A BIT OF SPOKANE LIFE!

On Tuesday Nov. 18, 2014 Emma sent the following:

SO, Yes...Here is a bit of my life up here in Spokane!

I will share with you a miracle of the week. On Friday, Hermana Boman and I put in an hour of finding. We had a goal to find one Spanish Speaker in that hour. We prepared hard and then we went out and worked so very hard. We knocked on so many doors and no one was home! But we talked to everyone we saw and invited people on the street to be Baptized. We asked everyone we met who they knew that spoke Spanish, but we were having no success. So then I just said a quiet prayer that we could find the one! Time went by and we had a meeting to go to so we started walking to the car. Hermana Boman and I still had our eyes peeled for the Spanish Speaker we were looking for. Then when we were about a block away from our car, a man drove by us. We waved and as we waved we realized that he was a Spanish Speaker. We both waved even more excitedly! He didn't stop, he just kept driving down the road and Hermana Boman and I burst out at the same moment saying that we need to talk to him. But he was gone! SO... Hermana Boman said a Faith filled comment that we would see him again one day and he would remember how excitedly we waved at him.

We were then about 10 yards away from our car when a car stopped in the middle of the road and rolled down the window. It was the Spanish Speaking man we had waved at! He had driven for about two minutes and then turned around and decided he needed to talk to us!!! He had stopped in the middle of the road and cars were stopping behind him. After learning that we spoke Spanish too, he pulled off to the side of the road. We got his information and he promised to come to Church!

I love how Heavenly Father answers prayers. Last week Krystal told us how she prayed to find something and then she was able to find it. Isn't it amazing how the Lord helps us? Everyone of us has had this lost and found experience! I know Heavenly Father answers prayers! From a young age and for the rest of our lives, He is ready to help us in any moment of need!

I LOVE YOU ALL!

Keep Praying Always!!

Love, Hermana Phipps

PICTURES!!...

SO FUN HAVING HERMANA QUINN BACK WITH US!

SISTER BOMAN, RAGAN QUINN, SISTER PHIPPS

SISTER QUINN CAME BACK FOR THE WEDDING!

ADONAY & NORMA'S WEDDING

SUCH A BEAUTIFUL DAY!!

ROSIE'S AMAZING, AMAZING, AMAZING CAKES!

SHE PROMISED TO DO MY WEDDING CAKE!

HERMANA BOMAN HELPING WITH THE FLOWERS!

NORMA AND ADONAY 

CUTTING THE CAKE!!

OH HAPPY DAY!!!

HOW WONDERFUL TO SHARE THIS SPECIAL DAY!

ADONAY, NORMA, SISTER PHIPPS & SISTER BOMAN

AFTER THE CELEBRATION

EMMA HELPED VACUUM!!

THAT IS ONE BIG VACUUM!

FOUR SISTERS IN WINTER SWEATERS!!

All the Sisters in our Branch wore Christmas Sweaters

on Sunday!! ... Branch Unity!!

HERE IS A PICTURE OF SISTER GEIGER!

Sister Geiger lives in the English Ward that attends our building. 

She took this lovely picture of me and Sister Taylor at a

Stake Barbecue.  Ha ha, I guess I was caught enjoying my lunch!

(HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!)

But, I LOVE Sister Geiger! She give the BEST of hugs and

is always so thoughtful and concerned for others!

HERMANA BOMAN & PHIPPS

BEAUTIFUL STONE BRIDGE!

SO ADORABLE, RIGHT?!

DON'T FORGET TO...

LIVE THE GOSPEL JOYFULLY!!

BUENOS DIAS

The past two months, Emma's mother and father have had four surgeries between them, which has made them a little slow keeping up on Emma's Blog. But Emma has been doing great things and we are back up and going again.
Emma's release date is January 26, 2015 and please 

SAVE THE DATE... 

Emma's Welcome Home will be Sunday February 8, 2015 @ 1:00 p.m. 

Brigham City 23rd Ward Chapel - 300 East 600 North Brigham City

A luncheon will be held before the service at Emma's home at 11:30 a.m.

Emma's home address is 357 E 765 North Brigham City, UT 84302 

On Monday November 10th Emma sent the following:

Hello Everyone!

I am loving this transfer Most Completely!!!!!

Okay,... So I have been trying to send all the pictures I have promised to send people since my camera was in a members car and so I used all my time doing that and now I only have 15 minutes to write. I am so, so, so sorry. But here is a run down of some of the miracles we saw this week!

Rosie and Julio are so amazing. Even with the move, a cold hitting the whole family, and doctor appointments, they know how important it is to be reading the scriptures. Rosie called us on Friday because she hadn't read for three days and asked that we come by and read with their family to help them get recommitted! Isn't she amazing?!

So, as a mission we are working on contacting and following up with our progressing investigators everyday! I love it. But on Saturday, we had kind of hit a wall with two of our investigators. One just wasn't ever responding to us and the other one responded to our last two texts with, "?". Yes... just a question mark. But we knew we needed to contact them so Hermana Boman and I, during our get ready hour in the morning whipped up a batch of cookies. While driving to their homes, I commented to Hermana Boman that cookies give me courage to do anything! The cookies brought such great miracles! When we gave the cookies to Carlos he responded in the best way. We didn't even have to ask him any following up questions, because, upon seeing the cookies he just went straight into the following-up by himself. He told us he hadn't read Alma 32 yet but would do so that evening! He even promised to try his best to come to Church! YEA for COOKIES!! 

I love the inspiration that comes from the Spirit as we weekly plan! We had planned on doing a reading visit with Carmen and Luis. When we went by, she sat down and told us that she was on page 62 in the Book of Mormon!!!!! WOW! That is the farthest I have seen anyone get in three weeks while on my mission. Talking about the Book of Mormon was just what she needed also! She had really good questions and we can see that she is reading for understanding and praying to know it is true. She even testified that she knows that it is true! So Wonderful! 

Miracles are Everywhere! I am so Happy! I LOVE this Work!!

Write me emails...or Letters!

Love, Hermana Phipps

This is a Picture of our Favorite Spanish Speaker.

They attend an English Ward with a member's family.

Be prepared to receive LOTS of Photos today!!!

I GOT MY CAMERA BACK!!

The Sisters in our Zone got together and spray painted pumpkins!
It was so much fun.
We went to the beautiful Manito Park!

PUMPKIN FEST!!

SPRAYING PUMPKINS!

See the people in the top left corner above Hermana Boman?

We got their phone number -- they are Spanish Speakers!

A BEAUTIFUL FALL PUMPKIN DAY

FOR EMMA!

FOUR HERMANAS & FOUR PUMPKINS!!

SIX PUMPKINS & FOUR HERMANAS

WHAT A FABULOUS FALL!! 

It was good they enjoyed the beautiful Fall weather!

Before long, Arctic Air came down from Canada and brought 

lots of Winter Cold!!

LET THE HOLIDAYS BEGIN!!!

IT'S THE HOLIDAYS!!! Best time to be a missionary, if I may say so myself. Everyone is just so family focused and everyone feels the need to have Christ in their lives. As missionaries, we couldn't ask for anything more.
   The best part is... I AM STAYING IN THE NORTH!! Yea, all my deepest wishes have come true. I am so happy. And I get to be with my bestie Hermana Boman too! Life couldn't be sweeter. With what happened the last few days I think we would have revolted if we both didn't get to stay in this area.
   Halloween was lots and lots of fun! But I have some slightly sad news,... mostly sad for me, I still haven't gotten my camera from our member's car. :( Soon though, very soon! We had 7 appointments set up at the beginning of the day! It was loads of fun! We ate at a members house and their food was scary! It looked like real human beings! It was almost disturbing to eat... as you will see in the pictures next week. We also got to do lots of service on Halloween. I absolutely love service!
   On Saturday, we had an appointment set up with Adonay. That night was the best ever! When I walked into the house Krystal nonchalantly announced that Javier and his whole family were there visiting from Seattle! OH HAPPY DAY!! It had been far too long since I had last seen Javier. He has been going to church out in Seattle and the Sister Missionaries have been meeting with him. His family is now meeting with the missionaries too! I am so proud of him. He is doing so well. He is also just glowing with the Spirit. It was so nice meeting his whole family. They are all so lovely! They came to church yesterday also, and they seemed to LOVE it. I love my MISSION!!
   After saying Hello to Javier, we met with Adonay and Norma. It was such a wonderful moment! We read part of "The Family, A Proclamation to the World" with them and talked about eternal marriage and the temple. Adonay said, "I know! I am so excited to go into the temple in a year and be sealed to my family!" We reminded him how he needs to be a Baptized Member for a year first before entering the Temple to be sealed and he said, "How about this... I promise to get sealed just over a year from now if you two promise to be there!" That is one promise I am so excited to have made him! {Add EXCITING HAPPINESS OF GREAT JOY AND SUNSHINE, I AM SO HAPPY!} Mom and Dad, it looks like I am going to stay very connected with Spokane! Which is A-Okay with me! He is praying to know what day to be baptized. I feel it is just right around the corner. The Lord really is leading Him and he is fully aware of it.
   We also got to help our beautiful, wonderful, dear Galindo family move into their new house. It has been so delightful! The Galindo family are our Eternal Best Friends! I love them oh so much. I could never truly explain it.
   On Sunday I sat in the very back left corner of the church pews. The Galindo family sat right next to us. The two pews in front of us were crammed with the entire Lopez family and Javier's family. As I sat there in that little corner, a flash of a million memories ran through my mind. Being in my favorite Spanish Branch for these last 10 transfers have been amazing. So many things have happened! I am taken away by the beauty of it all.
   All the testimonies that day seemed to be based on Temples, which was perfect for Adonay and Norma. What I didn't know was that it was even more important for Rosie to hear this at that time. Rosie was the second to last member to bare her Testimony. The Spirit flooded the room the moment she began. She quoted her favorite scripture (1 Nephi 1:14). My soul was just so at peace as she bore powerful testimony. But in the middle she went on to tell something she hadn't told anyone besides her family. She is facing thyroid cancer and will begin treatments this week. The moment she explained this my heart became all worried. But as her testimony continued, I could feel the peace and strength she was feeling and I felt like I had no need to fear either.
   President Condon, after the meeting pulled me aside and said two things that gave Hermana Boman and I so much relief. First he said, "Rosie is pretty lucky when it comes to the kind of cancer she is facing. If I had to pick a line for which cancer I had to get, I would jump right into the thyroid line." She is so strong, she is going to pull through this without doubt. Then he went on to say something that was an answer to a question that has been nagging me my whole mission. He said, "When we wonder why bad things happen to us, just as we are making such good decisions in our lives, we have to be careful that we are looking at it in the right way. God doesn't send these things as punishments or an unneeded obstacle. That wouldn't make sense. He allows it to happen, by His merciful and loving understanding, just at the moment we will be most prepared to overcome the hard things." Rosie now has the endless blessings of the Gospel and the support of the ward to help her through this. Isn't Heavenly Father so amazing? He prepares the way for us to overcome all things.
   I want each of you to know that Heavenly Father is so real. He is gently watching over every single detail of your life. Even though I don't understand how He does it, I have a complete understanding that he does do it. That is all I need to know. He is arming you in every moment with the things you need to succeed and get across even the hardest mountain ranges. I know that Heavenly Father wants to give us everything we need to overcome trials. We are never left alone. I am most certain that I am never left alone. Heavenly Father gave me you. He gives me each day the tools I need to go forward in Faith and do His work. How amazing is He?! I just hope I can give more and more of me to Him each day.

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!

Hermana Emma Rose Phipps

[Sent on November 3, 2014]   

LAST WEEK OF OCTOBER

[Emma sent this on October 30, 2014 while I (her mom, Mary), was in the hospital.  It is time to catch up... the good news is there are no more surgeries planned for me so I can keep up with Emma's Blog! YEAH!!]

HELLO!

Sad Story... I had so many pictures to send, but I left my camera

in the back of the car of the member whom we rode to the Temple with.

But... Hermana Boman has some pictures I want to forward to you.

I will send the rest on Monday.

Emma enjoying the Flowers of Fall 

Manito Park in Spokane, Washington!

   Last P-day, we went to Manito Park and spray-painted pumpkins with patterned tights over them. SO MUCH FUN! Manito Park is SO BEAUTIFUL!! Pine trees and ROSES, what more could I ask for? I LOVE WASHINGTON!! I have cute pictures of the pumpkins, you can expect to see them on Monday! :) While there, a family of Spanish Speakers was walking around. We talked with them and got their numbers. They are so adorable! It is so fun to find Spanish Speakers everywhere I go. 

Mission Life Is Wonderful!!

   This past week was Jam Packed!!

   On Sunday we had a lesson with our Branch President and asked him and his wife to pray for three of our investigators. Wow, their prayers sure do work. As the week went by the miracles just kept coming for each of these families.

   The first person we asked him to pray for was Carlos. On Tuesday we went to a lesson with him and as we sat down he went straight to telling us how much the Book of Mormon is connecting with him. He told us that it feels so familiar and he just loves reading it. He then asked us all the steps he needs to take to be part of the Church! This is the second lesson we were having with him. Hermana Boman and I had made it our goal to invite him to be baptized on a certain date. Going into the lesson, for some reason I was nervous about it. But I had no need to be nervous. Whenever I think I have reason to fear, Heavenly Father teaches me that there is no room for anything in this work other than FAITH! Carlos is now praying to know what day Heavenly Father wants Him to be Baptized. We suggested the 22nd of November, and he is praying fervently about it!

   The second family the Condon's were praying for was the Juarez family. They are such a miracle. During exchanges last Friday, Hermano Torres, our Ward Mission Leader came with us to visit this family for the first time. Wow, they are AMAZING! Lee is the menos activo member that we met while contacting near his apartment a few weeks ago. He moved back to Florida temporarily, but we set up an appointment with his non-member wife Carmen. She is such a Woman of Faith. The people I am meeting here never cease to amaze me. 

   When we first met her and set up the appointment, she referred us to her neighbors. She told us it was a family of five who also wanted to come to Church with us. So, we set up an appointment with her and went to meet the neighbors. But they were not home. The next Friday, we headed out to the lesson. When we got there, her family and her neighbors were all there and they were ready and waiting for us. Sister Rodgers was with me for the day and did an amazing job at Testifying! The Spirit was so strong. We invited them to all come to Church on Sunday, and they all did!!! The family that Carmen invited actually speaks Spanish and English, but the mom of the family is dating someone who only speaks English, so they chose to go to the English ward on Sunday. They went and LOVED it!! Carmen and her son Luis (the neatest 11 year old I know), loved the Spanish Branch. Everything just fell into place! At the end of the lesson, all the kids asked if they could come to Church Saturday and Sunday and Monday also!! I just LOVE their excitement!! 

   The third family that the Condons prayed for is one of my favorite families in the Branch, the Mojica family. The Mojica family is one of the three part-member families in our area. This week we saw so many miracles with them. They came to activities that they haven't come to for the longest time and they had us over for a Family Home Evening. 

I LOVE WORKING WITH MEMBERS.

We would not be having these miracles without them!!

   And I have waited long enough!!! Let's talk about SATURDAY! Adonay and Norma are married!!! And they are so adorable. Alonso walked her into the ceremony. In that moment the Spirit just tidal waved me. I know that even though Amado (the father), is far away, he couldn't be any more happier for his Beautiful Daughter! It just makes me realize how happy Heavenly Father is watching over us as we do the things he wants us to do.

   Rosie made the cakes! The most delicious and beautiful things I have ever tasted in my life. Rosie has already promised me ten times over that she will be making my wedding cake! I am just under one beautiful lucky star!! 

   It was so wonderful seeing Hermana Quinn (Emma's first companion & trainer), and Hermana Judd again. It was such a Tender Mercy!!! I love them. When Hermana Quinn first arrived at the wedding, after saying Hello, Hermana Boman and I just stood back and watched her for a good minute... ha ha. President Condon noticed us and laughed. It was just too wonderful to have her back in the Mission. They came for the wedding. 

  

TWO HERMANAS ENJOYING OCTOBER AND 

THE WONDERFUL THINGS THAT HAPPEN EACH DAY!

SISTER PHIPPS & SISTER BOMAN

   We think Adonay has gotten the hint that we are ready for him to be BAPTIZED! Yesterday, he walked into the house and Hermana Boman and I shouted out to him that we had a question for him. He replied, "Is it about when I am going to be baptized?" Oh my, he has caught on to us! Just kidding, he is fully aware that we are so excited for the day he gets baptized. He is so close! He told us that is the next step. 

   Last night we had a ward Trunk-or-Treat activity. So many miracles were there too! We had six families come! The Lord really is getting things to move. I need to keep pace!! 

   Well, I love you all SO SO SO SO SO MUCH!!!     ~Love, Hermana Phipps

PS... Transfer calls are this Sunday! I can't believe it is that time again!

PSS... Oh dear family, thank you so so so so much for the care package. I love receiving a bit of home! Also, so silly of me, I haven't even mentioned the Galindo family! They are doing SO SO SO SO WELL! Aleah took part in the Primary Program on Sunday. Most adorable thing of my life!!! They are moving right to where we spend most of our days and we are the happiest missionaries in the world! Heavenly Father sure is amazing at orchestrating things! 

Speaking of music... look up the group "Lower Lights." My last few companions have had their music and it is just so so so so good! We don't have the album, 'Hymn Revival #2' but hopefully one day I can get it. I think Jon Phipps would really enjoy their Christmas Album.

So, so, so, so, ... good-bye for now!