Me again!
My goodness we have been so crazy busy I feel like a chicken with my head cut off; especially having to help 10 investigators at church! Woof! That was a wild Sunday. But that's the way I like it! Right now our area is just booming and we are seeing miracles and prepared sons and daughters left and right. The biggest miracle this week was Otis! I'm not sure if I've emailed about him before.. Otis is married to a member who actually dropped the church 30+ years ago like a hot potato. But as of the past year or so she's been beginning to allow it back into her life. Slowly but surely her and Otis began attending church together about 6 months ago. They were actually one of the first people Mini Coop and I met when we got to the area! We have been working with them ever since! We always saw something special in him and knew that there was a light in him waiting to be lit. As difficult as it was working with their schedule, the past several months we have seen not only him, but his sweet wife grow more than words. Last month they told us, "we desire nothing more than entering the temple together and being sealed for time and all eternity." With tears in their eyes Otis looked at us and said, "how do I get there? How can I take my wife to the temple?" Ever since that moment he has been preparing for baptism and praying for a day. Friday we went over to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ; what a special, tender lesson. At the end we looked at Otis and said, "in 4 days we are having a baptism Otis. April 25. That is your day." He looked at his wife then back at us with the biggest smile on his face and said, "Indeed it is!" You will never believe it.... yesterday he had his interview and is being baptized tomorrow night! My heart could burst! Tomorrow three special people are entering the waters of baptism and I couldn't be more excited. I feel so blessed to have been a part of Christina, Diann and Otis' life. To watch the change it's not only made for them, but their families. To see the light that now burns in them and the testimonies they have of the love of our Savior. It is the most wonderful thing anyone could be a part of. I am so grateful for this work and this special area. Heavenly Father sure brought us low so that He could lift us even higher ❤ Until next week! Sister McKayla Montgomery
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Such a crazy week!
First.... Mini Coop had to go home this week :( She has been having severe back and leg pain due to a car accident for the past 8 months and it was finally affecting her work too much. Hopefully the doctors will be able to help her heal so fast. I miss her! So now for the rest of the transfer I am in a big bad trio again! We have already had way too much fun and seen so many miracles. I know that Heavenly Father works in mysterious ways and that all things happen for a reason. This week we got back into contact with an investigator Mini Coop and I had been working with for several months that had been on date for February but fell through. By the end of the lesson I invited her to be baptized again and she totally accepted! She is so excited for the 25 and so are we! The miracles just kept on coming. While tracting we saw a lady on her balcony a few stories up in the building we were going to. We said hello from the street and asked if she believed in Jesus Christ. She said yes so I asked her, "how has believing in Jesus Christ blessed your life?" She replied, ".... would you like to come in?" Ah! We taught her and her son about the Book of Mormon and the peace this Gospel brings. Yesterday we went back and discussed the atonement. The Spirit was so strong in that little room. Anish, her son, read Alma 7:11 and could not stop smiling. He said, "I just..... I feel great. I can't describe it." We knelt down in a circle as Anish offered the sweetest most sincere prayer I have ever heard. He asked his Heavenly Father to help them know if the Book of Mormon is true because he desires to know more than anything. What a special moment to witness the power of the Book of Mormon in their lives. Remember Elizabeth from a few emails back...? We went over to her home and surprisingly enough her son was there! We showed them the new Easter video 'Prince of Peace' and asked what stood out to them. Richard, the son, said, "I just feel proud to believe in the Savior." And Elizabeth said, "knowing Him brings peace." So I invited them to truly show their love and how proud they are to know such a wonderful Savior, and more fully revive that peace by being baptized. With tears in their eyes they said yes without hesitation. The Spirit was so so strong. I know that Heavenly Father places us where we need to be exactly when we need to be there. I love this Gospel and the blessings I have already seen this transfer. These people's lives and hearts change so willingly when they learn and feel of the love this Gospel brings. I am so humbled to see them so desire to come unto Christ and be perfected in Him by such simple and small manifestations. For some all it takes is simply opening the Book of Mormon- but the feeling they receive is something they just can't deny. They will change everything simply because of one thing they felt as they opened those pages. What an amazing thing it is to be a missionary ❤ I hope you all had a wonderful and Happy Easter celebrating the love of our Savior! I sure enjoyed getting to testify that He lives all week. :) The church is true! Sister McKayla Montgomery ❤ Happy Easter Week 💛
I wish I could put into words how grateful I am for this holiday, but more importantly for my Savior Jesus Christ and his atoning sacrifice. My absolute favorite hymn is "I Know That My Redeemer Lives"; never once have a sung it with a dry eye. My testimony is just that; I KNOW that MY Redeemer indeed does live, and how grateful I am for it. Easter is so much more than crème filled chocolate, bunnies and spring. It is about the opportunity and privilege we have to become whole because of our Savior who does live, and suffered every price to do so. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, kneeled by himself for hours, taking on the pains of every-single-one of Heavenly Fathers children who ever had, did, or would live. No one was exempt. For hours he cried as he felt more than simply our mere sins.... there is not one pain he didn't experience, one heart break he didn't feel, one tear he didn't shed, one thought he didn't know, one weakness he didn't go through, one anguish he didn't suffer or despair he didn't feel as he cried for you. Not one moment. For you personally, he willingly knelt and pleaded to his father to take on your entire mortal journey just so that one day you can return to his loving embrace again. This pain included something the Savior never knew he would be without; His Heavenly Father. In order to truly know every possible mortal feeling, he had to know what it felt like to not have god in his life. "My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?" Can you imagine the depth of that pain? To literally feel his father, his best friend, letting go of his hand for a small moment, leaving him empty, alone and afraid? in the time of his OWN greatest pain and anguish, he was left alone. I weep as I imagine my Savior in so much pain with no one to turn to. He suffered the greatest pain of all in that moment so that you never have to. You don't ever have to feel the depth of sorrow that the absence of a loving Father in Heaven brings due to His sacrifice. It is impossible; the only thing making it feel so is you. I testify of a loving Savior, Jesus Christ, who knows you and every piece of you. We are not promised days without despair or trials that may seem impossible, but we are promised strength for tears and light for the way, for He has already cried for you. Do not for one second think that you are alone, that you can't change, heal, grow, overcome or be forgiven. The greatest sacrifice has already been paid. He is carrying us day by day and step by step because He knows exactly the pain of your heart. One night I dreamed a dream. As I was walking along the beach with my Lord. Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, One belonging to me and one to my Lord. After the last scene of my life flashed before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand. I noticed that at many times along the path of my life, especially at the very lowest and saddest times, there was only one set of footprints. This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it. "Lord, you said once I decided to follow you, You'd walk with me all the way. But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life, there was only one set of footprints. I don't understand why, when I needed You the most, you would leave me." He whispered, "My precious child, I love you and will never leave you Never, ever, during your trials and testing’s. When you saw only one set of footprints, It was then that I carried you." Turn to the Savior. Find the Savior, for He has already found you. He loves you; more than we can ever begin to fully and truly understand. I want you all to know I love my Savior, my Redeemer, Jesus Christ, with all my heart can give. Sister McKayla Montgomery Hi!
Man Heavenly Father is so great and is so aware of every single one of His children. So many amazing things happened, so I'll just tell you a few! The past several weeks have been pretty slow... We had to clean out our area book, drop a ton of people and go through the beginning of the missionary cycle. Aka the past several weeks resulted in many canceled appointments which lead to lots of finding. So, this week Sister Cooper and I desperately wanted to get work on progressing and find new investigators that were ready to hear the everlasting gospel. We started it off by praying and praying and PRAYING to find new investigators; practically begging Heavenly Father to help us find His children whose hearts had been prepared. Wednesday we received the sweetest miracle! I saw two women standing by their car talking and immediately went up to them. One of them said she had grown up as a Christian but had never attended church and has been longing recently to attend one. By the end of our conversation she was thrilled to have us come over and discuss more of Heavenly Father’s plan for His children. She said, "It’s funny you guys talked to me today, I was literally just thinking about all of this!" But the miracle doesn't stop there! Later as we were walking back to our car we saw an older lady walking in front of us carrying a bag and suddenly I found myself practically running to her! I asked if I could help her carry anything. She turned to look at me and paused with tears in her eyes. She said, "I have been praying, begging that God would send me a message of hope; He has sent you as my angels." Apparently she had met missionaries once before and desired to know more but could never find them again. We told her how that is our sole purpose as missionaries; to teach the hope this Gospel and the Savior’s Atonement brings. She grabbed my hand and said, "I know. I know what you teach. God sent you to me today." We never know the reason behind God’s timing or the thoughts behind His planning, but in the end it always works for our greatest happiness. He does know every single one of His children personally. He hears each of our prayers; especially the silent ones we cannot say. This week was such a testament to me of my Savior’s love and divine, personal role in my life. I felt Him with me as Elizabeth cried seeing her prayers answered. It was as if I could hear the Savior saying to her, "I know you've needed a message of hope. I AM the hope you are looking for. I've been with you this whole time. I'm never going to leave you. Take my hand." What a tender and precious moment that was; seeing the Savior answer my little prayer through the cry of another's heart. I know God and our Savior Jesus Christ live; but more importantly I know their love is real. They do indeed know you and hear every prayer you give; silent or out loud. Their entire purpose is to guide you to your eternal joy. The Savior is the light and hope we each so desperately need. Don't give up on them; every cry is answered in their own due time. They see your eternity. Trust Him; He's waiting to take your hand. Love always, Sister McKayla Montgomery |