Elder Gavin Milius: RICHMOND TEMPLE IS OPEN!!!

Well this week was filled with some cool stuff! Including but not limited to, Transfers, Kenneth is on Date, and the Temple is Dedicated! So with that being said let's get in to it!!

Tuesday was the last day of the transfer and it was loaded with lessons that didn't even go through but still it was pretty sweet. However we did have a lesson with a guy who is somewhat of a basher but also super nice and calls our lessons "dialog." He's a cool guy but kinda doesn't understand what we are talking about. It was kinda funny cause this was the first time I ever silenced somebody when they make a silly claim. His claim was the nobody will not know Jesus before we die and that the spirit world is not real and we first pulled out 1 Peter 3 and talked to him about how it mentions spirit prison but then he started dissing on it and so I flipped the page to 1 Peter 4: 6 which says why the gospel is preached to the dead and after he read that he couldn't say anything. Needless to say he said he needs to go study more but it was funny to see the spirit confound his argument. He's a super nice guy though so I wish him the best of the best but when you get bashed for such a long time and can finally stop the argument because of truth! It's a good feeling.

Anyways transfers were Wednesday and I got my new companion! His name is Elder Mathews and we actually came out together which is sweet! Transfers were sick, got to say hi to a bunch of people and then we came back and had a lesson with a guy named Kenneth! Kenneth is a guy we've been teaching foe a little bit and he accepted the invitation to be baptized!!!! He is awesome and it's so cool to see his joy when we talk with him. He's just a happy guy and constantly says he can't wait to be baptized. So hopefully come June 10th, He can be baptized!!

Thursday and Friday were pretty basic. It was just starting out the transfer, doing some planning and had a couple lessons with some people. We knocked a lot of doors and did some service for some members on Friday.

Saturday was pretty fun, I had my very first baptismal interview as a District Leader. It was kinda funny cause the Assistants just called me and said they found out a kid who is being baptized Sunday is 9 which means I have to interview him. What also is funny is that means the APs are just pulling out baptisms left and right! So I got to interview a kid for baptism which was a pretty sweet experience. Then we kinda just knocked doors and had a lesson with a super patriotic dude named Donnie that went pretty well!

Sunday was awesome!!! So after a long long time, the Richmond Virginia Temple is finally dedicated! We had President Dallin H Oaks come to the temple (literally 15 minutes away) and we had an awesome session! I think that was my 3rd dedication ive ever been to and it probably was one of my favorites because it's the first time I've actually listened and it's the only Temple that means the most to me since it's my mission temple!!! Doing the Hosanna Shout was awesome! Everything was just awesome!! It was really cool cause obviously, being at the Open house was super spiritual but even being in our chapel, which was an extension of the temple, I felt the spirit so strongly! I genuinely miss that strong spirit and I can't wait to attend the temple hopefully soon!

Today was pretty basic Pday but we did get to go to Costco because my new comp had a birthday on Thursday and he got a Costco gift card. So we went to the food court then he bought some steaks and we just browsed at all the stuff because why not.

But that was my week! I hope yall had an amazing week as well! I love all yall! Yall are just the best! I'm loving my mission! About 8 months down so I'm a 3rd of the way through and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now! The gospel is true! The Book of Mormon is true! Nothing can disprove the power that comes from reading and praying. Doing the simplest things can sometimes bring the most solid and powerful testimonies! Without my testimony there would be no way I could survive it out here but I know the feeling of not having the spirit as much and when I do have the spirit fully working in my life and my week and my days, nothing can compare to the joy, peace, comfort, direction, and love it brings to my heart! I hope you all strive everyday to be fully committed to the spirit because with the complete spirit working fully in your life, anything is possible and nothing can bring you down, not even the entire army of Satan! GOD IS GOOD!