Fwd: Letter #2 - 4/10/13

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Elizabeth Montgomery <elizabeth.montgomery@myldsmail.net>
Date: Wed, Apr 10, 2013 at 2:12 PM
Subject: Letter #2 - 4/10/13
To: chrismont9@gmail.com

Dear Mom and company,

Hey! Is this really only my second letter? I feel like I've been here forever (in a good way though haha). Another great week here in the MTC! It's really just more of the same actually... studying, classes, teaching, a devotional here and there. By the way, Bishop Causse (presiding bishop) came and spake to us on Easter, and then Sheri Dew spoke that night, then we had Elder Ringwood (of the Seventy) on Tuesday, Vocal Point on Sunday (I guess 10 hours of general conference was enough to warrant a musical group instead of another speaker that night), then Gerald Lund last night. They've all been AMAZING, and then afterward we talk about it with our district, and it's one of my favorite parts of the week. I'm also in the MTC choir, and it's a lot of fun and very uplifting. The director always has spiritual thoughts to go along with our practices, and we really focus on the words of the hymns we sing, and it really makes the songs (and the Spirit) come alive.

 

Oh, so I threw in some pictures this week for your viewing pleasure! There's one of Sister Barnes and I, another one of our whole district at the temple last Sunday, and then a pic of all the girls in my district -- we had a "dress like Elders" day where we, well... dressed like Elders. We had the button-up shirts and jackets, and the scarfs were our ties. Precious, I know. Actually, it was really quite fun. :) Oh, and I bet all of you are wondering how I'm doing with my fashion. Well, let me tell you... I've been looking pretty schnazzy. My roommates help me every morning to ensure that I don't walk out the door with clothes that look like a train wreck, and I'm even getting better at learning how to do it on my own. In fact, right now I'm wearing one of those little belt thingies around my waist -- you know, the kind that serves absolutely no practical purpose but which someone somewhere (at some point) decided would be fashionable. You're not even gonna recognize me in a year and a half... just you wait.

 

Well, I should probably get all spiritual now. Just kidding... but really. How bout general conference?! Talk about powerful! It was SO awesome watching it in the MTC, and I loved every minute of it. I felt like there were a lot of themes, such as... obedience to the gospel brings about a happy life, you can have personal peace with the gospel despite how bad the world gets, and this is God's work and it WILL go forward. There were a lot of talks I loved, but I've been thinking a lot about Elder Perry's and Elder Stanley G. Ellis' talks. Elder Ellis talked about the Lord having a "way" for everything in life, and how His way is the best way. Elder Perry (and President Monson right after) talked about how important obedience is ("Obedience to law is liberty"). Kind of going along with my thoughts last week, I just think it's incredible that we have the TRUTH in this gospel -- is is THE WAY to be happy. I'm not gonna go to Ukraine and tell people about a bunch of rules and ideas and whatnot -- I'm going to be preaching laws and truth! It's like mortality is a terrain, and whether you have a map or not, we all have to journey through it. But we DO have a map, and it's the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. When I was in Romania, I went and served those children according to the laws of physical, emotional, social, cognitive, and language development. And now I'm going to Ukraine and serving those people according to the laws of spiritual and moral development. Those laws are as sure as gravity, and it's through obedience to those laws that we can have peace in this life and eternal life in the world to come.

 

One more quick thought. The Spirit has continued to be amazing here, and I've been feeling a lot of hope recently. On Sunday I wrote in my journal, "Words do no justice to describe this, but basically the Holy Ghost has been so powerful that it's as if great things to come in my life are already with me. It's like in Jacob 4:13 when it says that the Spirit speaketh 'of things as they really will be.'... It doesn't matter that these things are in the future and that I can't see them -- a God has told me they are true, and I can't deny it. It's not unconditional, but it is completely in my control as I love, trust, and serve the Lord. And you want to know what happens when you glimpse your own glorious future, as if it was as sure as your present? You weep with joy and gratitude at God's amazing love and grace." All of our righteous desires will be fulfilled as we follow the Lord! I will have an amazing mission, and I will come home and have an amazing rest of my life, and I KNOW it because God has promised again and again (in the scriptures and through the Spirit) that He will take care of me and the people I love. I love this gospel so much. Tell everyone about it! :)

 

Love,

Sister Montgomery

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