09-28-2015

Wow, Never really imagined this week actually being here. So although I have a little less than a year left in the mission because of MTC timing, I will be completing my first year in the mission on Thursday!!!

Do you know what that means??? 

I finally get to open up the second half of the clothes that have been sitting in my suitcases for the last 12 months!!! Yeah, How exciting is that!!! 

Yeah, I know... not really, but as missionaries we have to look forward to the little things in life!!! Once again I will have shirts that are white, socks that don't have holes, and some new garments. Not a whole lot to be so excited about, but enough to make me excited!!! 

So sorry to all of you for not writing last week. 

But the last two weeks were not super eventful. Last week was the week of Mexico's independence, so we were locked inside of our apartments, because it was just a little too dangerous for us to be out on the streets. We ate a ton of Pozole, because in Mexico everyone always makes the same things. It is a soup made with gigantic corn, and then has chili's and all sorts of yummy stuff. It is very good!  

So that was pretty much what happened last week. It was pretty boring, I know. 

This last week was better, but was at the same time a very hard week. 

So, the lesson I learned this week is that we must work and be even stronger when we need the Spirit to be with us, because Satan is going to tempt us even more in those times. We must always search, and pray that we can have his companionship! He is our greatest, and most accessible help that we have in this life! 

As long as we are worthy, and search for his presence, the Lord will bless us with his company! 

I learned and received a much stronger testimony of this over this last week. 

I don't know how many of you were aware that two of our five dogs were put down this last week. (Yes, I know we have a lot of dogs!) It was something I knew that was going to happen while I was gone, but never had fully accepted it. So the last week was a week full of trying to keep my thoughts in the work, and feel the Spirit. The Lord wants us to do his will, and whenever we do, he greatly blesses us. 

I also found that when we are down the greatest thing to do is to focus on others. I knew that helping others through service was a way to help you be happier, but when you just focus on and worry about others, the joy that you receive is incredible! I found this as I was praying for the comfort of my family as they went through this hard time. I knew I wasn't there, but that the Holy Ghost could be, and knowing that was such a comforting feeling!!! 

I hope you all have a wonderful week, and can work a little bit harder on having the Spirit be your constant companion. I will be working for it right along side of all of you!!

Love you all,

Elder Mason Millar

Sorry this computer wont let me add pictures. I will send them next week!!!

09-11-2015

Buenas Días/Tardes/Noches (Depending on when you read this)

So this week was a really awesome week! 

So to start it out we had a wonderful zone meeting on Monday because it was the first Monday of the month. They talked about the importance of inviting to baptism, and putting baptismal dates. 

It was a very good meeting, and helped us a lot to have success in our area the last week!!! 

So on the other hand of not really working. We had the most incredible opportunity yesterday. 

So for the last 18 months here in Mexico City the temple had been closed. And finally yesterday was the Re dedication. It was so wonderful. My comp and I had the opportunity to assist all three dedications, and the Spirit was so strong in all three of them! The second one had my favorite talk by Elder Holland, but in the third session. The Spirit was so strong. It was just such a strengthening moment for my testimony. I never noticed how big of a difference the temple really made, but yesterday I just realized that it truly is such a blessing that we have! 

I as a missionary will only get the chance to go to the temple every other month. Yeah I know that is more than most, but I have made the goal to go to the temple once a week when I get home. I have truly learned the importance of the temple since I have had this...I guess you could call it Fast. It has been a hard thing, but I have also learned how important the temple is. I have felt that something has been missing for the last 11 months, and after being at the dedication yesterday I realized what it was! 

So, I know I have been giving you a lot of challenges, but that is the way in which we grow, Right? So here is the challenge. It is not a challenge for a week, nor for a month. It is a challenge to change a life long habit.

I invite all of you that can, to make a goal, and work at it. To go to the temple as often as you can. For some that might be a once a week thing, for others once a month. For others who are preparing for missions, I would encourage you to go as many times as you possibly can before you leave, because honestly it is something that I have greatly missed being able to do as a missionary. 

I promise you all, as a representative of Jesus Christ, that if you will "Sacrifice" your time, or money, or whatever you need to sacrifice, that the blessings that you will receive will bear testimony to you that the temple it The House of God, and that they are the most pure places on the face of the earth. The Lord will bless us when we sacrifice. And the more we sacrifice the more we will be blessed!!!

For those of you who can't go, or at the time are unable to. I invite you to get worthy of a temple recommend, or prepare for the day that you will be able to enter. It was honestly the greatest day of my life, and is a day that I will never forget! 

I love you all so so much, and hope you are all safe, and healthy!!

Con todo mi amor,

Elder Mason Millar 

         

09-07-2015

Hey everyone!

So, I am not going to lie! This week was one of the most normal weeks I have had. Maybe a little less than normal. 

In the mission we like to call them Faith testing weeks! (or weeks that no one wants you, and all the lessons you had scheduled fell through!)

So this week the new that happened, was that we got another elder in our ward. His name is Elder Pacheko, and he is from Bolivia, He is 26, and is an Environmental Engineer. That is pretty crazy. So now in our zone, we have an engineer, and our zone leader was a practicing midwife in Chile before the mission. There are really some cool elders in this mission. 

So because I dont have much to talk about I will talk about the Mission Challenge. We have been challenged as a mission by president to read The Book of Mormon in 12 weeks. It is awesome!! I have already read it twice since I have been out, and can testify that it is 100% true. We as missionaries teach that it is the Key Stone to the church. This is because the fact that this book is true means that Joseph Smith really translated it through the Gift of the Holy Ghost. Which means that he was really a prophet, and really saw God and Jesus Christ. It means that everything that happened in the church is true, and that is what my testimony is built on. 

I KNOW THE BOOK OF MORMON IS TRUE, AND NO ONE WILL EVER BE ABLE TO CHANGE MY THOUGHT ON THAT. I  WILL ALWAYS HAVE MY TESTIMONY THAT THIS BOOK IS A BOOK, AND THE WORDS OF GOD!!!

With this, I invite all of you to take the challenge, and read The Book of Mormon, whether you are a member of the church or not. This book can and will change your life, if you will read and pray about it with SINCERE HEART, REAL INTENTION, AND FAITH IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST! Let this book change your life like it has changed mine!!!

Love you all, and have a wonderful week!

Con Mucho Amor, 

Elder Mason Millar 

This was my crew for cleaning, and cutting the grass at the church on Saturday. I can 100% say that my little sisters can do a better job than they can!!! 

Love you girls!

08-31-2015

So this week was a pretty freaking awesome week!!! 

It started out pretty slow, but got really really good really fast!!! 

So as you all heard, last week we had the opportunity to be visited by an Apostle. It was so amazing!!! He came, and had some other people talk, and then he ended, but just let us ask him questions. It was awesome!!! 

The question that had the coolest impact on me was when an Elder asked "How are we to be born of God?" Elder Christofferson then went into this super long and in depth explanation. But in the end was the part that really had the impact on me. He explained that to be born of God is to Be Baptized, Receive the Gift of The Holy Ghost, and then CONTINUALLY repent for our sins. But, he then went on to explain the Plan of Salvation. He explained that we must be bore physically first, that then we are to later be bore of God. So his question was, "what is more important, Physical or Spiritual Birth?" Well he said neither, they are equally important! With one there is not the other. We need them both. 

So the part that struck me was not so much about the whole baptism part, but more so the importance of women in the plan of God. Yes, I knew they were very very important, and that without them we would be nothing, but I don't really know. It just hit me really hard, and made me want to make sure that I am the most awesome kick butt husband and Father when I get there. Because without a wife, or women, the Priesthood that I hold would be 100% absolutely Useless!!! 

So that is what I learned from him. 

Other than that we had a really good week. We found a really awesome family that we have been looking for, for about 2 weeks. They were a reference we received, but have not been home. We found then late on Saturday night, and we able to get to know them. They are a family of 5, but had one of their Daughters pass away about 2 months ago at 10 years old. She is a single mother, and has 3 more small ones at home. Granted they are not that small. They are 15, 14, and 8. But they are just she sweetest people that I have every met. Her name is Abigail, and she is awesome. She has so many questions, but want to learn, and is looking for God in this hard time of her life. 

So the crazy for the week. 

I ate a live worm thing!!! We went over to a family, and they had bot them for who knows what reason. But we went over, and they were like, "you have to eat one, my 7 year old did!!!" ... So what did we do? Well of course we ate them. They were not actually that bad, and didn't really have a taste, they just were weird to think about it. (Hope my future wife doesn't ever find out, because she probably wouldn't kiss me after knowing that!) I will sent the pictures of the bugs! 

So that is about all for this week! I love you all so so much, and pray for all of you! 

Con Mucho Amor, 

Elder Mason Millar