Three Weeks Down and Three to Go at the Lima MTC

Letter from Home:

Dear Elder Milne,

I love the sound of that, even though it means you are 4,139 miles away from home. A piece of my heart is definitely in Lima, and I have mixed emotions about that. I also feel like one of my arms has been cut-off - I really miss taking care of my baby boy! However, I am so happy you are where you are and you are doing what you are doing! More importantly, Heavenly Father is very happy and pleased with you! He too loves and misses you, and a piece of his heart is in Lima, Peru as well. Ty, always remember how very much you are loved by all of us on both sides of the veil, and never underestimate the power of that love. Angels are truly at your beckon call. I pray every day the Lord will surround you with His holiest of angels to strengthen and protect you. I know He hears and answers my prayers! I pray you are well, and you are learning and growing in the Spirit each day.

This week makes week three you have completed at the MTC - three down and three more to go!

Enjoy your remaining time there. The MTC is such a special place. It is truly a place of accelerated learning, growth, and development. Treasure every minute you have there, and take advantage of the Spirit that is ever present there. What a privilege and blessing it is to have such special training. Your experiences there will lay the foundation for your missionary service, which in turn will lay the foundation for your life. Remember this each day Ty. Your Heavenly Parents will use your mission experiences to shape and mold you into the man, husband, and father they desire you to become. The good days and the hard days will equally contribute to Their divine design for your life. Always express gratitude for the good days, and seek comfort and guidance on the hard days. Some of the greatest and most important lessons you will learn will come from enduring the hard days - always remember that help is just a prayer away and your older brother Jesus Christ will always have your back. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is real, and it can bless every aspect of our lives. Through it, we are not only forgiven of our sins, but we can also receive His divine comfort and strength through any trial we experience, and best of all, His Atonement enables us to become our very best selves! The blessings of the Atonement are endless and eternal. Seek each day to apply it to your life and to more fully understand the breadth and depth of it! Prepare to be amazed!

Ty, I love and miss you more than you will ever know! But my mama heart is so proud of you - it takes so much courage and faith to do what you are doing, and I know you will be blessed because of your decision to serve the Lord. Your decision to faithfully serve the Lord will not only bless you, but it will bless your family and generations to come. Always keep this in mind - our individual choices have generational consequences! Always choose the right! Lastly, always choose to love first! Share that big, beautiful heart of yours with all those you meet each day. Love is the answer to your success in the Peru, Lima South Mission!

I almost forgot, President Wade, who is going to be your new MTC president there in Lima is Elijah Luke Milne's law partner who just retired and Eli is taking over for. Make sure you let him know that Eli is your first cousin, and then I want you to show him the song that Eli wrote and Carter sang at your farewell. He will really like that. I had family home evening last night with Aunt Jaclyn, Eli, Megan, and their beautiful little family. It was so much fun, and it brought back so many memories of when my three boys were little and so very precious!

Also, each week I want to share something with you from the Book of Mormon Come Follow Me lessons. The thing that stood out to me this week and that I shared with my Sunday School class is this: On the title page of the Book of Mormon, which was written my Moroni himself, we learn that the two main reasons the Book of Mormon was written for our day is to testify to us that Jesus is the Christ and how important it is we keep our covenants with God, not only as individuals, but as a nation as well. It is the keeping of these covenants that will bless us and protect us. The events which take place in the Book of Mormon definitely mirror our day! I love the Book of Mormon with all of my heart and know without a doubt that it is true! I love you Ty, and I can’t wait to see your handsome face today!

All My Love,

Mom

Letter from Elder Milne:

Hey Everyone!

It’s been another great week at the MTC. This week went by faster than the other two, so that is good. I really like it here though. I’m learning so much and my Spanish gets a little better every day. I’ve never studied so hard in my life. I also like the food here. Peruvian food is really good, so I am trying my best not to get fat. We do get to exercise here every day, and on P-Day we usually play soccer, not my favorite, but at least it’s something. Once in awhile, the elders from the other district will play basketball, so I will play with them.

Today, I just got back from the temple. I really love going to the temple. It is such a great reminder of the love the Savior has for us. This week for church, I got to lead the priesthood discussion. It went really well. I’m learning that I really like to teach. Next week in church I get to bless the sacrament, so I am working hard to memorize the sacrament prayers in Spanish. So far, I have been able to pass off everything I’ve needed to in Spanish, like the First Vision, D&C 4, our mission statement, and other things. I have an awesome companion who is really good at Spanish, and he helps me so much. I also have two Latino roommates, which makes learning Spanish a lot easier.

This week I have also received a lot of comfort from reading my patriarchal blessing. It is amazing how it says things that I didn’t really notice before, but they fit perfectly with what’s going on right now. I have also been reading a talk given by Elder Holland at the MTC that Carter gave me to read on my mission. It is so good, and it really motivates me to want to be the very best missionary I can be. It’s called The Miracle of a Mission.

One cool thing that happened this week in class was the other day we watched a video about a man who lost his mom at a young age, how he blamed God, and he never forgave him. I thought about my dad and how my Grandma Bonnie passed away when he was 15, and I ended up sharing the story with my district. I then bore my testimony about how grateful I am that my dad stayed on the covenant path and raised me in the true church. They all loved the story and I felt Grandma Bonnie’s love as I bore that testimony. I’m so grateful to be on a mission. I know it is going to be difficult, but I know with the Lord’s help I can do it.

Elder Milne

PS... When we spoke to Ty, he looked really good and seems happy. He said it had been a crazy week but a good week. Here is the link to his blog if you are interested. The only reason I like to do a blog is it is a convenient way to turn it all into a book at the end of Ty's mission. It will contain Ty's experiences as well as what is going on with our family. The link is: www.eldertymilne.blogspot.com

Letter from Dad:

Hi Elder “two bit” Milne,

Well I haven’t seen you in “three damned weeks!”
I now know how Grandpa Glen felt when he said that about Kirk.

Well, how did your week go? Are you making any “headway” yet?

Still enjoying the Latino people? Are they a beautiful people in Peru? Or are they rather “homely.”

I have been working back in New Mexico for the past 4-5 days and have enjoyed the people here and the work.

Just remember “Jesus is coming” and we don’t need to worry about worldly conditions.
The Lord will continue his work and all things shall come to pass. Have this kind of faith when times get tough down there. He will lead.

Love

Dad

Letter from Ty:

Thanks for the message Dad. I'll let mom tell you how my week has been. My Spanish is getting better every day. As long as I trust in God, I know I'll be okay. Words can't express how grateful I am for you - mi padre. In class the other day, we watched a video about a man who lost his mom at a young age, and how he blamed God and he never forgave him. I thought about you and Grandma Bonnie, and I ended up sharing the story with my district. And I bore my testimony about how grateful I was that you stayed on the covenant path and raised me in the true church. They all loved the story, and I felt Grandma Bonnie's love as I bore that testimony. Have a good rest of your week. You’re the goat!