WK 10 - Mender Tercies

Tender Mercies: I found a stash of microwave popcorn leftover in my apartment, my companion doesn't like popcorn so it's all for me, and I'm sleeping on a two mattress thick bed. Life is good.

For real though this week has been full of them. For one it went by MUCH faster than last week and I have a feeling that trend will only continue. Now that I've settled in and kind of gathered my bearings out here in the wasteland it's safe to say that missionary work is the best! I'm loving it more and more every day.

We did a lot of service this week. Most it has been helping move furniture and I've come to the conclusion that the church could honestly double as a very effective moving company. We also helped a family put together a playset and another move dirt for the putting green they're putting in their backyard. We found a man named Rocko in a trailer park one day who was so pumped to show us the clocks (perhaps the coolest clocks I've ever seen) and canes that he makes; we're going to do some service for him soon.

On Wednesday we had exchanges with the Zone leaders and that was probably the highlight of the week! We found 3 people and had a great discussion with an older member couple. It was so nice to see another missionary's style of doing things. We also dropped off cookies to some previous missionary contacts, and one of them wasn't home. I really felt like we should leave the cookies on the porch with a note, so we delayed a bit to write it, and when I went to run them to the door the family pulled in the driveway! We ended up having a nice little conversation with them.

Teaching is going well. We found out one lady we're teaching named Cathy is super into family history so we're going to really use that route. We taught the woman in the huge house again and we're not quite sure how she's progressing but she feels the spirit really well. I also got to finally meet and teach the husband of a part member family we're teaching and that family is awesome. It might've been the best lesson yet too.

Oh blessed day, California opened indoor dining this week so a Sister in the ward took us out to a diner called Beep's with her friend and a Brother in the ward who's birthday was recently. It was an absolute party. 

Lastly, I gave a talk in Sacrament on Sunday! I spoke on the joy the Gospel brings and Elder Hawkins talked about how to share it. Kind of some tag team action going on there. I feel like I'm really starting to get to know the members here which has been way fun.

Spiritual thought! The spirit speaks to us all in different ways! As you strive to Hear Him as the prophet is encouraging us to do, write down those ways that you feel the spirit and really cherish and seek them. As you do I promise you'll see the spirit's influence more in your life.

 

ጤና ይስጥልኝ

May God give you health

Elder Miles

Me with a pirate sword we found on top of a shelf we were moving.

Elder Merwin, the Zone Leader, and I.

Wonky looking cat I saw in a trailer park.

I'm absolutely loaded in Ethiopian Burrs. Too bad they don't accept them here :(

Our apartment has blue syrup so I made these.

WK 9 - Now You Simi

Good morning everyone! It has been a crazy week of change and adjustment but life in the field is great! After flying into Santa Barbara on Monday, we ate dinner at the mission president's house (who already astounds me with the knowledge and spirit that he has), had an introduction meeting at the offices, then it was straight to business.

My companion is Elder Hawkins from New Hampshire. He's an experienced missionary with "just over a year" under his belt (more like 19 months but that's what he tells everyone). This Elder is an absolute WISHING WELL of knowledge so I'm super excited to learn from him. I've absorbed more random, specific details about the scriptures in this last week than ever before.

My area is in a city called Simi Valley which is the southernmost part of the mission. It's just northwest of LA county and is fairly close to Calabasas and Beverly Hills. Fancy, I know. But Simi Valley is awesome! It's a beautiful mountainous area that is usually really warm, but it's been rainy this week and it even HAILED one day which is definitely unheard of. I love the homes here because none of them match each other and they all look super unique.

This area is popping in terms of teaching. Elder Hawkins put in the work last transfer and we have 6 people we're currently teaching with plenty of potentials. One of my favorite parts so far is that the ward here is super great about missionary work and we spend a lot of time visiting members. There are so many awesome families and people I've met so here's a quick rundown of some of them:

• We've been meeting with a middle aged man who is a recent convert and is insanely hilarious because he doesn't hold back at all.
• We often visit an older couple because we are teaching the husband and they are legit the sweetest people. His wife is a member and he's really interested and knows a lot about the church but he has questions.
• We helped a family clean and organize their garage. The older children in this family are super into LARPing and so we got a nice rundown of that. Plus we got to play with some of their foam weapons a bit.
• Helped a lady with the dopest dog move bricks.
• Lastly we took one of the people we're teaching the sacrament and she had the coolest house and coolest property I've ever seen. It reminded me of Edna Mode's house from the Incredibles. Super modern, made of steel, with tons of art and a crazy layout.

A bit of a longer email but there's the basics. Missionary work is hard but it's so rewarding to be entirely focused on serving others. I'm pumped to see what comes. You all are the best!

ጤና ይስጥልኝ

May God give you health

Elder Miles

The hail looking like some familiar snow

STOP...hammer time

Simi Valley

My district. Elder Hawkins is the farthest to the right.

WK 8 - Season 1 Finale

Well that’s it. My home MTC experience is over just like that. I had my last class Friday and it was a bittersweet day for sure. I’m going to miss the group, but it’s definitely time to get out there. I got a call from the mission nurse in Ventura this week and she talked a lot about the area and the mission. It got me so juiced. Apparently I’m getting there just in time for strawberry and cilantro (the most superior herb. iykyk) season...I might be surviving on those two crops for the first couple of days.

Class honestly lacked this week: there was a lot of nothin'. It just seemed like everyone was tired and ready to move on, including the teachers. I don’t blame them either: I definitely felt the same way. I think we were running out of material to go over too. I still learned a lot though, plus there were a few neat little experiences here and there! We taught in English for the first time, which kinda threw me off a bit. It was good practice though, considering I will be teaching in English now.

The MTC actually hired another teacher from Ethiopia to help with the Amharic groups, so for the last three days we had Brother Woyesa join us. We “taught” him aaaaaand it went terribly (we maybe probably offended him (well his character)). It was hard! I could barely understand anything. He was speaking super fast and super quiet, which I’m sure is how it will be a lot of the time in Ethiopia so I better get used to it. Plenty of work on the way. I’ll get there.

Lastly we had a “test” workshop this week about seeing others as Christ does. The MTC was trying to decide whether or not they wanted to teach it regularly to incoming MTC groups and we were the guinea pigs for it. Because of this, there were a lot of MTC big wigs from all over the world on the call, which was sweet to see. They shared some cool insight and the workshop itself was great too. Quick spiritual thought: try to see others as Christ does. Strive to notice their light, worth, and potential before anything else. This will bring more light, love, and joy into your life and spread those same positive feelings to those you interact with!

I fly out tomorrow! Next time you hear from me it’ll be from the WEST COAST.

ጤና ይስጥልኝ

May God give you health

Elder Miles

RIP to the DRIP. I sold my frog this week. Here is one of the final pictures.

Elder Lyman and I's work of art that we created while waiting to teach.

Elder Pilling, Me, Elder Probst, and Nate the day before Elder Pilling left.

 

WK 7 - A Brief Detour

Hi everyone! Another week down! I'm gonna start out with a spiritual experience: One afternoon Elder Probst and I were playing some bball in my driveway. He set his phone on top of my Mom’s car and she took off in that car without him remembering it. As soon as he realized what had just happened, the search was on, and we retraced the path my Mom had taken but came up with nothing. I tried calling the phone to see if someone had grabbed it (or if it was even still in one piece), but nothing came from that either. 

After returning home and deciding to go check out an area one more time, I offered a quick, broken prayer in Amharic thinking, “Why not? Two Elders? Let’s see if we can use some of that Elderly spiritual power.” No less than a few minutes later I’m getting a call from his phone. Elder Probst’s brother picks up saying he found the phone on their porch. Someone must’ve found the phone and dropped it at their house. Elder Probst and I would be too powerful as a real companionship.

The funny part is Elder Probst and I were joking about those kinds of stories as we were shooting hoops. I learned a valuable lesson from that experience though haha. Never underestimate the power of a prayer of faith.

I actually have some news this time! On Thursday Elder Lyman and I were teaching Wendim Alex (new guy this time, we met him on a train) (but also still our teacher) when I got a bunch of calls all in a row. A few were from my district and one was from my Stake President. It seemed like an omen of good news. Turns out it was, although not the news I was hoping for. Still exciting news though…

As of now, I have been temporarily reassigned to the Ventura, California mission! That area is the lil bump on the coast right above L.A. I’ll be serving there while I wait for my Visa to be processed to go to Ethiopia. Elder Lyman and Elder Kearl from my district will be joining me there. I’ve got one more week of MTC and then on March 8th I’ll be flying to Phoenix and then to Santa Barbara. Stop by before I go! I’d love to see any of you one last time. 

ጤና ይስጥልኝ

May God give you health

Elder Miles

 

The Malachi District as The Office

Facetiming the Elders on P-day

Elder Lyman's homemade movie poster for our upcoming Amharic Moses film.

WK 6 - LP WORLDWIDE

 ሰላም ነው ወንድሞችና እህቶች፦ ዛሬ ስለ ህይወቴን እና ስራዬ ትንሽ መልእክት አለኝ።

This week was really busy...but at the same I feel like not much has happened!

Home MTC itself has been pretty plain lately! The pattern of a few hours of Gospel study and then a few hours of language study, or vice-versa, continues. Despite the monotony I feel like I’m progressing and learning so much spiritually as well as in my language/teaching skills.  And even though 9 weeks feels like forever when mostly stuck inside, I’m grateful for the extra time to learn, prepare (Especially shopping-wise we’ve done a lot of that lately. Woof.), and just enjoy still being at home. Little fun experiences in class, with my comp, and with my district also help keep things interesting. Home MTC has been amazing, but goodness I'm ready to serve and teach in Ethiopia.

My brother suggested I watch a certain BYU devotional talk this week, and it ended being one of the best church talks I've ever heard. If you have the time, please go watch Elder Holland's "Lessons from Liberty Jail" because it is so powerful and so applicable to our lives. I know that God is always aware of our individual circumstances. In our personal "prisons" of life, though God can seem far, he may actually be closer to us than ever. And I know that the Savior Jesus Christ is always there walking beside us.

This story goes out to all my Lone Peakers out there! The other day in class, I was in a bit of a daze when something snapped me back to reality (Elder Miles ft. Eminem). In the corner of my eye, I saw the sister in my district from Uganda leave her chair and I kid you not there was a LONE PEAK LOGO there. I was shocked. I brought it up with my district, and some of them told me they noticed it was a Lone Peak Ballroom jacket. Apparently, she has a sister who had been living in Utah and going to school here, probably at Lone Peak? I’m gonna ask her more about it when I get a chance! But to the knights who read this I have one message:

We’re worldwide.

ጤና ይስጥልኝ

May God give you health

Elder Miles

(P.S. Go Jazz)

Elder Pilling and I went and donated blood on Tuesday and then we hit up Noodles & Co

This is what I imagine Amharic Snapchat would be like

Sweater Squad

I dunno what we're doing in this district photo but Wendim Beyene thought we looked cool doing it

WK 5 - The Miracle at SuperChix

Gung ho everyone! 

Week 5 is in the bag and boy was it busy. Some days I feel like I don’t have enough time to get everything done that I need, but I’ve learned that the Spirit and improvement come on the move! Diligence and work opens those doors for us. Plus it makes the weeks fly by. Speaking of that, I have about 3 weeks of home MTC left. If our training session had not gotten changed to 9 weeks I would’ve been done by now because of some weird scheduling and timing. Crazy.

I still haven’t heard anything about where I’m headed though. No reassignment yet, but also no visa or flight plans to Ethiopia. I guess Church Travel likes to live on the edge and keep us on our toes. Understandably though, especially during these circumstances. More updates on that as they come!

The week was fairly normal so I’ll just give a brief rundown of each day:

Sunday: Super Bowl food. Also shoutout to The Weeknd who performed at halftime and apparently is Ethiopian and speaks fluent Amharic. Maybe I’ll reach out to him and see what I can do...

Monday: I started doing Zoom on a better computer which made classes so much better.

Tuesday: We had our first MTC workshop since the first week and it was awesome! The MTC president and his wife went over the Book of Mormon and the role it plays in our calling! Then that night Nate Wilkes invited Elder Probst and I over for some home-made calzones.

Wednesday: Taught another 45 minute lesson to Wendim Abebe. I’m not sure exactly how it went. It felt better in some aspects and worse in others. Also congrats to Sarah Davis who opened her call that night and was assigned to the Baltic Mission, Russian speaking!

Thursday: Our Internet died and I missed half of class. It ended up being ok though because they barely went over anything.

Friday ties into my spiritual thought for the week! My Mom and I went out for dinner at SuperChix in AF (which is bomb by the way I recommend it) and an older gentleman came up and paid for us because he saw my tags! Anyways after we finished eating we went to go talk to them a bit and this man’s wife shared her conversion story and her testimony of the power of testimonies! She also said this: “When times get tough, never doubt for one second that a miracle is just around the corner.” I loved that and I wanted to share! In our trials, as we strive to do everything we are supposed to and follow the Savior, we should expect nothing less than miracles in our lives! I testify that faith brings power.

This one was a little bit longer sorry!

ጤና ይስጥልኝ

May God give you health

Elder Miles

 

1-The District

2-Hippos waiting for their prey

3-The View Pointe Elders and Bishop Foote!

4-Hippos waiting for their prey pt.2

The District

Hippos waiting for their prey

The View Pointe Elders and Bishop Foote!

Hippos waiting for their prey pt.2

WK 4 - Don't eat the Hyenas

Hello friends and family! Because my 9 week MTC training is more like 8 weeks and two days, I’ve made it to the halfway point! WOOHOO! Time to step it up for part two.

The work is full speed ahead. We did a lot this week. On Tuesday Elder Lyman and I gave a full forty minute lesson in Amharic on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Lemme tell you I did not think that would be possible after such a short period of time yet here we are. Speaking is progressing as usual but I made the realization this week that listening to and understanding Amharic is going to take some major practice and time. Although Elder Lyman and I could teach we couldn’t answer Wendim Abebe’s questions more than just nod, smile, and hope “yes” or “very good” were suitable responses. At one point another day me and another Elder were tasked with answering questions created by the rest of the district and I’ll be honest I was betam tefa (very lost). Brother Osei-Tutu also prepared us this week to give a short lesson in English which was really neat. Learning how to teach the Gospel simply has definitely helped my own understanding!

I’ve been doing a lot of research on Ethiopia lately and I’ve learned a bunch! The church's branches are in Addis Ababa and two resort towns to the south as far as I can tell. Another sweet fact is that apparently Ethiopia is famous for its HYENAS. At night they can be found on the outskirts of mostly all the cities. There’s a town called Harar where they are basically domesticated and people will feed them meat out of their own mouth. THAT’S RAD. I’ll attach a picture. In my obsession with Hyenas this week, I made a sentence about eating them for dinner during grammar practice and my teacher laughed and then said please don’t do that. Let’s just say people would not be happy. It was only a sentence I promise.

Spiritual thought: read Philippians 4:13! It’s so good! We can find confidence in Christ if we are struggling to find confidence in ourselves!

Shoutout to Sister Juber for getting called to Las Vegas! And shoutout to my boy Elder Probst for starting MTC this week! The View Pointe boys are all missionaries now.

ጤና ይስጥልኝ

May God give you health

Elder Miles

THE MALACHI DISTRICT SEASON 2

My companion's photoshop skills

Hyena mouth feeding

Book of Mormon meme

I have no clue how or why I did it backwards