The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

The District Family😂

 Mele Kalikimaka Ohana!

Best highlight of the week was skyping home yesterday. I love getting to see your smiling faces real time! So special. 

Carolling at the old folks home as a district last week was sure fun! The old people LOVED it😊 Our 2 part harmony didn't sound too shabby either😎  Sister Spencer and I chatted afterwards with a darling woman named Gwen, who agreed to let us call each of her three kids and share a Christmas message sometime in the coming days! Old people always make me ponder about life more. It's interesting to see what each of them has made of the time God has given them on Earth. 

My favorite one-liner from the week was probably something Sister Spencer said in a her prayer before we went out to contact some people in our area. She said "...please help us to talk to people and not care about social cues too much..." Hahaha, it cracked me up😂 As missionaries, we definitely try to pay attention to nonverbal language others show, and respect their beliefs and choices, but we also have a charge to not be shy in fulfilling our call as a set apart representative of Jesus Christ Himself. Besides, the gospel of Jesus Christ is WAY more important to me than social cues anyways😉 We've been working on being more bold. Sister Spencer is doing a great job as we continually place ourselves in situations currently outside of her comfort zone. We've had some good experiences this week as a result!

Inviting PCC visitors to take the tram tour

We've been trying to get in contact with Adonis and Anastasia, two people who had been taught by missionaries previously, but because of High School sports have been too busy to meet for a while. We had trouble finding them, but decided to visit a member who lives across the street in hopes that they could help us meet Adonis and Anastasia (whose home is gated). After stopping at the members home, we were walking back to our car and saw someone outside of Adonis' garage. We could have just gone right to the car, but instead we walked over, waved, and said "Aloha!" The person turned around and came to talk to us, and we came to find that it was Adonis! We were able to meet him and get his phone number, and we've been trying to set something up to meet Anastasia too. It was a little tender mercy from being diligent and just doing the little "extra" things that set apart 'ordinary' and 'extraordinary' missionaries. 

The Cluffs got to ride my tram tour on Saturday! It was so fun to have them cheering me on as I gave the tour😃 Also on that day we met a woman from Missouri. From the very beginning of her time with us, she seemed to be very skeptical. She came with her brother, who we talked to for a bit as she kind of listened and observed the VC and our conversation. The brother accepted our invitation to take a copy of the Book of Mormon, and when we offered her a copy as well, she paused and thought for several moments before replying that she'd take a copy to read too. That somewhat surprised us with how skeptical she seemed to be. As unfamiliar as the Book of Mormon was to her, she was intrigued. By the end of our conversation, she really opened up to us. We were able to share our testimonies of the Book of Mormon, and also shared that it helps us find clarity on topics like life after death, the purpose of life, why evil and suffering occur, how to find more peace, how to protect loved ones, etc. She said that she'd actually been interested in quite a while now to know more about life after death. She's sought information and answers, but hasn't quite found peace on the matter yet. We promised her that she would find peace as she studied the Book of Mormon, especially Alma 40-42. By the end of our time with her, she shared more of her current concerns and thoughts about life after death, and seemed really open, accepting, and hopeful that the Book of Mormon would help her find answers. I L.O.V.E. seeing people change right before my eyes (and in 15 minutes or less!). I love seeing their attitude change towards the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. That is what conversion is. Boy, is it fun to be a part of it or what!! I feel so privileged. 

Tram Tour with the Cluffs!!!

I love the Tram❤

On TC one day, we picked up an inbound call to mormon.org for a guy who was Baptist, and not interested himself, but he said his cousin wants to join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He gave us her information. We asked who else he knew that might be interested, and he gave us another person's information. We asked again, and he again gave us another. By the time we got to about five people, we wondered if it would ever end haha! He ended up giving us SEVEN people's info. We've only had time to call three so far--2 didn't answer, but one did, and accepted our invitation to meet with missionaries! Cool, huh? 

It was special to be able to focus on what I could give to others, instead of what others might give to me for Christmas. My prayer was that I would be able to help another person's Christmas to be a memorable one. Despite that focus of mine, we were absolutely spoiled by the Hauula 3rd Ward this Christmas! We have been loved and remembered, and it really made Christmas special. Bishop's wife gave us Christmas pajamas (mine have flamingos with Christmas lights strung around them). The Auna's gave us a gift, as well as the Kesters in the ward. Christmas Eve with the Vainerere's was a treat. Our time with them was what finally made it click for me that it was Christmas time! We showed up at their home expecting to give a brief Light the World message, but they had prepared a Christmas Eve feast! There was meat GALORE, and lots of other yummy food. Then to top it off they pulled out Mango Cheesecake and dished us each a HUGE slice. I thought my stomach was going to burst hahaha (and we had a second dinner with the VC after this). We shared 4 Nephi 1 about the Americas at the time of Christ's birth, and the Spirit accompanied our message and testimonies. They got us some gifts too. One of my favorite parts of the evening was when they sang Silent Night in 3 languages. First was French, then Hawaiian, then English. Being in a Spirit-filled home with such a loving local family on Christmas Eve just warmed my heart. I have a special place in my heart for the Vianereres now! 

Our new Christmas PJs from bishop's wife

 

Vianerere family! Kayla is their daughter, they have a son on a mission. The older couple are Sister V's parents, the Tahairi's

from the Vianereres

The V's nativity out of olive wood.😍

Christmas Eve party. (dinner #2)

Christmas day was a hoot too! Not only did I get to skype my family, but we made sugar cookies to deliver to some people in our area, had my first ever district council as a district leader (seriously, one of my favorite feelings in the world is feeling the Spirit work through me to help others, whether it be other missionaries, or those who don't yet remember the gospel), and had a VC party last night. We watched Home Alone. 

Sugar Cookies!! Merry Chirstmas!

The Wasson's. We visited them on Christmas day.🎄

Love our matching Christmas socks! Thank you fam!!

Well, I'll talk to you next year! As I look back on the year 2018, I'm filled with gratitude for the amazing experiences I have had. I invite you each to write a letter to the Savior, and include in it something that you will give to Him next year (maybe you'll give up being hard on yourself, your pride, a bad habit, time to study the scriptures, more meaningful prayer, etc). I'm going to try to do it too! 

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

Love, Sister Flake

 

Sister Spencer got her first TC referral sent!

Here's the Ferrins!

The Ferrins made us cinnamon rolls😋 Here's Sister Roney

Mele (almost) Kalikimaka!

Aloha ohana!

WOW what a week! It's crazy how much can change in just a few days. Transfers were yesterday. I'm training a brand new missionary, Sister Spencer, and I'm also serving as a sister district leader! I'm super excited😃 Our district has a total of 4 companionships, and each of the 4 companionships have a brand new sister. It's a baby district! Also, OUR NEW PAD IS SO NICE. Like hooooly cow, SUPER nice. It's 4 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath, and a really nice kitchen and living room. They even left their Christmas tree for us! It was a vacation rental home for a while, and then the owners felt prompted to do something else with it, and that's when the housing coordinator in the mission office called them and asked if missionaries could live there! What a tender mercy. The people who own the pad are the Ferrins, and they are from Logan. They are the sweetest couple! They bought the house in somewhat poor condition, and have fixed it up just beautifully. There are 8 sisters living in our pad. Yep, I said EIGHT. That's a lot, I know, but it's a blast! I was able to snag the master bedroom, which has a huge bathroom and walk in closet too. We are spoiled, but we work SO hard here!

Pad dinner! Me, Sisters Spencer, Roney, Erickson, Geertsen, Kirkham, Fata, Papali'i

My new companion, Sister Spencer, is awesome! Of course my first thought is "maybe we're related!" because Grandma Flake's maiden name is Spencer. Buuuuut we looked it up through the family search app, and we are 11th cousins. And it's not even through the Spencer side haha. Oh well! It's crazy how similar Sister Spencer and I are in many aspects though. I love her already! She's from Malad, Idaho. She's the oldest of 8 kids, she is very obedient, and she's out on a mission for the right reasons. I'm so excited to be her companion! It's been good for me to try to put myself in her shoes and remember what it was like when I first arrived over a year ago. We'll be staying in the Hauula 3rd ward (YAY!) along with Sister Taufa and Sister Lee, so there will be 2 companionships in the ward now. We're planning to switch off our lessons with Tiana and Treasure. 

Well, Mission tour was on Thursday, and it was one of those life-changing meetings that you know you'll remember forever. I seem to have the privilege of experiencing a lot of things like that here on a mission. I wish you all could have been there with me! It was like trying to drink out of a firehose spiritually. Elder Pearson of the Seventy was the visiting authority. I had so many takeaways. One was a gentle reminder that if I'm not having fun on my mission, I'm doing something wrong--and the issue is not with the work, it's with the worker! One of the biggest things I resolved to change from the meeting is to PRAY more. When you don't feel the Spirit's influence guiding you, stop and pray. When you feel discouraged, stop and pray. When you feel doubts start to creep in, stop and pray. It's just like the hymn tells us "...so when life gets dark and dreary, don't forget to pray". It's important to also remember that prayer is not a time of negotiation, but it is a time to align your will with God's will. Okay, just one last takeaway (I know this is probably kind of boring for you all, but this one was so good too!), if everyone is somewhere on a scale of 1 to 7 in remembering what they knew before this life on Earth, "conversion" is not ONLY when a person reaches 7, but it is also when a person goes from a 1 to a 2. When you talk to someone who you can tell is clearly not interested in a message about Jesus Christ, strive to help them take just one step closer to their Savior. THAT is what makes 'finding' specifically fun. So many people take those steps on the path of conversion at the VC! I love being a missionary😀😀

Mission Leadership Conference

Mission Tour lunch

Walk up by the temple

I got to see the Cluffs this week! It was so much fun. It just made my day to see family, and to feel of their love. Laura is just a bundle of love, she's one of those people who oozes love everywhere she goes😊

CLUFFS!! Yay for family💓

We'll be caroling at an old folk's home this evening with our district, which I'm excited for😃 'Tis the season! This Saturday we will have our ward Christmas party, which we are super excited for as well. I can't believe Christmas is in 6 days! I can't wait to skype home woohooooo!!!!! 

Oh, and there will be a special Christmas service on December 23rd, so please check it out! You can find the nearest chapel if you type in your address here: https://www.mormon.org/worship Also, please message me if you ever have questions, want a copy of the Book of Mormon, or want to talk to missionaries near you. 

Keep smiling, and love the pace of life God's given you this week😊

Sister Flake

Sugar cookies!!! This was Sister Boyce's recipe. I'll make some from the fam bam soon:)

Hukilau Cafe for lunch on our last STL prep day together!

Our final STL lunch at Kahuku Farms. Sister Preslar is going full-field to Kaneohe!

7 Brothers of course! (so much fast food this week haha)

Aloha 'oe! Bye Sister Shupe

Bye Sister Moser!

Bye Sister Tagawa from Japan!

Bye Sister Withers from Alpine, Utah!

Meeting the Governor

Utah's Governor Gary Herbert visited the VC!

Aloha Ohana!

T-13 days until Christmas!!! This is the most wonderful time of the year. I got to meet Sister Taufa's parents this week! Oh yeah, and the Governor of Utah too😜 Governor Herbert is a really nice man, and his wife is super sweet too. Sister Taufa's dad is the head security guy for the Governor, and the Governor came to Hawaii for a work conference. After meeting Sister Taufa's parents, I can totally see where she gets her sense of humor! Her parents are SO funny. It was fun to see how she interacted with her parents, and it really blessed me with a new way of looking at her as I saw the way her parents view her. It brought a lot of love and joy to my heart for Sister Taufa. If you ever want to really know how awesome someone is, just spend a little time with their parents. Anyways, the whole crew attended the musical fireside on Sunday, where Sister Taufa, her dad, and the Governor actually all got to share their testimonies. It was really neat😊 Man, I have just loved being Sister Taufa's companion, she is such a fun person. I've developed a lot of charity for that girl and have learned a lot from her. Be grateful for the people God places in your path!
Oh yeah, Elder Uchtdorf is here in Laie too! He is speaking at the BYU-H graduation this weekend and stopped by the VC last night. I didn't see him but a few of the sisters got a pic with him! That's okay, I've already met him once😉

The couple on the right are Sister Taufa's parents❤

This week we've gotten to video call Jackson in Tanzania several times (he requested a copy of the Book of Mormon online), and he has SUCH a strong desire to start up the Church in his community! He is not a member, but is learning about the Church and is the most grateful and humble man I think I've ever met. He is so cool! He accepted our invitation to be baptized, he admires the prophet Joseph Smith, he recognizes the truthfulness and divinity of the Book of Mormon... he's amazing! Something that struck me that he said was regarding knowing that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God--Jackson said that by the prophet's works and words he will know if it's a true prophet of God. It's true! Sometimes people say "how can you know Joseph Smith was really a prophet?" but if anyone sincerely reads and prays about the Book of Mormon, and looks at Joseph Smith's words and works, it will be crystal clear that he was a true prophet of God. Wise words from Jackson! Jackson was even willing to travel to a nearby country (several hours by bus) to go to the nearest church building--wow huh!

This is Jackson in Tanzania. We've video called him several times, and he has SUCH a strong desire to start up the Church in his community. He is not a member, but is now learning and is the most grateful and humble man I think I've ever interacted with. So cool! He was willing to travel to a nearby country to go to the nearest church building--wow huh!

Tiana and Treasure's baptism will probably have to be pushed back a little bit just because it's been busier than normal for them with school commitments and such. Tiana is really doing a great job of pulling out principles from what she reads in the Book of Mormon with her family, and applying them to life today. I'm so impressed with her! Treasure is still having a hard time understanding the old language used in the Book of Mormon, so Sister Taufa bought her a kids Book of Mormon stories to read. Any ideas of how to help an 11-yr-old understand the Book of Mormon better? Definitely keep them in your prayers!

Elder Allen mentioned something neat to Sister Taufa and I this week. He commented on how a lot of movies nowadays have "portals" in them that lead to an alternate universe. He walked us to the the middle of the temple grounds and had us look at the temple. He then said, you are looking at a real portal right now, and there's only 160 of them on the whole earth right now! It's true--the temple is a "portal" between heaven and earth. If we could see the traffic going to and from the temple on the other side of the veil, we'd be blown away. I feel so privileged to get to serve on such sacred ground every day.

A couple of random things I learned this week:
-Planning is not the same thing as scheduling. Planning is a time to seek the will of the Lord. It's a time to seek revelation.
-How can I have the Spirit more abundantly in my life? Serve with no thought of reward (don't expect or seek recognition or praise for serving. Part of your reward from Father in Heaven is the Holy Ghost's influence😊

Here's a quick story someone shared in sacrament meeting that I thought was really neat. I'm not sure how accurate it is, but this is what was told to me: President McKay visited Samoa many years ago. The children in Samoa had all been told previous to his arrival that if they had faith and prayed earnestly, and were good little boys and girls, an apostle would come and would be impressed by the Spirit to greet each child individually (but they had to have faith and pray for it!). The children prayed and had faith. President McKay visited, and when the time came for the meeting with him to end, the time was very short. He had to leave. However, he felt prompted TWICE to shake each child's hand (a total of 240 kids) before leaving, despite the fact that he needed to leave promptly. He finally followed the prompting, and told the translator he wanted to shake each child's hand. The translator, beaming with joy, related to President McKay how the children had prayed for exactly that. This story made me realize that when I receive promptings from the Spirit, it may be in answer to someone's prayer. It brought increased motivation to follow the impressions I receive😀 Go out an be an answer to someone's prayer today!

Well, we have mission tour tomorrow with Elder Pearson of the 70 in the morning, and then Mission Leadership Council meeting in the evening. Next week is transfers already, can you believe it? So I'm' not sure when my next pday will be. Stay tuned!

We've been doing light the world family home evenings with ward members, and we encourage them to invite someone to join us. It's been great so far! Make sure you are lighting the community this week! Sister Taufa and I are in charge of the Young Women's activity tonight and we are going to "heart attack" a few elderly women's doors with homemade paper snowflakes and light bulbs with sweet messages #LightTheCommunity

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

Light the World FHE with the Konongataa's

We washed our car today and Sister Taufa soaked me... after I got her of course😉

We love our kitchen view!😍

Sister Taufa said we needed to be taking more pictures, so I took one right then.📷😜

Happy December!

December 1 Worldwide Day of Service!! We went to Hauula beach park and cleaned up debris that has washed up from the ocean. It was fun. My dad and my mission are the two people/things that have taught me to work, simply to work 😊 Work work work!

For the day of service some sisters washed our cars!💛

Aloha Ohana!

This has been a super fun week! Can you believe it's DECEMBER?! Sister Taufa and I have especially been working hard in our proselyting area in Hauula. It's such a privilege being a missionary!

-Thanks so much for the Christmas package!! I love every bit of it😍🎄 Our pad is now prepped for the holidays! It's all decked out. I've worn the Christmas-tree headband for exercise time 2 days now and people get a kick out of it, myself included. It makes mornings more lively!

-On Thursday we visited a member family, shared the Light the World initiative, and they told us a little bit about the people living on their street. They don't know their neighbors super well, but we asked for a few suggestions of people to visit on their street, so they named a couple of people. One of the couples they suggested we meet was Jessica and Jesse. Jesse is deployed in the Navy right now, so Jessica is on her own for the time being. We got to know her briefly, but she had come out in the middle of cutting raw chicken, so she was awkwardly holding her hands out the entire time haha. Soooo we used it as a smooth transition to ask if we could come back another day when she didn't have chicken hands, and we could share the Church's Christmas initiative and talk about ways to give as Christ gave this season. She agreed to have us come back on Sunday! We stopped by Sunday morning before church and had a lovely chat. It started off about Light the World, but morphed to her asking us about the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith, and our basic beliefs. We bore our testimonies about the power and truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, and invited her to read, ponder, and pray about it. She accepted a copy from us as well as our invitation! We are excited for her to learn more😃 It was a neat opportunity for me to see that the work we do at the VC and online really isn't that different from the work done full-field. I'm so grateful for all of the experiences I've had on my mission, it's been unique, and I wouldn't want it any other way.

-We had another lesson with Tiana and Treasure, and we extended a baptismal invitation! We are currently working through what date will work best for their family. We're hoping it will be around the 15th of December. We are so excited!!! Pray that things will work smoothly there please. One of the best moments from the week was at the end of our lesson. Tiana said the closing prayer, and in it she specifically thanked Heavenly Father for "Sister Flake and Sister Taufa" and the principles we talked about that day. It was such a simple, heart-felt prayer that made me feel so warm inside! Tiana and Treasure are so special.They came to church again this past Sunday. It's been a treat to see them slowly become more comfortable there. They are blossoming! I'm so grateful Heavenly Father is allowing us the opportunity to love and teach them.

Tiana and Treasure came to church! We all went to YWs together👐

Treasure is such a sweetie

-We had interviews with President Bekker this week. In my interview he said "I know you've expressed a desire to serve full-field Sister Flake. I just want you to know that it's still a possibility for you." Dun dun dun!! I mean, talk about something that will keep me up at night now... haha just kidding, but honestly I thought my chance to serve full-field was long gone at this point because I only have 2 more transfers, and they always have VC sisters spend their last transfer serving at the VC if they go full-field. At the beginning of my mission I really wanted the full-field experience. Now, I'm perfectly content with whatever happens. I absolutely love the work we do at the VC, and I feel like I've gotten a glimpse of a full-field experience with our area in Hauula. We'll just have to wait and see what happens! That would be a cruel trick on President's part if he brought it up in my interview and then didn't send me full-field... so I'm kind of thinking I might go full-field next transfer. Ahh!

-We got to have home evening with Maile and her son Liko on Monday night. Maile has been going through a LOT lately. At the end of our time with her, she said "I know that Heavenly Father sent you to me tonight". It's the most rewarding thing to be on the Lord's errand!

-We had the annual "missionary Christmas give" hosted by the Matalii's this afternoon, it was so fun! A family from the community "adopts" a missionary and gives them a Christmas gift. Such sweet community members. I received a nice insulated water bottle, which I'm super pumped about. Such generous people❤

Sister Mataalii. She wanted to take the photo right where we are standing because of the bananas in the back😉🍌

Mataalii Christmas give!

The pday group with our Christmas gifts!

-We've also got our ward Relief Society and Young Women's Christmas party tonight, and the Fa's are going, as well as a returning member we've met with, so we're excited to attend with them!

Keep smiling, and love the pace of life God has given you this week! Soak in every bit of this joyous Christmas season. Jesus Christ truly is the Prince of Peace and the Light of the World!

Love, Sister Flake

Exercise time... or in most of these sisters' cases, sit on the grass time 😜

There are so many CATS!

Here are the McEntees, they are in charge of the VC Christmas decor, they are an honorary VC couple for 3 month!

We drove to Honolulu with Sis Cho and Moyes for Sis Cho's doc apt. Sis Moyes had never driven to Honolulu before, and it's stressful to have an ESL comp navigating, so Sis Taufa and I came to "teach her how to drive to Honolulu"... she did fine anyways, but it was fun to be there! We stopped at Jack in the Box after.