Monday, June 22, 2009

June 22, 2009 Email

Hello!
Still no baby? Hang in there Danielle! What a wonderful gift life on earth is! And to be able to make it through it as an Eternal Family! The blessings of the true gospel are infinite! We can be sealed as families! Its incredible! And when we put God first He is "bound" to bless us. I worried about leaving my family for so long and didn't want to miss anything back home.....but as i ponder on the forever eternal life that i will be able to have with my family i know that this year and a half is such a small token to give. I mean think about it....forever..... it makes sacrifice here seem so small......think about a trial your having....and now picture that trial in relationship to Forever...... We are so blessed! And everything that is unfair in this life will be made fair in the next. well anyway..... Guess what? we got a new ward mission leader and he is stoked off his hinges to have the calling! we are so happy!!!!!! He is a convert to the church and then served a mission a couple years later. Before he joined our church he was about to start his own church because he didn't agree with the doctrines he was learning in other churches. Then he met the missionaries and the rest is history. So with him and the new things we are applying from zone conference this area is going to fly...and its going to fly high! With faith in Jesus Christ. Also i know that i have so much to improve on....i just want to do my best for the Lord....and you would think that i got it figured out by now since I've been out a year....but i need help. i know i need to relax more and let the Lord take control. I am learning alot and i am learning that i have alot to learn. What have i done with Christs name? The gospel of Jesus Christ is restored to the earth!
Love, sister Flake

Monday, June 15, 2009

June 15, 2009 Emal

Hola mi familia!
Thanks to all who supported me in the form of an email this week. It is much appreciated. Sorry bout your experience in Wyoming boys. Glad that your scriptures were safe Dawson. Sorry Justin that your PMG was stolen....priceless i know. But you're all still alive and you still have the gospel. :) Well I'm about to be an aunt and that is exciting. Please tell her hello and give her a kiss for me.
So just a quick update....I'm still a missionary..... We work hard.... We teach and testify often.... Its great! So Jason was baptized. It was marvelous. Remember Dan? Well we had to hand him over to the elders cuz hes actually in their area but he chose July 18th to be baptized. He already has the gospel glow! We are working on some new ideas for getting referrals from members. Any ideas? Begging doesn't work. haha! just kidding!
well today the Sippels are taking Katie, Sister Stevens, and i mini golfing. Wont that be fun?
Well this week I am very grateful for the priesthood. We were going through a bit of a stressful time and were able to receive blessings from Brother Sippel. It helped me feel peace and be reassured of the love and plan that God has for me. And brother Sippel respects and honours his priesthood. Before he gave us our blessings he went and shaved and got on his suit. What an example of respect that we should have for the power and authority to act in Gods name. I will always remember that.
Missionary work is kind of like a pineapple:) Mostly sweet and delicious but a little bit hard in the middle. I'm grateful for the hard parts though. I know its growing me as a person. And I'm grateful to be able to suffer a bit.
"If it so be that we suffer with Him, For i reckon that the suffering at this present time is not worthy to be compared to the glory which shall be revealed in us." Romans 8.
The church is true!
Love, sister flake



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Monday, June 8, 2009

June 8, 2009 Email

HI!
What an exciting week! Well first of all today sister Stevens and i got pedicures from a lady in our ward! Wow. What a sweet women trying to share her talents to help the Lords work go forth! and guess what? a women she works with heard her say my name and told her that i called her a few weeks before out of the blue.....when she told me the woman's name i realized that it was this women that we called because we thought we found her cat that we saw on a poster......and it wasn't her cat but i then continued to talk to her and taught the first lesson over the phone....so we are going to try to meet up now to teach her again.... did that make sense? Anyway....the Lord works in mysterious ways. Well guess what? while we were doing surveys and contacting people at the park we received a bit of persecution. Its fun to talk about now...but while it was happening it was not that cool. So this one guy i was talking to i could tell was not interested but just wanted to share his opinion....so i said goodbye and then he walked away and came back later and walked back and forth in front of our survey table singing very loudly this awful Satanic song as he was listening to his earphones. Of course people were wondering whats going on and i was trying to bear my testimony to this other guy who was basically crying as he was explaining his desire to have God in his life.... and i just felt the most terrible feeling.....and i was praying in my heart that he would leave......and he finally left after coming up and interrupting our conversation saying" don't take this personally. i just thought it was the perfect song for the occasion." yikes! evil. and then a couple of other guys said some terrible things about the church.....so anyway....... Satan was trying to get us down because of what was going to happen later that night...... We met 6 Jamaicans who are living in a house together saving up money to send back to their families in Jamaica. Bro. Calvert came with us to the appointment and it was the most spiritual experience of my whole mission. We taught the restoration and the spirit was thick. They are so humble and sincere and by the end of the lesson they couldn't wait to get their hands on a copy of the Book of Mormon. Please pray for them....The Lord wants them.
Also earlier this week we were walking down the street and started talking to a young guy and asked him the purpose of life...he looked at us inquisitively and said that was actually what he was thinking all morning as his close friend died two days earlier.....we walked to the library to talk more..... we taught about God......he didn't know He existed....... until the spirit overwhelmed him as we told him the love that God has for him and that he lived with Him before he came here. Tears streamed down his face.....and mine...... and he then told us he had been walking since early that morning and was feeling so heavy.....and he then said "now i feel so light." Now Gunnar knows God.
I cant express the love and gratitude i feel for my Father in Heaven. There is no greater feeling then knowing that you have been an instrument in His hands. My relationship with Him is real.... and is everything to me. This is His gospel...it is true, no power can stop His work! I love my Savior and Redeemer. He lives and His atonement is real.. its real for me, its real for you..and its real for your neighbor down the street who does not know about it. Go tell them. Love you all! Love, sister Flake

Monday, June 1, 2009

June 1, 2009 Email New Companion

Hello my dearest people that I love! What a week! First of all, my dear sister Wong has been transferred to Richmond (which is 80% Chinese) to speak mandarin. And yes I did cry when she left. Wow I really love her. Saying goodbye at the airport was difficult. So now I have a brand new missionary companion, Sister Stevens from Tremonton, Utah, fresh from the MTC. She’s teaching me a lot. She is a twin and the youngest of ten children. She is really athletic so that’s nice, and a very hard worker. She really catches on quick. It’s been great so far! We work and forget to eat and drink, and wear sunscreen.....i love that! But we both are pretty burnt from four hours of contacting at the park. But the Lord blessed us with lots of potential investigators.....
Oh yeah! on Monday sister Wong and I finally were able to commit Jason to baptism....I’m not sure if i even told you about him...missionaries have been teaching him for 6 months, and he was really stubborn, his wife is a member but has not been active, they have a cute little daughter named Kaylee... We have been meeting there almost every Monday night....two months ago we told him we couldn’t come over anymore until he went to church, we have always invited him but he never made the effort, so we had to be bold. We were not sure if he would do it.....but he did! and he’s been going ever since....and now he will be baptized on the 13th! Whoo hoo! As he started really trying hard to come to a conclusion about the book of Mormon his life began to change! It saved their marriage and even people at work have made comments to him that he seems different! The gospel really does change lives! Please pray for their family that all will go well till the baptism....Satan likes to stop people whatever way he can.
Keith received the holy ghost at church yesterday :) we also recommitted Tiffany for baptism on the 4th of July (it’s not a holiday here).. So things are going very well here. Oh and something kind of crazy. Katie’s dad kicked her out of the house because of the whole Mormon thing.....so she is living down stairs here at the Sippels house.....so she has joined us for dinner appointment and running in the morning....it’s kind of crazy.... its only temporary til she can find another place. But its fun getting to know her more. and the ward has really reached out to her here. The Sippels are so nice to let her live here. So lots going on here! But i love it! Thanks,

Love, sister flake

Dearest Sister Flake,
I just want you to know how much I love you and miss you! I shall write you soon. I came to realize you did teach me a lot since I am no longer with you. You better write me soon too...lol I miss laughing with you. Hope all is well with you and Sister Stevens.
Love, Sister Wong