Sister Flake's Mission Blog: ...Just take the chicken

Aloha ohana!
This week was wonderful. Things are really starting to move forward in our area here! We were able to set a baptismal date with Denise for the end of March. I am so excited for her, and I know that being baptized by the proper authority, and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, will give her the strength she needs to get through the many challenges she's facing right now. We also were able to have a lesson with Josslyn, and set a baptismal date with her. One miracle for the week was meeting Deja. She came to a lesson with her cousin Megan, who we have been teaching for a few months now. Deja has great questions and a desire to learn. We were able to set her with a baptismal date for April. She wanted to get baptized when she was younger, but her family didn't attend a particular church and it just didn't happen at the time. It's a miracle that the Lord led her to us so that we can help her learn about God's plan, and help her make covenants with Him.

Michelle, Megan, and Deja💗

We got to try some creative things to find more people to teach this week. We decided to carry my ukulele around and sing "Love at Home" to anyone and everyone that we could! Surprisingly, several people didn't want us to sing to them, but many people did let us share the song. It's neat to see how quickly music can bring the Spirit. The people who listened loved it! It also taught me that we don't have to do things the way they have always been done in the past--be creative! Be innovative! Try new things, and if it doesn't work, then laught it off😂

We also got to try the Book of Mormon experiment this week. That was fun! We printed out pages of the Book of Mormon, and then walked around asking people if they would participate in our experiment. We gave them a printed page and a highlighter, and asked them to highlight anything that stood out to them (I want to try it again and say highlight any time the name of Christ is used). It was a great way to segway in to talking about the Book of Mormon--one of my favorite things to talk about! On my mission I have really gained a deep love of the Book of Mormon. I know it is another testament of Jesus Christ. I invite everyone to read, ponder, and pray about it sincerely! I know if you do, it will change your life.

I got to go on an exchange with Sister Jensen this week. It was awesome! Aside from trying to take a picture with our friendly neighborhood pig (who we are still picking a name for), I learned importance of being yourself! It's exhausting to try to be anyone other than yourself. God made you unique for a reason. Just as He loves you for your unique talents, personality, and attributes, you can love those too!

Sister Jensen from Canada🍁

...ft our friendly neighborhood pig 😂

This week we were driving back from Paauhau, and we drove by these two chickens who were fighting. They looked fierce! Man. They had their neck feathers all poofed out, scary-looking... it was crazy.
While on the topic of chicken... A guy named Paris (we met him before) walked up to us when we were walking down the street and handed us a takeout tray of chicken wings. We were hesitant to take it, but he stuck it out, gave us the look, and said "just take the chicken...". Haha! People are so kind here, sometimes forcefully😂 But hey, I'll take being "threatened" to take chicken over actually being threatened about something serious anyday!

Today we drove down to Waikoloa for our preparation day. We were able to check out the Hilton resort, and it was so nice! I got to see dolphins and sea turtles, so that was exciting😊

a dolphin!

cool waterfall at the hilton resort!

Well, I can't believe this is my last week out here. Eighteen months has flown by! The people of Hawaii will always hold a special place in my heart💕 I will be speaking at church about my experiences on Sunday, March 17 and would love to see you all there. Church begins at 10:30 am. Email or message me if you'd like the address of the chapel. I hope you all can make it!

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