People,
Hello from Fort Payne, AL. Hope y’all are finally getting into the Spirit of Christmas! The ABM is and we are determined to have ourselves a White Christmas.
This week was one of the busiest weeks, and we barely had anytime to spend proselyting in our own area; but it’s been a good one. It rained for a couple days straight, but it isn’t cold enough for there to be snow-thank goodness. I’m a warm blooded creature. On Wednesday we were blessed with the opportunity to attend the temple as a Huntsville Zone and it gets better and better every time. I can’t wait until I can get back into going to the temple regularly. Being there with a group of Missionaries though, there is a special spirit. I will miss those trips for that reason. But, after going through our session Elder Morley and I were asked to help clean the temple before we left (which is why I don’t have a Zone picture on the steps). All I was assigned to do was vacuum the Men’s Dressing Room, but being able to spend that time alone in the temple was amazing. It definitely is the house of the Lord. Thursday we drove to Huntsville for Zone Training which was good as always. And Friday we drove to Scottsboro for District Meeting. After DM we went straight to our church building for Lynn’s baptismal interview. Wahoo! She passed, like I knew she would and all was well. Saturday we spent getting ready for the Baptism, having the Baptism and then driving to Huntsville again. But before I move on:
Lynn’s baptism was amazing. There weren’t a lot of people there. It wasn’t long. But the Spirit was just the same. I was able to participate in seeing the fruits of the labors of so many missionaries before me who sowed and sowed and sowed the seeds for Lynn. She was ready and she had been ready. She will be the first to tell you it was long overdue, but I am so blessed that I was able to be here for her decision. The road she traveled was long and hard but she made it here, and the best part of the whole thing was not the baptism itself, it was seeing her face and seeing how excited she was to make sacred covenants with our Father in Heaven. Elder Morley and I successfully had ourselves a White Christmas. (A brief explanation of White Christmas: Our goal as a Mission is that every companionship-all 86-baptize or take a recent convert to the temple. So that each companionship can participate in helping one of God’s children get dressed in white).
After her Baptism we drove back over to Huntsville to see the Christmas Concert that they put on every year and it was amazing. They may not be able to do Christmas Lights in Alabama, but they sure do have something that matches it pretty close.
Sunday was another fun day. Lynn was confirmed a member of the church, and then that afternoon we set someone else on date to be baptized...for later this month...which may move but it’s still going to be sooner than later. Virginia was a referral we received after the soup kitchen a couple weeks ago. She is deaf. So, not knowing how we are going to communicate we just went for it anyways and I made sure I had a pad of paper. She apparently had a friend who she would go to church with in Oklahoma when she lived there. Her friend was deaf as well so they attended a deaf Ward. Well, when she moved here there wasn’t one, however she contacted the missionaries earlier this year and was being taught. Once the missionaries changed and because of the language barrier, Virginia kinda feel to the wayside. When we got there she had a triple combination, the pamphlets, a bible, the Restoration DVD, etc. that she studied from. After asking her a couple questions about what she had been taught and if she believed it was true we finally asked her to be baptized. She joyfully accepted and so we will be put to the test to see how we are going to help this deaf daughter come closer to Jesus Christ. It was weird planning a lesson in the middle of the lesson, but it was such a miracle that we 1) found her and 2) were able to communicate even a little bit. In our District our vision for this transfer is “Faith to find the one.” Along with that we are all praying for the Faith that everyday we go out we are going to find the elect, the prepared of God. We found her. And I’m excited to see where it goes!
Christmas is almost here, keep spreading the Light, we are getting tons of media referrals from the Christmas Initiative and I know the missionaries in your areas appreciate it as well! Keep up the goods work and home and keep having a wonderful holiday season! Hope your Christmas is as white as the ABM! If you need anything from me let me know!
Much Love, and Godspeed,
Elder Milius
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Godspeed,
ELDER MICHAEL S. MILIUS
ALABAMA BIRMINGHAM MISSION
"Behold I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of Him to declare His word among His people, that they might have everlasting life." ~3 Nephi 5:13
Alabama Birmingham Temple
Elder Morley, Lynn, Elder Milius
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