HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!!!!

BEST. DAY. EVER.

Aloha ohana!

Well, highlight this week was getting to skype my family yesterday!!!! It was the BEST! I love Mother's Day😊 I've been blessed with the best mom in the universe! I came across a neat talk on mothers yesterday in my studies. Here's a few special quotes from it in regards to mothers, which I want to specifically repeat to my mom:
   "Thank you for your crucial role in fulfilling the purposes of eternity.”
   "To all mothers in every circumstance, including those who struggle—and all will—I say, "Be peaceful. Believe in God and yourself. You are doing better than you think you are. In fact, you are saviors on Mount Zion, and like the Master you follow, your love ‘never faileth.’ " I can pay no higher tribute to anyone."
    "...no love in mortality comes closer to approximating the pure love of Jesus Christ than the selfless love a devoted mother has for her child."
Motherhood is divine!

WHAT HAPPENED TO BRYSON?!

I'm officially the shortest of the fam #bittersweet

-Also, since my birthday's coming up, I received the sweetest package from home! It was great to feel remembered and loved by so many special people back home. It really brought so much love to my heart. Thanks all! 💕💕💕

Quick delivery!

I LOOOOVE my birthday banner!!! Thank you so much! I feel SO loved and remembered❤❤❤

THANK YOU!!!!💕😀😀

-Hawaii highlight: I HELD A GECKO THIS WEEK!!! It was just a little guy, maybe 4 inches long or so. He was so cute! If you don't know what sound geckos make, go look it up right now. It sounds like some strange monkey calling to his pals in the jungle, or something else crazy and exotic! It's a loud sound from a little body.

-funny language highlight: This week we were reading from the white handbook and Sis Wu read the word "large". She looked up at me and innocently asked "like clothes wash?" I said she was thinking of the word "laundry" and that "large" is not quite the same haha. We got a good laugh out of it😂

-Food highlight: for pday we ate at the Thai food truck at the Fijian market in Kahuku. It was DELICIOUS. I got the pad thai, and it was well worth the $13. It was a combination of noodles, egg, scallops, chicken, veggies, and a delicious sweet sauce. I opted to throw the peanuts away haha. Nuts are one thing I'm not sure I'll be able to come to love, but I'll keep trying!! A member also gave the group of us missionaries money to go buy ice cream, so we got free frozen yogurt after our Thai food. #blessed

Thai food truck at Fijian market! THIS WAS SO GOOD!

Pad Thai with chicken and extra veggies... #heaven Noodles, egg, veggies, chicken, scallops, and yummy sauce.

Fun pday group today!

I got the "PB&J creation" w hazelnut sauce instead of strawberry sauce. Plain greek yogurt froYo base with strawberries, graham crackers, Peanut butter shavings, and hazelnut sauce. It was seriously so good.

A member in Laie 3rd ward walked up to the table of us missionaries at the Thai food truck and gave us money to buy ice cream for all of us. We walked over to the "Ono Yo" frozen yogurt truck and bought froyo for the 9 of us! #tendermercies

 -On Thursday I met Cheryl from Florida. She was so special! I initially met her at the PCC when she walked up to me and asked if she could go on the tram tour. I had a nice chat with her at PCC before the tram departed, and came to find that she'll soon be doing a 10-day mission trip for her church in a foreign country. I could see and feel the Light of Christ in her! She wished me well and got on the tram. It turned out that I rode the same tram back to the VC, and I felt very drawn to talk with her further. I said a silent prayer that if it were God's will, I would have the opportunity to speak with her again. With a little extra effort on my part, I was able to connect with her again. She was in awe at the Christus statue. She told us that the statue belongs in her church, and I replied that He belongs in each of our hearts! She was very thoughtful, and seemed to soak in and ponder everything. I think the part that stood out the most to me was how clearly the Holy Ghost guided our interaction. We showed her the picture of the sealing room inside the temple, and she loved it. She said that more people need to turn to church-sponsored programs for counseling. As soon as she said this, the Spirit brought to my mind Alma 37:37
"Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day."
I flipped to the verse and shared it with her. She was impressed that I had memorized where it was. I told her that I love studying the scriptures each day, and that our purpose as missionaries is to help others come closer to Christ. I told her that the Holy Ghost inspires us with what to say and share with the people we talk to. I told her that for some reason (unknown to me) God needed her to hear this verse. After I said that, she opened up and said that it's actually something she really needed to hear. She said lately she'd been struggling with saying consistent prayers, and she just often feels too busy or tired to pray. She said this has been a challenge for the past couple of weeks especially. It was neat to discover that the verse I shared really was precisely what she needed. It's special knowing without a doubt that the Lord is guiding me in His work. I feel like I genuinely experienced what Elder Allen means when he says that "following the Spirit is an adventure!!" It really is a fun adventure! I'm excited to stay in touch with Cheryl and help her learn more :) I know this is Christ's church, and He is guiding His work. I'm honored to be a part of it.

Here's a fresh Hawaiian mango from Sister Flake's backyard!!

-We got to visit with a wonderful family from Louisiana this week. The mother's name is Judy. The thing I learned from my interaction with them was that studying the scriptures makes a night-and-day difference! I am loving getting to know my scriptures better. I realized during our interaction that I was really able to illustrate how much the Bible and the Book of Mormon support and clarify each other. I felt I was able to show that Mormons know and cherish the Bible too, not just the Book of Mormon. The grandmother of the group shared that God has given her everything, and I felt impressed to share Alma 26:12 with her. She loved it and said "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!" I said "yes, I love Phil 4:13!" She was impressed I knew the reference haha. A few minutes later, Sister Wu shared Alma 32:26-27. The grandma again added "trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not on thine own understanding." I told her that Proverbs 3:5-6 is one of my favorites. It was neat because it was really the Grandmother who was proving our point perfectly--the Bible and the Book of Mormon clarify and support each other! They are both testaments of Christ that teach us more about Him, His life, and His words. Power comes as we consistently study the scriptures!

-Something neat that I've witnessed as I've been on my mission is the Lord guiding my studies. This week I saw my studies of the words of prophets come full circle around a particular topic. I had been repeatedly taught about faith and charity he past several days, and now this week 'hope' made her appearance! Moroni 10:20-21 "Wherefore, there must be faith; and if there must be faith there must also be hope; and if there must be hope there must also be charity. And except ye have charity ye can in nowise be saved in the kingdom of God; neither can ye be saved in the kingdom of God if ye have not faith; neither can ye if ye have no hope." These 3 Christlike attributes are crucial to develop! I also liked a quote I came across from studying Elder Holland's general conference talks in preparation to hear him speak to us tomorrow. He said "the restored Church of Jesus Christ is the vehicle for bringing the teachings and saving ordinances of His gospel to all humankind." It's true! This church is the vehicle!

I love you all and am so grateful for each and every one of you! Keep smiling!
I'll talk to you on Saturday (that's my next pday because transfers are next week).
Aloha!
Sister Flake

The gloriously-timed McD's drop off!! >>> Thanks to the Browns in our ward!