Look Up!

Wow- this week has flown by!
There were a lot of exciting events that happened in the last couple days. 1. We had our quarterly Sisters Conference 2. Minh was BAPTIZED! 3. The Sun was out 3 days in a row :D Hooray!

Last Friday we had our Sisters Conference that our mission president and his wife put on for us. This time we ate Olive Garden @ there house, went to the sound to watch the sunset :) then had a fun sleepover at the mission home and colored Easter Eggs. The next morning we woke up and had a yummy breakfast and then went into a 3 hour training! All in all it was a lot of fun and a great experience. They just keep getting better and better!

I am surprised I don't have ulcers yet? Oh man these people stress me out. I do however, have a name for every knot in my back ;) Minh, Peter, Denisse, Lissa, Kathy and the list goes on. When Minh decided to be baptized he still had to be interviewed my our Mission Pres. and Our District Leader. I was really nervous for this because a couple days prior the questions in the interview really scared him. But luckily our Mission Pres. Is the BEST and our DL Rocks too! Minh did great and came out still wanting to be baptized, few!! We then started to plan his baptism and told us he wanted someone like John the Baptist to baptize him ha ha...well we had to explain that one to him a little better! He then decided he wanted his friend Dan Wallace to baptize him, which is exciting because Dan was baptized a year ago and came from a really low point in life like Minh.I love the Atonement! Saturday night came around and Sister Phillips is stressing until she sees Minh walk through the door! They all walk in at the same time and Minh bought a new outfit and even wore a tie!!!! The best part was that he had a smile from ear to ear and at that moment I knew without a doubt that Minh was ready. The baptism went really well. He had a lot of support from our ward and he even invited some of his friends that he wanted to bring to Church! (hes a missionary already) When Dan was baptizing Minh there was a special spirit there that I felt that night. I knew at that time how REAL the atonement of Jesus Christ was and that through the waters of baptism is how your can unlock access to the full affect of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Hearts soften, eyes are opened and lives change-

This is always one of my favorite weeks in the year, General Conference!! I couldn't be more excited. An investigator of ours is a little stinker sometimes and he is soo excited to come when we told him our prophet is compared to the pope but even BETTER! lol! And Morris Sandvig even commited to come to a session. :) If I stay in Olympia another transfer I know it is because of the Sandvig family. I have no doubt they will be baptized one day, its just in the Lords timing! But I do feel like I am going to leave Olympia :( Which really makes me cry because this has been my home for the last 6 months. This is where my heart is and it will be hard to pick it off the ground and take it somewhere else, but wherever the lord wants me I will go and do!

This week is a great opportunity to start praying about questions you would like answered during conference! If you've' never done that before, I invite you to do it. It works I promise! In Mosiah 2 when King Benjamin is getting ready to speak to the people in there own general conference he says, vs. 9, "You should hearken unto me and open your ears that ye may hear, and your hearts that ye may understand and your minds that they mysteries of God may be unfolded to your view."

I know that He Lives, more than I have ever known in my life. He is real and aware of all of us, I know that the power of prayer and faith can unlock the heavens and create miracles! Don't ever forget to Pray to Him-Get on your knees and pour your heart out in faith that he is listening! I am grateful for all your support and love i can feel clear in Washington! I couldn't do it without you all!

Sister Phillips

Hello family and friends,

This week has been really fun-stressful-fast! I can't believe it's monday
already, I feel like I was just here yesterday! Time flies when your having fun
:) I sure wish It would warm up though, its so cold and rainy. It has rained
everyday for the last week. A couple days it was non -stop to the point I
couldn't hardly see where we were driving. This weather is very bi-polar!

Our investigators are doing great! Denisses family still doesnt know when
she is going to be baptized. I totally pulled I may be transfered in 3 weeks, so
it would be great if you could hurry. I know her son is way more important than
I am, but on a selfish note I really really really want to see her baptized!!
Minh is suppose to get baptized this saturday. He totally put himself on date
during our lesson on friday. We have been working on "asking inspired questions"
lately and it totally works! The spirit was so strong and then our fellowship
decided to ask him the interview questions and Minh got spooked. My thoughts
were "OH NOOOOOO" I had to hurry and whip some good scriptures out and help Minh
understand that you only have to have a "willing" heart you dnot have to know
them perfect. Luckily he understood, but he is still a little shakin by that. He
has an interview with our president tomorrow, so pleeeeese pray that Minh will
feel confident!!!! Peter is awesome! Our lesson on saturday was a little weird.
he was super tired and not being the most responsive, which was understandable,
but I was a little worried about him. We have been praying and fasting for him
to know what we could do to help him get over that stump we feel like he's
under. Then we were at church on sunday and a family walked through the door I
haven't met. I introduced myself and started talking to them and found out this
family had lived in Taiwan for over 20 years...score!!!!!!!! I told him all
about Peter and i'm not even kidding they got to him before I could even
introduce them to each other. They fellowshiped him all 3 hours of church and
then They invited us and Peter over to there house for dinner and a lesson! The
Wynders daughter just got home from her mission from Taiwan and they all speek
Mandarin Chinese. I have a feeling Sister Brown and I are going to be the
minority!!

I am so thankful this week for the Lord and showing to me my full potential
and what I have to do to reach it. The Joseph Smith Story stands as a solid
testomony that God hasn't shut the door on any of His children-He loves us as
much today as he did anciently. That give me comfort and assurance in a unsure
and confused world that He loves us no matter what and there is alaways a way
back! I Know He LIves!

I love you all,
Sister Phillips

Heavenly Father Is So Aware Of All Of Us

Hello family,

Have I ever told you how excited I am to email on Mondays? Well, I am and I love hearing from you all! This week has been really great. Besides the delay this week with my health things picked right back up when we got home wed. night. We have been able to have some great lessons this week.
We had a BEAUTIFUL day on Thursday, oh my, I just wanted to walk around ALL day. The sun was out and it got up to 68 degrees :D You could just feel your body crave the sun, I can't wait until its summer here. This weather really starts to get to you about now. Then the next day was rainy and cold again, oh well!

Saturday Kayden was baptized, finally! We started teaching him in November and his family would just keep putting it off and coming up with excuses over and over again. I told myself I wont believe it until I see it type of thing. His family are members, his mom is a fairly new member of the church, but still struggling with activity. So when she had her baby and the whole family had 2 weeks vacation Kayden and his 8 year old sister Kayla were baptized. Hooray!

Sad news...Radmila is going back to Europe TODAY! They didn't get her paper work done in time for the immigration office, so they are shipping her back. She surprised me on Thurs. and told me she was leaving. I think she thought I would be excited, but I just cried and cried. I will really miss that lady, she has a big spot in my heart. But the good news is she will come back in 6 months and then she will be all ready to go to the temple. :D I think this move will be good for her. We already found her a church to go to in Serbia that isn't to far from where she lives. Isn't amazing that wherever you go there will be a church??? I love it! She can finally intermingle with people that speak her own language :)

Heavenly Father is so aware of all of us. This was witnessed to me many many times this week. I am so grateful that we know that we are all watched over. I could feel the many many prayers coming my way and my recovery has been amazingly quick! This week Jane a recent coverts of mine has been struggling and she was really questioning her testimony to the point where she said she didn't think this church was true. I knew the only things there was left to do for her was pray. That same day I read this scripture in Alma 37:37, "Counsel with the lord in all they doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when though liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall befitted up at the last day. vs.41, "Nevertheless, because those miracles were worked by small means it did show unto them marvelous works."
That night I know many many people were praying for her and then she showed up at church on Sunday. Not only that but the talks that were given were SO PERFECT for her. I went to talk to her after and she looked at me with tears in her eyes and said, "I'm sorry, I don't know what got to me" then she started filling out her tithing slip. That was a miracle in my eyes.
I hope you can all remember to Pray always and if you do you will see little miracles all over!
I hope you all have a wonderful week. I love you,

Sister Phillips

This is me and mama Wanita! I love this lady. She is convert and just went through the temple :)

The next is some of the sisters at transfer meeting!

Look who we found the other night tracting :)

Miracle Sunday

Good Morning, How has everyone's week been, I hope great! I heard Utah received some snow finally-that is good news. How are the ski resorts doing :/ I couldn't imagine well, if there isn't much snow. The only thing we have here is rain and it is really starting to come and NOT stopping. It is pouring outside as we speak. I guess it is expected with spring coming around,but I still ask people all the time if it is going to warm up and the answer is always "NO"! Dang it! This week has been a great week. A lot of up's and downs with certain people, but they all came around and are doing well. We had our transfer meeting and got to see everyone. I always love going to those. We only had 1 missionary going home and 4 missionaries coming in. I guess our mission is one of the few that the "entire" mission comes for transfers every six weeks. I am grateful we do, because it is a lot of fun and I get to see all of my cute sistas! Its been so much fun to see Sister Brown grow lately! Our goal this transfer for her was to "step up" and I know that might seem harsh, bus she made it up haha! It fits her perfect though, she is so scared and timid that she holds herself back worrying what others will think of her. No, no can do in mission life!!!! But she has came a long way with her confidence and her ability to teach by the spirit. For the longest time she couldn't except that it just takes TIME, you have to be patient with yourself. She has finally started to realize that and now I tell her that she is like a little butterfly getting ready to soar! ha she loves my jokes! :D She thinks I'm crazy most of the time though! This Sunday we had a GREAT day! We had 7 people @ church and 6 of those were in Olympia 3rd ward, which is HUGE!!! My entire mission since this transfer the most I have had in Oly 3rd is maybe 1 or 2. As we were waiting for people to come in the chapel we first saw Kayden (he's getting baptized this sat.) and the cool thing about that was his entire family came as well. They are all members, but it was his dads 1st time back at Church in over a year. Denisse & Rodney came as well, which we the day before I asked Rodney if he would come and he said no, (knowing me I wasn't going to take a no) So I got a maybe out of him and a hand shake ;) And he came!!! He doesn't like to stay for all 3 hours but at least he came for sacrament and brought Denisse. Denisse is the one who has a stroke and it paralyzed her whole left side of her body. Anyway, she has some feeling come back in her leg that allowed her to walk better. Oh my goodness, she was sooo excited she even made us touch her leg so she could feel it haha. She wouldn't even let us help her she wanted to walk all on her own to classes on Sunday! Minh came in a WHITE SHIRT AND SLACKS!!!!! He usually came is baggy jeans and a hoodie and sit down gangsta style in the chapel, but he is changing and it was so cool to see him in dress clothes. Now we just need him to tuck in his shirt and wear a tie :) small steps! Peter showed up! Peter told us he had to work to late so he was going to go to the Centraila building because it was closer to him, but his friend told him no, he needed to go to his own ward and she even came with him! He even showed up in a shirt and tie. *Side not: We tell people to wear whatever they feel most comfortable in when they come to church. We could care less if they showed up in jeans, the important thing is that they are there. But it is so exciting to see them change with it is THEIR decision not anyone elses. You then know they have a true desire to change! Then...Angie Ward came. What? I had to take a double look when I saw her. Angie is a lady we met tracking my 1st transfer here, so about 4 months ago. We instantly connected (not to mention she wears Silpada jewelry). She says, she thinks she is suppose to be Mormon one day because they keep coming into her life. Coincidence? I think Not! Anyway, we visit her and always invite her to church but she has never came. Well, lucky her, her new boss is a MORMON haha! And he is awesome. He is in our other ward. But it was a great fast and testimony meeting and she loved it. Now we just need to work on her coming more! I will always cherish this Sunday for the rest of my mission! Who knows if this will ever happen I sure hope it does, but it was truly a blessing for the ward members to see everyone there and to be engaged in missionary work. They are so excited about these people and I have full confidence they will be taken care of when we leave! Bishop had a smile on his face so big I just had to laugh. They haven't had investigators there for a long time. I do not in anyway give this credit to sis. brown and I. I truly believe it is because of the faith of the ward members that we are even being able to teach these people! For a couple weeks this scripture has been dwelling on my mind. Its in D&C 130:19 and it says , "And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come." I knew that if we were diligent and obedient it was only THEN the lord would make these pathways for us and help us find the hidden "fruit" in Olympia!

I love my Savior Jesus Christ and it is only through Him that we will have the greatest Joy! I truly testify that if we will be diligent and obedient the Lord will bless you and make your life more full.

I love you all,
Sister Phillips