Kicked off the island!

Aloha Ohana! Holy cow! So much can change in a week! I'm going to be transferred to serve my last transfer on Big Island in the Kona zone. My area will be at the tip of the island. Woohoo! I'm super pumped😀 I'm going to miss the VC so much though. It's hard to think I've given my last tram tour, called my last Book of Mormon request on TC, and given a final temple grounds tour. My mission has meant everything to me, especially being here at the VC. It is a sacred trust from the Lord. It's been a good final week though. It's SO hard to say goodbye to the Sisters, Sr. couples, and members, especially to the Fa's! Tiana, Treasure, and Sister Fa were so sad when they found out we were being transferred. It's crazy because I actually had a dream during my 4th transfer that I was sent full-field to Kona. I remember telling Sister Hunkin (my companion at the time) that I dreamed about it, and after that I started praying that I'd get to go if it was the Lord's will. I had since stopped praying for it, but here I am, my final 6 weeks, being sent to Kona! This transfer is temple transfer too, which means I'll actually get to go to the Kona temple! I'm going to miss Sister Spencer a lot, and all of the VC sisters.

The VC pic my final transfer here💗

Bye Tiana and Treasure and Sister Fa! Such a hard goodbye😢

The four full field sisters!

-Sister Fata and Sister Papali'i are Samoan, from New Zealand. They taught Sister Erickson and I a super cool Samoan dance! You perform it sitting on the ground, and it's a hand dance that makes a sweet beat. It was super fun to learn a part of their culture! 

-We got special permission to have lunch with Linda and Doug Hansen on Friday. We went to Seven Brothers in Kahuku, and had a lovely lunch together. It was so fun to see family and get to catch up a little bit! We all shared sweet mission experiences. It was wonderful😊 They are so full of love!

Aunt Linda and Uncle Doug💗

-It was a great final week for TC. Ciara, Michael, and David were all baptized on Saturday! David is Tiffany's son (the Tiffany that got baptized last week). Michael was a darling older gentleman from Ohio who I've kept in touch with (see pic). Ciara is super neat! I think I wrote about her in an email back in September when she requested a BOM online. She had requested it because her friend is serving a mission in Ukraine and she got his weekly emails, saw that he talked about the Book of Mormon a lot, and decided she wanted to know more about what it really was all about! She lives in Iowa, so we're planning to be able to meet each other at some point after my mission.

After we skyped in for a lesson we were braindead. Laurah asked amazing questions and they were super deep!

-This week I ate a hibiscus flower. Okay, so I didn't just pick one off of the plant and eat it, but it's an actual snack food here! It's not super common though. It's dried (kind of tastes like other regular dried fruits) and tasted a lot like cranberries. Now I can say I've eaten a flower!

-NOW the story you've all been waiting for haha... I drove myself to the ER on Monday!! I thought I had bruised my tail bone, but came to find that it was actually a cyst. It was really painful. I had called Sister Walker, the mission nurse, and described my symptoms. About an hour later she called and told me I needed to drive to the ER right then. AH. It was partially because I'm going off island so soon. Soooo I had to have a minor (and very painful) surgery to drain it, but it's healing up well! The bad news is that it is prone to come back fairly soon (and would likely require a more extensive surgery) so please pray that I can complete my mission strong! I'm grateful I was able to get the medical attention I needed though! The timing on it all was pretty crazy.

Well, I'll talk to you on Monday! Keep smiling, and love the pace of life God has given you right now. Please keep in your prayers that I can heal quickly and properly, and that I can adjust well to Kona.
Love, Sister Flake

district photo:) missing a few sisters... we had to get Sis Spencer in there since she got a Foodland dress!👗

Here we are trying to do the Moari fierce frown face👊

So many people I love to say goodbye to...

Bye Aunas! Thanks for everything.

Oh kids... this was at an FHE for the Faumuinas where we gave them missionary nametags😊

Bye Sister Beckwith!

Bye Sister Lesuer

Tiana Wheeler

Sis Hannonen

Bye Marcums!

Homemade bread from the Marcums!😋

Bye H3 chapel!

District Family Photo!

Aloha 'Oe Sis Mondejar

Sis Hunkin got me a flower crown at Sis Preslar and Sis Mondejar's aloha oe because she is going full field too and won't be there at my aloha oe next transfer!💗

Sis Ju💕

love Sis Erickson💕

It's the final countdown...

 

Aloha Ohana!

This past week I realized I've been out for 16 months! Time flies. We have transfers again next week, so my pday may or may not change. Hopefully it will remain on Wednesday, but we'll see! We find out on Saturday what next transfer holds. It's the final countdown, though I'm really not counting down. I wish my mission here could last forever! 

Today for pday we hiked Hauula Loop Trail. I did that one a few months ago, but wanted to do one last hike on a pday while I'm still living in this tropical wonderland. I sure love Hawaii--the people, the places, the food, the culture... everything! I just love it

There I go, trekking away up front!

Sisters Spencer, Erickson, Roney, and I

Sister Roney and I. She's from Heber city, Utah. She is the coolest!

😍😍😍😍😍

On Thursday I was on an exchange with Sister C.Lee from Taiwan/Hong Kong. She is so incredible! I really respect her. When were were at the VC in the evening, we talked with a filipino couple living in California, Delilah and Eric. They were so prepared! They have four children. Delilah just seemed to soak in everything we said. They were so open and willing to receive the gospel! They want their kids to see that church is not a Sunday only thing, but rather it's a lifestyle. They wanted to check out a service for our church near them, and Delilah actually said that her grandfather was a member of the Church, and she'd gone to church with him once when she was very very young. When we walked up close to the temple, explained temple sealings, and testified of eternal families, the Spirit could be felt SO strongly. I sincerely told them of the blessings the temple could bring to their family, and I know that they took it to heart. They want those temple blessings! I just love the temple, and I know that it's through temples that we make essential covenants with God that bless us now and on into eternity. Sometimes it will just hit me how grateful I am to know that God has called a prophet today, and that He directs and guides His prophet clearly. It can be easy to be afraid of what may come in the future, but there's no need to fear because God has prepared a way for us to stay safe. Follow the prophet, he knows the way! Anyways, stepping down from my soap box and back to Delilah... she was so inspired by our service as missionaries. At the end of our time together she said "the best thing I could ever ask for is if my daughter chose to be a missionary like you are!" It was the sweetest thing😊I offered to talk with her 17 yr old daughter and tell her more about missionary work, and Delilah lit up. The whole time, Delilah just seemed to latch on to our words, testimony, and the Spirit we all felt together. She was so meek. They agreed to meet with the missionaries back home, so we are arranging for all of that currently. I'm so excited for them! 

This is Delilah and Eric from the Philippines, living in CA.

Lunch with Sister Lee! The power went out so we had brown rice with furukaki seasoning. yum!

Sis Lee made a fancy breakfast!

Funny highlight for the week: Yesterday on TC, Sister Spencer picked up a Bible Request from a woman. We called her, and when she answered she said she had requested for the free hand sanitizer. Of course we were super confused what on earth she was talking about. She insisted that she'd seen an ad for free hand sanitizer. We politely told her that we offer free copies of the Bible and the Book of Mormon if she was interested, and that we are missionaries in Hawaii. She said she'd wanted a Bible. At the end of our conversation with her she said "can I ask you one more question?" She then asked "can you send me some of them chocolate covered macadamia nut thingy's??" You'd think she was kidding, but she was dead serious! Haha! Sister Spencer and I thought that was pretty funny. 

Sister Spencer has been battling a persistent cold for about a week now. After VCTM on Monday, Sister Allen told her that she needed to go home and rest that day, so Monday was a day of recuperation for Sister Spencer. It was a great opportunity for me to catch up on some responsibilities, as well as finish up a song I've been working on called "Treasure What You Have". I'll try to share it soon! 

This Saturday Ciara from Iowa, and Michael from Ohio, are both going to be baptized! I'll try to share more about my experiences with them in next week's email. Both of them were referrals I had sent from the online teaching center:) I also Facebook video called Chas in Texas again, and found out that her daughter Amya is going to be baptized on February 2nd! I'm so excited for her! Chas herself is still working on things, but will hopefully get there soon too.

This week I was talking with Elder Allen about what might be meaningful to focus on for these final weeks in the mission field. I told him that I was feeling a bit of pressure to pick precisely the right goals/focuses for the final weeks. He told me that I just need to ENJOY this last transfer! Continue doing what I've done my whole mission, and just soak in every experience I have. I've picked some personal conversion goals, per Jaedon's suggestions (thanks!:), and will work on those among other goals that I feel impressed to work on, mostly focusing on finding joy in it all though (not going through the motions for anything). 

Well, keep smiling, and love the pace of life God has given you this week! 

Love you all.

Love, Sister Flake

Oh William...this was on my exchange with Sister Lee!

This girl was so sweet. She answered the door and said she moved in with her grandparents there (nonmember parents) and she was actually baptized last November! We challenged her to give a BOM away before the school year ends.

I can never take sis Spencer seriously.....

 

Big Texan Baptism

Aloha Ohana!
Tiffany in Texas was baptized this week! I am so proud of her. I totally remember talking with her on the phone when I called her back in November about her free Bible she'd requested online. She was so kind and open, and I could tell there was something special about her! As a young mother she wanted more help and strength from God. She was baptized almost exactly 2 months after I sent her referral. Yesterday she texted me that after her baptism she couldn't stop crying because she felt the Holy Ghost so strongly. She expressed feeling so grateful to give all the past hurt and sorrow to Jesus Christ. I wish I could have been there, but I'm so grateful to have been a little part of her journey all the way out here in Hawaii!

Pictures from Tiffany's baptism. I believe that's her son and two daughters. She's got the cutest kids. Tiffany is so special❤

Also, I finished Jesus the Christ this week! Woohoooooo! It's an amazing book with deep insights about Jesus Christ and His gospel. I learned lots from studying it, but I've especially grown in my understanding of Jesus Christ's sacrifice for us. I still have a LOT to learn about it, but I've been studying His Atonement more lately, and I've learned more about how to apply Jesus Christ's Atonement each day. I read a talk about the Atonement of Jesus Christ that explained how sometimes it's easier to react to BIG challenges in a Christlike way, yet it can be really difficult to react in a Christlike way to smaller challenges we face (for example, a small challenge might be being patient with a loved one or friend running a few minutes late). The way to rely on Christ's Atonement daily is to ask for help responding in a Christlike way to the small challenges throughout the day (and then seeking to see His hand as He helps you respond how He would).

This week I got to go on 3 exchanges. I learned so much from these wonderful Sisters (Sister Fata, Sister Erickson, and Sister Papali'i).
Sister Fata and I met Michelle and John at the VC. They live in Pearl City/Ewa area on the west side. Michelle had so many wonderful questions for us. We shared our testimonies of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, and at the end of our time with them, Michelle asked if there was any way she could get a copy of "that Bible" (aka the Book of Mormon haha;). We were like "UH, YEAH!!!" We talked about how the Book of Mormon answers questions of the soul, and listed off a few questions people often want to study more about. She chose "why does God allow evil and suffering to occur?" and we were able to explain that there needs to be opposition in everything--without sadness or sorrow, we can't know what joy feels like--to which she replied that she'd never thought of it that way before. I think I take the gospel knowledge, and answers to questions, for granted sometimes. I'm SO thankful for the Book of Mormon; not only that I have the book, but that I've actually studied it. My life would be vastly different without the Book of Mormon.

I love Sister Fata from New Zealand! She's Samoan❤

Sister Erickson and I met Stephanie and Freddy at the VC. They are from LA, California. As we walked up the steps towards the temple, I felt prompted to ask a somewhat random question. I felt strongly that I needed to ask "what's the hardest part about living in LA?" I know this questions was inspired by the Spirit because of her reply. She said it's hard because she feels she lacks human connections. There's a feeling of isolation that's been hard for her (she grew up in NY). It was perfect because that very thing, meaningful human connections, is what our church community provides! We told her that, and it made sense. We were also able to help them feel the "warm blanket" feeling, as Stephanie described it, and invite them to learn more/attend church.

Sister Erickson from West Valley City, Utah. It's her first transfer!

Sister Papali'i is Samoan, from New Zealand. She is so full of love! We met Naomi and Wendy at the VC. Shift was really slow for the first two hours for us, but we did our best to diligently role play and discuss ways to teach about the sacred nature of the temple. Heavenly Father blessed us in our last 30 minutes of shift with Naomi and Wendy! They both are dating members. We had a really meaningful conversation with them. Naomi has such a strong testimony already. We asked her what's holding her back from being baptized, and she said she is so busy right now that she feels she doesn't have time to learn just a little bit more so she gets to the point that she feels she knows enough. We were able to provide support and encouragement, and help her see that she already knows it's all true. They both have a goal to be sealed in the temple, so now it's just a matter of God's timing for them being baptized and progressing to the temple! We felt the Spirit and built a really good bond with them. Sister Papali'i and I were so glad that we used the slow shift time wisely. It's kind of like Ether 12:6. God has us exercise faith before we receive the blessings. Wait patiently for the promised blessings to come! Don't lose hope.

Love Sister Papali'i! It's her first transfer.

Wendy and Naomi❤

On my exchange with Sister Papali'i we got to do service for Roxanne, a returning member in our area. Apparently she hasn't come to church in a long time, but she was open to coming back. I just love doing service! (Man, I just love everything I do as a missionary haha). It was so fun to be outside working. ...Haha, I'll bet after me saying that Dad has started planning the outside work for me to "have fun" doing at home;)😂 I loved this service opportunity because we didn't just pick up debris that had flooded in with the rainstorm, but we also talked with everyone we could! We gave out a copy of the Book of Mormon to a couple visiting from in town, we met Roxanne's sister, nephew, and great-niece who live with her, none of whom are members of the Church. The great-niece, Hailey, has gone to church with several of her friends though, and really likes it, so hopefully we'll be able to stop by and meet/teach her soon! She's almost in high school.

Service at Roxanne's!

We ate at Guadelejara grill at PCC

It was Elder Allen's birthday on Saturday, so we had a little surprise party as a VC. We also held an impromptu runway fashion show to show some examples of approved dress pants for sister missionaries. I got to start off the fashion show so that was exciting😂

Happy bday Elder Allen! And you can see my dress pants😉

P.S. our Elder's Quorum president looks just like the uncle on Spy Kids, it's crazy!
We also met Dan this week in our area. When he answered the door he immediately said "Hi, I'm Dan and I'm happily Jewish." That took us by surprise haha!

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

Most of our district

We did a session this morning! The temple is open again!

Sis Fata and Papali'i decorated our door with cute notes!

The Koreans (and other Asians) always do this with their fingers. It's a little heart. It means I love you❤❤❤

Sis Papali'i took this pic to put in her journal💗💗