8 month mark!

8 great things that happened on my 8 month mark.

1. Pedro came to church! 

(Pedro from the couple Pedro & Victoria that Hna Fox and I taught on my 7th month mark). At zone meeting on Friday we had a discussion about how when we taught our investigators about the importance of keeping the Sabbath day holy they would understand the importance of coming to church. Victoria unfortunately had to work, but Pedro came! It was fast and testimony meeting, and he loved it. He loved hearing the testimonies of our wonderful members and even told us, "I wish my wife had been here to hear this." Hno Jaime and his wife who had accompanied us on a lesson with them, sat with them at church and invited him to Carlos' baptism on Saturday as well. 

2. Carlos is getting baptized!

The services were announced, and if all goes according to plan, we'll have a baptism this Saturday.

3. M & J a less active couple we've been working with came to church this Sunday. 

It was so great to see them! It was lucky that we had a trio to divide and conquer and sit with all the people we had at church.

4. Cinco de Mayo!

Self explanatory

5. I <3 familia Garza. 

The Garza's are one of my favorite families in the ward. Hno served in the same mission as my dad, and has a VERY similar personality. He's hilarious, and they've been doing so great at missionary work. Hna Garza reminds me of one of my best friends from high school, Jeniffer. We had lasagna, garlic bread, and vegetables to celebrate cinco de mayo! :) ole!

6. Kelly is going on a mission!

The Garza's oldest daughter decided that she wants to go on a mission, meaning that she'll be coming out on appointments with us.

7. We met Hno La...

I've been trying to meet this less active family since I got to the area, but only last week did we start having success. Hno La... works offshore on a boat and is never home, but this Sunday we met him. He was the only one home, but we had such a great lesson with him outside, and were able to set a return appointment for Tuesday with the entire family. We're really hoping we get to meet with them!

8. Found another Less Active Part Member family.

I've also been trying to meet the Cantus, but for some reason could n e v e r find them home, then yesterday I suggested we go try them, and sure enough, success! We didn't get to have a lesson, but simply meeting them was enough. I'm so excited to be working with such great families. 

We felt so blessed this week. At the beginning of the week, I was starting to feel a little overwhelmed. We had our first ever mission leadership council on Tuesday and I was told about what my responsibilities were as sister training leader. Ideally, I'm supposed to go on an exchange with every sister in my zone, and my role is to make sure that the sisters are doing okay, that they are being trained properly. I also was starting to feel a little unexperienced and underqualified as I saw that all the other Sister Training Leaders are close to going home! But, I know with Heavenly Father's help anything is possible.

This week an abiding principle was even more so instilled into my missionary soul. My companions and I are really striving to be Preach My Gospel missionaries. The mission is in a small sense a parallel to the plan of salvation. 

Life before the mission = pre earth life

MTC = childhood

Missionary service in the field = our life on earth

post-mission life = exhaltation

We are tested on our mission in different ways, we can choose to be lazy missionaries, we can choose to put our wants before the Lord's wants, we can choose between consecration and so-so missionary work, we can choose between talking to everyone and only some. But, when we do missionary work the Lord's way is when we see true blessings and miracles. 

My greenies have seen how some investigators have kind of dwindled off after we invite them to be baptized. But, as I pointed out to Hna Dedrick, it's like we're on a treasure hunt. We invite people to be baptized after the first lesson as a filter. Because in a sense teaching people without inviting them to be baptized is a waste of the Lord's time. I know that doing missionary work the Lord's way I can be an instrument for good, I can see more milagros, I can see more people take those necessary steps towards baptism. 

We made a commitment as a companionship today, that we're going to work with that faith, work with that drive, we are working towards having a baptism a month. I know it can be done, in accordance with our faith.

I love you all!

Hna Flores

mission moments.

Every moment is occupied. Mission days have so many details mixed into them. I can't believe that Hna Post & Hna Dedrick have only been here for two weeks. I feel as if we've done so much and had so many experiences together. We had a really great Hour of Power together this past week. Hour of Power is a President Crawford invention. Every Thursday, at 5pm we gather at the home of a member have dinner, and teach a lesson about faith unto miracles, then at 5:50 we ask the head of the household to offer a kneeling prayer so that we or sometimes other missionaries in the field will find someone to teach. Then, from 6-7 we knock the doors of a nearby street. I got really sick on Wed night to Thurs. I had a horrible pressure headache. I could feel fluids moving and getting trapped in tiny vessels under my skin all throughout my face. It was as if I had dived to the bottom of a pool and risen up out of the water too quickly. Or as if the sensation of ears popping during a plane ride was occurring in pockets all over my face. It was awful. After weekly planning, I took a nap to see if my pain would subside. I knew that I for sure wanted to make it out for Hour of Power, because hour of Power is a sure bet for miracles. We had Hour of Power with the Jaimes. I felt so awful during it all. Luckily, not too many people answered their doors. I say luckily because I speak for 90% of the contacts in Spanish that we make, and on thurs I couldn't think in Spanish let alone English. We had no luck during the hour of Power, but at the very end, I told the Hnas that we should walk up and talk to a group of men. We were a bit hesitant and this man called out, "don't be afraid! come talk to us!" Turns out, this man was an inactive member baptized in Mexico 18 years ago. He had even visited the temple in Mexico City, because he was going to marry a girl who was a member. He told us that the standards of the church were too high, that it was tough to follow sometimes. As he was talking to us, a car pulled up and out came Hna Salas, a member from Pasadena 3! I asked it he knew this man, and he said he had just met him that day and was trying to buy a car from him. It was a miracle. We had an appointment, and had to leave, but we left the man in good hands. We went back to the Jaimes to tell them about the miracle, and it turns out that Hna Jaime had been present for a lot of the lessons when Hna Salas was getting baptized. So, Hno Jaime jumped in his car, and drove up the street to talk to Hno Jaime and the man (Carlos A.). I really hope that we can see great things from this mini miracle! On Saturday it was pouring rain. We only taught two lessons, but they were both member presents and they were great. It was a blessing that we were kept safe Saturday. I know that I had the blessing of safety. We were almost crashed into. I was turning left off gulf fwy onto woodridge when this car from the left turn only lane cut me off and forced me to go straight. It was definitely divine protection. One of our two lessons was with Carlos. We normally meet with him outside his trailer, but because it was raining buckets, we set up a ride and had him meet with us at the chapel. Carlos is getting baptized May 11th! It is amazing how he has been prepared. He readily accepts everything that we teach him, and his face lit up the first time he saw a picture of President Monson. Everything about meeting/teaching Carlos has been a miracle.


I love this work, and I love y'all! 
Hna Flores

Training Trio numero dos.

I've decided that my favorite form of training is definitely in trios. The training trio I'm in right now reminds me so much of the trio I was trained in. Both of my trainees are 20. I'm training Hna Post from Liberty,UT and Hna Dedrick from Yorba Linda, CA. Looking at Hna Post and Hna Dedrick I can see so much of myself and Hna Canova. We're a little cramped in our Pecan Park apartment, but President Crawford's favorite phrase of the transfer has been, "we'll make it fit!" (quoting Cinderella's step sisters). 

Hna Post took Spanish at BYU from one of my friends actually, Debra Taylor. How about that for a random connection. Hna Post is Hna Canova's twin. She's quirky, and I told her in a very lovingly way that her voice reminds me of Elmo from sesame street. :) Hna Post is so sweet, she's a little bit of a perfectionist. She knows so much, but sometimes she psyches herself out, and freezes. We'll keep role-playing till she gets it down! One of Hna Post's favorite pastimes is twirling in circles in our living room so that her skirts flow out. She constantly asks questions, because she wants to make sure she's doing things the right way. Hna Post also has three of the exact same downeast shirts. Hna Dedrick and I laughed so hard because Hna Post's closet for that brief second looked like a cartoon character's you know when they open their closet and have the exact same outfits. Hna Post really is so great though, and I know that she'll grow so much in the two transfers that we'll be together. 

Hna Dedrick is silently bold. She's still trying to figure out the language, but she's really great and English contacts! Hna Dedrick also, surprise surprise is half brown. Her mom is Bolivian. Hna Dedrick is really good at asking those thought provoking questions, and I know once she has the language down, she's going to be such a powerhouse! Hna Dedrick owns so much Roxy, it's ridiculous, she went on some roxy shopping sprees before, it suits her though. We always give each other these, "knowing" looks sometimes when Hna Post does something funny. Kind of like Hna Maughan and I used to do when Hna Canova would do something funny. 

We had really great lessons this week! 

We've developed this system, we divided the points of the first three lessons, and we're taking turns every two weeks switching on who teaches what. It was a bit of a revelation I had in the shower. So grateful the idea came early on, because teaching in a trio is kind of nuts. We had really great lessons this week!

Carlos, Hna Arcila and I's somewhat miracle, accepted a baptismal date for May 4th, so we're going to be working with him on that one. Hna Post extended the baptismal date, and I was so proud of her for doing so. We mostly just need to teach Carlos the commandments, and make sure that he's reading and praying on a daily basis. 

We taught Pedro & Victoria, they're the couple Hna Fox and I taught on my 7 miracle day. Pedro is really struggling with prayer. He is so shy and refuses to say the closing prayer in lessons, saying that he doesn't know what to say, and that he simply needs more time. We also were able to deliver to him an audio CD version of the Libro De Mormon because he can't read. We committed them both to listen and pray to know if the Book of Mormon is true. The downside to Pedro y Victoria is that we can only meet with them once a week because of their hectic work schedules, so it's a little tough to help them progress, but I guess that's where the faith and prayers come in.

We also had a really great lesson with Mairena, a woman Hna Arcila and I found during Hour of Power. Mairena had all her children sit on the couch and pay attention to our lesson, and they are all so knowledgeable of religious things, and the bible. We are going to finish teaching Mairena about the restoration today. We left off on the Apostasy and gave her a kind of trailer preview of things to come this week. Mairena expressed to us how she felt that we really did need a restoration in these days. And when we asked if there was anything we could do to help her and her family she said, "Just please keep on visiting us." :)

I really am starting to love Pecan Park, and that's super great considering I'll be here for the next 3 months. :)

te amo times a millz.

Hna Flores

The Latina Companionship se acabo.

Positive Pastimes in Pecan Park. (Hna Arcila & Hna Flores)

1. "Vine de tourista!" -Oscar in Willowcreek, on why he came to the U.S.A from Mexico.

2. Happy face pancakes from E. Tuai y E. Gardner

3. Our black cat friend in Willow Creek

4. "The <3 wants what the <3 wants." - E. Davis

5. Weigh ins w/ Hna Maria Mercedes Garcia & Griselda

6. CiCis pizza post district meeting, "herry! The kids are coming"

7. Running to catch Hna Arcila's stamps to the Philippines.

8. "I only believe in having one wife!" knocking Stillwell.

9. Hermanas 1 Satan 0, talking through our thought process at Noemi's lesson.

10. Comp inventory & cupcakes in the car. AKA Hna Flores having Pasadena withdrawals.

11. Love prophecies.

12. Meeting Carlos Quintanilla. #milagrodedios

13. President Crawford: "So what? What did we learn today?" Hna Lisyanskaya: " Love your companion, don't love the elders."

14. The time we decided to not go to zone Pday and the world ended.

15. Getting yelled at by the woman across the street for using the Elder's washer/dryer.

16. Our creeper Indian neighbors.

17. "Oh no! Not the electronic owl" -Hna Fox on hearing Justin Beiber's "Boyfriend" at the thrift store outlet.

18. An easter to remember: walking in the pouring rain, having nothing to eat, no people to teach, but still finding the good in the day.

19. Temple square missionaries vs."real" missionaries

20. Hna Fox and I's bonding session over our pen fetishes.

21. 7 miracle exchange day on my 7 month mark.

22. 3 hour hour of power birthday intervention extravaganza with President Crawford. 

23. The best HTBT lesson of my mission.

24. Thursday Lunches with the ZLs. 

25. bathrooms closed on both days.

26. Elotes on Heavenly Father. (finding $6 on the ground, and getting elotes on a rainy day)

27. La Luz Del Mundo hermanos with a quad, a healthy discussion on religious beliefs. 

28. "DELIVER US" from the Prince of Egypt blasting in the car.

29. Finding a box of unopened bag of chips on the side of the road. 

30. The sweet woman who raises/sells illegal fighting roosters.(and the puppy who became our friend, followed us, and then attacked them)

31. black mutant chicken with 6 toes.

32. Our miracle-filled Hora de Poder.

   I am writing this as I listen to an indie mix of the hymns, basically, I'm in heaven. I am so happy report that I'll be staying in Pecan Park for the next 12 weeks, because I'm training. And, this time, I'm training two brand new misioneras. Brand new as in that as I write this, they are on an airplane somewhere in the patch of sky between Salt Lake City and Houston. I am training two, and I've also been asked to serve as a Sisters Training Leader, not even sure if that's the official name. President Crawford called to extend the double training call, and then as we were saying our goodbyes he said, "Oh! I almost forgot, Sister Flores, I'm also calling to ask if you'd serve as one of our first Sister Training Leaders." Hna Arcila was silently screaming/mouthing "I TOLD YOU! I KNEW IT!" She and a couple of the Hnas had apparently been discussing the matter in great detail during a Pday Michoacana Refresqueria run. I asked President what the calling even means and he said, "Hna, I'm not even sure, the Church hasn't given us too much detail, but you know what? We're going to climb to the top of the accountability ladder and get it done."

   Hna Arcila and I saw miracles from being e x a c t l y obedient. We decided to stop treating our phone as our own personal cell phone to text our mission friends, and it made the biggest difference. We also this week really pushed for making our conversations completely purpose driven, no more daydreaming or telling pre- or post-mission stories/make-believes. We had the best week numbers wise, happiness wise, work wise, miracles wise, finding families-wise. 

  Super great quick story, Tuesday night we tried visiting a couple of people, but without much success. We decided to try a referral from Ricky, one of our investigators--his neighbor who lives upstairs. Turns out, he wasn't home either, but his next door neighbors were, Habacuc (no jives) and his wife. Habacuc lived in Compton/East LA for a bit #besties he and his wife are members of La Luz Del Mundo. We shared a bit about what we do as misioneras, spoke about our wonderful message to the world, and heard a bit about their beliefs. It was great, but we thought nothing of it. Fast Forward to Thursday night. We got a text from an unknown number, and it turned out to be Habacuc who was inviting us over to meet his brother. To our huge surprise, Habacuc's brother owns a quad (Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Convenants, Pearl of Great Price), except he didn't know what it was for or what everything meant, so we helped explain things for him.

  Time is super limited today because we have to make room for my trio, clean, help Hna Arcila pack, but next time, I'll be sure to give a detailed description of each of the investigators we're working with, and about how great my companions are. We have found some great families. Sister Arcila and I built the area from scratch, all of our current investigators were not on the board 6 weeks ago. We've been working so hard, finding like crazy, and we have some great potential baptism candidates. So I'm super excited to stay here in Pecan Park.

  I love you all! I love la obra misional.

Hna Flores

                                     The box of unopened chips we found at the side of the road. 

Elotes on Heavenly Father!