Week 5 in Homer, Alaska

I think I am becoming far too Alaskan for my own good. Tourists make
me angry, I'd rather drive on dirt roads than pavement, and TV shows
about Alaska make me want to break the TV. Those shows are so dumb.
There was a member of our ward here who's from Homer Alaska who was
paid 1,000 dollars to walk around Homer, look at houses, and pretend
to be someone looking to by a house which isn't even for sale, because
it's owned by another member of the ward. It's just another prime
example of the man trying to squeeze as much money out of the most
beautiful place on earth as possible. Grumble Grumble. Alright, my
Alaska rage is sedated. For now.

This week was pretty fun. The area here is too huge. We use so many
miles on the truck it's unbelievable. Today we went down to the
Russian village Voznenskya to check it out. That was pretty fun.
Russians party hard up here. It's scary. We drove down the steepest
hill ever and ended up driving along the beach for a while. It doesn't
make much sense to me either. Nobody knows how to lay out a town
apparently. Or they just don't care. Or they were drunk. Probably a
combination of all three.

We also had a lot of success on the Spit this week. One day as we were
walking along the harbor to guys yelled at us from up above and
invited us to talk with them. So of course we did. I thought we were
about to get reamed by some drunks, but we actually ended up having a
really good, spiritually uplifting conversation with some drunks. It
was pretty awesome. Craig and Kevin. My two main Spit homies. Then the
next day we started a conversation with the most touristy looking
people on the Spit and it turned out they were locals and one of them
was a less active member. They gave us their contact info and we set
up a lesson. Craziness. When the weathers nice people love talking on
the Spit. It's super fun.

We also got a tour of an ice factory. That was pretty crazy. I never
knew so much effort went into the making of ice. The more you know.

We were able to teach a lot this week and some of our people's are
finally starting to progress which is really nice. Hopefully soon the
area will be en fuego like it should be. That's the dream. Alright
people. I love you all. Peace out.

Elder John Miller

Week 4 in Homer, Alaska

Howdy,

I say howdy all the time when I greet people now. I'm turning into an
Alaskan red neck. That's different than your average red neck. They're
more crazy. And they live in dry cabins and sometimes walk around in
nothing but chest waders. Don't ask me why. I don't ask.

This week has mainly been filled with rain. Which is good because I
like the rain. But it makes everyone else all cranky. So luckily the
sun came out for a few days and we were able to talk to a ton of
people. The second run of the red salmon hit this week and dip netting
is starting so everyone is fishing right now. And we eat a lot of
fish. It's so good. This one guy who fed us halibut took the halibut,
cleaned it, filleted it, deboned it, then chopped it up, breaded it,
and dropped it in a frier. It doesn't get much fresher than that. The
whole time I was thinking "Man, if there's bacteria in this I might
get diarrhea for a week, but I don't care, it tastes too good." I did
not get diarrhea for a week, thankfully.

We also went on exchanges this week so I was up in Sterling with my
zone leader Elder Bailey. We did a service project while we were there
for this man at his home which was seriously rundown and he's trying
to renovate it. He's a former drug addiction, his wife is in failing
health, and their house is falling apart. And he has two kids, a son
who's like a little mechanic, and a daughter who's like an Olympic
level gymnast. And even in this rough situation this guy is one of the
best dad's I've ever seen. He supports his kids in every way and
provides for them when he can barely provide for himself. It was
really impressive. Oh, and that girl did a round off into a triple
back hand spring into a back flip and landed it off the trampoline
with a perfect finish. Next year they're trying to find an Olympic
coach for her. It was nuts. Random people you meet in Sterling Alaska.

Also, last Saturday, Jackson, the guy I taught in the YSA, got
baptized! And Elder Call was the one who baptized him! It made me so
happy. I was so overjoyed at the whole situation. I wish I had been
able to be there, but just knowing that I got the privilege to help
him out feels good to me. Now we just have to get the rest of them.

That's the highlights over here. Hopefully y'all (dang it) are having
a good time as well. Enjoy the travesty of not being in Alaska.

Love
Elder John Miller

Elder Bailey and Elder Miller

On exchanges with Elder Bailey in Sterling, AK

The Kenai River

Zone Meeting

Jackson on the day of his baptism.  Elder Call is the one in white next to him.

Week 3 in Homer, Alaska!

Happy Independence Day!

So the Fourth is kind of lame in Alaska because it's so light out so
late, so you can't even see the fireworks. Saying that, they're also
Alaskans so they just blow stuff up anyways. Because huge explosions
are fun. And massive forest fires are fun. That's why fireworks are
illegal here. Too bad no one cares.

This week was pretty slow here in Homer because of the holiday weekend
and it's been raining for days. People get grumpy when the clouds are
out. But other than that we're still doing good. This week we went out
to the Russian villages and they are sketchy. The roads are all
unpaved and they drive so fast down them. While they're drunk. And
shooting off firearms. It's awesome and terrifying at the same time.
Also, at one point we were driving down the road and this guy just
started sprinting after our truck. But they have a super pretty church
out there. The patron saint of it is Saint Nicholas.

I also got stung by a hornet twice. We were doing a service project at
Haven House (the abused women's shelter in Homer) and as I was putting
a box in a shed I learned there was a hornet nest in there. They came
at me. Elder Contreras smashed one so they came at us. We ran. They
got me anyway. My hand is still a little swollen.

We also met two crazy cat ladies, cut down a tree with a machete, ate
some pie, bought some big knives, shanked a punching bag with them,
and then ate some more pie. Good times. Hopefully this next week the
sun comes out and everyone is in a better mood. Have a good fourth of
July everybody! It's one of my favorite holidays. So enjoy it for me.

Elder Miller

Week 2 in Homer, Alaska!

Hello!

It's been a crazy week up here in the AK, but it's been a lot of fun.
There's a lot of service to do here in Homer, I think we're in service
clothes almost every day of the week. It's a good work out for sure.
From digging ditches to putting up greenhouses to working in community
thrift stores, there's always something to do. It has certainly been a
lot of fun.

This Tuesday we had perhaps the most ghetto district meeting of all
time. Our district is spread out so we have to use PVC(public video
conference) to have district meetings. Well, our PVC connection was
down, so we had to improvise. We Facetimed one set of elders on Elder
Contreras iPad and the other set on my iPad. The connection was
terrible so people were cutting in and out all the time. Then my iPad
died. So we ended it on the phone. The best part was that President
Robinson was there with us. Fun times.

We've actually been doing a lot of teaching in this area and it's been
really fun. Teaching is good. There are a few progressing
investigators, but I am still trying to get to know everybody, so I'll
update you on all the people later. The people here are awesome
though, they really are. The problem is, most of the people we teach
are willing to listen but they aren't willing to change. So we got to
keep going out and finding more.

This week we also had a zone conference in Soldotna, which is a 170
mile round trip. So we road tripped pretty good this week. It is so
hard to use a conservative amount of miles here. This area is too
huge.

Elder Contreras is awesome. He's probably my craziest companion so far
and it's been a lot of fun for the past two weeks. We'll see what the
future holds. Alright everyone, have a good week! Next week I might be
fishing, if I am, that's why I don't email you back.

First Week in Homer, Alaska

Hello!

This week has been pretty crazy. I got to Homer last Tuesday and let
me tell you, this is the promised land. It's incredible here. The
ocean is right here, there's volcanoes across the way, everything is
vibrant and green and beautiful, and the people are hilarious. It's a
drinking town with a fishing problem as they say. Look it up. It's
seriously amazing. If you're going to visit Alaska at some point in
your life, visit Homer. It's the bomb.

My new companion, Elder Contreras, is a pretty cool guy as well. It's
been a lot of fun so far, but there's not many investigators here. The
fun part is that because it's tourist season cruise ships come in and
drop people off so there's plenty of people to talk to. There's a
place called the Homer Spit that is basically a five mile long jut out
into the ocean that has docks all around it and some restaurants and
tourist shops on it. So we go down there and talk to people all day
long. We have a huge area, we drive a lot to get to different parts.
We cover Anchor Point, a small town, Ninilchik, a village, and three
Russian villages who's names I can't spell. And it would be offensive
if I tried. So that's my life right now. There's no other missionaries
even remotely close to us so p day is just me and my companion, who is
currently taking a nap. Sleep is good. I'll probably take a nap too.

Everyone in this town is crazy, especially the members. This is what
they call "True Alaska" as opposed to the cities like Anchorage or
Fairbanks. So the people here are very stereotypical Alaskans that you
would see on TV shows. But those shows don't give any credit to the
people here. They're amazing and hilarious and actually really good
people. And they all hate the TV shows made about them. They think
that it brings more people out here, and that's exactly what they
don't want.

So all in all life is great. Getting into a new area is always
stressful, but it's definitely fun and exciting. We do a lot of
service here which is pretty cool, cause we didn't do much of it in
Anchorage. So that's nice too. Life is awesome. Stay gold. Have a good
week!

Love,
Elder Miller

Week 42, Anchorage, Alaska Mission

Hombres,

So the big news this week is that I'm getting transferred! After
spending 26 weeks here in Cook Inlet I'm heading off to Homer! That's
on the southern tip of the Kenai peninsula. That's deep bush right
there. It's also a tourist town, which is going to be pretty fun. I
can get everyone Salty Dog hoodies if they send me money, just saying.
My new companion is going to be Elder Contreras. I'm super excited,
this is so cool. I'm also going to be the district leader, which is
less exciting, but it will be fun. My district is all over 150 miles
from me. So that will be nuts. District meeting will be over PVC,
which is going to be weird.

So let me tell you about Eve. She's the best. She read the entire Book
of Mormon. In a week. That's crazy. We've taught her a few lessons and
she's on date for baptism. That's awesome! But now I won't be here for
it which is really sad. Dang it life.

Now I must go, but have a great week everybody! I love you all. See
you next week! Well, not really, but you get me.

Love,
Elder Miller

Eating Pie with President Robinson 

Elder Call, Elder Miller, and a senior couple 

Getting nose hairs waxed 

Eating pie with President Robinson

Week 26 in Anchorage/ Cook Inlet YSA

I've spent 26 weeks so far in this area. Transfer calls are this
Friday so I'll let you know next week what's going on. I don't know
what I want to happen at this point. I love this ward and the people
here and the work is going really well, so that probably means I'm due
to leave. That's okay though! Life is exciting as a missionary no
matter where you are. But if I don't stay, I hope I go somewhere
crazy. But we'll see what happens.

I would love to send you pictures of the baptism this week, but I
can't. Mainly because there was no baptism. We rescheduled Marc's
baptism for the 25th of June, so if I get transferred out to somewhere
not in Anchorage I won't get to be there. Jackson's is on the 2nd of
July now, so I won't get to see that one either. Dang it. These people
have come so far and I absolutely love them, I wish I could see them
take that step in following the Savior. But the important thing is
that they're doing it. I don't need to be here for that.

Jackson is the best investigator ever. This week he started sharing
the Gospel with his family and friends, and recently gave us two
referrals. That's awesome. He's also the funniest person ever. He
challenged me last week to a fancy-suit-off last week, so I destroyed
him. It was awesome. He's told us that after he's baptized his goal is
to find a Mormon wife, move to Utah, and have 82 kids. He already
knows the drill.

Other weekly highlights include: We had a sweet temple trip, Elder
Call and I had our last trainer-trainee meeting, I ate way too many
bowls of crunch berries (the cereal), all the departing missionaries
are getting really trunky, and we had a lot of scary times with bees.

Despite all the craziness this week turned out pretty awesome.
Hopefully yours did too. And hopefully this one does too.