what's with the J?

so i have been asked about the "J" in nette's letters. I don't know why it does that but it is actually a smiley face in the emails. I guess when i transfer it over it dosnt read it. so when you see a J that doesn't look like it belongs there it is a smiley!!

aPriL sHowErS=mAy fLoWeRs‏

Howdy family! This week was a really good week as they always are on missions J Ashlyn, our newest members wife, has been in the hospital all week for gallstones and surgery to get her gallbladder out. So we spent some time with her. It was fun to use our ministerial cards, I like to feel like I am a detective or part of some secret work or something lol. I use my imagination J It was really neat bc the first night we went to see her we ended up teaching her neighbor. Her name is Sonya who is 40 and just had back surgery and was in a lot of pain. She asked for her “one of her neighbors friends to come help.” J so I went over there to help her. Ashlyn ended up writing her testimony in a book of mormon and marking a scripture she had just read that gave her comfort that morning. I was able to tell her what the book of mormon is and she said she would like to come to church. She read the scripture and we heard she continued to read that night J well, Ashlyn was talking to her and asked her if she would like a priesthood blessing. J she would love it was her reply. So we were able to call the elders and they went over the next day. They told us that her husband was there and he wanted a book of mormon also. They talked and the elders told us it was great. Sonya and her husband, James, are in our area J we have high hopes. Ashlyn and Efrain were sharing the gospel all over the place in there. The day after he was baptized he talked to a guy in the hospital and got his number and sent the elders over! Wow, they are so incredible. I am so sad they are leaving. It was so awesome. That was our main focus for the week, I guess the next exciting thing would be the Spanish guy on the bus ride home that was makin kissy faces at me and asking where I got off. Lol, ya not very exciting at all. Lol. I love talking to so many ppl here who say that they came from N. Carolina or are going there. We just got in contact with a Less Active who was baptized 10 years ago and just hasn’t been able to make it to church bc she is a flight attendant. She is so awesome! She lived in N. Carolina for a while and her daughter lives there now! She actually hates it there. But ya her daughter I think she said lives in Greenville??? Idk its an hour from Raleigh. So tight! Anywho tomorrow is my bday and I am excited to be sharing the best gift I have to the ppl here. Big 22 eh? :) Ight, I love you all so much. Thank you for your prayers and support and cards! :)

Love,
Sister Phillips

Sorry so short‏

HEy

SO this week is crazy we did have a baptism for Matt it was amazing, i am so glad to be apart of it. The Room was packed there were so many people there to support him and there were nine non members there, we are hopefully meeting with one of them this Wednesday. His mom felt the spirit so strong, as soon as he went under the water she started crying. i think with him being baptized the family will really catch fire where they already have a desire to be baptized.
This week we spent most of our time tracting which wasn't the greatest nobody wants to listen to you, the reason for this was because the area is for some reason very dry all most all of our appointments fell through. we only had 2 or 3 lessons! Although we met some really interesting people while we were out, one guy told me my testimony was based on Mitt Romney and that i really don't believe in this gospel. then told my comp that all republicans are worthless and that god does not answer prayers. I really love the members out here they help out so much, They give us so much food and try to feed us when ever they can. I never thought there would be such a strong ward out here as this one both wards have over 500 members i found out, and both bishops are amazing. I can't believe that i have been out 2 months this next Monday time is flying i can already tell it will go by quick as long as i stay busy. I was so happy to get the letter and cookies from Sean and Tammy they were delicious i need to find time to write them back. I also need to write Katie and Grandma and Bailey, blast there isn't enough time on p-days. i really hope things pick up transfers are monday and i think some one will be transferred but we will see i love you all
Elder Phillips

One of my new favorite scriptures Proverbs 28:1

I FeeL mY sAviOrS lOvE‏

What an incredible and blessed week! My goodness! I can’t believe how much love I feel from my Heavenly Father! Yesterday was Efrain’s baptism and the spirit was so strong! He was so excited/nervous all week! And especially on Sunday! It was so awesome! Yesterday was also his first real church, so sacrament meeting. It is so crazy bc he went to general and stake conference, so never had been to a real service. So the day of his baptism he was able to see the sacrament and hear the words that renew his baptismal covenants. I am so sad that they are moving! They are so incredible! It will be so neat to see them go through the temple next year! J They are already talking about it J It was really neat to see answers to prayers. Saturday morning I read a talk by President Monson and told my comp that we really need to get to know our neighbors. That night was a memorial for a recent converts son and so we didn’t get home till like 9:30. Well when we got there we opened the complex door to a bunch of bags. Someone was moving in or out. I looked out the door to see a Spanish lady approaching and asked if they were hers. Well she was moving in and we were able to help her take them up. She had two sons with her as well, 18 and 21. Before we left I pulled out a book of mormon card and asked if she went to church. She said no but that she needs to. J we told her we would send the hermana’s her way J Well when we got into our apt we saw a van outside with a lot more stuff. So we and the Spanish sisters went and helped. She was so sweet! It felt so good! I really felt the concern my Heavenly Father had for me and how he wants me to reach my righteous desires. It really was so neat. We are super excited to continue to help her with the move. Things look good. I wish I could just hurry up and figure out mission life bc time isn’t waiting! But I love it and I love talking to the ppl here. New York is such a crazy place. Its hard to see how the world “really” is, I wish we could just help everyone. But we are saving one starfish at a time. I love you all and hope everything is going well. I am sorry this is short. Sending pics takes up a lot of time. I love you!!!!!!



Love,

Sister PHillips

HEy

This week has been crazy like none of our appointments went through so we just have been riding everywhere for canceled appointments but we talk to a lot of people so hopefully some will work out! the past couple days we have been averaging 25 miles on our bikes so a lot of riding. We have my first baptism this friday so that will be exciting i hope that after the baptism his Mother and brother will set a date for there baptism, Matt is the one who is getting baptized and he is so excited that it is just awesome to see him progress. This last week we had the last lesson before baptism and his little brother sat in and asked a lot of questions so that was a Miracle by its self. BUt ya this week has been crazy i hat not being able to teach but hopefully that will pick up soon, it is nuts that this is week 5 of the transfer it doesn't seem that long that i have been out here, the weeks just fly by. I like this area a lot it is one of the only areas in the mission where you tract into members both of our wards that we are over have over 300 member and they are strong active members. They help out so much with everything.
We got to go to the temple this week that was amazing, it was the first time that i have been where you move room to room and it is very small, but i did get to see my comps from the Mtc and hear of there success. I wish that we could go every week seems how it is in our area i bike past it everyday. but then the other Missionaries would be jealous. Sorry there isn't a lot to talk about this week but it was just a rough week for me and my comp is irritating me so it is a big test of patience. I forgot to tell you this funny story though so we have these pear trees and when they bloom they stink really bad. so this guy he is new to the area calls the fire department saying there is a chemical spill and it might be on fire, well it turns out it was just the smell of the tree. And i wrecked on my bike to and had some nice bruises and road rash i was mad cause it was in the middle on town. I love you all have a great week!!
Love Elder Phillips

miLeS oF sMiLeS~‏

Wat up wat up?!? Can I just say I LOVE THIS WORK! Oh my gosh…I guy just totally belched so loud and I was the only one to flip around to see who was the releaser! NEW YORK IS BOMB! Hhahahaha. Anyway, so today is the last day of the transfer and tomorrow is the start of transfer 8 for me! Holy Moly! Sister Smith and I are staying and that is awesome! J We are sad that 2 elders are leaving us in our district though. I can say that this has been the best district my whole mission! We have had so much fun and see incredible things! But new and better things await! I always love a new transfer so I can see where I stand and set goals to make my weaknesses strengths and make the next transfer even better. I love it I love it. So I really want to get my good news out, I can’t wait. Efrain is getting baptized on SUNDAY! Wow holy my cow! I am so darned excited! Efrain is Ashlyn’s husband that I talked about last week btw. So we were teaching him and told him to pray about his date bc he was a bit nervous about his mother. (they live with her so ya…) Well we met on Friday and he told us the 18th. J we met again on Sunday and Elder Thiot (DL) was there so he was able to get his interview right then! He is good to go! J Ashlyn was saying how she just couldn’t stop smiling and said that he has been through many many missionaries (he would even cook for them, but never sit in the lessons) and we are the only ones that he has stayed with and actually progressed with J Super exciting. Seeing his smile seriously is so great. I just love it so much. I can talk to 50 ppl a day and maybe get a few investigators, but when a member introduces a friend to the gospel…it is legit. I just love it! Ashlyn wants to sing at his baptism so she asked me to play. I gotta find some music! One of the elders told me that there is always Sister Williams who is always willing to play if I couldn’t and Ashlyn looked at me and said, “But it would just be so nice if you could play at it.” J That made me feel good J I am excited to share these great experiences with you when I get home. We visited the Indian family that got baptized in Missouri a year ago last night. It feels really good bc they really love us a lot. She bought us both skirts, it was so cute. She speaks hindu so she has a hard time speaking but her kids are a lot of help. Anyway, she was upset the other night bc we didn’t have time to stay and eat, so we went back last night and she thought it was so funny to keep feeding us and feeding us. She even got up from where she was and moved across from me and said, “I can’t see her face.” I was making faces at the kids of how full I was. The kids were so hyper and laughing so loud and mom (Jatinder) was just loving it. I had so so so much fun. I really love that family. They have really struggled bc the church here is very diff than Missouri I guess and they haven’t come for a long time. They have forgotten a lot, but S. Smith and I have come a really long way with them and we are super excited to be able to work with them for another 6 weeks. Even though those 6 weeks seem like 1. I love being with the people here in Jamaica. They are so good. I will really miss this area a lot. They love the missionaries and its so nice. Its hard tho when they don’t have an example of how the church is supposed to run. Its so new here and they are all pretty much convert, but every one of these members gives so much and are so devoted. It’s beautiful. I hope that we can help pull it together and make this ward a Family.

I hope everyone is doing good. I am loving my letters. Thank you so much. They brighten my day. I am very blessed with the best family ever. You have made life easy. That is a fact. Love you so much and have a splendid week.

Love,

Sister Nettie Phillips