Tuesday, July 18, 2017

17 July 2017 - Elder Milius Week #55

Peeps Around the World,

Well what another wonderful week in the Alabama Birmingham Mission. First of all the weather here varies like crazy and storms come out of nowhere which is kinda fun! We had to run through it a couple times but that’s pretty typical now, especially with it being the summer! It’s starting to get humid again just like when I first got here, yay! People alway comment that I’m used to the heat but in reality it’s so different. I’m just nervous that by the end of two years my body is going to adjust and then I’ll have to adjust back to the dry heat. Can’t wait!! Haha! 
As far as investigators go there isn’t much to update concerning the people we’ve been working with. Ann didn’t end up coming to church and is basically too affected by her “previous experience” in church (that she won’t tell us) is keeping her from coming or going to any church in general. But she’s still reading the Book of Mormon so maybe there is hope there! Basically everybody else we’ve not been able to get in contact with because of either vacations or they just don’t like us all of the sudden. It’s frustrating but we’ll hopefully be able to find some more people to help the Ward out a little bit! 
We were able to find a few people this past week, one of which might be worth mentioning-and there may be more we’ll just see how the typing goes. Kristine was a lady who we knocked into on Wednesday! We had gone to visit a less-active, who ended up not living at the address we had but we are going back to that family that does live there this week, and we were going to tract the street we were on. When Kristine answered she was very nice and explained that she new a member named June! June is also less-active but we had had dinner with her and the Kemptons a week or two prior! Crazy cool connections. Then she started about how she was Catholic but was really looking for a church and then didn’t like the ones she had attended so she stopped really looking. As we went through the Restoration and especially the First Vision is totally made sense to her and she looking excited to read and learn more. We had an appointment for this past Friday that she missed but we’ll hopefully be helping her as this week goes on. 
Another cool story, simple but cool to me happened at McDonalds. Elder Foudy had to use the restroom so we stopped and I saw this guy that I knew! Remember a month or so ago when Elder Matthews had to go to the bathroom in an emergency situation? Ya so when he was doing that I saw a worker who looked like he needed some cheering up. So, I gave him a Book or Mormon and told him it would bring him joy because I had an impression to! I told him to call us if he needed anything and he never called. But, when we were in McDonalds again he was there and his demeanor didn’t really change and he didn’t talk to us and nothing really happened but it was a cool reminder of an experience I had a while ago. The Lord knows who we are!
There was nothing else super eventful. We did some more Family History this week, we store contacted, tracted, taught some people, found some more, went to bed, and woke up the next morning and did it again! Pauline, this lady that we had tracted into a couple weeks prior stopped us in Wal-Mart and told us “don’t worry I haven’t forgot about you, we’ve just been really busy!” Cool thing was we had scheduled to see them that day and were able to reschedule an appointment (maybe that will turn into something). We went on an Exchange with the Millbrook Elders which was awesome! It was fun to be with Elder Egbert, another missionary who came out with me. He’s a great missionary and an even better friend! Also, we are 6th cousins. Someone put together a “Relative Finder” ABM page for all of us missionaries! 

  • Momma Cook from Wetumpka took us out to Logan’s for dinner! :)
  • We contacted at the park by sitting on a bench and asking people “Can I interest you in a copy of the Book or Mormon?”
  • We were bashed hard core by a guy in Bass Pro shop. We started talking to this guy’s wife and mother who were sitting on a bench. His mother was from Germany and we were talking to her about that because his wife was not interested in us even standing there. At one point the Mom asked us if we were saved and the wife told her “No, no they’re not.” THEN she CALLED her husband who came up to “talk” with us and when he shook our hands he pulled us real close and was very aggressive-jerk. When we told him we agreed that it was only through the blood of Christ we are saved he was kinda taken back and then kept on. Stupid people. After we left him we gave away a Book of Mormon to someone on the way out and talked to a previous part-member (her ex husband was a LA member). 
  • On our exchange we all sang “Hallelujah” to Elder Egbert on the guitar.
  • We saw lightning strike the traffic light 10 feet in front of us and knock the power out to the light. 
  • Elder Foudy called me in give him his towel that he left in the dryer after he got out of the shower.

I want to finish talking about a little girl named Avery. Last week we went and visited our Ward Mission Leader’s family and gave them our “member-missionary work” thought and invited them to pray as a family and give away a Book of Mormon. Yesterday we get this text from Sister Campbell: “Happy Sunday Elders!!! I wanted to tell you that Avery gave away the Book of Mormon to the friend she told you who came to her mind when you left the Book of Mormon with us. When she gave it to her friend I listened as she handed it to her friend and said this is an invitation to our church. Our church is the only true church and I know this book is the word of God and I got one for you of your very own to take home. Her friend was very happy and asked if she could put her name in it before she leaves. Thanks for all you do Elders! You are SO important and make SUCH a difference!” Later that night we went over to tell Avery how awesome that is and we learned that after she gave it away she told her mom that she needed to give a talk to tell everyone! We’re going to reminder her to give her talk on Fast Sunday. (In the same aspect another girl from a family we gave sorta the same lesson to gave away her pass-along card we challenged her as well as two copies of the Book of Mormon. Brother Campbell also gave a book to one of his colleagues. We are very excited to continue meeting with the members and making this the “norm” for the Prattville Ward!) By the way Avery is nine years old.

Love y’all, have a great week wherever you might be!

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



 Me and Mama Cook

 IT IS HOT IN BAMA!



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