We Don't Hypnotize!

Hello my dear friends! 

Wow, I can't believe it's already another P-day! The time on the mission flies by way too fast, but I'm glad that I can email y'all and share my wonderful experience for the week!!

So this week was a little harder than others. It was just a week during which the Lord showed us that we need to sacrifice a lot to see blessings. For example, we have an investigator that we have been working with for a while now, but he isn't progressing as much as we would like him to. We have been praying really hard and we have both come to the conclusion that we need to do as the Lord is telling us and drop him for now. It was THE HARDEST decision I have ever made in my life because he's so close, but we can't continue our visits if there is no urgency, so that's what we decided to do. It was so difficult, but we're trusting in Heavenly Father and we know that by giving up things that mean a lot to us, the Lord will bless us even more. This investigator is my best friend, but I know that he won't be dropped for long, just for now.

Anyway, we had another "blitz" on Wednesday in our area and it was so great! I was paired with Sister Lasa from New Zealand and we were talking to anyone that we saw. We met this nice lady who invited us up to her porch to talk about Christ. Turns out ... she's a Jehovah's Witness and she Bible bashed us like CRAZY! We were just trying to be friendly and talk to her about what we believe and she just yelled at us and told us she was the prophet! Sister Lasa and I tried to hold in our laughter, but we couldn't the whole time. She told us that she ordained herself and I just thought, "If that doesn't show you that the Priesthood is necessary, then I don't know what does! We left feeling the Spirit and feeling that Heavenly Father was proud of us for holding our own, but it was the craziest bash ever! She also told us that she doesn't want to go to heaven ... so strange, but later, I went to talk to a young 18-year-old boy who was walking home from school and I ALMOST fell off my bike while trying to approach him. As I got off my bike, I just started talking to him. While we were talking, my leg started to get a little itchy and I just ignored it because it was a good conversation. It started to get worse, so I knew I couldn't just ignore it. I looked down ... AND ... my foot was COVERED in RED ANTS! I had stepped in an ant hill! IT WAS SO FUNNY. I started slapping my foot so hard and tried to get all the ants off of my foot. They bite so hard! I got about 25 bites on my foot, but it was okay because we got the return appointment!

MISSION LIFE.

On Friday, we went to visit a referral and he wasn't home. When this happens we always knock on the neighbor's door. We knocked on one door and a Hispanic man with a THICK accent answered the door (MY FAVORITE) and I asked him where he was from and he said ... LIMA PERU! And then I asked him his name and he said, "MARIO!" My dad and brother's name! And my dad is also from Lima, Peru! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. It's the story of my life. He wasn't interested, but it was so funny. I LOVE HEAVENLY FATHER. He makes me so happy.

Lastly, we taught our investigator who's an atheist and I quoted the Restoration, which is always the most powerful part of the lesson. We're taught to speak slowly and to keep eye contact with them so they can feel the Spirit testify to them that it's true. Well, I did just that and my eyes didn't move a muscle ... and neither did his! After I recited it, I asked him how he felt and he said, "WHY?".... I was a little confused about his response. After the lesson was over, he texted us asking when we would come back and we told him that we can see him again on Tuesday, and he said, "Okay, just as long as Sister Sanchez doesn't try to hypnotize me again!" OMGosh, he thought I was trying to hypnotize him! Ahhhhh, WE DON'T DO THAT! Well, there's a first for everything. Ha, ha, ha, it was pretty funny. 

Well, just like always, I LOVE THIS WORK. It's the greatest work to be a part of. The Lord blesses us in so many ways. I also learned this week a lot about the Spirit. We give ourselves too much credit for our thoughts. If they're good and entice us to do good, then it's the Spirit! Give heed to those promptings! 

I love you all. Until next week.

Sister Sanchez

Flowers are like friends ... they bring color to your world. 

Fútbol Ritz!! Wow! the power of marketing!

Friendswood, Texas Round 5!

Yes, you read that right. This is officially my fifth transfer in Friendswood, Texas and I couldn't be happier. I love this area so much and we have progressed a ton with the help of Heavenly Father. I'm so excited to stay another transfer and I hope that one is not my last. 

This week was great. We had a lot going on between transfers and exchanges, but it still went really well. The best part of the week was teaching and helping Lisa. She's the investigator we met a while ago. This week was the first time we actually taught her the Restoration and she loved it. We also touched a little bit on temples and eternal families and she lit up so much! She was so excited to one day enter the temple to seal herself to her family and provide them with the baptismal ordinance. It was a touching sight to see. She still needs to stop smoking and drinking, but we know with the grace of God, it can happen. She's wonderful. Please pray for her.

Another amazing thing this week was that I was able to Skype home! It was so great. To be honest, I was a little uneasy about doing it because I'm so focused on the work. Skyping our loved ones can sometimes take our minds off of all that things we're supposed to be doing, but it went really well! What a treasure it is to Skype our families three times throughout our whole missions. Now I only get to Skype one more time before I come home!

I appreciate the support I get from home. I'm sure you've all heard this before, but missions are the furthest thing from easy. In fact, missions are really hard and just knowing that your family and friends back home support you and pray for you makes the world of the difference. I'm so happy to have the family that I do and I love them unconditionally. 

One funny thing that happened to Sister Robinson and I this week was that we found a DEAD RAT in Lisa's home while we were helping her clean! It was so nasty! Sister Robinson picked it up and, of course, WE TOOK PICTURES. Ha, ha. We have so much fun together. It's awesome. The Lord blessed me with one heck of a companion. Today we role played the Atonement, too, and she did so well. I love seeing how far she's come since being with her day 1. She's blooming and I thank my Heavenly Father that He trusted me enough to be a part of it.

One thing I learned while I was studying this week was from President Henry B. Eyring's talk this past General Conference. 

"I know a man, a dear friend, whose mortal service in the vineyard ended last night at 11:00. He had been treated for cancer for years. During those years of treatment and of terrible pain and difficulty, he accepted a call to hold meetings with and be responsible for members in his ward whose children were gone from their homes; some were widows. His calling was to help them find comfort in sociality and gospel learning.

"When he got the final sobering prognosis that he had only a short time to live, his bishop was away for a business trip. Two days later, he sent a message to his bishop through his high priests group leader. He said this about his assignment: 'I understand the bishop is out of town, so I’m in action. I’m thinking of a meeting for our group next Monday. Two members can take us for a tour of the Conference Center. We could use some members to drive them and some Scouts to push wheelchairs. Depending upon who signs up, we may have enough oldsters to do it ourselves, but it would be good to know we have backup if needed. It could also be a good family night for the helpers to bring their families as well. Anyway let me know before I post the plan. … Thanks.”

"And then he surprised the bishop with a phone call. Without reference to his own condition or his valiant efforts in his assignment, he asked, “Bishop, is there anything I could do for you?” Only the Holy Ghost could have allowed him to feel the bishop’s load when his own load was so crushing. And only the Spirit could have made it possible for him to create a plan to serve his brothers and sisters with the same precision he used in planning Scouting events when he was young."

If we can all strive to be like that man, we'll be happier and bring more people to Jesus Christ. 

May you all have a blessed week. Sending my love from my home, TEXAS.

Sister Sanchez

OSTRICH AT THE ZOO!

OSTRICH AT THE ZOO!

WARNING! This property protected by ANGELS!

Friendswood 2 For 5 Transfers!

Well, I don't have too much to update this week, but we did have an awesome week! 

On Saturday, we went to help our investigator Lisa move out of her house. We started the service at 11 a.m. and we ended around 3 p.m. We went home and crashed on the floor after that and woke up an hour later ready to keep poselyting. We were so exahusted and it doesn't help that Texas is getting warmer and warmer as the days continue! Lisa also came to church on Sunday, which was awesome. The hard part is that we don't know where she's moving yet, so we don't know if we'll continue to teach her, but for now, she's doing really well. We love her so much!

We also saw John this week and man, him and his daughter have my heart! They're the investigators that I will have a relationship with for the rest of my life. I honestly love them so much. John set a firm baptismal date with us for May 20 and he's so excited to be baptized. He also agreed to come out teaching with us, which is a first for me! Because he's still and investigator, he just needs to be baptized! He will soon, though. The Lord is working with him.

Happy news! I'll be staying in the Friendswood 2 area for another transfer with my amazing companion, Sister Robinson! We're so excited to continue the work we've been doing the past 2 transfers and the members are also really happy that we'll be staying together. It's going to be a wonderful next 6 weeks of hard work and miracles. I LOVE THIS WORK. 

We get to Skype this Sunday for Mother's Day and I'm so excited to see my family members' faces!

Something funny! This week, Sister Robinson and I were trying to make rice for our lunch and we put it on the stove to boil. While it was cooking, I realized that I REALLY wanted an egg, (like my mom) to put over my rice and so I was determined to find an egg. We knocked on so many doors to find an egg, and FINALLY someone gave us 3 EGGS, it was such a tender mercy! So as we were walking back to the apartment, we heard a beeping and we RAN LIKE CHICKENS to our apartment and turns out, our rice was burning and there was SMOKE EVERYWHERE. So I did the most genius thing that my parents have taught me, I GRABBED THE NEAREST PILLOW and I fanned the smoke alarm as fast as I could! It stopped, thank goodness. Ha, ha. We started another pot of rice and burned that one, too. Ha, ha. We're failures, but we have so much fun!

What miracles have you seen this week? Remember, one happens EVERY DAY. 

Love you all,

Sister Sanchez

Sis. Tauasa goes home! 

Goodbye, Hna. Tauasa!