Week 18-19: The only thing constant in this life is change

 Hola querido familia y amigos!

Wow.

That went by too quickly. Fastest cambio ever. And now I´m leaving the area where I started my mission....not going to lie, very hard to leave the people that I love so much there. The members. the investigators. our cocinera y ¨ma¨. The area that I´ve grown to know and even the taxistas. I knew my way around and loved being there. And now I´m off to embark on a new adventure here in Toyopan. Miguel´s baptism was great. It was early before Church this sunday. We had Maria, a recent convert and an angel gave one of the discursos about baptism. She is awesome. Miguel really understood what step he has chosen to take and will be a faithful member of the church. I loved Ojo de Agua so much. Right now I´m probably annoying my ex-comp so much (Hermana Tordecilla) because I just sent her an email reminding her to tell everyone how much I love them and am going to miss them, and to tell her not to forget taking care of my recent converts and the other new members, menos activos, and our investigators....part of me will always be in Zone Heredia. It was a privilege. Well. Off to another chapter in a new area....It terrifies me and is thrilling at the same time. Mission life is crazy.  I am honored to be numbered in the ranks under my captain, President Wilkinson. I want to be a more worthy and diligent instrument in this great work.

I´m so glad that I was finally able to catch up on all the emails and photos that yall sent me of Grandma´s funeral. Last week we weren´t able to send emails because we ran out of time with our zone activity. I know that Heavenly Father is working in our family on both sides of the veil, that grandma and grandpa flake are reunited at last and are smiling down on their huge, happy family. It´s not perfect, but our family knows how to love one another despite our differences, arguments, trials, misunderstandings, hardships, etc. I know that families can live together forever if we stay true to the teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am grateful so much to be a member of the restored church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints, and for the opportunity we have coming up to listen to a living prophet and his apostles and other
leaders of the church. I know that if we listen and apply what they teach us, that we will be more able to remain faithful and be anchored when the storms and tribulations come (and they will come). Yet again I am short on time which means that I go straight to my preachy self instead of sharing the funny, sad, happy experiences that I´ve had this month and a half (that literally felt like a week).

Every single day it rained this month. Literally. And everyone says that it rains even more in
October.....yay...haha. Thanks for keeping me updated!  I love hearing about the ward at home! This may sound cheesy but anything related to church, church callings, missionary work in the ward, family home evening, members in the ward, less actives, leadership in the ward, the growing testimonies of Troy, Tyler, Travis etc. I love that stuff so much because that is my life right now 24/7 focused on helping wards grow (Que Chiva that now we have a bigger ward!!!!) reactivating less actives, finding new families and converts, working with the members to find new investigators, and trying to help people gain their own testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. So keep it coming ;) I love you all so much and am so happy to hear that you are all having consistent family home evening, scripture study, prayer morning and night. Literally makes me want to cry, because I see too many examples here of families that don´t do these things and they are not active and dont have strong testimonies and their children are wayward. THe little things are SO important, especially always having the temple as a goal. I hope that yall always look for ways to help the missionaries in the ward by giving them references and hosting family home evenings for their investigators, or offereing to feed them every once in a while. I realize now how much strong families are needed in helping the work of missionaries in pushing forward the work of the Lord. I´m gettting too preachy....sorry. I love you all more than i can explain, and I´m not going to lie.....every once in a while I break down and cry myself to sleep (i promise it´s once in a blue moon.....but stilll) It was an accumulation of the funeral and not being able to be there and tears of happiness at the same time because yall were able to have a ¨family reunion¨ even though it wasn´t really planned. I miss yall, but I wouldnt trade being here serving the people of costa rica for anything.

I´m doing good. don¨t worry about me :) I am just grateful to recieve weekly emails from yall

Con mucho amor,
Hermana Flake