Called to LOVE

Sister Blake drew this picture of me. Wow!

Aloha Ohana!

It's getting a bit warmer here in Hawaii! I've definitely gotten some sun. My watch tan line is getting pretty rad😎 Today we went to a restaurant called Pounders at PCC for lunch, and after our lunch we stopped in at the bakery to buy a quick treat. I ordered a white chocolate coconut cookie (the plate of them looked super good!) and the worker asked if I wanted a small or a big cookie. Of course I said a big one, thinking that he would just grab a cookie on the plate that was slightly larger than the other cookies, but NOPE, he reached onto a different plate and grabbed a GINORMOUS white chocolate coconut cookie for me. It was bigger than my face. Seriously. IT WAS HUGE!!! I almost started laughing because I didn't realize that was what he meant by "small or big". Haha! So I bought a gigantor white chocolate coconut cookie today! I can check "buying a cookie bigger than my face" off of my bucket list today😉

top cookie plate has the small cookies

Here's my face-sized cookie! Seriously it's the biggest cookie I think I've ever seen... pictures don't do it justice.

Shrimp pesto pizza, kailua pork quesadillas with mango salsa on top, mango mascarpone pizza, and mahi mahi fish nuggets. YUM. PLUS missionaries eat free at pounders! woohoo

We also got to take a canoe ride around PCC. It was super relaxing and super hot! PCC is the coolest...
Sister Wu did another one of those cool Chinese massages to my shoulders, and you'd be surprised how many toxins I apparently had built up in my shoulders! It's kind of weird, but really cool at the same time.

-Guess what?!? So I think I mentioned last week that we've been teaching Madison (she's the granddaughter of a member in our ward here) over the phone. We taught her another lesson this week, and she committed to be baptized!!!!!! We are so excited for her! She's been reading the Book of Mormon, and has prayed and received an answer that it's true. She said she feels like this is the next step Heavenly Father wants her to take! She is the sweetest, and I wish she were here in Hawaii so we could be with her in person. She said the sweetest closing prayer in our last lesson. She prayed for Sister Wu and I by name, and it just touched my heart! So tender. She's under 18, so she has to get her mom's permission before she can be baptized. Apparently her mom isn't super into organized religion, so please keep in your prayers during the coming weeks that her mom's heart will be softened and opened to her taking this step of faith and being baptized. We've been coordinating with the sweet sister missionaries in Madison's home town to work out more details. Madison hasn't been to any church meetings yet, so her baptism wouldn't be able to be for several more weeks, at least. But I'm so excited for her! Miracles😊

-One thing I learned this week was to take goal setting seriously! I learned that God definitely takes goal setting seriously. Sister Wu and I tried to do a better job of setting some specific goals for the transfer that will help us fulfill our missionary purpose. One goal dealt with how many guest cards we would try to get. (We focus on people, not numbers, don't worry, but setting a number goal helps us work harder and more diligently each day. Plus, the guest card is really how we help these children of God continue learning about the gospel of Jesus Christ!) Based off of our transfer goal we set a weekly goal of a certain number of guest cards. It definitely was a goal that would make us stretch, but God has (often miraculously) helped us reach our goals! Our daily goals were based off of the weekly goal, and there were a few days where we had limited time in the VC with a goal of 2 guest cards, which normally would not happen. We had faith though, and we worked our hardest, and we set the goal regardless of former experience, and God did the rest! Really He did it ALL😄It's been cool to see God really "make up the difference" and place us in situations that allowed us to reach our goal. There were about 3 days this week where it looked like we wouldn't reach our daily goal, but at the last possible opportunity, God would provide. Keep working your hardest until the very last moment! Endure to the end!! Lesson learned😉 Miracles happen when you prayerfully set goals and then go out and get to work! Plus we got to meet such wonderful children of God.

Here's the sweetest Filipina, Christie! I met her and she said when I visit Baguio to stay with her. She said she lives right by a "big mormon church!"

-This 6-week transfer period I felt impressed to give a special focus to becoming more love-driven rather than duty-driven. One day this week during my personal study time I was reflecting on the morning and felt that I was lacking in the love department that day. I felt a little bit "enslaved" by time. During my studies I came across Alma 40:8. All is as one day to God. Time is only measured by man! I was reminded of what Sister Bednar said that "you can serve without loving, but you can't love without serving." It occurred to me that while most people think as a missionary you are "called to serve," I realized I've actually been "called to love." God really does place those who need me, and those whom I need, closest to me, knowing that we are best suited to meet each other's needs. Love Love Love! I also felt I should study the greatest act of love ever performed: the Atonement of Jesus Christ. As I did so, the Savior became a little bit more REAL to me. Sometimes gospel principles feel like abstract concepts, but the more time we give to study, ponder, and pray about those principles, the more real they become to us. This week I came to know a little more that Jesus Christ really IS my Brother, the Son of God, and my Savior--and that He really DID live on the earth, and His Atonement was a REAL experience. What can you do to make the Savior more "real" to you?
Alma 5:26 It's so important that we never let our testimony flicker out. We've "felt to sing the song of redeeming love" before. We should be doing things each day that allow us to have our hearts filled with gratitude each day!

Comp study with the VCTs! Sister Jensen from Sandy Utah, and Sister Huang from Taiwan.

-I talked to a few people this week online who were so humble. Patrick from Maine and Sarah from the South just made my days😊 Sarah really demonstrated the principle I learned from Elder Bednar that "the more you learn, the more you should recognize how little you know." Some people I interact with who have requested a free Bible tell me that they know everything about God. I just feel so sad for those people! We will never be done learning. Sarah is an older woman, but she said she feels unfulfilled with her current understanding of the word of God. She feels like she's missing something. She's searching to learn more, and knows she has much to learn. I was able to promise her that the true and LIVING church of Jesus Christ is on the earth again, and that God is compelling her to learn more about it at this time in her life! She actually visited a mormon church once when she was about 10 years old. She said she and her grandma were the only african americans in the congregation, but they felt so loved and welcomed. She still remembers that visit to this day. She met with missionaries a few years ago, but has since lost contact. I promised her that this is what she is searching for. I know it! It's incredible how many hearts angels have prepared to receive the restored gospel. So many people say that when they read the Book of Mormon and gained a testimony of its truthfulness, there was a hole filled inside of them. Sometimes it filled a vacancy they didn't even know was there. Man I love this gospel, and boy do I know it's true! For my birthday a few weeks ago I considered asking you all to send in a referral card with the name of a friend to be taught by missionaries, instead of sending me a birthday card or wishes haha. #classicmissionary. Seriously though, do it!!

Missions are EXHAUSTING but so fulfilling!!! It's the best when you wake up from sleeping and you've had a dream where you were doing missionary work. It's like the work never ends haha. Nothing like dreaming about missionary work to have an indicator that your whole heart, might, mind, and strength is all in! Missions really are the BEST😃 I love it, and I can't believe I'm almost halfway done!

This week, each morning I want you to ask Heavenly Father in your morning prayer "what is ONE thing you want me to do today?" Find and focus on that one thing, and DO it! Oftentimes we expect ourselves to complete each task on our never-ending to-do list in an insanely illogical amount of time. As you focus on ONE thing that God wants you to do, you'll not only find greater fulfillment in your days, but it will really help you to become as He is.

Keep smiling!
Sister Flake

Do you like our "glasses"?😉

silly padmates😂

Dinner with members! Danna recently had a darling baby boy, Adam😊They made suuuper yummy Filipino food! Spring rolls and adobo.