Another week in the CCM has come and gone. The real world creeps closer everyday. I’m excited to go, sad to be leaving, and too tired to do anything haha. But I am mostly excited.
The CCM is a lot nicer than I thought it was going to be. I have a warm shower, a working toilet, clean living quarters and beautifully landscaped grounds. The church has been doing a lot to make this place very pleasant.
The booming sounds from the city have stopped. Well, either they have stopped or I don’t notice them anymore. The locals say they are just fireworks... ok, yeah, sure... it’s still hard to sleep at night with all the police sirens and parties going on till 2 am. Also, a mosquito loves to fly into my ear at night and buzz around until I wake up :)
Even though we don’t get to go outside the walls of the CCM for safety reasons, we can talk to the workers here to practice our Spanish. Their kindness astounds me. If you say you like their jacket, they will start taking it off to give to you! And I have a hard time sharing my stash of candy... still got a long way to go. Mom's note--It must have been a little hard for Austin to share some of his limited supply of american candy that he brought with him with one of the other missionaries for their birthday; notice the little baggie of american candy in the photo below that I was sent from the birthday missionary's mom lol
Every week we do a 1-hour service project around the grounds. This week I swept the outside walls of the building with a giant broom. I was very confused about what I was supposed to accomplish with this task, since the walls weren’t even that dirty. But it has never felt so appropriate to sing ´´Chim Chimney´´ from Mary Poppins.
During gym time we mostly play volleyball. When I tell everyone that my older brother was on a state championship team in high school they don’t believe me because I am so bad haha. Too bad I don’t have a swimming pool to show them what I am really made of.
We found out that Elder Neil L. Anderson (one of the church’s apostles) is coming on Saturday to talk to us!! YEAH! He is also going to shake ALL of our hands(several hundred missionaries). My first thought was, I am definitely washing my hands after that (Austin is somewhat of a germ freak), and then I was like, THAT IS SOOO COOL. So yesterday we had a mock shaking hands with Elder Anderson practice (firm handshake, look him in the eye, etc.)
It’s great to feel the spirit all the time. And pray all the time. I am grateful the Lord believes in me enough to share the most important message someone will ever hear in their lifetime: the gospel of Jesus Christ.
And for those of you who are wondering what you can do to prepare for your mission, my favorite quote this week comes from the actress Meryl Streep. ´´Start by starting´´ don’t keep wondering what you can do. You know what you should be doing, reading the scriptures, praying, becoming a missionary now. Just start today.
I can't wait to change peoples lives and my own. I hope I can come back as a different person, a better version of myself. My heart is full of the love of Christ. Thank you for all of your love and support. This is the hardest but most rewarding thing I have ever done.
Everything is awesome,
Elder Phillips
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| The District |
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| Happy Birthday Elder! |
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