November 9, 2015

I just wanted to bear my testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I know this church is true. I know it is true with my whole heart. I have had experiences that have helped me gain this testimony. I know God is our father in heaven. His gospel is never changing his doctrine is never changing. I know that we have a true Prophet today on this earth and his name is Thomas S. Monson. I know he receives personal revelation from God. He is the prophet. His teachings are true. He has the power to speak with our Father in Heaven. Always remember this. Don't let your testimonies falter. I promise you all this church is true. Thomas S. Monson and the 12 apostles are prophets of God. I love them. I respect them. They are called of God.

Well hi there my family and friends. I love you all so so so so much and hope all is going well for you all. I have officially finished my fifth week here in the field and am starting week 6. All is good here. I am so happy to be serving the lord and serving my brothers and sisters here in the Peru Trujillo south mission. 

This week was good. We found only 3 new investigators this week which in my opinion is really good haha. They seem interested especially Sebastian. He is a member of a family that are all strong and fully active in the gospel. We both felt strong about him. He said he would read the Book of Mormon, and his family said he was! So all is good!

We taught Hermano Abraham who is the boyfriend of Lilia. we asked him to be baptized and he said he would if he got an answer from God. We set December as a possible month for him so I hope it will all work out.

What was so cool especially about this lesson was that when I was teaching. I felt so strong. I felt like the spirit was pouring out of me and speaking to him. He didn't understand when I asked him to be baptized but that is ok, it was such a cool experience for me.

Its frustrating when you know people are lying to you. People plan meetings with us and they say all is good when Elder Volquez and I both know its not good but that's ok.

This week was great. I love this gospel. I love everything about this work. It truly is amazing to see how much God answers me when I need help. I love you all and pray for you all every day. Remember with faith, all is possible.

Moroni 7 33 thanks momma for this scripture!!!! I love you!!!!

Love from Peru,

Elder McMillan

November 2, 2015

Well hello there my family! I love you all so so much and am so grateful for the opportunity to write you all. So, this week was great!  I'm pretty sure I've probably lost like 80 pounds out here! Everyone says I'm gordito hahaha but getting skinnier so its a compliment haha!

Lilia is doing good. She is ready for baptism and we want it for her so bad. We are trying to work closer and closer with her boyfriend because she needs baptism and he does to. I know it will make them so much more happy in there lives.

We had 5 less active members at church this week! I was so happy and almost just started crying because I'm so proud of these people. Elder Volquez and i had to teach escuala domincial.  He spoke most. I talked about our savior and I shared d and c 110 about a description of our savior!

We also went out during priesthood and split up with members and tried to get references. We were going to do it for an activity on Saturday but only one person the pres of priesthood showed up.

I love you all so so so so much. I know that this church is true and all is possible with faith. I love you all so so so much. remember all is possible with faith in our savior Jesus Christ!!!!!! I love you all!!!

Love from Peru,

Elder McMillan

October 26, 2015

So here I am so thankful for my savior and for my father in heaven. I want to tell you all an experience.

Not gonna lie at the beginning of this week i was bummed. I felt like I wasn't teaching with the spirit and I was just stressing. I said a prayer, probably one of the most sincere prayers I have ever offered. I grabbed my scriptures, held them in my hand and just said please give me an answer. I closed my eyes and just opened the scriptures to a random page. The spirit took me to Moses 6 31-34.

And when Enoch had heard these words, he bowed himself to the earth before the lord, and spake before the Lord saying. Why is it that I have found fayor in thy sight, and am but a lad. and all the people hate me, for I am slow of speech wherefore am I thy servant?  And the lord said unto Enoch, go forth and do as I have commanded thee, and no man shall pierce thee. Open the mouth and it shall be filled and I will give thee utterance for all flesh is in my hands. And I will do as seemeth me good. say unto this people choose ye this day to serve the lord God who made you behold my spirit is upon you wherefore all the words will I justify and the mountains shall flee before you and the rivers shall turn from their course, and thou shall abide in me and I in you therefore walk with me.

I testify to every single one of you that reads this, God is always mindful of us. when we need him most, I promise each and every single one of you, with faith and diligence and a sincere heart ,and humility, God will always answer. I promise every single one of you. never forget, when life gets to hard to stand, kneel. 

I have my first saved soul this week!  I am so happy and so thankful for her. her name is Juana and she has a lot of challenges but has a strong testimony too. She is an alma rescatada which is saved soul!

We have a date set for Lilia for baptism. We just need to get her and her boyfriend married and get him baptized!

I love you all. I promise this work is real and beautiful and amazing!!!! I love you all!!!!

Love from Peru,

Elder McMillan

October 19, 2015

Well hello there my dear friends and family. I am writing you all from Chao. haha! I love you all and I hope all is going well. This week was great. I had amazing experiences, and really hard experiences but that is ok because everyone learns from experiences.

Like last week, we in this part of the mission worry a lot about saving less actives and re activating them. We almost have 2 that are saved!!!! There names are Hermana Juana and Hermano Enrique. They are amazing and I want so badly for them to just be happy and come back. I know they will through time.

We have been working a lot with an investigator named Lilia. She lives with her boyfriend and they have had 5 kids together, but they're not married. She and her kids that are of age want to be baptized but she has to either marry her boyfriend or leave him. Were teaching him too, his name is Abraham. We taught him the Restoration and when Elder Volquez recited the first vision of Joseph Smith,  I looked in Abraham's eyes, and I knew he felt the spirit. He said he felt the spirit. I was going to ask him to be baptized but then he asked for us to give Lilia a blessing because she was sick. I felt like I should've asked but didn't because of the fact that we gave her a blessing.

It is difficult not being able to speak fluent. I want to just speak with fluent Spanish but I know it takes time, I know in time, I will be blessed with the gift of tongues.

I spoke in sacrament this last week! I spoke on fasting. I used a lot of scriptures. I made the congregation laugh haha! Members told my district leader that they loved my message. That made me proud of myself haha!

I love you all so so so so much. Remember when you feel like you can"t stand anymore, when you feel alone, remember. you are never alone. Our savior is always with us. The atonement is always there to take all pain away. Remember that. Never forget that when you feel sad, you can change your mood and be happy. You can do that with faith and strength. I love you all!!!!!

Love from Peru,

Elder McMillan

Arrival in Peru Trujillo South Mission, Tuesday October 6, 2015
First week in Peru
 

I am reporting from an area in Peru called Chao! I love it here!!! I can't believe that I have been here for 1 week already! This is crazy! I love you all so so much and I hope all is well.

Tuesday morning we woke up at 2:30 am and went to the Lima Airport. There we flew for an hour and landed in Trujillo. President Rios and his wife and all the office missionaries were there to welcome us!!!

We ate lunch with president and had our first interview and then we met our companions. my companions name is Elder Volques.  He is from the Dominican Republic and he speaks perfect English so I got lucky hahaha!!  He has such a huge desire to serve the Lord and is such a great trainer.

We don't have a ward, we have a branch of about 55 members. We work with members a lot and are trying to get them involved in the work. We focus on baptisms but we are focusing a lot on rescued souls which is less actives. We actually got one less active this week which is almost as awesome as a baptism!!! her name is Juana. 

The food has been a little hard for me to get used to but that's ok. haha!!

I realized that honestly I don't speak Spanish hahahaah! I've realized that I will be learning this language in the field and am so excited to be here I love you all and hope all is well.

We have one investigator wanting to baptized. We have to convince her boyfriend to marry her so she can be. Love y'all!!!

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Love from Peru,

Elder McMillan

September 30, 2015

Well week 5 has now finished and I am starting my final week here at the CCM! Holy freak I can't believe that time has flown by as quick as it has. I am so excited to enter the field! I need to go! I am so so so so so excited to just get out there and actually start teaching! I will miss the CCM but know I will love the field so so much more.

This week was my best week here. We had practice lessons where we practiced on missionaries in our district and we actually for the first time used how to begin teaching like we never have. We both felt the spirit as a companionship and I literally almost started crying!!!

Today at the temple there was a sweet Peruvian lady crying her eyes out in the celestial room. It broke my heart. I started crying and praying for her. Today is when I realized that I already love these people so so so so much and can't wait to teach for them every day. I could tell the lady was having a hard time and was going to say something hermanas in my district talked to her.

Since at the CCM I have given I believe either 4 or 5 blessings of comfort. I used to get so nervous about giving them but now feel so honored when a hermana asks me to give her a blessing. I love having the authority of God to deliver blessings. Its something I am very thankful to have.

We got to watch Elder Scott's funeral live and It made me miss Utah hahaha!!

I want to bear my testimony in Spanish now to show y'all what I've learned.

Yo se que la iglesia de Jesucristo de los santos de los ultimos dias es verdadera. Yo se que Jesucristo es nuestro salvador. Yo se que Dios es nuestro Padre celestial. Yo se que Dios y Jesucristo es amoroso. Yo se que nosotros tenemos desafios en nuestras vidas, porque desafios enseñar nosotros. yo se que misional obra es verdad. >Yo se que el espiritu santo es real. Yo se que el libro de mormon es un otro testimonio de Jesucristo. Podemos sentir el espiritu Santo cuando leyendo. Yo amo este evangelio, en el nombre de jesucristo.

I love you all and next time you hear from me I'll have been in the field for a week!!!!! AAAAAAHHHHH

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Love from Peru,

Elder McMillan

WEEK 4 Check, Week 5 Begin!!!

Ok so to everyone one I want to say hi!!! I love you all so much and thank you for the support you have given me!!! Week 4 was absolutely amazing and  I am excited to report and give you all feedback.

This week, we learned a ton of grammar whether it was by playing games or writing sentences on the board, a ton of grammar.

We also had many teaching opportunities. We committed our Camila investigator to baptism!!! We were so excited and thrilled and couldn't stop smiling!!!!

The best part of this week was proselyting this I am not going to lie, I was very nervous and couldn't stop stressing. We went to Lima East and were put with missionaries from that area. I was with a missionary named Elder Flinders. He has been out over a year and is from American Fork, I was also with a member from the area. We were given flyers to hand out about stake conference in the area. I honestly didn't talk much. We only got into one house and they were recent converts to the church. I was very nervous but told myself to get over it. I introduced myself and then Elder Flinders began to teach. From what I got they were having trouble staying obedient like going to church every Sunday. I bore my testimony at the end and just told them I knew the church was true. I didn't speak much, but I know I felt the spirit. There were so many things in my head. Even though I didn't talk a lot, I still smiled and tried to be happy and my teacher told us that is what matters. I know that I did what I needed to do. I was proud and happy and it made me remember why I came on a mission, I can't wait to get to Trujillo so I can give people the opportunity to hear about this glorious gospel like I have. I loved seeing the animals on the street, they said don't pet them but I really wanted to. Hahaha!!!!!

This week was amazing and I am so blessed for the opportunity to have had it. I love this Gospel, and I am so ready to leave the CCM and teach the people about the gospel of Jesus Christ!!!!!
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Love from Peru,

Elder McMillan