Bless you... Thank you.
Interesting week, let me tell you. But I
guess that's like every week. I am getting hit with some bad allergies and it's
only because I live in the "Valley of Sickness," at least that's what
they Native Americans called this area way back in Book of Mormon times.
Apparently all the pollen and everything collects here--yay me! Never had these
problems in AZ, but if that's my biggest worry things must be going pretty good.
Elder Holm is still doing great, we are
finally settling in and starting to move forward with the work here in the
Weatherly Ward. We met with Rose this week and challenged her to baptism. Mike
is still working to get baptized on the 26th of this month and they had a good
trip this past week. It was a roller coaster for them but Mike ended up on top.
On top of all of that we received a couple referrals from the members about
families that we could go and visit and it's so interesting to see the Lord's
timing in all of it. I just have a huge testimony of working, and working hard,
and "[receiving] success" from the Lord (Alma 26:27). We can't really
expect anything, we should just be grateful for what we get.
Along with Mike and Rose we've had a lot
of good conversations with some others this week. We met Jody, who has LDS
friends and was interested to talk to us. She told her member friend (who
approached us in church about her and said to not stop going over there) that
she liked us but she "wasn't going to read the Book of Mormon." We
will see how that ends up! Nick was another guy that wouldn't really let the
whole Trinity Doctrine go. He didn't argue, thankfully, but we had a good
scriptural discussion and he motivated me to get back into my Bible studies of
common questions; gotta love the Bible belt. We contacted a guy Torries who
took a Book of Mormon and was somewhat interested in reading it. Was also
tracted into Kathy and Janice, a mom and a daughter, who invited us in and we
shared a little of our message with them. Only after we fixed thier storm door
though; service softens souls, I'm telling ya! AL was a guy we met our first
day here and we re-contacted him and invited him to start studying the Book of
Mormon. Hope all goes well there and things progress. (He is the guy that loves
baseball, the optimism poster from the other week was in his home).
So, things are looking like they are
going pretty well. We had an experience this week as well where we met a few
people in what I thought was a miracle. We had been tracting in an apartment
complex and earlier that day I felt like knocking some doors on a street called
Yorkshire. I told Elder Holm about it and we weren't having much success where
we were so I prayed about it and we ended up going to that street. First we
followed up with a potential investigator that lived there, Krista. She has
known a member, Sister Fennell (her neighbor), for years and has started to get
interested in the church. Even to the point where she said she "might
join." Turns out her and Sister Fennell have a thing set up to where they
read the Book of Mormon once a week and even though she's not ready for the
lessons or for church, she is getting a lot of her questions answered by her
friend and it looks like it will turn out to be a very successful conversion.
After that cool conversation we went over to the opposite side of the street,
where I had felt to go. There we ran into some teenagers playing basketball so
we did what every good missionary would do and played a pick-up game of 3-on-3.
In the middle of the game a guy comes out of the house next door to where we
were playing waving the Book of Mormon in the air and hollering at us. Turns
out we had met this guy, Adam, about a week earlier in Walmart. He pulled us
aside and asked us about our beliefs and stuff and was totally interested in
taking a copy of the Book of Mormon. At the time he had lived in Boaz, AL, so
we sent his information to the Elders down there. It ended up that he and his
fiance got a house here in our area! What a coincidence! ;) Then, after we
balled with the kids we ran into a couple 20 or so year olds who we met our
first week here. When we were out walking they had picked us up in their jeep
and we briefly talked to them about what we do and gave them a Book of Mormon.
They had read a little bit and after talking they seemed open to us coming by
and teaching and stuff. We invited them all to come to church, they didn't
come, but it was still super cool. So, in the end we were led to that street,
didn't knock a single door, but found the people I think the Lord needed us to
find. That was a cool miracle about being led by the Spirit and how the Lord
knows who is prepared for us.
In addition to the people we are working
with, we found a couple YSA ladies who we sent to the Sister Missionaries that
cover that unit for YSAs and both worked out really well! Mandy and Kaby :) It
was cool because Sister Birch and Sister Johanson who were just in Hoover with
me got doubled out of Hoover and doubled in together to the YSA here in
Huntsville. They are awesome Sisters and I'm glad I still get to work with them
haha!
Funnies:
●
When we were riding on Monday night Elder Holm
nailed a tree on his bike right in front of some people sitting on their porch;
it was funny, for me.
●
Elder Holm finally got his bike on Monday!! It was
like Christmas to him.
●
The first day Elder had his bike we went on
exchanges with Byrd Springs and his front skewer for his tire snapped. I wasn't
with him, obviously, but they called us and I could just imagine how frustrated
he would've been!
●
Elder Briggs and I talked to this lady and he, being
a Spanish missionary, was explaining why his tag was in Spanish. He asked her
if she spoke Spanish and she sckoffed and said, "Taco Bell!" It was
hilarious.
●
While riding with Elder Briggs I smacked a street
sign and he thought I had hit it and fallen so he slammed on his breaks and
looked back... real quick... He also almost crashed trying to rub up against
Elder Featherstone's tire.
●
Elder Briggs also had water shoot out like a blow
hole from the back of a basketball hoop and it got all over him. That was like
the story of our entire exchange. I loved it haha! Last transfer I went out
with Elder Briggs but it was in Hoover so it was nice to not be "in charge."
●
I scared Elder Holm by yelling "Boo" when
he was looking at a wasp in the corner of an entry way. Then a couple days
later I did the same thing when he was looking at a spider. He didn't think it
was funny.
●
Speaking of spiders, flashback to when I made Elder
Stanford drop to the floor thinking a spider fell on him. Haha!
●
We tried talking to a guy who was less than enthused
that we were trying to speak with him. When I told him to have a blessed day he
yelled back, “Nope!”
●
The fastest I've seen Elder Holm ride his bike was
when he thought it was going to rain. I was keeping up with him then, which has
been unusual.
There were a few things I learned this
week that I feel like sharing. The first us how important it is to use the
Scriptures. The power that we get as teachers comes from the Scriptures and I
am so thankful to have learned them as much as I have. The Bible belt has
trained me well, and it's becoming a great spiritual gift. Second, asking
questions is the basis of developing a relationship. And, ultimately, that's
what we are here to do. Developing friendships is the foundation of
ministering. In that light, the new program of the church in Ministering
expands "Home and Visiting Teaching" to developing friendships with
neighbors, member and non-member alike. Hence why I believe that the work is
hastening (D&C 88:72-73). Lastly, the Gospel is so individual. There are
many principles and ordinances and commandments that we are all asked to
follow, but the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not to bring a church back to the
Father. It's designed to bring individuals back to God, and Families back to
God. I love that aspect of the Gospel. All the Father really asks of us it to
do what we feel is right; to use our agency and the Spirit to determine the
details of the Gospel for ourselves-and sometimes for our family, or
stewardship. Everything we do is about our journey from the Tree of Knowledge
of Good and Evil to the Tree of Life.
I hope you all have a blessed day and a wonderful week! Thanks for your
support.
Much Love,
Elder Milius
And to all you Mothers out there, happy Mothers Day! :)
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