Mutton, Music and Mongolian Surprises

 Church each Sunday is such a joy! We attend the Sansar Ward, affectionately called the "International Ward".  It's a beautiful mix of cultures--a few American diplomat families and many Mongolian members who speak English.  Sacrament meeting is translated through headsets, and there's always a kind soul eager to translate second hour for us, which is good because we certainly can't read the writing on the whiteboard!  The members are incredibly warm and always looking for ways to help.  This past Sunday there was no prelude music, so I hopped on the organ.  Then, when no one stood up to lead the music, I found myself conducting too!  There's such a sense of community and willingness to pitch in.  We're seeing nonmembers show up regularly, which makes each Sunday feel extra special.

Mondays are a whirlwind!  We start with a family Zoom call, then head into our communication meeting with folks in Japan, Korea and Guam.  After that, it's off to help with the English classes, and we wrap up the day with Family Home Evening alongside the Young Single Adults.  This week, the leaders asked us to share not only a message but our love story--complete with translation!  They seemed to love it.  Many of them speak some English and genuinely enjoy chatting with us.  We also helped with some fun games.  Interestingly, these gatherings often have more non-members than members, which is pretty amazing.  

We were invited to lunch by our Communication Director, Naska, who treated us to a hearty mutton and noodle soup.  It was delicious---and the candy didn't disappoint either.  I may have gotten way too excited when a bag of Hershey's Miniatures made an appearance! 

Later in the week, we joined a birthday celebration for Jay, the mission secretary.  We went to E-Mart with him to pick up cake, soda, and pizzas.  Since it was too much to carry walking, we rode with him there.  This trip that would be a 5 minute walk took us nearly 2 hours by the time we drove there, parked, waited to get out of the parking garage, and drove back!  The night included pizza, cake, and---you guessed it---Karaoke!  Karaoke is huge here.  J.D. wowed the crowd with his singing chops, and I learned a fun new card game.  We had a blast!

This beautiful cake came in a box that was made to tear off triangular pieces that were used as little plates to serve the cake on---genius!! 

One of the highlights of our week was serving again at the House of Mercy homeless shelter.  The people there were so grateful, and many proudly said "thank you" in English.  It was touching and humbling.  

Saturday brought an unexpected delight: we woke up to an empty street.  Normally bustling, it was suddenly silent.  Turns out, the Ulaanbaatar Marathon was happening, and they'd closed off all the main roads.  The city came alive in a different way--families strolled, kids biked and skated, and it felt like the whole city was out enjoying the fresh air.  It was peaceful, joyful, and so fun to witness.  

We took advantage of the open streets and walked to the Shangri-La Mall, where we visited a store called "Good Price".  The name was....ironic.  It's an upscale spot, and while they had plenty of familiar items (especially Kirkland brand), the prices were anything but friendly.  $25 for peanut M&Ms?  $13 per pound for bacon?  We still splurged on the M&Ms and also finally found the last 2 ingredients we needed to make cookies and brownies: cocoa and baking powder!  Everyone told us Mongolia was inexpensive, and they were absolutely right---unless you want something imported from the U.S.!  

And the kids here?  Absolutely adorable!  They stare at us constantly--especially at J.D.'s bald head.  One of these days, he's going to offer to let them touch it!  A little girl recently handed him a bouquet of dandelions with a big smile, and another one giggled the whole way up a hill as I helped push her bike. Some of the older kids that are brave say "Hello, do you speak English?", and then quickly run away! Moments like these just fill our hearts.  

This little girl was at the birthday party and kept telling her mom I was grandma!

We finally got to meet the Roses in person and have dinner with them!  They have been in Mongolia since November but serve in an area 7 hours from the city.  They were most helpful to us when we first got our call and had a million questions! 

Many things in the United States are much better than here.  For example, I never worry about my hot water going off and rarely do I have an internet problem.  This week, we lost both.  When we turned hot water on, nothing came out.  Luckily the next morning, after turning it on and having the water be brown for a few seconds, it was back to normal.  We have also been without internet this weekend...hopefully we can figure that one out soon!!  But occasionally we see something that makes us wonder why we don't do it that way in the U.S. !  What a brilliant way to sweep the store!  

We see ambulances attempting to get somewhere many times a day so I tried to capture it on video.  They are saying to move over, but there just isn't anyplace to move!  

We have been working for a week to gather ingredients and supplies to make some home baked goods.  This loaf of Artisan bread was our first and it was delicious, despite having no measuring spoons or oven mitts!  Apparently they don't bake much in Mongolia so finding anything to do with baking has been a chore!!

Life is good in Mongolia and we hope the same can be said for each of you back home!  It's always great to hear from you!  We feel very blessed to have this opportunity to further God's work in this part of His kingdom!