Elder Michael Milius: 1 May 2017 - Elder Milius Week 44

Hello!!

I told y’all that Wetumpka was going to get wet! This week was another hard week of work but it all capped off with our third baptism in a row!

Shannon is someone that Elder Harris and I started working with only a couple months ago and now she is baptized! She is the first person that I’ve been part of the Finding, Teaching, and Baptism of-and to top it off she asked me to perform the Baptism! It was a long ride for her and a lot of changes had to be made but miracle after miracle was evident as she gave out coffee, sweet tea, cigarettes, vaping, and as her work schedule changed to allow her to come to church. One of the most pivotal moments along her path to conversion that I clearly saw was that of her attendance at General Conference. Even though she only went to one of the sessions of Conference that Spirit she obviously felt stuck with her and she desired to have more of it. After conference her progression rapidly increased to the point where we only had to work out the details of when. Shannon’s feelings coming out of the font were, “Cold!” but after getting dry she told me that she felt “Better.” and that she was ready for the work ahead, “a job well worth it!”

As missionaries our goal is to ultimately to help people be prepared for baptism and their entering the gate by that first covenant. After that, they are on the path of “enduring to the end” and that falls under the Ward’s jurisdiction. Being able to be with Shannon from the beginning to the end (as far as we take people as missionaries), and going through all the obstacles with her has opened my eyes to the path of conversion and of discipleship. It is not easy, but it never was intended to be. It was never easy for Him as He was beaten, spit upon, scourged, forsaken, betrayed, and brutally murdered; so why should it be easy for us? However, because of Him and to use Shannon’s words it is going to be “a job well worth it!”

A couple other updates on individuals. Trevor and Sebastian are doing good but they are hung up on coming to church-which is where we run into the roadblock of Mom and Dad. Mom is a less-active member and Dad is not, they both support their kids but not necessarily in the way we would hope (like giving them a ride to church, etc.) But we’re working on that this week! Kendra moved to her parents house this week and so we are going to try and track her down to teach her again this week. She was reading the Book of Mormon and was interested (she also has twin girls who are 3 years old...they’re adorable). Emily is doing great as well and even though her Mom isn’t interested she is supportive of Emily being interested. Although, Emily stays with her Dad on the weekends so church is something we’ll have to tackle-like every other investigator! Dalila is the mother of a few kids, none of which are her own. She is an awesome lady and we were able to catch her and she told us her “story” I guess which was good. We left her with a Restoration pamphlet and are hoping to be able to get back over there this week as well to discuss that. Her son is 8 and when the sisters were going over there apparently he has said he wants to be baptized! We are going to start working with Erica and her family (she and her three boys are LA) as well as her new husband, Willie, who is not a member but generally interested! Love their family!

A family took us out to dinner at the Wind Creek Buffet. (One of the three Casinos in AL).
We have been playing cards with an older man in the ward who is less-active for health reasons and he’s beaten us every time.
We played tackle football, in proselyting clothes, with Erica’s boys and some others from their neighborhood. I dove after one kid and scraped up my arm but it was worth it.
The power in Elmore County went out because of “a large snake in one of their substations.” We were at the church finishing up a baptismal program and is all shut off-creepy.
A baptist pastor, Shane, took the time to get out of his car and come up to us as we were talking to a guy whom we’ve talked to before (his name is Tommy and he isn’t too interested but he’ cool. He is the guy with all the clocks. I sent picture a while ago of one from the 1600s.) in order to “protect Tommy from the false things we were teaching him.” We also don’t believe in Jesus Christ and even though it says Jesus Christ on my name tag it is a false Christ. We are “wolves in sheeps clothing” and preach evil and false things. Joseph Smith also wrote the Book of Mormon by translating scrolls (two different things, wrote versus translate) and he did it all with an Elementary Education as a farm boy. That was a stupid encounter.

Again, it was an exhausting week but we’ve got three baptism and more to work with. We had some cool experiences talking to a couple people who we are hoping to make new investigators and church was great! A young man who is preparing to go to the Canada Vancouver Mission confirmed Shannon and it was the most inspired blessing I’ve heard-just what she needed! Times are good in Wetumpka and I hope they’re good everywhere else! Love y’all, let me know if you need anything!

Much Love,

Elder Milius

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