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| Elder Lehikainen with one of his favorite teachers, Hermano Purnell. |
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| Elder Lehikainen is on the bottom getting quite the workout ! |
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| Outside the MTC in Nov. Brrrrr...Mexico will be warmer. |
Hola mi familia!! Como estas? That is so exciting for Aaron and
Brandi. I actually just got a letter from Brandi and the Boys and Emma girl
yesterday it brightened my day to hear from them. Make sure to give them hugs
from me and give baby Mary Donna a hug and a kiss for me. My companion, Elder Talmage,
is great! He is the great nephew of The Elder Talmage. He has such a powerful
testimony and I am very grateful to be his companion.
This week I have been studying alot about baptism and the doctrine behind it. The first couple of weeks I was really gun ho about baptism almost like Elder Calhoun from the best two years and I kinda strayed away from that I dont know why lol. So this week I have been trying to get back into that and relay the importance behind why we are baptized beyond the fact that we are made clean from all of our past sins. Soo Monday I went back into Mosiah and ended up in Mosiah 18 ( the whole chapter is awesome and can you read it this week please and thank you) but in verse 13 it says " I baptize thee, Having authority from the almighty god, as a testimony that ye have entered into a covenant to serve him until you are dead as to the mortal body" this really touched me this is one of the reasons I am serving a mission because I promised I would serve my god when I was baptized by you dad when I was 8 years old. this isnt very applicable for an investigator (but it could be) but for me it is very applicable and I think it is for all of you as well. My whole outlook has really changed here at the MTC in the past 7 weeks and am so very grateful it has. This past Monday we were having one of our night lessons and we were teaching one of our teachers Hermano Galvez ( he is such a great man and I am lucky that he is my teacher, I will have to tell you about him some other day) anyways we were teaching one of his investigators he had on his mission named Christian and the lesson went well but not good enough and I was frustrated that one Elder who is happy with just doing ok and being ok when I don't want to be just ok or average the lord doesn't need average missionaries he needs the very best and he deserves the very best. The sports mentality dad instilled in my brain as a young man has really helped because it is not ok to be mediocre. I'm a passionate person about whatever it is I am doing. I put my all into it or I don't do it and that is who I am.
Like I said, last week I have been continually been studying the atonement and this week I went to Mathew, Mark, Luke, and john I don't know the specific verses or chapters except in Matthew 22 I love reading about the savior and learning more and more about him and what he did for all of us. When I am down lately I think about Christ and I know he is there with me every step of the way and what joy that brings me. I know that this church is true without a shadow of a doubt there are many things we can say about why this church is so amazing but personally I have learned that it is because Jesus Christ is the head and it is his church and that is all I need to know. I know that Joseph Smith had a genuine question for his father in heaven and that question was which church is true. I know that heavenly father and the son came and appeared to Joseph Smith in the sacred grove. En la palabras de Jose Smith Vi una columna de luz mas brillante que el sol direcrament ariba de mi cabesa vi en el airre ariba de mi a dos personajes cuyo fulgo Y gloria no admiten discription uno de ellos mi hablo llamando me por mi nombre Y dijo senalondo a otro este es mi hijo amado escuchalo!! I know that brother Joseph is a prophet of god. I can testify that the Book of Mormon is true and I can testify that our Heavenly Father answers prayers. I know that Jesus Christ our savior our redeemer and our older brother took upon the sins of the world for you and I so that we can return to our loving heavenly father one day. I know that he knows me personally and knows the pain and the sorrow that I have gone through and continue to go through. I love my savior so very much. I love you all so very much and I keep you in my prayers every night and throughout the day. Thank you for all the love you send my way through your prayers. God be with you until we meet again.
- Love Elder Lehikainen
This week I have been studying alot about baptism and the doctrine behind it. The first couple of weeks I was really gun ho about baptism almost like Elder Calhoun from the best two years and I kinda strayed away from that I dont know why lol. So this week I have been trying to get back into that and relay the importance behind why we are baptized beyond the fact that we are made clean from all of our past sins. Soo Monday I went back into Mosiah and ended up in Mosiah 18 ( the whole chapter is awesome and can you read it this week please and thank you) but in verse 13 it says " I baptize thee, Having authority from the almighty god, as a testimony that ye have entered into a covenant to serve him until you are dead as to the mortal body" this really touched me this is one of the reasons I am serving a mission because I promised I would serve my god when I was baptized by you dad when I was 8 years old. this isnt very applicable for an investigator (but it could be) but for me it is very applicable and I think it is for all of you as well. My whole outlook has really changed here at the MTC in the past 7 weeks and am so very grateful it has. This past Monday we were having one of our night lessons and we were teaching one of our teachers Hermano Galvez ( he is such a great man and I am lucky that he is my teacher, I will have to tell you about him some other day) anyways we were teaching one of his investigators he had on his mission named Christian and the lesson went well but not good enough and I was frustrated that one Elder who is happy with just doing ok and being ok when I don't want to be just ok or average the lord doesn't need average missionaries he needs the very best and he deserves the very best. The sports mentality dad instilled in my brain as a young man has really helped because it is not ok to be mediocre. I'm a passionate person about whatever it is I am doing. I put my all into it or I don't do it and that is who I am.
Like I said, last week I have been continually been studying the atonement and this week I went to Mathew, Mark, Luke, and john I don't know the specific verses or chapters except in Matthew 22 I love reading about the savior and learning more and more about him and what he did for all of us. When I am down lately I think about Christ and I know he is there with me every step of the way and what joy that brings me. I know that this church is true without a shadow of a doubt there are many things we can say about why this church is so amazing but personally I have learned that it is because Jesus Christ is the head and it is his church and that is all I need to know. I know that Joseph Smith had a genuine question for his father in heaven and that question was which church is true. I know that heavenly father and the son came and appeared to Joseph Smith in the sacred grove. En la palabras de Jose Smith Vi una columna de luz mas brillante que el sol direcrament ariba de mi cabesa vi en el airre ariba de mi a dos personajes cuyo fulgo Y gloria no admiten discription uno de ellos mi hablo llamando me por mi nombre Y dijo senalondo a otro este es mi hijo amado escuchalo!! I know that brother Joseph is a prophet of god. I can testify that the Book of Mormon is true and I can testify that our Heavenly Father answers prayers. I know that Jesus Christ our savior our redeemer and our older brother took upon the sins of the world for you and I so that we can return to our loving heavenly father one day. I know that he knows me personally and knows the pain and the sorrow that I have gone through and continue to go through. I love my savior so very much. I love you all so very much and I keep you in my prayers every night and throughout the day. Thank you for all the love you send my way through your prayers. God be with you until we meet again.
- Love Elder Lehikainen
I love reading his letters! And Tyler is loving them too-- I am sending them snail mail to him every week. Thanks for posting!!
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