Loving the Work

The Frozen Chosen (Finnish District)

Singing in the Rain

It's like looking in a mirror! (Sisar Phipps and Sisar Dickerson)

Illustrating the first part of the Book of Mormon timeline.  A highlight of the week!

This week has been so full of tender mercy's, blessings and laughter. I truly love the MTC. It has such an amazing atmosphere and I'm so excited to get to stay for 5 more weeks. Yep......maybe lying about the excited for 5 week thing but I do love it here. Some highlights have been:

1) I actually understood some of the Finnish that I am learning and speaking! Finnish is A LOT of grammar principles and conjugations. Did you know you actually conjugate Finnish names? Yup! Each ending to a name has a conjugation! Pretty cool. Its such a pretty language too! One fun saying I learned a few days ago was used as a way to find spies in the Winter War, which was a war between Russia and Finland that lasted from the start of WWI and lasted until the end of WWII. Any person caught by the Russians had to say a pretty hard saying in Finnish and if they didn't say it correctly they were put to death. Intense right? But I learned it yesterday! It is 

"Öljyjyra jyräsi öljyra" Which means roughly "The oil rig drilled oil". I don't say it right, but still cool.

2) Going on a temple walk in the rain! The weather here has been a little sporadic and it rained sunday, was sunny on Monday and Tuesday and has snowed the past few days. I think its just preparing me for Finland.

3) Girls night! So I have the best zone of sisters. We all get along so so well and laugh ALL THE TIME! We picked a night and just ate popcorn and sang songs and used face masks that made our faces burn :P ​​​​

4) Meeting Sister Emery. Now Sister Emery left this week to serve in Oregon, but I had the privilege of knowing her and her amazing story! She is always so positive and just made me want to be a better person and missionary. I will miss her and her funny comments and bright smile :)

5) Singing in the choir here at the MTC. Brother Eggett, our director, said some amazing things that really helped me this week. I don't have time to explain, but I'll just write what he said.

"Never judge the correctness of the path by the people on it."

"This is the path to GODHOOD! It is not gonna be easy!"

I love this work! I know my Savior lives. I know God loves His children, and I know I'm doing the greatest work on this Earth! 

I love you all and challenge you to be your best and hymy (smile)!

Sisar Phipps

Attitude is Everything!

February 15, 2017

This is the Finns mascot Bernie, who has been passed down from each Finn "generation" here at the MTC. Our teachers moved him because they thought he was getting a little "idol-like" :P 

Fear Not!  

 Once a farm girl always a farm girl. I kinda had to beg to take a pic. The guy behind me doesn't look too happy!

Hello Everyone! It's been another AMAZING week here at the MTC!! Each day just seems to get better and better! A few highlights from this week are:

1)  We discovered that if you sing Disney in the showers, others you don't know will belt along with you.

2)  A mini MnM container makes a great musical instrument and weapon....

3) One of the Elders in our Zone sang a super catchy song on the new EFY album that once you hear it, it just stays in your head! SO GOOD! (Priceless. Look it up!) 

4)  Valentines day is the most obnoxious day in the MTC. In our missionary handbooks on page 33 it outlines how you should act around missionaries of the opposite gender. Our Elders take this VERY seriously. How do I know this?  A) our Elders run around yelling "PAGE 33!!" at you if you even look at a male human being and B) they yell it even when you're not.

5) When your roomies going to Norway and Sweden make you laugh until you cry and sing all their favorite songs :)

6) That the Lord has called prophets and apostles in our day.

Let me just elaborate on that last point. Elder M. Russell Ballard of the quorum of the 12 apostles came to our Devotional on Tuesday. Lemme just say that again. M. RUSSELL BALLARD CAME TO OUR DEVOTIONAL!!! Woah! And that's not even the best part!! He even SPOKE!!!! But really he said some of the most amazing things. My favorite thing he said though was that we are building our lives as we speak. It can be weak and leaky, or it can be tall and strong, DEPENDING ON YOUR ATTITUDE. I love this! As a missionary, we choose to leave home and have limited communication with our families. Many missionaries have homesickness and just feel sad because they miss their families and friends. BUT if we choose to have a good attitude, and smile through the sadness and laugh in pains face, we are building such a strong foundation for our lives! If I am having a bad day and I am struggling to understand this crazy language called Finnish or wondering if I can do this, I take a deep breathe and I take the advice of Mr. Bing Crosby and I "count my blessings instead of sheep". (props if you get the movie reference!). I challenge whoever reads my emails (Hi mom) to do the same. Attitude really is everything. Your attitude can be the difference between a happy day or a crappy day. BE HAPPY! :D Count your blessings.

I'll sign off with one of my favorites. D&C 6:33-34

"Fear not to do good, my sons [and daughters], for whatsoever ye sow, that shall ye also reap; therefore, if ye sow good ye shall also reap good for your reward. Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good."

Carry on the work my friends, do good, be happy and smile :)

Lots of missionary love,

Sisar Phipps

Every Day Is a Great Day!

February 9, 2017

Weekly trips to the temple are these girl's favorite!

When mom sends mud masks in a Valentine's package, it's spa night!

Two peas in a pod.  Sisar Phipps and Sisar Dickerson

Terve! Mita kuluu? This week has been so wonderful! We taught lessons to "investigators" (our teachers portraying people they taught in Finland) and it is very humbling to say the least! Our investigator Saara is actually one of our new teachers Sisar Honey :) We felt a little betrayed, but she is now my new favorite teacher! We think a lot alike and her style of teaching really clicks with me! The language is going great. Slow, but great! Its truly a beautiful language with a beautifully deep meaning to a lot of its words! We have two new investigators named Kariina and Miro! Our first lesson with Karina wasn't too great. She was pretty stubborn and when we asked if she would pray she flat out said no. But we are hoping to help her see that prayer is just a way to speak with our Father in heaven :) We teach her again tonight and our lesson is on missionaries because her friend is on a mission in California and that's what she wants to know about!

This week I have really been focusing on re-reading the Book of Mormon and seeing all the types of missionaries in it! My favorite stories have been in the book of Alma and the people of Ammon! Many believed they were too wicked, but because of the faith of Ammon and his brethren they were able to show the people the joy of the gospel! Currently my favorite scripture is Alma 26:37 where it says:

37    Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are all over the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen

I love this scripture because God is mindful of us and our circumstances. Whatever they are, wherever you are. I have been pretty sick this week and was stuck in bed sleeping because walking made me really really dizzy, but I knew that God knew how I was feeling. I prayed really hard that I could get better quickly so that I wouldn't miss any more class and so I could learn and teach, and guess what!? I'm on the mend :) 

God loves us so much. In the darkest times, He is always there, reaching out His hand. All we need to do is take it and never let go :) 

Everyone stay safe and smile! Every day can be a great day if we choose for it to be!

Rakastaa aina,

Sisar Phipps

One week down, eight to go!

1) Mom you asked for the name-tag :P

2) Sisar Dickerson and I outside the consulate in California!

 3)There was a dog in the airport......enough said.

 4)Brother Bible :)

Well! I have been here at the MTC for one week! Its been pretty busy but such is the life of a missionary! My companion is still amazing and we tell each other everyday how thankful we are for each other :) My Zone is made up of Finns, Danes, Swedes and Nords! They are a bunch of lovable goofballs who know how to work hard and have TONS of fun in the process! 

Here at the MTC we do ALOT of studying/ Of the language, of how to teach and how to feel the love and support of our Father in Heaven. My teachers are amazing, even if they sometimes speak crazy fast so I get about two words of the Finnish. The language is coming pretty slowly and I get really frustrated when I can't understand or answer the way I want to. Our second day at the MTC we met with our investigator Saara who is from Finland! We have been teaching her everyday about the gospel and the love that Heavenly Father has for his children! Its pretty funny because we will ask her a question and then she answers, but of course we get like 1/2 a word so we just smile and nod and say kiitos :) Which means thank you. She is so kind and has started to act some of the things she says out so that we can understand her :P 

On Tuesday this week my District (or all the missionaries going to Finland) traveled to sunny California to the Finnish consulate for our Visas. We woke up at 2:45 to make it tothe airport and were back at the MTC at around 5 that same day. While we were there we traveled by passenger bus. If any of you have ever said that Utah drivers are the craziest.....you're wrong. I honestly felt like we were going to just plow into 10 people or hit a lightpole. When we got out of the car, we all hugged a pole because we were safe :P On the way back to Utah we traveled in a little plane with two seatd on each side. I sat next to a man names Brother Bible. Brother Bible was very drunk. But may I just say that was the most fun conversion with anyone I have ever had?! We talked about everything under the sun. The church, his life, his kids, why I was in a dress, how Mormons and Amish and Jews were not all the same thing. It was so fun! At the end of the hour and a half plane ride he promised me that if he saw any men in suits with a black name tag that he would wave and say hello :) 

Its weird to say, but I truly felt the love of the Savior for Brother Bible. Yes he was drunk and would occasionally spit a piece of pretzel on the seat in front of him or on me, but he is a child of God. No matter what he has done, or will do, Heavenly Father loves him perfectly. He loves us perfectly and for that I am so grateful. 

In one of our lessons this week we learned more about the power of prayer. In 3 Nephi 13:32-34 it says that Heavenly Father knows everything that we need. But we have to be willing to follow his commandments and choose good things to receive the joy and peace and answers from our Father in Heaven.

In a mission there are so many rules. Some that may not make sense to us, but its our duty to follow and to be obedient and I know that if we do, we are blessed beyond anything we can imagine.  Prayer has helped me so much this week to feel the love of the Savior. I know he hears us and wants so badly for us to talk with him and pour out our hearts. To thank him and ask for the things we may need. Im grateful to be able to talk to the One who knows me perfectly and loves me just as perfectly.

I love it here and have loved receiving letters and packages!! Thank you so much for all your love and support :)

Stay safe and always dance in the rain :)

Rakastaa,

Sisar Phipps