Letter from Palmers

Dear Brother and Sister Hardy, We enjoyed a delightful day yesterday taking your daughter and others to the Snowflake Arizona Temple. I told Sister Hardy I would send you a couple of the photos. She leaves to a new area today and we will REALLY miss her! I gave her a letter as she left and have attached it for you as you two are responsible for the wonderful blessing she has been in our lives. We look forward to the day we get to meet you and come to know you better. Thank you for who you are and for sending your sweet daughter to us. With love, Tom & Gretna Palmer 27 January 2020 Dear Sister Hardy, The Palmer family – and all of Flagstaff – have been blessed these past months by your angelic ministry among us. As Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles stated in October 2008 General Conference, “From the beginning down through the dispensations, God has used angels as His emissaries in conveying love and concern for His children.” I have reflected on the ministry of angels throughout the ages – the evidence of God sending angels to bless His children is clear. An angel was sent to Adam to explain the purpose of his sacrifices, to Abraham to stay his hand once his obedience to the Lord was manifest, to Lehi and Nephi to teach them of the tree of life, the Savior, and much more, to Alma and the sons of Mosiah to call them to repentance, to Amulek to invite him to be a companion to Alma, to Mary and then to Joseph to announce the birth of the Son of God, to Joseph Smith to invite him to prepare to receive the gold plates, and to the Savior of the world in the garden of Gethsemane, “there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him” (Luke 22:43). These angels, as noted in Luke, were “from heaven”. The Savior promised, “. . . I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.” (D&C 84:88) In this promise, the Savior said “mine angels” and not necessarily “from heaven”. In Elder Holland’s message he notes, “. . . when we speak of those who are instruments in the hand of God, we are reminded that not all angels are from the other side of the veil. . . Indeed heaven never seems closer than when we see the love of God manifested in the kindness and devotion of people so good and so pure that angelic is the only word that comes to mind.” As I expressed at Mark’s funeral, many – including several of our own grandchildren – provided angelic service to our family at a time when comfort, peace and the evidence of God’s love in our lives was so needed. We have truly felt His hand and His love in all that has happened to provide that comfort and peace to us and our family. You and your family have been instruments in the hand of God to provide angelic service to us and we will be forever grateful to you for it. I add my witness to Elder Holland’s testimony, “I testify of angels, both the heavenly and the mortal kind. In doing so I am testifying that God never leaves us alone, never leaves us unaided in the challenges that we face.” I have felt such a blessing in my life many, many times and in a very direct way in the past several weeks following Mark’s passing. Your angelic service in Flagstaff has gone far beyond our family – to your companions, to those you have taught and influenced in your missionary service, to leaders who have followed your bright light in reaching out to others, to just being you – an angel to all around you. You have inspired others to be more angelic as well. Your goodness illustrates what Elder Holland invited all of us to do. “In the process of praying for those angels to attend us, may we all try to be a little more angelic ourselves—with a kind word, a strong arm, a declaration of faith”. You have inspired all of us to do just that! We thank our Father in Heaven and your earthly parents for sending you into our lives. We love you and pray the Lord’s blessings to continue to be with you eternally. You will always be an angel to us (and our adopted granddaughter ☺)! With love and gratitude, Tom and Gretna Palmer