Here is the short and sweet letter that Ty sent him last night after he taught our family home evening lesson. He has been asked to teach his Deacon's Quorum lesson next Sunday on Repentance and the Atonement. He is really excited! He taught us that the two main ingredients of repenting is confessing and forsaking. He shared several scriptures with us, and he particularly liked Isaiah 1:18..."though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be like crimson, they shall be as wool." He then showed us two wonderful videos. I just love the new youth curriculum!
Hey Dallin, I am teaching my deacons quorum about repentance and the atonement this week, and I just gave mom and dad the lesson I am doing. And it has already strengthened my testimony! Well the playoffs for my team are this week. And Morgan High School won the state tournament against Cedar. Well Dallin thats all for me take care.
Love, TY your bro
Here is Dallin's short and sweet response:
Ty, that's awesome that you're getting to teach in church! What a great opprotunity to prepare for your own mission, and that's awesome that you are already starting to get a testimony of it all. You're such a great kid Ty, crazy to think that you are a teenager! haha you'll always be my little bro though. Good luck with the playoffs this week! Have fun and get some buckets!
Love,
Elder Older Bro Milne
At the end of Ty's lesson Blaine fell asleep so he didn't get to write Dallin. So, here is mine. It is long enough for both of us though.
D&C 4:1-7
1 Now behold, a marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men.2 Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day.
3 Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work;
4 For behold the field is white already to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul;
5 And faith, hope, charity, and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualigy him for the work.
6 Remember faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence.
7 Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Amen.
Dear Son,
As you can see, I have attached a copy of your mission call. Dad just randomly read it to me the other day, and I was so glad, because it reminded me of the many wonderful promises and blessings it contains. I especially like paragraphs 3, 4, and 5. What wonderful promises are given. First you are told that the Lord will bless you with increased knowledge and testimony of the Restoration and of the truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Second, you are promised that as you serve with all your heart, might, and strength, the Lord will lead you to those who are prepared to be baptized. And third, "the Lord will reward you for the goodness of your life. Greater blessings and more happiness than you have yet experienced await you as you humbly and prayerfully serve the Lord in this labor of love among His children." The Lord will help you become an effective missionary. I promise you Dallin that all of these promises and blessings will be realized as you work diligently, pray faithfully, and continue in obedience to the laws of the gospel and the mission rules. I cannot emphasize enough how much the Lord rewards His missionaries for obedience. We as a family have been fasting and praying for you this Sabbath Day for your success in Sweden. We know you are working hard and you have a great desire to bring souls unto the waters of baptism. We know that this will happen soon for you!
I chose section four of the Doctrine and Covenants for these very same reasons. I know that you are all too familiar with this incredible missionary section, in fact, I'm certain you have it memorized. As you read it, make sure that you reflect on what it is really saying. I could preach an entire sermon on each verse. Because of your righteous desires you have been called to the work, so thrust in your sickle with all your might. The Lord will qualify you for His work. It is His work, and He wants you to be successful. "Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."
This week was an incredible week of feeling the love of our Heavenly Father. It is amazing how His Spirit envelops us as we seek Him for comfort and guidance. I have particularly been focusing my thoughts and studies on the atonement. I taught the lesson in young women's today on this very thing. I used an example that Elder Holland has given. A few years ago he shared his feelings about the deep-rooted faith of the early pioneers who pushed to the Salt Lake Valley even after the deaths of their children. He said, "They didn't do that for a program, they didn't do it for a social activity, they did it because the faith of the gospel of Jesus Christ was in their soul, it was in the marrow of their bones. That is the only way those mothers could bury their babies in a breadbox and move on saying, 'The promised land is out there somewhere. We're going to make it to the valley.' They could say that because of covenants and doctrine and faith and revelation and spirit." He concluded with these thought provoking words: "If we can keep that in our families and in the Church, maybe a lot of other things start to take care of themselves. Maybe a lot of other less-needed things sort of fall out of the wagon. I'm told those handcarts could only hold so much. Just as our ancestors had to choose what they took, maybe the 21st century will drive us to decide, 'what can we put on this handcart?' It's the substance of our soul; it's the stuff down in the marrow of our bones. Or, to put it another way, it is what is written in our hearts!"
I followed this up with this question for the young women: "What things would our Heavenly Father have us put in our carts today?" I told them that they were modern day pioneers because they are facing things on their trek that we as their leaders and parents have not faced. The wickedness of the world is so great today, and they are facing temptations and trials that we could not have imagined. The young women gave many very pertinent answers like prayer, scripture reading, patience, kindness, service, and love. I agreed that all of these were absolutely correct, but that it was my testimony that first and foremost our Heavenly Father would have us add to our carts an ever increasing understanding of the atonement of Jesus Christ, and second, a continued remembrance of the covenants we have and will yet make with Him. We talked about "why?" this was the case, and then I ended my comments with the three principals that Sister Linda K. Burton (the general relief society president) shared in regards to the atonement: 1. All that is unfair about life can be made right through the atonement of Jesus Christ. 2. There is a power in the Atonement to enable us to overcome the natural man and become true disciples of Jesus Christ. 3. The Atonement is the greatest evidence we have of the Father's love for His children.
As I taught these things today, the Spirit strongly bore witness to me and all those attending that these things are true! What a beautiful message. You are so blessed to have the opportunity to share this same message with the people of Sweden.
I know I am long winded Dallin, but I want to share one last thought with you. In regards to the Atonement, there is a healing that comes to us when the misuse of agency by others hurts us. This is what Sister Burton meant when referring to life being unfair. We cannot control the actions and decisions of others, and thus we are left to feel the effects of the consequences their choices bring. However, the atonement can heal us every whit when we find ourselves in these circumstances. The Savior knows how to heal our hearts, how to succor us, and miraculously enable us to forgive those who have hurt us, as well as forgive ourselves for feeling anger and frustration toward them. It is amazing to me how, because of the atonement, we can truly feel love, unconditional love for those who have hurt us the most. The Spirit has an amazing way of helping us to see others through the eyes of our Heavenly father. This of course comes after we ask for help in doing this. I hope all of this makes sense, because I know for myself that it is true. The miracle of forgiveness is real!
Dallin, I pray that all is well. I pray that you are happy and safe. I pray that above all you know how much we love you and how much your Heavenly Father loves you. Please share this message of love to all who will hear it! We are so blessed to have the fullness of the gospel in our lives. So very blessed for the understanding of the atonement that comes because of it. You are amazing Dallin! Keep up the great work. Dad fell asleep at the end of Ty's FHE lesson, so I'm not sure that he will get to email you. He is doing well. He loves you and talks of you daily. Ty gets to teach his deacon's quorum next week on repentance. He is so excited to do this. He taught us his lesson tonight. What a great kid! He too loves and misses you!
You also may have heard that Coach Darin Walker died today. You and I know that he was a great man. I am so sad for his family, but so happy for him that he is finally freed from his very sick body. Take care Dallin, and I can't wait to read your email! That is truly the highlight of every week!
Much Love,
Mom
1 Now behold, a marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men.2 Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day.
3 Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work;
4 For behold the field is white already to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul;
5 And faith, hope, charity, and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualigy him for the work.
6 Remember faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence.
7 Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Amen.
Dear Son,
As you can see, I have attached a copy of your mission call. Dad just randomly read it to me the other day, and I was so glad, because it reminded me of the many wonderful promises and blessings it contains. I especially like paragraphs 3, 4, and 5. What wonderful promises are given. First you are told that the Lord will bless you with increased knowledge and testimony of the Restoration and of the truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Second, you are promised that as you serve with all your heart, might, and strength, the Lord will lead you to those who are prepared to be baptized. And third, "the Lord will reward you for the goodness of your life. Greater blessings and more happiness than you have yet experienced await you as you humbly and prayerfully serve the Lord in this labor of love among His children." The Lord will help you become an effective missionary. I promise you Dallin that all of these promises and blessings will be realized as you work diligently, pray faithfully, and continue in obedience to the laws of the gospel and the mission rules. I cannot emphasize enough how much the Lord rewards His missionaries for obedience. We as a family have been fasting and praying for you this Sabbath Day for your success in Sweden. We know you are working hard and you have a great desire to bring souls unto the waters of baptism. We know that this will happen soon for you!
I chose section four of the Doctrine and Covenants for these very same reasons. I know that you are all too familiar with this incredible missionary section, in fact, I'm certain you have it memorized. As you read it, make sure that you reflect on what it is really saying. I could preach an entire sermon on each verse. Because of your righteous desires you have been called to the work, so thrust in your sickle with all your might. The Lord will qualify you for His work. It is His work, and He wants you to be successful. "Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."
This week was an incredible week of feeling the love of our Heavenly Father. It is amazing how His Spirit envelops us as we seek Him for comfort and guidance. I have particularly been focusing my thoughts and studies on the atonement. I taught the lesson in young women's today on this very thing. I used an example that Elder Holland has given. A few years ago he shared his feelings about the deep-rooted faith of the early pioneers who pushed to the Salt Lake Valley even after the deaths of their children. He said, "They didn't do that for a program, they didn't do it for a social activity, they did it because the faith of the gospel of Jesus Christ was in their soul, it was in the marrow of their bones. That is the only way those mothers could bury their babies in a breadbox and move on saying, 'The promised land is out there somewhere. We're going to make it to the valley.' They could say that because of covenants and doctrine and faith and revelation and spirit." He concluded with these thought provoking words: "If we can keep that in our families and in the Church, maybe a lot of other things start to take care of themselves. Maybe a lot of other less-needed things sort of fall out of the wagon. I'm told those handcarts could only hold so much. Just as our ancestors had to choose what they took, maybe the 21st century will drive us to decide, 'what can we put on this handcart?' It's the substance of our soul; it's the stuff down in the marrow of our bones. Or, to put it another way, it is what is written in our hearts!"
I followed this up with this question for the young women: "What things would our Heavenly Father have us put in our carts today?" I told them that they were modern day pioneers because they are facing things on their trek that we as their leaders and parents have not faced. The wickedness of the world is so great today, and they are facing temptations and trials that we could not have imagined. The young women gave many very pertinent answers like prayer, scripture reading, patience, kindness, service, and love. I agreed that all of these were absolutely correct, but that it was my testimony that first and foremost our Heavenly Father would have us add to our carts an ever increasing understanding of the atonement of Jesus Christ, and second, a continued remembrance of the covenants we have and will yet make with Him. We talked about "why?" this was the case, and then I ended my comments with the three principals that Sister Linda K. Burton (the general relief society president) shared in regards to the atonement: 1. All that is unfair about life can be made right through the atonement of Jesus Christ. 2. There is a power in the Atonement to enable us to overcome the natural man and become true disciples of Jesus Christ. 3. The Atonement is the greatest evidence we have of the Father's love for His children.
As I taught these things today, the Spirit strongly bore witness to me and all those attending that these things are true! What a beautiful message. You are so blessed to have the opportunity to share this same message with the people of Sweden.
I know I am long winded Dallin, but I want to share one last thought with you. In regards to the Atonement, there is a healing that comes to us when the misuse of agency by others hurts us. This is what Sister Burton meant when referring to life being unfair. We cannot control the actions and decisions of others, and thus we are left to feel the effects of the consequences their choices bring. However, the atonement can heal us every whit when we find ourselves in these circumstances. The Savior knows how to heal our hearts, how to succor us, and miraculously enable us to forgive those who have hurt us, as well as forgive ourselves for feeling anger and frustration toward them. It is amazing to me how, because of the atonement, we can truly feel love, unconditional love for those who have hurt us the most. The Spirit has an amazing way of helping us to see others through the eyes of our Heavenly father. This of course comes after we ask for help in doing this. I hope all of this makes sense, because I know for myself that it is true. The miracle of forgiveness is real!
Dallin, I pray that all is well. I pray that you are happy and safe. I pray that above all you know how much we love you and how much your Heavenly Father loves you. Please share this message of love to all who will hear it! We are so blessed to have the fullness of the gospel in our lives. So very blessed for the understanding of the atonement that comes because of it. You are amazing Dallin! Keep up the great work. Dad fell asleep at the end of Ty's FHE lesson, so I'm not sure that he will get to email you. He is doing well. He loves you and talks of you daily. Ty gets to teach his deacon's quorum next week on repentance. He is so excited to do this. He taught us his lesson tonight. What a great kid! He too loves and misses you!
You also may have heard that Coach Darin Walker died today. You and I know that he was a great man. I am so sad for his family, but so happy for him that he is finally freed from his very sick body. Take care Dallin, and I can't wait to read your email! That is truly the highlight of every week!
Much Love,
Mom
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