No Comp, No Taxi, No Power (Week 78)

Monday, January 27, 2025  7:29pm

Disclaimer: Those things didn't happen at the same time. Also, I do have a comp now. 

Well hi everyone! After a pretty crazy week, I'm glad to be sending this email to yall!

So, after a whole transfer together, it was time to say goodbye to Elder Blalock. We went around the area letting some of the members and amigos know, taking pictures with them, eating empanadas and whatnot, it was quite fun. 

Since all the Elders except me were leaving Balcarce, I had to get on the bus with them as well and get off at the first stop after leaving. So I got off in a city called Tandil, which is really pretty and quite large, and worked/hung out with a couple of the Elders there until the bus passed by again, heading to Balcarce.

Got on the bus and was pleased to see a lot of friends and a few past companions there, so spent some time catching up and having some fun with them before getting home. 

The bus dropped us off at the church building in our city at about 11:30pm, which is a bit far from our house, but that's fine because taxis exist. But lo and behold, the taxis actually stop running after 10pm, so, feeling terrible about it, I call our ward mission leader praying that he'd be awake, and what luck, he was and was more than willing to take us home, he's a real one. 

So yeah, we're all situated now, which means that we've been able to work pretty well the last few days. My new comp, Elder Larsen, is also pretty cool, he's only got three months in the mission, but he already speaks really well. We're knuckling down pretty hard on trying to find new people, so we're slowly but surely knocking the majority of houses around here. 

Also, the other two Elders who got here are pretty cool. One of them, Elder Rivera, is a Brazilian fresh out of the training center (he also speaks really well), and his trainer, making a late season reappearance, is Elder Noall, my comp from the CCM! It's been awesome to catch up with him as well as get to know the other two guys. 

Over the last few days, we've had some interesting experiences with the house, mostly with the lights. Saturday night, Elder Larsen and I were trying to heat up some food in the microwave and when we turned it on, all the lights in the house started dimming and flickering, then suddenly all the lights shut off but turn back on when the microwave finishes it's cycle. Well alright, weird, we think, but then as we go to open the fridge, all the lights turn off again, turning back on when we close it. Fun stuff, it's like a magic trick!

It stopped being fun though when Sunday afternoon, everything shuts off. Like everything, the lights, the fan, the fridge, the washing machine (which was in the middle of a cycle and Elder Noall had to rinse off his clothes). We still don't have power, but hopefully we can get everything fixed tomorrow morning. 

Welp, like I said, it has been a week, and I'm absolutely ready for this next one, should be fun! 78 weeks means that I've officially finished my sister mission, quite the achievement, no? I still have a good bit of time left, so the nose says on the grindstone for now. 

But anyways, love yall tons! I hope you have a great week, make sure to read your scriptures and trust in the Lord!

Buh-byee

Elder Montgomery

I need more mint flavored drinks, holy shenaiah

I'm pretty burnt. It's no problem

Gotta love transfers

Hangin in Tandil with Elders DeKorver and Bloomfield

I'd get cut by Vegeta tbh

Yuhh, Balcarce Gang 2.0

Got to the foot of the mountain

I was asked for sunset pictures

Me Quedo Solito (Week 77)

Monday, January 20, 2025   8:20pm

Hey yall, good evening, how's it going? 

This week was pretty awesome, I won't lie, which seems to always happen in the week before changes haha. 

At the beginning of the week, we were finally able to have a chat with our young friend Aquiles (it was his birthday last Saturday!!) and his mom about his baptismal date and such. His mom is actually really willing to help Aquiles get baptized, but she wants him to shape up a little, you know, help out around the house more, be nicer to his siblings, the entire preteen to-do list. Hopefully that means it'll be easy enough to do and we can get a new baptismal date set soon. 

We were able to find a few new people this week, a couple highlights were:

A lady named Nora who's kinda religious but kinda not, i.e. she doesn't like churches, but she was really willing to have us over and talk, even before we mentioned we could help her kids with English homework. 

Found an inactive member named Oscar who's really cool. He's only really inactive because he works as a truck driver and in the campos, but he's had some recent schedule changes and he wants to start coming to church again. He has a couple of daughters who aren't members and they also really want to come to church, so we invited them to read the Book of Mormon and see what they think, they didn't make it yesterday, but hopefully next week they can. 

Other than that, nothing too crazy work-wise! It always goes forward, of course, and I'm excited to see what the new transfer brings! 

Oh yeah, transfers! So, in the city I'm living in, Balcarce, there are two companionships of missionaries, so four Elders in total, and out of the three, I am the only one staying. Sad, I know, I'm going to miss these guys, we had a pretty awesome time together. But hey, this next one should be fun, just like my last two comps, my new friend/victim, Elder Larsen, is just finishing his training, so I'll be greenie breaking for the fourth time. Guess I'm good at this or something. He's also coming from Pehuajó, an old area of mine, so I'm excited to see how things have been going there. 

But yeah, another great week in the books! The time is slowly ticking by and ever getting closer to when the silence of the great deep sleep falls upon me, but until then, the show must go on. 

Lol, I love you guys, thanks for being here another week! Have a great one and be sure to study your scriptures! 

Nos vemos pronto amigossss

Weow que vista

We got transfers lol

My favorite boi

He blind as frick doe

Uhhh wanna drink?

Barbecue chicken pizza ft. fresh pineapple and peppers

Dunk 'Em Young (Week 76)

Monday, January 13, 2025    9:33pm

Buenas a todos, como están? 

Alright, a week pretty normal and yet not for us in here in Balcarce, but I'll break it down real fast. 

We had Consejo de Zona after Pday last Monday and it went really well, everybody had some awesome comments and ideas to help the zone out with their various issues. That's a part I love about being a missionary, is all the support and constructive criticism we receive from eachother. It was also the first time I'd done that in person, finally my zone is actually close enough together to do things like that haha. 

Our boy Aquiles had some biting questions about baptism, so we passed by to sort it all out. We ended up showing him how one gets baptized as well and figuring out his baptismal program with him, like who's going to be praying, giving a talk, baptizing, et cetera. He wasn't able to make it to church, which does worry me a bit, but I'm sure it'll be fine, we'll talk with him this week, because we also have to get his parents permission before he gets baptized haha. But yeah, if yall could pray for Aquiles and his family, it would be greatly appreciated. 

Our dear district leader Elder Corbridge went to Bahía to do some tramites for a few days this week so his comp, Elder Badger, trioed up with us for a bit. It was a ton of fun, we got to work both sides of the area and we found a few new friends to teach for the both of us, so you know, power of friendship and all that lol. 

We had a really special sabbath yesterday, because four kids in the ward all got baptized. The missionaries, including me for one lesson, have been teaching these kids at the request of their parents for the last few months, and they were absolutely ready and so excited to get baptized. A lot of their families are also partly inactive or just not members of the church, and a ton of them were able to make it, so hopefully we can work with them too soon. After the Spirit that was absolutely there, and especially after the Bishop dropped a banger talk about the importance of baptism, it'd be hard to deny the veracity of the church. 

I like it here in Balcarce, the food is amazing because people aren't actually from Argentina here. We got absolutely stuffed with a Venezuelan family on Sunday, and it was incredible. They first served us a wonderful soup called sancocho, and it was very good, but already nearly filled me up, and then a huge plate of rice, meat, beans, avocado, and arepas came out and my body trembled with fear knowing that I was going to eat all of it even if it was going to hurt me. And so I ate it and it hurt, but it was worth the pain. 11/10 would and will eat with them again. 

After an experience with some inactive members who still were very faithful, I've been thinking a lot about the covenants we make with our Father in Heaven. Recently, my family was having some car problems and realized the oil pump for the car was broken, so a lot of parts in the engine weren't as well lubricated as they should have been, which means certain parts can damage each other easier as they grind together, attempting to move the car. 

I think our covenants can be very similar, they can be like our engine, a powerful machine that moves us forward in the path of the Gospel, but if our oil pump isn't working, or better said, if we aren't taking the sacrament every week, our covenants lose their effectiveness and over time become worth less to us. Just like a car would still have an engine, we still have these covenants, but the process of moving us forward becomes a grinding, slow, arduous one with little success and little movement. 

I'm so thankful for the opportunity to take the Sacrament every week and renew my covenants, I know that the mission would be nigh impossible without the Lord's help, so having as much of His presence and power as possible every day is a blessing and a privilege. 

Anyways, I love yall a lot! I know it's late, I'm just getting off a bus from Mar Del Plata, once again, so I'll leave it here for now. I'll be seeing yall next week! 

Ciao, Queridos, Ciao!!

Elder Montgomery

I'm not sure what to think about this

The red was concerning, but it's pretty good

Si, es él

A bread like no other

Familia Carrasco💪

Me Gusta Orrrarrr (Week 75)

Monday, January 6, 2025   9:22pm

Hi yall, buenas noches!

Start of a new year again, how wild, no?

I know, I know, it's late, I just got home from a Consejo de Zona in Mar Del Plata, so I'll make this quick.

Firstly, our baptismal date Aquiles has been calling us every day asking us for conference talks to read and has been progressing a lot. We were able to teach him about the Ten and Two commandments last time we passed by and he's got a great grasp on everything. He wasn't able to show up to church yesterday, but I'm sure he'll make it the next couple weeks. He better make it the 19th, that's the day he gets baptized lol. 

We spent New Years night with our bishop and his family, and it was great. They served us the classic pancake and deli meat tower, some cow tongue, and an entire grilled pig. Pretty great food if I do say so myself. They also brought out the karaoke, which of course we had to participate in, and I gotta say, I love seeing missionaries perform songs from Frozen, always puts a smile on my face. 

We had to be home before eleven, so ended the night at our house eating twelve grapes just before 12 as part of a tradition from my comps family and got some wonderful alcohol free cider to share. I guess it was pretty much how I expected my last new years in the mish to go, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it, it was an absolute blast, mucho fuego as no one says in Spanish.

Over the course of the next few days after that, we locked in and tried our best to find some news and help our friends progress. One lady named Silvia made a lot of progress this week after having what sounds like one of the worst weeks of her life. I won't go into details, but getting stranded in Mar Del Plata isn't all that fun I'd imagine. We've said a few prayers with her and thus far she's seen quite a few miracles, which is great, but she's still pretty adamant that she won't come to church until she sees a sign to, which I mean like are we not enough of a sign? Whatever, it's fine, she'll get there. 

Had a bit of a funny experience in the lesson with her though. I was trying to ask her if she'd tried praying before and she looked at me weird and was like 'what does that have to do with anything?' until Elder Blalock reiterated the question and she understood better. Apparently I roll my Rs a bit too hard sometimes, which means a word like 'orar' (pray) begins to sound like 'ahorrar' (save money). Yes, even I with all my time in Argentina, am not perfect, surprising I know, but thanks to Elder Blalock I'm that much closer to perfection now. Kinda. 

We had a lot of people show up to church! We were especially surprised when a less active family with a few unbaptized and recently baptized kids showed up, so now our numbers look really good on paper lol. It is a great sign of progression though, that family is great but has a hard time getting to church because they have a lot of kids, but hey, if anyone understands, I do, so we'll help them out. 

Well, I think that's all from me for now! Hope yall have a great new year! Wild to think I'll be in the States again before it's over! Love you all, stay safe, stay healthy, stay faithful!!

-Elder Montgomery

We made it

Whatever helps you to keep going bro

Wut, LdM on CD?

This little area doesn't look like Argentina

Boat

These things are terrible

Hi Elder Swenson🥰

Something must have been funny

Consejo de Zonaaaa

Fade to White (Week 74)

Monday, December 30, 2024    5:38pm

Hola friends, good evening to all! Hope everybody is doing well! 

Well, here we are at the end if the year, the blackout is over and wow, how quickly has time flown by! It's also incredible how much has changed during just this last year, but more on that later. 

So yeah, this week!! We were able to spend Christmas Eve with a member family and it was a lot of fun! We had a great family home evening talking about the attributes of Christ and all that He's done for us, we had some pretty great classic Argentine Christmas food, and played a whole lot of Uno. Not a bad way to spend my last Christmas in the mission! On actual Christmas, I was able to call my family for a bit, and man, do I love and miss them! They had a lot of presents this Christmas though, so despite all the odds, they seem to have behaved well this year. 

On Thursday, President Antuña pulled us in to Mar Del Plata to do interviews, and they went well! He mostly asked how the area and I are doing, both of which well, luckily enough, and reminded me that six months is still a great amount of time to get work done, so basically "don't get trunky." Too late, President, too late. Lol kidding, he's right, and I'm very excited to put in some good effort in my time left. 

We got Aquiles to download the Gospel Library app and explained what the prophet and the Quorum of the Twelve are to him, as well as General Conference, and sent him a talk to read. Of course he read it in like a day and immediately asked us to send him another one, luckily enough there are quite a few conference talks, so we won't run out of material anytime soon.

We have found a few inactive members this week that might have some family members we could start teaching, which is always promising. People here can be a bit flaky though because they work in the potato fields close to Balcarce, so their hours aren't very fixed and they can spend a few days at a time out there. It's chill though, the missionaries aren't leaving anytime soon, so they will be taught eventually. Oh yeah, just a fun fact, Balcarce has been equated to Idaho for their potato production here, which is wild but makes sense because I feel like I've eaten more potatoes here than anywhere else. 

Welp, I suppose I should review this past year a bit. To start, at the beginning of this year, I was still in my first area, General Pico, which is surprising even to me. I've learned quite a lot since then, about basically everything but especially about Spanish and the scriptures. First off, I realized how much I've loved learning this language and getting to know the culture of Argentina and all of Latin America, and second, the depth of which I now know the Book of Mormon is awesome, I should be able to finish it again before I leave, even with all the other studying I'll be doing. I've also had the chance to read through the majority of the Bible, which I had honestly never done before, and that has been so useful finally knowing where all these quotes everyone be quoting come from. All in all, if you can believe it, I've grown so much in this year with all of this, and honestly a lot more than I expected to. 

It'll be interesting starting this new year knowing that I'll be home before it's over, but I guess that'll just help me set my sights on what's more important. Hopefully. I have no idea what's around the bend for the majority of it, but I'm confident I have the tools to deal with whatever comes my way. And if I don't have them, I know my Heavenly Father does, and that's what's important. 

Well anyways, Happy New Year to everyone, I hope yall can set some awesome goals and resolutions to help dreams become reality! Trust in the Lord in all you do and it is possible, I know and testify of that. 

Have a great one yall, talk to you next year!!

-Elder Montgomery

Your ceiling is...grapes?

These are Elder Blalock's relatives in MdP!!

Some pins I got in MdP

Japanese football team jersey, also from MdP

Blalock made us some awesome burgers for Christmas Eve lunch

Christmas moment

Aguante Japon and dental hygiene

Merry Chrysler

The primary kids made us cards, how cute