Sister Flake's Mission Blog: 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