First Full Week!!!

Hi everyone!!! Just letting everyone know My P-day is Fridays so that's the only time I can reply to your emails. 

Not that that's out of the way... 

How are you guys!!??? I finnally feel like after being here a week I've finally adjusted though sleep hasn't been good and everyone is exhausted by the end of every day.

Saturday we exercised and got 2 new investigators for out TRC training. They are Hannah and Heidi. Heidi is from Germany!! then we had class time and meals. 

Sunday Was amazing but LONG!! Sister Ann M. Dibb (Pres Monson's daughter and former YW board leader) came and talked to us and we learned a LOT about Pres Thomas S. Monson! Like he LOVES using those long dramatic pauses and he likes whistling and that's how you can know if he's in a good mood. She also showed us his "Glamour Shot" when he was in the military. She also told us about how he loves telling jokes and in one of his conference talks he mantioned rthat red heads get teased a lot so a red headded boy sent him a photo of Pres Monson with bright red hair xD And Oh my goodness!!!! We can watch "films" every sunday night and we watched one by elder Bednar and it was AMAZING!!!! It was all about not turning inward (being selfish) and turning outward. Our Relief Society lesson was great too but I don't have my study journal or else I'd write more.

Monday So today we taught our new TRC investigators for the first time and we taught them about the restoration. It was awesome!! Sister Garn and I finally taught like we should where it's just a comfortable conversation and not just shoving doctrine down their throats or not giving them the opportunity or not asking them the right questions to understand what their understanding and needs are. Heidi went really well and then With Hannah it was harder because she doesn't feel like God loves her and that he abandoned her. So that's been kinda hard. 

Tuesday So out TRC visit went really well today too!! we taught the plan of Salvation but we went into too much detail./ We've been really trying to teach simply so that even a child would understand. However I think that It helped both of our investigators really understand that God loves all of His children and He literally gives us every opportunity He can before we meet him again to repent so that we can live with Him again. An interesting thing That I've learned while being here is that when we are studying for our investigators and teaching them, it is also helping us to increase our testimonies and being converted ourselves and it truly is amazing! 

Wednesday HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my little brother Ryan!!!! he turned 5!!! Thanks Mom for sending me and my district cupcakes to celebrate!!!!!! And thanks Dad and Susie for sending me and My district Krispy Kreme Pumpkin Spice Donuts!!!!

Thursday HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my friend Odyssey and also to my Grandpa!!!!! <3 Today Sister Garn and I and Elder Sorensen and McGowen went and did our studies on the temple grounds and it was so peaceful to be out of our classroom!!! Also, what made my day was I got ANOTHER package and guess what was inside? PUMPKINSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!! and paint!!!!!! so me and the other 3 sisters in my districts could paint them for Halloween!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Friday (today) we went to the temple and have yet to go through a session with the Elders in our district because they somehow always get put in a different session or last time Elder Sorensen was folding sashes. Oh!! Now I rmember everyones names!!! Sister Phillips (me), Sister Garn, Sister Wadman, Sister Mudrow, Elder Williams, Elder Jenkins, Elder Johnson, Elder McGowen and Elder Sorensen. Oh! a crazy thing happened. Elder Sorensen was told that His grandpa died and he was having a hard time so the elders in our district gave him a blessing and then a couple hoursd later they told him it was actually his great grandma and he felt a lot better. I don't know how to send pictures yet but I'll try maybe in my next email... Oh!!! I almost forgot!!! Today when we were walking back fromt he temple we saw a little girl and her mom and the girl came up to us with a bag of leaves and her mom said she wanted to give us leaves and was so excited that w e stopped to say hi becasue another group of missionaries didn't so she was crying. Her name is Oaklie and she was the cutest thing EVER!!!!!! They just moved here and she was SO excited to see that there were Sister Missionaries!!! I asked her if she wanted to be a missionary when she was older and she replied the cutest "MmmHmmm"!!!!!! Anyway, We're just doing laundry and eating lunch. Write me back!!! 

LOVE you!!!!!!!

Sister Alyssa Phillips

alyssa.phillips@myldsmail.net

Sister Alyssa Marie Phillips

NOV16 CA-OAK

2005 N. 900 E. Unit 119

Provo, UT 84602

I'm Here!!!!!!

Hi everyone!!!! Just got done with orientation and they let us email home to let our family know we're safe. 

I actually wasn't able to finish my email on Wednesday, but I'm finishing it up  now on my P-day (friday). We are SO lucky to get a p-day here and to go to the temple the first week here!!!! Let me give you a brief overview of what happened. 

Wednesday I was dropped off and an Elder took my stuff and told me to go to the library to pick up my books. Then I got my luggage and went with a Host Sister and another new Sister Missionary Sister Petersen who lives in Saratoga Springs if I remember correctly....

Anyway, after dropping off our stuff in the Residence Hall I went to Class and Met my Companion and the other Elders and Sisters in my district. My companion is Sister Garn who's from Burley, Idaho and she is going to the Cleveland Ohio Visitors Center. She is SO cute and can do door approaches really well since she did door-to-door sales during the summer selling alarm systems. We have two other sisters in our District. Sister Wadman who is going to the Washington Yakima Mission and Sister Mudrow who is going to the Independence Missouri Visistors Center. Then we have 5 Elders: Elder Williams, McGowan, Sorensen,  and.... i forgot the other two (sorry! ^.^) We had a lot of classes and we learned about our First investigator named Katia and she is from St. Petersburg Russia and recently moved the States 6 years ago. Besides our classroom (which is where we live most of the time while here at the MTC) We also had an activity where the new missionaries all went into different classrooms as huge groups and we were introduced to 3 investigators who were all different situations and we had the opportunity to talk to them and try to commit them to read the Book of Mormon, Baptism and praying etc... It was really cool! Plus the food was really good as well. I don't know why everyone says the MTC food isn't good. We had steak and mashed potatoes and lots of yummy food. And as i was advised, I did not drink the orange juice. 

Thursday:

We also had more classes and taught our first investigator Katia for the first time and we learned so very valuable insights like not everyone knows how to pray... we thought we did a good job because we told her how to open and close and what you say in a prayer but we forgot to tell her that you fold your arms, bow your head and close your eyes so apparently Katia was looking around very confused whenever we prayed.....

We also had another group lesson with other missionaries where we did some training exercises. We also Met our Branch Presidency and their wives. The President is President Williams, his 1st councilor is Bother May and the 2nd councilor Brother Taylor and his wife didn't attend because they were sick. The wives were so sweet and loving and gave us BIG hugs when they met us! They called Elder Williams as our District President so we have to be nice to him since he's the one with the mail key... :) I loved being interviewed by Brother May! He said that he saw all of the sister missionaries as his granddaughter and asked us if we left boyfriends behind. Basically all of the sisters in my district did and he told his to Lock our hearts. What i found out is that Sister Wadman's boyfriend is actually here at the MTC as well and he got here last week. 

Friday: TODAY!!! We got up and walked to the Provo Temple to do an endowment session! When we got done and we were walking back to the MTC we all felt at peace and refreshed from the stress and business here at the MTC. Then we went back and got changed into our P-day clothes and ironed stuff and now I'm here!! Tonight we're teaching Katia again so hopefully we can teach better and more simpler today since she also has a language problem and doesn't speak English very well. 

Lots of Love!!

Sister Phillips 

Saying goodbye before I enter the MTC.

I don't have everyone's email address, so if you could write me or email your address that would be great!  I would LOVE to hear from all of you!

Leaving for the MTC on 10/19/16

Well, I have less than two weeks left until I report to the MTC! If you want to receive emails from me comment or message them to me!  Thanks!! I'm super excited and can't wait to serve the people in the Oakland/San Francisco Area!!!!!