Week 28

Well since it's almost August....just about a year ago was the time I decided to serve a mission...weird! Has it seriously been a year?! Well pretty soon I'll be at seven months so that's crazy! 

Well last week I was sick on Tuesday so we stayed home all day and I got to sleep which was nice because I was just not feeling the greatest. Doing better now, still a little off though but oh well! We have been in the process of trying to find new investigators and it's been tough. Especially out in this heat. I have tan lines everywhere! Well we had district meeting on Wednesday and it was awesome to be able to talk on charity and love. Everyone got a lot out of it so I was pretty proud! It's important to pray for charity daily so we can develop Christlike attributes. Most of our week was spent visiting less actives and finding new people. We had alot of planning as well because we are trying to clean up this area. We had interviews last week with our mission President and that was nice to just be able to have that time with him. I always look forward to it! He's the best! 

There's this investigator Chelsey and her and I are alot alike. At the beginning of the lesson we had with her we were talking about giving up smoking, drinking and coffee. She said she can't and that she has tried. So she said she wouldn't be willing to give those things up to be baptized. We went on in the lesson because we didn't want to push her. We showed her the Mormon message "daily bread: change." When we brought it up again she was more calm. She said "someday" when before she said she would smoke until the day she died. Hearts change through the power of the spirit. I told her that I would be here when she threw away her first pack of cigarettes. Those words just came out of my mouth. I had not put any thought into it so that's how I know that it was the spirit dwelling within me. Faith needs to be exercised. I may only stay here for two months or three. That's not a lot of time but I have to have faith that Christ will change Chelsey. 

Another cool thing that happened was we went to dinner with the Shaw family the day I was sick. We were highly thinking about staying home because I didn't feel the best. Well...I'm glad I sucked it up and went. Mary Shaw is the daughter and she reports to the MTC Wednesday. After dinner we always share a spiritual thought and we shared scriptures about missionary work. During one of my personal studies I had been reading this scripture and as I was I was changing words around. I have never been smart enough to do that so the spirit was definitely doing all the work. I picked the scripture Alma 56:47. 

"Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them." And I changed it to..

"Now they never had taught, yet they did not fear rejection; and they did think more upon the salvation of their brothers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them."

The spirit had the whole room crying. In that moment I knew what they had been feeling. When Mary gave her farewell talk yesterday I cried the whole time because I remember standing up there scared as heck not knowing what to expect. I was thinking back the other day when I first entered the MTC. You walk right in and someone grabs your name tag and puts it on you...in that moment everything was quiet. I don't even remember what the lady said to me or what was going on. It was crazy how one minute I was Austin and then the next I became Sister Miles. I gave Mary a letter and my email so we will be keeping in touch. She's going to Seattle! 

Other than that things are moving along. Still have my struggles of course but what's life without trial. 

I love you all and I hope you have a wonderful week! Keep the faith. 

Love,
Sister Austin Miles ♡

1557 COLORADO GULCH
HELENA, MT 59601