I can't believe I made it this far.

July 29, 2024

Howdy! 

Time goes so quick! 

It is now my last p day on the mission. We have seen so much success in these past two weeks! We are tired, I am weary the mission president expressed how much he wants me to extend, I would love too but I would faint. I also think my mama would come down and personally drive me back to Utah if I stayed any longer. Love you mommy!

Right now our ward has 24 recent converts (folks baptised in the last year) and we will double that number in 3 months. Just in the past week we found 2 families with 11-15 people each. They are coming to church and are willing to commit! 

We have a friend named prisciliano, he has a date for aug 25! He is 85 years old, very humble and still kicking stong! The other day we stopped by and he was working in the yard!

Plus. 

Our sweet friend named Linda who is really progressing! She has a parrot who speaks a little spanish, everytime we have lessons he hops up on my knee and juat sits there calmly. Its super cute!

I have loved to serve with Elder Fullmer I have learned much from him!

I am just so greatful to be have served a mission and I still have two more full days!

This has been the hardest thing Ive ever done but man I love hard things!!! It has been so worth it and I am so so so excited to come home! 

I will be giving my homecoming talk on August 11th at 9 am in at this address!

I would love for everyone to come! :))

455 E 300 N American Fork UT

Thanks for all your support! I have needed it.

Much love, 

     Elder Eric Sandberg

A Great Work

July 15, 2024

Its already been three weeks since transfers and that means I only get 2 and a half precious weeks more in the mission field.

My new companion is amazing! He is from CHINA! Can you believe that? He lived in china until 8 yrs old then his family from Kansas adopted him, brought him to the states and raised him there!

His name is Elder Fullmer and my oh my, he is a good one. Hes only been on the mission for 9 months and he is already zone leader with me. I am greatful for the opportunity to teach him the ways. 

We have done all kinds of Exchanges with the Elders in the zone, about 3 a week. It had been real fun to get to know each of these fine Elders!

We got a new mission president! His name is President Lloyd Newell! If you've ever listened to General Conference or music on the spoken word, Lloyd Newell is the one who announces all the things in a super deep voice! And I will say the voice is real!!! He is doing a great job he has a lot of fire and passion which I and holding on to!

Being ZL when a new president comes is a very neat experience we have been running around doing all kinds of things throughout the mission, Meetings, trainings, conferences! Its pretty rad!

We had a lot of folks who were on track to be baptised this month but sadly they have fallen away and won't be ready for a while. Although I am happy because we gave them a chance, and I know for certain they will have another, everybody always does.

We have been teaching a sweet family, The Castillo Family, the parents are members but the daughters never were baptised. Naomy 10 and Karla 15 made their own decision and were baptised yesterday! It has been a joy to work with and teach them. I have seen a huge difference in their family even after a month. We sat behind them at church yesterday and I felt joy as I saw their whole family together, safe, and side in the house of prayer. The Gospel Blesses individuals and families in ways we can only dream! But through Jesus Christ and our own diligent efforts its a reality!

I never thought I would make it this far on the mission it feels so wierd! But I am grateful!

Side note, I am ready for the mountains they are calling

Love

    - Elder Sandberg

Moroni 7:45-47

Charity suffereth long and envieth not, it will never perish. The pure love of Christ

The course of the lord is one eternal round

 June 17, 2024

1 nefi 10:19

This week marks 22 months of being a missionary. I can't even comprehend that sentence it has been the hardest time of my life but is has been the BEST thing i have ever done and its only and even more awesome uphill climb from here!

My companion finishes his mission this week! He has been losing focus, running outa gas and tanking hard which has been tough on me but the future is bright and I am excited for what it holds!!! I have been called for two years no more no less, I just about finished my second to last lap and when I see the tape at the finish line I am not slowing down, even when it hurts the most thats when I need to fight harder than ever! This church is true, its the most important thing there is, and I am treasuring every moment!

This week was an uplifting week yet hard n slow, but somehow they go by so fast!

About 14 months ago I was companions with a great Elder from Yonkers New York named Elder Gonzalez. In that time we were teaching a sweet older couple named Gerardo and Imelda, I had the honor of a lifetime to baptize Gerardo and Elder Gonzalez Baptized Imelda. 14 months later Elder G and I have progressed on to many other areas with different companions and out of the blue on friday, we recieve word from Gerardo that the following day they would be recieving their own Endowment and be sealed in the Los Angeles Temple for time and eternity; and that they wanted us to attend. We asked permission from President Egbert which was then granted and we acompanied Gerardo and Imelda through their endowment, following which came the ordinance of their sealing.

I cannot express in words the way I felt that day inside the temple but I can say it about made me cry, I felt the sweetest sense of peace, joy, relief, rest, calmness, and just the most immense feeling of Hid powerful and infinite love for each one of us.

I have learned so much on my mission and all I can say is i am so grateful for all these amazing experiences I have had, I am not here for me, I am here for those who are humble and willing to recieve these great blessings in their lives

We have a good group of folks we are teaching, in the coming month of July we should have a good number of baptisms lined up, more of our beloved brothers and sisters making the decision to be baptised and follow Jesus Christ!

My companion said that if I were an Animal I would be an otter, he gave me a whole list of reasons why and I am pretty stoked about it, River otters are neat little creatures!

Thanks for all you guys do, I am requesting prayers for my companion, our friends, our leaders, members,  missionaries, and myself, im going to need the extra strength to keep going strong, i have seen too many missionaries fade out and perrish weak in their last transfer. I say, its not over till its over!!! Hoorah rangers lead the way,

Here are some treasures I found this week.

3 nefi 27:27

1 Nefi 15:8, 14

Mosiah 7:33

One thing I have noticed in the BOM is it says: "Remember" alot! That principle is so important in life, remember. If we remember how loving He is, and all He did for us, it changes everything!

Alma 5:6

Helamán 5:9

Moroni 10:3

Mathew 16:21, 24-25

Much love Elder Eric Sandberg

Adios!

Lots of exchanges, my compa is the tall skinny white guapo one ;))

I'm alive!

May 27, 2024

Its been a month or two and a lot has happened, quite a bit!

Transfers were about a week ago and I am back in a spanish ward! The ward is called Huntington Park, here in Downey Los Angeles! Its a pretty rad place, it is very packed with Spanish folks. This ward is huge! Tons of members come every week and they are such good examples of helping out and working hard in the Gospel! Its interesting how we need to work to be able to enter into His rest, but oh how sweet it is!

Our church buidling is super cool it was built in 1920ish! 

My new companion is named Elder Olsen, we are the Zone Leaders here in Downey and we got a good crew here of Elders and Sisters! This is my compa's last transfer so we have been working hard seeing many miracles! 

Much Love Elder Sandyyberg!!!!

3 jews and and a bunch of little kids about to be baptized!!!

April 29, 2024

This week wet by quick just like the rest! On Monday the Hernandez Family (They arr our Recent convert: Fany's minister family) they invited us, Fany and Fany's nonmember daughter to a family home evening, it was just wonderful!

On tuesday we met with our RC dwight, he is in a special case because he cant really move to well and is bed ridden although we visit him once or twice a week and he calls us about everyday!. We also met with our RC Richie that day, he is doing well, our bishop is taking some sweet time to ordain him though... it's been too long! hopefully he will be ordained this sunday and then he can go to do baptisms for the dead!!! Richie is real excited for that! 

Wednesday we had exchanges, thursday was a good day! Was kinda slow until later that night we finally got in contact with the Bradford family! El Butterfield took us there more than 2 months ago when I was new to the area so i didnt remember them much, then last sunday we visited two member families and they both talked about the Bradford family and how they need to come back to church because they are such a great family! Anyway fast forward to thursday, our lessons fell through and we didnt feel like our back up plans were what we needed to do, then this family that El Butterfield took us to more than 2 months prior popped into my head! We went for it! When we got there I connected the dots that this family was indeed the Bradford family, the one that the ward wanted us to visit! We arrived right when the dad was getting home and on the one day this month the mom didnt work night shift!!! Miracle! We shared a message with them and had a great visit! We then called the member families who have also been trying to reach them, to tell them what happened and they said: "Man Elders that makes me so happy, you two are do such good things!" That kinda made our day!

Last sunday our RC fany (her calling is to pass around our meal calendar, she hasnt been to church in a long while so our calendar has been pretty scarce! Although she came last week and passed it around during sunday school! And everyday this week we had a member meal! saturday we even had two!!! It was such a great opportunity for us to get to know so many more members! On saturday we met with Bro Barnett, his wife Allison is not a member and Jewish! Butttt is quite opening to coming to church which is amazing! He told us about his mission in the philipines and he said he baptized about 500 folks on his mission! We about crapped our panta and fell off our chairs!

2 weeks ago sister Sheflo reached out to the ward council about her ministering assignment sister Friedman, Sister Friedman and her nonmember husband: Jonathon Chance, needed some big help weeding out their old yard! We of course jumped at that opportunity! We went over this friday with Elder Roberts and Elder Heaton! And we cleaned that yard up in no time! Jonathon was so Shocked and excited! He is a reformed Jew and this whole time his sweet wife sister friedman has been teaching him the Gospel, they even watched general conference together and they even watch Sunday church on Zoom every sunday, they have been doing that for quite some time now too!!! After the service they took us all out for lunch! They are so sweet and we began to talk about religion and he said he has a few questions which we were able to answer! We then set up a time on saturday to visit and share a message! He knows the gospel so well he has already read half of the BOM!!!! Ya know when they say: the field is white and ready to harvest! Thats what it felt like! We asked if he had ever asked to know if the BOM was true, he said he hadnt! So we invited him to do so! And he said he would!

Another Friend We are teaching named Kathy Barker is also a Reformed Jew! She is so sweet, she has been taught for TEN YEARS! (The eternal Investigator) she says she has had a love affair with the LDS church, just recently she has been so open and willing to meet and get serious about joining the church miracles all around!

The majority of the folks we are teaching are 9-12 yrs old + their member parents or Jewish! Pretty rad! All these good folks have come to love the BOM and thaf is something really neat!

Being in Zone Leader in English work is fun (Very Challenging but thats a good thing)! But its cool to speak spanish! One day I will be back baby ¡yippee ki ay!

Such a good week! Dont forget to pray!

Study your scriptures! And decide to be happy! Why are you happy? Because I decided that today would be a good day and I want it to stay that way! :))

Peace and Love 

ELDER ERIC SANDBERG

Locked out of the apartment Slept at Presidents house this week!

April 15, 2024

This week we had some exchanges, about 3, tuesday we had an exchange with Elder Blandamer, he came here to our area in Granada Hills, Elder Blandamer is having a tough time, he is origionally assigned spanish speaking but was having a tough time with the Language so now he is in an English ward. We try our best to encourage him but he has a hard time to help teach. He is a very quiet Elder who needs extra help and love but thats what we are here to give!

When we came home that tuesday to meet up with the Northridge Elders and finish our exchange (they are our aprtment mates) we tried to plug our code into the door to open it up.... and the code didnt work... and there was note on the door that said: "Notice to pay rent or quit" so they changed the code on our door and locked us out!!! It was exciting and fun. ive gotten good at staying calm in those types of stressful situations it wasnt really stressdul it was more just funny.

Anyway, we called president Egbert and he told us to come down to the mission home. We got there and let me tell ya! They have some NICE beds and a NICE shower and..... CARPET!

We slept there that night and president made us breakfast in the morning. Funny thing was, that morning was our big Zone Conference with the whole half of the mission, to those big conferences all the Elders need to wear suits, and a few days prior, the assistants called me and asked me to conduct the big meeting... so that wednesday morning we didnt have our suits sooo... I confucted the big zone conference without a suit on, just short sleeve white shirt and tie, it was pretty funny! Although we got to brag about the nice beds and that president made us breakfast!

Thursday we had an exchange with Elder Satini, I went over there to be with him in his area, this Elder is real tall, real goofy and acts like a big ol Gangster. He just hit 18 months on the mission! He told me this and I noticed but he was running out of steam and slowing down, I wqs able to help him keep the energy and keep it on the pipe!

Ive been out now for 20 months, time goes by so quick! Last transfer there was a lot of negativity in the zone and now we are going smoother, we have been trying to be good examples and keep smiling, and hard working!

The third exchange we did this week was with the Assistants to the president: the Big dogs!!! Fun fact one of them: Elder Hodgsen, was in the MTC with me! Elder Hodgsen came here to our area, we had an enjoyable day!

There is truly nothing else like this work and the plan Heavenly Father has made for us. Ive been learning that this whole mission thing is made to give people blessings, funny thing is it only gives blessings if you allow it to. Ive met a lot of fine Elders who are out here only because they "Have to" and not because they "want to" life is much better if you want to be there. A lot of times its hard to "want to" be here but when one changes their mind about that, its so worth it.

20 months is a long time, i dont want to go home, ive truly fallin in love with sharing the Gospel, but I will say the mission has been the hardest, most exhausting and demanding thing Ive ever done and its kicked and been kicking my butt... (Mostly in a good way) but when the time comes ill be ready for it.

"President, Im not trunky, im just tired haha"

The best part is, when I do go home, the work don't stop, in fact it just gets better. The Gospel is truly the best thing there is and Im not gonna stop sharing it, it has blessed me so much!

In this Area, we have been working with a lot of Less active part member families, (parents get married in the church, go inactive, then raise kids outside the church) its sad to see how many there are but its amazing to see how well 9-16 yr old kids recieve the message, they love it! Plus this sunday, 3 of those families we are teaching came to church!!! 

And I think teaching little kids the Gospel is definetly my favorite thing ever!!!

I hope everyone enjoyed conference! I sure did, I was able to watch 4/5 sessions in SPANISH! It was tough but worked out, this whole English assignment is fun but I am excited to back into the spanish trenches!!!

2 Nefi 9

Much love

Eldery Sandyberrg