I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane

So my last week at the CCM... haha I cannot hardly remember it to be honest! Things have been so exciting and what not. This Friday we had in field orientation at the Main Campus ALL DAY and it was super fun.

I saw Elder Logan Flake and gave him a nice firm handshake before he almost jumped into my arms in a cousinly hug. It is hard to remember that rule when you see people you know. Two Hermanas in my zone have their younger brothers here and were told that they can't hug each other. All I keep thinking is that if Travis was here with me that rule would be literally impossible to follow and we would both lose blessings for disobedience haha. "I love you Chavy! . . . . AHHHHHH"

Also the food at the main campus is exquisite and now I understand why everyone says you gain weight at the MTC haha at West Campus we have been getting jipped this whole time and we never even knew it! We had Papa John's again but don't worry I only ate 2 slices this time haha.

 

Well the time is here whether I am ready or not! The good news is, I feel ready. The bad news is: in reality there is no bad news. I am so excited. There is no other work that brings me so much happiness. I know that this is the work of God and that I am an important part of it. I know that there are people in Argentina that God has prepared to hear the Gospel through MY mouth, and all I know is that I hope I can do all I can to prepare myself so that I can present this great news in the way that Jesus Christ would want it presented. Being a missionary is the most precious opportunity! There is nothing else I would rather be doing right now- not even the Snowflake 24th Flake rodeo can top it haha. I am so grateful for my experience here at the CCM and I AM READY! Yeahhhh baby who's up for round 2?!?

 

I am never one to like goodbyes. I've said goodbye to one of my teachers already and have to say goodbye to Hno. Vargas tonight which is going to be the hardest. He has been the very best teacher and he just cares so much. We are his last district so we had a testimony meeting/ spiritual lecture from him yesterday and I cried haha. He has been such a support to me. Also I don't know what I'm gonna do without my compañera. We make the best awkward team and have had so many laughs together. All I know is California is lucky to have her. We have so many awkward moments together and they are my favorite. Plus I have gotten so incredibly close to my district. I guess I am going to have to get used to goodbyes though because there are quite a few transfers ahead of me. I find comfort in the knowledge that we can have these relationships forever.

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THE SAFE ARRIVAL OF HERMANA FLAKE IN ARGENTINA, BUENOS AIRES!!!!!

I am writing to inform you of the safe arrival of your daughter in the Argentina Buenos Aires South Mission.  Attached here you will find a photograph of Sister Flake with President and Sister Thurgood.  Her trainer will be Sister Jimenez and they are going to serve in the area of Burzaco in the town of Adrogué



President & Sister Thurgood & Hermana Flake

 

 

 

MTC - Week 5

 

"Guess what?! We got out travel plans in the mail this Friday. We were so excited. My flight leaves at like 11:00 on Monday morning to Atlanta Georgia where we have about a 4 hour layover and then head out to Buenos Aires Argentina around 9 that night. We should arrive around

8 that morning (ARGIE TIME). I am sooooooo excited and a little nervous and sad at the same time! I have absolutely loved the MTC. I can't believe I only have one more week left.

So what happened this week...I think others are starting to realize how weird I really am.  On Monday we had Papa Johns and I was so excited I could hardly wait the entire day. An Elder in my zone named Elder Eliason challenged me to a pizza eating contest and I WON! I am either really proud or really ashamed to admit that I ate 9 slices of Papa Juan's pizza in one sitting... I beat all the Elders except two who had 11 slices. It was marvelous haha and I didn't even throw up.

Basketball has been so much fun lately because I have been playing with the Elders and they all have the same reaction when they find out that I can actually play ball. Also I told everyone in my district about Kemish (my arm hair) because they were begging to hear a secret.\

 

Everyone was so grossed out hahaha the Elders get mad at me when I talk about it. So now rumor has it that Hermana Flake is known for three things: The Hermana that can pound Papa Juan's pizza, the girl that can actually play ball better than most of the Elders, and the weirdo Hermana with a gigantic long hair on her arm named Kemish. What can I say,  I have such a way with reputations.

On Wednesday our district had the opportunity to be hosts for the new missionaries and that was SO fun! Seeing their faces so nervous, overwhelmed and excited almost made me want it to be my first day again. I can hardly even remember what happened that day. All I know is that I wouldn't trade my MTC experience for anything. I have absolutely loved it here. We get to be hosts this week again and I'm so excited. On Thursday a couple of us Hermanas and Elderes we were practicing for our musical number tomorrow in Sacrament Meeting and we walked out of the chapel and saw MTC President Nally talking with another man so we came up and introduced ourselves and it turns out that he was a General Authority! HIs name is Craig Zwick and he is in the 70 presidency. He is the nicest man and he gave us some good tips about Argentina. He says he knows Uncle Jeff too. When he first shook my hand he said "You are from Snowflake Arizona" haha without me even telling him. It was so cool to meet him. He gave a really good talk last conference if you want to look it up.

;) Well I hope all is well back home! I love you all so much. My testimony has grown so much here of the small and simple things. I have found so many answers and comfort through the scriptures and I know that Heavenly Father is truly mindful of me. He has blessed me with progress here at the MTC that could never be attained on my own part. I am so grateful for his willingness to bless me and change me into something much more grande than what I could ever try to be on my own. I am so excited to serve the people of Argentina!!!! Yaya Love you all, Hermana Flake"

 

"Prepare your minds for the best picture in the history of the world. This is me, my comp. and Papa Juan hahaha and because of the lighting in the picture and the way my arm is I seriously look pregnant so we look like just a big happy family! Hahaha my district and I want to frame this picture we love it so much."

How to write to Charly

Different ways to write to Charly:

DearElder.com

Visit the webpage dearelder.com  and create an account.  You can write to most foreign missionaries for free.  You just select the ARGENTINA - BUENOS AIRES SOUTH mission, fill in the missionaries name, and type your letter - they print and send it in the pouch for you.  No Charge. Really fun and EASY!

Mission Home address (Only letters-no packages):

Hermana Charly Hannah Flake
Argentina Buenos Aires South Mission
Quintana 447
1846 Adrogue
Argentina

Pouch Letters: Please see instructions below:

Sister Charly Hannah Flake
Argentina Buenos Aires South Mission
POB 30150
Salt Lake City UT 84130-0150

You can send two kinds of letter through the pouch: either a postcard or a letter on one side of a single sheet of paper. These are the only types of correspondence the pouch mail service will accept. The service does not accept envelopes or packages.
If you are using a piece of paper, the sheet should be folded into three parts, as is commonly done to insert a letter into a business envelope. The top edge of the sheet should be fastened with tape on the top edge only, no closer than one inch to either side. They recommend a single 8 1/2-inch x 11-inch sheet of 20-pound paper (the equivalent of paper used in most copiers).
Write your return address in the top left corner. Apply a stamp to the top right corner of the tri-folded paper or post card.

Email Address:
charly.flake@myldsmail.net

July 12, 2014

"Here is a picture of my teacher doing an amazing leg thing. I am having so much fun. I love it here so much."

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Mom- I am so glad you had a good time cleaning the house haha believe it or not that is something that I really miss! This morning we got to wake up early at like 5:30 and do service and I have never been so excited to clean toilets. It was so much fun and it felt good to do something haha I promise I'm not going crazy.

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On the Language:

I am continuously amazed at how incredible and real the gift of tongues really is in the mission field. Sometimes in our lessons I realize the sounds coming out of my mouth and cannot believe that I can do that with 3 weeks in the mission. I'll admit sometimes it is easy to focus so hard on everything I have to learn and work on that I forget the immense progress I have made so far. I have found that when I sincerely thank Heavenly Father for my progress and have gratitude for both the work I have to do and the work I have made so far, I am blessed even more. Teaching lessons is starting to be more of something to look forward to and not something to check off the list for practice. Two of our investigators named Jose and Hele would be my favorites if I could pick favorites :) They are from Guatemala and they LOVE to tell stories and have fun. I always enjoy our lessons with them and the Spirit is so easy to feel.

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On a Lighter note:

Okay I truly don't want to be the missionary that sends a potty joke home with each letter but I knew you guys would love this story:
So an Elder in our zone was teaching one of our investigators and he was bearing his testimony to her about Joseph Smith. During his testimony, he declared that he knew "Joseph Smith asked of God in order to receive an answer". Or at least he tried to say that. After he said the sentence our investigator just started laughing her head off! She laughed for about 5 minutes haha but she couldn't explain to him why because she couldn't speak English. So later we asked a teacher why and he repeated what he had told her. The work for "he asked" in Espanol is "pidio" but instead Elder Hales had said "Joseph Smith pudo" which means Joseph Smith farted. Hahaha we all laughed for a good 10 minutes when we found that out.
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"This week has been such a good one, but then again every week is so wonderful here. It has been raining almost every day in the afternoons and it is glorious. It makes me miss the Arizona Monsoons haha but these Utah storms are still pretty decent. My teacher Hermano Vargas is not allowed to let us go in the rain due to "the possibility of getting sick" (no matter how hard I try to convince him that I do it at home all the time). So while he is busy teaching other Elders he pretends not to notice when my companion and I sneak out to dance in it. And when we come back in soaken wet he just smiles and shakes his head."

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Lately in gym time we have been able to actually play a game of basketball and it has been glorious, although it does my heart good to beat a bunch of Elders in a game of speed.

 



"Haha This is all the Hermanas in my district piggin out on food like we do every day."

 

HOMETOWN PRIDE

 

 HOMETOWN PRIDE

Lehi, Hyrum, Reuben, JT & Me

"Guess who I see all the time around here at the West campus?! Elders Reuben and Lehi Caldwell, and Elder Hyrum Peterson. We get to all play volleyball together sometimes and it's way fun. Gym time is my favorite-we can play volleyball, basketball or kickball outside. We usually play volleyball because there aren't many girls who want to play bball but every once in a while we can get a team together. We are allowed to play with the Elders as long as we guard a Hermana haha. But volleyball is always fun because we can all play together."

Lehi Caldwell

"Also I got to see good old Elder JT Bradley and Sister Savannah Brown this last week when we took a trip to the Main campus for the devotional. I love being on West campus because we are all on our own little Spanish speaking island haha but when we take the bus to the Main campus it is like the most exciting field trip of our lives."



Savannah Brown (Going to the Hong Kong Mission)

"A couple weeks ago the Prophet and all of the Twelve were here for the training of new Mission Presidents and so we got to hear from Elder D Todd Christofferson and it was such a treat. I was sitting literally 20 feet from Elder Christofferson, Elder Anderson, Elder Neilson, Elder Oaks, Elder Bednar and more. It was a cool experience and the Spirit was so evident with such pure servants of the Lord in the room. "

 

Also everyone here makes fun of me because I'm from Snowflake. They think it's the funniest thing ever that we have a Cucumber Farm and they didn't even know that "wooden stoves" existed anymore. Pshh... City boys.. err Elders.

 

July 4th in the MTC

JULY 4th in the MTC



Yesterday was definitely an Independence day that I will remember forever. They really spoiled us for the holiday. We woke up to see hot air balloons EVERYWHERE in the sky there were probably about 30 of all shapes colors and sizes just surrounding our campus haha it was so cool.

Everybody dressed up in red white and blue and I even wore my american flag ring that Steve Reel gave me before I left haha. ......





...the very best part  of the day was the devotional they put on for us that night. We had some really talented musical numbers and an excellent speaker. AND they let us all watch 17 Miracles! It was the best present I've ever gotten haha I was so excited.



After the movie they all handed out icecream as we watched the Stadium of Fire fireworks. It was such a good day. I am so glad we got to hear the boom of those fireworks so close. It made me think of how much I am going to miss America haha. We are so blessed to live in this country....



......I am so grateful to the pioneers who suffered so much for our freedom to live religiously without persecution. I am so grateful to our founding Fathers who were so inspired to make God a part of this country. And most of all I am so grateful for my Savior, who suffered beyond all so that we could be free. The moment we surrender our will to His is when we obtain freedom.

 

My MTC District

My MTC District

"My district is the best. I don't really know how to explain them hahaha. We were all shy the first day or so but yesterday we decided to have language study together and we ended up laughing our heads off and telling stories."



"One of my District leaders has red hair and he told me he was Irish the first day and now he always makes fun of me because I believed him. So now he always talks in an Irish accent while I'm around."



 "I love being a missionary way too much. Every night I go to bed smiling"

"This morning we went to the temple and did a session with my zone, and that was the first time I have struggled staying awake during the session haha. I guess all of the hard work must be catching up on me!"

 

!st Day in the MTC

 

My first day here was pretty crazy but so exciting. I don't even remember half of it. It kind of all rolled together in a blurred memory haha. I was pretty nervous until I got on the plane with other missionaries and found out that I wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep the night before. Upon my arrival I remember being rushed from person to person. Each one shaking my hand and handing me more books.

Haha Ahhhh and mi companera! ( my companion). I absolutely LOVE her! I loved her the first second I saw her! Her name is Hermana Whitney and she is from Sierra Vista AZ. We have so much in common it is really weird. Mom- she LOVES giraffes just like you haha. She is the shyest thing ever but she is really starting to come out of her shell! I finally got her to laugh yesterday........ We are really opening up to each other lately and becoming great friends. I am so grateful that she is my companion.

"She makes the cutest little lamb noises in her sleep and the first time I heard it I tried so hard not to laugh."

For Hermana Whitney :)

Here I Go!!! 16 June 2014

 

 

I feel like I have been waiting for this day for so long. And now that it's here I almost can't believe it! I have to admit it didn't hit me until several hours ago as I looked around at each of my family members all huddled around the living room: brothers, sisters, my loving parents, Grandma and Grandpa, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. Each one holding a special spot in my heart.

President Mills gave me such a wonderful setting apart blessing and I feel so ready to go!