March 27, 2017 - Transfers!! PICS! "I love Elder Sprague, Elder Tueller and Elder Chambers!​​", cold font water, new missionary training, goals,

Montreal, Quebec
AP
New Comp: Elder Baldobinos

1- Went on an exchange with some elders so here are some pictures! I love Elder Sprague, Elder Tueller and Elder Chambers!​​

1- Elder Tueller.

2- I cleaned the stove with this stuff and it basically chemicaly burned my hands.. but I got through it haha and the stove was clean!

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Things are great! This week was transfer planning so it was busy but very humbling! It is amazing to sit down with president for hours and just look at each one of the missionaries think about them and their future what we can do to help them! It is nothing short of amazing! That took the bulk of our time this week so this weeks letter might be a little bit shorter.. I will just send some pictures and videos and probably leave you with that because basically in my other email I described everything haha. 

1- Here is our district. Did I send this to you? I dont remember.. haha

2- This is the care package that president brought when I was sick!

3- this is what happens to your car when it snows in québec

4- I feel weird without my glasses now.. I love Exchanges! 

Well I love you both sorry there wasnt more this week I guess this was the most interesting thing catually one of our recent convert tried to 'quit' the church and go Islamic so he went out and tried to convert and we lost contact with him for a little while well then finally we got a hold of him and he said that being Muslim wasnt for him.. So he asked us to go and take all of the stuff we had aquired so now all of this stuff is in our apartment and we are not totally sure what to do with it.

5- All the things we acquired..​

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1. What were the highlights/successes of the week?

2. What made you laugh?

3. What are some things you are focusing on for zone conferences?

4. What are some of the things you teach to the new missionaries that come in?

5. What have you been thinking about??

6. What is this week going to look like for you?

1- Hmm.. well we had some investigators come to church which was super exciting! transfers are this week and I will be receiving a new companion which is also exciting because I have known him for a very long time! Umm We got the chance to go to a baptism and we brought an investigator! Also there was a cool experience at church where a man decided randomly to walk into the church. All 3 sets of missionaries were on him in a heart beat haha. I am sure there is more but that is all I have for now!

2- Oh man.. Let me think.. This week was very busy! Hm I think something funny but sad was at a baptism that happened this week! We showed up and we noticed that the 2 missionaries having the baptism were trying to heat up giant pots of water. We were slightly confused but basically this is what happened. They had used all the hot water filling the font and it was fine, BUT they didnt plug the plug all the way so the water drained.. Well now there is no more hot water only cold water so they are trying to fill the font pot by pot with hot water so that the soon to be recent convert doesnt freeze to death! Well they did what they could but in the end the water was heating in time so they had to fill it with cold water and lets just say that when nicholas was baptized he definitely felt something! He is younger though 20ish so we had a good laugh about it later! It was still an amazing experience though!

3- We are really focusing on how to help people progress. It is interesting every person in the world is either growing closer to God or distancing themselves from him every moment. Us too even as members of the church are in the same boat so we need to know what we can do to constantly grow closer to him and have a greater conversion! So we have been focusing on how we can help the missionaries help the people they are teaching! There is always something that we can do to help! 

4- I love teaching the new missionaries! We tell them how amazing they are because they truly are amazing! Each one is so special! They bring so much to the table! So we help them realize that they were really called here for a reason by a prophet of God! That they are not alone! Those first couple of days are a blur though so we try not to overload them but 2 other things that are mentioned are about Companionship unity and Vision! We want them to make goals for what they want to do to change and become better!

5- I have been thinking about goals a lot! President is really keen on his missionaries knowing 2 things. 1- how to make goals and 2 - how to accomplish goals. So I have been really thinking about goals for the rest of my mission! What I want to accomplish and what I want to do to change before I go home! I have high expectations for what my life will look like after my mission but the only way that will be possible is with energy, focus, and faith! 

6- Haha this week will be pretty fun! I am getting a new companion this week! Elder Baldobinos! I love him so much! He is one of my favorite missionaries in the field so I am so excited to serve with him! We came out together so things are going to be great! But here is what our week should look like! Tuesday we will go to the Airport with President and pick up the new missionaries! I am super excited! I love new missionaries! We will spend the day with them help them get everything figured out and eat dinner with them! Then Wednesday we will have transfers we will help train the new missionaries and make sure that everyone gets to their new area safely. I will get my new companion! Then Thursday we will take the dying missionaries to the airport and then planning a training for Friday because we have zone conference Friday! On the South shore in Longeuil! Then Saturday and Sunday is General conference! So this week will be pretty busy! I am excited though!

Well I love you! 

-Avec Amour Elder Massé

March 20, 2017 - #2!! Pics!! "it says in preach my gospel the more you learn and use the atonement the greater your desire increases to share it with others. "

1Here are some pictures from the temple that I never sent when we got to go!

2-I love when the temple grounds are covered in snow!

3-again there is no way that that can be good for you..

4- we each ate 32 ounces of poutine.. it was too much..

5- I love Elder Mullen!

Montreal, Quebec
Comp: Elder Carr
AP

      

1.       What are some of your favorite things about being an AP?

2.       What places did you travel this week?

3.       How much time do you spend in the mission office, mission home, or traveling with President & his wife?  Does President have an office at home like President Samuelian did?

4.       Spiritual experiences or quote?

5.       What have you learned about yourself lately?

6. Tell me anything!

1- I love serving everyone! It is very humbling and I love getting to know every single missionary and having the opportunity to personal minister to them! My only goal is to just make everyone feel loved and make sure they are happy and in the  right place! So serving is definitely the most amazing thing. It is nice to also learn a lot from President Phillips, he is such an inspired man and definitely a father figure. He is very kind and patient and he teaches us alot! As well as Sister Phillips! They are just so amazing and I love every second that I get to be around them!

2- We went up to quebec city which was nice it took us 4 hours to get there haha.. We use so many klicks! I hope after all this I will have become a pro at driving in the snow! I am already a pretty good driver so we will have to see! Especially with the giant storm on wednedsay everyone was sliding around and getting stuck. The weather was crazy!

3- Definitely on a regular basis! We just need to make sure we are on the same page but when it isnt transfer planning week or zone conferences it is a normal amount! We are in the mission office pretty frequently as well there is a lot of administrative work that we do! But we try to be quick and efficient so that we can really get down to work and help people! He does! It is within walking distance from out apartment which is really nice! It is a very nice home! 

4- What comes to my mind is fruit tasting! It has been a topic that President Phillips has focuses a lot on lately. We know from Elder Bednar that the fruit is the blessings of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and as it says in preach my gospel the more you learn and use the atonement the greater your desire increases to share it with others. When we taste the fruit we want to share it others! Just as Lehi did he tasted the fruit then immediatly wanted his family to taste it as well! But what I learned this week pertaining to that subject is attributes to the sons of Mosiah and alma the younger. When they all finally get back together what happens? They are beyond happy. They are so joyous that they have all grown in the faith and stayed strong to their beliefs. They tasted the fruit together and as Ammon later describes he fins joy in the success of his brethren. I have really come to know that that is true. As we see the people around us succeed and grow and stay faithful we grow and experience that with them. That is why the family is central to the gospel. So that we have people to share the fruit with and grow with. I look forward to the day where I will get to share some of the fruit I have tasted with my fellows servants of God who are in the field as we speak but also for the wonderfully sweet opportunity that I will have to share it with my family. With you and Dad, Camdeyn, Natalie, Aiden, Devin. We will have all grown and it will be amazing to see that growth!

5- Man I have learned so much lately.. I think the biggest thing that has been reiterated over and over again throughout my mission is that the gospel has really brought me more joy than anything else.. It is interesting to think about what might be in the future from here on out. The one thing that I am sure though is that whatever I do the gospel has to be at the head of it all. I know that I will never truly be happy in this life unless I am actively participating in the work of the Lord. It has brought me an immense joy and it has made me a better person in every way possible! I have changed a lot but it has not been on my own merit but because I have applied the Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life, used the Atonement for the better and served others around me! So much has changed and I look forward to what else will!

6- Things are just great here! this is going to be a good week I am sure of it! We have MLC coming up which should be really good! I am looking forward to that and just what is to come! Couldnt be happier! 

love you have a great week!

-Elder Massé

March 20, 2017- Pics!! "This week was great!"

Montreal, Quebec
Comp: Elder Carr
AP

1- Companion taking pictures..

2- This is what we cal Chocolat Favoris. We are definitely going there when you come.

3- This was a call we had with an investigator... We only talked for about a minute.. he wouldnt stop talking!

4- There is no way that this can be healthy for you..

5- Natalie would know what this is.. If she doesnt the next picture might help!

6- Balut.. We will be having it again this week.

This week was great! The weather has been crazy! Things were really nice. It honestly felt like spring we were almost going to take the winter tires of our car. It was getting hot outside. Spring was right around the corner. Then we had this freak storm on wednesday and it dumped on us.. for 2 days straight There was like 3 feet of snow outside at the end of it all. We started exchanges before the storm and because of the conditions we couldnt unexchange so I didnt see my companion for 2 days haha. Luckily! We had so many opportunities to serve! I was with Elder Roubicek and we just went outside with a shovel and a think to cleat the car off and helped people for 6 hours! I have never shoveled so much snow, and helped cars get out! I am a pro at it now haha. It was very rewarding though there were many people that couldnt help themselves and they were in dire need of help and we showed up in the right place at the right time! For example there was a single mother with 2 young children trying to get home and she couldnt get her car unstuck. A single father trying to get home to his children. A father trying to get his new born baby to the hospital! And so much more. We walked down this street and there were probably 6 cars that were stuck and people everywhere! We went one by one and helped every single on of them by the time we finished it was dark. I hadnt work wool socks or boots that day and I only had a lighter jacket on. I hadnt expected to stay out for so long but there was just so many people that needed help so we endured the cold and went and ministed 1 by 1. My feet were frozen at the end I couldnt feel them haha, but my heart felt warm knowing that I helped every single person that had come across my path that day. It was an amazing day and since we have taught multiple of those people. 

Other than that things are good! We will be doing transfer planning this week and it will be my first time I am excited  but nervous at the same time. I am very grateful for my mission president he is a very wise man and he knows what he is doing as well as my companion so I will be learning from the best! I am in good hands! 

Other than that.. Hm. I am learning Spanish again I am hoping to be functional by the time that I get home it would be so useful and I would love to be tri lingual I am pretty good at reading but I am lacking in speaking. It is so similar to french though reading it easy!

Hmm what else. Life is just great I am happy! I have a thick sweater on it is still brisk outside and I am looking forward to what is to come! 

I will try to attach some photos!

Love you have a great week!

-Elder Massé

March 13, 2017- Pics! "we had the trainers meeting for the new missionaries that was pretty amazing as well!"

1- Got to see Renée!

2- This is Quebec city! it is not the best video in the world but you go over this Hill and there are then lights everywhere it is so beautiful!

3- this is the farthest north I have been look how close we were to maine! only 2 hours.

4- Another view with the 3 main cities of the mission​


Montreal, Quebec
Comp: Elder Carr
AP




A good letter to both of you is long over due. I feel like I have been lacking a little bit in my family responsibilities these last couple weeks have been busy and a little chaotic so I have been as stable in taking pictures and writing and doing those other things that I need to do on a regular basis. I said that I would write some hand written letters and I will! I will make sure they are done and sent this week so that you can know how things are going and feel the love and appreciation that I have for you! 

This last week was good! It has been quite the adventure here in Montreal I really do love it. It is honestly one of the best places in the entire world I think. I cannot think of very many other places in the world where I can walk down the street and speak to 10 different people in 10 different languages. Sometimes 1 person in 4 different languages. I love to speak to people in French, English, Spanish, Creole. For people to speak 4 or 5 languages here is so normal they think nothing of it. There are so many cultures and people that everyone is used to it. I feel the culture here running in my blood and as I walk the streets it feels like I am meant to be here. I know I am supposed to be here. I can feel it.

    

To add to some of the things I did this week. I had the opportunity to go back to Ottawa! We had an exchange with the zone leaders and I got to go back into my own area! It was like going back home I can describe how amazing it felt to walk in those streets again and to see all of my recent converts. I will never forget what it was like to here Reneé's voice again. She helped change my mission I saw the Atonement of Jesus Christ transform her life and in turn it changed mine. I told the zone leaders not to tell her I was coming because I wanted it to be a surprise but in the end we couldnt get a hold of her so I was worried I would miss her! So I called her and left a message and said that I was in town! A couple hours later she called and I will never forget what happened! Elder Lan responded because I was driving and She said " Did I miss him? Is he gone? Is it too late?" All I said was Hello Reneé and she started to cry. It was a very tender moment for me. I almost cried too! We then went and saw her and all of my other recent converts in Ottawa and it was amazing! It was so nice to see them! There were many miracles on that exchange.

I also got to go on an exchange this week with Elder Buck and it was so fun! I feel that Elder Buck knows me and I know him more than almost any other missionary! I love him so much and we saw some pretty amazing miracles on our exchange as well! There was a man in a wheelchair that we went and taught and in the middle of the lesson I felt impressed to ask him if he had felt the grace of God in his life. He said no. We had planned on teaching the Word of Wisdom but after that we changed the entire lesson around and taught about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and Grace and Mercy and at the end he committed to be baptized. The spirit was so strong and we were all fighting back tears at the end! I gave him a hug as we left and he thanked me. 

Other than that this week we had the trainers meeting for the new missionaries that was pretty amazing as well! I was asked to train on Companionship Unity and I was so excited! As you know though we are quite busy and so I didnt have time to prepare my training until the night before it was going to happen! So I sat and pondered and I tried to think of some things but nothing would come.. I didnt know what I was missing! I looked at all the trainers and the trainees and thought what they needed but nothing would go down on paper! I went to bed with not much that night and I prayed fervently that night to know what I could do to help them. 3 words came to my head. Love, help, and edify. I woke up the next morning and it took me 15 minutes to plan my training based on those 3 characteristics. I knew the scriptures and everything that went a long and I felt impressed to use the 'spoken word' Article that Dad had shared with me the week earlier. I read it for everyone and gave everyone a copy before they left. It was again another tender mercy from the Lord. I was very appreciative. It was so nice to see the new missionaries too! I got to see Elder Seelos and a couple of other Elders and Sisters whom I love dearly!

In short! though this is not a very short email things are going great! I feel like I am progressing in the gospel. I have had moment on my mission where I have felt like I have really hit some dead ends. I felt like there was nothing else for me. Each time I am sure it was my pride but each time I pondered and prayed and asked what I could do to become better. Each time I found another door to the gospel that I had never seen before! It was amazing! Recently coming to Montreal I feel the same way! My spanish has been getting better things have just been working out and I have been learning so much! I am so happy! 

Other funny things to know.. Elder Carr and I are known as the most organized and clean elders in the misson. You could eat off the floor. Our apartment is so clean. You both would be proud! 

Funny story when I was cleaning the bathroom I mixed some bleach with some ammonia at least I think those are the 2 things but I basically made mustard gas and I was scrubbing the tub and it got hard to breathe and my eyes started watering and my skin turned red and was itchy haha. Not fun but it worked out the tub was clean. I left and got a fan and took a breather outside so I didnt die! 

Other than that life is just amazing! we knocked an apartment building this last week and the 5 doors that responded were from 5 different countries how cool is that? There are times where we litterally cannot communicate at all with people because they dont speak french, english, or spanish. haha Cambodians, people from Shrilanka, the middle east, all sorts of places in Africa and South America! It is so cool! The entire world is here! 

Anyways know that I love you both dearly you are amazing and I love everything that you do and I appreciate you very much I talk about you often. have an amazing week!

Avec Amour Elder Massé

I will get more pictures next week!

March 6, 2017 - Zone Conferences, Being Sick, Recent Converts, " I have loved my mission so much! It has changed my life!"

Montreal, Quebec

Comp: Elder Carr

AP

1- This last week was good! I actually got pretty sick on Monday I didnt mention that Friday and I didnt really have time to take care of it until Thursday because we had stuff to do so it took me out for a couple days. I again slept a ridiculous ammount I think I got the Flu or something not sure what it was but it wasnt fun haha. Luckily Elder Carr is amazing and he took good care of me! I love him he is a great companion! Other than the finishing up zone conferences was a lot fun! There was a baptism in Mont St Hilaire which was exciting! It was just a good week! Today the whole Phillips family is in town so we went and played basketball with 2 of the sons! They all played including Elder Carr Varsity Basketball so it was an interesting couple of games but I held my own surprisingly and it was a lot of fun! President Phillips even came over and shot a few shots! I love him to death he is such an amazing mission president!

2- Because of zone conferences and me be sick and everything going on we didnt have time to buy groceries really or do everything we needed to besides emails and other administrative stuff that I could do without passing out! But The point being! President and Sister Phillips came by the apartment while I was sick and gave me a carepackage full of fresh fruit and bread and a couple other things that we needed and it was so nice! I will never forget the joy that I felt that day! They are truly amazing and if there is one thing I will never forget it is that President and Sister Phillips truly love their missionaries.

3- So the one on the right was Mathieu! He is a recent convert and he is so funny! I love him so much he makes our lives interesting! The one on the left is Pierre he is a less active that we had actually just met that day but we asked him to join in the photo with us! He walked into church and sat down and we went and talked to him and spent the day with him! He was very kind and he should be coming more consistently now! He is from Cameroon and he had an amazing french accent, but he was perfectly bilingual as well.

4- I have loved my mission so much! It has changed my life! It has made me happier than anything else in the entire world I wouldnt trade it for anything.. I wish I could just stay and be here forever! I wish I could live the rest of my life and just do missionary work all the time! I would just need enough money to maintain myself! It would totally work and I know that I would be so happy! But I know God has a will for me and I will accept that will but if only right? 

5- Everything! Elder Carr is so funny we joke around and mess with each other a lot! I love him to death sorry no time! only 30 seconds! 

6- There are so many things! I have an entire book devoted to the things that I have learned from him and his trainings! He knows so much and he is so kind and loving when he teaches I love being around him! Specifically this week.. I would say the importance of being aware! It is such an important principle to learn and it effects the rest of our lives! I wish I could expound upon it more but I am running out of time! 

7- I am.. I suppose you could say I practice it all the time but I have been trying more lately to practice my Spanish before I go home! I want to be at least functional before I go home.. so we will see! I have a little ways to go! 

Love you! Have a great week!

-Elder Massé

1. What are the highlights of your week?

2. What is something that happened that you don't want to forget?

3. Who were the men in the picture that was sent on Sunday?

4. Tell me about your thoughts on your mission and personal progression to this point

5. What made you laugh?

6. What is something you learned from President this week?

7. Are you still working on your French?

March 2, 2017 - pic! I love this quote by Thomas S Monson I think I quoted it right it says - “When we deal in generalities, we will rarely succeed. When we deal in specifics, we will rarely see failure. When performance is measured, performance improves. When performance is measured and reported, the rate of improvement will accelerate.”

Montreal, Quebec
Comp: Elder Carr
AP

Sorry we got called away so I had to stop doing emails and go help some people out so I will finish up this email and then I will talk to you next week! I promise that as time progresses that emails and everything will get more consistent! But it was a wonderful missionary opportunity so it was worth it!

1- It was really fun to see all the missionaries! We had 3 zone conferences and an MLC in one week so I saw over half the mission! There are such wonderful missionaries here! I got to drive all the way up to quebec city which was pretty amazing! It is a very beautiful drive and it is the other part of the mission that I haven't had the chance to see yet! I got to see Elder Seelos again for the first time in a couple months and talk to him about everything that happened in Ottawa after I left! It was amazing! 

2- Everything always comes back to the fundamentals! Just like in construction when building a house you have to have a solid foundation so we have really been digging deep and getting good at the little things! Making sure that we are experiencing the fruits of our labors! That we are having spiritual experiences and recognizing them! That we see the Atonement of Jesus Christ working in our lives. Using the Book of Mormon and Commitment making and keeping are also 2 really big topics. There is always more than we can do to help others! That is a big lesson that I have learned on my mission sometimes people just need a little push in the right direction or a helping hand and we can give it! We just have to love them enough to help them. 

3- It is like marriage! Does a man and a woman in a marriage each give 50 percent so that it equals 100? Maybe 60-40? Nope! They both give 100%! They give everything that they have, they give it all! It is a similar thing we both just work as hard as we can all the time in whatever we are doing and it works out! We know what needs to be done so we do it! Elder Carr and I are great friends and we work really well together so it all works out smoothly! 

4- There is always time during the day to find and teach! Sometimes it is difficult but you have to be good at planning and prioritizing! If you are going to fill up a jar with oranges, kiwis, plums and rice! What do you start with? Well the biggest! Meaning the oranges then you fill it with the kiwis and the plums and the rice last of all. If you start with the rice you wont have enough room in the jar to fit everything else. It is a similar principle we identify what is most important we start on that then me move to the next task and the next until they are all complete! So in the same way we make time for what matters because we still do need to find so we plan for it and we do it! 

5- Everything is great! Life is good! I am adjusting well it has been 2 weeks now but it doesnt feel like it has been that long! With zone conferences over it is a straight shot from here I think I have everything figured out! I am excited to continue to learn I have learned so much in 2 weeks I didnt know I could actually retain that much information I have been learning many useful skills! 

6- Anything in the future I guess you could say! I am just excited for what is next I have loved what has happened I love what is currently going on so I am sure that the future from here on out is only better and brighter I have a lot to learn and I have the next 6 months to do it! I am excited to see what changes I can make and what I can learn in the coming weeks and months! 

7-I love this quote by Thomas S Monson I think I quoted it right it says -           

“When we deal in generalities, we will rarely succeed.

When we deal in specifics, we will rarely see failure.

When performance is measured, performance improves.

When performance is measured and reported, the rate of

improvement will accelerate.”

In whatever we do we need to be specific! Especially in our goals, and just like it says in the scriptures there is "a time and a place for every season under heaven" everything has a purpose and a time and we as beings created in the image of God must be driven by a similar principle. We need to be a specific purpose driven people. In knowing what we are doing and where we are going God can then put people into our paths and miracles will come with ever footstep if we are pressing forward in the path that we know He would want us to take!

Well I love you mother! You are amazing and I appreciate everything you do! 

I love you! 

-Elder Massé

1. What was your favorite things that happened this week?

2. What are the things that are being taught at Zone Conf and emphasized?

3. How do you balance responsibilities with your companion?

4. Are you able to still find to proselyte and teach?

5. How are you feeling about things?

6. What are you looking forward too?

7. Thought or quote???