Elder Milne and his companions had some changes this week. One of the Elders was transferred, and they had another Elder join them. His name is Elder Dopp. He is from Ogden, Utah and is a greenie. Elder Milne has been called as a trainer by his mission president. They are still in a threesome, but his other companion is the district leader, so he is busy with that. This past week was quite frustrating for Elder Milne and his companions. The work was slow and nothing remarkable really happened. Ty said that he prayed really hard throughout the week, and he told Heavenly Father that he didn't come on a mission for his own personal growth, he came to serve His son Jesus Christ and to teach His gospel. There were a couple of highlights this week that kept him going. He and his companions have been meeting with a recent convert of just over a year each Sunday. His name is Jerry, and the bishop meets with them as well. Jerry said he spent over forty years searching for the true church, and he is so happy he found it. He used to be a comedian, and he has also done character voice work for Disney. This week Jerry brought his 16-year-old daughter because she wants to start learning more about the church. Her mom is not too supportive of this, but they are all praying that she will have a change of heart. Ty said the Spirit there was very strong, and he is hopeful that they will be able to teach Jerry's daughter. They also had some really spiritual member lessons this week, and Ty has learned the importance of strengthening the members, especially during these difficult times. He and his companions are finding that many of the members are not partaking of the sacrament regularly or participating in the Come Follow Me curriculum. So, they challenge the members to re-engage in these things that their lives might be blessed and strengthened. Ty says that these member experiences have been what has kept him going. He says that it is often hard to feel like a missionary due to the restrictions placed on them, but after their experiences with the members this week and feeling the Spirit so strong with them, He says that this is what keeps him going. He reports he loves feeling the Spirit, and recognizes the rejuvenation he experiences every time the Spirit is present.
Here are this week's letters:
Letter from Blaine:
Hi Ty
This is a great article written about a BYU baseball player. He was Keaton’s
teammate in 2019.
It shows us why we should never give up and helps motivate us in times of
disappointment and even health problems. He is not a member of the church but
because of this experience with the BYU baseball team he says he loves BYU.
I thought this article could help you see many things pertaining to your
mission and plan in life.
Love and think of you
Dad
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__byuphoto.exposure.co_overcome-2Dand-2Dconquer&d=DwIGaQ&c=z0adcvxXWKG6LAMN6dVEqQ&r=ryfVf8QXbcFmLQ_bO2PBcZnArjgoT6pWCLfKuswq9lk&m=ZaZhQjDDFgTavdc_MQ9vDEhgV3stXTUVrJXxBIdaPZA&s=nuTynzxXLpJjr-GkNVBPY-9je3R_lgv0E4oucTOhzng&e=
Letter from Ty: Thank you for
sharing this dad! I'll have to read it at the church later. Hope you have a
good week love you
Letter from Home:
Dear Elder Milne (Ty)!
How's my favorite missionary and youngest son today? I hope this email finds you happy and well. I am very happy this morning because last night we had a wonderful rain storm that we have needed for so long. It was definitely a flash flood, and the improvements on Main Street worked because there was no flooding (at least not for us). Bishop Smith texted at about 10:30 last night just to make sure we were staying dry. I am so thankful to Heavenly Father for sending rain in abundance. Southern Utah needed it so badly!
Yesterday was a wonderful Sabbath day. At 1:00, we had a nice dinner at Grandma Susan's to celebrate Aunt Nanette's 55th birthday. Grandma and Raymond were there along with Nanette, Randy, Carter, Carley, Shelly, and myself. I made all the food - sweet pork burritos, salad, and fruit. Then we had cake and ice cream for dessert. We had a wonderful visit and spent a lot of time laughing and sharing funny memories. We had to leave around 3:30 to drive to Cedar City to Carley's mom's house. Deb also fed us! We enjoyed a yummy spaghetti dinner. Abby was there and Craig. Abby said to tell you hello! We then spent a couple of hours planning Carter and Carley's wedding dinner and reception. We are all very excited, but we will miss not having you here. I am going to order a life-size cutout of you so you can stand in the line and say hello to everyone and they can all wish you a happy birthday!
When I returned to St. George, I drove over to Jaclyn's to feed her cat. Jaclyn is in the hospital with congestive heart failure. She has been in there since Wednesday evening. I'm not sure when they will let her come home. She is doing better, but they are having a hard time getting her heart to slow down and stabilizing. The doctors are doing some sort of shock therapy on her heart today, so hopefully that will do what they want it to do.
This week I start back to school. I'm somewhat excited, but mostly just to get it over with. I will have one class on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 2:30 - 5:00. I am seeing between 10-13 clients a week as well. I really love being a therapist! I just want to keep getting better at it. There are so many people with so many problems out there.
Last night I was reading in 3 Nephi, and I came to my favorite chapter - chapter 11. I love this chapter for so many reasons, but mostly because it serves as another powerful witness that Jesus is the Christ. Old Testament prophets saw Christ and conversed with Him, New Testament prophets and apostles spent their days with Him being taught by Him and witnessing miracle after miracle, and of course, stood as witnesses of the greatest miracle of all - His resurrection! And now we have the witness of the Book of Mormon that testifies of His resurrection as well. We have these three powerful ancient records to testify of the divinity of Jesus Christ and his gospel, and now we also have the modern witness of Joseph Smith - the First Vision and other experiences we read about in the Doctrine and Covenants - particularly D&C 76: The Prophet Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon saw the glory of Jesus Christ as He stood “on the right hand of the Father” (D&C 76:20). They saw “the holy angels, and them who are sanctified … , worshiping God” (D&C 76:21) and “heard the voice bearing record that [Jesus Christ] is the Only Begotten of the Father” (D&C 76:23). This remarkable experience led the two witnesses to declare, “After all of the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!” (D&C 76:22).
An apostle by the name of Elder Bruce R. Mckonkie used to ask congregations: "How do you prove that Jesus is the Christ?" The answer is - the resurrection. Then he would ask, "How do you prove the resurrection?" The answer is witnesses. You have the witnesses in the Old Testament, New Testament, The Book of Mormon, and Those who have seen Him in our day. The resurrection truly proves that Jesus Christ is indeed the Son of God, and that he was not just another great teacher or prophet.
Anyhow Ty, I love the gospel of Jesus Christ, and I love my Savior. I am so grateful for all that He has done for me and for all of mankind, and I am especially grateful at this time that you have chosen to be one of His special servants as a missionary, to declare His gospel and to testify of His Divinity. What a wonderful privilege this is. Do your best to remember this each day - It is He whom you represent!
Love you so much Ty, and I pray for you multiple times a day. I am so thankful for a loving Heavenly Father who constantly and consistently answers my prayers. We are so very blessed!
Have a wonderful day and week!
All My Love,
Mom
Letter from Ty:
Thank you
for reaching out mom, I always love reading these! I'm glad y'all got some rain
it's about time hahah! The dinner with everyone sounds awesome - glad y'all are
able to spend time together. I'm so excited for carter and carley! You'll have
to send me pictures of it all, and that's so silly about the cut out. I'll
start praying for aunt Jaclyn; hopefully everything goes good with that! I'm
glad you're staying busy with your clients - they are all lucky to have you.
Loved your words about Christ. 3rd nephi 11 is also one of my favorites, the
people of peru loved reading that chapter. We had a great dinner Saturday night
w 3 member families there. Then we read some of 3rd nephi 11 and had a
discussion and shared testimonies. It was great. We are very blessed to have this
gospel and to have the help of our Savior in all that we do. My love for him
and our Heavenly father has been the biggest motivator out here. Very grateful
for you Mom and our amazing family. I will strive to represent us and Christ
better this week!
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