Tomorrow's The day!

I never thought this day would come, yet here it is.  I am so proud of Mason and his sacrifice and willingness to go and serve the Lord.  It wasn't always easy but Mason will tell you it was worth it!  As a family, we are so ready to have him home.  We have missed him so much.  I just want Mason to know How much I love him and How grateful I am that he is my Son!  I am not sure any of us will sleep tonight because ... Tomorrow's The Day!!!

Most Special Time of my Life!

 I don't get too much time, but i just wanted to thank you for what you have done for me in these last 2 years. It has been the most special time of my life... as of yet, I know going home to all of you will be the greatest blessing I have ever had. I'm so excited to see you all! I just want you to know that I love you and I'll see you on Wednesday! I Love you!

Love,
Elder Chavez

Does't Feel Real Yet!

I feel really good this week ...it doesn't see real yet, I talked to my president today and tomorrow he'll be giving me my final interview! I am excited to get home and see everyone.  But scared at the same time.  I am really excited to get home and work with dad.  This is my last P-day. After Saturday I will start preparing to head home.  Tell everyone I love them and I will see you all soon. 

Love 
Elder Chavez

I met an Apostle this Week!

 Things are going really good! I got to meet an apostle this week!!! (Elder Rasband) it was way cool, he even got to speak to us in English, it was an amazing spirit, but today was even cool ... WE went to the temple and I was able to shake his hand again, and this time I thanked him for what he shared and he just stayed shaking my hand for like 30 sec talking to me about that it was too cool!!! Time is short today.  Only 2 more Weeks! I love you and can't wait to see all of you very soon!

Love 
Elder Chavez

May Is Over!

So I am officially in my last transfer, even though it's only 3 weeks long! We had cambios last night and I got changed, well I knew I was going to get changed since Thursday when I had my interview with my mission president. They just cut my area in half and I'm in the half that didn't have much going on and I am also with a newer elder who has like 3 months in the mission. I'm not zone leader anymore, which is kinda a relief because I really just want to put all into the work in these last three weeks! I am so excited to come home soon and spend time with the family.  I love you all so much!

Love,
Elder Chavez

23 months!

As time get closer to Elder Chavez coming home the shorter and shorter his letters have become.  He is still working hard and loving the people of Bogota.  He gets along great with his companion, and they are working hard to leave the area better than they found it.  This week will be the last transfer for Mason in the Mission He Said "Things are going really good here too, kinda crazy. This week is transfers and then three weeks more and I'm home!  haha It was way weird today I went to the center with Elder Smith my good friend and hes going home this next week. So it's weird to see my friends leaving!!" A few things ... We sent a package with one of Mason's friends who was traveling to Colombia.  His luggage was left in Miami and the "Government" went thru it to make sure there was nothing in there that should not be.  They opened Mason's package and went thru it.  They took the White dress shirt that I had sent for Mason to wear home :(  They also took other gifts that mason's friend was taking back to his family in Colombia! Makes me so mad that someone can just take what they want out of your luggage.  Luckily they did not find the DEBIT card I had hidden in there for Mason.  We were worried about how we would get that safely to him.  Luckily the Lord was watching out and made sure it found him safe.  We sent Mason some peanut butter and jam (per his request) He said he and his companion have already gone through the entire jar of jam!  Mason has really missed his sweets!  Mason says to tell everyone Hi and he loves you all! He can't wait to get home and hug everyone!

Went to the Temple with Moroni

I went to the temple with Moroni today (He is one of Mason's First Baptisms)  it was pretty crazy to see him again! ill send you pics next week of Moroni and I this internet place is a little sketchy to take out my camera. haha I felt kinda bad today, I got kind of sick last night and was catching on fire at the Temple so I was there but suffering with him the whole time. haha He's going to be a good missionary. ( I am Friends with Moroni on Facebook and he looks up to Mason so much.  He will always tell me how grateful he is for Mason teaching him about the gospel)  My goal hasn't been to just be a cool missionary, but a missionary that the members remember because Ive worked hard and been obedience. It was good to talk to the family.  I am excited to come home and spend time with you guys.  I love you so much.  I feel like I don't tell you enough.  

Love
Elder Chavez

Week of May 2nd

Well this week was really hard, We haven't done very much of anything. So I sat my companion down and we talked and it looks we are going to start from ground zero. haha We actually have one family that might get married, but to be honest neither my comapion or I helped that much ... they have been working with the missionaries for like 6 months now and were just going to steal the batpisms. I want to keep working hard and I think thats why the lord sent me here, so I have to fight until the very last day! I love you all can't wait to skype next week!

Love
Elder Chavez

Week of April 25th

Letter from April 25, 2016

Things have been pretty good on my end, I have to say it's pretty weird to learn a new area, usually I stay for a while and have to teach the area to my companion. I kinda miss my old area I was starting to get really close to the people there, I'm still in the same stake and I saw a few of them on Sunday and it sounds like they want elder Forsyth and I back. haha The new areas cool but there are a lot of challenges we need to fix here. One the members don't even know who the missionaries here, the Elders liked to do more street contacting than working with the members, so we need to gain confidence and quick. We also have a ton of investigators that have been listening for a long time and just haven't gotten baptized. I think well be able to baptize a few but after that we have nothing.. haha we need to find teach and baptize all at once not just do a few at a time but all! haha

Love 

Elder Chavez

Some Random Pictures Mason sent.  This is his bed Friend Mitchell.  One of their many camping trips.  Mitchell is currently serving a mission in Mexico!

Mason and His best Friend Mitchell and his Brother Chandler

Moving on to the Libertad Stake!

So this week was transfers and guess what? They transferred me just one area over from mine, now I'll be in the stake center chapel in the Libertad stake. The worst part is that they shipped off my companion to be the new assistant. He was a real good friend, I'm sure you guys will meet him some day. So now I'm going to teach my new companion elder Amaya how to do all the zone leader stuff we do, which isn't that much. My new comp is from Honduras  but he lived in the states for the last 5 years and served in the army so he's about as American as I am1haha But he was already here in the zone and we've been pretty good friends so I'm really excited for the way things are looking! A few pictures this week. I can still tare things up even though I'm Chubby.  Have a good week, I talk to you all soon.  
Love 
Elder Chavez

literally wore some holes in my shoes!

Elder Jackman from Sandy ... He lives behind smiths on 94Th

The Martinez Family ... It was hard saying Goodbye, this family is awesome!

Last Weeks Email This Week!

Well things are just flying by which is kinda scary! we are now in the last week of this cambio, and then this next cambio that is coming will be my last full one so that kinda stinks. But this week was a really good one, we were able to do a lot but then, yeaterday everybody fell through on us. so that was a real bummer, but I think we can really help them to attend this week. This week we have a spoecial conference with an apostel, on tv. hahah but its a special conference for Colombia, Ecuador   Venezuela so it will be awesome to have the investigators come see a message meant just for them!   

Conference weekend in English!

This week was really good for us, we were able to get a lot done, but as always the week of conference is hard because we pretty much are stuck in the stake center all day Saturday and Sunday watching it. But at the same time it is a huge blessing I have come to love to hear the church leaders speak. And the last few time I have gone in with questions in my life I have seen them get answered and have seen progression in a lot of things. Looks like the family had a great weekend and I have to say I am jealous of all the skiing.  I love you all and hope you all have a good week.

Love,
Elder Chavez

Watching Conference .... Best part in English!

Mason and Elder Forsyth

Sight seeing ... Catholic Church

Another Baptism!

Ok well this week was really good, kinda hard in a few aspects but at the same time one of the most satisfying weeks of the whole mission. first off Baptism! two weeks in a row , that was an awesome feeling. We have been working with this kid for a little wile and in these last few weeks he just took off and started changing his life . When I first got here, the Bishop asked us to go to his house because his mom and 4 sisters had gotten baptized a year before and had stopped attending a few months back. So I went with Elder Ojeda and we got them going again, but those first six weeks  Miguel didn't want much to do with us, but Elder Forsyth and I focused a lot on him and were able to help this change. It was really spiritual, The family has a lot of love for us. That's the best part of the mission, Getting someone to do something for the good and becoming their friend all along the way. I am so grateful for this opportunity that I have to be here, it's changed my life. -this last week was Easter, but here they do semana santa. A whole week to remember the lord, it's cool but at the same time they remember him and his death. But that's the best about Easter Sunday, I could defiantly feel the spirit when we sang asombro me da, I satand all amazed. I know our savior lives and that if we follow him we will live now and for the eternity as a family!

Love,
Elder Chavez

Miguel's Baptism

Cleaning vandalism off of the Church
With Elder Forsyth

It finally Happened!

The family we have been praying for and fasting for these past few weeks was finally able to be married and baptized this past week.  Here are a few pictures.  Things are good and time is passing by to fast I need it to slow down, cause I have lots of work to do.  Love you all!

Elder Chavez

June 22, 2016

Good afternoon,

Elder Mason Edward Hoskins Chavez has served honorably in the Colombia Bogota South Mission and will be returning home soon.  His itinerary is attached.  Elder Chavez leaves Bogota on June 22^nd at 7:10 a.m. and arrives in Salt Lake City at 6:40 p.m.  As technology isn´t always reliable and as this will be the only itinerary sent by our office, could the Stake President please acknowledge that this email was received.

PS….Elder Chavez is one of my favorite missionaries in this mission and it makes sending out his itinerary even harder when we hate to see them have to leave.  It has been an honor to be able to get to know him and to watch his amazing leadership abilities in this mission.  He will be missed!!!

Send more letters ...

This week was another awesome week! I feel like my companion and I are hitting our stride in everything, I have honestly been so happy but at the same time getting stressed out because the days are flying by! But this next week is going to be even better Brother Franklin and Sister Judith are getting married on Wednesday and baptised on Saturday so I'm stocked it has been a battle but we have seen the Lords hands in all things so now we just need to have patience. We have been meeting a lot of really good people in the last few day and have had some of the most powerful lessons, we have a calendar in our house with the dates that we put on people and it's getting full. We are really trying to help them focus on three thing simple things that sometimes pass over too fast. Read ponder and pray. I can see it in my own life, when we take the time to read and study what the Lord wants us to do it will also become our desire. This week I will have been out here for 20 months, I can't believe it, when I first got here I was so confused, I didn't understand what it really meant to be a missionary. But I have been blessed in so many ways since I have started and will always thank my Heavenly Father for this time of my life. I look back at who I was and it scares me to see all that I did, but I feel a lot of hope to see that my desires have come a lot closer to the Lords. I still have a long way to go but hey that's what will be awesome for when I get home, cause I have the help of my family. I love you guys so much it has been awesome with my new companion because we have been able to talk about our families a lot and I know that we will be an eternal family. it would be nice to see some more letters in these last few months, I would love to see some from my sisters and hear all about their lives. I love you guys so much!

Love-
Elder Chavez

New Companion :)

Mason and his New companion!

Time Goes By To Quick!

Well things have been really good for me as of late, besides the fact that we have been crazy busy. Being busy is a blessing and a curse. This last week we got to get a ton of stuff done and it made time fly by. But that's the curse, when time goes by too quick, I feel like I just wrote you yesterday. haha And it also has made me dead tired in the night time, we have been getting home planning and passing out! But we have had some confusion with the family and the marriage but finally it is all figured out. Last week they went to go get the date for the wedding, and their brother in law scared them out of it because the Brother Franklin was baptised with a different name than the one he has here in Colombia, so the brother in-law told him that he couldn't get sealed until he changed his name in Colombia. Which is not true. so this last week we went to their house with a brother from the ward that is a lawyer, and he explained that it's all ok and that they need to go take out the date now! haha so they are there right now and hopefully they will get the date for this Friday!! We have been fasting and praying for this so now it's down to them and the Lord!

Feb 29th ... Leap Day!

This last week was really good! My new companion is pretty sweet, he is from Ceder City and we have been getting a long great. In these last few weeks I was praying a lot about my desires to serve, I have felt like I need to get more deep into my calling for these last few months, And this last week I could see that the lord answered me, with my companion. We have really stepped it in to gear, this last week we were able to find 12 new people, that's the most Ive ever found in a week in Bogota. We had people get to church and that baptism is finally going to happen, that family is at the natay as we speak getting the fecha (date) for their wedding! So I'm pretty happy with how things are, but at the same time I want to get better, forget about me and just work. I hope that in these last two years I have changed into the person that the lord wants and needs me to be. love you all!

Elder Chavez

Staying

Things have been really good on my end, We got the transfers and I'm staying in the area but my companion is leaving. It's pretty sad he has been a really good friend, and has helped me grow a lot as a person I was hoping that we would stay together. But now I'm with Elder Forsyth, from Ceder City Utah. hahaha I met him a long time ago in Girardot, he started the mission six weeks after me. But he's a really good guy and has been Zone leader for a little longer than me so I bet there's a lot I can learn from him. But we jut got here like 3 hours ago so we are just barely starting to get to really know each other. Hope all is well. I love you all.

Love
Elder Chavez

Still Waiting On The Marriage

Well this week was a little hard because we couldn't find very many people, but it was a really cool to see people at church yesterday. We are not sure if that family is going to get married this week or the next, things are weird here in Colombia, you can't just get married, you have to plan a cita (appointment) way in advance so we are looking to see if we can have someone do us a favor or we'll have to wait a week longer. I hope not because this week is combos (transfers) again. Who knows what will happen this time! Only another 2 1/2 transfers before I will be home.  It's kind of weird and scary to think about all at the same time. Well I gotta go.  I love you all!

Love-
Elder Chavez

Getting a Family Married :)

Things have been really good here, I had my very best week ever here in Bogota, we found 11 new people to teach, and we had two people going to church. And it gets even better we are going to get a family married!! I want to ask the family a favor, my companion's really struggling with his clothing  the first time we were together he told me how poor his family is but it never showed. But know with time in the mission his clothes are falling apart. We talked to the mission and they have shirts and pants for him, but I was wondering if you could send me money to buy him shoes. The shoes he has have holes and are way too small for him I dont know what we can do but I'd like to get him some nice ones he can wear for the rest of his mission! I don't know if I'll be able to write dad very much for his Birthday but let him know I love him and that we'll have a good 6 months together when I get home to catch up on all our shows and work together everyday!  I love you all very much! 

Love-
Elder Chavez

I'm a Missionary!

It was really good week this week, but we didn't have very much time to work. This week we had a 70 visit our mission so I was with him for two days of the week and we had interviews the other day, but we had someone progressing in the area ! I learned a lot of things that I can do better this week so I'm stoked to apply them this week. We have been bless with an awesome family, Franklin and Judy, Judy isn't a member and she is super animated to find out if the church is true and got an answer this last week about the Book of Mormon and went to church so that's super exciting, I haven't had anyone progress in weeks so it's a big relief! I got to go, i love you guys! I'll  see you next week! I sure hope you are all reading and praying as a family. And that you have family home evening tonight!! hahaha I'm a missionary!!! (:

Better Late than never ...

So this last week was pretty sweet. I'm stocked to be with Elder Ojeda again, we already have a sick unity. But this week was awesome for the spirit that we felt, our area has nothing, but we just went out and started looking, we have a lot of potential this week. But I want to tell you a cool experience I had, I have been praying a lot harder lately to have a confirmation that Jesus really is our Savior, and that the church is true, and the other day I had a dream. I had this dream that I was walking and the all of a sudden I was walking with Grandpa, and Grandpa told me in the dream that I had been forgiven , that I was worth it and I was working in the work of the lord. I've never had a dream like that before, I'm pretty sure the lord gave me that confirmation. But this week had so many other spiritual experiences it was awesome. My friend Elder Haralson read a talk one time about dreams and he said that when the lord gives us an answer it will be through someone we trust. So that's my Grandpa!!! Well I gotta Go ... Love you all!

Elder Chavez

18 Months Down

18 Long Months since we hugged you goodbye! I can't even believe it ... 18 months!
Today we celebrate a year and a half of your successful mission.
We love you and can't wait to hug you again in 6 more months!
Until then continue to Enjoy the Journey.  Love the people of Colombia!
Above all continue to Share Your testimony and Love for this Gospel!
We love you Elder Chavez ... Here's to another successful 6 months!
Love-
Mom

In the Liberty Zone

Well I got moved.. hahaha I'm with my old companion Elder Ojeda from Neiva! It's pretty sweet I am now Zone leader in the zone called La Libertad. My area is called Casablanca and it's in the Liberty zone (in english I'm really excited, I think there's a lot of things here that I can do better, in my last zone I was still learning how to help a lot of missionaries, but here I think I can come out more as a leader for them. So I'm actually opening a new area with my companion, so as of now we have nothing.. haha but that will make things more fun, we are already really good friends, He's the companion that I baptized a lot with in Neiva. I like opening a new area because it's really just between you and the lord, he will guide us I know it. So I have some pictures to send but this place today doesn't have an adaptor for the memory so Ill send them next week. (: gotta go ... I love you all.

Elder Chavez

Christmas 2015 and Saying goodbye

Just a few pictures ... Mason had already said his goodbye to Jake when he left to Colombia but we had all hoped and prayed he would make it till Mason returned.  Sadly that was not the case.  It was one of the hardest emails I had to write, letting Mason know that Jake had passed.  These Two had grown up together.  I laugh thinking on the many shirts we lost to their silly games of "Down Wolf"  Mason was in shock to learn of his passing but knows he's in a better place.  We put Jake down on December 20, 2015. The best gift we were given this year was being able to see and Hear from Mason.  He is doing well and is such an awesome Missionary.  He is excited to see where the next 6 months take him in his remaining time in Colombia.  Merry Christmas Everyone and a Happy New Year.  

I will be coming home ...

This week was kinda hard not going to lie, well the end of the week was just super sad. Then Thursday night I was doing a baptism interview with some guy and my companion came in and said we had to leave right after I had finished the interview, because there was an emergency in the zone. Apparently one of the Zone members has been in some trouble and we had to go get him and bring him to our house New Years Eve, so he didn't get into more trouble. The next day we had to take him to our presidents house and we found out that he was getting sent home, and that we have to take care of him until they get him a flight. So our whole weekend we were with these elders. Really hard to watch, he started the mission with me. So it was really hard to work with them following us around.  So I have some news about the date ...I will be coming home ....... on the...  wait for it.... June 22nd! Well there are cambios this week so there is a chance I could leave, Ive never just stayed in an area for 2 transfers so I think it would be way weird if they got me out but I don't know what will happen. Well I gotta go, I love you all.

 Elder Chavez