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 :)).

After Throwing for a Little Bit, I Realized how much I Missed Pitching

That's great about the passport! I'm glad it was a good movie but I definitely don't have a list of things to do when I get home. I don't worry about stuff so if you want to make a list for me, that'd be great. I probably will end up not doing much of it but at least I'll be able to revise the rough draft :) That's great that you were able to find shoes and a suit so quickly! That's smart about sending the suitcase with Sis. Regan. I've known a few missionaries to send stuff home while members were going to Utah but no one ever seems to be going to Georgia for some reason. I couldn't tell you too much what to pack for the Mexico MTC. I don't know what they're appliance situation is like. That's great about being interviewed by the Gainesville Times. So Zach is still planning on going to HI but just for 1 year?  The ward is great as usual. A lot of the members live pretty far out in the country so we don't get to know them too well. We're working on it. Not really too many pictures. Sis H hasn't taken many pictures lately. She was actually released as a ward missionary yesterday. The weather is warming up but I definitely miss the bike. I could burn extra calories and talk to more people! Hahahaha Marsh!!! That was about 2 years ago that he ran around with the Easter Bunny head. Crazy! That's fine about the packages. I don't really need anything. 

Doubt not, only believe. How great are the Gospels found in the New Testament! The teachings of Christ are so tremendous. What manner of men ought ye to be? We should be perfect like our Father in Heaven. Christ did not say that in jest. That is a true teaching. We are always striving for perfection. We're striving to develop the attributes of God so that we may someday be like him. How much better would this world be if we all applied the teachings found therein!

Love,

Elder Montgomery

Time is definitely flying! I thought that school had just started and here it is coming to an end! That's good that Ben is enjoying baseball and hitting well. I'd help him if I could but I guess it'll just be left up to his coaches. Elder Snow was getting recruited for baseball and he brought an extra mitt so we've thrown it around a little bit. We have a 10 year old investigator who loves baseball so we play a little bit of catch with him. After throwing for a little bit, I realized how much I missed pitching. I miss it a lot! It's crazy! Elder Snow said I'd have the chance to play in college. Maybe I'll pull something out of "The Rookie." :) That's exciting about Matthew! I'm so glad that he was able to give the talk in front of everybody. I'm doing great! No skyping yet :( But we'll have iPads by Christmas so who knows then? I made a video diary this past week and maybe I'll make one today. We do meet interesting people but no one really has tried to bash us, especially since we're in a poorer area. My new shoes are doing great! Good luck with Madeline driving. That's weird...

Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Montgomery

I'm Pretty Sure My Area Right Now is Bigger than his Entire Mission

Utah Salt Lake City South Spanish...The Assistants already called this morning to tell us. We heard it very clearly! Rumor is That he gets to go on splits with GA's. That'd be pretty nerve wracking, especially in Spanish. 

Sounds like it was a party at home last night! I am happy Zach had such great support from everyone! No worries about Utah. It's actually pretty funny because Elder G always said that if I'd gone SLC, I would've learned much better Spanish and it's very true. People who serve in SLC have great Spanish. Will I make fun of him just like I make fun of all Utah missionaries? Of course! But everyone who serves in Salt Lake loves it and he will be able to baptize so many people. Haha and he'll probably get fat too from all the delicious Mexican food. Oh and I'm pretty sure my area right now is bigger than his entire mission but that's okay haha. Also, I'm sure everyone has already realized this, but we will be literally about 20 minutes away from each other for about a year. So we'll see what happens there. Maybe I'll go visit some Spanish branches to keep up my language... People in Utah will send you pictures! I'm not sure if the Spanish members will but random people will. 

Yes, I did wear the pink tie. Thank you very much for the Easter package. Copenhagen..Maybe that's where you two will go on a senior mission , since you both picked it for one of us! 

The singing is going pretty well. We as a district sang in Sacrament meeting yesterday and the temple president just happened to be there. We sang Come Thou Fount and he said we knocked his socks off. We did pretty well for a bunch of unmusical Elders. We're still just trying to meet everybody. We have a long list of less actives so we try to meet everyone and clear the blind spots, so to speak. Find people to teach through them. 

I still am just in awe of how time flies. It was almost exactly a year ago that I opened my mission call. I remember it being a very distant thought of Zach opening his call and now we know where he's going! I'll have to figure out what I can do to help in Spanish but I know he'll come back with better Spanish than me, especially going to Mexico! That will be so much fun! Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Montgomery

To Padre:

 Hahahaha before my mission I would've put Salt Lake as one of my top 5 place to not go as well, but now, I'd definitely put it in the top 5 places in the US I'd want to go. Especially since he gets to speak Spanish. He'll be completely taken care of and he'll baptize like crazy!

 Elder S said there was no fiasco at the Mexico MTC when he landed so I don't know what happened. He said it just goes by really quickly and to start practicing Spanish because as soon as he lands, it will only be Spanish. 

Sounds like it will be a busy few weeks but it shouldn't be any other way. Being busy is definitely the way to be. My week went pretty well. We still don't have anyone that's very close to baptism but we'll get there pretty soon. My studies are going pretty well! I started in John and then went to Matthew and now I'm in Mark. Starting in John was definitely a good idea. I still haven't gotten my tire fixed because they said it was going to be a new rim which is pretty pricey so hopefully I just won't be in any bike areas for a while. I don't speak too much Spanish with Elder S but we're doing better and he's improving. I help him out more with grammar and such and I speak more with Elder. T, our district leader who's a native speaker. His parents also live in Zach's mission so he was pretty excited! A little less than 3 weeks and I'll be able to talk to you. Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Montgomery

I'm Just Hoping He Goes Spanish Speaking!

Alright! Hooray that you think the call is coming this week and happy he has been assigned a call. This will be the LONGEST week of waiting. Opening it Sunday evening sounds like a plan! Since I probably won't be able to be a part of it live, I'd rather wait and watch a video of it on Monday so it feels like I'm there. I'm just hoping he goes Spanish speaking! It always feels weird to see basketball on tv nowadays. Or just tv in general. I've gotten to the point where I just feel like a missionary and I can't imagine anything else. That's sad that Matt already left but it will be great to have so many people tuned in for Zach's Mission Call.
 We actually got a brand new bishopric yesterday. The new bishop is definitely younger than Dad. But he basically did exactly what Bro Frandsen is going to do. He was in the Bishopric for a few months and then he became the new bishop. So make sure you tell him that for me :) My companion is great! Elder Snow is a ton of fun! I've been blessed with really good companions so far! 
 That's very true about the pioneers. When it was cold and rainy and we were on the bikes, I could not figure out how in the world the Pioneers were able to go through the snow. It was just no fun. But they did indeed leave their legacy. They were not fools. They were not blind mice following a false prophet. Some of the most intellectual and noble minds were a part of that group. They were not deceived. They knew exactly what they were doing. The commandments of the Lord override all else. Perhaps people will think we are weird or even maybe crazy. But they would do it all over again in a heart beat. And so would I. I don't think there's any coincidence that the message of 1 Nephi 3:7 in found in the first pages of the Book of Mormon. I will go and do the thing which the Lord commands for he does provide a way. The Lord doth provide. Trust in that promise and keep his commandments.

Love,

Elder Montgomery

Hahaha I do remember feeling the same way. I'm sure glad I'm not in school right now. It does feel like I just graduated, though and I was dressed up all silly with the gloves and whatnot. The CDs in Spanish,It should work. We listen to other talks in the car so I'm sure that one will. Oh I'm excited now!!! Being able to hear and read doctrine in different languages adds so much more to the depth of my understanding. Sometimes it's just expressed better in Spanish.  I'm doing great! I really don't need anything. Just make sure Zach has good, durable stuff. Good shoes, pants, shirts and suits. Especially suits.. I'm super excited for Zach's call! It'll be so much fun! Have a fun week!

Love,

Elder Montgomery

PS Elder Snow his companinion, is much more informative of what they did during the week. You can read it here. http://eldermasonsnow.blogspot.com/2014/04/loving-new-area.html