Affirmation: Gay & Lesbian Mormons

Leandro Valdés

Chilean Flag

On the Importance of Face-to-face Meetings

By Leandro Valdés, director of the Gran Valparaíso, Chile Chapter

I began to attend Affirmation meetings about two years ago, in a chapter that covers the central section of Chile. Some 8-10 people attend our chapter meetings, including two women. We currently do not have a permanent place to meet, so we rotate among the houses of members of the chapter.

I believe it's very important to have face-to-face meetings; otherwise, our enthusiasm would cool off. When we meet we have a chance to get to know each other, to strengthen each other, and to share our spirituality. We typically meet once a month, but now we're holding Institute classes and meeting weekly.

I believe the success of our chapter is due in part to the fact that our chapter has a spiritual facet. As we meet, we feel spiritual closeness. Some of our activities have a spiritual focus, such as family home evenings; and other are purely social, like birthday celebrations. But even when the activities are purely social, we find ourselves sharing something spiritual or talking about some recent personal experience.

As Mormons, we have a missionary spirit that will never die. Our chapter has helped promote Affirmation during Gay Pride in Santiago, but I wish we could do more promotion here in Valparaíso. I believe we could help a lot more people, especially young people who feel a burden because of their sexual orientation.

Of all the activities that we have had, one of my favorite was when we celebrated Brus's birthday. Some nonmembers came, and I think they were positively impressed by the group. Last Christmas we also had a remarkable activity: we exchanged gifts that came with spiritual thoughts, and we shared a very special moment.

One of our best activities took place last February, when we toured the open house for the Santiago Temple, which had recently been remodeled and was awaiting re-dedication. We had a beautiful spiritual experience as we entered the House of the Lord after many years. We felt that the Spirit is with us, that God has not abandoned us, and that we are as worthy of God's love as any other member of the Church.