A #LIT Christmas

Hola familia y amigos!

Life has been so good! These last two weeks I have felt SO much joy and love during this Christmas season for those we teach and serve and for those I serve with.

Have you all seen the church's #LightTheWorld initiative? Every year the church releases videos and ideas of ways that we can serve during Christmas time to feel joy and become more like Christ. Here is the link to the videos if you haven't seen them all yet: https://www.mormon.org/christmas.

The majority of people we are teaching are going through difficult trials right now. Lots of them feel sad, lost and scared. Many are mourning over deaths of loved ones, having financial and family struggles and fear getting separated. As they have opened up to us and we have shared the #LightTheWorld message of service we have seen miracles.

One sister lost her mother a year ago the day after Christmas to cancer. As we shared the message of peace and love found through service this sister has felt overjoyed. We made plans with her to visit people in the hospital this week in the cancer center to sing to them and take them gifts.

Another sister is worried about her oldest sons who are becoming rebellious and making poor life decisions. As we had FHE with them she shared how our invitation to serve them has touched their hearts and made them have the desire to come back to church.

As we serve others our own burdens are lifted. I have a personal experience with this. Year after year after my parents' divorce I secretly dreaded Christmas. To me it meant separation, loneliness and I longed to spend it all together the way we had done so when I was young. As I have been out serving others I can truly say that this Christmas I feel joy, love, and excitement. I think the secret is I am focusing on others and not myself. I was so busy dwelling on what I didn't have and what was going wrong in my life, what I wanted. Me, me, me, me, me! There is so much power in looking outward.

"Satan doesn't care if you think highly or poorly of yourself. All he cares about is that you think ONLY of yourself." - President Caplin. I LOVE this quote. I have it written on my mirror. Service allows us to focus on others and love them. As we do so our personal needs are met and we become more selfless.

"And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." (Mosiah 2:17)

If you feel unhappy, lonely, or lost find someone to serve - you will be amazed at how much better you will feel. You will become more like Christ; who dedicated His life and every second to serving and sacrificing for us while expecting nothing in return. And tell me, was He not happy?

Love you all so much ! Have a great week and don't forget to Light Your Community this week!

Hermana Tapia

#LitTheWorld with the Ramos family, our recent convert and some people we are teaching by Christmas caroling and leaving treats for people we know this week to light our community.

This is Sister Kleven, we went on exchanges this week. We then got transfer news on Saturday. I am staying with Hermana Takahashi to finish training her and am becoming a split Sister training leader with Sister Kleven! This means we are going to have exchanges with the sisters in our zone, serve them and train in conferences. So excited!

Hermana Takahashi ate a microwavable spicy Asian soup and put HAM in it and it was so gross. We died of laughter and she ate the WHOLE thing.

"It's All About Love"

¡Hola mi pueblito!

Holy cow! The weeks go by so fast! I haven't written a week summary email since the beginning of the transfer and I feel like I wrote one last week. I guess these are "monthlys" and not "weeklys" at this point.

This transfer has been AMAZING! I love Hermana Takahashi so much! And I know I've said basically the same thing about every comp. BUT I'm serious, Hermana Takahashi and I get along SO well and I have loved serving with her. We will be lifelong friends for sure.

I'm gonna summarize my transfer so far into one word: love. It is all about love. Recently we had a mission conference with Elder Bennett of the 70. The main thing that was mentioned was being motivated by love in all we do. Why do you think everyone says you should choose a career you're passionate about and marry someone you absolutely adore, serve others, love our enemies and see the best in your family members? Cause it's all about love. If we are not motivated by love in all we do we will be miserable. I can't say I have ever felt miserable on the mission but times when I didn't feel as excited or motivated about the work I really wasn't making an effort to love my comp/area/people I served. As I have focused on love I have felt SO much joy. I have come to feel Christlike love.

This was a big theme for Hermana Takahashi as well. Adjusting to talking to strangers on the street and doing it in a foreign language has been hard for her. She was filled with lots of fear and so I was filled with fear that I couldn't help her overcome that. What is stronger than fear? According to modern and ancient apostles love and fear cannot coexist. Either we feel one or the other. As Hermana Takahashi has come to love Spanish and the Hispanic people it has become easier to overcome that fear. As I have loved Hermana Takahashi and have been motivated by love and patience in helping her we both have felt joy in the work. Whatever your problems are right now, your solution is: love.

1 John 4:18 "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love." 

It reminded me of an experience I had when I was having a hard time before the mission. I remember kneeling on the side of my bed asking Heavenly Father for help. After my prayer I accidentally hit the table next to my bed and a letter came out of my scriptures. I pick it up and realize it was a letter that was given to me at my baptism by the elder who taught me, Elder Hill. (Shout out to the best elders ever, Elder Hill and Elder Stoneman. I love you both so much!) The letter was Elder Hill congratulating me on my baptism and sharing thoughts of the experience he had in teaching me the gospel. At the end he says that love has been a huge lesson he has learned on his mission. He finished his letter with the sentence, "Remember, it is all about love!" And inside was a heart made out of metal he had made for me. It was an answer to my prayers then but I don't think I truly understood that until now. It really is all about love.

Speaking of love, people I love were baptized this week! One of my best friends ever who I have been teaching named Selvin and my cousin Mikey in Utah!

Selvin's baptism was perfect. He embraced his brother who baptized him after coming out of the water and they hugged each other tightly and cried in each others arms. I didn't see a single person in that room who didn't also cry with them. Families can be eternal. Next step: the temple!!!

My cousin Mikey emailed me this last week explaining that he decided to be baptized cause he felt something special meeting with the Elders and knew he wanted to be sealed to his family and have God's help in his life. I'm so proud of him! Next step: the mission.   Jajaja! 

I have so much I want to share and not enough time. I just hope you all know I love you all so much and am grateful for you all and my time here. I also want to give a quick announcement...

I will not be going home in January.

After a good interview with my President he felt prompted to ask me to extend my mission and stay till March. It was a shock to me since I have been preparing to leave in January so I prayed about it a lot and I have accepted the calling to extend and will be staying until March 5th.

I know that this is God's work and He is in charge. Because of that I know He is who has asked me to extend my mission and not just President Caplin. I love my Father in Heaven and want to please Him in all I do because I love Him. After all, it is all about love.

Chau!

Hermana Tapia