Sister Flake's Mission Blog: Faith Precedes Miracles!

Aloha everyone!!!
Holy cow this week FLEW by! I feel like I was just emailing home! But sooo much has happened. I didn't get as much time this week to prepare/organize my thoughts before coming to email, so I will just apologize in advance for a (probably) shorter email than normal. But I'll try my best!!

I also realized last week that I kinda failed to really explain what we DO at the VC... I kinda just explained scheduling, I'm sorry! We greet visitors, take pics for them, and do our best to invite and help them to come closer to Jesus Christ in the (short) time we have with them. Oftentimes people are interested in seeing the pictures of the inside of the temple which are located inside the VC. It really opens up great religious conversations! Some people are not very interested in talking about/learning about religion, in which case we still try our best to help them feel the Spirit, come closer to Christ, and have a positive experience with us.

I'm going to try doing a short highlight from each day this week!
Wednesday: after I emailed last week we went over the the Polynesian Cultural Center(PCC)!! It is sooooo cool! As missionaries we get in for free, and we can go every pday if we want to! We didn't have too much time there, but we got to watch a Tahitian wedding ceremony, the Tongan village show, and the Aotearoa (New Zealand) show. The shows were all so neat! I love getting to see cultures from all over the world. The haka is pretty intimidating to watch haha... no wonder the rugby teams use it! After we watched the shows, we walked around the marketplace area, and we stopped and talked to a food stand owner and she offered all four of us missionaries that were together free Otai!!! It was SOO yummy. It's basically like a chunky smoothie haha... mine was with mango chunks. It's a 'native' drink to Tonga and it is deeelicious!😋

At the Polynesian Cultural Center!

Alooooha! This guy started the shaka! (the famous Hawaiian hand gesture)

Mango Otai mmmmm!

Thursday: we gave tram tours today!! God has helped me to be able to memorize much of the script very quickly. It's been such a blessing! I actually really really enjoy giving tours! It's great to be able to get to know people a little bit before showing them around the temple grounds when we get off at the temple. We met a super cool lady from Honolulu who had a stroke years ago, but she said THAT was when her husband became a Christian because she was so happy and calm and hopeful through her trial, and he didn't know how she did it. She said it was worth it to go through the stroke so that her husband came to accept Jesus as his Savior. What an example of faith!!! I loved it!

Friday: Today was definitely a "seed-planting" day, but it was great!! I'm learning more and more about how to apply my missionary purpose in a VC. Tender Mercy: so Sis Blake and I have been teaching a guy who lives in Africa named Frank. We invited him to go to church last Sunday, but were unable to get in touch with him at all this week! We were worried he had a poor experience or something, but we called again today and he answered! and He said he would for sure go to church NEXT Sunday (he couldn't go last week)... and we found out on Monday that he did attend church, and he reeeallly enjoyed it!! Woohoo!!!🙌 Anyways, we've been in touch with his missionaries, and Sis Blake and I are calling him again this week. It's so cool that I get to teach people from all over the world! We got to teach a lady in Georgia about the restoration this week too!

Funny highlight from today: we were role playing at the Book of Mormon display and Sis Blake said "the Bible is interpretated in so many different ways..." INTERPRETATED hahahaha I was dying 😂... she meant interpreted hahaha

Saturday: I have the tram script practically all memorized! woohoo! Today we met some REALLY neat and prepared people! We were praying that we would meet someone who would be interested in hearing what we have to say and was prepared to learn more. We had faith that it really would happen! and it did! We met not only ONE prepared and receptive person, but TWO people!!! Ask and ye shall receive haha:) I looove that our message is centered on Jesus Christ. He can make such a huuuge impact in EVERYONE's life! In fact, He already has! I love seeing people come closer to Him❤

This morning we had the transfer-ly French Toast Friday!!! (only it was on Saturday this transfer). The 3 senior couples make french toast, sausage, fruit, yogurt, and chocolate milk for breakfast for us!!! IT was sooooo yummy😋) I looove being a VC sister! It's fun being able to build relationships with so many amazing sisters!

French Toast Friday

Sunday: We BIKED to church today!!! WOOHOO I'm officially a missionary!!!!! 🚲 But seriously I was SO excited to bike... probably too excited😜 It was quite the missionary milestone. But yes, to answer the question you are probably all wondering, it is indeed quite difficult to bike wearing a skirt. and on top of that it was raining. BUT it just made the experience all the more memorable and exciting!!! 😃

BIKING! #missionarymilestone

AND today I had my first ever dinner appointment as a missionary!!! Woohoo! Because we're in YSA wards we don't get fed as much, BUT we did send a meal calendar around and SO many people signed up! So we are golden for November woohoo! A food highlight from dinner (and a new favorite) was "sapa sui". It's Tongan, and it's kinda clear-looking noodles with meat and seasonings and sometimes veggies. It's soooo good. I need to learn how to make it!!!

We also got to call and teach a girl in Indiana the restoration lesson. It was so neat!

Oh yeah, and there was a marimba musical fireside tonight. It was put on by the BYU-H marimba group or something like that? But it was so neat! I love music and the peaceful spirit it can bring. It can communicate things that can't be communicated any other way! I thought of Bryson standing up there playing the marimba;)

Monday: In VCTM this morning Sis Swinton talked all about the process of writing President Monson's biography. It was soooo good holy cow. It was especially cool to feel like I got to know President Monson better from just hearing about Sis Swinton's interactions with him. He is so genuine and selfless and faith-filled. One thing that especially stuck out to me was the need to learn the language of the Spirit and follow ALL promptings, WITHOUT delay! D&C 84:88 is one of his favorite scriptures: "And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up." I'm going to try to memorize it soon!

Tuesday: HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!! I was on exchanges today with Sister Elden! ("exchanges" means we swap companions for the day). She is so awesome! I learned a TON from her holy cow. Lots of new things to try and implement this week!

Exchanges with Sister Elden! Yes, she is quite the festive gal haha

Tonight, we closed the VC a few minutes early and had a Halloween party!!!!! (of sorts haha... as much of a party as missionaries have) ;) We wore comfy clothes, ate pizza and cookies and sweets and popcorn and lots of other good stuff, and got to watch the documentary Sis Swinton wrote "Joseph Smith: An American Prophet." It's not produced by our church, but it's a documentary that will be shown on PBS stations all over the nation soon!! It was soooo good! And it was super duper fun to get to have a party/celebration with all the VC missionaries:) I'm telling you, I lucked out here! It's THE BEST!!!!!!! I hear we get to watch movies on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years too... I guess we'll find out!

I have the BEST mission!!!!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN (Plus pizza showed up a few minutes later)

Our movie for the party: "Joseph Smith: An American Prophet"
So good! Coming to PBS soon!

Guess what/who we dressed up as??!?! I was Sister Blake hahaha

Japanese candy!!! So good... tasted like whoppers but better!! Black thunder is what they call it. Sounds legit right?!;)

Wednesday(today): I got to go to the temple this morning! The Laie temple is BEAUTIFUL holy cow. It was sooo refreshing to get to spend a few hours in God's house this morning:) The best start to my day for sure. And THEN I bought a pineapple!!!!!! My first Hawaiian pineapple purchased🍍 #proudmoment It cost me $3. I'm so excited to eat it😋 We also got to eat lunch at a senior missionary couple's house. It was so fun! It kinda felt like we were eating a Sunday dinner at Grandma's😉

My first Hawaiian pineapple!

Lunch at the Busenbarks!

Spiritual highlight: This week Sister Blake and I tried to focus more on faith, especially because faith always PREcedes miracles! and BOY is that true! The very day (Saturday) we studied more about faith and committed to have more faith that we would see miracles, WE SAW MIRACLES! Many are simple miracles, but miracles nonetheless. I encourage you all to try it!!! Pray for the faith to see miracles this week. It'll happen!!!

I love and miss you all sooo much! Thanks for all of your support. Sorry if I didn't get to email you back individually today, I'll try my best to reply asap!!
Trust in the Lord!
Aloha!
Sister Flake😊