Sweden Here I Come!

Sweden Here I Come!

Monday, January 6, 2014

P-Day Email January 6, 2014

Sup Milne Fam?
 
Sorry about the short email last week. We had to get alot of things done for P day and didn't have a lot of time to email. It's always good to read your emails and hear that everything is going well back home. Thanks Dad for the email you sent on my birthday, that's super nice to hear that aunt Irene has moved in to the old house. It sure was great to be able to work on that house during the summer. And Mom thank you for the email today with those scriptures and spiritual thoughts. It sure was uplifting you should keep sending those type of things haha. For some reason people in Sweden celebrate the 13th day after christmas so the library is closed so we had to come over to the church and share one computer between the 4 of us in the district for emailing. I have more time than last week but still not as much as normal.

Missionary work is very hard. It is very physically, mentally, and spiritually demanding. Sometimes it is very discouraging like when people cancel appointments or say that they don't want to meet anymore. Somedays it feels like we weren't very succesfull. But on the other hand I have never been involved in something that is so fufilling. Like yesterday after we had dinner at a members home we headed out for an appointment with an investigator who I really liked and who seemed very positive and promising. But when we got to his place he didn't answer his door or his phone. We were both very disappointed and didn't have any other lessons planned that evening so we just went out to try to find some people. We ended up finding 2 new investigators that night and looking back I can see how the Lord guided us to them. Like for the first person, we had originally planned to catch a bus that would take us to a certain area but it came much earlier than normal so we missed it and had to take a different bus to a different area which is where we found the person who was very positive and was very interested to learn more about our church. So from there we headed home. When we got to our home bus stop we noticed that we still had about 30 minutes before we had to be home so instead of just calling it a day and going home early, we decided we could probably get a few more door knocks in or something. So we just started walking towards some apartment buildings, not really knowing where we would go or anything like that. There was some different buildings where we were at but one in particular just looked good for some reason so we went in there. Then for whatever reason we skipped the doors on the first floor and went up stairs. On the second floor I think there were four or five different doors but one had a cool looking sign on it so we knocked on that one. A lady from Michigan answered the door (which was awesome because we were able to speak english so I was able to participate a lot more than usual) and she actually had a few lds friends back in the states so we started talking and at first she didnt seem interested but then I thought of a question that really challenged her thinking and I ended up basically teaching the first lesson at her doorstep and we set up a time to come back. So we ended the night losing one investigator but we picked up two new ones who were 10 times more positive than this Gustav guy who bailed on us. We still have quite a few people that we are teaching. One of them really wants to be baptized but is having some Word of Wisdom problems so we are helping him with that. He has made tons of progress and it's really exciting. We are also teaching this old and really funny Chinese man who loves to talk about baseball. I could go on about the others but those two are my favorite. Being a missionary is hard like I said but it's also a lot of fun and you really feel a love for all of those that you teach and all the members in the branch. My companion is a real cool guy and we get a long pretty good. The language gets a little better everyday.
Tell Grandma thanks for the birthday money. Everything in Sweden is very expensive except for the clothes. Like the other day my companion bought a really nice suit for 750 crowns which is like 120 US dollars or something close to that. You can find a lot of nice pairs of slacks and shirts on sale for around 100 crowns (like 14 dollars maybe). The European style is really starting to grown on me too haha. But I think I'll wait until I wear out the clothes I have before I go out and get a whole new missionary wardrobe. So I'll probably just save up the money from Christmas and my birthday until then. Anyways I wish I could tell you about everything thats going on but we've got to get going so I'll talk you guys next week. Have a good one!
 
Love
Äldste Milne
And the blog looks super good I love the baby pics! haha where has the time gone?
Here are some pictures from outside the apartment and a cool looking night picture walking the streets of Sweden.


 
 
Here are the letters Blaine and Natalie sent this past week:
 
Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday dear Dallin
Happy Birthday to you
                                         Aunt Irene in her newly remodeled childhood home!
                                                        Your hard work paid off Dallin!
                                                          She is so happy to be HOME!

Happy Birthday Wonderful Son Elder Milne. I hope you can hear our voices with that singing telegram. You are the best son this side of St. George.

I thought you would be happy to hear Aunt Irene is in the old house. She moved in on January 2nd.
She has a 24 hour care provider that lives there with her. She seems to be more happy there than at the care center. The house seems to be warm enough for them.

Your mom and I are taking her to church today with her care provider. We are going down to the old chapel on main street there in Washington. I started thinking it has been over 70 years since Aunt Irene must have lived there as a young person before she moved out to start her life. She looks very good sitting in the chair. We are sending you a picture of her.

Thanks for your hard work in bringing this to pass. I appreciate all the hard work and effort you gave to this project.  I pray that you will feel the blessings of participating in this project for me, your Milne family, and Aunt Irene's family.

The church is very serious about family history and its importance with eternal families. I know this work you and I have done together will bless the lives of members of the Athole and Amanda Milne family that was established on September 24, 1901. The day they were married in the St. George Temple. They raised 10 children there in the old house. They celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary before he died in 1976 at age 99.

Aunt Irene is the last living child of the 10. She will be turning 94 years old on January 22 and her daughter is having an open house birthday party for her there. Everyone will come and see your hard work and particularly your handprint that is all over this work (including the one in the side walk).


Keep Driving on Elder Milne
Sweden is the Zion for you right now
Your work is to enlarge the boarders of your stakes of Zion in Sweden.
Remember that all "trials and challenges in this life are necessary for your salvation" - Brigham Young.

From my tent to yours,

Daddy Blaine Glen Milne
 
___________________________________
 
John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Dear Dallin,

I chose this scripture this week because the Holy Ghost has been on my mind a lot. I am reminded what President Benson taught the missionaries while I was serving. He said, "It is the Spirit that counts, it is the Spirit that matters most." I cannot express to you enough the importance of always having the Spirit with you. He truly will teach you all things and bring those things to your remembrance that you will need in the very moment you need them. He will also be a source of peace and comfort to you. As you allow Him to permeate your being others will take notice and desire to have what you have. The Spirit is the key to your success as a missionary, and the key to the fulfillment of the blessings promised to you by President Bangerter.

I challenge you to become as Nephi of old in regards to the Spirit. In 1 Nephi 11:11 we read that Nephi knew that it was the Spirit of the Lord and he spake unto me as a man speaketh to another. There will be times on your mission you will need this type of communication. You will need to converse with the Spirit as one man speaketh to another.

The effect of the Spirit on us is tremendous. According to Elder Parley P. Pratt this is what the Spirit does for us:

Effect of the Holy Ghost on the Individual.—"An intelligent being, in the image of God, possesses every organ, attribute, sense, sympathy, affection, of will, wisdom, love, power and gift, which is possessed by God Himself. But these are possessed by man in his rudimental state in a subordinate sense of the word. Or, in other words, these attributes are in embryo, and are to be gradually developed. They resemble a bud, a germ, which gradually develops into bloom, and then, by progress, produces the mature fruit after its own kind. The gift of the Holy Spirit adapts itself to all these organs or attributes. It quickens all the intellectual faculties, increases, enlarges, expands, and purifies all the natural passions and affections, and adapts them by the gift of wisdom, to their lawful use. It inspires, develops, cultivates, and matures all the fine-toned sympathies, joys, tastes, kindred feelings, and affections of our nature. It inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness, gentleness, and charity. It develops beauty of person, form and features. It tends to health, vigor, animation, and social feeling. It develops and invigorates all the faculties of the physical and intellectual man. It strengthens, invigorates, and gives tone to the nerves. In short, it is, as it were, marrow to the bone, joy to the heart, light to the eyes, music to the ears, and life to the whole being."—Parley P. Pratt, Key to Theology, pp. 96-97 (4th ed.).

Keep these things in mind each day. The Spirit will guide you to what you need to be doing each day as well as help you become your very best self!

You are awesome Dallin! Love you so much! Take care and be safe!

Love you forever,
Mom
 

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