Week 68 - It's a Major Award

Hey!!!!!! 

Preface: while I was in Pocatello in a trio for a few days we found a snow man, but it's no ordinary snow man!!! It has hair!!!! And it's an igloo!!!!!!!

OK so this week will be short (classic) but I'll talk to you later this week so hopefully you survive... So Rexburg is great, a little sad right now though because all the students are away for break so teaching is a little non existent right now, but it's good because it's gives us time to actually learn the area. Random this week we went out teaching with some old elders from this mission and it was so weird!!! But it was cool!!! One of them was my old zone leader...strange but it was cool 

Sister Poulson is my new companion and she is from Manhattan Kansas. She is super great and really excited to be a missionary. Rexburg isn't going to know what hit them!!!!!!! We are super excited to just getting going and teaching the world!!! I don't know how we've managed it, but some how we are figuring out how to do missionary work in such a big area...it's crazy out here though!!!! 

We were driving around last night and look what we saw!!!!! At first I thought wow false idol...but then I was like "WAIT THAT'S THE LEG LAMP!!!!!!!" It was awesome!!!!!!!! 

Ok, well I have to go...laundry is calling is my name...that's sad. Anyone I think we will be be skyping around 10 or 11, probably closer to 11, so plan on it then!!!!! Hope you have a fantastic week!!!! 

Love, 

-Sister Kaycie Sondrup 

Week 67 - Iceberg

Hello Family!!!!!!

Well this week has brought alot of unexpected things, the first being transfers. OK that wasn't unexpected but still I am excited/super terrified to say that I will be transferred to BYU-I and I will be training a new missionary. AHHHHHHHHHHHH does that make anyone else  terrified? Because it makes me want to cry a bit...Let me paint a picture, me, a greenie, and 13 stakes and 130 wards all for us to cover. YIKES!!!!!!! None the less I know it will all work out! Life goes on and I have no doubt that this is truly inspired of the Lord, I cant lie I am nervous though, but I know good things will are yet to come!!!!!!

So I am sorry to be brief today but life is crazy right now, like I said earlier alot of unexpected things happened this week the main one being that the members we live with son is coming home early from his mission due to medical issues, there's a big chance he can go back out, but for now we cant live in the house because he's a boy and all....so we've spent most of today moving out because he'll be home tomorrow. We now also live in the boon docks so we've been racking up the miles all day ca ching!!!!! But it's alright I feel bad that their son is having to come home early, but it's the Lord's plan right now and they'll be alright.

We also had to do alot of work with our sisters, which brings me to another reason why this will be so short and that's because we have to go to Pocatello because a sister is going home and we have to go be companions with her companion (she's not going home early thankfully) and the roads are terrible and snow covered right now, we'll be good though.

Well I actually ran out of time, but I'll leave you with some pictures:


While driving to Pocatello I looked out the rear view mirror and saw this!!! He had a tumble weed stuck to his car for like 10 miles!!!!! made me chuckle!!!!



Our Christmas Tree this year!!!!!


We went to an investigators house and Sister Wooten got a little "tied" up!!!!




and one of my favorite investigators ever DUNCAN!!!!!!! He's the best!!! I am hoping to get permission to come to his baptism in two weeks so fingers crossed!!!!!!



Well sorry this is lame...hopefully next week is better, that is assuming my fingers wont be frozen off and I'll be able to type...just kidding, I don't know anything about skype yet or really anyone's house I could go to do so so I will let you know when I know!!!! Thanks for being great!!!!!!!!!!

Love,
Sister Kaycie Sondrup
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Week 66 - I practically speak spanish

Hello!!!!

This week was super good!!!!

Cool story for you, a few weeks back I emailed one of the Elders serving from this stake, now that sounds weird, but we'd had dinner with his family and they are pretty less active, no missionary should come home to a less active family, so I emailed and asked what we could do to help. Well the result was amazing!!!!!! He's emailed most weeks about his family, but one week he emailed and said he had a friend he wanted us to visit, well that friend didn't live in our area so we said we'd send the elders over. Well can you guess what happened next? 3 days later our boundaries changed and he was moved into our area!!!!! Well Monday night we got to go over and finally meet him and it was amazing!!!!! Can you say miracle?! I can it was super legit!!! And we are going over again tonight!!!! I am super stoked to keep working with him, and on an even cooler note the Elders family is basically active again!!!!! HALLA!!!!!!!! Great things are truly happening here!!!!!

Tuesday was zone conference, our special Christmas one, it was great!!! Although President almost made me cry because he announced it would be the last conference until after the march transfer so I had to stand up and say I was going home, can you say depressing?! IT WAS AWFUL!!!!!!

Wednesday I was on exchanges in Pocatello Spanish, let me tell you how this went, my companion would testify and just beautifully explain the Gospel then she would turn to me and I would be like "Que significa esto para usted?" or "Yo se que lo que dijo mi companera es verdad" it was pretty funny because that's literally all I said the whole time, but I can understand Spanish pretty well now so I put it in at good moments, at least I hope I did...This Spanish guy named Jose Luis who did speak a lick of English asked us out for burritos, and I was like no man I already have a burrito, by happen stance I had a burrito sitting in my bag...to say everyone laughed at my is an understatement, but it was hilarious!!!! I also missed seeing dad by like 20 minutes, when he dropped off food at the mission home, I had to go to a meeting there just missed each other, by hey it's alright!

Thursday we taught like  made people and met some awesome new investigators and talked to everyone and there mom!!! We have pass along cards for the "A Savior is Born" initiative and we've passed 3/4 of a box of them in just talking to everyone, a box is 500 so you can imagine how crazy we've been going!!!!! I LOVE CHRISTMAS SO MUCH!!!!!!!!

Friday we went to Christmas parties and met so many legit people!!!! We were able to meet so many great potential investigators and I am so stoked to work with them!!!!

Saturday we went to a baptism with our investigator and she loved it!!! Sadly it was super long and her son got a little restless and couldn't focus after the first bit, but she at least felt the spirit and that's all that really matters!!!!!

Sunday was fast Sunday and our super amazing beyond prepared and phenomenal investigator Duncan got up and bore his testimony about how he knew everything was true and why he was so excited to get baptized!!!! To say it was touching is an understatement!!! It was really just so amazing and I absolutely cannot wait to see him get baptized!!!! He really is amazing and I cannot wait to see the plans the Lord has in store for him!!! On another note some lady just gave us a 6 foot tall Christmas tree yesterday, and the members we live with gave us tons of decorations!!! Our basement is so festive I love it!!!!!

Well I have to go!!!! But know that great things are truly happening here!! I was studying this morning about how the Book of Mormon can resolve all concerns and it really is so true!!!! When it comes down to it most concerns people have can be answered by a testimony that Joseph Smith is truly a prophet of God and the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ. I love this gospel and getting to gain this great testimony this is truly the restored Gospel on the earth today and I am grateful to be apart of it!!!!!!

Love,
Sister Kaycie Sondrup


   

Week 65 - Cold

So this week was a little crazy. Let me sum it up for you in a few sentences...

Monday: We got kidnapped by our investigator. So kidnapped may be the wrong word, but she was like "hey I have some friends who want to be taught they just live out in Riverside can I take you to their house?" uhhhhhh heck yeah!!!! So we get in her car, and we proceed to drive to Riverton, not Riverside. Now let me tell you about Riverton it grabs part of the Indian reservation, you know that thing the Elders aren't allowed to go on without another priesthood holder and Sisters are forbidden to go there...yeah that. So next thing we know Sister Wooten and I find ourselves on the res without a member insight and some crazy dogs about to eat us alive. Good right? Well upside, we survived!!!!! And we ended up getting 4 new super golden amazing investigators from it, for the Elders of course, but hey the salvation of a soul is the salvation of a soul right? Moral of the story, always have a member, and always double check where you're going before you're there.

Tuesday: I went on exchanges in American Falls Spanish, We met a ton of crazy people! We might have followed some people because they looked Hispanic...and then at the end of the chase I ended up getting a fat slobbery kiss on my ear from a drunk Hispanic man who didn't speak a lick of English and if I was following the conversation correctly wanted to steal our car...IT WAS GREAT!!!!!!! OK I don't know if I'd use great but it definitely made for some great laughs! And we met tons of amazing people!! I just love small towns!!!!!! We also found out one of our baptism dates got an unexpected job in Boise (who likes Boise anyway?) and had to pick and move that very day. She's meeting with the missionaries there and is still planning on being baptized on December 19th, but sadly it wont be with us :( We miss her, but she's still being taken care of so it'll be ok.

Wednesday: It was so cold I thought I was going to die!!!!!!!!! We taught one of my all time favorite families and had some great giggles, they are to cute!!!

Thursday: We woke up to a blinding light coming through our window due to the snow, can you say Happy Thanksgiving? We ended up getting about 4 inches of snow, which isn't bad except the weather decided to be super cold this whole week!!!! This winter is already worse feeling then last winter!!!!! case and point check the thermometer




Gross. But it could be worse we could not have a car, or boots, or coats...when I  try and complain about the cold i like to think of the pioneers and what they went through, it makes me feel a little better about myself, if being cold from the car to the doorstep is the worst of my problems then I'm doing pretty good. For Thanksgiving we went to a members home, except Sister Wooten and I were both sick, it was awful!!!!! Never before had I wanted to eat so bad and I just couldn't manage to get food in my system! LAME!!!! I did get to eat jello though...halla!!! So good!!!! After ward we went to the store to get medicine and we were trying not to get sick in the middle of walgreens, thankfully we survived and made it home, but it was a bit of a rough day. But count our blessings, while it stunk to be sick on a holiday it was a p-day which meant we didn't have to miss out on any proselyting, we had all the time in the world to be at home sick! Sounds like a lame blessing but I am definitely grateful for it!!!!

Friday: We had mission leadership council which was great as always!!!! It's really fun to go and council on how we can improve missionary work here in Idaho, I always come away with new ideas on how I can improve and really better myself and the Sisters I get to work with, LOVE IT!!!! After that we taught our baptism date Duncan, he's a stud, and this amazing guy named Wes, he's great!!!!!!

Saturday: We went on exchanges in Firth and they were great!!!! I went out with Sister Kolo from Tonga, and if you thought I was struggling with the cold you should hear her!!! Poor girl...She love it here though and we had a super awesome exchange, she is a stud missionary and I am grateful to have gone with her, and count the blessings again the family we had dinner with was having their Thanksgiving!!! So I didn't get to miss out!!!!! Yeah!!!!!!!




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Sunday: We went Ham. Because of meetings, exchanges, and Thanksgiving Sister Wooten and I were hardly in our area this week so Sunday we had 7 lessons we needed to teach to reach our goals, and we did it!!!! It was great, we usually go to 3 sacrament meetings on Sunday and somehow between them in an hour we managed to find a new investigator, get her to church, and set a baptism date!!!! SAY WHAT?! so legit!!!! It was a great day!!! #miracles We even got all our lessons in! YESSSSSSS!!!!!

Well I don't have more time this week, but I'll leave you with this, go and watch the new video A Savior is Born at christmas.mormon.org  it's super good, go watch it, share it with everyone and love it!!!!!!! A Savior truly has born, now it's time to go and   share that message with everyone!!!! Hope you have a great week!!!





also, this little girls shoes got frozen in the ice...sad day
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Love,
Sister Kaycie Sondrup