July 7, 2025, 1:08pm MDT
Knowing that it was a commandment, Elder Daniel Miller always felt that he should serve on the mission. When it was time to work on his paper, he prayed that he felt ready to serve.
He was aware that many people offered converted missions, but when he learned about service missions, he felt that was right for him.
Life before the mission
In 2021, Elder Miller’s family moved to Huddersfield, England. Little did the Millers know, their lives were about to change dramatically.
Elder Miller, one of the twins and five boys, and his brother, were excited to move to a new location.
However, shortly after moving in September 2021, his father suffered a fatal heart attack, causing his family to be shocked and saddened.
Then, 18 months later, her mother was diagnosed with severe cancer and died.
Elder Miller explains that in that era of his life he is “very unhappy and in a very dark place,” as he lost both parents in such a short period of time. He remembers feeling “stuck.”
Elder Miller explains that his mission brought light and movement into his life.
At the address of the April 2022 General Assembly, President Russell M. Nelson testified about the impact the mission could have.
Calling for serve
In June 2024, Elder Miller remembers that he felt lost for a while. Praying to know what to do, he felt an urge to push him to serve in a service mission.
His bishop, Bishop Jake Cook, explained that he had similar prompts at the same time.
Bishop Cook was delighted when Elder Miller approached the bishop to discuss logistics.
In October 2024, he went for lunch with Elder Paul Burdon and sister Carol Burdon. They are now serving as advisors to the Service Missionaries and were mission leaders for missions in the southern Adriatic Sea from 2020 to 2023. Shortly after that lunch he felt ready to start his thesis and start a mission.
In January 2025, he was officially separated as a missionary and was given the missionary’s name tag.
“Whenever I wear this it feels a little lighter,” he said.
Bishop Cook added:
Sister Burdon said, “He loves to wear badges with his name. Ah, he’s so proud of his badge.”
But for Elder Miller, his badge is not merely a name tag, but an expression of his purpose of serving like Jesus Christ.
The purpose of the ministry is to “help others come to Christ by serving with loving and kindness just like the Savior. To serve His name through the power of the Holy Spirit, and to live as an example of faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, sustaining God, and enduring the end.”
Mission Allocation
Service missions are often custom fit to suit the missionaries and their needs.
In 2018, Elder Dale G. Renlund, a quorum of the 12 Apostles, said that the ministry “provides great blessings on themselves, but more importantly, when they are doing this work, they bless the children of the heavenly Father in a unique way.”
Elder Miller spends his days working together and serving people on both sides of the veil, animals and even plants.
His mission includes taking photos of gravestones for a billion. Plant trends in cultivated works, a community gardening project that provides food to families in need. Take care of animals at Huddersfield Horse & Donkey Rescue Sanctuary.
Every week he serves in the temple with other service missionaries for a day.
Sister Burdon said Elder Miller was approaching his temple parents. “He felt that they were proud of him, that he was serving as a missionary and that he was in the temple.”
Elder Miller also joins missionaries who often teach, helping to teach the gospel to friends in the church, and helping to teach friends in the church. He and other service missionaries attend weekly district councils.
Elder Miller is grateful for the opportunity to serve the Lord seven months after his mission.
“I was getting the impression that I was talking to the bishop over a year ago to go to a service mission, and that really helped me,” he said. “I have met so many incredible people on my service mission. Not only within my faith, but from outside of my faith. I have met so many incredible people. I don’t think I’d ever done all these incredible things if I hadn’t got that impression.”
Elder Miller is aware of the impact he has.
“This faithful young man has a desire to serve God and is called Jesus Christ, the Savior. His heavenly and earthly parents are very proud of his decision to make his decision a missionary,” said Sam Bridgestock, Huddersfield England.
