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

Baptism

Hola from San Mateo Tecalco!!

So this week was bomb! haha Seriously I love it here, love my investigators, and love the time I have to study everyday. Leilanis baptism was this week and it was so great, seriously the Spirit was so strong. I love that gal! She is just a super timid and shy girl but when you get her laughing... it is a whole different story. We also had am amazing multi zona conference. Something funny this week, a dog peed on my companions shoes. She likes to pet all dogs, I keep telling her that she is going to get fleas or something worse. But she does it anyways and well while she petting this dog she didn't notice the dog taking a wiz on her shoe. It was so funny.

Leilani baptism was well super chaotic for us, seriously. Our Lider Misional was supposed to have a bunch of things ready but last minute he called us and guess what? he didn't have anything ready and he was out of town. So two hours before the baptism we are calling a bunch of members asking if they knew how to fill the font and we had to do a bunch of other things. I was stressing out and just praying so hard that some how everything would flow together. And it did, we had tons of her family show up which were all polygamists and tons of members the place was filled!! The spirit was so strong as I thought about when I got baptized just 3 years ago, what an amazing young woman she is and how many generations will be affected by her decision. This is why I'm here to help people realize how important our message is.

At our multi- zone conference my mission president asked if we were really full-time missionaries. He went on to explain that our time is short here on the mission and that this is the Lord's time. I need to give these people my full attention and I serve them. I love that! Well my companion and I work super hard and go to bed everyday exhausted but the love that we have for these people carries us.

My favorite lessons are the Family Home Evening we have with people, I always enjoy myself. Well I hope everyone is enjoying life and having a great summer!!!!

Hermana Sanchez 

I'm getting fat becasue all the members know I love Mexican bread! Haha

I decorated the chalkboard

Leilani with Hermana Hill and I. 

Leilani, Hermano Pedro, Y el bishop

Everyone eating arroz con leche after the baptism .

The volcano in the morning. It's active.

Reactivation!

hola!!

 

Holy cow i've only been here 2 months!! haha but really... This week was great! The people here are so ready for our message no joke. They feed us amazing food no joke! They all have farms and well everything is just so fresh. Right now it's rainy season and oh man it rains tons. haha Hermana Hill and I have been having lots of work here and we love it. Also I have my first 20 minute talk here in Mexico. I'm so Mexican I love it. This week we have Leilani's baptism yay!!!

 

Leilani is a 10 year old girl who is just so excited to be apart of this great church. You know I really see it as a blessing because I was SO bummed to miss my little sisters baptism and teaching this girl has been a blast. And this Saturday I get to see her enter the water of baptism. The Lord is so aware of his missionaries. I love you Diana!! Also we reactivated a member this week, he hasn't been active for 12 years. But we went into his home and testified of the the power of the atonement and he just started crying. I love it when they cry. I also got to tell my story a little about how I had to wait 4 years to get baptized and how I wished that I could be a member and straight up told him that not going to church and all makes him super ingrateful. I love this church. Also with him his wife is almost blind and she can't do anything about it but she has always been active and well she just cried in our arms for like 10 minutes when we saw them at church. Great experience. She is seriously so great, one day we were at her house and we asked if we could help her with anything and she was started getting teary eyed and said there was one thing, she asked if we could iron her husband's Sunday shirts because her vision is so bad that she can't iron anymore. I thought how sweet, seriosuly though here she is getting all teary eyed that her husband after several years of not going to church, now is going to church with a wrinkled shirt. I love her.

 

The people have amazing stories and I am learning so much. Love all you so much !!!!! Hope you are all having tons of fun because it's summer and because the world cup started. Don't worry I everyone always tells us who wins. The world stops when mexico plays. hahah I want to watch so bad.

 

SHOUT OUT TO MY SIS CARINA ON GETTING MARRIED.

Best FHE ever!

 

RAIN!!!

Hey all!!!!!!

Mexico is great. Learning tons here. Right now is actually rainy season till like November. Seriously the storms here are insane!!!! Had to buy rain boots they are totally hip. Oh and this week I got super sick. haha yeah I ate something, I don't know what but yeah I couldn't work on Thursday. I had a fever and stomach problems. Not a fun experience, I had to go to a members house and watch church movies. haha I watched Singles Ward 2. Yeah don't watch it, so dumb. haha 

So here in Tecalco we are having tons of excito!! Seriously it is such a testimony builder bing here because there are so many people that are ready for our message. We have 4 baptism dates and at least 5 progressing investigators. Seriosly and we really can't gt ay credit because it';s all the members. We were planning on having our first baptism this Saturday but it's been pushed to next week. So next Saturday we have 2 baptisms. Leylani is one of them, she is 10 years old and just a super sweet, shy girl. Her older sisters are members and it reminds me so much of my sisters and I. I am so grateful for my sisters and their amazing examples!!! This little girls parents are poligamists. Yeah there are a lot in this area. haha I had know idea they had those in Mexico either!!! hahah But her dad only has on wife. haha We are teaching a few young people here and really it's because of the examples of the youth in the ward. They are super great!! I love it here.

Yeah also we are teaching the JWs a lot and well been studying the bible more than ever. I love it. I love that I have this oppertunity to serve and grow closer to my Father in Heaven. Oh yeah I live really close to an active volcano. Cool huh?

LOVE YOU ALL

Hermana Sanchez

New companion!

HEY

Woah talk about change!! I am now in Tecalco. A tiny pueblo. Our area is extremely small compared to my other one. For reals. The members here are amazing seriously! They are so involved in the work, I mean we already have 3 baptism dates. So awesome. We have 2 wards and they seriously are so bomb. This place reminds me of UTah I mean the town is 80 percent members and the rest Catholic. These wards haven't had missionaries for years so we are super stars here. I LOVE IT. Everyone here works on farms, I mean just super humble. Our house is tiny but seriously it's so great because cleaning is easy. haha FINALLLY A REAL BATHROOM. Such a blessing. Our house is a house of a member, she is a little grandman. Sweet lady. She lives behind us in her daughters house and is always stopping by to see if we are hungry and makes us breakfast. I love it. They have cows and tons of dogs on the property. This place is so chill compared to Ixtapaluca. Seriously. 

My companion is Hermana Hill and she is super chill. She has a super thick American accent but gets super annoyed when I don't understand her Spanish. Which is a lot of the time. She has 7 months out and is a really hard worker. I love it. We worked way hard this week but it was so worth it. We have like 6 progressing investigators. One of them is Katy and she is 16 years old. She is the bishops sons girlfriend. After we taught her the first time and told her that if she wanted to know for herself if the church was true she had to read the Book of Mormon and pray. All that good stuff. So the next time we came and vistited her she justed started crying and told us that for the first time in her life she gave a sincere prayer to her Father in Heaven. And for the first time she felt the Spirit. It reminded how much our Father in Heaven loves all of his children! And he wants to help us but first we have to come to him. I love you all!!!!!!!!!!

SHOUT OUT TO DIANA FOR GETTING BAPTIZED!!!!!!! LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!!

ALSO SHOUT OUT TO HOLLY LAMBERT FOR HER AWESOME PACKAGE SHE SENT ME!!!!!!!!!!! LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!

One last thing that I wanted to share is how much I've learned about my own weaknesses. Sometimes I get so bummed because well I'm not a perfect missionary and that is really hard for me because I want to do everything right so that people can partake of this awesome message. One night I was reading a letter my sister Mireya gave me a long time ago but I love it! She wrote that Our strengths are only a benefit to us if we learn to acknowledge what our weaknesses are. she goes on to say that as we face and overcome our weaknesses we become humble which makes us stay constant and true to our covenants. I love that! I learned so much about myself here, and I'm so grateful for that. I'm not perfect but that is when the atonement comes in. We are here to become more like our Father in Heaven. I challenge you all to make goals and work on those weaknesses. Read our patirartical blessings and try obtain those gifts promised to us. 

LOVE YOU ALL!!
 

LAST SHOUT OUT TO MY SISTER CARINA!!!!!! I HOPE YOU HAD AN AWESOME BIRTHDAY!! GRATEFUL FOR YOUR MISSIONARY EXAMPLE!!

My area is super green. Im happy not to be in the city anymore!

Quinceneras are a big deal here. I keep telling people that my parents owe me one and that is why I take so many pictures of them! lol

My last night in Ixapaluca. Some members gave me a fiesta. Tons of fun!

Everyone loves selfies!

The house of the members we live behind and our house 

A cute girl from the ward