Sister Flake's Mission Blog: The temple brings us home

Aloha ohana!

-Farmer Flake's update: Hayhay's (our friendly neighbor hen) eggs hatched!! Thank goodness I didn't get too adventurous and EAT one of the eggs last month haha. The chicks are absolutely adorable!!!!!! I think Hayhay is mormon too... she's got 12 kids!! Big family... 😉😂

HAYHAY'S A MOMMY!!!!!!!

SO CUTE!!

cheaper by the dozen...

-Clement and Chandra from Florida got baptized on Saturday!!! Clement submitted a Bible request back in January, and Sis Hunkin picked up the request from the queue on mormon.org. We called him and Sister Hunkin got his address, and then when it seemed like she was going to hang up, I interjected to ask Clement a few inspired questions since we hadn't really gotten to know them much. We came to find out that he recently moved and has been trying to find a church! We had previously explained that local missionaries would hand-deliver the Bible, and I said they'd love to have him attend church. He agreed! We prepared him to attend the following day! As the weeks went by, we stayed in touch with Clement and his wife, Chandra. They are absolutely adorable. Chandra feels that God has a calling for her in this church, and they both have been soooo prepared by God to accept the restored gospel of Jesus Christ! They were baptized on Saturday. We wish we could have attended the baptism! We are grateful for the technology that allows us to stay in touch with them and receive photos though. We even got to video call them a few weeks ago to speak! They are cuties. It's amazing to see how the Lord is hastening His work through technology. This all began with a Bible request submitted by a man who moved to Florida. Amazing! What a blessing it is to be a part in someone's conversion--no matter how small the part may seem, it is important! Never underestimate your example. Others notice! You ARE making a difference.

Clement and Chandra!!❤

-Food highlight: Today we had lunch at the PCC at the Hale Pups food truck. They sell giant, fancy hot dogs. Dad would be in H E A V E N there hahaha;) I tried "the common king" hot dog... it had bacon, swiss cheese, a hot dog, kailua pork, bbq mayo, pickles, and onion rings on top. Now THAT'S a hot dog!!! It was SOOO delicious. I can honestly say it's the best hot dog I've ever eaten... the fanciest too. Dad, you MUST eat here when we visit as a family!!!;) FiaFia farms also gave us free coconuts and smoothies! They love their missionaries❤ One more food highlight...Sis Hunkin made fried oreos for her dinners a few nights this week. Now that's what I call a balanced meal--pancake batter outside for grains, cream filling as dairy/protein, chocolate cookie part comes from cocoa which is a plant that grows on a tree (so we could call it a fruit right??!), and then vegetable oil (considered part vegetable right??)... what a balanced meal!! Hahaha😂 She cracks me up. She let me try one and it was delicious!

When in Hawaii... you've gotta have a coconut! He cut the top with a machete haha

Our favorite PCC food hut... FiaFia farms! Free coconuts and smoothies this week😊

-Today after our hot dog lunch we went BOWLING at the university! It was so fun😃 BYU-H has a bowling alley (and ping pong tables!!!!! maybe I won't be as rusty as I thought I would be! I need to be prepared to take on Bryson after my mission😎). It was super fun and cheap too! It was only $5 for one lane for an hour, and $2 for shoe rental. Definitely a repeat pday activity! I was going to say that this is the first time I've gone bowling in a dress in my life... but then I remembered that I bowled in a cover-up dress in cancun last summer at the resort. BUT I CAN say this is the first time I bowled wearing a super special missionary nametag!!! We went with Sister Lee from Taiwan and Sister Wan from Hong Kong. SO FUN😊

BOWLING @ BYU!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It reminded me of our Cancun adventures❤

-This week we met Debra and Jessica from Wisconsin. Our entire conversation was while we were on the temple grounds (we didn't go inside the VC at all). We had a wonderful conversation. They were both very impressed with the dedication and sacrifice of us missionaries. They kept commenting how inspired they were by our choice to serve a mission. They both have strong faith in Jesus Christ. Debra has seen many advertisements on TV by the LDS church, and she said she really loves the promotion of faith they offer. Debra was a darling older woman. We built a solid friendship through our conversation. Towards the end of our conversation, I felt inspired to ask Debra if she's much of a reader. She responded that she LOVES to read! We had created a friendship that was genuine enough at that point that I could simply give Debra a copy of the Book of Mormon and tell her I know she'll love it, and she would know I was being sincere. I RAN back to the VC to get her a copy of the Book of Mormon because the tram was there. I felt like the elder running to deliver a copy of the Book of Mormon in a park in the picture they showed in general conference in President Nelson's talk last October haha! With Debra I really learned the importance of building a sincere friendship first and also being excited/energetic about the restored gospel. Debra is now excited to have the missionaries back home take her to church so she can see what it's like! Debra was a special daughter of God. I know shell remember our interaction for a long time because of the Spirit that attended us.

-Goal-setting is inspired and essential for a life of constant growth and improvement! This week one of my goals was centered on LISTENING to the Holy Ghost and to others. Sister Hunkin and I noticed a big difference in our work this week, and I think this principle of listening with love made all the difference! Listening with love sets you up to teach to people's needs. Elder Holland's quote from PMG page 185 came to life for us,

"More important than speaking is listening. These people are not lifeless objects disguised as a baptismal statistic. They are children of God, our brothers and sisters, and they need what we have. Be genuine. Reach out sincerely. Ask these friends what matters most to them. What do they cherish, and what do they hold dear? And then listen. If the setting is right, you might ask what their fears are, what they yearn for, or what they feel is missing in their lives. I promise you that something in what they say will always highlight a truth of the gospel about which you can bear testimony and about which you can then offer more. … If we listen with love, we won’t need to wonder what to say. It will be given to us—by the Spirit and by our friends.”

Sister Hunkin and I saw this come to pass! As we tried to listen with love, gospel principles were naturally brought up and easy to relate to the guests. We were able to build a connection with them that made the Spirit flow more freely amongst us. It was amazing! We are to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ in God's way, which is by the Spirit😊 Also, missionary work should be fun! and it IS fun!! I love it! Since the Spirit guides us, it's always an adventure discovering where he will take us. If we're not having fun, we don't have enough of the Spirit with us❤ Additionally, I learned this week the importance of praising the good in others--we progress/improve much faster that way. It's best to do all things the Savior's way vs our way!

Transfer-ly VC photo

-We met a couple from LA, California on Saturday. They are not members of the Church. They said they live near the LA temple! They told us that whenever they get lost, they look for the LA temple and they can then find their way home! They said the angel statue on top even points the way to their house haha! They said that the neighborhoods there are easy to get lost in, so it happens quite often. How neat, right!? The temple is really the house of the Lord! It's His house, and we are His children. Even for those who are not on the covenant path yet, the temple is a guide and a comfort, and it helps us to return home. Through the temple God's purposes are accomplished, and we become better prepared to return to our heavenly home one day with our eternal family! This gospel brings so much hope and joy!!! The temple brings us home.

-Since we had stake conference last week, we had fast Sunday this week. I felt prompted to do a "gratitude fast"--fasting solely out of gratitude to my Heavenly Father for the blessings He's given me. It was SO special! If you've never tried it, I would 100% recommend it. I now know a little bit more than I knew before that Jesus Christ is MY Savior, and that He sacrificed for me. His Atonement is very personal.

-In one year from today, on this very day, my full-time mission will come to a close. It's going so fast!! Sometimes the thought will hit me that I want to be a missionary forever! This is the most satisfying work ever. But I know that this time as a full-time missionary won't last forever. However, I know I'll find joy in every phase of life as I find opportunities for significant service in each stage! I know I'll probably write the same phrase "I want to be a ______ forever!" at some point about being a mother of young kids, or a grandmother, or having a certain calling, etc. The good news is as an exalted being we WILL get to be engaged in the most fulfilling work EVER... and for eternity!!!!! How sweet is that?! I'll just follow my mom's example in finding joy in every stage of life:) Eccl 3:1-8 I know there is a season, time, and purpose for everything!

Always remember that God is your loving Heavenly Father, and He is mindful of you! Trust in Him, and KEEP SMILING 😊😊😊😊😊
Aloha!
Sister Flake