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
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