For Elder Miles' birthday we called a local pizza place & had🍕BIRTHDAY PIZZA🍕 delivered to the elders. When sweet Sister Rawlins from the ward in Murrieta confirmed that they got it ok she also sent me this message & I definitely teared up😢😌
This is from Elder Miles -
"Just tell her that I love her and miss her and thank you for dinner!"❤😊
The members in the different areas where Elder Miles has served have been absolutely amazing!! Sister Rawlins from Murrieta sent these photos & a few messages over Easter weekend😊...
"I am smiling watching your son while his Mission President is speaking in our adult session of Stake Conference. Elder Miles has gotten an awesome haircut and is absolutely beaming. : ) Sis. Rawlins"....Maybe the haircut was the angle I was at in the back😂- but he says "Hi!! Awesome Conference this Easter Morn - Happy Easter!"
Some of my favorite smiles of our missionary😃 Elder Miles is officially out of teenage-hood! This is his last birthday serving in the California Carlsbad Mission....but don't worry Californian friends, "he'll be back"!!😉 Happy 20th bud!!🎂🎉 We love you!!💞
A sweet ward member sent a note along with the photos...
"We had fun with him today! He asked me to send you a picture of the bunny cake. It's not my best, thankfully missionaries are easy to please!😃 They are great young men! We weren't planning on having company for dinner, but we were glad we were asked to feed them. Our oldest has been serving for almost 5 months, so having the missionaries in our home made having Easter without her a little easier. "
The Mercier Family lives in one of the wards where Elder Miles was serving in Vista last year. They were coming through town & wanted to treat the Elders to dinner!! Absolutely love all these sweet members that take such good care of our missionaries!!💞😍
Well this week was CRAZY!
I had to take 2 missionaries to the hospital in the middle of the night. One was throwing up blood and couldn't even stand up by himself. We got a call at 1 am to come get him. It was pretty scary. Then the other guy was having stomach problems all day and at like 3 in the morning the next night our mission president called us and told us to go pick that elder up and take him to the hopital where they found that his appendix was about to burst. And they immediately took him into surgery. I stayed at the hospital the whole night while Elder Figgins and the other companion went home and got some sleep. It was weird being all by myself. Kind of relaxing though haha.
Then last night I was up late writing in my journal. It was probably like 11:30. Somebody knocked on our door. It freaked me out because it was super loud. So I like tipi-toed over to the door and looked through the peep hole and didn't see anyone. I was like, "Somebody is here to kill us." Elder Figgins was asleep, so I went to wake him up, but then he just got mad. Then there was another knock. A lot softer this time. So I went over and looked through the peep hole again. Nobody. So I opened the door and this chick jumps out from around the corner and scares me. I end up yelling a word that isn't very good haha. Then she asked if she could borrow a phone charger. And I told her that we only have one for our phone. And she didn't believe me so she was trying to walk in. But trying to be seductive at the same time. I've seen her before in our complex, and she is always staring at us. So I knew she really didn't want the phone charger. I ended up pushing her out of the door and locking it. Then she left. It was freaking weird. Satan man. He'll do anything.
We had a lot of meetings this week as well and didn't really get any time to proselyte. But with the time we did have we were able to find a potential investigator from the family ward we cover. His name is Malcomb. He has a family but we only talked to him and were able to set up a lesson for Wednesday afternoon. Seem's like a good guy. He knows members in our ward, and in the Winchester ward. We will see how it goes.
That's about it for this week. Happy Easter!! Talk to ya later
Elder Ethan Miles
Zone Conference - Elder Miles is surrounded by 3 of his companions he's served with😃
Thank goodness for great members who take cute pictures!!😃👍 We got this tonight with a sweet message...
"They are Awesome Elders!!! I had to send them to In/Out - much rather visit - but both my girls are performing in a concert and I signed up a month ago not realizing - and my husband is stuck in traffic - they tell me their favorite milkshake is chocolate so they are having double double meals with milkshakes - they are happy - but next time we will have lots of veggies!!! My son is also on a mission so I like to have the elders over!!! The Spirit just flows from them!!! They are a blessing!!!:)"
Well we just got done giving a blessing to a recent convert named Angel. She is super cool. She was baptized last September. Her dad is Stephen J. Bronder, the Commander Master Chief of the Sasebo Naval Base in Japan. He is at the highest rank you can get in the Navy. And he is anti against the church. He sent her an "easter" letter this week and she felt like she needed a blessing. He is constantly giving her crap.
This week we recieved a text from Erika saying that she isn't really wanting to continue to meet with us until her friend, Darby, comes back from school in the summer. It's a bummer but to be honest, it's probably best, because by then she will be moved out from her dad's house and able to make a decision without any influence. I will be out of the area but its ok.
For my birthday, if it's easier, everyone can just send money. Rather than spending $15 on stuff, then another $15 to ship, you can just mail $30 haha. Whatever is easier. And I can buy what I need to. Just an idea.
Looking forward for this week. Hoping for some miracles! I gotta get running now.
Elder Ethan Miles
Well it's official, my last General Conference is over. It's a bitter sweet feeling. But at least it was a super good one. I felt that everything was directed to me and the questions I had. It gave me motivation to finish strong! It was very much needed. This one was also special because I went into it with different questions. Not just doctrinal, but questions on what I need to do to stay spiritually alive when I do eventually come home. President Thomas challenged us to do so. I am so grateful to have living prophets and apostles! We, as members of the church don't realized how important it is for us. And we take it for granted. There are literally over 30,000 christian denominations (not counting other religions like Muslim, or Hindu) that think that there are no more prophets. Or that revelation from God has ceased! And they are ok with it.
When I look at it that way it makes me feel like the sons of Mosiah when they would "tremble" because the people didn't know the truth. Mosiah 28:3, "Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human should should perish; yea, even the very thought that any should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and to tremble."
We need to take what the prophets say to heart and have "ears to hear" (Matt 11:15) just as Christ's apostles did. When this scripture talks about hearing, it isn't just to listen. The context that this is used in is to hear to build faith. As taught in Romans 10:17, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of god." And when we read James 2:17, we learn that, "Even so faith, without works, is dead." (For more explanation read versus 14-26) So if we are going to have our faith built at all by listening to general conference, we need to "hear" or listen with the intent to act. If not, it will profit us nothing, and we will have listened in vain.
Mosiah 2:33,36 says, "33 For behold, there is a wo pronounced upon him who listeth to obey that spirit; for if he listeth to obey him, and remaineth and dieth in his sins, the same drinketh damnation to his own soul; for he receiveth for his wages an everlasting punishment, having transgressed the law of God contrary to his own knowledge."
36 And now, I say unto you, my brethren, that after ye have known and have been taught all these things, if ye should transgress and go contrary to that which has been spoken, that ye do withdraw yourselves from the Spirit of the Lord, that it may have no place in you to guide you in wisdom’s paths that ye may be blessed, prospered, and preserved—"
And then King Benjamin goes on to say in verse 41, "And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it."
Let us all take King Benjamin's advice and consider how blessed the people are that keep the commandments given to them by the prophets. I challenge all of you to do so. I know that we will be blessed in all things, that God will give us the strength to endure (not take away) all of the trials that we face in this mortal life. And he has given us prophets for this very reason. And I am personally grateful for them.
I am out of time, but I am glad to hear from everyone and hope this next week is awesome!
Elder Ethan Miles
Well first off I want to say congrats to Durrant and Christian for their engagements. It's super weird to hear about all the things that are happening back home, and how drastic things will have changed by the time I get back. I mean Gavin is like what, 6' 3" now???? What the heck.
As for me this week, we weren't able to meet with any investigators. Nobody responded to texts or calls or door knocks. Even when they were home. Soooo not much more we could do. Murrieta is hard to work. Nobody walks outside, they all commute to work, so tracting during the day doesn't go anywhere. And nobody is interested at night haha. So we are trying to find some new creative ways to find people. It's just a struggle finding them.
This morning we went fishing with the Temecula zone leaders. Didn't catch anything. The pond we went to gets hit pretty hard, and it's catch and release only, so the fish are pretty smart. We are going to try another lake in a few weeks that is more promising.
That's about it for this week. Hopefully this next one is better! Hope you all have a super awesome week! Love you
Elder Ethan Miles
