#(almost)AHurricaneSurvivor

 

Here we are at the old gym building on campus at BYU-H volunteering at the red cross emergency shelter set up! We didn't get to help anyone... but we DID get to wear cool vests and eat yummy snacks and talk to other volunteers and stay updated on the news!

Aloha ohana!! 

Wow, what a week! I'm sure you are all well-aware of Hurricane Lane that decided to come visit Hawaii this week. Thankfully, by the time it reached Oahu, it had weakened significantly. It technically was only a "tropical storm" by the time it got to us. I hear the south side of Oahu got a fair amount of rain, but up here in Laie on the North Shore, it was sort of like a normal rain storm for us. It was a bit windier than the average storm in Laie, but as far as the amount of rain goes, in my opinion it was no more than some of the rainstorms we get during the wintertime. It was overcast with dark clouds for several days, and rained pretty hard a few times. We anticipated being sort of "locked inside" our apartments for a few days, but most of the time we were fine to go outside if we needed to do something. I'm so grateful for all the prayers said to calm the hurricane. Heavenly Father is watching out for us😊 Due to the hurricane, PCC, the temple, and the Visitors' Center were closed on Thursday and Friday, with shortened hours on Saturday. So, we were able to go out in the community and help prepare for the storm! We volunteered at the BYUH campus at the red cross emergency shelter set up there. It impressed me how seriously the people here were taking their personal preparation. The principle of preparation is something I really have learned quite a bit about on my mission. It's critical. All of the sisters made sure to have 72 hour kits ready, and know the emergency plans. As far as the tourists we interacted with previous to the storm, it's interesting to see natural disasters humble some of them, and make them more willing to ask God for help. There is a positive outcome to be found from any difficult time. We were also able to have some good bonding time with many of the Sisters during the days the VC was closed. We made german pancakes for breakfast together one morning, had ice cream and brownies, and we watched the "12 steps" program videos from the Church, as well as when the "district 1" and "district 2" (from training videos we watch as missionaries) met each other. They were great! ...it's slightly cringe-worthy the things that we find entertaining as missionaries 😂 I also really appreciated having a little bit of time to write another song. This one is about the hope we can find and feel through unchanging truths. Hopefully I can wrap it up soon! 

Weatherman Allen😉 ...dad, that'll be you someday! #meteorologistMaury

Here we are volunteering in the "pet shelter" area for a few minutes. Sis Morse is braiding my hair😊

Hootenanny's for a pad breakfast!!! >>> They loved them!😍

Okay, the next big highlight was definitely watching the movie "Coco" at the VC with all the sisters!!! It was SO GOOD!!!! On Saturday, we had a "family history focus day" at the VC. We topped off the day by discussing experiences we've had with family history, and watched the movie. If you haven't seen Coco, it deals a lot with life after death, family members who have passed away, the importance of remembering our ancestors, etc. Go watch it!! I was reminded that there really are angels among us, helping us along each day. Our ancestors and future posterity are lovingly concerned about us here on earth. They want us to succeed. They want us to choose to follow Christ. They are rooting us on. It was a tender reminder to me that Grandpa and Julie are happy, and they are helping bring about much good on BOTH sides of the veil now. I'm so grateful to know, through the Holy Ghost's confirming influence, that there IS life after death. God's plan is so perfect.

Plus, the main character in the movie is super passionate about music, and by the end is also passionate about family, so I felt like I related😉

One thing I forgot to share last week, but wanted to include this week, was the story behind one of the songs we sang at the fireside at the VC. The song "I'll Find You My Friend" refers to the people I promised before this life that I'd share the gospel with here on Earth. The song is about finding those friends that we promised we'd share the gospel of Jesus Christ with. It's a tender message and reminder. 

This week I learned more about teaching the Savior's way. Mondays are a training day for our "teaching center trainer" (TCT) calling. We have the opportunity to train with sisters one on one, and learn with them. Sister Morse and I were discussing ways we can improve, and I kept feeling impressed that I just needed to go about the trainings more in the Savior's way--by example. We changed our approach to better meet the needs of individual sisters, and to include more role plays and examples. It was night and day difference! The ESL sisters are so sweet and grateful for our help. I really do get to stand in the Savior's place while I'm serving as a missionary. I get to love and serve the people around me as He would if He were in my place. What an incredible opportunity this is!! 

TCT training with Sister Hamano and Sister Elanzo! From Japan and Marshall Islands. We are in the "coleman pads." It's a studio apartment.

Okay, now to some super cool people we met this week! 

Amanda from New York came with her daughter Kayla. Amanda told us that she has been praying for help in raising her daughter to know God/religion, but she hasn't found a specific church she feels good about. We were really able to connect with her, and address several of her concerns. The Holy Ghost was present in our interaction, edifying all of us! It's so cool how that works. I told Amanda that the BOM brings back important truths, and clarifies Christ's teachings, and I could tell through her response that the clarity I mentioned is something she wants. We told her this is the beginning of an answer to her prayers! She said that in her faith journey, sometimes she'll have little experiences that reaffirm to her that there IS a God. She said meeting us and having our conversation was one of those moments--a moment to help her keep going and keep believing. She referred to us as angels. 💕

 

Dominique from Mililani, HI came to the VC with a BYU-H student on Sunday. He was raised Christian, and he knew nothing previously about the Church. BUT he is one of the most spiritually in-tune people I've met who is not a member of the Church. He opened up to us and shared how God communicates with him. He described thoughts in his mind and feelings in his heart, and other little signs of sort around him that have answered prayers. He seemed to be a bit overwhelmed processing this new information, so I made it a special point to say "I know this is a lot of new info, so what is most important for you to remember is how you feel inside your heart here from the things we've shared." It meant a lot to him. He actually took a moment to thank me by name for saying what I said. It was an extremely sincere conversation. I know God has prepared Dominique to be blessed by learning more about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ at this time. It was a Spirit-filled moment. 

 

We met Maria and Soren from Denmark on Sunday as well. They are the coolest European couple!! They have such good hearts, and I felt a lot of love for them while they were here. The unique thing about them is that they do NOT believe in God themselves, but they have a particular fascination in learning about what a religious lifestyle is like. They had so many questions! We were able to have a mutually meaningful conversation about each of our differing lifestyles. It was fascinating for me to have a respectful conversation with someone with a totally different belief system than me, or lack of belief system I should say. Aside from how neat the conversation was, it stood out to me that God is preparing them too, even though they don't even believe in Him. During their cross-US trip, they went to 3 other Temple Visitors' Centers before coming to the Laie one! No coincidences.

It was Sister Allen's birthday yesterday, so all of the VC sisters had dessert at the Allens home to celebrate😀 Mom's birthday is coming up super fast!! 

Elder Allen's face 😁 It looks like an "oh no what have I done" face 😂

Happy Birthday Sister Allen🎂

Yummy bday celebration at the Allen's home... and yes we fit 40+ missionaries inside that place!

The coming week at a glance: We've got zone conference on Friday, and then exchanges on Saturday. I'm excited that the VC is up and running again, and I'm grateful for minimal impacts from Hurricane Lane. Can you believe it's going to be SEPTEMBER by the time I email home again?!?? 

Keep smiling! Love the pace of life God has given you this week😊

Sister Flake

Meet... Chidinma!!!!! She is such a sweetie!

I'm turning orange???

Look at my new and improved veggie straws... they're MICKEY SHAPED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's the little things...

Aloha ohana!

Can you believe I hit 11 months out yesterday?? Time flies when you're having fun... and missionary work is fun when you let the Spirit guide you! I've been particularly drawn to developing humility lately for some reason, and it's been neat to have some humbling experiences while down on my knees in prayer. When you humble yourself before God, He really is able to shape and mold you into the best YOU you can be!

Well, we're supposed to get hit with hurricane Lane tomorrow. We've heard it'll hit Big Island the worst (they seem to get the brunt of bad natural disasters), but we'll get it too. We're prepared though, and we'll be protected.)☔

-On Sunday we had a fireside where President and Sister Bekker spoke. The VC sisters provided the musical numbers. We sang two group numbers, Sister Preslar did a beautiful piano solo, and Sister Morse and I sang a duet! We did "Where Can I Turn For Peace." It's the same song we posted on Facebook, but we've been practicing it, so we've worked through some kinks! Sister Morse has a great alto voice, and I feel like our voices blend well together. She felt happy that at least one person in the audience had tears in their eyes haha😊 I love getting to share my testimony of Jesus Christ through song. I hope to continue to be able to do so. Elder Chandler has been working with someone who has studio recording equipment to record "Come Thou Fount" together. I can't remember if I told you about that already, but I'm excited! ♫

Here's a pic a member took while Sis Morse and I were performing at the musical fireside... we were coming up with funny memes for Sis Morse. What a good deer-in-the-headlights face 😂😂

-Well, I told you a little bit about our job as Teaching Center Trainers (TCT) last week, but it's been neat to learn and grow through working with Sisters one on one this week. We have two days each week where we do not have an assigned shift at the VC, on TC, or at PCC, but we are able to do one on one trainings with the sisters. It's been really eye-opening to me to see how much room there is for improvement, but also to see the Sisters' diligence and love for the people we serve. I've been exposed to a lot of the struggles and challenges the sisters have with TC. Each sister's concerns are different. My natural instinct is to try to fix all of the problems, but I'm realizing that it's not my job to fix everything for all of the sisters. It's my responsibility to lift, encourage, inspire, bless, and learn with the sisters, and to pray earnestly to know what I can do to help, and for them to be strengthened in their efforts. The Holy Ghost is the teacher. I'm grateful for the opportunity to get to know each sister better. Each one is so different and so special. Having a call like this really puts you in a position to forget about yourself, and get to work. I'm grateful for this opportunity.

-Sister Morse and I have been selected to be part of an online coaching program that the Church Missionary Dept is tinkering with. Our online coach is Ben Maughan, he works at the MTC, and he is so awesome! The purpose of online coaching is to refine our TC skills, and to have one on one help in implementing the principles we learned from Ben Metcalf when he visited a few weeks ago. I've been reminded again that I need to do better at simplifying the messages I share with people, and always referring quickly to the Restoration, because that's our unique message. It takes effort and practice!

-Comic relief: We were at PCC inviting people to take the tram tours on Thursday, and I gave someone a tram invite card and said it was a free tram tour they can take. They turned to their friend and I thought I heard them say "it's $free.99", which I thought was super funny (not sure if they actually said that or if I misheard). Regardless, I used that later in the evening to Sister Morse, and she got a kick out of it haha:) "Do you want to take a free tram tour? It's $free.99!!" Anyways, enjoy the little things like that😉

Also, I'm pretty sure I'm eating so many carrots that I'm turning orange. A few sisters had commented to me that I was looking kind of yellow-ish. I wasn't sure why, and I was trying to think of some potential causes of yellow-ish color. Mom sent me some info on it, and one reason people sometimes turn yellow/orange is because they eat too many carrots. Carrots are definitely the culprit for my yellow/orange tint (it's especially on my hands and the bottoms of my feet). I'm changing color ahh! I guess you can eat too much of something good haha.🥕

-I got a kick out of something a darling Filipina grandmother said to me this week. She was traveling with her daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter. At one point in our conversation she leaned in and whispered to me "I really really want my granddaughter to be baptized a Mormon." I asked if she was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and she said "No, I'm catholic, but the Catholic church seems to be getting a little 'off'. All the people I've met from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are so good." I found that so interesting. Now I'm not trying to show any disrespect whatsoever for the Catholic church--there are really great Catholics out there, and this is this woman's opinion. Her brother was super interested to learn more about the Book of Mormon--this book that talks more about the Savior. It is an incredible book, and I'm really growing to love it more and more every day! It blesses our lives for good when we study it daily.

-I had a neat experience with a woman named Tanya on Saturday. I felt the Spirit present in our interaction. She came to the VC from a tram tour from PCC. Her husband didn't say much, and they wanted to just sit outside on the benches during their time, so Sister Morse stayed by them and talked. They were not familiar with our church, and practice their own Christian faith, but we shared with them how special the Book of Mormon is in deepening our personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It blows my mind how much me being excited/energetic changes their response/attitude about what I share. The neatest part was when I knelt down on the concrete beside her bench, and I opened the Book of Mormon to the Intro, and had her read the 2nd to last paragraph. As she read it, I could tell it really struck her. The Holy Ghost made those words in the Intro powerful to her. I could tell she was really reading and trying to understand the message, and as a result, the Spirit bore witness to her heart that this invitation in the Intro is to her! I shared my testimony, invited her to take this invitation for herself, and asked her if she'd like to know more. She said yes😊 I know she felt a special feeling from the Holy Ghost as I got down on her level (literally), and sincerely tried to help her see the personal application of the Book of Mormon in her own life--that it should matter to her! I felt a sincere desire to help her, and I felt love for her. Being a missionary is the best!! It's important to be willing to meet people where they are at. That's what the Savior did. Strive to be like Him.

-I love Pres Nelson's statement this week about the name of the Lord's church being "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints," and that is how we should refer to it. It will be an adjustment to not refer to myself as "Mormon" or "LDS," especially for church websites and such, but I know we'll be blessed for following the prophet's council! This really is the restored church of Jesus Christ! Anyone can know this for themselves if they are willing to act in faith. The Savior is coming again... soon!

-I've really come to love serving with Sister Morse. She's becoming a good friend. We can all use more good friends in life to help us on our journey home to our Heavenly Father😀

Keep smiling! Love the pace of life God has given you this week😊
Love, Sister Flake

Can I just say, the sunsets in Hawaii are SO BEAUTIFUL!!! I am so lucky to be serving here.❤

Sis Staheli (aka Paige haha) visited!!! Here's a posterity pic (minus Sis Wu).

Luau's and Life-long Learning

Hale Aloha Luau!

Aloha Ohana!

Well, it's been a whoppin' three days since I last emailed haha... my new pday this transfer is Tuesday. We enjoyed a super yummy lunch at the Thai food truck at Fijian market down the road. The Pad Thai is fab>>>

Lunch at the Thai food truck at Fijian market! Sis Wu and Kasamatsu are new companions😀

Well on Saturday night Sister Morse and I got to go to a Luau at PCC! I've always wanted to go to one, especially because we hear them going on all the time as we do tram tours from PCC. William, one of the tram drivers, got us discounted tickets (so it was only 20 bucks each instead of 45 each haha). Members of our ward actually gave us money for dinner tonight, and it covered the expenses perfectly. What a tender mercy! The luau was so cool (again, may I just say I have the best mission ever). They made a big deal unveiling the Imu pork (it's cooked underground in a pit for hours). It was pretty good! Again, all of the students and community members in Laie treat missionaries like rock stars. We are spoiled! The Luau is a buffet-style dinner, and they have a show going on at the same time. They have live music, including the special Hawaiian steel guitar. They had lots of island dancers performing, as well as a fire dancer. Mad respect for people who can do fire and knife performances! 

Lots of yummy yummy food. and I mean LOTS...

Here's Jenny, a sweet student and PCC worker from the Philippines😊 We missionaries are treated as rock stars!

We had Aloha 'Oe for Sister Domingo (going home) and Sister Soga (going back full-field). They will be missed! I got to debut my self-taught Aloha 'Oe pick-strum ukulele part. Music is the bomb.com.

Bye Sis Domingo!

Sis Soga is going back full-field.

Sis Wong wouldn't let us get a pic without her photobombing haha, oh Sis Wong...

Holy guacamole summer vacation went fast! The kids here are already back in school. When we go for our runs in the morning, we run by the chapel and see all the high school students getting out of early morning seminary. Oh, the mems of early morning seminary!😊 Mom, and Colby too, you are so blessed for your hard work brightening flames of faith each morning at 6 am!

We learned that we'll be getting another Senior missionary couple at the VC in September! We'll also be getting 8 new sisters at that time. Then, the following transfer, we'll be getting 13 new sisters (as of right now... the number could still increase).

Sister Morse and I will be hard at work as TCT's starting this week! We're excited to get to work one on one with the Sisters. One principle Elder Allen gave us to consider was this: Do we want to hold people accountable, or teach them to be accountable? Food for thought.

I like to think of the VC as a "miracle magnet." We see so many little miracles here each day! On Sunday we met a super cool Saudi Arabian couple. They practice Islam, but were so open to learning and discussing faith. We got to watch "God's Plan for His Family" with them, and they loved it. They took a copy of the Book of Mormon in Arabic and are looking forward to reading it. It was neat for me to get to have a meaningful interaction with someone from that part of the world. The Savior loves them. We are ALL children of God. One reason I love serving at the VC here is because I am really coming to believe that statement. It doesn't matter where you are from, what language you speak, your personal upbringing, current religious beliefs, economic standing, or any other worldly factor... you are a child of a loving Heavenly Father. How special is that??! ...SUPER special!!

I thought I'd include one of Sister Morse's favorite "Sister Flake quotes" haha😛 One of the first days we were together as companions I told her that I was excited to learn from her this transfer. I explained that the way I see it is this: each of the Sister missionaries here has about 20 years of life experience. They've learned important lessons, and grown in unique ways from one another. If I can learn the "golden nuggets" or highlights from each Sister missionary's life, it's like gaining hundreds of years of meaningful insights and learning! There is so much to learn from the people around us. Seek to learn from everyone, including those who at first appear less qualified or capable than yourself--that's what meekness is! I'm grateful I was taught to be a life-long learner.

Well, love the pace of life God has given you this week :)

Love you all!
Sister Flake

I love my Asian sisters!! Sis Wan (Hong Kong), me, Sis Tagawa (Japan), Sis Hamano (Japan), Sis Morse, Sis Yamaji (Japan).

Sister Wong gives fab back massages

Toe Socks and Homemade Kimchi

Aloha Ohana!

Well, the coming week is the beginning of another transfer. Transfer #8 I think?? Crazy! Sister Morse and I already know we will being companions for another transfer (see later in the letter for how we know earlier than everyone else haha). It will be wonderful to serve with her for another 6 weeks! We're not sure if we'll be moving pads, but we'll probably stay in the same one since it's the pad with wi-fi and we are the "pioneers" with the laptops. We don't know when our pday will be, and I may or may not be able to send a heads up. It could be Tues, Wed, Thurs, or Sat again. I WILL have a pday during the coming week though😊

This past week was filled with lots of AWESOME training from Ben Metcalf! He works for the missionary department of the Church, and is specifically in charge of all online teaching centers. We had training meetings with him 9am-12pm Wed, Thurs, and Friday. I learned soooo much and am super excited to implement things and see miracles from doing so! One of the biggest focuses of his training was having empathy. Seems kind of funny to have one of the 3 hr training sessions on how to have empathy, right? But it was SO insightful! Jesus Christ is the master of showing empathy. Empathy is what shows people we are not robots or salespeople. Empathy is making vulnerable choices. It's avoiding saying "at least ___" when people have hard situations (aka sympathy...yelling at someone in a pit that you're sorry they're down there, instead of climbing a ladder down into the pit and being there with them for a time). Empathy is not necessarily trying to fix others' problems, but saying "that's hard. I don't know what to say, but I'm glad you told me." It can be as simple as that! This goes back to the realization I had last transfer about my call to serve a mission being a "call to LOVE."

We are to teach by the Spirit, according to others' needs. As missionaries we need to change our approach and invitations with people at varying interests levels. He talked quite a bit about adjusting to the needs and interests of others. I am helping gather scattered Israel, and it's so exciting!! There is likely no other missionary assignment that gets to gather scattered Israel as much as we do at the Hawaii VC. We likely reach every tribe. I am on the front lines of this gathering! The Lord has reserved you for this day, and He trusts you. Especially as a missionary who does online work, I am part of who Isaiah referred to as "swift messengers" in Isaiah 18:2. Just think--one moment I'm on the phone teaching someone about the restored gospel in Australia, and 5 minutes later I'm chatting with someone in Canada and inviting them to learn more about the unique message we share. That's pretty swift, from Australia to Canada within moments!

Through the training I also gathered so many creative ideas of how to better use technology to help the people we interact with draw closer to the Savior. I was also reminded to teach by the Spirit--Ben looked at that phrase with a new perspective that I appreciated. He said we need to teach by (as in beside) the Spirit, not behind or ahead of Him. It was great to be reminded that we are not simply "referral-sending missionaries," but we are teaching missionaries!! I'm excited to actively help people progress, even after I send their referral to local missionaries.

Diligently working online at 9-10 pm!

ANYWAYS, so here's how I know Sister Morse and I are remaining companions... during our first day of training with Ben Metcalf, Elder Allen called sister Morse and I out of the room because President Bekker was on the phone for us. President extended the call for Sister Morse and I to serve as "teaching center trainers." We happily and willingly accepted the call. Elder Allen told us that we are the first ever teaching center trainers in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Whoa huh. It was a super humbling experience to receive this calling from the Lord. I truly feel this call is from God. This will be such a special opportunity to seek for and receive inspiration on how to help all of the other sisters here at the VC in regards to TC (online teaching). We are still figuring out what exactly our duty is as teaching center trainers (TCTs), but we are excited to help the Lord's work move forward! So we got our "transfer news" 3 days early because we know we'll stay together as companions as TCTs.

Wow, sorry, that was suuuuper long haha, but here's some other things from the week!
-Chidinma is getting baptized today! She was a Book of Mormon request on mormon.org that I picked up a few months ago. I've been able to keep in touch with her throughout her conversion process, and I'm super excited for her to follow the Savior's example today and be baptized😊 I also talked to Les, a super cool guy from Texas with a sweet southern accent, on Monday. He had requested a Bible on mormon.org, but God really had prepared him to learn more from missionaries and be blessed by the restored gospel at this time. He'd never heard of the Book of Mormon before, but I felt I should invite him to meet with missionaries to learn more, and he was super open to doing so! The local missionaries were able to meet Les within about two days, and said he is so prepared. They set a baptismal date with him for is Aug 31, and Les is super excited for the local missionaries to come back and teach his whole family today! Miracles!

We sent this pic to Chidinma on Sunday💕

-Enjoy the pics I sent of the boiled egg that grew a head during the boiling process haha... sadly I just threw the little guy away rather than try to salvage him. I love finding those little laughs during the week!

-It was Sister Morse's 20th birthday on Monday! We had a super fab day😀 Sister Morse felt so loved. I love serving with so many sweet, thoughtful sister missionaries! The Liews had us over for dinner (it's funny because they unknowingly had signed up to feed me on my birthday back in May, and then the same thing happened last week with Sister Morse's birthday haha. They are birthday dinner magnets!) They made some super good Korean food. The homemade kimchi was BOMB>>>😍 Seriously, it was so good--not too spicy, just the right mix of unique flavors. Apparently it takes them days to make. I love Asian food.

We had tram scouts on Sister Morse's bday so I bought us Peanut Butter Mochi after we finished😍

Birthday dinner with the Liewsx2! (Charity and Jun, plus Jun Liew's younger bro just got married and moved into our ward too!

 -Speaking of Asian food... I just love my Asian sisters❤ Sister Wong (Hong Kong) gave me a pair of toe socks (super random, I know), so enjoy the lovely pic I sent of me modeling them. Sister Yamji (Japan) has such a fun sense of humor. She is super artsy and cut a bug out of paper and stuck it on our wall... enjoy that pic too😂 These sisters sure make me smile😃

Fashionable toe socks from Sister Wong hahaha... remember when I had knee-high stripey toe socks when I was younger? I LOVED those 😂

Sis Yamaji and her creation

Sister Morse and I are going to a Luau at PCC for dinner tonight. We are super excited!! I'll send pics next week.

Well, keep smiling! Love the pace of life God has given you this week.

Love, Sister Flake

The District!! Transfer #7 DL is Elder Vete, he goes home next week.

Dinner with Mocodompis's. We had "white curry," the colorful/white chip things above the curry are some sort of pork rhine or something? idk. The two plates have dumplings. YUM😋

Bro Mocodompis is behind me, then his wife, then brother Liew, then Timmy, Bro Mocodompis's brother, then Sis Morse

Just Keep Flappin'!

Aloha Ohana!
This week flew by super duper fast! ...Not as fast as the hurricane winds headed our way this week though haha. There's a category 2 hurricane headed towards Hawaii, due to hit about Wednesday next week. Pray for the safety of all of the people in Hawaii🌴 Don't worry about me, we'll be alright. The Lord protects His missionaries!

-Like I've said, there is WAY too much food here in Laie alone to try everything. There are so many things I haven't tried yet, and I've been here 10 MONTHS haha! Today we went to buy eggs at the cackle fresh egg outlet because it's wayyyyy cheaper there, and next door there were several customers who couldn't say enough about how yummy the food tent was. They told me I HAD to try it... so I didn't resist haha! They recommended the katsu opah. Opah fish is apparently a "moonfish" (...I have no idea that means, but I DO know that it tastes DELISH😂).  Katsu is a sweeter tasting sauce used primarily on meat. It's especially popular in Japan. The katsu opah was worth the 7 bucks for sure! Fried yumminess😜 It's served on top of rice... of course😁 Everything in Hawaii is served with rice lol. We ate our food at Hukilau beach (on the grass, not the sand😉). It was refreshing to have a little ocean-side picnic. The water is such a pretty shade. Hawaii is so beautiful! This week it kind of hit me that I live right by the ocean haha. It's literally within a mile of my house. Sister Morse and I went for a short walk up the hill behind the temple, and there's a beautiful view overlooking Laie. I was staring at the ocean and it sort of clicked how close we live to the beach. It sounds silly, but every other time I've stayed this close to the ocean, I've gone to the beach. So since I haven't gone swimming or really even gone to the beach (aside from grass picnics), it makes it seem like I'm not living right next to the ocean. Silly realization, but it made me laugh😊 It's fun when things like that finally click in your brain.

Sisters Morse, Lee, Soga(sporting the egg tray haha), and me

YUMMMMMM:):):) Rice on bottom. Fried (I think??) Opah with mayo and katsu sauce.

Happy pday!

-This week I've been mastering Aloha 'Oe on the ukulele. It's coming along great! It's been fun to teach myself how to do a sort of pick/strum combination so that you can hear the melody of a song while strumming the chord progression. I've been happy to discover that my decompression time at night is adequate for me to enjoy therapeutic activities like writing music and playing music😌

-One of the things Sister Morse and I have been focusing on this week is to "keep flappin'!" Everyone has experienced this--you get up and "flying" as you try something new or are working to improve an attribute or skill. Everything seems to be going well, but then something comes along that distracts you, something goes wrong, or your confidence wavers, and you seem to crash and burn. Sister Morse and I have been working on bouncing back quickly after rejection or discouragement. During one of our comp studies, I told her she's just gotta keep flappin'!!! She got a kick out of that haha... but it's true, we all need to keep flapping our wings. Steadily fly forward, one flap at a time, eyes focused on the Savior. Don't let fear of failure, feeling overwhelmed, or comparison to others  shake your confidence. Confidence really is KEY. Place your confidence in the Savior, rather than in yourself, and you'll keep flappin' until the very end!😀 Enjoy my visual aid haha🐦 Remember, there is seldom growth in the comfort zone, and everyone's comfort zone is different.

-Preach My Gospel has been updated! The updated version is on gospel library now. I like it! It's more focused on the people learning about the gospel being people, rather than "investigators." It also makes things more centered on the simple and core doctrines of Christ of faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. For anyone out there interested in understanding the training we receive as missionaries, and what our intent truly is behind teaching people about the restored gospel, watch the District videos! These are training videos they have all missionaries watch to help us become better teachers and guides for the people we interact with as they come to know truths for themselves. It's not about the "numbers" or simply converting people... it's about sincerely loving and serving others, and sharing with them what we know will help them best in their individual challenges! It's all about people. Enjoy: https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/the-district?lang=eng Technology is so cool. We're actually allowed to teach friends or family from back home via skype or Facebook video chat if someone wants to learn more from me specifically!

-In relation to "it's not about the numbers or converting people," there were a few experiences I had this week that reminded me of that. On Sunday I talked with Gabriel from Texas on the phone. I had texted him a few days prior about a request he made for a copy of the Book of Mormon online. He told me to call the next day. When I called a few days later, we had a wonderful conversation. Initially he was a little bit short with me, but he really opened up once I explained the purpose of my call. I'm just here to help him draw closer to Christ! Apparently he'd met with local missionaries six months ago, but had some concerns he felt stuck on. He grew up Catholic and has just been trying to find answers and clarity inside. I told him questions are good if you approach them in faith, and I also have lots of questions! He seemed relieved and said he thought he was the only one with so many questions. What was significant about our phone call was that this was one of the first times I felt such a genuine desire to help this man in any way I could. Naturally the best possible way I could help came from inspiration from the Holy Ghost to share specific principles of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ! Gabriel was really seeking to know how to hear the voice of the Holy Ghost. I bore testimony, and felt the Holy Ghost make my words powerful and sincere, that the Book of Mormon has taught me how to hear voice of the Holy Ghost with more clarity. I could tell he sensed my sincerity and believed me. The miracle of it was actually that he was meaning to block the phone number, but for some reason hadn't gotten to it yet and happened to pick up my call anyway haha. By the end of the call he said this was a miracle in his day, and something he really needed. He said he felt something, and feels like he's on the verge of finding answers now. He was sincerely so grateful. Neat!

On Wednesday I talked to a couple from Australia. He was not particularly religious. I felt the peace of the Spirit as we testified of principles of the restoration--simple gospel truths. I was blessed with eyes to see and a mind to understand that what I was sharing wasn't to get them to simply "join the church," it was about their true eternal happiness (which is such a bigger and more important cause than having people think you're trying to convert them). It was neat. I realized approaching it this way automatically makes you more love-driven.

-Sis Morse and I have been the guinea pigs of using laptops at our pad for online work, instead of going to the visitors center to the computer lab there. It's been really convenient to have laptops and wifi in our living room! Sometimes it's weird not being at the VC until 5 pm (you get a little stir crazy in the pad all day), but it's been nice overall. This is what they'll likely be doing more of as the number of sisters here at the VC increases!

-Wowza this has been a long email! BUT I just wanted to add one more thing haha. This week I really came to know that the Book of Mormon was written precisely for OUR day. These records from ancient prophets in the Americas laid hidden for centuries until God knew the time was right for them to be brought forth by His power. I'm so grateful for Joseph Smith and all others who sacrificed so much to allow me to have the Book of Mormon to guide, strengthen, and lift me. Reading the Book of Mormon with the influence of the Holy Ghost has made the Savior more real to me. It's the bomb.com!

Well, I'm just loving life! Keep smiling!:)
This week choose to love the pace of life God has given you!

Love,
Sister Flake

This is Reei, a return missionary. She said we made her day😊 She got home in November last year, and had so much good to say about her mission👍