A New Beginning

Hola Hola!!

How are you family? I hope you have had a great time on the reunion circuit. I have missed you all so much. And have thought about you often. Also I have been wearing my Holt reunion shirt too. ;)

So this past week has been great!! I love my new companion. She is amazing! Her name is Hermana Cornelio. She is from Lima. But what is actually really cool is that she lived is Holladay Utah for a while. How crazy is that. A couple of years ago. She decided to go to Utah to visit. She lived with a family in Holladay, the Rindlesbachs, Do you know them mom? Anyway, she is amazing! Really! She is so happy and positive, and its so weird but we are basically the same person. Its fun speaking English and talking about Utah.  We have the same sense of humor and have made lots of plans to help the Ward. I haven’t had much time here

in the Ward so we are starting fresh and going to see miracles.

This past week we were coming back from lunch and we couldn’t get in our door. The key would enter but we couldn’t get it to turn. So we are on the second floor and their is a window right around the corner from the door. So we got the window open and she decided that she was

going to crawl through it and open the door, She stood up on the little kid plastic chair  to climb through and her foot went through the  chair. It was so funny. She has a couple of great scratches from the plastic and is okay, but it was so funny!

We have made progress with Lesly and Carla. Their mom gave them permission to be baptized, but the she wants them to have permission from their dad too. But they haven’t heard from him for a while. So we are playing the patience waiting game.

But we have seen a miracle happen this past week. Last Sunday night I went with another local comp, to visit a in active family. While we were there we met one of the sons that isn’t a member. Well we had a great lesson with him and then we got to know his wife a Little bit!

The are so prepared and ready!!! They are so excited to be baptized and want this for their kids!! They need to get married before their baptism date, which is the 18th of august, but pray for them this week please! Roger and Pilar.  

Love you all lots,

Hna Sandstrom

Ps. My headaches haven’t gotten better, but we are trying more and more pills. I don’t know what more we can try.

ps sorry I can’t send photos, we are at a new place and it doesn’t work


mom note: Since Kaylee could not upload any photos this week, I decided to share some from Hermana Turks's blog.  These are from the Mayorista Market in Trujillo - just some fun pictures of things Kaylee probably sees quite often. 

July 28th Peruvians celebrate their independence
from Spanish Rule in 1824 

July is Peruvian 

rice and grains - take your pick

quite the variety of sauces that are made every day

can you see the baggies of water tied above the food -
they swing them to keep the flies off

all kinds of olives with pungent taste that the
Peruvians love and North Americans do not

future missionaries? 

yep - goat heads for sale -- dinner anyone?

July 23 2012

Hola Querida Familia!!

I had a rough week, but I am doing better now, kinda. I went to Trujillo this past week with my friend Hna Shearman, and I got 7 more shots in my neck. Ya, no bueno. It hurts tons, but what more can I do. I am hoping that this week I will begin to see some difference. Thanks for all of your prayers. I really feel them helping me through, especially these past three weeks. 

Hermana Shearman & I
sleeping over at President & Hermana Turks after my shots

My companion, Hna Mendoza finished her mission today – it has been a hard companionship but I learned a lot.

Thanks so much mom for your scripture study. I love it. I love Alma 31:35 especially when we are swallowed up in the joys of Christ.  When let him take our burdens, we are made strong and they are made light, but it is only through prayers of faith that He can know that we need help and that we also are willing to do what ever the answer is. This is often the hardest part. 

So this past week Walter and Maria got married. Maria has been a member since she was 14 and their son Miguel was baptized about 4 months ago. Walter has not wanted anything to do with the church for a long time. But something in the last little while has changed and he has been progressing greatly!. So this past Friday there was a massive matrimonio and they went and got married, and then that same night he was baptized. It was great! He was so happy. His confirmation was great, and he received some great council to help his family move towards the temple in a year. It was great to see the support of the ward helping them out. 

So Lesly and Carla didn’t get baptized this past week. Their mom Rosemary changed her mind two nights before and said that it was too soon and that they were being teenagers and that now isn’t a good time.  Actually this is the perfect time!!!! They need this more now than ever!! So we will be working with them this next week, .... if they will answer the door. :) 

So I know you are anxiously awaiting… My new companion is Hna Coronelio. She is great and I am excited to get to know her more. She is from Lima. We will pick the transfers up from the bus terminal tomorrow. 

Tanks so much for everything, I really have the greatest family and friends. I love being a missionary so much. I really am so blessed and I really couldn’t ask for anything more. I know that the Lord gives us trials for us to learn our lessons, and then if we forget or need to learn something else, He will give us a reminder. But I know that the Lord has a hand in my life and that he is aware of my needs. Don’t ever forget that he is there for you!

Love you tons!

Hna Sandstrom 

Ps. CONGRATS Jerm and Aislin!! He is gorgeous!! I can’t wait to meet him :)

eating fried fish
(it's actually good, but don't tell dad)

Chimbote  - my fishing village

 

Baptisms and Beauty

July 16, 2012

Hola familia!

Yo espero que todo esta bien, y estoy orando para ustedes siempre!!

This past week has been great and even though we have had some rocks being thrown at us (not literally) we have not let that slow us down. 

I have great news! We have three baptisms this next week. Yea MIRACLES!!

So the first one is that Lesley and Carla are getting baptized, they passed their interviews yea. On our way walking to church yesterday with them there was a big parade going on. (The other one in the photo is Francine.) Back to Lesley and Carla; they are awesome and so ready to be baptized. They love young womens. (But sadly due to church policy I can’t continue to translate those legal documents for their mom.. sad day) But their baptism is set for this Saturday. :)

Another thing that happened this week was that Walter committed and is moving forward. So A little about Walter; he is living with Maria and they have an 11 year old son Miguel (Miguel was baptized a few months ago). Well Walter has not wanted anything to with the church for a long time. But about two months ago he changed his mind. He and his wife had an interview with the bishop and he said bishop what do I need to do to be baptized. And when the bishop said get married he said okay and set a goal, and they started right then and there to live the law of chastity. But the last couple of weeks he has started to push it back. Then yesterday he had another meeting with the bishop and agreed to get married this Friday and then be baptized Sunday!! It’s awesome!! 

Then there is Francine. She is awesome too. But her mom and brother (her brother is preparing for the mission right now) are discouraging her. She is 9 and has read doctrine and covenants and a lot of the Book of Mormon. It’s awesome. In a lesson this past week, we were talking about the word of wisdom and she was like hey doctrine and covenants section 89 it talks about this..... We were shocked, even members don’t know where exactly. haha We are really struggling to get ahold of her mom though; she is always sleeping.

The other night when we were in the clinic (for my headaches… – update coming) this old man started talking to me in English. Nobody else could understand, I was the only North American.  He was asking me about Joseph Smith and telling me he has a Book of Mormon in English and Spanish.  Then he asked where he could find the church, and I told him where there was one downtown. But he wanted to know where I would be.  haha. I just laughed and told him in Chimbote. Then my companion said Nuevo Chimbote. (NO!! she didn’t get what was going on) She told him where the our capilla is. she really didn’t understand much of it but understood that he was asking for directions to the church. haha Then he asked me out for Chinese food-- So funny. He kept saying no problem in his Spanish accent. My comp didn’t like that.   I just laughed and told him no. But it was very funny!!

So today we went to this awesome place called, Caleta Colorado , such a great hike and so so pretty!! It was very refreshing and relaxing. We were the only one there.

Abrazos y Besos (hugs and kisses)

Hna Sandstrom

My headaches have been pretty bad and we have spent lots of time in the clinic with different doctors doing different tests. It looks like I’m heading to Trujillo tomorrow with Hna Shearman (a split with one of my favorite North American hermanas) to have more shots in my neck..... I’ll be gone 2 days and my comp and I can’t both leave with 3 baptisms this week.

Hna Sheridan - on interchange

all these following photos are at Caleta Colorado - so Beautiful

Hermana Shearman & I after our hike

 

17 miracles

9 julio 2012

Hola Familia Mia!!

How are you?  I am doing just great, I am loving my area, ward and the people. 

I have lots to share, hold on tight. So this past week we had the baptism of Hermana Patrocinia. She is 90 years old and so so funny. We asked her the day before her baptism if she was excited, she said live or die I’m going to enter the water tomorrow; and hopefully I don’t die in the water because I still have life left in me. Then we sang Nearer my God to Thee and her comments were... Hermanas I think my time is coming to an end, I hurt. We had to convince her that she still has much to do before she is done.  

Oh she’s funny. 

Fabiano

Then there is Fabiano. He is the grandson of our pensionista. His dad served his mission in Argentina about 5 years ago and one of his companions gave him this hat. When we got there for dinner Fabiano was wearing the hat, he so funny and loves to play with us. 

Last week on p day we watched 17 miracles! The latinos love it! It was so fun to watch. I love this movie. So after we got back to the room last week we decided that we were going to look for miracles in every place and hopefully get to 17 by the end of the week. We lost count but we saw some great things happen this past week. 

This is my favorite one. As we were heading to dinner on Wednesday we were walking through the empty parking lot by the market. When we heard someone yelling ‘Hermanas’. As we turned around we saw a lady coming towards us. She asked us who we were and where I was from. (its a normal question, because I’m tall and white – ha ha) she began to explain that her husband is in jail in the united states and that she has a lot of papers that she would like my help translating. We said sure and said we would stop by the next day to talk to her. Well when we stopped by she said that her husband was in panama going somewhere to work when he was kidnapped and taken to the united states. I’m not really sure what exactly happened, there were a lot of words that are not in my vocabulary. But now I have about 35 pages of court cases that I need to translate. Let’s just say I am using my dictionary a lot!! The language of law is a lot harder that just simply translating. 

But we have begun teaching her and her daughters. THEY ARE STELLAR!! We started teaching them on Thursday and they have accepted a baptism date, and received help from their mom and have come to church. It’s great!! The daughters, Lesly and Carla, both shared their testimonies with us yesterday that they know 100% that the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith is a prophet. It was so spiritual as they shared how they received answers to their prayers. I love it. I can’t wait for their baptism. And hopefully we can get their mom Rosemary to commit too. 

And wish me luck translating this week... 

Also please pray for Francine this week that she can go through with her baptism and that her mom and her brother won’t be a problem. She is awesome too. She is 9 and has read the doctrine and covenants already. WOW

Thanks so much! Love you all!!!

Hna sandstrom

oh and I have started therapy massages again. My headaches have been really bad, like they were before my shots.  We realized that my stress was through the roof with the second emergency change.  So we have been looking for places again. I think we found a good place. 

Greetings from Chimbote

July 2 2012

Wow! So lots to say and I have lots of pictures to send too, but my camera card isn’t working, I think there is a virus.

Hey family. HOW ARE YOU?

cuy - guinea pig

This past week has been a whirlwind. Let’s start with last Monday... For lunch we went to a members house and his mom made us cuy...aka guinea pig. It was good!  Tastes just like chicken. It was yummy.

Second of all I spent my second night in the clinic. Tuesday morning after our district and zone meeting my companion was really hurting again so we headed to the clinic. Where she was hospitalized. Yea, not fun.  I feel bad for her.  They didn’t have any rooms with two beds, one for me and one for her, so we just chilled with this other lady all day and waited to see if she was going to stay the night. We talked with her most of the day and gave her lots of pamphlets and a Liahona to read. But as the night came her daughter and family came and started watching tv. It was hard for my eyes not to wander to the really popular tv show here... Yo Soy.  It’s kind of like american idol or the voice.... But as the end of the night came it looked like we were going to be staying the night. So Elder Richards got us a private room, which ended up being a suite. It was way nice and I spent the night in a recliner. haha. 

Well the next day we left and had a baptismal interview for Jesus. It was great and he was so excited to be baptized! We had a great lesson with him that night. He is a stellar kid.

The next eventful day was Thursday. After personal study I ran to the bathroom before we started companion study. The President’s personal secretary called. I thought he was asking about our health again, which was weird because he just asked the night before. So when he was talking to me he said president wanted to talk to me. Which I was kind of surprised by.  In my last weekly email I sent I expressed some feelings I was feeling in the ward. I asked for an interview because I wanted some ideas that I could do to help the ward. So this is what I thought president was calling to talk about.... but no. He said right now there are some things happening and he needs me to go to Chimbote and be with Hna Mendoza, Again!! 

(This is her last change, she has three weeks left)  He didn’t give me any other information than that. So after lots and lots of tears. I started packing the change was going to be the next morning. I had only 24 hours to pack and say goodbye. And I was going to miss the baptism of Jesus and the next week Yola’s baptism. 

I got to Chimbote at about 10pm Friday and we have hit the ground running. Chimbote is about 3 hours south of Trujillo and is a fishing town. Sometimes its smells horribly of fish, but it’s all sand here, and its hot in the afternoons and cold at night and in the mornings. There are 8 hermanas here in the zone and its crazy! Great to see some sisters again though--some of my good friends; but hard to jump in in the middle of the change.  Every Hermana that comes to Chimbote is here for at least 6 months. So I think I will be here for a while. I HOPE!!!! I don’t want anymore goodbyes, for a while at least.  It’s so hard to leave the members of the ward. 

from Jardines area

But my new ward here is amazing!!! I love it. Our ward council yesterday was awesome. I hopefully can gain the love of the members in this ward.

Thanks for your prayers this week; I have definitely felt them!!! 

Love you

Hna Sandstrom