Elder Milne is Now the District Leader

Wow! Two amazing weeks in a row. Elder Milne and his companion Elder Dopp are really being blessed. Some big changes this week. Ty is now the district leader, and they are no longer in a threesome. Today is Labor Day, and I am in New Mexico with Blaine. It was so awesome to be able to talk to Elder Milne together. Blaine and Ty had a long conversation, and Blaine had tears of joy streaming down his face many times. We have been so blessed having Ty on his mission. There is very little that compares to the spirit a missionary has. Ty looked so good, and again, he just glowed with the Spirit, and his excitement about missionary work is contagious. He reports they had another great week. He said the week felt long, but looking back, there were a lot of great things that took place. He and Elder Dopp were able to meet with Leo, his wife, and three kids. They shared John 14 with him, and then he joined them for church on Sunday. Ty also shared that the mission president shared with them that their mission has more baptisms on date than they have ever had in the entire history of the mission. Covid has made things extra difficult, but it certainly has not slowed the progress of God's children. Elder Milne also shared that they were able to teach Megan again, who is now 17, and she brought a non-member friend with her. They were also able to continue teaching the lady in the wheel chair who struggles with her reading, but her husband who used to be a member decided that he would help her by reading the Book of Mormon with her. This was a big surprise because he told the missionaries that he wants nothing to do with the church. So, they were really excited about that. Ty said that they also were able to have a lot of member lessons this week. He said at first it was really hard to come up with lessons for the members, but now he absolutely loves teaching them. He also said they did a lot of service this week at the food pantry and picking up trash. While serving at the food pantry they met two people who want to learn more about the gospel, so they are going to start meeting with them. For P-day, Ty and his district again had batting practice! He said it is a lot of fun. Elder Milne admonished us to watch Elder Holland's new video called The Miracle of Hope. It is an excellent video. This is one he has been sharing with members and nonmembers alike. It was so awesome visiting with Ty and Blaine both today. What a very special experience. It made my trip back to Utah much more bearable. 

Letter from Blaine:

Feliz Dia Trabajo,

¿Que pasa?

¿Como es tu la semana pasada?

¿Sigues hablando inglés?

¿Te gusta tu misión?

¿Te gusta Newport Beach, California misión mejor que Péru, Lima misión?

¿Estes contendo?

¿Que has aprendido en tu misión?

¿Ha crecido tu testimonio en tu misión?

You mom is here in Rio Rancho with me this weekend but is going back to Utah today. She has clients at 9am in the morning and needs to leave early this afternoon.

BYU is playing Navy on ESPN tonight and Dax Milne has been getting a lot of publicity on BYU sports nation lately.  They are going to highlight he and his parents this week on BYU Blue because his mom had been dealing with colon cancer. 
Dax Milne is a starting wide receiver and a junior this year.  His dad Darren Milne played ball with me at BYU and played for Detroit Tigers for a couple years.  Interestingly, Dax has a brother named Dallin.

Will you guys get to watch the game tonight?

Have you noticed any cute girls on your mission?

Or are they all homely there too?

Más tarde, hermano!

Con cariño,

Dad
 

Letter from Ty:

Que tal mi padre! Su español esta mejorando! Buen hecho. Mom told me that you'll be on the facetime today I'm excited to see ya! That's awesome about Dax milne, sad we won't be able to watch the game! We are missionaries - can't be doing that haha. I'm glad mom came down to spend some time. And there is a couple of 3 chicks, but I'm not too worried about it. I'll talk to you about everything else! Thanks for reaching out -  love you dad.

Letter from Home:

Good Morning Elder Milne!

How's my favorite missionary doing this week? How's my Ty Guy? Today I am writing you from our home in Rio Rancho. It has been wonderful spending a few days with your dad, but sadly, I have to go back to Utah today for another full week of seeing clients, classes, and school work. Life is good, but hard nonetheless. Each day I try to remind myself that the blessings of eternity are with the mortal wrestle, and I find that as I press forward in faith, God's hand becomes evident in all that I do and all that I am. He is ever mindful of each one us, and I am continually amazed at the little tender mercies he shows me each day. These tender mercies witness to me that He sees me, that He knows me, and that He is acutely aware that I am truly doing the best I know how, and despite my imperfections and short-comings (and especially my sins), He is there to bless me with all that I stand in need of. One of my greatest desires has become that everyone I meet and know will come to truly believe this for themselves, so they can recognize His constant love and daily care in their own lives. As I meet with my various clients throughout each week, it becomes quickly evident to me those who have learned this and those who have not. There are even those who were taught this eternal truth, but they have turned away from it, and it is so evident in their lives. They have truly been deceived by the adversary, and their resultant messy lives stand as a testimony of this. However, it is not my job as therapist to judge, criticize, or condemn, but to do as the Savior does - provide a safe space for them to explore the questions and answers of their lives and then provide them with love, encouragement, and most of all understanding. Only by doing this are they able to gain the courage and confidence to begin seeing the reality of their situations and commit to doing things differently by responding to the opposition they face in healthier and more functional ways. My goal with each patient is to treat them as the Savior does - He meets us where we are, sits with us in our pain, seeks to understand our hearts, and loves us unconditionally. This is the only way to truly motivate lasting change. It is truly a beautiful process to witness. Indeed, this is how we should treat all of God's children, especially ourselves. I have been doing some research on the power of self-compassion, and it is truly life changing. We as humans are so quick to offer compassion to those around us who need it, but are we willing and able to show compassion to ourselves? When we show compassion to others, we are blessed with the satisfaction that comes from lightening another's burden and showing unconditional love. When we receive compassion, it truly puts us back on our feet and gives us the strength to move forward with our lives. The beauty of self-compassion is we receive both of these blessings because we are both the giver and the receiver. I teach each of my clients this, along with what self-compassion looks like and how we show it to ourselves. This proves to be a very powerful tool they can use as they continue on their healing journey.

Anyhow, enough about all that! How was your week? I'm excited to hear all about it - the good, the bad, and the ugly - LOL! How are your investigator friends progressing? How is your newly baptized member doing? How were the service projects you engaged in? How are things going as a trainer and with your companions? I pray for you constantly throughout the day, and you are in my heart always. 

Everyone back home seems to be doing okay. We are getting excited for Carter and Carley's sealing. It will truly be a beautiful experience. They have patiently waited, and they have truly worked hard to be as prepared as possible to be sealed in the house of the Lord. I am super excited to return to the temple. It has been way too long! The blessings of the temple are so important to me, and I have missed being able to attend regularly. I love the temple. I love the lessons of eternity that are taught there. I love the endowment we receive for ourselves and others and how this endowment teaches us how to receive the gift of the atonement of Jesus Christ. Indeed, this is what the endowment truly is - the gift of the Savior's atonement. At the end of the day, when all is said and done, this is truly the only thing that matters. We have so many distractions in our daily lives that take us away from this precious and vital truth. The keeping of our temple covenants is what truly blesses our lives and provides us with the strength, courage, and safety we so desperately need. When we die, this is truly the only thing that matters - did we keep our covenants we made in the temple, because the bottom line is, these covenants were given as the gifts that guide us back to our Heavenly Father. As a missionary, our mission president always told us, that baptism is important, but our real goal as missionaries was to prepare individuals and families to receive the blessings of the temple. Baptism is just the beginning. Perhaps this is something you can keep in mind as well. Baptism sets them on the path to Eternal life, but the making and keeping of our temple covenants is what qualifies us for eternal life. And the beauty of all this is that we don't have to wait for eternity to partake of these promised blessings. Doing our best to make and keep our temple covenants will bless us during this life in countless ways. The biggest being peace and joy.

Well, I've said enough. I hope all is well. Take care of yourself Ty, and know you are loved more than you can comprehend. Work hard, play hard, and pray harder!

All My Love,

Mom

Letter from Ty:

Thank you for the sweet email mom! I love all that you said. A ton has happened this week, I'm excited to talk to you about it. I love you so much - thank you for your love and your amazing words. I am so lucky to have you as my mom.