Time to Fly :)

Lima bound...

9/30/2011

It’s hard to believe three weeks have passed and I will be flying to Peru on Wednesday. It’s going to be extremely hard leaving Hermana Bosco and Elder O'neal. I see them at least twice every day and it’s such a strength to be able to receive a hug from Hermana Bosco. I love her so much and she is such a great example to me! And elder O'neal is so great! Even though he can't give me a hug that handshake means a lot. They are awesome missionaries and will touch so many people!  

So this past week was a very uplifting week. Last Sunday we had fast Sunday, and mission conference. Mission conference was a two-hour session where we got to listen to all of the members of the MTC Presidency. It was so cool; you knew they were speaking directly to you, and your specific circumstance. There were some great talks about pride and the temple, and the prophets. One talk was about having faith, being worthy, and having the spirit with you. I know that if we have the spirit with us we will be able to, and want to do the things the lord has planned for us.

Thank you so much for all fasting for my visa. That is incredible! It is amazing what happens when the lord has a plan for us. There was a sister that got reassigned this week because after being here for 9 weeks, she was reassigned to Temple Square. There are also so many missionaries that just stay here for longer. I must really have a purpose and some important work to do in the Lima MTC if I got my visa right on time. Thanks for all of the prayers. I'm scared to death going to Peru already, my spanish is nowhere near the level to go speak it fluently all the time. Ah! Keep the prayers coming please!

So this past Tuesday our fireside was by Don. Clarke of the quorum of the seventy. He did an awesome job and I was able to find many messages that applied to me. One was, remember what it means to be Hermana Sandstrom. I love this! I challenge each of you to remember what it means to be you. What things can you change to be a better witness of Christ? Remember what it means to be a daughter or son of GOD! There are so many blessings and promises there, that if you strive to live worthy to those you will be immensely blessed. Another line from the same talk is, write in your heart what you are going to be. Remember who you are and what you want to be in your heart. Make it a permanent change. Don't take off more than you can handle but start with a small change of heart, and an action. You will see and feel the Lord’s hand in your life.

So this past week we had the chance to go to a training lab. We got to go in rooms and meet with members who spoke another language. We were supposed to go in and get to know them in Spanish and then give them a spiritual thought. all in espanol. I was so nervous. I almost had tears in my eyes. When we got in there, it was our guys first day. So he spoke to us in Spanish as much as we knew and then he gave us advice on what to talk about and what our investigators need to hear first. The next person we went to was fabulous. no ingles and i was able to  talk to him in 100% Spanish. So great! In his notes to our teacher he said that when we testified, our Spanish was perfect!! Such a testimony of relying on the spirit!.  Later that afternoon we went to start with a new investigator, Miguel. It’s really our teacher but this was a new start for us. I was able to give the whole lesson with only looking at my notes a couple times. but I didn't read them!!1 Like I had in the past. I was so happy. I was able to teach by the spirit, and it was awesome. I can now pray and testify completely in Spanish too. So powerful when you have the spirit of the lord helping you!!

Last night we had the chance to eat dinner with President Brown. He just came and sat next to us. He asked us to give him 10 scriptures from the Book of Mormon that talk about the atonement. We had a little trouble but we got them all. Just watch next fireside and devotional our district will be bearing our testimonies and praying (that’s how it works here) Here is another challenge, find the ten scriptures in the Book of Mormon that talk about the atonement. There is only one in the bible. And don't cheat using the index and topical guide.

Thank you so much for all of your love and support. I am so grateful to be here on my mission and to be studying the gospel and learning how to teach others how to come unto Christ and be baptized! I love you all!!!

Hermanas Steimle, Adams, Eddings, Sandstrom

Yo y Hermana Eddings - mi companera

My District

Week 2 and Lima bound soon

This past week has been good. I didn't start having a hard time until about Monday. I was so worried about my spanish. Our second day here we were given an investigator and we had to teach him in complete spanish. SO AWFUL! We didn't know hardly anything. We started copying out of our spanish preach my gospels, but we quickly learned that was not the way to teach, we weren't teaching by the spirit and couldn't answer any of Beto's questions.

So by Monday night a lot of our district was feeling the same way. We decided that on Tuesday we would have a district fast for help with our spanish and our lessons. Tuesday was amazing I was able to receive lots of different tips and help from other teachers and zone language helpers. Here are some scriptures that really helped me.

1 nephi 17:51 (so great). I know that they lord has so much power that he will be able to teach me how to teach in spanish and how to be able to teach with the spirit and know what my investigators are saying back to me.

The next one is 2 nephi 31: 3 well actually the whole thing.  I know that the lord will help me and won't give me things that I can't handle. I know that even though I have only been here a week. I am already learning so so much!

Tuesday night’s fireside speaker was Russel M. Nelson. It was incredible. We got to sing in the choir and we were singing ‘Where Can I Turn for Peace’ while he walked in. I started crying as he came in the room. I knew at that time where I could go for peace. I knew that I could go to my Savior anytime. My prayers had been answered. It also was a great testimony strengthener about prophets. He is indeed a prophet of the lord. He was so funny. We had been given the new issue of the Ensign, which is all about the Book of Mormon, and he spoke right from it the whole night. It was incredible.

In Relief society we got to all meet together (all 400 sisters at the mtc) . Sister Sharee Bird gave the lesson and she used this quote "Obedience brings forth blessings, but EXACT obedience brings forth miracles". Sister Nelson also used the same talk on Tuesday night. This quote has come to mean so much to me. I know that if I am completely 100 % to all of the rules. I will be blessed.

Oh so I have had lots of questions about my visa. A lot of the sisters that have been called to go the Lima Peru MTC have been delayed multiple weeks because their visas have not been here. Instead of being disappointed, the sisters in my district decided to just plan on not going on time. Which we were happy about because we are struggling with our spanish.  Yesterday my name was read over the intercom (which either means you are being reassigned, or that your visa came).  My stomach was in huge knots as we walked across campus. As we walked in the door two other sisters (in our zone, who were already suppose to be in Peru) had their travel itineraries in hand. I got my VISA!!!! I will be traveling with them on OCT 5th!! Any my flight leaves around 9 that morning. I'm so excited and SOO nervous.

(ok mom interjection here – Kaylee doesn’t know that last Sunday some of our extended family were having a special fast for an ill relative and I asked if they would please include fasting that Kaylee would receive her visa and be able to leave as scheduled after the 3 weeks to go to the Lima MTC.  Hmmm power in fasting, you bet!)

I get to go to the temple this afternoon and I'm looking forward to it so much! I didn't realize a week and a half of not going would have such an effect on me.

LOVE YOU ALL!!

HERMANA SANDSTROM!!!

MTC - it's awesome

Tucano's ... a lunch to remember :)

We're Here

Welcomed by wonderful friends Elder & Sister James (Zimbabwe bound)

Off she goes ... what a joyous event (through the tears)
We love her, we'll miss her but couldn't be happier!

Here are some excerpts from here first letter 9/17/2011

The MTC is so wonderful! I love it so much! I love learning and studying. In my first classour instructor walked in and started right off is spanish. no english! Ah!! Last night we had to give our first lesson in complete spanish to our investigator Beto. Oh my! It was truely awful, but I learned so much just giving one lesson and have learned so much for our lesson later tonight.

My compenera is Hermana Eddings. She is from centerville. She was super excited the first day about being her and was so excited for the work.  She is also going to the trujillo peru mission!  There are two other hermanas in our district and one of them is Hermana Stemile and she is from Kansas andshe is going to the lima south  mission(i think). And the other sister is Hermana Adams from California. She is so wonderful! We get along so well! We feel like we know each other from somewhere, and we have become wonderful friends! There are 7 elders in our district and all of them are going to Mexico. There are three sisters next door to us, and they are all going to  Peru as well, and they were all suppose to leave two weeks ago to leave for the lima mtc, but visas are really bad and they have been delayed. We found out that the government in Peru is changing so much right now that visas are taking forever. So as of right now we are just planning on staying in provo longer, because of all of the other hermanas experiences.

As I got here the first day I was so nervous and unsure what was ahead of me. I didn't know anything about my companion or teaching or the work. And I don't know much more now, except for the fact that I am suppose to be here! This is where I need to be! I love the mtc and am excited to continue to learn more about the gospel, especially how to teach it in spanish! Please pray for me, this spanish is no bueno :).

Please send dearelder.com lettters as often as you can. We get mail twice a day!

Thanks so much for all of hte love and support! I love being a missionary and have felt so many blessings as I have already been here. I know that this churhc is true and that God blesses us when we are obedient. He watches over us!

Love you all!!

Hermana Sandstrom!

Mission Address!

Dearelder.com works best and is free for the MTC and also for once I get to Peru.
My PROVO MTC address is
Sister Kaylee Nicole Sandstrom
MTC Mailbox #210
PER-TRU 1116
2005 N. 900 E.
Provo Ut 84604

My PERU MTC Address is
Sister Kaylee Nicole Sandstrom
Centro de Capacitacion Missional
Melgarejo 159
La Molina
Amazonas 12
Peru

And My Pouch mail address is
Sister Kaylee Nicole Sandstrom
Peru Trujillo Mission
POB 30150
Salt Lake City, UT 84130
( For pouch mail, for the letter in thirds, writing only on one side, secure the long sides with tape but don't seal the ends. Then address like a normal letter with your return address so I can write you back. )

Send packages (:)) to the Mission office at
Sister Kaylee Nicole Sandstrom
Peru Trujillo Mission
Avenida Larco 849, Piso 3
Urb. La Merced
Trujillo, La Libertad
Peru
51 44-291-543

Again: Dearelder.com is the best way!!


Thanks so much for all of your love and support!

Birthday!

So for my birthday this last weekend we went to Burley for the annual Fair and Rodeo! We do the same thing every year, but I love it!

We of course have to visit the museum every year, even though it never changes. 

And too bad they put up a big fence around the horse races. At least the little kids got to see.  

We all rode the Mechanical Bull!! 

I got to cross something off my bucket list!! #66 is done!

This quilt is so cool! I want to make it someday!

We went the Horse Races before we snuck across to put blankets down. 

The RODEO! I love the Cassia County Rodeo. It is seriously one of best I have been to! 

Thanks so much to everybody who made it an awesome day! 

I wonder what I'll be doing on my next birthday!

Week of S's

Snow Cones!
This is one of my absolute favorite things about summer. I love having an ice cold snow cone filled with tigers blood. It honestly doesn't get much better than this people.

And I love these girls too!

Salads!

One of my favorite things is Wingers Sticky finger salads. My "seester" Calais took me to lunch for my birthday. I love her so much and I have mix feelings about her being so far away in Logan. Love her much!

Sound of Music at Sundance (Double S!)

One of my family's favorite musicals is Sound of Music so when we found out that i was coming to Sundance this summer we had to get tickets! They did an awesome job! They left out some stuff, but what play doesn't? It was awesome to go with our neighbors, and to have Collin join us. :)

Coming home!

So when I got home on saturday, Someone came to visit me in Salt Lake. It was a fabulous surprise! 

My Roommate Liz had her farewell on sunday, she is headed to Fresno. She will be an awesome missionary. The people in Fresno are so lucky to have her and her companions are pretty lucky too!

This I also was able to go to the temple on tuesday with my two cousins. They both just recently went through the temple and it was so exciting to go with them! Love them to pieces!