One Step At a Time

Dear Mom and Dad,

- I got your package!
- As for Nike shorts, surprise me!
- I got letters from the CJY family!
- Thanks so so much for the spray alcohol things. I've been looking for one that I could refill when it runs out. Could you look for one? It's perfect thanks so much
-I'm finding the best way to get new ties is to buy them here. I got two new ties for about $5 total. Not bad
- I'm sending letters to you (absentee ballot), Tenny Family, Uncle Christopher, and Coach Funk.

Well, it's certainly been a challenging week! It was really hard, pero marami akong natutuhan (I learned a lot). Sacrament meeting attendance was down and some of the Less-Actives that we've really been working with didn't come to church this week!

This week we had exchanges with our district leader, so I was in Cuenca with his brand new American trainee! Elder H. from Kaysville, UT. We had a pretty good time. It's fun to be with another American and be able to speak English (Is that bad?). We had a really good time working together and learned a ton. It was really a good moment for me to look back and see how far my language skills have come! I was honestly a little scared the night before because this was my first time being a senior with a non-Filipino. I was praying the night before our full day of work for the gift of tongues and help to understand what people were saying. We had such a good day of work, and I really understood pretty much everything! What a miracle! We taught a lesson to a 17 year old inactive young woman who is unmarried and has a 1 year old child. We were teaching about the Book of Mormon, and I felt prompted to ask her what her hopes and dreams are in life. I thought, "That is the most random and unrelated question!" And then without even really consciously deciding to ask it, it just came out! And her answer amazed me. She said she wants to get married and have her husband be baptized. She said he's been reading the Book of Mormon and that he wants to change his life, but he's just been too shy to talk to us. She said her cousin started reading her Book of Mormon the other day, and that she wanted to get her own copy. I learned a very valuable lesson. The Lord knows what to say and I don't! If I had just disregarded that subtle feeling of the spirit, she may not have opened up!

I literally just got a U.S. Embassy alert for Tsunamis because of a 6.9 Earthquake in Cebu. I'm fine!!!!

This is a random thing to say in the middle of the e-mail, but I really appreciated that Parade Magazine cover of Mitt Romney. He should be elected President just based on how darn good looking he is! I'm even considering putting in some grey in my hair so I can look like him!

After our exchanges we had a really hard time teaching lessons this week. For some reason we got punted (the term for when you show up for a lesson and they're either not there or they won't let you teach) a ton. On Thursday and Friday we got punted on 8 appointments on each day. One of our appointments we literally have to hike 30 minutes up a mountain. They told us two times they're always free, and both times we went and they weren't there. A little frustrating!

This week has been interesting in terms of our companionship. I've just felt some tension that was difficult to describe. We both shared some of our feelings and frustrations. I finally said, "Elder, we're sitting here arguing about something that is not very important. We're missionaries. We have too much work to do here, and the stakes are too high for us to be doing this. We have less-actives, recent converts, and investigators that need us. We need to have the Spirit and that's all I care about." I started to tear up, and the spirit completely changed. I apologized, and he did too and our companionship is SO much better. All the hard feelings left. I was definitely at fault, and I really realized that I needed to humble myself and be the first to extend the olive branch. I think there are some things I can improve on. Can you email BYU and ask if I can get credits for Marriage Prep?!?

This Gospel is true. I finished the Book of Mormon again this week. Wow. I'd like to close this by including part of my favorite Conference talk by Elder Holland:

"Now, I did not sail with the brother of Jared in crossing an ocean, settling in a new world. I did not hear King Benjamin speak his angelically delivered sermon. I did not proselyte with Alma and Amulek nor witness the fiery death of innocent believers. I was not among the Nephite crowd who touched the wounds of the resurrected Lord, nor did I weep with Mormon and Moroni over the destruction of an entire civilization. But my testimony of this record and the peace it brings to the human heart is as binding and unequivocal as was theirs. Like them, “[I] give [my name] unto the world, to witness unto the world that which [I] have seen.” And like them, “[I] lie not, God bearing witness of it.”

Love,
Elder Yost