"Mine eyes water my pillow by night"

Hi Everyone!

How is everything on the homefront?!

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OK I'm not gonna try to beat around the bush - Can you believe Im coming home in 3 weeks!!!!!! I know I've told you many times already, but its so crazy!

Such extreme opposite feelings pulling at me that I just have to go forward like I always have with my faith in the Lord that He is leading me where I need to go.

Last night was a crazy night in which we had a nice long talk/lesson with our 14 year old investigator Fernando who is teetering on the fence of leaving behind this gang. I think I might of mentioned this before, but last night I felt a more strong desire to be here helping this people than I have ever felt before. I think the Lord has blessed me with a real love for this people that I didn't even know I had until now that the thought of leaving them is becoming so real!

My heart breaks for all of these thousands of kids that are brought up thinking that gangs and everything are the way to happiness and everything and they make such tightnit groups that once someone is in its so hard to get out. Like I said I just want to give everything to help all of these kids come to a realization of what is real and what will bring them true peace and happiness.

I was lying in bed last night and I felt the same feelings that I think Nephi felt in 2 Nephi 33:3-4,

3 ... For I pray continually for them by day, and mine eyes water my pillow by night, because of them; and I cry unto my God in faith, and I know that he will hear my cry.

4 And I know that the Lord God will consecrate my prayers for the gain of my people. And the words which I have written in weakness will be made strong unto them; for it persuadeth them to do good; it maketh known unto them of their fathers; and it speaketh of Jesus, and persuadeth them to believe in him, and to endure to the end, which is life eternal.

With all that said like I said in last weeks letter things have slowed down since the baptisms a few weeks ago but were looking at some great potentials and the area is still growing amazingly! Veronica this eternal investigator finally decided to get baptized this week which is SOOOOO Exciting because weve been working with her for quite a while.

Well my family I gotta roll but remember that I love you so much and cant wait to see you!

Con mucho Amor

Elder Montgomery!

It's a Boy!

Hey everyone!!

How has everyone's week been?! Its been cccccrazy here!!! We're full of sweet things happening!

Probably the biggest change this week was that on Tuesday, like I told y'all, Elder Lopez got transferred and I got a brand new missionary!!! His name is Elder Lewis and he is a stud! I'm super excited to have him as he is a hard worker, has a powerful testimony, and as a bonus already knows a lot of spanish! AND...he is from none other than Orem, Utah!! haha, he is such a champ-we're having fun together.

I forgot how much fun it is to train new missionaries!

Its so crazy how much different I feel towards it with Elder Lewis than how I felt with Elder Green and Elder Lawrence...haha, speaking of which guess who is training also this transfer...Elder Green!! haha, which in mission terms means that I have a Grandson!

And Ironically enough he is the MTC companion of my son Elder Lewis! lol...kinda reminds of that one movie with Steve Martin where the mom has the baby at the same time as her daughter...random I know but it just came to me.

Anyway work here with Elder Lewis has been nothing short of amazing!

Like I told you on the phone last weekend we had the baptism of Leobardo Hernandez who this past week told us he wants to start preparing to go on a mission! and also Julie Garcia who is sweet as ever.

Then this past weekend we had the baptism of Liz and Cristal Morales...which is crazyyy! Considering they are 2 "cool" teenage girls who are in the middle of teenage-dom, but with the help of their great parents, the spirit, and the plain truthfullness and amazingness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ we were able to help them to get baptized! The crazy part is when I got here they wouldnt even talk to us and so ive just tried to say little things to help them to open up and finally then after their brother's baptism two weeks ago they decided that it was something they wanted to do. sigh/lol...the funny thing about it was that they still are trying to "leave the world behind" and yesterday in the baptism they were both super selfconcious with how they looked in the baptismal clothes so they just wanted to get the baptism overwith so they could change clothes...haha/sigh...it was a funnily interetingly experience.

On other news, man the Lord is blessing us so much!!! Moises- Liz and Cristal's dad, is probably the best member missionary I've had on my mission...well between him and Dennis in Fontana...anyway he is such a stud!! This past Thursday for exchanges he took us to 2 of his workmates houses for us to teach them and their families, the which we did and then he gave amazing testimony based on them knowing him and how he is for the last 15 years and how much he has changed and how much bettter he is and has been in the past months and man it was soooo powerful!!!

It was the coolest thing ever to teach these people and have him give that amazing testimony!! We are having our big family home evening at the houses of one of the families tonight! Man member missionary work is the way to go! Just ask Jayson! I bet that man knows how to work it! haha...anyway we've really been seeing so many miracles on so many different fronts for the which Im so grateful! We have another investigator that we've been teaching who we taught the plan of salvation to last night (during the which the earthquake happened) and committed to baptism! WE're being blessed so much! Im so excited!!!

Well my dear beautiful family, I love you all so much and think about you often! You are the best! Have a great week!

Elder Montgomery

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www.nate-montgomery.blogspot.com

And the windows of heaven shall be opened!

Hi Everyone,

Ill be honest with you that I am going to make this a quick one and sorry for not writing you to tell you that Im online but we are going golfing in 15 minutes and I figure I am going to talk to you on Sunday so just a quicky today wont hurt!

AND oh yea!...Starting this monday p-day is officially changing to Monday! Isn't that crazy!?! It will definitely be different but I think it will be a good change for the mission! So I will be talking to you on Sunday and then I will be emailing on Monday! haha:)

Anyways, I cannot express in words the great abundance of blessings and miracles that we are seeing at the Hand of the Lord!

Since last week we have set 3 more baptismal dates, are planning a marriage, and will be seeing at least another baptism at the end of this month!! Its amazing!!!! ITS SOO CRAZY!!! This past Saturday we had Alex's baptism then this coming Saturday we have Leobardo and Julie's baptism and then the next week we are going to have Our boy Fernando as well as Moises' two teenage daughters Liz and Cristal's baptism! Man its so crazy!

We are seeing all these miracles through so many different people but all funneling from heaven! It's so amazing to teach the Gospel and see it change lives! Like I can't even express the great gratitude and excitement I have to be here at this time seeing these great miracles being brought to pass! It was so sweet with Liz and Cristal and at that rate Fernando too because they were all at the baptism of Alex (which went great!) and afterward Fernando confirmed it with us that he was ready for the 16th! This the very same kid that struggled so much with being alive and drugs only even 3 months ago! The kd is a stud! Then also Hno. Moises called us and told us after the baptism that Liz and Cristal wanted to be baptized tooo!!!

Man its so sweet!

We are going to get the whole family active in the church! That has been one of the goals of my mission and now it is being fulfilled! On top of all that the last son who is the oldest and who is living with his girlfriend or rather whos girlfriend is living with them at their house want to get baptized too and asked us after a SWEET family home evening on Monday night what they needed to do to get married so we're hookin them up with Bishop on SUNDAY!!

WAHHOOO!!! Man Im so pumped!!! We're going to have this whole family active members of the church by mid-june!

Anyways I gotta roll but I love you so much! Thank you for the amazing email and I CANT WAIT TO TALK TO YOU ON SUNDAY!!!!!!

Love you!!!

Elder Montgomery

Whew Baby! Miracles!

Hi Everyone!

Wow...Isnt life amazing!! Man everything here is going AMAZING!!! The Lord is blessing Elder Lopez and me so much! I can't even express how grateful I am for the blessings and the miracles that we are seeing on a daily basis! I love being a missionary!!!

Haha, with that said that is good to hear that everything at home is on track. Sad to hear about Thomas injury, but you know thats how it rolls dome times.

To answer some of your questions, my new companion is sweet! Though I wouldnt classify as him as the golden companion but he is definitely a champ and we are working great together! The work here is flourishing and its due directly to the commitment we made the very day that I got here to complete and perfect obedience and let me tell you that any other way is MADNESS! We've been seeing miracles ever since! You can tell that its a little bit different for Elder Lopez and its taking some getting used to for him but he his a champI just hope he sees the great miracles that are coming directly from it and applies it into the rest of his mission.

As far as my ward goes it is struggling in some ways and amazing in others! First, I should probably clarify that it is a new ward but it is just the same building because we meet in the same building that my first ward- Mountain View Ward- met in and its crazy but so cool to see members from a year and a half ago!

As far as my ward- Paradise ward or Barrio Paraiso like I said it has both ends of the spectrum.

The GREAT part is that we have this member who has been baptized for like 9 months now and he is a FIREBALL!!!! They had two baptisms like the week before I got here because of him (his brother and Sister-in-law) then we have one on Saturday because of him (the son of his brother and sister-in-law) and then we are teaching the two daughters of this couple who despite being the to cool for everything types we committed to baptism this week and will be setting a date with them this next week. Then one of their good friends who was taught in this amazing Family Home Evening we hold every Monday night with these two families, but who hadnt been taught in a couple of weeks came up to us after randomly going to church on Sunday and asked us:

"Hey Elders, I was wondering- when can I get baptized?!"

Lets just say we took care of it and this brother named Leobardo will be getting baptized in a week and a half at the same baptism as this other girl we are teaching named Julie! WE ARE SO PUMPED!!! So I mentioned this Family Home Evening we have and let me tell you that it was SWWWEEETTT!!! We did it at Moises Moraless house (he is the one that was baptized a week before I got here), a house that we have been seeing a lot of as we are teaching practically the rest of his family (6 more potential baptisms living there-2 of which we have baptismal dates with). At this family Home Evening, Uriel Morales (The one that got baptized like 9 months ago) brings like his whole workat least the ones he takes his breaks with because on his breaks at work he like reads and preaches to everyone about the restored Gospel! Man its amazing!!! So we had this Family Home Evening with more than half being investigators (about 9) and woohoo!!! We watched Special Witnesses of Christ then basically had a testimony meeting of sorts where everyone just shared testimonygot three new investigators and well.WAHHOOO!!!

Man I love being a missionary! So that is how the ward is doing.

So that is one part of our teaching pool. Other than that we have a champ of a 14 year old kid who is friends with the bishops daughter and was in to drugs up until a couple of months ago and is totally eating up the gospel! He told us he wants to be a missionary soon and even prayed that he could be one! His name is Fernando and he should be getting in the water soon enugh! Then we have Veronica who is the daughter who is visiting here until june of our High Priest Group Leadshe lives with her mom but is visiting here and we have been trying to help her to get baptized but its been kind of back and forthby blessing she has an amazing member friend who set a baptismal date with her for the end of May! Well be praying for that! Lets see there are more that we have but Im running out of time so Ill h ave to update you again next week!

I love you all so much and Urge you to strive to have and follow the Spirit with you always!

Its the best thing ever!!!

I love you!!!

Elder MOntgomery

Back in the trenches!

Hi Everyone!

My goodness how is life!?! Life here is amazing!!!

I dont even know how to put it into perspective for you!! I loved serving in the calling that I just did and am soooo grateful for the opportunity that I had to serve in it, but I would be lying if I didn't tell you that it feels sooo great to be back out here workin the streets!!!

Its the best!!

So my new area is amazing!! There is so much potential! And we are literally reaping it! We set two different baptismal dates in the first two days I was here! And the Lord hasn't stopped blessing us yet!! We have many more that have great potential!! The first day I was here Elder Lopez (who is a champion!) and I set a goal to have three baptisms before the end of the transfer and its actually looking very doable!!

The crazy thing about it all is that I was )( this close to not getting transferred! The day before I came (last Thursday) we had an Elder that was having severe headaches and nosebleeds because of stress induced by his companion so we had to have a meeting in which we transferred him and one of the main ideas brought up was to make Elder Angus a travelling Elder with him and keep me in the office and thus not go to Ontario! I was of course fine with doing it and would have loved it either way but am soooo glad that im able to be here and finish out in the trenches doing the dirtywellthe clean work! Its so crazy to not only be in those meetings, but to be a contributing part of those meetings and decisions changing the course of Elders missions!

At any rate, like I was saying above things here in Ontario are amazing! I'm in the same church building that I started in! How cool is that that I will end my mission in the same one I started in! Speaking of which I havent told and am not telling any of our members how much time I have in the mission! Its so cool! When any of them ask I just tell them a around a year or something of the like! I plan on being the same way with my new missionary-id like him to not know until the day or realistically the weekend that I leave!!! But the ward is great! I love them! This week I translated in sacrament meeting as it was ward conference and many of the stake leaders were there!! That was crazy but a lot of fun!!

Its sweet though we have a whole bunch of member referrals and investigators up the wazzooo the trick once again is sorting through them all and getting the once who are actually planning on progressing! Ill up date you in coming weeks on who is progressing and who not!

As for now Ive got to go but I love you all so very much!!!

Have an amazing week!!!

Elder Montgomery!

Whew Mama! Cruisin'!

Dearest family!

Wow! Where has the week gone!!! This week has been so crazy for us! I think yesterday was the only day that we didnt have some kind of administrative function! We've been running left and right and it seems like time to breath has been little to none and on top of that Ive had a little cold this week which was tough on me on Thursday and

Friday, but I got a blessing from Elder Dowse on Friday night and it helped me so much!

I love the Priesthood!!

In other news I signed up for classes this past week!!! It was so surreal to actually sign up for classes when it seems like yesterday that I sighed a huge sigh of relief that I wouldn't have another final for more than two years and now classes are right around the corner! AHH! Haha, anyway so that you know the classes that I am taking are Accounting 210, Economics, Introduction to Philosophy, New Testament, Doctrine and Covenants and Poly Sci/Current Events - it should be a fun semester!

So happy Easter to all!! I recommend the Mormon Messages Easter clip found on lds.org for a great upliftment and enlightenment on Easter!

With the today being our last Sunday in the Tongan ward Elder Dowse and I wore the native Tupenu with tauvalas! They were so sweet! Its like a black fabric that you wrap around yourself into a skirt! Its sweet cause this lady in the ward gave them to us! Then we also got to go up and bear our testimonies which was a sweet experienceits really been fun here in the Tongan ward- really wish I had been able to work full time in it, but the small time I have put into it has been so much fun! What an amazing culture! Youll see when I send home the pictures!

So a little weekly walkthrough action:

Monday was the San Bernardino and Rialto Zone Conference which went great! Like I think I told you last week I rained on love and I accidentally took my Spanish scriptures which although just fine, kind of threw me a little off of my groove in the middle of my training, but I trusted the spirit and afterward one of the senior office sisters gave me this huge compliment about how great the training was and how I had command of the audience and on and on and then she ended in her funny way that she thinks that if I keep it up that one day you could be a general authority hahaha- shes so cool! Although I think she definitely blew it out of proportion I was very grateful for the compliment and as a whole the conference went very well!

Then on Tuesday we had the Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, Upland and Ontario zone conferences which went great! All of ud felt very good about our trainings and after I got used to saying the word beautiful and champion too much in my last transfers training, the whole back for of Elders and Sisters each held up a letter spelling out beautiful, at the end of my training, followed by champion which was on the back! It was so funny because they were going to hold up the signs whenever I said those words but I didn't say any of them so they had to hold it up at the end! Haha it was sweet!!! Anyway so it was a way powerful conference and I enjoyed it thoroughly

Wednesday we had a couple of errands followed by an afternoon full of staff meetings! Man they took so long and it was way good but way longa lot of items to cover- Cars, Housing and the millions of other mission issuesits really quite fascinating to see how the mission runs!

Thursday we had the New Missionary meeting that we trained at and at which I conducted. It was a good bit of fun. Especially as this time we took this 80s efy song that Elder Olsen and we made a sweet dance to it about enduring to the endit was so sweet!!! Man everyone got a great kick out of it- especially President and Sister Sanchez! It was so much fun! And we are going to do it next transfer at the new missionary meeting because we will all be there again but this time Elder Dowse and I training Elders! It was so cool!

Friday we had Apple Valley interviews in which we made a jeopardy game about the things that are going on in the mission right now it was a lot of fun as we had a competition to see who could do the best and at the same time it really showed who was paying attention and getting things out of the conferences we were having well more it showed them that they weren't paying attention so they could go pay attention and apply the things good fun!

Then yesterday we did a whole bunch of errands all day, beside an emergency meeting to figure out what was going to happen with a random Elder thats coming into the mission this week we still have to figure out the logistics of it tomorrow after interviews should be fun!

Today was sweet! Like I said it was sad being my last Sunday in the tongan ward, but it was a lot of fun at the same time they're the kind of ward that you can come and go and they will just be like hey come on like you never left and just bring you right into the thick of everything! Theyre great!

Well my dear family my time is spent! I love you all dearly and pray for you every single night! I really hope each of you heard Elder Hollands talk in the Sunday Morning session of conference if not log on and watch it! While your at it watch Elder Uchtdorfs too. Have an amazing week! Invite someone to church or to hear the lessons it will bless you more than you can imagine!

I love you so much!

Elder montgomery

La Conferencia General!!

Hey my most amazing family!!

Well life and the work is pretty much chugging along amazingly...

In all honsety it doesnt feel like much has happened since I sent you the short update on Wednesday, but it also feels like that was just yesterday so obviously my time senses are a little off...

Lets see this week, Zone Conferences started on Friday. It went very well...I received a very weird feeling as I went up and started my training. I felt weird doing what I was doing and was afraid that what I was doing was wrong, but I knew that beforehand I had received the inspiration to train on what I had prepared, so I trained on it in spite of the weird feeling and it turned out to go very well...President trained right after me and he built off of mine in a part and I had Elders come up to me after and thank me for it! It was a good feeling- and I don't take credit for it...the topic is what they were thanking for and for that I am glad I stayed with it.

The topic was Love, and developing the pure love that our Savior has and making it the motive for all the we do, especially our missionary service. I trained for a little bit then I read a talk, that if I haven't talked to yall about before, has really shaped a lot of my service out here. Its a talk given by President Monson about 16 yrs ago about three motives to missionary work, but can apply to any service. Progressively speaking, it speaks of the motives being Fear, Duty, and love...and of course it expounds on each one and gives perfect example relating perfectly to the thought processes/ temptations of any missionary that has served. It was great...

With that said though and as much as I hope that holds up, I don't know how much it will hold up though compared to General Conference!!!

YUH!!!!! Man wasnt it amazing!!!

Holy Smokes I love genereal conference so much! Man I can't name all the talks I loved because I loved all of them! It seemed like each was full of sweet stuff to learn and grow on! I think my favorite session was this mornings...with a combo of President Uchtdorfs and Elder Hollands, and President Monsons I think it might my favorite session in history! I think my overall fav was Elder hollands though...Man! Wasn't it STUNNINGGG!!! Holy smokes I was just stuck in my seat! I didn't want to write a note because I didn't want to miss a single word!!! It was so amazing...what a powerful subject and an amazing presentation of it and its direct releveance to eveyr person...If anyone that reads this didnt see it...lds.org baby! hit it up!

Haha, anyway my fam I gotta run, but thats about the extent of how much my brain is working right now...Its been a long day...lol...well have a great week!

I love you all!!!

Elder Montgomery

Crazy Transfer Week!

Hey everyone!

I'm just send you a little email to let you know how sweetly crazy this week has been! So like I said this past week was transfers and can you say crazy!!! Basically, we just did the same exact thing that we did last transfer so you can take my explanation of the whole ordeal and it was pretty much the same. The only crazy thing is now I know that I'm probably getting released in like 2 weeks at which time Ill probably be going to Ontario and dieing in the same area that I was born into but dieing in Spanish! Which makes me so happy because the whole time I was there I was wishing so much that I spoke spanish because the spanish population is so huge there! And now I get to go back! Im so pumped!! Although I'll be sad to leave the office and this GREAT growing experience Ill be so glad to get back to regular missionary work!!! What what!

On top of that yesterday was transfers and transfer meeting which was such a crazy day, from taking the Elders home at 4 in the morning to the meetings all day to the main and huge "Transfer Meeting" that I conducted! It was quite an experience to conduct a meeting like that...the first time I've conducted over the pulpit in the Chapel!

Then after that we drove around all night taking stuff to Elders and delivering things and all that jazz...Whew! My hearts beating fast just thinking about it-but it was a crazy day! Oh yea and my boy and brother Elder Biringer got released yesterday (the other Spanish Assistant)! Man I'm so sad, but he was sent to Ontario also so Ill be around him soon! And on top of that we got a new companion! his name is Elder Angus and hes a real champ...haha he had no idea he was getting called with up with us. It should be a fun transfer!!

So thats just a quick update on whats been happening this week!

Crazy crazy...I love you all and Im finally sending pictures today I hope you enjoy them!!

Elder Montgomery