Transfer calls came! I'm going to El Camino YSA with Sister Parks!!!
I'm very excited for this coming transfer. I'm sad to leave this area because things were just looking up but I guess that's the way it goes. I have really come to love the people here. The familes are wonderful and everyone is so sweet and caring. The transfer news had people in tears- I guess that's how you know you have done your job and made a difference.
Here's an update on my week:
We have had some changes in our ward missionary efforts, with the help of Bishop West and our new division of ward missionary leadership. Great things are happening!!! It is truly amazing! Yesterday a member referred an entire family!!! All springboarded by our bishop's pass-a-long card challenge. It is so awesome!!! The new elders are so lucky! The ward is finally jumping on the missionary wagon! We also had members sign up to go out with us and the response was great. The members really have become excited about hastening the work!
Sorry I'm out of time! I'll send more next week!
Love, Hermana Makeesa Montgomery
Saturday, November 22, 2014
11/13/14 Highlights
Hello everyone!!! Sorry to keep you all waiting!! I'm alive and well :)
So much has happened since the last email so it's kind of all a blur. But some highlights:
1-We went to the temple and I met a really awesome guy there! He was the shining example of diligence! As I watched him walk in my eyes were glued on him. I could tell that something had happened and that it had probably been a long time since he had been in the temple. As he struggled to walk and perform the tasks he had tears in his eyes but so much peace in his expression. I finally asked him about his story...He had had a stroke or something a few years back and he cried and said how grateful he was to be in the temple that it had been so long since he had been there. I couldn't help but cry! I have never seen someone so glad to be there. The temple really is the house of God and we can feel his love there more than any other place on Earth!
2- We had exchanges again and I got to go with Sister Nagano again! We met some awesome people on the street!! It is so amazing to hear people's stories!! We had dinner with a family and we had sweet potato and cauliflower soup. It was delicious!
3- We did a huge service project this week for a family! It was lots of hard work but it was worth it! It was so nice to see them happy and all together. I'm grateful my parents taught me hard work ethic! It really paid off!
Sorry I don't have much time but I'll be back in a few days! I love you all so much! Thanks for everything!
Love, Hermana Makeesa Montgomery
So much has happened since the last email so it's kind of all a blur. But some highlights:
1-We went to the temple and I met a really awesome guy there! He was the shining example of diligence! As I watched him walk in my eyes were glued on him. I could tell that something had happened and that it had probably been a long time since he had been in the temple. As he struggled to walk and perform the tasks he had tears in his eyes but so much peace in his expression. I finally asked him about his story...He had had a stroke or something a few years back and he cried and said how grateful he was to be in the temple that it had been so long since he had been there. I couldn't help but cry! I have never seen someone so glad to be there. The temple really is the house of God and we can feel his love there more than any other place on Earth!
2- We had exchanges again and I got to go with Sister Nagano again! We met some awesome people on the street!! It is so amazing to hear people's stories!! We had dinner with a family and we had sweet potato and cauliflower soup. It was delicious!
3- We did a huge service project this week for a family! It was lots of hard work but it was worth it! It was so nice to see them happy and all together. I'm grateful my parents taught me hard work ethic! It really paid off!
Sorry I don't have much time but I'll be back in a few days! I love you all so much! Thanks for everything!
Love, Hermana Makeesa Montgomery
SPOOKTACULAR WEEK!! :)
Hello everyone!!! I hope you all had a fun Halloween!!!!
This week has been great! Lots of good stuff going on!
First of all Halloween! The day was just normal....but we did get to have dinner with the Strawns. We had pumpkin soup that was absolutely delicious! We also had spud nuts (home-made donuts). It was so yummy! We were going to take a pumpkin home to carve but we were running late and forgot to grab it....not the most exciting Halloween I've ever had but it was still fun because everyone here decorates!! Here are some pictures of some of the decorations---SO COOL!
This week we had zone conference!! It was amazing! I felt the Spirit so strong! We had training on teaching simply, sincere prayers, faith-filled thoughts, and following the Spirit. I have been trying really hard to implement the faith-filled thoughts training. In today's world it is so easy to be negative and get down on ourselves. But as I have been trying to work on this this week, it is incredible the difference that positive thinking can make. It is sometimes hard to do but as we keep working on it, it becomes easier. Have people around you help you re-write your negative thoughts. It is kinda goofy at first but it really works and helps keep things in perspective. I also have been working on my prayers. I'm glad to say they have improved! And I am really happy about that. I feel like I really mean what I say and I'm taking more time to really be grateful and honest with Heavenly Father. In our training we talked a lot about being open and homiest in our prayers, not just saying the thing we think he wants hear. I invite you all to try it out and see what happens!
Yesterday we had a lesson on gratitude in Relief Society. It really struck me. I realized that I needed to be more grateful for the blessings I've been given instead of complaining or worry about what I don't have. It was very eye-opening for me. The Spirit told me to use the question, "What are you grateful for?" As a street contact approach. So I'll give it a try this week. Yesterday it worked once and didn't once. We have been extending the challenge to our ward member to make a list A-Z of things they are grateful for! If you start today and put one or two things down you will have a list almost complete by Thanksgiving :) Then everyone can read their list after dinner!
We also had exchanges this week! I was with Sister Nagano. I learned so much from her and I feel like we really connected and understood each other. She helped me see a lot of things I can do better. We met a new family that we are going back to this week! We are excited! We also had a good lesson with one of the guys we are working with.
There was a quote in Zone Conference about the Savior being keenly aware of each missionary. But this week I came to understand more fully that he is keenly aware of everyone!! This really hit me when we knocked on the door of Amber Delileo. We had a list of names that we wanted to visit. I had a feeling we needed to go towards to the beach. We prayed and picked a name and off we went. We arrived but could not find a place to park. We drove around in circles and then we thought maybe it was the wrong person. We prayed again that if it was her we could get parking. Well we found one. We walked into he building and up to the door. We knocked and a woman with a face full of tears opened to the door. She told us that her husband had just died about an hour ago. She let us in and we talked for a while. She was in shock and had no idea what to do. We were able to comfort her and give her advice. I know without a shadow of a doubt that Heavenly Father knew her and her situation and we were led to her door. After we left her house we stopped to offer a prayer. I can't describe the Spirit I felt as I came to understand why I had to endure all of the heartache of losing so many people that I was close to while I was so young. But as I've been here on my mission, I have come to understand that the things I have gone through in my life have prepared me to help people here. I have been part of 3 deaths so far and I have been able to understand and comfort those people. I know the Lord has a plan for everything I know that he is keenly aware of each of you and your needs. Talk to him! He wants to help you!
I love you all so much!! Thank you so much for all your prayers! I feel them! Thank you for being a part of my life! I can't wait to see you all again!
Love, Hermana Makeesa Montgomery
This week has been great! Lots of good stuff going on!
First of all Halloween! The day was just normal....but we did get to have dinner with the Strawns. We had pumpkin soup that was absolutely delicious! We also had spud nuts (home-made donuts). It was so yummy! We were going to take a pumpkin home to carve but we were running late and forgot to grab it....not the most exciting Halloween I've ever had but it was still fun because everyone here decorates!! Here are some pictures of some of the decorations---SO COOL!
This week we had zone conference!! It was amazing! I felt the Spirit so strong! We had training on teaching simply, sincere prayers, faith-filled thoughts, and following the Spirit. I have been trying really hard to implement the faith-filled thoughts training. In today's world it is so easy to be negative and get down on ourselves. But as I have been trying to work on this this week, it is incredible the difference that positive thinking can make. It is sometimes hard to do but as we keep working on it, it becomes easier. Have people around you help you re-write your negative thoughts. It is kinda goofy at first but it really works and helps keep things in perspective. I also have been working on my prayers. I'm glad to say they have improved! And I am really happy about that. I feel like I really mean what I say and I'm taking more time to really be grateful and honest with Heavenly Father. In our training we talked a lot about being open and homiest in our prayers, not just saying the thing we think he wants hear. I invite you all to try it out and see what happens!
Yesterday we had a lesson on gratitude in Relief Society. It really struck me. I realized that I needed to be more grateful for the blessings I've been given instead of complaining or worry about what I don't have. It was very eye-opening for me. The Spirit told me to use the question, "What are you grateful for?" As a street contact approach. So I'll give it a try this week. Yesterday it worked once and didn't once. We have been extending the challenge to our ward member to make a list A-Z of things they are grateful for! If you start today and put one or two things down you will have a list almost complete by Thanksgiving :) Then everyone can read their list after dinner!
We also had exchanges this week! I was with Sister Nagano. I learned so much from her and I feel like we really connected and understood each other. She helped me see a lot of things I can do better. We met a new family that we are going back to this week! We are excited! We also had a good lesson with one of the guys we are working with.
There was a quote in Zone Conference about the Savior being keenly aware of each missionary. But this week I came to understand more fully that he is keenly aware of everyone!! This really hit me when we knocked on the door of Amber Delileo. We had a list of names that we wanted to visit. I had a feeling we needed to go towards to the beach. We prayed and picked a name and off we went. We arrived but could not find a place to park. We drove around in circles and then we thought maybe it was the wrong person. We prayed again that if it was her we could get parking. Well we found one. We walked into he building and up to the door. We knocked and a woman with a face full of tears opened to the door. She told us that her husband had just died about an hour ago. She let us in and we talked for a while. She was in shock and had no idea what to do. We were able to comfort her and give her advice. I know without a shadow of a doubt that Heavenly Father knew her and her situation and we were led to her door. After we left her house we stopped to offer a prayer. I can't describe the Spirit I felt as I came to understand why I had to endure all of the heartache of losing so many people that I was close to while I was so young. But as I've been here on my mission, I have come to understand that the things I have gone through in my life have prepared me to help people here. I have been part of 3 deaths so far and I have been able to understand and comfort those people. I know the Lord has a plan for everything I know that he is keenly aware of each of you and your needs. Talk to him! He wants to help you!
I love you all so much!! Thank you so much for all your prayers! I feel them! Thank you for being a part of my life! I can't wait to see you all again!
Love, Hermana Makeesa Montgomery
Monday, October 27, 2014
10 MONTH MARK!!
Hello everyone!! How is fall treating everyone? I hope you all are enjoying it because it is still so hot here!!
This week has been a long one. We have had our share of ups and downs as always.
We've had some good lessons and have made progress with our ward members so that is really good. This whole week we have been on the lookout for service opportunity and so far we haven't gotten anything. But just yesterday we went to visit a lady from the ward and she had a whole list of things she needed help with! We were so excited! Heavenly Father answers prayers!
We had another miracle this week. We stopped by our referral's house again to see if we could catch him home. his dad was there and since he has seen us a few times was pleasant and conversational. He introduced us to his granddaughter Sierra and after we invited them to the trunk or treat they were really excited and they invited us in. We were able to talk about primary and get to know them. I got to hold her bearded dragon, Crook! It was so cool! We were able to say a prayer with them. It was so amazing to see how not giving up on people and always being friendly really does have an affect on people.
We got to meet a lot of less actives this week. We didn't have lessons with them all but we had good doorstep conversations. I feel like we have made a step in the right direction with a few more less active and part member families. People have the most interesting life stories! If you just take a few minutes to sit down and talk to people you learn so much!
We met some interesting people on the street this week so hopefully we will be getting some new investigators this coming week. One of them is Hilary. She is a dancer and we had an interesting discussion on prayer! We are going back to see her this Friday. We also met Russ who has done just about every crazy thing you can think of to do! He is now in a wheelchair after he was hit by a car on his bike. His life is a miracle!! He was really cool and talked our ears off. People here have done some awesome things!!
This week we also had a mini-missionary, Sister Chantawansri!!! She was amazing!! We picked her up Friday night and she was with us until Sunday night. We met some nice people knocking doors and the one we talked to gave us 2 referrals. This lady's name was Lalie, she is from Spain! She was so cute! She keep talking about how she felt like she had seen me before. She told us we could come back and that we could so service for her. Of course we met some that weren't so friendly as well. We had a great lesson with one of our less actives and an amazing lesson with our investigator Maryanne. Our mini-missionary did fantastic and the lesson went great!! The best one we have had so far! The Spirit was so strong! Our mini-missionary invited her to be baptized, Maryanne said no, but that she would think, read, and pray about it.
We then the annual Trunk-or-treat and lots of non-members and less actives came. It was fun! There were lots of costumes and games and food. The ward members have sort of a competition to see whose car is the best. There were some pretty good ones! It was a fun night!
It was awesome to have a mini-missionary! Miracles happen when they are with us!
Matthew got baptized this week!
Well I hope you all have a great week and enjoy Halloween!! Next week I'll send some pictures of the awesome decorations they have here!!
I love you all! Thanks for everything!!
Love, Hermana Montgomery
This week has been a long one. We have had our share of ups and downs as always.
We've had some good lessons and have made progress with our ward members so that is really good. This whole week we have been on the lookout for service opportunity and so far we haven't gotten anything. But just yesterday we went to visit a lady from the ward and she had a whole list of things she needed help with! We were so excited! Heavenly Father answers prayers!
We had another miracle this week. We stopped by our referral's house again to see if we could catch him home. his dad was there and since he has seen us a few times was pleasant and conversational. He introduced us to his granddaughter Sierra and after we invited them to the trunk or treat they were really excited and they invited us in. We were able to talk about primary and get to know them. I got to hold her bearded dragon, Crook! It was so cool! We were able to say a prayer with them. It was so amazing to see how not giving up on people and always being friendly really does have an affect on people.
We got to meet a lot of less actives this week. We didn't have lessons with them all but we had good doorstep conversations. I feel like we have made a step in the right direction with a few more less active and part member families. People have the most interesting life stories! If you just take a few minutes to sit down and talk to people you learn so much!
We met some interesting people on the street this week so hopefully we will be getting some new investigators this coming week. One of them is Hilary. She is a dancer and we had an interesting discussion on prayer! We are going back to see her this Friday. We also met Russ who has done just about every crazy thing you can think of to do! He is now in a wheelchair after he was hit by a car on his bike. His life is a miracle!! He was really cool and talked our ears off. People here have done some awesome things!!
This week we also had a mini-missionary, Sister Chantawansri!!! She was amazing!! We picked her up Friday night and she was with us until Sunday night. We met some nice people knocking doors and the one we talked to gave us 2 referrals. This lady's name was Lalie, she is from Spain! She was so cute! She keep talking about how she felt like she had seen me before. She told us we could come back and that we could so service for her. Of course we met some that weren't so friendly as well. We had a great lesson with one of our less actives and an amazing lesson with our investigator Maryanne. Our mini-missionary did fantastic and the lesson went great!! The best one we have had so far! The Spirit was so strong! Our mini-missionary invited her to be baptized, Maryanne said no, but that she would think, read, and pray about it.
We then the annual Trunk-or-treat and lots of non-members and less actives came. It was fun! There were lots of costumes and games and food. The ward members have sort of a competition to see whose car is the best. There were some pretty good ones! It was a fun night!
It was awesome to have a mini-missionary! Miracles happen when they are with us!
Matthew got baptized this week!
Funny story of the week:
So we stopped by to visit some less actives. Their 16 year old son answered. Long story short I made a fool of myself and said lots of embarrassing things. And after we got back in the car my companion and our mini-missionary laughed for a good 10 minutes. Then the next day at church we saw him and it was super awkward and I just smiled and kept my mouth shut......
Dinner quote of the week:
80 year old grandma--"Kissing a guy with a beard is like kissing a cactus, I speak from experience" hahaha It was hilarious and we all laughed for a good 5 minutes!!
Well I hope you all have a great week and enjoy Halloween!! Next week I'll send some pictures of the awesome decorations they have here!!
I love you all! Thanks for everything!!
Love, Hermana Montgomery
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Highlights!
Hello everyone!!
Sorry I didn't write last week! So I'm in Redondo Beach another transfer with the same companion!
This week has been a trying one but every cloud has a silver lining! So I'll focus more on that part :)
1- Matthew got baptized!! It was awesome! He is my hero! I love that kid. I learned more from him than he probably did from me! Brilliance comes out of his mouth! He has an amazing spirit and he is going to do great things!!
2- We had a relief society cookie exchange. There was lots of yummy treats and our investigator and her daughter went and loved it!
3- We have a group of old ladies in our ward that love us!! They are so cute and are always telling us what a good job we are doing. I love them!!
4- Sister Spencer gave us aprons :)
5- We have a new bishop who is helping us so much!!
6- Today we had two occasions where we were around people with special needs. I love them so much! I have come to understand how much God loves them and all of us! I also learned how much love parents have for their kids!
7- We met a lady on the street named Stephanie. We talked with her for a while and she told us lots of stuff about Eboli and then we talked about the red moon. And then she told us about her favorite line from Titanic "It's built so well, even God can't sink it" Then she went off about how we should never underestimate God and his power. I like that! It is so true! If God wants something to happen it will!!
8- We had stake conference! It was amazing!!! The focus was missionary work, family history, temples, and having our own conversion through trials. It was so good.
One of my favorite talks: He talked about how at sports games people wear their team jersey with their favorite players name on the back. He talked about how we look up to and admire that person and try to be like them. Then he said "What if we wore jerseys to church? Whose name would you put on the back? Daniel, Peter, Ammon, Nephi, Smith, Hinckely, Uchtdorf, Bednar, Holland, Monson, etc... " Then he went on to say that we do have jerseys. We got them when we were baptized. We became part of God's team. Then he said, The name on the back is Christ. We took upon ourselves his name. We promised to represent his team. He posed the question "Do people know what team you are on without having to wear a literal jersey? Can people tell who you represent? Can they tell by your language, the way you treat your spouse, the entertainment you participate in, the clothes you wear?" It was a really good, thought-provoking talk.
The other talk I liked was about 4 trees in our church building, They are all in the same location, same watering system, and yet one is dying and the other ones are in different stages. He talked about how we need to nourish our testimonies so they don't wither away when the heat of temptations comes.
There were lots more I will share next week. Time is up for today!
I love you all and hope you have a great week!!
Hermana Montgomery
Sorry I didn't write last week! So I'm in Redondo Beach another transfer with the same companion!
This week has been a trying one but every cloud has a silver lining! So I'll focus more on that part :)
1- Matthew got baptized!! It was awesome! He is my hero! I love that kid. I learned more from him than he probably did from me! Brilliance comes out of his mouth! He has an amazing spirit and he is going to do great things!!
2- We had a relief society cookie exchange. There was lots of yummy treats and our investigator and her daughter went and loved it!
3- We have a group of old ladies in our ward that love us!! They are so cute and are always telling us what a good job we are doing. I love them!!
4- Sister Spencer gave us aprons :)
5- We have a new bishop who is helping us so much!!
6- Today we had two occasions where we were around people with special needs. I love them so much! I have come to understand how much God loves them and all of us! I also learned how much love parents have for their kids!
7- We met a lady on the street named Stephanie. We talked with her for a while and she told us lots of stuff about Eboli and then we talked about the red moon. And then she told us about her favorite line from Titanic "It's built so well, even God can't sink it" Then she went off about how we should never underestimate God and his power. I like that! It is so true! If God wants something to happen it will!!
8- We had stake conference! It was amazing!!! The focus was missionary work, family history, temples, and having our own conversion through trials. It was so good.
One of my favorite talks: He talked about how at sports games people wear their team jersey with their favorite players name on the back. He talked about how we look up to and admire that person and try to be like them. Then he said "What if we wore jerseys to church? Whose name would you put on the back? Daniel, Peter, Ammon, Nephi, Smith, Hinckely, Uchtdorf, Bednar, Holland, Monson, etc... " Then he went on to say that we do have jerseys. We got them when we were baptized. We became part of God's team. Then he said, The name on the back is Christ. We took upon ourselves his name. We promised to represent his team. He posed the question "Do people know what team you are on without having to wear a literal jersey? Can people tell who you represent? Can they tell by your language, the way you treat your spouse, the entertainment you participate in, the clothes you wear?" It was a really good, thought-provoking talk.
The other talk I liked was about 4 trees in our church building, They are all in the same location, same watering system, and yet one is dying and the other ones are in different stages. He talked about how we need to nourish our testimonies so they don't wither away when the heat of temptations comes.
There were lots more I will share next week. Time is up for today!
I love you all and hope you have a great week!!
Hermana Montgomery
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Flu Season!!!
This week has been a blur. The funniest moment of the week was when my companion got asked out on a date by a 44 yr. old. It was pretty hilarious. I also got a flu shot last Monday. But I survived.
Cool experience: So when I went to bed on Friday night I wasn't feeling very well but I figured it would just go away by morning. WRONG!!! I woke up at about 11:30 sicker than a dog. I had a fever, dry heaving, and really bad stomach pains. I felt like I was going to die. We called the zone leaders and they did answer. So we called the district leaders and they answered but couldn't come because they are on bikes. But finally the zone leaders answered and came over to give me a blessing. By this point it was like 12:45. I had been gagging and crying. I was wearing a huge shirt, glasses, and my hair up...not the hottest moment of my life...haha. They gave me a blessing but it was embarrassing because I had to run to the bathroom while they were there. But by morning I felt much better but it took most of Saturday to feel back to normal. President Weidman called to check on me and all my leaders called to see if I was ok. But I survived!!! Blessings really work!!!!
Sorry, I don't have a lot of time to write about much else. I am staying in my area, Redondo, for another transfer with my same companion!
After my flu shot--
The Hansen Family-- :)
A sweet lady from our ward, Sister DiAngelo,
Weird thing about my area...is that there are snails...EVERYWHERE!
I want letters so if you can, take some time and send me one. I would LOVE it!! :)
Love,
Hermana Montgomery
Cool experience: So when I went to bed on Friday night I wasn't feeling very well but I figured it would just go away by morning. WRONG!!! I woke up at about 11:30 sicker than a dog. I had a fever, dry heaving, and really bad stomach pains. I felt like I was going to die. We called the zone leaders and they did answer. So we called the district leaders and they answered but couldn't come because they are on bikes. But finally the zone leaders answered and came over to give me a blessing. By this point it was like 12:45. I had been gagging and crying. I was wearing a huge shirt, glasses, and my hair up...not the hottest moment of my life...haha. They gave me a blessing but it was embarrassing because I had to run to the bathroom while they were there. But by morning I felt much better but it took most of Saturday to feel back to normal. President Weidman called to check on me and all my leaders called to see if I was ok. But I survived!!! Blessings really work!!!!
Sorry, I don't have a lot of time to write about much else. I am staying in my area, Redondo, for another transfer with my same companion!
After my flu shot--
The Hansen Family-- :)
A sweet lady from our ward, Sister DiAngelo,
Weird thing about my area...is that there are snails...EVERYWHERE!
I want letters so if you can, take some time and send me one. I would LOVE it!! :)
Love,
Hermana Montgomery
Saturday, October 11, 2014
October 5, 14-Conference!!
Hello Everyone!!!
Conference was amazing wasn't it?!?! I loved it!!!
I thought it was interesting how the talks seemed to have more of a focus on our personal spirituality. We were taught well about revelation and order in the Church. The ordinance of the Sacrament. The crucial need of the Atonement. And also not to be ashamed of what we believe.
So I planned on sharing all the things I liked but that would take me forever. So I think I will just skip to some thoughts I had:
At some of our training President Weidman has talked about increasing faith. He asked "How do we measure or gauge if faith has increased?" He answered "Increase of faith is measured by changes in our behavior. Faith leads us to act. If nothing changes as a result of a training, that training has failed no matter how strongly the Spirit was felt."
As we have been reading in the Book of Mormon. I came across something that had never noticed. It is talking about Alma and how because of his calling as High Priest the Spirit was able to testify to him the understanding of the people. That way,as he taught he would be able to know if they were understanding what was being taught. I think that President Monson has that same ability. The fact that he stated that "Hearts were touched and faith was increased" suggests that he felt that the church members had accepted the messages and had made plans to change. It is through our changes that we show Heavenly Father that we have accepted the invitation to change and become better. I encourage all of you to think about conference and choose how you are going to change. Don't make all those hours a waste. Do something about it! The scriptures talk a alot about hearing and hearkening. As I have come to understand the difference between these words I realize the importance of acting. Lots of people hear the word but only those who truly believe and desire to follow hearken. Hearkening requires action. It requires changing our actions to be better. Last night we met with some ward members and he said something really cool. He said "After doing those changes for a while, they become our behaviors, and after they are our behaviors for long enough, they become our character". I thought that was pretty wise.
As I thought about this this morning I found some quotes:
Anyways just some food for thought there :)
These are some boys from our area and their bearded dragons!! One of them jumped on my shirt and I freaked out! It was so funny! haha
The sunsets here are so pretty! I love it!
I love you all so much!! Thank you for everything. Your love, support, and prayers.
Love,
Hermana Montgomery
Conference was amazing wasn't it?!?! I loved it!!!
I thought it was interesting how the talks seemed to have more of a focus on our personal spirituality. We were taught well about revelation and order in the Church. The ordinance of the Sacrament. The crucial need of the Atonement. And also not to be ashamed of what we believe.
So I planned on sharing all the things I liked but that would take me forever. So I think I will just skip to some thoughts I had:
- At the beginning of Conference President Monson prayed that as we listened and paid attention to the messages that "hearts will be touched and faith will increase"
At some of our training President Weidman has talked about increasing faith. He asked "How do we measure or gauge if faith has increased?" He answered "Increase of faith is measured by changes in our behavior. Faith leads us to act. If nothing changes as a result of a training, that training has failed no matter how strongly the Spirit was felt."
- At the end of Conference President Monson again stated "Hearts have been touched and faith has increased".
As we have been reading in the Book of Mormon. I came across something that had never noticed. It is talking about Alma and how because of his calling as High Priest the Spirit was able to testify to him the understanding of the people. That way,as he taught he would be able to know if they were understanding what was being taught. I think that President Monson has that same ability. The fact that he stated that "Hearts were touched and faith was increased" suggests that he felt that the church members had accepted the messages and had made plans to change. It is through our changes that we show Heavenly Father that we have accepted the invitation to change and become better. I encourage all of you to think about conference and choose how you are going to change. Don't make all those hours a waste. Do something about it! The scriptures talk a alot about hearing and hearkening. As I have come to understand the difference between these words I realize the importance of acting. Lots of people hear the word but only those who truly believe and desire to follow hearken. Hearkening requires action. It requires changing our actions to be better. Last night we met with some ward members and he said something really cool. He said "After doing those changes for a while, they become our behaviors, and after they are our behaviors for long enough, they become our character". I thought that was pretty wise.
As I thought about this this morning I found some quotes:
- "To repent is to turn, to change, to re-evaluate, and to recommit. Each time the Lord or his prophets command repentance , they are saying 'You have now been given another chance-another opportunity to change.' " --John Bytheway
- "Repentance is a divine gift, and there should be a smile on our faces when we speak of it. It points us to freedom, confidence, and peace....the gift of repentance is the cause of true celebration." --Elder D. Todd Christofferson
- "There is danger in the word someday when what it means is 'not this day.''Some day I will repent.' 'Someday I will forgive him' 'Someday I will speak to my friend about the church' 'Someday I will start to pay tithing' 'Someday I will return to the temple' We will weep, and God will weep, if we have intended to repent and serve Him on tomorrows which never came or have dreamt of yesterdays where the opportunity to act was past. This day is a precious gift to God." --President Henry B. Eyring
- "Choose ye this day whom ye will serve" --Joshua
Anyways just some food for thought there :)
These are some boys from our area and their bearded dragons!! One of them jumped on my shirt and I freaked out! It was so funny! haha
I love you all so much!! Thank you for everything. Your love, support, and prayers.
Love,
Hermana Montgomery
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