Week 25!

April 7th, 2014

Well I am officially 6 Months old in the mission!!!! Woohoo! This week was crazy, the first half of the week was spent packing and saying goodbye to cowpens (bittersweet) and then Wednesday was Transfers. I thought I was going to die from the anxiety of knowing where I was going and who would be my new companion! It ended up really funny though actually because Sister Wheelock My Last Companion came from a town called Newberry (where she served 6months) to Cowpens. and now I went from Cowpens (Where I served 6 months) to NEWBERRY!!!! haha.... oh boy was that funny. Sister Wheelock had shown me lots of pictures and Videos and told me stories and all about the people, so I felt like I Knew the area before I even got there! I even knew what out Apartment looked like before I got there :) But at Transfers (April 2) President Holm Played an April Fools on us!!!!! He told us that Sisters where all being extended to 24 months effective immediately and that all Elders where being extended to 30 months effective immediately and that the most obedient zone would only receive ipads! Oh boy where we in an uproar!! It was Pretty Great though :) Thursday then (my first day In the area) we had a couple of escapee murderers from Tennessee in Newberry! So we were requested to stay in. Lucky for me I could unpack and Sister Bell sweetly helped me and made me dinner! She's awesome :) Then Friday we went to West Columbia for ZTM we have a HUGE ZONE!!! :) Its awesome though! Probably 2/3 of the people were either in my last zone, served in Cowpens at one point or I came out with them :) its pretty awesome :) The Saturday was GENERAL CONFERENCE and I got to meet our Elders, they are Spanish speaking which is super cool because they are helping us pick up Spanish and we have a Spanish class that they teach and that we attend :) its awesome! Then Sunday we had Conference again and ate lunch at a member's in between sessions then saw this awesome couple, Cara and Andrew, I had heard lots about them so it was exciting for me :) I love beimg here in Newberry! We have some wonderful Investigators, like Lacenda and a wonderful Recent Convert that was actually the answer to one of my prayers on the first day I got here! I have been praying for some way to go to the temple... I feel its just what I need right now and I come to newberry and my first night here I find out that I have the opportunity to take this wonderful women, Sister Mary Gregory, through the temple in a few weeks!!!! it was an answer to my prayer!!!! :) I am sooooo happy for the kindness and tender mercies of the Lord :) I love all ya'll!!!!! :) You're in my prayers!

~Sister Dominique Sage Montoya

Week 24!

March 31st, 2014

Well Hello Everyone!! This week was really crazy!!! Monday we packed and i was finally over Kidney Stones, YAY! and then Tuesday we moved into our fantastic new trailer that is falling apart... we are making it work! haha :) andthen Friday we got a new Senior couple in the area! Yay! Elder and Sister Windward from Kaysville Utah!!!! :) (No Kyrsti they dont know you haha i asked) :) and we had the branch social that night which was super fun. we did lots of relay games. and then I dropped my camera in the toilet at the social..... I am very acciden prone and apparently so are my electronics. :P Then Saturday we went on a Hour and a half long exchange and both companionships where in our area and for you missionaries, or post missionaries out there you know how strange that is haha but it was fun and even in such a short amount of time I learned a lot :) Then We had the wonderful wonderful womens conference on Saturday!!!! I hope all you women got to see it and if you didnt then go onto lds.org and watch it, you men too!!!!! it was fabulous!!!!! :) and after that we got transfer calls and I am officially leaving cowpens on Wednesday and getting a new area and a new Companion. I am going to miss it here a lot but I feel that it is indeed my time to go. Then Sunday, my last Sunday here, we had testimony meeting because next week is General Conference (Oh and even when I move areas my mailing address will stay the same. The address i give out is the mission home address and they forward my mail to me wherever I am for my whole mission) :) Then sunday evening we made dinner for a wonderful Less Active and his awesome Non member wife and had lots of fun with them. and

also this week we saw a really wonderful, truly Christian Women who was  Baptist, she had had some wonderful experiences with a Sister MIssionary from Honduras But as we talked to her she had a problem with our belief on "saved." she was dead set on once saved, always saved and said " Whats the point of a salvation you can fall out of?" and all though we didnt push the subject because we didnt want to get contentious, I KNOW with all my heart that if that was true, there would be NO POINT  to mortality and no point in progression. I know that we need to eternally preogress so that we can become more like our Savior. That is what this life is for, thats why we need repentance. No Man or Moment can be our saving grace, only through repentance over the course of our lives can we become clean through the atonement of Jesus Christ. I know that he lives and I love him and all of you!

Love, SIster Dominique Montoya

Week 23!

March 24, 2014:

Well this week has been ok except the fact that I had Kidney Stones all week and we had to stay inside the majority of the week!!!! That stunk..... But we had a great St. Patricks Day and went shopping with the Gaffney Sisters and to Lunch at Applebees!..... and we all wore green of course! :)  Then we had a great DDM and then got to see the Yang girls that evening, Michelle and Kaitlin! We gave them Journals and helped them tape in pictures of the temple for our lesson on Family History and Temples and we taught them "I love to see the temple" and wrote the words in their journals as well. They are so cute. But Yeah thats pretty much all that happened... the rest of the week we have been staying home and we have been packing because we are moving from our Duplex to a Trailer a little ways down our road to make room for a Senior Couple that is coming into the area. And we also got to go to lunch with a wonderful less active at a place called Cooley Springs Cafe and I got some yummy goodies and Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream there! Oh! and we got some Boston Butt a few days ago!!! Soooo good!!! Its Pig shoulder and it tastes like really smoky pulled pork but not as saucy. yummm :) Was a pretty Good week except for the 5-day long Kidney Stones!!! Hope y'all have a great week!

 

Love, Sister Montoya

Week 22!

Hello Everyone! How are you doing?? I am well :) 

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!!

This week we have been working with a wonderful less Active, Grace. PLEASE pray for her to have her heart softened to come back to church! :) We also had Elder Zwick of the 70 come and speak to us :) he's speaking in General Conference Next month so keep an eye out for him hes awesome!!!!!! :) Sister Zwick did a Preach My Gospel chase where we had to look up parts of PMG and/or know where they are and Sister Wheelock and I both won candy!!! woot! Go for the best companionship ever!!! :) My favorite parts was where he said "Finishing your mission often requires daily or even hourly supplication for help" BECAUSE THAT IS SO TRUE!!! its a wonderful fact of a mission though :) and also that he said, talking about Joseph Smith "I have aligneed his great strengths with yours. You have brought a smile to the face of Joseph Smith Jr. like no other missionaries have." and he said he has never said that to any other group of missionaries before. it was so wonderful!! I also got to sing for what i think is the last time in the Cowpens Branch. I love it here but I am pretty sure I am going to be leaving this transfer. But on top of that we are Moving Homes as well because we are getting a SENIOR COUPLE!!!!!!! Yay... :)  Well i love you all!! GOSPEL IS TRUE!!!! :) 

Love, Sister Dominique Sage Montoya

Week 21!

So this week has been crazy!!! Monday was FREEZING!!!! and it rained like 4 days in a row and was sooooooo cold and then we got dropped by a bunch of people :P darn.... i fear we wont make our goal of even 1 baptism this month....BUT the Lord works miracles!!!! So i have faith he will pull through!!! We did have an awesome Relief Society activity for the Birthday of the Relief Society adn we had a funny experience that some people were arguing with us telling us that The Book of Mormon  IS the Bible except it says Noah and The Flood happened 5000 years later than it says in the bible and it happened in Utah....... hahaha riiiiiiiiiiight..... anyways but that was great. But i would appreciate your prayers everyone.... i have been feeling really ill lately and have been struggling to work because of the migraines, dizziness and tiredness and i really want to work my hardest so please pray i will get better.... Also this summer is supposed to be the hottest South Carolina has ever seen!!!! AAAAAAAAAAh any ideas anyone??????? And we are getting a senior couple in our area :) YAY!!!!! :) Love ya!!!!!

~Sister Dominique Montoya

Week 20!

Well this week has been good We got in contact with CJ a less active and his mom Melody. Justin has Been MIA since he got a Girlfriend but we have a plan of action to get him back focused on the gospel!!! :) I got  an awesome Valentines Package from my grandparents this week! with yummy apples and treats and some more undershirts (YAY!) We also got to be judges for the Cowpens/Gaffnety Chili and Corn bread contest! that was so fun but after some of that chili i swear my tounge was about to fall off it was so hot!!!! Sunday was great we had a wonderful testimony meeting and then had Hawaiian haystacks at the Blantons :) It was a great week!!! :) Hope all of you are doing well. Happy March!!!! I am officaially 5 months on my mission!!!! :) woot!

-Sister Montoya