Friends and Family,
Hello! Happy P-Day and a Happy Monday to y’all! Hope life is treating you well! I love you and thank you for your continuous thoughts and prayers!
This week wasn’t super exciting, just the same old stuff: Find, Teach, Baptize, and Retain. We are still sitting in the Teaching portion of that process but it’s all good! There are a couple Investigators that we have who we are beginning to really dive into the basic discussions so that should be good.
Thursday was probably the most eventful day this week. Elder Dyches of the Seventy came and called a Multi-Zone Conference and so there were two meetings in the course of two days that was full of trainings from President and Sister Sainsbury as well as Elder and Sister Dyches. All of it was amazing and most of it was applicable to our mission in specific. A lot of the things we were taught didn’t necessarily answer any questions that I had, but the emphasis was placed on the White Handbook and how that is the way to become better missionaries. That is the goal in life I think: To Become. Because as we Become we are constantly striving to progress and be better than who we were the day before.
This week was a testimony to me that the Spirit guides us in our work. I don’t think more that maybe two appointments that we planned actually happened when we planned them to simply because our plans were changed. We were still productive, still “successful” but nothing seemed to really go to plan. It just goes to show that we aren’t actually in charge. Nonetheless (yes I just used that word) that does not mean that we do not plan. Especially as a missionary, you need to have a plan in order for it to be changed by following the Spirit. I don’t believe that anyone can walk aimlessly expecting to be lead. In 1 Nephi 4:6 we know how that process worked with Nephi. He was “lead by the spirit not knowing whither he should go” but I would argue that he went somewhere. Nephi did something to show his own effort. One of my favorite words in the scriptures is “Hearken.” In hearkening we not only listen, but we listen and DO. It illicites action!
Also, to close this very short e-mail this week I’d like to share my experience from Fast and Testimony meeting yesterday. Often times as missionaries you dread inviting investigators to church for Testimony meeting because more likely than not someone in your ward is going to go off on something they believe personally that is totally non-related to the Gospel of Jesus Christ or tell their life story or etc. But, our meeting yesterday was one of the most sincere meetings I’ve ever been a part of and it just goes to show how lucky I have been to start my mission in the Florence Ward. Something that Elder Dyches counseled on was a 3-minute, missionary testimony in which you take one minute to talk about the love you have for the people, another minute to talk about the love you have for your companion, and a third minute to talk about your love for the Savior. Elder Wheatley asked me if I was going to get up before the Sacrament and I wasn’t sure but he said I should if one of the Sisters didn’t. (Another aspect of Elder Dyches’ was to get up immediately). So, after the time was turned over and the Sisters didn’t immediately get up I did. I simply talked about the love I had for the ward, and the love that they had for one another; how lucky I was to begin my mission there with them and with Elder Wheatley; and I closed by expressing the love I had for Jesus Christ and the love he had for each of them-the love that they so dutifully exemplified. After my testimony the meeting continued with the theme of gratitude for the Ward Family.
(I now have to interject: That morning we had gone to knock on the door of a less-active family in order to get the up for church. We were successful and the four boys in the family got up, dressed, and we then followed them to church. That was a great moment for us, walking into church with all of them-so we were already feeling great).
...To continue, Cody, one of the boys who is a little slower mentally and is around 12/13 years old got up to bear his testimony. He made me feel the love of my Savior more than anyone as he expressed how grateful he was for the Missionaries and how much he loved us. He mentioned if we hadn’t gotten them up they would still be sleeping and has he looked right at me down in the congregation I couldn’t help but feel like THIS is what it is about.
I love being a Missionary, and I know that I am a representative of Christ. I know He lives and I know He loves all of us individually. The Atonement of Christ is real, and I know that each moment He suffered was individual as well. I’m so grateful for Him and for my opportunity to serve, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
I hope y’all have a good week and I hope that you will be able to find joy in Christ this week. I also hope that you will be able to help someone feel the love of the Savior as Cody did for me. Take care, and let me know if I can do anything for y’all!
Godspeed,
Elder Milius
PS: One of the talks in General Conference was referencing Helen Keller. I thought it would be cool for y’all to know that she was born just across the river from where I’m serving :) (Her house is right behind my big head)
PPS: This week is TRANSFER CALLS again! Where does the time go?! I’ll let you know next week what the news is but our guess is I’ll be here in Florence for another one and Elder Wheatley will leave-but the Lord is still in charge of His work.
Michael and Elder Wheatley at the Birthplace of Helen Keller
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