NEWS from Angola- New Mission, New transfer, New companion

29 in Lubango

Ola Minha Familia!!!!!!!                                                                      Feb.25,2013

 to start off the news that most of you already know, I think the whole church does, because it was a huge announcement, but IN JULY THE ANGOLA LUANDA MISSION IS BEING CREATED AND BECOMING ITS OWN MISSION ASIDE FROM MOCAMBIQUE!!!!!!!!WOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! OUR mission president is Danny L. Merrill, and that’s all I know about him. The missionaries are all super excited, but the members it really changes nothing, especially in Lubango haha so they don’t really know the difference I think.  but ya, super super pumped!!! and then the next news!!!! I’m getting TRANSFERED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I will be going to an area called Cassaquel up in Luanda and will be companions with ELDER KYLE CLIFFORD!! He’s from mesa! dad, you’ll be proud to know that he is a mesa jackrabbitt!!!!! haha we’ve met and hung out a few times and he’s a super cool kid. I’m pumped to go to the area up in Luanda and work with him. 

 ...Elder Borden ... goes home the first week of April, so count six week intervals from April fourth to see when I’ll be home in 014 ahah,  his new comp is Elder Hansen he will be great to work with. 

  Anyways I am sorry for being boring, I don’t really have much to say. We’ve had to drop some of families this week because they all aren’t progressing or working towards marriage. it’s really sad, but at the same time the lord has blessed us with some new families and Broden and Hansen will have them to work with.

  Where I’m going Cassaquel is the biggest branch I think in Luanda, and it has the strongest member base, which will be 10000 percent different from Lubango, so that will be a new experience. Im So excited to be working with Elder Clifford,  I’m only 6 weeks older than him on the mission so well keep progressing together. I’m stoked for that not being the "baby companion" haaha

  Anyways, mom  to kind of answer your question, I actually am planning on going back to the Y. change of heart. I don’t know why,, but  bom bom bom suprise....

ugh I don’t know what else to say! I’m sorry fam. not writing anything more ! Know that I love you all to the end of the earth. I’m hoping with all these changes I will have cool stuff to write next week!| I pray that all the changes go good! I fly to Luanda Wednesday afternoon and night taking a stop in ONJIVA. first one to find that on a map winns. haah

anyways, I love you all! Pray for me and I’ll always pray back! Hope you like the pictures of soccer and the bugs in our house! and the twin bananas the Violin’s had.so weird ahaahah anyway, love you all! Have sick weeks! Give my love to the babies. Love you!!!!!!!!!! 

Son, friend, bro, and all that,

Elder Montgomery

this little rascle was in their Apartment , 

I'm guessing a praying mantice. 

a storm a brewing look at the side walk in a rural area ?? go figure

Yes we have no banana's~  we have twins, reaaa

Soccer, Soccer, and more Soccer

I love P-day soccer  

Tres Amigos

Montgomery, Clifford, and Hyde at Mission conference,

 Elder Clifford will be Colin's new comp

LDS NEWS : Announced 58 new Missions Created

58 New Missions Created and 

ANGOLA, LUANDA

 is at the top of the List

the work is rolling forward, and our "Elders are laying the ground work 

for hundreds of thousands" by Elder Carl B. Cook 

Angola Area Conference Feb.8,2013

Presiding Elder Carl B. Cook

Back Row L-R Walker,2,Hannay,Tingey, Davis, Tolman, Hansen, Chatwin, Harper, Brown, Clifford, Montgomery, Stewart, Wilhelm, Ferguson, Borden, Hobbs, Craig, Cafferty, Wilson, Perry

Middle- Rainbolt,Tilley,Whittaker,Castleton,Pimentel,Hyde,Arrington,Richter, Eckman, Kelsey, Banta, Chandler, McCune, McAllister, Dredge, Kearney, Sande,

Front- Sister Lopes, Sister Thompson, President Thompson, Elder Carl B. Cook, Sister Cook, Sister Kretly, President Kretly, Sister Violin, Elder Violin, Ndala 

True Lubango experiences...

The Caterpillar taste test

uuummmmm

Elder B.Crossing a swollen stream/sewer, how'd he do that ?

Soccer Field , beautiful.

Elder Violin Birthday "61" with his new Soccer Jersey

from the Elders. 

The Lululaluka Resort 

Sweetest Couple Violin's 

(like mama & papa to the Elders ) 

OLA MINHA FAMILIA!!!!!!!!!!!!   Feb 18,2013

I love you all so much! hope everyone had a sick week! I’m still here in Lubango for at least two more weeks. turns out its next transfer that is 5 weeks. So I’m still here. But I could leave. I have no idea!!!

First before I forget to answer questions,,, yes I saw and met Elder Tingey, he’s a super cool kid! Sorry I didn’t get a picture totally forgot about that.

The hamburgers cost about 5 bucks, but are huge and disgusting and amazing. love them come with eggs,  ham, corn, cheese, everything,. Their super good.

The resort place we went to is just outside of Lubango it’s called lululaluka ya try pronouncing that one ahha its super cool though they have huts you can rent like a hotel that have legit handmade thatched roofs, but state of the art insides. Super expensive but really beautiful.-

So anyway this week was good!! I’m sorry I don’t really have any sweet spiritual experiences to share, but it was a good week. ill share some of the funny or weird or crazy stuff that happened.

Andre- 70 year old toothless guy in Lubango lives in the middle of the barrio, super poor and all that, and WORKS FOR A COMPANY FROM ARIZONA!!! hahah he sells natural medicine for this company called Forever living products. (* ok a small world thing here Colin’s cousin Kevin works for Forever Living products in Scottsdale AZ) They do like aloe vera medicine and stuff like that. and he sells their stuff to a certain hospital and teaches classes how to use it ahahahhaha so so funny. The company owner is named rick or Rex Maughan or something like that. I thought at first it was the isagenix company or something but it’s different . Anyways, super super funny and random! haha

~second cool or funny thing, its caterpillar season, so they sell them fried and roasted allllll over the street here in like a onion sauce,, and I couldn’t resist any more, I HAD to try one. I bartered with the lady to give me a free try ad if I liked it I would buy more, everyone kept saying it tastes like meat it tastes like meat, and I was like alright it can’t be too bad. I was expecting a crunch when I bit down and instead I got a squirt of nasty guts in my mouth that tasted like what I used to clean out of toilets when I worked for rainforest. it was soooo gross ahahahahahaa lets just say I almost ralphed on the side of the road. but to give you alll the full experience, I had elder B. take a video, so enjoy!

The other cool thing was that ONE just ONE of my packages got to Luanda! I don’t know who’s it is if it’s your’s mom, meg’s, or tori’s, but I don’t care as long as I get it, so don’t give up I have faith the there two will get here too now! That brightened up a very busy work week for me:)

The rest of the week was like I said really busy. we got some records in our numbers so that was really good, and we found tons of new people because we dropped a ton last week who just weren’t allowing themselves or wanting to progress, but my spirits are high, I think I’ll have at least one more transfer here, then it will be just one more year and I don’t care where I go haahh

10 months today!! crazy how fast it’s going. I can’t believe that next transfer will end right about close to my hump day! nuts!!!!

Anyway that’s all for this week! I’m sorry no cool missionary stuff, but I hope the story and pictures will give you all good laughs. I love you all a ton! keep on keeping on and know I’m praying for each and every one of you! loves from Africa!!!!

Elder Colin Montgomery

luandaaaaa cuiou bueeeeeee - Trip to Luanda for Area Conf. with Elder Carl. B. Cook

Trip to Luanda for Area Conference 2-2013

Sister and Elder Cook with Elder M.

"the AZ BOYS,  Montgomery, Tilley, Wilhelm, Chatwin

where is Elder Clifford?

Oh here he is.. Elder M, Clifford AZ, Hyde Utah

don't they look like they are starving, Luanda Burger Shack

who knew they had a burger shack :) 

Elder M, and Davis

packed and ready to go to Luanda Montgomery, Hyde, 

Sande, and Borden

Taxi to the Airport

Modern Airport, 

Elder Hyde and Montgomery

Elder M,  shoes:) gonna impress the Pres. 

27 luandaaaaa cuiou bueeeeeee      

Trip To Luanda for Area Conf. with Elder Carl B. Cook                                          Feb.11, 2013

Ola Minha Familia!!!!!!

I hope you all had an awesome week last week. mine was one to remember for sure. Started out just the normal work week, but obviously we were trying to do everything we could because Thursday we left for Luanda about lunch time. It was pretty fun to have a little break in the work and to be able to feel like we were going on a vacation haha but ya it was sweet. The flight went off without a hitch. it’s like flying to Utah only an hour up to Luanda.

We got there and went straight to the be fica house where we were staying. The elders who live there have it nice its a palace compared to Lubango hah its Elders Davis, Hannay, ndala, Perry and Harper. They are all pretty cool guys. We got there that night and then went and got dinner because we were starving. Played some board games and then went to bed. Nothing special. The next day we all got up and went to the new biggest chapel in Luanda (it’s really just a mansion the church rents because we don’t have any constructed chapels.) for the zone slash mission conference. Holy cow it was so crazy to meet all the other missionaries and to see that there actually exists others than us down in Lubango haha but ya. The zone conference was SO cool. Elder Carl B. Cook of the 70 was there and gave us a ton of training on true conversion and how we can truly build the church here in Angola because that’s truly what we are doing is constructing the foundation of a nation that will one day have hundreds of thousands of members. Really cool to think about. He gave some good counsel on how to truly convert ourselves so that we can teach through the spirit and be extraordinary missionaries who teach with the spirit and help our investigators become truly converted members. It was a really cool day and really cool to receive training from a general authority. That was pretty much all day Friday, then we just went back to the house and chilled. Saturday woke up and flew home. Then the rest of the weekend went off normally. church and then working. Today the violins were still in Luanda so we didn’t play soccer, which was a nice break for sure. Then we ate lunch bought groceries and are here doing internet. So that’s how my week went. I truly enjoyed going to Luanda and coming from Arizona, it’s really not as hot as everyone thinks ahhah whiimps!!!!!! Just kidding,  but ya I think I’m gonna stay in Lubango one or two more transfers then the Lord will take me where he wants me. good week though.

 now without further ado, shout out time!!!!!!!!!

    MOM AND DAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HAPPY Anniversary on the 13th!! 31 years is an amazingly long time and I am so grateful that you both love each other so much! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! I love you both to the moon and back!

 GRANDMA CLUFF!!!! Happy Birthday! I love you and am so grateful for the amazing woman that you are and 91 is such a milestone. I love you grandma! Have an amazing birthday!

  Happy valentines day everyone!!!!!! I have officially decided that Claire and Tori are my valentines! No one else can have them!! HA

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!

   Anyways I hope this was a good email for yall, I love reading your emails every week.  love you all so much and a so grateful to have friends and family that are amazing as all of you.  love you all so much and cannot wait to hear from ya’ll next week! Enjoy the pictures!!!

Loves to all, all the way from Africa,,~

Your son, brother, cousin, uncle, and friend,

your elder

Colin Jay Montgomery!

ps dad, I laughed out loud about the quote from the “me and earl about the pearly gates and stick and the spoon”. Thanks for the laugh! loves to all!!!!!

"Be an Instrument in the Lords hand"

Week #26 in Lubango, Angola

Taking cover with the goats and cows cause its raining cats and dogs. :) 

do it

#26 Weeks in Lubango, Angola"be an instrument in the lords hands"

Ola Minha Familia!!!!!

hope this letter finds you all doing good. I had an awesome week for sure and am excited to have some cool stuff to wrote home about,,,,, 

One of the mornings this week I was doing studies and praying very hard d for help to have a good week, and to know what Heavenly Father wanted me to do and say to our investigators this week so that they could all progress. The spirit very clearly told me, to just work hard, and "be an instrument in the lords hands" I immediately put myself to study and went through and found all the scriptures in the BOM that talk about being an instrument in the lords’ hands, there’s a ton! Most of them are in Alma and talking about Alma and the sons of Helaman. It was a very cool experience and I changed it to my motto for the next little while, and put it on the back of my nametag, you should all have gotten my picture. 

Next cool things was another spiritual experience in my studies, I’m reading the book of mormon in Portuguese cover to cover and the new testament in English. I came a across a really cool scripture in John 5:6. it talks about Jesus at the pools off Bethesda and talking to the cripple man who could never get to the pool in time. Jesus simply says to him "Wilt thou be made whole?" I was immediately over come with the spirit and could not stop thinking about how our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ is ALWAYS there right there in front of us. We sin, we do stupid stuff, we need to be cleansed, healed and forgiven,,,, and ALL we have to do is open our hearts, take away our pride, and answer to the lord Yes I will be healed. because he is always, always, always right there in front of us waiting for us to turn to him in repentance asking us "wilt thou be healed?" amazing experience and I hope my scatterbrained testimony made sense. just extremely grateful for the Lord and everything he did and does constantly for us. I truly love my Savior and am grateful for his sacrifice for me. 

N's baptism 1-2013

Next cool experience, I did da da da dum, my very first ever ordinance on the mission, I was chosen by N., the 8 year old son of a member to be the one who confirmed him in church this Sunday. Super amazing experience. ya not a convert baptism, but still an amazing spiritual saving ordinance experience. My legs were shaking like CRAZY and wouldn’t stop till sacrament meeting was over haaahaah sure funny., but ya he’s such a stud, gonna be an

awesome kid here. I sent  the pictures already...

   Those were my cool experiences this week. short week this week and then Thursday were off to Luanda!!! woohoo. I’m pumped to meet everyone and Elder Cook too. Ill make sure and send pictures. 

   To answer questions,,, yes, they got about 28 more generators for the city up and working, so we have power much much more now. it’s awesome. yes that is how bad the infrastructure of Angola is.......... the city of over a million people Lubango, uses all of its energy from gasoline\diesel powered generators about the size of our house. 

   haah anyways, but ya power and water are both better. I’ll send pictures of our apartment this week. We have a shower that has a handheld shower head, but it only pumps cold water, so that’s why we take bucket showers because then it’s hot, ahah 

   Anyways I’ll wrap this up... I love you all so much! I’m so grateful for all your love and prayers, and I  promise I don’t and won’t ever forget you all in my prayers!!! Love you all!!!!!!!

Your Lubangan elder

Colin jay Montgomery