Monday, November 19, 2012

fuego


Hola Todos!
 
This has been an awesome week we feel like we are on fire.  We taught 28 lessons last week and got 13 new investigators!  Since Elder Bowen came we have been trying to teach lessons everywhere and remove artificial barriers.  It was an amazing week!
 
We have been having a problem of not having enough supplies to give out.  We only had 6 Libros de Mormon to give out in the month of november.  So we have been giving members the free LdM card and asking them to call for one through the mail and then write their testimonies in it and give it to them.  We have also stopped by a few former investigators to see if they still have their books.
 
We have been teaching and teaching and teaching.  I love missionary work!  It is the best thing ever. 
 
We had an awesome lesson with a family: Imelda, Raquel, and Alejandro at the church after a ward party for el Dia de Accion de Gracias!  We taught Lesson 2, the Plan of Salvation, and the spirit was so strong.  They committed to get baptized and we set a date with them!  I love the children Raquel and Alejandro so much.  They both love the scriptures and love to read from them. 
 
Nancy also wants to get baptized.  We are working on setting a date with her.  She was talking with some of her extended family about what happens after we die, and her prima asked her what religion she is.  Nancy responded by saying, "I'm Mormon. ... Well, not officially, but I want to be."  We are super excited for her!
 
We have been teaching Alberto for a while now, but we keep getting distracted and going off on wild tangents. (Like women praying in front of men and the difference between a spirit and a soul.)  We had a whole lesson on "How to Begin Teaching."  And we decided that we are going to read the Book of Mormon with Alberto, starting at the beginning, and looking up a lot of the references at the bottom of the page.  We had our first lesson with him reading the Book of Mormon, and we got through 9 verses. ...
 
As I was studying for Alberto in personal studies, I decided to look up all of the footnotes at the bottom of the page (except for the Topical Guide references, cuz those would take forever.)  It took me two days to get through Chapter 1, but it only took me 3 verses, before I knew (once again) that the Book of Mormon is true. 
 
We are finding people to teach every where we go.  There is so much missionary work to be done out here in Waco, Texas!  I love it so much!
 
Y'all have a blessed day now,
Hermana Julie Anna Sanchez

Feliz cumpleanos a mi!


Hola Todos,
 
This has been a great week.  We have been teaching some super awesome people.  Being a missionary is the best thing every!  I love it so very much.
 
I had my 22nd birthday this week.  I am pretty excited to be 22 years old!  I got three different birthday cakes from super awesome members.  I opened up my presents from home and got a GPS and a super cute quiet book.
 
Nos vemos,
Hermana Sanchez

My birthday cake from the Luna Family



Opening Presents

Spanish ABC book

Game day shirt

my new GPS, named KITT

My birthday sunrise

Hna Martinez getting cowboy lessons


My birthday sunrise

My birthday cake from the Landeros Family


Guillermo bought me flowers and a birthday cake.



The House of Israel and The Abrahamic Covenant


Hello Everyone,
 
So yesterday, we had the privilege of being taught from a General Authority, Elder Bowen.  He taught to two zones, the Waco zone and the Killeen zone.  It was such a privilege to be taught from a General Authority in such a small group.
 
For the last month or so, he has asked us that we study the Abrahamic Covenant, the Baptismal Covenant, the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood, and the House of Israel to prepare for his visit.  So that is what we have been doing and it has been a delight to study those topics.  We have learned that all of the covenants are essesentially the same thing, and they are all a part of the Abrahamic Covenant, more or less.
 
So anyways, here is some of the things that I learned yesterday from Elder Bowen:
  • Compare and contrast D&C 11:20-21 with Moses 1:39.  Moses 1:39 is God's work and glory.  D&C 11:20-21 is our work.
  • The gospel is not easy, but it is simple.
  • Preach My Gospel should be used for the rest of our lives.  And we should start using it with our children as soon as they can read.  It would be a shame if we were to get home from our missions and put it on a shelf, and say those were 2 great years. 
  • Obedience + Work = miracles
    • Work = faith
    • Miracles don't happen when you don't act.  Miracles come when you've done all you can do.
  • doubt + fear equals not faith
    • if dark, can't be light
    • if light, can't be dark
  • Obedience brings power
  • Nothing will change unless you do.
  • Finding should be a way of life instead of a missionary activity.  Finding ought to be enjoyable.  Get creative and do it with a smile.
Who am I? so I can act accordingly...
  • God is a title
    • 3 things that I need to know
      • 1. know that God lives
      • 2. know his characteristics and attributes
      • 3. know that the course that I am on is in accordance with the Father.
    • We pray to God the Father.  Answers normally comes through the Holy Ghost.
    • God isn't gaining knowledge, he is gaining glory.  As we are perfected, it adds glory to him.
  • Abraham is our grandfather, and so we should all be happy because he is rich and our inheritance is through him.
  • You have the potential to become like your Father in Heaven.
  • chosen = obedient
  • The Melchezidek priesthood is the same priesthood as Christ used to create the earth.
    • The Priesthood is not men, it is the power of God.
    • The plan of happiness requires a man and a woman. 
    • The Priesthood blesses both of them equally.All of the prophets up to Malachi had the Melchizedek Priesthood.
    • The Nephites had the Melchezidek Priesthood.
      • Alma 13
    • D&C 107:18-19
      • in many ancient documents mysteries and ordinances are used interchangeably. ...
    • authority = right from God
    • power = personal righteousness
    • keys = the right to direct the kingdom in your geopgraphical area.
  • "If we don't have priesthood authority and keys, then we are a big club that does good things."
    • Aaronic priesthood => ministering of angels
    • Melchezidek Priesthood => communion and presence of God
      • D&C 84:19
  • Baptism without the temple isn't worth a lot.
    • If we stop at baptism, or even our endowment, we won't be able to enter into the presence of God.
  • Where is Abraham now?
    • D&C 132:29
  • "prepare every needful thing"
  • What can this world offer that can compare with all that the Father has?
    • If we could part the veil and understand who we are the temptations of this world would seem laughable.
  • The temple is the connection point between this life and the next.
    • This life is not reality.
    • The temple is reality.
    • We will only be here for 80 or 90 years and then we will go back to where we belong.
  • What do I need to change in my life right now to be a more effective instrument in God's hands?
So, yes, yesterday, was an incredibly edifying day.  We are all children of Israel, children of the covenant, and some of the noble and great ones in the pre-earth life.  Now, that you know who you are, act accordingly. 
 
-Hermana Julie Anna Sanchez

Tex-Mex Sandwich


1 hoagie roll
refried beans
lunch meat ham
1 hot dog cut into 8ths (1/2 the short way, and 1/4 the long way)
1 slice american cheese
lettuce
sliced avocados
sliced tomatoes
mayo

Monday, November 12, 2012

God Answers Prayers

{This was written on Nov. 5th. I forgot to post it... Oops.}


Querido el mundo,
 
We taught a lot of cool people this week and met even more cool people.  Missionary work is so awesome!
 
We have been working a lot with Alberto.  He knows his Bible really well, and we have to make sure that we never Bible Bash, but always just teach with the Spirit.  He has a sincere desire to learn and find out if what we teach really is true.  I am really excited for him, because I know that if he prays with real intent he will get an answer. 
 
On Halloween we met a really cool woman, named Shamika.  I locked my bike to her fence, while we were trying to meet someone across the street.  She came out trying to figure out whose bike it was.  So we went over and apologized, and while we were there, we taught her the gospel.  She committed to baptism and I am super excited for her.  Unfortunately, she speaks English, so we had to refer her to the English Elders, but it was still super cool to be able to be a part of that process.
 
We had district meeting during Halloween night , so that no one would confuse us with Trick or Treaters.  Hermana Martinez and I made squished witches for all of the elders there.  They loved them so much.  We also switched name tags for the night.  I dressed up as Hermana Martinez and Hermana Martinez dressed up as Hermana Sanchez.  We thought that we were so clever.
 
Planning for Saturday, we realized that we had not found as many investigators as we would like, so we decided that we would do everything in our power to find new investigators.  We also realized that if we could find and teach a father with a wife and 3 children, it would do a lot to help our numbers.  So we started praying to find a family with a father, a mother and 3 children, over the age of 8.  We went up to contact one of our referrals, for a man named Guadalupe.  He has a wife and 3 children over the age of 8.  We found a family with a father, a mother, and 3 children!  God answered our prayers.  We weren't able to teach Guadalupe at that time because he was literally running out to work, but we set up an appointment for next week.
 
I feel like Spanish is coming along, I am getting more comfortable at reading spanish.  Hopefully listening and speaking will come over time.

Today, we went to the Masonic Temple, well, actually the guy called it a lodge.  It was really cool.  There were a lot of cool symbolism.  We thought it was really cool that some of the symbolism is similar to symbolism in the church, like the sun, the moon, and the stars.
 
Y'all have a blessed day,
Hermana Julie Anna Sanchez

All of the Spanish Sister Missionaries currently serving in her mission 
Attending a special training meeting

This was one of the math teachers at the high school we went to.
Julie was excited to see her.



At the Masonic Temple (lodge)