Sister Flake's Mission Blog: I'm Alive!

This was my life for most of this week hahaha. (jk I only really wore the mask for a few hours). Sister Withers and I were great sick-day companions in quarantine together. #staph

Aloha Ohana!

Well, I'm alive! It's no fun getting sick, but I'm grateful for modern medicine that helps us heal faster. I got to have some great extra study time the past few days as I've been resting. I've tried to take advantage of it. My sore throat is feeling a lot better now since I started taking the antibiotic, but I'm just still super exhausted. Being sick sure makes me grateful for my usual good health! BUT the best medicine is laughter, right?! So I'll start with some comic relief from the week. This week we were giving the tram tours from the PCC, and a family with the most darling 4-yr-old girl was on our tour. On the tram ride back to the PCC she wanted to sit up front with Sister Wu and I. We let her be our special guest, and we got her involved in the tram tour from the front. We had her introduce herself, and then I'd have her repeat words into the microphone throughout the ride back. When I got to introducing the Ko'olau Mountain range, I had her repeat "Ko'olau" into the microphone, and she proceeded to proudly exclaim the mountains were called "cocoa-lau!!" She repeatedly pronounced it that way each time I had her say it, probably a total of 3 or 4 times. The whole tram got a kick out of it. That was probably the funnest tram ride back to PCC I've ever had haha! Maybe the drinking fountains will start having chocolate milk come spewing out of them from the cocoa running off the cocoa-lau mountains 😉

Here's the famous "cocoa-lao" mountain range girl! Such a cutie😊

Sister Wu and I spent probably a solid 30 minutes driving around to different shrimp trucks until she decided which one she wanted to try haha. She was DYING to eat shrimp today! We ended up at a Korean food truck at the Fijian market that was delish and suuuper oily. Classic Hawaiian food! I'm just glad we were able to satisfy her shrimp craving #missionaccomplished

Here's our pday lunch! Sis Wu was dying to have shrimp, so we drove around to like three different shrimp trucks before deciding on this one haha. It was the Korean food truck at the Fijian market!

A funny English-learning highlight was probably today when, for part of pday, Sister Wu just wanted to have time to take a "snap". I snapped my fingers for her, and she looked super confused. Then I explained to her the difference between 'snap' and 'nap'... she just really wanted a NAP haha.

This week I had a neat experience with a woman named Colleen online with the teaching center. She had actually requested a copy of the Bible about 2 1/2 weeks ago. During our first call, I came to find that she's a devout Roman Catholic. She said she didn't really need a Bible, but she could share it with someone else. I offered her a copy of the Book of Mormon and briefly explained it and shared my feelings about it. She seemed wary at first. We had a good, sincere conversation though, and she asked if I'd call back in a week to see if she wanted a copy of the Book of Mormon. I invited her to pray that week and ask God if she should learn more about the Book of Mormon. She honestly replied that she would pray about it. I believed that she really would. I called back a week later, and she told me that she did not want a copy of the Book of Mormon. I was disappointed, but moved on to reaching out to other people. Then, a few days later, she called me and left me two voicemails, in which she told me that she wanted a copy of the "book of the Latter-day Saints" and to learn more about this "book about Jesus Christ". I called back and asked her what had changed in her mind. She said "an answered prayer". SO COOL, RIGHT?! She said that her fiancé told her it would be a good thing for her to read and learn more about, and a friend told her that as well. I'm not sure if her friend or finance are very familiar with the LDS church, but I thought that was so cool! Colleen said she was told that the Book of Mormon has 'her' in it, and she wants to see if that's true. She really did pray after that first call, but I guess it just took a little time for her to recognize her answer. I found out yesterday that Colleen has met the local missionaries, and that she LOVES the Book of Mormon so far. MIRACLE!😊 We just have to be patient with God's timing. More on Colleen to come in the future!

We got to watch the devotional to the youth that President and Sister Nelson did. It is SO GOOD. Holy cow!!!! If you haven't watched it yet, GO WATCH IT: here Gathering Israel really is the greatest work we get to be a part of!!!

This week I'll hit my 9 month mark... can you believe it?!?! That's half of my mission folks. It's gone by so fast. I was reflecting back on the things I've learned on my mission so far, and another two words came to mind that I feel would adequately describe my mission. They are "He's real". I choose these two words because there have been so many experiences I've had that have made the Savior become more real to me, little by little. I hope that you put yourself in places each day where Jesus Christ can become more real to you too😊

Keep smiling! Happiness really is a choice😀

Love you all,

Sister Flake

Here's me and my voodoo magic remedy for my illness... Sis Hunkin said it works whenever she has a cold. You boil water, then add a bit of vasaline, then put the water/vasaline in a bowl and put a towl over your head and sit in your homemade sauna for 20 minutes. She said you sweat out the sickness. (unless it's staph like I have haha) Also, can we just admire how much my legs look like man legs hahahahahahaha #swoll

Here's the new board in the guide room!

Thanks for choosing such an adorable pic of me❤ Everyone is dying over how much I look the same hahahahaha

Selfie from Zone conference!

Here's Sister Morse (from South Carolina) and I enjoying our Asain Bubble "tea" drink (don't worry, no tea in it😉 while surrounded by wonderful Asians 😊 It's little dumpling-type ball things, with a very sweet milk/juice drink added to the "bubbles." It was pretty good! #innerasian