BIRTHDAY FULL OF MIRACLES!!! BEST WEEK EVER!!!

Hello Everyone, 

8/1 Tuesday: We had a lesson with some recent converts and we found out that their step brothers and a cousin want to start learning about the Gospel!! We stayed late to help their mom set up play pens and a crib for some triplets they are watching unexpectedly. We were able to really gain the nonmember mom's trust SO much!! Also our investigators Andrew and Ashley agreed to be baptized!! At the Visitors Center we had a guy named Melvin come in and we gave him and his son a very short tour and he wanted to bring his girlfriend back to the Visitors Center. He filled out a referral card and then he actually came back later that same day with his girlfriend (she wasn't interested but thankfully we had him fill one out the referral card before he left the first time). 

Recent converts, Step Siblings, Cousin and Triplets at the Oakland Visitors Center with us.

Trying to wrangle triplets is CRAZY! But they're SO cute!

8/2 Wednesday: We got a referral from Church Headquarters and set up a time to meet with him (Clifton Jr) today. When we met him, he said he was waiting for his 15 year old son Clifton III to come (he came from Richmond) and we taught them both together. The father (Clifton Jr.) agreed to be baptized on 8/27 and the son (Clifton III) said he'd think about it :) We also took an old guy around the Visitors Center who's been a member his whole life and living in San Francisco but has never gone to the temple here in Oakland. So we showed him some of the exhibits about the temple and apparently he's a descendant of Brigham Young. Then we talked to a member who was an Uber driver who took a break to stop in and feel the spirit. We played the Christus program for him and he told us about how a few years ago he was a less active member but that he was wanting to come back to church and he came to the Visitors Center and the sister missionaries helped him and he felt the spirit so strongly. 

8/3 Thursday: We gave an event calendar to a lady living in an apartment complex of a recent convert we were going to teach. She told us she's gone to church before a few times with her co-worker who is a member (who happens to be the Ward mission leader in Hayward!!) We got her info and she said she might be interested in learning more!! We went and had a lesson with a recent convert and when we were going to turn the corner while walking back from our appointment; I said we should talk to this lady who was smoking on the steps (I wanted to talk to her on our way over). She is a nanny from France and she was really interested in learning more; so we set up a time to meet with her. 

Birthday Presents are here!

8/5 Saturday: Aidan got baptized!!! We contacted a former investigator who wants us to come over!! I also saw one of my high school math teachers at the Visitors Center! (Mr. Jones). My mom sent me pizza and a cake for my birthday! And my Grandma sent me some really awesome cute and comfy p-day clothes!! My Dad and Susie sent me an “Ice cream Sunday in a box” (all of the stuff needed to make ice cream Sundays – I just need to add ice cream)  and a gift card!! And Brother Aliling bought me peanut butter ice cream!! 

I got an "Ice Cream Sundae in a box" along with a gift card and birthday cards from my Dad, Susie and Hadley

So cute!

Sister Fiu and I enjoying our Ice Cream Sundaes!

8/6 Sunday: Mahamoud got baptized today!! And the recent convert who’s step brothers were interested in learning more about the Gospel all came to church today with their mom and the triplets! Our investigator Tom came to church today too! So we had 7 people at church today!! Poor Tom was only going to Sacrament meeting today since it was last because he worked the night shift but he drank coffee with the good intentions of staying awake and going to church for all three hours. So now we have to push his baptism back to August 27th. And then MIRACLES(!!!!) We picked a few less active members to visit after our member dinner tonight and when we got to the first house the guy couldn't believe that we were there because he had been praying and meaning to call the missionaries for the past few days to give him a blessing because he saw some stuff he shouldn't have seen and it had been causing him to suffer over the past few days. Then we went to the musical performance at the Visitors Center with the recent converts, their step brothers, the mom and the triplets! The missionaries played the piano and sang and the ward members played the piano and the violin! It was amazing!! Best Birthday Ever!! 

Today is my Birthday!

My Mom sent me a delicious cake too!

8/7 Monday: Happy anniversary to my Dad and Susie!! I also get to open my mom's package today too!! And tomorrow is our temple day!! 

Love you all!!!!!

Sister Phillips and Sister Fiu.

I LOVE OAKLAND 9TH!!!!!

Introducing my new companion - Sister Fiu!

Hello Everyone, 

7/25 Tuesday: We had transfers and I'm officially companions with Sister Fiu and now serving in the Oakland 9th ward! 

Transfer lineup!

One of the ward mission leaders drove some Elders to transfers in his Tesla SUV (Model X)

and said I could sit in it ;) After transfers we were at the Visitors Center and gave 2 cool people a tour! One lady came into the Visitors Center while waiting for her friend to arrive to go hiking and as we were showing her around her friend came in as well and at the end they both filled out referral cards to receive a free copy of the Book of Mormon and her friend has been looking for a church to attend and was really interested in that as well! They both wanted to meet with missionaries AND they live in our mission boundaries!!! Then after our shift at the Visitors Center we started walking to Lake Merritt to hand out event calendars for the upcoming performances at the Visitors Center and we met this lady named Nobila.

She was the cutest old lady and by the end of our conversation she agreed to let us bring her a copy of the Book of Mormon too! :) When we got to Lake Merritt, we met Cyril who is from Russia (Another one!! :D). We talked with him for a while and he agreed to meet us up at the Visitors Center on Friday! Then we had a really great district meeting and training about "listening" and it was just a great reminder to me that when we listen to the person the Spirit will help us know how to proceed and truly help them instead of worrying about what you're going to say next.     

7/26 Wednesday: We went to go see Djenaba the investigator who is getting baptized this Sunday (7/30) and one of the first things she told us was after reviewing the pamphlets to prepare her for her baptism is that she realized that being baptized would mean she'd become a member of our church and she doesn't want to be a Mormon. She just wanted to be baptized. She said she didn't want to be part of a church that was restrictive and said told us that she drank coffee today. But she said she hadn't really taken the time to "ponder" on the things we've taught so we invited her to read the Book of Mormon, ponder and to pray and that we knew she would get her answer so she agreed and said we could call her tomorrow to see what her answer was. But a miracle with her was Sister Fiu felt prompted to bring a copy of the Restoration DVD for her. So we gave that to her and hopefully she won't be skeptical about Joseph Smith. Then we had a nice lesson with some recent converts about the Tree of Life. Then we ate pizza with our investigator Tom. We also had an awesome lesson with our investigator Andrew and he brought his girlfriend and their Son Ace to meet with us! We shared the Plan of Salvation with them and showed them around the Visitors Center. Andy, our recent convert from Russia, said he could come for Cyril's lesson at the Visitors Center on Friday! 

 

View of the Oakland Temple from my new apartment in down town Oakland

7/27 Thursday: We called Djenaba and she didn't pray or do anything but sleep of a few hours and just decided she didn't want to join our church and wanted to cut all ties and not have us contact her anymore sadly... I met Bishop King and then our lesson fell through so we went tracting and found a lady named Kimberly who said we could come back! We also went to a less active members group home and read from the Book of Enos with her and refreshed her memory on what we do to repent and then the Elders came over and gave her a blessing for her foot :)

7/28 Friday: We mainly did weekly planning all day and then we had an awesome lesson with Tom at his home with the Chadwell's about tithing and fasting which he agreed to do after he's baptized :) Cyril canceled our meeting at the Visitors Center and Andy didn't know so he still went to the Visitors Center but he said he got to do Baptisms for the Dead for the first time. He was able to do baptisms for his Grandpa and other family names!

 

My last picture together with Sister Bosco as companions.

7/29 Saturday: We got to a recent convert's apartment complex a little early and we decided to street contact. I saw an older Chinese couple that I tried talking to in broken Chinese about the event schedule and musical performances at the Visitors Center and it turns out the man was from Changsha where my little sister was born!!! They wanted to take a picture with me afterwards (typical in China). The recent convert we were visiting ended up not being able to meet with us BUT we met a lady who worked there who walked out the door and it turns out she works with the Ward Mission Leader in Hayward and she’s been to church with him a few times there and lives in Oakland! And she wants to learn more! So we're super excited :) It just goes to show how easy member missionary work is. The ward mission leader was just a friend for her to turn to and gave her encouragement by talking about the gospel and simply invited her to go to church with him. There is a myth about how to gauge how successful you are in missionary work which is "if they don't get baptized or want to learn more then I'm a failure." This is completely wrong! Missionary work is simply inviting others! Everyone has their own agency and it's then left up to them to use it. :) My mom also sent me more flowers! They were super pretty! 

 

Oakland is FILLED with street art and grafitti

7/30 SUNDAY!: My first Sunday at the Oakland 9^th Ward was amazing! It was nice that I already knew a handful of people there :) And Tom our investigator came with us and participated in the Sunday school classes! And the Sacrament meeting was amazing because we had the Temple president and his wife (President and Sister Southwick) speak during the meeting. It was AMAZING! Then we were able to show a Spanish family around the Visitors Center and then we went to visit 2 less active members and they were SO sweet! 

7/31 Monday: We've only cleaned so far and went to the dollar store but we're going to be having a district activity at the Berkeley institute playing games and eating pizza from Cheeseboard. Then we're going to Emryville to shop around at all of the stores there :) Then we have some lessons tonight I'm excited for! 

 

Oakland Temple

P.S. I'm going to be 20 the next time I write to you all! :D I'm not really sure how I feel.. 0.0 If you wanna send me anything just send me a letter, your favorite conference talk, and or your testimony :) 

Love you all!!!!!