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 

Getting cold in Jardines

yep - me eating avacados - amazing

June 25 2012

Hola Hola Hola

Como estan?

Things are going good here in Jardines. It is starting to get a little cold. And I hear that this is just the beginning. My companion is using her tights, and she is freezing. I know it’s not as cold as winters in logan or Highland, or the winters that I have heard about in Chile. I hope Cy doesn´t freeze to death.

This past week we had a service project in Villa de Mar. The temple is in this area and it is right next to a big cemetery. It was gorgeous. There were so many flowers, and its not even memorial weekend for them (that’s in November here).

So the service project was great, we started painting a house for a family. But for some reason they mixed all the paint with a ton of water. So we might need to go back and do a lot more coats. We basically painted with water. But it was great fun!! And of course there were some paint fights that broke out in between the elders.... and they got my companion pretty good too. haha

As I said last week most of our progressive investigators have died out, but this past week we also had two great miracles!!

First of all is Jesus... About two weeks ago his grandpa came to us and said that he wanted us to teach his grandson and prepare him for baptism. We thought that was weird because the daughters that we knew were members and when one of the parents is a member and the child is 8, it is the responsibility of the ward. So we didn´t respond to the reference right away. Well this past Wednesday we went by the grandpa’s house in the morning because we had another reference at the same address.  We knocked on the door and Hermana Chavez opened the door and welcomed us in. As we began to talk to her, we realized that the reference was her daughter (Olga)...the mother of Jesus!! (oh and the dad of Jesus isn´t a member either!!) so we came back in the afternoon and met Jesus and Olga. They are great, and Jesus is stellar. He has been attending church for a long time with his grandparents. So we have been prepping him for baptism! His baptism is this Saturday. :) Yay I´m so happy. He is awesome and cant´ wait to be baptized and he is ready.

So for the second miracle. This past Saturday we were visiting all of our investigators and trying to find out who could come to church.  We only had one.... Jesus. So we were kind of bummed because our investigators can´t progress if they don´t come to church. But about ten minutes before church we were talking to some of the members and my companion started getting all excited, and she started telling me about this man, Ramon.  She had contacted him in an old area and invited him to come to church. AND HE WAS THERE IN OUR WARD!! It was awesome. He had attended church before in other areas, and has family that are members. But he recently changed houses, and is living in OUR area now. So we talked to him after church and taught him. And he accepted our invitation for baptism. So we are going to be teaching him this week and hopefully get him a baptism date. :) :) so happy. I know that when we do all we can, the Lord helps out! It’s amazing!

Hermano Navas

This is a picture of Hno Navas. He is a recent convert and has parkinsons. It’s sad, but the best way to cheer up your day is visiting him. I love when he comes to church in his Sunday clothes-- With his converse tennis shoes.

I invite all of you to take the promise of Nephi to heart.  FEAST upon the words of Christ.  Don´t just read to check it off of your list and read your scriptures everyday. But make sure that you are getting something out of it. The scriptures and conference talks are for our benefit not just for fun, or a job for the prophets. It’s for US!

I love you all thanks so much for your love and prayers!!

Keep on Going!!

Love

Hna Sandstrom

Headache update: so I am taking 400 or 800 mg of ibuprofen when I have pain.  I am still doing my neck stretches but no more therapy. It is definitely better than it was in February, March and April. I don´t have them everyday, and usually only in the afternoons or evenings. YEA IMPROVEMENT

MEDIO! AH 9!!!

June 18 2012

Hola Familia mia

¿Como estan? Yo espero que todo esta bien con ustedes. Les Extrano!

CONGRATS mom on your race!! I´m so proud of you!!

Dad - I hope you had a great fathers day!! I love you lots!! Thank you for always being a great example to me and a great leader. Thank you for being strong example and helping me get through the tough times in life.

This past week has been a bit sad. This is the picture of us Sunday night, when we realized we had nobody. Sunday Blues--cured with Inca Cola :) Our investigators have died out and have gone on vacation, and we are praying that they return home soon with their desires ready for baptism. There is still hope. Yola and her sister carmen are coming back from vacation this weekend and yola wants to be baptized. So we just have to keep in contact with her and teach her sister. And for christian and junior there is still hope too, we just have to catch them the evenings they aren´t working. They don´t have a set schedule so its tough. But others’ desires have died out, and we are searching for new people who are ready to commit.

I don´t have tons to say today, But one happy/sad/weird thing is I have completed 9 months in the mission. WOW. I have lots of mixed feelings about this. Time is passing way too fast. But I still have 9 more months to enjoy and work hard. I love Peru and I love Trujillo. Estoy muy feliz en la mision.

So last p day I mentioned how we went to Huanchaco. It was fabulous! I love the beach... I know you are all surprised that I´m happy when I go to Huanchaco. There are these little boat things made of leaves and twigs. The men sit in them to go fish. Its fun to watch.  It was great.

We have been having lots of family home evenings to get the ward more involved and to receive references from their friends. Its really fun and spiritual too. We usually share a video with them and a message. But then we play games that are pretty sweet. One is where you have to talk but can´t show your teeth. And if you do and get caught, you have a punishment. It’s so funny. We are definitely going to play this one when I get home. Here are some pictures from this past week. I’m not going to show pictures of the punishment because its too funny and i need to see your reactions.

We eat bread, jam, yogurt and bland cereal. Every morning and night. Its good, but old. Yum... :(

Oh so a little about my comp. She is from Sanitago Chile and has less then four months left. She is a lot better with her health, we just have to keep her on her medicine. She has been a member her whole life and her parents and grandparents are members. This is rare for South America, obviously a lot more common in Utah, which here is called the fabrica--which means it’s the factory of members and missionaries. :) This picture is of us at the ward relief society birthday party. Mmmm torta

So I just have to say that I am so grateful for my family. I am not only grateful that they are all members, but that they are all active, and actively involved. I am grateful that my parents, grandparents, and aunts and uncles are all sealed in the temple. This is such a great example to me! I love that our families have a lot of love, yes- we have our problems everybody does, but we don’t let it get in the way of what is really important. I am so grateful for all of the other family that I have, related or not! And I´m so grateful that I get to share my mission experience with my missionary Holt cousins. It’s the best 18/24 months and we are all out at the same time (Karissa Bosco in Argentina; Ashley Holt in Washington DC; Cy Holt in Chili).  I love it. And I love reading their awesome experiences every week.

oh - 9 months - the middle-  I guess? 

Love you all!!

Hna Sandstrom!


Headache update: 
I'm not pain free but alot better!
Thanks for the prayers!!

at the ward relief society birthday party. 

Mmmm torta

I love the beach

i love the beach

11 Junio 2012

Hola Familia favorita mia -
¿Como Estan?

We went to Huanchaco this past Tuesday for our district and zone meetings. It was great!! The church there is a house and it’s right on the beach, so we went out to the beach and took pictures after. It was sweet! It was very refreshing from the city. 

my zone at the beach

We are headed out there again today to have lunch and stuff for p day.  I love the beach.  Maybe ill ask President if I can go there next summer. (they change this area to hermanas during summer, because its not the greatest place for elders during summer time.)

This past week we were in a lesson with our investigator Julissa, she is 14 years old. Anyway she asked me if I was from Peru, I answered no, and she said Argentina? again no. Then Brasil? No I said, and she said where? Oh Los Esados Unidos. She said -really? Your Spanish is good, but you don´t pronounce your r´s. Haha I guess I need to work on that, but at least she thought I was Latina :)


This past weekend we had stake conference and they were changing the president, so Elder Waddell, of the Quorum of the Seventies, and Elder Godoy came for a couple of days. It was great, I got to talk to Elder Waddell a couple different times. He is so great! The conference was amazing! I loved their talks. They talked a lot about not loosing the vision. Elder Waddell quoted something from elder Bednar that I like. It was awesome. He said that the tree of life is Jesus Christ and that the fruit of the tree of life is the atonement. The atonement is relief, strength, the resurrection, and redemption.

Hermana Montes y yo

As far as teaching and our investigators this past week we were doing great. We had almost 3 baptism dates. They were excited for their baptisms.  They felt that these things were true, They were reading their scriptures and they were praying sincerely. Awesome!!  We were making progress, and felt like we were working really well together and with our investigators. But guess what, then came a work visit. I don´t like these.  Every time my companion leaves my area, things go bad. And that’s what happened again. So many of our investigators are leaving town for fathers day, or don´t want to come to church or can’t come. Its sad. But we are not going to be sad, we are going to get things going again now that Hna Montes is back.

The headaches are getting better. I don´t have them as often, but when I do, they are still as strong. But …we are improving!!

I hope everybody is doing well. I love you all!!! Thanks so much for your love and prayers. I really feel your support. The gospel of Jesus Christ is amazing!!! The atonement is real!! We have the ability to repent everyday. For those sins that are big and horrible. But as well for the small things. The things we know we shouldn´t do. I hope and pray that you call all recognize these things in your life, and make the choice to repent and change, for the better!

a real hamburger
- the best - next to interviews with president 

Love you lots!!

Hna Sandstrom

Saving souls is the work 
the savior has called us to do.

my zone at lunch before our mission wide fast 

the closest i got to branding memorial weekend