April 27, 2009

Foto

Well, Thank you everybody for writing me this week. I also want to thank specifically mom for the package, as I received it Tuesday, and after that I had to wait until Monday to open it. It arrived nine days after it was sent. Rapido....

Well, I am really happy to hear that all the niños are safe and sound. Niños are children, in case their were any doubts. Well, things are going really well here in Lima, and I am really excited to work in this new ward of Balconcillo, as it is full of members that want to help in the work, and a Mission Leader who is really excited and willing to work. I feel that we are going to see some miraculous things happen here.

I received some sad news yesterday from my old companion in Ica. A month ago we baptized a sister named Marselina, and her husband Virgilio has been a member faithful for almost four years. I was informed yesterday that he had passed away Friday. I really have a special love for this family, and this brother really was a great man and friend to me. But I am very glad that he was able to see his wife be baptized, and that now they will in the future have the opportunity to be united for eternity. That is what really matters.

I am not going to write much more, because today I found a USB cable, and I am going to send some photos of the mission.

I know this church is true. I know that this really is a special time, a wonderful blessing that I have now to serve the Lord 100 percent of the time and effort. I love my Savior Jesus Christ and I know He lives.

Love, Elder Milner

And Lima is actually one hour behind Floriday. so I am thinking that on Mother´s day you can call me at the number 0051-421-4728. And this would be fine probably at about 3:00 time here in Perú, which will be four oclock in Florida. And you can coordinate that with Carli and Kristi. I will confirm this next week.

It was really slow this week. I will send more next week.

April 20, 2009

Limatambo

I really love that name, Limatambo. It makes me think of a sort of Latino dance, although I can not even try it out now, as I am a missionary. But I am sure that later in life we will have plenty of time to do that type of thing. I am writing to inform that my dìa de preparaciòn, or Preparation day, will continue to be Monday. We only had this preparation day in the Office Saturday, because they had to work on transfers for all the week. Well, I am still in training here from the old Secretary to the President, but that is going to end here this Thursday. And then I am on my own. But thats okay, I suppose it will make me learn a lot faster. What I do as Secretary to the President is just like a regular Secretary to a business person. Well, sort of. I deal with the correo, or the email for the mission, and I deal with the new missionaries that come, and the missionaries that finish, with their plane tickets and all that stuff. I also help the President plan his schedule, and I book his hotels. But the best part of all this is that I still get to be a missionary, and I get to leave and proselyte for the afternoons. In this week I was really missing being out in the field, as I was in the office almost the whole time. But now it is getting better, and I was out all day yesterday. Los dìas Domingos (Sundays) we don`t go into the office. Tampoco los Sabados (Saturdays) o los Lunes (Mondays).

Mom wanted me to write my ten favorite memories of Ica. Well, I will try and think of ten, as there are many, but I can`t remember them at the moment. Just kidding.

In no apparent order of preference
1. The first day when I left to proselyte in Ica with my companion Elder Velasquez. My companion measured in at a crisp 5 feet tall I believe, and in each of the District councils, the Zone leaders would say, ¨Okay, the Aaronic Priesthood with Elder Velasquez.´¨ I should have felt bad, but it was funny.
2. Definitely unforgettable is the River of Garbage. Definitely unforgettable. And I believe that I sent a photo, so I can always remember.
3. The Reyes Family. We baptized Angelica, and her son Leonardo in January. The husband Eduardo is a member, and we had the chance to help them be a family complete in the Gospel.
4. The Eternal Sun that is Ica. Wow.
5. Feliciana Aguilar Salazar. Wow, this sister is amazing. I love her a lot, as she is like my grandma. Well, my third grandma. We contacted her and we taught her right away, and she just progressed incredibly. She was baptized, and I was really really a happy Elder. She hasn`t missed a Sunday since.

Well, my time is running out, so I will have to write the others next week. I love you all, and I love this gospel. I know that this Church is really the Church of Jesus Christ, restored to the Earth, and the He leads it. And I know that He lives.

Love, Elder Milner

April 18, 2009

niños

Hey everybody, I am sorry that this probably isn{t going to be as long as usual, but I had a lot of picutres and emails to look at this week, as this week was pretty important. Uncle Elder Milner.... has a nice ring to it, don´t you think?

Well I am most happy to hear that Angie and the babies are all doing alright. I was thinking that it was very likely that they were going to be born in this time that I have not written, so I was pretty anxious to hear about it. I am sure you weren´t all that worried about this email being late for this week, because you were all pretty preocupied.

Well, the reason that I am writing this letter late, is because............. drum roll.......

I have had a transfer. I am now in Lima, and I am in the Zone Limatambo. I am actually in the Office now, and I am Secretary to the President. There are four Secretaries with me here in the office, and the Assistents. I know that secretaries are usually women, but it doesn{t work that way in the mission. I still get to leave and proselyte each day, although not really in this past week. We are in the office until four oclock each day, and then we can leave and proselyte for the afternoon. I feel a little bit overwhelmed, but it is coming along, and I have been helped a lot by the Lord.

It has been a great opportunity as well to get to know a lot better President Fierro. He is really an inspired leader, called of God to lead this mission. It is interesting as well, because in two changes, a new President, President Manning, will be coming in. We will be sad to see President Fierro go, but excited to see a new President as well.

I now live with 10 people in our Apartment. Ten! But it is pretty big, so it isn´t two much of a problem. As shown before, in Mom and Dad´s house we have been known to fit 60 some people.

I was very happy this week to receive two packages, one from Carli and one from Stacey. Thank you so much for these, and for the letters I receive from you all each week.

I was sad to leave Ica when they phoned and told me I had a change. I have really come to love the people that I have met there, and the people with whom I have had the priviledge to share the good news of the Gospel. But I will never forget them. I know that this Church is true. I know that it is guided by living revelation. Jesus Christ is guiding this church. What a great blessing it is to know that our Savior, the only perfect man to walk the Earth, lives, and still is showering His love among his brothers and sisters. I love my Savior, and pray each day that I may serve Him better.

Well, I have to go now, but I will write again next week.

Love, Elder Milner (Uncle)

April 6, 2009

Pierre and Francisco‏

Hello everyone from the eternal sun that is Ica. It is alright, I am happy to be here, even if I am now a permanent tomato. I hope you will all still love me, if I come back like that.Well, thank you everyone for writing me this week. And I mean everyone. I haven{t heard from so many people in all my mission. It was great to hear that everyone is still happy and busy, and that from everyones comments that your personalities are just like i remember them.

Well, we listened to the conference this past weekend. Well, I don´t know what to say. IT was a completely different experience than before. Even in the CCM in Lima, it wasn´t quite like this. It was incredible to see that the sessions kept finishing so fast. It was as though two hours was two minutes. And i am not just saying it. I liked it when Elder Holland spoke of the Atonement, and how Our Savior had to have this experience completely alone, even for a brief moment where He was separated from the presence of the Spirit as He took our sins upon Him. But even in the midst of this lonely road, this time of anguish with no one to support and be there with Him, His goodness perservered, and His love for us sustained Him, and His faith kept Him faithful to His purpose, and He overcame the death, Spiritual and Temporal for us.

I also loved the talk President Monson gave following Elder Holland, about the power of faith in the midst of Trial. every talk was incredible, and I am so grateful to have a Living Prophet, and leaders who guide us with inspiration from God.

Well, I need to go now, but I am going to leave my testimony, as I know that this Gospel is in reality of Jesus Christ. He guides His living Church, and we are all a part of this great, amazing reality. What a blessing to have a plan for our Salvation. What a blessing to have a Savior, even Jesus Christ. I know He lives.

Love, Elder Milner.

March 30, 2009

pequeñas y sencillas cosas‏

Hey everyone thank you for you emails. It is always a great support and fun time to hear from each and everyone of your lives. It is always nice to hear that you are all progressing and living life to the fullest.

So the biggest news that I seemed to hear this week was that of the Greater than us all concert. When is Easter this month. I think that Easter is one of the holidays most misunderstood really throughout the year. When we think of Easter, we think of chocolate, eggs, candy. But what we don´t put enough emphasis in is that really we celebrate one of the days most important throughout the history of the world. The day that our Savior overcame the grave, the physical and spiritual death. the day that we really received the great gift to be able to once again go and be in the presence of our Father in Heaven. We were a lost people before this great moment, hopelessly lost in our imperfections. but our Savior Jesus Christ made it possible to overcome all of our weaknesses, all of our faults. And now He Lives.

It is kind of funny to write with these keyboards here, because they have some different letters. In the Spanish alphabet, there are 30 letters. Interesting, eh? The extras are CH, which is pronounced chay; ñ, which is pronounced enyay; ll, which is pronounced ayyay; and rr, which is pronounced errrray, with a roll of the tongue. It is pretty interesting to see the differences even in the alphabet.

THings are going well as always here, and we had our multizone conference this past Friday and interviews this past Monday. So we had a pretty full week. Well, it is always full, but this week especially. WE are teaching a family, the Olivera Family, and they are so great. Hermano José and Hermana Ingrid are the parent, and Katya and Angela are the daughters. We are really excited for them, Hermana Ingrid has said that she wants to be baptized this 11 of April. We are preparing for this date now, and we hope to help the whole family be baptized for this date. REally it is amazing how much these people feel like my own family, and how in the mission really Ï have come to understand that we really are all brothers and sisters.

We will be watching the Conference this weekend, and I am really looking forward to it. Of course we will be watching it in Spanish, and that is alright, because I can understand a little better now than i could six months ago. :)

Well, I was going to say something else, but I can´t remember. ANd I only have three minutes. I love this Gospel, and I love My Savior Jesus Christ. I know that My Reedemer Lives, and is ready to guide us in all aspects of life. But we need to let Him do so. So much depends on our own decisions. But all things depend on His grace.

I love you, y ustedes son la mejor familia de todo el mundo!

Elder Kenneth Milner

March 23, 2009

un día van a entender mis sujetos‏

hey everyone thanks for all the emails. It really means a lot to hear from all of you, as I always feel your support and it helps me always to keep remembering the importance of this work. I like to hear and learn from all of your testimonies, and I feel my own strengthen each time I read yours.the heat is actually starting to tone down a little bit here. It is still hot like none other, but now its more like a really hot day in Canada. We are starting winter soon here, and I heard that during the day it doesn´t really change a whole lot. Oh well, I am pretty acostumbrado a esta clima, or so they say.

I bought some shoes in this past week, that are a little bit small, but what can you do in a world where all the people have small feet. But I am now playing futbol again, and happy to be doing so. I wish that they played more soccer in Canada...

in this week we had the opportunity to baptize two single adults. They are named Alvaro and Ruth. We have taught them for almost four months, and we had the great privilidge to help them prepare for this ordinance that is so important. At the baptism we had a lot of support from the single adults, and i feel like they are really going to be a great support for Alvaro and Ruth. Here in Peru we don´t have single adult wards, the single adults all congregate in the family wards, but have their classes and actividades normales. I had the opportunity to baptize Alvaro, and although he is a pretty big guy, it was very easy. Maybe I have just become really strong, or something...

THis week i don{t have a whole lot of time, so I am going to have to end a little bit early. I know that this church is true, and I know that our Father in Heaven is guiding it. It is really so amazing to consider thta really this is a living church, that really we are receiving, through a prophet, revelation and help in how we can return home to a Father who is waiting anxiously. I love you all, and I will talk to you this next week.}

Elder Kenneth Milner

March 16, 2009

`Arroz y pollo‏

hey thank you everyone for writing me. I got a letter from all of you and it was great to hear from each and everyone of you. You all have these distinct lives, but still are connected so much. I guess that is how the family works. Always connected, for eternity.
I am still eating rice and chicken everyday. I just stopped talking about it because I started to think that you all were probably getting tired of hearing about it all the time. For breakfast i always eat these buns, though they are nothing like the buns from home, and a lot of the time yogurt. THe yogurt es lo màximo! Which means the best. They even have apple flavored yogurt. So good. I also eat mangoes, apples, oranges, and whatever I can find usually. I can´t eat the grapes here, because I always get sick when I eat them. It is a shame, because they are pretty good.
I am excited to see these new pictures of Angie and The Pfeiffer Family. Kristi has sent me some pictures, and Angie also has sent some, but I haven´t seen anything from anyone else. I would love to see how you all look now. Because I bet I won´t even recognize the family! I really would love to send the pictures that I have, but I can´t because I left the cord in Canada. But I will try to send some in the mail again.
We are having a great time teaching and learning here in Ica. THis week we had the baptism of Marselina. We have been teaching her for more than four months, and she overcame her challenges and was baptized this Saturday. IT was a great opportunity, and i was pleased to be able to baptize her. IT was kind of funny, because she didn´t really remember how the baptism would go, so I kind of had to teach her while I was doing it. Before she was baptized, she said,´So thats where you are going to dunk me.¨ It was really funny coming from her. I am so grateful for the blessings of the Lord in our lives, and in the live of each one of his children in the earth here. Marselina is 70 years old, and we love this woman mucho. It is amazing the love that I feel for each and everyone of our investigators, and especially those who we help pass through the door of baptism and the confirmation. I love them all, but it is a special feeling for those who have accepted Christ in their lives.
I know that this church is true, and I am so glad to be here. I know that Our Father in Heaven listens to everyone of us, and that he is guiding this Church.

Love, Elder Milner
P.s. Yes, Carli can call me on Mothers day apart.