02/03/17

This week was AMAZING! We saw so many wonderful miracles. Like actual MIRACLES, not just great blessings, but miracles.

Tuesday, we had an amazing experience early in the afternoon with a YOU man that we are teaching. He used to be atheist, but he has had some recent experiences with prayer and with God that he cannot deny. Some of his experiences were similar to Joseph Smiths, so we told him about Joseph Smith and he is beginning to believe. The member we brought has had an incredibly hard past with using HARD drugs. But he is coming back! And he shared such a sweet and sure experience about he knew that God lived and that Jesus was the Christ and that Joseph Smith is a prophet. Then, we headed up early to the Mountains, so that we could avoid the icy road conditions. We would get up there around 6, so we thought about and prayed about a companionship that Elder B and I could go on exchanges with. We narrowed it down to two companionships: a companionship that was on a reservation in a place called Cibeque (about an hour South of Show Low) and a companionship on the North side of Snowflake (they live in the massive castle of a house right below the temple with the B family... like feet away from the temple itself if you remember that house... its huge). Anyways, we called President Robinson about it and also to talk over some other mission matters because he is always EXCEEDINGLY inspired, and he told us to go proselyte with the Snowflake elders. So we went to snowflake! And this is where another miracle kicks in! We got to Snowflake and Elder B and M and Brother K went together, and I went with Elder Fr, a newer missionary, to a young man's house. He is going through a little trouble in his marriage, and was really struggling. But early this morning, he felt that he should reach out to those Mormon missionaries that he had been avoiding. So, he texted Elder Fr and M just as we were deciding to go and spend the evening with them. Coincidence? We got to his house, and started talking... we connected almost instantly. They had planned to teach the Plan of Salvation, so we started with a prayer and started unfolding the great Plan of Happiness to him. There was a powerful spirit upon us all as we began to discuss the things of God. We talked about our purpose in life. And the joy that is a key part of our purpose here. We told him and testified with all of our hearts that God wanted him to be happy. And that he could and would if he would just follow God! I started crying! That doesn't usually happen these days! But it was powerful. We all felt it. I felt strongly to invite him to be baptized. So that is what I did! He agreed with all is heart and new that it was right and that our message was true. I felt bad, because I kind of took over the lesson... but I felt personally responsible to be a messenger of God's love and care to that man at that time. He is getting baptized soon. And that was the only thing I did while I was there. Taught him, and then left to Show Low for my exchanges with the Zone Leaders. It is amazing how God will often send us at great lengths for just one of His children. It is all about the one. Hopefully, we fired those Snowflake missionaries up! That is the first person that they've had with a baptismal date in over 6 months.

Exchanges were Phenomenal and Powerful Spiritual Experiences... that I don't have time to wright about at this point...

We got back from the White Mountains Friday Afternoon, Reported to President Robinson on our exchanges, and then headed to a dinner we had with some of our recent converts that just got baptized. About halfway through dinner, one of their friends showed up... not a Mormon one... and so we got to talking to her, and of course shared with her the message of the restoration and the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith and the Whole Package! It was epic! She had no idea what was coming when she showed up for dinner. It was a powerful lesson. The spirit was there as we recounted Joseph Smith's first vision, and bore witness of his experience and of Christ's church being reestablished on the earth. We told her that she didn't have to and couldn't just believe our words. We told her to part all the bad that she has heard about the church as well as all the good and just read the Book of Mormon and take the matter to God through prayer. It was pretty amazing to also see the recent converts give their witnesses that our message was true, even when we taught the same thing t them a few months prior. This is God's work. The nonmember friend was pretty shaken up... she felt it. And I think that it rather terrified her that what we had told her was true. She was convinced. Now she must act or turn against the spirit which she has felt. From their we went to our brother W, the fellow that I told you last week that we coincidentally met when we were trying to meet with the Chinese golfer guy, and he was going to get his apples and bananas from his car. Yeah him. It. Was. AMAZING. We again shared the message of the restoration and he was even more prepared than the girl we met with at dinner. He listened so intently to every word that came out of our mouths. He was so focused and so feeling it, that he would just smile and talk about how he knew that what we were saying was true. He was feeling it so much that as soon as we said the first couple words of the first vision. He said "STOP! Does anyone else feel that? Wow! Do you guys feel that?!? I've got goosebumps like ALL OVER!" We told him to just wait until we told him the next part... we proceeded and he just started crying uncontrollably. We asked him what he thought and how he was feeling, and he said that he knew it was true. He THAT it was true. So, we told him briefly about the Book of Mormon and invited him to be baptized and he's getting baptized latter this month. It was wild. I wish that you could just feel the power of the spirit and the energy and the feelings of the purest most powerful joy! That is why I am being SO PERSISTENT AND ADAMANT about you all doing a little bit missionary work. No price is to much to pay for the joy and the spirit that I promise you that you will feel. It is unparalleled. 

This is W, he came to church for the first time yesterday... and Bare HIS TESTIMONY! It was so solid! (He is also a Two-time All American 400 hurdler, plays college football)

All these wonderful experiences will never be forgotten, and there are so many more that I can't even begin to tell you about, but the most touching experience that I had this week happened Saturday night down in Tempe. We had planned hay day to go by some members and ask them who they knew that were YSA Aged individuals. And we planned to go by and ask this specific person. We had also texted President Rice, the Elders Quorum President, to see if here was anyone that had been on his mind, that he wanted us to see and strengthen. He just "happened" to say the exact same person that we had already planned to go by. Coincidence? We then made special arrangements to insure that we saw him that night. And see him we did. He answered the door, and we had a nice little chat. He was a return missionary of a couple of years from Argentina, and he was at the point where he did not necessarily believe in a God. He said that you couldn't know... no body really knew... it's impossible he would say. I told him that he did know. He restated that he didn't. We asked to come in. We saw his place... and all the drugs and alcohol and the bong sitting on the table. He had a 3 D printer. We again approached the subject of his mission. He rejected the thought of any feelings that he ever had about the church being true. We then waxed bold, and bore powerful testimony of what we had come to know was true. We told him how great things the Lord had in store for him if he would just be faithful. We invited him to church. We had a prayer, and then we left him standing there speechless. On Sunday, I didn't feel that I adequately told him and expressed what I knew to be true. So, Yesterday, I stood up in fast and testimony and proclaimed the things that I did know. And I said that I prayed that our friend could hear me from wherever he was. There are many things in the Gospel that I still only believe, but there are certain things that I know for certain. I know that we have a loving and perfect Father in Heaven. I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God. I know that He died for us, with no other motive than that of Pure and Powerful Love. I know that Joseph Smith saw what he said he saw, and that the church of Jesus Christ was, indeed restored to the earth. The Book of Mormon contains pure and untainted truth. You can strengthen your relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ through that book over any other book in which I know. These things I know. And I will always defend that assertion. God lives. I just know it. 

I love you. I pray for you all daily. You are being watched over and cared for. I am sure. Try to see how. Look for God's hand in your life every day.

Elder Flake

Dearest  Family,    1/30/17



 All those trips sound so great! We have not had to
worry about ANY snow. It has been warm and sunny all winter! Yeah, all
the money and stuff really isn't all that great. We are around a lot
of really REALLY wealthy people, and Jesus had it right when he talked
about how it is easier for a camel to go through an eye of a needle
than a wealthy person set on their reputation, wealth, and possessions
can enter the kingdom of God. It is such a hollow and shallow life. A
mí no me gusta.

And I am doing so great! We are having such miracles and spiritual
experiences every day to the point where we feel so unworthy and
almost guilty for them. Our Father in Heaven is so very kind. I have
not been transferred yet. Still here. Going on a year in this area.
That is almost unheard of. It doesn't really happen, but there were
some big changes this transfer that President Robinson wanted to keep
me around for: 1) big changes in the missionary schedule for
missionaries all over the world and 2) a change in the key indicators
that we analyze and collect from all the missionaries. There was a big
world wide missionary broadcast where a couple members of the 12 and
the missionary department talked to us about the importance of
Teaching Repentance and Baptizing Converts. With the new schedule that
they presented there they have put A LOT of trust and power into the
hands of the missionaries. They gave us a lot of freedom. And that can
be amazing and liberating for some, and detrimental to others. I
should be leaving this next transfer though!

Yesterday, after teaching a Spanish family of around 12 non members
and 1 recent convert, we were going to teach a lesson to this
professional golfer and his mother who temporarily came from mainland
China to compete in a big golf tournament up here in Scottsdale. We
are teaching the professional golfer, but the mom is not a YSA so we
brought the sister missionaries that covered the Family Ward that she
lived in. They were late, so we waited. We snuck past the guards and
the gate and then found that they were not home. They are usually
ALWAYS home! They don't have a car and they don't speak English! But
they weren't home. Then, for some reason, we decided to stand outside
their house and talk to the sisters for a couple minutes... we usually
don't do that, because we have places to be and people to see! But we
did. And then as we were walking out there was a man that we ran into.
Our paths crossed for a split second, and we were there. We began to
talk with him. He played college football, he is from Ohio, and all
the other good stuff. We told him that we were his missionaries and
that God loved us and so we now had a living and loving prophet on the
earth today, he was stunned... before we even asked for any of his
information or anything, he asked if he could like follow us online or
something... he was so prepared and SO INTERESTED! We are teaching him
this week. It was pretty neat. It is so cool to see how the Lord just
makes thing happen that need to happen. He timed everything just
PERFECTLY. Sisters were late, our investigators weren't home, we
talked to the sisters before walking back. And the only reason that
the man we met ran into us was because he "coincidentally" forgot his
apples and bananas in the car and something just happened to remind
him to get up and go get them at the precise moment that we were
passing by. Miracles. I have so many other miraculous stories to tell
you! Just know that God is real and He is preparing people everywhere
to listen to and accept the wonderful message of hope that we have
received in our own lives. And I promise that he is preparing people
in Boise to listen to the missionaries in the Flake home! Have faith!
Believe that He really is! It will happen. And when it does, you will
have such an incredible feeling of joy and happiness. Trust me on this
one. There is rarely a more powerful manner to feel the  spirit than
in the spirit of missionary work.

All is well. I love you all. See you soon.

Elder Flake

Good day family!

Well, I have been blessed with quite a few fantastic experiences
lately. Here are some things! We have had an amazing week where we
taught the Restoration A LOT! It is such a powerful message! Have you
been able to have someone in our home yet? I highly suggest reading:
"the power of an Everyday missionary." It will give you A LOT OF GOOD
INSIGHT on how to start. I'm praying for ya'll! Let me know your
experiences!

This is all the missionaries in our mission with Elder Oaks! It was an amazing experience to be around an apostle of the Lord. He is a man of a God. He talked about how every member is supposed to be a missionary, but also that every missionary is also a member. And as such, we need and have to take the sacrament and repent just like everyone else does. In response to a question, He said that the best way that we can more completely focus on our missionary purpose is by partaking of the sacrament with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. It wasn't open Your Mouth or work hard or be obedient or pray for the spirit more or everything else I imagined that he would say... all those are important, but he said partake of the Sacrament. We all shook his hand, and He talked about how he interviewed each of us individually when he shook our hands and looked into our eyes. That's pretty intimidating... but he said that because of what he saw and the maturity that he knew we had, he said that he could talk about some things that otherwise he wouldn't be able to talk about. Most of that consisted of letting all the missionaries ask questions. He was asked about the most misunderstood thing about our Heavenly Father, and he said that it was the notion that He was distant, and that in reality He was not distant at all.

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This was pretty cool too.  I got to sit right next to Elder Oaks on the stand. He would put his hand on my shoulder and ask me all sorts of questions throughout the meeting.  We were singing in the picture. He was a really good man. I could just feel of his sweetness and his closeness with the Savior. It was a choice experience.

1/16/17

Family!

Snow! Floods! Wow. Things are getting pretty crazy over there in Idaho. All we have over here is sunny-warm days with beautiful sunsets in the evening. I will be home at the beginning of June. I am not sure the exact date yet. I think that it would be awesome to come back and visit... and, yes, the winter would definitely be ideal! June will be very warm... Wow, that is intense that Katelyn has bones growing in her muscles! That is how you get rock hard muscles! I am glad she is doing the pageant, because she most definitely is a distinguished young woman. I am excited to see how ALL OF YOU have changed. I hope that you might be able to recognize a few changes in myself as well. 

These last couple of days have been epic. On Friday morning, we were doing our calls with all the Zone Leaders in the mission that we do every week, and President Robinson wanted to join us for this once. I was messing with a head set thing that I was trying to use to do my call Ins with, so that I could write things down and use my hands to look up statistics and all that good stuff. President Robinson had to step out for a moment to take a call from Salt Lake. And I still couldn't figure out the headset thingy, so I was pressing random buttons, when I heard President Robinson's voice on the phone and Elder Lynn G. Robbins secretary was on the line, and I listened for a split second and heard that Elder Oaks was coming to our mission this Saturday! He is coming and going to visit just with our mission. It is going to be AWESOME! We have really been preparing for this and thinking of questions suitable to ask an apostle of the Lord. What type of questions would you ask an apostle? 

A man named Kurt is getting baptized this next Saturday. He is a very successful man. He was a major partner in a big wine business. And he is joining the church. And so he gave up his wine business. Just walked away. He has a lot of faith and trust in the Lord.

Have a wonderful week! I love you all!

Elder Flake

How has the plans been coming of having someone taught the gospel in our home? Let me know! I've been praying my guts out for you