Hello Everyone,
I hope everyone enjoyed their week this week. This morning it started snowing here....crazy...that time of year already?
This week was rather crazy busy. Tuesday as a disrict we went and racked leaves for random ppl. We had met a lady named Gaile while tracting (that day when I was struggling that I talked about last week). We went and racked her leaves and she was so sweet and grateful. I am so excited to hear about what happens with her. So we had lots of fun playing in the beautiful automn leaves. I was really struggling tho... while praying that night I realized that I really needed to change my attitude. I was depressed the last few weeks to be leaving and realized that I was ruining the time I had left. After realizing that the week def got better.
Wednesday was a great yet sort of messed up day lol. It was my temple day haha. I get nervous, especially I think when it's been so long. Well we stopped to get some cash and my card wasn't working. So I thought well, I guess I'll just use my airplane money and hopefully the card works next week. So we get to the temple and I go to get my wallet and notice that I left it in the car. Oh man....usually I think if that happens you have to wait downstairs and you don't get to go in. Luckily President goes with us departing missionaries and was able to get me in. I felt so bad.... But the temple was amazing. I recieved alot of spiritual insight and direction, sadly they really rushed us out. We were able to go into another room and ask questions with the temple presidency. They wanted us to be motivated to go back often when we return home. So that was a neat experience. We had yummy NY hot dogs after and then were back on our way. It was so fun and nice to be on a train again :D When I got back I had left the cap open on my waterbottle so water spilled all over my scrips and the phone.... the phone of course stopped working... funny elders said they've done worse before and told me to put it in a bag of rice and in the freezer over night. Luckily this worked lol. After the trip I had my departing interview. It was so nice. President gave me some incredible advice on returning home and also gave me a blessing. It was so amazing. And has been very comforting.
The rest of the week was filled with appts with my families here to say goodbye. It's been hard... way hard.... not much more I can say about that. It was hard tho bc with all the saying goodbyes we haven't had alot of time to tract and teach like I would really love to be doing....since that is my calling and all....that's been the hardest part I think.....
On Thursday we met Sylvia who is an amazing member referral. Brother Davis talked to her while he was in the hospital, she is a CNA worker :) She is the mother of 3 boys: Isaiah: 10, and Abraham and Jeremiah 3. Brother Davis asked why she picked those names and she said they just kinda...came to her. :) She told him that she wanted her children to know about God and he told her that this was the perfect place. She is so amazing. She has had some really rough times. She also wants badly for Isaiah to be involved in volunteer work and such. Saturday night she called to reschedule our appt bc she worked overtime so that she could make it to the baptism and church the next day :D She also had amazing questions!!!! When we went over we had just told her our purpose and introduced the Book of Mormon so she read the intro and wanted to know who Joseph Smith was and so I taught her over the phone...she loved it! Then she asked, "Well what does it mean when it says the ancient inhabitants of the America's?" I've never had that one before :D She said she was so facinated!!!! :D Amazing!!! So she came to the baptism and LOVED it. She said she felt so nice and Sister Jewkes said that she could be the next one to be baptized and she answered, "I would love that. It is so beautiful. But I need to learn more." Eek! So we are so excited! It was super hard to say goodbye to her having just met her. The first night we met her, we felt right at home. We sat on the floor and talked with her. She opened right up and as we were leaving she told us to come back to our new home. SO HARD! It is so hard to meet such incredible ppl for just a little bit and then to leave. I want so badly to see these ppl gain their testimonies of the gospel and watch the new light enter their lives. So so heart-breaking. She stayed for sacrament and gospel principles. She smiled the whole time. I will miss her greatly, and but I am so grateful for phones!!!!
And last but not least, MARIA IS BATIZED!!!! Oh my goodness!!!! How beautiful!!! She had to go under 3 times, but she was just so beautiful! The service and everything was so nice. She said that she feels so good :D She then was confimed in sacrament.
Mike, Raishma, Ashley, Elizabeth Singh and her husband came from Queens yesterday to come to church with me and say good-bye. It was so awesome to walk out of the font doors and see them sitting in the back. Oh I LOVE THEM and will miss them SO MUCH!
I am so grateful for such an incredible and life changing experience that the Lord has blessed me with. The things I have learned on a mission are unforgettable and could be learned no where else. What a blessing to have been raised in the gospel and had such a blessing my whole life. I am so grateful for my parents and teaching me the ways of the Lord. Their selfless service to me as a parent helped me to be a teacher to those here in New York. My mission has deeply planted my testimony. The most valuable thing I have learned in the past year and a half is perfecty expressed in Elder Uchtdorf's words,
"As we extend our hands and hearts toward others in Christlike love, something wonderful happens to us. Our own spirits become healed, more refined, and stronger. We become happier, more peaceful, and more receptive to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit."
I truly have seen this on my mission and know that it is true. We are all here out of love. We were created and sent here because of love. And when we give ourselves to selfless service, we truly are serving God. In return we feel God's love. I know with my whole heart that He lives. I know that He loves us so much that He sent us here so that we can learn how to be like him and gain for ourselves eternal and complete happiness. He loves us so much that He sent his only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to suffer and die for us. I know that from the Garden to the Cross Christ carried my every pain, sorrow, and sin so that I can be happy and cleansed and could return to my family someday. I know that He lives today and stands with our Father. They will never leave us. Our job is so simple as to just take His hand and follow His footsteps. I know that this gospel is Christ's, established on the earth today. I feel so blessed to be apart of it; and so blessed to have had 18 months to share and testify of such a blessing. I know how to share this message and I will continue to do so until I return to Him again. I am so grateful for Joseph Smith and his incredible and numerous sacrifices to restore that which was lost. I'm grateful for a living prophet, Thomas S. Monson, who leads the church today, truly under the direction of God. Thank you so much for all of your support during this journey. I couldn't have done it without any of you. Your testimonies have all been witnesses to me. I love my Father in Heaven and brother Jesus Christ. In the name of Him, our Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
Love you all!
Sister Phillips
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