Greetings From San Jose

Hello Everybody,

FALSE ALARM!! Turns out I'm not being transferred. It is hereby safe to keep sending me letters and or candy packed boxes to Redwood City still. I would have bet untold amounts of money that I would be transferred but I guess I'm sticking around which is a relief to me. I assumed that I would be transferred because my companion only has two transfers left until he goes home and usually they rotate people into new areas and give them two transfers to get used to the place before they boot the old guy out. My companion told me that he has been including in his weekly letters to our President, pleas or really more like hints that it would be a good idea to leave in the area still. Hopefully that wasn't the real reason I stayed since our transfers area supposed to be influenced by the Holy Spirit but I'm not complaining that I'm staying. I will now get to be here for Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Year's too but I don't really care about New Year's so much.

Anyway, this week was pretty amazing. On Monday we had a lesson with a woman and her 6 kids. She is a less active member who, when she got married kind of just started going to her husbands church and her in-laws are kind of against our church as well so that didn't help anything. Unfortunately her husband died a number of years ago and long story short she has recently been coming back to church with her 6 kids tagging along. Our Bishop met with her and invited her to have us teach her and her children at his house and we did that Monday night and it went great. My companion and I are now sharing our car with some neighboring elders so we had their bikes and had to bike across our area but we got there and had an amazing first lesson. All 6 kids said that they wanted to be baptized, one of them is 7 years old though so she'll have to wait a little while but the other 5 are on board. The mother is just great with them. Obviously with children you expect parents to the shot callers but this lady told her kids that it is their entirely their decision. She didn't expect them all to accept a baptismal day but they did. So it's not ideal if some them are just succumbing to the pressure of their siblings but perhaps that will work out in the long run. The oldest son is amazing and really wants this for himself and since his father died he's kind of like the father to his siblings. He really takes a heavy amount of responsibility upon himself and they're all good kids. Their baptism is set for this Saturday. They were obviously ready and so we didn't waste any time getting them to this ordinance. We just have make time to get in all the lessons we need to teach them.

The rest of the week we didn't have any more lessons with the miracle family but we have been meeting with a man who has lung cancer everyday who I think I wrote about last week. His memory is just going so we have to be patient, which is easy cause he's such a likable man. More than anything he enjoys the company. He just spends all day at home and his wife kind of likes us to come over and teach him so she can get some other things done. It'w been really eye opening to teach him cause we are always teaching people the Plan of Salvation, and what is in store for us after this life but I've never taught to some one who is so close to that stage of their life that they really take it all in. Younger people don't think it over so much cause death is a long way off. I do the same, it's a nice concept but when you know your transition is near that's when you better start believing in somthing. Anyway, it's been great meeting with him. He gets anxiety attacks and so we often walk alongside him in his new scooter and stroll through the park periodically stopping to teach more important points and catch a little bit of the senior softball league games.

Yesterday we were able to meet with the large family that we are teaching right before church and teach the Plan of Salvation. The oldest son who is 17 is just so focused and into it it's amazing. He came with questions cause he's been reading the Bible and Book of Mormon, not just reading but studying. He really wants to know everything and he embraces it. It is really inspiring and he's the best investigator that I've ever had as far as desire and motivation go. Our investigator with lung cancer came to the second hour and sat to listen to the lesson in sunday school but he fell asleep alot. After church we were able to witness a returning member who we've been working with recieve the Melchizedek priesthood. That was really special. And afterward our Bishop spoke with the family who is to be baptized on Saturday about the possibility of having the oldest son baptized first and receiving the pristhood and then baptizing all his siblings, The Mom had been telling them that in order to kind of respect the missionaries who were teaching them they should have us baptize them but I think it would be way better and more special and meaningful if their brother does it. So we have a lesson with them tonight so we'll bring that back up and let them know that we won't be offended in fact we'd much prefer if they had their brother baptize them. If it works out that will be a for sure highlight of my life.

This week is looking spectacular. Lessons with our lung cancer investigator and Thanksgiving is with our Ward mission leaders family, who are Tongan. Normal dinners are like a feast so when an actual feasting occasion arises I'm looking forward to see what kind of food quantities will be achieved. And then there is to be a wedding on Friday for a young man and his fiancee which counts as our dinner so we'll pig out at the reception, which is also a Tongan function, and then the baptism on Saturday. Should be an amazing week. Hope all of yours are fun as well and that you can be full of thanksgiving and not just food.

Sincerely, Elder Miller