Anziano Weeks will be missed!

Catania, Palermo Conference

Well this week is kind of crazy... transfer calls were yesterday and it was Anziano Weeks's last day here in Palermo... and that is why I didn’t email you, we didn’t have time. I know that is weird saying that I didn’t have time for the people that matter most to me, but... it was Anziano Weeks's last day here and he was off to Rome, so I did what he needed to do and we had all kinds of lessons and appointments.So you are just lucky that I was able to write you now.=)

Anyways, transfers are good; I will receive a new companion Anziano Marengo, a Peruvian who lives in northern Italy. He is really cool he doesn’t speak English, and he is coming from Catania=) So I already know him. He also served in Battipaglia and so we have some things in common just from serving in the same city. We are all excited to learn how to speak better Italian! Anziano McMullen  and Anzaino Larsen are still together and are the new zone leaders! Even with all the great news we hate to see Anziano Weeks leave.

I am sure you have had a crazy week but I have had some crazy stuff going on here too. TODAY, we have a baptism! Antoine is getting baptized and things are going well. He will be here in less then thirty minutes.=) I spoke with him this morning and he is feeling good about the baptism.

Lots of people have been asking if he is ready, I personally think he is ready and Anziano weeks thought he was ready. So technically, that is all that really matters. He did really well in the interview so I know he is ready and no member is perfect... he is still growing and we all have a lot to improve on.

I am glad you where not really in Venice mom because if you were I could of expected you to show up at our church this Sunday. As soon as I saw the background I knew you were not in Italy.  I like your picture next to the live statue. The real looking statue people really exist here in Italy=) Sometimes they scare me. All the stuff you saw in Vegas such as "sexy girls and nudity" is probably a lot like Italy. Almost on every billboard here is a naked lady and it's really annoying if you ask me. I hate it. There is no wonder why Europeans do the things they do.

After one day without Anziano Weeks I have felt very alone. I am very sad he left... we had a great time together. We worked really hard and we even had a baptism together!!! I really am going to miss him. I am sure I will like Anziano Marengo. I could easily say that Anziano Weeks is one of my favorite companions. I have been lucky to have had many great companions. But I am really grateful for what Anziano Weeks taught me and for his example.

Anziano Week and I played soccer last week with a bunch of kids and it when really well, I am improving on my soccer abilities... but I still can’t compared to your normal Italian.

The Olympics are coming up; I bet you are all excited. I am kind of upset because I will not be able to watch them but, I am sure they will be spectacular. I bet Michael Phelps will do well, that is if he would stopped smoking.... to me it's really funny think about people who are in sports. They will take steroids or smoke that really slows them down.

Well I need to go. I will talk to you next week! Dad, don’t worry about my hard drive... it started working again... I think it was the computer that it was on.

Anziano Miller

You were saying!!

non vi capisco bene quando mi scrivete in italiano, non perché non lo parlo ma perché tradutore di google fa scifo. Okai, non fa proprio  scifo ma quando si traduce qualcosa da un lingua latino in un lingua angliosaxian non si può tradurre cento per cento quello che vorresti dire. Capisco tutto fino a quando c'è un frase americano, e madre l'usa assai. Ho capito abbastanza per sapere che siete andati a Tylyne e che la mamma sta lavorando alla casa di Wally. 

Quando dico la vita sarà noiosa quando divento vecchio, non sto scherzando. quando devo fare tutto per i bambini e lavoro, non c'è tempo per una cosa importante... il divertimento... come sapete, mi piace il divertimento, e una cosa che devo avere nella mia vita. spero che io possa averlo ancora quando divento un vecchiaccio. pure c'è un differenza perchè quando sei impegniato e noioso... se quello che stai facendo non piace a te 

non avete risposto per quanto riguardo il lavoro che vorrei fare. ho detto che vorrei fare il pilota ma non so se siete daccordo. so che la mia madre mi vorrei diventare un medico, o qualcosa di genere ma non ha senso a me. devo amare quello che faccio, ma se io diventi un medico non mi piacerà.

Allora, a me piace che i pacci sono arrivati e che vi piacano. ho sentito la storia di bolognia non sapevo che era così grave. 

Well I am done with writing in Italian. I am glad Lexi and grandpa like the scooter, I kind of laughed when I heard Lexi hit a rock=) I am sure that was a pretty funny story, I am sure all the neighbors will loved that one. 

This week has been pretty good we played soccer which was really fun these Ecuadorian boys that just moved in are incredible. Their names are Kevin and Denis, they are best and they know how to play soccer better then the Italians. We have gotten a couple new investigators.=) the work is going really well Anziano Weeks is getting ready to go home. He is doing really well and this is his last week here in Italy. We have a guy that  is getting really close to baptism. Last night someone asked him if he was a member of the church, he responded saying "not yet"! He is really excited and so are we, he has been progressing a lot. 

The last thing that probably makes me laughs more then you will know is the Boscia family. We met with them this week and it is hilarious when we go over there. I can never stop laughing because we talk to the Grandma of the family and she only speaks in dialect. Back in the day they used to speak Siciliano, but she doesn’t even speak that language she speaks only the language of the little city she is from=) She is really funny, she is always smiling and only has about three teeth. I love it.

Well family you have a great week sorry if you do not understand all the Italian.

Anziano Miller 

Running through Catania

Cathedral in Catania

I will write to you about what I did this morning =) It was really funny! Yesterday, we were in Catania for zone conference so I decided I really wanted to go to Mount Etna, since we were so close. The problem is that it is too big of a trip. I thought that we could go and hike the whole thing with no problems but there is only one bus going there and back. It was nearly impossible to go because we would not get home until tonight around 9 o’clock.  So we decided not to go.

Since we were not going to Etna, we wanted to get back to Palermo early. We talked to the missionaries who are in Catania but they didn’t want to give us a ride to the station this morning at 5:30.  So I got up with the other three missionaries (Larsen, Weeks, McMullen) from Palermo and we just ran! We woke up at five and had a great run. We ran all the way to the station to catch the six o’clock bus! =)

We even had the chance to see the Cathedral in Catania. We also had an opportunity to see a couple of other sites while we were up at that hour. It was really fun and I really enjoyed running. I really wanted to get home because I hate wasting time.

So when we arrived to Palermo we did our normal P-Day stuff and now I am writing to you right now, I don’t have much to say other then I really liked the zone conference we had, I really liked the training that where given, especially the training President Kelly gave us. 

We are now kinda just bumming around right now, I always leave the decision to Anziano Weeks because he is leaving in three weeks. He has already seen everything so I well wait till he is gone before I start going to more places for P-day. But I am doing well and trying to help the Italian people come unto Christ to the best of my ability.

I really enjoyed talking to you, I was glad that we had the opportunity to Skype and I am more then happy that you all are in good health and that there were not any deaths this week. 

When you say CC's wedding... do you mean Celeste Anderson? Because that would be really weird if she was legitly married.  The world is becoming boring and that I am not ready for the life of an adult.

Let me know more about grandpa and what happens with him being on TV thing=) I am so glad he is still kickin' and I am really glad to that I have the chance to get to know him really well. There probably no grandpa studlier then him=) 

I have been thinking about my future career and I really feel good about being a pilot. I really like the benefits of traveling as a pilot, the income is not that bad either. I know that I would really like it. I do not know how much I would like being a doctor=) even though I know mom really wants me to be a part of the medical field. But I am still thinking about it.

Yes dad, I received the package from the Nylund's, it is great I loved it! I really need to write them back. I really do care about those guys, the first time I met them I loved them to bits. I received it yesterday when I went to zone conference=).. It takes a really long time for things to get here and even longer for things to get to Sicily.=) But, I really liked the chocolate... especially the chocolate that had caramel in it. 

Love you Anziano Miller

Mother's Day Phone Call

There is joy and hope knowing the doctrine of Christ

This week has been interesting, first off mom was wrong when she said that no one died this week, we had a member die this week. It was really difficult seeing his kids crying. He was only in his fifties and he has two kids and a  wife. His kids are about my age and they were absolutely distraught as you could imagine. As I continue to think about death and study it more, I am thankful for the scriptures in these difficult times. I am especially grateful for the Apostle Paul and his epistles in Corinthians telling us that “as in Adam all die and as in Christ all will be made alive” I am so thankful for the gospel. I can not express how much joy and hope it gives me to know the doctrine of Christ!

I saw Grandma Miller’s film, and it was spectacular, and I loved it. The end almost brought me to tears, but today I have finally realized something. I hope this confession does not bring out my stubbornness but I will tell you anyway. I say stubbornness because from the beginning I have had many conversations with my companions for the fact that I will not get married until I am 25 or older. But seeing this little clip with grandma has changed me a bit, in the sense that I have finally realized the joy grandma had being a grandmother of many children, grandchildren and even great grand children. she had the opportunity to experience true joy. You could see it in her face and by the way she carried her self. Nothing made her happier then seeing one of her decedents, sometime when we would  go visit she wouldn’t even let you leave=) I have really seen the happiness that she has received in her life from heavenly father just by seeing only short 8 minute film. 

I am really glad that package got there... I really hope Kaitlyn doesn’t even touch that bag... Because... its mine and its too gorgeous to give away, especially because I have an incredible story of how I received that bag=) I will tell you really quickly. I was waiting for a train in Napoli and I saw this guy who was right next to me and I told him I really liked his bag and that I wanted one just like it... He said, thanks that he really liked it as well. We then had a short conversation... then I looked at the bag again and I told him I really liked it for the second time... He then took out all of his stuff of that bag and gave it to me=) AND FOR THAT REASON I CANNOT GIVE IT AWAY!!! So don’t even think about using it Kaitlyn =) I still love you though and I couldn’t give it to you because I have never seen anything like it in all of Napoli area. I am convinced that I am the only one that has that bag.

Most of all the things I got in that bag were gifts! I spending my money better then you think I do.  But I might need some more in a bit... but we will talk about that Saturday. 

I am glad you like the singing donkey mom... I love the donkey singing guy myself. He sings a famous Napton song, so don’t worry about understanding him, because I don’t even understand him fully=) 

Last but not least, I wanted to tell everyone who is going on a mission, never to be a dead missionary / stupid missionary.  Mostly because I can not stand them! I honestly can not stand their stupidity, they take there time in the mission and treat it as if it were jail time. I am not able to understand their ignorance. But I hope one day they do.

I did get your package and I loved all the goodies in it. But I loved the book thing from Lexi=) I loved it! 

I am way grateful for thy news I heard about Taylor=) Well we will talk to you this Saturday at twelve... on Skype =)

Love ya bye  Anziano Miller 

Exceptional Grandma Miller!

Wow...

I don’t even know what to say...

Grandma Grapes was an exceptional grandma, I am her great grandson and I feel an immense amount of love from her. I could only imagine how difficult this event would be for those who knew her as a grandma, or even as a mother. She was incredible, a women who could only showed love; a grandmother who never ran out of the Twinkies or goodies. Everyone loved her family gatherings and her tasty popcorn. I will really miss her I am sure I will tell stories to my kids about her. 

I spent most of this week with out my companion, I have been here in Palermo while my companion went off to zone leader conference.... so I was with Anziano Larsen all week=) And I love Anziano Larsen he is great... then we did a split with the missionaries in Trapani, we had a great split I learned a lot. Anziano Shipton is a great missionary too.

I love Palermo! We normally come home at nine and have a ton of wild stories of what happened in our day. We have had some pretty cool miracles here, for example, we had a appointment last week that we had set up for us by a member.... we have an investigator that is about to be baptized..... I just love the people here!

I am assuming you received my email in Italian... I don’t think you understood a thing... because I was talking about the mothers day call. I will repeat what I said last week, we need to establish a time and day when we want to call or do Skype.

Alright so I probably am going to be calling next Saturday, at six o’clock... MY TIME... I think that is twelve in the afternoon your time. 

I want to thank the Kenyon’s for supporting me in my mission and helping out, you are great neighbors to me and my family; I hope all is well with you.

... I really don’t have much else to say this week; I will just stop before I start to mumble I will write down things I want to say to you next week. It is just upsetting about Grandma Miller passing away. That's two grandmothers within a month=(

Be talking to each other soon... Love Anziano Miller

I love Palermo!

This week has been outstanding!!!

I love Palermo, this is the place for me, and believe it or not I have fallen in love with this city in just a few days. 

Their accents are gorgeous here, even one from Napoli wasn’t that pretty and the accent in Puglia sounds like you are just screaming a whole bunch of vowels, but this one here is gorgeous. 

The best way I can describe it would be to tell you that it is similar to the Irish accent in English. It is fantastic, I love the people here, they are really nice, and bubbly. There are a ton of immigrants, even more then there were in Napoli. We have a fantastic WARD and a huge building for the church, along with an amazing BISHOP that is really nice.

Anziano Weeks and I are tearing it up! We have some sweet investigators that are really making some great progress. We have a baptismal date!!! We invited a guy to be baptized yesterday and he accepted and wants to be baptized May 12th. We have been doing some great things and we absolutely love each other. Having a companion older then me and I am really excited about that. 

I am also really excited about being here in Palermo, because I know I will be here for a while. I could be here the rest of my mission, which would be fantastic! I would really enjoy that. 

I want to wish my wonderful, Fantastic, loveable, and irreplaceable MOM a happy birthday

Along with, a congratulations to Kaitlyn for making the cheer team.  I am really proud of you=) I hope that you will be able to wake up at five every morning during the school year!!! =P 

Questa settimana mi ha fatto felice perchè tutti i membri mi dicano che parlo bene, forse le pugliese sono sardi e non conoscano la loro lingua=P no scherzo ma questi commenti mi fanno felice. non so scrivere bene devo migliorarmi prima la mia partenza a casa... Pure devo chiedervi quando volete fare la telefonata per la festa della momma? perchè presidente ci ha chiesto di metterci daccordo con voi questa settimana. preferite la sera or la mattina per me e uguale ditemi voi.

Quando parliamo vorrei, parlarvi di scuola.... ancora non sono sicuro quello che voglio fare, ci pensate voi e poi ne parliamo telefonicamente. spero che capite questi paragrafi.

I hope that satisfies you, in fact in a week I might write my whole email in Italian just so you have to decipher it =p .

I really enjoyed all of your emails this week, dad your a great help and I just thought I would let you know that I am really excited to see how well I can speak in a couple of months. 

The brioche here are ridiculously amazing, they also make good cannoli.  I wish I could send you them just so you could try them. But I think it would rot before you received it.

Don’t forget that package it should be a arriving to our house any day this week=) or next!!!

P.S. Anziano <McMullen says hi.

Hello my beauties this is Anziano McMullen, how are you all doing? I will see you in like a year, maybe. 

See you and love you bye.

Anziano Miller

FORZA BRIGHTON