May 31, 2011

Elder Phillips in the city on Memorial Day

Hello my friends! How is everything going? Here, it is good. I am loving being with Elder Carrillo! It has been fun getting to know each other. I have been showing him the ropes of the area here in Worcester and it has been really fun. We are both loosing weight. It is really really nice to have the support of Elder Carrillo, a fellow athlete. He is just an awesome guy.

Elder Carrillo and I are on bikes, I decided I don't like being in a car at all. We were able to fix our bikes. We rode them all over Worcester the other day. It was way fun and now we wont go over the mile limitation we have on our car every month.

Elder Carrillo and I are working hard. We have a few more baptisms coming this month. We are very excited about the success that is coming. Yesterday, for Memorial Day, we went into Boston and just loved it! Went spent the time with some other Elders and even though was in my p-day clothes, I couldn't help but to hand out some Books of Mormon and still be a missionary! That is what i am talking about! It was fun. We went to Bunker Hill, saw a couple old boats, went to a cemetery, and of course my favorite store, Johnny Cupcakes! Johnny Cupcakes was founded here and loved it loved it to death.

Last Sunday we had the confirmation of Yesenia and Rosa. They both asked me to do it. Yup, I confirmed them a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Well as some of you know and for those that don't-I did not use all the correct words in the confirmation. There are two phrases and like the sacrament prayer it needs to be word for word. BUT I messed up! Gosh I feel really, really bad and kinda dumb. I messed up both of them so we are re-doing them next week. Well, I hope so, so we can do it correctly. The worse part is that it was done in Spanish so the Bishop didn't know I messed up until some people came and told me! Dang, I was sad that i messed up. Not for me, I could care less about that, but for Yesenia and Rosa.

The other cool thing that i got invited to do this week was to go to the temple with Rob, my buddy from the deli. He got sealed in the temple to his wife. It is sooooooo amazing to see people change, repent, and become cleansed through the Atonement of Christ. Rob had made a lot of mistakes in his life. He found the church through his wife. She is amazing! So, this man (Rob) went from drunk, to clean in less than a year... and now sealed with Priesthood. How amazing! I love the gospel, and Rob is just an amazing friend. Wow. After the sealing, we went to the deli and ate amazing food. Rob cooked for us! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Soooooo amazing.

Let's see.... what more we did this week? We straightened up some more people who think they know the date of the end of the world. I love what is says in 2 Thess. 5 2-3. Hello! Nobody knows the actual day, and if some guy is trying to predict it, he won't come on that day anyway!

Oh... and this week, we figured out how to make beans that the Dominicans make here they are soooooooooooooo good!

Elder Carrillo and I are having some great success! We are teaching a lot in Spanish. Elder Carrillo is helping me with my Spanish a lot. I am very, very grateful for him. I am just loving it here.

Peace and Blessings.

Elder Phillips

In Boston on Memorial Day

May 24, 2011

Well the first week with Elder Carrillo was really, really fun! We have a good time together! I hope you are all having a great time while my parents are in China! It is pretty weird that they are there, but sounds really, really fun! I want to visit there some day.


Elder Carrillo and I have lots of fun cooking and doing other things together. We made these really good red beans that we learned how to make from a member. We really enjoyed it and they are really healthy! Elder Carrillo is going home soon so he is trying to get down on his weight too. We are working hard together. We have fun at night. We have soooooo much in common, so we talk lots. We enjoy studying and I really, really love being companions with him.


I have learned I am not good at driving here. I get destracted by all the crazy drivers. It's really weird, but I love it here still. Before Elder Carrillo and I were companions, he was serving really close to my area. In fact, he has been serving nearby my whole mission. Well, when we got put together, it was frustrating because even though he lived really close we still had to pack up his stuff and move it one hour away because he didn't know that we were going to be companions and live so close. The day after we got put together it was really refreshing because Elder Carrillo plans like I do. We have been able to work really hard and things are going really good. It feels great to plan and do things right.We are doing the things that we are supposed to, but we make it fun at the same time. I just really like it a lot.


Saturday was really, really rough. We did service all day for a member. We went and dug holes in the ground to plant trees. When we had all the trees in place, the member didn't like them so we had to take them out and take them back to the store. It felt like we wasted the whole day. We had even cancelled appointments so we could help her. It seemed like it was all for nothing. It was fun though because we were able to talk to some in-active members, so that was cool. That part made us feel like it wasn't all in vein.

Sunday I kinda got stressed out. There was someone taking a bath in the apartment above us and it was leaking into our bathroom. It felt like it was raining!!! Great. Then, one of the tires on our car popped. These things happen, and I am still happy.


It rained on p-day, AGAIN! We got the great opportunity of doing nothing...... yes. Playing board games is getting old every week, but I won't complain!


I love you all tons. Peace and Blessings.


Elder Phillips

May 19, 2011

My new companion, Elder Carrillo

Our newest baptism

I am doing really good! I don't have time to write a lot but I got a new companion! I got put with one of my best friends in the mission, Elder Carrillo. He only has one more transfer and he just got released as Zone Leader. It is awesome! I am sooooo excited! I have had the opportunity to hang out with him lots recently and I love him. I am sooooo happy! We have soooo much in common! I just wanted to tell you all that!

We had a baptism last week. It was really good. Elder Horton did a great job! He was awesome! Sorry, I don't have a lot of time to write!

Peace and Blessings!

Elder Phillips

May 10. 2011

It was really, really nice to talk to my family on Mother's Day. I got to skype them and surprisingly it was a lot better for me to see them because I could see them and see how everything is going. Phone calls are different because there is still the question on how everyone is and how they look etc. I didn't get homesick one bit which was nice. It was just fantastic to see how good everyone looks and really really nice!

Yesterday, for p-day, we got to play soccer again! Finally something I like to do. It has been a long time and it felt so good to get beat up again and do the things I used to do! I miss it. Transfers are next week. I would really like a change but whatever the Lords wants that will be good. I will probably stay here but my companion has been here for 9 months. We will see next Tuesday. No matter what happens, I will keep working hard and that is for certain. I love it here in Worcester and lets see if I can loose some weight. You know Elder Dawe, my best buddy has lost 70 pounds. It is nuts and he looks really good.

I got a call from a friend and I was informed of a couple of things. First of all, that one guy that I reactivated went through the temple last week and he is getting married to one of my best friends on the mission. The world is even smaller...it is the same person that was baptized by Elder Ririe! Can you believe it? It is really cool! Saturday, I found out that I needed to translate at this woman's conference. It was really great, but hard to do it. This lady that was speaking was using huge words that I don't know in English let alone in Spanish and spoke so fast that it was really hard to translate. But I learned at the conference that something happened that is very great! I worked so hard in my other area in Boston to get the Spanish ward going again, which is happening. They are going to a shared meeting system which means the same ward and everything but they will have the meetings in Spanish and English. It is just fantastic! The adults will have separate meetings in Spanish and English and the kids will still get to go with their friends to the English speaking meetings! I am really happy! I feel so spoiled to have one of the best weeks of my life!

Peace and Blessings!

Elder Phillips

mother's day phone call

SKYPE is waaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than just a simple phone call.

Bless technology!

We got to talk and see Aaron yesterday!

he looked and sounded great!

one more SKYPE call to go!!!

miss you aaron!

May 4, 2011

FROG??

The Color Festival

Hello my friends and family,

It has been a good week but very upsetting. We have two baptisms scheduled, but they might get postponed and might not even happen at all. This family that we both feel I was sent to Worcester to meet and teach are having some weird issues. It is really sad and it is breaking my heart. I feel like I have real charity and desire their salvation more than my own and as much as my family. It is crazy how much I love them and want to be with them in the eternities. The Mission President approved all issues but their bishop is not comfortable with it. I have never fasted and prayed for anything more in my life that everything will work out. I feel better that it will be all right.

Everything else is going really good. I am super tired from working so hard doing service. I am so tired, I go to bed early every night. I love being busy like this. It is the only way to serve the Lord; tons of teaching and helping others come unto Christ. It is a gift of God and we have been blessed.

I had my interview with the Mission President and we talked about the issues that I have with my companion. All is well and I am happy. The President says that we are so successful because we are so different and fill in the gaps of each other. We are the best that we have ever been. We will see if one of us will get transfered. Elder Horton has been in this area for 9 months, which is a long time.

We have done some fun things recently. We went to the Color Festival, which was really fun. We are finally going to play sports this preparation day in Boston. We have been doing service and had a member referral. We moved her and she asked us if she could be baptized! It was super awesome. Gosh, working through the members is the way to go! We are pushing the mission plan and the work is going forth because our bishops loves us and wants us to be successful. He is the KEY! It is super awesome.

Peace and Blessings.

Elder Phillips