Born The Daughter Of Humble Converts And I'm Here To Pay It Forward

Jade got baptized! It was the biggest miracle of the week! We have done so much to try to get her baptized and something has always come up, but FINALLY she was baptized and it was a wonderful experience. We invited so many people to come to her baptism and they all came! It was a full room, actually so full that we didn't have anymore room to put more chairs! Her grandma was very emotional because she was so happy that the day finally came. I was also asked to give a talk at her baptism on the Holy Ghost and it was such a neat experience to be asked to speak. I love Jade so much. She's basically like my little sister and just to see her take the step to be baptized warmed my heart! She's so great. The Lord has blessed us so much!

We taught a new family on Wednesday. They're the Bailey family. It's a family of 4 that the elders found while walking in our area. They have a younger daughter who is 6 and a son who is 13. They're wonderful! We taught the Restoration and it was so powerful. Sister Robinson has become such a powerful missionary. When she testifies of Joseph Smith, it's incredible! The Spirit was so strong and we're excited to go back this upcoming Wednesday!

We spent about 3 hours yesterday at the hospital. Our recent convert's wife was admitted and she's having severe abdominal pain. It was nice to just be there with her and make her laugh. They're our Belizean family that we adore so much and they're our family away from home.

Well, that's a majority of what happened this week. Once again, I'm humbled by the opportunity to be here. I know that if I wouldn't have served a mission, my testimony would probably have never been as solid as it is right now. I know that if I would've stayed home to be with friends or family or even to just keep up with technology, I would've continued in my ways, not focusing on what's most important. The Gospel has changed me and the Atonement has changed me without even knowing it. Sometimes I do things and say things that I NEVER would've done before the mission. I don't care about myself anymore. I can definitely say that this mission has saved my life and I can't believe still that I'm here. I'm a missionary. I'm a representative of the Savior and I LOVE EVERY MINUTE OF IT. 

If you're questioning a mission, stop and SERVE.

Sister Sanchez

Introducing to you Juicy Lumps! 

Oh, you know, just holding a pig that hates me. Ha, ha. 

Called To Find, Called To Teach

You know the Lord is pleased when He's blessing you tremendously, but it all comes with hard work. Our area is getting better! Our teaching pool is increasing and we're finding more and more prepared people. I love how when things start to get a little hard, the Lord blesses us with His tender mercies and everything starts to feel okay again. I'm so blessed to be here.

On Monday after P-day, we went to try some referrals and we came across a young boy named Sebastian. He's 13 years old and TOTALLY open to listening and being taught. We ended up teaching him the Restoration and he really liked it! We gave him a Book of Mormon and he says, "When do I have to give this book back?" and we said, "You can keep it. It's yours!" He got so excited! He said that he's going to read it everyday. We also invited him to scouts on Wednesday and he said he would love to come. We picked the BEST fellowshippers for him, two 13-year-old boys who are so energetic and they have welcomed him like they've known him their whole lives! Sebastian loved scouts and also came to church on Sunday! He has a baptismal date for May 1 and we're so excited to see him take this step in his life. He knows he needs it also. 

Lisa also came to church! She's the referral I talked about last week that said she had been waiting for God's "messengers" to come and see her! We invited her to come on Saturday night, brought the member along that was going to pick her up so they could meet. We were a little worried she wouldn't come, but she did and she really enjoyed it. We're going to extend a date to her this week! It should go well!

Another amazing thing that happened this week was that Jade has been reading and praying daily! She's going to be baptized this weekend! Her baptism has been put off WAY too long and it's happening this week! We're going to do EVERYTHING to make it happen!

We took Richard to the temple on Saturday! It was his very first time and he had the opportunity to baptize his father, so that was special. He also bore his testimony in an investigator devotional we had Sunday night and he did and amazing job!! I was also able to do some family names at the temple on Saturday and that was pretty special. Sister Robinson did her very FIRST family names and she was crying so much. It was an awesome experience for her. I just love her so much!

I've been really scared about going home. I know I have a while left, but still, as each day goes by, I get more scared. I love this work more than anything. I would do this forever if I could. I just want everyone back home to know how much we are ALL a part of hastening the work, not just the missionaries.

Members are called to find, missionaries are called to teach.

I am so glad that I still have a long time until I have to go back home. I love serving the Lord more than anything. It has truly changed me and is continuing to change me day by day. I'm so grateful for Adam and Eve! And I'm so grateful for the chance to learn and grow by being set apart from the world. There is truly nothing like it. 

Love you all. Have a great week.

Sister Sanchez

Aubrey got baptized!

Sis. Robinson and I!

Never forget who you serve! 

My Companion Swallowed A Fly, Why, Oh Why?

Hello, hello, hello! So first off, my family traveled to Peru, which is so unfair, but I'm so happy that they had fun and enjoyed themselves in the nice Peruvian weather. I'm sure I'll be getting some tropical weather soon being here in Texas!

The week of April 6-12 was pretty crazy. We did so much. I've been so tired lately. One night, Sister Robinson and I were planning and we couldn't keep our eyes open. I said something and she replied with, "What did you say?" and I said, "What? I didn't say anything" ... but apparently I did? It was crazy and we were so delirious, so we went straight to bed. We've been working our tail ends off and it feels so great to know that our heart, might, mind, and strength are in this great and marvelous work.

On Wednesday, April 8, we did a "blitz" as a zone. A blitz is when the whole zone gets together and goes into one companionship's area and talks to everyone they see. It really helps specific areas get more people to teach! They did it in our area that week and we got 12 new investigators and we found 3 less-actives. It was awesome! We're so excited to go visit all of them and see how prepared they are! It was such a blessing!

On Thursday, April 9 we went to see our recent convert, Minor and his family. They've been having a little bit of a hard time, but I know they'll get out of it if they choose to rely on the Savior. We've been making sure that they're okay and checking on them here and there for anything they need. We were talking with Minor and his wife and out of nowhere, her daughter runs out and says, "Mom, I think it's on fire!!!"... they all started running inside, so we did, too ... and turns out that the oil their mom had heating on the stove, caught flame! It was so big! Their son, Tyler, grabbed the pan and threw it outside. We all laughed because it was pretty crazy, but it was all taken care of, ha, ha. Adrenaline rush! I love them so much!

Saturday, April 11 was really fun. Sister Robinson and I are trying to save miles, so we went biking and got rides from members. We rode our bikes around Friendswood, TX and we happened to be fasting the same day and as we were riding, Sister Robinson starts coughing ... so I looked back and said, "Are you okay?" and she says, "I swallowed a black bug! I think I just broke my fast!" It was so funny, I couldn't stop laughing, ha, ha, ha, ha. And gross, also. But it was pretty hysterical. After riding our bikes, we got a ride out to Alvin where we visited our investigators, Dan and another potential that we got from a media referral. We walked FOREVER to find her house and while walking, we came across a dog that WOULD NOT stop following us. We named him Eucalyptus, ha, ha. We went to see the referral and when we knocked, she started crying. She said she has been waiting for a miracle and that we were it! It was pretty crazy! She invited us in and we prayed with her. The dog never left the house, though! When we walked out, he was lying there waiting for us. It was protecting us! Coolest thing ever. We felt so special. I loved that experience. We have been having so much fun and the Lord has been blessing us a ton.

I've been so blessed to be here. We also saw a mission call opening and went to a farewell party and it was so amazing. I felt so grateful to be a full time representative of the Lord. I wouldn't trade this experience for the world. It has been amazing. I love the Lord.

Sister Sanchez

I'm Getting Old, 21!

Hello everyone! So yes, as the title of my blog says, I'm now 21! My birthday was on Easter, which was fun and General Conference was then, too! 3 for 1. It was fantastic! Birthdays on the mission are so different than birthdays back home, but they're fun anyways. I was able to be spiritually edified by conference and I truly felt the Spirit all day which was so nice. So many people wished me a happy birthday, even the elders remembered and sang. It was super nice! 

ALSO, on April 5 Sister Robinson was taking birthday pictures of me and I jumped in the air and landed SO WRONG, on my toe ... and I'm pretty positive I broke it. Ha, ha. It's so fat, but I have it taped, so it'll heal. #HappyBirthdayToMe

Conference was so amazing. I loved Elder Holland's talk the most. He's so powerful when he speaks. I loved it particularly because of the stress on the Atonement. That has been something I've really been working harder to understand. I know I'll never understand it fully, but I want to be able to learn more about it so it'll bring me even closer to my Savior. I loved how he said, "The Savior is still offering grace and mercy with pierced palms and scarred wrists." It made it so vivid to me and the Spirit testified to me again that the Savior does INDEED live. That He has kept the marks from the crucifixion to be a witness to the world that HE is the Messiah, the Savior of all MANKIND. I love Him dearly. He leads and walks with us every single day. I feel His presence and I know that He's our third companion. 

We had an awesome experience that showed me that He's always there on Friday, April 3. We were visiting some referrals with Gina, our member, and we ended up not being successful with some of them. But right before I got back into the car, I had a feeling that we needed to take an Easter card to these 2 girls walking. Sister Robinson and I went and approached them. We asked for their names and one of the girl's name was CASSIDY. Yeah, spelled the exact same way. She's a freshman in high school and her friend Victoria is also. IT WAS SO CRAZY! I know we were guided to talk to them! She mentioned that her mom had missionaries before, but they got transferred and never came back, so we'll be going back this week! Such a miracle!

Friday I had the opportunity to see Sister Pace! My old companion who went home in January. She drove all the way here just to see me! It was the sweetest thing. I cried when I saw her and hugged her so tight. She's WONDERFUL and has made a great impact on my life. I was so happy to hear that she's doing well and that she's loving life back home. She's my "mom" on the mission. She trained me and taught me everything I know! I'm SO grateful for her example. I just love that girl SO MUCH!

After seeing Sister Pace, we went with our ward to Liverpool, TX to do some service at Kidz Harbor. Kidz Harbor is a teenage orphanage where we spent 3 hours just hanging out and playing games with the kids there. It was so fun and I was able to have so much fun with 3 teenage girls that I sat with and got to know. I want to start an orphanage one day. I loved being able to hear their stories and let them know that even though they didn't know who I was, I still loved them and their Savior does as well.

After the service, Gina took us out to dinner for my birthday. I had no idea where we were going to eat and she took us to OLIVE GARDEN! The ONE restaurant that I go to EVERY YEAR for my birthday back home with friends and family. It was so cool! They sang to me and, of course, I ordered the ZUPPA TUSCANA (mine and my dad's favorite) and I got some dessert. It was so fun. I loved being able to celebrate how I usually do. And no questions asked, I TOOK SOME BREAD STICKS TO GO! Ha, ha. Sister Robinson drank 5 glasses of water at dinner and ended up going to the bathroom to throw up. It was pretty hilarious. 

The mission is so great! I've hit my 6-month mark! Pretty crazy how fast it flies by, but I love every second and I'm cherishing and working hard every second. I love this work and I love my Savior and my Heavenly Father. I KNOW They live.

Hope y'all had a great Easter!

Sister Sanchez

Look Out, CHIHUAHUA!

Wow, this week has been pretty crazy. I've never been SO tired in my whole mission. I guess it's good because they say that you need to go home tired or else there's something more you could have done. We're always tired, but this feeling was WAY beyond anything I have ever felt. But, I made sure to get enough sleep and I am feeling better now. Today will be a relaxing P-day, which will make me feel better.

We've had some amazing things happen in Friendswood, TX. The Lord is really blessing us for doing our absolute best. There's always more we can do, though, so we're trying to find the things we need to sacrifice to be more converted to this work and to the Lord. 

Our baptismal goal for April is 3. We're praying and fasting that we'll be able to hit this goal. We have people that are ready and we're so excited for them to take the step they need to gain their eternal salvation and become like our Father in Heaven. It has been such a blessing to work hand in hand with the Lord. By better understanding the Atonement, He has changed me and I hope to be able to change more. 

This week we did a lot of tracting or door-to-door contacting because we're really trying to find more people to teach since all of our investigators are getting baptized. Sister Robinson and I are going to do a fast to sincerely ask the Lord to help us find more people. That is the hardest part of missionary work, especially in the Bible Belt of the USA. Ha, ha. But I have so much faith that EVERY area has multiple people that are prepared and we're anxious to find them. 

While we were tracting, Sister Robinson got chased by a Chihuahua. It was HILARIOUS. It started to even run faster than her bike and she got so scared. She started pedaling faster and the look on her face was priceless ... I mean PRICELESS. I was laughing so hard. #MISSIONLIFE

The General Women's Meeting broadcast was great on Saturday, March 28. The family video they showed in the beginning of the broadcast was so great. I teared up a little thinking of Mom, of course. But I also cried thinking of how GRATEFUL I am to be able to be the Lord's representative, his missionary, during conference.  What a special calling I have! It's unexplainable. The mission is REALLY hard and there are some days when I want to just give up, but I know for a fact that I can do this. I love my Lord and Savior with all that I have. I love this Gospel. 

ALSO, I was in my bed one night and I turned to my side and SISTER ROBINSON has moved her bed RIGHT next to mine! Ha, ha. I guess she was scared because it was dark and she thinks she sees things, so she came to sleep next to me .... ha, ha. I freaked out, but it was fun. SLEEPOVER!

Love you all! Have a GREAT week.

Sister Sanchez