Hi, Beautiful People!
Man! Writing a group letter is HARD after this long, ha ha! I feel everything is always same old, same old. Things are getting very surreal though... on Wednesday, I start my very last transfer of my mission. Only 6 more weeks as a full time, consecrated and set apart servant of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I don’t where the time has gone... I have been reflecting a lot this transfer on my mission; the many miracles, laughs, cries, people and lessons. But also, all the things that I have missed. If anyone tells you that hearing things like, “your best friend is getting married!” Or that another one is having a baby isn’t hard, then they are lying. It’s really hard. There were moments I would lay in bed at night and ask myself, “am I really where I need to be? Is missing all of this really what I need to be doing? Because this is hard! I could be having all of this too... What really is of most worth to me? Has this all even been worth it?” I started reading the Doctrine and Covenants over again and came across a chapter that gave me an answer so sweet. In D&C 15, John Whitmer has prayed and begged the Lord to know what will be of the most worth to him in his life. What can he do that will bring him the most joy, satisfaction and worth in this life? D&C 15:6 “And now, behold, I say unto you, that the thing which will be of the most worth unto you will be to declare repentance unto this people, that you may bring souls unto me, that you may rest with them in the kingdom of my Father. Amen.” Out of EVERYTHING the Lord could have said, everything He could have offered or shown, He said that the thing which would be of MOST WORTH, bring the most happiness, satisfaction and success in his life..... would be to help His other children come back to Him; to teach His Gospel. I am so humbled and so blessed to have this sacred opportunity to do what is of most worth in His eyes. It doesn’t make it all easier, or the things I miss any better, but it does make the whole journey worth it. With such little time left, I want to make the very most of the beautiful opportunity I have to help others know that they are loved; loved long before this life, and will continue to be loved long after. I know this Gospel is very real. I know putting my testimony on the line every day for 18 months is hard. At times heartbreaking and unbearable. But I do know that’s what makes the roses so sweet and the experiences so priceless. I love my mission and will forever be grateful to have had this time to be with my Brothers and Sisters here in the Capital. Until next time, Sister McKayla Montgomery
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Today, Sister Montgomery had the opportunity to spend her P-Day in the Capital City! She and Sister Spendlove rode bikes to the Capitol Building, the Lincoln Memorial and also went to the Holocaust Museum and the National Art Gallery. She didn’t have time to write a proper letter today, but sent off a few cute pics from this week. She will tell us all about their adventures next week! The photo at the Washington DC Temple is with their amazing investigator, John, who she wrote about last week. Enjoy the photos! She looks so beautiful and so happy! :)
Love, Tiffany (Sister Montgomery's Mom) Hello Everybody!
Sorry I've been M.I.A. for a few weeks... Last Monday, everyone who is leaving within the next 6 months got to attend a trip down to Virginia to the Arlington Cemetery. What a special experience. It is right outside of our mission, so it was really special to be at the Arlington Home which overlooks DC! I'm seriously in the coolest mission you guys. Anyways, life has been pretty crazy lately. Sister Spendlove and I have been working so hard and seeing so many miracles. I feel like I don't often talk about the people we meet or the little experiences we have so I'm going to tell you about just a few! - Two weeks ago, we were walking back to our apartment for lunch when we saw a dog that was being walked right in front of us limping badly. Me and my little animal heart broke in half, so we started trying to contact the lady to see if her dog was ok. Naturally, she spoke not one lick of English, but when we looked down, the dog had laid down and his paw was in a pool of blood! We realized he was limping because his paw was cut so deeply.... I could not bear to leave the little doggy because the owner was trying to make him keep walking. So, I offered to carry him.... lol! He was a huge lab that had to have weighed at least 90 lbs., so, Sister Spendlove and I picked him right up and switched off every flight of stairs (because of course she lived all the way on the fifth floor). The poor pup just laid on us like a little baby because he was in so much pain :( But we got him home safely, fixed him up and managed to get the lady to check out mormon.org! I've never felt like such a missionary, ha ha! - Bob is one of our investigators we have been working with for a while now. He is from China and seriously so awesome. He is reading the Book of Mormon and the Gospel Principles book every day! He came with us to the Visitors Center yesterday for “Why I Believe,” and loved it. He has had a hard time committing to a date to be baptized because he "just doesn't feel good enough." So, we had a little lesson yesterday showing him his worth and how Christ expects everything BUT perfection out of us when joining the Church. I shared with him Moroni 8:8 "Behold, I came into the world not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance; the whole need no physician, but they that are sick." I love that verse. The healthy are not the ones who go to the Doctor asking for help; those who are in pain, who are sick, broken and weighed down are the ones that go. Christ, and His Gospel, are the ultimate source of healing. He is the most qualified Doctor. He knows exactly how to heal us, and that's exactly why He asks us to come. Come with your broken heart and your contrite spirit. Come with your imperfections. - Now for our miracle baby: John! I could write for hours about how miraculous John has been in my life. Wayyyy back in the day, I was welcoming people into sacrament in the White Oak Chapel. While standing there, a boy walks in wearing all black, chains around his waist, gages in his ears, piercings on his lip and a tattoo on his face. I will never forget the moment I saw him; I felt so much Christ like love for him. He came up to me and said, "Hey! Some missionaries met me at work the other day and told me I should go to church. Am I at the right place?" The biggest smile came across my face, but was quickly turned upside down when I found out that he was on the West side and would be working with the other sisters. Well, he ended up disappearing, and 8 months later here in GYSA we get a referral from the White Oak sisters saying, "we found this guy in our phone. He sounds YSA, you should call him!" So, we did. You will never guess who I saw sitting in McDonalds waiting to meet this referral.... you guess right, it was John. The moment I saw him again and it clicked, my heart wanted to burst. We have been working with him now for over a month. He is the most progressing investigator I have ever had on my mission. I say that because he has changed his life, so truly and so dramatically, for the Gospel. He wants this more than anyone I have ever seen. He always tells us that he is going to cannon ball into the baptismal font, ha ha! He is preparing to be baptized on the 27th of this month, and I could not begin to express my excitement and love for that day. John, if anything, was meant to change MY life. I always knew that the Gospel changed lives, and I had seen it..... but not quite to the extent missionaries imagine. He texted us the other night and said, "thank you." we replied, what for? And he said, "Everything." My heart could burst at how true I know this Gospel is. It quite literally changes lives, in every aspect of the word. It fills hearts that have been empty and torn beyond measure. I am so eternally grateful for the opportunity to witness so many miracles, so many sacred events that change other’s lives; especially with how much it has changed mine. Love you all dearly! Prepare for an overload of pics next week... we will be going to the city! XOXO, Sister Montgomery My goodness, how has another conference session come and gone? I’ve been reflecting a lot this week on the past year. Last October I had the question, “am I really where I need to be?” Of course, Heavenly Father is so wonderful and every talk seemed to be on missionary work; how serving the Lord and walking in his shoes is exactly where you need to be. I remember feeling such a sweet spirit and a confirmation that I was where I needed to be and there was so much yet to come. I thought to myself, “one year from now, when I look at myself in the mirror what kind of missionary do I want to be? Who do I want McKayla to be? Next October, will I be those things?”
Looking back, one year later, I know that I’m not perfect, but I do know that when I look in the mirror, the McKayla I see is someone that I’m proud of. So, standing here one year later, I can’t help but feel anything other than the Savior’s love and my love for Him. This year has not been easy. Becoming the missionary I am didn’t happen overnight or without a few tears, but it has been the sweetest year of my life. Looking at my reflection in the mirror, I can’t imagine seeing myself without my mission and who it has made me become. The two things that stood out to me most, one year later was: -Stop comparing your worst to someone else’s best -You don’t know everything, but you know enough. And might I add, you haven’t become everything, but you have become enough. I know my Savior lives. I know that my hands are so inadequate to fill His shoes, but I do know for Him, my effort is enough. How grateful I am for the sacred opportunity to realize that. With all the love of my heart, Sister McKayla Montgomery |