Transfer 13, Week 1 .... December 15, 2014

Chère famille,

What a week!

After getting in Tuesday to Clermont, we spent the entire day Wednesday cleaning the apartment and rearranging. It was in a really bad state. But it feels really good now and is super organized and ready for the transfer.

Because the last transfer was 4 weeks long, this one will be 8 weeks long, so will end in February. We have some extra time to pump up the work here. After doing a complete redo of the apartment, we did an analysis of the area book, what tools we had, and what amis we were currently working with. We'll be starting from almost ground 0. The good news is that the ward is awesome. We have members who really love us and a Ward mission leader who is really gung ho. Plus quite a few awesome young adults. So we have a good base and a bunch of old investigators.

We are currently working with only one investigator. I should say were working with. His name is Yao. He is a young chinese student, who had a baptismal date and has already been taught everything and wants to be baptized, but his work prevents him from coming to church, and he lives with his girlfriend. We saw him twice this past week and he is a really cool and sincere guy. We addressed the problems I just stated on Saturday night and he took them well, but then Saturday night he sent us a text telling us that he thinks we should pause our meetings for a while and never responded after that. So bummer there.

The brightside of all this is Elder Mataalii. I don't know if I've had a companion yet with as much faith and humilityand desire to do good as he has. This transfer will be quite miraculous because of him. We set really good goals and decided that we both want to go all out this transfer. Which sounds normal, but its funny how even as missionaries we find the tiniest reasons or ways to not do things the way we should. We decided openly to each other that we are going to everything the right way, or give our best trying, and smile and spread Christmas cheer the whole way. It's been really fun just being in a normal equipe working and focusing on straight missionary work.

The city definitely has a different feel than Toulouse. It feels smaller and a bit less busy (one tramline our main transport), but with Christmas time in the air, everybody seems in a hustle and bustle anyways.

The Toulouse Capitole ward is one of the "big" wards in France, lots of well known families and names. Clermont Ferrand is just barely a ward (attendance wise) and has a lot more of a small town feel to it. I translated yesterday in Sacrament meeting for the American family we have in our ward. When people ask I now just say I've been on my mission for a year and a half, which seems really weird and I never thought I'd be saying that.

On Saturday was the ward Christmas Party. It went really well turn out of about 40 people and was a good chance for me to meet everyone, and its clear that the missionaries in this ward are really well loved. Just before 9 oclock they had us 4 missionaries come up to the front, and they presented each companionship (us and the sisters) with a tub of wrapped gifts from the ward members. It was really sweet. ITs been really easy to become friends with everybody. After one week I feel well accepted and good friends with most the ward.

This week went well, we talked to a bunch of people and found a couple solid potentials. Last night on our way home, we became quick friends with a classy African man named Bruno who LOVES the USA. haha it was funny, and he's christian. He quickly agreed to come to our english class on Saturday. That was a fun 4th quarter miracle.

I'm really excited for Christmas skype! I'm not sure on the schedule yet, I'll let you know next monday.

Very excited for this coming week. Christmas miracles are coming!!

"It's a Festivus miracle!"

Beaucoup d'amour,

Elder Montgomery

Les Missionnaires

34 rue Niel

clermont ferrand, France

63000