He broke his face!

Yatee!

Something that has manifested itself since being out here, has been the love for roping and just cowboying it up in general. Tuba City had a fair last week and we had the opportunity to go to the rodeo. Luckily, there was a guy who was a member who ended up letting us in for free. We met a ton of people and got a ton of contacts, and in the process we got to see some of the events for the rodeo. One of them was the bull riding contest. In a very traumatic and heartbreaking event, we saw a young boy whom was only 17 years old, get bucked off of a bull and got his faced smashed in. Literally. I distinctly remember seeing that massive bulls hoove come down on the side of his face smashing his head into the dirt. Immediately, his face was swollen and bleeding. The paramedics took him out and off to the hospital.

It wasn't until later that day that we got called by a member to go see her grandson in the hospital, who just happened to be this young boy. Oddly enough, I don't know what it was, but I remember watching him get ready and I felt like I'd seen him before. It was strange. When we went to the hospital, the kid I saw getting ready to ride a massive beast, was not the same. The doctors had him drugged up to the point that he was completely out. They diagnosed him with having both of his cheek bones broken, nose broken, and a broken upper jaw. He literally broke his face. Luckily, there was no brain damage, or damage to his eyes. Very gruesome scene to be seen. 

So this happened, plus five other people that we have been called to go visit at the hospital who were suffering with various other things, has made this week very eye opening.

I have learned so much since being out here. There are many things I would wish to tell each of you about, but now is not the time. One of the things is that the priesthood is very very real. Some of the most sacred experiences I have had out here, have taken place when I am given the chance to excercise His authority given to me. Something I've noticed when the power is present and when the power is not, is in these circumstances- first, I've got to feel something for the person. Wether it be because I truly and deeply care about the person, or because I can feel so fully what it is the person is going through. More often than not, the power comes from having both occur. The principles of empathy and charity. 

Another big things that needs to occur is feeling the Spirit within me, and having the confidence that it is God's will for the requested result of the blessing to occur. Sometimes, it is necessary for us to go through certain things. It's not that God is punishing us or hates us, but because we need opposition to grow. Priesthood power is such a real thing and the Lord has restored it upon the earth again for us to be the means of much good. He gives it to us, His children, so we can experience in a small degree the joy that comes when He blesses us.

Thank you all so much for everything!

Keep this young boy in your prayers. His name is Dominick Descheney

Elder Sandberg

Did that just happen?

What a great week!

Here is some humor for ya-

We were driving from a lesson to head to another appointment. It was starting to get dark and we drove past a building that had a white Ford Bronco in front of it. What appeared to be a passenger from the Bronco, we saw a man get tossed onto the ground. THe guy who got thrown on the ground was completely limp. Honestly, it looked like he was dead. The passenger of the Bronco got into the truck and drove away as we slowed down to see what was going on. We started to call the cops and were debating if we should chase the Bronco, play cops and robbers, or if we should help the guy or see if he's alive. Amidst all the confusion we decided to just call the cops and make sure this guy was okay. 

After a while he stood up, fell back down, tried to get up again, and then fell on his face! Tried three more times and continued to fall until he made his way accross the road to sit on a curb and stick his thumb out for a ride. He started to walk away so we jumped out of the truck to stop him so he could get medical assistance. As we started to approach him, he was walking accross the road as a truck was coming. The guy was in the middle of the road as the truck approached, so the truck slowed down and swerved around him. As we were approaching him, the driver was staring at us and wondering what was going on. In the process, she did not see this completely plastered guy roll himself over the side of her truck into her bed. The truck drove on and we frantically ran back to the truck to chase them. It was intense! 

Long story short, don't slow down trucks for drunk guys to get into.. 

Things have been absolutely great out here.. I'm learning so much and growing so much..

That is all! Crazy things be happenin' out here on the rez!

Love ya!

Elder Sandberg

Tuba City!

For those of you who have been recently added, this is the mass email of Elder Sandberg. Full of spiritual insights, experiences, and funny stories. If you like being on the list, please remain, otherwise, let me know! :D Tuba City is a new experience. I can tell that the Lord is really trying to stretch me when I look at the events that have transpired- First, the Lord put me on the reservation as my first area. I got used to the idea that I would be working among nothing but the Navajo people. Absolutely love the culture and the people. Then the Lord decides to drop me in the white man land of "Monticello". The culture I was used to in the first area, was taken out from underneath me. Went through some trials with figuring out why I was back in the home state I was from. After much soul searching, I figured out exactly why I was there and fell in love with where I was at. A good chunk of my heart is made up right now of the people of Monticello.. Elder Sandberg is back on the rez! BAck with the amazing people of the Navajo tribe (and also Hopi), and I feel I have come back to the rez a completely different person. It's easy to see that the Lord has been refining me and taking me out of my comfort zone. Despite all the changes that are going on, I am incredibly grateful. I'm grateful because this is exactly what I wished for with the mission. It has become my goal, with being a representative of Jesus Christ, to leave everything behind. With the life that I once lived, and with the Lord rescuing me from my pitiful existence, I owe a lot. My goal is not to just lose myself, my goal is to kill the person that I once knew. To completely become a new creature in Christ and become a disciple of Him. The past is what defines me, the present it what upholds me, and it is the future that inspires and motivates me to become who He would have me to be. This experience has, and will be the single most defining event of my life. Everything I worked towards when I first knew the church was true, almost five years ago, in a grove of trees, was towards a mission. Through every obstacle I have had to overcome, and they have been many, it has been the mission that my eyes have been focused on. Right now, I don't fully realize the impact this experience is going to have on my future, but more and more each day I taste of what it will be like to reap the rewards of my efforts. I love you all so much. Our lives are too often defined by the things of the world and the magnitude thereof. It has become my earnest witness and testimony that the true value of life, is found in that of our relationships. There are only two things in life, from what I understand, that we will take with us to the next life. It is going to be our knowledge we have gained, and the relationships we have defined and built. Thank you all for making my life a success. Thank you for making it so easy to have such success. I am forever indebted to the life that I have been given with each of you in it. Forever in the service of you and our Savior Jesus Christ, Elder Brayden James Sandberg

Tuba City, here I come!

Brothers, Sisters, and everything in between and above,

Elder Sandberg is leaving the great city of Monticello. My heart truly will have a great proportion of it made up of this place and the people here. I have once heard someone say, "I'm grateful to have so many people who make it so hard to say goodbye", these words are now my words. I cannot count on one hand the people whom I will miss when I leave here. Although there are a few that I hold closer to my heart, my capacity and ability to love has been magnified. There are so many people that I wish to say goodbye to, but there simply is not enough time.

Just want to share a couple things that I have learned since being here in this area. First, your attitude truly is EVERYTHING. With a poor attitude, even the greatest of places can be the worst thing in the world. When I first got here, I had a very bad attitude, and thankfully, the Lord has helped me. You can't always change your circumstances, but you can always change how you feel about them. We are not creatures of our circumstances, we are creators. The Lord has given us the opportunity to choose and that is what we must do.

Second, memorizing scriptures is one of the greatest and worst things in the world. I have gained an immense testimony of the Book of Mormon and it's power. There have been several instances where I have had to completly rely on that resource to answer questions and concerns that were thrown at me. And due to my diligence in getting to know what is in there, I was able to withstand the blows. The price to know the Book of Mormon has come at the expense of my mind being strained and stretched quite dramatically. I recently hit the 200 mark of scriptures memorized, and it is draining. So many different variations to say the same thing and all the, "behold', "nevertheless", "and it came to pass", and on and on, can make it very difficult to sort out which is which.

Third, and last of all, due to time, relationships are of the greatest value that we can attain in this life. Everything else will fade away when we leave this life, but the bonds and connections we establish and build here will continue beyond. The most important relationship, of course, is with our Savior Jesus Christ. All things are possible through him. It is because of him that we can continue to have our spouse, our family, our friends, and all else we come in contact with. The reason the relationships I have built on the mission will last so long, is because they are built in Him.

I am so grateful to have been here, and will add 30 plus other people from Monticello to this email next week.

I love you all. THank you so much for the support!
Elder Sandberg

New mailing address
PO Box 385
Tuba City, Arizona,
86045

Yes, that is indeed going to be all four states that I have served in! WAhoo!

An Exerpt from a letter to Sister Bartsch that I am so glad he shared!  

Elder Golden

"Not sure if I told you, but Elder Golden From the Quorum of the Seventy came down a couple weeks ago.  He said a lot of things I needed to hear.  At one point he was talking about D&C 121:46.  He asked if anyone knew it, my heart started to take flight as no one answered.  Then, someone in the back raised their hand, and started to explain what was in it.  Elder Golden stopped him and in his English sounding voice, “No, no, no. Who has it memorized?”

Oh, crap.  No one’s answering and in the span of time that seems like forever, I raise my hand.  I raise my hand in front of my district, my zone, almost half of the entire mission, my mission president, and one of the Holy Ordained servants of the Lord.  He calls on me, I stand up, get handed a microphone and start to quote it.  About half way through, with my heart beating out of my chest, he tells me it’s supposed to talk about charity.

I reply “Well, that’s verse 45, you asked me to recite 46. Would you like 45 or 46?” Now I’m way nervous because I just called out an apostle basically on not knowing his scriptures.

So Elder Golden asks, somewhat surprised, “well, do you know that one too?” After nodding in agreement, and in his English accent, “Would you delight us in doing both?”

Holy cow!  I was nervous.  I don’t normally get nervous, but with all things given, I was shaken up pretty good.  He continued to have me stand and started picking my brain as to why I had those scriptures memorized and what they meant to me now.  I told him they are now my words.  He then went to explain the power of memorization, and although we don’t memorize lessons anymore, the exercise brings power nonetheless.

Pretty intimidating experience!  It was great though.  Towards the end of his address, he directed his words at me, couldn’t remember what he said, but said my name in his priceless accent and came across as what sounded like, “Elder SandBAG”. Ha!"

I just had to share.  I love this kid!  

Transfers are coming up!

It has been confirmed, we are getting an extra set of missionaries in our area. Hallelujah! Our Tuesdays are pretty jam packed and it's hard to meet with everyone we need to. At this rate with how the work is going, we could very well have a pool of people to sustain three sets in this area. The tough part about getting another set, is the fact that I might not be out in Paradox and La Sal anymore. Those people out there have a very special place in my heart. I realized on Sunday when I went to branch counsel, that I was saying goodbye to a lot of people out there. Although I only go out there one day a week, I have grown to love the people very much out there.

 You are all about to receive a sneak peak into this weeks district meeting. It is upon a topic that I have been thinking about for quite some time. Never knew the category that I would put it under, but I have had some serious reflection as to the work and my overall success as a missionary.

From the doctrine of Elder Sandberg, the true measure of success as a missionary is found in that of relationships. The very first relationship that is absolutely crucial for a missionary to establish, is that of a relationship with their Savior, Heavenly Father, and the Holy Ghost. Without a relationship with them, everything we do is in vain. There would be absolutely no purpose to being out here if I did not have a relationship with such beings.

 The next relationship is with my companion. The very first relationship I make when entering into an area is my companion. Without a deep and abiding relationship with my companion, the work is often strained and very difficult. Having someone around 24/7 and not having a good status can be the downfall of my mission. The next thing is the Ward/Auxiliaries we are working with. With out a solid support system or base to work from in our areas, a lot of our work flutters away. I am continually getting transferred and uprooted out of different areas. The one constant that people are going to have, aside from the Holy Ghost, is going to be the infrastructure of the church. Also, with out members trusting us and knowing us, it makes it very difficult to find referrals, as well as to ask them to help us fellowship those we work with.

The last relationship is one of my favorite because this is the area we think of most as missionaries. It is with those we work for and serve. Truly, the deepest relationships I have built out here, have been with those that I get to help come closer to Jesus Christ. It has been with those that I help to develop different relationships and connections with that I feel most close to. We are all of God's children. He loves each and everyone one of us. Just as earthly parents want to know what is going on in their kids' lives, so too does our Heavenly Father want to know what is going on ours. The greatest part of the mission is the people. You hear it all the time. It is the people because the happiness and joy that comes from strengthening relationships that will last all time and eternity is the absolute greatest thing we can do. What an honor and privilege it is to be so close to home. I will never forget about these people, nor will I ever allow myself to slip away into existence because I did not nourish the treasured connection that I have made while being here. Most of the people here know I will continue to harass them ( in a good way) to do what is right. To make changes in their life, and to build a relationship with Him whom will never falter.

 My invitation to each of you is to ponder the relationships you have right now. Think about the priority they have with other relationships. Evaluate and see if things of little eternal worth are getting in the way of the things that will forever exist. Make the changes necessary and observe the happiness that comes from rightly applying the knowledge obtained. Wisdom is found in this.

Love you all!
 Elder Sandberg

PS If some of you know someone who should be on my email list that I know, let me know. I need more contacts of individuals. Family, friends, teachers, ward members, etc.

The elders were delivering
 a saddle to a member and this is
how they showed up at the door!

It has been a very eventful week. Lot's of cool things happening and lot's of fun to be had. 

First, got to meet with Pres Adams on Thursday for interviews and he shared some insights that I really needed to hear. THe work in this area is very peculiar and it helped to receive his confidence in what we are doing. 


Went on exchanges with the Zone Leaders and had a pretty neat experience. We went to meet with a man named Enrique. He spoke only a little English, and I guess every time the Elders go over there, Elder Gonzalez is doing all of the talking because he knows Spanish. We talked a little bit in English, but then transitioned into a lesson and Elder Gonzalez and him started talking and I didn't have a clue what was going on! I was sitting there picking up words here and there but had no idea what was being said. I'd pick up a word here and there, but most of the words in Spanish that I do know, are not typically found in Gospel topics. :D Not sure what it was, but I was trying my hardest to stay engaged in the conversation and be of some help instead of being a bump on a log. Towards the end of the conversation, I felt prompted to share some things and I guess they were along the lines of what he needed to hear! Elder Gonzalez said they went along perfectly with the conversation. It was pretty cool. 

Showing off his balloon tying skills!

This week my mother has sent me a package with some much needed supplies. One of them being a balloon making kit! Turns out, I'm actually pretty good at it! After getting the main idea down, I threw the instructions away and just looked at a picture and made what I saw! Who knew! If anyone has a red nose they can send, by all means :D BUt in all seriousness, a more advanced book with balloons would be appreciated. THe biggest reason for such a thing is the children here in the area. There are a couple of families who have kids, and some recent converts have told us the best way to get the family, is to get the kids on board! We used it for one family that has been sending the kids to the door to tell us they were, "asleep", and ended up making some animals for them! I am picking up so many little tricks and skills. It's pretty cool. 

Now, Elder Davis, oh sweet sweet Elder DAvis. Long story short, his ankle is all busted up. We were playing basketball for P day, and he came down on it wrong. It was bad. We calmed him down and gave him a blessing and for some odd reason the healing of his ankle was predicated on the faith of those around him, back home, and himself. So if you want to keep him in your prayers so he doesn't have to go home that would be great. We don't know 100% sure what is going on, the Dr. who looked at it said to give it a couple of days, so we will see. Elder DAvis being injured like this has taught me quite a few things. It's definitely humbled me because he can barely do much for himself. As much as I would just LOVE to tease him and give him a hard time, I'm not. It has been a very interesting experience and I guess we will see how long this reverence lasts! ;D

Carrying Elder Davis!  They must look pretty silly tracting this way.
Let's hope he heals soon!

THings are going swell! Absolutely LOVE the people here. They are all great. Transfers are in 2 weeks, so if you send anything in the mail, send it before then. At least until I can confirm or deny I am staying.

Shout out to Olivia Sandberg who is going to be the next DECA Champion! WHaddup!!! :D 


Elder Sandberg