Three Weeks

I can not believe it has been 3 weeks ... the rest of our zone moved out this morning at 4 so there was a huge party in our room at 4 I will see most of them again it was quite the experience.. My friend Anziano Higgs who was our roommate left today at ten for Milan I will not see him again most likely we will probably be face book friends when I get home so I am excited for that. He has been really helpful here at the MTC and I don’t know what I would have done without him.

this week our district had a tantrum dance on everyone’s for head meaning we all wanted to kill each other, it was bad but everything is golden now we are all getting along and having an even better time with each other, sense we are so open with each other now its relieved a lot of the tension. Also this week Elder Holand came and spoke to us on thanks giving he had his grandchildren sing the most precious song. It made me think of little Lexi it was too cute.

I am so glad you have visited Landen’s family they are amazing people I really love spending time with there family. I have written Landen every week so I better get something soon... just kidding

Also I have seen Drexel’s niece? Her name was Sister Harding so however they are related apparently she baby sat me and cache when we were young. there have been a bunch of random people I have ran into such as Ian calls little brother and caches buddy from Carden who I used to ski with.

about the dear elders I can have unlimited dear elders but this kid keeps getting my mail his name is Bryce miller and I have tried so hard to find this elder but he is a ghost I swear.. Sense he has the same initials as me he gets my mail sometimes and I get his sometimes. but I am a good person and put it in the missed place mail box where he will eventually get his dear elder... but apparently from the emails I have been getting from you guys he just keeps my dear elders hopefully he is not a creepy kid. I will try to resolve the matter as soon as possible it is kind of hard to find time to do everything. I have pictures for you mom I will send them with my next letter and I will send my SD card just for kicks. also I need to get that cord from you I need that or I will not be able to take pictures while I am in Italy the sooner I get it the less I have to worry. It’s white with an usb end and a trapezoid looking thing at the other end.

As for the message on top of the letter I sent you... yah it was pretty funny I really enjoyed it and I knew dad would like it as well I am sure he gave you a hard time about it and also I have underlined his name on the envelope to just be a little more of a smart alike.

I really like the diabetic socks that I got from Stan they are almost too amazing the other ones grab my leg hairs so I have been really good at wearing two pairs of socks a week. So if you could send some of that sock out here I would love that.

Thanksgiving here was not the same as home for sure but there was almost too much to eat the people from England and romaine had no idea what to do with themselves their eyes where bigger then their stomachs they are some of the funniest people I know. It is so fun to see the different cultures and things like that.

As for grandmas stuff no I don’t want it I have way to much stuff already I am glad my companion is the way he is he might make fun of me for how much stuff I have brought with me.

On a more serious note why is the rabbit inside the garage where a beautiful 1 ton paperweight could be... yah that doesn’t make sense.

I loved hearing about Abby’s house it must have been so fun I can not wait to come home and for guys to show me all of the things you did there. I want to go ice-skating so bad and I want to touch the snow too but they won’t let me at the MTC. It an interesting place and know I did not have to much to say in this letter but I will write back to your dear elders after this and you will get it in a couple of days. I can not wait to hear from you and getting to get the mail everyday is so fun. Can’t wait to hear from you again

Love your best brother and son ever!

Thanksgiving in Idaho with Elder Miller

The Zenger Family

Letter to Kaitlyn

Dear Kaitlyn,

I am writing this letter to help you know the importance of schooling. I know you have struggled with it your whole life, I am the same way and you know that.

By the time you get this letter I will be on my mission. I am looking forward to that event because I know that it will help me learn and grow as an individual. I hope you are still being a great kid like I have seen when I have been around.

I am writing this letter on May 21, 2009.

I want you to know that the start of your ninth grade year is the most important year of high school in my opinion. If you put your mind to it school is not that hard, it really is just a mind game you have to play with yourself, just like our tennis ball game that we have played. In case you have forgotten our little game it is the one where you and I stand in certain spots of the yard, we each have a tennis ball and we throw them at the same time.

For some reason, these last couple of days you have been making me run, trying to catch your ball which is five feet in a different direction then were I am standing. The reason I bring this game up is because it is exactly like the mind game you play with school. They throw a ball at you; you catch the ball and throw it back. They throw you an assignment you throw it back. Sometimes you may not have it completely correct but at least you tried. A lot of times, you have thrown the ball, you have over or under thrown your estimation. You can not do this with school, you will wear yourself out.

If you over shoot your goal you’re making things too hard for yourself, not doing what matters most (I want you to read Elder Uctdorf’s talk about “what matters most”).

There are two things that I have regretted not doing in life so far, not putting enough attention on school, and not spending more time as a family. As a family we tried to sit together at the dinner table as often as we could. I never questioned it because I new the answer, our family is like a bunch of bees, we never can stay in the hive for five minutes, we know we have to do something else. These two key ingredients to life are so important. I can not even explain to you how we need to strive to do better in everything we do.

One person who has set that example for me is our one-of-a-kind mother. She is always doing, whatever she can to go the extra mile. For example, the time that she went to one of my first dances and she came to dinner to take pictures. Another example is the time when she made the eagles for the temple celebration. And the time when Mom decided to build the huge train for our church Christmas party. Our Mom is a perfect example of persistence and showing we can do anything we want to.

We need to be on course in our lives. We can not go off and on the trail, we need to stay on the trail and overcome the obstacles that are in front of us at the time.

Another person we can learn from is our Dad. You and I both know that Dad is mostly correct all the time. Our Dad has not been the most successful in my life time but Dad has tried and tried again to make a successful business and he will never give up until he succeeds. His persistence is the reason we have the life style we have today. Our Dad is a perfect example of patience, hard work, and a love for what he does. Some examples are the countless hours he spends just reading the news paper and his sudoku… he works harder then anyone else in the family. While I did early morning seminary, I would see things that no one else would see. Our Dad would rise out of bed about five thirty in the morning to his office and start working without hesitation. When I returned home at three o’clock everyday after school dad was hard at work still on things that he needed to do to hopefully get his company on top once more. I am hoping you and I can learn from these traits from the people that are in our everyday lives.

When I return home I will be on the scariest trial the world has ever put in front of me. I will be going to college and I am hoping that I will go to dental school and become a dentist. So you and I can get free fillings. But that won’t matter because you and I both know that we always brush our teeth no matter what. One thing that I really wish I would have done during high school is, knowing what I was good at. I know this sounds weird but I have really never known what I am good at. I have many things that I can do but I have never known about something that I could pursue. Something that I could do as a hobby and a job that has always been a dream of mine is doing what I love and earning money for doing so. I want you to pursue all of your dreams you have whether it be a doctor or a nurse or a plumber. I just want you to know that there will be sometime in your life when you need to use your talents and skills to get through the troubled times and there is no better way of doing that by doing something you love to do.

Kaitlyn, there is so much that you can do in life don’t let the little things slow you down. Your friends, I hope, are the best you have ever had. Keep the good ones and always meet new people.

One of my favorite things I love to do is meet new people and discover what they are really good at and what they really enjoy doing. When I meet a new person it is like opening a whole new part of the world to me. I really love people and all that they do for me.

Another thing that I really enjoy is service I love to help our community. I know it sounds weird, but whenever I do an eagle project for one of our scouts I am more then happy to help out when we are serving others we are serving ourselves. I would really like it if you would try to meet new people everyday and if you would continue serving others with service whether it be our own family or a person you have never met before. I love doing these things and know that you are almost just like me you do to. I hope that you can change someone life and help out others in your life time.

Kaitlyn, I really hope that you can be true to yourself and others and I can not stress on you enough how important schooling, good friends, service, knowing your skills and your talents, and how to handle all of them. I hope you have a very successful life and do what you would really like to do. One day you will be a mother, I am sure you will be one of the best but both you and I have something that our mom and dad never had. We have our mom and dads support in what we do with our lives. When I am a dad I will be following the example of our dad and how he treated me and how he helps me understand what matters most. I will also be following our mother showing my unconditional love for not only my kids but for others, I hope you will look at our parents and follow their wonderful examples.

I hope that this letter has influenced you as like it has done with me. Writing this letter helped me know what I need to do, what I must do and what I will do. You are the one and only Kaitlyn Miller and you know what will help you, who will help you and how it will help you all you need to do is try you very best and I promise you that you will have the best life you could ever have.

I love you with all my heart….. And then some.

Your brother Brayden

November 23, 2010

Hey Family. I have had a great week at the MTC. I wrote down a bunch of stuff to share with you. First off, go look up II Timothy 1:17. It's not very scriptural, but it's cool. Every time it says he, put my name in there...

Any ways thank you so so much for everything you have given me. My letters and the pumpkin bread it are wonderful!


I really enjoyed hearing that Anziano Luke and I have some kind of connection. That is so cool Grandpa knows his Grandpa! It is definitely a small world! Elder Luke has lived all over the world. His dad is an airforce pilot. He has lived in Spain and Germany; just a wide variety of places, so it's crazy we have some kind of connection.

I don't know if you remember this but I went on a blind date a long time ago with Morgan... and the kid she got set up with is in my district. His name is Nick Anderson. It was kinda fun to be related to someone in my district. Anyways, in the first ten days Anziano Anderson managed to gain ten pounds. It is kinda gross I know but on a good note I have gained only one pound. There are two sorrelles in my district as well. They are so cool; they bring the spirit into our class room and since they are both older then all of us, they are more wise.

I have some really exciting news for you... I have been called to serve as a Zone Leader for our district!!! It will be so much fun to work with our Branch Presidency.

The kids here are not the kind of kids I thought would be here. I thought everyone would be a walking, talking missionary robot but they are not. Everyone is actually way cool and has a way different personality compared to me and anyone else in the MTC.

This week I have seen Carter Cam Kegon who just came in this week. And Jordan just left for New Mexico yesterday. Don't worry Mom, I got a picture with him by the temple. At the TRC we taught an amazing lesson. It's amazing how much I could rely on the spirit to tell an investigator about the church. I never knew I had it in me.

Also, we had the chance to listen to Elder Bednar. He talked about knowing when the spirit is prompting you and that is a question we all have probably had. He said that we need to stop worrying about it. Be a good boy or a good girl and stop worrying about it. Have faith and you will be guided without you even knowing it. I thought that was something that the family would like me to share.

Supposedly, they have ping pong tables everywhere in Rome at every church building, so my teacher told me to make sure you send me my paddle because the Italians love a good game of ping pong. I hope they are not too amazing.

Don't send this to everyone but we have really bonded as a district this week. We had our first district numero due which means district poo. It was quite an interesting event, hahha!! We have had so much fun together! But everything is not fun and games, we are always working hard and like I said last week, this is the only place that you can study for 10 hours and still want to study more.

Somethings I would like to touch on...

One, Dad, that book that your Mom gave to you is not engraved; I can get engraved for free... everything here is really cheap for missionaries.

Another thing, I would really like a picture of Jake, Taylor and I.

PS - Mom, the orange juice here is sooooooooo disappointing. I wish I could drink all I want but i can't. Apparently from reliable sources, I have been told two glasses of orange juice will give you the runs for a week, so its not very convenient....

Momma, thank you so much for all the Dear Elders. I have enjoyed them so much and everything! I have been getting a bit home sick. I still haven't cried from being home sick, but I have started to miss home and those letters are something I get to look forward to every week. It is so wonderful, I love them!

Please send that stuff I asked for in my last letter soon. I would really like my Patriarchal Blessing to read. I can get it laminated and other cool things like that, so make sure it's the real copy.

To my sister, I hope you are doing well Lexi. I will answer your questions in my letters. Kaitlyn, I know your busy but I would really like to hear from you. I really really would like to see how you are doing.

PS - There is a letter to Kaitlyn on my laptop. I wrote it two years ago for an assignment in a class. It is under Letter to Kaitlyn... I think anyways.

I love you guys and have the most wonderful day. Look for the Lords blessings in your daily lives and have fun!

My First PDay

Hey Mom,

Where to begin.... the first couple days where rough, but other then that everything is great. I have really had a good time here.
Before I forget the things that I already forgot, I will tell you that I need the cord that connects my camera to the computer, my patriarchal blessing and, well, there was one more but i will forget about it for now my goal is to keep typing.
First off, I love you and I miss your faces, but I don't miss home yet. I almost wish I did though.
At the MTC you can feel the spirit all the time; I love it here. My collega or companion is great! He looks like Cache but another 5 inches taller. He is the District Leader for our district. I know when Mom reads that her first question will be; 'why am i not the district leader?'.... well just cuz he is a better qualifier.
Thank you so much for the Dear Elder letters. I am so glad I get to know about the real world everyday.
This week we have had a lot of orientation but other then that we have been learning the language and how to share the gospel with the spirit. I have been pretty good at the language. I had my first conversation the other day with a returned missionary. I will tell you more about it later in the letter.
Things in my district have been getting a little heated. I know it's the first week but our district has been making some pretty difficult goals that some of them could not handle for one day; other then that, they are great. In my district are my companion Elder Luke, a Romanian named Elder Blaga, a British man named Elder Wilconson, and a couple of regular Americans.
My companion and I get along great he is a little more, hmmm, persistent. He always needs to be everywhere 5 minutes in advance and ahead of everyone else. He had studied in Virgina at Virgina Tech for quite a while. He is nineteen and was in the Corps. He studied a little bit of Italian before he got here, so he has been teaching me quite a bit of it. We are ahead of the group for now, but they will catch up no doubt.
Please tell Lexi that gatto is cat but pronounced "yatto" and tell her I love her. Everyday we study 7 hours a day its pretty crazy but everyday I go home wanting to know more. There have been questions about the gospel I have wanted to know for years and this week has been crazy because every question and every wonder has been answered.
The food here is not good for you... as Dad probably knows. The food here is silent but deadly... and people eat alot of it... but other then that the MTC is amazing. There is definitely no other place in the world like this.
Please keep trying to sell my dirt bike... it would be a good idea if you would get new grips for it.

Yesterday was the TRC and it was way cool. It is the place were you role play investigators and missionaries and teach the gospel to investigators. It was the strongest I have ever felt the spirit. It was amazing and me and my companion did way well... in fact I would even say fantastic! I loved it! A lot of people fear the TRC, but I think it is one of the greatest things here in the MTC.
My time has come to an end but I just want you to know I love you.
Tell Kaitlyn to keep the Miller name known while I'm gone.

PS PS - I need Jake's and Taylor's addresses. Look for the phone numbers in my old phone and dont forget to cancel the Xbox live account. I have thirty seconds so I definitely love you and have a wonderful week!

Love,

Big B Miller

Anziano Miller

My First Companion

Anziano Luke from Virginia, he reminds me of Cache Guzy but 5 inches taller. He is 19 and has studied at Virginia Tech and has also been in the corps. Anziano Luke and i get along great he is a little more persistent. He always needs to be everywhere 5 minutes in advance and ahead of everyone else. He studied a little bit of Italian before he got here, so he has been teaching me quite a bit of it. we are ahead of the group for now, but they will catch up no doubt.

The Drop Off