Hi Beautiful People!
So I can finally tell you all how excited I am! My best friend is PREGNANT! I've been dying keeping it in, but I am so excited for you Paige! ❤ Also, CONGRATS BRINTON FOR WINNING SUNSHINE and also for hitting your first varsity homer! Woot woot I'm just the happiest little gal in DC! This past week was pretty dang slow because apparently not everyone is spending 18 months 24/7 focused on the Gospel and nothing else....?¿ Whoda thunk! So this week it's going to be super short and sweet, sorry about that! Something that is super duper great as a missionary is General Conference because it gives us so many teaching opportunities! This week will be full of inviting people to listen to our modern day Prophet give specific revelation for our time right now. Its amazing to see their faces when they learn that God loved his children and still speaks to them; it never ended with the Savior! It's especially great to be able to testify to those you are teaching that God truly does 1- hear every single prayer 2- answer every single one in his own due time 3- give revelation to Thomas S. Monson and his divinely called apostles that truly give us insight and answers if we take our feelings and concerns to the Lord and listen with an open and sincere heart to the talks given. I know that Thomas S. Monson truly is called of God and is HIS revelator and tool in these latter days. I know that if we take our deepest concerns, questions, desires and needed guidance to the Lord that he will manifest truth and guidance to you through one of his given messages this weekend. We all have eyes to look and ears to hear, but it takes faith to have eyes to see and ears to listen; LISTEN to your Savior and SEE his hand and ever caring heart in your life this weekend. He does know you, and he indeed loves you. Can you all do me a favor? Will you email me next week with something you needed to feel or have answered that was manifested to you during conference? I need all the help I can get here in this crazy city, and your powerful testimonies and experiences that have been shared with me these past months have truly changed lives. I love you all! Sister McKayla Montgomery ❤ [email protected]
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Hello sweet friends and family ❤
This will be a longer one, but I pray you will take the time to read and gain something from this letter today. How lucky am I to be on the Lord's errand at this moment. Because I am serving I have seen many downs, but with all downs come the joy when those tribulations are made up. As we all know, every storm, eventually, runs out of rain, and no race starts without a place to end. I have come to learn that life, especially living the gospel, is quite similar to the dreaded 400 meter dash. Contrary to popular belief, track, especially the 400 is NOT just going out and hoping your legs move faster than everyone else around you and "running in circles". Put aside the hours of lifting and pains of conditioning, you need: Hours upon hours of training your ankles to stay at the right angle. Hours of strengthening and properly moving and placing your arms; holding your fingers in the right position. Hours of one little 3 second drill, over and over again, training your mind to remember again reflex and react accordingly. Hours of taking one step out of the blocks and coach yelling "AGAIN" until you finally get it right; and once you get it right.... hours of repeatedly doing that first step until you're only counting your mistakes. Hours and hours and hours of not even running. Preparing for the 400 is exhausting in and of itself. Nothing in this world gives me more anxiety than warming up for an open 400, standing in my lane and watching as my heat gets closer and closer. "I know I've trained. I know I've practiced. McKayla Montgomery, I know you can do this." The moment the gun goes off it usually becomes silent; just me and my thoughts. For all you sprinters out there, I'm sure you know the thoughts that come as you finish your first 100 meters. "I have so much more to sprint holy crap... it's ok keep pushing keep pushing!" But no matter how confident you feel or how well you've prepared, about half way through you get good ol butt lock. Your legs start to get tired, your chest starts to tighten. Suddenly you're running through sand. "Are you kidding me I'm only half way..?" "Why on earth did I train for the 400" Coming to that last curve your body is asking you to stop; "I can't do this. I can't feel my legs. I can't breathe. I can't do this." "Am I even running?" "I can't do this, my time isn't going to be good. They're all going to start passing me. I don't think I can do this any longer." My desire slips away. But something miraculous happens.... As I make my way around that last corner, I see something I wasn't able to for 3/4 of the race; the finish line. I hear something I wasn't able to on the other side of the track; I hear my family cheering my name, my sister telling me I got this, my parents telling me to stay ahead; don't give up, my friends and loved ones saying, "you're ALMOST there! Keep pushing! You're so close!" In that moment, something sparks in me as I see how far I've come and how much I'd be giving up if I quit. Suddenly I don't care about the burning in my chest or pain down my legs; I see the finish line, and I see my Savior saying, "Don't. You. Quit." There is no way to describe the feeling of crossing that finish line in your fastest time after feeling so inadequate. Nothing could be more similar than falling into our Savior’s arms after battling our own race. Pushing until that very last step giving all we had. My life has brought me ups, but it has certainly brought me downs. Moments I wanted to quit and thought I couldn't go one step further. Moments I had no idea how on earth I could get through this trial. Moments I felt so distant from love and joy. Moments I doubted this Gospel and my testimony. I testify of the power that comes through entering that last curve and hearing your loved ones and Savior yelling, "don't you quit. Don't you give up. You are so close." Truly giving all you have to the very last step- even if sometimes all you have left is hope. I know your trials may be masked by a curve or the burning in your chest, but that finish line will come- no race is started without a place to end. Don't you give up. It's only 400 Meters. Sister McKayla Montgomery Helloooo from Silver Spring, Maryland!
This week was a little more quiet and pretty slow. To be honest it seemed to last forever and it was hard to find moments to smile about. Especially after being flashed full frontal by an old wrinkly man.... White Oak's always full of fun surprises :-) In all honesty I really struggled this week. I found myself aching to be home; to be there for the people I hold most dear in times of their greatest struggle and loneliness. To be there for some of my loved ones mile stones that have recently happened. To maybe somehow make a change for those I see struggling and falling away that I hold so dear to my heart.... I simply struggled allowing my heart to be here when it is needed there. I realized missions are often full of many thorns with few, but wonderful, roses. As I was studying in D&C my heart was touched and my sorrows lifted as I learned a very important truth: I am His. D&C 50: 40-44 40: Behold, ye are little children and ye cannot bear all things now; ye must grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth. 41: Fear not, little children, for you are mine, and I have overcome the world, and you are of them that my Father hath given me; 42: And none of them of them that my Father hath given me shall be lost. Right now I may not understand why things happen the way they do or why people change the way they have all while I am away. I do not understand His eternal plan for me and why I needed to be in DC at this particular time when I know I am needed in other places as well at this same particular time. I will not understand why my earthly sorrow and the thorns in my path are what Heavenly Father has placed there to help me grow and smile. None of us will be able to see through His perspective and understand His timing, but I have learned that that's ok. We are quite literally little children with eternity ahead of us. Heavenly Father knows that we quite literally "cannot bear all things now". That is why we need a Savior, for He has overcome the world and seen all of our thorns. But we are His, and because of that we will never be lost. We cannot bear these earthly trials without turning to Him. I know my eyes see so little, but I have seen that if I turn to Him, I will never be lost. Where do I begin!
Esther's baptism was so very special. Leading up to her baptism she told us, "You have changed my life. You mean so much to me. This day is going to be to special; one that I will never forget." And it truly was; one I will never forget! Needless to say, watching her enter the waters of baptism wearing all white and the smile on her face as she came out of the water was one of my most treasured moments. There are no words to describe the type of happiness exuding from her that night and the following morning receiving the Holy Ghost! I feel so blessed to have had the privilege of watching the true Light of the Gospel impact someone's life the way it has hers. She was bouncing her baby at church and said, "Only 8 more years until yours!" And went to all of our investigators and told them, "I can’t wait to be at your baptism one day! I am so happy!" Ha ha she just radiates her testimony and I am so grateful for her. Her and her husband already have the day marked on their calendar when they get to enter the temple and be sealed for time and all eternity! I love them so dearly. Here is a little miracle for you all: a few weeks ago during sacrament meeting we met this sweet lady named Koko, who we had never seen before. We asked if she was new to the ward and could immediately tell she had no idea what we were talking about. She told us, "I haven't been to a church in years and woke up today and just felt like I really needed to go to one. So I looked one up and decided to come here." Me and Sister Cooper didn't even know what to say we were so excited! She stayed the rest of church and absolutely loved it! She kept saying how she felt so happy and could not wait to come again after she got back from her vacation! Well, she got back earlier this week so we got to meet with her and talk some more. Turns out, her fiancé is a RETURNED MISSIONARY. We had the most amazing lesson on the Restoration with her and invited her to be baptized. We told her that this Sunday was fast Sunday, where we can have a prayer on steroids to truly get answers and help from our Heavenly Father. So, she fasted with us yesterday to know if she should be baptized- holy cow! We are so excited to meet with her again and see how she feels. I know that fasting, especially with investigators truly does bring miracles. We fasted for several particular cases yesterday so stay tuned! I love you all so much and just wanted to say thank you for all of the many prayers and the support you give. I know that without the Savior and the love from you all I wouldn't be able to do this on my own. I feel your love strengthen me daily and am seeing the blessings of the many faithful prayers you give. Thank you for all the contribution you do for this Great and Marvelous Work! I know this Gospel is True and am so grateful to be a part of it. Love love love, Sister McKayla Montgomery ❤ |