Little Moments, Lasting Impressions

This Tuesday, on our preparation day, we took a walk to Sukhbaatar Square—the heart of Ulaanbaatar and home to the Government Palace. For the past month or so, we’d heard about ongoing protests calling for the Prime Minister to resign. Well, he finally did—and by pure coincidence, we were at the square just as the protesters were celebrating! There was a real energy in the air. Nothing like a little Rocky soundtrack in your head to capture the moment! We enjoyed some quality people-watching (while politely declining the ladies offering us artwork).











After the square, we headed back to Shangri-La Mall for a milestone: my first Mongolian haircut! Despite its unusual name, Ulemj Grease turned out to be a very nice salon. I was a bit nervous—not just about the language barrier, but also because my hair is quite different from the typical Mongolian texture. But my stylist, Eegii, did a great job—even if she took off more than I expected!





This is where I think I'm showing her to just take off an inch everywhere.  


This little girl came up to sit by J.D. and kept tapping him. The kids are so enthralled with him! 

The finished product!  Despite me being in shock at the amount of hair she was removing it turned out pretty good! 


Since we were already at Shangri-La, we couldn’t resist another visit to “Good Price.” We definitely splurged—chocolate-covered almonds, Frosted Mini-Wheats, Fruit Loops, cheese, and bacon—but hey, my birthday is coming up, so we decided to celebrate!  We also ate at Pizza Hut...it was similar to our pizza back home and rather tasty.  The addition of fries to the menu was a yummy bonus! 







Later in the week, we did our usual service at the House of Mercy homeless shelter, this time joined by two young elders. The people there absolutely lit up seeing these young Americans speaking Mongolian—it was such a rewarding experience to witness their connection and joy.





In English class this week, the students were learning vocabulary associated with dance.  The discussion and activity led to J.D. and I demonstrating the two-step and J.D. showing his ballet skills! 






We also hosted District Council at our apartment again, complete with a potluck brunch. We’ve been gathering ingredients for crepes for a while now, so we finally went for it! We had strawberries, bananas, whipped cream (hand-whipped!), Nutella, syrup, pudding, and peanut butter for toppings. The missionaries brought amazing dishes of their own—cinnamon rolls, banana bread, egg casserole, watermelon, and juice. It was a feast! Since transfers are this week, it was our last meeting with this particular group. While some will stay, many will head off to new areas. We feel incredibly blessed to have shared time with them.



This weekend was Stake Conference, which included the reorganization of the stake presidency. Elder Esplin, a General Authority Seventy from the Asia North Area Presidency, presided over the meetings. The conference was powerful and uplifting. One especially interesting part was hearing two talks given in English—one by Elder Esplin, a native English speaker, and another by Elder Karino, a native Japanese speaker giving his first talk in English. Both talks were translated into Mongolian, creating a beautiful blend of languages, cultures, and shared faith.

One particularly touching moment was when the Primary children sang “I Love to See the Temple” in both English and Mongolian. The hope and reverence in their voices was moving, especially knowing how fervently these faithful Saints are preparing and praying for the temple announced in October 2023.

And in a small but sweet moment—since there was no prelude music—I found my way to the organ and played a few hymns. Elder Esplin even thanked me for “making music come out of that organ!” It felt good to contribute in that little way.






And one last FUN picture to leave you with.  We bought this MAX FUN chocolate bar wondering what fun it contained.....turns out it was loaded with fun in the form of gummy bears and pop rocks!  Not what I was expecting in my chocolate bar but definitely fun!!




Comments

  1. I am so enjoying your stories and pictures! Thanks So much. Your hair looks great

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    1. Thanks!! You must be busy with preparing to move! When do you leave? We think of you often and pray for a safe and uneventful move for you! Best wishes!!

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  2. You guys look great and I’m sure the people are enjoying you. Thank you for sharing your experiences and photos. It’s really fun.

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  3. I could feel all your joy and the Spirit in this update. You are doing such a great work. The people and culture continue to make us want to visit.

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    1. You should definitely visit! What a great place! Come and see us after you get settled in Germany!! Prayers for a safe move!

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  4. I love the stories and photos. Who knew that JD had so many dance moves:) It sounds like you two are embracing Mongolia. And your haircut looks great!

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  5. Yes I clearly remember the Rocky Theme and his raised fists stop those stairs. So Mongolia is to get a new political leader. Wow for them. I did not know J.D. had those dance moves. Light on his feet too. Oh from your last blog, you are the ONLY missionaries we know in Mongolia. That organ has remained silent until you got there? What a blog and your hair cut was very good. At least you and J.D. are not temporary twins of being no hair on your head. te he.

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