New comp new area new apartment new todo!

We had some big changes and an awesome week!

First off we had transfers! My new companion is called Elder Gonzales, he is from new york city he is so much fun!

The best way to describe him is a goofy gangster mexican.

Weve been working super hard this week, we got a car now and this area iS HUGE!!!

the transfer before this area was a biking area, which to be honest, that was very nonprofitable because it would take 2-3 hours to bike all the way across, and even 30-45 minutes in car.

So, the past 6 weeks this area has been suffering badly. So we are basically in a "white washed" area, now "white wash" is a mision lingo slango term which means: two missionaries get taken out of an area and two completly different missionaries take their place.

Elder gonzales doesnt like to drive so he made me desginated driver, which has been great because I love driving especially because i have barely driven for 7 months.

This new area is way fun we have met a lot of steriotypical californians.

The latinos are super nice!!! And there is a lot of them

My new apartment is way fun because there are 3 other latino native spanish speakers and the are sooo goofy! And my spanish is getting a lot better by the second, i still got a long way to go though.

Elder Gonzales and I have been working our butts off knocking doors, finding, talking with everyone! And we made a new friend this week, his name is michel hes from Peru and hes about 26 years old and already super diggs the book of mormon.

The book of mormon is truly our most powerful tool in conversion, not just for investigators but for our selves too! 

I would like to invite all of yall to read just a little bit more,

Because this book truly has the answers to life, when we read and ponder the words, the holy ghost will whisper to us softly the things we need to know and to do. Heres a passage I read the other day.

Mosiah 2:41

41 And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.

Goofy story of the week

We parked our car on friday ready to visit our friend, prayed, hopped out, and started walking

We then found this sweet pull up calisthenics thing, which had a paper that read "free or trash" 

Elder Gonzales said "dang I wish we could take this home, this would be awesome!!!" I then said "lets do it!"

I always have tools in my little backpack so i wipped those things out took it all apart threw it all in the trunk, and when we got home that night at 9:30 I put it all back together and now we got a sweet pull up rack, a true miracouless blessing from our heavenly Father.

Thats the week!

Love yall peace out!

Elder Sandberg

Great week we did have!!

This week started out amazing by making a new friend: Ernesto,

Ernesto is so rad! We taught him the restoration and explained the Book of Mormon and he loved it and said hes gonna read it!!!

This week like every other week, we have been riding the bikes ALOT! We come home and We are exhausted! But thats a good thing! 

One day while we were riding, this sadly very drunk child of god from mexico waved us over we came to talk to him, and he could barely stand, i bet if i blew on him he would fall over!, he asked for a message from god,

So we began to give a message, but he then started to say mean and crude things.

He then stepped backwards and almost fell over and dropped his open beer can onto the ground. it started spilling out so I picked it up and dumped the whole rest of it out onto the street, and handed the empty can back to him, he got really upset but he was so drunk and his eyes were so red he probably couldnt even see. So we told him this was ruining his life and that god loves him and wants the best for him, then we left and I hope hes doin ok now.

This week we got to go through the Los Angeles temple for a session, this was my 3rd endowment session in this temple, twice in english once in spanish, i am extremly grateful for the temple and the strength it gives me. There we can feel the closest to heavenly father, I encourage all who can, to increase your time in the temple, the blessings are there I promise! :))

My absolute favorite part about being a missionary is the oppurtunity to truly help people and see their frowns get turned upside down,

We have been doing lots of work with inactive members, one member her name is Norma, she is the sweetest ever shes about 40ish years old, divorced and going through a big little rough patch. But she came to our activity, our baptism and came back to church and she is just amazing! The difference in her happiness from when she was inactive to now, active and reading the book of mormon is a magical change for the better!

On saturday I got to help tear up and replace a roof and use power tools and shout silly spanish jokes with the bretheren. And one brother blasted his mexican music I felt like I was on a latino construction crew!

Our bishop in this ward is a fantastic man! He and I are very similar and he is ridiculously goofy, but when its time to be serious, hes there, a very honorable trait

Also on saturday (the HIGHLIGHT of the week) 

MIGUEL WAS BAPTIZED!!!

This the most amazing baptism ive been to/planned so far and im not boasting, i am boasting of my amazing companion (Elder Carty) and of our amazing God, 

I played the opening/closing hymn on piano which was great! But i had to practice a bunch, also the mission president came to our baptism and he said it was a Great baptism!

I had the amazing oppurtunity to baptize miguel, and miguel is very tall!!! And the first time he went in the water his leg shot sraight up out of the water! And I had to catch him,

Pulled him up, tried again and he got fully dunked without problemas!!!

The biggest thing i have learned on the mission thus far is the importance  

kindess a joy,

I have been prioritizing these two atributes over EVERYthing else,

I have seen too many people in my life and on the mission get upset, mad, or frustrated about things that dont matter, 

Of course nobodys perfect but through jesus christ we can be like him and learn to love the way he loves, if we just let him in.

Thanks for all the support i truly appreciate it, I hope everyone is well!

     Love 

    Elder Sandberg

Some scriptures

Read em

Mark em

Ponder em

Great week!

 

Awesome week!

We had a lot of great lessons with our progressing friends.

Especially Miguel, Miguel is literally perfect, he knows so much about the gospel and he is so ready to be baptised!

He is great friends with a member family (la familia de Letona)

And we have all our lessons in their house, super awesome!

Elder Carty and I are becoming very fluid teachers 

He brought up the question of "who is the one who baptizes me"

And we told him, Brother Letona holds the keys, my companion holds the keys, and I hold the keys of baptism... so it is 100% your decision.

He then turned to me and said, 

"Tú me quiero bautizar"

In others words Miguel expressed he wants me to baptise him and I am extremely honored that he chose me :)

We had another exchange this week, with Elder moeller he has been on the mission for 3 weeks!

That day was very fun hes a little goofyball! Just like me, he came to my area, it was a fun day because i taught all the lessons and did most of the talking, but every time he wanted to say something I let him go and the gift of tongues carried him away it was so great! For a 3 week old missionary his spanish is great! Hes got a bright future.

This work is exhausting but it is SOOO AMAZING!!!

We are seeing so mamy miracles in our area each and everyday

On saturday, we had an awesome opurtunity to serve a super awesome member! She is so sweet.

She works for spark which is basically uber for groceries, her car broke down and she stsrted to cry snd said a prayer, after that she looked up and saw us! and she runs up to us and says "Elders Elders help!" She needed to get these groceries to her customer, but her car exploded, 

So we loaded up our bikes, and her cute little wagon and we walked the rest of the groceries to the customer.

She told us her conversion story where she went through a year worth of Elders teaching her before finally making the amazing decision yo be baptized by authority.

Thanks for all yall do I love ya!

Elder Sandberg

I found some cool cars this week

6 months in compton SMILE!!!

This week will mark 6 months on the mission! 

And ive been in the same area since the beginning, and Ive seen a great change in the area for the better in the time ive been here, 

Quite exciting!

I am so grateful for the oppurtunity to be out on the mission

This week was fantastic!

We had 4 lessons this week with a member in the lessons

There is so much power in those members, we taught, but they truly testified, and touched the souls of our friends in a way that we couldn't.

We are seeing a lot of progress in our friends!

Yesterday we had a great miracle (we have seen SOO many miracles everyday!!!)

But yesterday in church our friend (miguel whos on baptism date and has an amazing testimony) came with us four elders and two more friends to see the baptismal font, we showed the font to our friends and had miguel (our friend) bear his tesrimony of the Book of mormon and the ammount of peace and blessings the gospel has already given him. Hes not even baptised yet and he pored his sould out in the name of jesus christ!

It was so rad!!

This work is the most exhausting thing ive ever done

But it is so amazingly rewarding!!!

Elder Carty and I bike upwards of 14-20 miles a day some days more!

"Magnify your callings"

Weve been set apart to bike, So we gonna bike!

Thanks for all yall do for support i love yall have a good week :)))

Elder Sandberg

Fresh new month!

 So far this new transfer is going great!

My new companion Elder Carty is amazing

We are working our butts off

We come home and pass out at 10:30

We are old people

Then we are up right at 6:30, run and play basketball

We made plans to be extremly diligent and obedient

This will be good for me 

Elder Carty is a great companion he loves all the things i do and we are both goof balls!

On saturday we had an great time at a members house for dinner she made some fantastic papusas, and we had a good time talking with her and her husband,

Then some of their family members from out of down dropped in to visit,

One olderish couple were Deaf!!!

I had the awesome expirence to try and remember my sign language, 

I held up a solid HOUR conversation!

My companion and the members were flipping out haha

Our friend Miguel, from Nicaragua, we showed him the baptismal font and extended an invitation to be baptised, he accepted it and said, i Will be doing this, and will be baptized on march 4!

Thanks for all the support it means a lot!

        Elder Sandberg

Another Great week!!!

 We got the transfer news!

Im staying here for another 6 weeks!

I love it here!

We are seeing so much success in our area, Finding, teaching and close to baptising!!

My new companion is Elder Carty he has been out the same time as me!!

I was good friends with him in the MTC and we are still on bikes!!!

I am extremly stoked about this transfer!!!

Im also senior companion which is pretty exciting, but that really doesnt meaning anything at all, cuz we equals! 

This week was fantastic!!!

We found 7 new solid people!

Im sad to say goodbye to Elder Garrett he was my companion for 3 MoNTHS!!!!

I learned so much from him and hes finishing his 2 years strong!!

Our friends Adolfo and Eduardo are continuing to progress! They always have great questions which sometimes dont make sense (mainly just Eduardo) for example he asked us about a tree in the bible that didnt have fruit ergo Jesus cursed it, therefore he thought his avacado tree in his backed yard was cursing him.... we didnt know what to say, so we read in the Book of Mormon, (a book that dwells in plainess) after that, he now had questions that made sense,

We found an awesome friend from nicaragua who met with the missionaries over yonder, so he knows alot and has great faith in joseph smith and Jesus christ, he will be baptised very soon! He has became great friends with the members which is extremly helpful!

Hermana morales took us to Red Lobster for my Birthday that was very fun!!!

So much success, so many great things happening!! I love being out here!!

Email me with any questions!!!

Stay safe much love

     Elder Sandberg

Truly an INCREDIBLE week!

This week was absolutely INCREDIBLE!

First off our two friends, Adolfo and Eduardo, they are brothers.

Adolfo is progressing very well although Eduardo, struggles with a lot of nasty habits, but he loves the book of mormon and they both are learning great new fun shtuff! They both also came to church which was very exciting, eduardo is super funny, he is learning english and he loves to go "Yessirrr"  in a high pitched voice. 

When the sacrement stsrted to be passed he goes, "OH thats NIIIIICE!" In the same highpitched voice, it was quite silly,

That sunday was especially great, in Sacrement meeting, our stake president and his councler both gave talks in their broken Spanish, they did a great job!

And gave great messages about following promptings of the holy ghost.

Elders quorum was also incredible, we had an awesome discussion about following those impresions from the holy ghost, that also got me super stoked about missionary work!

The best part of this whole thing, is I understood almost ALL of it

A huge blessing and gift from heavenly father,

Also my English is getting very bad,

Hahah,

I got to drive! That was fun! first time in 5 months. Just to and from church, Mommy I plead the fifth on how fast I went hehe (probably why president put me in a biking area ) but either way I rarley use my hands when I ride the bike soooo whos to say....

I participated in an Exchange with Elder Amaya, he is from Venizuela! "Viva Chavez!" I said  "no we dont like dat guy"he said when I joked about him haha.

That day was way fun because i spoke ONLY spanish the whole day, mainly because Elder Amaya bearley knows english

Im getting really good at teaching and answering questions, i still have a LOT to go but im so stoked about my progress!

Weve been cracking down on those INACTIVE MEMBERS, We have a lot in our area! And this past week weve had alot of them return to church!!! So amazing!!!.

One member we found, Henry, he just moved here from nicaragua with his sweetheart Franceli, (she is not a  member) they both came to church and he had his arm around her and he was showing her how the hymns work n shtufff

It was totally rad! They are SOO cute togethrr :)) So we are teaching them and she seems SUPER interested!!

At zone council we played a litle get to know you thing, where you say what disney character your companion reminds you of, i said Elder garrett reminds me of mr Incredible, and he says im like, little timmy from The Incredibles....THAT WAS TOTALLY WICKED!

Ive been in the Area for 4 months or so now and I am seeing the affect and change the gospel has on people, we are now seeing amazing success and Im super stoked about it!

I love being a missionary! I feel so much joy serving the Lord!!! Idk how to describe it i just feel so Great!!!

So rad so rad!

Flameo Hotman 

See ya later!

I SEE HIM!

OK i love you all so much!!!

----Elder Snadberg-----