had two shifts, and my district watched 17 Miracles right after that devotional, and I felt the Spirit and was so grateful for the terrible sacrifices made by those early pioneers. How little we thank them sometimes, but at least our actions as missionaries honor them. The service project was seriously so much fun. We were packaging meals for children. This was done in an assembly line style. Each table had about 12 missionaries, and there were around 50 tables in operation. First two people would fill bags with lentils, and then another two would add spices, another two veggies, and then my job with another missionary was to seal the bags, and then two others would package them. In total the MTC produced over 357,000 meals, the most in the 5 years the MTC has been doing this, and it felt so good to help out. When we finished the service project, they had the Christmas lights here turned on and we then had another devotional that was also a talent show. My favorite talent was an improv two person jazz piano duet. 

Last Tuesday I also found out that I made a 40 person choir that will be performing at a devotional for all of the MTC branch presidencies and their families. I'll be rehearsing all this week and performing on Friday, and I'm super excited. The choir director here is absolutely hilarious, and I love getting to work with him. 

Yesterday the Elders in our district got to help host the new senior missionaries, and it was a blast. They're so nice. I'm seriously considering possibly going on a senior mission now. 

That's about all the news for this week. I'll only have one more official P-Day here at the MTC before I head out. I can't believe it's already been a month already. Thanks for all the love and support!

Sincerely,

Elder Miner