Hurrah for Israel!

These weeks are getting faster and faster. Where is the clock to slow it down?

Well, I will start off by saying this week was a little bit rough. I was really sick most of the week, thought it was strep but I am starting to feel better so probably just a nasty flu/head cold. And then poor Sister Davis got sick. We looked and sounded like two walking zombies around the streets of Albany. We were diligent and went out as much as we possibly could, I had to remind myself, the atonement covers it all, even physical exhaustion. 

But we pushed through like champions do and had a great day yesterday! Thomas is still working for baptism, and he came to church again. And he got a blessing to help him to live the word of wisdom. It was powerful! We had an investigator Terry who came and we plan on putting him on baptismal date next time we meet with him. 2 less active families have come a couple weeks in a row now and are working towards the temple, the work of the lord is marvelous.

Sister Davis is doing great. I am so thankful I am privileged enough to be her trainer. It is going so great!  We sure laugh ALOT! We both loosened up a little bit and did a sing along to EFY!  I blasted some EFY and we had a jolly time!  It was so funny!  We were just being us!  You are called on a mission to be YOU!  A better refined, dedicated servant of the Lord, but YOU!  She did her first baptismal invite this week for an investigator named Jacky, he accepted and is on date. She is doing wonderful! I feel like I am just as new to all of this as she is sometimes, I can’t believe I have been out 10 months and am on the downward spiral.

 

 I had a special experience this week. My Mom sent me the number to Roger Kearns and I wrote it down. Well, in district meeting that week I walked in and remembered that the St. Joe Elders would be there.. I wrote down his number and I said, "Roger Kearns hasn't moved, his number and address are wrong on the ward list but here is his number. Go find him!" I left thinking nothing of it and then I came back into the room and Elder Gerrick said, "Hey Sister Flink, Roger wants to talk to you." I was so surprised he called him right away! I spent a few minutes on the phone with him.  He seems like such a sweet guy. I was tearing up as he told me, "Your Dad baptized my whole family. You should've seen him, he was so excited that day! I love your Dad, he sure knows what he's talking about." I laughed and said "sometimes!" Then he was so sad that I couldn't find him when I came to St. Joe, he kept saying how upsetting that was that I didn't get to come see him but he was so happy to hear my voice. I told him that if I don't get back to St. Joe before my mission is over, then you will be sure to see me AND my Dad in 8 months when we both are here! He said, "Oh, that will be a glorious day." 

The Kearns family 30 years ago with my Dad- Elder Flink!

It was a special experience. Think about how 30 years ago the gospel was introduced to Roger and his family and the Lord is still aware of him.  So many tender mercies and blessings. I am so proud to be in the M.I.M where my daddy was and to carry on the work of missionaries in ZION. There is no better place.

Friends and family, I sure love you! I love being a disciple of Christ. My favorite scripture is Helaman 3:35 "

Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God"

Sanctification of heart comes by YIELDING our hearts to God. "He cannot work with what he does not have, and he cannot have you, unless you give yourself to him."

Humility is not weakness. Humility can become strong, we can be confident, not in ourselves, but in our God, who will bless, uplift, and carry us through.  Our will is not our fathers, yield your heart and soul, and then you will embrace the true doctrine of faith, which faith will make you whole.

I love you. 

Xoxo, Sister Flink 

"Sister Flink, Why are you a Mormon?"‏

Howdy Howdy all my dear ones!

Another amazing week in the M.I.M!   I get the privilege to update you on.

We had Zone Training this week, first one in my new zone, the Platte City North Zone. It was awesome. Elder Garrick and Elder Rea gave great trainings, it made me re-evaluate and re-dedicate my myself to what the scriptures call "the process of time" and the Law of Consecration. What it means to put aside everything and sacrifice all I have to my savior for these 18 months of my life.

Platte City North Zone

We have had a miracle investigator, Daniel. He called us off a Mormon.org card when we were tracting in -2 degree weather, (that is the lord blessing us) and asked if he could learn more. We haven't been able to sit down and teach him fully yet, but he has read half of the Book of Mormon in three days and loves it. Thomas finally came to church yesterday and he is still working towards baptism on the 20th of February. Keep him in your prayers! We have so many less active families we are working with that are returning to activity. The branch is being so blessed! I just got a call from Sister Anderson, "Hey Sister Flink, you've lit a spark under my lazy bum apparently. We read scriptures and prayed as a family last night for the first time in 3 years. Church was great yesterday too. Will you sisters be able to come over and do family home evenings with us?" That is just some of the little miracles happening all over this place. ALBANY IS IN ITS PRIME, ready to explode with the spirit.

Poor Sister Davis, mission life is exhausting sometimes!

 Lately I have been studying and thinking about our true and sacred identity as children of God. Do we understand who we are? Often when we rebel, when we have a lack of purpose, when we feel like giving up, when we feel like failures, when we fall into the temptations and traps of the world, it is because we forget our true identity. We forget we are SONS and DAUGHTERS of the most glorious god, the creator of heaven and earth and "all things that in them are" We forget our divine potential to become like him. One of my favorite quotes says, "not only CAN you become like him, EVERYTHING is stacked in your favor TOO become like him." Listen to what he is trying to tell you.. When you understand WHO YOU ARE, it changes you. How can that be? Because you are a daughter or son of god, you need to act like it, you need to think like it, you need to hold yourself to it. But more than that, you will want too because you will understand your potential. And you have a savior who helps you change, to become everything you are meant to become. Romans 8, "Nobody can separate us from the love of god, which is in Jesus Christ, our lord." Nobody, not the world, not your mom, not your friends, not Satan, not any power or influence can separate you. he loves YOU, infinitely and eternally, may we all embrace that love and rise to the standards and potential that comes from it.

 

I love you all so much! I am grateful to wear my name next to my Saviors and to wake up every day striving to remember whose name is more important on my Nametag. We represent him.

Until Next time.

Xoxo, Sister Flink

If you love them today, maybe you can teach them tomorrow!‏

2014 Missouri Independence Mission Photo!

Hello to all of you! This week has sure been a great one!

Good-bye Sister Allred!  See you again soon!

Biggest news, I said goodbye to my sweet Sister Allred, and picked up my new companion/trainee Sister Davis! She is from Portland, Oregon and just a cutie. As soon as I picked her up she said, "I'll warm up over time. I have a big fear of talking with people." I said, "Well, the Lord did good then because you got stuck with me. That wont last for long!" The first day I had her doing door approaches by herself. What a trooper. I love being a bold missionary, if its always out of pure love, their is always room for boldness.

Meet Sister Davis from Portland Oregon - Companion #7!

Thomas Sagan is on date for Baptism for Feb, 20th! Miracles here in the Albany Branch! Also, we had 5 less actives at church who haven't come in years, as well as an investigator. Heavenly father just gives us more and more reasons to be grateful!

Love challenging the Albany Branch to missionary work!

The Bourland Family are a Less active family we have been working with pretty closely. Their 8 year old, Tori, got baptized yesterday and I was able to give the talk on the Holy Ghost. I love that family, they are returning to activity.

The Bourland Family!

Tori loves to call me "Sister F!"

Oh and, Nanny betty got baptized back in Kansas, I taught her for 4 months, miracles all around.

 

My thought this week is this, "Don't Believe Everything You Think." About yourself, about others. It is our job to love and succor those that need us, it is the Lords job to judge and make eternal judgments. I love you all and am so grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ and his infinite love and mercy, I would be nothing without it.

Have a great week!

 

Sister Flink

 

Mom!

It was a good week, Thursday was transfers, Friday and Saturday were the missionary split days (the pictures you saw on Facebook) which went great! and then Sunday was great too.

In the Day and Life of a Sister Missionary!  Knocking doors, teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, companion scripture study, companion prayer, and service!  Love my life!

Sister Davis is a little shy and timid. She said she knows the Lord gave her to me to be her trainer so that I can teach her how to be bold and outgoing. Am I bold and outgoing?  I have been called "Sassy" too!  When we were at transfers, President vest came up to us and said, "Sister Flink, I am so proud of you. You have gone up to Albany and flipped it around. You will be a great trainer." He gives me way too much credit. But I do love training, the goal is for her to be ready to train in 12 weeks. Baby steps!

Often the answer to our prayer does not come when we are on our knees, but while we are serving the Lord and those around us!  ~ Dieter F Uchtdorf

We are going to be moving out of your apartment. Wayne and Norma cant house us anymore. :( We are thinking about maybe moving to Bethany. More people, younger families, more productive town, but we have to be moved before march.

It has been really cold here in Albany, MO!

Please give my sweet gramps and big hug and kiss for me. I love him so much, I cant wait to get home and take care of him. He's been in my prayers every second.

 

 Things are happening here, I want to copy presidents email to me this week.

"Lovingly work with the branch council to make sure the converts have a friend, a responsibility, HT/VT and receive the new member lessons with the right member present for starters.

You and your companion can be wonderful examples to the members of how to reach out to people by being exactly obedient - they are watching you!

Appreciate all you are doing. Love your new companion and help her become an other YOU!

Pres. Vest"

Happy New Year! AND I'm expecting!

Happy 2015 to those I love most.!  Can you believe it? Time is just getting ahead of me quicker than I'd like.

So, big news this week. I got a call on Tuesday from one of the assistants letting me know that I have been called of the Lord to be a trainer. I will be getting a missionary out of the MTC this next transfer to be my little baby! Its exciting, I just hope I can make the Lord proud. When my trainer, Sister Moody, got me, she was 10 months out. And now I'm getting my trainee. Hope I can be half the trainer she was for me.

We've  had some straight up miracles this week. I love this area so much. I love the people, I love my companion, I love the branch. We met a potential a couple weeks ago that said she was moving into some new apartments and would call us when she got moved in. Of course we never heard from her, so on Tuesday she was on our minds. And we were talking about her on our way to go see a less active. In our prayer we asked if we could find her, someway, somehow. Well, when we went to walk up to the less actives door, we turned around and she was standing outside her new apartment smoking. My eyes went so big and Sister Allred said, "Is that Lexi? NO WAY." We ran over and sure enough it was, she gave us a huge hug and she said she was so glad we found her. She fed us lunch the next day and we are going to start teaching her. God is a god of miracles and he answers prayers. I is his work and when we do it his way, he provides.

Wednesday we had to go to the trainers meeting in Independence which is 2 hours away so we spent most of the day in the car. But the meeting was great and i was reminded by the spirit and by President Vest that I am needed as a trainer in this area. 

Yesterday at church, it was stormy so the numbers were suuuuper low, but we had a less active come that we've been working really closely with and for the first time in years she bore her testimony! It was such a miracle. And then she bore it again in relief society. The Lord's work rolls forth. 

This week, in our mission is "Missionary split day" Members will be with us all day, taking pictures of us studying, tracting, appointments, street contacting, planning, and praying. A daily routine of us as missionaries and post it on social media to "flood the earth" it will be awesome. 

Well guys, may we embrace the opportunity to change and become better this new year. "Feed the possibilities, starve the problems." and make the gospel the center of our lives.

I am so grateful to be a servant of the Lord. I am so grateful to wear my name right next to my Saviors, but also to always remind myself whose name is more important on my name tag.  He lives, he loves, and he saves us in all the details of our lives.

I love you ALL. 

xoxo, Sister Flink

P.S. New Years Eve, we had to be in by 8:00 to avoid all the crazies...