hey‏

Hey so this week has went by very fast it is hard to believe. So we started another transfer and it seemed like we got a lot done but not at the same time we taught some very good spiritual lessons and everything but also had so interesting encounters. Just some rude people like always but so with all the spare time missionaries have which is very little we managed to put together a puzzle and also i made a saddle bag for my bike out of duck tape because President said no more walking around with back packs we look better when we are just with a copy of the Book of Mormon

fReSh BReAtH oF aiR~‏

Hola Family~

This week was a rather eventful week. We didn’t get out much with Tuesday being our deep clean day and then I got really sick and dr’s orders were to stay in for 2 days. Friday we finally got out and were totally exhausted but did some tracting, as much as we could. We knocked about 12-15 houses and each one there were ppl inside but wouldn’t answer. We asked a lady if we could help her weed.. “No.” “Ok, well can we share a card with you?” …. “NO.” …. “Is there a better time we can come back?” …. “NO.” ….. alrighty then! So that was our day. But the times we were able to go on Sat and Sun we were led to some awesome ppl and have return appts. We are really excited bc we found a very family oriented neighborhood and feel really good about it and so we’ve been spending our tracting over there. We are excited and pray that these ppl are prepared for our message.

We had stake conference this week and were able to go with Maria to the adult session. It was really good. They were having a new member mtg in the morning before stake conference started and we weren’t planning on going, but when we got home Maria said, “I’m going to the new member mtg if you girls would like to come.” Ahhh! She asked us!!!! Hahaha, awesome! Toney was also there!!!! He is doing so awesome! He is about to receive the Priesthood! It was so nice to see him, along with my other family in Riverhead! :D There was our area seventy there and his wife is so cute. She talked to Maria and when she got up in stake conference talked about her! Maria was tellin her about her baptismal date of Nov. 6th (yeahhhh!!! She was tellin everyone :D) and she said that she hoped she knows enough. So when Sister Lansing got up she told Maria that she knows enough and she has incredible faith that will continue to grow and she hopes she will take that step. Awesome! So It was a really incredible week, we lived for those high moments, although we were stuck inside for almost the whole week, our days we were out were filled with highs and that was our fresh breath of air that keeps us alive. I LOVE it!

It’s been hard to have to keep saying good-bye to my families in Riverhead. As each day passes it brings more and more tears shed. I’m so grateful to be apart of such a marvelous work. Each day things happen that confirm the truthfulness of this gospel. What a beautiful blessing it is to be apart of it, born into it! Yesterday a family was baptized, well 3 kids of a reactivated spanish sister. What a blessing it is to see this new light enter their eyes, a light of peace, hope and happiness that is now in their family. As we met with Maria she told us that as she did her assignments, she found her testimony. As she read scriptures that she found to explain her feelings, we listented to the new breath of hope in her voice as she told us how she knows that this gospel is true. She has an incredible power about her and we see the spirit is with her a lot as He continues to confirm the truthfulness of the church. I know that her brother is on the other side and is anxiously waiting for his work to be done. I know he has been a big part of her conversion. I love this gospel, and I love so dearly my Father in Heaven. I know He loves each of us and desires each of His children to come back to the fold. How grateful I am that He has entrusted Maria in our hands.

Love you all!

Sister Phillips

week

So this week was one of those long but short weeks. we had training all week so we were in that from like 8 till 5 for three days so that was really long and really because it was some what of a repeat of last transfer, but there were a few things that i did learn that are useful and hard like extending a baptismal invitation on the first contact that is hard. But a lot of it is just following the spirit and asking inspired questions. For training we had 7 missionaries at our apartment so that was crowded and the first night we went on an exchange with the Assistants talk about intimidating the one we were with like doesn't like to laugh so it was hard. And to make the night more stressful both our plans blew up in our face so i was trying to find something to do. So we went to a part members home and the husband and kids are not members and taught a great lesson on the Book of Mormon and finding answers to prayers so that was good. We also taught the Thigpens three times this week and the first to lessons were really good and we showed the Joseph Smith movie the one you can only see and the visitors centers it was amazing we set a baptismal date with both the mother and the son on Saturday. Then Sunday they didn't come to church and they called and said they are confused and don't know that it is true any more so we went back over and had to resolve concerns an invite them to read the Book of Mormon again. The son Westley was about to throw the copy of the Book away but he decided not to and though that he would actually read it and try to find an answer. So that helped me a little bit, i was having a bad day yesterday from that whole deal but now i am alright. This is also the first week of the transfer i am staying in Kinston bah it is hard area everything is just to far to get to work so this will be another hard biking transfer. And i created a new planner and dedicated the back to lynette being how she is dying so i will have to take pictures and send them to you next week. any way love ya
Love Elder Phillips

lOVE

Hello! This week was awesome! We got lots of beautiful rain and it is really feeling like fall here. I love Fall in NY!
Maria is doing awesome! The Bishop told us yesterday that she looked so happy :D We were a little nervous bc it was the Primary Program and was a bit...crazy hahaa, but she loved it! She has such a huge heart! She wants to spend time with us and even asked if we could move into her house so that we were in a safer neighborhood! She worries about us all the time she says! I love her! she thought that she had a long ways to go before she could get baptized, that she needed to know the B of M and everything! So when I extended the commit to get baptized she was really surprised and we told her we felt she was so ready! She is praying about November 7th!!!!!! Woot Wooooottttt!!!! :D
Rob and Eli were at church again yesterday. things are going really well, the Lord is truly blessing us so much. We have had some awesome member lessons this week (when a member comes to lessons with us). They are so great! I love this ward and I really love the people here in New York. This work is truly the Lord's work and I feel so strongly the love He has for all his children as I serve amongst them. I love you all and hope you are safe and sound. Sorry it's so short and simple, but most importantly the work is going forth.

Love,
Sister Phillips

this week has been a little different with the whole preparation day on Wednesday, it kinda throws you for a loop, but this week has been pretty good actually we were able to teach and get a hold of a lot of less active and inactive members. That and working with family mission plans with the active members. Yesterday was a little disappointing because we were supposed to have two investigators at church and they didn't show up, we were supposed to have a lesson with them right after and we figured that would also help them get to church, but the didn't show and they wouldn't answer the phone either so that was sad. It is just kind of weird that she won't come to church because she knows it is true and she has already read half the Book of Mormon and she knows that is true also, i think that it is her son that is the hold up because he has kind of a wall up and we are just starting to break through the wall. Other than that it has been a really good week.

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

SpEcTaCuLaR miRaCLeS*‏

Happy Monday!

Hello from Bayshore! I hope everyone had a great conference weekend and had questions answered and some amazing spiritual upliftment! Wasn’t it great!? I am so sad that it is already over! It goes so fast! It was so nice to hear a prophet of God speak. And the music was INCREDIBLE! Every time conference is here I just can’t help but think of how richly blessed we are to live in this dispensation. To live in a time where we don’t have to walk in darkness but that we and our families can be guided by a prophet and apostles truly called of God. What a blessing! Feel free to email me your favorite speakers or things that stood out to you. I’d love it!

Sunday and Monday were some tear filled days of saying good-bye but it did feel right to be going. Well I am loving it here in Bayshore! It is so good to be back and see all of my family here again! :) I remember missionaries saying how weird it is to go back to old areas but it really hasn’t been weird here at all. My comp, Sister Jewkes, is so awesome! She is on her 3rd transfer and is a hard worker! I LOVE LOVE LOVE her! She is from Taylorsville, UT! There really, I believe, isn’t a better way I could’ve had for my last transfer. …Idk if that sentence made sense…. But what I’m trying to say is this will def be the best way to spend my last transfer. We have seen nothing but spectacular miracles! And I believe that they are going to keep coming. At transfer meeting President Nelson told us to make October a month to never be forgotten and pray to see spectacular miracles and we def are being sure to make that true. So lets talk about some spectacular miracles!

Tuesday we jumped right in to teaching and it was awesome! We got home (which is a diff home then when I was here:D) I unloaded my bags, got some food and off we were! We went to see a 17 yr old young man and ended up rescheduling, but as we were walking away to our car there was a lady sitting out on her lawn, so we decided to go talk to her. She ended up being from Africa and actually asked us to go to Africa and bc we have such “pretty skin” to find a man there and get married. It was really funny. Then a young girl (sr in HS) came out and I waved her over. We got talking and she is just awesome! She talked about how no one here is aware of God and disreguards Him and she is apart of the Bible Society at school! Yes! Well she loves the BOM and wants to share it with the Bible Society and she has been lookin for a church to go to around her. She had a dream when she was younger doing missionary work and so that is what she tells everyone she is gonna do when she is older! She came to conference yesterday and we are so excited to talk some more to her. We ended up having 3 investigators at conference yesterday, 2 of which are new within the past couple of days! Which leads me to the incredible MARIA!

Maria went on a business trip in SLC a few months ago and actually went again about a month ago. A friend there gave her a BOM and told her some things she really needed to see while she was in SL. She has been to Music and the Spoken Word twice, saw the Joseph Smith movie, and said that when she stepped on Temple Square she felt so at peace. She had a lot of miracles happen when she was there, one of which when she was trying to find the church. She went to temple square and they gave her a paper with the address of the church to go to. So she went out and while walking she really had no idea where she was going. So she stopped to ask a lady and the lady put her arm around her and said, “I’m going to. Lets go together.” Her name ended up being Maria as well. Much of the miracles of Maria will have to wait when I get home, but she is so incredible. She has already read 1 & 2 Nephi. She went to a church out here and they told her she was in the wrong area so she felt kinda tossed around. Well she called us like Thursday and said she wants to come and is very interested in the church. Then her friend from UT called and Maria really has been callin us since then. She came to a session on Sat and one on Sunday. We met with her after Saturdays and it was incredible. Her story….she’s incredible. We are so very excited to teach her and help her to find the peace and comfort the gospel brings.

So that is the sum of the miracles for this week. I hope everyone prays to see miracles as well. I know that if we do that we can see them. The Lord will use our every effort. I love you all so so much and hope everyone continues to be safe and healthy. Have a great week!

Love,

Sister Phillips