A Student of the Scriptures - June 23, 2014

Dear Family,

What a week it has been. I am sure there is never enough time to get everything done that is needed.

We are continuing to meet with Jason and Gaby, there are gold. Gaby is always looking things up on Mormon.org since we showed her, we've realized they like videos a lot so we've been using a lot of Mormon messages and things. Every time we start, when she gives me her iPad to find it, she's got two or three windows of Mormon.org open and is studying. She's also already in Second Nephi! She is eating it up. We've been trying a lot to help Jason read more, since he struggles with any kind of reading, and we showed him how to listen to it as well. Hopefully that will help. Prayers for them would always be good :)

We had a surprise exchange this week with some other sisters in the mission, there was still a lot of things that needed to be decided before transfers came up-don't worry I'll get to that. So Sister Morrell got to come with Sister Chambers and Ion Tuesday, while Sister Done when With her companion, Sister Hill. I have wanted to be companions with Sister Morrell my whole mission, since she was trained by Sister Wright too. She's going to BYUI in the winter semester, so we've decided to room together. I think I have an apartment of TSAM missionaries to live with back at school. It'll be fun :)

So transfer calls came last night. Sister Chambers is going to be going home-we take her to the mission home tomorrow morning, and Sister Done will be transferred to a new area as well. I will be staying and getting a new companion on Thursday. Number fourteen. Fourteen companions.  And six areas! My mission has been busy. 

So some fun facts about my mission: I've had only two companions for more than one transfer (Sister Miller when I was trained and Sister Young when I was training, both I only had for two), I have gotten a new companion every six weeks for a year by the time I come home (Sisters Hopkins, Miller, Wright, Leavitt, Young, Clements, Lund, Pond, Rodriguez, Staker, Reagan, Done Chambers and New companion). Eleven Spanish called and two English. I’ve had six companions that came into the mission on the same day has me. I've had only four companions that haven't been from Utah. I've had three companions that were nineteen when they came out (the others were 20 or older). I've also had 26 exchanges with other Sisters in the mission. The longest I've served in an area was three transfers (Pleasanton Ward). The Shortest was one transfer (Hill Country ward). I've covered three Wards and six Branches: two Spanish, Two YSA and one Air force. I won't go into how many zone meetings or P-days or things. Another day :)

There's some fun information. Interesting to reflect on that kind of stuff. Enjoy.

We sang in church this last Sunday, I don't remember if I told y'all we were going to. Anyways, we were going to sing I Believe in Christ but breath support and things ended up being kind'a tricky and we changed it and sang Savior, Redeemer of my Soul as song in the Joseph Smith Movie. It's become one of my favorites on my mission. It's just feels so accurate to how I feel about the Savior. And when things have started to get me down, I've remembered the line "hath it not been my one delight, my joy by day my dream by night? That was the solo part I actually got to sing in sacrament meeting. Both of my Companions can sing pretty well, and I 'd been translating the talks into Spanish for a Sister in our ward that only speaks Spanish beforehand, so my voice was already a little bit shot, but eh. Esta bien.

Saturday night, Gaby had been talking with her aunt about fasting and wanted to ask us about it more. With her questions, came questions of my own, so I decided to fast yesterday and I ended up studying about it from the Scriptures in the bible dictionary about fasting. The bible dictionary had said that the Book of Mormon gave great insights to fasting and it listed several scriptures, so I was looking them up with the questions "why food?" " and "What are the reasons for fasting?" I wrote in my study journal "Why is it that when we need help or desire something of God, abstaining from food, coupled with prayers helps us?" I really like studying by topic about these things. Anyways, some things that  learned for the reasons for fasting are (Bear with me):

Alma 5:46

To gain a testimony

Alma 6:6

For those who know not God

Alma 10:7

For the sins of the people

Alma 17:3  

To gain the Spirit of Prophecy and Revelation

Alma 17:9

To be and instrument in God's hands and to bring the Spirit

Alma 28:6

 Sorrow

Alma 30:2 

Mourning

Alma 45:1 

Thanksgiving

Hel. 3:35 

To receive humility, Faith, Joy, Consolation, Purification and Sanctification

Hel. 9:10

Mourning in "tradition" 

3 Nephi 27:1

To gain Knowledge and receive answers to questions

4 Nephi 1:12

To be obedient

Moroni 6:5

Because it is what we do when we gather together

D&C 59: 13 

To align our will to God's, to have a fullness of joy, to Rejoice, to have a foretaste of how God does keep his promises.

D&C 88:76

Because it is a commandment

I think the ones that I really learned the most from where Hel 3:35 and D&C 59: 14-20. It made sense to me that it is just a little taste of how when we sacrifice in just a small way, the Lord does bless us. It gives us the ability and assurance that when more is asked of us, we are willing to sacrifice more because we know that the Lord keeps His promises.

I've also been studying Preach My Gospel really fast this week. I've been trying to read it all the way through the last two weeks of the transfer again, and every time I read it,  I "get it" just a little more. I particularly loved Chapter five this week about the Book of Mormon. We've had several good lessons, and I feel like I've done a little better emphasizing that the Book of Mormon is the key, if we know it is true, that we know it's all true. Everything falls or stands with the Book of Mormon.   All questions of things that are taught in the church can be resolved by knowing if the Book of Mormon was really inspired and really translated by God's power. It all comes back to it. 

I have enjoyed so much coming to understand the doctrine and teachings of Christ on my Mission. It will be a pursuit the rest of my life to always be a student of the scriptures.

I love y'all much. Have a good week!

Love, Hermana Montgomery

Comes with Tan Lines, Blisters, Sweat and more Doors than Ever. Just add Faith. - June 16, 2014

Dear Family, 

We have progressing investigators! And we're teaching families! Huzzah! I think this is the first time on my mission when I haven't felt in a panic about finding people to teach. There are just little families all around us. The hardest part is, they all have a church and are very active. I've never met so many active members of other churches.  Gaby and Jason have been having a struggle getting immigration papers settled down. They've been waiting for four years to get married I found out  this week, and are waiting on pins to see how it all goes through. We taught them the word of wisdom by using lds.org and mormon.org on their iPad. It was really neat, it was like seeing the future of missionary work with iPad. Too bad that's so far away. Be grateful all you missionaries coming out, I've cried over this for months. Okay, maybe not cried, but mourned exceedingly. 

We had a special training this week by President Slaughter about "Faith in Finding." Last August he gave us a training and a packet that highlighted points from Preach My Gospel called "Finding By Faith." When he introduced his training to us a few weeks back, I pondered a lot on the word choice. What was the difference between "Finding by Faith" and "Faith in Finding"? I came to the conclusion a few weeks later that it was because there was a lack of faith in the things that we were doing. We were doing what we were told to do, but we didn't understand the why or the principles behind it. One of our Assistants to the President, Elder Piene talked to President Slaughter first about this in a meeting which led to the training to refocus us. President Slaughter has given us parts of Preach My Gospel to study and also a faith study sheet to prepare. I've been learning a lot from it as I've been studying. I've also been reading the Book of Mormon looking for examples or scriptures of faith. I think what has stuck out to me the most has been what was expressed in Ether 12:20-21

"And after the brother of Jared had beheld the finger of the Lord, because of the promise which the brother of Jared had obtained by faith, the Lord could not withhold anything from his sight; wherefore he showed him all things, for he could no longer be kept without the veil."

The Lord cannot lie to us. As we are faithful, and keep His commandments, we can be shown all things. If, our faith is consistent.

I've been thinking about that a lot. Actually. I feel like my faith in His promises fluctuates, but it shouldn't. It should be firm.

One of the things President Slaughter talked about was the story about how there is a man hanging from a tree branch off a cliff. He prays for help from the Lord and the Lord asks him "do you believe in me?" he replies "yes Lord, I do!" He is then asked, "do you believe a wind can come and blow you  back up the cliff?" "Yes,  I do believe that!" "Then let go." the lord tells him. President Slaughter said it's a different kind of faith to let go of the branch rather than just saying it, which it is. But then President Slaughter said "So what if you let go of the branch and you fall down to the ground and break both legs?" Do you get mad at God? Does your faith fade? Do you stop believing? Or do you get up and walk-or crawl-away and the next time you are hanging from a branch you trust  the Lord enough to let go a second time? Is this story making sense? I'm probably telling it really bad. So anyways, the point is: do we have the kind of faith to continue to have faith and not waver, even when things don't turn out how we thought they were "promised to"? 

March 4th last year, Danika wrote to us:
"Our faith cannot be conditional on a positive outcome.  We must like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego say "our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.  But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." (Daniel 3:17-18).  Our faith must be in knowing that God is able to save us, but whether He chooses to or not is up to Him.  It is about being ready to accept gracefully and submissively whatever it is He has in store for us.  Don't let your faith shrink!"

This letter from Danika has been something that has influenced my mission a lot. "Our faith cannot be conditional on a positive outcome." 

The Gospel just makes sense doesn't it? It feels right, and it makes sense.

Last night, after having dinner with one of our ward missionaries and talking about ward mission plan stuff and things we could do, Sister Chambers noted to me in the car that it felt a little like some ideas of missionary efforts were taking missionaries out of the picture, if that makes any sense. So many areas I've served in, it almost feels like they don't feel missionaries are necessary. Just be a good examples to friends, invite them to activities, be involved in the community, etc but when it comes down to it, inviting them to meet with the missionaries is too hard or scary or intimidating. I was reminded several times this week that nothing happens until there is contact with the missionaries. 

We'd been talking earlier in the day about what our plans were to help hasten the work when we are home (since this is Sister Chambers last week), and after dinner I got a bit worked up about return missionaries forgetting. I've seen so much of it on my mission, we just forget. It has been my greatest fear about being a return missionary, is that I will become complacent and forget. 

Did it not mean more than this?

I told my companions in the car last night that "so help me if in ten years I've forgotten, God had better dam me to hell." Because after everything that has happened, and everything that He has done for me, how could I forget? 

Did it not mean more than that?

There is too much to be done in these days.

I think that not only will those whom we did not share the Gospel with know what we had and didn't share, but also God will know who we knew and didn't open our mouths to. 

So on that note. Ah-hem. I'll get down from my box, but really. Did it not mean more?

Elder Holland said-speaking from the Saviors view-in his talk The First Great Commandment October 2012 "Children, did not my life and my love touch your hearts more deeply than this?...we have neighbors to bless, children to protect, the poor to lift up, and the truth to defend. We have wrongs to make right, truths to share, and good to do. In short, we have a life of devoted discipleship to give in demonstrating our love of the Lord. We can’t quit and we can’t go back. After an encounter with the living Son of the living God, nothing is ever again to be as it was before."

I love the Gospel, it has changed everything. Serving a mission has changed everything. I love y'all :)

Hermana Cheyenne Montgomery

It's Pouring Rain

And so much for the hair today, cause it's pouring rain and it looks like I just jumped in a pool. Perfect.

Well family, not much has been going on this week. That's a lie, I actually just can't remember it all. I had two exchanges this week, one planned with the STL leaders in the mission, and then one emergency unplanned one with the Sisters we live with.  We also had MLC this weekend, it's always very draining to me. This one was very well put together and the trainings were very applicable. Always things to work on. A lot of missionaries who are going home this transfer bore their testimonies, many I've served around and gotten to know really well. It hit a little to close to home this time and left me thinking a lot afterwards.

It's been a really hard week. Lots of emotions have been going crazy with so many exchanges and meetings. One of my Companions has two weeks left until she is done with her mission and it is starting to show. The other is still struggling. I've been praying a lot, and reading my Book of Mormon a lot. Mostly about faith. I've been trying to get to bed even before 10:30 because sleep has always helped me calm down. I'm just very tired, emotionally.

Sorry it's so short today.

I love y'all. Take luck

Hermana Montgomery

It's So True

Well family, week two of the transfer has come and gone. May was semi breezy weather, but June takes things seriously. Enter Heat and humidity. I'm still wearing a scarf today. It's fine. Hahaha :)

This week seems like it's been my whole life. We've had so many things happen.

Tuesday, we had a lesson with a man, Ryan, who had taken the lessons before, but had trouble with the Book of Mormon. We had a recent convert, Brian Curtis come with us. He showed up in a nice suit, it was his first lesson missionaries had invited him to come to and he was all jitters. We walked into Ryan’s house and it was basically like he was a member already, scriptures on the walls family pictures, it was nice. They actually had a lot of pictures of good from different ethnicities, and so I asked about it. Turns out they've adopted four children through foster care and are signing papers for three more that week. It was kinds'a neat to have a connection. In the end, he wasn't really interested, not being able to wrap his mind around Joseph Smith and the need for the Book of Mormon. But it was a really good lesson.

Brian Curtis was perfect to bring. He has so much excitement and passion for the Gospel. We actually had dinner with him last Saturday and he said "I just don't know how I lived my life before having the church. How could I not know it was there?" He's so good at studying his scriptures and we talked about scriptures the whole dinner. His Wife isn't a member, but she's coming around slowly.

Wednesday we had district meeting, and one of the things that I wrote down in my journal was "sometimes confirmation from the Spirit comes to me in the feeling lot fist pumps." Yeah, maybe that didn't make sense, but so much this transfer I have just had overwhelming feelings of how good the Gospel is. It's so true. So True. Things just make so much sense. I have loved being able to see it applied in the lives of missionaries and investigators alike. It just makes me want to give everyone fist pumps or something. Too much energy and excitement to contain.

We also had exchanges this week with the Sisters who live with us, Fair Oaks. I went with Sister Felix in Fair Oaks, and Sister Farmer came to Leon Springs with my companions. It was also Sister Felix's birthday that day, so we went out to a "nice" Italian place. It was interesting. I adore Sister Felix, Basically she's like Abby Buck, only with short hair. I have enjoyed serving around her a lot. And, she's going to school at BYUI. Friends. The exchange it's self was...not hard, but thought provoking. We knocked. The whole day. They've been struggling a lot to find people who are prepared, and it's been wearing on them. Lots of people didn't even let us get a word in saying "I already found Jesus" or "I'm comfortable in my religion" or "do you have a permit to do this?" I may or may not have gone on a rant about it the next day. It's just so frustrating that people don't even leave space in their hearts to consider that there might be more.

Space. I've actually been thinking a ton about faith in this work and studying a lot about it. I feel like this is the most productive area I have been in  my whole mission. And I think a lot of it has come with a different perspective on faith in finding people. I've been having a faith search as a focus in studies and I've been learning a lot. Like in Moroni 7. Focus to whom Miracles and Angles come to.

verses 27-32:

"27 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased because Christ hath ascended into heaven, and hath sat down on the right hand of God, to claim of the Father his rights of mercy which he hath upon the children of men?

28 For he hath answered the ends of the law, and he claimeth all those who have faith in him; and they who have faith in him will cleave unto every good thing; wherefore he advocateth the cause of the children of men; and he dwelleth eternally in the heavens.

29 And because he hath done this, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men.

30 For behold, they are subject unto him, to minister according to the word of his command, showing themselves unto them of strong faith and a firm mind in every form of godliness.

31 And the office of their ministry is to call men unto repentance, and to fulfill and to do the work of the covenants of the Father, which he hath made unto the children of men, to prepare the way among the children of men, by declaring the word of Christ unto the chosen vessels of the Lord, that they may bear testimony of him.

32 And by so doing, the Lord God prepareth the way that the residue of men may have faith in Christ, that the Holy Ghost may have place in their hearts, according to the power thereof; and after this manner bringeth to pass the Father, the covenants which he hath made unto the children of men."

Strong faith and a firm mind. Those who are the chosen vessels of the Lord. And then the Residue of man. Interesting to me. I hope y'all can follow where I was going with that. I've had so many things that just have clicked with me this week, and putting them into words is difficult.

It goes on to say in verse 37 "it is by faith that miracles are wrought; and it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men; wherefore, if these things have ceased wo be unto the children of men, for it is because of unbelief, and all is vain."

Faith. It's kind'a a big deal. So I've been pondering on my faith all week. Is my faith firm? Is it Strong? Does it falter? I think so often as Danika and Elder Bednar have said before that we need to have faith no matter what the outcome may be. Kind'a lika Elder Uchtdorf's talk only with faith. Faithful and faithfilled in our Circumstances.

I love this Gospel and I love this work. If anything, I want those around me to recognize that this is something that burns inside of me. It's so true.

We've started teaching a few new families, one they found while I was on exchanges, Gabby and Jason. And they actually came to church! They had their Book of Mormon and pamphlets all ready to go :) Gabby is set for a date for June 21st. Miracles are still among the children of men. Julia Ramero is another one we've started teaching. She just "gets it" she taught herself so much, and she loved the pamphlets. It's an exciting period right now.

Loves. Sister Cheyenne

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Sorry, no pictures this week, I forgot my camera. I'll recycle some for you haha