Elder Yeoman is Home!!

There really are no words that can adequately describe the day we have had today! Elder Yeoman is HOME safe and sound! He ran up the airport walkway at 9:45am to a LARGE crowd of family and friends cheering him on! We are beyond proud of Elder Yeoman and have all been greatly blessed by his testimony and service during the last two years. Today will be forever ingrained in our hearts as one of the sweetest days of our lives!

The Best 2 Years!

Hello Everyone!

Yesterday my bishop gave me the opportunity to speak in sacrament meeting as my "farewell" talk and it was awesome! It was funny because he told me that I would have about 20 minutes to speak as the last speaker, so I prepared a few things to talk about. Our meetings start at 9:30, so it was all normal, and after the sacrament he called 2 sisters up to give their testimonies. Next thing I know it's 9:50 and he says "Now we will hear the last talk of Elder Yeoman" and I was thinking...well he just gave me the whole entire meeting. I ended at 10:35 haha, 45 minutes was definitely the longest I have ever spoken for, but it was an incredible experience, and I am so thankful for everything that the Lord has taught me these past 2 years! 

This past week was a good one! We are still preparing Gisela and Theo to be baptized and confirmed this week, which will be so great! Pray for Gisela so that she can meet her goal to stop smoking so she can be baptized! She is almost there!!

I am so incredibly grateful for these past 2 years that the Lord has given me to serve Him, and I can't even begin to explain what this time has done for me! I remember at first I always wanted to be the best teacher, or the superstar missionary that baptized the most. But what the Lord wanted and needed me to be was a true disciple of Christ. This process of becoming more like the Savior has made such a big impact on me that I could never be more grateful. 

Everyone always told me that the mission would change my life. My dad told me that if I worked hard, was obedient and loved the people that it would be the best experience of my life. However, 2 years ago I would have never been able to imagine how much it would change my life, and in what way! 

I was not perfect, but I did my best, and I know the Lord knows I did! I worked hard, I was obedient, and I sure do love these people of Argentina, and all the missionaries that I was able to meet and build friendships with here in Buenos Aires.

Now as my mission is coming to a close, I want you all to know how thankful I am for you all, for your love and support, because it made a huge difference for me. I have been very blessed with the best family and friends to count on always! You guys don't know how significant that is in the life of a missionary!

I have so much that I would like to say, so many stories to share, a lot of mixed emotions, but I would like to share with you all my testimony, something that I have grown to cherish and lean on in the most difficult times.

As His representative, I know that Jesus Christ lives, that He is my redeemer, and my Savior. I know that He suffered for the sins of all mankind, that some of those drops of blood in Gethsemane were mine. Here in the streets of Buenos Aires, I came to know my Savior, an experience that truly helped me to have a mighty change of heart, to desire only to please my Savior. As I served Him, I realized that line by line and precept by precept my life was changing, that the person that I was before and the person I am now were entirely different. I testify that the faith that we have can help us to be built upon the rock of our Redeemer, so that when the trials, temptations and difficult times come, we have the focus of only pleasing the Lord. The reason that this change could happen in my life was not because of a number, or any one person. It was because I never forgot why I came on a mission, who I was serving, and I gave it all up to Him. A lot of times my best was not too good, but I always did it for Him, because I owe Him so much. I want you all to know how much I love my Savior, how He took me as I was, molded me, formed me, and made me into a true disciple. I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God, that it is a constant testimony of Jesus Christ, and His atonement, and that people really can change! It is the tool that we have been given in this dispensation to repent, and receive the blessings of the fullness of the Gospel! I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God, and every time I taught the Restoration I felt the assurance and truthfulness of that by the power of the Holy Ghost. I know that today, we have a prophet that is called of God and by divine revelation guides us. I know that missionary work is the work of the Lord, that He is at the head and directs it. I know that we are loved by our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ. I know that families can be eternal, and I know that we have everything we need in this life to reach Eternal Life.

There will not be a day that goes by where I don't thank the Lord for these last 2 years, that were definitely the best 2 years.

A piece of my heart will always be here in Argentina! 

Thank you to LA GRAN MISION BUENOS AIRES NORTE!!!!!!!

Aguante Argentina!!!

I am very excited to see you all next week! I love you all!

Elder Yeoman

NOOO TIMEEEEE!!!!!

Hello All!!

I'm so sorry! I don't have any time to write again today! I promise that I will write my last general email next week! I love you all! Thanks for everything!

Jesus Christ lives and loves every single one of you! Keep on enduring!

We had a baptism this week, Leonardo. It was great! He was super happy! 

Have a great week!

Elder Yeoman

Leonardo's Baptism 

Life is Good!

Hello Everyone!

I'm sorry! I don't have time to write an email today, but I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week!! We are in the city and it is a two hour bus ride back.

Everything is going well here :)))

Elder Yeoman

Lunch in the city with the office elders today for P-day!

Como Están?

Hello Everyone!

Well, I don't know why it is so hot here. It has been reaching the 80's and it is supposed to be winter! Looks like I'm really going to skip a winter, haha!! Everything is going well! This week we are going to have a big multi-zone zone conference, so it will be good to see ex comps and be able to learn from all who will be participating. I always love zone conferences, they are always filled with revelation and the spirit!

I hope everyone has had a great week and enjoying the summer!!

This past week was a great one! We had a bunch of miracles and we have some baptisms coming up!! We have been working with a family that the parents want to get married so we are working with them and calling lawyers and everything to get all the paperwork figured out! They also have a son that can be baptized. He is 13 and plays basketball in a travel club here in Zarate! So, of course I told him anytime he wants to learn a thing or two about the game, I'm willing to teach him ;) haha! They are great and have a lot of faith in the Lord to obey the commandments, knowing that they will be blessed for doing so!

We have also been teaching a 45 year old man from the Dominican Republic, I have always had more success with the foreigners here in Buenos Aires. They are a little more humble coming here to find a better life. Obviously what they are looking for is the gospel :). He is awesome! He came to church and loved it and is preparing for the 15th of July to be baptized!

We have also been working with a part member family that has a son that wants to be baptized. He will be baptized the 8th of July and is super excited to get back to church! Sunday, a woman just came to church that had talked to the bishop asking for help. She is adventist and has lots of questions, but she liked church, so we just need to help her to realize that the sabbath day is indeed Sunday ;). 

Everything is going well here! This is my last week to find someone that can be baptized while I am here in Argentina so...well....pray hard for us so that we can find all the people that the Lord is preparing! I know there is a family out there that really needs us!!

I love you all! I know that Christ lives and that He is at the head of this church! I know that through the restored gospel we can all one day return to His presence!

Keep on doing what you need to do and have a great week!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elder Yeoman

The most valuable gift

Hello Everyone!!! I hope you all had a great week! Happy Father´s Day to all the fathers out there, especially to my dad!!! I am very thankful for my dad and the wonderful example he has been to me my whole life, helping me to be the person I am today!! I am staying here in Zarate with Elder Ortiz to finish out my last transfer, I am pumped!

This past week I had many testimony strengthening experiences that I am very grateful for! One came from a sad experience, but one that I was grateful to be a part of! Last week, a member in our ward died of heart failure, something that he had been struggling with for a long time, but the death was sudden and unexpected. Just the Sunday before, he was at church. I was a little taken back by the news nevertheless, being someone in my ward. He was someone that many did not get along with because of his strong doctrinal opinions and his character, leaving people rolling their eyes sometimes..and one of those members that was super harsh on the elders! But it doesn't matter. He and I got along pretty well! 

The thing that most caught my attention of him was that whenever we asked him for a reference or if he knew anyone we could teach, he would always talk about all of his inactive members of his family, and how he just wanted them to come to church! Everything he did he always just wanted the best for his family, but the only active members were him, his wife, and one of his grandsons.

A few days later, I was asked to give his wife a blessing of comfort, so we went over to their house to find a lot of the family gathered around the table. We sat down and we talked for a little bit! She bore her testimony of the plan of salvation, and how she knows that it is real and that her family is sealed for eternity! We ended up giving blessings to the whole family. It was a very spiritual experience. Afterwards, I felt prompted to bear my testimony of Christ and the plan of salvation, and share with the family some feelings I had on the death of Hermano Belos, and how he only wanted the best for his family in the gospel! I then told them that the Lord works in marvelous ways to bring families together and help them progress. I knew without a doubt that this is exactly what the Lord wanted to happen, and exactly what Hermano Belos wanted for his family! The youngest son got up and bore his testimony. He served a mission and has been inactive for many years. He told us that the death of his father caused him to have a "spiritual restart" is how he described it, and is what he needed to realize that he needed to come back to church and bring his whole family back. They all planned a temple trip as a family, and all came to church Sunday. I know that the plans of the Lord are perfect, and though we don't always realize it, everything is for our good.

The youngest son began to tell me some mission experiences and told me that the thing that he has learned in all his years of inactivity in the church is that time is the most valuable gift! Time is something that the Lord gives us that we must learn wisely! Before he knew it, 7 years had passed and he has missed out on so many blessings without even realizing it!! He said that as a missionary he always taught how time was the most important thing, a lesson that he had to learn the hard way!

I hope that we all can use the time that the Lord gives us wisely, so that we don't have any regrets! When I started the mission I thought all I had was time, but as I am coming to the end, I realize that it really does come to an end, and the most valuable thing that the Lord has given me has been the time that I have been able to represent Him! 

This past week, I had knocked about a million doors and talked to another million in the street with little luck, and I just felt bad...and I said a super heartfelt prayer just to talk to someone that needed us. The very next door that I knocked on, out came Florencia, who told us that she did not even want to live anymore, and that more than ever she needs to come closer to Christ to truly find peace!

The Lord knows us, knows our needs, and always has His arms extended to help us! I know that He lives and loves all of us! I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true, that the true church of Christ has been restored and that Jesus Christ is the Savior and redeemer of the world, and a source of eternal peace for all that strive to come unto HIm by faith and obedience!

"Just live the Gospel"

I love you all!!

Elder Yeoman

Elder Ortiz and Facuando Arias

#SelfieSunday

Where does time go?

Hello Everyone!
 I hope you all are doing well and enioying school getting out! Today I start my last transfer, and time is really flying! I still don't know if I am going to be staying here in Zarate or if I will be transferred, but whatever happens I know is the will of the Lord and I am just excited to give it all I have for 6 more weeks!! I cant even explain how fast time goes, or how grateful I am for all that I have learned and experienced in my mission! But I still have lots of time left and the Lord still needs a lot from me, so I am excited!!

This past week was a good one! President called my comp and I and told us that there are going to be some changes in our zone, so that is going to be awesome. I always enjoy changes in the mission! So we are excited for that! We have been finding a lot of people and are finding lots of good possibilities that we are working with, so we just need to help them to commit themselves!

A sister missionary from our zone had to go home this past week because she tore her meniscus which was very sad, and we have a couple other missionaries that are going through some tough things physically. It has been great to see the faith, hope, and great attitude they have had to fight through it and get better! It has been an example to me! I think I learn way more from them than they do from me, but that is usually how it is!! I love my zone!

I have been studying Jesus the Christ a lot and it has been such a great experience for me..I feel like I definitely have been able to come to know my Savior better as I have read that book about His life! Its a libraso! The way he served has helped me realize what is it really that the Lord expects of me as His representative, and has helped to change the way I think and act to be a better servant and representative of Christ! I am so grateful for that! The way that He knew the intentions of the heart, and did not judge purely off what appeared, we can all be better at that!

I love my Savior, I know He lives, and that His gospel is restored upon the earth, and that through our obedience we may be able to live with HIm forever! 

I love you all!!

Elder Yeoman

San Antonio de Areco

My boy, Elder Evans finished his mission and is
 headed home!

The BEST ward mission leader, Hernan Lopez and my comp Elder Ortiz

#ZARATE1CREW