out of order. from 2/27

Well this week as i said has been a little rough, everything that could fall through fell through! So many appointments have cancelled! The Adversary is working hard! That is alright though because he is no match for the Lord. But we are keeping our heads up because it is the same concept that came with the fall of adam as stated in 2 Nephi 2:23 "having no ^bjoy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no ^csin." We wouldn't have noticed all the miracles that are going to happen this week if we would not have had the trial of our faith before hand. SO this week is going to be good we have a lot of appointments set up and ready to go and hopefully a few more to come. I am going to work like crazy this last week to ensure that i leave it all out there. bring nothing home!

On the Bright side we did teach one investigator that we were following up on with praying about the truth and baptism, and when i asked her about the answer she recieved about baptism she said " I Felt Awesome and i want to do it in the next month or two!" so that was really neat, those moments that you know that you are doing the right thing.

The rest of this week has just been crazy, we have been kicked out of our appartment for the past week, they are redoing our drywall because of the Hurricane which was 6months ago and they are just barely getting to it. At 830 everymorning they just walk into our appartment, we finally started locking the door so they can't get in until we answer the door.

That is really all to say about our week.

short‏

Well there isn't much to say about the week other than it has gone by pretty quick, extremely weird to think that it is over and i will never get the opportunity again to serve in this way, it has been one of the hardest thing that i have ever done very physically, mentally and spiritually demanding. But one of the most rewarding experiences ever, and the best thing that i have ever done. It has provided the opportunity for true conversion to take place and allow me to over come the natural man, the desires have changed and i am glad to say that i have become a saint through the atonement of Jesus Christ. Nothing else could have done this.

On the Work side of things i met my goal of leaving this area with Three investigators with Baptismal dates! All of them have set up this week. It was so good to see the spirit work inside these individuals. The teaching and finding has went done though, we don't know why but we know that we tried our best and have worked hard. Plus we have worked hard to set things up for the sisters to come in and split the area, i am sure that they will see success in this next transfer, we were very generous.

I am excited to see everyone in like 2 days!!!

LOve yall.

Short‏

My week has flown past, it is crazy how fast time goes by i don't even remember half of the stuff that happened this past week. On Monday we went down town New Bern, it is a really neat historic town, we went to the place where pepsi was born. You won't believe what pepsi's nick name is "Brad's Drink" So i am going to have to get one of those shirts by the way.. But on Tuesday we had trainning, it was great but it really set things in place when i had to give my farewell testimony. Then i got to go with Elder Hintze on an exchange that was fun being we came out together and i am thinking about going to his homecoming talk, but then that would be taking me away from the family. Then we have just been running around with our heads cut off it feels like so much travel this week and trying to find new investigators, and trying to schedual appointments with potential investigators. Just Crazy. But the highlights is we found a family that is just a great family that really wants to get there kids in church and needs God, they are so nice and they invited us back this week so we are really excited for that and to be able to teach them. We have some really good potential in the next two weeks which will be good, that way i will be able to work really hard and give it my all up until the end.

Plus we have a lot of really good families that we are teaching, and i have a goal to leave here with three people lined up for baptism. Should be good.

weekish‏

Our week has flown by, we have just been so busy. We went on two exchanges so first i went to havelock and then to greenville. Then just lots of stuff going on with finding people to teach and teaching, Just helping others to come unto christ ya know. It went so fast i can't even remember what happened other than i met Dennis who is the Duck that i caught and i Met a Guy you went to High School with in Shelley, i also got my flight plans. And we had some great lessons with our investigators, we hope to have a few of them ready to be baptized the last week i am here there is alot of work here to be done and i really want to be the one to do it so i won't and am not letting up until they put me on an airplane.

So the neat thing is how crazy tomorrow is going to be, Being my last trainning i get to bear my testimony, also we get to present the training on Charity, then we have a leadership meeting right after with our district leaders, and after i will be interviewing a gentleman for baptism in Greenville while on an Exchange with Elder Hintze. So lots of good things, this week is going to fly as well.

week in a nut shell‏

I can't remember half of it!!

This week has flown by, it has been super busy. Everyday had something new in store and going on so it started with an exchange with the assistants, which was good i stayed in new Bern with Elder Wade. Then we went to Greenville to district meeting. We had a lot of teaching appointments with people who are willing to learn and we are just trying to help them over come there addictions and obsticals so it has been good. That and it is great to be busy, and that is what we are it is exhuasting you get home at night and just collaps onto your bed. And with the potential that we have now we should have atleast two more baptisms before i come home.It is so good to have something like that to look forward to and to work towards, it makes time go extremely fast though. and this week ended great with the Baptism of Bro Fox, and i got to confirm him which was neat, it was my first time confirming someone. Such a good week and it will just keep being good until the End.

week.

Well what a weeks it has been, really crazy and busy. It is fun though already i love being a Zone Leader, just the fact that you are busy, and we get to serve the missionaries around us. So this week we saw President Cotterell 4 times, that was neat, First transfers, then interviews, then we had a meeting with the Stake Presidency and all the bishops and Ward mission leaders, then we had Zone Leader Council. So we haven't had an Opportunity to relax yet which is great Just go go go, one thing to the Next. So my companion is Elder Wightman from Rexburg, I like so far, i think this will be a great last transfer for me. we work extremely hard just leaving it all out there. Plus i like having a companion that works hard cause that is how i like to work. And New Bern is great the work is good, they had two baptisms last week and we set a baptism up for this saturday as well. So we are just going to keep finding new investigators. We have two others that we are working with one is really sad, It is like the same situation that we had with Kayla, and a member has taken her in for a little bit. She said it is the most support that she has ever had in her life, and this week she said she feels that the book of Mormon is true.. I know that the Gospel will change her life and she is starting to see it aswell. Also we have been teaching this girl who is staying with a member for a few months, she has a lot of questions and doesn't believe what we tell her a lot of the time, so on saturday we taught her and HOly Cow talk about a spiritual experience!! At first we were trying to teach the Plan of Salvation and we could not get past the earth life plus we had a lady there that was teaching all the wrong things so finally i was like you have got to read and pray about the book of Mormon. I bore my testimony and it was intense next thing you know is that the spirit was so strong and lead us to some very inspired questions and the spirit hit her so hard. Incredible and then she came to church the next day. The spirit and truth can change someone and can make a deep abiding impact it is amazing, I love it.

So now the funny story so we pull up to the street that we live on and it is blocked off lots of police officers and everybody else keeps pulling up so we cant get to our appartment. So we ask an officer what is up, he says there is a bomb threat!! Ha ha i feel safe at night now knowing my neighbors are insane or that there is a bomb threat in our neighborhood.

But over all our week has been great i love it and time is just going to fly by, working hard makes the days short.

Love yall,

Elder Phillips

leaving‏

Well it looks like my week hasn't been quite as eventful as yours, it looks like Noah sent the flood your way, but my week has been pretty good i can't complain at all. I have had a cold most of the week but that hasn't stopped us. So i am getting transferred and becoming a Zone Leader for my last transfer which will be good, it was completely unexpected. So i am leaving mebane, i enjoyed this area and i have most definitely left it stronger than it was when i came in. There is a lot of success in this area as of right now we have two investigators schedualed for baptism and two more that want to be baptized, they will set dates with them this week. So they should have atleast four baptisms in this area next transfer. We have a lot of solid investigators right now to work with, the Lord has blessed us with success and i know it is because i am worthy, obedient and willing to do what he asks. We have been teaching alot of people consistantly and the ward trusts us so there is nothing better.

few stories of the week‏

Well the week has came to an end and i still can't rap my head around the last week, for some reason it was crazy and i really don't know what was crazy about it other than it was. Just lots of appointments that fell through and at the same time appointments that i wasn't expecting to go like they did. One appointment was a former investigator and our exchange had been there before and said she was dragging the missionaries along, so as soon as we started he grilled her on the purpose of her having us over and it was pretty awkward, i felt bad and we tried to switch topics but no bueno. Then we picked up a new investigator from Hawaii and in the middle of our appointment she got vertigo and about fell off her chair so we gave her a blessing on the spot. then this week she got kicked out of the room she was renting. In one lesson an investigator asked if to join our church she would have to be baptized again, we said yes and explained authority again. She was completely against that and started to get angery, so we had to calmly tell her that she needed to find out for her self and we explained the doctrine very simply with much power. Weird things, that and while out tracting we continue to find the crazies one guy told us that we were a child of hell and by preaching religion that we were making others twice the child of hell as they were before. He proceeded to tell us a story about his grandfather, so i started to testify and he started to attack the book of Mormon so i testified again, he told me to humble my self because Christ doesn't want us to preach religion and especially not to Add to the Bible, I told him he was wrong and he called me hard hearted. Then he turns to my comp and says i can tell that my words have pierced your heart and it is alright go with those feelings, don't deny the truth let it work with in you, let go of this foolishness. I guess the reason he criticised me was cause my comp said i look mad while he was talking and that i basically said with my actions your a moron! So that was fun. 

week‏

Well this week has been pretty good, we are just experiencing miracles like you wouldn't believe People coming out of now where willing to find the truth. I wish i could say that I was making a difference but i can't not, I have simply said Here am I Lord, I will go where you want me to go! When we are Obedient, worthy and willing to work the Lord will provide the Investigators. I Love this work! We will be having a baptism this weekend and Possible one or two more in the Next three weeks. SO i got a really neat Letter from my mission President about it as well. "As we begin a New Year we are grateful for you and the work you are doing in the Mebane area. You have had a huge impact on the area, it has been more productive since you have been there than anytime that I can remember since we have been here."

Ya so all i can say is we have had a lot of People to teach as a tender Mercy of the Lord and the Spirit is working Like you wouldn't believe. This is the part of my mission that i feel like The Lord had prepared me for this. The Gospel is the Biggest Blessing we will ever have in this life and it truly is the best, It makes you happy beyond all belief, if your not happy you must not be living a principle of the Gospel.

I love you all!

week‏

This week has been pretty good i can not complain, we had three great lessons two with our investigators with a Baptismal date. It has been a really spiritual week one being with the Christmas Zone Conference anytime you are focusing on the savior the spirit is going to be strong so that was fun plus narrating was good i hardly looked up though i just focused and reading it loud and clear, also the singing was good i like to listen to the missionaries sing generally. Some of us just can't sing and shouldn't try. But it has been good with had a lesson with a sister that is a friend of some members, we taught half of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and it was so spiritual, you could tell the spirit was working on her. She knows its true, she may have not recognized it yet, but the spirit has bore record. She has read the Book of Mormon everyday for the past week and said she feels peaceful when she reads it and it makes sense to her plus she loves church. We are hoping to set a baptismal date with her this week. We are seeing alot of success in this area and i pray that it continues Right now we have three people set up to be baptized and hopefully we can set some more up as well.. SO we arejust trying to work as hard as we can and keep being obediant. This week just flew by it seems like it didn't exisist. so that is it.

Love ya.

Elder Phillips

Small and simple‏

This week has been extremely good the main reason being is that Matt got baptized! It was most definitly the most spiritual baptism i have been to on my mission. That is what really matters it isn't about the numbers it isn't about leadership, it is about bringing souls to Christ. Now Matt has been brought into the fold and is save from the storm of the adversary, he has been given the tools to stay in the fold and on the path. After we have experienced that conversion or that mighty change of heart we feel a deeper concern for the welfare of others. That is what we are doing now is working with him to help his family come unto Christ and be numbered with his sheep. These are the times that you know for a fact that you are doing the Lords will.

That was the most exciting part of the week and also i got to confer the priesthood upon him. Other than that we had a lot of cancelled appointments but what can you expect being the Holiday week, even with so many cancellations it seemed like we were still extremely busy, and that is what i like being busy. It just is to difficult to sit inside.

Thanksgiving was good it gives you some time to ponder what is going on and to really give thanks, I dont think i have thought about thanksgiving as much as i have on the mission. It kind of gives you a new perspective of what you are thankful for being most of it you dont' have at this time, but the things you do have you are more thankful for. So all in all a great week.

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Elder Bradley Joseph Phillips

Unexpected.

This week has been kind of crazy, ups and downs and just the unexpected. The ups are that we found two more investigators that seem like they want to bebaptized and we should be helping them progress for a date this next week so that is always exciting and most of our other investigators are still moving forward. We will be having a baptism on the 26 of November exactly two years from when i got my call.. The only down really is that we had to move the baptism back a week. And the unexpected is that first with faith the unexpected is always good like finding people to baptize. But the major unexpected we ran into this week is..... So Friday morning i get out of bed and step in water. Our whole apartment is flooded.. In the night a pipe broke right next to our apartment. SO no water that morning except the stuff on our floor. So they get that fixed and our carpet is drying and we go out to work. We come home there is more flooding. Our waterheater broke. so they get that fixed and the carpet is drying again. Then the valve starts to leak so they fix that. So i say to the guy. Ya gott'er he says "by george i think we gott'er" then boom! Pipe brakes sending water all over our apartment again.. Wow what a Friday. Then on Saturday we went to A members home for lunch and he is like my hero like how he lives will be how i live when i am older. Golfs like everyother day has deer mounted all over his house, then he just plays the banjo and guitar. Which i have decide i am going to play the banjo, i have already started to learn. So that is about our week.

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Elder Bradley Joseph Phillips

This week has been pretty good, just trying to continue to find people to teach as usual, and the first week of the transfer is always interesting trying to get used to your new companion so that you are unified in you teaching so that has been fun, Elder Armacost is a great missionary and i can really see him helping one of our investigators make it to baptism, i have felt that from the minute i met him.
So that will be great we also found two new investigators this week that we are excited to get to work with. The work is going great i love it we are also hopefully going to recieve three more investigators this week that we have set up appointments with. There are miracles working in our area and it is amazing. Two of our investigators are set to get baptized on the 19 of November which is really exciting. We are just working and working trying to do our best, The hardest part is that if you don't have appointments during the evening you are at a lose because nobody likes you knocking at there door when it is dark.That has basically been the week not to much going on but alot going on at the same time.
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Elder Bradley Joseph Phillips

week‏

This week has been pretty busy and quite fast, i can't even remember half of what happened. first i will be transferred on Tuesday. Also this week we started by getting two new investigators from a partmember family, the lesson went so well we applied everything we learnned at trainning and it was so good. Then we deep cleaned our appartment so that took alot of the day, plus that day we went and helped the Fotheringhams move, they are such a great family, they remind me of lynette and Bailey so much it is crazy. It was also stake conference this week so we went to wilmingtonfor that and it was really good. After we went to sacrement meeting on base where two none member walked in to the chaple wanting to learn more so we taught them the first lesson which was great they are sincerely interested and very prepared. the only thing is one of them is going to pensicola florida so we only will get to continue to teach one of them. It was just a good week.

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Elder Bradley Joseph Phillips

weekly‏

Well this week has been a little disappointing, the work seems to be slowing down, which means we must work harder. Our main investigator, Tiffany the one who had the baptismal date dropped us this week. It was because her husband came home from deployment and said he didn't want her meeting with us any more.
We also met with the The Mohr's this week and taught what we learned at zone conference with the Law of Chastity and the Word of wisdom, it was a great lesson. They are still struggling with smoking, but coming alone. They have came to church twice now in the last three weeks which is a major improvement. Sister Mohr goes in for a major surgery next week and we are hoping this will help her quit smoking, then she will be ready for baptism.
Then we tried getting up with the Boone family this week but he got a new job that has him working 80 hour weeks so that makes for some scheduling conflicts
This week we also taught a lesson to a media referral and it was great she already has a lot of the same values we do and she said she would be baptized when she found out it was true, the problem being she doesn't want to do anything until she reads the entire book of mormon! Hopefully she reads fast.
My study this week has been on Finding and having faith to find. As well as in the book of Alma with the sons of mosiah and Alma. It has been very good, i really noticed this time while reading that alot of people would not listen to The sons of Mosiah.
Love
Elder Bradley Phillips

Week‏

This week has gone by super fast and has been really good, With those first two investigators on monday, we taught them again on wednesday after district meeting, they had a lot of really good questions most referring to the plan of salvation. Then On tuesday we were out biking and we took this dirt trail and it was pretty fun so we decided to do it again and on the way back we cut through a soccer complex, well there was a girl sitting on a picinic table all alone nobody around, she is probable 16. so we went over and talked with her she said that this is what she needed right know, she has been having a hard time, her mother passed away last year due to cancer, so that was really good. Also this week we have taught The Mohr's a partmember family and it was really good she really wants to change her life and be baptized she told us she has repented of all the mistakes she has made and she fells like she has been forgiven and wants to be baptized. Then on friday morning we went and met with Charlene and taught a lesson there and set up a time to come back, but she is one of those that have commitment issues like with coming to church so we will see.. Then on Saturday we got to meet with Richard G. Scott which was pretty amazing, invoked blessings upon our mission and we also got to shake his hand.. Also he talked a ton about marrige.. Like making it our Highest and first priority when we get home, and to start observing the sisters and finding qualities in them that we want in our spouse and write them down. He was not what i expected i thought he would be like 6 foot something. No he was like 5'7 pretty small guy. It was neat.
Then on sunday it was a crazy day, we were supposed to have investigators coming to both wards so we went to the third wards sacrement meeting, well they didnt show.But some guy while bearing his testimony proposed to his girl friend!!! Then we got to go with a Staff Sargent to Camp DevilDog and 306 to do the sacrement for the Marines, that was cool only two marines did it but it was neat. Then Brother Covey who is the staff sargent set his old platoon straight about complaining about stuff like not being able to call home for a week.. He put us up front and told them what we give up and what we do. it was funny to see there reaction. So a good week.

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Elder Bradley Joseph Phillips

Tornado

The pictures are of the Elders appartment from the 3rd ward! Brad is serving in the 2nd ward! They did not recieve any damage and the 3rd ward elders will move in with them until other arrangements can be made! There are more pictures of the damage but i cant get them to upload. He is safe and well!

week‏

well this week has been a not so good week for the work all of our appointments have cancelled so we tracted a lot and had like no success, so the work has been slow, then we have had a crazy week end with conference then finding out i am transferred. we didn't get to watch the priesthood session until sunday morning because the satelite wouldn't work. then we have just been running all over trying to see people. And we went over to the cape and i huged the light house for lynette..

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Elder Bradley Joseph Phillips

i am excited for lynetttes wedding i just wish i could be there.. LIfe on the coast is good.. This week has been real good other than the weather, earlier in the week it was in the 80's and warm then by thursday night it dropped back down into the 40's and has been raining ever sense. We were going to go to the cape today but because of the weather we can't to the captin in our ward decided to take off work next monday so he could take us out. Which nest monday could possibly be my last pday on the island, so that was pretty nice of him and he is going to take us fishing also in the boat, do some salt water ocean fishing.. So today we are going to go paint our decoys we finally got the carving done. As for the work this week it has been pretty good, a few of the members are starting to really realize there importance to the work so both of our lessons this week were set up by members. It was pretty neat Brother Mikey Guthrie calls us and says I got some work for you. HE set up an appointment and brought a less avtive member to the appointment, then invited like everyone to church. So he brought one non member, and two less active families with him to church!! That is amazing..
Also this weekend we had a pretty funny experience in Davis.. Two weeks ago we met a girl about our age that when Elder Malan contacted her she started laughing and cut him off, well this week we were in Davis again and a member of the ward walks out of this house. So we walk over and start talking to him and a nother member walks out this time it is a girl of our ward. We ask what they were doing, they were helping a friend remodel there home. Then walks out this girl that laughed at Elder Malan... They were walking out to move this couch, so we offered to help, she did not waant us to help.. so first off she gets the leg of the couch stuck between the tailgate and the bed so we help lift it out. Elder Malan grabs one corner, and she grabs the one right next to him. Well when we get to the door we had to tilt the couch, so she tried to get Him out of the way by taking the entire end of the couch.. Then she couldn't handle it and dropped it. ha ha
Then Yesterday at church i asked Ashlyn the member that was there if any conversation was sparked, the only thing really said to Ashlyn was that she should go "talk" to one of us because one of us is cute, so she had to explain that we don't date and we leave our families for two year that kind of stuff.. so that was our week on the coast..

what a week‏

This week has been great and it went by so quick, i can hardly believe it is monday again. so toward the first of the week we meet with Bob Ensminger and read the Book of Mormon with him and we were fairly persistent in trying to find out concerns, well we managed to set a baptismal date with him for March 12, the hardest thing will be Word of wisdom with him but with the Lord by his side everything is possible so we are very Excited. Also this week we taught a family of Three, the Hall family, and we had one the best lessons ever it was filled with questions. That family is sincerly seeking truth so we are excited for them as well, they said if they found out it is true the would be baptized, and they would have come to church but they had to sing in the church they are going to now. I have very high hopes for them. It would seem that the work is picking up.
Also there is a woman named Dora Willis who as soon as we told the relief Society that we had seen and she was willing to have us back they jump up into action, it is amazing she has had more visits from the ward than anybody i have every heard of, just the other day we were over there setting up an appointment the President and her 1st councler walked up as we were leaving. So it is great when the ward really gets involved.
So anyway we have had a great busy week, but what is going on with you i know Lynette is getting married, how did baily Propse? Tell me all of it and your week..

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Elder Bradley Joseph Phillips