Hermana Leavitt's Arequipa Adventures: ONE YEAR

Yep- its true- its almost been 365 days since Ive been here in Peru! I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it either- part of me is excited to be able to say that I have been serving and sacrificing for my Heavenly Father for a full year now, but the other part of me views the short time ahead and sees December turn from a finish line to an expiration date. There is so much urgency about my work now, as I see the time that I have to wear a name tag on my chest dwindle every single day. There is so much to be done, so much to get better at, so many people to help. I want these next 6 months to be the most intense, tiring, and fulfilling months of my life. I love it so much, being out here and helping people understand who they really are.

I had such a sweet experience this week with a girl named Esther that brought the reality and divinity of my missionary purpose to life like never before. We were on divisions with Hna Ango and Hna "Unsinkable" Brown in Camana, and the night before we had a coordination meeting with the District President in an attempt to get some organized training and help from Camana, and then that night we went back to their pensionistas, and were just sitting there, eating dinner, when Esther walked in and sat down with the two of us (everyone else had already finished up by that time) and we just started chatting. We had met her a few months before, when we did our first divisions there, and we found out that she was an orphan, that both of her parents had died a few years ago in an accident, and that she had just been bounced from home to home, and was now staying with the sisters pensionista. So as we were talking, we asked her if she knew why we were there, in Peru, so far away from our homes. She said she didn't know, so we explained to her that we are here to help people with their faith in Jesus Christ and to help everyone make it back to the presence of our Heavenly Father. And then, knowing her past, we asked her if she knew why we were here, on the earth. She said she didn't know, so we explained our purpose as children of God. And then.... then we told her that after this life, there is another one. The surprise and confusion was so easy to read on her face, and she said that she had no idea what we were talking about. So we took it really slow, and very simple, and explained to her that our goal is to make it to a beautiful, bright, happy place (called the Celestial Kingdom) where we can live with God and Jesus Christ, and our families forever, and we saw happiness replace confusion and the sweetest question that I have ever been privileged to hear in all my life fell from her lips "You mean... that I can find my family again?" It was so sweet and so tender and the spirit was so strong that Hermana Robinson had to explain it as I turned my head to hide my tears ( I didn't want her to worry her or anything.) But in that moment- what we were all experiencing just pierced my heart and touched my soul. There wasn't much potential for her to be a future investigator, as their pensionista is strongly Catholic, and it wasnt our area and we couldn't count it as a lesson, but I felt like I had better fulfilled my purpose as a missionary in that moment than ever before. In an instant, that little kitchen turned into a holy place, as we helped a little girl understand that families could be together forever, and that her Heavenly Father loves her so much.

And that was the "crowning experience" this week that assured me that I'm here, in an extraordinary work that will roll forth until everyone has the chance to understand who they are.

I love you all and hope that you have a fantastic week!!

Hermana Leavitt