Fathers are Extremely Important to God's Plan

That's okay. Maybe I'll go to Austin here pretty soon and then next year we can take a trip and visit. Well, even if I don't ever serve there, I'd like to visit it. That's great that you made it home in time for his birthday and Fathers' Day! I sent a letter so hopefully it gets there today. The Fathers' Day cookout sounds delicious as always. I wouldn't be able to visit or eat with them but I could definitely leave the packages at the mission office and they could pick them up. That would be fantastic! That's awesome that you were able to visit with Ms. Crystal! She definitely does have some of the best homemade vanilla ice cream ever! 

As far as the weight loss goes, it definitely happens after being fed every day for 6 months and then being fed once every 2 weeks. It's more that I'm just eating healthily now and not eating all day long. I eat lots of chicken, eggs, vegetables, fruits, yogurt, turkey, nuts, protein bars, fish, all the good stuff. Elder Jackson was here on Fridayand checked with him to make sure I wasn't too skinny. My shirts are baggy for sure but they should be filled out here pretty soon. I hope Madeline's face does indeed start to recover soon. That was a super cool picture of the Houston temple. Nope we were definitely still out working last night. It was pretty ineffective because nobody would let us in but we did get a free taco out of it. I'm glad that it's over and that they won. I forecast more baptisms in the future because of it :) 

That's great that Calvin was baptized!!! I don't remember a specific name but you did mention Zach helping teach someone. It seems like there are a lot of baptisms in the ward back home and Elder Boman told me that it was his most successful area. I wonder why that is. Yes I very much enjoyed the package! I was especially grateful for the white tie. I'm thinking that it's a sign that the baptisms are on the way! Well, I guess that I'll have to forgive y'all for watching the game. I was catching glimpses of it all night. Manu's dunk in the 2nd quarter caught everyone by surprise. 

We had a great Sunday yesterday! The P's came to church and really enjoyed it. They are such a fantastic family! Absolutely tremendous people! S, a 15 year old son of a less active, also came to church. He's super cool and we're hoping that as we continue to build a relationship with him and teach him and his family, that he will become active a be baptized. 

We had a great specialized training this past Thursday about Faith in Finding. We spent the first hour talking about the definition of true faith and then we focused on other aspects of finding such as prioritizing and fathers. We spent a lot of time talking about fathers and the importance they play. The Church grows as the priesthood grows. We can baptize all the women and children we want, but if there isn't an addition to the priesthood, branches cannot become wards and wards cannot be split. Also, one of the main doctrines that we teach is that families can be together forever. Often times, husbands are less spiritually sensitive than their wives or children and so they are more hesitant towards being baptized. We know that fathers lead their families by divine design and so if we move forward without them, we are going against some of the very doctrine we teach. Sister Slaughter shared with us that when she was serving in Taiwan, a 70 came and told them that they could no longer baptize a woman and her children without their husband. They had to cancel many baptisms and it was increasingly hard to find families because of the culture; however, she told us of an experience in which a few years ago, she met a missionary from Taiwan in San Francisco and he told her how much the priesthood had increased on the island. Fathers are extremely important to God's plan and as we remember that, we will be able to help many families be united for forever through the restored priesthood authority. 

Love, 

Elder Montgomery

Padre,

Balance is definitely the key. Even in the scriptures, the prophets were balanced. Alma rested in the home of Amulek for a while. We definitely need our rest. Look at you playing ball with professional athletes!!! I didn't forget, I promise. You should be getting a birthday/father's day card, soon. Things have been going fantastically! We had a great week! Elder Jackson was on exchanges with Elder Gray this past weekend and it was a lot of fun seeing him again. He is definitely one of my role models. He was a great missionary when I was with him and he's grown so much since then. No worries, I know exactly what I'm doing. I'm eating a lot like you do. I made some delicious steel cut oats in the rice cooker yesterday with some apples. I'm planning on buying some almonds and walnuts to add to my foods. By the way, Greek yogurt is really tasty. I've made it a staple, either with fresh fruit like a banana, peach, or apple, or with some cereal. I'm going to try tuna today and see how that goes. Honestly, it's nice to be able to control the food that I eat. I feel so much better and lighter and not weighed down by Mexican food. I shouldn't be losing too much weight in the near future. I can tell you exactly how much I weigh and an approximate BF% as well (provided you wait until Wednesday morning, of course :)) That's when I do measurements. Have a great week and I hope the girls have a great time at camps.

Love,

Elder Montgomery

There was A lot of Traffic for the Spurs Game Last Night!

That is pretty cool to run into old Navy friends from Bremerton. We knocked into someone who had just moved from Bremerton. That was pretty cool. Hahaha that's pretty funny with Montele. Sounds like they must have gotten pretty close. Bells Palsy? I'm glad that sounds worse than it seems to be. Crooked smiles are pretty cool, anyways. HEB definitely does have some good produce. How was Shipley's doughnuts? I haven't actually been yet but I've heard they're pretty good. Texas definitely could be more redneck than Georgia but it all depends on what part of the state you visit. Hmm most of the Elders i know are in San Antonio or on the Border. Sounds like you'll be able to go visit lots of people. That's fun. Nothing too new for the week. I got a haircut today. We haven't seen Wanda in a while. We have a training about Faith in Finding on Thursday. That should be pretty fun. Hahaha I'm sure someday you will be able to stay with them sometime. Probably a little less than a year. Nothing out of the ordinary has happened this week. There was a lot of traffic for the Spurs game last night. Hopefully, this week will be a little more interesting. I should have a lot more to talk about next week. Have a great week and don't let anyone else get paralyzed. Go Spurs!

Love,

Elder Montgomery



Padre,
Well of course it wasn't as bad. I'm obviously the favorite son :) Poor little Benners. Two Junes in a row that he's had to lose a brother. The next Junes will probably be a little happier for him. No worries, you spelled it correctly. Just as long as we're all focused on lengthening our strides, we'll turn out pretty good. We've got to make sure the other 3 do as well, of course. Hahaha fun stuff at work. I guess all things necessary to make sure that the work gets done. Wow. Bells Palsy. I'm glad that there aren't too many lasting effects from it. I feel like that would make being a missionary pretty tough. Who knows? You could win. I definitely realized in the pictures that Zach is a lot broader and thicker than the both of us. Pretty noticeable. There you go! I'm sure Ben will love mountain biking and it's good father-son time. I probably definitely wouldn't have tried Everest at his age either. Nor ran it. It sounds like there is hope for him, indeed. Things are going tremendously and I don't need anything yet. If you do ever send anything, though, just make sure it's not sweets :) Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Montgomery 

I am in the Best Mission in the World

And so it is. My little brother Zach leaves in 2 days! That's so tremendous! I can't believe I only have a year left. I feel like I just was set apart. Pies and ties, huh? That sounds like it was a lot of fun. I would advise him to leave his best ties at home, though. You never know what will happen to your ties. He can always have you send them to him if he needs them. The pies look super delicious just make sure you don't send me any. I thought that was Ryan Wiltz!! He looked super familiar but I couldn't quite pin it. Good to see some of the guys from back home. 

This week was great as usual! We had interviews with President on Thursday and Zone Meeting! I am absolutely certain that I am in the best mission in the world. I have the best and most inspiring leaders! Did I ever tell you that Elder J is a Traveling Assistant now? He was there on Thursday and we were able to teach together. It's amazing to see how much growth we can go through in such a short amount of time. I can't wait to see that in everyone else! So make sure you're all growing :) We get along great, just like I do with all my companions. We don't speak very much Spanish. We should be better about it but it's a tad difficult when everyone else you talk to speaks English. We don't get fed that much but that's okay. The P's came to church yesterday! They're doing awesome! 

Hahahaha that's hilarious about Duncan! Breaking the water fountain at the MTC. It is a good thing he has plumbing skills. I'm extraordinarily pleased to hear he is doing so well!

Well if by some chance get NBA final tickets, you will definitely be coming to my area. Just make sure you don't visit me. But definitely go to the game if you can hahaha! Houston is more humid and hotter than Georgia. So whatever you have to do to. Say hello to the family in Houston for me. 

The most repeated promise in Preach My Gospel is that the Lord is preparing people. The elect are being prepared by God and often, we don't realize who those people are. That's why it is imperative that we share the Gospel with as many people as possible. As Christ said, "Fear not; Only believe." Take courage in God's promises. Have the faith that everyone you talk to is ready to accept the Gospel, and if they don't accept it at that time, no worries. We all play a part in God's preparation of people. Talk with everyone and be not afraid. Only believe in God's glorious promise. The Gospel has been Restored and true happiness comes to us when we are obedient to his commandments. Have a tremendous week and doubt not!

Love,

Elder Montgomery

Because of Him

We're currently in the midst of a downpour. It's been going on for a little while now. It's coming down pretty hard, actually. That's sad to hear about Ann M. 87, wow! It's bound to happen, of course but nevertheless still sad. He probably will ride with other missionaries. Almost everyone going to Mexico out of the MTC made a stop in Atlanta. Fun stuff about Katie and Madeline! How tall were her Katie's heels in the picture with you because she makes you look really short. Ben might be looking a little taller, too. Well, I will definitely make sure I come home doing a 360 tomahawk and ripped to shreds. I'm a jump rope champion nowadays. Absolutely fantastic to hear about Aunt Dale! It's amazing how God puts us in the paths of other people. I'm sure the missionaries will make sure to stop at a restaurant where they can eat for free. SA is definitely coming along! Just getting better and better! We do have to move W's date back because she was sick and couldn't come to church but I have absolute faith that they will all be baptized within the next couple of months. Yup definitely the outgoing one. It's really mostly about confidence and the mission has definitely helped me with that. I'm glad Zach was able to knock some doors with the missionaries since he won't get to do so much of it on his mission. Craziness! We didn't have too eventful of a week but we are improving in the number of lessons we teach. The biggest problem is that at least half of our lessons cancel. 

We watched a great Mormon video yesterday called Because of Him. I don't know if you have had a chance to watch it or not, but it is absolutely fantastic! I won't ruin it for you but everything we do and can do is because of Him. Without the Atonement of Jesus Christ, there would be no life. It's literal when He say's "I am the life and the light of the world." All life stems from Christ. So does all light. That's why light and life are so synonymous. They go hand in hand because they both come from Christ. How wonderful it is to have the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ and that we can understand the true doctrines and nature of God! Have a tremendous week!

Love,

Elder Montgomery

I don't even know how I'm supposed to respond to both my parents telling me my little brother can dunk better than me and he did a 360. I was down to 214.6 this morning. Hopefully losing the extra weight will let me spread my wings and fly. Hahaha good for him! I'll have to play him when he get's home (and I've had a year of college training). I'm glad that you weren't hurt too badly and that you didn't go head on into a tree. That does sound like a Weiler just being a Weiler but it's fairly true. I definitely understand why missionaries would want to go over to our home, though. We may not be perfect but we're at least on the path. How's FHE going? Crazy that he's already gone through the temple. Gotta get a haircut, though. I knew it would happen eventually. I'm finally to the point where I like seeing people that I can talk to and I go and do it. It's great fun! I hope that I can transition it over into post mission life. It's storming like crazy over here. Definitely enjoying it. Have a good... oh wait it's summer again? How did that happen?

Love,

Elder Montgom

The Hole Digging was Tough

Thank you for the pictures! They were great! Sounds like it was a very fun, busy time in Georgia. Elder P is great! He's not really a native speaker. He spoke more French growing up but he's served 7 transfers of Spanish so we are able to practice a lot more. Elder S ended up going to Parkwood ward which is over by UTSA. Full bike. The fence pole digging went well. We left before we had to do any super tough stuff. We had a pretty good week last week but I can't remember it all, especially because I don't have my planner from last transfer. We do have an investigator that is scheduled to be baptized the end of the month. Her name is W and she came to church yesterday. We're also teaching her son and her almost daughter-in-law. Her daughter is already a member up in a different ward. That's how the missionaries found her. I had to wait for Elder P to come down from Austin on transfers so I spent a lot of the day with our Zone Leader, Elder J. He's a super cool guy and he's going to play volleyball in college. We ate at a place calling Raising Cane's and it was delicious. It's very similar to Zaxby's just not quite as good. There's nothing too crazy going on this week. Just normal missionary work. Oh, we did help some members move on Fri. I got a tremendous workout and we moved some decently heavy stuff. It was super fun! I got a haircut this past week and it's even shorter hahaha. We had a good lesson with the P on Thursday in which we watched Elder Corbridge's talk about Joseph Smith and then talked about following the prophet. It was extraordinarily powerful and they loved it! We also taught them the organization of the church. They're getting married so hopefully we'll be able to baptize her and their son shortly thereafter. One of the highlights of the week was yesterday during church. We walked into the building about 20 minutes early and the first person I talked to was the 1st counselor. He pulled me aside and asked me to give a talk about prayer for 5 minutes. Gotta love being a missionary! I was actually fairly excited! I've been waiting to be asked last minute my whole mission. The thesis of my talk centered on two of the most important prayers ever uttered in the history of time. 

Matthew 26:39 "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." 

Prayer is an opportunity for us to align our will with the will of God. We don't usually know exactly what God has in plan for us. We may think that we're meant to do or be something because that is what we want, but God has a greater plan for us. It reminds me of the Mormon Message, The Will of God.

The second prayer that I mentioned was that of the young Joseph Smith as he went into the grove of trees to seek the will of God. He was worried about the salvation of his soul and didn't know where the true Gospel of Christ could be found. His prayer centered on what he needed to do, what church he should join. We learn that our prayers must also be prayers of faith; not simply what we want to do or vain repetition. We will receive answer so much quicker and better when our prayers are specific and we are willing to act. We must act if we ever want to gain true salvation and knowledge. We also learn that God does answer prayers. Revelation has not ceased. God speaks and will forever and ever!

The Church is true, brothers and sisters. Pray for yourself to know. God answers prayers.

Love,

Elder Montgomery

to Padre: Sounds like a fun-filled and exciting weekend! My new companion is great! He's fairly quiet but we get along really well. I already knew him because he served near me when I was in Mission Creek. I'm becoming a lot more outgoing because I don't have a companion who does it for me so that's great! The hole digging was tough. We ran into clay with about 16" left to dig. Lucky for us, it was time to go. I definitely enjoyed it, though. Just don't think I will ever be a farmer! 

Elder Montgomery's Video Message and Another New Companion This Week.

 Hopefully my next companion writes a lot in his emails. I just don't seem to remember as much as Elder Snow does. We do have a full week planned though. It will be a great and exciting time and I'll let you know all about it next week. It was super fun being able to Skype last night. It's so crazy that it's already been essentially a year. I hope that, though the week is busy, that everyone will be able to keep their priorities in line. Namely the gospel. Sometimes we let the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives get in the way of what's truly important: Family scripture study and prayer. It's more important to spend time with family growing together in the gospel, than say having an extraordinary clean house or 20 minutes of additional sleep. You cannot possibly know the impact that it will have on generations. Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Montgomery

To Padre:

And life goes on. Transfer calls were fairly emotional. (side note we were on skype when they got the transfer call). We were very, very surprised that he is leaving. If anyone were to leave, it made much more sense for me to go. But since when does God work according to human sense? I can definitely tell that the Lord is preparing me for something. I just haven't figured it out yet. Often I turn to the Mormon Message of the Will of God. Definitely one of my favorites to share with people. It's one of the greatest metaphors/analogies of the role of God in our lives. It was very enjoyable to be able to Skype last night with all of you and I can only hope that I am improving at an acceptable speed. Have fun this week but don't get too busy for church.

Love,

Elder Montgomery

3 Words. Skype is Approved.

Sounds like it is a great time back home! I can't believe how fast it's gone by! Before you know it, I'll be home and 20 lbs lighter! (Elder Snow and I are doing great with losing weight. He's lost 10 lbs already and I weighed in at 221.8 this morning). I can't believe Matthew is going there as well! I'll definitely be able to go out to work with him. Where I'll be living and Spanish speaking? I can't wait! 

In our e-mail today President told us we will be able to use Skype for our calls home from now on. That's super exciting! We've had a great week like always and next week will be even better! We had stake conference and it was great. President Slaughter spoke on Saturday evening and basically sent us the exact same message in our e-mail today so I'm going to cheat and paste it her for y'all. I'm excited for Mother's day and I hope everyone makes Mother's day great for their mom! 

Love,

Elder Montgomery

Dear Sisters and dear Elders of the great Texas San Antonio Mission:

To the meridian Twelve (although they were at the time only eleven in number), the Lord gave this instruction: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:15 - 16; see also Mormon 9:23).

That same instruction has been restored to those who preach the gospel in our day; except today, the Lord emphasizes an additional prerequisite: "Purify your hearts before me; AND THEN go ye and preach my gospel unto every creature who has not received it; and he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and he that believeth not, and is not baptized, shall be damned" (D&C 112:28-29).

As the Lord hastens His work, a missionary’s personal purity becomes even more essential to this work. Note the penetrating word of the Lord: "Behold, I will hasten my work in its time. And I give unto you, who are the first laborers in this last kingdom, a commandment that you assemble yourselves together... and prepare yourselves, and sanctify yourselves; yea, PURIFY YOUR HEARTS, and cleanse your hands and your feet before me, that I may make you clean" (D&C 88:73 - 74).

Even Isaiah saw our day, in which Zion was to receive its "wake up call." The Lord’s people were called to "awake," then leave the world to serve the Lord: "Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing... be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD" (Isaiah 52:1, 11).

Can you see that missionary work and personal purity are inseparably connected?

May we purify our hearts, that we may be one and worthy of the great blessings of the hastening and the harvest.

I love you! I trust you! All in!

James E. Slaughter

President, Texas San Antonio Mission

To Padre:

Sounds like a busy weekend! But busy is always more preferable than lazy. I did see lots of photo bombing. Almost impressive. With whom did Zach go to prom? (I'm working on not ending sentences with prepositions because it does not work at all in Spanish) I did not recognize her. That is a shame that you'll miss the hot dog cookout. Next time you'll just have to make sure you bring double the non-members. Uh, oh. Watch out neighborhood! 

That's super exciting about working on patience! We had stake conference this past weekend and the temple president's wife talked about preparing for eternal marriage. She said that how we treat our family growing up is how we will treat our family of which we stand as the head. She talked about how if we get angry and yell or abuse growing up, it won't magically change when we're older. Now I thought I was doing pretty good in this department. Obviously, I've had a few blowups in the past but nothing too bad. Then she essentially pierced my confidence. She said that if we ignore our family and just go to our room and leave the situation, that won't change either and it's just as harmful to relationships. Welp, that hit me a little hard. So I'm glad that you are working on it and I will join you in your quest. 

I promise you that if I ever do need some extra help, I will let you know. I'm doing fine and I should be doing fine for a while. Just make sure everything of Zach's is good (Granted, he'll probably get lots of cool and new stuff in Utah, so once he's settled in there, you can turn your attention back to me :)).