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