Merry Christmas Y'all!

I don't want this to be a very long email, because I want all of you to be spending most of your time with your family or friends.

This week was a really good one! We had our annual THSM Christmas Conference. And, that was definitely one for the books! Oh how I love the Christmas season! Elder Bell and I got to participate in the chior, we were fed like kings, we got to hear from President Guthrie's Mission President and his wife, and to top it all off, we were able to be a part the nativity. I got to read the Christmas story found in Luke chapter 2.

I just want to share with you the love I have for my Savior! I love Him so much! He is everything to me! He has given everything to me, and He wants to give even more. There is nothing that we can give to Him that He doesn't already have. Accept one thing... Choosing to give Him our will. 

Will all of you please choose to as I have done give your heart, might, mind, and strength to the Lord? I promise that as you do, that the Lord will be there to bear you up. He will be there to give you guidance and strength. I know this to be true, because I have experienced it myself.

I love y'all!

-Elder J.T.Yates

 I have even more posterity now! 

From Left to Right: Elder Nilsson(3rd Grandson-being trained by Elder Smith), Elder Smith(1st son), Elder Fleming(2nd son), Me, Elder Bell(3rd son), Elder Robinson(1st Grandson-trained by Elder Smith), Elder Borden(1st Great Grandson-being trained by Elder Robinson)....... not in the photo - Elder Halverson(2nd Grandson-trained by Elder Smith, and is now in the Philipines)

What Christmas Conference looked like. 

A really cool looking black and yellow lady-bug.

This Husky climbed on top of a Grill... 

You could say that the owners were less that excited about it.

Sing praises to His name

Well hey there friends and fam! I can't believe that Christmas is only 8 days away... This week was pretty good. There were definitely days that felt like they lasted about the entirety of my mission, but we got through them! The work in the Baybrook Ward is going well, we just had a baptism yesterday night for a 9 year old! He is super awesome! He is the son of a returning less-active member, and loves the gospel! More good things to come! 

During the week, I was thinking about why I am on a mission. My answer came to me, as it always does, "Because I love Jesus Christ." I truly do! I love my Savior, Jesus Christ!

With the Christmas season being upon us, and the day we remember our Savior's birth being a little over a week away, I want to talk about why I am grateful for Him. Being grateful has been one of my week points throughout my life. I have been able to develop that a lot more since being on the mission, and being so close to the Spirit all the time!

~ He gave me the option to return to live with Him and our Heavenly Father again

~ I can be forgiven of all my sins

~ His grace is sufficient for everything that I do

These are a few of the things that I am grateful for that my Savior, Jesus Christ gave me! I know this is a very short email in comparison to others that I have sent, but I wanted to give you more time for my invitation! ;)

Will all of you reading this, write down a list of things that you are grateful for? In particular, things your are grateful that your Savior has given you? I can promise in the name of Jesus Christ that as you do this, your love for Him will increase far more than you would think.

I love the Lord Jesus Christ, and I love all of you!

-Elder J.T.Yates

Elder Smith, Nilsson, and I biking around Baybrook.

A freaky little bug outside our apartment.

 Elder Nilsson crashed, so you know I had to get photos of it.

Elder Bell and I with our boi Kenny before his baptism!!

PCI

Well everyone! This week has been a week for sure! It has felt like 7 days to be exact! ;)

Okay, to start let's talk about some miracles that I saw this week!

~ I felt the Spirit lead and guide me as I helped people come closer to Jesus Christ.

~ I learned more about what the scriptures meant when they said that Jesus Christ descended below all things.

~ We finished preparing for our friend Kenny's baptism by filling out his baptismal program, and the miracle in that was that we got it done with no fuss.

~ Elder Yates successfully purchased healthy food this week, and the last. :)

Oh how I love this G

ospel! I really do! How much do you love it? Enough to share it with others? Well that's good, because that's what we all should be doing! Why? Because you love your Savior, Jesus Christ, that's why! :)

In our Stake down here, the Friendswood Texas Stake, our Stake Presidency has set a goal for the year of 2019. Here is the goal...

"Every member intentionally invites 1 person every week to do something that will bring them closer to Jesus Christ."

So, to help with that, they formed an acronym for it. PCI. What does that stand for you may ask? I will tell you! :)

P - Pray

C - Connect

I - Invite

As you begin each day, you pray specifically for an opportunity to share the Gospel with someone.

You then go throughout your day looking for that opportunity that will come your way. When that opportunity comes, you then connect with that person. In some way, build a relationship with them so that when you invite them, it's not going to be as "weird". But, many of you know, one of my life mottos is, "It's only weird, if you make it weird." :)

Finally, you invite them! This doesn't have to be an invitation to baptism, that's the missionaries' jobs. Invite them to come closer to the Savior. Invite them to a party, to listen to a Christmas program. Invite them to do something. And, this can be to a member of the church, or not. It can be an invitation to someone in your family, or someone outside your family. As long as you invite someone to do something that will bring them closer to Jesus Christ.

This has truly helped me as a missionary! I have been more conscious about how I can help my fellow Brothers and Sisters come unto Jesus Christ. I know that this will work for all of you as well! I know this because this isn't new! ;) This is found in Chapter 9 of Preach My Gospel, it is found in Conference talks, and it is found in the teachings of Jesus Christ during His Earthly ministry.

And now, I invite all of you to come closer to Jesus Christ by being more like Him! Will you Pray, Connect, and Invite this week? I know you will! I know that our loving Father in heaven will bless you immensely as you strive to become more like Jesus Christ. I will follow up next week, so I am excited to hear those missionary experiences! :)

Love all y'all!

-Elder J.T.Yates

For those of you that don't know what these are, this is a poisonous caterpillar. 

It's called an Asp. They will put you in the ER if you aren't careful, 

so you bet your bottom dollar that we were!

This is our boy, Arnold the cat. He has decided to make this chair and blanket his throne. We think that the Elders in the past fed him, so he loves us. 

We went to Taco Bell on Wednesday, and look who we saw! The old 2nd Counsellor in the Bishopric from Sienna Plantation 1st Ward! He was all they way down in Friendswood! It was so cool to see him!

Elder Bell all lit up from one of our members' laser lights. 

#LazyWayToPutUpLights ;)

The Prince of Peace

Welcome to December ladies and gents! Wherever you are, I hope that it feels more like December than it does here! Haha, the leaves are really falling now down here, and it is like 65 degrees outside. It feels like the early fall season. Kinda messed up, but one learns to live with it.

I also hope that everyone has had a great week! I know that I did! I learned a lot this week. I learned things that had to do with...

~ Being a missionary.

~ The Nephites and Lamanites, and what happens to them when they choose to be a bunch of bums.

~ The nature of Jesus Christ

This last bullet point, is the greatest knowledge that I could've ever gained this week! You wanna know why? Okay, I'll tell you!

As I was reading in the Book of Alma, Helaman, and 3 Nephi, I kept coming across this simple truth. The Lord gives help to those who obey Him. Throughout the later half of the Book of Alma, and through the Book of 3 Nephi, there are so many refrences to bloodshed and violence. But, we know that God does not delight in this. Along with God not delighting in this, neither does His obedient followers.

One of my favorite names for our Savior is "The Prince of Peace". I love this name because it shows the character of Christ. He, being the greatest of all, having all power, and knowing all things, uses that power to incite peace upon His children.

Throughout our lives, we experience violence, fear, anger, contention, distrust, and everything else that does not bring the Spirit of God. But, guess what!? There is hope! Jesus Christ is our Redeemer! He is our Advocate! He is the Good Shepherd! He knows us. He suffered for each and every one of us. There is never not hope!

A good friend of mine once told me, "Don’t ever give up. On yourself or the gospel. It doesn’t matter where you are or what you’ve done, there’s always hope. With Him there is always hope." The Prince of Peace can and will bring peace to our lives, as we obey what He says.

No matter what trial we are going through, Jesus Christ can and will heal us! I can promise that as a representative of Jesus Christ. He never said it would be easy. He only said that it would be worth it.

I love you all! Thank you for all you do!

-Elder J.T.Yates

 A super schweeeet sunset over some super gross bayou water.

A "Y" stick. Gotta rep the Yates clan!

We put up Chrsitmas lights in this ladie's tree. 

Tbh, they looked terrible.

Call me Tron.

We got attacked by the Laurels in our Ward!

This massive storm drain tunnel that is taller than I am.