Another Week

Sept 24 2012

Hola Familia!

¡Como Estan? Yo espero que todo esta bien, y que todos estan bien de salud. Feliz Cumpleaños a todos! Hay muchos ahorita.. Ali, Tiff, Megan, Drew, Kendall, Charlee, Cooper, Clancie, Addie, Auggie, Lucas and Grandpa B.

This week has been good, nothing huge really happened.  We did have a fun little emergency drill one morning at 6:30. That was really fun, it was to prepare us because last week there was suppose to be a big earthquake and tsunami.  We waited and had all of our stuff ready to go, but nothing ever happened. This is like the third earthquake scare that I have had while in Peru, but I think we’ll be good. I don’t think the water will reach us up on the 5th floor. 

This past week we had a ward mission night. It was pretty good. We had some investigators come! That’s always the best part!. We watched 17 miracles. I love that movie. Most of the members were crying. It had such an impact on them, a lot of them hadn’t seen it. They really were able to see all of the sacrifices that the Pioneers had made. 

But other than that our investigators have come to kind of a stop. Johanna went with her mom to Chiclayo for the last two weekends. So we are anxiously awaiting here return so that we can set a baptism date- 

Our other investigators are Maribel and Mercy (they are the ones that Hna Turk had on her blog). They’re awesome. This mom is incredible. She is catholic, but her and her daughter are awesome. They are so receptive to the gospel. I love teaching them. They have given us multiple references for their friends and family. They are coming to church on their own. The only thing is that she doesn’t really see the need be baptized. She was baptized as a catholic and notices that they are really similar. :S  So we are trying to help her see and she has a little problem with the dad of her kids. But we are just going to keep working with her.  I love this family. They just welcome us in every time we go. Even if they don’t have a lot of time. They want us to come in and sing and pray, even if it was just for 5 minutes. We were there this past week and Maribel needed to make lunch, so she said lets pray and sing, then I’ll go buy the stuff for lunch, and you can teach my mom and nephew. So when she came back we were finishing teaching them the plan of salvation. She calls from the kitchen, “teach them how to pray”, So we did.... then she calls again, “teach them about the book of Mormon”... so we did. But it was funny. She wants everybody she knows to hear our message. So we’ll see what this next week brings and hopefully we can get some things worked out. 

Fernando is doing great, he is still coming to church and staying strong.

This week is going to be great, we have a lot of new people planned and we are holding a missionary fireside. We have a copy of a talk that Jeffrey R. Holland gave at the MTC and it is fabulous!!! I’m excited to share it with the members this week. 

I am so grateful for your support. I am so happy to be a missionary, even when the days are long and tough. The lord blesses his missionaries. I love my Savior Jesus Christ, and I am so grateful for what he has done for me. I am so happy that we have prophets here on the earth today. And we have wonderful blessing of hearing from our special prophet in two weeks. I hope that all of you will prayerfully watch conference and write down your revelations that you receive. It is a blessing that we get to hear from a prophet of god. 

Keep smilin, Love you! 

Hna Sandstrom 

this computer won't let me upload photos - maybe next week

One year older and wiser too

One year older and wiser too....espero que SI (I hope so)
Sep 17 2012

Hola Familia Mia! 

Como estan?

Tengo muchas noticias para ustedes! This past week has been great! We had the opportunity to go teaching with president. It was loads of fun! We had a couple of great lessons and it was awesome to hear president teach. It was very powerful. He was also able to give our pensionista a blessing. She has been the pensionista in our ward for 20 years. She has been having some random pains in her body and wanted a blessing. It was a great surprise for her. Also her husband has Alzheimer’s and it is sad for him to start forgetting things. But its great that he can still do things, and his memory is actually getting better. 

Fernando is the one without the tie- far right

Another great thing that happened this past week is that Fernando got baptized! He was still a little wishy washy during the week. He was seriously so convinced that Hna Lujan was going to come back for him. But as we helped build his faith and he was supported by other people; he realized why he needed to do this. It was amazing! His prayers are so sweet. You can tell that he believes that his Heavenly Father is listening. And he really reads, not all of the times when we leave stuff for people to read do they really read. But Fernando does! He can pull out the coolest things, and knows how to apply them. Sometimes he is a little off because he is so shy. 

His baptism was interesting. His friend in the ward Fedrico baptized him, but he had never done it before. So it took a while in the font, and he had to be dunked 3 times. (oh side note, the water here in the baptism fonts is freezing!!) But he was successfully baptized and is happy!. 

This past week I completed a year in the mission. I can´t believe how fast time flies. I can´t believe that I am a different person than I was before. I am so grateful that I have had the opportunity to serve a mission, and to learn from all of the people here in Peru. 

I love that I have an eternal family that can help me through all of my struggles. I am so grateful that I have this comforting knowledge that no matter what storm comes my way-- I have a great support system. I am so grateful that my parents are sealed in the temple and that they have always been teaching me by example. I didn´t realize how important that was, until I have seen the opposite. I am grateful for the priesthood that I have had in my home and that my dad was always worthy to give me a blessing and to lead our home. Thanks mom and dad, and con and park. Love you :)

 
I am so grateful for all of you! 

Until next week  :)

  

Hna Sandstrom 

Con and P, look what I found at the Bishops house yesterday ... Harry Potter in spanish.  haha made me think of you two

WOW - one year

Sept 10 2012
Hola Familia Mia!

Como Estan? Yo espero que todo esta bien con ustedes! 

All is good here. Im back in the city and trying to get use to the stubbernness of the people again. Haha

I am loving my new companion. She is awesome. Its really weird to be with a north american but we are having a great time, and im really happy.  We live with this family in their apartment building, but we live on the 5th floor. That was really fun carrying my suitcases up.... not.  We have made some great plans for this change and how we can help the ward be more involved missionary work. 

So we have a couple of investigators that we are working with. The first one is Fernando. He is so funny. He is a man of about 50, but he has some pretty weird beliefs. He believes that he doesnt have any sins. So that means he doesn´t need to repent. So funny. Also he misses so much the last Hermana that was here. In every lesson he says that he needs her to come back becuase she is the only one that can help him change. He´s in lvoe with her. Its Hermana Lujan this and Hermana Lujan that. I wish she would come back just so he will be baptized. But he did have is baptismal interview this past week, so hopefully we can keep him convinced that he should be baptized now, and not so far in the future.  Wish me luck this week with him. 

Also we have Jhoana. Her mom is a member, but didn´t learn anything before she was baptized. She wants her daughter to be baptized in lots of diferent churches just to makesure that she is covered. She just thinks that everytime you get baptized you get more blessings. Its weird. But her daughter is awesome. She has been coming to church for a while and loves it, she went to the church for years when she lived in Chiclayo. so we are hoping to get her permission here soon.

 

So thats been our week.

I was incredibly sad to leave Chimbote. We had a family home evening before I left and alot of the ward came. It was sad to say goodbye. Even though I know it will only be until april, but still. I love them so much. It was heart wrenchig to say goodbye to roger and pilar. This family is amazing. They are so strong in the church, applying everything they have learned.

 

Until Next Week.

Take care of yourselves!!!

LOVE YOU LOTS

Hna Sandstrom

 

THis internet place won´t let me load pictures. :(  I´ll send double next week.

Back to Trujillo

Roger & Pilar and family :)

Sept 3 2012

Hola Familia Mia!! Como estan??

Estoy bien aqui. Its been a crazy week and I’m happy to say that we are so tired. Haha

This past week we moved apartments. But we had a little mishap, because we were ready and our new place wasn’t quite ready, but it will be ready for the Hermanas to move in Tuesday night. It’s been quite the headache, but everything will work out great.

moving apartments

This is the week of changes, and guess what..... I’m leaving.... AGAIN: It’s so hard to leave. I know that its part of life and part of the mission but that doesn’t make it easier. President told me in our interview last week that if my headaches weren’t better when he called me in a week, then he was going to bring me back to Trujillo. Oh joy :( So he called this past week and we had a very good discussion. We both agreed that it was for the best for me to return to Trujillo.

So this means I am leaving my favorite place of Nuevo Chimbote! --tomorrow. I am going back to Primavera (my same zone as before) but to a different area, with Hna Langi. She is going to be my first North American companion. She is from Tonga but lives in Cali. It will be great fun!!!

Nuevo Chimbote - I love it!

But I am really sad to leave Chimbote. I feel like I have grown so much here. I have felt so much love from my companion, from my district, leaders, and from my ward. This ward is one of the smallest areas in all of the mission. But the members are amazing! They are so strong and so faithful. They are the pioneers of Chimbote. But they will always have a special place in my heart. I have come to love them so much, in such a short time. I have made friendships that will last forever.

I always heard that you would learn to love so much in the mission, and its true. I can’t believe how much that we can come to love people. They are amazing, I didn’t think that my heart could love people this much. I have really learned to love people here in the mission; to love my companions, other missionaries, members and investigators. Wow. Its just like hermana Bosco said, next door in Argentina [Watch out family, There is a lot more love coming, get ready :) haha

This past week I have been studying, what are miracles. Sometimes miracles aren’t what we think they should be.... Read in the bible dictionary about Miracles. Its cool.

Also Ether 12:4

Lots of Love

Hna Sandstrom

Una Semana Fantastica!

August 27, 2012

Hola Familia!!! Como Estan?

I have lots to catch you up on.  We started out the week in Trujillo... We waited for about 4 hours in the clinic to see if I could get a demoral shot to help with my headaches and right before our turn, the doctor ran out to an emergency. So Hermana Turk made an executive decision and we went to dinner for my birthday!! I had the most delicious Fetucchini Alfredo that I have had in 11 months!! So yummy!! Thank you Pres. and Hna Turk. As we got back to the mission home Hna Turk gave me my packages from home for my birthday with the ¨magic pills¨.  (mom note: we were finally able to send her some prescription meds for pain)

The next morning we headed back to Trujillo and we got the word that Roger and Pilar were going to change their wedding date for Thursday! So we headed off to their baptismal interview Tuesday afternoon!! They are amazing and have such strong testimonies and are so excited for this next step in their life. 

Wednesday we had interviews with President Turk, and then we got to hear from Pres, and Hna Turk. It was great, a very uplifting day. Lots of things that I needed to hear, and some things that I can do to strengthen me testimony!   My interview with President was great, He is so inspired. I am looking forward to learning a lot more from him. 

So after a Long day Wednesday, we had a multi-zone meeting Thursday again with President and Hna turk. It was again another great meeting. I love being around them, they are always so full of energy and such strong spirits. 

Thursday was the wedding of Pilar and Roger, we weren´t able to go because we were in meetings all day, but they were officially married, and after our meetings we worked on preparing for the baptism that night. Satan is very powerful, so we didn´t want to give him time to do any damage. Their baptism was planned for that night and it was amazing!! The musical number, the talks, and the support of the members!! My favorite part, were the testimonies of Pilar and Roger. They were awesome. I love them so much! I didn´t get any good pictures because there were so many cameras going.

So the Week was a great success!! I love being a missionary. I am grateful for the opportunity I have had to serve the people here in Chimbote. They have changed my life

Changes are next week, We´ll see if we get changed. I hope not, but well see. 

 

Love you all!!!! Thanks for the brithday cards!!

HNa Sandstrom 

August 20, 2012 - Happy Birthday to me!

Hola Familia!!!

Thanks so much for the birthday wishes!! I got all the cards and letters today – what a great gift.  It’s definitely going to be a birthday that I will never forget!!

This wasn't for my birthday, but Hno Lucho's on the 16th
It's just a week full of Birthdays

This past week was a good one, but I don’t have much to report. Roger and Pilar ended up not getting married, because of the mountain of paperwork. But they will either be getting married this Friday the 24th or on the 29th.  We are so happy with them.  We went with them to the devotional for President Monson. It was awesome. The songs were gorgeous, and I have to admit I was a little trunky while watching it. 

This next week is going to be great, we are going to have interviews with President Turk, and we are going to have a multi zone conference too.  Hopefully we will also have a wedding, and a belated birthday party thrown by my pensionista – she is the greatest!!!.  She has been planning it for a while. I love her!! We won’t be able to have one today because my companion and I are headed into Trujillo for me to try to get a demoral shot (Happy Birthday to me).  We will stay overnight and come back with President.

I love reading the dear-elder letters from my missionary cousins. I love reading their experiences and remembering experiences that I have had here. I am excited to share this with them for the rest of our lives. Love you Elder Holt, Sister Holt, Hermana Bosco, and Sister Thompson. 

Sorry I don’t have much to say, there hasn’t been much that has happened this week. But I want to wish my mom a very Happy Birthday!!!!! I hope that she has a fabulous day! I am so grateful for my mom and everything that she has taught me. She has been such a good example to me all my life. She has shown me how to be the best missionary. She is an example of how to always be an example of the believers, and to have confidence that our Savior will help us through every trial. I am so happy for the decisions that she has made and how she is always full of advice. She has taught me how to always love others. No matter what the situation is. She has a great testimony, and is never ashamed to share it with others. Our family has been through so rough times, but my mom has pulled us together and strengthened each one of us! I love you mom!!! 

I am so grateful to be apart of an eternal family, and I love you all. I know that we can be together forever! 

Thanks so much for your prayers for me and for the people of Peru!!

Love you 

Hna Sandstrom

eating aji de gallina - like a curry with chicken -
SO DELICIOUS and I know how to make it now 

Hna Bond from Bountiful, Hna Searman from Arizona
and Hna Coronelio from Lima

I love my companion :)

Thank You Gardener for Cutting Me Back

August 13 2012

Hola Familia Mia

I am doing good here, it’s been a pretty good week. 

This past week we had a great Mission Night, we did Lehi´s dream where we tied a rope all throughout the church, and then blind folded people. It was fun to watch the members tempt their friends. We had a great turn out, Roger and Pilar and their family came. They are really progressing, but their wedding stuff isn´t … this is Satan´s way of stopping their progress. Because we know that they are going to be great leaders someday.

This past week we had a work visit, and I was with Hermana Bond. She is from Bountiful, and is companions with Hermana Shearman. She told me that her mom is following my blog. 

So Hi mom from Hermana Bond-  J

Also last Sunday Walter received the Priesthood, and then yesterday he passed the sacrament.  It was great.

So I have been having these therapies from the nephew of the 2nd counselor of the mission.  He is blind and has a special gift. He has been rubbing my feet to find out what hurts and what is wrong with my body. He says maybe its my colon, or my cholestrol.  But it hurts SO BAD!! I was sobbing, I was screaming.  Oh it was so awful -- worth it I guess if it helped, but so far it hasn’t. :)

This past week along with my wonderful head, I have been caught with the gripe… which is the Spanish word for flu, strep throat, and any type of sickness that one may have. Its been quite fun.

I have realized that The Lord definitely brings us down before he can bring us higher. I remember the conference talk that said, ‘Thank you gardener for cutting me back’.  (FYI -it was D. Todd Christofferson April 2011 http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/04/as-many-as-i-love-i-rebuke-and-chasten?lang=eng&query=thanks+gardener) 
I know that this headache stuff is a trial that he is giving me to help me become better. But Oh at times it’s tough. 

Here are some scriptures that I have found in my studies this week: DC 46:19 and DC 42:48-52 and Mark 5:34-36.  I know that through my faith I can be healed, but it’s figuring out what more I can do to strengthen my faith. I thought I had faith, but I am finding out that I need more of it. 

I am so grateful to be here in Peru, and to be in this Mission, with President and Hermana Turk, and with my companion. I am seriously so blessed and happy to be here. I love my Savior Jesus Christ, and I am so grateful for him and for the sacrifice that he made for me.  

I know that the Lord can take my pain away, or that he will give me the strength to make it through.

Thanks for your loves and prayers, and fasting. 

Love 

Hna Sandstrom 

 The dog is a Peruano Perro. 
They are so ugly!!
They have no hair. 
He lives with us.