Charity

Hi Mom and Dad !

- Mom, do you want that nativity set I mentioned?

- I'm sure you will, but please send pictures of your weekend in   California at Tia's (Alex's cousin)wedding!

- Can you send a picture of the iPad mini? You have become an Apple family without me :(  :)

We were busy once again! What's new! Transfer week is over and things are starting to slow down. Elder Eyre is gone (that was expected). Things aren't as fun as they were before with him here.  I talked to Elder Eyre earlier, and he's doing great! Do you remember the M family in Pola? We baptized the mother and her three children. Well, Elder Eyre told me they gave the father a baptismal goal date!! That would complete their family! Also, I had a recent convert I hadn't heard much about, and was honestly a bit worried about, and Elder Eyre told me he's doing great, and has given them some referrals. It makes me so happy to know that he's there taking care of the people I love so much.  I know the people of Pola are in great hands!

It's been so much fun these last couple weeks to have baptisms, but now the bad news is we're out of people to teach. We've really focused this week on finding, and even though we didn't get any new investigators, we have three active families who have selected a family to refer, and are preparing them. We have a great activity we do with them. We get the whole family together and ask them to run and grab a piece of paper. All the kids shoot up and go running. When they get it, we write on the left hand side of the paper:

1) , 2), 3), 4)

We then ask them to write four people or families they're really close with or might be interested in being taught in the numbers 1-4.  

When they've done that we then write:

A) , B), C), D)

We then ask the to write four activities they could do that week for these families like giving a Book of Mormon, fasting for them, inviting them to church, etc. Then we ask them which of the four families are most likely to listen. When they've chosen them, we commit them to do one of the activities that week, and then at the bottom of the page we have them write the date they'll invite them to be taught. It's amazing the effect this has! Every time without fail it's worked! This is really how we're trying to find people because the people are more prepared, and it's more focused on families. Do this as a FHE, you don't need the missionaries there to do it!

Also, T.S. bore his testimony yesterday, and received the Aaronic Priesthood!!!!  (see the photo I sent)

This week in Grandfathers e-mail to me and Elder CJY (Alex's cousin, a missionary in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil )he talked about charity. Amazingly, this is what I've been thinking about lately. As with any good attribute, the Savior is the perfect example. He had absolutely perfect love. It never ever failed him. One of my favorite parts of the New Testament is when he was asked which was the greatest commandment of them all, to which he responded, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." The Savior loved his Father so much that he was willing to do anything he asked. He was willing to be persecuted, beaten, spit upon, and eventually killed. To him, truly loving God was more than just an idea, it was who he was, it was his very nature. It's easy to love those who love you, anyone can do that. But how do we respond to those who don't like us, or put us down? When the Savior was all alone, when all had left him, as he performed the Atonement he exhibited perfect love and charity as he turned outward and not inward. The tougher that things got, the more he turned to help others, to do a little more. He truly forgot himself in loving others. When times get tough for us, where do we turn? Do we turn inward, or outward? Loving God is truly the first and great commandment, in fact, you can look at any commandment, and it will always go back to the first and greatest commandment. As Elder Holland said, at some time, we will all probably be asked, "Did you love me? Was your very life a reflection of your love for me? Did you love me more than everything else?" May we live every day in a way that we'll be able to say, "Yes, Lord we do love thee." May we turn outward at all times as he did, and by so doing become true disciples, even friends, of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Love,

Elder Yost