She said YES to a Baptismal Date!!!

Oh my goodness Mom, yes! 2 Nephi: Chapter 4 is like my favorite chapter ever, that and chapter 31. Those are like the most marked up scriptures I have in my whole book.  -- --

(This is Elder Yukish responding to a paragraph from a letter  his mother sent to him, which is as follows: 

"I have been reading the Book of Mormon, and came across a really cool part in 2 Nephi, Chapter 4 that really struck me last night.  Lehi and his family have just reached the Promised Land, and Lehi blesses all of his children and then dies.  Nephi buries him and then in total humility prays to the Lord.  He has suffered so much tribulation - everything from his brothers trying to kill him every time he turns around, to being in the wilderness for 30 years, but through it all he is extremely obedient to the Lord, and stays righteous through it all.  In Chapter 4 vs. 28 Nephi prays 'Awake, my soul !  No longer droop in sin.  Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul.  Do not anger again because of mine enemies.  Do not slacken my strength because of mine afflictions.  Rejoice, O my heart, and cry unto the Lord, and say:  O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee my God, and be the rock of my salvation.' 

I love that part.  He went through a lot, and he will not slacken his faith, or his strength, or his mood or attitude because of his afflictions.  WE shouldn't either.  I feel like some days we suffer more affliction than other days, and I'm trying to not slacken because of them." )

It's rainy and cold here too. I am not looking forward to the freezing cold! I've already pulled out my fur hat and scarf and winter jacket because I’m dying!

 

This week has been a fantastic one! Elder Green and I are still loving life. We had one day where he got a little down because he felt that we weren’t very effective missionaries. we only were teaching about 11 lessons a week and we spend a lot of time on our bikes. The new place we live is great but the place its located at is at the bottom of a huge hill and it’s the top farthest left of our area and so we have to travel along time to all of our appointments. We are averaging 3 hours on our bikes. He feels like we aren’t doing that much. He came from a car area with a companion that had been there for 4 transfers so he had a ton of appointments with members, less actives and a few investigators. When you’re in a car area you can do that but with us on a bike we get a lot less but most of them are more meaningful.

The last week that Elder Saunders was here we had one of those amazing follow the spirit experiences. we parked our bikes at the head of Hillcrest road and started walking because we were going to tracked it. For some reason we didn’t knock on any doors because they didn’t feel good. We walked down to the end of the street and knocked on one door. This lady came to the door and we talked for a little bit and invited us in. We taught her a bit of the Restoration and then I had this burning desire to commit her to baptism. So I committed her to a conditional invite of "as you come to know it’s true will you be baptized." She said yeah I think so. I was like what? you said yes?

 So we went back again this Friday and taught her some of the plan of salvation and then again I had a burning desire to give her a baptismal date. SHE ACCEPTED!!!!!! We left there jumping for joy! I haven't felt this kind of joy before! I am so excited! I was floating on air! So it has been a great week!

 I'm sorry to hear about Grandpa Mitchell. I have an email from Grandma and I’m going to read it and write them back. I'm glad to hear Tod is doing well and that Brock is getting all grown up! I miss him a ton. There's this one family in the ward that we have been having dinner with and they have a 4 year old boy that is spunky like Brock and it just makes me miss him even more!

 I’m so happy to hear from you Mom. I miss you most of all. I’m so glad to hear that you're reading the Book of Mormon and finding joy in it. It means so much to me and I want everyone to feel of the joy that it brings. I'm so grateful to be on my mission.

 Oh I was sitting in Elders Quorum yester day and had a itch on my ankle and then I felt my calf... HOLY COW!! It’s huge! Its like a solid rock! That’s the beauty of riding a bike all day!

Well I Love you so much and can't wait to hear from you next week

Love

Elder Yukish

New Companion -Elder Green

Hey Mom!

So this week has been great! I actually found out I'm staying here in the downtown Canton area. I only have a few minutes to write tonight because we've been moving all day and we've got to get back to work. I have a great new companion. His name is Elder Green. He was in our district last transfer and they just moved him to my area. He and I came out at the same time so we are two greenies working together. I guess that’s pretty rare. It’s awesome though he's a hard worker and is so up for riding bikes as much as me. We talked to the AP's and asked them how often greenies get put together and they said never. I was pretty blown back by that. It made me realize how much trust was put in our companionship. I love Elder Green he's a great missionary. This will be a great transfer with a lot of growth.

 I have moved to a new place and am supper excited about it!

The house is:

 3013 Treeside St NW

 Canton OH 44709

I was hoping that I could ask you to send me some music. I would like any church music you can find, borrow some from someone and copy or whatever you can. The only "rules" on the music is that it has to be a hymn if it’s not sung by MOTAB, and anything that MOTAB sings is allowed! So if you could find good stuff or if you have got good stuff lying around send it to me! It really helps the missionary day go by and the helps break up the monotonies!

The one CD that I REALLY want is by "Lower Lights" I'll attach a picture of the CD case so you can look for it.

I gotta run! Duty calls!

Love

Elder Yukish

DOOOO WHAAAAA???

Ok. So this week has been a crazy one! Its transfer week and crazy things are happening. We have some great investigators and some crazy people that were teaching too.

 Last night was one of the craziest ever. We were having a great day. Had a really good district meeting in the morning after our studies. We went out for lunch at the mall and had a great time. Elder Saunders and I worked really hard the rest of the day. We parked our bikes at the beginning of a street and were going to go tracting but just kind of started walking down the street. The road came to a fork and we sat there for a second and decided that we should go left. We walked down a couple of houses and then decided to knock this one house. We knocked and a lady answered. We talked for a bit and started teaching her the restoration. Then she asked us to come in and sit down. So we went a little more into the restoration. Towards the end of the lesson I got a really strong prompting to commit her to baptism (keep in mind this is the first time we met her) I said " as you come to know these things are true will you follow the example of your savior Jesus Christ and be baptized by one holding the proper Priesthood authority?". She looked at us for a second and asked "how can I know to come if these things are true?" I realized we hadn't taught her about prayer. So we did and she agreed to be baptized if she knew it was true. I was like HOLY COW... did that just work? 

 I also have another thing that happed. My companion and I were thirsty and we decided to go to this gas station that has fountain drinks any size 59 cents. We went in and got our pops and walked up to the teller. He rung us up and we said thank you and started walking away. We were almost at the door and the guy said "hey how can I get a Book of Mormon, and can you guys come over and we can talk about it?" again I was like DOOOO WHAAAAA???? So we went back and started talking to him and found out he tried to get a Book of Mormon from the web site but never had the courage to go through with it. We said hey any time anywhere we can drop off a Book of Mormon and talk with you about it. So we have an appointment with him later today.

 The thing that has built my testimony up about these two experiences is prayer. Elder Saunders and I decided to pray with real intent to get a baptism this month. President has promised us that if we pray and are faithful we will get at least one a month. So this month we are trying it and its working! I don’t know if we will get a baptism but those people weren’t just put in our path for no reason.

 So back to our crazy night last night. Elder Saunders and I have been working hard and riding bikes like crazy people. Last night after our dinner with the Davis family we had to travel down to kinda the other side of our area. We were running a few minutes ahead so we decided just to take it easy as we were riding and not kill ourselves to get there. We were traveling down 22^nd street and all was well. It was a slight hill which was nice so we could just coast. I was about 20 yards behind my companion and all of the sudden he looked back to make sure I was still behind him and then he hit a pot hole and crashed crazy hard.

 I was like oh no this is not going to be good. Sure enough I got up to him and it wasn't pretty. He was knocked unconscious and was scraped up pretty bad. I rolled him over and pulled him up on to the driveway closest to us. I put my back pack under his head and took the towel out of my bag and started to take care of his cuts. Luckily we are in the same area that our zone leaders are and so I called them and got them out of their dinner appointment and had them come and pick us up. While I was dealing with my companion that was now starting to regain consciousness and yelling - waking up the whole neighborhood - people started coming out and trying to help. It was nice to have a community that was so willing to help but I had to keep telling people to not call an ambulance.

 We sat there for about 20 minutes while the zone leaders came and we rushed him to the emergency room. We got him there and they checked him out and let him chill in the waiting room for a while. Man he's like a mean drunk. As he was coming too he started saying out loud that " all the people in the waiting room were a bunch of hypochondriacs and he was the only one that really needed help" It was so funny but kinda embarrassing. I got to go back with him and help with info and paper work. All that really did for me is solidify how much I hate hospitals.

 We were there for about 4 hours from like 7:40 till almost 1 at night. It was crazy. Lucky for him he got to sleep in past morning workout and studies and stuff but I had to be up at 630..

 He broke his elbow and he also broke his cheek bone. We just found out about an hour ago that he is going to have to go home for at least 12 weeks for surgery and physical therapy. It’s a sad day. But things happen and life goes on. I also got to give him a blessing which is my first one so that’s pretty cool.

 Hey Mom happy birthday by the way! What are your plans for your very special day?

 Thanks everyone that wrote me this week! There were so many it was awesome! I don’t have enough time to email all of you back but if you send me your addresses then I will write you some letters with the rest of my P-day. Thank you all for the support and love! It really means so much when times are tough to come here and listen to the words of my family!

We are moving this Saturday so I will let you all know what my new address is next week because I can’t remember it haha. BUT it’s a sweet place. Three story 3 bedrooms 2 1/2 bath town house and its going to be a nice change from the pit we live in now... oh wait just got a call that I’m getting transferred... POOP!!!

Till next week

LOVE FROM

Elder Yukish

Attitude of Gratitude

Dear Mommy,

 This week has been a great one! Thank you so much for the package! Everyone loved the cookies! They were gone by the end of the first session of Saturday’s Conference. I love the slippers and the hat and wear them everywhere! The Seahawks shirt is amazing very comfortable and warm!

 The weather here has turned deathly cold. Haha! It’s freezing! Tracting in 43 degree weather with a light drizzle and 10 mile an hour winds straight in the face makes for a new experience of its own! It really is nice because I don't sweat that much when I ride my bike.

 I loved General Conference this weekend! I loved every one of the talks that were given. I felt like every one of them was directed straight towards me and my benefit as a missionary and as a man. I too loved our Prophet’s talk on gratitude. It really made me think of what I am thankful for and how much I have been given in my life. Sometimes you take for granted what you have till it’s all gone. I felt like needed to ask for forgiveness of my ungratefulness in my life.

 I am grateful for the home we all lived in together as a family. I am so grateful for the time we spent with all of our family eating enchiladas. I am VERY grateful for enchiladas (no one knows how to make them here.  I feel like I have eaten more chilli and soup than one person should ever have to eat in their lifetime). I am grateful for the lessons I've learned and the example of good parents and good members of the church you all are to me. I am grateful for the sacrifice you've made for me to be on this mission. I don't know what I would do without these blessings that I have received since I've been out here.

 The Lord does work in mysterious ways. I know that he has a plan for me here in this mission. I know God knows me personally. He knows my strength and knows how best to build me up and make me the best I can be. I am grateful for the opportunity that the Lord has given me to put everything off, to trust fully in Him, know that he loves me and that there is work for me to do here. Sometimes it’s hard to put off myself and my doubts and fears. I struggle to put my full faith in Him, but when I do, at that moment I feel closer to Him than I ever have before. In that moment my fear is gone and I have the most success as a missionary and as a tool in His hands. I am grateful for the scriptures and the guidance they are in my life. I am grateful for our living Prophet and the guidance he give me personally.

 I am grateful to be a missionary.

 I love the pictures! Man Brock is starting to look like a big kid now. Tod looks like he's gotten skinnier? Well it’s time for me to go. We are having a zone p-day and we're going to go play some Ultimate Frisbee out in the cold.... yeah...

I love you mom and I hope you have a great week!

Love

Elder Yukish

p.s.

Word of advice for the day…. Don't run and jump on to a new mission bed, especially if you’re a big guy, for you will break the bed and be seriously chastised for doing so. And thus I say amen.... Haha!