Wednesday 20 June 2012

Fathers Day

This week I got an email from Elder Mitchell wishing me a belated Happy Fathers Day.


I know it is kina late now, but I didn't want you thinking I had forgotten, as I was thinking of you yesterday.
I am glad to hear you had a good father's day. Down here was pretty good too. In sacrament we sung "O My Father" and as we sung the first few lines; "thou that dwellest in the high and glorious place," I couldn't help but think of you up there in Scotland, It made me chuckle a little. But the primary made all the dads and potential future dads bookmarks, me and Elder Martin got two each, it was really sweet.
Another thing I thought about is kinda in Preach My Gospel, at the end of chapter 5 about the Book of Mormon. It talks about when Jesus appeared to the Nephites and how Heavenly Father introduces him, the story in Preach My Gospel is that the investigator they were teaching said "wow, Heavenly Father was really poud of Jesus wasn't he?" and well that got me thinking, how would Heavenly Father introduce me. I was also thinking how will you welcome and introduce me when I return home. I hope you can say, like Heavenly Father did with Jesus to the Nephites, "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased." I hope you can say that of me when I return home.
I hope you are all doing well, I wish i could write more but I have a few other emails to write.
I love you dad.
Elder Mitchell

Below is the story from Preach My Gospel that Elder Mitchell was referring to.  This is a true story and names have been changed.

“When we invited the Sniders to be baptized and confirmed, Sister Snider was ready, but Brother Snider said, ‘Don’t get your hopes up, Elders. I don’t know if I can ever do this!’ Although Brother Snider accepted what we taught and was always warm and friendly, he was deeply concerned about how his family would react to his joining another church. 

“After several weeks of watching Brother Snider struggle, my companion and I felt impressed to again read 3 Nephi 11 with the Sniders. I will never forget what happened that night. As we opened the Book of Mormon, my companion explained, ‘This chapter, as you might recall, recounts the Savior’s visit to the people in the Book of Mormon. Here we read about the Savior’s love for these people and what He taught them.’ We each took turns reading a verse or two. After reading through verse 5, my companion interrupted and said, ‘I have always been impressed with the description given here of the voice they heard. The voice was not harsh, it was not loud, and although it was a small voice, it had a powerful piercing effect on them. This voice was not only heard with their ears, but it spoke to their hearts.’ I watched the Sniders as they listened intently to my companion.

“After some discussion about prayer and listening to the Spirit, it was Brother Snider’s turn to read: ‘And behold, the third time they did understand the voice which they heard; and it said unto them: Behold my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name—hear ye him.’ Brother Snider paused, looking intently at his Book of Mormon. Then he looked up at me and
said, ‘Heavenly Father was really proud of His Son, wasn’t He?’ ‘Yes,’ I said. Brother Snider looked back at his book again and stared at the open pages as if deep in thought. Finally he said, ‘I would want Heavenly Father to be proud of me too. I wonder how He would introduce me. I guess, if I . . . well, if I want Him to be proud of me then I had better do what He wants me to do.’ ‘Yes, I think that would be important,’ I replied. ‘Well,’ Brother Snider continued. ‘I think I’ve been worrying too much about what everybody else thinks and not enough about what God thinks.’ After a brief pause Brother Snider nodded and with a determined look said, ‘I think I had better be baptized.’ His response was so unexpected that my companion and I looked at him with blank stares. Finally, my companion said, ‘Yes, that would be the right thing to do. In fact, later on in this chapter the Savior
teaches . . .’ As my companion talked I felt a burning in my heart and gratitude for the power of the Book of Mormon.

I am truly pleased that Elder Mitchell is serving our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.  I often say that he is missed, but I don't miss him.  Yes it it strange not to have him with us every day, and although I can not say that I know where he is at any given moment, it is enough that I know he is on his mission and I know that God will watch over him.

As for what I'll tell him when he comes home and I see him again, I have thought about that already.  May be I'll sing something instead, but that would be telling.  You'll just have to wait and see!

1 comment:

  1. Reading Elder Mitchell's letters and e-mails home i as his mother can see how much he has grown, especially how much closer to our Loving Heavenly Father he has got.To anyone reading this i want you to know that you have a loving Heavenly Father to who you can get to know through pray and the scriptures. You are children of god and he loves you. We are all on this earth to keep his commandments and grow so we can one day return to live with him and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If we truly repent of our sins and come unto Christ.

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