Mateo in MEXICO: Christmas, singing in the Metro, and the new Visitor Center

What a wonderful Christmas week it was!

Seriously I loved it so so much. Even though this week felt like the longest week in the world, because it was, I still loved it a lot.

So I really don’t know where to start so I will make a list so I have some order in this email.... Well Christmas Eve happened and we sang in the metro, as well as ate Christmas dinner with the C.’s (Grammy’s family) We also had Christmas which was our preparation day. We went to the temple on Thursday to see the new Mexico City Temple Visitors Center and do a session. We had great church services.

Well it isn’t that much....

Okay SO I know I skipped out on a week cause I didn’t email last week about the week prior to this past week so I guess that week will forever be a secret because I really don’t remember anything about it, nor need I. Maybe if you beg you can read my journal when I am home to read about the lost week. But this past week was great! It was super weird because we didn’t have P-day on Monday and so I was just super disoriented because that is like changing 10 months habit. RUDE. But it was okay. We went to the offices that day cause my comp had to fix something about his credit card. Then we worked and worked and had a District Meeting that was horrible. Welcome to my life. I sometimes feel like I babysit a bunch of baby missionaries. Haha I love them a lot but I just really don’t understand how this happened. I have the most time out of us all and I don’t even have a year yet. Then the next two just barely have 6 months. And the next three have 3 months or less. It is natural for them to all be super crazy and immature and not care as much or know how to act, but it gets old. Haha I decided that I am hoping to have some Mexican companions for the rest of my mission. I only have one more year to perfect my Spanish and be the best missionary I can be. So I decided that a Mexican will help me with at least the Spanish part.

On Tuesday it was Noche Buena. GOOD NIGHT or Christmas Eve. It was fantastical. We worked all day until about 5 or 6 and then got into our show suit and went to the Metro to sing Christmas Carols. You know, the best way to spread Christmas Cheer is by singing loud for all to hear. SO we decided to apply those wise words of Will Ferrell and sing out hearts out. Seriously it was absolutely hilarious. So we were supposed to bring a member with us to hand out pamphlets while we sang, and also to talk to anyone that could have had interest. But our members were like.... “wait - it’s Christmas Eve... I want to be with my family”. And I was like “wow, way to be so selfish”. And so we didn’t bring one. Elder K. was passing out the pamphlets when magically our hilarious convert M. showed up from the metro and I bombarded her by throwing all the pamphlets on her so she would help us. She was like “ahh crap, what did I get myself into?”.... But by the end she loved it. She was so forceful in giving the people pamphlets. No one could say no. It was just a miracle. M. got into the spirit and started dancing and directing us while we were singing. Hahaha. I almost couldn’t sing because it was so hysterical. And also because it just made me so happy to see our singing make other people happy. People would walk by with big smiles of thankfulness. Some people even started to cry tears of joy (I hope) when they saw us. We eventually became a big hit.... (not sure if it was for our singing or because we were 6 white boys singing in a metro) and people were taking pictures with us, videos of us, and some started singing with us. It was super touching to experience the Christmas Spirit in action. It is real. And because of that strong spirit I felt, I decided that was the best Christmas ever. It brought such a peace to the hustle and bustle of the metro station and truly invited the spirit of Christ to touch the hearts of all that passed by, but that wasn’t the end of my Christmas EVE. Nay, it was yet the beginning. So we then went to the C.’s with M., because she is too a C., and started cooking the yummy Christmas dinner. Pierna de Lomo. Pig leg. Freaking good! But when we got there they let us put up their Christmas tree. I guess I made a comment like "where is your christmas tree, it isn’t Christmas without a tree" and so they got a Christmas tree and let us put it together. Then when we were done Grammy came downstairs and yelled "WHO DECORATED THIS UGLY TREE"..... hahahhaha. Mean Grammy. But it’s okay. I blame her for the ornaments. Haha. Then we played a bit of karaoke because they have a microphone and speaker and Grammy started singing a lullaby to my tired companion. She’s got some pipes, that woman. Then I was like... “Okay guys. We are going to do a Macdonald tradition and act out the Nativity Scene and read the story of Christ’s birth in Luke 2! Haha. So we got everyone dressed up and prepped to be the actors of the century. Grammy and Papa were Jose and Maria. M. and A. were the angels. M. and I. were the pastors. And their baby doll of Christ was Christ... obvi. Let me just tell you... those roles were inspired because it was the most perfectly funny nativity scene you have ever seen. So I started reading in Lucas 2 when Maria and Jose are travelling to Bethlehem... So they are walking around the table like little travelers. Then the shepherds were in the fields in the same region doing pastory stuff when the angels came and frightened them. Okay climax right here. M. and I. took their part very seriously and started SCREAMING when the angels came to tell them the good news... oh my. M. was like "ayyyyyy ayyyyy OHHH MYYY GOOOOOOOOOSHHHH" (in English, and said the other word) and was absolutely terrified. So I couldn’t keep my cool and messed up the narration. Anyways. They eventually found the baby Jesus and worshipped it legit and glorified God. And it ended wonderfully. So then they were like “okay now we have to sing to the baby Jesus” and I was like “huh?” SO they handed me a blanket and us four missionaries were holding it out to put something on it. They carefully put the baby Jesus on the "cradle" and started lighting candles and singing some catholic song in Spanish that I didn’t know and it was weird cause I realized that we were participating in an idol worship and I was like AHHH CRAP MOM. It was super awk. HAhah. They were like lighting sparklers in the house and it was crazy. Then they finished and kissed the dolls feet and looked at us to do it but we just were like nooo.... HAhaha. But it was fine and perfectly C. Guess we have to tell them about that commandment again. But yaaa. Funny. So we finally ate dinner and it was super yummy. I liked it a lot. Then they walked us home because we were allowed to stay out until 10. What a good memory that was.

Christmas morning we woke up and opened gifts. PS it got really cold this week so it was perfect to get gloves because I have been needing them. THANKS MOMMY. It was splendid. I loved all the gifts. And we made a paper Christmas tree so they even had a place to go.... The rest of the day we just did normal p-day stuff and even got to take a nap. What a wonderful Christmas. Woohooo. I loved being able to truly focus in the importance of that day.

The next day we woke up early to go to the temple. It was great. We had to go to be trained in using the new visitors center for when we bring investigators and members to teach them and give them tours there. Let me just say it was an absolutely amazing experience. The spirit in that building is just amazing. It would be impossible for someone to go and not feel the spirit. It made me so excited to bring investigators there to get to know the prophets of today and to see what the temples look like and everything. They went all out with that building. And then we watched a video about families and it made me remember you guys so much and how much I love you all so much! So it was just perfect. Then I asked President for permission to go and do a session and it was so great because he said YES. I was so stoked to go again for the last time before it closes. By the way, it closes this week. So that was such a tender mercy. I loved the temple. It made me so calm and happy and really it was fantastic. The changes were just beautiful and necessary. What a blessing it was to enter for Christmas. Now I only have got to wait 13 more months to go again. WOW.

Our investigators are super wonderful. R. M. is just as golden as ever. She decided to quit coffee without a second thought today. She is a huge example to me and what kind of a person I should be. She came to church again this week and loved it just as much, if not more than the last week. One more month and she will be baptized! The other people we are teaching are slowly but surely on their way to baptism.

Well I love the missionary life. It is going by so fast and I am just feeling like I need to keep working hard to keep experiencing what I need too. I know the Church is true. God loves us. He sent his son for us. I love you guys so much and miss you so much! Enjoy the rest of the Christmas break and then get back to work! It was so fantastic seeing you all on Thursday!

Love you!

Con Amor,

Elder Macdonald