Jonesboro-Week 5

Another exciting week in the mission field for Elder Phillips.  He started out with a funny story for the week....so as missionaries we do weird stuff plain and simple...we actually cooked up a nice little squirrel and ate em this week....that is a change from the usual top ramen..  hahaha.  Not a lot of meat on them. I hope he is joking and really didn't eat squirrel.  He said it tastes like a fish/chicken taste.  I think Elder Phillips is becoming like his Grandfather Phillips....he likes to tell stories.  My week has been great, just out searching for his children that are ready.  The work is moving forward and the Lord is really blessingus.  I am getting along great with my companion, Elder Keliikoa.  He is sort of the shy one.  Oh on a side note, we had a missionary meeting and I left my backpack with my scriptures, camera and everything else in it so I am praying hard that I find it because I really don't want to try and replace everything in it.  So if you could throw up a couple of prayers for that I would appreciate it.  I am enjoying Jonesboro.  We got a baptism this week so that is always good.  Well some small miracles for the week.  We have been having trouble finding new people but we keep receiving referrals from the Spanish missionaries and from the ward because people are just walking into church.  It is so crazy the Lord is answering our prayers, just in a different way than I expected.  I know that He is there.  I know that he listens and answers our prayers.  I know that by small and simple things great thing come to pass.  This work is true and I know that this work is real.  God loves us all and wants us all to come back to live with him.  Oh another side note....one of our recent converts received the Priesthood yesterday and he asked me to ordain him...all I can say is...WOW!!  I am so grateful that the spirit was with me at that moment..the spirit filled my mouth...I have no idea what I  needed to say but the Lord took care of it.  I love ya'll!!

Jonesboro-Week 4

From the sounds of Elder Phillips email this week he is doing great.  He loves that he is serving with the Spanish missionaries because they are fed by their families and he loves the food.  So I am sure that now that he is not riding his bike or walking all the time he will put back on some of the weight that he lost orginally.  This is part of his email this week.....I have some great news!!  Every Friday we play basketball with investigators and I can now touch the rim of the hoop..maybe when I come home I will be able to dunk it!!  The work is going really well.  I am loving Jonesboro.  District Leader is great.  I love being an example to other missionaries and I hope the Lord keeps me here for awhile.  We had a pretty good week, we got two new investigators on Sunday from members.  It was amazing they just bought them to church, I realize that the Lord doesn't just work through his missionaries in the field but he works through his missionaries in each and every ward. And these investigators are great!!  I have gained a stronger testimony of Member missionary work.  The bible says in James 2:18 I will shew thee my faith by my works...there is more to this scripture but I really like that as members of the true church we really do understand that we are not saved by our works ..we are saved by grace, but we show are faith by our works.  Because James also states that Faith without works is dead, like out bodies without a spirit.  That is why we help others, that is why we visit members of our ward and that is why when diasters hit, the Mormons are the first to show up to help.  I want ya'll to know that I know that this church is true.  I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior, through him all things are possible..He was laid in a tomb, but on the third day he arose from the tomb....He lives!!  I know that he lives, I know that he suffered for us.  And that we can overcome death also.  I know that God lives, he created this world for us, he loves us and listens to our prayers.  I love and miss y'all.

Jonesboro-Week 3

Elder Phillips is doing great in Georgia but he says that the pollen is killing him.  He missed spring in Georgia last year.  He was able to listen to General Conference and he said it was awesome.  He said that he learned a lot and was very uplifted.  He shared an experience with me that really touched my heart......so here is a neat thing for you to think about Mom, so in the morning session on Sunday morning during President Monson's remarks he talked about our loved ones on the other side of the veil, then right after the choir who just happened to be dressed in Purple dresses (my mom's favorite color) stood and sang "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing (my mom's favorite song) when they sang I teared up a little.  It was a very powerful experience.  We had two of our investigators come to conference which is all good.  My district is doing really well, I think.  Being a district leader is a lot of work, not going to lie but I am managing it and I am having a lot of success.  I have learned that my patience level is not very high.  Here is my little miracle for the week.....Elder Neri and I were on exchanges for the day, it was P-day and we were "thriftin'.....thrift store shopping for ties and we used a lot of miles to go to one of them and weren't sure if we could find it so as we are sitting at a light we hear this guy yelling at us asking directions, we tried to help the best we could be the light changed then we see him at the next light, which is red.  So we see this as a finding activity, so Elder Neri hands me a Mormon.org card  and I get out of the car at this light and tap on the dudes window, he rolls it down and I give him the card, he said he would check it out.  I believe that it was inspired for us to be at that light to talk with that guy.  Missionary work is dangerous and exciting.  I love being a missionary.  I am grateful for this chance I have to serve him for two years.  I miss ya'll and pray for you everyday.

Jonesboro-Week 2

Well, this week has been great.  We have found a lot of new people to teach and have had a lot of success.  My new companion and I are doing great.  We have totally differents views but we make it work.  Well I've been out about 9 months now and I woke up the other morning and it all hit me.  It is going by so fast ...it is kind of sad.  We had a combined service for testimony on Sunday with the spanish ward.  The spirit was very strong even though I couldn't understand them.  I have had real Mexican food now...holy cow it puts Taco Bell to shame.  We share dinners with the Spanish missionaries.  This week was eventful week.  On Sunday we had a young couple just walk into our meeting house and we will be teaching them tonight.  The same thing happened last Sunday.  We also had a baptism on Saturday.  Sorry  I forgot to tell you about it before now.  I love the quote you sent me Mom about living our testimonies.  I have run into lots of people on my mission that tell me that most Christians just talk the talk but everytime they had said that the Mormons they know walk the walk.  We live what we teach and we live what we learn from the scriptures.  Plain and simple.  My miracle for this week was we were out tracting last Thursday and we knocked on this guys door.  No one answers..we see his car pull up and he gets out and asks if he can help us?  He was not happy to see us, so we explained who we were and why we were there.  And he totally just threw up a wall between us and was not at all interested.  Typical....so we keep tracting because we are missionaries and we don't get discouraged.  So we just finished knocking on a door and this was like a half hour later and we see him leaving the neighborhood so I was going to wave because I still love the guy.  He stops and rolls down is window and asks if we have a number he can contact us at...his attitude was totally different.  The Lord really can soften the hearts of his children.  This is the first experience that I have had like this.  It was pretty cool.  Being a district leader is hard at times but it is okay.  The Lord is doing this for a reason to shape me into what he wants m e to become.  Well, I love and miss y'all.  Have a great week.

Justin included some new pictures with his email this week.

The baptism

Elder Phillips in the Jonesboro apartment

Elder Phillips at Sanford Stadium, yes!!  (Athens)

My shoes after 8 months

Elder Phillips and Elder Keliikoa studying...Sort of

Elder Phillips with an investigators wig on (Monroe)