Yes, my companion is funny. I love just having conversations with him! (more detail in the stories, possibly, if I have time).
It is DEFINITELY still the rainy season...it has rained EVERY DAY since I arrived here! With ONE exception, there was one day this week that it was clear and beautiful all day...and it happened to be our laundry day so our clothes were able to finally dry completely before having to be brought into the apartment (because of rain every other week) :) I take this as a little blessing :)
Clarification from past emails: MorCafe does not actually stand for Mormon Coffee like I had been told. It is just a type of drink here :) Haha :)
I know and can testify from recent experiences that prayer is DEFINATELY a tangible thing! I have received so many blessings from sincere prayer. I know it's cleche, but I still like the analogy that prayer is like two cups attached by a string. When the string is taut (i.e. prayer is sincere and heartfelt and righteous) the conversation is understood completely and totally. But if the string is loose, or taut when you talk but loose for the response, (i.e. not with real intent, not expecting answers, not sincere) the return answer is lost among the empty space between. Always remember to keep the connection tight and personal, and remember that the Lord will NEVER be the one to loosen the string, it will only be us.
So the setup for our apartment is pretty cool. We have 2 bathrooms that my companion and I use (ours in our room he was told by his previous comp not to use because the toilet has problems, but we can use the shower). Then outside around the next corner is the entrance to the one-room capilla (chapel) and classrooms. In the back of the capilla is a oven and stove and a sink...so that's where we cook :)
Yes, I am basically living off of peanut butter, tortillas, granola (which is now gone), and oatmeal. Thats it! Because the food is too expensive here where I'm living, so I'm living off of what I was able to get at Walmart in Xela, and it's just not enough...but the Lord has been providing and I haven't gone hungry yet :)
I have a bar to hang some clothes on and the rest of my clothes are in my bags organized and folded. They are in the larger duffle--think of it kind of like a dresser drawer with a zip top :)
For Effective Scripture Study: Set aside time (I've found it's best in the morning) to sit and read your scriptures for 30 min each day. What I've done that has helped a lot is I ask questions based on what I read in an issue of the Liahona magazine. Then I research on one topic. FYI, the Biblia Dictionario es amazing!!! This week I was focusing on (and probably will continue this coming week) studying the first and second resurrections, the second coming, and the millenium. Another tip, and I don't know why this works for me, but if you play spiritual instrumental music as you study it's amazing. Also have a study journal to write impressions, cool things you learn, and your response to what you read that day. :) Just a few suggestions. If you would like more just ask :)
I've improved just overall spiritually and it came from completely relying on the Lord and following with exactness his promptings. But this week spiritually I improved in my testimony of the divinity of patriarchal blessings! :)
All right, so I'm running out of time for this week...but I have time to tell you guys a little bit.
So this week I found a food that I just LOVE!! They are called Tomales de Lote!! A side note: I know they were prepared safely :) But the tomale story begins earlier that morning...So this member family had asked us to come help them harvest their corn, to which we agreed and told them that we would be by at 2 pm on Thu. So Thu came and we were stuck with a potential investigator and finally made it to the members home at about 4 pm...ahhhh. But it all turned out. It turns out they had started earlier than planned and had finished by 1 pm...so instead of harvesting we helped them de-kernel their corn. OH, WHAT A PROCESS!! So you de-kernel by hand, each individual, single, solo kernel on an ear of corn. And I was instructed by the members to use my thumbnail to do so...well, that maiz got super shoved under my thumbnail, separating the nail a very small bit from the skin. OH, it was painful!! but its better now :)
Well, I know this church is true! I KNOW that Joseph Smith had the vision he said he had! I KNOW that we are living in the last days and I have the privilage to take part in the final gathering of the Lord's people!! Missionary work is amazing!! Sorry this email wasn't as in depth...had some technical difficulties and had to take care of some mission stuff...
I LOVE YOU GUYS!! Keep smiling and keep up the good work!! oh, and keep the dearelders and letters coming!!! :)
Love your brother, son, friend, and missionary,
Elder Flake
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