Baptism

Dear Family and Friends,

This week was awesome! It went by way too fast in my opinion!

Monday: We emailed and then played ball with some people. then we played street ball and it was super fun, but kind of ghetto too haha!

Tuesday: We did a lot of recent convert and less active visiting with the bishop. After that we did some tracting.

Wednesday: We did more tracting and had to take care of other business we had. We drove up to Corinth to see how the Corinth Elders were doing and blitzed the area up there.

Thursday: Interviews were that day and mine went really well! President Hanks is awesome! After that we drove back home and then went to mutual for the night!

Friday: We visited less actives and did tracting. We also got our investigator for baptism as well!

Saturday: We did some work in our area, and then we drove to Tupelo for stake conference. Elder Zwick was there and I talked with him! He thought we met before, but I have never met the dude ever!

Sunday: We had stake conference and it was packed.... Like it was bad. I had to sit outside and listen because the whole gym and chapel were packed, and all the other rooms were too. I have never been at a stake conference that was so packed in my life! I got to see my boy Elder Butterfield too which was awesome considering I havent seen him in 6 months! After Stake conference we got the baptisimal font ready for our investigator and got everything ready. Our investigator was baptized and confirmed yesterday! He has been waiting 35 years, and he finally got dunked!

That was the week! I am feeling a little under the weather so I didnt write much this week, but I will try better next week! I love and miss all y'all! Shoot me an email or write a letter sometime!

Love,

Elder Muhlestein

Tornado watch and upcoming Baptism

Note:  Ethan sent the picture below to show our dog, Frank, has a town named after him.


Dear Family and Friends,

Dont have that much to write this week, but it was an eventful one for sure! Here is the weekly run down!

Monday: After emailing we went fishing and I was the only one to catch fish! Go me I guess haha! This members house we went to had 4 lakes and it was so relaxing to just fish for a little bit! 

tuesday: We went out with members and visited a lot of less active members all day long. I kid you not we did that all day just finding them and teaching them!

Wednseday: We did a lot of tracting and had some success, but not much.

Thursday: We had zone training and it was good! We had to leave right after for a teaching appointment later that day. As the day progressed, the sky got darker and darker and clouds started to roll in. We knew a storm was coming! We played basketball with some mebers and investigators that night and all of a sudden everyone's phone started to screech and a flash flood warning was issued. Turns out this storm was a big one, so we had to go home and sit in our apartment as the rain would not stop and the lightning reached across the sky further and further. No tornadoes though! 

Friday we did tracting and that was about it for that day!

Saturday: We watched all sessions of general conference and did tracting after that!

Sunday: We watched all the sessions and they were amazing! I liked how Elder Holland ended the conference, just a spiritual giant that man is! We went tracting and found a lady who we taught the plan of salvation to her! She really liked the message so we are going back this week!

Thats the week! Hope everyone is safe and having fun! Love and miss y'all!

Love,

Elder Muhlestein

First week in Booneville

Dear Family and Friends,

This week was kind of stressful, but still a lot of fun! It was stressful because of transfers and such, but life goes on! Here is the weekly run down!

Monday: After emailing, Elder Cannon, Larsen, Farrell and I went to the Space and Rocket center! My camera died so I was not able to take pictures.... We saw a replica of the life sized Saturn V and it was awesome! We also rode on a G force ride that made me sick. After that we went back to Scottsboro for dinner with a member! It was awesome! 

Tuesday: This was my last day in Scottsboro. Elder Cannon and I taught our investigator who was very sad to find out I was leaving. I'm pretty sure she has forgotten me by now. Then we went around saying goodbye to people and I had to finish packing. I had dinner with Sister Reyes and Andrea and it was a good dinner! After that we visited one more family and went home for the night.

Wednesday: We woke up and I said bye to Cannon when I left Monte Sano with Elder Larsen. I dropped Larsen off at his new area, and picked up another Elder and we droe down to Bham! At Bham I got to see my trainer Elder Park! It was awesome to see him and some other friends as well! Elder Rogers and I drove to Booneville after that and I unpacked and got to know my new companion, Elder Watts!

Thursday: Elder Watts and I went around Booneville so I could get acquainted with the area! We then had a team up with a member who is so awesome! His name is Brother wood and he is a convert and super strong in the faith! We went around the area visiting less actives and recent converts and it was good! We then played basketball with the youth! I was looking like Kwame Brown out there. For those who don't know Kwame, he is probably the worst NBA plaer ever. It was bad haha! 

Friday: We went around tracting and also going around so I could get used to the area.

Saturday: We helped the church hide eggs for the little kids to find for an Easter egg hunt! It was fun and I got to talk with ward members and such! Still trying to get to know people around here. It was funny because some members think my name is pronounced molestin and for all those people in St. George, the members also think I am jewish.... They think my last name is Jewish... I guess I will forever be Jewish in the eyes of these people.... haha!

Sunday: We sang in the choir and it was good! Church was amazing as usual, but this week was even better because of Easter! After church, we went to a members house and he had a whole farm on his property! He had chickens, guinea fowl, a peacock, and some pigs!!! As soon as I saw the pigs I just pictured my pig Loyd in there squealing at me to feed him. oh good times! We then went to another members house and had Easter dinner. It was good and I got to chat with members and get to know them better! 

That was the week! Today we are going fishing up in Corinth and I am looking forward to catching a big fish! I love y'all and miss everyone! Shoot me an email or send me a letter sometime!

Love,

Elder Muhlestein

 

Transfers yes, or no??

Dear Friends and Family,

Yes! I am being transferred! I mean I could put the new area down right now, but that would ruin my fun! Here is the weekly run down!

Monday: After emailing Elder Cannon went to Birmingham for a District Leader training, so I stayed with Monte Sano! We played ultimate Frisbee and then went to a dinner appointment with a member! It was a lot of fun!

Tuesday: I was with Monte Sano for that day since Elder Cannon was in Birmingham for the District Leader meeting! I woke up feeling sick, so after showering and getting ready, I decided I couldn't take the upset stomach. Low and behold I spent 30 minutes in the morning driving the porcelain bus throwing up a little bit. After throwing up I felt much better! We then did some tracting and had little success. We got frozen yogurt from this dude who gives the missionaries free frozen yogurt! After that we did some more tracting and I met up with Elder Cannon and we stayed the night in Monte Sano because he got back kind of late and there was no point in driving home. 

Wednesday: Elder Cannon and I woke up and drove to Scottsboro, got ready, and then taught our investigator! Our investigator was telling us how she was having blood pressure issues and how the devil was attacking her. We had to explain that there was no devil or evil spirits attacking her and that it was for other reasons. She is a hoot sometimes! After teaching her, we did some tracting and then went on splits with some members to visit less actives and investigators!

Thursday: We did tracting and had some success. Nothing to big that happened that day.

Friday: We had District meeting and it was a lot of fun! After District meeting we got some lunch and then Elder Cannon and I did tracting and visited some investigators!

Saturday: This was a day of service for a camp the church ownes thats like 100 miles away on the outskirts of Guntersville. We painted cabins and helped pull little trees out of the ground and throw them into a huge pile! We drove there with a member so on the way home, we stopped off and got bamboo for this members garden.  We had 30, 10ft long poles of bamboo sticking out of this guys truck driving down the freeway! It was funny! Once we got home, we got ready and went to a members house for the last time for me :( Then, the call came.... I will be leaving Scottsboro, and I will be serving in the Booneville Mississippi area! Booneville is an amazing place and I am getting an amazing companion as well! I am so stoked for it!!!!

Sunday: I gave a talk in church and it went very well! It was on faith and how we should always have faith because without faith, we can't believe in anything at all. I took pictures with a family I will miss dearly! Their name is the Sauciers and they have taken care of me for 18 weeks and they are so amazing!

That was the week! I will send out my address on thursday to my new place of living. Hope y'all are staying safe and classy!

Love,

Elder Muhlestein

​The Sauciers

Investigator

Dear family and friends,

This week was super duper long! Maybe it was short for others, but it kept dragging on for me! Here is the weekly run down!

Monday: Elder Cannon and I went fishing and I caught a fish! It has been a while since that has happened so that was a lot of fun! Elder Cannon caught a bass like 20 minutes after my catch!

Tuesday: We did tracting Tuesdsay and also taught our investigator! We invited her to come to church and she said she planned on being there! After teaching our investigator, we did more tracting and visited some less active people in the ward! when it gets dark in Scottsboro, we dont knock doors because people get really mad at us.

Wednesday: This was another day of tracting! At night, we went to the church and taught a less active about a part in the book of mormon! He was really interested and liked the discussion we had! We then drove to Monte Sano for the night.

Thursday: We started our day at 4am...... it was super early I know! We had a temple trip and had to be in Birmingham by 8am and it is about a 2 hour drive from Monte Sano and we all take forever in the shower because we all have to look so fresh for the day! We drove to the temple and I got to say hi to some friends which was awesome! Here are some friends from the first night in Alabama! 

After the temple we went to get food and then drove back in a bad rain storm. It was a long day, and got even longer when Monte Sano came over for District meeting the next morning! And I finally have a picture with my companion Elder Cannon! 

Friday: We had District meeting and it was good! After District meeting we did some planning and then tracting. Later that night we had some priests from the Monte Sano ward come up with us on a mini mission! So I took this kid out and showed him the ropes of being a missionary! We met some drunk people and anti mormons and all the fun stuff! We did teach a lesson to a man and it turned out to be a really good lesson!

Saturday: The mini mission people came back and we went to a members house to help move his wife in! That took most of the morning and then we took the mini mission people back to the apartment and then for some tracting! The mini mission people left, and Elder Cannon and I did some tracting and that was pretty much the day!

Sunday: We had our investigator show up for church! She was super nervous, but loved being there! During the sacrament she was telling me how she felt the spirit so strongly and then Elder Cannon gave an amazing talk that almost sent this investigator to bawling her eyes out! After sacrament she had to leave, but kept telling me she wanted to come back next week and felt the spirit here and loved it! It was truly an amazing experience to see and feel that!

That was the week! I hope to hear from y'all soon! Love and miss everyone!

Love,

Elder Muhlestein

Zone Training, Jersey and my own steak!

Dear family and friends,

This week was awesome!!! Elder Cannon and I did a lot and we got rewarded for it on Sunday! Here is the week!

Monday: We did some fishing and then emailed and then fished again. Hopefully today will be a better day for fishing because the water is warmer and the water level is higher! 

Tuesday: We did a lot of tracting and didn't have that much success :/ Life of a missionary sometimes!

Wednesday: I had a doctor appointment in Madison Alabama, so we drove most of the day there and then spent the night in Gurley for Zone training the next day!

Thursday: Zone training! It was a good training! I liked it. After it we got some food and then went back to Scottsbroro. 

Friday: We went to Unclaimed baggage and I found a yamamoto Real Madrid Jersey for $13!! So of course I got it because it looks so cool! We also saw the owner of the place there, but we didn't get a chance to talk to him. After that we did tracting and also taught our investigator! She is slowly progressing, but she will make the waters of baptism soon! 

Saturday: We helped clean the church and then did tracting! We spent an hour knocking on doors and had a streak of 11 houses without a single person in them! The next hour passed and then he hit 24-27 people, then the last hour  we only got like 10 people. When the weather is nice, most people are either fishing or somewhere else doing something else!

Sunday: We had fast and testimony meeting and it was good! Our investigator was supposed to come, but she backed out at the last minute :( After church we were planning and our mission president called us! He told us he was in the area and wanted to visit us! So he inspected our apartment and it was good! We chatted with his wife and him and then took a picture and they were off! After that we went to a members house and they made us our own steaks! It is my last dinner there with them so they wanted to do something special! This family is so amazing I love them all so much! 

That was the week! Nothing really interesting happened, but hopefully this week something will happen! If you want to, send an email or write a letter I would love to reply back and see how y'all are doing!

Love,

Elder Muhlestein

Snake Handlers and Zone Conference

Dear friends and family,

This week has been super crazy and really short as well! The days keep flying by, but we are still busy everyday! I guess time doesn't really work out in the field! Here is the weekly rundown!

Monday: We were in Huntsville to have P-Day with the zone so we emailed at the college and then went to the Stake center to play some sports! I was pumped to play some gator ball or basketball or something that will get my energy out! Instead we get there and everyone is playing volleyball... Now don't get me wrong volleyball is fun and all, but after having a week of only lifting weights and not running around I was looking forward to a sport that required a lot of running around and such. After the volleyball net and stands were put away, everyone wanted to play soccer! YES!!! Soo we played soccer and my team won 1-0. I took a straight shot at the goal and went through 2 peeoples legs including the goalie and scored. Indoor soccer is fun, but I like playing on a regular field and having lots of room to kick and run around! After that we drove back to Scottsboro and did some tracting.

Tuesday: Tuesday we had Monte Sano comeover for an exchange! So Elder Farrell and I went tracting across the tracks in Scottsboro and knocked on this dudes door. The first thing I said was "Do you love Jesus?!" He was like heck yea I do come on in boys! So we stepped inside and he started talking about snakes and such. Didn't know where this conversion was going until he was said "You boys ever handle snakes?" I was thinking in the past where I would catch snakes with my friends under rocks and such, but never really handling them. This guy told us he goes to church and handles live rattle snakes with their venom in them and all because they are learning how to "tame" the serpent! He said it was to show our faith in our savior because if you have enough faith, the snake wont bite you. Well when the snake bites you, the guy said you pray that God will save you. So basically these people handle snakes, get bit, lay on the couch and pray and either suffer through the venom surging through their veins until the body fights it off, or they die because their body can't handle the venom. Snake handling is illegal in Alabama and I'm pretty sure in the US as well, but Scottsboro was the first place it was introduced into the US! I know where the church is that practices it as well. Won't be visiting there anytime soon!

Wednesday: This day we had a team up with a member to go and find a new member that just moved into the ward. We spent an hour trying to fin this lady and had no success. After looking at the address on the members phone, we finally found the trailer! We walked up to it in the dark because it was late at night (late around here is like 7-8ish) and knocked on the door. Someone yelled to open the door and come in. So I open the door and this pitbull is sitting there and staring at me. I take one step and it rears back, bears its teeth, and starts to bark at me. I wasn't going in that trailer until the dog was somewhere else! the owner got to the door and said "Sorry I should put her away before she bites you for coming in." Yea I was told to come in, and then had a dog there to warmly greet me. One thing about the South, everyone has a dog. Big, small, friendly, vicious, everyone has a dog and they run everywhere! 

Thursday: Thursday we spent the day tracting really. I can't remember much about what happened on that day.

Friday: This was zone conference! We had an awesome training by President Hanks and President Nolan! We played a Preach my Gospel Jeopardy and my team just scored two points and we got a bonus question. The question was what does someone have when they do not have the Holy Ghost confirmed on them. My team didn't know what it was called, but I remember Elder Cannon and I talking about this subject the day before. It is the light of Christ! So we got 3 points instead of two. Go me that was the only point I got for my team haha! 

Saturday: Saturday we spent the day tracting and just talking to people. Nothing really interesting happened!

Sunday: We had church and as always it was good! After church we had lunch with a member and they made the best cornbread ever! Then Elder Cannon and I went tracting and ran into a Church of Christ couple. Basically it went from me reading a scripture in john into a sort of argument about doctrine between all of us. We weren't trying to argue with them, but they kept trying to pull up scriptures to prove we were wrong in our ways. All of the scriptures I could back up, but they refused to accept it. So we ended the conversion on a high note and talked about Jesus. When in doubt, talk about Jesus or say Roll Tide. Either will get you out of any situation!

That was the week! Tomorrow is supposed to be a very stormy day. Sharknado probably will happen haha! Love and miss y'all! If you have time, shoot an email or write a letter!

Love,

Elder Muhlestein