5th Ward is Fantastic as Always!

5th ward is fantastic as always! I'm excited to hear more about this tall girl volleyball camp my sisters are going to as well. That's fantastic that they have these opportunities to go to these camps. I hope that they prepare accordingly. 

I thought Elder Z. Montgomery might be leaving here pretty soon. Just think tomorrow he goes to Utah and we'll be be in the same state for a little bit. Then in another year we'll be in the same city. I hope his phone call is more insightful than mine. I've heard it's dangerous but there are still missionaries out in the city nonetheless. I've heard that they have some tremendous street food, though, from our members. Cheap, delicious, and lots of it. The work is going well. 

A lot of our people have been in Mexico or just disappeared for some reason so we're always working on finding people. It's fun being on the bike. Lots of fun. Elder C and I get along great. He is from Delta, Utah. He likes basketball and played Varsity Soccer for 4 years. The food we are getting has been pretty good lately. Our Bishop took us to a hamburger joint which was delicious! It's called TJ's. And then the next day the member made hamburgers. And then the next day the members gave us some delicious broiled lemon pepper fish from a good restaurant. So nothing eventful at all.

I'm excited for the opportunity to play with some of the NBA players. Sounds like great things are going on in the world of basketball! 

The Book of Mormon is the cornerstone of our religion. Without it, where are we? Nowhere. It is a testament of Jesus Christ and all those who truly want to develop a relationship with their Savior must study and ponder the message contained therein. The ancient prophets who wrote in the book declared that they did so that they might convince and persuade their brethren (all of us) to come unto an understanding of their relationship with God and his Son, Jesus Christ; than we might learn his doctrine and live his Gospel; that only through repentance made possible through Christ's Atonement, could we be perfected and live with God again. The Book of Mormon is the foundation of my testimony of my Savior. The Bible helps and they testify of one another, but one will grow closer unto God by living the precepts outlined in the Book of Mormon than any other book. All good things come of God! Have a tremendous week and study Chapter 5 of Preach My Gospel.

Love,

Elder Montgomery

Sounds like a fun time with all the work at Lakeview! I don't most people know how hard you work there, esp. in the summer. I'm glad my work is something that I enjoy as well. Nothing like Preaching the Gospel! I'm doing fantastic. I really enjoy the bike even though it's going to be over a 100 degrees all week. I'm going on an exchange with E. Jackson on Friday and I'm super excited for that! The diet isn't too hard to maintain. I just portion accordingly. I bought some flounder today. I sure hope it tastes delicious. I'll let you know. Love you too and have a great phone call with Zach.

Love,

Elder Montgomery

Freedom is a tremendous blessing from God!

Oh yes we had a tremendous 4th of July! We went to a Ward Breakfast to start the day and then we promptly had 5 lessons fall through. We rode about 20 miles that day and we had to be home by 8. We did go to Chickfila, though, for dinner. It was so tasty! We ended the night by singing America the Beautiful. I'm so thankful for our forefathers who established this country upon freedom. They were guided by our Heavenly Father to this promised land. They set the stage for the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Because we have freedom of religion, Joseph Smith was able to seek after an answer to his question, "Which church was true that he may join himself with it?" Freedom allows us to continue to practice the true doctrines that have been revealed by God through modern day prophets. We are truly blessed to live in this country. 

That is a blessed day for sure. We don't really have any youth in this ward so I'm not sure exactly what they would do with them. I'm sure you would be able to find somewhere to do that closer to home, though. Sounds great about Coach Connor. I look forward to the opportunity to play for him and Coach K. I've learned so much about hard work and discipline on the mission. It will be benefit me in so many other phases of life. The new area is good. We have a decent amount of investigators but once again, many of them are not married to their current partner. It's a little frustrating but hopefully we'll be able to help them understand the sanctity of marriage in the near future. What he said about 5th ward is definitely true! We are loved here. I was introduced during Sacrament meeting and they gave a brief bio. We're fed every day and people love us. It's great for sure! . It will come soon enough for Z. Have a great week with B!

Love,

Elder Montgomery

We were and are truly blessed to grow up in the Centerville Ward. I would not have wanted to be anywhere else. We have so many tremendous priesthood holders who have taught, guided, and inspired me. They have had a great impact on my life. There is no doubt that is part of the reason why so many of the youth are strong. I could go on and on about them but they already know. I'm glad that y'all had a great 4th of July. Freedom is a tremendous blessing from God! I'm glad that the possible other parts of the family are so great as well. Oh there's no doubt that I'm supposed to be here. More I'm kind of ready for the Lord to need me somewhere else hahaha. No worries! I love the work and I try to get better every day.

Love,

Elder Montgomery

I Now Have a Continuous Chain of Areas

Well it is exciting that I'm speaking Spanish again, at least! It may not be Austin but in due time (I hope haha). Follow along.. My new area touches both Adams HIll and Mission Creek/Highland Hills so I now have a continuous chain of areas. Timber Ridge touches Adams HIll which touches 5th ward which touches Mission Creek which touches 1st Ward and the last two are within Highland HIlls. You can take the ghetto out of the Elder but not the Elder out of the ghetto hahaha. It's good to be speaking more Spanish again. I've gotten almost all the rust off of it. The ward is pretty small, but good. Avg about 75 people at church. I bike every other day. I get fed every single day, July is already full, and the Ward Mission Leader's wife is working on filling out August. No worries about food. My new companion is Elder C from Delta, Utah. 
Yes can your veggies if you can. I LOVE tomatoes and peppers now. I bought some today.
Quietness can definitely be a lot more relaxing.  I'm not living with other Elders. Elder G finally went up to Austin. The P's got married this past weekend. We have a few investigators right now but I'm still meeting all of them so I'll fill in the info next week. So far, the biggest problem seems to be that no one is married. Is this just a Southside thing or is it like this in the really nice areas too? Maybe one day I'll know. 
We played pickle ball and disc golf last Monday. It was super fun! Nothing too crazy going on. 
Oh, I did speak in Sacrament meeting yesterday. That makes 3 talks in Spanish and 1 in English. It really doesn't bother me to talk anymore. I hope that this confidence stays with me after the mission as well. I hope that you have a wonderful week at home without the girls. It's good to have a break but it's also good to spend time together. Let's just make sure we all grow enough that we'll enjoy all of eternity together. :)

Love,

Elder Montgomery

Padre's Letter.

Well that's definitely a start! I was able to do 7 chin ups in a row today. Getting stronger every day! Keep it up and you'll be able to do it in no time at all! It definitely takes discipline. Self discipline is one of the greatest things I've learned so far on the mission and I'm continuing to work on it. A lot of it has to do with what I'm currently studying, which is humility. Humility is much more than just being meek and teachable. It's being grateful at all times and for all things. Why wait until the rainbow to give thanks for the rain? I've been studying it on and off for the past 3 weeks or so but it hit me pretty good today. I was getting a little frustrated that I haven't left San Antonio yet and gone to Austin and that our apartment didn't have a washer and dryer or a gym. When I was studying, it hit me pretty hard. At least I'm not in Central or South America cleaning my clothes with a rock. They definitely don't have gyms. I know it's the little silly conveniences of a State side missionary but it impacted me a good bit. I'm going to make the best of being in 5th ward and this area is going to be on fire. I'm in a car share so I ride the bike every other day. My companion is pretty good. Elder C has been out about 9 months or so. I see a lot of similarities between him and me (missionary wise). He's a pretty good studier and has pretty good Spanish. A really good test taker, etc. The biggest thing I'm trying to help him develop is confidience and passion. These are the two things in which I've grown the most lately and it has helped me tremendously. I realize it's a process but I hope that I'll be at my best by the end. Have a good week off, but as an investigator once said, "Idleness is the devil's playground."

Love,

Elder Montgomery

Going Back to Senior Companion..

Well that is quite excellent to hear, I must say!!! Impressive, indeed. Just have to get the training, I guess. 
No worries, my stuff is pretty much already packed. The mission office is closed on Saturdays but, of course, Mission Creek covers the Alamo, remember? So I'll just leave my stuff in the apartment and they'll take it up. How do you want to communicate the meeting? 
I will indeed be leaving once again. Going back to Senior Companion. Elder G is a new District Leader. Elder J told me on transfer calls to be very excited so maybe that means I'm finally going up to Austin.
Basketball camp is definitely the best. I'm sure that they will have lots of fun with Grandma. 
We had a fantastic week as usual. The P came to church and stayed for all 3 hours. They are getting married very soon. We're going to try to set them with a date tonight for their baptism. We also had the J family come to church. He's a long time LA member and she's "Catholic." Of course, they're not married either but she really enjoyed church and it's looking very promising. Her name is C. We knocked into a tremendous family this past week. Husband and wife with 4 kids, 9 years and younger. They really loved the Restoration and hopefully we'll be able to go by them tonight. 
Other than that, nothing too out of the ordinary happened this past week. I know this week will be great and I'm sure you'll know where I am before I even email next Monday.

 Have a fantastic week at work!

Love,

Elder Montgomery

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