Doctrine & Covenants 93:1

"Verily, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am."

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

May 17, 2011

Dear Mom and Family This past week the Lord has taught me some wonderful truths and performed some amazing miracles.
As my time with Elder Merkley comes to a close I am doing my best to teach the most basic and important lessons the Lord has taught me on my mission. And the number one lesson would be to give my heart to Him. So what does it mean to give my heart. Well since leaving West Point the Lord has asked to give Him everything and not hold anything back. For example, if I wanted to stay at West Point and ignore the prompting to come home then I would have not started on the road to ''giving my heart'' properly. I would have continued on in life holding back by not obeying Him. In other words the decision to leave West Point was the first critical step to giving the Lord everything and just trusting in Him in all things even if I personally wanted something really bad.

And ever since the Lord has helped me to just trust in Him evermore. As a result He has strengthened my faith in Him and transformed me. I see life more what it really is. My desires are more pure and I see how much I really need His power in my daily life.

These two years have been the most fulfilling two years. I am and will always be grateful for this wonderful opportunity. The Lord trains His future earthly husbands and fathers through two years of full-time service (wives and mothers in 1.5 years because they just get it faster).

And the second lesson is- it is all about the Spirit. Without it we can do nothing what the Lord needs us to do. Third lesson- focus on others and the Lord will provide the needed power to bless them as well as strengthen you.
Also yesterday we had a teach with C during which we taught about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and how it makes the Plan of Salvation possible. The Spirit was there as we simply taught and testified. The member who came along helped greatly by simply praying in the beginning and adding his testimony when needed/asked. And as we were teaching the Spirit helped guide our questions so that we could measure C's understanding until when it clicked in his mind that this all makes sense. Then I extended the baptismal invitation which he accepted. Oh how joyful that evening was! What a tender mercy to be a part of. These last two weeks have been full of tender mercies. And my love and respect for Heavenly Father continues to grow. I still have a couple of days to find and teach others. I want to live it up.
I love missionary work because it helps me love Him and my brothers and sisters even better. As an official representative of my Savior, He lives. I know it by what I feel and that has led me to lasting peace and happiness which I cannot get from any other source besides the Most High.
Please continue to pray for A, R, and C. They have baptismal dates and are progressing well. A's baptism was moved due to counseling with Lord and the bishop.
With Finnish love
Vanhin Hamner

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Helaman 5:12

And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.