Hello all!

This week was such a wonderful experience for me. I was able to see the Lord working in my life, helping me through each day. I am so thankful for the Atonement, the sacrifice that our Savior went through for me. I know that He knows me, and that He loves me.  In our Zone meeting on Friday, we talked about the Atonement, and I was able to feel so much appreciation for the Savior. It really hit home that he has already paid for our sins, our mistakes, so we are just abusing him if we don’t repent. He has already paid the price!

With our Stake Missionary Hermanas!

Friday and Saturday our stake had a missionary activity. The young men and young women had a day in the mission experience. Friday night we received our two young women companions who were going to be our companions for the next 24 hours--yes they slept at our apartment. At first I was a little nervous for how the weekend was going to play out, but on Saturday night when we dropped them off at the church, we didn’t want them to go. It was such a neat experience to see the changes in those youth. We had a young woman who couldn’t speak very well because she can't hear very well, and Saturday afternoon I finally got her to open up to me and we started talking. She has such a strong testimony of our Savior and of the scriptures. Although she was embarrassed to speak in the lessons, her spirit was there and she filled the room with her light. When we dropped them off, Hermana Agustin and I were so tired and ready to sleep.  Saturday was a long and  exhausting day!!!

Saturday morning, I had the amazing opportunity to go to the temple with Hermana Cecilia Peto from Tapanatepec. She was baptized the 3^rd of January and went to the temple for the first time and was baptized for her Grandmother. Friday night she called me and said that she wasn’t sure she wanted to go to the temple; she was sad because her branch didn’t come to Tuxtla with her and she came alone and she felt like the world was falling apart. My companion and I talked to her and got her excited to go to the temple. When we got there at 7:30am, they told us we would have to wait until 9 to enter into the baptistry. Talk about needing to have patience! We waited in the front of the temple and finally were let in at about 9:30. She didn’t know what to do or where to go, and she was my companion for the morning, so I went with her. All of the temple workers kept telling me I couldn’t be there, that I had to go to a session. We had to explain so many times that I was her companion and that I had permission to be there with her.  As I was waiting on the bench in the baptistry, I had time to contemplate what was happening. I had an overwhelming feeling come over me that THIS is what missionary work is all about. Not just having a baptism, yes that is great, but watching what happens after the baptism! Hermana Ceci is now not the only member of her family.  She brought the gospel to her Grandma and is working on getting other names ready to bring to the temple.

I love watching the work roll along. I know that I was called her for a reason. I know that I have touched the lives of many. 

With my Comitan Friends

Also at the temple, I ran into a lot of members from my area in San Cristobal and Comitan, and feeling the love that they have for me  really helped me see just how much I have accomplished here in the mission. 

I have mixed feelings about the fact that I have one month left. Today I am completing 17 months in the mission which means that just one left. I am really happy to be close to seeing my family but I am really sad to be leaving here. I love Mexico. I love the people. I love sharing my testimony with people even if they reject me.  I love being with my companion. I love the gospel. I know that I will never regret the choice I made to serve a mission.

I love all that I have learned; patience is still something I am struggling with but I am working on it. It is hard to always be a happy, cheery person, but as a representative of Jesus Christ, we need to be that way. I love serving others. I love helping them. We had a wonderful lesson with a cute family on Saturday night and they accepted baptism. We are going to have a followup appointment today and have to teach them about chastity because they aren't married. But they have been to church 3 times and really want to be an eternal family. I KNOW that families are forever. If nothing else, I have learned that here on my mission. 

Thanks for all you do!!!

Hermana Oliphant

Ceci sent this to Mom and Justyce asked to put it on the blog.

No sabia de que ustedes tenial la oportunidaf de cuidar el templo, es muy super saber  que personas como ustedes le sirven con mucho amor a nuestro padre celestial, es muy hermoso aqui en Tuxtla en el Templo los hermanos te reciben con mucho amor y te ayudan sino sabes que hacer, se siente el amor que dios nos tiene, y sentimos el esperitu es algo maravilloso. Yo quiero servile al señor en una mision pero mis papas no me apoyaran, ellos no son miembros :( y me dijeron que no me van a dar dinero y que no me apoyarian, sera muy dificil pero se que Dios me ayudara porque estoy orando mucho porque tengo fé enque mis papas puedan apoyarme y ser sellados en el Templo :)... un dia yo iré a conocerle y a visitar a mi mejor amiga hermana oliphant, amo la nieve quiero conocer la nieve es mi mas grande sueño.... gracias por comunicarce conmigo, me dijo hermana oliphant que publicaria en su bloc algo jeje saludos
 

At the temple to teach this family about eternal families

 This is a gigantic hill that we get to climb every day.  If you look carefully, you can see the Tuxtla Gutierrez Temple behind the tree.