11-24-2014

Hola Todos,

So Not much has changed from last week to this week. All I know is that everything is going by really really fast. I can't even believe I have already been here for two weeks. The time just flies by, and at the same time everything feels like I am going to be here for an eternity!!! 

I was informed this week by one of the local Hermanas that I don't sound like a gringo! So for the few words that I know I sound like I know what I am talking about. 

This week I had to eat the worst food since I arrived in Mexico. I had to eat broccoli and an over easy egg :P  It was absolutely disgusting!!! And I almost died!!! Trees are not supposed to be eaten ever! But I survived the two plates of broccoli that I had to eat. So all is well, no worries!

The food here is for the most part good. Occasionally you get a questionable meat, but you just put it in a tortilla and hope for the best! 

Last Friday I finally got my first free shower. It was pouring rain for about 45 minutes and I happened to forget my jacket at the house because it looked like it was going to be a nice day. You can't trust the weather here. But is was fun. After we got soaked, we went and stood in the font because it is the only place with warm water in this crazy city. So we held our freezing hands under the warm water in the font. That was fun!!!

Tonight after I am done writing I get to go to the mission office and spend the night so that I can go and do visa paperwork tomorrow morning. That will be a journey!!! 

All is well, and I love all of you!!!

Con Amor,

Elder Mason Millar

I love the weather in Mexico. But I can't even express how much I do and am going to miss the snow for the next two years!!!!

11-17-2014 First Letter From Mexico City!

Hola Todos de mis amigos,l

So, Mexico is probably the craziest place that I have ever been in my entire life. The people are soo nice and willing to help with everything from learning Spanish to buying us some pan de dulce. I love the people. Even though I can't understand what they are saying most of the time. 

I am to the point that I can pick out words and somewhat figure out what they are trying to say to me, but I am still unable to respond. 

I can't believe how blessed I have been in my life. The people are so happy here and seem to have so little. It has definitely been an eye opening week, and I am not even in the poorest area in the mission. 

At the moment I am living in Texcoco. This area covers about 3/4 of the entire mission and is covered by only 8 elders. We take a lot of buses and combi's. Combi's are these vans that have all of the seats taken out of them and just have benches around the end. I feel like I am going to die every time that I have to get into one. The driving here is absolutely insane, but surprisingly there are not many accidents. Just a lot of honking and yelling at all hours of the day and night!!! 

Other than the driving, Texcoco is a very safe place and our house probably couldn't be any safer. We live above a gated kindergarten that has video cameras and everything. I am very safe! 

So My companion is a local, he speaks half decent english,so we are able to communicate most of the time. But him being a local is forcing me into the culture even faster. It is somewhat of a sensory overload. People here have no sense of a schedule. Everything is always late and I don't think we have yet to be to an appointment on time yet. It is kind of hard to adjust to not having a schedule.

I have had my first tacos. They didn't sit very well with me, but I figured that they would take getting used to. I have yet to eat anything really crazy. The craziest thing I have probably eaten was the chicken that I had yesterday night. It was killed several hours before we ate it. That was kind of weird. The food is different, but is good. I do miss the MTC food though. It was a little nicer to my body. Same with the bed. The bed that I am sleeping on has like zero pad left on it so I am pretty much sleeping on springs. Take advantage and realize how nice the beds at the MTC are while you are still there, because you can only get a new mattress if it gets infested by bugs or the springs start to break through the fabric. 

The language seems to be coming very fast and my companion said that I am learning it too fast. Is that possible? Who knows, but I know that the Lord is on my side and is helping me every single day!!! 

I hope to hear from all of you soon,

Con Amor,

Elder Mason Millar

Sorry for the spelling, all of the computers are in spanish and there is no spell check for english.

Elder Millar's first picture from Mexico.  His companion and fellow missionaries

The wall painting outside of their apartment

11-10-2014

Hey all,

So I made it to Mexico safe and sound. 

All is well and I have realized that I really don't speak any spanish at all!!!

Hope to hear from you all on my P-day, whenever it may be. 

Love you all!!!

Con Mucho Amor,

Elder Mason Millar

11-09-14 (Last email from USA)

Hey all,

So I figured I would send out one last email before I leave for Mexico. I don't know when my next P-Day will be. 

I have grown so much and learned even more. The MTC has been hard, but at the same time has been one of the greatest things that I have ever done in my life. 

I know the the mission will be even better. I am nervous to go to Mexico, but at the same time am excited beyond belief!!!!!

I love you all and can't wait to hear from you all on my first P-Day in Mexico!!!

Con Amor,

Elder Mason Millar

11-06-14

Hello all,

Wow, did the MTC go by fast or what? Six weeks gone like that. The days felt like weeks, and the weeks felt like days. It is weird how much I have grown looking back on the last five and a half weeks. The MTC is an absolutely incredible place, that I can't wait to get out of!!! There are so many good things about it, and I am just glad that they outweigh the bad!

 

I have learned so much while being here, and have been told that I will learn even more when I get out into the field. I know that it is going to be hard, but it is exactly what I need to do, and it is what the Lord wants me to do.

 

So this week there was not a whole lot that went on. We taught all of our "investigators" for the last time and started to wrap up with everything else that we have to do. It is kind of surreal to think that we are actually going to leave. When we first got here it felt like it was going to be an eternity spent in the MTC, but nope. We were wrong.

 

My companion was finally able to get his crown finished after four visits to one of the worst dentists I have ever visited. Over the last three weeks I had to sit in the waiting room of a dentist while my companion had his mouth destroyed for probably about ten hours. I am grateful for the time that I had though. I was able to read a lot in the Book of Mormon and write a lot of letters. I am glad that he was able to get it all fixed before we had to leave for Mexico.

 

I have already started packing and can't believe how little it looks like I have, but it has to last me for two whole years. All of the other districts are sad that we have started packing and I know exactly how they feel, because we have all had to go through the exact same thing when the other elders left two and four weeks ago.

 

The gospel is true and the Lord works in simple ways, but his simple ways can and will make huge changes to the lives of people just like us. I can't wait to get down to Mexico on Monday, but am also so nervous because I feel like I don't know any spanish. 

The Lord will help me and everyone else because he loves us. 

The Gospel is true, and God wants the best for us all.

Con Mucho Amor, 

Elder Mason Millar

10-30-2014

Hola Mis Amigos,

How is everyone? Is the world still continuing on? Here in the MTC it seems like every day is the same and that I am stuck in a weird gospel twisted version of Groundhog Day!!!

So there has not been much that went on this week. We had to say goodbye to the two older districts that left on Monday. That was really hard. I had grown very very close to them and it was really hard to see them go. Elder Scott Stout was probably one of the most incredible men that I have ever met in my life. He was one of the old zone leaders and I believe was in one of the pictures from last week.  I can't believe that that will be me in just ten more days!!! WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE??? The MTC has a weird way of making the weeks go by really fast. I think it is due to the fact that you do the exact thing every single day and they all seem to mush together into one large mass. I can't wait to get to Mexico even though the elders that just left have said that it is harder than you can even imagine. I know that the lord knows that we can do hard things, and through him we will be able to get through anything. 

This week we also had eleven new elders and sisters join the zone. I don't really know them yet because I have had a whole like 25 minutes to talk to them. They seem to be pretty cool missionaries, and I can't wait to get to know them. 

The adventure that we had this week was actually a two day expedition. So on Monday my companion and I had to go back to the dentist to have his permanent crown put on. The only problem was the quality of the impression that the dentist okayed. Having been in dental offices I can say that this one is not of the greatest quality. They somewhat jimmy rigged the crown so that they could send in to have a new one made. So that means that we get to go back again next week. The only problem with the first crown was that it did not get set very well and popped off Tuesday morning. So low and behold, back to the dental office again. I am really hoping that this time the temporary will actually hold until next Wednesday so we don't have to go back again!!!

The only announcement that I have is that I will be receiving my flight plans tomorrow. I will inform you tomorrow night with all the information I receive.   

I love the Lord and love this Gospel. 

And most of all, I love being a representative of both and being able to serve.

Con Mucho Amor,

Elder Mason Millar