It all started in a combi

Que dicen familia y amigos!?

So October basically didnt exist. That flew by! I hope all of ya'll had enjoyed the Alpine Loop while you could haha. Nothing better than October in good ole Orem Utah. But Im not too jealous because I have my pan de muerto, tacos del pastor, and churros to keep me happy haha.

What a great week here in ojo! Its been a good start with my new comp Elder Ponce. He{s getting to know our enourmous area little by little haha. District leader is going good so far. I led my first district class on wednesdsay which went well and then on thursday I organized exchanges which were also super fun! I had already known a lot of the zone leader duties because of my dad, Elder Howell, who is and was zone leader but district leader was brand new to me. Pres said it was the perfect next step for me, and I{m grateful for the opportunity to learn more.

Apprently thursday night there were some huachicoleros by Tonanitla at about 1:30 AM. This means that people were digging in to the gas pipelines to try and steal some petrolium. Some people saw them and called the police, so the huachicoleros ran away but left the gas line open. The gas started leaking rapidly and a huge gas cloud formed and everyone in Tonanitla and part of Ojo de Agua was evacuated at about 2 in the morning just in case there was an explosion. Calle Flores wasnt evacuated "Elder Ponce and I probably wouldnt have waked up anyways haha because we were completely out" but apparently is was so crazy. You could hear the gas leak and you could smell it from across different cities. Everything ended up being fine, but quite the little scare! And Elder Ponce and I had no idea what had happened until the next day. Ignorance is bliss I guess haha.

The highlight of this week was the baptism for Adriana and Juan! We went through final preparations this week and then Saturday at 2 was their baptism! Guys I dont know what it was, but this baptism was different. The spirit was strong when I baptized Juan but it was something much more special when I baptized Adriana. As soon as she exited the water, she looked so clean and so happy. She told me how she couldnt explain how happy she was, and what she was feeling. While I was playing the closing hymn for the baptism, I was overwhelmed with love for the mission and for the people I get to teach. I reflected about how guided I have been to find people and serve as an instrument to share the gospel with them. For Adriana, it all started in a combi (the little public tranport vans). She was the first baptism I had that was one of my personal contacts. I was there from step one. I had an impression to contact her on the combi, and then she agreed to let us get off the combi with her and teach her a lesson at her house. That's where it all started. Six weeks later she entered into the waters of baptism.

I thought I wasnt a cry baby, but I completely lost it during the closing hymn of the baptism program. To the point where I couldnt speak because I was crying so hard. I was filled with the [greater happiness that awaits you[ that the mission call promises. I was not prepared for it, it just came at an instant. These are the moments I{ll remember most from the mission. It makes all the hard times worth it. Now we just need to work on finishing the deal with Veronica and Uriel, her mom and bro.

Mosiah 5:13 says "For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?" I invite you to all serve your Heavenly Father a little bit more. Remember that you can do this by serving and helping others. This will help you get to know your Heavenly Father better because you'll be acting as he would act. Serving and loving everyone. 

Todo ha sido bien padre aqui en Ojo de Agua. Estoy emocionado para todo lo que nos esta esperando en esta area.

Cuidense mucho,

con amor,

Elder Millard

Yolanda, Diego Baptism and Transfers!!

como han estado mis amigos y familia!?

How are my favorite people doing? I heard theres already snow in the mountains. Would someone mind packing some up to send to me so I could ski on Pdays? Haha snow definitely is not a thing down here. I hope all is going well in O town!

Go and listen to Where Does the Time Go by a Great Big World and that will explain my feelings. Where did this cylce go?? It barely even existed and now mi hijo is already leaving me! Sad day. 

This week was pretty good! Sure it rained (poured) every single day and our white shirts always get wrecked from the muddy streets of Mexico without a bike lane haha but we find joy in the journey, including the journey in the rain. Weve been able to just laugh off the hard times and move on. Its a good sign that rain has been the hardest thing we had to go through this week.

We baptized Yolanda and Diego this past Saturday! The Elders before us were the ones who started teaching them, so we just had to review everything and get them back on a baptisimal date! They will be good additions to the ward! They both lack a little bit of enthusiasm haha but they believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ and wanted to be baptized! Thats all it takes! So we prepared them and now they've entered into that important covenant. President and Hermana Kimball came to the baptism too! When he told me they were coming, it definitely upped the nerves up a little bit haha but the program went really well! He gathered up all the young people at the end and gave them all two dollar bills to signify the start of their mission funds. He has a super cool story that he always shares before he gives the bills. Pres picks a different sacrament meeting to go to every week and he gives two dollar bills to all the youngters in every ward. Who knows how he got all the bills, especially since theyre so rare but it was cool that he was able to come to our baptism to give a bill to Diego and a couple other youngters who came.

This cycle truly was amazing. I learned so much from training a new missionary. I feel so much more confident and capable! I really enjoyed my time with Elder Molina and I know hes going to kill it in California. Hes been teasing me all about hes gonna have a car, a nicer house, and basically nicer everything haha. But itll be interesting for him to see how different the missionary work is there. 

We have been so blessed for our efforts here in Ojo de Agua, and we have found a really special unity as a companionship. Weve learned a lot from each other. Im really grateful for the opportunity Pres and the Lord gave me to train during my training. Definitely an experience Ill never forget. "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

This week we also had transfers! Drumroll..... I'm staying in Ojo de Agua as District Leader! Elder Ponce is my new companion. He's from Veracruz in Mexico and he seems pretty cool! I was kind of disappointed at first to not get another kid but there were only two new Elders this cycle and I know that this is a good next step for me. Here's for round two in Ojo de Agua!

I was reading in Jacob this week in the Book of Mormon. What an amazing book! Chapter 3 verse 2 says "O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever." WOW. I dont know what it is about the scripture but I just love it! We have the opportunity to not just partake but feast upon the love of God. And if we are firm in the tesimony, we will feast on the love forever. Thats what its all about. Be surrounded by love, joy, and family forever. Lets use this as our motivation during the hard times. Gods love is all around us. It can be manifested through the angels around us, family and friends. Search and feast upon the love of God. There's nothing better.

Que les vaya bien!

Elder Millard

Fernando and Erika Baptism!

Que honda mis carnales!?

Its so fun to hear about all the new mission calls everyone is getting, and that a bunch of my friends are finally leaving on their missions! Its so cool to have friends all throughout the world preaching the same message.

This week my son Elder Molina had to go to Mexico City for his visa interview. He left on Wednesday and got back on Friday so I had to stay with the Hacienda Elders for three days. Pres told me to focus on my area while I was with them, so we had to compromise and try and make all of our appointments. We were all over the place on thursday trying to fit in everything. The Elders from Hacienda couldnt believe how much we bike hahaha. Its been raining about every single day for a couple of weeks now and Ive about had enough haha. I love the rain but when you have to bike across Mexico to different appointments, it makes it a little hard. Our white shirts have had a rough time lately haha. Mi hijo returned on Friday in the afternoon and it was so nice to have him back. Then the next day we had the baptism for Fernando and Erica!

The baptisimal service went super good! We had so many people come that we couldnt fit everyone in the room! We had the bishopric, relief society pres, and Elders quorum pres come and welcome them as part of the program. Fernando and Erica are already getting to know so many people and their kid is loving primary. They are so outspoken about how much the gospel has changed their lives. They always tell me and Elder Molina how we have changed their lives, no matter how many times we tell them that its not us who{s changing their lives. Fernando, Erika, and Ivana had their confirmations yesterday and they all went so well!

Matthew 13:45-46 says "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls; Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it." Guys we are fortunate enough to have found this great pearl. It's up to us to give everything we have to obtain it. Fernando and Erika have told us from the beginning that they will do anything to become members. THEY EVEN OFFERED THEIR HOUSE FOR US. They legit want to give up the top part of their house for us and future missionaries. They said they would make a new stairwell so that the house could be completely independent from theirs. I dont know if itll meet all of the requirements for a mission house but the point is that Fernando and Erica are the merchant men that Jesus is talking about. I{m so grateful that a member brought us to their house a few weeks ago. They have changed my perspective for the mission. There are people that are so ready. Fernando and Erika were meant to accept this gospel and they have waited for so long. Remember that Erika literally had her death certificate when she was lifeless in the hospital, but God decided it wasnt her time yet. What an amazing couple they are. They've already made us promise that we{ll stay in contact with them for the rest of our lives haha.

My kid is officially leaving me this coming week.... sad day. We don't know the exact day but he'll definitely be gone by Monday. I've had a blast with Elder Molina and he truly is a great missionary. He is straight up so chill, and just rolls with the punches. He has forgotten himself which is the most important thing you can learn here especially in your training. I{m going to miss that kid, he{s going to smash it in Cali though. Stay tuned next week for the transfer news!! I dont know if I'll get another kid or if someone will be transfered here, I just really don{t want to leave this place! I dont think I will, but I also didnt think Id leave Mixquiahuala so I guess we never really know haha. We have so much going on for us here, and theres so much potential but I know that whatever happens will be whats right!

Espero que tengan una buenisima semana!

Elder Millard

Ivana Baptism!

Que Pachuca por Tuluca!!

Haha that is probably the most "Chilango" phrase you can find. How are my fam and friends doing?! Wasn't conference incredible_ I love the excitement of all the modern revelation. It truly is amazing to see God work through modern day prophets. Also I may or may not be a little bit salty that for the saturday afternoon session there was a missionary choir with half of Mountain View and half of my best friends in it! Im so jealous haha. But what a cool thing that they had the opportunity to participate in such a wonderful conference.

This saturday, before conference started, we had a baptism for the hermana Ivana! Ivana is quite the character. She is nine years old and is the hardest person I{ve ever had to teach. I've taught some pretty down to earth muchachos about 8 or 9 years old but Ivana has given us a hard time. She doesnt use words unless she tells her mom to get something for her, she is incapable of making eye contact, she lays down during lessons, she spends the lesson licking and scratching her arm, and the last lesson she was picking her nose with scissors too. Yeah... haha it has been a little difficult. We all have our different weaknesses and habits I guess haha. The good news is that she really likes primary and she has her little testimony that the church is true. We reviewed all the fundamentals each day this week to help her prepare for the baptism, which means we spent about an hour on combis every day in order to travel to Paseos del Valle which is where they live.

I cant remember if I already explained what combis are but they are basically the main form of transport in this area of Mexico. Theyre basically huge vans with like 10 seats in a circle and they all have certain routes that are shown by the little papers in the windshields. Even though they are awkward and theyre about as smooth as the rollercoaster ride at lagoon, they are great for contacting and theyre actually pretty reliable too because there are so many! You can just stand by a main street at any time and in about 2 mins max there will be a combi pass by with the route you need. The only problem is, our area is so big which means we have used a lot of combis, which means we are broke haha. Its at least 10 pesos each person on the combis which adds up really quick with our budget. We{ve definitely had to use a little bit of personal money in this area, but we get by and do our best, and we use our bikes as much as we can.

Ivana's baptism was definitely something special. We couldn{t get the boiler to work because the guy who knows how to fix it hasnt been showing up, so the water was pretty cold haha. Ivana didnt want to decide which of us should baptize her. So my kid and I decided itd be cool for him to baptize his first person. So Elder Molina did the ordinance, but of course Ivana{s foot popped out of the water, so he had to do it again. The problem is Ivana was freaking out. She wanted to get out of the font so fast because it was a little cold. She finally calmed down and walked back to Elder Molina. He did the ordinance again and HER FOOT POPPED OUT AGAIN. This time it was bad, Ivana had had enough. Long story short, she was able to do it a third time which then counted. But wow. It was a little rough. I felt bad for my comp, he did nothing wrong. Maybe Ivana hasnt ever gone submerged in water before_ I dont know. Karen last week was completely find with the same exact conditions.

Even though ordinance was a little bit rough. The spirit was still amongst us during this powerful ordinance. Ivana's mom was emotional because she could feel the truth of the church. I was amazed how she was able to focus on the sanctity of the ordinance instead of how uncomfortable it was for her daughter to be baptized three times. The members that were there were really supportive and it all turned out to be ok. Ivana{s parents are set to be baptized around December or January. The only reason they have to wait is for a previous divorcement to be finalized. They are super active in the church though, and the baptism of their daughter will be yet another reason to stay faithful and active. We will be visiting the Ramirez family very often.

One other highlight of the week was when we decided we were going to bike to Nextualpan to find a reference that has a lot of potential. What we didnt realize was that Nextlualpan extended unbelievably far, almost to Zumpango which is out in the boonies. So when we got to Nextlualpan, we asked where the specific colonia was and they just said it was forever in [that[ direction. Long story short, we were biking for over an hour to find this place, it wasnt the safest conditions, and our allergies were getting wrecked. Id already had a super hard time with allergies throughout the week but we biked through fields and fields with dirt, pollen and everything else that makes my allergies bad. My nose was a faucet and I could barely see because my eyes were so watery haha. But despite the difficulty of the trip, we were able to find some cool new places, and we were able to find the reference and put him on a baptisimal date! We also learned our lesson that from now on, we are going to only take combis when going to Nextlualpan haha. You can imagine how hard this was for my comp especially with what I told you guys last week about his bike skills. He described the trip as [endless, horrible, painful.... but worth it[ I love how even though he got completely wrecked and he couldnt feel his legs, he was able to look at the good the came from it haha. I reassured him that he had done something harder than 99% of the other missionaries in the mission that day. We took a little 5 min brake in Tonanitla, one of my favorite little towns by Ojo de Agua, and then we got right back to work.

Things are going just grand here in Ojo. I love how we get to meet a different hermana every day with lunch, They are all soooo nice and have the most amazing stories! They are all our [Mama galletas[ which means our cookie moms. Haha its a term here which means the ladies that will just do anything for you. I love all of them with my whole heart. Fernando and Erica are set to be baptized this saturday! They could very well be the best converts I ever have on my mission. WOW. Every lesson is incredible with them. In between lessons, they read full books within the book of mormon, all the little pamphlets we give them, and they write down all of their questions that they have for us! They say they are willing to do anything to become members of the church. They have told their friends when they offer them beer that they have find a book that has changed their lives and then they respectfully say no. We are running out of material and homework to give them! Haha its a good problem to have, thats for sure. They have testimonies and faith that just blow me away, and I have no doubt they are going to be amazing contributions to the kingdom of God. Now we{re looking with the temple in sight for them! It was so funny because during our past lesson, they were asking us about how the actual ordinance of the baptism works. We taught them exactly how the immersion works and everything, and Erica said she was nervous about drowning and that we wouldnt be able to pull her back out of the water hahahahaha. Fernando and Erica are a little bit bigger people so I guess we{ll start working out with more intensity this week before the baptism to prepare. Hahaha no it will be nice and easy especially with the font high with water. We're so excited for Fernando and Erica.

I was writing like a mad man during conference. Such great insight from all of the speakers! And what an amazing change the two hour church block is! More time for gospel study for all the families around the world is going to be so impactful. This change reassured the fact to me that the church organization is not the ends means by itself. The church is not the gospel. Elder Uchdorf said that the church offers a place to practice living the way Jesus lived, and teaching the things Jesus taught. And I might add that the church is also the path in which we can participate in all the covenants as a part of the covenant path. But the gospel of Jesus Christ is so much bigger than just the three hour church block! We are all striving to become new creatures where old things are passed away. And we can help other people in their process to become the divine beings God intended them and us to be. We can together "Belive, love and do" as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. What great messages from conference! Its necesssary to follow to prophets council and review all of this great material often until the next conference.

I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have to assist in the work of the gathering of Israel that was mentioned several times in conference. These are the last days, and we need to truly apply the gospel into our lives, and serve God and the people around us for (How knoweth a man his master who he does not serve?). Serve him, love him, and try your best to be like him. I love you all so much and hope you have the best week!

Cuidense mucho eh?

Elder Millard 

Still has the touch...

Karen Baptism!!!

Mom's note:  LOVE THIS LETTER SO MUCH!  

La mejor familia y amigos!

Hace mucho tiempo que no les he visto eh!? I miss all of you so much but thankfully Monday is the only day I have even the slightest amount of time to think about that haha. I hope everything is going great back at home!

What an incredible week in ojo! We now have 11 with a baptisimal date! One of the assistants told me that he told President our numbers from last week and Pres just looked at him with his jaw dropped hahaha. We have been so blessed here, it's crazy this is already our fourth week!

This past saturday we had a baptism for Karen!!! Wow it was such a special day. We had been planning on the next week but it turns out her father decided to give her permission to baptize this past saturday! She has had lessons for over a year with the missionaries, and she has such a strong testimony! Neither of her parents are members but her grandma is. The baptisimal program was so amazing. Karen asked me to baptize her so I had the amazing opportunity to perform the ordinance for her. Now the baptism with Claudia and Maria was great back in Mixquiahuala but this baptism meant a lot more to me. As soon as Karen exitted the water, I could feel that she had walked through the door into the straight and narrow path. It was so real!! I can't even describe the feeling, but of course the power of the spirit was what we were all feeling. Karen and her mom hugged each other crying for minutes after the ordinance. It was so special because Karen had just been waiting for her parents all this time, and now their parents feel the truth of these things too. Karens mom came up to me after the program and told me how much she loved it and how my song touched her heart. I have confidence that she and her husband can get baptized especially since we will be reviewing all the lessons with Karen again. What a special day. Im so glad I was able to play a part as an instrument in the Lords hands in this great covenant that Karen made.

The family Reyes back in Mixquiahuala got baptized this week too! Ana actually asked for me to baptize her but Mixqui is about 10 hours and 1000 pesos roundtrip so that unfortunately wasnt able to work out. So Elder Howell{s kid had the opportunity to perform the ordinance instead, which was great, its all the same work. Im so happy for the family Reyes.

Fernando and Erica are progressing super well! They accepted a date for the 13th of October! They're keeping their commitments really well and they have already read First Nephi TWICE so they can understand it better. They are truly so prepared to accept the gospel. I'm amazed by their faith and their desire to change and follow Jesus Christ. I've never had any investigators like them. They were with some friends the other day when their friends starting drinking and they offered them a beer too but Erica said "No thank you, we found a book that has changed our lives, and we{re not going to drink anymore". WHAT, I'm amazed by them every day. They have gone through so much too. Some serious economic situations and also medical circumstances. About 15 years ago, Erica was involved in a serious car accident. She was pregnant at the time, and the baby didnt survive. But GET THIS, Erica was actually pronounced dead and put in the morg. They had a death certificate for her and everything. Erica told us that she was able to see herself in fetal position in her hospital bed and her husband crying in a different room that she had never been in. She said she also saw a very bright light and heard a voice. But then suddenly she just woke up again! When her husband came in to see her again, the first thing she did was ask him if he was in that room that she had seen. She described the room and the husband was completely shocked and didnt understand how she knew where he was. What an incredible story. She told us about this while we were teaching her the plan of salvation. It really added to the knowledge we have that our spirits return to the spirit world after we die. But Erica's time wasnt quite up yet, she has a purpose here on the Earth and so God gave her another chance. They were so engaged in the lesson and I honestly loved how hard there questions were to answer. They were so into it and they were so grateful at the end of the lesson for the knowledge they have of the plan of salvation.

Im gonna be completely honest and tell you guys that this story definitely reminded me of Harry Potter hahaha when he died but then decided to come back to life to finish his mission. I definitely didnt share this with them lol but its honestly such a similar situation haha.

One of the hermana's didnt have time to give us lunch this week so she gave us 100 pesos to go get our own lunch. So of course we went to Little Caesars on Boulevard Ojo de Agua! Sitting next to us were three white people which are no joke only the second, third, and fourth white people I've seen in my entire mission, except for the other missionaries haha. Naturally I had to ask what they were doing here in Mexico! It turns out they are Baptist pastors and leaders! One of the lady's husband is in charge of the baptist church is all of the state of Mexico and Hidalgo. They were honestly soooo nice and I couldnt get over their southern accents. For some reason I felt like I should schedule an appointment with the one who lives here in Ojo de Agua. Guys, she said yes, and so we{re set to meet with a head Baptist leader in Mexico next week. Hahaha I have no idea what I'm going to say to them but Im excited to get to know them and their views and then share our perspective! You never know what can happen. There were other Baptist pastors around Ojo de Agua that day for a little conference and all of them were full of southern hopsitality and accents. It made me feel so close to my sister Sheri haha. These people are something special.

Guys my kid might need to learn how to ride a bike again. Hahahaha listen to this. You already know he hit a car but theres more. He has ran into a lamppost, he's ran into a wall, and he has ran into ME! hahhaha he totally side swiped me the other day and we both went tumbling down into the middle of the street. It was right next to my house where theres barely any cars, and we didnt get hurt or anything but it was sooo funny. Maybe during Pday, Ill go buy him some training wheels so we can practice. Hahahaha lets just say its been trying my patience when we have a lot of different appointments all day but he goes about as fast as my nephew rides on my segway hahahahaha. Im so used to hauling with Elder Howell and this is just a little step back. Its not a big deal its just funny. Im just trying to teach him by loving him. He'll get that hard work mentality in no time.

Yesterday we had 13 come to church! It was an entire army! And it was so amazing because most were able to stay for all three hours, and during the second hour we had a little extra time towards the end of the meeting and Fernando started baring his testimony of the gospel to all of the other investigators! He has such a powerful testimony and he was able to strengthen the other investigators with their personal trials. Once again, Fernando and Erica are unbelievable and I'm so glad Hermana Isabel introduced us to them. Also on sunday, Karen was confirmed with the Holy Ghost! She already feels so comfortable in the church because she already has all her little friends in Young Women. Now we just need to work with her parents haha.

One of my favorite scriptures is Matthew 16:25 where it says "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake shall find it." There seems to be so many Oxy Morons in the gospel and its honestly so intriguing. The more humble you are, the more powerful you are. The more poor you are in your heart, the more rich God can make your testimony. And that if you lose your life for Gods sake, you will actually find it. This has given me comfort during my mission. That if I just forget myself and go to work, I will come to know myself and my potential as a son of God. I know this scripture can guide all of you guys as well. Do your very best to lose yourself in the service of others. Follow all the commandments, read the scriptures, go to church, and do all the little things! A couple chapters later in Matthew 23:12 it says "And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and whosoever shall humble himself shall be exalted." So let us all be humble and follow Jesus Christ so we can receive the blessings of exaltation. I love you all so much!

Estamos en contacto, les amo!

Elder Millard