Week 31

Well hello! Wow last week was just amazing! We found so many new investigators! The work is moving along! Transfers are next week! Just a heads up! I suspect I will be staying but who knows! Today is deep clean Monday so we get to clean the heck out of our apartment! It's also starting to cool down here. Today's a bit gloomy so it'll probably rain! Can you believe it's august? A year ago this month I decided to serve a mission...wow time flies. In another six weeks I will be halfway through my mission y'all! THIS CALLS FOR A CELEBRATION. Well let me tell you about all the miracles...

Tuesday we were on exchanges and I led out the area. It was my first time driving a truck but I did it! I was with Sister Medley and I was actually the one who took her place in Great Falls. She was companions with Sister Decker as well and knew all of the people in Great Falls so it was nice sharing something like that in common. She is such an amazing missionary. I look up to her. We had a great day that day. It was full of finding new people, getting sunburnt, sweating, having a creepy man take pictures of us, and a crazy women preach to us. It was great haha! By the end of the night we were going to visit a less active. We knocked on her door a few times but no answer. She always answers her door so I was very surprised that she didn't come out. Well as we were heading back to the car I stopped and said "We should go try the neighbor." The neighbor happened to be a former investigator who I remember trying my first week here but was always so busy. He usually talks to us for about a minute and then goes on his way but this time he stayed. We ended up teaching him for 45 minutes on his porch. He opened up to us and shared his life story. He was more open than he ever has been and asked us to share something with him. We started to share some scriptures from the Book of Mormon and he asked if we could mark them for him. He went inside and came out with his book and we began to start highlighting some of our favorite scriptures. Towards the end of the lesson I asked if we could say a prayer...well I have never prayed on a doorstep but the spirit was prompting me to. As I closed our prayer Jerome looks at us and says "Wow I've got chills. I've never had this before." We said "that's the spirit!" We invited him to church and he said "well if I felt something as strong as that I'll go to church everyday." It was a miracle. From being super bummed our lesson had fallen through we then knew that it was a blessing because Jerome was then prepared to hear the great message that the truth has been restored. So pumped! 

Miracle number two: 

Saturday evening we had just gotten out of a lesson with a less active and we were running late for our next appointment. As we were walking (speed walking) down the hall a girl stopped us and asked us when the farmers market was. We had no clue but we got to chat with her for a little. She then asked us "who are you with?" Well we jumped right into it and shared with her the message of the Book of Mormon and the power behind it. She said "I'm actually looking for a church!" We asked if we could come back and share more with her and she said that she wasn't interested in the lessons but said she would love to come to church. Sure enough next day she came to church. We sat down for sacrament and all was well. Thirty minutes into the hour she looks over to us and says "Do you think I can go home? I don't know if I fit in here." We then didn't want to push her so we agreed we would find someone to take her home after the first hour. Ten minutes after that conversation she looked over again and said "I actually think I'm okay. How am I ever going to know what it's like if I don't try?" Inside we were screaming! She later than shared with us that because she will now be attending our church she wanted to learn more. We are know teaching Tiffany! We bare testimony that we know that the spirit can change the hearts of the people here today. We were all worried about being late to our next lesson but realized what a blessing that was. If we had not been late, we wouldn't have met the sweetest of them all...Tiffany. The church is true! 

Our week was full of amazing things so I am super excited what is to come of this area! How has everyone been? School season is here! Have fun! 

I love you all very much and leave you with my testimony that I truly know that this church is true. I plead with you as Heavenly Father does to read the Book of Mormon, go to church, pray as a family, and strive to go to the temple. It's true. The church is true. 

"The work is demanding, the impact is everlasting." -President Monson

"Satan is really good...but the good news about the gospel is that we are better."

"Stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight."

"Have as much faith in yourself as you do in the Savior."

"If for a while the harder you try, the harder it gets. Take heart. So it has been with the best people who ever lived."- Elder Holland

"Our opportunities to give of ourselves are indeed limitless, but they are also perishable. There are hearts to gladden. There are kind words to say. There are gifts to be given. There are deeds to be done. There are souls to be saved."-President Monson 

Have an amazing week! 

Keep the faith! 

I will send more pictures later! 

Love,
Sister Austin Miles ♡

1557 COLORADO GULCH
HELENA, MT 59601

Montana Billings Mission 🇧🇿