September 8, 2014

Hello Everyone!!! I hope you all had a great back-to-school week!!

First of all I was transferred which I was SUPER sad about! But now that I am here I love it. The crazy thing is I am practically right back to where I came from, Torrance. I'm in the same church building, just one area over. It was crazy. I passed one of my old investigators on the road today....but it has been helpful because my companion is pretty new so it's nice that I sort of know my way around. Speaking of my companion. Her name is Sister Wehrhahn (Where-Haun) She is from Wisconsin and comes from a family of 4 girls. She is very sweet and bubbly. We are having a good time so far. I cut her hair today :)

THIS WEEK WAS FULL OF MIRACLES AND AWESOME PEOPLE!!!!
It seems that I just keep walking in on baptisms!! We had a baptism yesterday!!! My first day we had an appointment with the Edward family. They are a great family! We had a lesson and prepared them for their interviews. After a few stressful days, Sunday came and the baptism was a go! Tia, Rebecca, Hannah, and Grace were all baptized. Their family came and they said it was beautiful and they felt very welcome. It was really awesome!  I'm grateful for the Edward family. They are sweet spirits. We are going to start teaching the 10 year old grandson and maybe a few more of the daughters :)

This week I also met Sister Carroll. She is a less active we are working with. She is going through a lot of struggles right now. But she has a strong desire to do the right things. I have really gained a testimony of the power of the Book of Mormon and applying it to our lives. It is incredible the things we have learned together and the strength of the Holy Ghost as we read. It really has been eye opening to me.

We also had another miracle experience. We were going to visit a less active family. We looked up their address and put it in the GPS. When it asked the house number, one preset one popped up, so we decided to check it out. We followed the GPS and we turned left and then it said "You have reached your destination on your right". We looked up at the house and Sister Wehrhahn says "This is Tracy's house!!" The crazy thing is that the address didn't match the one on the GPS but we decided to go for it anyways. We went to the door and we warmly welcomed. We taught the Restoration and watched the video. As we talked about families and how they can be forever, she cried and said "Ok, ok I'm sold!! Stop before I really cry" It was incredible. We invited her to be baptized and she said she had no idea what that meant but the it was something she would be interested in. We told her we would explain everything. We are going back Wednesday. It was such a testimony builder to me of following the Spirit and letting the gospel speak for itself. I think sometimes as missionaries we get too caught up in all the details that we forget the simple power of the Spirit. I am very grateful for this experience.

The last one I want to talk about is Robert. I think Adrian in my last area was preparation for Robert!! The spirit has been so helpful with him. We went in a little blind and with the guidance of the spirit we were able to have 3 really great lessons. We helped him understand that healing is possible through the Atonement and repentance. We taught him the Word of Wisdom and challenged him to live it. He said he would try it out and see what he thinks. We were also able to help him deal with some of the issues he was facing. We helped him understand the importance of taking responsibility for his actions and making sure everything gets taken care of. He has a lot of potential, he just needs to realize it is there and let everything else go.

Thank you all for your love and prayers!! I hope you are all doing well. Enjoy the fall weather because it is still cooking here....I don't think I'm too fond of not having seasons.... I love you all!!

Have a great week!

Another Transfer.. September 1, 2014

Hello everyone!!!! I hope you all had a great week and are enjoying your Labor Day!!!

This is a sad day for me....transfer calls came last night and my companion and I are both leaving the area :'( I'm super sad... I loved it here. We are both in shock. It makes me a little sick to my stomach.
This branch became my family. I made so many life long friendships and really connected to people here. There have seen so many miracles here, especially with less active and recent converts. This transfer we had 48 less active/ recent convert lessons. This week we found a golden investigator. Some of our other ones came back to us. We have a ton that are almost there. I just don't want to leave them. Two new sisters are coming in. Good luck to the new sisters. This area is huge and there is so many people they need to take care of!!!

I have never felt this way about transfers before but I know everything will work out.
So I'm going to Redondo Beach. Super nice area. English. Family ward. And I'm finishing training with a sister I have only seen once. It should be fun.

This week has been awesome!! We found a new investigator Kimberly. We found her name on the potentials list. We called and she asked us to come the next day. We went and had the most amazing how to begin teaching lesson I have had on my mission! It was incredible!! We asked her to be baptized if she comes to know it was true. She said "I would, I definitely would!" It was incredible!! I'm so excited for her!!!

This week we also went to the Visitors Center. It was so good. The Spirit was so strong! We went with a recent convert and 3 less actives. While we were there, Anibal went to the temple for the first time!!! Nothing brings more joy to a missionary than to see people got to the temple!! There was a lot that happened but these are the main events. There just isn't enough time to write everything!!

Yesterday was a super good day. We talked about being TRUE TO THE FAITH, and how as we learn about our ancestors we gain faith from them. Watch Brother Walker's talk from April conference and Brother Cook's talk "Roots and Branches". It was really good. We are blessed with such a strong heritage. We really can gain strength from them. Also watch the Mormon video "I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go". It is super good!

So a fun story of the week. I got to pet an iguana. It wasn't very big but it was cool.

I love my companion so much! This has been the funnest transfer of my mission!!! My companion is hilarious and we laugh so hard we choke on water and cry from laughing. We clicked right away!! She has the best dog bark in the world!! She is hilarious and we are crazy together. But sadly today is our last day together :'( We are both getting transferred tomorrow. We have tons of crazy stories its just really hard to write them because you have to see the voice and action and stuff. This week we did some service cleaning this nasty kitchen...dishes to the ceiling, cockroaches everywhere, food from weeks ago buried on the counter. It was disgusting....we cleaned for 2 hours and we still didn't finish. To finish it off the water pipe is busted so when you would rinse the dishes, water would run out on the floor. It was nasty. And you know how much I love cleaning the kitchen anyways...that still hasn't changed haha At the beginning of my mission we helped a less active wash her flea infested dogs. As we washed them the fleas were jumping all over us. We had the heebie jeebies all day.... Another day we really had to go to the bathroom and there was no where to go and our appointments had cancelled so we were desperate. We started walking the streets looking for a place with a bathroom. No luck. So we walked back to our car and there is a Unidos con Cristo church across the street with the door open so we go in. It was super creepy....we found the bathroom. It was a one toileter but we went in together because it was creepy. As we were in there, someone tried to open the locked door. It wouldn't open so he shoved it and got it open. My companion screamed and yelled at him to get out! We got freaked out so I hurried and washed my hands and we ran out that church!!! Another time we found a new less active. We called him and he only spoke Spanish. We told him we would come over. We had a member come with us. He doesn't speak any Spanish. We were late and Steven (The member) text and said how do you say they are running late. We text him and told him to read it out loud. When Steven said Las Hermanas, the guy let him in. Then he called us saying Who is this guy?? Do you know him? He was a little upset. When we got there we realized he was blind. I think I already told this story but long one short. He took us to his room and tried to get us to come in his room by sitting on his bed, patting it and saying pasale con confianza.....so awkward!!! We had our lesson downstairs....and the only Spanish Steven said was Muchas Chichas hahaha.  This just a start to the stories.... :)

I love you all so much!! Have a great week!

8 Months Down--August 25, 2014

Hello everyone!! These weeks are flying by!!!!  This has been a week of miracles!!

Monday-We had dinner with a less active and her family. After dinner we found out that her older sister is not a member. She had a lot of questions and we were able to answer most of them. She was very curious. Unfortunately she is not YSA but it was still nice to teach her. Her YSA sister Monica asked if she thought the lessons would be good for her sister. We said yes. Hopefully we get to see them again soon and then transition her.

We had coordination on Tuesday morning and that day we had decided that since we hadn't seen any of our investigators in 2 weeks we were going to call them all one last time and if they didn't answer we would turn them back to the Lord. This is where the miracle happened. We got a hold of 2 of them!! We had a lesson with the one and the other one said that he could see us this coming week. It was such a boost to my testimony that when we trust the Lord. He really does provide us with the elect.

Another miracle comes from calling potentials. We had set the daily goal to receive one referral. As I called and called I was getting worn out. We ate dinner and then went back to making calls. I skipped one name and then about 20 minutes later I felt prompted to call the one I skipped. I called and she picked up. I began talking to her and as we talked I found out that she and her 19 year old brother we just talking the night before and were wanting to find a new church. They had already told their parents that they weren't going to go to Catholic church anymore and their parents were okay with it. She told me that they were actually planning to walk around Bell Gardens the next day to try and find a church. She was grateful that we had called her. She referred us her brother and we reached our goal for the day! We gave her information to the Elders and they set up an appointment with her for this coming week. Miracles happen through phone calls!! We also called a guy who is now living in Long Beach but he asked us to send the missionaries there. It was really cool. He seemed super interested, he also told us we could send missionaries to his aunt's house.

This week has been a bit of an emotional roller coaster. On Tuesday we found out about Joy's (one of our investigators) brother had died. That was hard for me. I have been in their shoes many times and all I want to do is go and be there to support them but they haven't let us come over yet :( We call and text them but we haven't seen them. I'm afraid that all of this might push Joy away. And I really don't want to see that happen. Also this week we found out that Pascual, our old neighbor was mugged in the alley and when he went to the hospital they found a tumor in his brain. Maybe cancer. Another stab to the heart! He is very scared and worried. He cried and told us that he feels like God played a role in this. If he hadn't have been punched he would have never gone to the doctor and he would have never found out. He said he feels that he knows now so that he can take care of it. He said that feels God is leaving him here on Earth for a reason -that there is something more he needs to do. After he shared this we BOLDLY and lovingly asked him if he would listen to the missionaries and find out about the message that we share. He said that he would. Since then the Elders had an appointment with him and he said he would like to keep learning. It was a really big testimony builder to me to see how the Lord prepares people and how when we are BOLD and LOVING they feel the spirit and respond according to God's will.

So like I mentioned last week our whole mission is reading the Book of Mormon together focusing on Christ. I never realized how much Christ is mentioned or referred to. Every single page is marked!! My testimony of Christ and the Book of Mormon is growing stronger every day. I am realizing parts of the story that I never did before. My faith is deepening. I encourage all of you to try this challenge. Get a new copy and only mark things that talk about Christ. You will be amazed!!

I love you all so much! Thank you for everything you do for me. Thank you for your prayers! I hope you all have a great week!!!

Love, Hermana Montgomery

August 18, 2014

Hello everyone!!! On one hand this week has flown by and on the other it has been so slow!! This week was full of ups and downs but its all part of the fun.  

On the downside: All of our investigators have disappeared. They won't call or text us back and are not home when we go by. It is a little disheartening because I care about them so much and want them to progress and be happy. But we can't take away agency. But I know that the Lord has a plan.

On the upside: This week we were able to have a transition lesson and received our new investigator Joy. We found her a few weeks ago but she was being taught by some Elders. But because she is YSA we get to teach her. She is awesome. There is still some work to do before she will be ready for baptism but we are working with her. We also have a lot of potentials that we can start working with while our investigators are on hold.

Also on the upside we had zone conference this week! It was super good and just what I needed! We talked a lot about recent converts and how to help them progress towards the temple. We also focused on the Book of Mormon and how powerful it is in teaching and testifying. Zone conferences are always so good and fun. It gives you a chance to learn from a large group of missionaries and great leaders.

I had some very spiritual experiences this week. The first one was with our returning less-active Diego and another person we are visiting to invite him to the branch. This man is blind and speaks only Spanish. Diego came with us to the lesson and basically taught the whole thing and testified with so much power. It was incredible to see the missionary fire in him. After the lesson Elder (the blind one) asked if we could walk with him to the store. As we walked he asked if Diego could lead him. I struggled to hold back the tears as I saw them walking down the street arm in arm. I thought of how the Savior works the same way. At times we are blind to the things we should do and where we should go but the Savior will always take us by the hand and lead us where we need to be. It was a moment I will never forget.

The second experience was at Luisa's (one of Sister Anand's investigators) baptism. As the sister gave the talk on the Holy Ghost it really hit home to my heart. The way she explained it and talked about how it is our responsibility of what we do with the gift and how we are the only ones who really know how close or how far away we are from it. She encouraged us to make the Holy Ghost our best friend. It was such a good baptism...started a little rocky but ended very well!

The last thing I wanted to mention was the Book of Mormon challenge that our mission received. I am calling it the Find Your Savior challenge. At zone conference we were all given a new copy of the Book of Mormon to read as a mission, only highlighting things regarding the Savior. We are reading 2 chapters a day and will finish December 10th. I invite you all to do it with us. We started yesterday and I have already felt my testimony grow. I realized that I was always so focused on the story that I didn't notice how much Christ is mentioned. My eyes have really been opened.

I hope you all have a great week and I love you all so much!

August 11, 2014

Hello Everyone!

This week has been kinda slow. We only had a few lesson and nothing too exciting....We taught Roger and hopefully we will get to go to the visitors center with him! We also taught Adrian the word of wisdom. That was really fun! More to come on that after the mission :)

We have a new branch mission leader and he is really excited to work.

We had a super good zone training meeting. President Wiedman and President Larson (stake pres) came. It was really awesome! I love President Weidman. He has such a sense of humor! It is nice!

Coming up this next week is Zone Conference!!! I love Zone Conference!! This one is going to focus a lot on recent converts since the policy had changed!

This is some Brazilian food that I made this week--Chicken, bullion, onions, ketchup, and sweet and condensed milk. Super yummy!!

These are some of the best tacos ever!

Gotta love the frozen yogurt!! YUMM!

Sorry I don't have a lot of time or much to write about but things are going well and I'm really enjoying it!!

I hope you all have a great week!
Hermana Montgomery

Lovin' Life!

This week has felt super long!!! But it has been good...as always :)

Lets just start on Monday: We had our regular preparation day....plus a bunch of extra craziness. But I finally got my hair cut after 6 months :)

Average day of planning:

We were in charge of FHE. We played Agua en su Cara. It is a super fun game were everyone sits in a circle. One person picks a category and a topic and then you go around the circle and each person say s something under that topic. If you guess it right then the person who is it throws a cup of water in your face. It went super well and was really fun. Then we played water balloon volleyball! The Branch is awesome!


Tuesday: We went and visited Adriana. She was really sick so we weren't there long. Then we went and had a lesson with Roger. He is a little slower so it is taking us a while to teach him. He also cancels a lot of appointments which is really sad :(

Then we went and saw Diego. He is so cool!!! We had a really good lesson with him and we also got a lesson on telescopic elevators....

This is Diego and his tattoo of Christ. :)

Then we went and saw Pasqual and Angela. He gave us tortas and ice cream. He has the best tortas in all the world!!!

Wednesday: Wednesday was slow but we made a lot of phone calls. We have "700" less active in our branch so we are working really hard to get all that information cleaned up. It takes a lot of time. We had dinner with the Fox family and the Massie's came. It was super good as always. We had jalupes (you know the Fritos with chili and all the works).

Thursday: We found a person who should be in the branch but hasn't come. We went to visit him and turns out he is blind and only speaks Spanish. It was one of the coolest lessons on my mission. He is from Honduras and was in an accident 5 years ago that left him blind. He came to the US 2 months ago and is a professional soccer player for a blind league. He has won a ton of championships. And in 2016 is going to play in Canada. He is so awesome! I have never been so impressed by someone. He lives in south central which is like GHETTO and crazy. He lives alone in an upstairs room. He has the Book of Mormon in Spanish braille and he was reading it for us. He is so awesome and may start coming to our branch. Then we had two dinners. One with a guy named Joseph. He is a theater major and was in Parks and Recreations(TV show). The other one was with Vera the less active we are working with. She was sick as well. Everyone is sick around here. After ward we went to visit some other should-be-coming people and we ended up jumping out of the car to talk to a random stranger. It was pretty creepy on our part but he gave us his number and when we called him back he told us we could come over and teach him. Sometimes being creepy pays off.

Friday: We went to find another one of those should be coming to the branch people. We drove all the way to LA and then everything was locked so we couldn't get in and then her phone wasn't working. But luckily a man came and opened the door. We went and visited her and she is awesome!!  Her sister is not a member so we are going to start teaching her! Then we saw Diego again. He was going to bring his brother to church but they got in a car accident on Saturday. But everything is ok. For dinner we had Brazilian hot dogs. Basically you take the bun-put mayo-then tomato sauce with onions-then your hot dog- then sweet corn-then ketchup-then mashed potatoes-and then crushed Doritos. Sounds nasty....tastes delicious!!

Saturday: Today we did service!! There is a girl in our branch whose grandparents died recently. We were moving all the stuff out of their house.It was super fun and I made a comment about bringing my muscles and now I'll never live it down.....

After we went and had cold stone. It was so yummy. That night we had lessons with Hiro, Ani, the Riveras, and Nelly. It was so good to see all of them after a week of hardly any appointments.

Sunday: Fast Sunday! It was so good. Our high councilman brought his two non-member nephews to church. If you just looked at them you would run the other way. Tattoos and weird facial hair and gaged ears. But they were so nice! They are going to let us come and teach them. After church we had linger longer. We had home made mac and cheese. It was so good! After that we went home and made phone calls to try and set up some appointments.

Then we went and had alphabet soup and quesadillas with the Cueves family.

That pretty much sums up the week. Sorry for all the boring details.

But something a little more spiritual that I read this morning. Alma 10. Here Amulek is sharing his story. He talks about how he is very rich and well known and he always turned away from God. He even claims that God didn't exist, but then he says, actually I knew He existed but I chose to push him away and deny that he was real so I could keep my lifestyle without feeling guilty. He goes on to say how his whole life changed. As I read this I thought about how at time we deny the things we know to be true so that we can justify our actions. What kind of excuses do we make for ourselves? How many times do we stop to think about the the blessings and miracles we have seen in our lives? Anyways just some food for thought for this week :)

I hope you are all doing well and are enjoying your summer! I love you all and am grateful for all of your examples!

Love,
Hermana Montgomery

7 MONTHS!!

I can't believe how fast time is flying!!! It really is crazy!! I can't believe that it has almost been a year since I got my mission call.

Anyways....The work is going well! We have had a slower week but full of miracles none the less.

The Highlights:
-Brandon went to the temple!!
-We took Ani (recent convert) to a lesson and he did great!! He is reading 2 chapters a day in the Book of Mormon and is almost done with his home teaching for the month!
-We took Adrian to the visitors center and we watched the Restoration. It was so good and he said an awesome prayer. The next night he called and told us he prayed and knows that Joseph Smith is true. He also prayed for a job and got one the next day!!! We saw his dad at the store and he was so excited to talk to us!! Anyways he is straight up gangster but really wants to change.
-Vic is doing awesome! Still can't come to church but is reading and praying and meeting with us.
-We also had exchanges. They were awesome! I love exchanges. You learn so much!
-We are in charge of FHE and we are going to have a blast!!
-I love my companion!! She is awesome and crazy and she has the best bark I have ever heard!

I didn't have much time this week. But I love you all and thank you for your emails!!

Have a great week!!

Love, Hermana Montgomery