08-10-2015 An Adventure I will never forget! (Don't trust Google Maps!!!!)

Hello all,

So this week, I am not going to lie was a very, very normal week. 

So finally on Tuesday the other Elders got their house stuff done, and were able to move out. It was a very, very full and busy weekend last weekend, and for those of you who know me I am kind of a neat freak. (Yes mom, I know my room was never clean, but I was never in there!) So honestly after five days of mouse tracks to get around the house I started to get pretty stressed, and threatened to throw their stuff into the street if they did not get moved out. Yeah it wasn't really going to happen, but it did honestly cross my mind!!!!

So the lesson that I learned this week is the importance of references. They are practically the Lord leading you to chosen people!!! So as we are preparing for the temple open house that actually started today we will be receiving tons of references, or so we have been told, so we were asked to go and make sure all of the old ones online were up to date. So we looked, and had 4 from about a year ago that had never been visited. So we got them, and then started to go and look for them. 

So finally on Friday night we were able to find one. His name is Ruben, and he was contacted by the missionaries about a year ago. He is really excited to start the lessons, and learn more!!! It was really a cool experience to see how the Lord is working in people to start them on the path to change their lives!!!!

So for the "Wow we are idiots" Moment that we had today. 

So I had a package show up from Mom, and I had to be the one who signed for it. So I had to go to the UPS store and pick it up. So in the morning we went to the offices, and got the slip for it, and then we looked up the address and Google Maps to find how to get there. Well our problem with this is that we put the wrong starting position into the computer, and got a little confused as to which was the starting position,and what one was the destination. So a trip that should have taken about 25 minutes turned into a tour of the central of Mexico City!!! We went by the Castle of Chapultapec, the Angel of Independence, the Fountain of something, and then got to the UPS store, and they told us it was like 5 minutes from where we had started! Yup, We spend 4 almost 5 hours looking for this stupid store, and walked like 4 miles!. It was really stupid!!! I felt really really dumb, and so did my comp. But Whatever. I got my package, and all is well now!!!!

So today we also found out that Elder D.Todd Christofferson will be coming down to talk to all the missionaries in our mission in two weeks. I am so excited, and it should be really, really cool. I will tell you all about it after he comes!!!! 

So that is about all for this week. 

I love you all, and you all are in my prayers!!!

Love,

Elder Mason Millar

So that is a non alcoholic drink that tasted like garbage because it is made with hot sauce and chilli. 

Those are little  crickets, and were actually really really good.

And that is Elder Hernandez. He was in my area, and is super, super chill!!!

08-03-2015 A Charity Challenge

Hello all,

So this last week was pretty good one. It was pretty busy which made it good, but we also had some really cool lessons. 

So this week we were able to find this family. They are a family of 6, but so far we have only taught 4 of them. They are from the states, so all of their kids speak English, and they are really chill. So we actually met them because they contacted my comp and I one day when we were walking past their house. So we took out a cita, and then went back the next week for our cita. It didn't exactly go as planned because they were painting, so we ran home, and changed. Of course I am going to give service. I never get to do it down here. So we went and painted for about an hour and then helped them move some furniture into their house on the third floor. That was an adventure!!! 

So also this week we had a little bit of a crazy weekend. So the other elders were having problems in their house with their landlord, and animals, and have been looking for a new one. So they found one, but they can't move in until tomorrow. And their landlord was a jerk and told them if they were at their old house on the first of the month that they would have to pay rent. So yes, I know it was not exactly following mission rules, but "The ox was in the mire" so at 8:30PM we got a call that they had to move out, so we went and helped. So by about 10:30 or so we were finally packing all of their things, and had gotten them moved over to our house for the weekend. And man is our house packed. We don't live in a very big house. We have a room so small we have to have bunk beds, and it is too small for us to put a couch in because there is no room with our desks. It is kind of a bummer. But yeah, we have packed two houses into one. And have been like that for the whole weekend. 

So last night was pretty awesome!!! 

So after church we went and taught some lessons, and we finished the night with a NDH or Family Home Evening for those of you who don't speak Spanish! And my comp decided to talk on Charity. It was such a wonderful lesson, and the Spirit was so strong. We just got to talk about a subject that means so so much to me, and that I miss so so much. So charity can be describes as "the true love of Christ." I know I am on the mission, and am serving every day, but I can honestly say that I miss the service that I used to be able to do at home. Here as a missionary everyone notices the service you do, and it is expected that you do it, but back at home, you can do it in secret to just make someone's day a little brighter. 

SO.... Here comes the challenge for all of you!!!! 

For this week I want every single person that reads this letter to do AT LEAST ONE act of kindness or service for someone every day of the week, and then at the end of the week look back, and see the difference that it has made not only in the lives of those you helped, but also in your own lives!!! 

I love you all so much, and will send photos next week!!!

Les Quiero,

Elder Mason Millar

07-27-2015

Hello everyone!!!

So hole wow was the last week an adventure!!! 

So you all knew that I was going to be closing my area, and receiving a new comp, But What I was not expecting was what happened. I became senior companion, and white washed again, but to come out the area was deader that Benjamin Franklin!!!

White washing is when two elders leave an area, and two new ones are put in. It was an  uneventful eventful week. 

So for the week. 

We had 20 lessons, after in my old area finishing with 41. We had 47 contacts, and spent hours on our feet walking street by street knocking the doors of members that we had on a list. This list is about 400 people long, but only about 85 people come to church every week. It is kind of crazy!!!

So When we got to the house it was absolutely disgusting!!! Like I am not kidding. We threw out probably like 2 full garbage cans (The big ones you put on the street) of garbage and old clothes, and who knows what else; people, the elders before us were just gross!!! We have gotten the house cleaned up a lot and are starting to get settled in. We were able to go today to the offices to get the things that we were missing in our house which was nice, but yeah. It is a journey. 

So other than that there is not much that has happened this week. I didn't have that chance to have super spiritual experiences this week. We are just trying to figure out what we are doing.  

So the coolest thing about this area is that we have a Walmart and Sams Club!!! Do you know what that means??? Food imported from America!!!!! I am so so so happy!!! 

But really, our area is awesome, and so full of potential!!! 

Sorry for the short and boring letter, but yeah, I don't have much to talk about!!!

Love you all!!!

Elder Mason Millar

07-20-2015

So the last week was an absolutely incredible week!!! We totally killed it this week!!!

So to start out as a branch this week. (Or the four elders that are here) We had two wedding, five baptisms, and a whole bunch of success!!! It was awesome!! 

So a little bit about the people that got baptized. Their names are Maira, and Miguel. They were the two from our area that got baptized. 

We will start with Maira. She is 22, and a single mother. Her daughter is two years old, and she is super awesome!!! We found her one day trying to get a lesson with a less active member. When we first talked to her she told us that she was just a believer in God, and that was it. She didn't want to be part of any religion, and didn't want to talk to us. So we came back later to find her grandmother, and she sat in on the lesson that we taught, and was very intrigued. We taught her for almost two months, and she has grown so so much. The light that she has in her life is so crazy, and she made a lot of difficult, but needed changes to her life so she could get baptized. The last week before her baptism, she had a whole bunch of family problems come up, and we were scared that she was not going to be able to get baptized. She finally made the decision to move out of her house, and be out on her own. So we were house hunting for several days last week. In the end she is staying with her aunt, and will look for a place in the next couple of months. 

So a little about Miguel. He is about 27 years old, and has a child with a member. They were not married. So he was an old investigator that moved out of the area for work, but then came back about a month ago. So we started teaching him again, and he is really awesome!!! He about 2 years ago had problems with drugs, and alcohol. He was not a very good guy, but started to change his life, and then had a child with a member who lived down the street from him. So after almost two years of being together they finally got married on Friday. It was awesome!!! Then on Saturday he got baptized. Holy wow. He came out of the water, and had such a light in his eyes. He honestly looked like a completely different person. You couldn't notice the tattoos that he has, you could only see the joy that was in his eyes. It was so awesome!!! 

After the baptisms last week we got invited to the talent show of another ward because they wanted us to do a talent and because I am really friends with their ward!!! So for our talent we sang I am a Child of God and my comp played the guitar. It was really awesome. We did half in English and half in Spanish because my comp speaks English!!!

So that was what I did with my weekend. It was very wonderful, and full of the Spirit!!! 

I also found out last night some bad news. They will be closing my area, so both my comp and I have changes. I am very very sad because we just found a whole bunch of new people to teach. One that was going to be very cool, and a very very dedicated member to church. She is 15 and her name is Erandy. She is a Jehovah's Witness, and is very interested in the church. It is a little weird that she is listening to us. Because the JW are generally pretty apposed to us. They are in a way our competition here in the mission. They have lots of member missionaries that are always out knocking doors, but she accepted us, and is really liking it. She came to church yesterday, and has a whole bunch of really really awesome questions.  

But that is about all that is happening. Not a whole lot. But we are just working hard and learning a lot!!!!

I love you all, and am still alive!! 

Elder Mason Millar

07-13-2015

Hey all,

So this last week was a pretty quiet, but busy week. We had an Elder come home from his mission in the branch so there was a lot of prep work in that. 

So Wednesday was a pretty good day. It was the day that Elder Paulino came home, and we had to sing in the Choir. It was really fun but took a lot of work. That night was also a very sad night. I was there with three other elders, and we all had to watch as his parents took off his name tags, and all four of us almost started to cry. Well two of us did cry. 

The rest of the week was pretty quiet. We found out that the new church building will be finished and dedicated next month, so we won't have to travel as far to get home, and we will get to be part of the dedication. We are going to sing again in a choir with the two wards that are going to be using this building when it is dedicated. 

So the story of Hard Work, Patience, and Love comes in yesterday. So we have this less active family that we have been working and visiting with for the last 4 months. There name is the Escoto Family, and they are a family of 5. Their father passed away about 2 years ago, and it was not long after that that they stopped coming to church. We have been working with them to help them to come back, but they never really wanted to. They always had things that they had to do, and excuses for why they couldn't come. We met with them on Friday, and they said that they were going to send their daughter. Roseli who is 12, and that she was going to go with the daughter of the Branch President. But then Sunday morning we received a text about 2 hours before church asking if we could go with them. After 4 months of love, we finally got them to come to church!!!! It was so wonderful to see them there, and watch them renew their covenants that they have been without renewing for 2 years!!! They were so happy, and the Spirit with them was so strong!!!!

So this is the story for the week. The Lord works in mysterious ways, and in his own time!! We are only here to love and be friends with everyone. It does not matter their beliefs, age, or knowledge. We are just to love. 

That is my invitation for all of you this week. That you can just love!!! 

Have a good week, Love you all,

Elder Mason Millar

07-06-2015

Hey all, 

So I know it is two days late, but HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!!!! 

I can honestly say that I have become so patriotic after being out of my country for 9 months. I was not very patriotic before I left, but I can say that the 4th was a very hard day for all of the elders from the states. We were all feeling a little homesick thinking about all of the things that were being done back at home, But then we went out and worked, and kind of forgot about it. 

So for the last week, There was not much that we did other than preparing for the baptism that we had on Saturday. It was really a good week. 

On Tuesday we finally got into contact with Daniela's mom, and actually started teaching her. She s really really cool. Her name is Sara, and she is from northern Mexico. She has straight teeth too!!! So after our first lesson with her she look at us when we asked her to pray and said that she would, but didn't need to because she already felt, and said it was true. The only problem will be getting her to church because she works on Sundays. 

But we were able to get her to give permission for her daughter to get baptized, and that was good! So after that we spent the majority of the week preparing things for the baptism. Getting her interviews with the zone leaders, and scheduling with the other elders that were baptizing that day. We actually had a baptism with two other companionship and three people got baptized. It was a very good service, and the spirit was really strong. 

Daniela had been waiting for almost 6 months for her baptism, and it was really a sweet thing to see her get the opportunity to do it. She is 9, and is such a sweet little girl. She is the youngest of two children, but lives with just her mom here in D.F. (Distrito Federal) She doesn't have much, but loves going to church, and spending time with the Marques family who are recent converts. 

So those are the events that really happened this week. Not much has happened down here. 

Love you all so so much!!!

Elder Mason Millar

So the photos. 

First photo were kids that came up to us in the street today and just asked us if we could take a picture with them. It was really funny!!!

Second picture, We all went and got our shoes polished together!!!

Third picture, All the americans that had america ties on the 4th!

Fourth, baptism with Daniela and the familia Marques!

06-29-2015

Hello all, 

So the last week was pretty uneventful, but at the same time a very busy week. 

So starting out on Tuesday we had our zone conference with President, and it was super awesome. He talked all about why we need to follow the rules exactly. He really focused in on waking up at 6:30. It is a mission wide problem, and I will not lie, I had gotten a little lazy in the mornings, BUT since the conference I have been way better, and have seen the difference in my days. 

So after the conference the three other elders in the branch were not feeling well at all, so I went with Elder Muir to his house, and studied while he slept while the other two who were feeling a little better went and work a little, and then rested. While I was studying I got the chance to read a talk by Elder Bednar, and Holy Wow!!! It was such an incredible talk, and since I have read it and marked it almost to the point that you can't read it. The talk is called "The Character of Christ."

I would highly recommend that you read it, and will include a word document with the talk. It was incredible!!! 

So The next event that was really really awesome was our trip to the Visitors Center at the Temple with three of our investigators. It was such a wonderful experience, and they learned so much. We went with Erik, Daniela, and Yasmin. They are the three young investigators that we are teaching, and it was their first time to go to the temple. They were so intrigued, and actually started to cry while we were watching the video talking about how families can be forever, and talking about how every family has problems. It was really special to see!!!

On Saturday in the morning I had an interview with President, and he shared with me a really cool section of Doctrine & Covenants. Section 84 and we were talking about the covenants of the Melchizedek Priesthood. The three things we are to do to receive our promised blessing from God are in verse 33, 43, 44.  In these three verse are the things we have to do to receive what we have been premised from God, Which is his kingdom, and eternal life!!! 

So this weekend was also our Stake Conference, so we had meetings Saturday night, and Sunday at a different time. They were really good meeting, and there was a lot of stuff talked about in how to be better members of the church and help more people.

This week we also had a real birthday, and my comp completed 1 year in the mission, so we celebrated with a member at here house, and in the end they both had cake on their faces. One was thanks to me!!! No, Not my comp, the member. I am not that mean to slam my comps face into his cake, but I will slam our mission moms face into the cake!!!

I love you all, and hope you all have a wonderful week!!! 

Con Demasiado Amor!

ELder Mason Millar

Oh, and I got a new haircut last week. To tell you the truth I don't really like it. It is a pain to take care of, but whatever. I am on the mission and no one cares how I look!!!!