Making Mission Memories in Mongolia

Yesterday, we attended an Interfaith Gathering at Dashchoilin Monastery. Before the event, we toured the monastery grounds and visited a small museum. Some of the highlights included an enormous Buddha statue, what is said to be the world's largest rosary carved from a single piece of wood, and a mask for Buddhist ritual ceremonies that looked remarkably like J.D. (see photo). At long last, we've discovered why J.D. seems to be revered everywhere we go!  On a more serious note, it is always uplifting and productive when people of different faiths come together to work toward common goals. Before J.D.'s birthday, one of the missionaries in our district asked what he wanted as a gift. J.D. jokingly replied that he would love a Diet Coke because, in Mongolia, we've only ever been able to find Coke Zero. The missionary wasn't able to locate one before his birthday, but this week he stopped by with none other than a Diet Coke that he had found in a small American import ...

This week was birthday week, and I wasn't about to let J.D. enter a new decade without a little fanfare! Thanks to the help of the Horitos and Ellersicks, our fellow senior couples in the city, I was able to pull off a great surprise party. We invited all of the church employees we work with, the volunteers in our district, and the mission leaders to gather in a room and wait quietly with the lights off. Then I told J.D. that we needed to stop by and pick something up. The moment he opened the door, the lights came on, and the room erupted with cheering, shouting, and noise-makers. He had absolutely no idea! It was so much fun to see the look of surprise on his face. It may not have rivaled the grand scale of the surprise party for his 50th birthday, but it was pretty good! J.D. received thoughtful gifts and cards from everyone, but we were both especially surprised and honored by the gift from the service center: an engraved Mongolian copper dombo with matching copper bowls. It is...

Since so many of you have asked about the return of our hot water—and J.D.—I’ll start this post by saying they both returned on schedule! Yesterday was cause for celebration when we discovered that the hot water was finally back! We survived the second edition of our Siberian Showers!  As for J.D., he returned from his grand adventure on Tuesday evening. He likes to describe the trip as “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.” So, let’s start with the good! To fully appreciate the good, I need to give you a little backstory about the purpose of the trip. Khuvsgul Lake is Mongolia’s largest freshwater lake and contains more than 70 percent of the country’s reserves. In recent years, the lake’s fragile ecosystem has faced increasing threats. As part of efforts to protect the lake, a remote scientific research facility was constructed nearby. The Church donated humanitarian funds to assist with the installation of solar panels and other equipment for the facility.  In appreciation for...