Happy new year!

Happy New Year!

It is so crazy to believe that this year is wrapping up. First because there is no snow here and second because the time flew by. Seriously what a year, most of it spent in Mexico. Where the best food in the world is, where the roads are so small and so are the sidewalks, where there is no such things as garbage cans, and where there is more dogs than people on the streets. haha I look back on these eight months I have had here in Mexico and just am super grateful to my Father in Heaven for this oppertunity to learn and to grow. 

One of the biggest lessons I have learned here is to love. Love The Lord overall, love my companion, love my area, and to love those people who are so hard to love. haha But really I started my mission I was obidient for blessings. For the blessings that my investigators needed, for the blessing that my family needed, and obidient so that I could tell my mission president that I was obidient. A couple months ago I read the talk If you love me keep my commandments. He talks about the three different types of obidience, first is the type of obidience that comes from fearing God and his pushiments. The second is obidience for something in return, in my case seeing my investigators progress. The third type of obidience is for love of The Savior and his inifinite sacrifice. Seriously this changed not just my mission but my life for sure. Instead of studying for knowledge, I know study because I love Jesus and I want to be more like Him. You know there came a point in my mission where I didn´t baptize. That was super hard for me, I thought I was doing something wrong. Really this mission I am serving has nothing to do with me, what pride one must have to think that the mission is about a baptismal number. I have learned lots and cannot believe that I am almost half way done. This coming year I hope that you can all strive to be more obidient for love of The Savior. 

Have a good one

Hermana Sanchez

Milpa Alta

Hello All!

I am now in Milpa Alta. You know I always whined when we walked all day in my other areas and now I am in an area where it is all up hill. haha But really it is pretty crazy, I am super sore right now. This area is super Catholic. We have like 5 pueblos and each have like 2 HUGE catholic churches. They are super pretty but terribly annoying, seriously. They wake us up at 6 am with their prayers. They blast it so all the pueblo can hear it. My companion is fun. She is super crazy because she is Columbian but we get along super well. 

This week I read the talk Forget Me Not by Dieter F. Ucktdorf and it changed my life. But really it is an awesome talk. It talks about how God is fully aware that we are not perfect and He also knows that the people that we think are perfect are not perfect. Yikes! It is so true, on my mission I have found times where I have always compared my weakness with others strengths. I have learned that The Lord has called me, Natalie Sanchez from the best town in Utah, Springville. With all my imperctions and strengths, all I have to do is His will and not mine and the Lord will shape me into the person He desires me to be. Comparing ourselves with others makes us create impossible expectations. The hardest thing for me to accept is probably that changing some weaknesses into strengths are a life time thing, a long term process. Elder Ucktdorf says that "It is OK that we are not quite there yet, Stop punishing ourself." Yikes. He gives the advice to "Open our eyes to the simple and elegant moments. That is what makes up a rick well-lived life." and Mission!! I know this is true!. I love my Savior with all my heart, His grace time after time has lifted me and carried me. I have seen lives change as they accept Him as their Savior and Redeemer. As they accept Him as the only being that will help heal their wounds. I know He lives. I hope you all have a great Christmas! Love you all!!!

Hermana Sanchez

FELIZ NAVIDAD

Transfers

I'm going to miss her so much!

Ward Christmas party 

Some good looking members 

An awesome couple, we always have a good time with  these two

Christmas trees with investigators

​So old but super happy!

This week was crazy. I have transfers again, Hermana San Roman and I saw it coming! I have been with her for 4 months and two weeks, seriously I LOVE THAT WOMAN. I have never laughed and worked so hard in my entire life. I am going to miss her so so so much. She has really taught me how to enjoy the mission. There were a couple of times when we talked in a Columbian accent to spice up our street contacts, and now guess what? I am going to be with a Columbian sister. I am beyond excited!!!! Her name is Hermana Angel.

This week was super awesome, we worked super hard and really saw The Lord bless us. This area is really Catholilc and well it has been pretty hard to find investigators but one day we said a super super potente prayer and read in Preach my Gospel about how there are so many people who are searching for our message, who don't even know that they are searching for it. Then there are those really special cases where they really are searching for it but don't know where to find it. We were super just focused and super ready to get to work that day, and that night we helped some lady pick up some boxes. Seriously the lady has problem, she is bipolar and has major depresssion. She told us that after like 10 minutes of talking to her. Her name is Jovita and man a bunch of crazy stuff happened this week with her. Her daughter is not a good student so everyday we went and helped her daughter with her homework, and through out the week she would introduce us to people who were also trying to help her. Well now we are teaching a whole family and some other 3 woman that we met through Jovita. Serously The Lord blesses us as we sacrifice a little more and show more dedication to him. Sadly, Jovita is aggressive and for safety precautions we can't visit her anymore. But that family is super super prepared and even came to church yesterday. I am going to miss this area, the members are super awesome and sweet. A sweet sister also passed away yesterday, we visited her a lot and sang a ton of Hymns to her, she'd been sick for a while. You really live everything in the mission. 

Hermana Sanchez 

pS love you all have a great week!

Picture post!!!

Natalie wrote one sentence that she  didn't have time to write but she sent pictures!!!! 

Remember

Here in Mexico chilling,

Yikes what to write about this week.... well I am seriously living the whole mission dream here in Guerrero! We walk a lot, we dont have much success in contacting and just praying super hard to find these chosen people. And you know what I love it. In the beginning it was hard because in our other area we had a lot, A LOT of work. Always running from one appointment to the next. I know that The Lord is really trying to teach me patience because quite frankly I have none of that. Also faith, lots and lots of faith.

Last week all of the state of Mexico, Cuarnavaca and another state , all had a stake conference broadcasted from Salt Lake City. It was super awesome. They talked a lot about families but I love a quote that was mentioned by Spencer W. Kimball "The word remember is the most important word in our lives. Remember our covenants, remember to study your scriptures, and remember the Savior." It is so true. When I had like 4 months on the mission, I remember thinking how can I be focused and how can I remember The Lord more everyday? Then I remember when we went to the pyramids and every detail they made on those pyramids were symbols of their covenants. So that looking there they would be reminded of the sacred promised they made with God. And they believed that by doing that that they could eventually place those covenants in their hearts. There are so many distractions in the world and especailly on the misson but I know that as we strive to remember The Lord and our covenants that we will truely be made instruments in his hands. 

It is crazy to think that I have so much time on the misson. Time flies, sometimes I get really worried like that I am not learning everything that The Lord wants me to learn but I know that as I humble myself enough to listen and to act on His spirit I will become the person He desires me to become. But everything is in His time not mine. 

I also got proposed to this week by a 80 year old man on the streets. That was quite the experience. First he wanted a kiss and then he told me that I looked tired and that he would take great care of me. Oh Mexico. 

Have a great week and make sure to REMEMBER!

Hermana Sanchez

City!!!!

Hello all!

Well Hermana San Roman and I are opening another area. I do not know what I did to deserve this. haha not really, we always have a blast together!! We are in Vicente Guerrero now and it is super pretty. I am now in the Federal District of Mexico. Super close to the Metro and all the cool stuff. Sadly there are only like 3 active members, so much work to do!! Love that. Not going to lie, it has been really hard but I have grown so much! I have figured out on my mission that The Lord has so so so many things to teach us but we wont ever learn them if we dont learn to recognize those oppertunitites. It is so essencial to learn how to desifer wether our trials or dificulties come from our own mistakes, other mistakes, or The Lord trying to teach us something. It takes a lot of prayer but man am I grateful for the oppertunity I have of serving a full time mission. 

Also we are living with another companionship of sisters. It is a blast!! 

 

Hermans Sanchez 

This is me in my new area. Talk about city chic!! 

Hermana San Roman and I before transfers

Self sufficient

This week was so great.

First of all we got to hear from a Seventy 2 times this week. He spoke to the leaders of the Ixtapaluca Stake and then in a multi-zone conference. In both of them he talked about being self suffiencient spiritually. He talked about how perfect God is and He is also auto sufficiente. And how we should all stop all waiting for other to do the work and truley strive to be converted. He talked about how everyone goes to the temple and just expcets a bunch of names to be there, he asked us what it would feel like if we went to the temple they said they didn't have anymore names because we didn't send any. We depend so much on other, espoecially the general authorities. He talked about how much pressure we put on them to help us feel spiritually revived. But that is not how it is supposed to be. We are here to take control and be auto sufficient in our own spiritual well-being. He said "Figure out how you can stay motivated and a strong strong, The Lord has given us everything you need to succeed." Also I loved what he told us missionaries about charity, he said that charity has everything to do with the Obra de Salvacion. He said that people who struggle to have charity don't fully understand the Plan of Salvation...they only understand our life on earth.  I learned so much!!! I have had a rough month on the mission. I was measuring my success with baptisms, terrible. How selfish huh? Like this work has anything to do with me and those numbers. We have taught so many awesome "prepared" people who really have just chosen to not accept our message. That is so hard but I know that I did my part and I know that I gave it my all in this area. I have never worked so much in my life. we are getting transferred to another area. I am super happy because I am staying with my companion!!! I have a blast with her!! I know this church is true. I know that Satan will put a lot of thoughts of inadequency, that our efforts aren't making a difference. But as we take hold of our spiritual well-being we can find comfort in knowing that we are pleasing God. 

Take Care!

Hermana Sanchez 

Some of our favorite members. Sundays are the only days I get ready on the mission. haha

Selling candy in the streets!

All is well!!

Todays game of soccer was a blast. I had a good game day plus we had some taxi drivers join us. At the corner of the stake center here there is a station of taxis and well they saw us and joined in on the fun. They were so good. Sadly I dont have any photos. haha

This week we did division with our sister training leaders and I went to different part of Ixtapaluca and man oh man I didnt know there was places like that in our mission. Every had hummers and Audis it was weird, and they fed us healthy. I pray every night now for that to be my next area. haha 

I also had a little flash back to when I was working at the Utah State Hospital. A new invstigator has depression and was telling us how sometimes she felt and i was able to help her a ton from what I learned those three months at The State Hospital. She is really awesome and has a lot of faith that the Gospel of Jesus Christ can help her. We are super excited to teach her. We also dropped a lot of investigators this week, which seriously is the hardest thing ever! After days of fasting and sores on our knees of praying. We really did everything, like everything we could to help them, the Spirit was seriously so strong in our lessons and we kept teaching them because we love them and want them to accept this message. But it isnt The Lords will. The result of dropping lots of investigators, The Lord blessed us with tons more. Sometimes it is hard to understand The Lords will, but lets face it He knows what He is doing. 

We had interviews this week with the President and he helped me so much recognize that I am so so tough on myself. I tend to focus so much on my short comings, Satan attacks me so much in my thoughts. This conference talk has helped me so much.. its by Elder Klebingot

 "The adversary knows that faith in Christ--the kind of faith that produces a steady stream of tender mercies and even mighty miracles--goes hand in hand with a personal confidence that you are striving to choose the right. For that reason he will seek access to your heart to tell you lies--lies that Heavenly Father is disappointed in you, that the Atonement is beyond your reach, that there is no point in even trying, that everyone else is better than you, that you are unworthy, and a thousand variations of that same evil theme."

Also Halloween was a normal day here, they celebrated it yesterday actually. They tell me that they stole that holiday from the US but instead of candy they give money. And Dia de los Muertos is really interesting, a Catholic tradition. They create an altar with all the foods and stuff that their loved ones, that have already pasted away. liked. Then the 1st of November supposably those people come in night and eat. It is like Santa Clause but with dead people. hahaaha 

Hermana Sanchez

Cute members

Eating flan on Halloween!

Weekly planning meetings sometimes gets pretty boring! 

6 months!

Yikes, it feels like I just got here and now I have 6 months. I have witnessed so many miracles and have really learned tons. Missions are hard, but so worth it. I remember my first area thinking how is possible that I am going to the bathroom on a toilet that doesn't have a toilet seat while trying not to gag at the awful smell of mold. But here I am, many gross bathroom experiences later. haha. This week was awesome, we worked super hard with the ward and it was awesome to see so many people participating in the Sacrament meeting. Really I love the ward, they are such a blast and so hard working. I also love my district we do like everything together, our zone leaders live in our area and are so good at soccer!! 

My mission right now is really focusing on how we can really live the mission scripture, which is Helaman 3:35.  Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax strongerand stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea,even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God.

How we can really yield our hearts unto God, how we can turn in or give our hearts to God. How we can be really be FULL TIME missionaries. I love this and really saw the blessings that come with striving to do what the Lord would do in my area and not what I want to do. I also learned the power of diligent scripture study, The Lord gave me so many oppertunities to share what I learned throught the day. 

I love this church and I love serving The Lord. Thanks for all your prayers!!

Hermana Sanchez

Teotiwacan

Hello!!

This week was super hard. Our baptisms didn't happen and a lot of horrible food that was eaten. In the brightside my zone is bomb!! They recently divided the zones and now they are a lot smaller. My zone Ixtapaluca went from 18 companionships to 8 and now they have cool names, Ixtapaluca is now Teancum.

I wanted to share a little bit about Teotiwacan, the pyramids that I have  twice while on the mission. There are two huge pyramids that are the Pyramid of the Moon and the Pyramid of the Sun, then there are a ton of little pyramids all over the place. These are the grades of glory in the Plan of Salvation. First going down you see all the pyramids of the stars, just a bunch of little pyramids. Then you pass by the pyramid of the Sun, then at the end of the trail you have the Pyramid of the Moon. It is super symbolic, if you were to lay down on the trail your head would point to the pyramid of the Moon, and your heart would be at the Pyramid of the Sun. To represent the people that are in the Celestial kingdom are the people that have their covenants in their hearts. As we strive to have our covenants written in our hearts we truly become converted, we become the people that the Lord intends us to be. I have really felt the spirit and have felt really guided as I have strived to remember and to live the covenants I made with The Lord. 

SHOUT OUT TO THE BEEHIVES FROM MY WARD. I loved loved your letter! 

Have a great week!!

Hermana Sanchez

General conference!

Hey all,

This week was great and ending with General Conference was bomb. I watched it in English, I know lame! GUESS WHAT THOUGH? I am dreaming in Spanish!! My companion said she heard me last night talking in my sleep about my investigators IN SPANISH. haha Our invstigators are doing well. This week we felt The Spirit so strong in our lessons all because we are applying the principle of praying with more faith and sincerity. Keep Candi, Adela, Abraham, Efred, y Elizabet in your prayers that this Saturday they can finally be baptized. They are super great. We taught Efred and Elizabet about the word of wisdom this week and man do they have so much faith. When we taught that coffee is naughty all she said was.. I could do without it. Love that couple, seriously they are super awesome. We also talked about her baby Jesus that she has. For reals though everyone here has a baby Jesus and they baptize it in the Catholic Church and then just sit in the house for protection and blessings. That was a little harder for to accept ahaha. But we came to the conclusion that she can bring it out in her nativity set. ahhahah. Oh Mexico and your Catolicismo.  Candi and her children are getting super excited for their baptism, her children are super smart, I love teaching them. Also my neighbors are less actives and they always invite us over for carne asada, makes me miss home. We talk to a lot of drunk happy people, mostly because it is fun. We always give them the word of wisdom pamphlet, it is great. 

Anyways this week I really learned about having faith in our prayers and in our hearts. Faith takes three things really we read in Alma when he compares faith to a seed. In verse 43 he says that we shall reap the rewards of our faith through diligence, patience, and long-suffering. I love that, as we really strive to lose our selves in the mission and do The Lord's will not ours we have faith that through our work (diligence), patience in the Lord's timing, and just learning from every bad and good experience, ANIMO (long suffering).  Love this gospel and love my mission. MEXICO CITY CHALCO MISSION IS THE GREATEST MISSION IN THE WHOLE WORLD. 

Love you all have a great week.

Hermana Sanchez

Greeting from Ixtapaluca

Greeting from Ixtapaluca,

This week was great. My companion and I always have a blast together but really. My companion is so fascinated by the United States, she is always asking me the weirdest things like: The United States is so far ahead of us here in everything....Do you guys have microwaves that you can place silverware in yet? Or whenever anything is a lot of work she asks if there is an easier way in the United States. Today she commented "you guys probably don't even have to mop over there! Talk about a poor people thing to do" I usually respond with making something crazy up. This week we pullled a prank on our zone leader because they actually live in our area and we are seriously are always with them. I sent a photo. we found the doll in the road and wrote his name, my companion is so crazy, she cut the dolls ear and put it in it's mouth. hahah Transfers are tomorrow but for the first time on my mission I am staying! Woo! I really love this area and the ward. 

This week we found tons of new people to teach, seriously they are so prepared. First we found a young adult named Caren (people here love American names) she sold us some super cheap skirts and well we visited her this week and she is super awesome. She is a single mom and just wants a better life, she has so much faith that we can help her. We were supposed to have 2 families get baptized this past week but they have to have to asist church 5 times before and this Sunday guess what? They slept in. Satan you suck and they can't get baptized this coming week because of General Conference, which I am super stoked for, so they we have to wait for the 11th!! Ahhh But they are awesome and have testimonies that seriously streghthen mine. Elizabet and Efred have demond babies who are always crying and super crazy. I love visiting them because they are a great time always. 

This week I really learned about the importance of a really good scripture study. How application is everything! Really though sometime I fall into a rountine where I just love sharing my favorite scriptures but this week I really tried to apply the scriptures as well as find new ones. I felt the Spirit so much stronger in my lessons and really felt The Lord guiding my words and guiding me to the people that I needed to contact in the streets. This is His work and I am so grateful to be a part of it. 

Love you all!!

Have a great week and remember to study the sciptures! lol

Hermana Sanchez 

Full timer

Hey

I am so sorry I stink at writing. haha This week was so great, I really learned how to be a FULL TIME missonary. It consists of my heart!! That is the key and it sounds so easy huh? haha There are so many people here that are so prepared and really I love teaching them helping them and most of all testifying to them what I know is true. My companion and I work super hard, and I love it!! But I was missing the things The Lord wanted me to learn. In the MTC they tell us that the mission is the MTC of our lives and I have really learned that this week. The Lord is constantly giving us oppertunitites to learn and to progress and our part is to be humble enough to recognize those oppertunitites. 

Candi is progressing super well and is the sweetest thing to see her with her four young children. Another testimony that a woman's faith is so powerful. She is preparing to be baptized and her kids are super excited to be officially apart of primary. lol. The other family that we are teaching are super awesome, seriously another great example of a great mom. Her kids are crazy, just absolutely crazy. Like my nephew Mazzi times 10. But she completes every assignment and just does everything and unlike tons of other people we teach she never makes her children an excuse. We had a Family Home Evening with them this week and it was a blast totally won the game. The Lord is so great. Also 2 people that we contacted on the street are preparing to be baptized, seriously The Lord is hastening his work. Thankful to be apart of this. Areli one of the contacts is a young adult of 23 years of age and is super fun, we found her with her dog and at first she denied us then I commented on her clothes and we got talking....It is history from there because she is progresssing awesome!! So thankful for the confidence the Lord has with me and these people. Love this work. 

LOVE ALL OF YOU!!!!!!

Hermana SancheZ

We went to the pyramids again today. This is really how my companion I are. 

My area 

Viva Mexico

VIVA MEXICO!!!!!

Today is Independance day here in Mexico, which means we will rest from our duties. haha. This week was a good one, there is so much work here, I love it!! Our investigators are awesome, Angel always plays soccer with us and is just super prepared. We were going to drop him as an investigator this week because he didn't want to keep the Sabbath day holy but instead we decided to fast for him instead. And guess what happened? He didn't show up at Church, we were so bummed, we visit him atleast everyday. But wait today he came to play with us all injured and said that he recieved his answer playing yesterday. I guess he had a terrrible game and totally made his team lose plus someone injured him. THERE CAN BE MIRACLES WHEN WE BELIEVE!! Seriously and now he is all, plus I can't play soccer forever and later when i am old I will repent for not doing stuff more worth my time. He is so great and his baptism is coming up soon. Keep Angel in your prayers. 

Funny story:

In Ameca I was in a super ghetto apartment and plus so was my companion. She was a little odd. One night I woke up because the light was on and looked over to my companions bed to see her sitting up watching me. Totally freaked me out, I asked what she was doing up and why the light was on. She responded with "He's here". So here I am exhausted because we had an awful day which included tons and tons of walking and my companions telling me that someone is in our apartment. I responed with "Go to sleep, I locked the door." That is when she totally creeped me out with saying "You don't feel him?". The most uncomfortable situation in my life, I decided to ignore what happened and to sleep but it took a while. The next morning she told me that something was trying to enter her body and oh it was weird. 

I love my area it is tons of fun. The food is delicious as well. 

Hermana Sanchez

My district leaders and I 

Last day in Ameca

Loving the area!!

Hola!

I love my area!!!! I never want to leave! Seriously our area is somewhat small but tons and tons of people. We are teaching awesome poeple who are super prepared. My companion and I have a ton of fun, sometimes too much! hahah We play soccer for hours on pdays and the members are totally bomb! I make my companion run with me every morning and now 3 sisters from our ward have joined us. It is just so awesome. There are tons of exmissionaries in this ward and it is a blast to do divisiones. 

Laura, Angel and their daughter are a family that we teaching right now. Seriously there are so prepared but are just saving up their money to get married then baptized. They own a vegastable stand and are just super humble and excited to be apart of the church. Angel is really good at soccer I found out today. They are a young couple like 28 years old and their daughter Kimberly is super sweet but she still doesnt want to be baptized....that child!! We are working on it, she is 9 years old. It is super awesome to see people with so much faith, no joke. This week we taught them the Word of Wisdom and they told us that they only drank on holidays and they felt like it wasnt that bad. That is when we reminded them of the experiences theyve had in these last couple of months, they have really seen miracles through prayer. Their veggie stand wasnt doing very good but that is when they decided to pray right there in the stand and right when they finished they looked up to see tons of people coming towards the stand. They sold everything! After remember they both committed to live the word of wisdom. I love these people, they are so much fun and so easy going. 

There is another family well a single mom named Candi and she has 4 young children. Seriously her life has been like a soup opera. She has lived a hard life, but she said that she has never felt anything like what she felt going to church. She wants to be baptized so bad and seriously her faith is amazing. Her children are al little rebelious but I am winning her son little by little with soccer. Keep them in your prayers. 

The Gutirrez Solis family is super awesome and also super prepared, she has family who are members and just loves learning. They are the first investigators that have noticed the answers to their prayers by themselves and are also preparing to be baptized soon. 

I am learing tons in this area, The Lord really is preparing His people. I am really learing charity in this area, I know that the Savior loves us and it is amazing how dear these families are to me and I have only known them for a short time! My companion is really teaching me how to really enjoy my mission. 

Grateful to be a missonary and grateful for the oppertunity I have to help these people come unto Christ. 

Have a fab week!

Hermana Sanchez

First week in Heroes

Hello all!!!

Well I am now in Heroes, Ixtapaluca.  Its the city and there are tons of poeple and dogs, of course. Our area is small but has so much work,  the ward is great in helping us. There are 3 pairs of missionaries in our ward, I love it because eating is so much more fun now! My companion is Hermana San Roman from Vera Cruz, they have the weirdest slang there. haha She is really sweet and just super excited to work, love that about her. Our house is pretty big and nice. This week was the most stressful week of my life, both me and my trainee were getting to know the streets and just going off a ward list in finding and meeting members. Plus our house was super dirty, and we do not have time to clean until Monday. AND GUESS WHAT? There is a track like half a block away from my house, running helped a ton with the stress. 

We found some super prepared people who are planning on getting married and baptized soon. They are Angel y Laura, they have suffered so much but love the feeling that comes from reading the Book of Mormon.....again super prepared. Super excited about this area.

Sorry about this lame e-mail I promise I will do better next week :)

Hermana (bad at writing) Sanchez

Transfer! Again!!!

Guess who is getting transferred again?? Yeah can you believe it, my fourth transfer in the 4 months I've been here. Yikes!! But this time I will be training a missionary who I believe is Mexcian, straight out of the CCM. I am beyond scared and oh man I didn't sleep a lot last night. Most of all though I am excited, we will be opening an area and just be liiving the missionary life. I totally thought I was going to stay here in Amecameca but thank the heavens I am leaving. hahah No, but really I learned tons and tons here. I learned that Love truley is the essence of the gospel, I washed so many dishes and did a lot of service in this area to gain their confidence, to show them that I loved them!! Seriously I learned to love people for who they are and saw how through our love the Spirit testified to these people. 

I also learned so much about true conversion, my district lider was so amazing in helping us in that area. This is his last cycle, yikes! But he taught me so much in how to be a successful missonary. Seriously it's amazing how he with all his heart accepts his calling and lives it. I had divisions this week and worked with a sister who only has 7 months left on the misson in my last area, Tecalco. She kept talking about how excited she was to go home, to listen to real music, to hug her fiance.... yeah. It really reminded me how important this time is for me to be truely converted. Missions are amazing when we let The Lord shape us into who he needs us to be. But oh man did I love going back to Tecalco and visiting the people that I had the oppertunity to teach and love. Patricio has the priesthood and passes the sacrament now! He is planning on serving a mission and just doing awesome. So crazy to think not to long ago we were fasting and praying for him to even accept a baptismal date. Love that kid.

This area was mad hard, no joke I have never fasted and prayed and walked as much as I have here. We couldn't find people to teach for like 3 weeks and man was it hard to keep that firm faith that there was people here prepared for us. I just thought that hard work would bring the blessings that we needed. Sometimes in life we are just so focused on getting through trials that we miss oppertunitites that The Lord gives us to learn and that is exactly what happened. As I look back I see so many lessons that The Lord was trying to teach me but I was so blind focusing on the blessings that we needed. We are given so many experiences everyday to learn, I challenge all of you to recognize what The Lord is trying to teach you. Like a corny Young Womans songs says: "We were born to reach eternal life. " We are here to learn heaven. 

LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!

Hermana Sanchez

I painted this cute girl's nails!

The active valcano 

A ward party where we played some Mexican game! It looks kind of ackward! Lol 

The bridges we cross

Miracles

There can be miracles when we BELIEVE!!

This week was so great. Seriously the ward is starting to unite and helping all the less actives, we have seen so many miracles here. The ward went from never letting us enter their homes and not feeding us to now giving us references. The 5 weeks I have been here the challenge was to find new poeple to teach, but now that the ward is starting to reactivate its self we are receiving tons of references. Now let me tell you these people are golden! I am learning to have patience here in this area. 

Veronica Rodriguez is a less active whom we reactivated and seriously it is amazing to see the change in her. She is a convert of 6 years but 3 years inactive. She is 21 years old and just started reading The Book of Mormon and it is just incredible what that book does to people. She is now activating her husband and has given us 4 references who have dates to be baptized. All because she decided to take our challenge to read a chapter everyday. Also we have an investigator named Rita who we have been visiting for 4 weeks but she finally decided to read The Book of Mormon. When we met with her this week  she just started crying and said that she didnt get anything from that book at first but as she had that desire to change her life, she understood the book more and more. She is preparing to be baptized and is just super excited! I love The Book of Mormon it seriously has tanto poder!! I love sharing my experience when I read it and when my companion shares her testimony as well. The missionaries said that if she had faith in God that he would help her to learn how to read through that book. Sister Sanchez is bomb. I challenge you all to read atleast a chapter everyday! The blessings are worth those 5 mintures! Sometimes we get so caught up in life and we think that if we just complete with what is expected of our callings and that we are just fine. But we need to be converted to The Lords Gospel not his church!!

SHOUTOUT TO MY SISTER MIREYA!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR INTRODUCING OUR FAMILY TO THE GOSPEL. YOU ARE AMAZING. 

Love you all so much!

Hermana Sanchez 

Sick week!

Que Tal?

This week was terrible!! I was so so sick the whole week, but what can you do when you are on the mission except work! haha Seriously it was terrible, I CANNOT CONTROL WHAT PEOPLE FEED ME. There have been so many American missionaries that have gone home from my mission due to illness. I was so discouraged seriously, I was so sick and was so tired. Plus we weren't finding anyone home, and investigators are being so lame right now! I seriously couldn't have made it through this week without the help of the Savior. Missionary work is NOT easy. I learned so much this week. I learned that everytime that when I am too lazy to contact another person on the street, everytime that I just want to sit down and rest for a minute, everytime I put my needs before the people of Amecameca- I need to remember Him. The Savior's experience helps me press on. I learned this week that missionary work requires something our souls. Today we watched a talk by Elder Holland and he said that the atonement will carry us, in moments where I just think am I making any difference in this area, in times when I pray so hard for someone to change and come unto christ but they don't. He told us that there will be many of these times but that we will be shoulder to shoulder with the Savior, with the greatest missionary that ever lived. Missions are hard, life is hard, but as we look to the Savior for comfort and help we can become more like him. 

I love this work, and I rejoice in my Savior for all the experiences and all that I've learned here on the mission. This is the church of Jesus Christ and as we strive to learn and be more like him we will see his hand in our lives. 

Hermana Sanchez

In Amecameca with some like member girl.

Hermana Sanchez and Hermana Sanchez in a VC Taxi with the Virgen Mary in back. 

One of the many Catholic churches in my area. 

Loving the district!

Hey loves!

This week was great, filled with the Spirit and all. Amecameca has a lot of cool things to see, mostly Cathlic churches. lol. We visted one last week and another this week. Plus I love my district, we play soccer and basketball every pday!! I love it we always invite the kids from our ward who are like little Peles. haha This ward is really hard hearted, so we organize a bunch of fun activties for the unity of the ward. It is really heart breaking to only see like 30 people in the chapel knowing that there is around 300 members in this small area. This week we had a Tarde Deportiva where we played soccer, basketball, board games, and other Mexican games. haha A bunch of people came out, which totally surprised me. hah. It reminded me a lot of my ward, man am I grateful for the unity and love that is in my ward!! 10th Ward Power!! 

Also we are teaching Virirdiana and she has the saddest story. She has lived on the street since the age of 12 and just tons and tons of hard trials. When we first started teaching her she would never listen to me. When people find out that I am from the US they totally shun me. Seriously they think that my life has been all fine and dandy but I always share what my wise friend Holly Lambert wrote me when I came out. She told me that the Lord knows exactly what he is doing, that he placed us in the perfect family and the perfect place for our hearts to learn and grow. This is a plan of happiness and if we aren't happy there is something wrong. I love Elder Uckdorfs talk about gratitude, and I can testify that as we live with an attitude of gratitude we can be HAPPY no matter the circumstances. This area is huge and some days we find no one home, all our scheduled appointments fall and we walk and walk and walk. I used to dread those days but as I think of really what a blessing it is to be here, I have really learned to just accept whatever happens and to be happy. This week we got caught in the Teeangees by the rain. The Teeangees is this huge swat meet, tons of people hand made stuff and all that snazzy stuff. They close down huge important roads haha. As we were walking through it just down poured, I have never seen it rain so hard. hhaha 45 minutes of just pouring pouring rain. haha

This week we had an amazing lesson with Virirdiana, she has no work and no food to feed her two children. We went with the bishop to drop off some stuff and it just broke my heart to see the kiddos eating the stems of corn. They are just the cutest kids. She started crying when she saw that we had brought a few things. Her biggest thing is that she has a hard time accepting God because her life hasn't been the easiest. I shared DyC 121: 8-7 with her and just bore testimony that our trials will all be for just a breve momento. I love that scripture, it really helped me a lot when I was starting out my mission. I can't believe I almost have 4 months on the mission!! SO CRAZY. 

LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!! CHOOSE TODAY TO BE HAPPY!!!

Hermana Sanchez 2

(In the ward they know me as Sanchez 2 and my companion as Sanchez 1) LOL

Blessing of our labors!

Hola! 

I have ran out of ideas on how to start my letters! haha I am not going to lie, my area is so hard but we have truley seen the blessings of our labors here in Amecameca. There is so much work to be done and we are just working our little buns off. The time is just flying by, no joke it feels like I just got here and we are on our 3rd week. AH!! We have a new investigador who lives seriously like next to the volcano. This week we were teaching her in her home and the volcano started... well I am not sure how you say it in English...like grumbling or something. lol. And seriously the whole house shook, and ashes where flying out. Our investigator just acted like all was normal. I was totally freaking out inside. I guess it is normal here. haha This investigators name is Viridriana and she is super awesome, super humble. She is a single mom with two kids. She is super poor but always make us take a mango from her tree. She came to church yesterday and we are just really excited for her. Coming to church here is huge because first it is at 8 in the morning and second because it is far, really far. Like 30 minutes walking. haha yeah it is killer, not even the members go to church. haha lol. so bad. Also there is less active lady that came to church, miracle no joke. This ward is super hard, some of them are just letting us enter their homes and just a bunch of stuff like that. We do a lot of service here in this area for the members, so we can earn their confidence. We walk a ton and I eat a lot of mexican bread. I need to learn self control with that. haha All and all everything is great. Obidience is really key to this work, I have really learned that here in Ameca. I have never prayed so much in my life, but we are seeing so many miracles. Plus my companion and I get along super super well. LOVE HER. 

Love all you!!!! I hate all your summber pics. It is really hot here and then pours in the evenings. haha

Hermana Sanchez 

Amecameca

Hola from Amecameca!!!

This week went by really fast and I know it was because we really really really hard. There is so much work to do here, no joke. Tons and tons of less actives and tons of poeple in this small pueblo. My area is huge now so I am back to walking a ton but I really love it. We have like 3 pueblos. I am a lot closer to the volcanos. It is cold here. Our ward mission leader said he would take us to hike one. So excited for that. It is really sad to see only a few people attending church, really sad. The members are barely starting to feed us because the missionaries before us... well yeah... ruined that for us. And some people still won't let us enter their home. I went from a celebrity in Tecalco to nothing here. haha. The food here is really good, something really funny is that the people here know I am American and so they feed us spagetti. Lol. They say it is really odd that I look so much like a white girl but my parents are Mexican. So rude, because I totally feel like I blend in. haha

 My companion is super awesome!! Guess what her name is? HERMANA SANCHEZ. hahahahahahah the only other Hermana Sanchez, yup we get a lot of jokes about it. But she wears the name well. lol. We get along so so so well. She is 12 years older than me but there is such an attitude of hard work and obediance in our companionship. She is a convert of 6 years and is just super humble and I love that! She had the craziest storie, her parents kicked her out of her home when she was 16 and lived on the streets and everything. She found the missionaries when she was 26 and she couldn't even read. The missionaries testified to her that if she read the Book of Mormon that the Lord would bless her to read. And here she is reading and all. Yeah LOVE HER. 

It was really really hard the first few days because well.....Tecalco was so hard to leave. My investigator Patricio has his baptismal interview and ready to be baptized this Saturday. So sad I can't be there, but so happy for him. He went to EFY today!! Hermana Hill told me that when he heard that I got transferred he said that he wasn't going to get baptized until I came back. Such a terd. haha But I know that everything happens for a reason and I just need to put all my faith in my Father in Heaven because he knows what he is doing. I read the talk that President Monson gave, I think last year, about    It really helped me a lot. Also a lot of leaning on the Lord this week. I saw a lot of miracles and they almost always come from reading the Book of Mormon. Hay tanto poder en ese libro!! I love to see people and hear how much peace that book brings to their lives. Read The Book of Mormon and apply it!!!! It will bring such a special spirit to your lives!!! So grateful to be a missionary. 

Love to all!!!

Hermana Sanchez 

Transfer

CAMBIOS!!!

I found out today that I am getting transferred to Ameca, so sad to leave my area. No joke, I love this area with all my heart and I learned so so so much this transfer. My district leader is an amazing Elder and his faith and testimony really united us as a district. I am so saddd!!!!! But I hope to see San Mateo Tecalco otra ves! I learned so much about the atonement and have really seen true conversion as we teach testifying that Christ suffered for these people. I love being a missionary. Our investigators are all doing awesome at progressing to their baptism dates and we are just praying that they can be baptized!!! 

Patricio is an amazing kid, this week we got to teach his mom who was also in town. He wanted us to teach about how the gospel blesses families. And The Spirit was so strong as this young kid testified the love he has felt being away from home and living with an LDS family. Heavenly Father truly does bless our families as we center our families on Christ and live the gospel principles. Patricio shared with us that he is scared to tell his dad about being baptized and that is the thing that is holding him back. I was so prompted by The Spirit to share how I had waited years to ask my dad again if I could be baptized because I felt like I knew what his answer would be through all those years. How I wish I could go back and have that perfect faith in Christ to ask my dad and that being a member of this church is so so so so worth it! I am going to miss that kid. He is so funny. I

Geovany is another one of our investigators who is muy potente!! He recieved a Book of Mormon on the street from a missionary and contacted us after. He is another testimony that The Lord prepares his people. He loves going to church!!!!! He loves learning and loves being apart of the mormon community!!!!! He has like 45 years of age and loves  learning about the Gospel. He was so ready for us!!! Also we are teaching his neighbor, Tatiana. She is unemployed and has a son who is 12 years old. Fernando loves soccer and is super cute and funny reminds me a lot of my little bro Johnny. This kid works at a beer factory because his mom can't find work. Seeing people in these circumstances makes me beyond grateful for all that I have. I love the talk Elder Ucktdorf gave in General Conference about the attitude of grattitude. He talks about how he we should be grateful for the rain not just the rainbow that comes after. I love that!!!!!!!!!!

I hope everyone has a great week!!! I love this gospel, The Gospel of Jesus Chirst and I am so grateful to be apart of his great work!!! 

Hermana Sanchez

I visited this temple en Teotiwacan. I didn't spell that right. haha But I learned so much about the history of the Book of Mormon and the convenios que hacemos en sus Templos.!!! Que padre no?

Hola hola hola!!!!

Hola hola hola!!!

I can't believe that this cycle is almost over. Seriously though!!! Where does the time go? I love San Mateo Tecalco so much I don't ever want to leave!!!! The poeple here are so awesome and my bathroom is so great. This week was ok. haha I forgot to mention last week in my letter that I spoke in my first funeral. Yeah crazy huh? haha I dirnk the best atole ever!! Atole de guava is my favorite. We found an awesome family this week as well. My area cover like 2 little pueblos and the in the really ghetto pueblo there is like 1 member. haha

I can't believe I forgot to write about my experience of talking at a funeral.... So we were like about to do our companion study when all of a sudden I heard someone scream HERMANAS. So I ran outside to see our Bishop there, he is super cool, he asked us if we could speak at a funeral of some lady that had 95 anos. Yes speak a some funeral of some lady we had never met and he gave us like a 2 hour notice. lol/ So I mean we had never met the lady, because for the last 3 years she lived in el Districto Ferderal. Y pues we were the only ones who talked, like no one talked from her family or anything. Just me and my companion, so awkward. Our talks were on the Plan of Salvatiion. When we were writing our talks, i turned to Hermana Hill and asked if she knew her name!  She didn't How terrible is that!!! But the Spirit was strong and people cried. 

Right now we are teaching a young lad, Patricio. Man he is so funny. He lives with his aunt who is a member and same with his brother. We always have awesome lessons with this kid but he has denied our invitation to be baptized like 4 times. He drives us crazy because seriously he says he knows it's true but that he would feel better if he got baptized when he is older. But this week we finally got him to put a date!! So excited for him. Seriously this lesson was so guided by the Spirit. He Told us that he is scared what his parents will think and scared to be well one of the few members in his family. I was so guided by the Spirit to testify of my experience with my parents and I just bore testimony that man it's so hard at times to stand up for what is right but it is so worth it. That the peace and joy that this gospel brings to our lives is so worth living it!!! Everyone was crying and he acccepted and all was well. hahah 

We work with a lot of less actives here as well and it's so intersting to me. These members always have strong testimonies that The Church is true but for some reason or another they fell away. This family that we visit is super awesome. This week we visited them like 2 times and taught about the Book of Mormon and the importance of reading it. Seriously this Sunday at church it was incredible to see them come and participate in their classes. It was like they changed over night! And they told us it was because they were reading the Book of Mormon and that they've felt closer to God than ever before. I love that!!! The Book of Mormon has so much power as it tesifies to us of the true and living Christ. 

So grateful to be apart of this work!! Thanks for all the prayers, I feel them everyday!!! LOVES YOUS ALLS!!!!!
Hermana Sanchez