Repentance

I have some great news! Maricela was baptized this Saturday. The baptism was performed in another chapel since she lives in a different ward, and I got the chance to speak about the gift of the Holy Ghost. Talk about a whirlwind of emotions! I was so antsy and excited right before and I cried way more than I expected. It was such a special moment. The sad part was that Hermana Chipunavi couldnt go because she left for Cusco that morning. (My companion has some kind of weird infection in her eyes and needed to see the mission doctor. Please pray for her!)

The other great part of this week was divisiones. I met my grandma for the very first time! Her name is Hermana Hansen, and she trained my mom, but now she is a hermana leader in our area! We went on splits in my sector and she taught me so much about obedience and repentance. I dont think there is a greater joy than to work with God in helping others repent and change their lives. We get to do this everyday as missionaries, but it has really made me ponder how I helped others through this process before my mission. Repentence is personal and it isnt a daily conversation that we start with just anyone. And as members and not full-time missionaries, we dont have the authority to extend promises or to teach in the place of the missionaries. But we can help others to repent by loving them, uplifting them, and most importantly by refraining from judging them. And so my question is this: Do I make it easier for others to repent? I think this is something important to consider. Do we forget the wrong doings of others just as the Lord does? I know that I´ve had my slip-ups, and havent always been so willing to forgive. But I do know how it feels to have guilt and a desire to leave a sin behind. I know this is why Christ suffered for our sins, so that we might be forgiven if we repent. (D&C 19:15-20) The Atonement is so beautiful! And anyone can have access to it. The Lord only asks us to confess our sins, leave them behind, and go forward by keeping His commandments. I love this scripture in Doctrine and Covenants:

´´For I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance;

Nevertheless, he that repents and does the commandments of the Lord shall be forgiven.´´ D&C :31-32)

An attribute of Christ is forgiveness, and I want to always be able to forgive even when someone has wronged me. It isnt easy, but it is possible. I know that we can be a lot happier following Christ than the world, and so I am trying this out. I know that we can also love others as Christ would by forgiving them and helping them forgive themselves. I promise you all that if you do this, you will feel a desire to bring others to the gospel. There is no other truer happiness than the joy of repentance and being reconciled with God.

Hermana Arroyo