Hello From Bellingham

I'm here and it is BEAUTIFUL! One of the members picked my new companion and I up from the mission office last Tues. and boy did he take us for a ride. He took us the scenic route all the way up to the top of the mission. My boundaries go clear up to the border of Canada and he took us on the windy road from the mission office, winding all the way up the coastline. ahhh!!! What a beautiful world we live in! Sooo great.

Then he took us out really quick to the tulip farms that were in full bloom this time of year in spring.

 I miss Orlando and Lucy a lot though, I really hope they're still progressing. I will be able to ask Elder Marsden this coming Saturday how they're doing because we have a mission converence; that i'm singing in by the way with a few of the other missionaries from our area.

I'm saying goodbye to Marysville, Elder Marsden and those whom I have come to love. Thanks to a great start to a wonderful mission.  I'm sad I won't get to see all the fruits of my labor come to the fold.  I hope one day to come back to Marysville and see you all again.  For now it's a see ya all later. Love you all.  Be Strong and Keep the Faith. Until We Meet Again. God loves you and so do I.

 First Area: Marysville Washington

First Companion: Elder Marsden

First Address: 4624 80th St. N.E. #R-43

                         Happy Birthday to Elder Marsden!

      He will go home in June.  He is my "dad".  He is a rock of a missionary.  Great 6 weeks we've had together.

Tongue Taco's, loaded with homemade hot sauce and habanero's. Sooo Good!

the car next to our got broken into while we were at General Conference.

 Elder Marsden- He's the MAN!

I know the dates are still wrong, I did get it fixed for the next set of pictures.

April 15

Wow! OK if there is a word for this week it would be crazy. There has been so much going on. But first, your guys’ letters make my day all the time! Sounds like everyone is having a blast. Also, I loved the beautiful pictures from Madi, and everyone Else's good wishes.
I guess from the letters I never really even told you guys, yes I do have a car. A red Toyota something err other. Because I cover the Marysville stake, not just a single ward; and since I’m a Spanish missionary and the population isn't as dense. So I am in Marysville, but my area right now also covers Lake Stevens and Granite Falls. We would not be effective without a car.
Thanks for the updates about all the missionaries flooding the earth! It's crazy to think that everyone is just jumping strait on the whole missionary thing and doing work! Send out my special congrats to my man Pete, as well as the boys from our wards and the good ole fam. Which by the way, funny story. I was on exchanges on Saturday, and went with Elder Deviatory to English homes; we brought with us a couple, The Baker's.  After the lesson, they took us back to their house for dinner, super nice folks.  I talked with them a little about how I had gone to Dixie State and just sort of my background. And do you know what they said? Oh your from St George? Have you ever heard of Enterprise? ha-ha-ha-ha I was like oh have I !!! She hooked me up with this little card she wrote on for me,  she is Michele Baker, her grandma is Mabel Terry, whose mom is Nancy Holt, whose dad is George Albert Holt.  That’s as far as she knew. Anyway, I took a pic of this little card, just a funny little side story. and another one (For Aunt Charlotte and Uncle Alan) is while we were shopping just like a half hour ago, this lady came up to us and started talking with us whose name is Cynthia McIntire, she said that’s how she spelled it, but for that one too I was like NO Way! Do you....? Ya she doesn't, but then she took us to subway, which was nice. She is baptized in our church, but is completely inactive, and even goes to a different church now. But she says she knows how mothers worry about us, so she always does what she can for us. ha-ha super nice lady. And as for you other question about my companion, Elder Parker Marsden. His family is coming to pick him up and stay for like a week.  His last Sunday here is my Birthday! So ya that’s the dates, he leaves for home Tuesday after that the 18th. as for the temple in Cedar! What a blessing! That’s going to be so cool.
So like I said before this week has been super crazy. Since my companion is the DL he has to go on exchanges with the elders in the district and there’s only a bit left before the end of the transfer. So we’ve been getting a lot of those done. It seemed like all this week, I had a day with my own companion speaking Spanish, and then a day in the English missionary life. With the only break being when I went on an exchange with Elder Clements, the other Spanish speaking missionary that just got here from St. George, he is just too much fun.  The problem was, that when I was with Elder Clements, his Spanish is even less along than mine, so we had a bit of a struggle communicating with the people; a little bit. But what was cool, is that since they made me the "leader" of that exchange I got to drive the car! First time in quite a while, not to mention that before my mission all I drove was a scooter anyway ha-ha, and when I did drive, I drove the old white car that you had to stick the pedals to the floor before anything happened. So I guess you could say it took me a minute to figure out how heavy my foot was ha-ha. But while I was out with Elder Clements we kept getting lost, since I don't really know my way around yet; and also all three of our set lessons fell through! It turned out to be actually a really frustrating day. But oh well.
Then the next day I was back with my companion, but it felt like my spanish wasn't doing so hot after the beating it took with Elder Clements. So by the end, that was a long day too. Especially since we had interviews and zone meeting that day.  That was really cool actually, got to sit down with the president and talk to him, and he taught all of us about the conversion of peter; which is so cool!
At the end of the day though, I really just want to share one thing. I don't know how much I’ve told you about Lucy and Orlando, she is Esperanzas daughter.  They are so special. and we had a meeting with them last night, and I got to show them the picture of our family and stuff, really cool. The lesson went really well. We had the spirit, but then at the end, my companion started testifying, and she was looking him right in the eyes, then the moment Joseph Smith came out of his mouth, her eyes dropped and started looking around the room n stuff. So we asked her about it, and she told us about this huge big thing that happened with the other missionaries that used to come by.  She had asked them some questions, and they just said ask God type thing. But she got really angry, and her family started to spiral out of control and she didn't talk to her mom or sister for over a year! And they live in the same city!  Now her marriage is suffering a little, and at the end of the day that’s why she let us in and stuff. But, she told us that she in all honesty does not have any desires to search for God right now, she knows what is right, but she never chooses it. She has desires to have desires, but it just isn’t happening right now.  We asked if they would like a blessing the next time we came by on Sunday, and to our joy and surprise they said yes! So this week, I am completely just going all in in everything. and well, if you would keep them in your prayers that would be greatly appreciated. Because I feel like this could be the serious turning point in their conversion.
Other than them though, its been a pretty dry, unfruitful week, but this week I’m going to "echar las ganas" chuck some desires into it. Spanish term.

Love you all and wish you the best of luck as well.

Love Elder Phillips

I can't believe I did that.  Had A great post going and went to hit Publish and hit the wrong button.  It's gone.  Try again tomorrow.

      So this week has been a blast, not nearly the same nice weather as last week, as it has been raining on us all weekend, and after the which I found out just yesterday that my coat has a hood! ha-ha who knew! Coulda saved myself many a raindrop. oh well.
      Conference! So sweet. Watching the Lords Servants just throwing down some sick doctrine. All of Saturday I got to watch in English, because there was only one Spanish sister that came to watch, and since we couldn't go in there with her, we just went into the chapel to watch it in English. So Good!
      Sunday morning, once again that same faithful sister, Betty, who I know has one special place next to Heavenly Father after this life for all she's done, was there. So once again I got to watch it in English, what’s more is that we would be able to use that talk with one of our investigators that night, so cool.
      So after dinner we got to go to Lucy's house and we were praying so hard on the way over there, we just wanted it to work out good. so we got there had some small talk, their son showed us one of his toys he was playing with his cousin (angelicas son) and then we got to the lesson, and it was SO GOOD! We didn't really have a plan on what exactly to teach, we wanted to ask some questions, find out where they were, what got them back into the lessons, and the confidence thing we just told them strait up. she talked a little about conference too which was awesome. then we asked her what she hoped for her family, and in the end she got choked up and it was so good... I honestly want nothing more than to bring there family together into the gospel. Also, the very last sunday Elder Marsden is going to be here is my birthday! and we were just thinking of how sick it would be if we had a baptism that day! (Lucy's)

Thanks for everyone’s prayers and letters, they mean a lot. hopefully everyone’s week was great.
love you all

Elder Phillips
 

Buenos Dias! 
Wow, I just love the world right now. Yesterday was Easter and it was just beautiful over here in good ole Marysville! There was not a cloud in the sky, I was hot in my suit, the sun was shining, and the Lord was resurrected! Incredible day yesterday.
This week has definitely been the most nicely done weather since I’ve been here, no doubt about it. It’s also really good for the work too, because people aren’t quite so mean when the sun is out n shining.
Yesterday, we were walking around in this apt complex. And we decided to try a certain door that looked like it could be Mexican.  As we were walking up this lady was standing by her open front window doing the dishes or something. So we say hi and she came over and opens the door. We start sharing an Easter based message, and come to find out her name is Julie! It was like the most uplifting experience.
She just goes to some random community church, but she loves Jesus, and started telling us about how much she loves what we’re doing and how awesome she thinks it is, and how she’s good right now on her path to follow Jesus, but she’s so glad that we have taken the time out of our lives to help others do it. Then she continued saying, "don't give up, no matter how many doors get slammed in your face, no matter how many people tell you off, never give up in the work of the Lord." I was like wow! That was beautiful, I wish I had written it.

P-Day at Boeing

 

 Captain Elder Marsden and Co-pilot Elder Phillips

 This is one big plane.



Looking towards Marysville

Happy Missionary on P-Day