1-26-14

One night, as I was praying, trying to ask God about how to work with some challenges, and imploring about where I needed to focus my efforts in order to change and improve, He began to prompt me to study love and charity. I have been working on just that. (Besides, it's one of my favorite study topics.) At about the same time, I decided that I wanted to begin working on reading all of Isaiah. It has been powerful to me to read of the destruction and the wrath of God, while pondering about love, or the love of God. I came to some very touching conclusions. God cares about us so much. He feels everything that we go through (perhaps even more than we do) and understands how we feel. And yet, He knows that we need the trials we get and He knows that we need the hard times and the challenges in order to progress. He loves us so much, that He is willing to overcome His immense empathy for us, in order to put us into the refiners fire. This must be one of the hardest parts about being God... But I know He is with me. And now I have a greater testimony that the trials that we go through, the wrath of God, the destructions and challenges, are amazing signs of God's boundless love for us...

I testify of these things in the name of our Messiah, Jesus Christ, amen.

I love you all. :) God bless you. :)

- Elder Michael Bright Miles

1-20-2014

Today I want to share a thought I had, as inspired by a scripture that was shared during Church yesterday (Mark 13:24-26). As I thought about it, the following formulation of the idea came to my mind:

Don't rely on the sun for light,
rely on the Son for Light.
For the sun cometh and goeth and shall pass away,
but the Son abideth forever.

I thought about how we must put our real trust in God, and stop worrying about worldly things. We need to trust our Lord more than 'mammon'. I testify that the promises that the Lord our God has given us are sure. They are true. They bring hope. The real abiding hope that comes in the faith we exercize in these promises. I testify that our Heavenly Father loves us, and that this Church, the Church of Jesus Christ is the organization of God upon the earth, organized and led by Jesus Christ. I know that everything will be ok. :) We can have hope. We can have joy, as we are intended to. (2 Ne 2:25) Never doubt in the Love of thy God. :) I testify of these things in the sacred Name of Jesus Christ, amen.

I wish you all a wonderful week, and that your hearts may be softened for the workings of the Spirit. :) God be with you. Love you guys.

- Elder Michael Bright Miles

Pictures

Video

If you would like to see Elder Miles in a music video that his district made, go to this link:

http://germanyberlinmission2012-15.blogspot.de/2013/12/german-advent-preparation-time.html

12-16-13

Oh, on that note, I have been needed for translating for the Americans in our Ward the last few weeks. It is so hard! I am sitting there, trying to listen to the speaker, not hearing everything they say, having to wait until the end of the sentances (some of which are -very-  run-on) before I hear the verb (which belongs at the end of the German sentance in most cases, but is needed for the beginning of the English sentances), and getting tangled up by the more complex and obscure words. Then as I understand one part, and begin translating it, trying to find the English equivlants, I have to put in large mental effort to keep paying attention to what is said, or I would only be able to convey every other idea to the listeners, switching between listening and translating... such a challenge... I would love to translate from German to English so much more... That way you understand everything that is said (in your native language, you understand most accents, mumbled or quickly said words are still easily understandable, and almost none of the words are new or undefined in your vocab), and then are able to express it with the words you know in the other language. Would be so much nicer...

The other day, the Sisters who work in our area talked to a man on the street. He expressed a surprising amount of interest to their brief intro of our message. They gave him a Book of Mormon in his native language, and invited him to Church, not sure what would come of it. (We do a lot of inviting to Church, and don't often see all of the peoople we invite actually at Church, and usually only after we have had some appointments with them and really had the chance to teach them.) This man, after his brief introduction, had begun reading in the Book of Mormon of his own initiative, and came to Church. We were happy to recieve him and will be meeting with him this week to start teaching him. :)

Our God is a God of miracles. :)

I wish you all a wonderful Christmas season, and a receptive mind for the wonderful focus and reminders we have during the CHRIST-mas time. :)

Another random thought I have been processing a lot this last week. I have been working on reacting to others as I would treat Jesus Christ. Especially under the context that He has to experience every way that I interact with others. I really am doing what I do not only to the individual, but also to Christ, He having experienced their lives in full during the Atonement. It has been helping me a lot to treat others better. (when I can remember it. :P ) I can recommend it. :)

God bless you and be with you. Stay in the Light, and let your good desires work in you. :)

Love you. :)

-Elder Miles

12-9-13

Hi everyone! Sorry about the post drought. :( I have some stuff this week though, just little snippets from other emails

I was astounded to find out what the actual rules for tea were in the Church when I came out here. I used to be completely unsure, and just kinda thought that all tea was against the word of wisdom. Turns out I was wrong. You just need to watch out for black, green, white,  and onlong teas. They are all made from the actual 'tea plant'. As far as my experience with tea, I have always heard very good things about Camomile and Peppermint teas. They are supposed to help with colds. Also, Camomile tea is also supposed to help with relaxation and stomach problems, and peppermint is supposed to also help with diareah and headaches. (these are all health tips from Sister Kosak (Mission President's wife)) I have also heard very good things about the anti-bacterial qualities of lemon juice and honey. Sometimes, I mix Camomile and Peppermint tea in one cup, and then put in honey and lemon juice. I keep changing the name of it, but I call it things like 'destructo tea, ulti-tea, tea of doom, etc.' I feel like it's helped with snipping a cold in the bud, and it actually tastes pretty good. :)

The German here sounds a little different, but not really. -shrug- Though there are little things. Like how in the South-East (Sachsen, Brandenburg, etc.) they say 'bissel' instead of 'bisschen', and here, as a greeting they say 'moin' or 'moin moin'. (I think that started out as a shortened version of 'guten morgen' shortened to 'morgen' shortened to 'moin', and then, in this area, they started using that as a general greeting, instead of just in the morning. Sometimes, in other areas of Germany, you will occasionally hear 'moin' as a form of 'good morning/guten morgen', but only ever when it's actually morning.)

Side note, I have been transfered to Hamburg, Altona Ward. It is great here. We even got some snow for a little before it melted the next day. :P 

God bless you. I challenge you all to let go of the 'flaxen cords' with which the adversary would bind you. The little things that would pull you away. You can always let go. You are free. Christ, through His Sacrifice, has made it possible. He loves us. Of these things I bear testimony, in the name of the Good Shepherd, even Jesus Christ, amen. :)

Have a great week! Love you all!

- Elder Michael Bright Miles

11-18-2013

Oh. Interesting thing. Because the Germans don't have the big holiday of Thanksgiving, and because they start celebrating Christmas with the 'Advents' (the 4 Sundays before Christmas), they start putting up decorations and stuff much earlier. This last week, the city has already started putting up some of the decorations on street lamps and stuff. Though none of it is lit. And a member told me that some Germans get very upset when you decorate and start turning on the lights before 'Toten Sonntag' (dead's Sunday/Sunday of the Dead). It is a sort of memorial day for them, where they visit graves and leave lots of flowers and stuff. It's a really big deal here. And there's some kind of superstition about how you shouldn't set up/turn all your Christmas lights before that day. It's supposedly disrespectful of the dead or they don't like all the lights or something... Odd. :P But the member house we're in right now is working on decorating as we speak, and has Christmas music playing. :)

1 - French Toast!

2 - A random little man-made pond/lake thing in Bagenz.

3 - Awesome view of a factory in a city called Peitz. It was dark, we were walking back to the train, and there was a little man-made lake right in front of it. I thought it looked super cool, so I took a picture. :)

4 - (Kinda out of order) Me cooking the french toast!