Goodbyes & Valentines

Picture this, it's 9PM, a dark Saturday night and the rain is pouring. Hermana Doyle and I are running to our car and driving (safely and not making right hand turns on lights with signs that read "No turn on red") to our apartment. We get to the apartment, it's 9:15PM and we are sprinting to the leasing office. 9:20PM, we are now soaking wet and sitting in the leasing office loading our emails for the transfer board. Every Saturday before a transfer around 9:20-9:30 we get an email of a document with pictures of all the missionaries in our mission with the transfer changes. Investigators and members are waiting for texts from us letting them know if I am leaving Little River or not. We see the email, open it, it's loading... Hermana Doyle and I gasp. Hermana Tapia and Hermana Dolye get one more round together in Little Rio!!! That's right, no transfers for us! We both freaked out and hugged. I am so relieved!

It was a fun week, Valentine's Day we went around heart attacking doors or ward members and investigators and visited people we knew would be lonely on that day. It was funny cause all of our married investigators canceled on us that day when they realized it was Valentines and we had two lessons that night with people that were both.. well... single. I felt so happy and so much love that day as I got to feel and testify of the Savior and his perfect love and sacrifice. I have found on my mission that I only want to love the way Christ does. In a way that is selfless, perfect and asks for nothing in return. I want to testify to you all about His love and the love of our Heavenly Father. They love us so much that they gave us the fullness of the gospel to bless us and help us love others and to more profoundly feel their love. The essence of the gospel really is love. This was my favorite Valentine's Day ever!

Speaking of selfless love, our investigator Banana is getting baptized March 3rd so this week we had a Noche de Hogar with her family and the family in our ward that basically adopted her. It was such a great time. We played a Plan de Salvacion board game and explained about what happens after death. I am so attached to that family. They are so kind and loving towards me and I feel so at home with them. They really are such a great example to Banana and love her like family and took her in even though they aren't related. Having been in that position before I can really say I have so much love and respect for people that do that. Just love and accept people in need. That is Christlike love!

Sad news, Queen is going back to Mexico this week so we had one last dinner with her and her roommate we are also teaching. It was sad but we really enjoyed our time with her and are so grateful for her. We were all very emotional saying bye but we all agreed to have a reunion in Mexico some day! I am grateful for the friendships I have made and for the impact others have had on my life. 

Minnie and Mickey's baby got blessed in Sacrament Meeting yesterday and it was such a beautiful blessing. I thought about all the blessings that baby boy is going to receive being born into the church and having parents with a testimony of it. It reminded me of something my teacher in the MTC said, he said "Your most important investigators in your life will be your children". That really impacted me because I totally agree. To know that I am responsible for helping my children understand and gain a personal testimony of the gospel is really overwhelming but that I can take what I learned here on my mission and be able to love them with the Christlike love I learn about here.

I love the gospel so much and learn so much every week. I'm grateful for my Savior and the love He has for me that helps me love and understand others. I am going to the temple again this week cause my favorite former less-active that we found my second transfer is going to get her endowments (I will explain more next week about that) and she asked us to come since we helped her come back to church and prepare her to enter so I will share more next week but I will still be emailing on Monday!

Los quiero mucho! Chau!

Hermana Tapia