fam sham bam‏

Hi’ya! How goes it? Well this week I started my 6th transfer, my 4th in Park Slope. It’s crazy to think that I have been here for that long…But things look as if they are really going to look up. The ward has set some great goals for this year that sound like they will be really helping us a lot. We are behind in baptisms to hit our 800 goal by November, but with faith, prayers and the wards help, God will def make a way  And I have great news!....we finally, after a transfer or two….GOT AN INVESTIGATOR!  We had a pretty good week. We were out looking up some referrals and actually were able to accidently come across one and we got an appt! But as we were heading back we were trying to talk to everyone who passed. We hit a lil dry spell and then a boy was passing…I hesitated, but did it anyways. His name is Derek and he is 16. I asked him what his biggest fear was and he said death. Which was perfect bc we were able to teach a really good Plan of Salvation talk. The spirit totally led and it was great to feel/hear it working through me. I asked him if he played any sport and he said basketball. It was awesome bc I used basketball to explain how each time we make a basket it feels good, but we able to move back and stretch ourselves and progress, and it’s never ending, we can always get better. I then told him that it’s the same after this life. That we are here to progress and learn and it isn’t wasted; that we do the same after this life. He loved it!  It was great and it felt so good! Well that is pretty much all for this week. We are talking to everyone we possibly can. The work gets harder and harder but that’s what makes it sweeter and sweeter. I can’t wait to see what the future will bring. OH! I think I talked about Candid last time. I think she is really struggling bc I was finally able to get a hold of her and she said she’d call back and she didn’t.  It’s really sad and I really hope things will work out, but I know it’s all in God’s hands. Our whole pad is new. We got 3 different sisters, one of which is BRAND new. She came straight from Maryland bc the MTC said there was some prob with her flying there; even though she had been for BYU. So she didn’t get the MTC experience, SO SAD! She is Korean and very sweet. Sorry this email is kinda lame this week. I wish I had more spiritual experiences to share but I guess you’ll prob get double next week  I hope everyone is doing well and I will be back next week!  Love you! ~Sister Phillips

fam‏

Hey ya'll! This week was so so fast! Each one seems to go faster and faster! I can't believe that it's already the end of transfers! I'm beginning my 6th one! The end of Feb I get to go to the temple for my half way mark! crazy! We are staying the same and I'm happy about that. We have great goals for this new transfer. Friday night we went on exchanges and sis. burton came with me to see rhonda. we had taught rhonda tuesday night and we left completely spiritually exhuasted. she really just...doens't believe in premortal life or understand alot. she is rather more confused than anything. she wants truth but is scared to find it. well when burton came rhonda was very quiet and didn't really go against anything we said. it was incredible and the spirit was strong. afterwards, while we were following up i felt a little weighed down wondering what good i was doing and why i haven't seen a baptism yet. i felt better and shortly after we finished the phone rang. it was CANDID!!! Candid is a girl the S. Frodsham fearlessed on the train like 2 weeks before she left. Candid has never been baptized and wanted to be saved. she was even asking if her sister/friends could. frod committed her for jan. 27th. she was so excited and was all hugging frod. well we were planning on teaching her with frods parents but she kinda disappeared. well on the phone she was crying and explained that since she had met us satan has been tempting her in ways she has never been tempted before. she started drinking and smoking and then she found our card. she knew that it was time. she said that she hadn't drank for 2 weeks or smoked for 1. she said she really needed our help. my legs were seriously beastly when i got off the phone with her. the goosebumps seriously didn't stop till the next day. i have high hopes for candid. she is a miracle and blessing from above. Saturday night I was talking with S. Bartschi of how i have had this huge desire to teach mulititudes. :) Since i got to the city i have just had this desire to shout out on the train to all the people and cry repentance to tthem. well we decided to set a goal for this new transfer to teach multitudes. we read a scrip and prayed and were totally pumped. we got on the train to see two not so pleasant...girls...who loved eachother.... and a very creepy guy. I was watching this guy and he'd plug his nose, suck in, his body cringing, turn red and move his scalp all creepy like. he would use his sun glasses to look at people around him. I honestly thought that something was going to jump outta him. I was so scared that i had to sit and cry. i couldn't teach on that train like that! I knew that satan was goingn to through his strongest forces to keep us from really using the power we've been given. With what has happened in Haite, the Lord is truly preparing his people for these last days. We've been able to teach people about the Plan of Salvation. There is alot of sorrow here, since our area where we live is very Haitian. The Lord is going to make a way for his prepared children to find the truth. I know that we are giong to have to give our all and be stronger than ever. We are preparing ourselve each day to take on this new duty. It's time to find those who are truly prepared. Anywho. I love you all and hope you all have a beautiful week. Be safe and strong, and I will be back soon! All my love,Sister Phillips

family!‏

Hey there, hi there, ho there!This week was a rather slow week. It’s been extremely hard because I’m sure my mono has inflamed again due to stresses of a mission so I have been soooo tired, and it’s pretty hard to get sleep on a mission…and sleep being the only thing that helps mono. But, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming! We met some great people this week though. It’s fun to see the Lord’s hand in our every day. We were having a rough day—very exhausted… and called our media referral to be sure that he was going to be there and not juke us or it’d be a waste to go all the way out to where he is. (He is on the very edge of our area.) So he said we were still on. Well on our way I fearlessed a couple of people, one lady who lived in his same project. She was so sweet! She asked where we were from bc if we were from NY we wouldn’t be around that area at night. When we said Idaho she freaked out and gave us a hug lol. She then gave us her number and said if we ever needed anything or a place to run to we could go to her house. Haha. She was so sweet. I was pretty nervous bc of what she said and when we visited this Media Referral (Bett) for the first time, I remembered something being said about tracting projects, which was our plan after we visited Bett. So I called our DL and he said that we could tract a couple but to not go into any elevators with anyone…lol! Great! Well that’s comforting! There had been an elder in our area who took the elevator at night at a project and a guy robbed them. He took E. Olsen’s camera and Olsen was like, “Can I at least have my memory card?” “NO!” then they just sat there in awkwardness as the elevator went down. Ba hahahahah! Stupid ppl. Well anyways. We got to Bett’s and guess what…he juked! We then called and he didn’t answer. We stood there and someone called right after us…he answered! So we were like well, we’ll just go fearless on the train. On our way I fearlessed a lady named Diane. She was awesome! She had just moved from Massachussettes 3 months ago and was going to a Baptiste church there but hasn’t found a church here yet. We invited her and she said she’d love to come. We are praying she does. She was very sincere. I’m learning how to carry the stress of a mission. The people you serve amongst really grow on you and you gain a very deep love for them. I’ve grown a very strong love for a lot of the people here and am scared to leave. But it’s comforting to know that I have close friends/family all over thanks to the church. Yesterday in R.S we did an activity where we all got in a big circle and took a moment to go around and look at all the women, concentrating on any inspiration that came of how we could serve any one. I just cried as I looked at each one. Realizing that each one of them is a daughter of God, my sister, and each of them is struggling with something. A huge love just blossomed inside of me. Anyways. It was a really cool experience. It is so hard to carry all the things a mission brings. We talked with a LA who told us of sleeping on the street bc they are homeless and the shelter was treating them bad, and then thinking of suicide and just crazy things. I was so overwhelmed and just wanted somewhere to cry. I wish so bad that missionaries were heroes and we could help everyone. But that is how I’m learning to use the atonement. We do all we can to help our brothers and sisters, and when we do do all we can, then we must trust in our Savior and his atonement, knowing that He will take care of the rest. I’m learning to really rely on the Lord. Instead of running to my mom or Bailey when times are hard, I run to my Heavenly Father. It’s been a very spiritual awakening to get down on my knees each time I struggle or need help; and that’s a lot. I love the fact that he is always there to talk to, and realizing the reality of that. No one knows us on a more personal basis then our brother Jesus Christ. He felt everything that we will go through. He is there to succor. I’m so grateful to learn all of this so that when I get home and do go through hard times, I know what to do. Jesus Christ knows how to succor his people bc he knows how it feels. I stepped on the train the other day just after teaching a woman. When I stepped on I felt a feeling of exhaustion as I looked around, trying to be guided on the next person I would talk to. It was then that I felt strongly that my Savior was standing right next to me. I knew I wasn’t alone and that He had been where I was. No, he didn’t preach on a train. But he taught millions of people, alone. He was mocked and spat upon, alone. He wasn’t afraid, for he knew he was on the Lord’s errand. I’m learning to not fear what man can do and use the power and authority that I have been set apart with. I am on the Lord’s errand. He is not a God of fear. I love learning to be guided by the spirit and seeing when it really leads my words. When I go back and reflect on what I said and realize that I said things I haven’t taught before. This is truly the Lord’s work. I know He lives and loves us and will use us for the building up of his kingdom. I know that we have the truth. I love you all so much and hope you have a great week. Help the missionaries and always be searching and sharing the gospel with those who are around you. We need our members so much. The work would be so much easier if our members were really missionaries; especially here in NY. There are people prepared all around us who are waiting for us and our personalities/talents... Who you can save! Love you!Sister Phillips

just pics

the first ones are of her appartment. All 6 girls in the area share it.
they are in the process of finding a new one. thank goodness!

weeekly~

Dearest Family-I hope everyone’s Christmas was BEAUTIFUL and BLESSED! I hope you all made it back safely and Santa was able to find you  Christmas on the mission is pretty fun  A couple nights before, I was lying in bed and couldn’t sleep. I rolled over and was looking at the Christmas tree and thought, “It’s already almost over. My only Christmas on the mission and it’s already almost over! Oh no!” So from that moment on I decided to make the last moments the best! Thursday was our missions Christmas Eve devotional. I woke up early and curled my hair. It was fun to spend a little extra time on me  I got dressed up all Christmas like  We got lost on the way and stepped in right as they were introducing the new missionaries! Haha! So we busted through the door and my comp introduced herself. It was pretty funny lol. It was really good. There was a slide show and then we had a lunch in the gym which was decorated with Christmas lights and a tree, behind the tree were a kazillion packages from friends and family for all the missionaries. The last 2 hours was a musical number from each zone (we have 8 zones) so it was all music. It was SO good!  It was so much fun to see ALL the missionaries and catch up on things! We got home and made/decorated cookies for our door man Al. He is so great and fun and was super excited. He is a widower, all alone in NY, away from his ranch in Texas and retired, we thought we could try to cheer him up with some cookies, we think it worked! Then we decided to pull our matrices off and sleep by the xmas tree. When the sisters got home we invited them to join. I asked if any of them had done the Nativity Scene and S. Stephens had, so we decided to do it! Afterwards, we sat in a circle and told xmas stories and traditions! It was a ton of fun! The next morning we opened all our gifts…thank you so much for all of the cards and gifts! Oh my goodness you are all so darn sweet to me! It was so fun to have gifts to open and feel so much love from my incredible family. Thank you so much. We then got ready for Combined District Mtg and the Sr. missionary couple, Elder and Sister Edwards, fixed us a Christmas lunch that was so good! After that we headed to our other Dinner Appt at a members…sooo fulllll! On the way I was able to chat with the fam for a bit and it was INCREDIBLE! HOLY MY COW! I realized that it had been 6 months since I really had last talked to them and then realized how amazing it is to hear voices! After our DA we went to the church and called our families for real and were able to talk for a bit. It was just beyond amazing! I do admit that Saturday was a bit hard to get back in the rut of things, but man, I so look forward to my next call….and my last????....Anywho, as far as work goes, we continue teaching everyone we possibly can. I do admit that things are pretty rough here. Park Slope is just so ritze and stubborn…we are really fighting to find someone who will listen to our message. But, we keep the faith knowing that the Lord has a plan and when we are on His errand and keeping His commandments, that he will provide a way for what He wants to be done. It can be hard and at times you feel like a failure…but that’s when you step back and see the miracles and trust in the Lord. Well, I love you all so so much and can’t thank you enough for all your prayers, love and support. It’s all greatly needed and so much help. Have a happy New Years and I’ll be back next week!Love,Sister Phillips

WONDERFULL

It was so good to hear from Nette on Christmas! We talked for a while. She sounded so good and i can hear a change in her voice and the way she talks. she can do a pretty good impersonation of a new yorker! oh how i love that girl!

weekly~

Hey everyone!I’m sorry I don’t have a lot of time, but I don’t have a whole lot to say! So my poor little compie had a bump on her shoulder that was about pea size and has had it for 2 years and the dr said it was fine. Well after a week of being out she informed me that it had tripled in size. Of course I FREAKED! So we called Sister Nelson and she found us and ER to go to on Staten Island (places are pretty sketchy here.) So we went and turns out that she had a cyst. They opened it up right there and it was infected. It was sad bc it hurt her and they were going to town, popping it like a big zit  and this made her sick, about to pass out. I felt so bad. It is true that the mission intensifies any medical prob you may or may not have. So we will be going back for the 3rd time today to repack it and hope that it isn’t infected anymore. But  we do get to go on the ferry and see the Statue of Liberty! Yeahhh! So we’re excited for that.  As far as missionary work goes, we have had a horrible dry spell. It’s been pretty rough. You tend to feel that you are the only ones with no investigators and get discouraged, feeling it’s bc you aren’t working hard enough. But we know that we have to go through the tough and have a test of faith, and that when the sweet times come that they are even more sweet bc of the rough times. It’s hard but rewarding. Yesterday church got cancelled bc we had a good storm. Of course for us Idahoans we were like, “Church canelled for this???” We had the joys of tracting in a storm and I the stupe that I am forgot a hat and just had ear muffs, I got in the train and whipped a pile of snow off my forehead….NOW THAT IS BRAIN FREEZE! It hurt  lol. So Sunday night we layered and went out to look up some Single Adults that we don’t know about and both had moved. We still had a half an hour till we were going to a members house. So we got to their street and I was like, Hey! Lets tract this appt. So we buzzed some places and of course they weren’t receptive, when all a sudden, one buzzed us in! We go up the stairs wondering who will be behind the door. This Spanish lady opens and before we can even finish our names she excitedly invites us in. We thought maybe she was a member! Well we were able to have a sit down lesson and she told us that she was raised catholic but doesn’t practice anything. She has been writing back and forth to the St. Matthews church for a year. She said she wanted to be fully committed when she joined the church and didn’t know if she was ready to give herself to the Lord. We told her about how he would make a way and strengthen her and she set up a time for us to come back! :D We got a new investigator! The power of fasts! I believe it was bc I was so temped to eat while being at home but held strong lol. Also, on Friday we were able to meet with Denise. She was a miracle as well. The week before we were planning at the church and took a break. I went to go to the bathroom and people were coming out of the family history center. I remember that a lady in our ward told us that the pple who go there are like all non members and that they aren’t allowed to proselyte. So I decided to stop a lady and talk to her. She told me of how grateful she is for the LDS and the services they provide and how she has had so much success with her ancestors, even finding slaves! I then asked if she knew much about the church and she said she’d occasionally watch BYU channel. So I told her about why family history is so important to us and what we do about that with the temples and how it connected with Joseph smith and the BOM. She accepted to meet again next week (Friday) and learn about the BOM!!! So on Friday I planned on just giving it to her and giving a brief message about it, but she wanted to hear our message! We had a sit down lesson in the chapel! It was so incredible! I loved it! The spirit was so strong! She has been a devout presbetirian and says she was raised in the church and well, we are keeping the faith! So please keep your prayers for Denise and Kizzi! Thank you so much for all you do and all your support. The true gospel continues to spread and I’m grateful to be apart of it! Merry Christmas everyone! I love you all and I am so grateful for this time of year! Remember the reason for the season! I’m so grateful for our savior Jesus Christ and his sacrifice, and I know it can free us from any burden or pain we have. Love you! Love,Sister Phillips~