Tender Mercies

Recent Convert and her darling girls, 

Elder Montgomery and Elder Clifford taught in Cassequel

this is at the Mission conference held 2-16-2014

Elder Garcia and Montgomery p-day at the boardwalk

 in Luanda area Mutamba the city center. 2-17-2014

79 weeks in Angola                Feb 17, 2014 

OLA MINHA FAMILIA!

I love you all and hope your weeks were marvelous! COURTNEY!!!!!!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ON THE 21ST!!! love you sis!

This week was a stressful one for sure! Elder Garcia and I are struggling to keep our investigators progressing, but at the same time we have seen some very tender mercies form the lord. I think the highlight form my week was Saturday. We had come from Wednesday through Friday with only one lesson each day, and stress levels were hitting through the roof. Saturday morning studies consisted of a lot more prayer than study, and I really was looking for the lord’s hand to help us out of the slump. All of our baptismal dates had disappeared and left us hangin all week, so things were looking pretty dim. i was brought to some self reflecting about my personal worthiness, what have I don’t this months and week and lately to make it so the lord could influence my investigators. I read a talk by elder Bednar about what it truly is to be a preach my gospel missionary, and he said one way we know we are worthy is when we can feel the spirit working in and through us. I thought it had probly been a while, so I did some hard praying and pleading the lord could show me where I stood with him. 

During our lesson Saturday afternoon with a 16 year old guy named Josemar, who previously had been off the map for two weeks, I think I got my answer. We asked him how his book of mormon reading had been, and he said he had read a lot. We asked him how he felt about it and to my surprise he said  " as strange as it is, I think it’s true. The spirit hit me super strong, probably the strongest I’ve ever felt in a lesson in my whole mission, and told me to read with him Mosiah 18: 8 through 109 when Alma asks the people to be baptized. He understood the scripture perfectly and got it that if he had his answer,  he needed to act, so the holy ghost could help him in his life. It was the strongest feeling I’ve felt of the spirit in a long time, and we set a baptismal date with him for April. I knew in that moment that I was truly a servant of the lord, doing his work, and that for at least that small moment, he was pleased with me. I love the Savior with all my heart, and know that is his work, and that only through the spirit can we accomplish his missions for us. I love this work! and I love being a missionary. 

Sorry this email is short, just know me an elder Garcia are workin our tails off, and are having a blast. He is an awesome elder. I’m loving our time together. 

I’m super excited for the Gilbert temple and hope it’s as beautiful as you all have told me. I can’t wait till there’s a temple in Angola. I’ll be coming back for that. 

Have awesome weeks, hope the lord blesses you as he has me. 

com amor,

Elder Montgomery