Fwd: Letter #33 - 11/18/13

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Elizabeth Montgomery <elizabeth.montgomery@myldsmail.net>
Date: Mon, Nov 18, 2013 at 9:06 AM
Subject: Letter #33 - 11/18/13
To: Christine Montgomery <chrismont9@gmail.com>

Just a few mintues to write about my amazing week! First off, I forgot to mention that last Sunday was the Kiev Stake Conference. How incredible is it that there's an entire stake in a place like Kiev?! And we were all gathered together with a temple of God right behind us! It gave me so much spiritual strength to see so many Saints together like that, and the broadcast was wonderful (it was one of those area broadcasts from Salt Lake City). The Lord's work is hastening, that's for sure. :)

President (by the means of the mission leadership council, so technically me too) installed a new rule in our mission for the time being, which basically says that we're to talk to (or approach rather) at least 50 people every day. It's a little "Mosaic Law," which is totally unlike President, but it's what our mission needs right now to get us opening our mouths. Anyway, I mention this becuase it has made our week INCREDIBLE. We've been talking with so many people, and even though the ratio of rejection is probably the same, the quality of the people who haven't rejected us has been super high. We've had wonderful conversations, had a lot of first lessons, and have three new investigators (and another one today). I feel like God ripped our area apart the other week just to put it back together in a wonderful way. And here's a miracle story I just wrote President:

"So, when I was in Borshahovsky while Sister Hunsaker was in the training meeting, I was looking through the Relief Society list to find members I haven't met with yet. I saw a name of an old lady and had an impression from the Holy Ghost that we needed to stop by there, so I wrote the name in my planner. We didn't get around to it Friday night, but it was our back-up plan for Saturday night, which became our actual plan when our investigator cancelled on us. So we headed over there, talking to everyone, but nobody was at her home. Luckily I know the Spirit well enough to know that He cares just as much about the journey as the destination, so we continued our journey to go drop by some other members. A little ways away from the stairwell, we contacted this one lady, Olga, who was walking home. As we introduced ourselves, she gave the common line, 'Oh, I already go to church,' but I pressed forward, complimenting her on her faith and asking what she believes and why. After telling us a bit, I asked if she was interested to know what we believe, and she agreed. And THEN, well... that's when the Spirit took over because I literally can't remember what I said except for the fact that it was about the Restoration. Usually I remember my conversations super well after the fact, but this time, I honestly can't recall it (and we talked for a long time too). Anyway, she asked to see the Book of Mormon (we gladly gave it), she invited us over to hear more, and we ended with prayer. How amazing is that?! God led us right to that woman! All we had to do was open our mouths, and let me tell you... they were FILLED."

I was SO happy after that conversation, you have no idea. :) Love moments like that!

Oh yeah, so I got a new companion (good old #6 in Ukraine, hopefully she won't run away from me as quickly as the others ones). Her name is Sister Hunsaker, she's from Syracuse UT, she's 20 years old, and she's doing great. I feel like a mother who gets better at parenting every time she has a new child -- hopefully I'll get this whole training thing down by the time I have my last one.

Spiritual thought, spiritual thought... I'm running out of English ones because they now get programmed in Russian. Have I ever shared with you Joshua 1:1-9? It's the passage that was quoted by President Monson in last conference, and it gave me a lot of comfort and strength when I really needed it a few weeks ago. You'll have to change the situation in order to liken it to yourself, but the principle is there, and I can tell you myself that it's true: "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: the Lord the God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." I'm confident that the day will come when we see Christ face to face, and we will understand perfectly just how true that was during our lives.

Well, I love you all! Have a wonderful week!

Love,

Sister Montgomery

Fwd: Letter #32 - 11/11/13

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Elizabeth Montgomery <elizabeth.montgomery@myldsmail.net>
Date: Mon, Nov 11, 2013 at 8:23 AM
Subject: Letter #32 - 11/11/13
To: Christine Montgomery <chrismont9@gmail.com>

Hey everyone! How's it going? Hey, if you haven't written me for awhile, shoot me an email sometime -- I may be 6000 miles away, but I'd still like to know what's going on in your lives. :)

Well, part of this whole Sister Training Leader thing is that I write President every week about how exchanges went, what I saw, what suggestions I have, etc., and that can be a little time-consuming, so if you've noticed my letters getting shorter and shorter, that's probably why. I'll try to write a little less there and a little more here, but sometimes it doesn't always work out such.

So I'd be lying if I said this was a good week. :/ It was actually pretty dreary, and literally the hardest week on my mission. Basically rejection was just at an all time high / all time rude, and it really took a toll on me. It's been nearly fruitless working with members, people we talk to outside won't stop long enough for us to get a word of testimony in, and our investigators have been dropping like flies (including those I really care about it). It's been rough; not quite Alma 26:27-30 rough, but close. I even got sick on Saturday and stayed home all day. Bleh. But hey, things are looking up, and I learned a lot from all of it. This area needed to be "renewed" anyway... one batch drops to make room for another, that's just kind of how it works. I could use some extra prayers, though, so keep sending them this way.

Transfers are Thursday -- I'll be getting my new trainee. This transfer is only 4 weeks long and the next one is 8 weeks, so we'll wait and see where I'll be in a month (anyone want to put their money on Voskresensky?)

Well, per usual, I shall leave you with a spiritual thought, this one in the form of a poem I finished this last week. Consider it a peak into my woes (and other woes I've heard here) and the revelation that got me out of them. It applies to, well... every laborer in Zion.

 

To the Laborer in Zion

To the weary leader of a wild or struggling fold

Who listens with an open heart while his own problems go untold

And who at times thinks silently, "What good am I doing here?"

And while thinking at the task at hand, becomes filled with doubt and fear

Remember Him whose church this is, the Leader of us all,

Who knows your imperfections well, yet still issued your call

So while you're preaching what you practice, practice what you preach

You may be a shephard, but to Him you're still the sheep

To the mourning mother of a weak and wayward child

Whose love abounds unceasingly, tender, meek, and mild

And who at times thinks silently, "What could I have done more?"

And starts to count her follies till it stings her to the core

Remember Him whose love abounds far greater than your own

Who knows your flaws but still forgives and brings you safely home

So while offering the Bread of Life, drink the Living Water

You may be a mother, but to Him you're still His daughter

To the doubting missionary in a tough and fruitless place

Who's given heart, might, mind and strength to preach of peace and grace

And who at times thinks silently, "Surely I'm the one to blame"

Focusing on only failure, giving way to shame

Remember Him who gave His son, not just for them but you

Whose mercy is for all you teach and for their teacher too

So while kindling the Refiner's fire, stand to take the heat

You may be a sifter, but to Him you're still the wheat

So to every striving laborer in the fields and homes of Zion

Who's realized that you're mortal, much more lamb than you are lion

I plead with you, think silently, "I'm weak but He is strong

And if I seek to do His will, He'll lead me safely along."

And if while pondering, you can say, "I tried to do my best

And where I fell, I got back up," in Christ you'll find your rest.

You are His hands, you're in His hands, though earth and hell may shake,

You are His hands, you're in His hands, He'll not fail thee nor forsake.

Love you!

Sister Montgomery

Fwd: Letter #31 - 11/4/13

Enjoy!  I just love her letters!  Have a great week!

Christine

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Elizabeth Montgomery <elizabeth.montgomery@myldsmail.net>
Date: Mon, Nov 4, 2013 at 7:44 AM
Subject: Letter #31 - 11/4/13
To: Christine Montgomery <chrismont9@gmail.com>

Heya fam. There are cinnamon rolls awaiting me at home (my new companion bakes!), so I'm gonna cheat and copy you what I just wrote President to save time. Here's my week in a nutshell:

-----

Well, things are moving right along in Voskresensky. Sister Gillespie is AWESOME. We get along great, are super focused on the work, have been getting revelation right and left about what to do, are talking with a ton of people (not quite "everyone," but we're getting close!), and it's just been an awesome half-week with her. She's such a great missionary, and we're having a lot of fun (don't worry, it's purpose-focused fun) :) together -- it's too bad I only get to work with her another week and a half!

Not only has our companionship been doing great, but our area is really looking up. A lot of people we've talked to have been receptive to our conversations (or in the very least, kind), and we even had a new investigator. She was a walk-in to the church awhile ago while we were studying, she came to English a couple times, and then the other day she called us and invited us over to her house, and then she agreed to hear the lessons. It was a literal answer to one of my prayers. I prayed the other day, "Dear Heavenly Father, I'm trying really hard to take care of your children here in this ward, help them stay strong in the gospel, and help them share it with others. Because of that, will you please bless us with someone new to teach?" And wallah! After two member lessons in the morning (taking care of God's children), Sveta calls and sets an appointment with us! She's got a husband and 6-year-old daughter, and her and her husband really liked the Family Proclamation. Great potential there! :)

We've got a lot of great finding ideas for this week, and we're planning our ward missionary conference coming up next Sunday. Things are super great around here -- it's definitely been an "up" week.

-----

Yay for good weeks! Looking forward to another one. Oh yeah, and I went up to Chernigov for a couple days this past week on exchanges -- what an awesome place! The people are super different there than in my area; it's a smaller town, more cozy, a lot more greenery, slower-paced... I would NOT complain if I get to serve there sometime on my mission (if I ever leave Voskresensky, that is). We had four first contacts (taught a gospel principle and prayed with people on the street) in one day! It was awesome. I had a lot of fun there, and the sister I was on exchanges with, Sister Thomas, happens to be the niece of Jeff (I think?) Thomas, former stake presidency member in Fort Collins. Small Mormon world, I love it.

Hmm... I can't think of anything else to write. Let me know if any of y'all have questions for me. If you want a spiritual thought, just go feast on the Bible videos... every P-Day I look forward to watching new ones. These are the ones I saw today: http://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/jesus-declares-the-parable-of-the-lost-sheep?lang=eng and http://www.lds.org/bible-videos/videos/suffer-the-little-children-to-come-unto-me?lang=eng . I cry every time!

Have a wonderful week!

Love,

Sister Montgomery

Fwd: Letter #30 - 10/28/13

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Elizabeth Montgomery <elizabeth.montgomery@myldsmail.net>
Date: Mon, Oct 28, 2013 at 8:50 AM
Subject: Letter #30 - 10/28/13
To: Christine Montgomery <chrismont9@gmail.com>

Hey everyone! Lots happening here in good old Voskresensky! Not so much with investigators (we've got a lot of good potentials though...), but we had a sudden random transfer last week, so I'm no longer companions with Sister Cromwell. But don't worry, I'm still in Voskresensky, and I even snuck "transfo" (transfer information) from President that I'll be in Voskresensky yet again next transfer with a new trainee. In the meantime, I'm companions with Sister Griffiths, BUT it turns out she's leaving this week to go home for health reasons, which means I'll have yet another companion for the rest of this transfer, and I don't know who yet. It'll be my fifth companion in my fourth transfer! I'll miss Sister Cromwell and her funny little quirks, and I've actually gotten pretty close with Sister Griffiths too in the whole four days we've been together. But look at the bright side -- I'll have lots of friends when I go home! :)

You know what I love about being a missionary? Being an official representative of the Lord Jesus Christ, and every day discovering the deeper meaning of that. I've had some powerful experiences this past week teaching by the power of the Spirit. Not only does the Spirit testify along with me as I speak, but He literally puts thoughts into my heart and gives me "in the very moment" what I should say (D&C 100:5-6). I've been so bold and full of love lately that I've even surprised myself.

Just the other night we stopped by a less active, and after making a little bit of small-talk, I got right into the gospel by saying, "I'm not speaking as Sister Montgomery right now. I'm speaking as a representative of Jesus Christ." From that moment on, it was D&C 68:4 at it's finest: "And whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation." I expressed my and Heavenly Father's love for her and desire for her to return, I explained that she's been breaking commandments and I invited her to repent, I expounded pertinent doctrine, I invited her to act, I promised blessings from her loving Father in Heaven, and I warned of sin as the Spirit directed. Her choice was no different by the end of the conversation, but I had done the will of the Lord by bringing the Holy Ghost "unto" her heart (2 Nephi 33:1), and I pray that she'll remember those feelings and let Him in.

I don't relate this story to boast in the least; it's just such an honor and privilege from the Lord to hold this special calling, and it's something I've just barely realized is limited to only 11 more months. I am SO grateful to be here, doing what I'm doing, with the Power by which I'm doing it. Perhaps only those who have served full-time missionaries truly understand what I'm saying, but the rest of you can probably imagine.

We've had some interesting events happen in our ward lately. One young man (in his 20's), who I would describe as being "spiritually on fire" when I met him, chose to completely apostatize from the church because we eat meat, and he's discovered recently how opposed he is to that. He has forsaken the source of all truth because of... meat. I won't dwell here on how sad that makes me (I'm quite close with him and his wife, who has also apostatized with him), but instead, I'll contrast it with a very happy story. I wrote on 6/10/13 about a man named Genadi; he's paralyzed on his left side, his hip is broken, and he's got a hole in his skull where someone hit him with a hammer. (Okay, so far this is NOT a happy story, but hold on a sec...) Anyway, when I met him back in June, I wrote in my journal that his soul seemed as broken as his body, BUT... the Elders have been meeting with him since July, and he is a COMPLETELY changed man. I even went back over there about a month ago, and there was so much light in him. He is willing and totally ready to be baptized, but we're just working through things with his doctor and lawyers because of the risk involved (he still wants to do it though).

Anyway, all this has got me thinking about a passage in Ezekiel (yes, I randomly ponder Ezekiel in my free time... don't you?) It's Ezekiel 18:26-27 and it simply says, "When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die. Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive." That's a mission in a nutshell; while lost souls are finally finding truth in the gospel, seemingly strong members are stepping away from it. One of my favorite verses is 31 in that chapter, "Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?" Why will you die?! Why will you cut yourself off from the truth that can fill you and heal you? "For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye" (v.32). Turn to God and watch as the Atonement of Christ transforms your heart, spirit, and life.

That's all for this week! Hope you have a great week!

Love,

Sister Montgomery

PS -- Attached is a nice picture of the Voskresensky gang (Elder Hangen, Elder Romney, yours truly, and Sister Cromwell)

Fwd: Letter #29 - 10/21/13

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Elizabeth Montgomery <elizabeth.montgomery@myldsmail.net>
Date: Mon, Oct 21, 2013 at 3:52 AM
Subject: Letter #29 - 10/21/13
To: Christine Montgomery <chrismont9@gmail.com>

Hey fam. This is gonna be a super quick letter cause I need to go get my hair cut...

Man, I don't even know what happened this week. It went by before I knew it! I had an exchange in Brovary, a small town outside of Kyiv, with Sister Nikogosyan (an awesome missionary) and everything went well. I'm still getting used to the fact that I'm Sister Training Leader and that people now look at me like I know what I'm doing... it sure gives me a reason to always be on my best behavior and "grow" into this leadership position.

We've been having a hard time meeting with investigators recently, so that's been super slow. But the good news is that our Relief Society is really stepping up their missionary game, and we've got a full schedule of visiting members this week and helping them do missionary work. If the message wasn't clear back in June during the worldwide mission broadcast, it became clear this last conference: it's the Lord's way for members and missionaries to work together in this great work of salvation. I hope to see good results from it soon. I have really grown to love this ward, so much so that I don't want to leave. There are so many incredible people here!

And... that's all I have time for. Sorry! Keep praying for me and the people here -- we can always use it!

Love,

Sister Montgomery

Fwd: Letter #28 - 10/14/13

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Elizabeth Montgomery <elizabeth.montgomery@myldsmail.net>
Date: Mon, Oct 14, 2013 at 8:02 AM
Subject: Letter #28 - 10/14/13
To: Christine Montgomery <chrismont9@gmail.com>

Heya fam! I had a really good week! Tender mercies of the Lord are befalling me left and right. I'll tell you a few of them...

First off, general conference! We finally got to watch it all (or nearly all) this weekend, and it was SO good! Man, almost better than Christmas. :) I especially liked all the emphasis on missionary work; it's so much easier to convince/inspire members to help with missionary work when you've got words of living prophets and apostles at your fingertips. It's interesting being surrounded by people who believe that the idea of prophets died when Christ died, and I just want to raise my voice and be like, "No, seriously, there's a prophet today! Yeah, a prophet, like Moses. And I heard him speak like two hours ago!" I had a hard time just sitting in the church or at home listening to conference for so long because I was so anxious to get outside and share their words with everyone else. And now this week I can. :)

Also, we had an amazing Zone Conference on Friday. Every conference leaves me on a spiritual high, no joke. Besides doing a lot of instructive role-plays, we delved thoroughly into the doctrine of repentance, and I learned so much from it. I feel like I'm better equipped to truly "preach nothing but repentance" (Mosiah 18:20) to this people, a topic which, by the way, is so much more pleasant and glorious than we normally understand it as being. As Elder Scott just said in conference, "Remember, repentance is not punishment. It is the hope-filled path to a more glorious future."

Oh, I have to tell you about our hilarious lesson with Maria Monday night. She's our neighbor that called us out as we were walking and told us to come over, and last Sunday she invited us over again, so we stopped by the next evening. Little did we know that her friend Tamara was visiting, and Tamara really doesn't like Mormons, and she's really vocal about it. We started a pleasant lesson with Maria, and she showed us her marked-up copy of the Book of Mormon through 2 Nephi (umm... amazing!), but it wasn't long until Tamara came into the room and started going off about this and that from the Bible and how stupid we are, not letting us get more than two words in at a time.

We managed to quiet her down long enough to basically say, "We're going to watch this film about the Prophet Joseph Smith. If you don't want to watch it with us, please leave." She finally went to the other room but continued to make commentary about what she was hearing from the film (accompanied by Maria's sweet commentary, "Oh the animals are so cute!"). After we were done watching it (Maria loved it), Tamara came back in and proceeded yelling at us. We managed to sneak in a closing prayer, and as Maria was walking us to the elevator (closing the door on Tamara), she said, "I'm so sorry! Please don't judge me by her... we'll meet again when she's gone!" What a strong woman. Thankfully the member that we had on the lesson thought it was an awesome experience (16-year-old girl whose spiritually on fire), and we just had to laugh all the way home, because I'm pretty sure laughter was the only thing that could get our blood pressure back down haha. Oh man, what a lesson! Good opportunity to practice charity too. ;)

Anyway, this week was just full of the Spirit. He's been guiding our plans, He's been working in the hearts of people that I love, He's been leading the elect to us and vice versa, and He's been guiding my words as I speak and testify. We had exchanges on Wednesday (I was in Voskresensky with Sister Wallace) and we were met all day with receptive people. One woman, Valentina, even wrote down all her information and gave it to us, including when she's available to meet (basically set up an appointment all by herself). A few days later we stopped by, and we were surprised to find that the address she gave us was a business, and we walked into what looked like a business meeting with six women. Sister Cromwell and a member from the ward were with me, and later they both told me they were thinking, "What did Sister Montgomery get us into?" We were worried there were going to try to sell us something, but they were actually interested in a gospel discussion (once we led it in that direction), and we basically gave the whole first lesson to six women at one time, including bold and powerful testimonies and a prayer at the end. The Spirit was so strong in that room, and we left with two fewer Books of Mormon and three interested potential investigators. I'm so grateful to have had a part in such an awesome miracle from God. :)

Alright, I still gotta go report to President so I'll call it quits there. Hope you have a fabulous week!

Love,

Sister Montgomery

PS -- Hey Addi, do you know a Lindsey Staley? She's a new sister in my zone and went to BYU-I before, and when I asked if she knows any Montgomery's, she mentioned you. Sweet! (As a pure-blooded Montgomery, I just couldn't help myself from making one of those infamous "small world" connections.) :)

Fwd: Letter #27 - 10/7/13

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Elizabeth Montgomery <elizabeth.montgomery@myldsmail.net>
Date: Mon, Oct 7, 2013 at 8:09 AM
Subject: Letter #27 - 10/7/13
To: Christine Montgomery <chrismont9@gmail.com>

Dear family,

I'm attempting to multi-task right now -- write this letter while listening to general conference -- so we'll see how this goes. I just couldn't wait until this weekend (when it'll be in Russian/Ukrainian) for the spiritual feast of prophetic counsel... I love conference! :)

I don't have too much to write actually. I got to jam a lot on guitar this week to advertise our English class. That was fun. We also went to the nursing home and played hymns for the old people there; they're super nice and humble, and we almost got a new investigator from it (still waiting to meet with her again). Also, we got a new investigator, Pyoter (err... "Peter" if you so desire). We tracted into him the other week and invited him to church, and he actually came! He really liked it and wants to see general conference, and it turns out he and our bishop are old friends -- how perfect is that? He's got a super interesting story too; for example, he served in the military and was wanted by the Ukrainian government in the early 1990's because he was anti-communist. Super nice guy too. Looking forward to teaching him!

Well, I guess I can leave you with a spiritual thought (I've acquired a whole closet full of them during my time here). Here it is: the Lord is in control. In Mosiah 26, there was a lot of discord in the church, and the responsibility to solve it landed on Alma. His Spirit was troubled (v.13) and he poured out his soul to God (v.14). Think about the stress he was feeling -- he had just been converted and just reestablished the church in the land, and now there was apostasy left and right (including of his own son). I bet he thought at one point, "I have no idea what I'm doing," and he probably felt a huge burden for the salvation of those around him.

But check out the Lord's response from verse 15 to 32: besides assuring Alma of his and his people's faithfulness, He uses the word "my" 18 times and "I" 17 times. What do you think the message was? "Behold, this is my church" (v.22). Do your best, follow My instructions, but ultimately know that these are My sheep and they are in My hands. Don't worry unnecesarrily. Don't take a burden upon you that's not yours to take. Fulfill your duty, direct the church like I direct My Kingdom, but don't judge yourself if things don't work out as you hope. I am in control here. "Rejoice, the Lord is King... The Lord, the Savior, reigns... His kingdom cannot fail; He rules o'er earth and heav'n."

It applies to missionary work, it applies to church callings, and it applies to parenthood. It applies whenever we're concerned with the salvation of another. We need to have the trust and the spiritual witness that the Lord really is is control, and that all will be right in the end. We do our duty, we work in the field of salvation, but we always leave the harvest to the Lord of the harvest.

Well, hope y'all have a great week! Hopefully I'll have some fun miracles stories to share next time. :)

Love,

Sister Montgomery