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

#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!