HOLA, HOLA!

[On July 22, 2014 Emma wrote:]
It is almost the end of July!!

We only have 29.03 miles per day for the rest of the month. Our average per day has been 60, so... we will be bringing out the bikes this week! I am going to buy a cheap skirt at Walmart that I don't mind wearing on a bike. This is missionary life... AND I JUST LOVE IT!!

BAPTISM DAY FOR KRYSTAL!

FRIDAY, JULY 18, 2014

Krystal was baptized on Friday! What a tender moment that was. Heavenly Father made a way for me to be at her baptism and I just felt like an angel watching over that happy moment. I feel I now know what angels feel like as they watch us make good choices. It sure is one happy feeling. Then, on Saturday, we had a Ward Picnic. Krystal was serving everyone! She would run to get everyone drinks, utensils, slices of cheese, anything anyone needed! She did this because she wanted to be Living Her Baptismal Covenant!

HOW ADORABLE!!!

THE WONDERFUL LOPEZ FAMILY!

Lola is as adorable as ever! Her birthday is today! (July 22nd) We get to give her a gift! I love being a Sister Missionary! Her mom is getting married next month and she will be having her reception at the church! Lola had her mom print out lots of invitations to invite her church family! We might even get to go dress shopping with Brenda as long as it is on P-day when she goes. 

I LOVE WORKING WITH FAMILIES!

As of yesterday, we took over the English classes in Cheney. The regular teacher is fighting some BIG fires that keep happening around here. It is fun! (The class, not the fires.) Except that no one came yesterday, ha-ha, but today is a new day and poco a pocito, people are going to come! 

Thank you for your prayers! Last week we found some investigators and Hermana Taylor and I feel like they are ready! They were people who we have taught before, but you can tell there is a difference in them now and they are so prepared! I can't wait to see all these miracles.

Yesterday we visited the really sweet man in Airway. We met him once and he had us teach him while he sat on a bucket in his garage. But our return appointment last week didn't happen. We accidentally (but by the spirit), ended up driving past his house when we noticed he was under his car changing the oil. We quickly parked and as soon as he saw us, he got out from under the car and had us sit down. We taught him the restoration and invited him to be baptized, to which he replied, "probably." We felt like we needed to put him on date, so we asked him to be baptized on the 23rd of August, and he said, "Yes!" without doubt, hesitation or anything! He is coming to church this Sunday!

I love being in the same Branch for so long! You just start realizing what you really can do to help out! I can't wait to continue! 

Sorry about e-mailing on Tuesday instead of Monday...but, on Monday... 

We went to the TEMPLE ! 

I LOVE THAT PLACE!! 

  

AT THE SPOKANE WASHINGTON TEMPLE

JULY 21, 2014

Hermana Phipps & Taylor on the Left ~
Hermana Walton on the Right

LOVE,

Hermana Phipps

P.S. ~ DON'T EVER FORGET THAT I LOVE YOU!

WHITE NIGHT!

On Monday, July 14, 2014 Emma sent the following to us. [Mama keeps up the Blog for Emma.]

Hello Everyone!

SO... I LOVE MY AREA!! 

I LOVE THE WORK, 

AND... MORE THAN ANYTHING I LOVE PRAYERS!!

On the 9th of August, our Zone is having a night called "WHITE NIGHT" where we are going to try and help many people take that all important step of BAPTISM! Hermana Taylor and I are committed to help someone get there. We know the Lord has people prepared here, we are working with amazing people that have such great potential, but.... WE NEED YOUR HELP! 

Will you PRAY for us that we can find the family the Lord has prepared here? I can feel it in me that they are here! Someone we have met or will meet soon is ready. We just need the Lord to guide us! And that takes PRAYERS!

I love working with families! So Lola is the most adorable 6 almost 7 year old I have ever met in my life! Because of her, her parents have come to church three times now! On Thursday, we had a Branch Activity and the whole clan came! Including her parents, her 3 little brothers, her Grandpa, her Uncle and Aunt, and two Cousins. Most of them we didn't even know but they all live in the same house! Her mom Brenda is the best person I have ever met. She is hesitant about the whole church thing, but is coming to support Lola's desire. Now we are hoping to teach them more so the whole family's testimonies grow and they will all have a desire to COME UNTO CHRIST! It is an exciting experience! Definitely unlike anything I have encountered before. Most people are committed to learning, but are not willing to go to activities, much less Church. I have FAITH though, that as each of them continues to act, that they will start growing their own testimonies! It is GREAT!!

Well, I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!

Hermana Emma Rose Phipps

PS... I have the pictures from making the Papusas! They were wonderful...

HERMANA WALTON & PHIPPS

MAKING THE PAPUSAS'

GRILLING PAPUSAS'

YUMMY PAPUSAS TO EAT!

(don't take a picture of me!)

PATTY CAKE, PATTY CAKE...

IT IS FUN TO COOK THESE!

WE WORKED HARD AND HAD A GREAT TIME!

PAPUSAS ARE AMAZING...

I WILL MAKE THEM FOR YOU WHEN

I GET HOME!!

I BIKED!!

The time has finally come...

I BIKED!!

All the way to Medical Lake, (ha, ha... which is the closest town to us)!

It wasn't even half as bad as I thought it would be! But, I did get eaten alive by mosquitoes! And,... my skirt got caught int the tire a few times. Yeah... we have barely any miles to go anywhere, but the Zone Leaders are working on that.

I AM LOVING THIS NEW TRANSFER!! Hermana Taylor and I are just working on having the Faith, seeing the potential of the area, and getting to work. BIG THINGS ARE COMING! I just know it. We know that the work is going to move forward in leaps and bounds here! By the end of the week, I was surprised by how much really got done!!

I love the new way we weekly plan! We are more often than not, in the right place we need to be! We went to a trailer park and ran into a man who knows my recent convert Javier! The man said that Javier had given him a Book of Mormon and his Baptism Invitation that had his testimony written inside of it. This just goes to show that Javier really is the BEST!! The man told us about how he saw just how much Javier changed while he was meeting with us. The man even asked if we were the ones who were visiting with Javier! I loved that moment!! He is so open, but he may or may not be moving to Arizona this week... We will see!

So, I am just going to be honest here. Sometimes my Spanish just doesn't want to come out! Ha, ha :S. And, yesterday was one of those days! It really doesn't worry me too much though, because I am surprised that I know as much as I do know. Well, we have a new district leader and yesterday on the phone he told us that he felt that he was called to be our district leader just so he can help us with our Spanish! Sign Me Up!! Any help from Natives I will take! This is going to be the transfer of GROWTH!!

It is the funnest to be with Hermana Taylor! Seriously, we have both changed so much. At the end of the day, we just congratulate ourselves for things we did that we wouldn't have done a year ago! It is so fun!

Our zone is having a WHITE NIGHT, where each companionship is trying to make sure that one of our investigators gets Baptized that day! We have prayed and fasted about it and now we are just working on helping people take this happy step!

Our teaching pool is really developing! I am so grateful and so ready to work!

And...

BEST NEWS!!

KRYSTAL IS GETTING BAPTIZED ON JULY 19TH!

TEARS OF INCOMPREHENSIBLE JOY!!

Love You, Hermana Phipps

BIKING TIME FOR HERMANA TAYLOR & PHIPPS

PS... Hermana Taylor and I were able to do 27 lessons this week!
I am not really even sure how.
THE LORD IS HELPING!

OH HAPPY YEAR!! (Guess Who is 20?...)

EMMA!

Hello everyone!

Lots of things happened this week, even though some hours seemed to be so slow! Thus is the life of a missionary. Time is a strange thing. 

Well first off: TRANSFER calls were last night. I am heartbroken because Hermana Walton is going to leave me! But all is well! She is going to the area where she wanted to go next and we will be team training with one of our favorite Hermanas, so it is a PERFECT FIT!! Hermana Walton will be the best trainer EVER! She already trained me A LOT!! 

THE ENDING OF AN AMAZING COMPANIONSHIP!

HERMANAS WALTON & PHIPPS

HERMANA WALTON GOT TRANSFERRED!

ON JUNE 29, 2014

So yep! I AM STAYING IN THE SOUTHWEST! And there is A LOT of work to be done. And guess who will be my new companion? 

HERMANA TAYLOR! 

WE WERE MTC COMPANIONS TOGETHER IN MEXICO!! 

Ha ha, I am super duper excited! Changes are far and few between as a Spanish speaking missionary! 

So, I am ready to learn some more!

Sister Quinn called last night to talk about the transfer calls! (This will be her last full transfer.) I was rejoicing so much because this means I get to go to Krystal's baptism and Sister Quinn will be staying in that branch (this means she has served her whole mission in this one branch)! But...

WE GET TO BE TOGETHER FOR KRYSTAL'S BAPTISM!

BEST THING OF MY LIFE.

I COULD NOT ASK FOR ANYTHING MORE!!

She told me she felt that we would both be staying just so we could both be part of her baptism.

My prayers are full of thanks for this Tender Mercy!

SO MUCH HAPPENED THIS WEEK:

Let me try to break it down for you!

      Let's get the sad news out of the way. Arcelia moved on Friday! So quick! Too fast in my opinion, but no fears, she just moved to the only other Spanish Branch in the mission. This is where Sister Walton is going (but Sister Walton will be serving in a different area of the Branch), but the Elders there will take good care of our FAVORITE family! I hope the transition will work well for them! I just love them all so much.

   On Wednesday, our newest favorite member in the world had us come over to learn how to make Papusas! A traditional food from El Salvador! (Shout Out to Hermana Alvarado! Your country makes amazing food!) It was sooo delicious and stuffed with Cotilja cheese! I wrote down how to make them in my journal and will be making them for the rest of my life!

  

EMMA TURNED '20'!!

EMMA WITH HER SUNSHINE BOX FROM HOME!

   Thursday June 26th was my BIRTHDAY!!! WHOOOO! My family is the best and sent me a sunshiny box of beautiful things! I am the luckiest Sister Missionary. We weekly planned, did some service and then we had a Branch Activity that night where ALL the Sister Missionaries were asked to play volleyball. At first I was against it, but I played and I did pretty well! I now have hope that someday I will be able to play Volleyball! Ha, ha! Playing volleyball with Spanish speakers is the BEST! They always try to use their feet when nothing else works. It is so GREAT! 

SUNSHINY WEEK! -- Opening the Present!

   Friday we helped our Branch make 3,000 tamales in order to raise money for girl's camp and scout camps! It was lots of fun! But really hard, 'cause I just wanted to eat them all!

 

HERMANA WALTON & HERMANA PHIPPS

AND...

OUR FAVORITE MINI MISSIONARY

WHO DEMANDED THAT WE HAVE A

PICTURE WITH HER!

During the Lunch Break while making 3,000 TAMALES!

   Saturday we had a Branch Activity at the Petting Zoo! It was such a success the first time that the Branch voted on doing it again! We weren't sure if anyone was going to make it, especially since many of the people who wanted to come live an hour away. But we texted some of our potential families to remind them, just as a final try and guess what? We had three families immediately reply that they would be coming! 

THEY CAME & LOVED IT! THEN THEY CAME TO CHURCH ON SUNDAY TOO!!

   We had two families come to church who we have never been able to teach inside their house before!

I LOVE THIS WORK!! 

   Also, the Spanish Catholic pastor in Cheney last Sunday stood up and announced that this Sunday was his final Sunday and no one would be coming to replace him! Is that even possible? So basically, we are praying that we can help those searching for the TRUTH to find it!

   

DISTRICT MEETING WITH THE

"DREAM TEAM"

AS OUR DISTRICT LEADER CALLS US!

   All in all, I feel like there is so much to do! So, I better go out and get to work. SCARY NEW THOUGHT! We got our car back on Saturday, just in time for a new month. Time to get my BIKE HELMET out! :S I am sure you will all get an update on how that is going!

   I LOVE YOU! Talk to you next Monday... or WRITE ME A LETTER! :D

BIG SOMBREROS!

BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!

Had FRIED ICE CREAM! Got to order everything in SPANISH!

The waiter is a relative of a recent convert in our Branch and

Promised Us to come to CHURCH sometime this week! :D

I THINK I WAS HAPPY!!

   PS... Mom and Dad...can you keep me accountable that we will have 30 lessons this week? I know we can do it. Now just got to kick into having the Faith and Doing the WORK! 

MY WALK WITH CHRIST

   ARE YOU READY FOR THIS?
Yesterday, while heading to visit some of our investigators, the North Spanish sisters (my old area) started to call us (which is a normal thing). Hermana Walton answered the phone but this conversation didn't start as it usually does. Quickly she asked specifically to talk to ME! [This is funny/strange because as missionaries, we never get singled out and the phone is always on speaker so both missionaries are always in on the conversation anyways.]
   As soon as I told her I was listening, she said she had a surprise for me! She then turned the phone over to someone else who said, "Hello Sister Phipps!"
   Totally confused, I said, "Hello, who is this?"
   The sweet voice on the other end of the line said, "It's Krystal!"
   Oh let me tell you, I freaked out! I started shouting with endless JOY! "REALLY KRYSTAL! YOU ARE BACK?!?! HOW LONG? HOW LONG DO YOU GET TO BE HERE? KRYSTAL!, YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW MUCH I HAVE MISSED YOU! HOW LONG WILL YOU BE HERE?"
   To which she replied, "FOREVER!"
   Honestly, the idea had never crossed my mind that Krystal would come back. And now she is here! Sister Quinn, at the end of the conversation said, "You know we are planning her baptism now!"
   The rest of the night with everyone I talked to I was so overjoyed! Ha ha... It might have scared some people, but I don't mind. I had just tasted a bit of what HEAVEN will be like when all the lose ends will be tied up by the love of Our Savior Jesus Christ. How could I not be REJOICING!?!
   Can I just take a moment to TESTIFY that the LORD carries and delivers His brothers and sisters. How much we truly need Him!
   I am really working on completely trusting the Lord, Jesus Christ. It should be so easy, I know, but sometimes I just get caught up in thinking how I think things should go. Looking back at everything that has happened on my mission, I know that nothing happens without the Lord taking the wheel. He perfectly helps all things to fall into place!
   Remembering this will help me face whatever happens with Arcelia, Michelle and their whole family. Hermana Walton and I have really come to love Arcelia's family. They will be moving either next week or next month, but it is still really up in the air. At first I was kind of grumbling about this. I just must keep telling myself it is in the Lord's hands and He is on their side. He is going to do all He can to help them come to Him. Just as He always had a plan for Krystal.
   On Sunday we went over to Arcelia's house to make sure Satan wouldn't stop the family from coming to church. First it went really smoothly, but because their house was already half packed up, getting the whole house ready for church was not an easy feat. But we made it to church all in one piece!

THAT LEADS ME TO MY NEXT MIRACLE STORY!

   About 3 or maybe 4 weeks ago, we gave a grandpa a Book of Mormon, but as soon as we asked what day we could come back to see how his reading was going, the grandpa said, "Oh, my work schedule is so crazy you are never going to find me home. But stop by someday at this time next week and hopefully you will find me." We went on to try to set a specific date, but had no luck.

   So we have been stopping by and having no luck, well, that is until last Friday.

   On Friday we knocked on the door and the next thing we see is 4 little kids all jumping up and down on the couch in front of the window with big smiles and huge waves! SO ADORABLE.

   A mom soon answered the door, (she is the daughter of the grandpa we met), and before we really got to introduce ourselves, she smiles and turns back to call out to her little daughter. The most adorable little five year old comes running-skipping to the door hugging the Book of Mormon. The mom, Brenda then turns to us and says, "She has been reading this book. She absolutely loves it! It has led her to asking me all kinds of questions about Jesus. When can you come by to talk more with her about it?" 

   Our faces then caught huge smiles! We set up an appointment and went to the car with those same smiles!! Sadly, she had to reschedule the appointment but we could tell that she was sincerely sorry to reschedule. She then asked if we could come by on Sunday to which we replied, "COME TO CHURCH!" We gave her the address and offered to come by and help her get there, but she said she had map quest on her phone so she would be fine. Honestly, Hermana Walton and I were like... but we want to come and make sure you get there! Ha ha. Well, on Sunday while helping Arcelia make it to church our phone rang. Brenda was calling us. I answered and soon she said, "I think we are here..." Ha ha, it was 8:25 at that point! Most people come right at 8:00 or a few minutes late. We  told her to go in and as soon as she did the Condons found her (Branch and Relief Society President) and they had a really great conversation!

   President Condon came up to us during church and said, "So Lola?!" To which we replied, "Cutest little girl ever!" We continued to tell about the miracle she is! He said that she just radiates light and it is so true! After church, Brenda said that Lola absolutely loved it and that even though she isn't a church going person herself, that if Lola wants to do this she is going to do anything to support her!

I LOVE CHILDREN!

I LOVE CHURCH!

   My mission is everything to me. Before church Michelle was having a hard day and walking into church I could just tell she was feeling so sad. (Her life is pretty crazy right now.) I wish that each of you could just see the difference in her when she walked out of church! Church is a place of refuge. It is a place to lay our sorrows aside. GO TO CHURCH ALWAYS!!

   Then, to start of this week, we got a call from one of our favorite members telling us that our favorite Bautista familia were going through a HUGE emergency and needed our help. We got to help them a bit before coming to email and wow, they are just so dear to us. Keep them in your PRAYERS!!

   I am so enchanted by my mission. On Saturday, I was studying about the Atonement and its role in missionary work. I can testify that this journey is a WALK WITH CHRIST. Even more than that, Christ has carried me so much. It is all just so beautiful.

I LOVE YOU ALL! To the moon y back!

KEEP CALM 

&

KEEP ON SEEING CHRIST IN YOUR LIFE!

Love, Hermana Phipps