Farewell President and Sister Thompson we sure Love you!!!!

41 Weeks

May 20,2013

ola minha familia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
first off as always, I love you all so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This week was a crazy stressful and busy one, but full of so many blessings. wow. seriously an amazing week.

First off, starting with the coolest stuff, Antonio got baptized on Saturday and confirmed on Sunday. He’s a champ  and super strong. He’s already converting his neighbors!!!

Then Seretsy Grandy, one of our recent converts, got the Aaronic priesthood this week. super cool to see a life that truly turned around. the first time we met him he was hung over from an all night party and still in bed when we woke him up at 4 in the afternoon, and now he’s blessing the sacrament next week and bringing his brother into the church.
The other cool thing that happened this week is that an area 70 from south Africa, Elder Bricknell, came to visit our branch to see off Pres. and Sister Thompson. They leave on Wednesday. 

He gave the coolest testimony and told the Thompson’s crying and very bold. "The Lord has accepted your service here and is grateful and will bless you for it (then turning to the Thompson’s ) and don’t you ever forget it!" super strong testimony. He also read Bruce R McConkie’s last testimony..., of the Savior, and then Elder Bricknell said " I BEAR THE SAME TESTIMONY" Holy cow. You’ve never felt the spirit so strong. I was like whaTTTT!!!?? ... I don’t know but it got me thinking about what a special witness truly is. haha nuts. ya. Then he bore a testimony of the Savior too. He taught. Why do we take upon us the saviors name, why is that so important. Then with tears in his eyes he explained "because two thousand years ago, in that garden, in those agonizing hours of the infinite atonement, the Savior our Lord took upon himself our names, our sins ,our sadness, illnesses and everything bad we’ve ever passed through. He took that all upon him in our names, and for that, we take his name upon us. " I truly was so filled with the spirit. An amazing testimony and it’s so true.  I know that is it true, the Lord took upon him the entire world, and all he asks is that we take his name and honor it. I love the

Lord for that and am grateful for his sacrifice. That is why I’m here!!!! In Africa, to help others take the name of Christ, take up their crosses and follow him. How great is this mission! I love being a missionary! and I’m so grateful for all of you and your prayers. I love you all! Have good weeks and know that I love you! and am always praying for each and every one of you.
com muito muito amor,

Elder Montogmery

ps sorry so short! hope you all like the pictures

Saying Farewell to the Thompson's May 2013

President and Sister Thompson, Elder Montgomery May 2013 

Thompson's leaving served from Aug 2012/May 2013 

Singing farewell to the Thompson's May 2013 

Post Mother Day Skyping :

Skyping for Mothers Day so great !!!

it looks clear coming out of the faucet, very deceiving 

Elder Dunkley's night time friend

40 weeks in Angola

ola minha familia!!!!!                                                                                      May 13, 2013

I love you all! Hope your weeks were as good as mine. This week flew by so fast especially with skype on Sunday and everything but it was all I could a hoped for. Such a good night. Thanks for being there everyone. I loved seeing you all. It truly was the best. Graham is huge and so are Claire and beau. I barely even recognized them!!! It was soo good to see them though. and to see all of you. I loved it!!!! 

Well this week was good, we had a slow week work wise but got everything we needed done! 

Today we got transfers. Elder Wilhelm is assistant with Elder Mariquele. Elder Clifford is going to Vienna, Elder Dredge is going to Huambo and their area is getting dissolved, and then me and Elder Dunkley stay the same. We will be living in our house all alone haha it will be interesting living alone can be scary at times talking cabin fever but I think we’ll be fine. 

Elder Dunkley is doing amazing. Still got so much desire and drive he’s a stud. We worked out all our problems and now it’s going awesome. We’re just gonna do work like none other this next transfer. Super stoked. 

Well I can’t really think of anything more. It was so good to see everyone on skype though. I love you al so much!!! have good weeks. Sorry this was super short ahah but till next week!

com muito amor

elder montogmery
ps dad  ran out of money and had to take 60 personal out just so you know where it went.

pss Aunt Kathy thanks s much for the message! loved it. Give all the Sisk’s and Utah fam loves for me! miss you all! Can’t wait to come live in Utah with you all after the mission! Have good weeks!! 

psss #1 picture of the water is literally for a few days that’s how dirty the water coming out of our sink was!!! mmm good!

Picture #2 then the mouse we found and..... sent to the spiritual world. he was in Elder Dunkley’s bed, I mean he deserved to pass on to the other side.

the show goes on week # 2

L-R Elder Stewart, Eckamn, Brown, Tingey, goof ball Montgomery, Dunkley, Perry, Clifford, Money, ? Cafferty (from Elder Money's photo's)

not quite sure what he is mixing, or pounding. I don't think its homemade ice cream though.

39 weeks in angola                                                                                          May 6, 2013

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

wow the weeks are going so fast I didn't even have time to think of a cool subject line for the message... but I have had time to become really funny so its ok! 

so this week flewwwwww for sure. I don't even remember the things that happened but I wrote a few down so that you all could share the experience. sorry if I'm not making sense at all, this week really blew my mind on the stress and busyness. but it was super good. So first of all some big news, we got to watch 15 BAPTISMS this week, the coolest thing ever. They were from all the different branches, and all the different missionaries. so cool to see them all. So many people in white making pure covenants with their Heavenly Father. super cool. and one of our investigators came to the baptism. She said she could feel the spirit so strong during the whole thing, but then when like a twelve year old kid went to get baptized satan told her "he’s too young" and she started doubting, how could this child make a promise with God and a bunch of stuff like that, but then she noticed that the kid had a glow and a huge smile on his face, and then after he was baptized as he was leaving the font he had even a bigger glow and a bigger smile. Our investigator, Isabel, was like " he knew what he was doing.. he wasn't too young, and he new he was making a covenant with Heavenly Father  then she said that she knew without a doubt that this church is true and that she wants to make that exact same covenant and make the exact same promises, and feel the exact same thing that the twelve year old boy felt. 

It was soo cool. she said " I wanna change my will and start doing Gods will. " then we read in the missionary pamphlet, where it pretty much gives that exact example for repentance  she started crying and said she was so happy that she could feel those things and that us as missionaries with the spirit had been able to teach those things. truly a cool experience. 

Then the other investigator of ours came to us during church and wanted to talk. We knelt n prayer, and then he related to us ,,stuff we already knew, but said it again, about how hard his life is. 25 years old. out of work. never finished school, both parents already past away, and he hadn't eaten for a few days because he has no money, and he doesn't know what to do because the only time he feels the love of God is with the missionaries and at church, which is only a few times at week. so he the said, "I know to feel Gods love I need to be closer to him,. I know that baptism is how I can become closer to him, so I"m going to be baptized the 29th of June. I was in shock after the week before when he hadn't wanted to set a certain date, and I knew that the Lord had been working in him and through his hardships in life to teach him, and through those things he's going to become a great teacher and man and future husband and dad because he knows how to be humble!!!

so those were come cool things about the week. aside from those, it was a very stressful week. we've been preparing three people for baptism on the 18th of May,and its stressing my brains out, 

BUT it’s all good because the Lord is in this work and is strengthening me......

.....

So besides all that, we had an awesome week. Some news we received is that President and Sister Thompson are going home like a month and a half early. They leave Angola on May 22. President Kretly will come and stay till the 5th of June  then well be alone till the 29th of June when the Merrill's will be here if all goes well and they get their visas on time.  so that's crazy that Pres and Sis Thompson are leaving so soon. super sad. I love them.

ok so just to answer to questions,,, FOR MOTHERS DAY

 so at  Angola time Sunday night I will skype home. at 6 or 7 at night. so i need you to be ready on the other end at  or 10 11 in the morn. Arizona time....

.....

anyways I gotta wrap up! I love you all I cannot wait to see your beautiful smiling faces this week!!!!!!!!!!!!! six days! I'm so excited to see you all. I love you all! I only have one small request for the next email or letter, dad, I don't have my line of authority, I haven't ever had one on my mission but I would love to have it. I can print it out and laminate it here.

ok I think that's all! I love you all so much! Have good weeks!!! until Sunday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

com amor

Elder Colin Jay Montgomery