Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Yesenia's Baptism

Hey Y'all!
 
The most exciting part of this week was Yesenia's baptism.  It is so good to see someone that you love enter the waters of baptism.
 
She has made great changes in her life, and those changes show in her actions and in her face. 
 
As I approach this new change in my mission, I am sad to leave behind Fort Worth and all of the people that I have come to love here.  I know that the Lord has used me to accomplish a great work here, which work will continue for years to come.  Fort Worth is a very special place, and the gospel is just beginning to take root among the spanish people here, but I know that it will continue and that there will be many many souls who will help build up this small part of the Lord's Kingdom. 
 
I am very excited to serve in Copperas Cove.  I have always loved the southern parts of the mission (maybe because my first area was Waco.
 
Hurrah for Israel!
Hermana Julie Anna Sanchez
 
Yesenia's Baptism

Yesenia's baptism!!!

Randi, one of our best exchanges, and one of Jenae's friends!
 
Sister Lewis and I on exchange

 The party on September 14
 

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Game Night

Hola Familia y Amigos!
 
Ojala que todo este bien.  I think that y'all should learn Spanish, so that I can type my weekly emails in Spanish.  That would be could, but since y'all don't know Spanish, I will stick with English, for now.
 
I went on an exchange to Park Glen 1st and 2nd wards this week.  It is part of the Hurst Stake.  Sometimes it is nice to interact with English people.  Sometimes I forget that there is an entirely different culture here in Texas.  I was reminded that Friday night is Game Night, during high school football season, and that most English-speaking Texans go to the Football games.  I also realized that I may have burned out my taste-buds by eating all of the spicy Mexican food.  We were served Chinese food, and they told us to beware of one dish, because it was spicy.  I couldn't taste the spiciness.  I thought that it just tasted good.
 
My companion in Park Glen was Sister Tullis, and we have decided to be roommates at Utah State next fall.  She is majoring in Math Education, and went 1 year before her mission.  We had so much fun during the exchange we came up with a bumper sticker, "I believe in the empty set."  :)  We also did a lot of good, did a lot of service, and taught a lesson to a woman from India.
 
The big news for this week is that Yesenia is getting baptized!  She is finally ready to make the step, and we are so excited for her.  This has been a really long journey for Yesenia, and we are very excited that she is finally ready.  During the last month she has changed and grown so much.  She is living the Word of Wisdom and the Law of Chastity!  She has been tempted a lot to break both of them, but she has stood firm, and said no.  She has told her boss at the Pulga that she will not work on Sundays, and she isn't backing down.  It is so good to see the positive changes in her.
 
We've been thinking about it, and we decided that when Yesenia really started to progress was when we got her a picture Libro de Mormon.  Yesenia is still learning to read, and missionaries have been trying and trying to help Yesenia read and understand the Book of Mormon.  Some missionaries, even bought her the Book of Mormon on CD, but  it is hard for her to understand all of the big words.  But with the picture Book of Mormon, she can read and understand the stories of the Book of Mormon, and there is definitely a power in the Book of Mormon.  Whenever someone reads and understands the Book of Mormon it changes lifes!  The Book of Mormon is the best!
 
Also I have been thinking about John 4:35-36. "Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together."  We are really seeing part of that here in Fort Worth right now.  Our district leader, Elder Barnett, served here, in my area, last year.  He taught Yesenia and her family a lot.  Now he is back in the ward, in a different area, but he will still get to be part of Yesenia's baptism.  In fact, Yesenia, asked him to baptize her. 
 
It is a good time to be a missionary.
 
Hurrah for Israel,
Hermana Julie Anna Sanchez
 
 
Panda Express on Hermana Bush's hump day!

 A random cow at the Stockyards

God Bless Texas

 Sister Tullis

 Yesenia just after her interview!
 

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Elder Pino Conference

Today, Elder Pino came to our mission.
 
He spoke in Spanish and he had a translator.  It was wonderful to be able to understand both the Spanish and the interpretation.  (Part of the reason why he came to our mission is so that Stateside missionaries can have the experience of listening to a translation).  Every time I listen to a translation, I am the more convinced that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and that Joseph Smith was only able to translate it by the power of God.
I learned a lot about revelation.  Revelation is something that comes by the spirit, but that we have to seek it. 
 
A testimony can only come by a witness from the Spirit. 
 
Alma 32:28 is the test to know if something is true.
 
Without the spirit, you will never succeed regardless of your talents or abilities. 
 
As missionaries, we have the trust of the Lord.  It is a sacred calling to serve the Lord.
 
We are also going to be able to hear Elder Pino speak tonight at a special fireside for Spanish members.  I am really excited.  I love the Spanish language more than words can tell (especially English words. )
 
It is truly a great time to be a missionary.
 
Hurrah for Israel!
Hermana Julie Anna Sanchez

Monday, October 7, 2013

Santiago

Hola Todos,
 
We had our car examined, and they estimate that there is about $6000 to $7000 worth of damage in the car.  Poor thing. 
 
We kept driving it for the week, with our trunk that wouldn't close, and the back door that wouldn't open. 
 
But then on Friday, we had to go back to the mission office so that the insurance guy could come and look at the car.
 
We spent most of the morning with Elder and Sister Winters in the mission office, and I really enjoyed getting to know the office missionaries.  They are so cute and so sweet!  We were talking with Sister Winters and we realized that the new convert letter hasn't been translated into Spanish.  So they had me translate it for them.
 
But the insurance guy and Elder Winters realized that the car is not safe to drive.  If we were to get into another accident the car would not be able to protect us.  So we get to drive a cute little red sports car right now.  We named it Santiago.  It is a 2010 Toyota Corolla.  I really like the way it drives.  I would buy this car, if it came in manual transmission.  
 
During Conference on Saturday, I was able to listen to it in Spanish and in English at the same time.  It was broadcast in English, but there were headphones available for those who wanted to listen to it in Spanish.  So by keeping the volume level at about the same, I was able to hear both the English and the Spanish translation at the same time.  I learned a lot of new words that way.
 
I loved the theme of missionary work.  We are planning to read some of the talks with the members in our ward, during dinners and stuff. 
 
I also saw a theme of the family and the gospel of Jesus Christ. 
 
Hasta Luego,
"Eldera" Sanchez

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

And the adventures continue

We got rear-ended on Thursday.  We were driving along, when the car in front of us decided to stop quickly so that they could turn right.  So I slowed quickly too.  Unfortunately the man behind us was not able to stop.  He started to slow, but hit a patch of water, and just kept going.  We were a little shooken up, but we are fine. 
However, our car needs a lot of help.  The trunk won't close, and the back bumper has popped out.  I am sure that we are going to be spending a lot of time getting to know car mechanics.  {we already have, the people at pep boys recognize us by sight, and have our car number memorized}.
And then I ate a habanero pepper.  It was the hottest thing that I have ever eaten.  I knew it was hot, when I ate it, I just didn't expect it to be that hot.  It burned going down, and then my whole face started to burn.  It worked it's way in a circular motion out from my mouth.  I was sweating, and my sweat would burn.  It felt like my skin was literally on fire.  When it reached my eyes, I was just dying.  The tears that would come out (I couldn't control them they just came) would burn as they left.  I would take napkins and try to soak up all the sweat and tears before it could spend any time on my face, because it hurt so bad.  NEVER EAT HABANEROS!

We also taught Yubiri, the mother of a member. She will be going back to Venezuelaon Tuesday, but we are going to be lifelong friends.  I love her so much.  Hopefully she will get baptized soon in Venezuela.
Hurrah for Israel,
Hermana Julie Anna Sanchez





One of my favorite ways to teach the apostasy is to take a temple picture, and say that it represents the church that Jesus built, and then as the apostles are rejected and killed, and the doctrine is lost, I start to rip up the temple picture.
Then the ripped up picture becomes a puzzle, and we encourage the children to put it back together.  But even if they get the picture pieces in the right order, it is still not perfect.  There are rips and tears in the picture. 
So then we talk about the need for a restoration, or that God reestablished his church in its perfect and proper form and we pull out a new temple picture and talk about Joseph Smith.
We gave one of our investigator's children the temple picture pieces and told her to put it back together.  She took a gluestick and went into her room and put it together.  When she came back, this was the result.
I think that we can clearly see the need for a restoration! :)




3 Leches Cake
  • Make 1 vanilla cake according to the directions on the box.
  • Combine 1 can sweetened and condensed milk, 1 can evaporated milk, 1 can Crema in a separate bowl.
    • Optional: add pineapple juice as well.
  • Poke lots of holes in the cake.
  • Slowly pour the milk mixture into the cake, allowing it to fully soak in.
  • Top with Whipped Cream and fruit.