Faith

Dear Mom and Dad,

 

-I get a letter from Uncle Randolph and three from Uncle Christopher!!

-I'd love another big jar of Jif if you ever get a chance!!

-Thanks Brother Tenny for the email!

-Thanks so much for sending pictures of people in emails, that's a big highlight for me. Could you send some more of those pictures of family and friends in emails? 

Well we had a good full week this week and were very busy! We had our Zone Interviews this week which went pretty well! All my interviews this week were about the challenges we are facing in the Zone. There's always some sort of issue, but things are getting better!

This past Tuesday the Senior Couples came down to help us find an apartment. They drove us around in their nice air conditioned car...I'd forgotten what that felt like! Looking for an apartment her has been a very frustrating experience, because we'd just seem to hit everything at the wrong time.  Before the senior couples came, we had probably walked around this town over ten times for probably 15 hours or more looking for an apartment. We have walked up and down every street in this town multiple times and had found absolutely nothing. We drove around with the couples for about 4 hours and everything fell through. We were pretty down and frustrated, because we felt like we were doing everything we possibly could, and yet we were having no success! I said a little prayer in my heart, and I thought about Nephi going to look for animals in the wilderness, or looking for ore. I would have given about anything to have a Liahona at this point to literally point the way. As I prayed, I just felt a peace come over me, and I wasn't worried. We had lunch, and went back out. I thought of a place we could go that we hadn't checked yet. It was tucked in the back corner of a school, and I had never been there before. We drove there, took a couple of really narrow streets, and came to the back of a little community, and saw a concrete building with two apartments being built. We got out and starting talking to a man we thought was a worker, but turned out to be the owner. We were the first people who had shown interest, and he was so excited that he said he would put all his men to work on finishing the one so we could move in ASAP! It's a beautiful two story apartment with nice tiles and a nice set up! It's in the area of the other Elders we're living with right now, so they'll move in there when it's done! I was so grateful that the Spirit guided us to where we needed to be. It wasn't instantly, and we had to really work and look hard, but the Lord helped us and blessed us, and in the end everything turned out for the best.

The White Rabbit investigator is doing great, and is making great progress! Her two challenges are of course getting married, and smoking. We'd taught her Word of Wisdom and she knew that smoking was bad, but I'm not sure how much it had sunk into her heart. We had planned on teaching her about studying the scriptures, trying to help her overcome the temptation to smoke. As I've said, she's a firecracker! She's a bit loud, and is quick to fuss at her kids. We read Helaman 3:29 with her, which talks about how reading the scriptures helps us overcome temptation. After she read it, she just sat there and was really quiet. Her eyes looked really big, and you could tell she was really thinking. We weren't sure what was going through her mind, and then she said, " I'm scared." The verse we shared had a completely different effect than we had planned. She started to realize the path she was headed down. Helaman 3:29 talks about a gulf of misery and endless woe, and the Spirit was working in the Sister, and telling her that if she didn't change, this was the path the adversary was taking her down. Now we had assigned her the previous lesson to read Alma 36, about Alma's repentance. We then felt prompted to share with her Alma 36:3 which reads:

"And now, O my son Helaman, behold, thou art in thy youth, and therefore, I beseech of thee that thou wilt hear my words and learn of me; for I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day."

When she read this, the Spirit hit her big time. She just started to cry and cry. She was so scared before, and really felt that need to repent and change, and I think she felt a bit hopeless. But then she realized that there is a way, that through Jesus Christ and his Atonement we can change. We can be made perfect and clean. She knows it won't be easy, but there is a way, there is always hope. After we closed the lesson, she reached under a book and grabbed a concealed box of cigarettes, broke them in half and threw them outside into the rain and said "No more". This was the first time in 15 years that she had ever thrown away cigarettes. She then told her kids that no matter what, she was going to change, for their sake and for hers.

Change isn't easy. It's super super hard. However there is always hope. As Elder Holland said, there is always time to repent and change, so long as Christ says there is. It is never too late. We all have things that hold us down or burden us. We all have some sort of chains or sin that we carry with us everywhere we go. There is a way to overcome this, and to throw off those chains which bind us. 

I know that Christ loves us. He atoned for our sins, and has carried our burdens and pains. Let us not be sad, let's be happy! Throw off those chains, and say as did Nephi of old, and as did this Sister, "I will give place no more for the enemy of my soul."

Love,

Elder Yost

Pioneers

Dear Mom and Dad, 

-I'm assigned in the Lopez 3rd Branch. We live in the town of Lopez in the Province of Quezon. We live on the upper floor of the Alano Maternity clinic

Well, I'll start this off with some really good news. On August 25th, our mission will be having a mission tour meeting with Elder David A. Bednar!!!!!! Elder Teh will also be there, along with a member of the Presiding Bishopric. Pretty awesome! Sister P in the office told me at ZLC last week that he was coming, but I'd been sworn to secrecy until they announced it today. We're the only mission in the Philippines that Elder Bednar will be visiting. Now the bad news is that because the meeting is on a Saturday and in the afternoon, the two zones on the islands aren't allowed to come! It was a decision made by the Area Presidency, so about 26 missionaries or so can't come...I'm praying I don't get transferred to one of the islands. I should be fine though because our transfer day is on August 10th and my companion  will probably get transferred, not me. The new Elders will come on August 10th, (Note: they are trying to acquire an apt for the new Elders coming in)..the problem is there is nothing!!! We looked so so so so so so so much this week and couldn't find anything. The Senior Couples are coming down tomorrow to look with us and drive around. I hope we find something very soon!

Well, we had a baptism! Our 16 year old investigator from a Part Member family was baptized, along with an 8 year old boy from the branch. We showed up at the church on Saturday morning for the baptism, and the baptismal font had been emptied, and there was no water in it!! It would take hours to fill it up, so we just went down the street to the ocean! Elder D. did the baptisms, and cut his foot in the ocean and came out bleeding!

We contacted a referral this week. This family investigated the church about 7 years ago, but the missionaries got pulled out, and and no one ever went back. We found them through a member that randomly met the mother, and somehow they started talking about religion and when she found out she was a member, she said, "Send those missionaries back to my house!" We've had two really good lessons with them this week and they're awesome. The best part is...they're married. They have 5 or so kids, and seem really interested. What a blessing for the Lord to work through a member to help this family be taught again!

Just a quick shout out to Nana and Grandfather and Pat! Please tell Nana I appreciate her efforts in the Potomac Ward very much! They are very welcomed, especially considering going home will be like opening up a new area with no area book or former investigators or Less-Actives! If there's anyone I trust as my advocate, it's you Nana!!

We taught the White Rabbit investigator the Word of Wisdom this week. She's a smoker, and had told us that "there was no scripture talking about cigarettes." We just smiled and said there was and we'd all read it next time! She thought we were lying...and then we showed up and opened up D&C 89, and had her read it. After she read it I thought her eyes were going to pop out she was so surprised. She said "I'm sorry God!!" She knows it's right and she needs to follow it but of course it's hard. We gave her a Priesthood blessing to bless her with strength.

I think tomorrow is Pioneer Day right? We watched Legacy last night with some investigators to really get across what real faith is. I love the last lines in Legacy, when the grandmother says to her grandson something like, "Carry on this legacy of faith." You don't need to pull a handcart, or sail an ocean to be a pioneer. You don't need to be related to the pioneers to feel like you're a pioneer. We all have come from a legacy of faith, and it's our job to carry it on, keep it burning. May we all be true pioneers, and continue our legacy of faith, that has been shown to us by Jesus Christ. May we follow him, have faith in him, and trust in him in all things and in all places.

Love,

Elder Yost

A Hot Shower!!!!!

Dear Mom and Dad,

-Please please please send the new razor charger
-I got the package from Tanya (Tanya is his cousin that lives in Malaysia) with GREAT goodies! Thanks!

-Also I got your package with the fan, soap, and shaving cream. Thanks!
-I use that Plan of Salvation wooden puzzle  in all our lessons!
-I don't have the shoes with the hole anymore. It's ok because I just wear these rubber shoes that I buy here for like 200 pesos because they can get muddy and I can wash them easily. They last me about two months
-Thanks for the pictures!

Well I got to go up to the mission home for Zone Leader's Council! I took my first hot shower and slept in air conditioning for the first time in 10 months!! It was awesome! We had a really good meeting and talked about our mission and how we're doing. Between the meeting itself and travel, we lost two full days of work, so that took a good chunk out of our week!

About a month or so ago we were riding on a tricycle and I was talking to the driver about the NBA, and how much I can't stand LeBron James!! Well this guy is a huge LeBron James fan, and since the finals have been over, I literally see this guy every other day! We'll be walking, and he'll come driving back and will yell "LeBron James! Champion!" and then he gives an evil laugh and drives away. Who would know that LeBron James would still haunt me on a daily basis halfway across the world?!

We just learned that this upcoming transfer day the Ward that we're covering is going to get another set of Elders. So we have one week to find them an apartment! We've been scrambling! It's not like in the states where there are listings. We're pretty much are walking around the town looking  for signs saying there's an apartment for rent, or we ask people that we meet if they know of an available apartment.  So far we've found one potential apartment, and we have a week to make a final choice. We’re really scrambling though because this also means we'll lose some of our investigators when the new Elders come! By the way,  the couple that had the baby several weeks ago, we won't be able to baptize them because they still haven't come to church on a consistent basis.

We're teaching Sister L. who is the "wife" of a Less-Active member. She's a firecracker! We were teaching about the Restoration, and asked how she expected to know if it's true, and she responded, "A white rabbit." What?!  She explained that for her, if she either had a dream with a white rabbit or if during one of our lessons a white rabbit ran in, she'd know it was a sign from God that it's true. We explained about the Holy Ghost, and how the Spirit testifies to us. We went back to her on Saturday, and followed up on her reading and prayer. She said, "Elders, it happened just as you said it would. I was reading, and I just got the most beautiful feeling that I can't describe. That's exactly what you said would happen, I know it's true!" Wow! Now, like the rest of the country, we need to get her married!

Yesterday was a bit of a discouraging day for me. We were expecting to have 11 investigators at church, and only 4 showed up. It was really sad! Every missionary knows the feeling, you're sitting in church, Sacrament is about to start, and so many people you had hoped to see aren't there! You start evaluating yourself, asking, "What more could I have done? How can I improve? If they know it's true, why are they not here?" I've had a lot of experiences like that so far, but yesterday was one of the hardest. It's hard to understand sometimes, but it's a part of the process. Earlier this morning I read an Elder Holland talk that I'd like to share an excerpt from:

 "I shared with the missionaries in Sao Paulo yesterday the story of Moses of how he might have felt as he got ready to lead  the children of Israel:  “Lord, I’ll do this. I’ll take on Pharaoh, I’ll face the soothsayers, witches and doctors and the serpents, and we’ll get blood running in the river, and we’ll part the Red Sea, but I can’t do it alone. I couldn’t even try. I’m the least adequate man alive. I can’t even talk. I need a companion to translate for me. I can’t do any of this, but we’ll do it, parting the Red Sea and crossing the River Jordan and claiming our inheritance, but I have to know that you will go with us. I have to know that you’ll be the divine comforter in this missionary service. Otherwise, we can’t go. We’re not even going to leave Cairo. We’re just going to stay here. We’re just going to stay here and stack bricks. We can’t do it. There is no way that we can fight Pharaoh or fate or sand dunes or water unless the very power of heaven, unless the power of Almighty God is resting on our shoulders and in our hearts. That is a legitimate request to make of a missionary, and it is a legitimate answer that God gives saying, “You’re on! That’s a deal! You don’t have to wonder about me. Worry about yourself. Don’t worry about me—I can do it!” And He can! And He does! You will succeed in this work. You will succeed at this work because it is God’s to do, and all you have to do is say, “Here, use me. Take me."

We're all weak, all inadequate. When we look at missionary work or other things, it may seem too big, too unrealistic, and too impossible. But if we remember that God has a plan, and as long as we're His, we will not fail. I know that through His grace, or the enabling power of Christ, we will accomplish all things. All we need to do is give ourselves to Him, walk in faith, and watch as He works miracles and wonders in our lives and in others.

Love,
Elder Yost 

One Year! (See NEW Photos in Photo tab)

Hi Mom and Dad!

-I could use a new journal
-I could very well get mail this week
-I'll write Brother Tenny that e-mail next week and write the Davis Family as well
-What about the new computer Mom??

We had a pretty good week here, and were very busy! We have some good progressing investigators and are seeing some good things happen in our area. If we could just get all of our investigators married and living the Law of Chastity we would have so many baptisms!! We have two couples in particular that if they can get married, they'll get baptized. As I've said before, there's no divorce here in the Philippines, and the process to get married is expensive and long. One couple just needs the signatures of their parents, and the other one is at the beginning of the process. 

Well, I'm officially one year!!! To celebrate, I went on exchanges. I would have rather have been in my area, but when my companion and I met up again, we were able to go to the only fast food place in the whole Zone! It's called Jollibee's, and it's a Filipino chain which has a few places in the states. That was a treat! As far as balancing the ZL and DL responsibilities it's not as hard as I thought! I gave a workshop this week in District Meeting on the importance of extending commitments. As missionaries, every lesson we teach has a commitment, or an invitation to act. These invitations are the way people manifest that they're repenting and keeping the commandments. All of our commandments start as "Will you..."Even though this is a missionary concept, it's important for all of us. This Gospel is a Doing Gospel. We were teaching a Less-Active this week about the Plan of Salvation, and focus on our purpose here on Earth. We talked about how this is the time to prepare to meet God, to repent, to keep the commandments, while everything else is secondary. After we taught, we asked, "Sister, will you show your obedience to God's commandments and go to church this Sunday?" And she said, "I'm busy, no promises, if I have time." What! ?!?  I wanted to ask what part of "Keep the Commandments" did you not understand? :) While she intellectually understood the Plan of Salvation, she didn't understand it with her heart. 

In the Lectures on Faith, Joseph Smith taught that we need three things to draw down the power of faith into our lives, 1) The idea that God exists, 2) A correct knowledge of his traits and characteristics, and 3) A knowledge that the path we are taking is in accordance to God's will. That is true faith, not just a belief. Anyone can say that they have faith, but is it true faith?,Is it enduring faith? That's what we're trying to do here, teach people who God is, what he's like, and teach them all that they must do to know that the path they are taking is in accordance with God's will. 

One our our recent converts that I baptized, Reymark, is a perfect example of this. When we first met him, he didn't know much about Christ, and had no real religious background. For our first five visits or so, we couldn't get him to read, because he only had a 3rd grade education. As we've taught him, he's really started to read the Book of Mormon. As of last night, he's almost done with 1st Nephi, which in the Tagalog copy of the book of Mormon is page 71! His mother tells us that he sits there for hours reading. It's been truly a miracle to see his reading improve, and his comprehension as well. His faith is growing so incredibly much!

I know that this is the Lord's work. As I look back, I truly see the miracles here. The Lord truly works wonders. As we press forward with faith, he will lighten our load. We have his promise that he will never leave us. We are told to endure to the end, but he has said that he is with us to the end. May we exercise true faith, and be doers, not hearers. Remember that video Pure and Simple Faith? That's all we need, pure yet simple faith, and the Lord will work everyday miracles.

Love,
Elder Yost

It's Been a Year!

Dear Mom and Dad,

Well another transfer is down and Elder DeYoung and I are still here! The mission used to send out the transfer list on Monday in an email, but President Peterson has changed it because he thinks that missionaries are a bit distracted the week of transfers . So now we get phone calls on Wednesday morning and they tell us who is transfered! It'll be interesting to see how this works...there are three zones that have a full day of travel to get to a transfer meeting on Friday morning at the Mission Home. This creates a bit of a logistics issue! It's ok though.

We had a good week with our baptism! The baptism on Saturday morning went well, and I was able to perform the baptism.  I'll try to send a picture. After our baptism on Saturday we went directly to our Stake Priesthood Executive Committee (PEC). As Zone Leaders we have to meet with the Stake Leadership once every transfer to coordinate and discuss missionary work in the area.  The Stake Leadership meets once every few months and as you can imagine there is lots of work to do! The Stake Leadership is great too, but it is hard to keep everything running smoothly when you meet every couple of months. (Let me say this....tell Presidents Wheatley, Lee, and Hatch that I love them so much and they're so so so so so awesome)We had a good meeting with the Stake Leadership and we were really positive and emphasized working with Less-Active and Part Members. I think we really built some good trust with the leadership.

Thanks so much for the letters from the Beach Gang!! I can't wait to go again! This Friday I hit my one year mark as a missionary! At the beginning it was slow, but things have sure sped up. I'll be sure to take a picture or something. And I'll for sure answer those questions for Brother Tenny, just don't have time this week.

So this week I also became a District Leader (I am still a Zone Leader). That was a bit of a surprise! Not sure exactly why because there are some Elders that could be the DL but this is what President Petersen wanted to do. It will give me an opportunity to prepare workshops every week again, which I really missed. I'll also get to go on more exchanges with other missionaries. This will certainly make my life more hectic, but I'm grateful for the opportunity!

I'm sorry this was a bit shorter and I didn't share as much. I promise more next week when I have more time! Love you all!!

Love,

Elder Yost