Be Strong and of Good Courage

Letter from Home:

Dear Elder Milne!

First of all, I was sad all week because we didn't get to see your handsome face last week and talk to you! I am so sorry that happened. I was on my daily walk, and I didn't think you would be on that soon, so I didn't check until 30 minutes after you had posted, and then apparently it was too late. You must have had somewhere you needed to be. Anyhow, I will not let that happen today. I will check my email every five minutes - LOL! I hope you have had a wonderful week and that all is well. We sure love and miss you Ty, but we are so grateful for the opportunity you have to serve the Lord in Peru. I have already seen tremendous growth in you, and I pray for your continued growth and development and that Heavenly Father will bless you for your love and service. Your Heavenly Parents also love you very much, and they are pleased with who you are and who you are becoming. They have blessed you with a kind, loving, and gentle heart - a missionary heart. You will lift and bless the lives of many throughout your mission and throughout your life. "Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee... And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed" - Deuteronomy 31:6, 8. Have faith in the Lord and know that He is with you always and in all ways.

This week was a busy week for me with school, but somehow, I made it through. Sometimes, I think I am too old for this school stuff. It hurts my 50-year-old brain. But then, when I am in my therapy sessions with my clients and I see the light of hope go on in their eyes, the stress of school becomes worth it. I just have to hang in there, and follow the advice I just gave you - be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be afraid: for the Lord thy God is with me; he'll not fail me nor forsake! No matter how old we get, we still need the Lord's help to be strong and courageous.

Dad is still working very hard, and is trying to keep his back strong. It has been giving him some trouble, but the Lord is blessing him to hang in there. On March 13th, he will be working in St. George at this new implant office. We are hoping this goes well. He will work a Friday and the following Monday every other week, so we will get to see him a lot more, and if this office does well in St. George, then he can get even more days here and let go of the Bloomfield office. He will then only work at the Celebrate practice in Albuquerque and here.

Dallin was accepted at the University of Oklahoma School of Dentistry. So, it looks like he may be going there. It is a top school, so he is excited, but it is still quite expensive. I'm excited because it is in Oklahoma City and that is where my mission was! When we go visit them I will get to reminisce and eat soft frozen yogurt at Braum's - LOL! Hayley is still working hard as ever. Dallin is so blessed to have her as his wife - not only is she hardworking, she is super sweet!

Carter and Carley seem to be doing well also. They came down on Friday night to watch Pine View and Desert Hills play basketball in a playoff game. PV lost - boo! But afterwards we all went out to dinner. It was fun to sit and laugh with my two older sons and their beautiful wives.

Well Ty, I can't wait to talk to you today, and I pray all is well. Please know you are in our thoughts and prayers all day, every day! Always remember to work hard, play hard, and pray harder! Love you to the moon and back!

Mom

Elder Milne’s Letter:

Hey Everyone,

Well, we had another baptism this week. It was another 9 year old girl. Our mission president has asked us to seek out the less active families and teach them. It is neat to see when we teach the family and their child wants to be baptized that the entire family starts going back to church. I got to perform the baptism, and it was a really cool experience. I wish I had time to write everything, but we have pretty strict rules on how much time we can spend emailing, so forgive me if these are always short.

I am really loving my mission so far, but learning the language is a daily challenge. I work hard at it, but it is still the thing that frustrates me the most. I have been blessed with a really great trainer. I am learning so much from him and he is a huge help. I’m nervous because in two weeks he will be transferred and I will be left to lead this area in Tenguina. This scares me, but one thing’s for sure, my Spanish will definitely get better. I really love the ward members here, and they will help me as well. We are able to do a lot of teaching, and we walk everywhere. It is super hot here right now.

Our friend Abel ghosted us, but that’s how it goes. We have many others we are teaching, and we are meeting new people all the time. I´m learning a lot and can teach a pretty decent lesson 1,3,4. Working on lesson 2 - it´s hard, but coming along. I just try to focus on showing love for the people and testifying of Jesus Christ.

I really love the food here. We have a woman who cooks our lunch every day. It’s mostly rice and some sort of meat, but it always tastes really good. It’s a good thing we walk a lot haha. I hope all of you are doing well. I love and miss you. Thanks for your prayers and support.

Elder Milne