God Works MIRACLES!

Howdy y'all! Gosh, I get more Texan everyday! I love this place. We had such a good week. It was so great and I loved it so much! God is so good. 

We did a lot with our recent converts this week. We took Shevyn with us to an Institute of Religion activity on Tuesday and we played volleyball. She LOVED it and we were laughing so hard. She is so great and is doing really well. She had a birthday dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and we got permission to go celebrate with her! It was super fun and we had some good food and bread. Ha, ha. She is so great and is doing well in the Gospel. Her testimony is increasing every day and she is preparing to go to the temple and get her patriarchal blessing that we know will help her a ton!

Everyday is usually a blur on the mission, but yesterday, Sunday, will stand out to me forever. I wrote about three pages in my journal about it so I will never forget. 

I was asked last week to give a talk in Sacrament meeting on proclaiming the Gospel, our second ward goal. I was so excited to speak on missionary work, because, DUH, I'm a missionary! I didn't prepare too much to talk about, I just thought I would share stories to relate the members to the work. Right before Sacrament started, I was sitting on the stand waiting for the time to start. I remember distinctly watching the doors to see if any of our investigators were going to show up. 

We had committed Brother Berkley and his wife, Susan, our investigator to come to church on Saturday when we visited them. We showed up at their house at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday morning to make sure they were still coming! Terry opened the door and the first thing he said was, "We're not going." It was so discouraging and we told him that it was just an hour and he can do it for Heavenly Father. He told us he would do everything he could to make it. Most of the time when investigators say things like that, you know they're just saying it to get you off their porch, ha, ha. I remember getting in the car after and telling Sister Millard, "Okay, whether we believe they're coming or not, it's not up to us. It's Heavenly Father's will, so we're going to BELIEVE they're coming." We decided to have faith and believe 100 percent that they were coming and guess what ... ?

While I was sitting waiting for Sacrament to start, I saw the most beautiful thing that has ever caught my  attention. Brother Berkley and his wife walking into Sacrament meeting. After 12 years of not going to church, he came. He came because we didn't go over there and just teach lessons. He came because we were his friends. He came because we showed them we loved them. He came because it was God's will. He came because we had faith. 

I don't think I have ever smiled so much in my life. I was so happy. I felt a happiness I have never felt before in my life. I felt a love for them that I have never before felt before. I want to do this for the rest of my life. I want to be a missionary forever. 

Heavenly Father knows what we need. He knows who needs our help and who is prepared. All we did was have faith and we saw a miracle. It was unbelievable and I feel so grateful to have been a part of it. So many other miracles happened yesterday, but that is the one that has left a mark on my heart. I love them so much!

Funny story. I gave my talk in Sacrament and it was great! I told a story that Mackenzie has been emailing me about, and I had mentioned that Mackenzie has talked to me about it. I told the ward what the email said. I began to speak into the microphone, quoting the email and said, "Cassidy, Linda's getting baptized this week!" YEAH. I told the WHOLE WARD my first name ... No one would let me live it down. They all kept calling me Cassidy! It was the weirdest thing of my life. I didn't even know I had a first name ... ha, ha. Then after I said my name, I corrected myself by saying "Sister Sanchez" and everyone laughed. It was great, but crazy. So hilarious and I made sure to write it down so I never forget. ONLY ME, right? Ha, ha.

Well, I love y'all. I love this Gospel and I love being a missionary. I am so glad that I still have 14 months!!!

Sister Sanchez

Shevyn's birthday!

IRONIC? Joseph Smith was a prophet!

Brother Buckley and his wife!

Gina, she comes out with us all the time!

We washed a bus! 

My missionary daily planner!

I bought this shirt and it was so funny! I though of Marito. Please show him!

Godspeed!

Hellllllo!!! Another fantastic week in Texas. I love it more than ever and that love increases everyday. I am so happy to be a missionary, it's insane.

This week was great. It went by really fast because we had a lot going on as a mission this week, but those are always the weeks when we learn the most.

On Wednesday we had interviews with our mission president. My first interview on the mission! I was really nervous, but it was such a great experience to be able to sit one-on-one with President Ashton and talk with him. I asked him a couple of questions and he was able to help answer them to clarify some things for me. It was great. One thing that he told me is that I am doing a great job!

Naturally, as missionaries, we always feel like we aren't doing the best we can, when we are! At times, some people do need to be told that they aren't doing their best, but most of the time, if we're working hard and trying, the grace of Jesus Christ makes up the difference. He told me that we are doing so well and that he just wants us to keep doing what we're doing. It really boosted my confidence as a missionary to know that I am successful even when we don't have a baptism. It was really helpful. What a blessing it is to have a mission president that is so close to the Spirit and one who truly knows exactly what to say to help his missionaries. He is great.

The rest of our week was smooth. We worked really hard and were able to get two baptismal dates! One is a really strong date and the other is going to require a lot of effort on our part and on their part, but I know we can do it. I believe the Savior walks with us and is helping us every step of the way.

I don't have too much to update this week besides my testimony. I feel that this week was absolutely necessary for my salvation. My perspective has changed. I felt that the change of livestyle and dedication that life as a missionary requires was too hard for me. I found myself at times getting distracted by thoughts of home, or thoughts of school and friends. It was really holding me back until President Ashton asked us to put the biggest thing holding us back on the altar of sacrifice on Sunday. I did just that, and I have been working hard to keep it there. I feel like my idea of missionary life has changed dramatically. I have been having more fun, LOVING the work and being excited for all the time I have left on the mission.

You see, the mission only comes once and I will not allow this experience to pass by without letting it go THROUGH me and helping others as well. I am going to be the biggest convert on my mission and I already feel so changed. I woke up this morning at 2:30 a.m. and I was SO BUMMED that I had to go back to sleep because I really just wanted to go out and work!

This is the best thing I have ever done. It makes all the trials worth it. I know I need to be here. We are seeing so much success in our area and we are ready to see more! This week we have set a goal to TALK TO EVERYONE! And we're going to do just that! We're even going to ride our bikes to make sure it happens. The weather has been BEAUTIFUL so we're really excited. Hope all is well at home. I know the Lord loves you and you have amazing potential to come out on top. He wants us all back!!

Can you believe it's almost February? We might have someone come out with us for their mini mission! I am so excited! 

Godspeed.

Sister Sanchez

ME RIGHT NOW!

Follow The Voice!

I can't believe we are almost halfway through January! Mission time is like no other time. One day it's p-day, then it's p-day again! Where does the time go? 

We worked really hard this week! There were a lot of people and appointments that fell through, but I know it's because Heavenly Father was expecting us to rely on Him, rather than try and do things on our own. I testify of this principle because it happened to us one night. Our previous appointment fell through. I had racked my brain trying to think of people to see and I couldn't think of ANYONE. It was terrible. Then, and I was turning the car around, a little voice popped into my head saying, "If only you would say a prayer, then you would know exactly what to do." It was so cool, and I immediately recognized it as the Spirit. I told Hermana Millard that we needed to pray and ask, and she agreed. We pulled the car over and offered up a prayer. Right after the prayer, I suggested we go see a less-active member and see how she was doing. Hermana Millard agreed and we went on our way. As we were driving there, we passed Shevyn's street and I felt a hugh prompting to stop by.

 

I don't know if I have told you all, but we haven't seen Sheyvn, our recent convert, in a while. She has been really busy and we haven't seen her at church or anything like that. She hasn't answered our calls or texts, so it's been pretty hard on us, but the Spirit really wanted us to stop by even though we had stopped by previously that week about 4 times! I thought, "why again?" and then I knew not to question it, so we went. 

We passed Shevyn's house and her car was IN THE DRIVEWAY. Yeah, miracle. I remember stopping the car abruptly and saying, "OMGosh, this was totally led by Heavenly Father, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" Ha, ha, ha, it was pretty funny. We called Shevyn, and she ANSWERED and let us in! It was so amazing! We talked and shared a message and we have seen her everyday, since. It was the biggest testament that this is Heavenly Father's work, not ours and we need to rely on Him more than anything. It was a really cool experience.

Richard, one of our recent converts' cousin, accepted a baptismal date and is doing really well. He says that whenever he prays to ask for an answer, the answer he gets is, "Why are you asking when you already know the answer?" Ha, ha, so he is doing good. He met a lot of people at the Young Single Adult fireside. We invited him to last night's and it has all been going so great.

It's been POURING rain here lately in Texas, but I love it. Our shoes are always wet, but I like to say it's all a part of the mission experience. (: 

We've been talking to a lot of random people on the streets lately, and that's been so fun. Some people give us the WEIRDEST looks, and others are nicer. It's pretty funny to see some reactions and to wonder if they think we're Jehovah's Witnesses. WE'RE NOT I PROMISE! 

Heavenly Father has been really stretching me lately, and has been making me get WAY out of my comfort zone, which is okay because I know that's the only way I will be the person He wants me to be. Thank you for all your support back at home, I hope everyone is doing well. I appreciate all the letters I receive, they help a lot and really make my day.

I will forever cherish my mission. It is the hardest thing I have ever loved doing. I love my Father in Heaven and my Savior Jesus Christ. My testimony is built upon their foundation and I know it will never fall. 

Keep doing what you're doing. YOU can do hard things. I love y'all.

Sister Sanchez

Our zone!

Taco Bell!

Sister Millard's crazy thumb!

There was a rainbow ...

Taking Over And Driving In Mud!

Hello family and friends! How is everyone doing?

This week has been a crazy whirlwind. I have officially taken over the area and I feel good about it now. At first, it was really hard and Satan was really working on me trying to make me feel inadequate and incompetent. But I have been able to overcome that with the help of my companion and Heavenly Father, so it's been good. Taking over an area is hard, especially as new as I am, but I know that the Lord trusts me to lead the work in the area and knows that I can do hard things. 

Sister Pace left home on Friday. We dropped her off at the Mission Office around 11 and it was really bittersweet. I felt so weird to send someone home, because I can't even imagine going home right now! There's too much work to be done! But Sister Pace was ready and knew that her 18 months were up. She was so good and we worked hard until the very end. I will miss her so much. She taught me a lot and I know our friendship will be lifelong. 

My new companion is Sister Millard from Idaho Falls, Idaho! She is a Spanish-speaking missionary also and she came out on the mission the SAME day I did, so we're brand new together! I know the Lord has A LOT of trust in us if he put two new people together! We have been having a lot of fun. She is just like me and she likes to have fun, which is something I NEED, especially with the crazy sister I grew up with (: I love her, and we're going to do good things this transfer!

New Year's wasn't New Year's at all, ha, ha. We had to come in early and then we just helped Sister Pace pack, but it's okay because every day in the mission is just another day.

As for our investigators, we saw the Dalys last night and taught them the first part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with Brother Riley who came with us. They loved it, and Luther Daly is definitely progressing A TON. After our last lesson with him, he said that he wanted a "spiritual manifestation" from God. Then the next day, he turned on the radio and his FAVORITE speaker was talking about Mormons, it was so cool. He texted his wife right away and told her what happened. They're doing great, and I am confident that he will be baptized. He knows that it's something good!! They've been reading every night!! And he liked 3 Nephi 11 and had a bunch of Priesthood questions that Brother Riley answered! We also got two "news" in the past two days just from talking to people on the street. It's been great. We've been really blessed and we love this work.

I miss you all so much, but the mission is where I need to be and I know that for a fact. My testimony has grown so much and I can't see myself doing anything else. I want you all to set a new goal for 2015 that you will stick to. Think of all the things our Father in Heaven has given to us and think of something that you can give back to Him, okay?

Funny story! Yesterday, I was driving to park in the Dalys driveway, but I passed it so I made a u-turn and I ended up getting our car stuck pretty deep in the mud! It was so bad! Ha, ha, the wheels wouldn't even spin! We were completely stuck, so the Dalys had to pull us out with their truck. It was so funny and embarrassing! I will remember it forever! 

I love you all. Have an amazing week!

Hermana Sanchez

Me and Sista T!

We got our car stuck in the mud! HA, HA! 

Oops!

Sister Millard!