W9: Biography's and Friendship Bracelets

          Hello everybody. Hope you all are well and had an amazing week! 

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We had a pretty crazy week this week because we had a zone conference which is where a bunch of missionaries get together to learn and grow in our missionary efforts. That means we had to travel up to Puerto Montt.  We started that journey on Wednesday night. It took 1.5 hours on bus to get to Castro to meet up with other Elders on our island. We ended up playing a bunch of cards and went to bed kinda late.  It was fun until we had to wake up at 5AM, which was actually too late to catch our bus so we sprinted through this city as fast as we could to get to our bus on time. 

At 6AM we were running full speed in suits through this city which wasn't fun because it was pouring rain.  We got to the bus on time and I proceeded to take a 3 hour power nap because I am a master of sleeping while traveling now. I can sleep whenever and wherever I need which is a talent I've acquired as a missionary. We went to Zone Conference and it was super good. We heard our mission president speak. Toward the end though I was fighting for my life to stay awake because it was all in Spanish, I didn't have any food that day because we woke up so early and had to sprint to the bus terminal. We didn't really get the opportunity to eat breakfast and lunch was at like 2 PM. It was just a little rough towards the end but it's okay. Luckily there's a McDonald's in Puerto Montt so we walked from the chapel to McDonald's which was actually pretty close but it was a sad sad moment when there were too many people in McDonald's so I did not get my McDonald's which was so sad.  Honestly, it was a big bummer. But it's OK, because next time I'm Gonna buy myself a nice big Mac. So while I've mastered napping, I guess I haven't mastered planning to get places on time yet.  

While it took us a couple bus rides and a ferry to get to Puerto Montt it took other missionaries from farther south to come by plane. Like the missionaries in Punta Arenas that are pretty much at the bottom of the earth. 

After our missed meal, we took a 4 hour bus ride back to Castro where we spent the night again. But this time the elder's house did not have power and it was already like 9 PM and we were tired and had no light and forgot our chargers for our phone so we tried to get ready for bed in the dark which wasn't easy but eventually made it to bed. Morning came and we hopped on another bus for 1.5 hours to get to Quellón and it was good. I was back in our sector, got a nice hot shower and life was good again. Plus I was able to have a bowl of my favorite cereal, which gets me hyped up for the day.  It's the simple things people!  I guess southern chile is teaching me something.  

The mission work this week was pretty good. We're able to get six friends to church who want to learn about Christ so we are excited for them. They are great people. It's just awesome to see and be a part of.  A lot of people are willing to talk to you about Jesus and God here.  Way more than in the United States.  We say "Ha-yo" like someone would say hello in Spanish and people often let us in to talk if they come outside.  

Now that I'm on the mission I have very little free time but since I don't have a phone for anything other than calling and can't watch tv, I need to find ways to fill my very limited free time. I don't have much free time but every once in a while I have a little time. I like reading my biography of Gordon B. Hinckley. I know it's kind of crazy and I just started reading Jesus The Christ. I also like to make friendship bracelets.  It started in the CCM when I stole Elder Brossard's yarn but he was G for letting me use some and now I'm cooking. While my high school friends are learning calculus I am working on my hidden talent of friendship bracelet making.I'm getting pretty good. So if anyone needs a friendship bracelet just hit me up and I'll be able to help you out. 

Every time we are with someone we leave with a spiritual thought. My spiritual thought for this week is that I was reading in my biography of Gordon B. Hinkley, a prophet of our church a while ago and he had a quote from World War 2. 

He said that to "win the war we need math, chemistry, bones and sinew, but to win peace we need a broken heart and a contrite spirit. We need the equality of the Atlantic charter, but we more urgently need the equality that comes from the knowledge that we are all sons and daughters of God in a very literal sense and are therefore brothers and sisters."

I really like this a lot because in a world where it sometimes feels like people don't like each other, it's important to remember that when we try our best to love everyone it will make the world a better place. When we try to uplift everybody and just be a good person, it will make the world a better place.  But it takes all of us striving to be a little better and be a little kinder that will make the world a lot better place for everyone. And I just really like that quote because I thought it's very applicable in today's world.

Anyway, I hope you all have a good week. I should get my keyboard next week so I'll be able to write some better responses. I love all the emails I get so please keep them coming 🙏

-Elder McMillan 

A nice sunrise from a boat in southern Chile (above)
Me with Elder Garlick, Neilson, and Cole on the ferry. 
Me and Elder Garlick on the ferry at night on our way back from Puerto Montt 
Me and Elder Garick with our book of Mormons. 
Me and Hna Palmer hitting the OG pensador pose 

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