Jonathan's baptism

Well Jonathan got baptized this week. The baptismal service was so awesome and real spiritual. He was so excited this entire week and really just wanted to get dunked. haha. Jonathan is the first person I have started teaching and have ended up seeing being baptized. I have never stayed in an area long enough, but wow seeing his conversion was such a great experience  and really strengthened my testimony. I felt bad though because the boiler was broken and he was baptized in cold water. When he was entering the water he made some wheezing noises because it was SO  COLD. Plus here since we are so close to the volcanoes the water comes directly from up there, so the font water was a greenish yellow. hahaha  We told him we wanted it to be as close as possible to Jesus Christ's baptism, River Jordan style. I am so excited for him, I love being  a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!!! 

Also today we got to climb up to a famous catholic church here in Ameca and well yeah we enjoyed ourselves. I absolutely love my companions!!! They keep me young. 

Hermana Guerrero from McAllen Texas and Hermana Murray from Orem utah

This photo explains out companionship. Really though. Behind us is a volcano

I dont actually know what he is looking at..... But yeah I am in a trio. All american trio, it is such a blast. 

Golden

Dear friends,

This week was weird but really strengthening. Jonathan didnt end up getting baptized this week. It has been moved to the 20th of June. he has had trouble with the word of wisdom. I am glad he finally told us the truth. He said he was doing really good until this week, the week of his baptism were he really fell again. It is sad but I am proud of him that he is mature enough to tell us. He was really sad that he isnt going to be baptized for 2 more weeks but he stood up yesterday and shared his testimony of how the gospel  is the only real and lasting happiness on the whole earth. Then he talked about his life, how he always tried everything to numb or to fill this hole in his heart but that the gospel is the only true happiness. The spirit was so strong. My companion and I actually prayed for him several times to have more trials accepting our message. He was watch you would call golden. Accepting everything and just really striving to change but it almost seemed unreal, so we prayed that he would have more trials and bam this happens but I know that it is better for him to clear all this up now. I remember our mission president asking us if we were grateful for our trials, then told us that he prays every night that we will be tried, to have opportunities to build us in faith and in testimony. Its been hard for me to accept and be grateful for my trials, but I am today because of them. 

Also another one of our investigator who is so beautiful came to church for the first time. It was a total miracle and she even fasted so that her husband to soften his heart. She is really anxious to be baptized but needs to get married first. I love her, really though she is a blast. 

The weather here is rainy with a chance of mole. Really though I have had so many upset stomachs from the mole. hahah 

Have a great week!!

A horse we found 

THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH. THE RIVERA BARRON FAMILY VISITED ME ALL THE WAY FROM IXTAPALUCA. LOVE THEM SO MUCH

June!!

I can't believe it's June!

Like seriously, it is crazy how fast the month of May went by! Plus this coming week we have transfers. Johnathan will be baptized this Saturday and we are super excited for him. He has changed so much and this last week when he had his baptismal interview he told the Elder that he is not going to have any girlfriends until after he serves a mission. hahah.

Also this week we went to the Mexico City vistors center. It was super awesome. I loved all the videos they had on the Book of Mormon. Seriously there is tanto poder in that book. The month of May I had so many opportunities to bear testimony of the Book of Mormon, I love that book and know with all of my heart that IT IS  another testiment of Jesus Christ. 

We also found a lot of new investigators this week, such a blessing! We have been working really hard trying to find the people The Lord has prepared. 

Sorry I am so bad at writing. hahah

Hermana Sanchez

The Mexico visiting center 

The wonderful lady on the left is the bishops wife and her cousin and my companion. 

Book of Mormon

This week was great!!

Seriously so many things happened this week with The Book of Mormon!! We taught several new investigators about the book and I will never forget the lesson we had with Joesph Chalko. He is from New Jersey but married someone from here and has 50 years here, he has so much knowledge about The Bible it is astonishing. Our bishop accompanied us and let me tell you every question that he had about The Bible were answered with The Book of Mormon. That is when I realized that I understand The Bible because I have read The Book of Mormon, that The Book of Mormon truely does have the plenitud of the gospel. I know with all my heart that that book is real, and that is why I am here. A 20 year girl from Utah, with only 3 years of being a member of His restored church. I have leaned many times on the testiomony that I recieved after praying about The Book of Mormon years ago. 

We also met a member this week, he was born in the church and is like 75 years old but never has read the entire Book of Mormon. I dont mean in any way to judge or critize but there are blessings that can only from reading that book. 

Hermana Sanchez

Elder Bednar

This week was super awesome!!

First of all on Friday Elder David A. Bednar came to our mission and holy cow, IT WAS AMAZING. Seriously he was so halarious! He started off talking about how in the church we have a lot of culture some good and some bad. He talked about how sometimes we play this game in the church, "its called whats in my head." We ask questions sometimes and try to make people guess what is in our heads. Anyways he said that he wasn't there to do that, he asked us our perspective on a lot of things. Then he exponded on everything but not really giving us the full answers or comments. At the end he said that more members need to me agents and not objects. And when we don't act it is beause we need more faith on that principle. He told us not to ask for stupid stuff in our prayers but act and the power comes after. Be agent who acts. Agency is a gift from the Atonement and in a way when we act we use The Savior's Atonement. Elder Bednar is super humble and super turned into The Spirit. It was so awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also Jonathan is progressing super awesome he is getting baptized the 6th of June. Super excited for him. Everytime we meet with him, he always says that it really is hard to change or be a good person that it is so easy to do the wrong. We always share scriptures to help him remember the blessings he has seen by choosing the right. It has really made me reflect how easy it is to be disobedient and really how easy it is  to live in the world.But the blessings are so worth it! We are eternal beings and the decisions we make in this life effect on our eternity. 

Funny story, there is a sister who we have been teaching and she has been telling the missionaries for 6 months now, that she is a member of the church. But on Saturday she told us the truth.... she is a member of the other mormom church. My first question was to ask her how many moms she has. haha. Her dad is actually a 70 for that church! Like 20 minutes away from us there is a poligamist colony, and it has been hard talking to people on the streets. They all think that we have multiple wives. haha Anywyas so this sister has been lying to us but has been coming to church and everything but she is not married because she isn't married but we are working on that. hahah

Have a great week

Hermana Sanchez

Huehuecalco

Hello all,

I am now in Huehuecalco which is really quite pueblo. I love the city part of my mission but it is a little more work here in the pueblos because of their traditions. I am now with Hermana Phenix who is from North Carolina, she has 4 months in the mission and I love it. She is a really hard worker and well this area has so many people who are so ready to listen to the gospel.There is this recent convert who is increible, seriously he has an AMAZING testimony. We are actually teaching his borther and holy cow!! Jonathan is his name, and we taught him the word of wisdom and immedietaely he said I know this can help me, I feel it. The Spirit was so strong!! The next time we taught him, he said I love how I feel when you two teach me but when I get home, I feel the same. We asked him if he was reading The Book of Mormon and he said no. He didnt quite understand that in order for him to progress it would have to be through his own efforts not just ours. It wa also a good lesson for me, sometime I wish to progress, to overcome trials, or weakness but are my efforts really showing that? Am I dedicating enough time to my mature spitiually and really learn from my trials or am I just waiting till the storm passes by? He is an awesome investigator, keep Jonathan in your p´rayers please. 

Hermana Sanchez

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!! TO ALL MY 10TH WARD MOMS OUT THERE. YOU WOMAN ARE AMAZING AND HAVE BEEN AMAZING EXAMPLES!!!

Hola

Hola sorry I have been terrible at writing. I am getting trasfered, leaving my area is so hard because I love them and we are leaving AWESOME investigators. Super crazy story actually. So The Arroyla Family, a super prepared family that we found had a lot of trials with their family. They were really hard trials to the point that they said that they couldnt recieve us anymore, anyways so like 3 weeks pasted by that we didn't see them. Hermana Boyer and I prayed and fasted lots but nothing until the wednesday after this fast sunday, that is when we found them and oh we had the most spiritual lesson. Seriously and we called a brother from our ward to give Sister Leti a blessing because she left her husband to join the church!!! Holy cow talk about Miracle!!! Then I remembered that my ward had also fasted for her just days before. Talk about HOBBLE CREEK 10th WARD power. Love my ward!!!

Also Elder Bednar is coming to my mission May 15th!!!!!!!! ahhhhh

Hermana Sanchez 

With the party crew 

At the Mexico City wax museum 

With Obama!

With my girl Rihanna!

Dancing with Celia Cruz 

Having a blast with Madonna!

with shakira. we are twins

Couple pics!

selfie stick on top of the pyramids

The coolest members around. We rode with in an escalade haha

Members we need you!

This week was great, my companion and I were running from lesson to lesson. The Lord has blessed us with so many great new investigators. I love this ward and am super grateful to serve along side them. Seriously this week I learned the importance of member in the work, every new investigator we taught this week has very special necesities and the members always could relate. It was crazy, no joke. Everytime they told us about their problems the member that accompanied us always shared a similar story and how through the gospel they were able to overcome everything. I mean being 20, I have only lived so much. haha But really the members play a huge role in the progression of our investigators. Accompany the missionaries, the Lord uses each one of us and our brothers and sisters need our testimony. I have seen it in my own life, I often feel inadequate but I recieved an email for bother in law and he bore his testiomony to me. It was exatcly what I needed in that moment. Bear your testimony we all need it. 

​a great family!! They got baptized 2 months ago and love to accompany us teaching. 

Have a great week!

Hermana Sanchez 

Dulce's baptism 

New cool graffiti en San Buena. Every wall here has something on it, usually ugly. haha

Whatever just do it!

Hello all,

This week was great, seriously. We found 3 new families to teach and they are just super prepared. My companion and I have been working super hard with the ward, activing people and just doing doing a lot of service to these wonderful humans. We are working a ton with the ward because we want them to recognize that they have a huge part in the work. Those 3 families were references from members and are just super excited to be apart of the church. The Arroyla family is one of them, when we visted them for the first time we were astonished!! The mom was all "I know this is true because I felt it in the visitors center". Then she was all "and I know that Chirst came to the Americas because it makes sense, we are all children of God". It was such testimony to me that there are poeple so ready to hear the Gospel. It all started when her friend casually spoke to her about the Gospel and then took her to the visitors center. There are people who just need an invitation and thats where we all come in, the members!! Invite someone today to church, to an activity... whatever. Just do it!

An investigator who is like 5 months along...... and I just got done eating. lol

Pictures are worth 1000 words!

I put a sticker of Jesus on the baby's forehead!!!! 

Full house

This week was so great! The Lord truely is a Lord of miracles. Seriously I know that The Lord works through our faith. Opening this area was really hard, seriously so tiring and we really didn{t have any support from the ward. My companions and I have prayed to really see the potential of ward and just put our confidence in The Lord. In the beginning we walked a lot, but the more we fell in love with the poeple here, the more we aumented our faith. We are now witnessig miracles in the ward. No joke the chapel was FULL yesterday, inactives were bearing their testimonies, the Spirit was so so strong. Seriously I know that The Lord doesnt just want His missionaries to give their best effort but also their hearts and will. As I turnover my will to Him that is when I truley become an instrument in His hands.

La foto de la misión

Camping!!!!! I loved it!!

There is a family that has like 20 cats. 

I went on intercambios to a pueblo. My mission has a little of everything!! I love it

Hola

This week was great. Really Hermana Boyer and I love this area with all of our hearts! Seriously, I never want to leave!! I was super tired this week because Sunday eveing we went camping! I know right, but yeah we went camping with all the sisters in the mission. It was a blast and super spiritual, it reminded me of my girls camp days. How I miss them!! Anyways so I pretty much didn´t sleep and well I was so tired the ENTIRE week. A lot of people asked about the dark circles under my eyes, like it´s any of their business. Saturday night we had a family home evening with a less active family and it was so awesome. We taught about The Book of Mormon and holy how I love hearing peoples testimonies of that book. This family seriously is the bomb, they are converts and well when the missionaries taught them about The Book of Mormon they weren´t really convinced but they prayed one night to have the desire to read it and to feel it´s power. So then they finished the book in like 3 days and recieved a powerful testimony of it reality. It made me remember my testimony of The Book of Mormon and man oh man, am I grateful that I read and prayed about the book. I know it was written for us in these days and every time I read it I recieve revelation. It is the best guide in this confused world. 

​My companion and I. 

Have a great week.

Hermana Stinky Face

Happy Valentine's Day!

This week was great. Last Monday after our zone meeting we came home and found that the door was wide open, someone broke into our house and stole stuff. So rude. So this week we lived with 2 other sister until we found a house. Overall a super crazy week but man we had some awesome lessons with our investigators.For reals though we are teaching a woman that is like 70 years old. Juana lives with her daughter and just recently her daughter and all her family were baptized except for her. Seriously though she goes to church every week and reads The Book of Mormon often. We had an awesome lessson with her, she told us that she feels like she is just in the way of everything,that she is just a hassle. That is when her grandson shared how he felt about her and the sweet lady just started crying. The Spirit was so strong and after that she accepted a date to be baptize. It was such a special lesson to me of the importance it is to express our love. Whether it be by just having patience or random expressions of love, it really does make all the difference. Charity is one of the biggest lessons that I have learned on my mission, seriously the only way that I can help my companions ovecome their weaknesses is by loving them. Love truley is the essence of The Gospel, charity comes when we accept people for how they are always giving them the benefit of the doubt. 

This week was so hard but I am grateful for these oppertunities to grow. The Savior lives and I know that I am not here to EARN heaven but rather LEARN it. 

Have a great week. 

Hermana Sanchez

New companion

I am super happy!! I am staying here in San Buenaventura. Seriously I love this area, there is so much work and the members are always willing to acompany us. I have had tons of spiritual experiences with my companion here, but I will now be recieving an American Hermana Boyer. I am super excited, I haven't had an American companion for long time. I am going to miss Hermana Angel tons though, seriously I have loved hearing her incredible testimony these weeks. And they divided our area so now it is tiny! This mission is super small and well they keep sending missionaries so my president keeps dividing areas. Almost every ward here has atleast 3 pair of missionaries. In this ward the 3 are sister missionaries, woo sister power.

Hola from San Buenaventura

Hola from San Buenaventura!

This week was awesome, so many spiritual experiences that testified to my companion and I that The Lord is fully in charge of this work. We came home, super super tired every night. What we are trying to do right now is shape up the ward. They dont focus much in the mission work and well we are starting to work with them lots. It is an awesome experience helping people recognize and learning that this is the most important work on the earth!! Since we had special transfers my companion and I will probably only be here until transfers, which are in a week. I dont want to leave, there is so much work here and we have found so many awesome people to teach, Almost daily we are working with a convert that was a Catholic missionary for like 20 years in all Mexico, I love hearing her testimony and really feeling the Spirit from that sister. There is a family here that has helped us out a ton, it is amazing to see their faith to accompany us instead of doing one of the a million things we all have to do. Everyone is so busy, but the few people that understand the importance of this work , really understand our purpose here on earth. I hope you all can a minute and think of someone else, someone who is need and that you can help. Sometimes the best remedy is to forget ourselves and get to work. 

In my mission right now, I am learning to have charity. Nobody told me it was so hard! I am really learning to give people the benefit of the doubt. Here is a quote that I love about charity:

“Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, whenwe don’t judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give eachother the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is acceptingsomeone’s differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patiencewith someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to becomeoffended when someone doesn’t handle something the way we mighthave hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another’s weaknessand being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity isexpecting the best of each other.”

May we all strive to love and see eachother like God loves and sees all of us. The critical consideration is how we use the truth, truth surely exists as an absolute, but our use of truth should be disciplined by our values.  Something that I have learned on the mission is that sometimes there are times to say nothing at all. hahah Pray for the heavenly help and strength to refrain from judging and ciritzing others. When we judge or ciritize people we have no time to love them. 

Have a great week!

Hermana Sanchez 

Learning!!

This week I learned so so much! Seriously woah!

I had the oppertunity to work with some sisters in other areas and man I learned tons from them. Every sister is super different in teaching, in working, and has such different talents and gifts. It is amazing that all this is brought together for buliding the kingdom of God here on earth. First on Tuesday a sister joined me in my area and man oh man did I learn humiity. At the end of the day I asked her what she had learned and she said nothing. Broke my heart, I tried so hard to listen to The Spirit and to be super diligent. Then she told me a list of things that I needed to improve on, yikes. She sure did humble me. But I am super grateful for this experience, you know after this day with her I found myself asking The Lord why I was called to be a sister training leader, and a thought came to mind to read a general conference talk. So I picked up a Lilahona from 2012 and read a talk about the Preisthood that Elder David A. Bednar gave. He said that 'Oridinary men are given the atuhority of the preisethood. That Worthiness and willingness and experience, expertise, or education aer not the qualifications for the priesthood oridation.' Answered to my prayer, that I wasnt called because I am a expertise in being a missionary or have more experience but I have been called because I am worthy and because I am willing. My mission president in the beginning of this month came to our zone meeting because of a lot of missionaries in that zone were complaing about one of our zone leaders. His words so powerful, he told us that our leaders have been called by God not by him. That we shold respect and follow their advise because they are given revelation to guide us. He warned us that if we critize or talk negatively about our leaders in front of our own kids that they are destined to fall away from the church. Being a leader is not easy, a lot of sisters put us on pedestules, and let me tell ya I am not perfect. But I am confident that I have been called of God to help these sisters and most important learn from them. I love serving The Lord.

 This area has a lot of inactive whom we are working with. I have been blessed so much with the oppertunity to bear testimony time after time that life is not easy but that The Lord has prepared a way for us which is the gospel of Jesus Christ. That there is nothing more pleasing than living the gospel. I know this true and have felt it since the first time I attended church. Share your testimony more with others, because I am sure that if we dont share it, we will forget it. 

Also I havent been sleeping well at all. My companion has a condition were in the night she forgets to breath and well lets just say that she freaks me out about 4 times per night because she wakes up gasping for air and panicing. haha

Hermana Sanchez  

Picture of baptism! 

9 months!!!

So Hermana Angel and I are now in San Buenaventura, Ixtapaluca now due to some safety issues in Milpa Alta. Nothing dramatic happened, dont worry about it.  This area was my first area on the mission, it is weird to come back after almost 9 months. I love that we already know our way around. Changing area is hard, especially when the missionaries before dont leave a lot to work with. 

This last week I have really been striving to have more charity. Seriosly on the mission you learn to love so many different people, for who they are. We have like 3 days in this area but it is an awesome area with lots of work. My companion only has 3 months till she goes home. We always have a good time together. I am really striving to have more charity. 

Hermana Sanchez

Yo Yo

Yo Yo

My companion always says yo yo. She says that she is practicing her english haha. This week was wow incredible, we saw so many tender mercies. This area is all up hill climb and few members. The second day here we had 2 baptisms and we are teaching some awesome people. First off there is this family that recently joined the church and they are super awesome. Seriously just some humble people, they sell jello and they are going to teach me how to make flan. Super excited for that! haha Anyways so all of them are members except for their 15 year old son Javier. He is super super like super smart, and know about everything except for aliens. haha yeah I asked him. He has a history of making sister cry and well we decided to be his friends over all. So that is what we did, and guess wahat? One day he was walking us to the door and he told us that he wants to be baptized, just like that. We were in shock and asked him if he was serious. haha We started screaming and jumping when he left, but seriously The Lord is so great! This is all his timing and I am so grateful to be apart of it. Also there is an investigator who has attended church for a year now and well he has problems with the word of wisdom but really wants to be baptized. We are working super hard with him all the other missionaries havent really been diligent with him but seriously he hasnt drank in one week. Seriuosly I have learned so much by helping him. We have to uplift him often and when he falls we have to remind him but with an attitude of encouragement. I tend to be really hard with myself but helping him has really changed the way I think. Also this week we found a ton of families to teach in a pueblo, seriously there is something so special about teaching whole families of 10!!! 

I know that is this is the most important work on the earth and I know that God lives and directs His church today. I have never worked so hard in my life but I know with a surety that all I do here is for a great purpose. I am so grateful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Chirst of Latter-day Saints. I have so many weaknesses but I know that the grace of The Lord is sufficient and as I turn my heart over to Him that I can reach my potential as a missionary and a daughter of God. 

Hermana Sanchez

Have a great week. 

Lots of cactus here!

Colombian style yo yo 

Our area is all uphill mountain stuff

Cool Christmas tree in the center of mills Alta

Contracting......

The family we ate Christmas Eve dinner with 

Watching a movie with the elders 

Our house is so tiny

My favorite person in the world Hermana San Roman