Tender Mercies

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a great week! We sure did here in Oxnardia.

Oxnard is great. I love the work here. This week Hermana Eames and

Hermana Huey contacted an awesome referral from Elder Law that are

super solid investigators. They are currently reading in 2 Nephi in

the Book of Mormon (after starting in the beginning) and have such

incredible desires to learn more. We are so excited to start working

with that family, and to see what will come of that. We focused a lot

this week on doing a lot of How to begin teaching and getting to know

our investigators more. One really cool miracle that we saw come from

that is finding a major concern of one of our investigators. He had

been telling us for weeks that he had been asking off Sundays, and

just not getting them, but after taking the time to get to know him,

and really showing how much we cared, he opened up to us, and shared

that he hadn't asked any off, and that he wasn't sure how he could do

it. He asked how we could give up so much to come on our missions, and

we shared a lot about faith, and how we have to just trust in our

Heavenly Father's promises. We are excited to keep working with him,

and to help him progress towards baptism. This coming week we are

going to work on doing the same thing with our Less Actives, really

getting to know them and finding out how we can help them. We are

excited to see what will come of that.

Someone came up last Monday and surprised me at emails. I figured this

was the most appropriate photo to describe our relationship.

This week I have a strong testimony of the phrase "the tender mercies

of the Lord." This Saturday was a huge one. Hermana Brown and I went

on exchanges with Hermana Newland in Ventura. Exchanges in and of

themselves were great. It was awesome to have some time to get away

from everything, and to have a fun change of scenery, and do some

awesome work. Hermana Newland is awesome, too, so that doesn't hurt

anything. The coolest part though was a baptism we went to on Saturday

morning. Apparently one of the Elders had told Hermana Newland that if

I was the one who was going to be in Ventura, that we needed to come,

though we had no idea why. When I walked in we found out it was a

baptism from the Ojai ward I nearly cried. Seeing everyone was so

incredibly awesome, and just what I needed. It was incredible to get

to see D. and S. again. I am still giggling like a little girl

over how happy that baptism made me. The Lord has perfect timing and a

perfect plan. It was an incredible day.

Best reunion ever!

This week we did a lot of service for the O. family, a part member

recent convert family, who moved to Idaho. It was sad to see them

leave, but awesome to get to help them so much. I will let you know

when I finally get all the paint out of my hair... :)

I love you all so much, and hope life is good for all of you. I love

Oxnard so much. I love this mission so much. Life is crazy good.

Hermana Courtney Miller

Becoming Perfected through Christ

Helllllooooo everyone! I hope you had a fantastic week!

Oxnard is doing really well. We spent a ton of our time this week

focusing on our LARCs and we were able to have so many of them at

church on Sunday. It was truly a miracle. I am so grateful for the

blessings we see as missionaries. Another really cool miracle that we

saw this week was with E., who comes from a part member family.

He knows that he needs to be baptized, has a testimony of everything,

but just doesn't feel like it is his time yet. He came to a baptism on

Saturday, however, and LOVED it. He was crying, and felt the spirit so

strong. After, just joking, we asked, "So we will all be here next

weekend for your's? Right?" His response: "I'm thinking about it."

WHAT?! Such a change of heart. It was such an incredible thing. He

still won't commit to this Friday as a date, but we are all praying

for a miracle. Other that that Oxnard just keeps on keeping on. It is

such a great place.

We have also spent this week helping to paint the house of a recent

convert family who is getting ready to move. It has been a blast. I

will let you know when I can get all the paint out of my hair

though….

My testimony this week has been strengthened about how we can become

perfected through Christ. Mind you, I am no where NEAR perfect, nor do

I claim to be, but I have seen this week how much of a different

person I have become on my mission, in a good way. We were talking a

lot about being consecrated missionaries this week, and I was thinking

about how a consecrated missionary is one who sees who Christ wants

them to become, and does everything they can to get there. Again, I

don't claim to be even slightly good at this, but as I look back over

this year plus some, I see how much my desires have changed, and I am

so grateful that we can truly put off the Natural Man through Christ.

I am grateful for that.

I love being a missionary. Life is good.

Yes, you can all kill me. We didn't take many pictures this week. 

But here is one from last P-Day. It was Elder James' last day, so we had a feast, and hung out. It was a riot.

 #DeerGangForLife #Oxnard6ForTheWin

Have another awesome week!

Con carino,

Hermana Courtney Miller

Christ Can Help Us with All Things--Phillipians 4:13

Hello Everyone! Time is already running short this week, but I have so

much to write. Sorry if this is just all word vomit! Here we go:

So last Monday, our whole zone was together, and we ALL got the

stomach flu. Just like that the Camarillo Spanish zone was out. Only 2

sets of Elders made it out unscathed. Hermana Brown and I were out all

of Tuesday and Wednesday. The poor Elders had to practically babysit

us. We were such a wreck. It was not a pretty sight.

Since the Elders couldn't come in the apartment, they brought lunch to

the sickys and sat outside and talked to us. They're literally the

BEST!

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner of champions (Or just sick people.)

Wednesday night I was finally feeling better, but around 10:30 Hermana

Price had some weird things happen with her head, and I was rushing

her to the ER (Hermana Brown was still sick, and Hermana Eames can't

drive yet.) She had been having problems all transfer, but had been

doing so much better. It came as a surprise to everyone. President and

Sister Felix met us at the ER, and then... we waited. Stupid ER. We

were there until about 2 until Hermana Price was finally seen, and

then we waited some more while she was seen. Sister Felix went back to

the room with her, and President and I waited outside. It was a crazy

night. Sleep deprivation was real, and anyone who has seen me around 3

in the morning knows it was not a pretty sight. We all had some good

laughs, and some sitting staring at the wall, and talked about pretty

much every topic known to mankind. It was an adventure, that's for

sure. They weren't able to find any problems, and couldn't run and MRI

on her for some reason that I still haven't figured out. (Which is

probably a good thing because other wise I probs would have gone crazy

on that ER staff.)

Sand dunes, or mountains?? The world may never know...#EarlyMorningERAdventures

Anyway, Thursday, President called and let us know that Hermana Price

would be going home on Friday, since no one could figure anything out.

It wasn't a huge surprise to any of us, but it was still hard to hear.

She left early Friday morning. We are still going through Pricey

withdrawals! Anyway, that left 3 of us in the struggle bus that is

apartment 851, and we are now tri-panning it! We will actually all be

staying together for the next transfer, too, which we are excited

about.

We are all going to miss Hermana Price SOOO MUCCCHHHH!!!!

It has been a roller coaster of a week, and we are all DEAD tired, but

it has been a good week as well. My testimony has definitely been

strengthened on the fact that Christ can help us with all things.

Phillipians 4:13 has become my mantra for life. If you haven't read it

recently, go, pull out your Bible, and read it again. It is so true.

We can do everything with Christ on our side. This week proves it. We

go through hard things, but at the end of the day it all comes

together to work for our good.

Life is never what we expect. But it is exactly what we need.

Anyway, there is the insanity that was this week.

I love you all so much and am so grateful for the support and love you

all give. You are all always in my prayers.

Now, go have an awesome week. Okay? Okay.

Con Carino,

Hermana Courtney Miller

Two Baptisms in one week!!!

Helllllooooo everyone! I hope everyone had a great week!

Sorry this will be short, which feels silly because SO MUCH HAPPENED

THIS WEEK! I just figured you would all appreciate pictures, and those

took FOREVER to upload. So enjoy those.

Most of the pictures come from our Zone Hike this weekend. There were

three zones, and we went hiking down in Newbury Park, and it was so

pretty, and so much fun. We all got really sunburnt, were super tired,

and it was a ton of fun. I loved it.

Our apartment. We struggle.

Yay for Zone Activity Hikes!

#DeerGang #Oxnard6th #DeerWithHashtagAntlers

#Don’tUnderstandTheseShirtsButILoveThem

Oxnard 6th ward. You wish you were as cool as us.

This week was also E.'s Baptism! It was such an awesome baptism, and

such a spiritual event. It was awesome. She is so happy, and it was so

cool to see.

Baptism Selfies

We had a ton of fun this week, saw a ton of cool miracles, and

laughed. A LOT! That's a recipe for a good week if you ask me.

This is the last week of the transfer, which I can't believe. I don't

know what has happened with time! It just isn't a thing any more! Ahh!

SPIDERMANNNNNN!!!

I love you all so much, and hope you keep being awesome. I will find

more to write next week, I promise.

Hermana Courtney Miller

First Baptism!!!

What an awesome week! Oxnard is doing great. This weekend S. was

baptized, which was so awesome. It was such a great day. She comes

from a part member family, and everyone was so excited for her

baptism. Her mom, who is a returned missionary, and has a really

strong testimony, was so excited. It was so cute. She cried the whole

time. It was such a testimony of how the gospel brings families

together. It was an incredible experience to be a part of. S. has

such a strong testimony, and we were so excited to help her make this

step in her life. 

S's Baptism this weekend! It was AWESOME! She was baptized by her

brother, H., and it was such a cool day.

This next weekend, we will have the baptism of E.

Another awesome lady. She was going to get baptized this weekend, but

she had to be out of town. She is currently battling cancer, and going

through so much personally in her life, but she is so strong, so full

of charity, and such a good example to me of the kind of person I want

to be. She has learned to find strength and power through the

scriptures and prayer, and it has been neat to see her grow through

that. One really neat lesson happened this week when we taught her

about temples. She was so moved by knowing that her Mother and Father

would get a chance to take part in this gospel. More than that, with

her cancer, the doctors say that they have run out of options, and

they are not sure how long she will have left. She asked us if someone

would be able to take her name to the temple if she were to pass away

before she could make it to the temple, and when we told her that that

is what temples are all about, she was so moved, and touched. Who

knows what will happen in the next year, but I was so touched this

week about the power of temples, and knowing that no matter what, our

Heavenly Father will give us a chance. Especially for someone who is

trying to live so righteously. We are really excited for her baptism.

(But I don't think anyone is as excited as E. She keeps saying she

feels like a little girl and is giggling all the time thinking about

it. Precious!) Oxnard is full of miracles. Another awesome miracle we

saw this week was three of our less actives coming back to church.

They are meeting with bishop, and making all the necessary steps to

regain all of the blessings this gospel holds, and it is incredible to

see. They give me hope. They are so awesome! I love this work!

Sometimes the Young Women sticky note your car thinking you are the

English Elders. Oh well! We got some good laughs out of it!

My only complaint is that time is moving WAYYYY TOO FAST! I can't

believe it. I am just so grateful to be here, and am loving every

minute. Life is good. What can I say.

I hope you all have a great week.

Con Amor

Hermana Courtney Miller

Happy Mother's Day!

Hello Everyone!

I hope you had a great Mother's day. It was awesome to get to talk to

my family, and I am sure Missionaries and Missionary Mom's everywhere

feel the same.

Because, I know you all want to see more pictures of the food I am eating.

Sometimes, you make some really gourmet veggie burgers for lunch, and

you have to take some pictures before you DEVOUR them.

Oxnard is great. We saw so many crazy miracles this week. One of the

crazy miracles that we saw this week was finding a less active that we

had no record of. We had a teaching record for her father in the area

book, and had put him in our plans multiple times over the course of

the transfer, but never really felt in the moment that we should stop

by. We felt this week, however, that we did need to stop by, and when

we did, his less active daughter answered, and we talked with her for

a bit and set up a return appointment. We went by Saturday, and she

told us that it was perfect timing when we had stopped by, and that

she felt it really was time for her and her brother to come back to

church. There is a lot going on in their family, and she expressed

that she really wants the strength and spirit that comes from taking

the sacrament back in her life. We told her that we felt we needed to

stop by that day, and it helped her recognize that her Father in

Heaven has not forgotten about her. It was a cool experience. We had

some awesome lessons this week with S. and E., both of whom are

preparing to be baptized this coming Saturday along with R., one

of Hermana Brown and Hermana Price's investigators. It is going to be

a great week here in Oxnard 6th ward! Both S. and E. are

incredibly excited for their baptisms, and it is so awesome to see

people be so excited to follow Jesus Christ. S., yesterday, knew

she had to be at sacrament meeting this week to be able to be

baptized, and was on her way there with her mom and brother, when

their tire popped. So they walked home, got the stuff, fixed it, and

came. There was nothing stopping them. Because of that, not only is

S. going to be able to be baptized, but H., her older brother

was able to be ordained a priest, and will be able to baptize her this

weekend! Such an incredible experience. There are so many blessings

that come with making and taking those steps on our path back to our

Father in Heaven, and I can't wait to see them grow and progress as

they take those steps towards the waters of Baptism. We also saw so

many other miracles this week that time won't even allow me to share,

but just know my heart is so full with the outpouring of blessings

that are coming from our Heavenly Father. What an incredible work to

be a part of.

We cut off all of Hermana Brown's hair! (That's a long story for

another time) But, about 12 inches, and lots of straightening irons,

and hair products later, it looks GOOD!

(Hermana Eames makes the picture so much better.)

I hope everything is great with all of you! I love you lots!

My Companion, the burrito.

Hermana Eames, Hermana Brown, and Elder Lemus keeping it classy at the

Mother's Day Party.

Stay awesome.

Hermana Courtney Miller

Cloud Nine!

Firstly, everyone, I am so deeply sorry. I forgot my camera. Double

pictures next week, I suppose!

Oxnard. Oh, Oxnard. I am in love with this place. We have had such an

incredible week! I can't handle it! First miracle is our investigator

E. She is incredible! She was originally set with a Baptismal date

of May 30th, but is undergoing chemo for cancer right now, and she

knows this is true, and just doesn't feel like she can wait, and so

she wants to move her date to the 12th! We have a lot left to teach

her, but she said she is willing to do whatever she needs to to hit

that date. (It is also her birthday.) We are so excited! She is

incredible. We are also working with our investigator S. towards

baptism on the 16th. Her mom and brother are members, and she is

excited for her baptism! She is keeping all of her commitments, and

progressing well. It is so incredible to see people have such a desire

to be baptized. They make the work so exciting. This area is just so

booming right now. We got a lot of referrals this week, and saw tons

of miracles. This next week is going to be great. I just feel so at

home here. The ward is incredible. I have missed Spanish congregations

so badly, it is SO good to be back. The ward is so welcoming, and

awesome, and I literally never ever want to leave. We had the most

incredible Family Home Evening on Friday night with a few members, Recent Converts, and

investigators. We watched the "missionary mom" section from Meet the

Mormons, and shared why we want to serve. The spirit there was SO

STRONG, and it was the most incredible experience. The whole week has

pretty much followed that pattern. INCREDIBLE! I LOVE IT!

This week, we started this AWESOME zone goal, that has had us studying

the Book Of Mormon, looking for specific things about being led by the Spirit. It

has built my testimony, and love for the scriptures so much. I know as

we go forward with faith, the spirit does guide us, and we are always

where we need to be!

We did some service for members this week, and it was great. They are

starting to see how service allows us to fulfill our purpose, and I

know as we go forward, we will get more opportunities to serve.

It has been such an awesome week. I feel like I am on cloud 9. This is

what being a missionary is all about! I LOVE IT! Life is good my

friends. Life. Is. Good.

I love you all. Have a great week! Stay awesome!

Hermana Courtney Miller