Making Mission Memories in Mongolia

It is with very mixed emotions that I write this last blog post! I have truly loved sharing the amazing experiences of our mission with all of you. There have been so many adventures, unexpected turns, wonderful people, new places, and memories that I know we will treasure forever. Somehow, it feels impossible that it is already time to write the final chapter! This final week has been a mixture of tender goodbyes and the best, most-awaited hellos! First, the last few days in Mongolia… Our last official event of the mission was the International Day of Peace. We had the opportunity to come together with leaders from different religious groups to ring the Peace Bell and pray for peace throughout the world. As we stood there surrounded by people of different faiths, all united in that simple hope for peace, it felt like such a fitting way to end our service to the Lord. After all the places we have been and all the people we have had the privilege of serving, it was a beautiful reminder ...

 This week was full of more lasts and goodbyes. We had our last service at the House of Mercy. We have thoroughly enjoyed serving alongside our friends of other faiths and will really miss that weekly assignment. They shared such kind words and thoughtful gifts with us as we said goodbye.  We also had our final dinner with all the American senior couples serving in Mongolia. What great friends we have made as we have served alongside other couples throughout our mission. We are so grateful for the friendships we have made and wish them all the best as they continue to serve! Next was a virtual goodbye gathering with our communications teams from Japan and Korea. Once again, we have been blessed to work with such wonderful people and feel fortunate to call them friends. After kind words were shared and more goodbyes were said, we went to lunch with Naska, our Mongolia Communication Director. That same day, we welcomed 25 new missionaries to the mission! This took quite a bit of...

As we begin our last full week on our mission, we have mixed feelings about leaving. This past week, we found ourselves noticing several times how quickly the opportunities to do ordinary things are running out. We will only do laundry one more time. JD will only change his contacts one more time. Even grocery shopping now includes thoughts about how much food we will need before we leave. We think about the hugs that will be waiting for us at the airport and the beautiful reunion with family that lies ahead. At the same time, we are already thinking about the people we will miss, the opportunity to spend our days fully focused on serving others and the Lord, and the beautiful lands of Mongolia and the Micronesia Guam Mission. September 24th will definitely be a bittersweet day. As our time draws to a close, we are slowly turning over our responsibilities, so this week was a little slower than usual. We did have one last trip to the ATM to withdraw rent money. In case you were wonderin...