- The Journal is the right one. Thanks!
- I love the photo albums. They're really awesome to have! I love getting pictures from home and people like to see them. Mom, the picture of me playing basketball, one of our converts wants a copy, can you send one?
- Can you burn a new Mo Tab CD, with "He is Risen" specifically on there?
Well what a treat it was last night! It was truly the best Christmas present I could ask for!! It was so good hearing your voices! It was a pretty good Christmas! Thanks again to all that sent things. It was such a treat to open up stockings and still feel like it was Christmas. It's kind of hard to get the Christmas feel here when it's burning hot and your sweating. It felt a little like 4th of July weather!
There are two interesting Christmas traditions here in the Philippines. One of them is fireworks. They're not really fireworks at all though that's the thing! These kids just light it up and it makes a huge boom! There's no cool colors or oo's and awe's, just a huge boom! They do it at all hours of the day too! I've been reading my scriptures a few times and about and about fallen out of my chair when these things go off! Another tradition is caroling. Don't confuse it with American caroling because it's quite different. Here, kids go around and sing these really annoying songs until you give them money or candy! There were these three boys that literally came to our apartment and the one next door for two weeks straight EVERY NIGHT. I could tell the family next door was getting annoyed because they essentially came asking for money every night! A few nights ago we were eating dinner and we heard them start singing. We both kind of rolled our eyes because we didn't want to get up and then our neighbor just flipped on them! He was like, "You've come here every night and you never let the Elders sleep! The funny thing was that he knew we weren't sleeping! We were very grateful though!
We went and visiting a less active family this week. There's an old husband and wife who run a little store and they have some family that lives there too. The only active member of the family is a daughter and law who's the Primary President. We had a first lesson with them that was good and pretty funny as well. The approach that we've taken with visiting less actives is focused on families and the Temple. No one wants to have two people just come and yak at them, but as we visit them and help them set a goal to go to the Temple and be sealed for time and all eternity, the Spirit is really able to touch their hearts. I've really felt lessons shift as we've started to talk about temple work. We started to teach this family and asked the old Nanay what she remembered about her baptism and some of the covenants she made. She said of course! "No alcohol, cigarettes, coffee!" It's funny the things people remember, but hey, at least she remembered! Then Tatay said, "Nowhere in the Ten Commandments does it talk about coffee!" Well, there's his concern! I've really noticed that without a firm testimony in Latter-Day prophets and revelation here on Earth, it is virtually impossible to have a firm testimony. I've also thought about the rest of Christianity, and what they think about the Second Coming. I've thought about how unrealistic it is to think that God would not communicate with any of his own children, and then send his Son to return and destroy them. God is a God of love! He loves his children, and just like Earthly parents, he yearns for that personal connection and personal communication with his children.
I've continued my study in Jesus the Christ this week and I continue to be amazed. I've been really touched by some points that Elder Talmage makes. I also learned something interesting by studying an Old Testament Study Guide. Have you ever wondered where the words Jehovah and Eloheim come from? Well in the Old Testament, whenever you see LORD in all caps, the direction translation is Jehovah in the original Hebrew text(Pre-mortal Christ). Now in Hebrew the suffix "heim" means plural. Joseph Smith asked a learned Jew if this was the rule, why not apply it to the word Eloheim as well. The Jew responded, "That is a rule with few exceptions, but in this case it would ruin the Bible." He then admitted that Joseph Smith was right. So when you read the Old Testament, understand that LORD is translated to Jehovah in Hebrew, his father being a different and distinct being. I read the Old Testament and Jesus the Christ with this specifically in mind. This is Jesus Christ, in all these stories, preparing the World for his coming and ministry. He prepared them, and he came, and they rejected him. He preached to them and he taught them. The very people he had delivered from bondage spat upon him, scourged him, and crucified him. Yet, he would deliver them once again from bondage through his atoning sacrifice. Our message in this Christmas season is not about toys or treats. It's about the greatest gift that has ever been given, the Son of God, even Jesus Christ. He has come and has broken the bands of both sin and death. "And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!" He is Risen! I know the Savior lives, and has fulfilled all the words and prophecies of the prophets. He succored his people in the Old Testament. He loved them, blessed them, and delivered them. He came unto them in the flesh, and delivered them from death and sin. And he will come again! May we walk in his light and become true disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ is my prayer, in his Holy name, Amen.
I love you all, and don't forget, take back the colored TV! (this is an aside to a Yost Family story referring to Alex’s grandfathers phone call from Vietnam during the 1960s to the family. Alex said this to us as he said goodbye on the phone Christmas day and it brought us great laughter and a few tears)
Love,
Elder Yost
Monday, December 26, 2011
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Changes in the Philippine Missions (see NEW Photos!)
Please call me at 9:00 PM MY TIME on Christmas Day. I think that's 8AM for you on Dec. 25. The First Presidency sends out a letter to all Mission Presidents saying that phone calls home are 30-40 minutes. I was hoping to talk for a bit longer, but I think it's important to follow the rule.
This was a crazy week, and I'm probably only going to talk about one thing because that's honestly all I can remember.
We had our Christmas Zone Conference this week and I was so excited. I wasn't expecting anything crazy to happen, but boy I was wrong. President got up and told us that there was a meeting with all the Mission Presidents in the Philippines that he went to. There, they unveiled the new missionary plan for the Philippines. The Area Presidency had approached Elder Cook about the problem of growth and retention in the Philippines. In the last 50 years there's been 645,000 baptisms in the Philippines. The average Sacrament Meeting Attendance is 114,000. That's 531,000 inactive. Elder Cook helped create a plan which was then approved by the First Presidency. There has been tremendous "growth" in the Philippines, but no "real growth". So for now on for the entire Philippines the focus is on reactivation and baptizing part member families. The Mission President has told us not to go door to door. Yes, that was not a typo.
This is quite a shift! Teaching less inactive, not going door to door. We have additional key Indicators to report. Everyone is kinda scrambling here because now we have to change our approach and focus in our area. There's also a new rule that when baptizing children ages 16 and under, their parents need to be active for three full months before they can be baptized. Our goal is to baptize complete families. Usually for missionaries back in the states after someone's baptized there's a handoff to the ward, but that's a new change too. We're going to be with the recent converts guiding them until we can get them to the Temple. Our new kind of motto is "Dressed in White Twice". The branches and wards need our help with this. President Peterson compared it to like the tree in Jacob 5.. We need to strengthen the roots in order for the tree to be healthy and grow even more.
In the Zone Conference as the Mission President explained this new focus, I just felt the sweetest spirit, that this is the right direction. This is exactly why we have apostles and prophets. I know that in complete reality, the Savior is at the head of this work. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Sorry that's relatively short, I ran out of time. I'm excited for this week! Merry Christmas to all!
Love,
Elder Yost
This was a crazy week, and I'm probably only going to talk about one thing because that's honestly all I can remember.
We had our Christmas Zone Conference this week and I was so excited. I wasn't expecting anything crazy to happen, but boy I was wrong. President got up and told us that there was a meeting with all the Mission Presidents in the Philippines that he went to. There, they unveiled the new missionary plan for the Philippines. The Area Presidency had approached Elder Cook about the problem of growth and retention in the Philippines. In the last 50 years there's been 645,000 baptisms in the Philippines. The average Sacrament Meeting Attendance is 114,000. That's 531,000 inactive. Elder Cook helped create a plan which was then approved by the First Presidency. There has been tremendous "growth" in the Philippines, but no "real growth". So for now on for the entire Philippines the focus is on reactivation and baptizing part member families. The Mission President has told us not to go door to door. Yes, that was not a typo.
This is quite a shift! Teaching less inactive, not going door to door. We have additional key Indicators to report. Everyone is kinda scrambling here because now we have to change our approach and focus in our area. There's also a new rule that when baptizing children ages 16 and under, their parents need to be active for three full months before they can be baptized. Our goal is to baptize complete families. Usually for missionaries back in the states after someone's baptized there's a handoff to the ward, but that's a new change too. We're going to be with the recent converts guiding them until we can get them to the Temple. Our new kind of motto is "Dressed in White Twice". The branches and wards need our help with this. President Peterson compared it to like the tree in Jacob 5.. We need to strengthen the roots in order for the tree to be healthy and grow even more.
In the Zone Conference as the Mission President explained this new focus, I just felt the sweetest spirit, that this is the right direction. This is exactly why we have apostles and prophets. I know that in complete reality, the Savior is at the head of this work. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Sorry that's relatively short, I ran out of time. I'm excited for this week! Merry Christmas to all!
Love,
Elder Yost
Monday, December 12, 2011
Chistmas is Coming!
It's been a good week here! We had a full week of work which was nice. Since my companion is now a District Leader we're going to have to start traveling more which will slightly affect our work here. Next week will not be in our area as much because we have a Zone Conference, a full day of travel to the Zone Conference, 1 day of interviews, and a baptism with more interviews.
Christmas is coming up! It's really starting to come fast! Thanks so much for the advent calendar! It's actually turning into a missionary tool. Our neighbors next door are so nice to us and run a Tindahan(store). They're always busy and have something going on so we're never able to teach. However they saw our calendar and the kids loved it. They looked at the circle things and couldn't understand it because it was in English so one of the kids ran up and got their Book of Mormon that past missionaries had given them. I took the pieces of paper and stuck them in the pages where they were in the Tagalog. They loved it! They're going to be waiting at our door every night for the day’s scripture!
We had a baptism this week for a girl named Princess. It was really nice and she'll be a good addition to the youth. We were teaching her and her friend who's a member this past week. Cell phones are a huge huge distraction here. If you think it's a distraction back in the states, think again, it is SO much worse here. Anyways their phones are always going off in lessons so we asked for their phones at the beginning of the lesson. You should have seen these girls' faces! It was like they were honestly not sure if they were going to be breathing at the end of the lesson. Well, they survived! And guess what, the sun still rose the next morning!
We got a referral from a ward member that we contacted last week. We tried to get over to visit him again all week, but because of the short time window in which he's available and just other things that came up we couldn't make it. We went back last night and talked about the Book of Mormon. At the end of the lesson, we asked him to read 1 Nephi Chapter 1 and he said I already read that. We asked where he was and he flipped the page, flipped again, kept on flipping until he got to 1st Nephi Chapter 8! Wow!! He starting talking about the stories he had read and how clueless Laman and Lemuel are. Poor Laman and Lemuel. Sometimes investigators don't understand anything else in their reading other than that they were just morons...
I've picked my reading of Jesus the Christ back up. What a phenomenal book. I've really been thinking a lot about the Apostles'. I never really realized about how much correction they actually needed from the Savior. It wasn't that they were bad people, but the Savior was truly preparing them for their mission. They learned so many lessons in such a relatively short period of time. And then it struck me, hey, that's kinda like me! I've learned so much here and know that I will continue to learn. I may not have the opportunity to see the Transfiguration, or see the Savior raise the dead, or preach to the multitudes, but I'd like to think I'm learning similar lessons to that of the original apostles and disciples of Christ. We're all disciples of Christ, and have the opportunity to learn from him and become like him. I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve him, and to learn from him in everything that I do. ” Oh what joy this sweet sentence gives, I know that my Redeemer lives!”
Love you all!
Love,
Elder Yost
Christmas is coming up! It's really starting to come fast! Thanks so much for the advent calendar! It's actually turning into a missionary tool. Our neighbors next door are so nice to us and run a Tindahan(store). They're always busy and have something going on so we're never able to teach. However they saw our calendar and the kids loved it. They looked at the circle things and couldn't understand it because it was in English so one of the kids ran up and got their Book of Mormon that past missionaries had given them. I took the pieces of paper and stuck them in the pages where they were in the Tagalog. They loved it! They're going to be waiting at our door every night for the day’s scripture!
We had a baptism this week for a girl named Princess. It was really nice and she'll be a good addition to the youth. We were teaching her and her friend who's a member this past week. Cell phones are a huge huge distraction here. If you think it's a distraction back in the states, think again, it is SO much worse here. Anyways their phones are always going off in lessons so we asked for their phones at the beginning of the lesson. You should have seen these girls' faces! It was like they were honestly not sure if they were going to be breathing at the end of the lesson. Well, they survived! And guess what, the sun still rose the next morning!
We got a referral from a ward member that we contacted last week. We tried to get over to visit him again all week, but because of the short time window in which he's available and just other things that came up we couldn't make it. We went back last night and talked about the Book of Mormon. At the end of the lesson, we asked him to read 1 Nephi Chapter 1 and he said I already read that. We asked where he was and he flipped the page, flipped again, kept on flipping until he got to 1st Nephi Chapter 8! Wow!! He starting talking about the stories he had read and how clueless Laman and Lemuel are. Poor Laman and Lemuel. Sometimes investigators don't understand anything else in their reading other than that they were just morons...
I've picked my reading of Jesus the Christ back up. What a phenomenal book. I've really been thinking a lot about the Apostles'. I never really realized about how much correction they actually needed from the Savior. It wasn't that they were bad people, but the Savior was truly preparing them for their mission. They learned so many lessons in such a relatively short period of time. And then it struck me, hey, that's kinda like me! I've learned so much here and know that I will continue to learn. I may not have the opportunity to see the Transfiguration, or see the Savior raise the dead, or preach to the multitudes, but I'd like to think I'm learning similar lessons to that of the original apostles and disciples of Christ. We're all disciples of Christ, and have the opportunity to learn from him and become like him. I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve him, and to learn from him in everything that I do. ” Oh what joy this sweet sentence gives, I know that my Redeemer lives!”
Love you all!
Love,
Elder Yost
Monday, December 5, 2011
Holes in My Shoes
I received two packages this week, one from the Chantilly Ward (Thank you!!) and one from Uncle Randolph! I also received letters from Bishop Forsyth, Dad, four letters from the Christopher Yost Family, and Dear Elders from Mom and Courtney Doolittle! Being so far from home these letters mean so much—-thank you!
Before I forget, my Propet shoes are starting to wear a hole in the heel on the left shoe.
Well it was certainly an interesting week, one with moments of joy, sadness, frustration, and just moments where I scratched my head and wondered what just happened? The transfers were certainly interesting this week. One of our Zone Leaders was transferred to a new area for the last week and a half of his mission. Elder Guyer who I was with in Pinamalayan is now the District Leader and his new companion is Elder Johnson who came out with me from the MTC.
It was really nice to have a full week of work We have a lot of baptisms coming up so we're really working to prepare them for their Baptismal Goal Dates. We're teaching some really awesome children that are really progressing well. One of them just turned 8 years old and is just the sweetest thing. She's pretty shy, but she is the smartest 8 year old I know! She always reads in the Book of Mormon and remembers everything we teach her. It's children like her that truly help me understand why the Savior loves children so much. We're also teaching her cousin who is 12 years old. He's a crack up! Sometimes he sits in on the lessons with his cousin and is always trying to show off his knowledge. I think he thinks he's pretty slick because he's on Lesson 3 and his cousin is in Lesson 1! We're always having to ask him to be quiet so his cousin can answer. Well we were teaching him and we asked him what the 5 parts of the Gospel of Jesus Christ are (Faith in Jesus Christ, Repentance, Baptism, Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Endure to the End). He looked stumped! And then his sweet 8 year old cousin with a sweet, yet slightly mischievous smile on her face said "Pananampalataya kay Jesu Cristo, Pagsisisi, Pagbibinyag, Patanggap ng Kaloob ng Espiritu Santo, and Pagtitiis Hanggang Wakas." The look on her cousin's face was priceless!! As we left the lesson, we saw him studying so that never happened again!
This past Friday/Saturday was probably the busiest I've been here. We were supposed to conduct pre-interviews for our Baptismal candidates who would receive final interviews the next day. This is a bit of a change in our mission because previously final interviews were the night before the baptism. However if an issue comes up in the interview, it's pretty embarrassing if the baptism is announced and everything. Boy, am I happy for this change now. We interviewed one candidate and he has come such a long way. He has had some issues in the past, and though it is really hard for him, he is trying so hard to keep the commandments. He's at church early every Sunday in a white shirt and tie . He's completely changed the way he dresses and acts since we've started teaching him. Going into the interview we were a bit scared of what might come out and if he might need an interview with the Mission President. We interviewed him and were relieved that there were no unresolved issues but we were shocked when he told us he had a word of wisdom issue the day before. We were devastated. Up until this point on my mission I can't necessarily say I've seen the Adversary taking an active role in trying investigators, but this young man is being tried so hard. His family is not really in the picture, and they've left this 17 year old to kind of fend for himself. He has no financial support, and kind of bounces between houses of friends and members. The other day, he had no food, nothing to drink, and was so hungry. He went to his sister’s house for food, and the only thing she had was a hot drink. Like I've always said about Osama bin Laden, I'll say about Satan: He may be crazy, but he sure isn't stupid. This young man was so devastated and felt so bad. We're working with him and I know that through the Savior's Atonement, this young man will be able to prepare himself for baptism.
On Sunday we taught a lesson in Sunday School on Joseph Smith and the restoration. This young man went home from church to his father's home and there were a group of people from another church. They told him a lot of things about the church that were not true and really confused him. We were able to sit down with him and talk things over, and give him a Priesthood blessing. The Adversary is doing literally everything in his power to stop this young man from getting baptized. We had a long walk home and I had a long time to think. I thought, "Why does he have to go through so much trial and hardship? Why can't the Lord just stop all these things that are happening to him? A quote came into my mind by the Prophet Joseph Smith, "Deep water is what I am wont to swim in. It all has become a second nature to me; and I feel, like Paul, to glory in tribulation; for to this day has the God of my fathers delivered me out of them all, and will deliver me henceforth; for behold, and lo, I shall triumph over all my enemies, for the Lord God hath spoken it."
I've always wondered why Joseph Smith, like Paul seems to glory in tribulation. It then occurred to me, that the greatest growth we experience comes in times of trial and hardship, times when we think there's no way for us to endure. Without trials, we would stay the same, even as Adam and Eve would have if they had not partaken of the fruit. Joseph Smith has always been a role model of mine, and now I've determined to take on this same motto, and glory in tribulation. No matter what you experience here on this Earth, no matter what you are called to endure, whether it be in deep or shallow water, know that at the end of the day, God will deliver you, and you will triumph over all, as did he. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Love you all!
Love,
Elder Yost
Before I forget, my Propet shoes are starting to wear a hole in the heel on the left shoe.
Well it was certainly an interesting week, one with moments of joy, sadness, frustration, and just moments where I scratched my head and wondered what just happened? The transfers were certainly interesting this week. One of our Zone Leaders was transferred to a new area for the last week and a half of his mission. Elder Guyer who I was with in Pinamalayan is now the District Leader and his new companion is Elder Johnson who came out with me from the MTC.
It was really nice to have a full week of work We have a lot of baptisms coming up so we're really working to prepare them for their Baptismal Goal Dates. We're teaching some really awesome children that are really progressing well. One of them just turned 8 years old and is just the sweetest thing. She's pretty shy, but she is the smartest 8 year old I know! She always reads in the Book of Mormon and remembers everything we teach her. It's children like her that truly help me understand why the Savior loves children so much. We're also teaching her cousin who is 12 years old. He's a crack up! Sometimes he sits in on the lessons with his cousin and is always trying to show off his knowledge. I think he thinks he's pretty slick because he's on Lesson 3 and his cousin is in Lesson 1! We're always having to ask him to be quiet so his cousin can answer. Well we were teaching him and we asked him what the 5 parts of the Gospel of Jesus Christ are (Faith in Jesus Christ, Repentance, Baptism, Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Endure to the End). He looked stumped! And then his sweet 8 year old cousin with a sweet, yet slightly mischievous smile on her face said "Pananampalataya kay Jesu Cristo, Pagsisisi, Pagbibinyag, Patanggap ng Kaloob ng Espiritu Santo, and Pagtitiis Hanggang Wakas." The look on her cousin's face was priceless!! As we left the lesson, we saw him studying so that never happened again!
This past Friday/Saturday was probably the busiest I've been here. We were supposed to conduct pre-interviews for our Baptismal candidates who would receive final interviews the next day. This is a bit of a change in our mission because previously final interviews were the night before the baptism. However if an issue comes up in the interview, it's pretty embarrassing if the baptism is announced and everything. Boy, am I happy for this change now. We interviewed one candidate and he has come such a long way. He has had some issues in the past, and though it is really hard for him, he is trying so hard to keep the commandments. He's at church early every Sunday in a white shirt and tie . He's completely changed the way he dresses and acts since we've started teaching him. Going into the interview we were a bit scared of what might come out and if he might need an interview with the Mission President. We interviewed him and were relieved that there were no unresolved issues but we were shocked when he told us he had a word of wisdom issue the day before. We were devastated. Up until this point on my mission I can't necessarily say I've seen the Adversary taking an active role in trying investigators, but this young man is being tried so hard. His family is not really in the picture, and they've left this 17 year old to kind of fend for himself. He has no financial support, and kind of bounces between houses of friends and members. The other day, he had no food, nothing to drink, and was so hungry. He went to his sister’s house for food, and the only thing she had was a hot drink. Like I've always said about Osama bin Laden, I'll say about Satan: He may be crazy, but he sure isn't stupid. This young man was so devastated and felt so bad. We're working with him and I know that through the Savior's Atonement, this young man will be able to prepare himself for baptism.
On Sunday we taught a lesson in Sunday School on Joseph Smith and the restoration. This young man went home from church to his father's home and there were a group of people from another church. They told him a lot of things about the church that were not true and really confused him. We were able to sit down with him and talk things over, and give him a Priesthood blessing. The Adversary is doing literally everything in his power to stop this young man from getting baptized. We had a long walk home and I had a long time to think. I thought, "Why does he have to go through so much trial and hardship? Why can't the Lord just stop all these things that are happening to him? A quote came into my mind by the Prophet Joseph Smith, "Deep water is what I am wont to swim in. It all has become a second nature to me; and I feel, like Paul, to glory in tribulation; for to this day has the God of my fathers delivered me out of them all, and will deliver me henceforth; for behold, and lo, I shall triumph over all my enemies, for the Lord God hath spoken it."
I've always wondered why Joseph Smith, like Paul seems to glory in tribulation. It then occurred to me, that the greatest growth we experience comes in times of trial and hardship, times when we think there's no way for us to endure. Without trials, we would stay the same, even as Adam and Eve would have if they had not partaken of the fruit. Joseph Smith has always been a role model of mine, and now I've determined to take on this same motto, and glory in tribulation. No matter what you experience here on this Earth, no matter what you are called to endure, whether it be in deep or shallow water, know that at the end of the day, God will deliver you, and you will triumph over all, as did he. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Love you all!
Love,
Elder Yost
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