Week 32!

May 26th, 2014

This week has been great, Monday I was sick though so we didn't do very much and I slept most of the day. But then we got to go to the Bishops house for dinner and talk to him about making a new ward mission plan and doing area improvement for the ward. I am really excited for what's happening here in Newberry!!!! The Tuesday we had Interviews and the no more strangers fireside which our investigator Byron Carr came to and it was really wonderful!! Then Wednesday we went on exchanges and I went to Lexington with Sister Anderson and it was really cool because my old friend from when I was in Cowpens and she was in Gaffney,Sister Brown is now my Sister training Leader in Lexington!! She came here to Newbery though with Sister Bell. It was really wonderful and then Thursday we had the pantry and Friday and Saturday we got to work in Prosperity which I have missed dearly because we have been in Newberry only the last few weeks. And also we met these really funny people Fred and Eleanor! Fred is 92 and his Sister Eleanor is 104!!!!! They are just chilling and living together in this cute little house. they couldn't hear a thing though!!! When we first went in Sister Bell moved this book off the chair she was going to sit in and Eleanor mentioned how wonderful a book that was but that she already had a copy and when sister Bell tried to tell her it WAS her copy she insisted we take it back and give it to someone else who didn't have a copy and then finally when she knew we wouldn't take her book, she said, well ok I guess I will give it to someone else then because I don't need 2 copies! it was so funny... we were cracking up the rest of the day!  Then Sunday we got to got around Pomaria and I actually got to drive because we thought a tornado or hurricane or something was going to come through because how thick the rain was. it was LITERALLY coming down in sheets and sister bell being from vegas didn't know how to drive in the rain and asked me to but I have never seen so much rain. we did a Chinese firedrill and in the 2 seconds being out of the car we were both DRENCHED to the bone. Tomorrow is Sister Bell's Birthday and I have set up an Awesome Surprise party for her tonight at the hallenbecks that she thinks is a family home evening and she cant figure out why there will be 18 people coming instead of the usual 9 haha..... I am so excited!!! She has no clue and I ha the hallenbecks go out and get party decorations and ive been sneak-texting inviting people and telling them its a party for her and getting things set up! I feel so disobedient but its worth it and I knw im not doing anything aweful haha.... but I am so excited and I hope it makes her happy!!!! Im happy for all the people coming :)

-Sister Dominique Montoya

this spider is as big as my hand and has eggs on its back! I almost stepped on it at a less actives house and the son put it in this container.... of all the places I could go I went where there are giant spiders!!!!!!!!

Week 30!

May 12th 2014

Well this week was pretty un eventful, BUT My mission President has announced that he is not comfortable with us not labeling our mail with "sister" and "elder" so please return to sending all mail to me as "Sister Dominique Sage Montoya" But this week we had a wonderful Family home Evening and Wednesday we made some real progress with our investigator Byron!!! He is so awesome and he is going to pray about being baptized this week!!! SO if ya'll could please pray for him that he will receive his answers and want to get baptized, I would really appreciate it. :) Also this week we had a wonderful time eating the red white and blue firecracker popsicles while we did the pantry this week and we have also miraculously got in touch with all of our investigators who fell off the map lately, which is so exciting!!!! We also had such a cool experience on Saturday! So we went to see a Less Active Member at her Apartment Complex and as I was backing Sister Bell out of the Parking stall a man came around the corner in his car and looked at me and yelled "Joseph Smith right?" and I flipped around and bolted over to his car as he parked and started asking him how he knew about our church. and he said that he used to come to his church but never go baptized because he moved and that he wanted to take the lessons again! It was amazing!! :) we passed him a couple times that day after that and every time he waved at us with a big happy grin  because he knew who we were :) it was great! Then this  Sunday was  a wonderful Mothers Day Program for Sacrament and they gave all the mothers beautiful flowers :) and the Church even came out with a awesome mothers day video, if you haven't seen it, you should!!! its at:

motherhood.mormon.org

and it is a wonderful and very true video for mothers, aunts, grandmas and all sorts of beautiful women who have a huge role in the lives of their children :) then this morning we went and picked Strawberries with Sister Hallenbeck and then we made jam with her :) it was so fun and yummy :) great day and week :)

Love, Sister Dominique Sage Montoya

Week 29!

May 5th, 2014

This week was good.... kind of slow though. we went to the pantry again and Spanish class and We had ZTM on Friday with President Holm there as well and then afterwards we went to dinner with a LA, Sister Arnold and on Saturday we had a "pork in the park" which was a hug Newberry city barbecue :) Sunday was wonderful and we had a lot of youth bear their testimonies at church and tell about mission calls and stuff it was really awesome :) We have Family Home evening tonight and I GET TO TALK TO MY FAMILY ON SUNDAY FOR MOTHERS DAY!!!!!!! WOOHOOO!!!! :) I might even get to Skype on their big screen tv fir the x-box :) So excited!!! Love you all!!!!

Week 28!

April 28th, 2014

Well this week was good. Wednesday we had exchanges with the Sister Training Leaders and I stayed here. We had 6 lessons, 11 contacts and 1 new investigator in 1 day!!! miracles happen!!! we had some wonderful things happen with a young man who is preparing for a mission in our ward too... he just put his papers in and he came out with us and he had the best mission prep with us ever!!!! he got to have a door slammed in his face, someone who didn't understand so he had to listen and simplify his teaching and then someone who didn't believe in God but was just "spiritual". it was so wonderful for him and we knew that that whole night was just for him and God put us there for that reason. then Thursday I got to tutor a lady in math (AGAIN!) second area where I have had the opportunity to use my knowledge and love of math to open doors to the gospel and serve people.... its so weird how math come in handy haha... then we also did "The Pantry" on Thursday where we got to go help people in need get food and distribute it to them as well as do clerical work for them. it was really cool. Friday we had a wonderful lesson with our top investigator, Byron- HE IS SO ELECT!!!! He is dating a Mormon.... and we have only been teaching him 2 weeks and we give him at LEAST 3 chapters to read each time we see him and he has ALWAYS read plus he started the Book of Mormon on his own and has finished 1Nephi already and loves it and knows its the word of God!!!! Its soooo cool!!! Then Saturday he came to the Ward fish fry ( sadly I was sick all day and wasn't very lively when he came) but we gave him a church tour when he came and he knows like half the ward since we have an older ward and Byron is like 73.... haha.... and we had 7 other investigators come to the fish fry as well which was awesome! Sunday was Ward Conference and and I sang a duet with an elder in the area for that and we had a wonderful ward conference and then had a coordination meeting in the evening to get efforts in the area together to help us be more unified with the ward. :) great things are happening!!! Also, everyone please don't label any letters to me  with "sister" and my name anymore... the mission has had a lot of mail tampered with and they think that is the cause so just address it to "Dominique Sage Montoya".... I know its sad but true.... :'( well I love ya'll!!!!!!!! :) have a great week!!!!!! :)

Week 27!

April 21st, 2014

Well this week was wonderful!!!! We had a great Family Home evening because we had barbecue and had a great lesson on temples and the Tuesday because of the church's Easter initiative we showed this one lady and she showed a group of 100 people which had 22 different churches!!! it was so cool!!! then Wednesday I went and got my teeth cleaned and guess what!!!! they did it for free because I am a missionary! then Thursday we had an awesome specialized training which I did a skit for :) and then we got to go to the temple with our RC going through the temple :) Then we grromed a less actives dogs (boy was that a chore!) but it was fun and I was glad to help :) then we went to a 8 year old baptism on Saturday and helped all the kids with an easter egg egg hunt by hiding the eggs :) the SUNDAY WAS EASTER!!!! and it was so cool because there was 3 days of rain and gloom then on easter there was sun!!!! :) it was just like the first easter :) and we had dinner at the bishops and it was funny because we  got our ward mission leaders dog stuck in the bishops tree house and I had to call one of our elders, Elder Marberger over to pick her up and shimmy them both down the latter getting mud all over himself it was intense!! then I got to hold a silver Boa Constricter and a red tipped python at a less actives house :) and I opened my moms wonderful package that she sent me for easter!!! it was so good!!! :) and today we are doing body talk with Sister Hallenbeck!! an awesome healing method :) 
HAPPY EASTER!!!! :)
LOVE YOU!!!!!

~Sister Montoya

Week 26!

April 14th, 2014

Hello Everyone!!! :)

This week was really crazy! So I forgot to tell ya'll last week that I get to go to the temple this week!!!!! :) There is a Recent Convert going through to get her Endowment on Thursday so we will spend all day at Specialized training and then go to the temple!!!! crazy day!!! :) Monday was so cool, we wre contacting and went to see a referral and she opened the door said she didn't want to hear what we had to say, Sister Bell said "ok bye" and she slammed the immediately in our faces... so I turned and had a feeling she thought we were Jehovah's Witnesses and told Sister Bell when she opened her door and yelled to us down the driveway asking if we where Jehovah's witnesses! I laughed a little and we went in and taught her an amazing lesson about the priesthood and baptism all out of HER Bible. it was so powerful and the spirit was so thick. I really felt like God was putting words into my mouth and "bringing to a remembrance' all the scriptures I have studied on the topics!!!! :) it was soo cool! Thursday was Sisters conference and we had Brother Penleton from the mission department come and speak to us and we had a clothing swap!! it was so fun! then, sister Bell and I have been antiquing and one place we went had a Book of Mormon from 1840!!!! too bad they sold it 2 years before.... we have been searching for another ever since :) Sunday I sang a duet with Elder Marberger, an Elder in my area and we sang "A childs prayer" at an 8 year old baptism :) it was really cool! :) and then also on Sunday I got to use my knowledge of working with the mentally handicapped to help this wonderful sweet lady and her disabled daughter Caroline :) it was a good week! :) Love you all!

~Sister Dominique Montoya