Real del Monte

Buenas Buenas tardes from one of the highest inhabited places in all of Mexico! It was cool to be able to get to know Real del Monte better this week! I hope all of you are doing well!

On Tuesday this week, we went with the bishop to real del monte to meet some less actives and get to know the area a little bit. This place is like a MAZE! Holy crap its gonna be so hard to navigate. A lot of streets dont have names and all of the are super crooked and lead to random paths and there are hardly any main streets! It has been interesting navigating throughout the place, especially with all of the crazy hills!

Honestly its been kind of a slow start. Since there hasnt been constant missionary work for a very long time, there are no investigators, converts, or anything. We've met a few people from part member families and so far those are our only investigators. Weve contacted quite a bit but wow this place is Catholic! Im used to going to other pueblos that are also very catholic but this place is even more extreme. While we were contacting, there was a woman low key following us and knocking the same doors we knocked but to organize their next march to worship the catholic saints and everything hahaha. Despite a lot of rejection, we have find a few people who we have appointments with this week. I hope they progress! I have faith that this week will be better and we'll find more people. Its going to be very complicated to figure out the sunday situation with the reunions canceled! The mission right now is figuring out how to act, and how to measure investigators progress instead of requiring the 3 sacrament meeting attendances. 

RIght now we're living with the other Elders in Loreto and we're still trying to find a house. Right now we're just living out of our luggage haha there's no space to hang up our clothes and unpack! I hope we'll find something soon. all of the options have been falling through.

My kid is doing well! He's doing great in the few lessons we've had, but he still doesn't feel used to contacting and the rejection haha but thats definitely normal. We just have to be patient that the Lord will provide us with people to teach! Its been a while that Ive been so desperate to find new investigators, but thats part of opening a brand new area!

This week I finished Helaman in the Book of Mormon and I really like the part where Nephi's preaching was rejected but that the Lord comforted him and he didnt even get home by the time he turned around to keep on preaching to the people. Those feelings of rejection were kind of what I was feeling, just a little less extreme obviously haha, but It gave me motivation to return to the pueblo to keep on preaching! Its never been an easy thing to do, thats why I know it'll take some time to see results!

Les amo a todos!

Elder Millard

Pics: Ill miss working with them! Welcome Elder Cordeiro to the offices!

(we ended up moving to Atotonilco, a pueblo a little further away from Real del Monte to start working. Everything was going great until the virus shut everything down.)

The Last Chapter

Bueno Bueno Bueno familia y amigos!!

March is upon us! I love the springtime! Even though spring isnt even noticeable here, I enjoy the pictures Im sent! We've had a few colder days recently, but most days its pretty hot. This week flewww by! Here are the highlights.

We started the week with another zone activity at Presidents house. This time, Pachuca Sur came! We played a lot of volleyball, and ultimate frisbee and football. Good times! I definitely enjoyed it more than the yoga from last time... Im the least flexible person on the planet haha. 

The rest of the week was completely focused on the transfers. We were able to do divisions with the Elders in our area a little more which went really well! But all the rest of our time was with the cambios. Almost every day, we sat down with President for hours talking and thinking about every companionship. It was very interesting to talk about my own changes as well. I'll write about them in a second.

First off, I just wanted to write about these past three cycles. These four and a half months have been incredible. Working with President and Hermana Maldonado is something I will never forget. They are so incredible, and they really put in their all to help the mission! President has done a lot to change the perspective of the mission for many missionaries. The disobedience has gone a lot down despite some special cases that were really hard to witness. The missionaries are working more for their love for the savior than for other previous motivations. There is a lot of potential for our mission! Results are already going a lot higher and March and future months are looking good for Mision Mexico Pachuca. In my time working as assistant, I have seen missionaries at their lowest, Ive seen them at their best, Ive been exposed to many things that happen in the mission, Ive gotten to know all of the missionaries. Ive never been so sick up worrying about renting new houses and buying all of the furniture and house items haha, Ive learned how to work with dozens of things on my mind at a time, Ive learned a lot more patience, Ive learned a lot of things I personally want to change, Ive been close to nocturnal for many days haha, Ive seen Gods servants lead his church and its been unforgettable. Im so grateful to have been a part of it. Even though there is still a lot of room to improve as a mission, I know I put in my all and I know we are on a good path. And now..... I'm back to the MISSION FIELD!

so. drumroll...... for the last 3 months of the mission I will be opening a new area called REAL DEL MONTE and I will be TRAINING! I am honestly sooooo excited. Let me explain what happened.

I had it in my mind, as I expressed last email, that I was going to go to a place called Tepatepec and train there. But early in the week, the bishop from the "Loreto" ward came to the offices with the Elders in Loreto to have a meeting with President. President invited us into the meeting with them. So the Loreto ward covers a section of hilly Pachuca right by the Clock monument. Even though most of the work is there in Pachuca, the ward limits technically go hundreds of miles north as well. It covers all of the pueblos in the mountains all the way up to the state of Veracruz. One of those pueblos in the mountains is called Real del Monte or Mineral del Monte. this place is like a 20 minute ride from Pachuca in transport and it is a HUGE tourist area. Every weekend, hundreds if not thousands go. Some if not most Mexican citizens that live further away from Pachuca, in fact, have never even heard about Pachuca but almost all have heard about Real del Monte. 

Real del Monte is a huge mining village. Like most the rest of Pachuca, the English people lived and mined there. They have parts of Real del Monte that people cant build a house unless it has english architecture, to preserve the feel and look of the city. The English cemetary has all of the grave stones pointing towards England which is pretty cool. It is one of Mexico's "pueblo Magico"s which just means its one of its strongest tourist cities. One of my last areas, huauchingango, was also a pueblo magico. Also, rumor has it that the first soccer game in all Latin America was played in Real del Monte by the English! and... its the exact home of the famous Paste! Basically, it is a very touristy place with plenty of people. Ive been a couple times passing by and it looks beautiful! Especially in comparison with Pachuca's dryness haha. Its 9000 ft elevation. 

There was a branch in Real del Monte about six years ago but members stopped going, and ever since then all the few active members went all the way down to Pachuca to attend the ward in Loreto. Ever since then there havent been missionaries working there! Six years without missionaries! This is why the bishop had the meeting with president. He wants to start working with the less active and part member families there. he has a lot of plans to help them. I'll be able to help him with all of that and hopefully I'll be able to find a lot of new people as well! Itll be a challenge, because all of them are going to have to travel significantly to get to church. and from what Ive heard, like 99% of the people earn most if not all of their income, selling to tourists on saturdays and sundays. Its gonna be an experiment to see if the people will be receptive and will be willing to sacrifice a little. I have faith that the spirit will guide us to people who are prepared!

The bishop convinced president to send two missionaries to work there. While the bishop was talking, I felt impressed to offer myself to go there. Since president let me pick my last area, I asked him what he thought about me going there and he really liked the idea! Since president doesnt think missionaries will have much work of there on the weekends, we will be living in Pachuca and taking a combi four days a week every morning to work in Real! and then returning back to pachuca every night. Good thing the combi ride is pretty! A lot of this is an experiment, but Im so excited to get to work and find new people! 

Since I will not be going to Tepa, I will not be a zone leader anymore. President wanted me to be the district leader there, but I convinced him to make a different Elder district leader, who I think will thrive with the new responsibility, and Ill be able to teach him his duties and help him figure it out! The decision was thanks to a thought my mom sent me throughout the week. I received the message right before we talked about the situation. God works in mysterious ways!

Im excited because for the first time in almost two years, Ill be able to focus on my area and my kid (the missionary im training) 100%

The new missionary that I will be training is named Elder Pardo! He is from Mexico City and he's a convert of one year!! From what hermana Maldonado read in his information from the papers, he seems really responsible, and hard working! I really hope so! Im excited to get to know him on Monday. 

After teaching only a few times in the past few months, Im so excited to go back to the people!! I know the Lord will guide my companion and I to get the work we need to get done in Real del Monte!!

Les amo!

Elder Millard

Pic 1: what the mission board looks like ft. my new zone.

Pic 2: The pachuca part of the loreto ward

Pic 3-4: a taste of Real del Monte!

Pic 5: The older sister of the boys in the pic I sent last week. She made us her facebook profile picture! haha also my old comp in that pic, Elder Cordeiro is the new Assistant! Im so proud of him, I new he would be the next assistant for a while now, it was hard not to tell him!
Pics 6+: extras

Back in Puebla!

Como les va a todos!?

What happened to february???? If someone could explain where it went that would be much appreciated. Times flying!

This week was super fun! On Monday we had a zone activity with president with the Pachuca Centro zone which has 27 people in it right now. Far bigger than all the other zones. It went really well, and it was super fun to spend time with everyone! 

After the activity and after cleaning everything up, President, my comp, and I started talking about the upcoming transfers. We had the dreaded conversation of how I am going to finish my mission. He explained that he really wouldve just liked to keep us together, but how the Area presidency doesnt recommend anyone to finish their mission in the offices. He said he sends us back to the field for US. If he were selfish, he would just keep us working with him. But he sends us back so that we can end with the missionary spirit. Im honestly super excited to go back but it kind of hit me during that conversation how fast things are coming to an end. He flat out told me that he trusts me to pick my last transfer. The area and the companion. Obviously thats a lot of pressure!

The area recommends, and President does everything possible to not have any zone leaders train new missionaries, so that they can focus on their responsibilities. Thats why I havent trained a new missionary since I was called a zone leader almost a year and a half ago. So while talking with president, we decided that itd be better if I trained instead of ending as a zone leader. But with recent events, President is planning on dropping a couple of the zone Leaders. He commented to me that its a possibility that I could end my mission training as a zone leader to help with the mission needs! So it works out perfectly! There are only two zones I havent been too, and so it looks like Ill be going to a place called Tepatepec which is a little pueblo like an hour from Pachuca. Ive heard good things about and I think itd be the perfect place to finish with my kid! Ive been there a few times and its just a little cute pueblo with great food and a lot of people! A missionary's two favorite things haha. This coming week, we will be finalizing all the transfers, so nothing is 100% sure yet but either way Im just excited to finish the last two cycles back in the field.

This week we finished all the interviews with the mission. We traveled back to Huauchinango Puebla to do the 12 missionaries in that area that still needed interviews. It was super foggy there but SO BEAUTIFUL as always! Puebla is probably the prettiest state of mexico honestly. In the food, nature, and people aspect! The culture is so cool! Im glad I was able to go there for part of the mission. A few days later, we went up to my birthplace Mixquiahuala to do the Tezontepec interviews! 

Traveling for all of these interviews, means that my companion and I have a lot of free time to study while president interviews. This week Ive read about 400 pages of Saints! I would highly recommend it to everyone! I've learned a lot, and have almost been brought to tears reading the sacrifices and examples of the saints, many of which are my ancestors. 

"Let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power, and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed." I am just amazed of the faith of these people, and all that they went through. Learning about their struggles to establish Zion and the church makes me so much more grateful for the church now a days! We are so blessed. Let us all remember and thank the sacrifices of the ones who went before us to allow us the blessings we enjoy today!

Les amo muchísimo!

Elder Millard

Pic 1: One of my convert families in Tizayuca!! Familia Garcia Reyes!! I love them haha. This is why Im on the mission

Pics 2-3: Back in Puebla!! Huauchi ❤

Pic 4: Mixqui!

Pic 5: Package from the best family ever!

Pic 6: Hermana Maldonado sent this to us. She's from the North and really likes to make fun of the "Chilangos" everyone from Mexico City and its close surroundings (Pachuca) haha I love her.

Pic 7: A lot of time in Presidents car these past four months haha.