Making Mission Memories in Mongolia

This week was heavily focused on the choir for the U.S. Embassy’s 250th birthday celebration, America Days. Each ward had been practicing on its own, but this week we began full choir rehearsals. One thing we have definitely learned through all our activities is that the Mongolian people work hard—and they work hard to make sure things are done right! We had three- to four-hour practices on Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday leading up to the event on Saturday. Each rehearsal included pizza or sandwiches for everyone, and there was a lot of thoughtful preparation: matching outfits were ordered, American and Mongolian flags were purchased for each choir member to hold, and everyone was willing to do whatever it took to make the performance a success. Since we can’t understand much of what is being said, we often just hold on for the ride and hope we know what’s expected of us! It’s an adventure—one that we will always treasure. Everyone was so excited to sing, and the final perform...

 One of the many things we have learned on our mission is the importance of being flexible. We both really enjoy having a plan for our days, but we have discovered that things here rarely go exactly as planned—and that’s okay. A perfect example of this happened on Monday. Our plan was to attend a Zone Conference and help prepare lunch for the missionaries. We arrived at 8:00 a.m. to begin preparations, but at 9:15 we received a call letting us know that Selenge (the Prime Minister’s wife and Director of Royal International University) had invited us to participate in their graduation ceremony…at 1:00 that same day! Recognizing the importance of the invitation (more on that below), we quickly passed our assignments on to others, went home to change, and prepared for the unexpected opportunity. When we arrived, we were given traditional caps and gowns to wear. However, since the gown barely fit over JD’s shoulders, he opted to stay in his suit. We were then seated among the honored g...

This week was zone conferences, and once again we had the opportunity to help celebrate birthdays and present cleaning awards. We also assisted another senior couple, the Horitos, with the lunch they prepared for the missionaries. They always come up with such creative ideas, and this week’s theme was “Nomad” or “5-Hoof Chili,” featuring meat from Mongolia’s five main animals—horse, cow, camel, goat, and sheep. They put together a wonderful meal, complete with a beautiful fruit charcuterie board and a variety of fresh vegetables. An interesting tidbit about Elder Horito...He and J.D. served in the same mission in Japan at the same time!  They didn't ever serve together but knew of each other.   We were also invited to attend a career fair at Royal University in Selenge. With our backgrounds in education and higher education, we were warmly welcomed and recognized at the event. Prior to the fair, we had the chance to meet with the university leadership and offered our supp...

 We had a busy week! On Tuesday, we had the privilege of helping pack food bags for people with disabilities who are struggling with the rising cost of basic necessities. Together, we assembled 100 bags filled with flour, rice, oil, noodles, sugar, and hygiene products such as toilet paper, shampoo, soap, and toothpaste. ( Read the article we wrote about this event here. ) About 30 of the recipients were able to come pick up their bags, while the rest needed to have them delivered. So on Wednesday, we spent the day delivering supplies to four different homes. With our favorite Ulaanbaatar traffic, it truly became an all-day adventure! As we visited each home, it was heartbreaking to see individuals who had been bedridden for more than 20 years, but it was also touching to witness the loving care their families provided. They don’t seem to have the same level of government assistance that many would receive in the United States, so families carry much of the responsibility themselv...