Ooooooooh I'm halfway there...

Yep, looks like I just showered. I technically just got showered ON without consent, but when in Hawaii, we just roll with it (ft. my Asian peace sign😉)

Aloha Ohana!

I know I mentioned this last week, but can you believe that I'm halfway done with my mission??!? Sister Boyce made me a STELLAR 9 month pancake for breakfast that day😊 I've got the best padmates❤

 

Sister Boyce made me a 9 month pancake for breakfast❤ #bestpadmate

I spruced it up with some peanut butter, cinnamon, and strawberries😉

I made my final muumuu tie today, and just in the nick of time as the Busenbarks will be returning home July 2. They are so loving and hospitable to us. I'm so grateful for their examples and testimonies! 

I made my final muumuu tie today! Sis Busenbark is going home July 2 (and I've got 4 ties made now) ❤

(ft. Elder Busenbark too)

 

quick snooze at the Busenbarks while Sis Wu finished her tie 😂😴

This week I've still been recovering from my throat infection, but I finished up the antibiotics yesterday and should be ready to conquer the world again soon! It's been weird for me to not have as much energy as usual... I'm super grateful for modern medicine, water, sleep, and patient sister missionaries around me! Pray that I'll be 100% spiffy and spry by tomorrow for the debut of my original song!! We have a musical fireside being held at the VC tomorrow evening, and Sister Goodman asked if I'd sing a song I wrote. It's called "Let Him Lead". Sister Preslar is going to sing it with me, and Sister Wang will accompany us on the piano. I gave her the chords and basic style I had in mind of the song, and she whipped up a good accompaniment! Stay tuned.♫🎶

 

-I don't think I've ever told you about Raven. I met Raven and his friends/family when they visited Hawaii a few months ago. I felt particularly excited to talk to them because they're living in Minnesota! We had a short, but good, conversation with them, and towards the end of the conversation Raven mentioned that it's been several years since he's been to a church, and he feels like he needs to go again. I invited him to attend an LDS church service near him, and said that the missionaries could contact him and help prepare him to attend a Sunday service. He accepted the invite. Within the next few weeks, we stayed in touch with him, and the local missionaries were able to begin meeting with him. So far he is loving the Book of Mormon, and he's meeting with the Elders every Saturday! It's neat that we get to see a small portion of what happens AFTER our interactions with people after they leave the visitors' center. One day in heaven it will be neat to discover ALL of the stories of spiritual journeys that were begun or furthered at the temple in Hawaii while I was serving here. This is the coolest work, and the best time to be doing it!! Technology allows so many more people to have the opportunity to receive the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. 

 

-Comic relief: We called a woman on teaching center yesterday, and in the middle of our spiritual/deep conversation she randomly started yelling at someone/something in the room she was in. She said "sorry, the chicken is on my bed" and proceeded to talk about her chicken that she lets roam around indoors. (throwback to the days when we lived in Utah and had chickens... we begged mom and dad to let us bring them inside the house. Thanks GOODNESS they never let us haha!) Sister Preslar and I were companions on TC at the time, and we just LOST IT hahahahahaha oh my gosh we were dying of laughter. It was great😂

Here's a sweet Mormon family from Oregon that we met at PCC. I felt joy radiate from me as I talked about the JOY I feel as a missionary! The oldest daughter wants to serve after one year of college (just think, that was ME two years ago at this time!)

 

-Update on Colleen from last week. I called her again this week. She is so sweet, my goodness❤ She could have gone on and on for days about how much she loves the Book of Mormon, and how she is so grateful that God led us to her. She is a example of the scripture that talks about people searching for truth but not knowing where to find it. She told me that if I ever need a pick-me-up, or if I'm not being received as I'd wish to be, to call her and she'd tell me she remembers who brought her the Book of Mormon, and how it's changed her life. What a sweetie. The Book of Mormon really does change lives! It's fun to see Colby get to have such a neat experience with the Book of Mormon on trek this week. Side note: Colleen told us she had a fortune cookie not long ago that said "the light at the end of the tunnel is not a train"... when she told us this I couldn't help but laugh haha. It was SO random. BUT she implied that WE were that light 😄 She's funny.

 

We had exchanges this week, and it was great to change up companions for a day (although I'd done that not too long ago with being sick). I was with Sister Edington, who I got to go on exchanges with a few months ago. She is so great! I learned a lot from her. I'm learning that I'm very much a type A personality person who needs to become at least a 'lax' type A haha. This week it was kind of highlighted to me how stubborn and weak I am. We're not meant to struggle/"get by" on our own abilities/strength for so long. We're meant to turn to Christ and ask for help from the get-go! I need to ask for help much much much sooner. This principle is WAY easier said than done, but it's an important principle to practice nonetheless. Don't wait until you feel like you are drowning to ask for help. Christ already suffered these things (you are struggling with) for you, and He does NOT want you to suffer through them unecessarily and alone. Get on your knees and ask for help!

 

Enjoy the pace of things this week! Seriously, find JOY in the pace of life that God has given you right now. We are here on Earth to have joy😊

 

Keep smiling!

Sister Flake

We got to go to the temple this morning!!❤❤❤