Rebecca's First Week in the MTC

Hello Family! 

Man, I am so excited to write to everyone! Ok, so this week has been super hard and crazy awesome... So I will try and organize all my thoughts and maybe send pictures if time allows.

Ok, so the food here is amazing actually. They have this one fruit that is kinda like a mix between a peach and a nectarine. Its pretty awesome. I eat a ton of amazing fruit, and then they serve steak all the time! The only gross thing is cow tongue.. its just a little weird. Ha I cant get over the fact that its a tongue. 

The temple is under construction and so things arent so pretty right now. Its ok though, the weather is gorgeous, and we get to go outside for and hour everyday to play futbol or basketball with the latinos. Its like playing the provedincia branch all over again. 

I love the Latinos! We got 2 new latina roommates this week, and it has been so fun! They are so patient with our language skills. They are so humble, and I feel like a horrible person around them all the time because they come from such humbling sercumstances. One hermana said that she couldn´t afford pictures of her family when I asked for them. Wow. They are so helpful with the language though. They always ask us what we learned in class. Um, we always learn a TON in class by the way. I know more spanish now then when I studied in high school and it has been one week. I kinda feel like I am in school again acutally. The latinos always pray for us to learn faster. They say that we are needed. They always talk about how much the people need our message. They say that they will do anything to help us. 

The teachers are amazing! My Hermana teacher reminds me soooo much of crycry. yep. I told her too. She is just so sweet and silly. We see the President and his wife everyday. They are americans. They work so much with us. They are proud of me bc I can understand a ton of spanish.... my speaking is lacking though.

My companionera is Hermana Toki from Utah. She flew in on the plane with me. I love her! She is tongan, and we get along so well. her and I are 2 of the 4 american sisters here, and there are only 5 latinas. This mtc is teeny. The only americans here are the ones going to uruguay. I am so lucky to be here. My district is all really close because we are the only ones that speak only english hahaha

I am so blessed to be here. words cannot describe the rollercoaster of emotions and trials that happen in just one week. Mom, thanks so so much for all your help gettin me ready. Daddy, you are amazing, and I admire you so much. Presedente reminds me of you everyday. I love my siblings so so much. 

I love you so much family! Please read your scriptures and do what is right ;) Next week I will try to get used to this weird keyboard.

love, Rebecca

October news. Jason a D.L. and Trainer

Hey family! How's it going? Things are going great down here in Snowflake! The weather is starting to get cold. We will be getting a truck for transfers on Wednesday! At least that's the plan. Speaking of transfers, we got news on Saturday. Sadly Elder Jones will be leaving but I know he will love Mesa. We worked hard together and I know he will have a good time in the warm weather down there! I don't know who my new companion is. Right now he is still at the MTC. That is a crazy thought. I go down to the valley to pick him up. My ward mission leader was wanting to pull a prank on him. He wants us to tract on his door and then chase us with an axe! That would be exciting. Last PDay I visited the Stinson museum. That was the adobe home that William Jordan Flake bought along with the ranch. It was really cool. I went with Noah Flake who is leaving on his mission tomorrow. In one of these pictures I'm wearing William J. Flake's hat! I love visiting these sites and knowing that this is where my ancestors have been. Noah also took me by a road called Flake Avenue. There are tons of Flakes that subdivided the family ranch and settled there. That's what we should do with our plot of land! It sounded like you had a blast at the Fall Festival up there. Of course you pull out the banjo's when I leave! haha. We had a fun Halloween party with the ward down here. We had a trunk or treat and everyone came and parked their cars and decorated them. We only had bikes so we decorated those and passed out candy and Mormon.org cards! It was a lot of fun. This week will be a hectic week but I'm excited to go to work. There are so many people whose lives are changing as they do those simple things like come to church and pray. It has been amazing to see. I miss you guys but I'm loving it here right now. I hope you have a great Halloween today and don't eat to much candy! Unless it's a Snicker. 




Love, Elder Flake

This is James Madison Flake's grave site. He is Elder Flake's Great Great Great Grandfather. He settled Snowflake with William Jordan Flake. Elder Flake visited this site in Snowflake.

Hermana Flake's Arrival in Argentina

Hello Family!

I cant even say how excited I am to write to you! Wow, it has been a trip, but I am here. This email will be short, but I promise to write in more detail next week. They told me that it is best if yall think of questions to ask me and I will answer them when I have more time.

So Argentina is beautiful. I came here with 6 other elders and 1 sister. When we were about to board, a sister lost her visa! I had to help her search everywhere, and then we said a prayer. We felt like we should still get on the plane and trust that something would work out. When we were in the air, a worker came back and gave her her visa! she said that someone found it! Wow. When we flew into Argentina (after the longest 11 hours of my liiiiiiife) We were thrown into the customs and I descovered that I was the only missionary that spoke any spanish. Wow... That was an adventure. I changed everyones money and got us hooked up with our driver. I really wish that I did Rosetta Stone a little more now... I think I understood 5 percent of what was going on, but we made it here to the MTC.The airport here was scary. I had all of the money for our group and the driver kept telling me in spanish that outside was so dangerous so I had to stay close to him. Yep. I listened. There is only a few rooms. I am guessing this place holds only 40 missionaries from what I have seen. The rest of them already speak spanish...and nothing else haha.

Now that I am here, I am so glad that I packed smart. I have 5 more minutes to write and then I have interviews.

Ok, so I ate lunch here... it was super dross. Haha I am excited to force myself to eat a ton of meat and rice every day. I love the pudding though.

Familia, I love you all so much. I know that Heavenly Father sent me here for a reason. I guess I have another 18 months here to figure it all out.

The teachers dont speak much english, and so I am sure that I will learn spanish so fast! I am so excited! I gave out 4 pass along cards on the way down. One person said that they were going to look up my blog, so Momma, please keep it updated. I love you so much Mom, and I guess the rest of you too. Thank you for your prayers. Oh, and make sure that you all do family scripture study!

I love this gospel. It is so perfect and peaceful and true. That is why I know I can make it through this stressful time.

Hermana Flake