WOW. I have no idea where to start. I low key feel like I don't want to email because I know I won't be able to capture it all! We weren't able to send an email the first week so this will be regarding my first two weeks! But here I go, I'll do my best!
The flight to Mexico was great! I was able to sit next to the Elder who would end up being my MTC companion! As soon as we started descending to our landing in Mexico, I was overwhelmed with joy and excitement as I looked over the exact area that I would be serving for two years. It is SO BEAUTIFUL and there is so much color! We took a bus with all the new missionaries from the airport to the CCM and it was so insane. The traffic system is so crazy and I almost witnessed 40 crashes. But it was so cool to see everything! Once again, so much color, so many businesses, and crazy houses all over the place. The architecture is just so different and beautiful! It got me so excited to serve in this amazing area. Then we arrived in the CCM! This place is such an incredible place! I am already in love with it because it is just such a safe haven surrounded by a city of 25 million people. It's fun to always hear explosions, dogs, and traffic when close to the gates of the CCM. But this place is incredible. There is a big B on the mountain nearby that was for the old high school here. But now we like to say that is stands for "Bautismo" which is baptism haha. But this place really is the best. In our first devotional, our CCM president kept on saying that this is the best MTC en todo el mundo hahah and I totally believe it. Even though I've had to sweep up a dozen cockroaches in my dorm hahaha. Ahhh I have so much to say about my first days but I guess I'll have to only include the highlights.
My first full day here (Wednesday) we met our branch presidency. There were only two districts in this branch because the branch is brand new! They did a bunch of interviews and..... drumroll...... I'm the new zone leader!! Haha what a first day! I was already overwhelmed with assignments and tasks, let alone take on this assignment but I was super excited! Me and my companion were both called to serve as zone leaders. I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve because this is where I thrive! I know it would've been hard for me to not serve as it because it's such a great opportunity! Leadership has been such a big part of my life, and it's cool now to combine it with the gospel of Jesus Christ! Let's just say I'm so glad I've had experience in stud co because this is honestly very similar, other than of course how this work is so much more important haha. Since that first day, there have been two new districts who have joined our zone so now I'm leading over four districts! One of which is a Latin district. They are so amazing and they have been so fun to talk to. That's seriously my favorite thing here so far, talking to all the Latin missionaries! My companion is a champ because we move probably 10 times every meal to try and talk to everyone! I've had some pretty amazing conversations in spanish already and it is just so fun!! They are so friendly and supportive in learning the language. I love how welcoming everyone is here. I'm pretty sure I hear and say "Hola Elderes" and "Hola Hermanas" 200 times a day haha.
I absolutely love the CCM President! His name is President Bennett and he and his wife are champions. I've already gotten super close with Pres Bennett and we've had a couple personal meetings together! He's expressed to me that I had the most heart-felt and best reviews out of all of the missionaries who did the Pre-MTC program! He said he thought I was famous when he saw my name and found that I was zone leader but then after he saw my Pre-MTC reviews, he was just amazed haha. It's been fun to develop a relationship with him. It has given me a glimpse of what it will be like with my Mission President, President Kimball! Pres Bennett and others only have incredible things to say about my mission pres. They say he is the most energetic and kind person ever! He and his wife run about 10 miles every other week day and 15 miles every day over the weekend! I already love them.
All of the classes and meetings have been going good. I absolutely love my teachers Hermano Valdez, Garcia, and Hermana Meza! They are so awesome and I just love how they say everything in spanish because that is truly the best way to learn, just be immersed in it! It's also been such a blast to talk to my Pre-MTC teacher Hermana Perez! We have such a funny relationship and I love every time I see her. I've been talking with a lot of people, including my teachers and as of right now, I'm on track to actually switch districts into a Latin district with everything completely in spanish! I would have to leave my companion, district, zone and my position as zone leader but I truly think it's the best path for me to be able to improve faster. I'm taking a test tomorrow, and will spend a complete day with the Latin missionaries and then make my decision! If it ends up happening, I would start with a brand new Latin District when I start week 4. That way I will spend my last three weeks with their only three weeks in the CCM because Latin missionaries only stay for three. I'm excited for what's in store. The language is so difficult but I'm using what I know and I'm trying to be patient with myself. It's been fun to be able to help my zone and district though because most of them don't have as much background with spanish as me.
My companion is great. He is very different from me, and it's been a great challenge to work together 24/7! He is a computer programmer, worked as a janitor, and he has very unique perspectives. He is very observant, and it's been difficult because I'm so used to going around and talking to everyone, but he has a very different personality that has been challenging to work with. Haha I'm probably making things sound worse than they are, he is great and we've already learned so much from each other. He had zero spanish before he got here so it's been fun to help him.
There is a track here which has been fun to work out on every day. There is a good view of the B on the mountain, and there is a great view of the city! It's fun to imagine the surroundings from the track at mountain view and comparing them with the surroundings at this track. The first main difference is there is a Y on the mountain at home and a B on the mountain here haha. It's nice to be able to run out all my excess energy and let all my stress go.
I love my district and zone so much! I get to work with so many great people including our amazing district leaders and sister training leaders! It's fun because I can make a connection with just about everyone that is from Utah. I ask what school they went to, and then ask if they know whoever their student body president was. And then we instantly have mutual friends hahaha. It's sooo fun to see familiar faces in the CCM. I see John Francis, and Mara Hansen all the time! I also got to know Hermana Jordan who is Ian Jordan's older sister for all you Orem High folks. I swear everything here reminds me of home. Like I said the surroundings at the track, so many doppelgangers. I swear Kenzie Green has a twin that I didn't know about who is in my district. She is awesome. I can tell I'm going to be really good friends with a lot of these people. We had an Elder in our district named Elder Dunn and he was the coolest guy. He is 24 years old and is such a hick! haha he is so funny! Unfortunately, he had to go home yesterday.. It's been rough on our district. But our president shared with us that it was because of the love from our district that he decided to make the scary step to go home and work through the atonement on things he has to work on. He's been put on a track to come back in a few months though which is a miracle! I can still hear his laugh in my head haha.
Guys the spirit is so strong here. I LOVE our devotionals that we have every tuesday night. Elder Pino of the Seventy spoke on the Tuesday that I got here, and members of the CCM presidency spoke this last Tuesday and they all have such powerful testimonies. I was blessed to have the opportunity to play piano for the entire CCM for one of the devotionals! I played a piano solo arrangement of Be Still My Soul and it was so special. I was then asked to play for the next devotional for the choir, and for the other hymns so I've been practicing a reasonably difficult arrangement of Battle Hymn of the Republic for the next devotional haha. It's so fun to play though and I'm so grateful for the opportunities I've already had to sing and play. The CCM is growing so fast right now and soon we will have 900 missionaries!
Every Saturday night there is a zone meeting that is completely in control of the Zone leaders. We can do whatever we want for an hour, and no adult leaders or anyone will be there. Just missionaries. This past saturday, I planned for everyone to share certain things about themselves. It was so fun and stress relieving to both talk about what you like to do and hear about other people. I could tell people liked it because they would all talk for a long time! I was debating on maybe telling people to make it more brief because I had other things planned but I felt the spirit tell me not to because it what people needed. The spirit was so strong, especially during the final remarks from the sister training leader and me and Elder Fausett. Such a great meeting. The next one (tomorrow) will be more difficult because we have a Latin district now like I said before. But it will be a great blessing to have them and I'm excited.
The missionary life is so great. I'm so blessed to be here. We have people all around the world, including the very first missionaries from Haiti to come to the CCM! I love it here even though I have 70 things on my to do list to memorize and assign and teach. But it is so great, and I've already learned so much. It's really interesting to see the approach of the CCM to teach spanish. They haven't focused nearly as much on the actual grammar as they have on teaching us to use what you already know in lessons with investigators. I've loved teaching our fake investigators because you can feel the gift on tongues working, and you end up learning faster. I know that if I trust the system, I will be just fine with my Spanish. I've already seen such an improvement. In fact it's been so weird to even write this in English haha.
Time if flying! I can't believe it's almost been two weeks! I love it so much already, and I'm growing a love for the spanish language as well. We had a leadership meeting and president Eves said talked about how everything we do in this life, we were foreordained to do. This includes learning the spanish language. He believes we learned spanish in the premortal life and that's why we're so prepared to speak it now. I like to think that the gift of tongues is just the Lord lifting the veil a little bit from the spanish that you have already learned in the premortal life!
Anyways, I love you all. I miss you all, but I've been so focused on the work that I haven't thought too much of home. Of course other than Kaelin's notes that she literally left in every single item of my luggage hahaha. Hasta Luego mis amigos!
Elder Millard
PS I can only send about three pics at a time so bear with me haha.
PS I can only send about three pics at a time so bear with me haha.
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