Dear Familia!                 12-1-2014

 

What a week! We have had way too much fun! The whole thing should have seemed a lot longer than it was since we didn't have our preparation day on Monday, but it really just flew by like the rest of them do. 

Highlights of the week; well, the less spiritual of them is Thanksgiving! It was a blast! We left to a turkey bowl at 8 and went straight from there to a huge soccer game! When we actually finished it was about 1:30, and we were SO tired and couldn't hardly walk strait, but it was totally worth it.

Also, we did get a little under an inch of snow last Friday night! None of it stuck to the roads thankfully, since people only know how to handle the rain over here, not the snow. Of course, we set plans into place, tactics and battle plans lined up, and then we owned the sister missionaries in a snowball fight. Oh heck yeah!

 I think the pinnacle of the whole week for me was the start of "He is the gift". This thing is so cool! If you haven't watched it go do it! And then share it!!! Like I have mentioned before we have recently dropped most of the people in our teaching pool and searching for more, elect, ready, prepared, FAMILIES to teach. We were feeling really good on Saturday after a coordination meeting with the branch mission leader. And since we had some time to find we were able to just get real into it and had a lot of fun. After a few contacts in a neighborhood and a couple "he is the gift" cards handed out, a really large man told us he wasn't interested, but he did, however, let us know that if he had to guess he would say that "that" house is Hispanic. Totally didn't see it earlier, so we backtracked and knocked it. Nothing. Ring. Nothing. Then we hear the garage door opening. Perfect! So we come off the porch to find the car pulling in. The man stepped out and talked with us for a sec. he is from Columbia and is pretty white skinned for a Hispanic. He ended up inviting us in to share the video, after telling us it was silly to show up to show a video without anything to actually show the video on ha-ha. He really liked it though. And then we explained that we share about Christ, and more specifically about how we are different from other churches, but how that has helped us so much. "Let’s hear it!" he says, so we taught the first lesson. He asked a couple clarifying questions like "So you believe Christ is the Son of God?" Yes. "And that Joseph Smith then..." a mere man called of God with an incredibly important job to do. Then had us reteach just about every page. "So what you’re saying here, and this is me reading between the lines, is that Joseph Smith got it and the Pope Didn’t." That’s correct. "Interesting." "I think you should probably pray about that, that's sort of a big deal!" "Ok, let’s do it." IT WAS SO GREAT!!! After I really felt that we had been led by our diligence to his home, and also that the initiative for "He is the gift" really is inspired.

 

http://www.mormon.org/Christmas

With everything getting geared up for the Christmas season my invitation to y'all is simple; keep it Christ's season. Serve. Love. Give.  And like the video the church made says, discover the gift, embrace the gift, share the gift. He is the gift. He is Christmas.

 

Love 

Elder Philips

So much to do

Querida Familia, 6-30-2014

So we have had a whole corn ton of stuff to do this last week. It's sort of been ridiculous. I think on one of my daily journal entries at the end of the day all I wrote was "today we got licked" then I went to bed ha-ha. Elder Cottle and I have been really swamped with things to do; meetings to be in, places to be to help out the other missionaries there, and instruction to give! Then we go back to proselyting right after. Last Monday I did an exchange with Elder Gressier!!! I love that guy, brought us back to the days in Monroe. Then on our way to drop him back off in Arlington and pick up my companion again Elder Cottle and I went on through to Granite Falls to have a meeting with the Stake President and the Mission President in the Marysville Stake. Got home around 8:45 just in time for a bedtime snack while making the next days plans. Which included going to district meeting, followed by a basketball game with a nonmember, a quick bite to eat and then we had to book it to Burlington to meet our ride who was taking us out to Anacortes, the first city on the islands, for our Stake Presidency meeting with the Mt. Vernon Stake and Mission President. Our ride picked us up a doughnut on the way back and we got home at like 9:45, with just enough time to shower before bed (since that hadn't happened after basketball. Just a big stick a deodorant) I think that was the day I had the really elaborate journal entry. President Bonham also explained to us that we needed to put more time and effort into a specific person named Edwin. Edwin is an investigator of our branch, currently taught by the sisters, but taught by Elder Cottle previously who helped him out a ton and created a great relationship. Essentially there was a whole lot of things tangled up in his past of gang banging that keep him from being baptized. The repentance process for which would include turning himself back in, then getting tangled further with groups just to keep him alive while in jail. He unloaded a lot of his thoughts on us the following night after dinner with him, which postponed our arrival at home till 10:10.

So there was the time consuming really tiring, difficult part of last week, but we have seen tons of miracles. Including that Maria; Jessica’s mom, has decided to be baptized on the 26th of July!!! Her husband wasn't all cannonball into that one but he's dipping in his toes too! Plus Alejandro, Jessica’s son, has been thinking about it too and this coming Sunday 2 of the girls in the branch are going to be baptized, both ages 8. So hopefully that will help him resolve a couple of his concerns. Really exciting stuff is happening around here. One of the things that I continue to learn; especially in this last week, is the power that is found in the Priesthood. Maria Lopez; Jessica’s mom, tried to cancel a lesson with us due to the pain in her arm. When I hung up the phone with her I had the though "I should have offered a blessing" so I called back right quickly and suggested it and she accepted. We found Jessica already over there when we got there with Marcelino Mejia. She was healed and she was comforted in her loneliness when Jessica paid a surprise visit. One family in particular (Edwin’s wife and brother. Wife being the only one baptized) have asked us for a bunch in the last couple of weeks and based upon their faith and our connection with the Lord's will, each of them have been healed. Even Edwin then thought to ask for some help with his migraine. He was helped. I'm starting to learn that it really is not enough to have a general, or textbook understanding of the Priesthood; but really we all need an experiential understanding of the Priesthood to bless those that are "afflicted in any manner and He healed them"- somewhere in 3nephi :-) afflicted in any manner is absolutely not limiting. Nobody's life needs to be on the line to receive some comfort/healing/council. Nobody's decision needs to be life changing to seek guidance. It surely requires a bit of humility to offer it, even more to accept the offering or ask for it; but the power of God is truly manifest in the "small and simple things"

So; I invite you to test it out.

But for now I got to run!

Love you

Elder Phillips

Interesting and Mind Blowing week

Dear family, 6-23-2014

What an interesting and mind blowing week!

So I don't know what you all already know, but i'm still serving here in Mt. Vernon Washington. My home boy from the MTC just got put back here again, so now i'm serving with Elder Cottle from Las Vegas! But there's a few more twists than just that. At transfers we learned that he and I are going to be the zone leaders over the now only one Spanish zone. So that means we have responsibility over all the Spanish missionaries in the mission. All the mission! This transfer is going to be way interesting and fun making trips all over the place! From Lynwood to Canada ha-ha.

Holy smokes, I’ve already learned a ton from Elder Cottle too! I just love how relaxed and upbeat he is when he talks with people. Just makes everything so much more lively and fun.

We learned a little bit more about setting goals, making good (and written) plans, and then getting down and dirty to accomplish them this week. Last night as we prayed we knew we needed 2 people at church, but we only had 1 set one coming, and 1 more person with a date. We promised to work our tails off, but acknowledged our complete inability to accomplish this task on our own. Sunday morning got filled up real quick with meetings, and we didn't even make the time for any phone calls we were so rushed, but then walking into gospel principles class we found Jessica sitting there with her mom, who we had just taught the night before. Including Jessica’s son we had 2 people at church. After church the only thing we did was try to get in with those that we knew had the immediate potential to receive a date, but then as our time came to a halt there was still no one else who had a baptismal date. I guess we just learned a little bit about "what is the best thing I can do right now" and also how at the end of the day, if you've done all you can do, you will feel satisfied. So that's how we felt.

There's definitely more to be learned and way more miracles to be seen, but I appreciate your thoughts and prayers and the tender mercies of the Lord that are poured out upon the missionaries of the Washington Everett Mission.

Love you!

Elder Phillips

Dear family, June 16,2014

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY YESTERDAY! and thanks for all the b-day wishes too; you know, you and all those dads made a really good decoy for the surprise cake n stuff I laid out for Elder Fiala yesterday. A member brought the cake into the gym and we went in and he thought it was nice of them to make a cake for the dads on top of the cookies they already gave them. Then he looked like he got sledge hammered in the chest when he read the frosting " Happy b-day Elder Fiala"

The whole thing was so much fun, seeing how happy Elder Fiala was and stuff, ha-ha I got all caught up in it and didn't really even tell anyone mine was today, the day after. oops.
If there was one thing that was better than anything this last week though, was all over the weekend! Jessica’s baptism! We were there setting everything up and then 10 of her family members (8 of whom live in our area, 1 who is currently being taught) showed up 5 minutes before scheduled starting time and waited and quietly chatted with us. Then while we were waiting for them to get changed I handed out a bunch of cards ( real cute too, I mean professional. I get it from my mom) so that all the people that were there supporting her could write down congrats and express what they had felt there. I was hoping it would sort of act like a journal, so they could write down their feelings and hopefully express and recognize that they were feeling the Holy Ghost at that service. It was so great! All of those people also came to the last hour of church to see her confirmation as well! What an awesome ending to the transfer, even though it was the only week we didn't hit standards. Also what an awesome ending for Elder Fiala’s journey. He left here one sad puppy. I'm not exactly sure how, or why for that matter, but he and I have been together a total of 7 1/2 months in 3 different areas. I don't know that you know exactly how that happened either, but I give my thanks anyway.
Upcoming plans for us include lots of hard work with Jessica's family. We have a few of their addresses, and open invitations to their homes from most all of them. Just not too many firm set lessons. Looking back on it blows my mind how prepared she was from the start, and how little I feel like I really did. Elder Fiala and I talked about this a little bit, how there really isn't a whole lot that we can take credit for while teaching her, we were just found by the hand of the Lord in the toolbox section labeled "Burlington Spanish". We wondered if that's what it feels like to be humble, to recognize that we worked hard but did almost nothing. Hopefully I can use that in foresight now. Rather than looking back to realize I didn't do much, Looking forward saying "I'm ready to work, use me as thou wilt, the glory be unto thee."

Love you all

Elder Phillips

Dear Family, 5-27-2014

I hope you all are having the time of your life cuz I for sure am! It’s been crazy to think of all the time I wasted back home. Time is really, really precious and you don't even know how much you got.

Last week we were doing really good and everything was running along smoothly, but then for some reason on Thursday when I got back from Arlington on an exchange everything just felt weird. We tried to shake it off and go to a teaching appointment, had a pretty good lesson actually, and when we were leaving we just felt, weird. At that point we were hoping to high heaven that it didn't rub off too much on our investigator, Jessica, who had been progressing at the speed of light. We drove down into Mount Vernon again for something, talking about it the entire trip, mostly just confused, trying to figure out the cause, trying to figure out what in the world we could have done to feel that way. We probably looked like zombies, really. Never in my life have I felt such a strong impression to ask for a priesthood blessing than in that moment. We both agreed that it was a good idea. The blessing I received left my mind with no doubt that the Lord was speaking. And my companion later mentioned as well that he had never felt guided so completely beyond his understanding. Afterward we felt so much better and could not believe the relief it brought us. The other phenomenon we experienced was that of having the ball bounce off the floor and go flying, because I have never had a better night on my mission numbers wise, and all of it happened within a 2 or 3 hour period. That was absolutely crazy! So there you have it.

We have been getting a lot of help with our investigators from the members here, and it has spiked the progression of all of our investigators. My hope and prayer is that you all are doing the same. I see lots of people that are fence sitters out here, humming and hawing about church and the whole lot of it. What it comes down to is our personal conversion.” Becoming rather than just going“. Even though we live in a virtual age, do not let your conversion or life be virtual. It is not worth it, trust me. There are people out here that need our help, and we have the tool to do it.

Love You

Elder Phillips

When you break the shower head, you have to use what you have.

Posiblemente the busiest week ever

Querido Familia,

This was posiblemente the busiest week ever! If we only talk about the meetings we had it went from interviews on Tuesday. 12-6, district meeting wed, MLC Thursday 9-3:30 (in Mill Creek), weekly planning Friday, stake conf. sat, stake conf part 2 sun, and here we are again. So overwhelming on that aspect. BUT, I have never seen more miracles in a single week on my mission.

I believe I mentioned a woman named Jessica last week, who asked us to come to her house. Well we did with Clay Tenney, and she had already read the first half of the pamphlet we gave her, and her 9 year old son had tons of wonderful questions about God. So we taught her about the Restoration, and explained how she can get an answer from God, but she was having a struggle praying. She said "I feel like every time I go to say something my throat hurts, like if it is getting tied up" so we told her about all of Joseph Smith's experience. Her son then gave a wonderful simple prayer, and she was teary and gave a prayer asking for our Heavenly Father to take away the bad and the fear she felt, and there was so much power behind her words. Jessica is possibly the most prepared person I have ever met, and I'm super excited to teach her this coming week.

We also were finally able to get into contact with a referral from a member here in Mt. Vernon, and we taught her and her husband, Margarita and Elias. At the end of our lesson she prayed and felt the spirit really strong and when we asked she said that she would be baptized once she found out if this is true. She is also way prepared.

Last Saturday night President and Sister Bonham gave a wonderful fun talk in Stake Conference. They gave a demonstration of how to get out of the issue that lots of members have in wanting to invite someone to learn about the church, or have a gospel conversation, but don't know how to start it. Then they demonstrated up on the stand having a lot of fun, how they can practice at home. Practice before your game, practice before your recital, so why not practice before you talk with someone? It makes the nerves go about as far down as the dead sea.

Especially after this week I know that the key to missionary work is the members. I promise that if you practice/prepare then God will help us all in our own missionary efforts.

Love you all and make your own sunshine!

Elder Phillips

Fantastic Week

Dear family, 4-28-2014

I don't know about you all but we have had a fantastic week. A whole corn load of miracles! Its really amazing because Elder Fiala and I decided to do a mini fast last Monday, and the blessings are abundant. If you don't believe in fasting, do an experiment and find out.

Not sure if I mentioned before about how we have been really trying to work with the members here. Well last week, we received a call from a few of them actually, saying that they had just met someone at the hair salon or had just moved in close by, and that person wants us to come over. What a blessing! To have members you love pitching in and getting into the spirit of things. We have received a lot of help.

Even aside from the members this week we tried a few people we already knew, and found new people there that are really open. even a couple that strait up asked us to come over without us being like crafty about it. We knocked on the door of the mom of one of our investigators, and this lady Jessica opened the door. we said hi and introduced ourselves and stuff, and she strait up said you all should come to my house, I'm not super good with God and stuff, and I want my kids to be able to get it better. When can you come by? umm uh duh uh... ya. ha-ha I almost didn't know what to say, I'm more used to saying I love you too after some angry guy shouts some noise at us. It was quite a nice surprise.

I really hope this week goes well with all the follow up appointments we have. We have a lot of meetings and stuff too coming up so hopefully everything falls into it's place nicely and we see some more miracles.

So really quickly. Something I learned, well, I’m learning, is how to listen. It has been really hard for me to actually listen to some people in Spanish. I understand them, but sometimes I just go too deeply into my mind when that happens and start thinking about other stuff at the same time, just kind of mind wandering right? Well no! that’s bad! So I’ve been really trying to listen and care about what people around me are saying. What's interesting to them, where they are coming from, that sort of thing. Turns out it's pretty tough.

Love you all!

Elder Phillips

Check it out dad

this is some good stuff and homemade