Patience and Promptings

This week has been good. I have learned a lot about patience this week. I am starting to get a little stir crazy here. During one class time we went and had to teach solo. The kid I was teaching didn't know any English and it was super frustrating. but I learned to just be patient. Then after we went and taught lessons with a Latino branch and all them were really impressed with my Spanish. But there are some other experiences I want to share that I think are more important than the little things.

We had a really cool experience with one of our investigators. We went to teach him and we could see through the door that he was praying so we gave him so time and we prayed to. We knocked and as we opened the door he look like he was about to cry. We went in and started talking to me and then I gave the opening prayer. It was probably one of the best prayers I have ever prayed. The words just came and then we starting giving our lesson and it was going so smooth. Then we were sharing our testimonies and he told us that he felt like God couldn't forgive him anymore. That he had sinned too many times and he was really upset. I shared a scripture and then one of my companions shared an experience and then I asked if he wanted to pray and he said that he would after we left. I can't describe in words the way I felt. I was finding scriptures like nobody's business. It was incredible. He even started crying in the lesson. After it was all over we said a closing prayer and then we went outside and we were all so in awe about what has just happened. We said a prayer thanking Heavenly Father for helping us and for that experience. I think I experienced a little portion of the love Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have for us. It was absolutely incredible. One of the best experiences I have had here.

The other one happened today. We went to the visitors center and we took a tour and after we were kinda standing in the foyer and we were like lets go take pictures in the other room. But one elder quickly peeked his head back into the room with the Cristus and we hear Hermana F?? So we all run over there and yelled HERMANA F.!!!!! We ran over and hugged her a she started sobbing. She had just gotten out of class and came to the visitors center to feel better and talk to one of her old companions who is serving there. She hugged us and said you are an answer to my prayers. It was the coolest experience. She took pictures with us and walked around for a while. She took us to the store and I bought a really cool scripture case for 95 pesos. So 9 dollars. It was just so crazy that she was like oh I'll go to the visitors center and we just happened to be there and see her. It was really cool and she was like see you tonight!! I seriously love her so much!!!

There are tons of stories I want to tell you but I don't have time! Maybe I will write them in a letter and send them to you once I get to California. I wish I could just email all day but AIN'T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT!!!

I love you all and thank you for your prayers. Please pray for my investigators.

LOVE HERMANA MONTGOMERY!!

Humility and Blessings :)

It is crazy that I am halfway done here. Time goes so fast!

My Spanish isn't as spectacular as I think it should be but its coming along. Mostly just review. It is pretty hard to explain the gospel in Spanish. There are tons of things I want to say but don't know how. When we teach our investigators we do it in companionship.

I got some letters this week. It made me really happy. I still am really sick. I don't have a stuffy nose or cough anymore but my throat and ears hurt a lot but I'm on some antibiotics right now so I should be good soon.

So the 5 of us going to Cali leaving on Monday the 3rd and then some elders leave on the fourth and my companions leave on the 5th. This week is going to hard. Our volleyball friends are leaving this week and every Sunday we sing God Be With You Till We Meet Again and they put all the people who are leaving pictures up and so we are all going to be balling. They are seriously our only friends here.

This week has been so humbling. I have really realized how much I have taken for granted in my life. We were discussing as a district going to conference and everyone was like oh I've been 2 times or once. Some have never been. I just thought of how many times I havent been. Then we talked about prophets and I felt so lucky that I was there when Thomas S Monson was sustained and to sit with him in the temple and to be part of building and dedicating a temple. It just seems like everything this week has reminded me of how blessed I have been. We learned about the book of mormon and why the book of mormon is so crucial to our conversion. I realize that I really never appreciated it in my life. I have had so many blessings and I am just now realizing that I really am grateful for them.

I love you all and I am having a good time here. It isn't always easy but it is worth it.

Love,
Hermana Montgomery

Hometown Hick!

I don't want to try the papaya again!

The lessons with our investigator went really well. The second one wasnt so great. I had a hard time explaining the preisthood to her in spanish. I kind of got frusterated with myself because I couldnt get the words out right. But I think she still got the point. The next lesson we taught her was on the Plan of Salvation. It was amazing. I was able to explain everything and I basically have been teaching the lessons all by myself with little injections from my companions every once in a while.The lesson was incredible and I was able to bear to her my testimony that I know that I will see my loved ones again and that families can be together forever. Everyday I am here I appreciate that more and more.

This week I have had to deal with some stuff that has been especially hard with my companions and I just realize how much I appreciate and love my family and my Egbert family as well.  I have also learned that there is a reason we have priesthood in the church to take care of things we cant deal with ourselves. So after the third lesson with our investigator, we found out that she is actually one of our teachers. She is amazing. She is like the only consistent teacher we have here. She is so sweet and goes above and beyond for us. So how investigators work here is teachers pick someone in their life that they know really well and represent them. They have noticed changes in the lives of the real people. It is really cool. So now we are teaching her again but as her other friend. But this week she is bringing real nonmember friends. So thats a little nervewracking. We also have another investigator. Our first lesson with him was ok but it wasn't super great, sometimes are easier than others.

So all the elders in my disctrict think I that I wear overalls and ring a bell for dinner like in 7 Brides for 7 Brothers. They all talk to me in a hick accent and it is hilarious. They also think I am so funny. They are always laughing at what I say and it makes me feel good.

Here is a picture of my zone at the Mexico City Temple!

So I have to clarify on the weather. It is usually warm outside but the classrooms are freezing. They are cinder block and there is no central heating and they leave the doors open at night so they turn into little freezers. I wear my winter coat everyday and leggings under my skirts. This is the coldest I have ever been in my life. Like right now my fingers are like icicles. Also morning and nights here are freezing because of the humidity. I hate humidity. It makes you so cold and my hair is always frizzing.

The other night we had tamales and they were the best tamales I have ever had in my whole life!!! They were so delicious. They also feed us Costco pizza once a week. Its awesome.

O|H MY GOSH!!!!! I have to mention this!! So the whole time we have been here I have been so upset that there is no ice here. Everything is lukewarm. Then one night there was a tub of ice next to the juice machine and I almost started crying becuase I was so happy. I even said thank you for the ice in my dinner prayer. I carried around a cup of it for the rest of the night and just sucked on it. Then the elders informed me that they usually have ice but I think they were lying. But they have had it a couple times since and I have been so happy.

Bad news, I have been sick all week. I have had the worst sore throat and cough and stuffy. It has been mostly tolerable but it has made this week kinda rough. One day I barely had a voice at all.

Cool story!! We have a service project every Tuesday and this week we started out in the giant laundry room and I learned how to properly fold fitted sheets. Something I never expected to learn here. But after a few minutes we were called out to go help another lady so we went and she told us that we would be cleaning a house and we were like ugh not again. We did that last week and it wasn't too bad but this week we were scrubbing walls and the elders where scrapping black mold off of the ceilings in the bathrooms. It was absolutley disgusting. The one bathroom was so nasty and she said that she had already been cleaning in there for 4 hours. When we were almost done she gathered us up for a picture and was just thanking us for helping her and she started crying. She said that what we did in 90 minutes would have taken her 4 days and she was so grateful for our help. It was so sweet. I learned a lot about cleanliness and serving others. On the way she said to us SERVICE OPENS DOORS. That is so true.

This week we had a class on the Book of Mormon and it was really awesome. We only read a few versus from chapter one of first Nephi but the way we did it and discussed it, I learned more in the 30 minutes that I did reading the whole Book of Mormon. It was really cool and so in personal study time I applied it and I got so much more out of it.

This week has been great and challenging all at the same time. I have learned a lot of patience and a lot about myself. I love you all and am grateful for all the examples I have had in my life. I love you all.

Love,
Hermana Montgomery

Week 1!

Happy New Year!

There are cannons that go off here all the time. They are supposedly fireworks but we never see them. New Years night was crazy!! We could hardly sleep it was so loud.

My district is amazing!! There are 9 of us and 5 of us are going to LA. Our co-district leaders are Elder M. and Elder S.-he is hilarious!!! Then we have some really fun elders in my zone. I am in a tripanionship. My companions are Hermana C. from Carnation, Washington and Hermana L. from Utah. They are the only ones in the CCM (MTC in Spanish)  going to Independence, Missouri. They are very different but we are having a good time. Except day 3. Hermana C. cried all day and we were all really frustrated with each other. But we are all good now.

So our third day here the entire other district in our zone left so we are the only ones left in our zone. Some new missionaries got here yesterday but so far none of them are in our zone.

On our third day we had to teach our new investigator. She is 29, divorced, works at a factory making wet suits, and her sister is on a mission, and all of her family are members. We taught her about the atonement and the spirit was so strong. I just started bearing my testimony and words were just coming out of my mouth so fast and I wasn't even thinking about it. It was so awesome and she started crying. All four of us were crying. Then yesterday we taught her again about Joseph Smith and baptism and she accepted the offer to be baptized. I struggled a little more in that lesson because I was trying to answer her questions about the priesthood but I couldn't really convey what i wanted to say because I didn't know the words in Spanish and she speaks no English. It is really awesome to teach her, She is so sweet and I already love her so much.

We get to play beach volleyball everyday and its super fun. There is an elder here from Ririe. I recognized him the first day and I knew he was a wrestler but we cant figure out where we have met before so we just have this unspoken connection that we cant figure out. He is short and tiny but super funny. He reminds me of the Satyers in Chronciles of Narnia. There is also an elder here and he laughs just like Jacob Meiers. Its kinda creepy how similar it is but it makes me feel at home. So much has happened here already and there isn't enough time to talk about everything.

The food here is pretty good. They have a menu at the door but it doesn't help much. A lot of it looks pretty weird but it tastes good. And the tortillas here are the best! They also have cereal and nutella available for breakfast and lunch. But a quick story....Edgar told me the best fruit is in Mexico so one day at lunch I decided to try some new fruit. The one I had tasted like honeydew and was ok. The other one I got was like a sunset orange color. I brought it up to my mouth and it smelt kinda weird but I took a bite anyways. WORST IDEA EVER!!!!! IT TASTED LIKE VOMIT. Like I had just thrown up. It was absolutely disgusting!! I found out the next day it is Papaya. Yep never again!!

Today we got to go to the temple. It was so big and beautiful. There are escalators that take you up and down floors. Everything was plated in gold and the chandelier in the Celestial room had 13 layers and each layer looked like a 8 pointed star. It was so pretty and there were so many angles and stuff it was really cool. The only weird thing was that you stayed in the same room the whole time.

The bus ride to the temple was crazy!! Grandma was right about the traffic here. You just go. We almost killed a couple motorcyclists. the town is so colorful and lively and there are street vendors everywhere. It was awesome. They are shutting down the temple this Saturday for a year and a half so we just made it. But we get to go back to the visitors center in 2 weeks.

Well I'm almost out of time but things are going great here and the weather is nice. We got sunburns yesterday.

Love you
Hermana Montgomery