Christmas in the Philippines

- 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