Tuesday, August 31, 2010

August 30, 2010 Email

Hey Mom:)
Things are going pretty well. This area has got potential. We have a few more men here than we had in Fremont, and we are making member present lessons one of our priorities. Yes the weather here is nice like Fremont. That's one thing NorCal has on Utah. It is starting to get a little chilly in the nights/mornings. I don't need any clothes, thank you. Cristian should be getting baptized this Saturday, if she went to church yesterday. I'm not sure if I could get anyone to take me back up to Fremont for the baptism. This P-day I'm going to learn how to play scatterball. It sounds fun. How did Andy like HomeComing? Ha ha, the turtle thing was funny.

Mom, could you send me a paper with my Priesthood pedigree thing? The one with like the arrows from Jesus Christ to the apostles to Joseph Smithe etc? Thanks:) I'm glad Dad got that job. Tell Brandy thanks for the letter. I've gotten a little lazy writing people back but I'll try and work on the pile today. Well I love you mucho and I look forward to the bread:)
Love Elder Flake

Andy! How was the dance bro? That turtle idea was pretty creative;) I hear your getting more scial- Kudos! Remember when you choose your friends that they are going the same direction that you want to go. How is cross country? Do you want to run the 2012 marathon with me? Josh Decker and I are planning on it. Well Love ya bro! Do Work!

Hey Dad:) I'm glad you've been able to keep getting work during these tough times. There are a lot of people out of work here in California. A lot of people in the branch are getting money from the church. How's your calling? Did you ever get a chance to listen to the conversion story of Glen Beck? Pretty cool/funny huh? Well Love ya tons and thanks for everything.
Love, Elder Flake

Monday, August 23, 2010

August 23, 2010 Email Hollister, CA

Hey fam-
I'm here at the Hollister library and because i don't have proof of address yet, a letter to my apartment, I'm stuck on the 15 minute visitor computer for this week but esta bien. Andrew is going to Home Coming!!! What the Heck! That's weird! Ha ha have fun bro:) Send me pics. So you got that small package from me, yes? entonces... Today for P-day we are going to climb Fremont Peak with the other Elders from Hollister consisting of the Elder Fultz you told me to look out for and my District Leader Elder Hebdon from Smithfield.
So my talk went pretty well yesterday- except for one problem- I was talking on the Holy Ghost and to start I was sharing the story from when we were on that hike in The Devil's Garden with the Hatches - when i was trying to catch a lizard that went into the bush before Butch warned me after seeing the rattle snake in the same bush. So I was comparing Butch to the Holy Ghost- but the mishap was I accidentally used the word alligator when I meant Lizard:) So i told everyone that I was chasing an alligator in the Dessert of Southern Utah only to be scared away by a snake:) O well, I think most understood the mistake...
So I've noticed that in just this forst week my spanish has gotten a lot better already. Oh and i almost forgot about our meeting in San Jose with 6 members of the 70! Including Elder Clayton! Well Love Elder Flake



iHola! My first week here in Hollister was fun/good. There is quite a bit more people in the teaching pool here and that makes things easier. We taught a lot of first lessons this week and Elder Simmons and I teach pretty well together. Elder Simmons is from Iona, Idaho(Just outside Idaho Falls) and we were pretty good buds in the MTC so we are having a blast out here in the field together.
We obtained one new baptismal date already this past week- a woman named Marcia who is the aunt of some members here. It's a little different teaching her because she is illiterate, but she's nice. We also have a lot of investigators that we are going to be pushin to get them to church and get them dates as well this week. The branch here seemed about the same size as the one I left in Newark. I'm excited to be here and I know with the Lord's help we are going to be able to reap a lot of Souls here in Hollister.
Love Elder Flake



Friday, August 20, 2010

Pictures with Medrano in Fremont July 2010




Dawson sent a letter and some pictures from his last area today. It looks like he still knows how to have fun. He has to give a talk in church on Sunday, in Spanish of course! You can see more of his pictures at the following link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/shellyflake/DawsonMission6Months?feat=email#

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Transferred to Holllister!

Hey!
I'm in Holister! A half hour south of San Jose! My new Companero is Elder Simmons, my old friend from the MTC! We were roomates there and now we're way excited to be reunited again! Neither of us are fluent yet so it might be kind of interesting with the Language at first but this is going to force us to learn it muy rapido so que bien! Elder Simmons is a really humble guy and he's super obedient so we are going to rock it here:)

So Holister is kind of in the middle of nowhere. I still have a car. There are 6 missionaries total here in the city/district. I haven't met the others yet. We are the only Spanish pair. E. Medrano and I actually did a decent job singing and Cristian came to church again plus we took her up to the Temple V.C in Oakland - so with any luck I'll be heading back up there for her Baptism on the 28th. It was hard to say goodbye to a lot of members/investigators up in Fremont, but am excited for this new challenge in the branch down here.

Love,
Elder Dawson Flake

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

August 3, 2010 Email


Hey fam:)
Things are ok here in Cali. For one reason or another we keep having to move our dates back with our investigators. Cristian still hasn't came to church, but I think we finally have that concern resolved. Abe we think is continuing to warm up to the idea of baptism. I will probably be transferred out by the time they finally get dunked, but we'll continue to steer them to the waters. Elder Medrano taught a great District Meeting today and our District made a goal to have 13 baptisms this month. I've continued to go on lots of splits-the price to pay for being the 'District Monkey', but you learn different things from each Elder and it's fun. I had a memorable P-day yesterday. First we played DRAGON'S BREATH 3,000!!! This crazy game played in the church gym- a mix between dodgeball and capture the flag-intense stuff. I'll have to teach it to yall when i get back. Then we went to La Pinata with a pair of other Elders and I made the mistake of covenanting with the others that we wouldnt leave until we had all completed the foot long 3 pound SUPER FAMOSO BURRITO!!! It was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life and I was the last one to finish but i finally downed the beast after about an hour:) Welp, I love you all and pray all is well.
Love a still full Elder Flake ;)
Dear jonba and Andy. aka the city slickers :) I'm glad you guys didn't get jumped running around the streets of NYC. I've felt pretty safe here in Cali. Nobody messes with God's Army:) I hope you guys aren't to worn out from your crazy busy summer because I want to go on a road trip when I get back. Of course you'll have a year or so before this road trip comes but just a heads up ;) The Spanish is coming- I can communicate ok but I still got a good while before I can even think about considering myself fluent. Thanks for your prayers and I hope you boys enjoy the rest of your summer.
Love Elder Flake