(Drumroll....) It's Blog Post Time!

And it shall come to pass in the last days that Elder Phippen shall go forth and actually write a letter to his family and friends.    In 2015 - 6 months - we wrote about 15 letters.  In 2016 - 12 months - we wrote 12 letters.  This is letter #3 for 2017  we’re on a pace to write about 33 or so for the total mission.

One of the things that has been a little unusual these past 5-6 weeks is that we haven’t had any soldiers - that we know of - graduate from training courses.  So we haven’t had to say goodbye to anyone,  The bad part of this is that there are probably a few member soldiers that we don’t know about that we haven’t been able to touch and encourage.  But May is a big month - more about that when it actually happens.  We have been blessed with a particularly strong group of trainees right now.  Many returned missionaries, about half of whom are married.  These are a real solidifying element of the work here.  These young disciples are very good at attempting to fellowship and activate their classmates.  Some with greater success than others.  But they can reach those that we can’t simply because we can’t go into the barracks or meet during the week - unless we schedule ahead of time, which is usually hard to do.  

Even though we haven’t had any training graduates recently, we have had both a wedding and a baptism.  The soldier in this picture is not a member of the church, but his new bride is.  He’s been studying with the missionaries.  We don’t have a date yet for his baptism.  They met through some kind of on-line site.  They’re both big into gaming, but really like each other.  The soldier is Vietnamese - last name is Ngo.  He’s really quiet, but asks great questions during the lessons.  He is also having some medical issues - bad back - that may mean he won’t be able to stay in the Army.  But he is a good kid, and his little wife is very nice as well.  They were originally going to just go to a Justice of the Peace, but her mom said, “No. If you’re going to do this let’s do it right.”  So they were married by the Huachuca Ward bishop, in the little chapel where we meet each Sunday.  Very nice ceremony.  Several of the groom’s fellow soldiers attended, as well as a few ward members.  A sister in the ward also brought the decorations - didn’t even charge for their use or the setup. The new couple is working on getting on-post quarters for the duration of his training.  Don’t know how that is going as of today.

And speaking of baptisms, this soldier became a member of the Church about 2 weeks ago.  His fiancé is a member, although I do not know when the planned date of marriage is.  He originally was going to complete the lessons here and then be baptized once he returned to his home.  But he decided to go ahead and complete the process.  He is a great young man and will make a great priesthood holder.  He will soon be interviewed by the bishop for the Aaronic Priesthood.  He has decided that the Army is not for him, so he is in a “hold” status  pending several administrative actions.  Elder Phippen had a lengthy conversation with him about how to be a good member of the church and a good soldier.  But for him the two are not compatible, so he is going to separate.  Not sure what his future plans are for employment or marriage.  He has been a great addition to our branch.

 On February 23, A national Day of Prayer was held across the country.  The Ft. Huachuca military community observed this event with a breakfast, prayers, and a guest speaker.  Elder Phippen was asked to participate in the event by offering one of the prayers at the breakfast  He was asked to pray specifically for the military and political leaders in the country.  Eight other chaplains offered prayers, and the Command Chaplain from the Army Training and Doctrine Command offered the keynote speech.  He spoke of hope, and the prayers offered by the 9 men supported this theme.  This was the first time in a number of  years that the Church had the opportunity to participate in such an event.  I think this shows the fruits of our missionary efforts to strengthen relationships between the Church and the Chaplains’ ministerial efforts on behalf of our service members.  Elder Phippen had a very strong impression, as the ceremony was concluding, that the Lord was well pleased with the spirit, prayers, and sermons of hope.  Mostly we believe that what pleased the Lord most was the willingness of good people  of all faiths to show our dependence on Him for help with our challenges.

Among the things we have continued to do here on our mission has been to volunteer at the  Post Thrift Shop.  We have been doing this for the entire time of our mission.  We originally committed to serve for 2 hours one day each week.  But because of needs at the Thrift Shop, and our availability, we have done many times this amount during the past 6-8 months.  On our last shift, the store manager called us in to his office and presented us with a certificate awarding us the Volunteers of the Quarter for 4th Quarter 2016.  (and a $25 gift card to Denny’s). It isn’t that big of a deal except to show that we have been successful in creating a more positive image for the Church in the Ft. Huachuca community.  In the beginning we were asked not to wear our black missionary badges, to avoid the impression that we were proselyting (which is forbidden on post).  But now we wear the black name tag all the time, and nobody thinks twice about it.  So however slowly, we are making progress.  BTW, Sister Phippen deserves most of the credit for this recognition.She does the real work -  Elder Phippen just tries to keep the Book Nook in some semblance of order.

 One of the great blessings of our missionary service has been our association with our mission President and his wife.  We have grown to love President & Sister Passey.  They are our leaders, mentors, and good friends.  They complete their service at the same time we do.  We were blessed this past month to have them come and speak to our servicemen’s group in sacrament meeting.  February is a good month to get them to come, as it is the only month when they do not have a stake conference assignment.  President Passey worked with Department of Homeland Security, but resigned his position when they were called on their mission.  They also sold their home in Texas.  They don’t have a home or job to return to.  So they’re not really sure what they are going to do - although somebody with his kind of talent won’t stayed unemployed very long..  But they are marvelous examples of consecration and dedication to the Kingdom.  We are blessed to have known them and will miss them greatly after June. (The Passeys are the two in the middle of the second and third rows.)  Everyone else in the picture is either a current or returned missionary except for the one who was baptized 2 weeks after this photo was taken.

One of the great things about serving in a warmer climate is that nice people come to visit you on occasion.  We were blessed to have Teri, Kelli, and Shari spend 2 days with us early in March.  We did fun stuff - Kelli & Teri went on a hike in Sagaro National Park and Mom, Dad, and Shari did a shorter (as in a 1/2 mile version on flat terrain) version and saw  - wait for it - cactus and other desert plants.  On one of the signs  on that little walk it talked about how all forms of life are dependent on the sun.  We marveled at the truth that was in that statement.  Not just from a temporal and creation standpoint but from a spiritual point.  We are all dependent on The Son.  And we are grateful for His life and Sacrifice for us.  It was fun, and not too hot, even for the desert.  Then we went to a place in Tucson and ate Sonoran Hot Dogs.  That’s a Mexican style hot dog, only better.  I think we were the only people in the restaurant that did not speak Spanish.  But we got fed, so that is all that matters.  Of course we went to Tombstone and saw the gunfight - the Earp brothers won.  We also went to Boot Hill where the results of losing a gunfight were displayed.  BTW, the pool with Teri, Shari, and Kelli was not nearly as inviting as it appears.  The desert gets cold in the evening.

In addition to family, we had a very nice visit from one of Mom’s/Marie’s  friends from 4-5 grade. Mom hadn’t seen her since high school.  But she and her husband were staying in Tombstone - people stay there overnight sometimes, I guess - and so we got together at La Casita, a restaurant,  here in Sierra Vista for Mexican food lunch.  It was great for Mom to see a dear friend for the first time in nearly 50 years.  This picture will give you some idea of how short Lorna is.  Remember that Mom/Marie is only 5”3”.

One of the things we have been asked to do for the time being is to inspect missionary apartments for cleanliness and order. We do this the last Friday orSaturday before transfers (which happen every 6 weeks). Sometimes we don’t find very much of either.  But these young missionaries need to understand that the Spirit is much more likely to dwell in a place that is clean and orderly.  One apartment this month wasn’t really all that clean.  So we made them do it over and we went back a few days later to make sure they had actually cleaned things up - they had.  And sometimes uninvited visitors come calling even if the missionaries are diligent.  This photo shows an uninvited guest in the Sister missionaries apartment.  glad we weren’t there to actually witness the festivities.  I understand the “guest" was appropriately dealt with.  Less trauma for the Sisters than for the mouse.  And they now have traps to ward off such infestations.

One exciting thing has been watching the Tucson Temple construction.  As most of you are aware, the open house is for most of June.  We will be here for that and hope to be able to take some of the post Chaplains on a VIP tour.  We are looking forward to that experience.  It has been interesting to visit with Elder and Sister Hanrion, the temple missionaries, and get some of the intimate details of the construction.  Even the sculpting of the carpet is a process.  Notice it next time you are in a celestial room in the temple and recognize that it is done by hand after the carpet is laid.  A pattern is put on the floor and drawn and then cut to perfection.  They even order the exact number of tiles to be used on the floors and in the restrooms so that not a dime is wasted. It is a miraculous and marvelous thing.   

Well we love you all.  The work here is progressing.  A few baptisms and more teaching opportunities than was the case 6 months ago.  We have 4 sets of elders and one set of sisters in the district now (including the Zone leaders).  They seem to be finding things to do. The elders who cover Ft. Huachuca are getting more opportunities to teach soldiers, and we have had some success in reactivation efforts as well.  There is a lot to do and we are trying to do the things that will be of the most worth to the Lord in this part of the vineyard.  We don’t have a lot of time remaining, and we find that the best way to not think about that too much is to stay busy.  We  are sorry to have to miss so many exciting things in all of your lives, but we will pick that up when we get home.  The Gospel is true and we love you all.

Mom & Dad/Marie & Earl/ Elder & Sister Phippen