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“Strike a light!” It’s been an amazing journey over the past two years for Riley and for the many who navigated these kangaroo road signs week by week. Thank you for "the walk about.”

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The ultimate welcome home banner!

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Homecoming Talk--transcribed

Riley Millar’s Missionary Homecoming Talk Evans Ranch Ward—San Antonio, Texas August 13, 2017

[Spoken in a thick Aussie accent]

G’day, brothers and sisters, my name’s Riley Millar, and like bishop said, I just finished serving two years in the Australia Sydney South Mission of this wonderful church—the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

[Reverting back to his normal accent]

I’m sure that’s how all of you were hoping I would sound after living in Australia for two years, but unfortunately I didn’t soak it up that much. I’m sure I don’t sound as American as I still think all of you sound. It kind of freaked me out to hear people say, “How R you do-ING, man?” That’s hectic! But I am really grateful to be back, brothers and sisters, and I’m glad that it’s such a full house.  It kind of looks like a stake conference in Australia. We don’t have that many saints attend most of the congregations where I served, so it’s really a privilege to be surrounded by so many people that I love and I can just feel of your love coming right back at me. I really appreciate that. I am grateful that Bishop gave me an inspired topic—because it was an elaborate topic I, too, prayed about it, and the way I’m going to interpret it is by speaking about discipleship. I will share some of the things that I learned on my mission about discipleship, and just how my testimony was strengthened through my experiences.

So to start out, I wanted to tell you a little about the Australian people, then I want to tell you some about what life is like as a missionary. I think it is important for you to understand both of those things before you can empathize with me and realize why I learned these precious lessons.

So some background I guess: most Aussies aren’t overly enthusiastic about religion. It’s kind of a well-known stereotype that the majority of the country holds an atheist viewpoint. That’s definitely not everybody, but a lot of people don’t believe in God, or they don’t really want to take the time to try to find out if God is really there or not. Having said that, they are fantastic people, and I definitely grew to love them so much. I love the accent. I love just their friendliness—they really watch out for one another, and they’re hilarious. They really crack me up with their humor. They show their love in a lot of funny ways. They’ll roast you and rebuke you until they are blue in the face, but that’s just how they show you that they love you. So that’s a little bit about the Australian people.

Now I want to tell you what the daily life of a missionary is like. Earlier this year the First Presidency of this Church (the prophet and his counselors) and also the missionary department of the Church prayerfully revised the missionary daily schedule. They did it in a wonderful way so that missions around the world could adjust their schedules to meet their local circumstances. In Africa, for instance, if it gets dark earlier, when it gets dangerous to go out at night, the missionaries work really hard in the morning and can retire to their apartments by 6:00 in the evening. That’s when they do all their studies, eat their dinner and prepare for bed. But this is the daily schedule that I had for the last few months of my mission in Australia:

6:30 arise, and from 6:30 to 8:30 you exercise for thirty minutes, shower and eat breakfast, and then prepare for the day. So you get a full two hours from wake up until you have to do something. Starting at 8:30 you are expected to plan for thirty minutes and then from 9:00 until 10:00 you do personal study. That is when you and your companion usually study in the same room but you just study to yourselves. You study the standard works—the Book of Mormon, the Bible, the Pearl of Great Price, the Doctrine & Covenants, or any of the words of the modern day prophets. Then from 10:00 AM until 9:00 PM at night you proselyte and you get to fit in an additional 30 minutes of companionship study as you see fit. My companion and I usually did it while we were commuting in our car. We get thirty minutes for lunch at any time that you can fit it in, and sixty minutes for dinner. Other than that, from 10:00 AM until 9:00 PM you’re out working! It kind of depends on the local circumstances what you’re up to. That was my daily life since the schedule was revised.  

I think when you add that schedule to the perspective of the wonderful Australian people that I just talked to you about, I hope that you get a little viewpoint of what some of my mission was like. A lot of time we tried to approach the Australian people, and as soon as they saw our shirts and ties and then caught a glimpse of our black name badges they would think we were either cops or FBI or something, then when they saw the name, Jesus Christ, on our badges, the emotional walls would come up straight away. A lot of time they would veer across to the other side of the road if you were walking towards them. So being a missionary from 10:00 in the morning until 9:00 at night everyday for two years was a little bit rough at times. I don’t share that to complain or “to whinge” as the Australians say, but I just wanted to share that so that you could understand a little bit about where I’m coming from.

And now I want to move on to the main part of my talk where I’ll explain some of the things that I learned. First off, I was blessed to have a very optimistic mission president. His name is President Darrel K. Back. He was very enthusiastic and he always had a smile on his face. He was down to earth and he was understanding. I guess he wasn’t one to jump to conclusions. If you called him and had a situation he would listen to you. If you had something like an opportunity for a service project that would come up and kind of collide with the normal missionary standard or the missionary schedule, he would listen to you and he would usually allow you to go do it if he saw value in what you had proposed. And so I loved President Back. He had served his own mission in Melbourne, Australia so he knew what it was like to labor among the Aussie people. He knew that it could be a little discouraging at times. So early on in my mission he encouraged all the missionaries (he had about 180 of them at the start and that fluctuated up and down throughout the two years) but he encouraged us to memorize certain scriptures…certain optimistic scriptures. I remember early on there were two that I really liked. It was Doctrine & Covenants section 123 verse 17, and that one says,

Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.

I love that optimistic scripture about cheerfully doing all that we can and then just letting God do the rest, because we didn't always see the fruits of our efforts. Another one was 1 Nephi chapter 3 verse 7. I hope that a lot of you Primary kids have heard this before, and I know that you seminary students have probably memorized it already. This is Nephi’s response to his father, Lehi, when Nephi had obtained a mission call of sorts and he said,

…I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.

And so brothers and sisters, those two scriptures really boosted my faith and boosted my optimism. After the first few months in Australia I also reflected on lessons that had been taught to me throughout my life from my devoted parents, my grandparents, my friends, my seminary teachers (I had a lot of those and they were all inspired), my Sunday School teachers, and my youth leaders, even my sport coaches and others. From all these lessons that I was remembering I guess I kind of engaged in the mentality for myself that no matter how tough or how embarrassing or how super awkward or potentially discouraging each day could be, that I covenanted within myself that I would get up every day and give it my best. I promised myself that I would never come home at 8:56 pm, that I’d stay out until at least 9:00 PM doing the Lord’s work. We would always pray to go find somebody, and we would try to get out the door as close to 10:00 AM each morning. Something magical happened as I persevered day after day. It definitely wasn’t an automatic switch, but I can testify that my mission got a little bit brighter as soon as I adopted that perspective. The homesickness faded away and my companionship difficulties got a little bit better. Thankfully people started to notice that I was always happy, because I was doing what I knew was right and I was trying even though it was hard. So when that magical process continued day after day, one amazing thing happened. My faith was really tested still. I still made mistakes. It was still hard. But as I persevered through those hard, awkward, and scary trials, my belief turned into sure knowledge. That is something that I will be forever grateful for. I really feel and testify that my testimony was solidified through my Australian experience. I came to know with an absolute surety that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. And that Joseph Smith was His prophet of the Restoration who was called at a young age to restore the true Church back onto the earth after a long period of apostasy. I came to know those things so much that I didn’t mind sharing them with atheists. I didn't mind sharing them with the Aussie people. I didn’t mind if they slammed the door in my face, just saying “She’ll be right boys, have a g’day.” I didn't mind it…I just wanted to share. Anyway that didn’t mean that I was perfect. I wasn’t always a powerhouse just chasing people down in the street and trying to give them a Book of Mormon, but I tried hard each day.  

I also learned how to deal with situations and with people in a kinder and more patient way. I still had companionship difficulties—it was still hard to be with some other young lad 24/7 for months at a time when sometimes your personalities didn’t really click. But I think I developed some Christlike attributes. Now again, that wasn’t because I was a good boy or that I deserved it, but because I prayed for assistance as I went through those trials I felt really blessed for that.

I want to fast forward to my last day in the mission field. So it was me and twenty other missionaries that were all going home at the same time. About nineteen of those I had started with. There were twenty elders total and one sister missionary in that group that were all going home. Me and “the boys”, we had started all together back in the missionary training camp and we stuck it out—I don’t think we lost a single missionary from that initial “intake” that we called the group, so we were all slapping high fives. I remember when we were driving to the Sydney Opera House we passed the airport. We hadn’t seen planes that big in two years, so we all started screaming in the car, “Yeah, that’s us tomorrow!” After we got to tour the Opera House a bit and spend some time in downtown Sydney, we went back to the mission president’s home for a little devotional and a testimony meeting that night. One of the things that the Spirit really carved into my heart was something my mission president said. He taught us, and I quote, “A disciple of Jesus Christ is willing.” He said, “that is the difference between a disciple and just a believer. A disciple of Jesus Christ is willing.” And that was the end of his quote. That phrase has stuck in my head and so that was one thing that the Spirit popped back into the forefront of my mind as I read through Bishop Miller’s topic for today. So now I want to talk a little bit about discipleship.

After I read Bishop’s topic and had that thought come back into my mind, I turned to some other resources that Bishop gave me including a talk by Elder Robert D. Hales who is a current member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and he spoke in the recent April General Conference. He said, “A disciple of Jesus Christ is one who has been baptized and who is willing to take upon him or her the name of the Savior and follow Him. A disciple strives to become as He is by keeping His commandments in mortality much the same as an apprentice seeks to become like his or her master.” And so that willingness phrase really stood out to me, and made me reflect on my mission experience. Throughout that testimony meeting that night all those elders and that sister that were going home with me shared their testimonies and I felt that they had really committed to be willing to do the work each day as well. I know it wasn’t any easier for them. I know it wasn’t any easier for Hermana Patterson [the other missionary who spoke just before Riley], or for any missionary. [Riley pointed to the newest missionary sitting in our chapel who just came from the MTC four days earlier] Welcome to the field, elder! But I know that it was worth it, and I know that if we are just willing to do the work every single day, that is how we can learn to be disciples of Christ. I know that’s the way for each of you, brothers and sisters, to be member missionaries or just by being you. That’s how we can all learn to be disciples as well.

I want to start wrapping up a little bit by reading another verse that we’ve already heard today—it’s the sacrament prayer on the bread. I'm going to read a part of that again:

…that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which He hath given them, that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.

So that is the “willingness” phrase again. Brothers and sisters, I want to testify that I know the way to be a disciple of Jesus Christ is by adopting His characteristics, by being willing to go through trials, and living every day with His name on our chest even if it’s not on a black name badge, but just by our good Christian example. I know that’s the way to joy in this life, and that’s the way to save ourselves for the life to come. I can testify of that because the last two years I was privileged to work right along side the Savior every single day for seven hundred days. That experience has meant the world to me. I just want to exhort all of you to be willing. If you’re not a member of the Church, if you have not formally been baptized, I exhort you to please be willing to learn more. I am not challenging you to be baptized tomorrow—that’s not what I’m doing. I’m just saying be willing to learn a little bit more. If you have questions, I know that you already know me, but I would refer most of your questions to these wonderful elders because that’s their job and they have been called by the prophet to answer those questions. Even though they are no more perfect than I was on my mission. And for those of us who are members, I just exhort us to be willing together to share the gospel with others when it comes up. To be willing to have the name of Jesus Christ on our lips, and not be afraid of His name. Even to those who criticize us or rebuke us, Aussie style. I challenge us to stand firm in our beliefs, and I can promise you even in the name of Jesus Christ that your lives will be changed as you do that each and every day. I share that in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

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G'day, family! G'day, friends!

My soul is feeling all sorts of different emotions as I contemplate that this is my final email on my mission. I only have one more week left as a full-time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I won't get time to email next week, as I will be reporting to the mission home early Monday morning, July 24th.

For my spiritual experience this week, I want to share with you a list of words that I prayerfully wrote down as I pondered on my mission experience as a whole. Bear with me, since I wrote down the honest feelings that came into my heart as I reflected on each of my areas throughout the past two years. It's hard to express all the feelings of such a grand experience, but I feel that the Holy Spirit helped me compile the list:

Camarillo, California —homesickness, awkwardness, love

Ingleburn, New South Wales—culture shock, stress, fear, confusion, testimony-shaking, friendships, memories

Bankstown—triple the culture shock due to flatmates--ward--community, more love and friendships, leadership stress/pressures, inner turmoil, frustration, excitement, soul-searching joy, progression, heartbreak

Camden—relief, comfort, joy, fun, culture-stretching, change, more leadership stress/pressures, confusion, frustration, companionship difficulties, adrenaline, self-evaluation, confidence, success, conversion, new family members, complete joy, moving stress

Mudgee—[RESET BUTTON]—confusion, anxiety, fun, unconventional work, leadership stress, confidence lost, extreme inner turmoil, excitement, discovering myself, being retrained, new athletics, favourite memories, heaps of fun, learning, empathizing, solidifying

Narooma—paradise, comfort, optimism, fun, "itchiness" to improve, depression, anxiety, refiner's fire, rediscovering myself in more detail, excitement for the work, goal-setting, pushing, stretching, discouragement, confusion, frustration, understanding, confidence, repenting, miracles, relationship-building, character-revealing love, peace.

The Atonement of Jesus Christ

I just want to conclude by saying that Jesus Christ has been with me every step of the way. I feel like this mission experience has been my personal time to walk and serve so closely with the Saviour that I can feel his white robes running through my hands. I've always been worried that the conclusion of my mission would bring a change in my up-close-and-personal relationship with the Saviour—almost as if He would depart from my side back up to Heaven, where I could only access Him through prayer. However, my vision has been expanded, and I now realize that after the length of His robes fully slip through my fingers, I will find His hand…His perfect hand that has all-power to continue shaping me through the rest of my life.

I testify that the Saviour lives. I know it because I have worked beside Him constantly, seven days a week, for the last two years. I am honoured to have experienced this grand trial of missionary work, and I know that I am changed because of it. This is my testimony. I love you all, and I promise in the name of Jesus Christ that He is with you, and He will continue to be with you always. He never leaves. You can never run away from His love, His mercy, and His saving power. Be optimistic, my friends! Have hope through the Saviour, who strengthens us! I'm coming home soon, and we will all continue to progress on our homeward-bound journey back to Heavenly Father and the rest of our heavenly family together. Cheers, lads and lasses! God be with you until we meet again!  

—Elder Riley Jaxon Millar

Posted July 17, 2017

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Mogo Zoo Day

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Mogo Zoo Day

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Mogo Zoo Day

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Mogo Zoo Day

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Extras!

Here are a few journal entries that Elder Millar shared with us this week:

Monday, July 10, 2017

This was my second-to-last P-day, and it ranked in my top P-days of all time. We emailed our families, and then carpooled with the Kamers to the Mogo Zoo. We met the Ulladulla elders there, and we all spent several hours together wandering about the exhibits. Everyone was smiling and each person had a personal favourite part about the zoo. It was a treat to take the Kamers with us. 

Thursday, July 13, 2017

Miracles can come out of setbacks. We were approached today by Rory’s supervisor, Zoey, and asked not to come to the Bateman’s Bay Youth Cafe anymore. She explained that the council can't allow religious groups to interfere with their projects. We just smiled and thanked her for the six weeks we attended the Cafe, and I have hope that something good will come of this.

Saturday, July 15, 2017

Today was one of the most special days of my mission. Elder Rea and I travelled out to Rory’s property and spent the morning with him and his family. We helped them stack some firewood and clean out their gutters, and then we visited with them inside for an hour. Rory began asking us questions about our missionary work and our beliefs. His questions led perfectly into an opportunity for us to teach the Restoration lesson. The whole family listened attentively and participated in our object lessons. We quoted the First Vision in Joseph Smith’s words and helped them recognize they were feeling the Holy Ghost. Caleb (his teenage son) read Moroni 10:4-5 and they all accepted the challenge to read and pray about the Book of Mormon. I love this family! I spent 23 months just preparing to teach that lesson. The Spirit was with us.

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FINAL P-day Bedhead collage!

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“The Lord did pour out his Spirit”

Good grief, everybody! My time as a missionary is truly drawing to a close. Next week will be my final opportunity to email. It's all starting to feel real now! SCARY!!! Haha! Man, I love my mission! :D

I don't have much time to write today, but I just want to share my testimony on the truths in this scripture:

Alma 16:16

“And there was no inequality among them; the Lord did pour out his Spirit on all the face of the land to prepare the minds of the children of men, or to prepare their hearts to receive the word which should be taught among them at the time of his coming.”

Elder Rea and I laboured diligently all week, and we prayed nearly every day for the miracle to find somebody we could bring to church. We did see miracles throughout the week, but by the end of Saturday, we weren't feeling very confident that anyone we had seen would actually come (nobody seemed that interested or committed to attend church with us).

However, we were blown away as we sat up front behind the sacrament table, and we saw FIVE of our investigators file in one-by-one and take their seats. Some of the investigators hadn't come to church in months, and one of them who came hadn't come to church during my entire six months in Narooma. A few of these individuals had never even crossed my mind as being possibly interested in attending church that day, just because they hadn't made any mention of it when we saw them during the week. This experience really strengthened my testimony that the Lord is constantly sending His Spirit to prepare people's minds and hearts to accept His word.

I am honoured to be a missionary in this great work of salvation, and I know that my efforts are not the only efforts guiding people to the truth. I love this gospel, and I love all of you! Pray for blessings and call down miracles through your obedience to God's commandments this week. I love you all!

Cheers!  

Elder Riley Millar

Posted July 9, 2017

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“Lucky” or “Blessed?”

G'day, everybody! President and Sister Back finished their mission on Saturday, and the new mission president, Pres. Bingham, flew in the same day. Elder Rea and I will be traveling up to Sydney with the Merimbula elders for the "Meet the Binghams" conference on Wednesday. Things are changing, and it is a wonderful chance to take a deep breath and embrace a new day.  

My favourite spiritual experience this week was actually a little bittersweet. After enjoying our final district meeting with Pres. and Sister Back at the Watt's home (right above our new flat), I got a few moments alone with the Backs.  Pres. Back gave me a temple recommend interview outside on the Watt's balcony. We sat down on some deck chairs and looked out at the spectacular ocean view, then President asked, "How did you get so lucky to finish your mission here?" HAHA!!! The Spirit warmed my soul as President asked me the temple recommend questions. I felt happier and happier with each honest answer I gave him. After he signed my new temple recommend, we all went to the Narooma boardwalk so Sis. Back could take a few more pictures before saying goodbye. We walked around and took pictures of stingrays and seahorses. Pres. flew his camera drone around filming a seal and some manta rays. He is a legend.

After our final district photo, we each got individual hugs, handshakes, and selfies with the Backs. When it was my turn, President and Sister Back both looked deeply into my eyes and said with some emotion, "You've done a great job, Elder Millar." I looked back at my mission parents, and felt the Holy Spirit confirm their words to my heart, with an assurance that I've become something new through my hard work on my mission.

While it was sad to say goodbye to the Backs, I am so thankful that I still have three more weeks left to serve the Lord as a full-time missionary. The time is flying by way too quickly, but I am gaining greater understanding of God's love step-by-step each day. It's been a special experience, and I'm ready for some more miracles this week! :D

I love you all! Keep praying for miracles, and count your blessings each day. When you are feeling down, ask Heavenly Father for a spiritual confirmation of what you're doing well. Don't be ashamed to ask. He wants to praise you, and He will…if you listen.

Alofa atu!  —Elder Riley Millar

Posted July 3, 2017

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Saying goodbye to the Backs

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Early morning whale watching with the Ulladulla and Merimbula elders 

(before district meeting with the Backs)