Ohhh my goodness friends and family where do i begin!! So this is my third transfer in the field and guess what??? I'M TRAINING!!! What in the world is Heavenly Father thinking putting me in the position. I don't think i have ever questioned Him before but this has got to be some kind of mistake. I have no idea what I'm doing and I'm suppose to teach someone else?? What is going on?? lol Ok so maybe it's not that bad but guys here's the truth this is a really challenging calling. I was so scared, president called me the day of transfers at 7:30 in the morning and told me "the Lord put it in his heart to call me as a trainer." I couldn't believe it. I was soo nervous, taking over my area and i don't know much. Everything took me back to my farewell talk when I quoted Harold B. Lee "Whom God calls He qualifies." I want to be honest I have never been more scared in my life. I felt (and still feel) so inadequate, incompetent, small, unprepared etc when he called me to be a trainer. This is the Lord's work i didn't want anything to stop the progression of it. Then I read my Patriarchal Blessing and it says "You will be able to lead in leadership roles. You will be able to teach these brothers and sisters that you will be called to work with the things they need to know." Way to wake me up, huh. I have truly learned a valuable lesson in this past week and that is to "trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." Guys, I want to semi-quote Bishop Seegmiller here for a minute and let you all know that i did NOT get called to be a trainer because I'm some GREAT missionary, but because I probably need the most work to improve myself. I took my trainer for granted a lot and I can see that now. She taught me a lot she truly was/is great!! Now I'm on my own teaching someone straight from the MTC, the same place i was 3 months ago. I pray so hard that I will teach her what she needs to know so she too can love the people and teach them by the Spirit of the Lord that is going to guide and direct her path. I want you all to know that I love this work and although this is now the toughest time I've had so far I would change it for the world. I have become a strong believer of sacrifice brings forth blessings. I have yet to have a baptism but my success isn't measured in that. What's amazing is how converted I'm becoming from all the experiences that I have. Don't get me wrong I didn't come on a mission to serve myself but anyone who has served knows you go out to serve the people but you learn a lot more than you probably will ever teach them. WE'LL YOU'S GUYS (I mean i am in MD) Until next time, I LOVE YOU ALL. DON'T FORGET TO WRITE ME!!!!!!!!

Wow sooo I must confess my dearest bloggers, I was homesick for the past month. The holidays have been really hard. I have never, since I was born, spent a Thanksgiving away from my family. Isn't that crazy? It was hard for me to focus on the work and I wasn't fulfilling my duties as a missionary I guess you could say. I was obedient but it was just hard to focus. And then I read a quote in Preach My Gospel that said something along the lines of "If a missionary works theres is no time for homesickness..." Which is sooo true. I have loved this work since day one although it was difficult for me thinking about home, worrying about the family for no apparent reason. Now we're working our tails off even more and boy does it feel GOOD. I'm no longer homesick and I'm soo sad it took so long to get out of it. Christmas is right around the corner but i have no worries. I wanted to share another story that really touched my heart and soul. My companion and i are teaching a boy named Hayden (i may have talked about him before) Hayden is blind and partially deaf but has a hearing aid and communicates very well. HE teaches me a lot more than WE teach him, i can tell you that. Yesterday we took the elders to sing to Hayden. HE has heard them before at a baptism and was really impressed with them. The elders sang a song called "How Can I Be." It's a song about all the prophets in the Book of Mormon and how can we be like them (YOUTUBE it if you dont know what im talking about). When the elders were done HAyden immediatelt got up and just began to cry we asked him what was wrong and he said "the music was beautiful, and sometimes when people hear beautiful they cry, and those people are ME!" It was amazing, the spirit works through music like you wouldnt believe. I thought I loved music but i realized last night that i will never be able to understand how soothing the stroke of a keyboard or strum of a chord must sound to one who has never seen the emotions of a performers face or the scenes of a musical. I can never imagine how powerful the gift of song is to someone like Hayden. I held back my tears as I came to the realization that i will never understand all the things in this life but i do know that my Father in Heaven loves all his children and has made us all completely different and unique yet all equal. I love this work. I am dedicated to it and I appreciate EVERY MOMENT i get to come closer to my Savior its unreal!

ALrighty people this entry is going to be filled with just randomness so prepare yourselves...
My area is awesome im still in Damascus, MD the people are awesome. My comp and i are working super hard with members and providing service for everyone we can. So heres something cool, we help out one of our investigators one or two times a week and she has a barn. Its sooo cool this little girl from the suburbs gets to deal with horses, fed them, and walk them, put them in the stable, and talk to them. Man i would love to own a horse (theyre good listeners)... As my mom is probably shaking her head right now. Who woulda thunk that a girl had to leave texas to become a really country girl! We have also been shoveling snow, raking leaves moving stuff and doing whatever anyone asks us to do! MAn i love this work its sooo SELFLESS. Its amazing not having to worry about yourself. "Therefore Take no thought saying what shall we eat or what shall we drink or wherewithal shall we be clothed." HE knows all. "But seek ye first the kingdom of God..." (Matt 6:31-33) Anyways this is my last story you'll love it!!!!
Ok so i would like to tell you all the most awkward thing that has happened on my mission so far... last week we were teaching this super powerful spirit filled lesson to this lady whose husband, unfortunately, is a raging alcoholic. He was upstairs asleep when all of a sudden my companion and i (who are facing the staircase) see a set of really skinny hairy legs coming down the stairs... they keep coming, we keep looking, and its her husband coming down with no pants on it was the most AWKWARD AND DISGUSTING thing EVER. WE almost died!!! He was wearing a hoodie and tightie whities (his hoodie was tucked in the undies mind you)!!! UGHHH he gets to the bottom and his pants are hanging on the stairs and he's like "ohh HEllo Mormon GIrls!!" My companion and i are staring at the ground at this time. Our pure minds completely violated/shattered/whatever other word you wanna add here. ahh it was horrible... man it was hilarious! uhh i mean gross, yea gross. lol. I felt bad the lady was so embarrassed. HECK SO WERE WE! But that story is worth telling. Anyways my dearest friends and family i love you all, until next time! hopefully ill have some more funny stuff to tell.

Ok so i feel ever so compelled to share this story! It really meant a lot to me and it was just a huge eye opener. I tried to send it last week but the computer crashed... (LAME) so anyways here it goes.... (ps im changing the member's name) A few weeks ago i was struggling with something (internally), when finally I just got frustrated and asked God "Why am i even here?? I can't do this one thing right (which is pretty important) and if it continues it just going to cause me to be disobedient, so seriously why am i here??" I had been struggling with this since I hit the mission field and finally it just began to weigh me down immensely and i couldnt take it. In the area that im in now we have to be EXACTLY OBEDIENT if we want to see the results of the hard work that we are doing. Plus we need the spirit to be able to be with us at all times so that comes from obedience and ughhh.... i was just hurting inside ok. So anyways later on that day my companion and i decided to visit a less active member of the ward, which is what we do A LOT of actually through out the week, strengthening members and such and we went and he wasnt home so we decided to knock his street, we did no success by this time i was just even more stressed but just pretending as if i wasnt. And my companion looks over and says look we have two options we can go and visit two more less active members or some really active members that live not too far from here. Soo i say ok and i hear something tell me go cheer up the active member, so im like "ok." So i tell my comp lets go cheer up Sister Peterson. I had no idea why i siad that but i did. (keep in mind i dont know any of the ward really) And normally 9 times out of 10 my answer is less actives. so to make a long story short we went and when we were praying outside before we went in i said again Lord please help us cheer up sister peterson. When we got to the door her husband (the former bishop, yeaaa told you they were wayy active) answered the door and invited us in. We stood there talking to him for about 2 minutes when we heard a voice from upstairs say "tell them to come up" We went upstairs and sister Peterson waslaying in bed and informed us that she had just gotten out of surgery two days prior to and was really feeling down. she said 2 minutes before we walked in she got a call from her son and told him "i just hope and pray someone will come and visit me. i just really need someone" and then the doorbell rang and her son said "wow God works fast for you doesnt He?" She cried and we cried and it was truly a testimony builder of just following the Spirit. We read some amazing scriptures and had an awesome lesson shared testimonies and stories and laughed and cried some more. Guys, on our way there we had no idea why we were led there but we were. I put all my selfish thoughts and struggles behind and just listened to the Spirit. The Lord ever so gently let me know that everything i do is a process. And growth will come. Just continue the work and He will continue to help and guide me. How blessed am I to be set be straight by the Lord Almighty. Theres no one else better to do the job. I love this work and all the challenges that come with it. I love the growth and testimony that im gaining of my Savior and His Father and the Spirit its AMAZING... UNTIL NEXT TIME I LOVE YOU ALL AND KEEP THE LETTERS COMING!!!!

HOwdy Ho GUys!!!!
GUYS THIS WORK IS GREAT!!! I wouldnt be doing anything else right now... My companion and i got to speak at a "What We Believe" FIreside yesterday and man the Spirit was so strong we both told our conversion stories and then the Bishop (who is AMAZINGGGG BY THE WAY) bore his conversion story too. He joined the church while doing volunteer work in Mongolia. He was Catholic before. He is sooo awesome! I have no doubt our bishops are called of God every time i meet a new one. They just continue to strengthen my testimony! Its unreal! Anyways, my companion and i have been working our be-hinds off here in Damascus... so much work so little time. There just arent enough hours in the day, SERIOUSLY!
Cool story...
My companion and i got a media referral (which basically means we got a text message from the church headquarters saying that someone requested the missionaries deliver a church DVD, Book of Mormon, or Bible or something else) so we get there and this African Guy, 51 yrs old from Liberia answers the door and invites us in. It was ok at first but then I noticed that the he was EXTREMELY well versed, (which didn't bother me, that part was great) but then all of a sudden he wanted us to prove all of our beliefs in the Bible (which we did) and also the Book of Mormon! During some parts he almost wanted to bash with us but we kept the Spirit there and were able to answer his questions calmly and with the scriptures. it was quite the experience! Although at times i know he kind of just wanted to prove us wrong my companion and I just loved him and wanted to teach him. SO when we were done i went home, proceeded to study, opened my scriptures and the VERY FIRST verse i read says 1 Corinthians 8:1 very end says "Knowledge puffeth up but charity edifieth!" What a humbling experience that was! The Lord is so good. Although my companion and i answered all his questions we did it out of love not bc we wanted to show how smart we are or like an "in your face" kinda thing. We could care less about showing how smart we are because without the Spirit we're nothing. WE, as missionaries, do NOT teach, the Spirit does! 2Nephi 9:28 says "...when they are learned they think they are wise and hearken not unto the council of God..." Guys don't EVER bash! Confound, bear your testimony of truth, our Heavenly Father and the Savior The Restored Gospel and be done with it! People will be receptive when they are ready. 2Nephi 9:29 says "But to be learned is good when they hearken unto the council of God". Don't let your knowledge be your pride, let it be your testimony and your strength in our Savior and his atoning sacrifice for us! Anyways until next time friends and family, LIVE LOVE LAUGH!!!
I do so much laughing its unreal! Oh the things you see when youre knocking doors... those stories coming soon! LOL

Phylicia

Well family and friends the mission work is going great. I have been humbled in more ways than one and it just doesn's stop. You know my purpose as a missionary is... To invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored Gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. Although at times it seems like the purpose of my mission is to completely show me how horrible of a person I was before my mission. My area is Damascus I received some awesome revelation from Paul on how to handle Damascus they havent had a baptism in 2 years and i remember he was once on the road to Damascus as well. My area is SOOO diverse there are some parts that are country others that are inner city, we work in the projects all the way to million dollar homes. Its intense! But I love every minute of it. My trainers name is Sister Kiteau and she is amazing!! She's from Tonga! We're tearing up the city of Damascus!! We came in with 0 investigators (people who are interested in the church).. are you paying attention 0 investigators that was last week, now we have our schedules almost full each day its awesome!! We have been working so hard. Sleep is something I love at the end of the day. I've never appreciated it more! Anyways more to come I'm sending pictures so you can see my companion and I its great! OH and my district from the MTC.

by the way one awesome miracle is that im teaching a lot of lessons in all spanish its crazy i think im even going to get a spanish name tag we'll see. the Lord has defintiely blessed me with the gift of tongues im saying things i never even knew i knew the word for it!!! its amazing. til next time i love you all write me plsss. i get major lonely... well not really with my awesome companion! but still

address:
Sister Phylicia Norris
1910 daisy rd
woodbine md 21797