Happy yet Homesick

November 28 2011

SO week 2 in Monserate.

Monday is p day as you have noticed and last week we spent the day with our district leader and his companion because my companion wanted a new shirt and to leave our area we have to have our district leader. It was a great day. Our district leader’s companion is North American, so for a couple hours I got to speak English and feel like a normal person. It was a great afternoon. After hours of shopping we finally found her some shirts and headed back to write some letters and chill in the apartment until it was time to work at 6.

Tuesdays are our zone and district conferences (and this is the mail day = best day of the week).  Except this past week we had a district meeting with President Turk and the assistants and our zone leaders. It was a great reunion and we got eat pizza (I have never been so happy to see pizza :) ) The food here is delicious! I love it. Out pensionista is great and its so fun to be with her family everyday. Her husband served his mission in Trujillo and just got done with his mission last December. So he has us go back and find his old investigators and contact less actives. It’s great!  Her son Frank was just baptized yesterday.  He was so excited to be baptized. We have been singing primary songs for days! 

This is also the view from their window every night at dinner. 

It’s so gorgeous!

During our meeting with the Turks I had a fabulous interview with President. It was so great; he is so caring and knowledgeable. I felt really comforted after meeting with him. So here is the honest truth. I have been really homesick this past week. I have never felt this homesick before. I know this is where I’m supposed to be and I know I have work here to do. But being here all alone, in a world where I don’t understand the language and somewhere where I can’t readily access my family is hard. Sometimes we’ll be walking down the street and I’ll have tears running down my checks. As I sat eating my soup for Thanksgiving day, my companion asked what my family was doing right then. Ha. That didn’t help at all!!! I explained what went down on Thanksgiving and the days following. Not fun. Also I realized that not only am I missing Connor being ordained on the 25th but I also won’t get to be there when he does baptisms for the first time. So sad too.

Through all of this though, President Turk challenged me to find comfort scriptures.  Here are some that I have found Alma 34:14, 26:12, 1:25, DC101:38,  and of course my favorites DC68:6, and Philippians 4:13.

So yesterday we had 8 or 9 people tell us that they were coming to church, and when church started we had 0 there. After the opening song an investigator walked in with her son and a member.  We were so happy!! They are awesome. I hope they continue to be receptive.  As we had a lot of our progressive investigators not show up, I again was discouraged. I was missing my life back home, my family, friends, and my everyday life.  But I had a scripture come to my mind as I was praying.  Matt. 10:39. whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. Also in this chapter is verse 14, and 19.  They are gems. Shake of the dust of your feet and be not discouraged. It is not you they are rejecting it is the Savior Jesus Christ.

S0 every day I have tried to find a positive quote in my personal study. Some I have found are: we are going to do something extraordinary!, and You are going to save souls (President Kimball). Do you have any ones that you like that you could send me? They’re little motivation pick me ups every time I open my planner.

Another thing president Turk said that I am going to learn in my first three months here is patience and humility. It’s so true. Peru has no time schedule. You make an appointment for 3 but that means that it really doesn’t start until 3:30 or 3:45.

Read in preach my gospel, page 13 from Pres. Harold B Lee and Ezra Taft Benson. What are you doing to be a missionary and help with the missionary efforts in your ward?

I’m trying everyday to be happy and I’m sorry this letter is so sad and discouraging. But I’m trying!!

So this morning I left the house and it smelled like mink....haha....gross....I don’t miss that...,

Also I had cow liver this past week. It was actually pretty good. Also I had this purple corn goo gel stuff that was pretty good.

  

Thanks for all of the love and prayers!!! LOVE YOU ALL!!

Hermana Sandstrom

PS Send dear elders! I love getting them. I’ll respond and send letters home once every month or so.