yep it snowed.  And I totally forgot to bring my camera.  The district leader had to do a last minute exchange with us to sort out some details.  We didn't have time to pack so I pretty much lived as Elder Gale for a day.  So I can't share pictures this week yet, but next week I should be able to.  The snow did stick to the ground.  It was an interesting day, I don't think I ever saw snow that fell from the sky, it always been on the ground when I see snow.  And then like, towards around 3 the sun came out, and it became a clear day.  By the next day, the snow was pretty much gone.  It was interesting.  
  We've met a few people that has health problems.  Just yesterday I remember seeing Shirley who always had back problems, and now seems to have knee problems.  She relies alot on faith, and she doesn't seem to want any medication or surgery done.  She seems to be pretty strong to me for doing that.

  This week we got to have the assistants with us.  Which was pretty nice, we learned a lot.  I found it interesting that both of their first names are Jacob.  So something that I can toot my own horn is my first name.  Jacob is a really good name.  I just finished reading the book of Jacob.  Chapter 5 is such an awesome visual.  The allegory of the tame and wild olive tree can be applied to our lives. I've been thinking about how I'm working in this Alabama Birmingham "vineyard" and how the Lord has been with us as we have labored.  These past couple weeks have been kind of discouraging.  We havent seemed to find much stuff to do in this area, and how we can help others receive blessings from missionary work.

  President Holzapfel went to a conference talking about the success each mission has received.  They shared some statistics about the number of baptisms.  A neighboring mission next to Alabama showed that after each year they doubled the amount of success in baptisms.  President Holzapfel wanted to know why, so he talked to the leaders there.  He found out that the area wasnt much different from ours, the leaders weren't better teachers, their trainers weren't significant, the only thing that brought them the success was that they said each missionary knew what their purpose was.  The missionaries knew exactly why they were serving a mission, so they exactly obeyed each rule for missionary work even if some of them seem ridiculous.  Something that I started to think about what they mentioned was that the Lord doesn't bless the missionaries with baptisms for their hard work, rather, the Lord blesses the mission with baptisms for the missionaries hard work.  Meaning, if Elder Osiemo would be doing all his best to be a missionary in Tuscaloosa, then their will be a baptism somewhere in Montgomery.  God always seem to be working in mysterious ways, and something that I've been thinking about is that the gospel is mainly about teamwork.

  While I was with Elder Osiemo yesterday, we were biking down a road.  Near a corner of the block, a car sped on through the intersection and the way he was driving he was about to drive right into me.  I had about a second to dodge the car. I couldn't fathom how close it was.  After that happened and my hands shaking, Elder Osiemo said that that was the prayers in the temple asking for safety of us missionaries.  Ive got into apprieciation for all the care for us.

  I still think about my family back home, and how much I want to be with them again as well as my friends.  I still pray for yall.

Elder Miklich

  This week was interesting.  It snowed!! Bet you guys didn't expect that.  Well I sure didn't, I only heard rumors of it only snowing for about a day or two, and I didn't believe it.  So I took some pictures.  I can't share them now.  The library is closed, and I am using a members computer, and I don't really have much time.  Since I got to let Elder Peters use this computer as well.
   This week can be summed up by saying we saw a bunch of new people, not sure how interested they are, and visiting members: both active and less active. 
  In the book of Mormon I am in 2 Nephi 26.  Whats good is that since every missionary in Alabama is reading at the same pace, we can receive personal revelation about the same reading.  Right now Nephi is quoting Isaiah.  Which is pretty complex to share is so short a time. Keep reading where you're at! You always seem to learn/gain something new.
  Elder Miklich

  It has only been cold today.  The other days of the week I have been wearing a short sleeve shirt and have been swimming through this cool winter humid air.  Its kind of nice, but I don't think my comp likes it, knowing hes from park city UT.  (cold and dry)  We've been having quite a bit of rain.

  There was a devotional last night by President Uchtdorf.  It was really good.  we invited a guy name Richard to go, hes been having a hard time keeping commitments, but wants to start being better.  President Uchtdorf talked about truth, how to find it, is it possible to find it, and how we should act when we do.  He related by talking about an elephant, certain individuals see parts of the elephant and make a description.  Although many have a different description, they do have some of the truth, yet not the whole picture.  Of course the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints may not have all the details, but based on our belief we know that the gospel has been restored, fully.  What is great is that we know that God will yet reveal many great and marvelous things.

  We just had our stake reorganized.  So stake conference was last weekend.  Elder Bowen and Elder Parker of the 70 came.  The new stake president has just been called recently from being a ward missionary.  He is going to be great, he is very spiritual.

  I hear the Saturday night session of a stake conference is better than the Sunday session. I can see why.  Elder Bowen said It seems like the people that go on Saturday actually want to be there whereas Sunday feels like a commandment.  They talked about alot of things, one of which was about personal revelation.  Elder Bowen said do you have a question? If you don't how do you think God will ever answer one?  For it was by a question came the Doctrine and Covenants.  He also said that as the world grows darker and darker, the opportunity for personal revelation grows.

  I met Elder Parker in person, he is a really cool guy.  He grew up in a family that are devout Baptist.  and he grew up in San Francisco, so he knows exactly where Richmond is.

 Jacob Miklich

pictures

 

 

 

 

1. A letter from one of our investigator's daughter. It says something like thank you church people for praying for us. God is help any time.

 

 

 

 

 

2. Gracie Walter and I

  this was the first week of 2013.  It is cold, but I am sure it is not as cold as it is back home.  Today is actually kind of nice, a sunny day where in the shadows it is really cold and in the sun it kind of warms up.

  I have the very thought that Jerr has about how this work is like being in the army.  The organization is similar as well.  As you may have noticed in the book of Mormon, whenever a war was going on, each side some form of leadership such as chief captain, captain, etc.  Not only with protecting their people, they also used a leadership for protecting their moral lifestyle:  chief judge, High priest, priest, members of the church of God.  Everyone has a specific task to work to better together and work as a single unit.  In the mission, you have the mission president, assistants, zone leaders, district leaders, trainers, missionaries, and also senior missionaries.  Every now and then when we have a district meeting, we do feel a sense that we are serving in an army and have a vital role in saving souls by helping them follow Christ more.

  Elder Peters and I don't really have that many exciting people to see at the moment.  Many people just got back from their vacation.

On a sidenote, I have just noticed today that even though I am not really exercising that much, we are biking alot and now I am going up hills like nothing.

On the book of Mormon assignment, today I read pages 13 to 18 in the English version. Which is 1 Nephi 7 through most of chapter 10.  I find that the vision of the tree of life that Lehi sees in chapter 8 is a good story when talking about missionary work to recent converts, simply because the fruit that Lehi partakes of is fruit that desires to make you happy, and then Lehi desires others to eat this as well.  The fruit is like the gospel, it makes us live more happily.

  I heard a great quote from the sunday school teacher Bro. Morrow:  "If you keep doing what you are doing, you're going to keep getting what you're getting.  If you don't like what you are getting, you better change what you are doing."

  I have been working on reading Jesus the Christ, by James E. Talmage, it is still enladen with intricate words and engraved with bold language.  I tried to sound like him for a second.  You really have to have a dicionary handy.  It kind of gets frustrating always looking though the dictionary for a word in each sentence.  Makes me feel dumb lol.  But I am learning a lot more words. I wonder how it was when translating the ancient record of the book of Mormon.

  Well Tuscaloosa is still booming.

As President Holzapfel would say, may the Lord bless you and have a safe week.

Elder Jacob Miklich