Week 73 - So Much Snow

The real reason the dinosaurs went extinct is because they moved to Rexburg and froze to death.



We made a snow man at lunch one day and it was fun, until we realized we built it right in front of our bedroom window and now every time we look out we see a creepy snow man staring at us!!!!!



I might be short, but this is a little excessively deep.
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Hey!!!

This week was awesome! We had an awesome world wide missionary fireside and it was so good!!! Sorry no major changes to missionary work on the horizon, but we did get to learn about alot of really cool things! The meeting was specifically about teaching repentance and baptizing converts and it was so good!!! Something I love that was focused on was teaching with the spirit. Elder Bednar said something I thought was so cool, he said we can bring the Gospel unto others, but they have to allow it to come enter into them. HOW TRUE!!!!!! All we can do is bring and invite others to draw nearer to the Lord, they themselves have to true accept it and and come into the the fold.

Speaking of Elder Bednar he is coming to BYU-I tomorrow for devotional!!! I AM SO STOKED!!!!!

Once upon a time we have an investigator who needed to meet with the mission president to have an interview, we told him to go to a specific church, but guess what?! There's a million churches in Rexburg and he got lost!!!!! OH NO!!!!! So you know what Sister Poulson and I ended up doing? We told him to meet at worlds gym (he knew where that was) well we didn't have our car that day, so we ended up running about a mile through the ice and snow in our skirts to find our investigator and get him to this interview. It was super important that he met with President Hancock and we had to do what we had to do, but he got there!!!! I can only imagine what people thought as they saw the missionaries trying not to slip and die as they were sprinting to some unknown location. I only can wonder how many snap chats we ended up on...

Yesterday I went out and taught a first lesson to this legit Chinese guy. But what was even cooler was that good ol' Kendyl Hollingsworth was with me!!! WHAT?! It was pretty cool to say the least. Weird though, my two worlds totally collided and it was crazy!!! But It was super fun none the less!!!!! Not to mention this guy is so cool!!! It's been really hard for me lately because we've been teaching alot of foreigners lately and they don't have Christian backgrounds. I am so used to teaching people who at least have some knowledge of Jesus Christ but our investigators right now don't. It's cool how it's helping me become another type of missionary I guess Heavenly Father doesn't want me to be a one trick pony. It's a really rewarding feeling to help someone learn from ground zero who Christ is and what is not only can do, but is doing for them. Seriously it's legit!!!!

Well I have to go, but I have some transfer news for you...I am going to be in Spanish work!!!!!! Just kidding, but Elder Rush called Saturday with transfer info and that's what he told me, he literally was like "have fun trying to learn a language in 6 weeks!" What the heck Elder!! But really nothing is happening for this transfer, Sister Poulson and I will be staying together, but I am going to be a sister training leader again. So we are a split STL companionship so Sister Kolo (not my old companion Sister Kolo) will be my STL companion, and Sister Poulson will be my regular companion. It'll be interesting, but it'll be good! Hope you have a great week!!!!

Love,
Sister Kaycie Sondrup

Week 71 - God is not dead

Hello!!!!!

Oh my goodness this week was great!!!! School is back!!! Thank Heavens!!!!!  And miracles are just flying in!!!!!!!! In one day we received 4 referrals for non members on campus and we are now teaching all of them and they are so excited to learn about the gospel!!!!!! I'll be honest I was nervous for awhile, I didnt want to end my mission by not teaching very much, but with continued prayers and faith the Lord provided a way, we now have so many awesome investigators and I am so excited to help them to continue to progress!!!!!! 

It is so strange to be on campus, I see old missionaries all the time and I'm like "what? they're in pants!!!!!" It's even worse because I am at BYU-I do, I thought that was just a joke, It's not. I feel like all we see is couples walking everywhere, and it's really bad because my first reaction is like "OH MY GOSH WHERE IS HER COMPANION!!!!!!" then I am like "Doesn't she know she's going to get sent home?!?!?!?!?!?!" Sister Poulson just laughs and says she wants to be a fly on the wall for my first date at home, I'll be a mess and a half to say the least. Funny story I asked President a few weeks back for an extension on my mission...he said no...in fact he said "Sister Sondrup you would be better off calling and asking President Monson yourself, it's not happening". President why you got to tear me down like that?! That one hurt but it's ok thankfully I still have time left, though short I'm still here!!! Hallelujah for that!!!!!! 

This week one campus we met like a million people, and because we didn't have any investigators for the last few weeks we decided to make this for our booth on campus!!!! 

It's the 2.0 version to the one we made in Star Valley but this one is bigger and way better!!!! It was so funny walking around campus with it because everyone just stared us (more than usual,  Rexburg freaks out when they see missionaries because we are far and few between) It was super entertaining to watch the faces of students as we walked by with a 7 foot Book Of Mormon, priceless!!!!! 

Hey you remember how once upon a time I was in elementary, middle, and high school and I played violin? and I wasn't very good at it... Yeah that seems like forever ago...anyway Thursday we had interviews with President Hancock and one of the Elders brought a violin to practice while his companion was being interviewed. Well while he was in I ended up picking it up and playing it, BAD CHOICE. The Elder walked back in and heard me just sight read the piece he was struggling over and long story short I got roped into playing a special musical number at a fireside this weekend...I DONT ACTUALLY PLAY!!! AND CERTAINLY NOT WELL!!!!!! To say this will be interesting in an understatement...I think Heavenly Father is trying to send a message though that I shouldn't have given up on music I don't know if I ever said this but for the last half of my mission I've been in district and zones where no one plays the piano so I've been having to do. Now I don't really play either, but the months of practices have really helped, and now I play at every district meeting and sometimes zone training with no troubles!!!! Now Heavenly Father has given me the chance to play another instrument which I am so scared to do, but if this is a talent he really wants me to have he'll help me magnify it even more than he already has. Pray for the listeners ears though...this one might be rough!!!!! 

Well let me tell you about one miracle that happened this week. It's with campus, we met one of the most amazing guys ever!!!!! He was a referral from the Elders in the Terraton area where he had been taught a few lessons and then moved here to BYU-I. This young man is so cool though!!!! He's 20 years old and 5 years ago he ran away from his family because they were polygamist and he knew it wasn't right. At 15 years old he was living on his own. For awhile he rebelled against God, he just couldn't understand why certain things happened as he grew up. But recent he started to learn more and investigate who God really is. What he discovered is so amazingly simply, but life changing. All he found was the God loved him, that he was aware of him, and that he wanted the best for him. After rebelling for so long he finally came back to the God who loved him forever! Well he saw the missionaries and the rest is history! He knows this true is true beyond a shadow of a doubt so much so that he wrote a letter to the first presidency seeking permission to be baptized (policy stuff). I know that he will go so far in this life because he has the best and eternal help on his side. Though sometimes we turn away from Heavenly Father he never turns away from us. He has given us a Savior, and all the tools necessary to return to Him, He is always with us and I am so grateful for that knowledge!!!!! 

Well I have more as always but I have violin to practice...yikes...wish me luck!!! Have a great week!!!!! 

Love, 

Sister Kaycie Sondrup 

Week 70 - Elsa in Rexberg

Hey!!!!!

Sorry I didn't write anything last week I was struggling, aint nobody want to be writing!

Hey do you remember that popular Disney movie named Frozen? Well I think Elsa came to visit Rexburg these last couple weeks because it's been stupid cold. You know what the high was on New Years? 4. 4 isn't high!!!!!!!! She set off an eternal winter and we hate her for it. Thankfully today it's like 31 and I don't even have a coat on it feels that warm. It's supposed to snow all week, which is fun only because it has to be warmer to snow. Hallelujah for that!!!!  Look at all the ICE, not snow, ice on this tree, all of Rexburg looked like this until like 3 days ago.


























  and then to top it off this icicle fell off a roof and tried to kill me!!!! No lies I was within 2 inchs of losing my life!!!!!!!! Or an eye at the very least! If I am going to lose an eye it'll be because I shoot it out on accident with my Red Rider BB gun thank you very much!


So this week was fun, we did alot of awesome work and this week is shaping up to be even more awesome!!!!! We went over and taught an investigator this morning and she is so awesome!!!!! Her birthday is coming up and she was like I am getting so old....she's turning 23...but then I thought about it and I was like oh heck I am almost 21... I'M OLD!!!!!! I could go home and legally buy alcohol!!!!! I would buy it on my mission but you cant get it anywhere in Rexburg...Jokes of course!!!!! Ain't nobody want that poison in their life!!! SICK! Anyway besides feeling old the lessons are going great with her! She loves the Gospel and is at church every week!!!!! We love her and she is going to make one amazing member of the church!!!!!!

Well I wish I could finish but today is move in day!!! Which means we have people to help and investigators to meet!!! I AM SO STOKED!!!!!!! Like really these last few weeks have been the hardest of my mission, the work has been so slow and it has been so hard to fulfill my purpose, how are you supposed to invite others to come unto Christ when there is no one to talk to?! Thankfully though we have people now and I cannot wait to just go ham these last few months of my mission, Rexburg wont know what hit it!!!!!! We have about 25 nonmembers to work with and thats it, but thats enough!!!! It's going to be awesome!!!!!!!!! The miracles are already happening some guy called last night and was like "hey we are going to have a non-member in the ward and he wants you to teach him" WHAT?! I cannot wait to see what the future brings!!!!! This is going to be epic!!!!!! Well that's all  I have time for!!! Thanks for being awesome and always writing!!!!! Try to stay out of trouble and know I love you!!!!!

Love,
Sister Kaycie Sondrup

P.S. Duncan, one of my all time favorties got baptized this week in Blackfoot!!!! I can not wait for one year from now when he goes to the temple in preparation for his mission, he is going to do amazing things as he truly follows his Savior, Jesus Christ and lives up to the covenants he's no made!!! Really he's the best!!!!!