February 20, 2011
Hello from Adelaide!
I am so excited to hear about Jarom! India will become a great nation in the future I reckon, especially as the Restored Gospel is expanding. Indians do make some good food. Nice spicy Curry. I am going to tell all my Indian and Nepali friends. I am sure they will be just as excited. They are such nice people. I will ask heaps more about the Culture and what Jarom should expect as a missionary.
We had a pretty good week. We found a few quality investigators this week. I am looking forward to continue teaching them. We will see how they progress.
It is hard for me to email my mind is just on Jarom. I can’t believe he is where I was at just a short time ago. I remember opening my letter; I remember dancing with you in the Living Room. I remember looking up on the internet everything about Australia. I remember calling pretty much everyone. I can’t believe so much time has passed. I will surely miss him; I won’t see him until 2013.
Today for P-day we are going to play sport at the Chapel. Clean the flat and the car. And do other P-day activities.
Darwin got hit by a Cyclone. Adelaide is very cool. We are wearing our jackets almost everyday; we have to when it is below 28 Celsius. This translates to about 80Fahrenheit. It is nice weather. No Danger here in Adelaide. No flooding here either. No wild fires. I am in the safest place in the country it seems.
Mom, I can't remember, in your Patriarichal blessing did it say something like your influence or name or something will be known around the world? If that is the case than certainly Dan in Honduras, Me in Australia and Jarom in India are fulfilling that blessing. Not to mention the Millenium for my other siblings who didn't serve missions, they will help fulfill as well.
Love you heaps
-Elder Montgomery
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
"We had Stake Conference this Sunday. It was a live broadcast from Salt Lake City to all of Australia."
February 13, 2011
Hello from Brahma Lodge!
We had a good week this week. We taught more lessons this week than we had our first two weeks in the area. Things are starting to roll. We have a handful of investigators now that we are teaching. There will be more investigators more to come. We go out finding heaps. Maybe more so than at any other point in my mission. We have used our Area Book and we have contacted most of the potential investigators, we have gone through many of the former investigators. We have also knocked on a couple of choice streets. One thing I think I could work on is receiving referrals from members of the church, or really anyone. I will try and do that more often. Referrals are usually the best investigators because they have that foundation of trust with their relationship with the member.
At the beginning of my mission I learned how to speak Chinese and Swahili phrases and other languages. I have forgotten them and if I did forget them, my pronunciation is incorrect. Now that I am back in Adelaide it is like refreshing my memory. Maybe when I go home I can show off the entire lingo I have picked up. Really I could just something up and you wouldn’t know the difference, same with Australian slang.
Yes that is the units of my flat. Adelaide is actually a bit green at the moment. More alive than that Google earth photo. I remember last year by December everything was dead, or at least everything in Murray Bridge was dead. We are having a more cool summer. Some days have reached over 100 but not many. I reckon today it will be around 80.
My area is quite small so there isn’t much sight seeing. Murray Bridge, Mt Gambier and Palmerston were all regional areas and were ridiculously huge and there were things to see. But I am in the middle of the city.
We had Stake Conference this Sunday. It was a live broadcast from Salt Lake City to all of Australia. That was pretty cool, we heard from Richard G Scott and President Utchdorf (sp?). It was cool to see the old members from Modbury Ward. Some Sisters were pregnant when I was in the area but now the babes are well and truly crawling, it is crazy. I also went on tradeoff in my old area of Modbury Ward. I visited some old converts, Tammy, Anthony and Robert. I hadn’t seen them in over a year; they had gone less active a couple of months ago. After visiting with them we helped them get a vision of having an eternal family. I invited them to Stake Conference and they came! They also spoke to the Modbury Bishop and they will receive help preparing to go the temple. The invitation from me shouldn’t have gotten them back to church. They will need to receive a strong enough testimony to endure to the end. As we all do.
I am going to now. It is good to hear from you mom. Glad to hear everyone is alive and generally healthy, kind of. Remember to tell me even the sad news, you have done well. I want to come home rejoicing and not in grievance. Yes I would like to know any information on any of my friends, especially Moroni. I believe Jarom will receive his mission call this Thursday as well. I can’t wait to find out. Where ever he is called to go, I know there is a purpose behind it.
I received the package of the SD cards. Thank you. I will probably send a small package home pretty soon. I have collected a few things that I wish to send to you guys.
It didn’t even faze me it was Valentines Day. It is just another day; well it is P-day.
I think we are just going to play sport at the chapel today. I need to loose weight.
Love you heaps
-Elder Montgomery
Hello from Brahma Lodge!
We had a good week this week. We taught more lessons this week than we had our first two weeks in the area. Things are starting to roll. We have a handful of investigators now that we are teaching. There will be more investigators more to come. We go out finding heaps. Maybe more so than at any other point in my mission. We have used our Area Book and we have contacted most of the potential investigators, we have gone through many of the former investigators. We have also knocked on a couple of choice streets. One thing I think I could work on is receiving referrals from members of the church, or really anyone. I will try and do that more often. Referrals are usually the best investigators because they have that foundation of trust with their relationship with the member.
At the beginning of my mission I learned how to speak Chinese and Swahili phrases and other languages. I have forgotten them and if I did forget them, my pronunciation is incorrect. Now that I am back in Adelaide it is like refreshing my memory. Maybe when I go home I can show off the entire lingo I have picked up. Really I could just something up and you wouldn’t know the difference, same with Australian slang.
Yes that is the units of my flat. Adelaide is actually a bit green at the moment. More alive than that Google earth photo. I remember last year by December everything was dead, or at least everything in Murray Bridge was dead. We are having a more cool summer. Some days have reached over 100 but not many. I reckon today it will be around 80.
My area is quite small so there isn’t much sight seeing. Murray Bridge, Mt Gambier and Palmerston were all regional areas and were ridiculously huge and there were things to see. But I am in the middle of the city.
We had Stake Conference this Sunday. It was a live broadcast from Salt Lake City to all of Australia. That was pretty cool, we heard from Richard G Scott and President Utchdorf (sp?). It was cool to see the old members from Modbury Ward. Some Sisters were pregnant when I was in the area but now the babes are well and truly crawling, it is crazy. I also went on tradeoff in my old area of Modbury Ward. I visited some old converts, Tammy, Anthony and Robert. I hadn’t seen them in over a year; they had gone less active a couple of months ago. After visiting with them we helped them get a vision of having an eternal family. I invited them to Stake Conference and they came! They also spoke to the Modbury Bishop and they will receive help preparing to go the temple. The invitation from me shouldn’t have gotten them back to church. They will need to receive a strong enough testimony to endure to the end. As we all do.
I am going to now. It is good to hear from you mom. Glad to hear everyone is alive and generally healthy, kind of. Remember to tell me even the sad news, you have done well. I want to come home rejoicing and not in grievance. Yes I would like to know any information on any of my friends, especially Moroni. I believe Jarom will receive his mission call this Thursday as well. I can’t wait to find out. Where ever he is called to go, I know there is a purpose behind it.
I received the package of the SD cards. Thank you. I will probably send a small package home pretty soon. I have collected a few things that I wish to send to you guys.
It didn’t even faze me it was Valentines Day. It is just another day; well it is P-day.
I think we are just going to play sport at the chapel today. I need to loose weight.
Love you heaps
-Elder Montgomery
"We are mostly working with people who are from Africa and Nepal."
February 9, 2011
Hello from Brahma Lodge!
This week we have been definitely finding new people to teach. At the moment we are networking with heaps with people. We have found people who were once taught by missionaries, we didn’t even use the Area book. They just fell into our paths. We are mostly working with people who are from Africa and Nepal. We have few Aussies that we are working with. I think I am scared for life, we visited this one family from Nepal and they were watching this 48 hour long DVD, yes 48 hours and it was a religious DVD from the 1960s, with 1960 special effects, and to top it off it is not American standards but Nepali standards. Hindu is a very interesting religion.
I met someone who remembers Brother Groggett! Brother Groggett must have served in this area. Their names are Brother and Sister Hunt. I wish I knew all the area’s Brother Groggett served in.
The members and leadership in the Ward are very missionary focused. There are two brothers in the ward that were in my first area in the mission that remember me. So that was cool to catch up with them. It seems like such a long time ago that I served in Firle Ward but yet it doesn’t seem too long ago. I live on number 113 Winchester Ave in Salisbury East in the set of flats there. I have not been asked to help in the clean up process in Queensland. Nor has anyone in this mission as far as I am aware of. Poor Queensland has been hammered; it got hit by a Cyclone last week. Queensland was a pretty dodgy state.
I do not remember Aunt Harriet, I remember we had some kind of family reunion in California, she must have been there. How was she related to us?
I do intend to live with you guys in Phoenix for a while but I do not intend to stay for long.
I am excited for Jarom. I can’t wait to hear where he is going. I remember the anticipation of finding out just two years ago. Two years ago I got my call to Australia. Hard to believe.
How is everyone from back home, no news of my friends? Moroni?
I am going to go now.
Elder Montgomery
Hello from Brahma Lodge!
This week we have been definitely finding new people to teach. At the moment we are networking with heaps with people. We have found people who were once taught by missionaries, we didn’t even use the Area book. They just fell into our paths. We are mostly working with people who are from Africa and Nepal. We have few Aussies that we are working with. I think I am scared for life, we visited this one family from Nepal and they were watching this 48 hour long DVD, yes 48 hours and it was a religious DVD from the 1960s, with 1960 special effects, and to top it off it is not American standards but Nepali standards. Hindu is a very interesting religion.
I met someone who remembers Brother Groggett! Brother Groggett must have served in this area. Their names are Brother and Sister Hunt. I wish I knew all the area’s Brother Groggett served in.
The members and leadership in the Ward are very missionary focused. There are two brothers in the ward that were in my first area in the mission that remember me. So that was cool to catch up with them. It seems like such a long time ago that I served in Firle Ward but yet it doesn’t seem too long ago. I live on number 113 Winchester Ave in Salisbury East in the set of flats there. I have not been asked to help in the clean up process in Queensland. Nor has anyone in this mission as far as I am aware of. Poor Queensland has been hammered; it got hit by a Cyclone last week. Queensland was a pretty dodgy state.
I do not remember Aunt Harriet, I remember we had some kind of family reunion in California, she must have been there. How was she related to us?
I do intend to live with you guys in Phoenix for a while but I do not intend to stay for long.
I am excited for Jarom. I can’t wait to hear where he is going. I remember the anticipation of finding out just two years ago. Two years ago I got my call to Australia. Hard to believe.
How is everyone from back home, no news of my friends? Moroni?
I am going to go now.
Elder Montgomery
Sunday, January 30, 2011
"I am now in an area called Brahma Lodge...I am back in Modbury Stake."
January 30, 2011
Hello from Adelaide!
I am now in an area called Brahma Lodge. This is my first P-day in Adelaide since 2009. I am back in Modbury Stake. I went on Tradeoff to Brahma Lodge twice when I served in Modbury when I was finishing my training. I am part of Paralowie Ward. Our Ward Mission Leader and Bishop are very missionary focused. There is no reason why I got transferred out of Darwin so quickly except the spirit has called me another way. My companions name is Elder Latu he is from Tonga. We were flushed into the area; we replaced Sister Missionaries In the area. Sister Tierchert who was in my intake went home, she served in Brahma Lodge. Also Sister Rau in my intake went home. It is weird to think both the Sisters are home now. I can remember coming into Australia with them. So this whole week we have been trying to get to know everyone in the area. We have met heaps of people. We have been mostly finding this whole week. My former companion in Murray Bridge Elder Taufa is in my district. He has one transfer left until he goes home. He is my brother in the mission, he was trained by Elder Inglis as well. We have served around each other for a total of a year now. This mission is becoming very young rather quickly.
We didn’t do anything on Australia Day; we wanted to meet as many people as possible. Since that day is a national holiday, many people were home.
Well I am going to go now. It is good to hear about everyone from home. I am excited to hear where Jarom is going to serve his mission. Where ever you are called, it doesn’t matter where you serve; the work is the same.
-Elder Montgomery
Hello from Adelaide!
I am now in an area called Brahma Lodge. This is my first P-day in Adelaide since 2009. I am back in Modbury Stake. I went on Tradeoff to Brahma Lodge twice when I served in Modbury when I was finishing my training. I am part of Paralowie Ward. Our Ward Mission Leader and Bishop are very missionary focused. There is no reason why I got transferred out of Darwin so quickly except the spirit has called me another way. My companions name is Elder Latu he is from Tonga. We were flushed into the area; we replaced Sister Missionaries In the area. Sister Tierchert who was in my intake went home, she served in Brahma Lodge. Also Sister Rau in my intake went home. It is weird to think both the Sisters are home now. I can remember coming into Australia with them. So this whole week we have been trying to get to know everyone in the area. We have met heaps of people. We have been mostly finding this whole week. My former companion in Murray Bridge Elder Taufa is in my district. He has one transfer left until he goes home. He is my brother in the mission, he was trained by Elder Inglis as well. We have served around each other for a total of a year now. This mission is becoming very young rather quickly.
We didn’t do anything on Australia Day; we wanted to meet as many people as possible. Since that day is a national holiday, many people were home.
Well I am going to go now. It is good to hear about everyone from home. I am excited to hear where Jarom is going to serve his mission. Where ever you are called, it doesn’t matter where you serve; the work is the same.
-Elder Montgomery
Sunday, January 23, 2011
"I am getting transferred....Flying into Adelaide."
January 24, 2011
Hello from Palmerston
For the last time! I am getting transferred. Pretty crazy turn of
events. I so did not see that coming. My flight leaves in 2 hours.
My guess is I will be transferred somewhere to Adelaide. I am happy I
did see a different side of the world. Darwin is a beautiful place.
It will be interesting going from a wet heat to a dry heat. It is
summer in Adelaide. I am escaping a potential cyclone so that is
good. There might be one hitting Darwin this week. I have noticed a
pattern in my mission, the areas I take over, I take over very
quickly. The areas I do not take over I am transferred out very
quickly. Australia Day is coming up. It will be fun to try and play
some cricket.
We had a good last week in Palmerston. We have Sara, Scott and
Andrew all progressing. Kimberly and Diego are also being taught.
There should be a couple baptisms in the near future for this area. We
finished strong in the transfer. We taught the most lessons this week
than any other.
I am going to go now. Flying into Adelaide.
Love you all heaps
-Elder Montgomery
Hello from Palmerston
For the last time! I am getting transferred. Pretty crazy turn of
events. I so did not see that coming. My flight leaves in 2 hours.
My guess is I will be transferred somewhere to Adelaide. I am happy I
did see a different side of the world. Darwin is a beautiful place.
It will be interesting going from a wet heat to a dry heat. It is
summer in Adelaide. I am escaping a potential cyclone so that is
good. There might be one hitting Darwin this week. I have noticed a
pattern in my mission, the areas I take over, I take over very
quickly. The areas I do not take over I am transferred out very
quickly. Australia Day is coming up. It will be fun to try and play
some cricket.
We had a good last week in Palmerston. We have Sara, Scott and
Andrew all progressing. Kimberly and Diego are also being taught.
There should be a couple baptisms in the near future for this area. We
finished strong in the transfer. We taught the most lessons this week
than any other.
I am going to go now. Flying into Adelaide.
Love you all heaps
-Elder Montgomery
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
"...God will provide a way."
January 17, 2011
Hello from Palmerston!
This week has been good. We received a good referral this week. A returned missionary came home last Sunday and he set us up an appointment with a less active man. We are to teach him the quit smoking program. This man is named John, he has a brother name Don, Don is a prospective Elder and is working towards going on a mission. John has 8 kids, none of them are baptised. Five of those eight kids are baptismal age. So by teaching the quit smoking program to John we hope that this will open the door to teaching the gospel to these kids and even reactivating John.
We had a baptismal date with an investigator named Andrew. He is from Papua New Guinea. He was in Cairns for a couple weeks visiting his wife. They have been separated for almost a year now. They have made certain reconciliations and she has agreed to move back with him in Palmerston. One of those conditions was to not be baptised Latter Day Saint. She is Catholic. When Andrew told us this he was on the verge of crying. He knows the church is true, and he desires an eternal family. We taught him a powerful lesson based on 1nephi chpt 3 which talks about a commandment from god to retrieve the brass plates from Laban. We shared with him that god gives no commandment unto the children of men unless he provides a way for them to succeed in keeping the commandment. Basically to melt down our message, God will provide a way. We went into fasting and we had a discussion, committed him to read about fasting in the Gospel Principles book. We are fasting for all our investigators, but for Andrew we are fasting that his wife’s heart will be softened. He has also expressed he will fast as well.
Scott is progressing through the Book of Mormon. He is up to 3rd Nephi. By now he has probably read through the climax of the Book of Mormon, we will see him on Wednesday.
Sara’s daughter was sick this week. So her sleeping patterns have been atrocious. One day she went to bed at noon. So we didn’t have the opportunity to teach her this week. But we did teach her less active mum and her little sister who is not baptised either, this bunch live in a separate house. They went to a cottage evening at a members home this week which was great, they were about to go to church but then Sara’s mum was admitted to the hospital on Saturday. She has a hernia. Surprisingly her husband actually showed up to church, that totally shocked us.
Today for P-day we had Megan’s husband named Kim, Megan was baptised in December, and Kim took us to Litchfield national park. It is a beautiful place. There are multiple waterfalls. There was no danger of crocs because of the fast moving streams (and waterfalls). If anything a fresh water alligator could have unfortunately made himself into some of these streams, but that doesn’t matter because those guys are more afraid of us than we are to them. There was many people swimming. Being in the wet season those waterfalls had heaps of water. Fortunately the roads were not severely flooded. I saw my first frilled neck lizard and goanna.
Well I am going to go now. Love you all heaps.
-Elder Montgomery
Hello from Palmerston!
This week has been good. We received a good referral this week. A returned missionary came home last Sunday and he set us up an appointment with a less active man. We are to teach him the quit smoking program. This man is named John, he has a brother name Don, Don is a prospective Elder and is working towards going on a mission. John has 8 kids, none of them are baptised. Five of those eight kids are baptismal age. So by teaching the quit smoking program to John we hope that this will open the door to teaching the gospel to these kids and even reactivating John.
We had a baptismal date with an investigator named Andrew. He is from Papua New Guinea. He was in Cairns for a couple weeks visiting his wife. They have been separated for almost a year now. They have made certain reconciliations and she has agreed to move back with him in Palmerston. One of those conditions was to not be baptised Latter Day Saint. She is Catholic. When Andrew told us this he was on the verge of crying. He knows the church is true, and he desires an eternal family. We taught him a powerful lesson based on 1nephi chpt 3 which talks about a commandment from god to retrieve the brass plates from Laban. We shared with him that god gives no commandment unto the children of men unless he provides a way for them to succeed in keeping the commandment. Basically to melt down our message, God will provide a way. We went into fasting and we had a discussion, committed him to read about fasting in the Gospel Principles book. We are fasting for all our investigators, but for Andrew we are fasting that his wife’s heart will be softened. He has also expressed he will fast as well.
Scott is progressing through the Book of Mormon. He is up to 3rd Nephi. By now he has probably read through the climax of the Book of Mormon, we will see him on Wednesday.
Sara’s daughter was sick this week. So her sleeping patterns have been atrocious. One day she went to bed at noon. So we didn’t have the opportunity to teach her this week. But we did teach her less active mum and her little sister who is not baptised either, this bunch live in a separate house. They went to a cottage evening at a members home this week which was great, they were about to go to church but then Sara’s mum was admitted to the hospital on Saturday. She has a hernia. Surprisingly her husband actually showed up to church, that totally shocked us.
Today for P-day we had Megan’s husband named Kim, Megan was baptised in December, and Kim took us to Litchfield national park. It is a beautiful place. There are multiple waterfalls. There was no danger of crocs because of the fast moving streams (and waterfalls). If anything a fresh water alligator could have unfortunately made himself into some of these streams, but that doesn’t matter because those guys are more afraid of us than we are to them. There was many people swimming. Being in the wet season those waterfalls had heaps of water. Fortunately the roads were not severely flooded. I saw my first frilled neck lizard and goanna.
Well I am going to go now. Love you all heaps.
-Elder Montgomery
"...the spirit is the only thing that can convince them."
January 14, 2011
hey mom, i dont have much time left, i emailed kyle.
But things are good here in Palmerston We are teacing and finding.
Sister Lisonbee is pretty Sweet. I hope those sources work. But really the spirit is the only thing that can convince them.
I havent watched them myself so i hope they are good.
I am going to go now, sorry for the short email!
I have to email president.
Love you heaps
-Elder Montgomery
hey mom, i dont have much time left, i emailed kyle.
But things are good here in Palmerston We are teacing and finding.
Sister Lisonbee is pretty Sweet. I hope those sources work. But really the spirit is the only thing that can convince them.
I havent watched them myself so i hope they are good.
I am going to go now, sorry for the short email!
I have to email president.
Love you heaps
-Elder Montgomery
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