Making Mission Memories in Mongolia

I have to say, working in the office is rewarding and we truly feel like we’re helping—but it doesn’t always provide much blog material! As I mentioned last week, a big portion of J.D.’s responsibilities involves collecting and reconciling receipts. With the huge number of gas receipts from 7 different islands being turned in, he has been working hard to streamline the process and track down the missing ones. We joked that everyone would remember him as the “Gas Receipt Enforcer.” Apparently, Sister Moessing (the mother of Sister Williams, our mission leader), who is in her 80s and faithfully works in the office with us, had been listening in on all the receipt conversations. One day we stepped out to run an errand and left her alone in the office. When we returned, this sign was hanging on the door—and a couple of sister missionaries standing there, trying to decide if they were allowed to enter! It gave us all a good laugh. She keeps us smiling. This week was transfers, which meant...

We are feeling more comfortable in the office with each passing week, and for the first time, this week felt like we were actually caught up on the big deadline items. There is still plenty to do, but thankfully without the pressure of a time crunch! This weekend J.D. needed to help with an audit back at the branch in Palau, so he flew out Friday night and will return early Monday morning. I asked him to take a few pictures during his trip. Let’s just say… this is exactly why I’m in charge of taking the pictures! 😊 It feels a little strange to be apart after being together 24/7 for the last ten months. The senior couples here on Guam went snorkeling yesterday, so I tagged along. The highlight of the day was spotting a large sea turtle gliding along the reef, surrounded by so many colorful schools of fish. I wish I could capture the beauty under the water and not just above it, but you’ll have to take my word for how incredible it was. It was very cool! That evening we all went out to...

As I sat down to download pictures in anticipation of writing this week’s blog post, I realized I only had two photos — both taken for the new missionary orientation slideshow. Since they pretty much represent our entire week, that’s all you get! We’ve settled into a steady routine of getting to the office around 8:00 or 8:30 each morning and staying until 5:30 or 6:00 in the evening. There has been no shortage of work to do. Because we arrived near the end of the month, J.D.’s first major task was reconciling all the credit cards — and when I say all, I mean hundreds of submitted receipts matched to card charges. This includes about 25 fuel cards, 7 island cards, 2 mission office cards, and 2 mission leadership cards. It was a daunting project, but after him working on it alone all week, we tackled it together on Friday and are nearly finished! Next on the agenda is improving the process to make next month’s reconciliation a little smoother. Meanwhile, I’ve been diving into the comp...

Wow—what a whirlwind of a week! On Monday, just before leaving Palau, we held District Cleaning Awards. After completing unannounced apartment inspections the week before, I was relieved (and impressed!) to find that none of them were disgusting. The missionaries truly earned their awards. Early Tuesday morning— very early—we flew out at 2:00 a.m. and arrived in Guam around 5:00 a.m. Another senior couple, the Dungans, graciously met us at the airport and took us to our home away from home… away from home… away from home—Palau, Mongolia, and Sierra Vista included! This apartment is the first one we’ve lived in that had previously been occupied by other senior couples. Our previous two assignments required us to start completely from scratch, so it was a new experience to search for kitchen items rather than buying and placing everything ourselves. Thankfully, the apartment has everything we need and is very comfortable. After unpacking, we grabbed a few hours of sleep before heading ...

Wednesday was HUMP DAY for our mission!  🐪 January 21 marked exactly nine months since we said goodbye to friends and family and began the adventure of a lifetime. This reminded us of this famous commercial ! 🤣 Some days feel long, but when we stop and reflect, it’s amazing to realize that our mission is already half over . Time truly is flying by, and we can’t wait to see what new adventures the second half of our mission will bring! Speaking of adventures… we have BREAKING NEWS! Due to a medical emergency involving the current office missionaries, we’ve been given a temporary change of assignment . We’ll be leaving tomorrow for Guam to serve in the mission office as mission secretary and finance manager . We’re not sure exactly how long this assignment will last—possibly three to four weeks —but we’re grateful for the opportunity to step in and help where we’re needed most. We’ll definitely miss the beautiful people of Palau while we’re gone, and we’re looking forwar...

Big news on Palau this week! We had a very successful meeting with the President of the Republic of Palau, President Whipps. Joining us were Elder Kim from the Area Presidency, along with Brett Child and Jun Ochaia from the Church’s Area Humanitarian Department. Together, we had a thoughtful and productive conversation about the history of the Church in Palau—nearly 50 years strong, dating back to 1978—the humanitarian efforts already in place, and ways we might help support and further President Whipps’ vision for the people of Palau. This type of meeting was right up J.D.’s alley, and he truly knocked it out of the park. In the days following, we’ve already begun meeting with schools to prepare donations and are exploring additional humanitarian projects focused on social services in Palau, including a women’s shelter and prison ministry.  Here is a link to the story we wrote about the visit .  We got exciting news that it will be syndicated on the Headquarters Newsroom on ...

This week I had the opportunity to experience a day—well, really two days —in the life of a young missionary. Sister Jensen traveled to Guam for leadership training, which left her companions, Sister Liutai and Sister Terabwena, without a driver. So I happily stepped in! We spent our time visiting friends, teaching lessons, extending invitations, and knocking on doors to find new friends. Along the way, I encountered plenty of free-roaming chickens and dogs (none of them mean—but you don’t know that when they’re barking at you!), collected more than a few bug bites, saw some very humble homes, and met some truly wonderful people. Those two days gave me a deeper appreciation for what young missionaries do day in and day out for 18–24 months. It isn’t easy work. It’s hot and tiring, and it often comes with rejection and disappointment. Yet they give it their all every single day because they want to share the joy of the gospel with others. And when that sacrifice leads someone to accept...