Elder Yves Desir - God be with you till we meet again!
Yves has an amazing story. I'll share it in my own words first, and then after a bunch of these pictures, you can read his story in his own words. This summer I gave him my journal for a week, and he wrote it down. He is going to be an amazing missionary and bring many souls to Christ. I've written a few blog posts about him before, but just in case you missed them - here is a recap and more.
The story actually begins in January 2013. I was back in grad school after serving a mission and super-gung-ho about inviting people to church. I made a new friend at school and decided to ask him to church, figuring he would be happy to come with me since he had been asking to hang out and such. Well, I excitedly asked him to come to church with me, and he said "no." What??! He was nice about it, but was just not interested. And I felt defeated. From that moment for the next 6 months, I tried to be a good missionary, but feared inviting people to church.
In July that year, I flew to Haiti for a three week humanitarian trip (which changed my life). One weekend, the group of us volunteers went on a road trip to Jacmel and brought a couple of the advanced English students with us. Yves was one of those students. During the trip, we stopped at an LDS chapel to meet a friend. That's when Yves started asking questions about the church. As our friend Warner was telling him a little bit, I felt deep in side of me a pull to invite him to come with us to church the next day. But I didn't want to because I just felt he would say no like my friend had in grad school. But no one can ignore a pull in the heart like that, and I blurted out "you should come to church with us tomorrow!" And Yves said he would.
That September, Yves was baptized. When I saw him the next summer, I did not recognize him. Someone told me someone was there to see me, and I said hi and he was like "It's me, Yves!" His whole countenance had changed. He was happier and brighter and more confident.
Tomorrow - Yves will go to the Dominican Republic LDS missionary training center. He is going to be a missionary! Someone I invited to church was baptized and is now going on a mission!! He'll be serving in Haiti. I think what I've learned from this is how Heavenly Father can work through us even when we've given up, even when we're at our worst, even when we think something is impossible. I have so many weaknesses, but God loves me, and he loves Yves, and he gave me an opportunity to witness a miracle to strengthen my resolve and my courage to invite. And the end result feels so, so good. This joy is a result of loving God and loving my neighbor. That's why God gave those commandments, so we can see miracles and feel JOY. Please take a minute and read Yves testimony below.
Hello my name is Desir Yves. I'm so happy today to bear my testimony how I got baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ of the latter day saints.
Since my childhood, I was very excited to know the things about our Heavenly Father. I was born in Catholic so I grew up in that religious because of my primary school I was obliged to go to church every Sunday. Otherwise one will get a punishment on Monday. When I have finished my primary school I ended up going there. My mother was also a Catholic. She stopped going to the Catholic Church to join the Protestants. I also joined the Protestants.
When I got there, I don't really feel my in myself. I don't like the way they worship. They are too loud. I stopped going to the Protestants. For so many years I don't practice with any churches.
I join the Muslims because I was in love with a Muslim girl. After some months things fall apart and I stopped following the Muslims.
I went to Port-au-Prince by my aunt for my studies. I slept in the same room with my cousin. He is fond of voodoo. I was influenced sometimes when he went in his voodoo temple. I stopped going in voodoo after some days.
I've been experienced a lot of religions, many doctrines. I've never known about Mormon, normally people call it like this. One day I remembered I asked someone "the Mormons, what are they?" He answered and said Mormon is a diabolic religion. They pray to Joseph Smith as their God. I guessed Joseph Smith is a human being. I said to myself, I will never go there where people pray to human beings. When I passed by the Rue Noire street sometimes I noticed there are white people, I mean "Blan." I thought they were racist. All these details made me won't go in that church.
One day, me and Sustsain Haiti went to Jacmel to go to the beach. They were me, Ashley Burton, Kenny, Styven, A.J., Dodo, Roger, Warner, Kelsey, Jamesley and Emmanuel.
To my great surprise I noticed the chapel had the same color of that chapel in Leogane. I asked this question "why is every Mormon church the same color?" Warner replied, "come and meet the missionaries, they will talk to you and teach you and they will baptize you." Now and then me and Styven got a little discussion about the church.
I went to Ashley Burton. She sat in the back of the car that led us to Jacmel. Ashley invited me to come in the church. It was July 13, 2013. I told her, "How could I go in this church?" She said, "You need a button up t-shirt."
I accepted the invitation and the next day I came for the first time in the church. I wore a grey shirt, black jeans and sneakers.
In the church I met two young men. They came at me with a tag name Elder Meristil and Elder Denis. They took my number. They called me and came where I live. They taught me the about the restored Gospel. The great Plan of Salvation of God and many other things that I didn't know before. I decided to get baptize in the church so it was the 21 September 2013. Now I'm preparing to serve a mission. I will serve and help other people. There are many people in the world. They don't know about the Church of Jesus Christ of the latter day saints. I will help them to know more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I testify that the Church of Jesus Christ of the latter day saints is the real church of our Redeemer. I testify that the doctrine is correct and so are the teachings. I love Jesus Christ and I love his church. This is my written testimony in the name of Jesus Christ.
The story actually begins in January 2013. I was back in grad school after serving a mission and super-gung-ho about inviting people to church. I made a new friend at school and decided to ask him to church, figuring he would be happy to come with me since he had been asking to hang out and such. Well, I excitedly asked him to come to church with me, and he said "no." What??! He was nice about it, but was just not interested. And I felt defeated. From that moment for the next 6 months, I tried to be a good missionary, but feared inviting people to church.
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| My last Sunday in Haiti July 2013 - Yves is on the far right |
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| With Yves outside his house Summer 2014 - On the tarp wall he put pictures of the Temple and apostles |
The next day Yves was at church, and after the meeting I went over to ask him what he thought of it. At that moment, he was one of the most beautiful people in the world to me. He was clutching the Book of Mormon tight in his arms, and said to me, "Ashley, I promise to come church next Sunday and every Sunday after that."
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| Yves and me reunited May 2014 |
That September, Yves was baptized. When I saw him the next summer, I did not recognize him. Someone told me someone was there to see me, and I said hi and he was like "It's me, Yves!" His whole countenance had changed. He was happier and brighter and more confident.
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| At Taino Beach |
Tomorrow - Yves will go to the Dominican Republic LDS missionary training center. He is going to be a missionary! Someone I invited to church was baptized and is now going on a mission!! He'll be serving in Haiti. I think what I've learned from this is how Heavenly Father can work through us even when we've given up, even when we're at our worst, even when we think something is impossible. I have so many weaknesses, but God loves me, and he loves Yves, and he gave me an opportunity to witness a miracle to strengthen my resolve and my courage to invite. And the end result feels so, so good. This joy is a result of loving God and loving my neighbor. That's why God gave those commandments, so we can see miracles and feel JOY. Please take a minute and read Yves testimony below.
Hello my name is Desir Yves. I'm so happy today to bear my testimony how I got baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ of the latter day saints.
Since my childhood, I was very excited to know the things about our Heavenly Father. I was born in Catholic so I grew up in that religious because of my primary school I was obliged to go to church every Sunday. Otherwise one will get a punishment on Monday. When I have finished my primary school I ended up going there. My mother was also a Catholic. She stopped going to the Catholic Church to join the Protestants. I also joined the Protestants.
When I got there, I don't really feel my in myself. I don't like the way they worship. They are too loud. I stopped going to the Protestants. For so many years I don't practice with any churches.
I join the Muslims because I was in love with a Muslim girl. After some months things fall apart and I stopped following the Muslims.
I went to Port-au-Prince by my aunt for my studies. I slept in the same room with my cousin. He is fond of voodoo. I was influenced sometimes when he went in his voodoo temple. I stopped going in voodoo after some days.
I've been experienced a lot of religions, many doctrines. I've never known about Mormon, normally people call it like this. One day I remembered I asked someone "the Mormons, what are they?" He answered and said Mormon is a diabolic religion. They pray to Joseph Smith as their God. I guessed Joseph Smith is a human being. I said to myself, I will never go there where people pray to human beings. When I passed by the Rue Noire street sometimes I noticed there are white people, I mean "Blan." I thought they were racist. All these details made me won't go in that church.
One day, me and Sustsain Haiti went to Jacmel to go to the beach. They were me, Ashley Burton, Kenny, Styven, A.J., Dodo, Roger, Warner, Kelsey, Jamesley and Emmanuel.
To my great surprise I noticed the chapel had the same color of that chapel in Leogane. I asked this question "why is every Mormon church the same color?" Warner replied, "come and meet the missionaries, they will talk to you and teach you and they will baptize you." Now and then me and Styven got a little discussion about the church.
I went to Ashley Burton. She sat in the back of the car that led us to Jacmel. Ashley invited me to come in the church. It was July 13, 2013. I told her, "How could I go in this church?" She said, "You need a button up t-shirt."
I accepted the invitation and the next day I came for the first time in the church. I wore a grey shirt, black jeans and sneakers.
In the church I met two young men. They came at me with a tag name Elder Meristil and Elder Denis. They took my number. They called me and came where I live. They taught me the about the restored Gospel. The great Plan of Salvation of God and many other things that I didn't know before. I decided to get baptize in the church so it was the 21 September 2013. Now I'm preparing to serve a mission. I will serve and help other people. There are many people in the world. They don't know about the Church of Jesus Christ of the latter day saints. I will help them to know more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I testify that the Church of Jesus Christ of the latter day saints is the real church of our Redeemer. I testify that the doctrine is correct and so are the teachings. I love Jesus Christ and I love his church. This is my written testimony in the name of Jesus Christ.
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