Week 50!

Hello Familia and Friends...ilia.... haha

 

 This week sped by. I don't think I have too many exciting stories to share. My health is getting worse, and we are both frustrated with the chain of command in which we have to navigate to get anything done of scheduled, but other than that everything is just fine and dandy.... We have some exchanges set up, so at least Sister Johnson will be able to get to work and see the pore people of Newberry that we have been neglecting during my illness. But Yeah, so not so much happened this week.... The women's broadcast was amazing! If you have not watched it, definitely do so because it was sooo amazing and I definitely received so much revelation and answers to my prayers. :)

Please enjoy these pictures and know that I am happy and doing well despite the problems and challenges, I guess I can take it as a compliment though because it just means that the Lord feels I am ready to grow some more :) . I love being a missionary! Even if its a mostly apartment bound! Please keep us in your prayers... You are definitely in mine :)

Love yall! 

Sister Dominique Sage Montoya

Week 49!

Well this week was Kind of crazy.... we were in again like all week but Monday evening we got to go down to Irmo for a wonderful birthday dinner at Texas road house and i went shopping at the mall there and got me a really cute birthday outfit :) it was super tiring but great :) Then Tuesday i got a gift of really cute makeup from my ward mission leader and his wife and we had dinner and German chocolate cupcakes for my birthday at our investigators house :) I also got to cut Sister Johnson's hair again, a little shorter than last time because her hair grows like there is miracle grow in there!!! and then we got a surprise visit from our mission president on Saturday as well..... and that was.... interesting to say the least. i guess our Bishop has been mad at us and just bottled a bunch in, told the stake president and then the mission president who addressed his list of "lengthy concerns" with us, which were all FALSE accusations and we had to clear up.... i was so upset Sunday. i wanted to walk right up to him and say "Thou shalt not bear false witness is a commandment!!!!!" but i didn't.... because i am a representative of Jesus Christ.... and as so.... we are persecuted.... but anyways, we got it all figured out with the ward mission leader and with the relief society president and the mission president is explaining things to the stake president on our behalf.... so things should be ok now. But yeah.... it was dumb. But i got a couple really awesome birthday presents  from people this week as well. :) i got a wonderful new olive wood quill pen from Jeff, some lotion, bubble back, money and a cardigan/vest from my Dad and barb, and some adorable dresses, candy and money from grandma and grandpa Christian along with some really great cards and money from grandma and grandpa Murray. :) All in all, i am spoiled :) And i love my wonderful friends and family. Its been a crazy week..... but pretty good for the most part. Hope you enjoyed the first email home from the 20 yr old Sister Dominique Montoya! Love ya'll!....

Sister Dominique Sage Montoya

Second attempt at Snow White... with an apple :)

We are so disobedient... candles and a lighter!

German Chocolate cupcakes in PJ's!

Me squishing Sister Johnson

Our companionship in a nutshell!

This is what I did when she said to look serious.... haha

New Haircut!

Me sick and pale in the middle of the night...

Week 48!

September 15th, 2014

Well, 

This week gas been really slow.... although we were really praying that I wouldn't get transferred and guess what?!?!? I am staying in Newberry for 7 1/2 months!!! woot!!!! Also for exciting news, I turn 20 tomorrow. I am officially old.... haha.... its so weird that the next birthday I would be able to spend at home is going to be the one that I will be able to legally buy alcohol.... not that I would haha.... but its so weird.... 21!!! yikes.... but I guess i'll focus on the now that I am turning 20! :)  But this week was really slow.... again so sorry for the shortness of this email. We did get to start the New Member lessons with Byron though which is like super exciting! and now I get to teach him like a whole bunch of them because I am staying here in Newberry!!! I cant believe that by the time I leave Newberry I will only have 5 more months left on my mission!!!! ah!!! Time goes by soooooo fast. Before we know it, I will be skyping ya'll on Christmas! :) But all is good here, like I said Transfer calls were Saturday, so Sister Johnson and I have been doing a lot of cooking, baking and sleeping and random things like blowing bubbles and trying to get them to land on our fingers.... yikes.... what bored missionaries do. But Its been a good week. The doctors are also trying to figure out whats wrong with me that I have been so sick. they think it might be my medication so they are going to play with it for a couple weeks to see if it helps.... crossing our fingers that it does. :) 

But I love you!!! Thanks for all the birthday wishes!!!

Love, Sister Dominique Sage Montoya

Socks with my name as a brand :)

Week 47!

September 8th, 2014

This week has just sped right by me. I truly do not know where the time has gone. I am doing just grand though, I suppose that is why the time has flown. They say it does that when you are having fun. :)
The biggest miracle I saw this week on Wednesday. that night we had a dinner appointment with a part member family that we are teaching the lessons to, and we were a little worried. I have not been able to keep food down for about a month, and I had been feeling really poorly after Zone meeting, but we felt like we needed to go to the appointment. When we got there, we just said a prayer together asking that I would be able to eat and that I would have strength to make it through the lesson. And, for the first time in a month, I ate a full plate of food, had color in my face, and was actually alive and active in the lesson. I was so happy! The weird thing was, as soon as we got in the car, I went pale again, my fever jumped, and it was as if I'd never had any kind of recovery at all..... It was so great! The Lord truly provides a way for his work to be accomplished!
 Maybe not in the miraculous healing that we hope for, but if nothing else, He allowed us to do what He needed us to do. What more could any sister ask for? :)

But as for the sickness, we are definitely still trying to figure it out. I am working to find a family practitioner that I can see here and figure out why I am so sick and why it has been for so long. (Although I am pretty sure that it is ulcers.) 

But ultimately, we have really just had a nice week. We have definitely had some fun times, and I feel like Sister Johnson is truly helping me see myself in a better light, and along with that the Lord is showing me who I really and truly am and what he wants me to accomplish.... hes given me a lot of answers I've been looking for, for a long time just in this week.  But on a brighter note, we were both attacked by a twelve toed cat.... maybe not attacked, but it ran across my thigh and down Sister Johnson's ankle and scratched us.... thus solidifying my deep hatred for cats. Its name was Elsa. Her sister Anna laid down next to us and purred, but Elsa scratched was evil..... But basically that was all for the week. 

 Life is great. My companion is the best companion the world has ever known, my mission is bestest. And..... so yeah.... I LOVE being a missionary!

 Love ya'll!!!!

~Sister Dominique Sage Montoya

Oh, PS: It was 104 degrees thos week..... blah......

The one on the right is Evil Elsa

Week 46!

September 1st, 2014

Well, this week has been slow but wonderful!

So again, we stayed in most of the week... this was week 4 of being inside with a 100 degree fever... ugh.... but then Tuesday one of our less active members we go see had her baby!! she was having really bad labor pains for 3 weeks and the baby wouldn't engage because the umbilical cord was wrapped around the babies neck THREE times!!!!!!! But she is a healthy 6lbs 4oz :) Her name is Davynna (Duh-vee-nuh).  I also got to dye sister Johnson's hair. it was supposed to be like a chestnut auburn and it turned out burgundy!!! yikes..... looks good but definitely not natural. But most of the week was spent getting ready for Byron's Baptism!!!! we had zone conference on Friday and President Turner is changing the whole outlook on the mission and on baptism and goals and everything! I think its going to be SO wonderful :) Then Saturday was Byron's Baptism! Our Ward mission leader was out of town so it was pretty much all on us but it turned out so well and went off without a hitch! :) The spirit was SO strong and I got to sing at the baptism. he was crying in the font and then when he came up, he had the BIGGEST smile on his face I have ever seen :) it was SO wonderful :) then we got to go out to lunch with him and some members who came from other wards to see him get baptized and then also a family from our ward that knew him before he started investigating. it was so great. then sunday we went and he got confirmed AND got ordained to be a PRIEST all in one day!!!! it was so amazing!!!!! :) it had basically been just a wonderful week :) slow but wonderful! :) But please pray for Sister Susan Anderson in my mission.... she went into the ICU a couple days ago with a severe blood clot in her leg that moved into her lungs. she is a wonderful missionary and a great friend of mine. Well i love ya'll!!! :)

Happy Labor Day! :)

~Sister Dominique Sage Montoya

OH! I almost forgot... I spent a couple days making this as a gift for Byron for his baptism. We put a picture of Christ as a cover for a book of Mormon and then put Sister Bell, SIster Johnson and My testimonies in it along with having people write notes to him on cute paper at the baptism and gluing it in and put a picture of all of us at his baptism :) and then marked up his favorite scripture and made him a book mark to mark it :)

Week 45!

Hello Friends and Family!

So this week felt like it went on forever! We didn't do too much this week because we were STILL inside sick but some GREAT things are happening here :) So first, Tuesday we had an exchange and I rested and listened to talks and talked to Sister Anderson about how we can make the Zone and Mission better and closer and then Wednesday we went to the TEMPLE!!!! it was for a returning Less Active, Sister Bias :) it was so amazing and we got to go to lunch with them all after. Note to anyone and everyone with crutches.... endowment sessions using crutches are VERY DIFFICULT.... attempt at your own risk and only if you have incredible balance! :) Then we got to see the Turners, had dinner with them and watched Elder Oaks talk with them on the Priesthood. It was pretty great :) then Thursday we saw Byron and he picked THIS SATURDAY to get baptized!!!!!! So I will have my very first baptism in just a couple days. He is so SOLID too :) He is already making plans to go through the temple after he is baptized and promised to be at my temple marriage whenever that happens haha.... then we were in most of the rest of the week and are planning his baptism. :) I am feeling a lot better though so I think that we will be able to FINALLY go out for these next to weeks and just rock the world and take it by storm!!! :) But its been a great week!!! I'm excited to tell all of ya'll about the baptism next week!!! :)

(Sorry I left my camera at home... no pics this week)

~Love Dominique

Week 44!

Well this week was kind of lame.....we were in sick this whole week and I broke my toe walking in the kitchen and I ran into a filing cabinet. But I've been throwing up like all week and we got pulled over and given a ticket for something reeeeeeeeally stupid. Because I wasn't wearing my seat belt strap that goes across your chest where it was supposed to be, I had it behind my back. But its ok I guess because Heavenly Father must trust me an awful lot to know that I would share the gospel with him and give him a card even in spite of the fact that he had to prompt him to pull me over in order for him to receive it :) 

It's been nice though because Sister Johnson and I are having a really nice time getting to know one another being inside for so long. ...

But, our investigator Byron is getting baptized. :-) We made it to one appointment last week, and when we got there, he sat us down, and told us that he has been praying about it, and that he is finally ready to make the commitment to get baptized!I am so excited! We started teaching him as a referral right when i got to Newberry and now he is finally here!!! This will be my first baptism too!! I am soooo happy!!! :) It makes all of Satans stupid efforts to keep us inside worth is :) he has been living all the commandments and doing family history and just... didnt want to say goodbye to his old church. But something changed and now he is telling his old church that he is getting baptized and is going to do it within the next two weeks!! :) 

Miracles! The Lord has much in store for us. 

But, that was pretty much all we were able to do this week, since we are 3 flights up and it is really difficult to get up and down the stairs on crutches, BUT I am getting wicked strong arms, one leg and abs! so i will be ripped for the rest of my life!! haha :) But  I am still not getting sleep cuz I am throwing up all night.... so please pray for me! and PRAY FOR BYRON so that he can make it to baptism and actually choose a date :) 

But I love ya'll!!!! I hope you have a great week!!! :) 

Love, Sister Dominique Sage Montoya

We played Snow White while I was pale and sick :)