Our most recent guest on the Ask About My Faith podcast, Nicole Milo, shares her journey to the Lord, His healing presence in the midst of hardship, and how Nicole shares her faith. We were so moved by her vulnerability, resilient joy, and humble spirit that just wants everyone she meets to know about Jesus!
An Encounter That Multiplied
Nicole was raised in a devout Catholic family submerged in the heart of Italy. Early in Nicole’s life, her mother became deathly sick. To her mother’s surprise, while in the hospital receiving treatment, her mom had a life-changing encounter with God. Toward the end of this, the Lord led her to take her children to another church and enroll them in school there.
Hesitant and afraid, a few years after this experience with God, Nicole’s mom finally obeyed and enrolled her kids in the local vacation Bible school. At this kids camp, Nicole experienced the presence of God and gave her life to the Lord! As a fiery young evangelist, she sent a ripple effect through her family and ended up bringing them all to the Lord and out of the routine of religion. She began to read the Bible regularly and was fascinated by the promises of scripture.
In her later years in school, Nicole became rebellious and started an unhealthy relationship with an older man. Nicole entered into marriage, but was surprised by the heartbreak she experienced due to infidelity and the looming threat of a sudden divorce.
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Faith in the Midst of the Fire
“In my own strength, I could not handle the weight of the circumstance.”
Tension was growing in her marriage. To make matters worse, shortly after Nicole’s first born was brought into this world, he experienced a 105° fever that caused severe brain damage and ultimately produced a form of non-verbal profound autism. Amidst this tragedy, divorce papers were officially filed and Nicole daily struggled to keep her head above water and her son alive.
Her brother witnessed Nicole’s intense pain and sorrow. He began to seek out if God was truly real, took a large leap of faith, and ended up in ministry school. When he came back from school, he began to have coffee with Nicole every day and he spoke hope, blessing, and affirmed the miraculous power of Jesus that remains effective and active today.
Wondering if what her brother had to say was true, Nicole decided to test the theory. At the height of her overwhelm, Nicole went into her room, shut the door, and cried out to God to prove Himself if He truly was real. Following her questioning, she encountered the love of God that saturated every part of her being.
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Living Faith in Every Circumstance
“All I want is for other people to know Him.”
Following her intense experience, she realized intimacy with Jesus is the lifeline for all who live. Heaviness, despair, and oppression are not the inheritance of God’s children and she longs to show those around her the same transformative power of God’s resurrection life that ministered to her so deeply on that day.
She often asks the Lord in day-to-day situations, “What’s a word I can give to the person in front of me?” Once while in a smoothie shop, Nicole felt a prompting from the Holy Spirit about the woman making her smoothie. While praying about this, Nicole discerned that the smoothie worker’s sister had died. Nicole summoned her courage, spoke to the worker, and the woman began to weep uncontrollably, confirming that the word was true. Nicole prayed with her, ministered to her, and showed her the powerful love of God.
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Words of Wisdom from Nicole
“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” -Matthew 6:6
Go in Your Room + Shut The Door
Nicole leaves this biblical instruction as a piece of encouragement for learning to share your faith. Discovering the voice of God starts in private. As we read the words of Jesus, we discern how He speaks, what He sounds like, and what His intentions are towards us. And the more we receive the love of Jesus, the more eager we are to share His love with those around us!
Nicole Milo’s story shows us that no matter what season you’re in, no matter what sphere of influence you work in, you are empowered by the Holy Spirit to live on mission, sharing the love of Jesus wherever you go! To hear all of the profound stories she shares in the podcast, listen by clicking below!
Podcast: Stories from the Smoothie Shop
