Making Mission Memories in Mongolia

A Routine Week in Mongolia This week was what we’d call a routine week —no extra trips, projects, or big meetings. But what exactly does a “routine week” look like here in Mongolia? That’s what I thought I’d share! Sundays begin with our two-hour church block. Our congregation includes a handful of native English speakers from the mission, the embassy or tourists, as well as many Mongolians who speak English. At church they have small wireless transmitters and members willing to interpret so we can hear the message in English each week. I usually play the organ or conduct the music, and recently I’ve been asked to direct a choir for a special upcoming event (more on that in a future post!). In the evenings we’ve been holding choir practice. Mondays start with time to work on writing stories and completing our communication assignments. We work with the communication director in Mongolia, Nasanbold (Naska), to know what things we need to work on.  He has his hand in lots of differ...

We kicked off the week with another uplifting zone conference on Tuesday. These gatherings happen every six weeks, and it amazes us how quickly they seem to come around—it makes time feel like it’s flying! Our zone right now is made up entirely of elders. While I missed seeing the sweet sister missionaries, hearing these young men sing “Ye Elders of Israel” was a powerful moment that brought tears to my eyes. Their faith and dedication are inspiring—it’s no small thing to give two years of your life in service to the Lord. Since it’s August, J.D. got another birthday shoutout during the meeting, which was fun! We were also in charge of doing cleaning inspections for the missionaries' apartments and giving awards.  I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised at the clean apartments we saw!  On Friday, we traveled about two hours outside of Ulaanbaatar to Baganuur, a small city with a big heart. The Church had donated paint, supplies, and volunteers to help freshen up a local kind...

This week felt like we could finally catch our breath a little! Things moved at a slower pace, which gave us time to enjoy some meaningful moments. The Pearsons, Humanitarian Missionaries serving in Tokyo, came to help with a few projects and joined us at our weekly service at the House of Mercy Homeless Shelter. Serving there has become a highlight for us—the people truly feel like friends now, and we look forward to seeing them each week. This time was extra special because it happened to be J.D.’s birthday! Everyone sang “Happy Birthday” (in English—somehow everyone seems to know that one), and our sweet Korean nun friend surprised him with handmade soap. Afterward, we celebrated with a birthday dinner at The Mongolian restaurant together with the Pearsons. The surprises didn’t stop there—our district missionaries showed up later that evening with eclairs that tasted just like home and sang another round of “Happy Birthday.” And if that wasn't enough, the sisters brought him s...

Words Cannot Describe… Words cannot describe the whirlwind of this week!  But before we talk about that....our tsampts are finished! Now for our week...we kicked things off Monday with a ten-hour trek — five hours to Khentii, then another five to Choibalsan. We measure in hours, not miles (though it’s 414 miles one way) because time tells the story far better than distance. Words cannot describe…the roads. We’ve mentioned Mongolian roads before, but this stretch took the crown. There’s a 50 km section between Khentii and Choibalsan that even locals call “hell.” The potholes are so deep and wide that the only logical solution is to leave the road entirely and bounce across the open steppe, weaving around for the least bone-rattling path.  Still, the beauty made up for the bumps. Miles and miles of beautiful green pastures.  Herds of sheep, cows, and horses, and the occasional sudden brake to avoid a  herd passing across the road kept things lively. JD even closed al...