Jason's Letter July 9, 2012

Hello Dad.

We received transfer news and I will be sticking it out. I will be receiving a new companion but I am not sure who. They are going to tell us soon. Right now I have two companions. Elder Hill and Elder Bingham. Elder Bingham is from Mesa and was sent home from the MTC for medical reasons. He is a great guy. We don't really give many trainings but I have always been a fan of the fun approach. I want to beat a pinata with the zone if we reach our goal. I also have a training I want to do that involves hitting someone with a pool noodle. It takes some explaining but it is a great analogy. So I am for sure taking the fun approach. Its still me! Don't worry.

I see to many missionaries that are way to uptight. Some missionaries know the white handbook more than they know their companions and their investigators and it kills me! There has to be personality in missionary work. The best member missionaries have personality. I've learned that from you.

I'm excited and looking forward to this next transfer. I really want to focus on the youth and the singles ward. I've started going to all the quorums. Last week we went to the Deacons, teachers, and priests individually and got them excited about missionary work and had them all pull out their phones and put our number in it so they could text us when their friends start coming to church.

I love trying new things in missionary work. Missionary work needs to be alive! It needs to be full of personality and enthusiasm! I love this work so much and I don't ever want it to end. Our high councilor over missionary work told us that after his mission he kept having dreams that he got his mission call again. He continued to have these dreams even after he was married. He then told us that things will never be like the mission. I hope that isn't true because I don't ever want to stop. Does it get better? I sure hope it does.

Have you lit up the bonfire yet? Who made this one? How many animals do we have now? Well I need to go but thank you for the email and I hope things cool down for you!

Love, Elder Flake

Rebecca's Letter July 9, 2012

Family,

Well, I am excited that you are all going to visit the promised land and get to see all the family. Give Grandma a big hug for me. Tell her I love her so much. How is she doing health-wise? I am worried a little about her. I am happy that she is coming back to Tennessee. We all know that she just loves it. Where is she going to live?

Well, this week went by so fast. I gave a talk in Sacrament meeting, and I realized how comfortable I am with this ward and this area here in Tacuarembó. Well, we all know that means that I am probably getting transferred this week. I guess we will all find out next week!

We had such a great week with lessons. We were running the entire time! It just seems like all these little families that we are teaching just are taking all of our attention! Liliana and Fernando are so happy that their son is getting baptized. He is cutting his hair because it used to be long and pink... haha He has changed so much when he started to come to church. He is getting baptized this weekend. Miguel is marked to be baptized the 28th of this month, although I will be so so sad if I miss it, I also know that seeing him change was enough. He is such a wonderful man.

Our mission president is really amazing. I love reading his insights and emails to the mission every week. He is really focusing on how we act as missionaries right now. I know its so true that we really have to watch everything we do and say, becuase we are representatives of something so much greater then ourselves right now.

We had a crazy contact the other day. This old man started yelling at us about how he could feel in his feet that we were saying the truth. he said that there is a current in the air and that it flows into his heart... Yeah, it was super crazy. My companion and I were dying trying not to laugh because we were trying to teach his son, but the man kept inturrupting trying to teach us about how to pick up on this current. Yeah, he got mad saying that we dont know the bible, and started screaming. So I said, yes we believe in the bible and read it everyday. He then asked me where the scripture is about by their fruits you shall know them is, and I told him the exact reference, and he started crying! It was weird. He was just like, Good job, you know the bible! I love Uruguay and their crazy old people. I am just tired of them calling me blondie haha.

Well, I better go. I took off my gloves to type and Im am losing feeling in my fingers!
I love you Crystal! I hope that your bday goes perfect. I miss you!
I love you all!
Rebecca

Rebecca's Letter July 2, 2012

Hello Family!

How are you all doing! So this letter might be hard to write, because the elders just came in the Cyber and they are talking really loud spanish, because they know that I cant think in English when people are talking in Spanish. Yeah, they are funny. So they dont have the saying, Its raining cats and dogs in Spanish... because I tried to use it today and it didnt go so well haha. But for sure it has been raining a TON. The night before last we were walking up this hill and it started to rain just a little bit. So, we started to walk faster, and then it started POURING like a river! we couldnt walk up the hill quickly because it was like hiking a creek! Hahaha It was super funny! We were both screaming and laughing so hard! Our bikes dont have spoilers... and so when it rains we end our bike rides with mud up our backs! Haha I am having so much fun! I have really just given up on looking and smelling nice... Dont worry, Im not disgusting, I think I have just become so Uruguayan!

This week was amazing. We really pushed through some strange obstacles like divisions with the hermanas in the other Zone, and then we both got really bad coughs. We decided it was because our house was covered with mold... haha and so we attacked it today. We really clean everyday, but mold can grow in something here overnight. It doesnt help that nothing is drying becasue it is SO HUMID.

We are teaching 2 new little families. We are hoping that they will pull through. The husband of one of these families said the other day, "Of course I will pray about the Book of Mormon! I want to feel this peace and happiness that you are talking about!" He is going to progress quickly! I can just tell when certain people are the "work in progress type" and when they are "searching with hunger" type. They are both fun to teach, but their is really a huge difference.

Well, I have huge news... MIGUEL IS GETTING BAPTIZED!!! Yep, he finally accepted a day, in a very very round about way. I asked him to pray about a list of days, and he accepted, well it turns out that July 28th is the birthday of his son that passed away. Well, then we went back and he said that he was praying about it and that that day was the most probable. I knew that he wasnt going to up and say that this day was THE DAY. haha and so I asked him in a round about way... Super awkward like... I said "So... if you were to be baptised this day.. who would you want to baptize you?" He told me the bishop, because he is strong and Miguel is huge and also because they are friends. Then I said, "well is it ok if we tell Bishop that you are getting baptized that day so he can get ready?" Haha he said YES! Perfect! Now I just have to stay another transfer to be able to see it, because transfers are in 2 weeks already! Time has just flown by this cambio!

Well, have I told yall lately how much I love this work? Well, I do. It is the most exausting and yet fulfilling thing I have ever done in my life! I am so excited to start everyday, and to read and study for the people here in my part of the Lords vineyard! I am almost finished with the Book of Mormon in Spanish. I have learned so much going this slowly. I just love it so so much.

Well, I think that is all I have for this week! I loved the pictures so much Crycry. I am printing them off! 

I love you all so much!

Besos, 

Rebecca

Jason's Letter June 11, 2012

Hey family. Things are going great in my new area. We had a baptism last Saturday and two more that are coming up. I am in the Mountain View Stake in Mesa. We cover the Crosspoint, Greenfield, Montecito, Val Vista, and Mountain View YSA wards. I'm having a difficult time remembering all the Bishops and where the wards meet and things but I will get the swing of it. My companion is from Meridian Idaho. After this transfer he has one left! We have no idea what will happen this upcoming transfer. President  might keep him here another which would mean he would spend a total of 9 months here or President might transfer him somewhere else for his last transfer. Its crazy how the time flies, none of my companions have gone home yet. That will change here very quickly. My trainer Elder Poulsen goes home the transfer after this one as well. I'm starting to feel very old.

My current companion Elder Hill and I do play some basketball. We have started playing basketball every pday with the young men. We also have been playing tennis in the morning. Tennis is actually a lot of fun! Don't worry, I haven't gotten into soccer yet. 

I am excited about the floating docks. You will have to send me pictures. I'm excited about the cows also. So where is Grandma moving to? Is she moving next to us? 

Tell Spencer that I am already in the Avatar state! 

Thank you so much for your letter and the package. I'm glad that you have one to match. We'll have to get another one for 2013!

Love ya! Elder Flake 

Jason's 11-21-2011 Letter

Hello!
We have a pretty full day planned on Thanksgiving. Ted Turley is feeding us. He knew grandpa. Then our ward mission leader wants to feed us right after that. We will be fat and happy. So they are having a mini family reunion in Utah? sounds fun!
There is a story that I don't think I ever shared. The other week we were down in the valley for a meeting. That night I stayed with some missionaries in Phoenix. Elder Appiah-Knudsen and Elder Fuiava. Elder AK is from Ghana and Elder Fuiava is from Samoa. They were both really funny. Elder AK had a baptismal interview so Elder Fuiava and I headed out to contact some people. He had only been out for a transfer. I drove him to this one lady who they were teaching. As we talked she found out that I was from Snowflake.

I look for promptings every day. That is how you find miracles. I will most likely be staying up in Snowflake until January 25th. Most trainers stay with their companions for 12 weeks now because we have a two hour study program that we do now. I'm excited about staying here for the Holidays.
I actually am playing basketball on Thanksgiving early in the morning. Hopefully I can burn off all the calories I will gain during the day! Thank you for all that you do. I hope thanksgiving goes well. Enjoy all the leftovers now that I'm not there! Let me know how your thanksgiving goes!
Love Elder Flake

Rebecca's 11-17-2011 Letter (Very Funny)

¡Hola! ¿Que tal?

I hope everyone is doing so wonderful! As always I dont have much time and so I am going to try and write fast. 

Thanks so much to everyone that wrote me! I got a wonderful letter from Sarah and Momma! Thanks so much! I am going to be able to write everyone back today hopefully.

About the Christmas package, I really would love some more pictures of the property and the treehouse and family! I miss Tennessee´s beautiful fall leaves! Summer just got started here and its pretty hot! 

So... I want to talk about last Saturday's adventure into Buenos Aires! So we were out doing our proselitismo and as usual, it was hot. Well, Hermana Toki and I were walking down the streets in a daze because it was sooo hot, and then suddenly this bee the size of a computer mouse basically, flew at us and chased us down the street! I tried so hard not to make a scene, but it was a monster, and I was so afraid that I was going to die... Hahaha anyways I don't know why I was so excited to tell that story... oh, after we ran a block or so with this beast thing chasing us, we actually met a woman who was really interested in the family aspect of the church. So blessings did follow that trial!

Something really strange happened that day. A man that we were teaching about the plan of salvation suddenly asked if we had any information about a boy seeing a vision. He said that he knew it was a random question, but he said that he had a dream that two norte americanas (one was a girl with red hair) came and told him about a boy who saw God. Wow. My companion and I didn't know what to say. We changed our contact to the first vision, and talked to him for almost an hour (because he was a security gaurd and we could teach him outside at a little station... they don't have stop signs here, its all run by guards). Well, anyways, we gave him a book of mormon, and told him to come to church. We are giving his info to the other missionaries who actually have that area. But that experience was super crazy. The only bad thing is we had to spend a good half hour talking about how come he wasn't a prophet. He was convinced that his dream about us was a vision... hahaha sorry to burst your bubble buddy.

Ah! Elder Christofferson came! It was so incredible. He recognized me, and so did his wife. He remembered our family and he said you made it here alive! Haha he also gave me a box of Alfajores to distribute to all the other missionaries. He is super nice. His message was about the importance of the Bom in our studies and in the conversion of investigators. It really is the keystone of our religion. Its pure truths cannot be denied. He said we need to study it everyday, and so that we have power when we testify of it.

I am so excited that I will have investigators to write about in a month. Yep. Super ready for that! The month mark for me being here is on sunday. Wow, time has flown by. Spanish is still super hard. We are now in the stage where our teachers just speak spanish, and they dont respond to us when we use english. Yeah, its frustrating sometimes, especially because I love to talk haha I am a toooon quieter now. (Hard to believe huh fam?)

So I want to tell you a few funny Spanish mistakes that we have made:

1. Can we come back Apple? (supposed to say tomorrow)

2. You can be forgiven of all your fish. (sins) haha this one was me!

3. Do you want to drink with your family forever? (live)

4. The Father has a body of steak and eggs. (flesh and bones)

5. They were all prophets in China. (ancient times)

6. No one is in the sock. ( in the middle of our relationship with God)

7. Can we come back naked? (later...hahaha)

Some of these were said to real investigatores on the street contacts we do. Thankfully I haven't had too embarrassing of ones out there yet! (knock on wood!)

 Please keep up on family scripture study! You should be in Helaman now huh??I love yall!!

Becca

Jason's 11-14-2011 Letter

That's cool you met Barry and Vernell. There are so many Flakes like that down here. I plan on giving that picture to Dean today. I was sure to save the other ones. My ward mission leaders wife's grandma is Dixie Flake who was in several of those pictures. Crazy! I will probably also need new shoes. Size 13 if you can please. What do you want for Christmas? You never told me! My comp is great. We have been working hard. There are so many great people in Snowflake. We played basketball this morning at five. That was a lot of fun. I have been asking a lot of people if they have any pictures or stories from Grandpa. I meet this one guy name Ray Flake. Except he spelled it different. I will be sure to send some of those home.
It didn't snow a lot. I enjoy having the truck though. tomorrow I'm going down to the valley again for a meeting. It feels like I just came back from one! We had stake conference this weekend and I loved it. Elder Lasweer of the seventy came and he told us a story of a Navajo man and a doctor. There was a Navajo man who was sick and went to the doctor. The doctor said he would help him if he taught him how to dance. The Navajo said, "I will teach you to dance, but I can't teach you to hear the music."
He explained that is how many of our members are today. They do the dance but they don't hear the music. The dance is coming to church, reading scriptures, FHE etc. The music is the Spirit. That is what I was doing before my mission. I was doing the dance but I wasn't listening to the music. The music is on full blast now and I don't plan on turning it down.
My relationship with God has grown so much on my mission. I would not trade that relationship with anything.
That is crazy that Josh is on the B-ball team! I told him he should try out! Just stick with it man! You will be a baller by your senior year. Spencer is getting the priesthood soon! I can't believe that. One day our whole family will be able to do baptisms at the temple. That's good to hear Ryan is doing well. I'm not gonna be homesick if you tell me don't worry! What is he doing well with. I heard Paul is going to the Philippines! Crazy! Do you know when he reports?
Just wanted to let you know all is well with Elder Flake in SnowFlake. Thanks for the letter. I love you and hope you have a great week!
Elder Flake