#25 weeks in Lubango ~ 9 Months on Mission

#25 in Lubango, Angola

Ola minha familia!!!                                                                                        Jan 28^th, 2013

So the missionary in Lubango is sick. as in he’s cool. Don’t know what’s with the third person, but ya’ll good here in Africa.

 Soorry I’m kinda weird,,, anyways, this week was good! Hope your all having sick (good days) days as well. This week we have been trying to focus on members a lot to build up our branch family, because its like 80 percent investigators in church on Sunday hah not too bad for us missionaries! but the members need help stepping it up. So that’s what our focus has been lately. but ya the week went by really fast, it’s been hot, and dry, but then yesterday and today we got dumped with rain. If you look for us on Google maps we live by supermercado lueje, or by INEA its a big government building. Don’t now how else to explain it.

 So I got your calendar and the pictures and flashlight and all that this week from a shipment from Luanda. thanks a ton! It wasn’t quite Christmas, but it was better than nothing. I loved getting the cards and all that. thanks a ton!

 wow, I am struggling to find things to write bout lately. All the weeks just kind of blend together . Sorry if my letters get shorter and shorter by the week!

 some small news though, Elder Cook the seventy is visiting our mission from South Africa on February seventh, and instead of him coming to Lubango, they are flying all us missionaries up to Luanda! missionary vacation!!!!! not really we’ll only be there for like 2 days, but it will be cool to get to meet the rest of the mission. I will no longer be the ghost missionary of Lubango! bummer.

 still no packages, but Elder Borden got one that was like 2 months late,, so there’s still hope!!!!!!!!!

 but ya, sorry no pictures this week. Nothing spectacular happened!

 I love you all!  promise I’m working my tail off and trying to always to do my best. love you all tons! thanks for the emails and loves!!! have awesome weeks.

Loves from Lubango!

Elder Colin Jay Montgomery

Pictures of Cute Elders Jan. 2013 and weekly email.

Elder Montgomery on divisions with Elder Hyde, "so cold
they rocked sweaters" .. that's what he said :) 

Elder Hyde and Montgomery up on the roof 

New Years Eve, watching fireworks

In a Taxi: back- Elder Sande and Borden 

front- Elder Montgomery and Hyde

Going to Hike at Monkey Park on p-day.

Elder M. walking through a grassy field, 

yes there are some green areas in Lubango.

 "...and I took the path less traveled by and it made all the difference"

Look there are real power poles in the back ground.

Kind of funny but a cool shot, teaching 

in a ditch under a bridge. the ditch looks cleaner then 

the streets.

...Teaching in a ditch

Elder Borden and Montgomery at Serra de Leba

#23 in Angola  9 months out this Friday the 18th

ola minha familia!!!!!!!!                                                                                 Jan 14,2013

hey everyone!! I mean, OLA MINHA FAMILIA!!!!! I love you all so much! how is everyone?? my week has been a tough one, but I’m hangin in there just fine. first off, I’m SO mad that notre dame didn’t pull out the win!!! I was really rooting for them, not only to upset the SEC but because their independent and its just cool. idk.

Ya so this week was pretty rough though. We had the baptismal interview for Lino and everything, but turns out he has to wait a while and get interviewed by Pres Kretly, who doesn’t come till February with a 70 named Elder Cook. So that’s kind a was a bummer, then my packages stillll aren’t here. Shocker, and Elder Hyde finally got his, so I was pretty sad and felt left out. It’s  none of your fault at all don’t worry, but I just am afraid their lost and will never come. Sorry everyone. I still have faith, but I think this Christmas is gonna come veerrrry late for me aha if ever. We’ll see! I still have high hopes. mom, don’t worry, let’s just pray for a miracle!

The next thing that happened that was kind a crummy was that one of our members wives who is investigating the church, named B---, she dropped us this week. She just felt too punched by her family so she said chega for now. chega means enough ahha but I have faith and know that eventually shell get baptized. to answer the question, hardly any of the families were teaching who need marriage have the money. That’s why it’s so hard. Hopefully the church can come up with a way to hel, but it’s just so expensive it’s really hard. 

  But anyway!! there was some good things that happened this week ahah. one, I got on a good workout schedule and am getting in good shape. two, I’m staying here in Lubango for one more transfer, so that made me really happy. I love it here and wanted to stay. I’ll get to know Luanda eventually ahha I am literally the only missionary in the whole mission who has never served or spent significant time in Luanda, Even for zone conferences other knew guys have been there, so literally President Thompson told me I am the most isolated missionary in all of Angola ahahah so hey that’s kind a cool I can tell my kids that I was a ghost missionary for half my mission! haha but ya I’m staying in Lubango. so that cool. Hyde, Borden, and Sande are all staying too, so it will be a fun transfer.

My language has been getting even better lately. I taught gospel principles, a very common thing, but I gave the whole lesson without messing up hardly anything and it was about exaltation and patriarchal blessings and allllll that in Portuguese haha I felt pretty accomplished after.

 but ya. Good week. tough but good. I loved all your emails. Thank you so much! I take pictures of all the pictures you all send so I can have them too. I love them all. Don’t stop.

SHOUT OUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT TO ALL MY HOMIES BACK IN G TOWN AND M TOWN THAT ARE GETTING THEIR MISSION CALLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOUR ALL MY BROTHERS AND IM SO PROUD OF EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU! STAY SICK EVERYONE AND DONT FORGET TO EMAIL WHEN YALLL GO INTO THE MTC! colin.montgomery@myldsmail.net THATS ME. MAKE SURE YALL HIT A HOMIE UP! COM MUITO AMOR! ELDER MONTGOMERY

 Sorry fam I just had to add that because all my bros are leavin and getting their calls makes me really proud to see them all doing the same thing and changing their lives, because that’s really what a mission does! changes lives!!

anyways, I’m gonna go to a different cyber now to send pictures, so I’ll be right back with tons of pictures!! love you allllll!!!!!!!! Have a good week everyone. I love you all! stay sweet, sick ,and know that I love every one of you!

ate proximo, com muito amor

Elder Colin Jay Montgomery

ps sending a letter and some pics home today in the postal! let me know when they get there!

beixinhos!!!!!

265 Days on My Mission

#22 weeks in Lubango    265 days on Mission                                  Jan.7, 2012

OLA MINHA FAMILIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

first off, I just wanna have a big I LOVE YOU ALLLLLLLLLLLL!!!! ok, now that that’s off my chest, this week was sick! first off, new years!  Elder Hyde and I stayed up and put chairs on the tin roof of the chapel and stayed up till 12:45 watching a fireworks show they had at Cristo Rei, the big statue above Lubango, then Wednesday through Saturday was normal, and President Thompson came down from Luanda since he couldn't before Christmas. They had interviews, which were awesome, and then went on visits with us Sunday, and today we've been sight seeing, I’ll send some pictures next week haha my camera battery acabo. (ran out) but ya, I love President and Sister Thompson. They’re so amazing and loving. I have loved being able to meet with them and receive their counsel. President helped me a lot. My packages still haven’t come, but I’m  praying and having faith that they will, and I’m sure they’ll get here eventually. Maybe I’ll just bring them on the plane home with me next year haha

   So I haven’t hit my nine month ark yet, I will here in a week or two, BUT! today marks day 265 on the mission, so only 100 days till I hit a year!!!!!!!!!1 can any of you believe that? Because I can’t haah its super cool though. I’ve felt like this last month FLEW by. it’s so weird but true exactly what Greg said, days are like months , but months are like days. it has and I’m sure will continue to fly by. Especially since this is "the year" of my mission, meaning this is the only calendar year I will spend completely in my mission. So cool. To answer your question mom, yes, I made a ton of goals and write them in my journal to remember and check off. One of them is reading the entire book of Mormon in Portuguese. I started this week, and it’s going good! I finished it one more time in English this last week, which marks my fifth time having read it cover to cover. I also want to read D&C and the New Testament both in English this year. I already started the New Testament and am in the end of mark already, it’s so amazing and helps my teaching so much when I can look up and show proof and scriptures in the bible helps a TON! Especially with teaching young evangelical kids who know the bible like the back of their hand.

Me and elder Borden have a baptism scheduled for this week on the 12. His name is Lino, he’s a 33 year old single man who we met his brother and started teaching. We gave Lino a book of Mormon two weeks ago. He finished it yesterday!!! and is already reading it again! So nuts!!!!!! he’s going to be baptized this Saturday and I’m super excited to stay and work with him here in Lubango,  he will be the very first person I’ve found, taught, and baptized all while I the same area. I’m super excited. He will definitely be a leader of the church someday here. His brother Isaac should be baptized here in the next month, so it will be cool because Lino will probably be able to baptize his brother. Super excited for them!

...

 ... Anyways, I love you all and I'll wrap this up. I am so grateful for all of your love prayers and thoughts. I really do feel them an am lifted by them! Thank you all for the emails and letters. I can’t wait to hear from ya’ll and tell you about Linos baptism. Until next week! I love you all! I’m doing really good, and am very happy with the fact that I’m here serving the Lord in Angola. LOVE YA ALL!!!!!!!

Your’s truly,

Elder Montgomery

ps. tell alllllll my bros who are getting their calls and have gotten them congrats!!!! love you all bros!