A WEEK IN THE SPANISH SOUTHWEST!

At least in the Spanish Southwest ~ Spokane Style!!

   I am already absolutely in love with this new transfer!  I know I am exactly where I need to be and learning what the Lord would have me learn. Each day this week, in the back of my journal, I wrote down a tender mercy that I saw and want to cherish forever. I want to share them with you! Now you can see the little miracles that came my way each day this week!

EL MARTES:
   We had a lesson with Ramon & Miguel. These two are the best! They were baptized at the end of February 2014 and they are miracle investigators. One day, months ago, the English Sisters that live with us in our apartment met Miguel on the street. They got his contact information and gave it to the Spanish Sisters. Sister Walton and Sister Judd then called Miguel back that night and invited him to come to church. That Sunday, Sister Quinn and I were driving to church and we saw two young men that looked like they might be Spanish speaking walking across the road. At the same time Sister Quinn and I said, we NEED to talk to them. We parked our car and went to go talk to them when we realized they were headed for the door of our church building! It was Miguel and Ramon. They came to church every week and after 2 months of meeting with missionaries, they are the newest members of our Branch!
   I knew them pretty well before I came to this area, so I am very excited that I get to help them learn the new member lessons with Sister Walton! It is just so exciting. On Thursday, we had a lesson about the Priesthood, which they received Sunday! They will give a talk this Sunday and pass the Sacrament the next Sunday! Now we are working on plans to get them into the temple to do baptisms for the dead. This is one of our big goals for this transfer.

EL MIERCOLES:
   So, we have the Fairchild Air Force Base in our area. It is the greatest thing ever! We were able to visit some members on base and teach them the missionary lessons and see who they knew that spoke Spanish. One member picks us up and we have a lesson, then they drive us to the next member and we do so, going from house to house. It was the neatest thing to be on base and be with amazing members. What was especially wonderful was watching each member as the spirit reminded them of Spanish speaking people they know.

EL JUEVES:
   The Lord brings us miracles when we ask for them. It is amazing to me just how much the Lord's hand is really in our lives. On Thursday Sister Walton and I promised ourselves that we would invite someone to be baptized that day because we hadn't invited anyone that week yet. It was 8:00 at night and we were contacting. Usually contacting past eight takes me out of my comfort zone, a LOT, but this time something was different. As we went to leave our car, we prayed to have an experience where we would ask someone to be baptized. Not knowing if anyone would open their door, much less listen to us at that time of night, we went knocking. We tried the door of a potential contact, but no one answered. So Sister Walton suggested we go to one of the neighbor's. We picked the one to the right. We knocked on the door and the sweetest older man answered the door. This man's dogs were named Pedro & Gonzales, but this gentleman didn't speak Spanish. We talked with him. Then we handed the Book of Mormon to him and promised him how it would bless his life. We asked him if he would be willing to get baptized and in the most tender voice he said, "Yes, yes, I would." It was a powerful experience! We gave his information to the English Sisters and they taught him for the first time last night. The Lord really is hastening His work and helping His servants.

EL VIERNES:
   We taught an English member family in our Stake named "Phillips!" They are the cutest little couple who are expecting their first child in April! Ah, they are my favorite! The best member missionary moment happened with them. We finished teaching the restoration to them and asked them who we could share this message with. Soon the wife told us about a neighbor she always runs into on the street. She said she would talk to them about the gospel this week. We were making plans to follow-up with them on that when the husband said, " I have an idea! How about if we just all go over to their house RIGHT NOW! I will knock on the door and tell them how we just heard a wonderful message from these wonderful missionaries and we wanted to invite them to listen to it too!" At this point I was in absolute awe! That is missionary work at its finest! I love members! Not more than 30 seconds later, we were out their door and standing on the neighbor's doorstep! I really want to challenge everyone who reads this to do this the next time the missionaries come over. Whether or not the person accepts, the success is in the invitation!!
   That moment really made my day. It helped me realize that members are gaining trust in us and that they know the message of the restoration needs to be offered to EVERYONE!!

   Well, in other news about the week. I have the BEST COMPANION in the entire World!! :D  I am learning SO MUCH from Sister Walton every day. I have never seen such an effective missionary in my life and I get to be her companion! Every moment is a learning experience. I love where the Lord placed me! Plus, we are speaking Spanish A LOT with each other. This is making a world of difference!!
   The area is really in a finding position right now. This is something I am not as used to. When Sister Quinn and I first got to my past area, we did a lot of finding work! Now we are doing it here, but we are focusing on using any member we can find! That means we are meeting with families all over the stake! I LOVE IT!! Being with the members is such a testimony reinforcement! I get to take what they teach me and send it on to the potentials and investigators we have!!

Emma says good-bye to Hermana Quinn and now serves with Hermana Walton. Both are WONDERFUL!

EMMA'S NEW COMPANION ~ HERMANA WALTON

HERMANA EMMA ROSE PHIPPS

EMMA'S FIRST COMPANION & TRAINER HERMANA QUINN

Well, Love you all so much and appreciate the examples you are to me!!! Hermana Emma Rose Phipps

EMMA GETS TRANSFERRED!

On February 24, 2014, after seven wonderful months with Sister Quinn and living

at Fallstrom Farms which had all the Emus, Alpacas, Goats and other critters... 

Emma is city bound!

Mi nueva direccion:

815 S Lincoln  #108

Spokane, WA  99204

Of course, you can always send packages and mail to the Mission Home and it will always get to her.

Sister Emma Rose Phipps

Washington Spokane Mission

820 South Pines Road Suite 101

Spokane, WA  99206

   I am filled to the max with twenty million different emotions! Yep, after many months, the time for change has come! So... what is happening with Hermana Phipps this transfer? I will be heading to the Southwest Area of our Branch with Hermana WALTON!!! :D

   When I first heard where I was going, I was shocked! For the last three transfers Hermana Quinn kept on saying that she would leave and I would stay! So I kinda convinced myself that is how it would be when it happened. As everyone probably has figured out by now, I LOVE this area more than I have loved anything before. But ever since I heard I would be leaving, I knew it was right.

   Sister Quinn will be staying up here in the North and will be serving with Hermana Phillipi (close to my name right?!). Sister Phillipi is a very recently returned missionary for the Peru Mission. She served six months in Peru and then had a couple of fainting accidents and was sent home until she gets an okay from the doctors to head back to her mission. She is SUCH AN AMAZING MISSIONARY!! She went with us for a whole day two weeks ago, and she will do amazing things in this area! I couldn't leave my first area in better hands.

   I AM SO EXCITED FOR MY NEW COMPANION! Hermana Walton came out on her mission the same time as I did! She was in the Mexico MTC but neither Hermana Taylor nor I knew that there was another 'WasSpo' missionary until she found us the fifth week of our MTC stay. She is an amazing missionary! Very powerful, very on top of things and very fun. She also is a whole lot like Hermana Quinn (so everyone says). I can't wait to begin this new transfer.

   The hardest part is leaving all the people we are teaching and this beautiful area and my wonderful trainer! But, after a sleepless night and thinking all during my packing this morning, I really realized this is right! I will be in my same branch and same district! So it is almost just half a transfer really!!

   I am actually really excited to have this brand new fresh start! Something is always so exciting about starting anew. There are a lot of things I need to be doing differently and this new situation will be so helpful for making new habits. I bought a journal last month that said, "Life isn't about finding yourself, it is about creating yourself." I know that is one hundred percent true! Luckily, I have my Savior to help create out of me, something a WHOLE lot better than I am. I am so grateful to have this Gospel!

Love,

Hermana Emma Rose Phipps ~ The New Southwest Sister 

HERMANA PHIPPS & HERMANA WALTON & ? 

TWO NEW COMPANIONS IN THE SPOKANE SPANISH BRANCH

We now get to find out just how good OUR SPANISH is!

Sister Walton was praying for a NATIVE missionary to come in

and be her companion... And she got ME!!

I know we will learn a whole lot from each other!!

   On the Saturday before Transfers, all the missionaries in the branch got to attend the Baptisms of Ramon and Miguel, our Branch's most recent converts. They are from the Southwest area and now I get to take part in teaching the New Member Lessons!!! I AM EXCITED!!! 

TEMPLE TIME!!

   Sister Quinn and I have a companionship statement. Lots of missionaries run around saying, "Let's go Baptize Nations!" But we changed it a bit to say:

"BAPTIZING HOUSEHOLDS,

SEALING FAMILIES!!"

   Really, as we work with more and more families we are seeing DAILY the blessings this gospel brings to every family. Everyone is progressing to their next COVENANT! We try to help every member and investigator progress toward their next covenant. 

MISSIONARIES SHARE THEIR HAPPY HEARTS!!

   I am just so happy. So, so Happy!! Can I just tell you all that being a missionary at this time is the greatest spiritual journey I have ever embarked on. This week I saw so many miracles unfold before my eyes. I had to just take a moment one night and really embrace all the amazing things that the Lord is directing here in the North Spokane Spanish area. I am toooo Lucky!! 

   This morning I went to the temple with President and Sister Condon, our amazing Branch President and Relief Society President. I wish I could spend every moment with members! Taking them to all the appointments would be the biggest blessing. At the temple we met with Sister Dishong (Hermana Quinn's only other companion and trainer), and Sister Taylor (my dear MTC companion). Nothing is better than going to the temple and reuniting with dear friends.

   Every time I come home from the temple, everything just seems a mile closer to Heaven, if that makes any sense. I hope I can take a bit of this feeling to the homes of our investigators! Then hopefully the spirit will take them the rest of the way to the temple. [Temple visit was on February 13, 2014]

FOG & SUN

   The SUN has been peeking out a little bit the last few days! 

Hopefully it is a sign that Spring is coming soon!

We can't wait for SUN & WARMTH!!

WHAT SUN?!?

DEFINITELY A FOGGY DAY IN SPOKANE!!

(BUT EMMA IS GLOWING!!)

GETTING CREATIVE!!

   Our mission is all about getting creative and getting ourselves out there. We volunteer at sporting events. We sing at Retirement Centers. We even draw HUGE Plan of Salvation chalk drawings on the sidewalk and we have Free Hot Chocolate stands! I love our Mission President and how we are encouraged to reach out.
   We went to sing at a Retirement Center and Sister Quinn brought her guitar. The activities director ran up to us and asked us if we could come and read and sing to the residents from time to time. We excitedly agreed to that! While there, we asked the nurses if there were any residents who spoke Spanish, so we could sing to them in Spanish. We found one and he is from Cuba. He was sleeping when we went in, so we spoke with his sister who was in the room with him. She was so excited to hear us speak to her in Spanish. She asked us to come back again on a different day.

NO, THEY DID NOT SING 'LA BUMBA'!

(How wonderful that Sister Quinn has her Guitar!!)  

NO COMFORT ZONE EVER!!

   As Sister Quinn has a knack of doing, at Zone Conference she got us signed up for singing AGAIN! By the time I am off my mission, I won't be afraid of being in front of people one bit! Ha, ha! All the credit will be due to Hermana Quinn though. Well, also thanks goes to learning Spanish, it makes the idea of giving a talk in English sound like a piece of cake with ice cream! I haven't even told you all the times we sang in front of people! More than I could ever have dreamed of wanting!!
   Last week we had Zone Training. The Sister Training Leaders always give the training at these meetings and they always do "role plays." Role playing is something that I honestly know I will be working on my whole mission. We teach other missionaries new ideas we have learned for them to practice. I am always more afraid of role-playing than I am to actually teach! But, I always try to do my best and give all I can to every role play. I know that they are very important to our improvement.
   Well, back to my point, at Zone Training, the Sister Training Leaders demonstrate a role play in front of the whole zone before the zone breaks up into groups and role play with each other. Since there are now two Sister Training Leaders in our Zone, I assumed that they would role play together, saving my poor heart from the heart attack of role playing in front of everyone. Well...
   On the way to Zone Conference, Sister Quinn asked me to do the role play with her. :S Definitely WAY out of my Comfort Zone!! But we practiced during the 40 minute drive. And... WE DID IT! Hermana Quinn is amazing! She did a wonderful training and I am just happy to say that I can do things that are REALLY hard for me in front of my whole zone. I am thankful for the many times the Lord has taught me to get up and do what I am asked. I know I can only do this because it is always Him who give me the strength to do it. I really can't do any of the things out here without Him!

SISTER QUINN (middle) BRINGS OUT THE BEST IN ME!

(Emma is on the right)

Taking the LEAD...

I felt your prayers helping me throughout the day. It was EXCHANGES, and I had an AMAZING missionary to work with! Sister Nally was my companion for the day, and WOW, she is a powerful missionary! She told me what to say when I did not know what to do and then I only had to translate it into Spanish. She encouraged me to talk about Family History with a contact we had who was not open to anything else. And we got her number! We didn't have any set lessons for the day, but thanks to the Lord's guidance, we did three lessons. Each lesson had me speaking more and more Spanish. At each lesson, I could feel the Lord helping me speak. Although, one of the lessons was pretty rough Spanish and I knocked a table of papers over. But, at least it was unforgettable for all those in attendance!

In the third lesson of the night, we were visiting a family we hadn't met with for awhile. I was nervous! It was one of my favorite families ever, but I didn't know what I should say! We went anyway. What followed was the most powerful experience of my mission. I remember starting to teach and struggling to speak in Spanish as I always do. But then they brought up a concern that they had, and we read a scripture together, hoping that the spirit would help them with their concern. After reading the scripture, the most amazing thing happened. Words started coming out almost effortlessly, and they weren't even the things I would normally say. It was an indescribable moment. I know this kind of experience doesn't happen all the time. But as the Lord needs me, I will be an instrument ready for His strength to help me do His work.

Now we are teaching that family regularly! I have seen a big change of heart in the dad of the house. But he still needs a bit more of the Lord's hand in his life. The kids are so sweet and want to come to church, but he is only comfortable with studying with us for now. He doesn't want to commit to anything that takes him out of the house. I am praying with all my heart to know how to help each person progress a bit more in that home.  

Seeing the BEST in Everyone!

Today I was talking to Sister Pilimai and Sister Ridge and I told them that they are the BEST, (because they are)! Then Sister Ridge told me she just couldn't believe me because she believes that I think EVERYONE is the BEST! So, I replied, "Well, you are the BEST!" Sister Quinn piped in and said, "Well, it is kind of true, you do think everyone is the best." I replied, "Well, of course all the members we work with are the best and our Investigators ARE BEYOND THE BEST AND GREATEST IN THE WORLD, but... so are Sister Ridge and Sister Pilimai! Then they all went on to name people and laughed at me when I would say that they were the BEST too!!

I had a WONDERFUL WEEK, except for...
SUSHI!! I got peer pressured into eating Sushi! I do not know how they even convinced me to try, but it did not go well. Okay, honestly, the first sushi roll thing I tried wasn't too bad. It was tuna and other things. I didn't LIKE it, but it was fine and did not gag me. But somehow, after about 10 minutes of telling me I HAD to eat it, I tried the EEEEEEL (eel) one!   What happened next I'd rather not say ever. It was a nightmare!