Jonesboro-Week 1

So Justin has spent his first week in Jonesboro.  This is some of his email this week.  "Well Jonesboro, or what we like to call it J-Breeze is a great area, it is very big and very ghetto.  The meeting house looks like ours back hom but older...the ward is super small.  We have spanish speaking branch so the spanish Elder's live super close to us.  My companion is Elder Keliikoa from Moreno Valley California.  He is half black and half Hawaiian.  My district that I am over is me and my companion, Elder Neri and Elder Sarniguet (the spanish missionaries), the Flint River Ward elders and a senior couple.  I am settling in pretty well.  The area is just below Atlanta.  It is a great area and very fast paced.  We cover about three different counties, I think.  I finally get to drive a car...a brand new Ford Fusion, I still can't believe it.  We have alot of work going on here.  Being district leader is very different and it is a lot of responsibility but I know that I have been sent here for a reason.  Jonesboro is refreshing but there is a lot to be done.  I gave my testimony in sacrament meeting this last Sunday and it was amazing to see how much my testimony has grown and how much I've changed.  I love serving the Lord so much.  My little miracle is that when I got here, I guess we started picking up new investigators and the work has really started to pick up.  It is crazy how the Lord works and how he is in this work.  I've seen miracles happen on my mission and I will never forget those miracles it has changed my life so much.  I pray for y'all everyday and miss ya a ton. 

Elder Phillips aka Texas Ranger/Phily

Monroe-Week 18

Well, Elder Phillips spent his last week in Monroe, Georgia.  He was transferred last Wednesday (March 14th) to Jonesboro, Georgia which is southwest of where he has been serving.  I think it is south of Atlanta.  He has also been called to serve as the district leader in the area.  He was sad to leave Monroe and the wonderful people he has come to love but he is excited about his new area. He shared a funny story....On Thursday last week (so I guess this would be the Thursday before he was transferred) Justin and his companion, Elder McGary biked to Social Circle which is about 11 miles from Monroe and we worked down there all day and we have been asked to be more bold with people and you know me I am not very bold so we are down there working and we are just inviting people to be baptized and we have found people that have listened to our message because of baptism and because of the priesthood authority our church has to baptize.  It was off the wall insane.  I couldn't believe my eyes.  Side note....we covered about 30 miles that day.  I am excited for my new adventure in Jonesboro.

Monroe-Week 17

I think I am a little behind with these posts so I think I am going to try and catch up.  Elder Phillips is still serving in Monroe.  He survived the severe weather that went through that area a couple of weeks ago.  He says that he would rather deal with earthquakes than tornados.  But it is all part of  the adventure.  He says that the area that he is serving in is a faith tester but it is also building his faith.  They have been talking with lots of people lately but he says that is the way it is because nothing happens in missionary work until you find someone to teach.  "We did have a guy stop us who they had given a pass along card to and he let us in and we taught him the Restoration, he accepted a Book of Mormon (Mormon bible) as some people call it , which was amazing because not a lot of people accept free book these days.  Which for me is sad because it contains the fulness of the gospel and outlines the plan of salvation and testify's that Jesus is the Christ.  I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God.  I have seen it change lives if they give it a chance and really read and ask God if it is true it will change their lives.  I know this will all my heart.  This isn't my work, it is his work, I am just his servant and I will continue to do my best to serve him.  Not for my gain, but when others see my works it will glorify my Father in Heaven.  I love Georgia and I love missionary work.  Love y'all!!

Monroe-Week 16

This week Elder Phillips has had a rough week.  He said in his email that everything has fallen through this week...it has tested his faith a little bit but he is just trying to keep working hard and he knows that the Lord will bless him for it.  "My small miracle for the week was we were on a team up with a member and everything was falling through of course...but then we was this kid walking by, music blasting, so I get his attention and invite him to visit the website and invited him to hear the lessons.  He accepted.  One thing that I've realized on my mission is patience is not my strong suit.  I was told by another missionary a scripture in Luke 21:19 I think, which says in your patience possess ye your souls.  It just made me think that we need to be patient for what we want and that right now I should be focused completely on what the Lord wants and I think as I've been out here I have lost sight of that.  I need to keep my eye single to the glory of God.  I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.  I have started to study the New Testament and it has strengthed my testimony of him.  I have learned more about who he really is and what he did for me.  And I can share that with others so they can see that he wasn't just a man who suffered on the cross but that he is our brother who loved us so much that he was willing to die for us and that he performed miracles and set a perfect example fo us to strive to become.  He broke the bands of death so that one day we can also make it back to live with our Heavenly Father and that we can stand before our God and he will rejoice with us and welcome us to his rest.  I love the restored gospel, I know it is all true.  I have seen it change lives.  I am a witness of his miracles and his mercies.

I know that Justin is in Atlanta for a reason and that he is blessing the lives of people there.  I am grateful for the opportunity that I have to support him and encourage him while he is serving the Lord.

Monroe-Week 15

Sorry, I am a little behind getting this blog updated this week.  Elder Phillips is still serving in Monroe, Georgia and loving it.  He is hoping that when transfers come in mid-March he will be able to stay for a while longer but will go wherever the Lord needs him.  The mission had zone conference this past week and so our P-day was on Wednesday.  Zone conference was very uplifting. :)  He said that it was really good to see some of his old companions.....The work is movin forward are we are fixin to set baptismal dates with our gators this week.  I am beginning to notice that Elder Phillips is starting to probably sound a little southern.  When he writes he leaves off the "g" and I am going to assume that "gators" mean investigators and not alligators.  It has hard to believe that he has been out for 8 months now.  It seems like only yesterday that we were all anxiously waiting for his mission call to come. He shared with us his small miracle for the week......We were meeting with one of our investigators this week and as I sat there and listened toher and tried to help her I realized somethin...she has changed so much since the first time we met with her...I was shocked to see how much the gospel has already changed her life.  We are so blessed to have it in our lives.