Tacoma

Hello Family and Friends,


I hope you all had a great week. I hear it was a little chilly in Utah? That's expected though right?! It hasn't been the greatest here either. Really grey and cloudy and sometime during the day the sun will poke out for a moment-you just hope you catch it :)

This has probably been one of the busiest weeks of my mission. Our numbers were out of this world! (we don't focus on numbers, but we do set goals) and we reached them all and exceeded some. We have been very blessed here in Tacoma. We find new people to teach everyday and now it's just getting them to progress. The hardest thing for us right now is getting our investigators to church. We mention 9am and people think were crazy! ha ha. Yesterday I called 4 people to wake up and none of them answered-they were all still asleep...ugg! So this week we will stress the importance of coming to church. I read a talk this morning from Elder Quintin L. Cook in a conference ensign and he said, "The sacrament is the most sacred and important thing we will do ALL week." I thought that was pretty amazing and I hope that the Lord will bless these wonderful Tacoman's with a added desire to wake up a tad bit earlier to come show there Heavenly Father of their willingness to obey His commandments.

These last couple of weeks there has been a lot of changes going on in our ward. We got a new Bishop and new RS Pres. Bishop Anthony is the greatest. He wants to stack up our ward missionaries and have them go visit EVERY member of our ward and inspire them to do missionary work...Yahoo! We just got 2 new ward missionaries yesterday and we are getting 2 more here soon! Then the ward council (which includes us ;D) will go on visits once a month to families in need. When you have a missionary minded Bishop, then you will have a missionary focused ward. I am so excited to be a part of the beginnings of future miracles that will come from there added efforts to re-activate Heavenly Fathers Children!

This week we are having our mission tour. That is where one of the 70 will come tour our mission and make sure that all is up to parr'. So...we all had to deep clean our apt. Which was AWESOME! I was so happy to have time to do that. We took 5 garbage bags to good will of just stuff that past sisters have left :/ I'm sure sister Renner was happy for that too! Elder Quigley (senior missionary who is over our cars) came to inspect our apt. and we passed with a golden star. He then told us that he would take us to the grocery store and he would buy us 30.00 worth of groceries. Sister Hoffman and I stacked up on fruit and peppers :) then took us and some of the elders to pizza the next day. :D We love him! While hanging out with Elder Quigley we were telling him about on of our investigators that we are working with and how he stood us up on a church tour and then later came that week. Come to find out that Elder Quigley was his baseball coach for 4 yrs. and Mike was his starting player. E. Quigley was so excited to hear this and want's to be a part of all his lessons :) Mike couldn't believe that Coach Q was a Mormon ha ha. Elder Quigley is a convert and has only been a member for 10 years. We pray that something will happen with Mike. He is a little stubborn, but maybe this is just what he needs to open his heart to the Gospel.

The BEST part of the week was that President Weaver let me go to Denisse's Baptism!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We drove to Olympia last night and as soon as I stepped in the stake center I knew I wasn't going to be able to control my emotions. Denisse had been waiting for me and when I walked through the doors she came and gave me the biggest hug. It was one of the most special moments. She looked so cute. Because she cant walk very well her son-in-law Joe had to carry  her in his arms and take her down in the water while he was holding her. It was so amazing. The spirit was so strong and there wasn't a dry eye in the house. I am so greatful that Heavenly Father let me be apart of Denisse's conversion. I think I was the one who was blessed and changed by her. She reminded me that the Lord will never forget you. She has waited for 9 years to be baptized and yet, the Lord knew her heart and prepared away. She reminders me to be patient. Denisse never became bitter or discouraged because of her disability, but she did her best with what she had and was very patient with the herself and in the Lord's timing. I also got to see Peter! Ah I miss them so much.


Also guess who spoke in church on Sunday?? Peter and Minh! I was blown and away and I think my jaw dropped to the floor. New members of less than a month both spoke in sacrament meeting! I am a missionary and I still get nervous speaking in sacrament. Wow! Everyone told me that it was one of the most amazing sacrament meeting they have been to. I guess Minh stood up and the first thing he said was, "Hi my name is Minh, and I am a recovering Drug addict and Alcoholic" ha ha. But what better example of the Atonement and that Christ truly can change any ones life who is willing!!


This week has been great, but I know I would be useless if it wasn't for my Savior Jesus Christ and the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit. There is a part in PMG that really stood out to me this week that I want to share. This is a quote by the prophet Brigham Young. He was not baptized until a year of learning about the restored gospel. This is what he shares, "If all the talents, tact, wisdom, and refinement of the world had been sent to me with the Book of Mormon, and had declared, in the most exalted of earthly eloquence, the truth of it, undertaking to prove it by learning and worldly wisdom, they would have been to me like smoke which arises only to vanish away. But when I saw a man without eloquence or talents for public speaking, who could only say, "I know by the power of the Holy Ghost that the Book of Mormon is true, that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of the Lord, ' the Holy Ghost proceeding from that individual illuminated my understanding, and a light, glory and immortality were before me. I was encircled by them, filled with them, and I knew for myself that the testimony of the man was true."


I hope you can all take from that, that all you need is a strong testimony to change one's life. Sometimes we get caught up in "I dont' know enough to share with my friends about the gospel", but Brigham Young teaches us-all we need is a sincere testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ.

I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week,

Love,

Sister Phillips

WA-TAC

Pictures:

1. The back porch view of our Ward mission leaders house! That's my area :)

2. When we were tracting I ran into a deer!

3. Sister Hoffman and I being silly or just me

4. Denisse and Sister Phillips

Sunny Days!

Oh my goodness has it been as beautiful in Utah as here in Tacoma? As we speak it is a whopping 70 degrees here in the Evergreen State :) This morning we played ultimate Frisbee and ate lunch at the park with our zone-it was really nice. The sad thing is who knows how long it will last here. It likes to go in spurts!

This week has been great! We had a baptism. Richard Plein was baptized on Sunday. I don't think I have talked much about Richard. He was pretty much ready when I got here, but It's been fun to see him grown in just these last couple weeks. He was a missionary for his last church, so that makes for some interesting conversations. Sister Hoffman was very excited for his baptism it sounded like they had went through a lot with him. He said he received revelation that my calling in life was to be a teacher...hmm!

Well the Osmond kick is back! I thought maybe it was just an Olympia thing, but people in Tacoma think I look like Marie Osmond as well. I need to write her a letter-maybe she'll let me come meet her one day ;)

This weekend we had quiet the workout. Friday morning we woke up early and did insanity with the elders. The next morning we ran the Narrows Bridge which is a mile long, so 2 miles total. After that it was Park Appreciation day and we went as a ward to spread bark. I raked for 3 hours straight and my abs and shoulders hurt soo bad. Sister Hoffman was dead and I had to make her get out of bed the next morning. Everyone was pretty soar at church the next morning. That goes to show how out of shape I am ;/ I did request to open up a sisters bike area in Tacoma and President Weaver said he thought it was a good idea. Hopefully next transfer I will be on bike!!!!

On Saturday we went tracking with our bishops son who just returned home from his mission in Russia. We have an appt. complex that is full of Russians, Maldivians, and Ukrainians. They all migrate to Washington. Most of them do not speak very good English and when we try to explain the Book of Mormon to them they get very defensive and say the Bible is the only book. So we came up with plan B. We took Chris with us and had so much fun. We met a lot of people and gave away 3 solid Book of Mormons with commitments to read and pray about it. The best part was to watch their faces at the door when Chris would start speaking Russian. We have one person we are going to go visit next week and I really hope we can get him to come to church.

I want to send a shout out to my Whitney Calhoun. Last week in my attached pictures there was a pic of me with the Kllumker Family. Sister Klumker knows Whitney through her daughter, so she emailed Whitney and asked what she could make me that I would love. Whitney emailed her back and said if she wanted to win my heart over to make chewy sweet chex mix!! I was so surprise and it was soo yummy! I still haven't even eaten half of it, but that's okay. I was very thankful for her and for thinking of me. You guys are the BEST!

I am grateful for the love and testimonies of you all. I know that the Bible is not the only word of God, but that there is more and it is in the Book of Mormon. If people would just try it out and read it they would see and feel that it testifies of our Savior Jesus Christ on every page. I am so thankful for a loving Heavenly Father who still speaks to us today through a prophet of God- Thomas S. Monson. I know that if we listen to his counsel, we will never be lead astray! I love this Gospel, I love my Savior and I love you all!


Have a great week,  Sister Phillips

Pictures are of Sister Hoffman-she found $10 on the side of the road :)

Goodbye Olympia.... Hello Tacoma!

Goodbye Olympia...Hello Tacoma!

Saying goodbye to everyone in Olympia was so hard. I was holding it together pretty good until we went to a members house, the Latimers, and some of my Recent Converts came and they had a little going away temporarily party for me :) It was so sweet. Right before that the Wynder's called us and wanted to make dinner for me one last time. Oh-it is so good. They make this tofu dish that I just love ( I know what your thinking..tofu? gross. but it is yummy). They taught me how to make it and then we ate it all up! It was a great day and Peter even painted my name in Chinese for me :) I sent a pic so you could see it. I am eternally greatful for the experiences I had in Olympia. I had some of the most trying times and some of the happiest times in my life. I saw many many miracles and the most memorable thing to me what that I was able to feel the Lords Mercy in my life and come to feel the Christ like Love. Olympia will always have a very special place in my heart!

Now I'm in Tacoma! A lot of change has happened in the last few days. Not my favorite thing, but we all know we have to have change in our life or there is no room to grow. Tacoma is a beautiful city. It is much bigger than Olympia and I am only serving in one ward instead of two-which is kinda weird. Since I have been In Tacoma for the last 5 days or so I can't believe the difference in these two cities. Don't' take this to be racist because I am far from-but I haven't seen so many black people in my life. I am in the "hood"! I think everyday, "Where did all my hippies and hobo's go?" Nope now it is Russians, Nigerians, and who knows what? I really love it though. We are not in the scary (hill top) part of Tacoma, but it is next to ours :)

My new companion's name is Sister Hoffman. She is great and very sweet. She has been out 1 transfer ahead of me and this is her 3rd transfer in Tacoma. She is from Seeme California and guess what...she wants to be a dental hygienist too! It will be fun to work with her besides the fact that I am miss energizer bunny and she is chill/needs 3 meals a day person + 10 min bathroom breaks. "Waiting" is something that has always been a struggle for me. Waiting=patience right? I have been learning many things about patience and how broad that word actually is. I have had to be very patience with myself this week in knowing that the love I had for Olympia will come to this area in Tacoma. We all have to remind our self that our way is not always the Lord's way and the questions we all ask ourselves, "why me", "why do I have to suffer" come to us because quiet honestly our eyes are not open to all that is going on. Remember that the Lords sees the upper and we the under side. While we are struggling down here and not understanding why things happen the way we do. We can have full trust and confidence that the our loving Heavenly Father does! I know He lives and that the Book of Mormon truly is the word of God.

I love you all very much.

Thank you for all your support!

Sister Phillips

My new address is:

2214 Whitman St.

Tacoma, WA 98406

Our district at the tagging wall. Really funny story there-there was a swear word up there and the elders thought they would "edit" the wall-SO I taught them how to do a cheer leading stunt haha.

Pics: Olympia memories

Pics.

1-picture with Denisse Willis. she is getting baptized in 2 weeks. :)

2. Sis. Brown and I playing with our whoppers we got.

3. Goodbye Varner family. Recent converts that were baptized just before I got to Olympia.

4. Beautiful rainbow after a long rain storm.

5. Goodbye Floyd. Ward mission leader Oly 4th ward.

6. Goodbye to the Robisons. We taught carter for his baptism.

7. Mount. Rainier.

8. Peters Baptism.

9. MacDonald Girls our ward mission leaders girls in Oly 3rd ward.

HAPPY EASTER!

I had the Best Easter ever! All last week was stressful with a lot of fasting and prayer to try to help our investigators progress like they need to. One in particular-Peter. We met with Peter Tues. night and the lesson was not like I had imagined it. While we were talking with him I felt like he was digressing NOT progressing. A couple times in the lesson I kept getting choked up because I felt like Heavenly Father was not giving me the guidance I needed at the time to help him.I honestly felt so alone, which is not how it usually is. At the end of the lesson Sister Brown and I stressed the importance of reading the Book of Mormon and praying for specific answers and how to recognize them. I left that lesson in tears and endless tears I might add. I have never cried so much for something I couldn't exactly pinpoint. I wont get into much detail because this is very sacred to me, but that morning when I woke up I knew that whatever happened it would be God's will- I left it in His hands and just allowed.

Friday we had an appt. with Peter to have dinner at the Wynder's (his fellowship) with a lady he worked with that actually introduced him the church. That afternoon we got a txt. from Brother Wynder saying that they were going to have to cancel because of some family things. We said, ok we will just meet with peter at his house tonight instead. Which I knew wouldn't be the best because its always better with food anyway right?! About 2 hrs. later Bro. Wynder text us and said that it was back on. They canceled there plans because smart sister Wynder felt impressed they still needed to have this meeting for Peter. They called us and said, "Sisters we need help cooking, come over now!" We went over and cooked up a plethora of Taiwanese food (which is soooo good) and it was a hit! I even learned how to make egg drop soup and that tofu can actually taste good :) After dinner we sat down in the living room and I asked Peter how his reading and prayer went:

Peter said, "good...pause...I think Im ready to be baptized."
Sister Phillips, "excuse me what?"

Peter, "Sister Phillips, I am ready to be baptized!"

Then someone else asked him again, and Peter said, "For the 3rd time I want to be baptized!!"

I can't express the gratitude that was in my heart at that moment. Tear instantly came flowing down my face and I said a silent prayer in my heart thanking God for Peter in my life. He decided to be baptized that coming Sunday on Easter. But of course there was a bump in the road. Peters wife was NOT happy. She started looking up anti-doctrine on the internet. Peter called us in a panic and because he doesn't speak great English I couldn't understand him, so luckily the Wynders speak Chinese and could talk to him. We were with our zone for a Easter thing and one they we all kneeled in prayer together for Peter and his wife. It was a very special prayer! That next morning Peter talked to his wife and He said that the lord gave him the words to say and Teresa came to the baptism to support her husband :) Miracles!

More news....

I am being transferee to TACOMA!!!

I was very shocked, I didn't think I was going to Tacoma, but I was excited as well. My new companion will be Sister Hoffman and she has been out 6 weeks more that me-so it should be fun. I am ready to be get to work!! She is one of the sisters I really don't know, so I will be fun to serve with her and get to know her. It was a very bitter sweet feeling for me, but I know that there will be people in Tacoma that I will love as well. At church on Sunday bishop announced to in sacrament to see how many people could get sister phillips to cry. It was NOT a nice thing to do!

Over the last 6 months here in Olympia I have come to feel the Love of Christ. It is the most amazing thing I have ever witnessed. I know that a loving Heavenly Father watches over all of us and that he is not a jealous God and he does not delight in persecuting those who misstep. HE is an absolute perfect, compassionate, understanding, patient, and forgiving Father. He was willing to give His only begotten, sinless, and perfect Son to make a sacrifice for us all. Through that act of the Atonement we can live in a just world with mercy and grace given to us freely if we but obey. We draw comfort from Paul's words, "As in Adam we all die, even so in Christ...all are made alive." (1 Cor. 15:22) I have really come to understand what it means when we are taught that the Atonement reverses the affects of the Fall. It is through the Lords Grace that carries me everyday through all of my imperfections!

Thank you for all your love, prayers and testimonies. I love hearing from you an you truly do strengthen me!

Love,

Sister Phillips

Conference Spring and Easter

Hello family,

I hope everyone had a great week. As for me I had a great week as well. I was so excited for conference that the beginning of the week felt like it went by really slow! The trees and flowers are starting to bloom here one by one and they are very beautiful. Washington in the summer is one of the most gorgeous places in the world. Besides that it still rains to much :) We got 2 1/2 inches of rain in just one day :/ It was not fun, especially when we were walking in it! But it always makes for good experiences and good laughs. This coming week is going to be bitter sweet for me. I met with President last Tues. and he told me It was time for me to leave Olympia. I said President, It's only been 6 months??? He didn't really seem to care. I have felt for a while that I am leaving, not sure where, but I know that the Lord will send me where he needs me most. So-I will go and do! Sister Brown is terrified to take over our area, but President assured me he would put her with a really good sister. I have a lot of attachments here and a lot of people I dearly love, but I know that just like President Monson said in the opening of conference, "The work will go forth, boldly nobly and Independent!" I am leaving 3 of our investigators behind that are getting baptized soon and that is what is the hardest. I want to see them baptized sooo bad. Maybe, just maybe President will let me come back for one of them ;) I just want to leave you all with my testimony about how grateful I am for our Savior Jesus Christ. This week while you are planning Easter egg hunts and baskets-don't forget the most important reason of why? Why do we have Easter? It is to remember the sacrifice and resurrection that our Savior made and overcame for you and me. Everywhere you walk this week try to see his tender mercies all around. I promise you that you will feel his love more that ever. I am grateful for my families sacrifice on my behalf and am very grateful I get to enjoy this blessing to share this small time in my life and knowledge that he has given me with others. Matthew 10:39

He Lives! Love, Sister Phillips

One of my fav. quotes from conference: "Don't judge me because I sin differently than you." Pres. Uchtdorf. Oh and did you catch when Richard G. Scott said, "We would receive more revelation if we exercised and ate healthier foods." ;) I felt like he was talking to me!!!