SSNNOOWWW!!

Dear family and friends,

This week was awesome!!! The highlight of it was the snow we got! It wasn't much, but it stuck to the grass and trees and it was awesome! Reminded me a lot of driving through the trees in Redmond when the snow falls in Washington! Everyone here in Alabama does not know how to drive in the snow. I was laughing so hard when everyone was ditching their cars and closing restaurants and such for snow that wasn't even foretasted to stick on the road! As soon as the first little flake fell, everyone freaked out and stayed home and bought bread and milk. Man if they think that was bad, try driving up into the cascades after a huge winter storm! This week was really good though! I already told you about last Monday, but Tuesday was P-Day! After emailing we all went to play this awesome new sport called Gator Ball! It's a mix between soccer, football, and dodge ball! So all these other Elders and Sisters have played this a lot and I have no idea what I am doing. All I know is to hit the chair on the opposite side of the gym. So I get the ball, run and throw it and peg the chair 8/10 times! I thought it was a lot of fun! After that we went back to Monte Sano and then went to Walmart and did some store contacting there! Wednesday was the mission world wide broadcast! So we spent almost the whole day in Huntsville because the broadcast kept freezing on us due to weather issues. After the broadcast we had an exchange and I went with Elder Johnson from Fort Payne around the Scottsboro area and didn't have that much success. Thursday we went tracting and didn't have that much luck all day. Friday we went tracting again and had not that much success. We had a return appointment we went too, but no one was home. As we left the house, it started to snow! Basically that whole night it was snowing and it was awesome! We had dinner with a member that night and he tried to take us out to 3 different locations, but all of them were closed! So we ate at this Chinese place. After the snow and such the next day, we went tracting and found a family of three! It was awkward cause at first we found them in their van and they said come on in and teach us in their car. Kind of sketch, so they took us inside their house instead! We taught them the restoration and they were super into it! Especially the mom! It was awesome to see how much more she got interested the further we went into the lesson! Sunday was good and church was awesome! This email is super short I know, but I keep forgetting my journal at home, so I would be writing more if I had it! But I will put pictures on here for yall!  Hope everyone is safe and having fun! Shoot me an email or letter if your ever bored! I love all y'all!

Love,

Elder Muhlestein

Surgery Slow Week

Dear family and friends,

Well the title says it all really! It was a slow week due to a surgery! now I didn't break my foot or anything serious like that, but I had a wart removed from my foot. Apparently it was a big one and required getting stitches and pain meds and such! So here is my week! Monday after emailing Elder Park and I attempted to go fishing, but it was so cold! The wind is what killed both of us! Elder Park lasted 30 mins and I lasted 445 mins until we both were like, "yup time to go warm up!" We warmed up and that was basically Monday! Tuesday we did work! We did a lot of tracting and talked with a lot of people and just giving away book of mormons and inviting people to come to church! Wednesday we started off by doing tracting, but we both had to go to the doctors for our "surgeries." Elder Park had some stuff on his arm, so I let him go first. It was so cool to watch him get those things cut off him! the doctor used a tool that looked like a pen, but had a circular blade at the end of it! So the doctor got done with elder Park and went to me. I got shots in my foot and then the doctor cut out the wart! I couldn't feel a thing and it was way weird! After he cut it out, I had to get 7 stitches in my foot. After everything was over, my foot started to hurt, so they prescribed me some pain meds which I would have died if I didn't have them. As soon as I was waiting for my pain meds in line, my foot was on fire and in pain. We went to YM and YW that night and I took my meds which make me really sleepy. So I was walking like I was drunk and people were like "What the heck happened to you?" Some people made fun of me too, but I was too drugged to care and passed out in the primary room. We drove to Monte Sano for the night because we had zone training the next day. I took my pill and fell asleep. Thursday was a painful drugged one. At like 3am my foot decided to hurt like no other and it took an hour for my pills to kick in which sucked. We went to zone training, and I was too drugged to really do anything. One of our zone leaders got up and was like "We are having a white handbook training by Elder Wilson!" Elder Wilson didn;t have the training and he was confused/ freaking out because he didn't have anything. Our zone leader wsa like "Nah just kidding! It's actually by Elder Muhlestein!" I didn't have the training, but my head was down and I was sleepy. So I got up, took my handbook out and yelled, "Okay y'all! Today's training is on the word of wisdom and how to follow it!" Not everyone caught on to it, but people laughed! That whole day I was basically out of it and it wasn't fun. Friday was a little better! I didn't take my meds until night, so we basically were in the car all day contacting referrals and doing a little tracting. By the time it hit dark, I had taken my pills because my foot hurt and I was gone and out! Saturday we helped move a sister into a house! I was supposed to sit there and do nothing, and that didn't happen! I helped move her in and paid for it. After we were done, we visited an investigator and talked with him just about life and how Jesus and the Gospel can make life so much better! After that my foot was raw and hurting, so I took my medication and was gone once again! Sunday was good. Church services were good as usual, but my foot was killing me from the day before! As soon as we got to the apartment, I couldn't take it anymore cause my foot was killing me. I took my pills and slept for about 8 hours that day! I know! I was out and down for the count because at this point, I couldn't walk really because of the pain. After I woke up, I ate a little, took my other pill, and fell back straight into bed! So yep! That was my drugged filled week! how is everyone doing?!? I would love to hear from y'all! I know I say that every week, but I really do want to hear from y'all! I love writing letters and emails to people so don't be shy! Love y'all and miss y'all as well! Stay safe and have an awesome week!

Love,

Elder Muhlestein

​The foot after the surgery

New Years in the mish!

Dear family and friends,

First off, I hope y'all had a Happy New Years! I had an awesome New Years Eve with my District! So to start off, Monday after emailing Elder Park and I went fishing as usual! The weather however did not like us at all that day! We get out of the car and it is pouring down rain. I had a rain jacket, but the wind started to pick up and blew the rain everywhere! So I basically soaked my jeans from waist down! After fishing we played basketball with some members! I stuffed Elder Park, but he returned the favor a little later in the game... Got to start working on my vertical! Tuesday we spent the day tracting with not that much success. Nobody is home during the day and only at night. And we know what happens when we tract at night... the police usually like to give us a visit haha! Wednesday we did more contacting, but no luck. People just didn't want to hear what we had to say! During the might we had our Book of Mormon class and it was good! Thursday we did more contacting, but ended at 5:30ish because we had our district come over and we weren't allowed to contact past 6 because the crazies of Alabama were gonna be out! So we all went to a members house and had a new years eve party! It was so much fun! We had good food and played board games with the party goers and had an awesome time! All us elders had to leave at 10 because we had to be back in our apartment at 10:30ish. After we got back to the apartment, we pulled out the Poly!! Aka mission lingo for Monopoly! Man that was an intense game! It ended up with Elder Park winning.... I was close, but sadly lost! Then it hit midnight and we went crazy and drank our sparkling grape juice and ghetto kool-aid. Ghetto kool-aid is like kool-aid, but 100X better! Friday we had District meeting, but everyone was dead from the New Years Eve! We had dinner at a members house and then did a little contacting and then crashed hardcore! Saturday we did contacting and had a lot of luck! We got to teach a lady the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ which was awesome! She is Southern Baptist, but isn't opposed to taking more discussions and coming to church! It was awesome! Sunday was church and it was good as usual! We didn't have any investigators come, but thats okay! We still got this week to get some to come! How is everyones week going??? I'd love to hear from y'all! Love and miss y'all lots! Stay safe and Roll Tide!

Love,

Elder Muhlestein 

 The New Years Eve gang!