ToNeY~‏

Hola!

Oh I love New York in the Fall! Automn is sooo beautiful! The leaves are changing deep red all around us and wherever we tract there are lots to crunch. :D I LOVE it~ We had a great week this week. Yesterday we had 3 investigators at church! :D Maria, Rob, and Eli. We are so excited for them and feel so good about them as well! We also are teaching Yvenel and he is coming to church next week and he really is soakin everything up. I LOVE teaching the Plan of Salvation, especially when they have such soul searching questions that the gospel answers. We are so lucky to know “Why we are here and why a loving Heavenly Father would send us some where so….well, evil.” How blessed we are to know that we DO have a Father in Heaven who watches out for us and loves us more than we can even imagine. And we have the key to everlasting and complete happiness! So things are lookin so great here :D Also, yesterday I was able to return to Riverhead to see the baptism of Toney!!! :D It was so incredible and beautiful! :D When he came up out of the water he started laughin and grasped Elder Doxey in a hug. He kinda of raised his hands in the air as a "Yes! I did it!" I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ were right there hugging him and crying and laughing right along with him, tellin him a job well done and welcome home. Oh my goodness...it was so beautiful! It was nice to see everyone there again. It was so amazing to remember the first day we met/found Toney and then to see how much he has changed through the atonement of our Savior. Wow. So amazing. I LOVE IT!

Last week was my last combined district mtg and it was really sad. I didn’t know it and so I wasn’t prepared to give a Departing Testimony. I didn’t know what to say at all and it was so hard. I told em I didn’t wanna do it lol…I’m so sad that it was my last…it was too hard to not let the tears flow. I also received stuff in the mail and just left it in the mailbox for another day lol. Luckily I still have time to get these awesome people into the healing waters of baptism. It’s def a journey of mixed emotions. I will be leaving part of my heart with my many new families here in NY and it is a hard and sad thought to think that I won’t see some of these ppl for a lot longer than 18 months. As I think of my mission I hope that I served with all my heart, might, mind and strength. I hope that I did my Father’s will and that I can finish with comfort knowing that He is pleased. ….anyways….

I’m soaking up as much as I can these last days and striving to love and capture every last moment. As we wind down to the remaining 346 brothers and sisters of ours that we are searching for, we are sacrificing even more and working even harder. I know that returning home comletely wiped out and exhausted will a great feeling. I’m so happy to have such a spectacular time to see miracles of lives changed and faith challenged and friendships made. I love you all so much and hope you enjoy your next week.

Love,

Sister Phillips