Mission Accomplished

Mission Accomplished! Best two years of my life. Now I`m headed home. Today I left the lovely city of Santiago del Estero at 2 am and arrived in Salta at about 9. Tomorrow I take flight. At about 9 oclock I leave my mission and arrive in Buenos Aires. Then after a few hours by plane I touch down in Georgia and get on my last plane. I`ll be in the good ol AZ on Wednesday at about 9. 

Once again, I have to reiterate how great an adventure the mission is. I know that the Lord knows what He`s doing. I know that this is the Lord`s work.

Now I`m on to the biggest adventure of my life. It`s called Endure to the end... 

For the last time I leave you with my testimony. Jesus is the Christ. He lives. The Book of Mormon is true and changes lives. Joseph Smith is a prophet of God. He saw God the Father and Jesus Christ. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only church with the authority to lead His church today. It`s the only true church. I know it, I live it, I love it!

Elder Philpot

Still Alive

Well, I hope everyone´s still alive. I sure am! WHoo. Happy and healthy (but a little sick too). Looks like since I´m finishing up everyone is starting to get lazy and has stopped writing me. It´s alright, I don´t blame you. 

I will now tell you of the struggle that I had before the Lord during this last week... There was in the town of Santiago del Estero a pair of missionaries in a little run down house. They were obedient before the Lord but it would seem that luck was not with them as a rat lived within those walls. It came to a point when those two servants of the Lord could not handle anymore the bad smell and infinite pellets that scattered the floor. They made a trap. But it would seem that luck was not with them because the rat was not fond of the trap. Fervent prayers were said daily. Fervent searching and patience began to lose their vigor. The fight continues to this very day. Tune in next week to find out how it ends...........

On a more spiritual thought, as I finish up the mission I come to realize more and more why things happen. It has even become much easier to accept the trials that the Lord gives me without asking myself why. My persona has changed and my point of view has been reformed. It´s a complete miracle. I can´t explain how much happiness flows through my very being. Ammon felt a very similar feeling and his brothers chewed him out. Haha ¨But Ammon said unto him: I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God.
12 Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.¨

I know it, I live it, I love it!

Elder Philpot

Don´t trade your feathers for worms!!!!!

This week was awefully busy! We went to Salta on Monday and got back on Tuesday (a 15 hour trip in total- 7 hours to get there and 7 hours to get back), we had our Zone Training Meeting on Friday (my last zone training meeting btw :(, and then on Saturday and Sunday we had Stake Conference with Elder Teixeira, Elder Levrino (my first mission pres. that is now an area 70), and President Chaparro. Wow an overall great experience! I´ve learned a lot this week. But I would have to say that the most impacting part of the week was a story that Elder Teixeira told yesterday. 

¨There was once a traveller that went around scavenging and selling juicy worms. One day while the traveller was walking through the forest a young bird flew up to him and asked him what he was up to. The traveller openned up his box of worms and the bird just about fainted with joy. He said that he had been searching and searching but hadn´t found a worm yet and asked the traveller for just one of those juicy worms. The traveller said that he would be glad to give him a worm on ONE condition: that he trade one of his feathers for the worm. He plucked out a feather, yelped, traded it for the worm and kept on his way happy as can be. The next day he found himself in the same situation and luckily ran into the traveller. He plucked out a feather and traded it for a worm. The next day as well. And the next day. And the next. Until he had ran out of feathers.

We all have spiritual feathers that help us to fly back to our Heavenly Father. Let´s not trade them for momentary pleasures that just about anyone can offer us. Let us stay away from the temptations that so often seem so harmless but can end up leaving us featherless. Our Father loves us. He wants us to be successful... But He´ll never do it against our will. I know it, I live it, I love it!

Elder Philpot

Primero de Mayo

I´m not sure how it is in the U.S. or in other countries (I don´t remember many of the american holidays) but here in Argentina we just celebrated Labor Day. Yes, my day. Because we do work! Haha this week has been awesome! We had a bunch of investigators come to church yesterday! We found a new family: the family that went to a ward baptism last week went to church this week! It´s Fernanda´s sister (Fernanda Alagastín is a recent convert). Josehp (yeah that´s how it´s spelled) will be baptized this week! His mom is from Peru and they moved here about 16 years ago. His mom is a less active member that the Elders Quorum President found while visiting members and doing street contacts! Wow, miracle. But the best part of this week would have to be last night. While teaching Sergio about temples last night, him (investigator) and his less active wife who just came back to church said that they were going prepare to go to the temple and that they were going to send us the picture after being sealed. It´s hard to express the joy that a missionary feels when he or she is on a mission. But it´s impossible trying to express the joy that a missionary feels when he or she hears that a family will be eternal thanks to our minute efforts and in spite of our weaknesses. All I know is that God is infinitely merciful. He loves us so much. His plan is so perfect. It´s hard for me to explain the love I have gained over the past 2 years for our Father in Heaven and His Son Jesus Christ and the great Plan of Salvation. I can´t express it well but I know it, I live it, I love it!

Elder Philpot

I believe in miracles

It´s hard to explain all the miracles that are happening here in the mission but I´ll do the best I can with the 5 minutes I have left. Haha

First off, Kendra´s dad who has been fighting against his daugters baptism but authotized his son´s baptism went to church yesterday!

Vicki and Milagros are mother and daughter that were going to be baptized a while ago but then Vicki decided that she didn´t want to get married and so long story short it impeded the baptism of her, her husband, and her daughter. Vicki this week read our pamphlet of temples and temple marriage and decided that she wanted to get married!

Cecilia is girlfriend of a less active guy that got baptized about 4 years ago and she is just begging to be member of the Church :)

Sergio is also boyfriend of a less active woman that just started coming back to church and he is progressing like crazy and reading everything he can get his hands on about the church.

The Branch is finally starting to get a little more motivated :)

I know that for most of you it´s just a bunch of names but man is God bringing forth His work in South America. Our Father never rests. Our Father works, we must work. I know it, I live it, I love it!

Elder Philpot

Noche de Talentos

Let´s get right down to meat! This week´s talent show was a success. About 2 weeks ago we decided that the branch needed some fun so we planned a talent show. Unluckily, nobody did their part in prepare the chapel or invite their friends but, the same, many went and enjoyed it a lot! It was a blast. Santiago del Estero is one of the oldest cities in South America so it wasn´t a surprise that there is a wide variety of talent, of which mostly is musical. Since we Elders don´t have too much talent, we decided to do a bunch of stuff all together and make everyone laugh their heads off. Haha it worked :) But it wasn´t so much the music or the dancing or the joke telling that made us more happy but just being together as brothers and sisters fighting the same worldly battles. The secret to making a ward like Zion: bringing people together, inviting others, and visiting those that don´t come. If we could all do our little part in making our ward like Zion, the world would advance at a very rapid pace towards happiness and peace.

I would also like to emphasize the fact that we often put too much emphasis on doing things perfectly or it isn´t of much value. The talent show was evidence that it isn´t like that at all. I don´t have to know how to sing or dance well to participate but I sure can be Me. I don´t have to know the scriptures to value their importance and understand the need to read. I don´t have to see God to express my testimony. I don´t need to be perfect to be a missionary. But I do have to try. If we try, if we do our best, it counts for something. God knows us. He knows our hearts. He loves us. He values our efforts. I know it, I live it, I love it. Don´t feel inadecuate, don´t get down, don´t give up :)

Elder Philpot

Traps

With the nice little voice recorder that Elder Mann has been letting me use it´s starting to get harder and harder to think of things to write down in the weekly email. But I´m sure the Lord will guide me in my efforts to make you all laugh and remember the Saviour. 

First off, my beloved Elder Mann was touched my a ghost this morning. Yes, you heard it, a ghost. To my alarming surprise, while putting laundry in the washing machine this morning a heard a childish yelp come from within. And then a beckoning for my presence. Haha Elder Mann said that something black, wet, and hairy had grabbed the back of his heel and was about to climb up when it was scared by the screams of poor Elder Mann. Yes, a rat. A black, wet, leg-climbing rat. I´m sure it could teach me a few things about rock climbing actually. Anyways, in quick response to the emergency situation, we glued two cups together, put a stick through the ends, put the stick over a big bucket of water, and then covered the cups with honey and crackers... The perfect mouse trap. (Elder Mann´s idea). We hope to see results when we arrive home this very afternoon.

Sometimes we are like that little, I mean, big, black mouse. We start to do great things, but often we get too confident and touch people´s legs. Or as we will soon see, we are too ignorant of our very unsafe surroundings and we fall into the trap, seemingly without escape. In the Gospel of Jesus Christ we are taught to Stand in Holy Places. Are we really striving to choose our friends wisely? Are we too prideful to see the impact that our actions have on others when we make mistakes? Or are we aware of the dangers that surround us? Do we willingfully choose to stear clear of temptations? We must stear clear! I love you all. Your choices affect your destiny. I know it, I live it, I love it! 
Elder Philpot