Perfect For Me, Reflections, and Homeward Bound

大家好。

Well, here we are. I never would've thought that this day would come. But it has. My two years has come to its close. I'm really not too sure what to say during this email. I feel like there is so much I could share but I don't know where to start. I guess I could just start by sharing my reflection talk that I gave at my last ZTM.

"Elders and Sisters, I never really thought that this day would come. I remember sitting in this very chapel, a brand new missionary in training, while I listened to the powerful final testimonies of other great missionaries. At the time, they seemed like superheroes to me, someone who would not and could not be stopped. I remember sitting in awe at the experiences they shared or the testimonies they declared. And now here I am, in there shoes, standing on the other side of two years, doing the same thing. Time really does go by too fast. And I will say, I definitely feel like no hero. So I will count this as a spiritual disclaimer. I do not intend to blow everybody's mind with any kind of elevated, eloquent doctrinal declarations, nor do I intend to recite some poem that I've spent long, hard months to prepare. Rather, I'd like to simply share my testimony of some basic truths and principles I've learned during these past two years. And I hope that they may be of at least some use to each of you, as they have blessed my own life immeasurably.

Alma 29: 1-3 reads, "O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of my heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people.

Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth.

But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish; for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me."

I've pondered a lot on my mission about what it means to be "content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me." And what I've come to know is that to be content does NOT mean to be idle. No matter what our circumstances in the work may be, we have to keep moving forward. We are running on a treadmill here, and God is the one who adjusts the speed. But no matter how fast or slow that belt is moving, if we stop, we are going to fall behind, and eventually fall off completely. Being content means to accept and use to the fullest the gifts and talents that the Lord has given us, while not becoming bitter because of the things that we don't feel like He's giving us. I have learned this lesson in my own life. My voice is not one of great power or persuasion, and I too like Alma, did desire to speak with the "voice of thunder," to "shake the earth." But in spite of weakness of speaking, the Lord has compensated me by giving me an increased capacity to love and find the good in others. And that has made my experience here all the more rich. Continually strive to be content, but not idle, striving to become better, but not giving up if the results don't immediately appear. God will compensate us for our weaknesses. See Ether 12:27.

Doctrine and Covenants 42:6 talks about preaching the Gospel two-by-two. It is the Lord's patter, and all of us are given companions to fulfill that pattern. Elders and Sisters, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of loving, serving, and listening to your companions. Simply put, if you and your companion are not unified and are not developing a friendship, then your efforts in the work will be in vain. You will not find joy in the work and you will not be as effective. On the other hand, if you ARE friends with your companion, and you are united in purpose, drive, and desires to be obedient and humble, then there is NOTHING better! I am confident in saying that I've developed precious and strong relationships with each of my companions. And those relationships will extend FAR beyond the length of full-time missionary service. Heck, even into the eternities! And my wish is that you will be able to enjoy the blessings and happiness that come from such friendships. If you are looking for weaknesses and faults in your companions, guaranteed you will find some. If we were perfect, we'd be Jesus. But don't let those weaknesses and faults take priority over the good and wonderful people that we are all trying to be. This principle is something that has blessed me greatly, and will continue to bless me in the next chapter of my life. So, love, serve, and listen to your companions. I understand now why President Blickenstaff loved that bullet point so much.

Elders and Sisters, I'm sure most of us are familiar with the story of the vikings, who in an act of pure bravery, burned their ships when arriving to conquer a new land. Why would they do something so strange? Because the vikings new that there was no retreat. If they left their ships in the port, then there would always be at least some thought of going back. But no. Their mindset was that they were either going to conquer or die trying. There was no going back. Their previous lands are nothing to them now. They have new goals and purposes in mind. And because of this, the vikings were some of, if not the most, successful conquerors and fighters in history. Because there was no giving up. Elders and Sisters, we are to be like the vikings. Regardless of what our past lives may have included: hobbies, interests, habits, mistakes, sins. All of that is behind us now! I am not the same person I was when I stepped off that boat those two years ago. And every time I've wanted to turn around and look back, I realize that there is NOTHING to go back to. I've burned that ship! The timbers of the past are nothing more than frail ashes that crumble under the slightest pressure. I've given up almost everything I have, and everything I was to be to the point that I am now! Was it easy to look back and see the past life burning? OF COURSE NOT! But because I was willing to let it all go, the Lord has blessed me and made me stronger for it. Elders and Sisters, retreat is not an option here! We go forward and conquer, or we die. That's all there is to it. So don't give up. God knows what we're doing. He will be on the front lines with us, our leader and captain. And He will be there to lift us when we fall, as all do at times. And then we keep marching forward. "Behold! A royal army, With banner, sword, and shield, Is marching forth to conquer On life's great battlefield. Its ranks are filled with soldiers, United, bold, and strong, Who follow their Commander And sing their joyful song."

And Elders and Sisters, it is on this point that I'd like to end. I know that Jesus Christ lives, and that He is our commander. He is our perfect example. This is HIS work. It's not mine, it's not yours. We are simply humble tools for Him to work with. He will hasten the work in HIS time, not ours. Elders and Sisters, all the time in the world would not be sufficient for me to express my love of the Lord. Very simply put, I, like all, am an imperfect person. I have made mistakes. I have weaknesses. And there have been some low points in my life, and even in my mission when I felt like giving up. But, thanks to the Savior, in His love, mercy, and grace, and His infinite atoning sacrifice, He's lifted me out of even the blackest, darkest times of my life. And I'll never be able to repay Him or thank Him enough. I stand proud to have been His witness for these two years. He has made me the person He wants me to be. And He continues to do so daily. I feel that my testimony of Him echoes that of Elder Bruce R. McConkie in saying that I am one of His witnesses. And I too, "in a coming day shall feel the nail marks in His hands, and in His feet, and shall wet His feet with my [own] tears. But I [too] shall not know any better than, than I know now, that He is God's almighty son, that He is our Savior and Redeemer, and that salvation comes in and through His atoning blood, and in no other way." I love this Gospel. I love the people of Taiwan, whom I've been assigned to labor amongst. This is a beautiful part of God's vineyard, and it has been my privilege to serve here. I love all of you, regardless of if you've been my companion or I've simply talked to you in passing. You have all taught me great lessons and I'll be eternally grateful to all of you. And when we meet again, what a sweet reunion it will be. I thank God for my mission, and for all of the blessings he has bestowed upon me. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

I have loved my mission so much. I have learned so much about myself, about the Gospel, about life, about countless other things. I have had such choice experiences and memories innumerable. I have made so many great friends here. But most of all, I've come to know God and Jesus Christ in even greater measure. I've seen the fulfillment of ancient prophecy, seeing the "marvelous work and wonder" roll forth in this beautiful country. Leaving here will not be easy. In doing so, I leave behind a part of my soul, a part of my heart, and a part of my love. My heart has changed, and I am becoming more and more the man God needs me to be. My mission may not have appeared perfect in the eyes of some, but it was perfect for me. And I've loved every precious moment.

Thanks for all of the love and support to all of you over the past two years. I will miss any of the mission friends I've made, but it won't be long before we meet again. And to my precious family, "In the quiet misty morning, when the moon has gone to bed, when the sparrows stop their singing, and the sky is clear and red. When the summer's ceased its gleaming, when the corn is past its prime, when adventure's lost its meaning, I'll be homeward bound in time. Bind me not to the pasture. Chain me not to the plow. Set me free to find my calling. And I'll return to you somehow. If you find it's me you're missing, If you're hoping I'll return, to your thoughts I'll soon be listening, and in the road I'll stop and turn. Then the wind will set me racing, as my journey nears its end. And the path I'll be retracing, when I'm homeward bound again."

God bless all of you, and God be with you till we meet again.

Sincerely,

Elder Chase Joseph Millett

雷龘鬱長老

P.S. (One of the biggest miracles of my mission occurred last Saturday. I'll let the picture do the explaining.)

​Sister Shi overcame her Sabbath Day concern, and she was baptized this last Saturday. And her son is now a progressing investigator. Mission accomplished.

2............Year Mark

大家好。

Well, this is the second to last email that I will be sending out. This last week has definitely been one of shock, but also one filled with God's mercies and love.

So, might as well start with the shock part. So, just yesterday in fact, we were meeting with our RC Eugene and we got a text message during the lesson. Because we were in the middle of teaching, we couldn't read the text. So, after we finished the lesson, we found that the text was from Sister Shi, the investigator who was going to be baptized this coming week. Well, the text simply said that she would not be able to be baptized because of some issues with living the Sabbath Day, a problem we had originally discussed with her. So, kind of left us in a funk, but after talking to her, she is willing to continue to learn and live all the "other commandments." So, there is still hope, if we can help her overcome this problem, then all will be well. She is one of the most solid investigators I've had in a long time, and she has come such a long ways from when she started. I've kind of taken this as my last task as a full-time missionary. I've thought for a long time about what the Lord would have in store as my last "hurtle" before I left, and I have come to feel that this is it. Maybe not exactly what I was expecting originally, but I understand that the Lord works in "mysterious ways, His wonders to perform." And I know that through helping her understand the blessings of the Sabbath, she will find the answers and peace that come from living it. And it will change her life, so we are looking forward to helping her understand this. 

This last week, one of the biggest miracles is the return of an investigator who has been down in GaoXiong for like a month now. He works for the military, repairing F16 fighter jets, and he is 19 years old. He is one of the most mature 19 year olds I've ever met by the way. But, we had a chance to meet with him a month ago, and he was super super golden. He loved the Restoration and committed to read the Book of Mormon and pray about its truthfulness. During that lesson however, we had planned on giving him a baptismal goal, but because of how long the lesson had gone and we hadn't really covered baptism, we decided to postpone until the next lesson. Little did we know that he would be gone for a month after that..... Well, the decision to not extend the goal ate at my heart for quite a while. And this last week, he returned and just as strong and excited as ever, despite the occasional phone call contact we've had with him. He reads and prays, and he loves the peace the Gospel has brought him amidst a large trial of his. Well, we knew this was the time to extend the goal, so we invited him to be baptized on November 26 of this year, otherwise known as "Dunksgiving" as our zone has come to call it. It is our Zone's baptismal goal. We hope that every companionship can prepare at least 1 person to be baptized on that day, and Brother Zhan is looking great for that time. So, we are going to continue in prayer and fasting for him and his work, hoping that he will be able to meet with us more regularly, despite his crazy work schedule. Here is a picture of him! He's a super great guy!

Lastly, this past week I have officially hit my 2 year mark as a missionary! Yup, because of changes in the States, my schedule was extended by a couple of weeks, so I am officially a "Super Elder." But that was a pretty fun day! Our ward had invited us to prepare something for an activity they were having that day, and it was going to be a good chance to get to know some less active members, so we agreed. But we got to enjoy a great lunch and did get to talk with some LA's who have potential for coming back, so it was great! And I took lots of pictures too! It was kind of like a 2 year mark birthday party, I guess you could say! Haha. But it was great, and I'll get those pictures to you! Here are a couple of them.

This little kid in the last picture is our Bishop's son, and he is probably the cutest, funniest little kid I've ever met. He's always giving me high 5's and whatnot.

Well, that's about it for this email. I'm still pretty bittersweet about everything. I'm sure next week's emails going to be a big long emotional one, so for now, I will just leave you with this. It is really really weird where I'm at right now. It is still so surreal that I almost don't believe it's happening. I've come to love the people here. This place REALLY is my second home. And leaving, I really do feel like a piece of me is going to be left here as well. But thank goodness for modern technology and the wonder that it is, and for the fact that I have lots of wonderful friends here who will not lose contact! 😁 But I love Taiwan, and I love being a representative of Christ here. I love you all and I will SEE you very very soon! 

Sincerely,

Elder Chase Joseph Millett

(AKA, Oldest Missionary in the Taiwan Taichung Mission currently.)

Haha. 

雷龘鬱長老

3

The JiaYi Zone Conference

大家好。

I guess if you can't tell, the reason that this email is called "3" is because this will be my 3rd to last email of my mission. I have 3 full, regular Preparation Days left, so things are drawing to a close. So, yeah, 3.

So, this last week was kind of crazy. It started off on Monday. We decided that we were going to go with a bunch of the other missionaries to another amusement park in DouLiu, one of the cities in our zone. That was super fun. I didn't really take any pictures, as I was too dizzy to do much of anything after a while. Haha. We made it home just a little bit before we were supposed to go out and proselyte, so we had to throw on our regular pros clothes and go out. WE WERE DEAD TIRED! But in the end, it wasn't a bad day. Then originally, we were supposed to go up to Taichung for MLC, but that got changed like 3 times, so made preparing for ZTM much more tricky. Normally we have a bunch of material and things that we got from MLC to prepare, but this time we were pretty much on our own as far as preparation goes. It didn't hit me until later that this would also be my last ZTM! I was pretty sad when I heard that, as ZTM is one of my favorite meetings of the mission. I had to give my reflection, which was super emotional. I remember sitting in the same chapel almost a year and a half ago listening to other great missionaries give their reflections and sharing experiences and stories, and then there I was, doing the exact same thing. It was a very tender moment for me, but it was also a great experience to be able to share without restraint some of the things I've learned on the mission. Wednesday we had English class again, and that went pretty well. Thursday was ZTM. Friday we went on Exchanges with the MinXiong Elders, Elders Sims and Eisert. I went with Elder Eisert again. Those Elders are so funny. Elder Sims, for those of you who don't know is actually a fairly famous YouTuber. Kinda cool! But we had a good time on exchanges. Saturday and Sunday was General Conference, which is always such a neat experience. I noticed something this time. There were a lot of talks given about Prayer. I have thought long and hard about this subject recently, and I've concluded that my prayers are needing some improvement. I have tried earnestly since then to really pour out my heart and soul to God. I have tried to wait patiently for an answer in the quiet moments after I finish speaking. And although there are some questions that I still have not had a clear answer too, I am confident they will come in the Lord's time. But I think that my favorite talk from the whole Conference was by J. Devn Cornish. His talk was "Am I Good Enough? Will I Make It? I feel that at times, all of us will ask these questions. Will we be good enough to enter God's presence? Am I doing enough in my life to qualify for His blessings and grace and mercy? Does God really love me enough to forgive me of all the mistakes and sins I've committed? But I know without a shadow of a doubt that He does. And I agree in saying that if we are trying, we simply cannot fail. It was quite a talk, and it renewed my own hope and testimony, and it gave me some inspiration to help our investigators. All in all, it was a wonderful conference full of lots of inspiration and enlightenment. Well, the work is going well. Eugene is a really cool new member. Our investigator Shi JM is getting really close to baptism. We are just working with her to overcome a Sabbath Day concern. But, we are praying and we know that the Lord will help her. We are working hard and looking forward to even more miracles. And these last 3 weeks are looking oh so promising! I love you all and I'll talk to you soon!

Sincerely,

Elder Chase Joseph Millett

雷龘鬱長老

Another Typhoon, Eugene's Baptism, Elder Clayson's Birthday!

大家好。

This last week was fairly crazy, that with another typhoon and whatnot, but it has been a super awesome week. We got to see another child of God enter into the waters of baptism and start his new life in Christ. And on top of that, it was during the weekend of Elder Clayson's birthday. So he is now a ripe mature 21 year old. I totally didn't realize that he was older than me until just a little while ago. But yeah, cool stuff.

So, as I said, there was another typhoon this week, typhoon Megi. And straight up, this one was pretty scary. The day of the typhoon, the morning didn't look too bad. It was a little rainy and windy, but nothing to be be scared about. But as soon as we finished DTM, as we were biking over to a FamilyMart to make some calls, the typhoon hit all at once. We were riding headfirst into a ton of wind and rain, and it was so hard to see anything. The rain felt like a bunch of needles hitting us, so we actually pulled off to the side of the road for a second to wait it out. When we realized that it wasn't going to let up (or that it may even get worse) we decided that the safe bet would be to return home. We were informed to instruct all the companionships in the zone to get back to their apartments, which was kind of hectic, since our zone is kind of spread out. We had to wait some 45 minutes for a couple of the companionships to get home, but in the end, everyone was safe and sound. Definitely some of those fatherly instincts coming out, trying to be the protector of our zone family and such. Haha. Well, at about 6:00, the typhoon let up and we were able to go outside. There were still no people on the road, so we decided to follow our old plan and go to the FamilyMart near our house. It's kind of funny, it seems like more people answer the phone in typhoons! We were able to set up quite a few people this past week so it should prove to be fruitful. Well, at about the time we were supposed to go home, the wind started picking up again, and this time it was more crazy than before. All of the windows and things in our house started shaking and bending. Elder Clayson and I prayed that our home would be protected from the storm and that all of our windows and stuff would stay intact. And in the end it did. The only "damages" that we experienced were a couple of leaks through the windows, but nothing major. And everyone else survived too, so that was a relief. So yeah, pretty crazy day, but not too bad.

30lb weight to keep our door closed during Typhoon Megi

Well, on a more positive note, Eugene got baptized on Saturday!!! WOO!!!! And it was a special day indeed. We decided to go to a nice dinner with him before the service, so we ate at a really nice HotPot place down from the chapel. And the service went well too. I had the privilege of baptizing him and his younger brother, who has been a member for 2 years already, shared his testimony. The Sister Missionaries and one other young woman sang a beautiful rendition of "Nearer My God to Thee" which was a wonderful addition. And it was the perfect birthday gift to Elder Clayson to have a baptism! I am so happy that I got to see at LEAST one more person be baptized before I "kick the bucket." And we have a couple more people with goals that are looking very promising. So, he will not be the last!

​Lastly, as I've mentioned a couple of times, this last week was Elder Clayson's birthday! Just yesterday in fact. We had a lot of members invite us to eat food and whatnot, and he was given like 3 cakes! Needless to say, we were not feeling too well at the end of that night. XD But yeah, in relation to that, canned Mountain Dew recently became available for purchase in Taiwan, and that was awesome news because originally, you had to go to a select few places to drink it from their soda fountains. Well, a member new about this and he hooked Elder Clayson and I up with the goods! This is what our refrigerator looks like about now.

Yup, there is our diet for the next couple of weeks. Haha. 

Anyways, this week was pretty great. The end is drawing ever nearer, and it is still so bittersweet. I've come to love this place so much, and knowing everyday is one step closer to leaving brings some tender emotions now and again. I am so excited to reunite with loved family and friends and to begin my next phase of life, but at the same time, being able to dedicate every second of my time to the Lord and His work in a country and with a people and in a language that I have come to love is not a chance I'll have again. I am so grateful that the Lord has given me this chance. And I know that it has been preparing me for even higher things. I love this work. I love God. I love Christ. I love my life. I love Taiwan. I love you guys. And life is going ever so sweetly.

Sincerely,

Elder Chase Joseph Millett

雷龘鬱長老

My RC Peter in Tainan found this picture hanging up in the "Escape the Room" game we went and played months ago. I didn't realize they'd hung it up. Now it's there for all to see. He just sent this to me. Fun day.