trips to San Francisco, the beach and to Murphy’s. They
make sure to do it with joy and gratefulness. I will move
spent countless hours on the phone, watched movies and
forward into 2016 with my faith in God and live with purpose,
enjoyed every moment they all spent together. Sonia loved
humility and joy.”
to be surrounded by her friends. One of the last things she
Sonia would not want us to be sad; instead, she would
said to them was “we need to take every opportunity to be together, even if just for a little bit.” She had a desire to grow closer to God as well as to get healthier. She wanted these things for her friends as well. Therefore, they started with a once a month bible study at Sonia’s house and decided to start with the book of Romans. However, after their very first gathering they knew it needed to be more than once a month and moved to weekly gatherings. When they finished the book of Romans they each shared a scripture or a passage that stood out the most for them. Sonia shared how Romans 8 was impactful as it spoke of present sufferings and future glory. With tears in her eyes she told her friends she finally understood what their friend Debbie meant when she would say and at times have them repeat “I’ve already won!” As for the getting healthier part… she encouraged them to start running 5k’s with her about 3 years ago. This
want us to look towards the future, to keep our faith in God. She would ask that we keep her husband Fausto, her sons Emiliano and Elias, and her parents Mr. and Mrs. Garcias as well as all of her loved ones in prayer. Most importantly, ask that we never let Emi grow up without knowing who his Mom and Dad were and how much love and pride they had for him. As for her son Elias, she would want us to share our memories of her with him, as he will never have any memories of his own. Dearest Sonia, may we always remember the love, laughter, silliness and joy you exuded everywhere you went. May we remember one of your favorite verses 2 Timothy 4:7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Until we meet again may we always be “Soniastrong.”
December her friends will be running/walking in their first 5k without her. They have decided to name their team #Soniastrong in her honor. Sonia once posted the following on Facebook: “New year marks the hope for new resolutions, goals and change for the better. Change is inevitable and sometimes forced upon you. It can be so much that it clearly steers you off your course and can reset you onto another path. I loved the path I was on, but God had other plans for me and Emi. Resetting my life to a new path has been the hardest thing by far in my life. It has been with lots of tears, prayers, and support from family, friends and my faith in God that kept me strong and hopeful of my new path. One of the hardest things is to let go of control and let things be. It’s funny because as a woman of Faith you know that God is in control and his plans are far better than ours even if we can’t understand. As I enter the New Year I will “Live and be Joyful with ease.” This has not been easy it has been a struggle to do this but when I do I cherish those moments. I will live and let live probably not without its moments of sadness and mistakes but I will VISIÓN | WINTER 2017
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