Sister Flake's Mission Blog: I'm getting old

Aloha ohana!

This month was super duper great! I hit my 6 month mark this week... can you believe it's been SIX MONTHS already?!?!? I feel so OLD (as a missionary😉) Time has flown by. I'm so grateful for the things I'm learning about myself, Jesus Christ, and God's plan for us! I am so happy here 😊

-First highlight is getting to see the Hardingers!!!!!!!!!!! It made my whole week!!!! They really are like family to me, so it brought me so much joy to get to see them, visit with them, and get hugs from them. Man, I sure love them! Lisa and I kept our arms around each other the majority of the time, and I couldn't help but feel like I was with my own mom! It's so awesome that God has placed us in other's lives to help them have more joy😃 Chris, Lisa, and Anna definitely brought me joy!!! They said the forecast wasn't looking to good, so in my prayers that night I prayed for sunshine, and boy did sunshine come! It's been beautiful and sunny nearly the entire time since that prayer! Moral of the story: prayer really works! Sometimes God doesn't answer our prayers in the way we expect or want, but He always answers them. I'm just grateful God saw fit that no one else needed rain more than the Hardingers wanted the sun! haha😉

I LOVE THE HARDINGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Their visit made my whooole week!!!!!

-Food highlight: a Japanese dish called "omrice" (I'm not sure how to spell it... it's a compound word of 'omelet' and 'rice'). You whisk the eggs and cook an omelet in a pan, then you add the rice mixture on top of the omelet, fold it over, and put ketchup on top. The rice mixture has diced onions, carrots, peas, chicken, seasonings, and ketchup, mixed with rice. ...and of course it only tastes good if it's been cooked using chopsticks and not a spatula. 😉 SO GOOD.

Nao and Haruki Meguro! Japanese couple who we ate omrice with. I love them!!! He served in MN.

-Terrible food highlight: we got to eat at Panda Express when we went to the mall in Kaneohe (Panda is one of my FAVS). I decided to branch out and try a new entree. It was labeled as "spicy", but I sampled it and it was totally fine! It had chicken and peppers and other greens... I sat down and started eating it and it was delish! Then I took a bite of a dark, pepper-looking thing and BAM I thought I was going to DIE because my mouth was ON FIRE!!!!🔥 I don't even know what kind of pepper it was, but it was NOT a nice pepper hahaha... I literally felt like my tongue was going to fall off and my mouth was going to burn up from the heat. I thought I'd built up a little tolerance to spicy food since being here, but that hopeful thought was squashed like a little gnat when I ate that pepper today hahahaha! I'll keep trying😂

Here's the culprit... el diablo.....

Panda for lunch (and dinner haha... I was so full)>>>

-I have LOVED serving in a married student ward! Even though our area is 100% members of the Church already, we see so many miracles as missionaries there. We get to see the Spirit working through us to accomplish the things God wants to accomplish among some of His precious children here! I've really grown to sincerely love the members of this ward❤ It's been fun to be in the same area for three transfers now because I've really gotten to build some awesome friendships with some of the members. Recently we've been doing a "Book of Mormon Reading Challenge" with one of the members, and it's made my heart SO happy seeing her excitement for the Book of Mormon blossom! All it takes is a little faith and a willingness to act, and miracles happen. God is good😊

The Kuoha family! They made the best fish>>>

-Speaking of the Book of Mormon, I was following up on an investigator I sent a referral for who lives in Wisconsin. Her name is Gail. God has definitely prepared her heart and mind to receive the restored gospel of Jesus Christ at this time, and I'm honored to be a part of her conversion! I got a text from her this week saying she's "got the Book of Mormon now and can hardly put it down!" I got to visit with her over the phone about the local missionaries' visit with her, and her interest in the Book of Mormon. It's so joyous seeing others get excited about Jesus Christ and His restored gospel! I know it's true! I just know it!😊

-In the VC this week we met the sweetest lady named Patrice from Oregon. Local missionaries will be visiting her back home! We're excited to stay in touch with her as she learns more about the gospel!:) Sis Wan told Sis Hunkin and I that on the tram ride back to the PCC Patrice told them that "Sister Flake and Sister Talia-Hunkin are my angels, and blessings in my life!!" How ADORABLE, right?! I think oftentimes we don't realize the mortal angels God has placed in each of our lives. This week try to notice and appreciate those angles a little bit more❤

Patrice❤

-We had lunch with Chongs on Saturday and Sister Chong was just ON ONE that day haha! She cracks me up... she's such a goof. One of the sister missionaries from Korea was telling a story about how she learned the phrase "I'm into you", and at first she thought it just meant a friendly "like" (that you enjoy someone as a friend). So, this sister walked up to Elder Goodman and told him "I'm into you!!" Sister Chong almost peed her pants she was laughing so hard. We do get some pretty funny experiences with all of the different languages spoken around here. I was talking to one of the Chinese tour bus drivers while his tourists were in the VC, and I spoke with him a little bit in Mandarin. He told me (in English) that the best way to learn mandarin quickly is to have a Chinese boyfriend! That made me laugh haha😂 He did tell me I have very good mandarin though! I'm learning more little by little. Hopefully by the time I give my homecoming talk at church I can bear my testimony in English, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Spanish! It's super neat getting to live in such a diverse place, and interact with people from all over the world. God really does love all of His children, and nothing can separate us from His love!

Lunch with the Chongs!

I love the Chongs!!!

All of my new Chinese friends from this week!! I feel famous with them! No Chinese boyfriend unfortunately😂

HEY General Conference is this week! For those of you who don't know what general conference is, it's a time when God's chosen Apostles and Prophet speak to all of us! They share the things God has inspired them to share. The things they share will help us be better equipped to face the challenges of this day. Tune in to conference this Saturday and Sunday at lds.org. I promise you will hear and feel something that will help you with the specific challenges you are facing right now!
Keep smiling! Trust that God is working all things for your good, because He is 😊❤

Love,
Sister Flake

District Temple Trip!

Exchanges with Sister Domingo!

TBELL FOR DINNER!!!>>> I tried a yummy quesarito thingy and CINNABON DELIGHTS and nacho fries

The new "thing" at our fav fast food joint... TBELL!!!! The nacho fries are good!
You dip them in nacho cheese instead of ketchup>>> The Flakes (sr couple) bought our food❤