I LOVE MISSIONARY WORK!

10-14-2013
My Dearest Fellow Members of the Family,

I LOVE MISSIONARY WORK! Last week has been crazy, and we didn't have tons of new stuff going on or tons of success but I love it! Last week at the beginning was full of a lot of meetings and stuff which took a lot of our time, and then on Thursday I went with one of the zone leaders to do an exchange with him all day! So my companion and Elder Bosworth were left in our area just going to town. Friday we had to be at the mission office for a training meeting since i’m training Elder Gressier, that took a lot of more time too! But, this week was super sweet. Like one day we just walked all the way from our apartment over the other side of the town to Miguel Sanchez’s house because he was going to come see an investigator named Gustavo with us. We talked to like a million people on our way over, and gave out a million more pictures of Jesus. Unfortunately when we got to Gustavo’s house they were all eating dinner, so we didn't get to have a lesson but Miguel invited him to church and offered a ride so it all turned out good. Then when I was on exchanges with Elder Pymm we did a little bit of tracing and we made it super fun! We were offering everybody service, and when they would say no thanks were fine for now we would say, “well can we take your trash out on our way?” “No.” “Can we bring you garbage cans up from the street?” “No.” “Can we water your trees?” ..... “Son we live in Washington” ha-ha. ha-ha “Ya I know I was just kidding, instead can I use your bathroom and water the toilet?” “Ya for sure man second door on the right.” ha-ha it worked out super well! Especially since Elder Gressier and I have been taking the gallon challenge of water a day, so I had to stop for the bathroom all the time. I think for the most part people were more open to us because we were different, possibly weird different, but we weren't robots and talked with more people ha-ha.

On Friday we had to leave early from a meeting at the mission office, because we had an appointment clear out in Gold Bar! Like an hour drive from the mission office. We were going out to see Valery, who wanted us to come by again, play a game of soccer and have a lesson. But when we got there, there were tons of little kids around, most Hispanic, so we played with them for a while then moved up to the porch to have a lesson. Which was really good, but I think Valery is going to take a lot of work. she's 15 and her parents are Catholic, but they lost their jobs and ended up doing a lot of stuff with the Christian church, and her parents and the churches just keep blasting her with God, and how everything she does is a sin and she's going to Hell! We were like holy cow! and she was talking about how she feels sick and tired of God and church because its getting shoved down her throat along with doing her first communion. So her skepticism grows as everyone else is jerks about it, but hopefully we can get her to start acting on what she feels when we are over. But anyway, when we were walking away from her house, we saw these four teenagers hanging out so we started talking to them, long story short there was a soccer challenge placed and we got to play some more soccer with these Hispanic boys. Three of them were really good, and one not so much, who of course got put on our team to make 3v3. But we started off scoring 3 goals on them and they had nothing, but as we started to get tired and sweaty in our white shirts and slacks, they just started taking over. after the entire half hour we totally lost ha-ha.

Last crazy story of the day is all about Isamar. Friday night when we were texting her she wouldn't reply, then Saturday she finally did and said we could come over whenever, but it was really weird and she was talking about feeling sick and not being able to sit up, but come over anyway. We asked if she'd like a blessing, and she replied yes, please. So we went over there and found her laying on the couch with like 4 blankets on her, covering her head, and James just sitting there playing call of duty! She starts thrashing around her head then goes still again ( afterwards Elder Gressier said he got an impression in his mind, so in his head he cast out any evil spirits in the room by Christ's authority,) and that’s when Isamar flopped back to the couch again. it seemed like James didn't really care, and really carelessly saying you want to go to the hospital? she started moaning again and so Elder Gressier and I gave her a blessing and ran over to the clinic with her and James, then to the ER, where they said probably a kidney stone, the full diagnostic would take another couple hours. So we went back to the car and went on our way again. then at the end of the day we went back over there to see what the final say and info had been from the hospital. James answers and is talking to us and says that they said she had gotten a stomach infection and then gave her a ton of medication and anti biotic for it, but in the middle of telling us this Isamar walks out of her room, and she looks a little bit pale but like perfectly fine! and at that moment I got slapped with the perfect realization of the power of the priesthood! We had a little mini lesson with her, and the next day she came to church AND to a cottage meeting!

Miracles are worked everyday no matter how big or how small. and if there is nothing else that I have learned this week, its that the priesthood is REAL! and it works in real life in real peoples lives! I know this authority is from God and I know that this is His church.

"Have I done any good in the world today?" is the question and the answer is in the next few moments. Get ‘ER Done!

Love Elder Phillips