Feliz Dìa de San Valentin!

 Reunion with Elder Oaks and all the missionaries.

 Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentine`s Day... again...

Hermana Lopez and I

Happy Valentine`s day, I hope it was a great one!

So basically everyone here in Chiapas has been super excited this week because the Pope came here to Tuxtla to visit this weekend. But, as members, and especially as missionaries, we`ve been pretty stoked because this weekend, Elder Dallin H. Oaks from the Quorum of the 12 Apostles also came to visit, along with Elder Whitney L. Clayton, president of the seventy. And as missionaries, we had the special opportunity to hear from them both in a reunion of only missionaries. It was pretty cool to be honest. Especially because we also had the opportunity to shake their hand too. Our meeting was filled with the spirit, and it really is something special to have a room full of missionaries and listen to a living apostle in person. One of the things that I learned the most from this meeting is the importance of understanding and teaching repentance. Often we have converts who are baptized and soon after inactivate in the church, and they shared with us that one of the primary reasons that this happens is because our converts didn`t understand the doctrine of repentance. That it is not a one time event, it`s a process, and a change of heart. One other thing that really stuck out to me too was that Elder Oaks shared with us that we are not here to convert people to the church, we are here to convert people to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Are we truly converted to the gospel, or only the church?

After all of our meetings this weekend I was able to have a few miracles pass by for myself, and I`m super grateful. On Saturday after our meeting with Elder Oaks we were leaving from the church, about to cross the street, when I heard someone call my name. I turned around to see two members, but I thought they were elders. Only to realize when they were shaking my hand that it was my bishop and ward mission leader from my old area, Cacahoatàn. I was basically in complete shock. We were only able to talk for a minute and then they had to head into their meeting with Elder Oaks. I`m super grateful because my other area is about 8 hours away, and I didn`t think I would be able to see them even though I knew that they were coming to Tuxtla too. Everything literally passed in the right moment, and it really strengthened my testimony even more that Heavenly Father knows our desires and wants to help us. I miss my old area a ton, but I know that cambios are good, and I`ll see the people there again. After our meeting on Sunday I was suprised to have someone tap my shoulder and turn around to see one of my converts, Maria de los Angeles greet me. This is one great blessing of returning back to the same stake where I served before. It was great to see her and be able to talk with her and find out that she`s still so strong in the church, and even has a calling in relief society. It really is a blessing to be able to see the difference from when we were teaching our investigators and how they are now in the church. I was also able to see a lot of different members from la Salle, and it was pretty funny because I think the most common thing I heard was that I can actually speak spanish now.. Lots of progress still but I`m super grateful for this opportunity to learn spanish, and I know that the gift of tongues is real. 

There`s not a whole lot happening in our area, we basically don`t have anyone, but we`re just going to keep looking for new people to teach. This week in all though was really great, and I`m so grateful for the experiences that I could have.

I hope your week is great, and I love you

Hermana Leavitt