First E-mail!

497 -- Wednesday July 31st
Emma arrived safe and sound!  We received her first e-mail in the afternoon.  AND...I was WRONG!! (See Emma's e-mail below)
I did not get to see Elder Felix, but, tender mercies from the Lord, his father & Emma did! :)

FROM EMMA: (sent on July 30th 2013 from the Mexico MTC @ 4:28 pm)
AMAZING, ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. These last 12 hours have already blown my mind.  While on the plane I was worried about immigration, customs, and what not, but I had absolutely no need to fear.  There were many Elders and two other Sisters.  So far I am known as the Lone Ranger 'cause I have yet to find another Washington Spokane Missionary.  If I am correct, I am the only one without a mission buddy.  All is well though! I'm sure I will find one soon!

Guess what, the keyboards here are different!  It is kinda hard but I am getting the hang of it slowly.

Dad, I really like it here!  And for the most interesting reasons!  Some of the teachers flew with us to the MTC.  They say that starting tomorrow we will be fully immersed.  Also, this MTC campus is huge and absolutely gorgeous!!  The crazy thing is right out side the walls is Mexico in all its glory, but I also love that side of this experience too.

My BADGE is the most lovliest thing of my life!  Well, it is time for me to go off and eat dinner and find my room and all that jazz.  I am the luckiest girl in the world!

HURRAH FOR ISRAEL!!

 

PS...Brother Wayne Felix helped me to my gate and Elder Felix came and said hello! 

They really helped my transition into this new adventure!!

 

[FROM Mom Mary...so amazing to hear that Papa Felix got to see Elder Zach & they both visited with Emma ... Another "OH HAPPY DAY!!"] 

Departure Day

July 30th 2013 -- 498 days to go and this was a BIG ONE!!
Two hours of sleep is probably not the best way to prepare to take off on a Mission :S
Up at 2:30 (I had stayed up finishing the packing and preparing picture scrapbooks for my Nieces & Nephew to enjoy and remember me by!
At the Airport by 5:30 (YAWN)!
WARNING: Do not use the large suitcase! Even with all light clothing only in it, it was 12 pounds over.
We went to a little shop and bought another bag.  We went to a scale and opened the suitcase and removed clothes and more clothes until the scale registered 50.
Glad we were early :)
While walking to the shop, we saw a favorite neighbor, Brother Felix, who is the father of Zach who warned me about the conditions at the Mex MTC.  Brother Felix was in line to go through security. 
I have HELICOPTER PARENTS!! They shadowed me through each turn of the rope lines in security.  They used sign language to motion for me to put the passport holder back around my neck and not in the tray.  The Security Guard once again told me to put it in the tray.  I minded him!
My parents watched me go through the buzzer place.  I made it and began to gather my belongings.  I looked up and there was Brother Felix.  He had stayed to help.  I looked over my shoulder and there were my parents behind the rope, beaming, blowing kisses and giving the thumbs up sign.  I knew they were glad for the help of our kind neighbor.  So was I!! Zach was flying out today for the Riverside, CA Mission, yet none of us saw him :(

Okay, Emma is not writing this, she is a stickler for rules.  This is her mom, but hey, I could tell what she was thinking.  How does one be a helicopter mom when Emma is about 3000 miles/kilo away??

We just looked at the web-site that tracks the flight of planes. It is 1:35 our time. She is 15 minutes away from touching down in Mexico.  Her experience has definitely started. I am sure she will be blessed and watched over.  We will post her letters as they begin to come in.  In Emma's favorite childhood words:
OH HAPPY DAY!! 

499 days (not that Emma is counting)

The family took Emma to eat at the "Red Iguana" in SLC today.  Real Mexican food and very yummy.  Elder Felix had written that the food at the MTC in Provo is yucky. Emma will let us know if the food is good south of the border.  Elder Felix also warned that the Mexico MTC does not have hot water or washers and dryers.  An adventure is afoot for Emma.

After a tender and sweet good-bye to nieces & nephew and Sister Amy (Lisa is waking up at 4:30 a.m. to travel to the airport with Emma). We came back to Brigham to finish packing and we HOPE she has everything she needs!!!!!

It is so awesome to be able to be Emma's Mom :) 

How to Write Sister Phipps Until September 9th

email me at:

emma.phipps@myldsmail.net

Mexico MTC Address:

(use until September 9th)

Sister Emma Rose Phipps

Washington Spokane Mission

Mexico Missionary Training Center

Ave 510 #90

Colonia San Juan de Aragon

07950 Mexico City, Distrito Federal

Mexico

DEARELDER.com

Look up my mission {Washington Spokane} and find me! :D 

Same day delivery too! 

After September 9th, you may send a letter to my mission home but I may not get it for a few weeks. As I change places my parents will update my address on this blog and those addresses will work directly. 

Mission Home Address: Write me anytime after Sept 9th!

Sister Emma Rose Phipps

Washington Spokane Mission

820 S Pines Rd Ste 101

Spokane Valley, WA 99206-5420

United States

I Am Almost A Missionary :D

Hello everyone!
My mission is becoming oh so real! I can hardly believe it. Tomorrow I give my farewell address. I am not going to lie, I am quite a bit nervous. Speaking in front of people has always been very out of my comfort zone. But I am excited to share the day with  my dear friends and family. I trying to stay as calm as I can be! Then tomorrow night I will be set apart as a missionary! Then my mission will be for real really real! Then Tuesday morning I hop on a plane and fly to the Mexico MTC where I will practice teaching the gospel in Spanish! I am so excited to be learning Spanish.

This might sound funny, but what I am scared most about right now is the flight to Mexico! I know that once I get there all will be well, because I will be off on my errand for the Lord and I know this is right for me. This knowledge helps gives me confidence.

Here is a quote I really enjoy right now, even so much so you might hear about it tomorrow if you are able to make it to my farewell address.

"What-e'er thou art, act well thy part."

I know that starting tomorrow I will officially be a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This means a lot of work and responsibility. My goal is to act well my part, for I want to give others the love I know and feel from my Savior Jesus Christ. That deserves my full commitment and devotion. 

Sent Packing

T E N days ladies and gents and I will be on my way. I feel excited to be going! Sometimes I wish I could just leave right now, but I am beyond grateful for this week and a half to spend with my dear friends and family! And I wouldn't trade that no matter how excited I am to head off on this grand adventure. Yesterday and today I have been working on packing like a pro. I have never been a pro at packing, but packing for a year and a half is some serious stuff! So I decided it was time to research and learn how to pack to my best advantage. It is going surprisingly well!

And just so all you future packers know, the overwhelming public opinion states that rolling your clothes instead of folding is the way to go!

Take a look at my packing adventure! Oh what an exciting blog, I know! ;D

P.s. Are you suppose to bring hangers on your mission? I don't think so, but I love these completely no slip zebra hangers... So I might pack them just in case.

Love, EmRo

Good Music

Today I am gathering all the good music I can to take on my mission! Whoo! This is actually quite fun and uplifting! Right now I am using the wonderful resources the church has on their website for downloading praiseworthy music. Check out https://www.lds.org/youth/music?lang=eng to find music!

My Relief Society

Today I went to the temple with my Relief Society ladies. What a valuable experience. I have really become close to these sisters. Their concern and care for me is evident in every way.

I love the temple. I say, GO TO THE TEMPLE! Really, there is no better place to be on this earth. If you haven't been, prepare to go. If you have been but it has been awhile, be sure to go. And if you have just gone, still go! And go again, and again.

You are never lost when you can see the temple, especially when you see the inside!

In Just Two Weeks

In two weeks I will be on an airplane heading on my way to the Mexico MTC! This morning I woke up with so many mixed feelings. But above them all is the excitement to go serve the Lord.

I know I will miss my friends. I know I will long dearly for my family. But above all I know that this mission is the right thing for me right now. This knowledge gives me confidence to face any other emotion.

What I am having a difficult time facing right now is when people tell me they "don't want me to leave."
Now before I say anything else, I totally understand where they are coming from when they say that. And they are doing no wrong to say that. I just feel stuck though whenever I hear it. I am not sure how to respond. I am working through that now.

So everyone out there. I love you. I will miss you so much. But I don't want to miss out on the blessings that will be received as I go on a mission. I will be sure to keep in touch and know that when I get back we will be closer than ever.

The First of July

And the major final countdown begins.
T w e n t y n i n e days until I fly away! Then I enter the Mexico MTC the next day. I remember when I first got my call and everyone told me it would be time for me to go before I would know it. That has become true! I can't believe I leave this month!

Let me tell you, I am EXCITED. There is a work for me to do out there. And it's the most important work, it's the Lord's work. I greater cause I could not find.

Today I the committed myself to dedicating this month to effective preparation. So far, so good