Week 23: Este Semana....que era super chiva

Hola querido familia y amigos!!!!

Lo siento a los que solo hablen español....tienen que traducir el resto de este carta...pero no voy a escribir una vez en español y una vez en inglés....jaja.

This week went by way too fast... We had some great noches de hogar with some awesome families of recent converts, who, despite their circumstances or the daily challenges that come with being human and having to care for a family, press forward and have great desires to start creating habits and traditions in their families that will have eternal consequences for the better. I love being with these families because I feel at home surrounded by lots of little ones, haha and gives me so much desire to base my future family on the gospel and the teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We started to have lots more help from members who want to go on visits with us to visit our investigators! That in of itself is a miracle, haha. It helps SOOO much to have a member that bears testimony in a lesson or that invites the investigator to come to church with them (especially when they have kids of the same age as those of the investigator)... Or if they are converts as well, and share of how they came to know that the church is true. I love it.
Humberto is awesome! He has changed so much (he used to be into drugs and had those kinds of friends and huge earrings....) and this sunday he came to church in white shirt and tie. His mom is amazed at the change in him in just 3 months since he met Veronica, who is a member and is his girlfriend.

Oh, and I fell. So I was walking along, texting investigators at the same time, and I felt into a gutter...like one that is 4 feet deep....ok. i didn´t fall in. but tripped and one of my shoes fell in....and it was before lunch (we always head out of the house after our studies before we come back to the house to eat lunch) and it never rains in the morning (only in the afternoon, or night) so we didn´t bring umbrellas in order to use to reach my shoe....haha. but luckily a kid and his older sister walked by and he offered to jump in and retrieve it. haha. thank you kid. So now my knees are all scratched up (but for those who know me, that is a norm). 


This sunday I had a talk with the topic of sharing the gospel through sharing my testimony. Basically took like 10 minutes the night before to think of what I was going to say....for a talk of about 8 minutes....haha. The mission has sure been a quick way to get over my fear of public speaking.

I love Coronado! I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to learn and adapt and grow with Hna. Canales, even if it was just 4 short weeks. I am so grateful for my new companion, Hna. Rubio, who I know is awesome and will work hard.


I feel like things are all fitting together. I know my way around Coronado, for the most part. I have lots of people who have helped me to learn how to open my mouth, how to work with members, etc. and now I just need to help people make their way to the waters of baptism and to the doors of the temple. I love being a missionary.

Sorry for the brevity....we had half an hour less to write today because my comp had her interview with President Wilkinson, so we returned late to Coronado to do internet....and now off to work.
Love you all! Keep up your good examples! Be happy! Share the gospel! Let your light shine! Thanks for the pictures Dad! Thanks for all the letters yall sent me kiddos!! especially Laura, Emma, and Darrell!!! Sorry I coudn´t reply to each of them individually!  Jessica, it means the world to me that you took time to write me and send photos. Sounds like life is more than great back home.

Con mucho amor,
Hermana Flake

Pictures Week 23:

Week 22: I´m getting less and less creative with titles....Just Be Happy :)

We meet once again, my beloved family and friends,

Things are good. Life is great. I´m happy. My companion is happy. Our zone is great. Costa Rica is wet. The work of the Lord moves forward. I tried to take more pictures this week...but I failed once again to take at least 1 photo every day....once again I will attempt..haha

Wow. Things are going great here in Coronado. We had a great week and learned a lot from the especialistas. They did divisions with us and I learned better ways to do LPEs.  My companion, hermana Canales learned a lot too from Hermana Cobourn, because when she came back she started to be a lot better at LPEs and initiating contacts in the street or in buses. We are working more as a team now and have better attitudes. Hermana Canales has faith that we can be successful and that numbers are not a bad thing. When we are focused on improving our goals, and the weekly numbers in the key indicators, we´re really showing that we trust the prophet, apostles, and all other leaders of the church who were inspired with Preach my Gospel and missionary work as we know it today.

Humberto will likely be our next baptism. He is novio (boyfriend) de Veronica, a young woman in the ward. He came last Sunday, and then went to the temple and accepted a fecha bautisimal, but the date fell through when he didn´t come this sunday because he went to visit his uncle. But he is great and we are going to work hard to help him have spiritual experiences and to come to know that this is Christ´s church here on the earth. He shared with us how he has changed so much since knowing Veronica, but that she doesn´t want him to be baptized for her. He wants to do it only if he feels that this is where he should be, and not because his novia is part of it.

Well, I really love this ward and am impressed at how many activities they put together and are always thinking about how they can help less actives, as well as investigators. We still have a ton of work to do and will always have a ton of work to do, but I feel like we are finally getting the hang of working together and improving each week. This next week will be the best ever and will be better than the last week.

Two funny experiences that happened recently. We were knocking a few doors the other week at like 7pm at night, because our district leader promised us that if we did, we would witness miracles. Well, we were being rejected left and right, until the last house on the street....the guy answered and started speaking english....very slow and choppy english....so my poor comp just sat there because she doesn´t understand english....and this guy was basically cortando mi jupa (literally means ^cutting my head¨^ but it´s like chastising) for knocking on their door on a sunday night....but eventually I asked him how long he´s lived in Costa Rica (because I figured that he didn´t know spanish, that he was from Germany or some other country) and he said that he has lived in Costa Rica all his life! so i asked if he speaks spanish....and he does! I don´t know why, but he figured that we didn´t know spanish so began to speak his choppy englsih with me.....hahaha we laughed about that for quite a while, because hermana canales was just listening wondering what in the world he was saying....haha.

The other one we were doing kiosco in the park with our distict. Kiosco is basically when we run people down , haha, no we calmly walk up to them and start introducing ourselves or asking them if they´ve ever met with missionaries and then giving them pamphlets and taking their numbers. one lady starting practically yelling at me telling me that all churches are terrible and only want our money. I hardly got a word out and she was practically watering at the eyes because she felt so strongly about this. haha. part of being a missionary.

Well, things are good. Life is great.

Con mucho amor,
Hermana Flake

Pictures Week 22:

Week 21:

My wonderful family,

We have a wonderful ward here in Coronado! And each time I am in a new ward I feel the same way, Like we are one big family as members of the restored chruch of Jesus Christ. And i shared my testimony which I have done more in my mission (like officially over the pulpit) than combined in all my life. I never was very good a public speaking...haha. And i was always a nervous wreck when I finally did decide to share my testimony. But for all you reading this, don´t ever give up! Keep on going up there even if you feel like your heart might just jump out into the congregation. I actually enjoy sharing my testimony now (and what´s more, its in spanish...). This ward is adorable, lots of older couples, as well as young families with lots of little kiddos. I´m in heaven. haha. This saturday was the baptism of Argentina. She has been investigating for 3 months, and finally decided to enter the waters of baptism....which, funny (sad) story....So Argentina is an older lady, and an adorable one at that. She was really concerned about being baptized because the water would be cold. And for some reason my comp and I told her that we would heat up the water for her. So she was expecting warm water.....and that is definitely not what she got.....So we were told to not even try because other missionaries had tried boiling pots of water, but they were never successful, so we didn´t bother....my comp was convinced that God would heat up the water....because one missionary in our zone told us a story of how they were unsuccessful in heating up the baptismal font, but when their investigator entered the water, he said thank you elders for heating the water for me. But lo and behold, this miracle did not happen for us....she was moaning as she entered the water because the cold water hurt her joints.....I felt SO BAD.....but after the ordinance and when she was changing she told us that she didn´t feel cold anymore, and that she actually felt kinda hot. We were trying to help her dry off as fast as possible and brought her a cup of hot agua dulce....never will promise hot water again.....only in the temple is the water heated..haha.

( I hope yall don´t mind, but I always insert a part of my weekly letters to my mission president, into these weekly letters....so this is the excerpt that I wrote to my mish president)..Well, two weeks have gone by here in Coronado, but it feels like 4 days....I´m not going to lie, I took a back seat and was complacent for about a week, because honestly didn´t feel a lot of pressure because i felt like my companion needed to teach me the area and help me to meet our investigators and members, etc. But i´ve realized that she needed me to take charge. She has a strong personality, but I do too, its just harder for me to take charge when I don´t have the best control of the language. A couple days ago we came home after working all day, and our district leader called as always, and really was telling us how we need to improve and giving advice and telling us that things have got to change. Afterwards we talked a lot and we´re both really honest with each other, and we expressed our thoughts and I flat out told her that she has got to start trusting that I know a little bit about what I´m doing and that even though she knows the ward, the members, the area, etc. that I´m not just a piece of meat sitting in the refigerator....haha I didn´t use those words, but I want her to know that I am going to start taking charge. We have felt moments where we were guided by the spirit, and I hope that now she has faith that she can be successful. She still has a hard time believing that numbers are a good thing....but we´re progressing. I love her so much, even though she can be frustrating at times (and walks EXTREMELY slow)....haha. But i´m working on patience and want to teach how to be diligent and work HARD. I love being a missionary even though sometimes i just feel like a kid placed in another country with GREAT expectations....but that´s what it´s all about. Christ didn´t have it easy when he preached the gospel, or when he sacrificed for our sins. but he did it. now that is my motto....just do it (sorry NIKE...haha). OUr goal is to find 20 new investigators this week......we have an awesome district leader who pushes us to reach our potential. And great especialistas who know how to encourage and push us as well.

This week we got the new liahona (it´s like christmas when we get new liahonas, haha, at least I enjoy reading them cover to cover, in spanish and english, hahah) There is a powerful article on THE PRAYER OF FAITH. wow. en serio. yall should read it. One idea that I really liked, and that I´m trying to put into practice, is reflecting before praying. It even suggests writing in a notebook to write down blessings, how you have seen the lord´s hand, or names of people that we want to pray for. And keep that notebook close, and whatever thoughts come to us as we pray or after we pray, WRITE THEM DOWN. this is revelation. and then ACT ON THEM. or we can´t expect to recieve more. we should pray for the prophet and every leader of the church. pray that we can overcome temptation, including the temptation to be complacent.  as i was studying this theme, the prayer of faith, i came up with a circle thing, haha, or a life cycle of recognizing the impressions of the spirit.  it starts with gratitude,----> love for God and charity----> desire to be obedient to the commandments and to god´s will----> prayer, meditation, service, magnifying callings, sharing the gospel, reading and studying the word----> the holy ghost tesitfies and speaks peace and joy to our soul-----> Revelation or thoughts, good ideas, knowledge, light and truth------> gratitude   :) that´s the circle that I came up with. Thought it was pretty neat and felt very enlightened, hahah, but just goes to show that we can all recieve personal revelation :) I love you all so much and invite you all to read the articles in the Liahona, the ensign, friend, new era, etc. Especially maybe yall could use the idea of having a family night focused on having more thoughtful prayers. And the activity can be found on lds.org (i believe) just look up prayer sandwich.....I thought it would be a good idea for family night, and yall could make sandwiches, with each part of the sandwich signifying a part that should be in our prayers....just an idea. Ok. now i am ranting again. Sorry that These are not the most interesting letters. I just kind of ramble and ramble. I will improve one of these days....haha. Love you all so much!

Love,
Hermana Flake

Week 20: Welcome to Coronado...not in Kansas anymore

Hola familia!

This place is gigantic! And cold! I never thought I would say that I¨m cold here in Costa Rica...but here in Coronado we´re in the mountains and it´s cold in the evenings and getting out of bed is freezing. Yesterday I had my first hot shower here in Costa Rica....apparantly right now the water heater is broken, so we´ve got cold water, but when the members we live with fix it, bingo, we´ll have hot water. Yesterday the members we live with let us use their shower so that´s how it came to pass my first hot shower here in Costa Rica ;) haha. anyway, on to important things....

Yesterday and Saturday we had the wonderful opportunity to listen to General Conference--I hope you all had the opportunity to really listen and find ways to put into practice those things that they taught us. Of course, we listened to all of the conference in Spanish....I missed hearing the real voices of our beloved prophet and apostles, but it was still amazing. And really tuanis that 4 talks were in other languages...what did yall think of that? when the speaker started speaking in chinese, spanish, or portuguese? haha. I loved the two talks that were in spanish because we got to listen to the real voices of those two speakers, but the rest were translated over.

So Ojo de Agua is a lot different from where I am now. Pretty much every one here in Coronado has a car. and the houses are mansions compared to what I´m used to in Ojo de Agua...It´s city, so people don´t greet each other like we always did in Ojo de Agua. Apparently this area has been really low in numbers, lessons, new investigators, and baptisms....yay me, haha. I don´t know the area still because my companion hardly knows the area as well, so this will definitely be a learning experience as we learn the area together and look for new investigators (because we barely have anyone...). We are going to rely alot on faith, and being obedient so that we can see miracles here in Coronado (because we desperately need some). Today we had a great activity that the Sister Training Leaders put together for all the sisters in our zone, and we talked a lot about having faith and working hard and being obedient and talking with everyone, so that we could witness miracles in our areas and have baptism--- how to have faith and really endure and be postiive even when it seems like we´re not having success, because if we still work hard, and are obedient, the miracles will come, we just have to be patient and really believe that they´ll come. Hermana Cobourn is one of our especialistas (sister training leaders) and she is awesome. She is in her 19th month because she extended her mission for another month and she was in my first ward at BYU.

My new companion is Hermana Canales; she is from Honduras. she is 19 years old. She has almost 3 months in the mission (just barely finished her training), and she is fun-loving and loves to talk. I hope that I can lead by example how to work hard and that I can learn lots from her and that together we can be successful tools in the Lord´s hands here in Coronado.

I hope that I can get to know this area well enough to be a better help for my companion to know where we should go so that we use our time more effectively. This week should be a week filled with talking to everyone, looking for nuevos, and praying fervantly to be led in the right direction, so that we can find those who are ready to accept the gospel and enter the waters of baptism.
I love being a missionary!

Con mucho amor,
Hermana Flake

Pictures Week 20:

Miguel's Baptism

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

Pictures Week 18-19:

Week 17: Mountains to Climb

Flakey Family,

I´m sorry to hear about Grandma. I hope Dad was able to make it to see her, but even if he didn´t, I know she is proud of him and all her children that have taught their kids to live the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am so grateful for Grandma and Grandpa Flake and for all the memories that I treasure of them and for their faithfulness to the gospel unto the end of their lives. I am so happy that Grandma and Grandpa raised up Dad to be the worthy priesthood holder that he is and taught him how to work hard, serve others, and be a real dad. I am grateful for the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation and for a merciful Father in heaven who designed a way for us to live again one day in His presence and with the potential to learn how to become more like Him.  I was reading something today that is interesting and so true. It´s in the April General Conference, a talk from President Dieter F. Uchtdorf....

"In light of what we know about our eternal destiny, is it any wonder that whenever we face the bitter endings of life, they seem unacceptable to us? There seems to be something inside of us that resists endings.
Why is this? Because we are made of the stuff of eternity. We are eternal beings, children of the Almighty God, whose name is Endless13 and who promises eternal blessings without number. Endings are not our destiny.

The more we learn about the gospel of Jesus Christ, the more we realize that endings here in mortality are not endings at all. They are merely interruptions—temporary pauses that one day will seem small compared to the eternal joy awaiting the faithful.

How grateful I am to my Heavenly Father that in His plan there are no true endings, only everlasting beginnings."


I love you all and wish I could hug each and every one of you!!!

This week has been....rain, rain, rain....haha. Seriously we are walking in rivers of water pretty much everyday. There has been so much rain this week and everyone says that this is nothing compared to October...oh well, all part of the mission in Costa Rica. We are still working with Miguel to quit coffee and smoking. Saturday he had one cup of coffee and one cigarette...but yesterday we had a lesson with him and we brought a member who was baptized only 4 months ago, Rafael, who had to give up coffee, smoking, and alcohol in order to be baptized...after being addicted for 25+ years! We finished teaching the restoration and watched the 20 minute video of the first vision, and then Rafael told Miguel about his conversion story, and how he had desired a change and then came knocking two elders at his door. He explained how it is much more effective to go cold turkey when it comes to addictions and not just lesson the addiction a little at a time....Having Rafael there was so key to how that lesson went. Instead of it being us missionaries coming yet again and giving him even more information to take in, he really took it to heart and it gave him esperanza (hope) to see that he´s not the only one. Even though it´s hard to get members to come with us sometimes, and they usually make the going slow, I have a strong testimony of the importance of members with similiar experiences or who underwent similiar challenges and changes.

 I love being a missionary. It´s hard. Really hard. There is so much pressure and so many different things we have to do and we´re just kids really. I´m learning a lot from trial and mistakes...and I hope that I can reach my potential and that I can be a powerful tool in the hands of the Lord, that I can learn to follow the impressions of the Spirit and act on them...This week I lost our phone....which had all the numbers of our investigators and members etc. I left it on a shelf in the supermarket and someone stole it. I felt like Martin Harris when he lost the 119 (?) pages of scripture....Now we will have to use a cheap phone that is so much harder to use and we will have to find all the numbers again. I know that even though we make mistakes, we can learn how to change and become better because of them. I know that my Savior lives and that this is His gospel and that only through Him can we be saved and achieve exaltation. I want to be more worthy to bear His name and preach His gospel to everyone who will hear it.

 Happy Independence Day for Costa Rica!

Con mucho amor,
Hermana Flake

Pictures Week 17:

Week 16: Don't Worry, Be Happy!

Querido familia mia!!!

EMMA!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! AND CONGRATULATIONS ON BEING BAPTIZED! you are now a member of the only true church with the entirety of the restored gospel. How do you feel? Sorry for slacking on the birthday cards....maybe they will be there before you turn 9...haha....and before Darrell turns 6....I love you both!!! And Tyler soon will be 14, right? Man, time is flying...thanks for sending me pics of Emma´s baptism, Tyler!!!!

This week we have been working with Miguel and trying to help him quit drinking coffee and quit smoking so that he can be baptized the 20th of this month. I wish I knew better ways to help people quit addictions or habits... We did divisions this past week with Hermana Starke and Hermana Martinez, and I loved it. I always love teaching with Hermana Starke because she knows how to teach to the level of the investigators and be very simple and not teach too much. That´s something that Hermana Tordecilla and I need to work on. I want to be better on focusing on the investigators and not on the lesson. I was bummed when we couldn´t get anyone to come to the iglesia this sunday except for Miguel...We went to all of their houses and called them and they still didn´t come (half of them didn´t answer the phone and weren´t there when we went to their houses). It is depressing when you feel like you do everything you can, and you don´t see results.... I want to be a better instrument in the hands of the Lord, but I feel so inadequate because I´m not so great at teaching. I want to be better at teaching according to the spirit. Hermana Flake is not a good teacher...therefore I NEED to teach with the spirit.

This week we had planned to visit Rogelio several times and he kept on canceling on us :(  Two of those times we had called a recent convert to come with us to the cita, but we had to tell him nevermind. Finally, yesterday we were able to have the lesson with Rogelio with the member present and I look forward to the next lesson with him. We reviewed over the first part of lesson restoration (we had already taught that) and then we watched the 20minute video of the restoration and afterwards, Abraham (the recent convert) shared his conversion story. It went well, though I would have preferred to have heard Rogelio speak more (he is kinda shy), so I know that we need to work more on asking questions that allow the investigator or share his or her feelings and thoughts.

I love being a missionary, and I want to be a better one and work more on having a positive attitude. When it´s always raining and our citas are always falling (or at least the last couple of days) sometimes I find it hard to be positive. But that is my goal. I am so thankful for all letters, and pray that we can all work harder push the work of the Lord forward.

¨Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you;
And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours.¨ D&C 78:18

Remember what covenant be made when we chose to be baptized into this church...
7. And it came to pass after many days there were a goodly number gathered together at the place of Mormon, to hear the words of Alma. Yea, all were gathered together that believed on his word, to hear him. And he did teach them, and did preach unto them repentance, and redemption, and faith on the Lord.

 8 And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;

 9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—

 10 Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?

 11 And now when the people had heard these words, they clapped their hands for joy, and exclaimed: This is the desire of our hearts. (Mosiah 18:7·11)

Con mucho amor,
Hermana Flake

(From Troy: the pictures for this week did not send correctly on the e-mail, (; so I will get them next week and add them to this post)

Week 15: Just Keep Swimming

Hola!!! First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DARRELL!!! I love you so much and cannot believe that you are 5 years old!!! I miss you and know you are being a good boy for mom and dad and your siblings. I´ve been meaning to send a card....but it will be a while before he gets it....and oh my goodness, Emma is turning 8 years old soon! (it is 8, right?) haha....I got your envelope with the drawings of Laura, Emma, and Benson ! they are on my wall now ;)  I love them!!! Thanks! 

I love being a missionary. It´s hard and there are lows, but there is something so rewarding about going to bed dead tired and being excited to teach certain investigators. I am finally getting the hang of LPEs (lecciones para encontrar, which basically means talking to random people in the street, in front of their houses, knocking on their doors, in taxis, or in buses), and feel comfortable making conversation with pretty much anyone, even the drunkards...but we try to avoid them haha. This week has been a week of rain, rain, rain, but we keep on trucking on even though we get soaked almost everyday. We´re finding new investigators and trying to use the members more because we know that it is WAY more effective to teach people who have connections with members. Daniel Jimenez is a recently returned missionary who helps the missionaries whenever he can, and he told me that his goal is to see my family of recent converts (familia Vargas) sealed in the temple in a little less than a year :) That made me so happy to know that someone in the ward has the same goal as me, and can take over when I have to leave Ojo de Agua someday. In fact, we have a noche de hogar with familia Vargas tonight and Daniel is going to come too and we´re going to talk about the Temple and the things we have to do to prepare for this remarkable opportunity. 

This Sunday, my companion and I were a little bummed because none of our investigators were there initially. However, Deyver (amigo de miembro and investigator) came and he stayed for the second hour as well in the class of principios del evangelio. Also, Wendy (friend of Carmen Vargas, new convert) came for the first time with familia Vargas, and she stayed for 2.5 hours. And then, towards the end of the sacrament meeting, an older gentleman walked in and sat down in the only available seat, and we later found out that he, Miguel, decided to come to our church (he thought it started at 10 so he was late, but he stayed for the second hour as well) because he read the folleto of his son, which we had contacted in the street about a week ago....he is awesome and we have a noche de hogar with him as well tonight, in the home of familia Campos. YAY! I love being a missionary, and even though it´s way out of my comfort zone, I am beginning to love talking to random people, in spanish, haha.

I am grateful for a companion who puts up with my ways and my sometimes strange behavior ;) She has a personality very different from mine, but the amazing thing about missions and companionships is that it really doesn´t matter what your companion is like, you can work together and enjoy serving together when you have the same goals. Hermana Tordecilla is a great example and I am trying to be a better companion for her, because she deserves it. That will always be my goal, to be the best companion that I can be, because jamás will I be someone that my companion cannot tolerate. I am confident that we are being obedient with exactitude because when we don´t cumplir with all that we should be doing, we recognize it, repent, and try to change the next day. For example, we had a rough few days of LPEs where it wasn´t our priority and we blamed our slack on the rain and weather...but when we really try to meet our goals of LPEs, we are able to see the blessings of being obedient in LPEs. We will always have much to improve on and I am grateful for the leaders that we have that help us to cumplir with our metas. Our zone, district, and especialistas leaders keep up on us and expect us to improve always and check up on us.  I am proud to have President Wilkinson as my captain, and to be enlisted in this amazing work.

Con mucho amor,
Hermana Flake

P.s. I´m pretty sure the Elders in the ward here think I´m a freak, haha. We were returning from our multizone conference and it was raining cats and dogs, and we saw a toad...and it was huge, I mean as big as a big mac (bigger than a big mac because the hamburgers in fast food are shrinking, ha). I will have to send the picture next week because Elder Harrison (the new gringo in the ward) took the photo and he is not with us this pday to send emails...stay tuned :) until next week

Week 14: Siempre Feliz, Nunca Satisfecha

Hola familia y amigos!

Whew. Life is great. The mission is great. I´m always tired, sore, and sweaty, but hey, I´m a missionary and have been called  by a prophet of God. I love my new companion, and hope that I can be a better companion for her. She is completely different from my other companions and we have a lot of things that aren´t in common, as well as many that are....it´s all part of the mission life, learning how to work diligently with all different types of companions. I feel a lot of pressure to fill our planners with lessons because I´m the one who knows the area and members and investigators, but I feel like I hardly know this area at the same time. 

Our area is the largest area in our zone, and to give you an idea, we could walk from one point to the other in maybe 3 hours....I´m not sure because I haven´t even been to all the parts of our area yet...The bishop says that you could drive from one end to the other in a little under an hour....yikes! Anyway, you can imagine that we really have to plan our days wisely or we end up with no where to go at 7 or 8pm at night, which is the hours least productive for knocking on doors (or gates) or talking to people in the street. For that, I´ve been a little discouraged the past couple days when we´re rejected from houses, people cancel their citas (usually as in we get to their house and they say that they´re busy), or people don´t answer their phones....but when that happens, I try to remember the big picture, and that I´m serving this mission for me, my family, and most importantly, for God. He knows that we will have ups and downs, but only if we prove that we can stay positive through the negative times will he provide us the way to see miracles. I´m still in the waiting for miracles point, but I´m working each and every day to be happy, and to smile, and to pretend I have energy to talk to people. Sometimes, when we´re studying, I realize that I am just dead tired and I think to myself....just ignore it and pretend you have energy. That´s really all to it. It´s all mental ;) haha. 

Each and every day of my mission adds to my assurity of the importance of members in missionary work. We can work until we fall down dead and still not help these areas grow if the members don´t have a part in fellowshipping, teaching with us, magnifying their callings, and expecting us to work diligently. I want to help this ward so much, and the only way to do that is to help the ward help itself. 

We had a ward activity last friday, and part of our service for the week was to help hermana and hermano Castillo cook arroz con carne for the activity. It was fun and the activity was great because lots investigators and menos activos came. Lots of people shared talents, and Daniel (a return missionary in the ward) made us missionaries get up and sing a hymn.....haha. what talent! not. haha. 

The other night we had a noche de hogar with our family of recent converts and they invited Alejandra, who is one of our investigators. We talked about eternal marriage and the temple and the importance of being sealed as a family so that we can live as families for eternity. It´s never easy to have a lesson when there are younguns present, but we managed and the spirit was present at times ;) 

Remember to always stay positive and to keep on looking for ways to improve each and every day! Siempre feliz pero nunca satisfecha!

Happy birthday Jessica!!!! 19 years old!!! crazy! I´m glad you were able to spend the week at home :) Keep God first siempre and everything else will fall into place.

Con mucho amor,
Hermana Flake

Week 13: Cambios!

Querido familia mia! 

Today was cambios, and now I'm with Hermana Tordecilla and I"m still in Ojo de Agua. I am very happy because I feel that she has a great desire to be a hard working missionary and follows the spirit. I can not explain how happy I am here to stay here in Ojo de Agua because it hasso much potential! This úlitmo Saturday we had the baptism of Aurora, who was one of the first investigators I met here with Hna. Morales andHna.. Escobedo. She is a fighter and her and her two children are going to progress together now That They are all members. I'm going tokeep Working with them, and helping them be more Comfortable with spiritual things (Sergio and Fernanda are very shy and dont like to cometo mutual or get to know people) but i know that its a process.

I'm not going to lie, these first 3 months here in costa rica in a trio with Hna. Morales and Hna.Escobedo was very difficult for me. I came to costa rica gunho to hit the pavement, knock on doors, and work my tail off... And then I realized that I my companions didnt see things the same way. I dont think they realize how hard that it was for me to have two mothers/trainers that didnt always have their heads here in costa rica, and I couldnt express my feelings because of my limited spanish for fear of offending or insulting them... But I know that they were meant to be my trainers. I learned un monton. Some things I learned because they are things that I know I never want to do when I'm a trainer or ending my mission. I never want my companion to know that I'm ending my mission, until 2 weeks before, and even then I dont want her to notice a difference in how I work (unless its to notice that i'm working double time, haha).          Among other things, I learned most that youve got to be yourself, no matter what, and that when you open up and laugh, your companions will put up with you enough to work and teach in unity.  I learned that there is a lot of types of pride, not just the pride that consists of those who are high in ranks who think they are all that, but also, the pride from those who nit pick leaders or who are always saying,"no me caie bien con este hermana, o este elder". There is type of pride that consists of those who think that those who try to be exactly obedient are haughty or full of themselves. But that simply is wrong. I believe that those who arent trying to be exactly obedient are truly the ones who have pride because they fear what others think of them more than what God thinks or wants us to do. I am working on that type of pride, because i don{t open my mouth with everyone. I've improved a lot, but I still have fear sometimes, which means I'm worried more about how others think of me more than what I've been called to do. 

Anyway, another thing I learned from my comps is to love. When things are tough, serve your comps. And also, i was humbled a lot, because they may not want to "hit the pavement" and work there tails off, but they are successful and know the doctrine and know how to work with people. I can apply that always, because being dead exhausted from working all day isn{t necessarily a sign of effectiveness. Its how many people you help bring to the waters of baptism and build their faith in Christ. 

Sorry this is so long.....If you get anything out of my ramblings, just know that I know that every companion that I recieve is for inspiration and meant because I need to learn something. we should never think "i hope my new companion is good", it should be " I want to be the best companion that I can be for my new comp". I've got a long way to go, but here{s to another chapter.

Sorry, I still dont have interesting news...I am not keeping up too well on my journal writing...

I just want to say that so far I{ve eaten (or at least tasted a bite) Mondongo (its like intestine or something of a pig i think), Lengua (cow tongue), sope con huevo de tortuga (turtle egg soup), rice with a bunch of shrimp type creatures, and more, but I cant think of what they are right now....its crazy, and we have to eat everything so as not to offend anyone...

I love you all so much!!! continue to let me know about the going_ons in your lives and please keep up those things that build up our family, such as scriptures and prayer as family every day and family night every week! Get to know the missionaries in our ward and help them by giving them referrals! haha, I{m probably preaching to the choir, since you already do these things and I badger yall like every week, but they are so important! Jessica, let me know whats going on, I want to hear about college life without me :)

Mucho amor,

Hermana Flake

Pictures Week 13: