DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS | 3.28.16

Hello everyone!!!! Happy Easter!

I have soooo much to tell y'all and I am so excited right now! Haha I can't even contain myself! This week has been the best week of my life! I am so grateful that I made the choice to serve a mission because it has already brought so many blessings. First off, Texas is so beautiful!!!! It is so warm and sunny and everyone here is so friendly. I didn't realize how big of a city San Antonio was but it really is huge. It's also humid which I really like actually. My hair is a bit frizzy but that's okay. And I already have some weird tan lines after only three days biking around.

The first thing we did when we got off the plane and met President was we went to the temple and took pictures and he talked to us a bit. He is just the best! I am so excited and I am truly surrounded by some of the best people ever! The energy about missionary work is just amazing and I love all the missionaries, especially my companion Sister Jones. She is the sweetest girl I've ever met. Everyone says we're like the same person and that we're so great together. I love her so much. So our area is the temple area so I get to bike past it every day! It's also a great way to start conversations with people we meet while tracting.

We got to go to the Alamo and we were officially welcomed to the TSAM! I got to place my first Book of Mormon and it was just so much fun! Ah I just love it here if you couldn't tell already haha. Just being here for a few days, I have already seen so many miracles and I'm really learning to recognize God's hand in everything. He truly is mindful of everyone and it's so cool to see. I love everyone I meet and I just know that is because God gives that love to us.

One last thing and that will be all. So our area is a biking area and for anyone who doesn't know this about me, I am pretty terrified of bikes haha. But its okay. Our area is also called "Las Lomas" which means "The Hills" So we bike up so many hills! Anyway We were biking up this hill and it was my first day trying to figure out how to ride. I was so exhausted! But we're just trudging up this hill and I'm going so slow and it was ridiculous I wish y'all could've seen it haha. And I just tip over!! Haha so my worst fear happened. I scraped up my knee and I was dripping blood but I just laughed! I can't even believe I did that oh my goodness. Haha but Sister Jones is the best and she helped me out and all is well.:)

That's all for this week. THANK YOU for all the love and support. I love you all more than you even know.

xoxo

Sister Rachel Philpot

MISSIONARIES HAVE ARRIVED! | 3.23.16

We are so thrilled to have these great new missionaries here with us in the Texas San Antonio Mission!  We love them already and are looking forward to many amazing experiences with them!  

We will be sending more details in upcoming emails but wanted you to know they arrived safe and sound.

--love,

Sister Slaughter

ONE WEEK 'TIL WARM WEATHER! | 3.16.16

Hello everyone!

Week two definitely flew by! It's crazy to see all the growth and all the things i've learned. My testimony is so much stronger just being here for a short time. Everyone in my district has grown so close and it's great to see that unity. Although it does make it a bit more difficult to go to bed at 10:30 when all of us Sisters are laughing and talking. Ahh! the MTC is just the best! I just feel the spirit constantly and that is such a testimony to me that this is the Lord's work.

The food here in the MTC is SO GOOD! I'm surprised I haven't gained 30 pounds already haha. We get BYU creamery every Sunday and Wednesday. Sister Brock (Our teacher who served in San Antonio) say's there is delicious bluebell ice cream in Texas and that we have to eat extra for her:) Sister Kirby and I are getting really excited to fly out to Texas! Every time we're freezing while walking to class we just count down the days 'til the warm weather!

Since we're the first group to be in the MTC for three weeks, we get to teach twice as many investigators as the two week missionaries did! So that is a big help and it's actually starting to be fun rather than terrifying. haha;) We also get to watch some awesome talks that apostles gave in the MTC. You can't watch them anywhere else, they're just for missionaries but they're so great! I hope everyone is getting excited for General Conference! We are SO blessed to have the restored gospel and a prophet on the earth today.

Thanks for all of the love and support. Have a great week!

xoxo

Sister Philpot

WELCOME TO THE MTC!!! | 3.9.16

Hello friends and family!

Where to begin... This week has been the busiest week of my life! Everyone is so welcoming and so friendly and the spirit is just amazing. All of our teachers are just so incredible. One of my teachers, Sister Brock, served in the San Antonio mission too! So she was really excited to talk to us all about it. It's making me really excited to get out there, but I've still got sooo much to learn before that happens! I don't think i've ever been so tired, but I've also felt the spirit more than I ever have. Especially on Sunday. Being with all these missionaries who have such strong testimonies really strengthens me. It's definitely hard trying to teach our investigators because I've never really taught lessons or anything before. But I guess i'm here to learn that! haha. I know that I couldn't learn all of this if it weren't for my Savior. He cares about all of his missionaries and he'll help us get through.

Something that's kinda funny is that I'll see missionaries walking around and think, "Ah! Its the missionaries! I love them!" And then I look down at my tag and realize we're all here in the MTC. It's  kinda crazy that this is actually real now! 

Everyone in my district is just so awesome and we've all grown really close this past week! I love them all and it will be sad when we all leave. But my companion, Sister Kirby, is also going to San Antonio! And I've met two other sisters here who are also going to my mission. They are all such cute girls! 

We also got to go to the temple today! It was so nice not to be stuck in the classroom. (I do love class though because we learn so much... it just gets really long sometimes!) 

I know that its super important to listen to the spirit and teach the people, not lessons! When we get to know others and love them, we can better understand their needs and what we can do to help them come closer to Christ.

Well, first week of the mission has been a success! I love you all! Don't forget to write.

xoxo

Sister Philpot

FIRST DAY | 3.3.16

Wow! 

First day here and i am just so happy!! Everyone is just so welcoming and I think i've heard "Welcome to the MTC!!!" Over a hundred times haha. I'm so exhausted but I feel like I've already learned so much. The spirit here is absolutely incredible. All of the new missionaries have an orange sticker dot on their name tag so everyone knows that i have no clue where I'm going haha. But we had class, and a devotional, and all the new missionaries talked to "investigators" and it was really cool to hear all their stories and makes me super excited to get to the field! I definitely know that this is not about me at all. It's just to help and invite others. The best way to do that is listen and ask questions and then the spirit will guide you to know what to say. My companion's name is Sister Kirby. She's going to San Antonio too! And I've met two other sisters going to San Antonio so that's good i won't be flying alone. I also saw Sister DeVries! it's so great to see all the missionaries smiling faces and hear everyone's testimonies. We're all exhausted but we are all happy and i know that's because of our love of the Lord and the gospel. it was super awesome hearing all the missionaries sing "Called to serve" cause even though none of us really know whats going on yet, we know our purpose and we are excited to serve the Lord! Also the food here is super good haha. i wasn't even hungry because of our lunch, but we had Chicken and rice and vegies and fruit and ice cream! I better watch what i eat or I will gain 10 pounds before I get to Texas. My pday will be wed. in the mtc so I will write more next week and hopefully i will be more organized and less exhausted. So sorry if this email sucks haha. And i don't have my book with everyones emails yet, but i will make sure to send it to everyone next time. love you all! Hope you are all doing great and don't miss me too much;) i already love it here and I know everything will be great!

xoxo

Sister Philpot