TALK TO GOD!! - 23 October 2023

Well hello! How's everyone doing!! Time for another weekly email from ya boi! So to get started this week was pretty great, I feel like I never realize how hard coming to a new area is and how hard that first week is but now that I've been here for a week I'm chillin!! 

So early in this week we pretty much have had lessons planned that have fallen through so we've been doing lots of finding. But it hasn't been too bad, I'm starting to get a feel for the area and have enjoyed my time so far with elder robison!! On Wednesday we got the chance to teach one of our recent Converts about the articles of Faith. It was kinda nice to have a lesson and not have to teach loads of Doctrine. We just read the articles of Faith and talked about what they meant, it was pretty cool. Then later that night we had dinner with a member in our ward and we were there for like 2 hours. They were pretty sweet though and we had a great time, after that though both me and my comp kinda died a little, just with allergies and probably a little bug going round. But it was OK, wendesday we were able to find someone to teach which was cool, it's been a fat minute since I've had some success just with the slow areas and the season but it's been good since!

Thursday we had zone conference which was awesome. I got to hang out with all my mission friends and then we got to hear from our wonderful president who talked a lot about just our faith and the continuation of miracles and how faith is a principle of power and how sometimes if not all the time, faith has to be acted upon before a miracle come occur. Then he talked a lot about personal studies and the significance of having our study and how we can have effective studies. I was kinda happy when he mentioned that the best personal study layout consists of reading a little of the Book of mormon, reading a little from the four gospels, and then spending some time in preach my gospel. I've literally been doing that for a while and I've had some of the best personal studies following that outline. Spend some time with the book of mormon, spend some time with Jesus, and spend some time on how to be a better missionary! 

Anyways Friday was a chill day, we had a few lessons throughout the day and a couple of then canceled but we were able to find someone and have an awesome lesson with this one girl who is truly searching for something and is close to finding it. So it was fun to be able to teach people more and share my testimony more. I've been focusing on sharing my testimony more because as much as I know I've had one, I've never shared it enough to put a stamp with my name on it. So ive been studying my own testimony and been trying to share it more which has helped me so much with teaching and it honestly makes lessons more genuine and sincere rather than just a history lesson. 

Saturday and Sunday were kinds the same, we had planning on Saturday and knocked lots of doors, then Sunday was bout the same. Except on Sunday it was around 6pm and we went out to knock and there was a lady walking her dog outside, so since we are trying to talk to everyone, I called out to her. We told her we were inviting people to church and she told us she already had a church but then her dog started pulling her over to us. So we pet her dog for a while and just talked to her. She shared her story of how she is trying tk get back into church and understand the Bible and her own testimony. Over a while as we were talking about her church and what not, we pulled the Book of mormon out and explained it to her, she had lots of questions and was very interested in learning and reading more about the Book Of Mormon, so we gave her one and she said she would totally read it. She wasn't interested in church or anything at first but after a long 40 minute conversation, thanks to her dog wanting to say hi to us, we were able to teach her about the Book Of Mormon and get her info to share more about it sometime in the future. God works in mysterious ways and sometimes he works through dogs. 

Anyways, this is getting long so I'll end it here, I love yall, miss yall, and think about all yall everyday. There is a reason I'm on my mission and the testimony of hope I have is what is keeping me going through some hard times. But enjoy yalls week and I'll talk to you in the next one! 

-Elder Milius 

FEELING BREEZY - 16 October 2023

Yo here we are back at it again! I've transferred to my new area down in Virginia Beach and even though it's still Virginia and there are trees everywhere, I still get the breezy vibes of the ocean which is pretty sick! But the area is epic! We've got lots to do and I'm so excited to get back into my grind with success energy! I loved rockhill so much and there were so many pros to being up in Stafford like the wards were just so awesome, but the work is slow. So I'm excited to get working hard on a whole new level now! 

Anyways, my last week in Stafford was pretty much just a wild one. Tuesday was technically my final day of work in that area because come Wednesday, both me and my comp had to pack as we were about to take my comp down to Richmond to fly to Japan, but since our other comp left, we had to have the white Oak elders come down with us so I had a companion on thursday and Friday. So we just jammed all night driving down to Richmond, dropped off our Japanese comp and headed back up to Stafford where I hung out in white Oak for a couple days. 

Thursday was a basic day of missionary work but I was new to the area so I just followed along, we did get to go to their district council so I got to say goodbye to all those missionaries which was nice. Then Friday came and we loaded up the car for transfers. Transfers were sick, I got to see all my friends and had a blast hanging with them for a little bit until I loaded up again In a new car with a new companion and drove down to Virginia Beach. My new comps name is Elder Robison and he's a pretty sick guy, he's into trucks so me and him definitely bouta get along. Then we got home and had an appointment to go to from which the appointment fell through but because we were in the area, we were able to find this one super cool dude. We taught him about the Book Of Mormon and even gave him one to keep! It was sick! My first day in a new area and already having awesome miracles!!!

Anyways, Saturday was a long day, we had to go shopping to grab some things for me and then we had some weekly planning, then we just went out to visit a bunch of people, unfortunately it was raining all day and night and of course, now that it's fall, the sun goes down at like 7:30 so people don't want to talk at night anymore. It's so dumb like cmon people, the lord doesn't run on a clock, he's eternal! But then Sunday came along and boy was this ward super small!! We straight up didn't even open the cultural hall, I was so surprised this was a ward cause there was like 50 people max at sacrament meeting. But the ward is pretty sick, there's a couple homies I met and I'm excited to get to meet all of them as it probably won't take me long to get around to everyone lol. 

Today we got to vibe out with the district, we went to an aquarium and looked at some sick fish, got to touch some sting rays and check out some narley looking turtles. 

Anyways I'm so hyped for my new area because I've lowkey needed something to get me back to my grind energy. I was very hard working at the beginning of my mission and stayed that way for a while but after my last area when we genuinely had like nothing to do, we just didn't have work enough to keep that energy but now, now I can lock down, put my head down and work harder than ever. But I love yall! I miss yall! I enjoy my mission so flipping much but I can't wait to see yall again! Anyways, talk to yall in the next one, ayo!!! 

-Elder Milius 

HEADING SOUTH - 9 September 2023

Yo what's good my bruthas and sistas in christ!!! So I definitely forgot to click send yesterday on this email so your getting it today! It has been a couple weeks since I've written and I promise I'm going to get better at writing every week. But getting on with the past couple weeks, things have been interesting and fun to adjust to. 

Big news is I found out last Saturday that I'm actually gonna be transferring out of Stafford and I'm going to be heading down south to the wonderful zone of Virginia Beach!! It's definitely gonna be a blast, even though it's winter time now basically lol. But I'm super excited to serve the people in Virginia Beach and I'm very interested to see how the work is down there. 

Basically the rest of the past couple weeks has just been a finding grind, we haven't had many lessons with non members at all, which is super sad, and that just leaves us with lots and lots of time to fill in our day. So we fill it with finding, we go to Walmart parking lots for an hour, then we go knock doors for another two hours, we call people, go knock more doors and the hardest part is all of the "NOs" but we keep pressing forward praying for miracles along the way and fortunately we were able to see some miracles. Just this past weekend we were at Walmart and both me and my comp did not feel like being there so we found an investigator close by and stopped by and actually got in contact with them, gave them both copies of the Book of mormon and set up a return appointment. So even in a slow slow area, the work still moves forward. 

General conference was also this past weekend and boy was it one of the best conferences I've ever watched! It was legendary!!! And theres gonna be yet another temple in Virginia!!!! Things are popping off in this dispensation and it's such a blessing to be a part of it all. Of course one thing that stuck out to me was the Think Celestial but also the huge emphasis on our freedom to choose what law we want to live! I love the boldness of our prophet and apostles to lay the fact and truth that God is truth and that no popular worldy opinion is truth. God's law won't change and its up to us to live this Celestial law to then be that example of the tremendous blessings that come from living this law so that others can come to know the truth for themselves! General conference was amazing and I hope yall enjoyed it!! 

Anyways, that's pretty much everything important from this last week, like I said, we've been doing a lot of knocking and street contacting so it's just grind, grind, grind. But I'm so hyped for Virginia Beach and I can't wait to get there and start fresh and go finish the work that's been set forth in my next area!!! Anyways love yall!! Enjoy your week!!

-Elder Milius