The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Since so many of you have asked about the return of our hot water—and J.D.—I’ll start this post by saying they both returned on schedule! Yesterday was cause for celebration when we discovered that the hot water was finally back! We survived the second edition of our Siberian Showers! 

As for J.D., he returned from his grand adventure on Tuesday evening. He likes to describe the trip as “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.” So, let’s start with the good! To fully appreciate the good, I need to give you a little backstory about the purpose of the trip. Khuvsgul Lake is Mongolia’s largest freshwater lake and contains more than 70 percent of the country’s reserves. In recent years, the lake’s fragile ecosystem has faced increasing threats. As part of efforts to protect the lake, a remote scientific research facility was constructed nearby. The Church donated humanitarian funds to assist with the installation of solar panels and other equipment for the facility. 

In appreciation for the donation, the Office of the President invited Church leaders to attend the grand opening of the facility and participate in a traditional blessing ceremony for the lake. The trip included a bonfire, traditional Mongolian entertainment, a stay at a beautiful resort, a ride in the President’s helicopter), boat rides, lots of miles in the car, and—most importantly—45 minutes with the President of Mongolia!

During their time together, they had a wonderful discussion about religious freedom, Christianity, humanitarian donations, and the Church’s work in Mongolia. It was a very positive and meaningful interaction, and everyone who attended felt the trip was a tremendous success.  For J.D., the experience added another pretty impressive item to his list: he has now shaken hands with two U.S. presidents, the President of Mongolia, and the President of Palau! President Khürelsükh even commented on J.D.’s deel and told him he looked like a traditional Mongolian wrestler—once again his “costume” drew lots of attention! 

At the end of the visit everyone was presented with a gift bag from the President’s Office, complete with a watch and other goodies. In addition to this, J.D. received an extra special honor: the President personally presented him with a Presidential Medallion. Needless to say, it was quite an honor—and a pretty memorable addition to J.D.’s Mongolian adventure!

And now for the bad.  After a 12-hour car ride, getting to the remote research center required a two-hour boat ride. There were also additional boat trips for fishing and getting to and from the resort. At one point, while walking across the bow and along the edge of the boat to get on board, J.D. slipped and fell right into Khuvsgul Lake!  He can now report with absolute certainty that Khuvsgul Lake is every bit as cold as our Siberian Showers!

Thankfully, he was able to get back up and into the boat quickly, saving himself from even more embarrassment. He finished the trip, but he came home with quite a bit of bruising and, unfortunately, quite a bit of pain in his ribs. Moving around has been difficult, and we aren’t sure whether they are badly bruised or if he cracked a rib.  Either way, apparently the treatment for both is the same: wait two to six weeks and let it heal!

And finally, the ugly.  We mentioned the fuel shortage in our last post, and with all the miles this group had to travel—both on land and water—we knew fuel was going to be a challenge.  Because the trip was taking place at the invitation of the government, they assisted them in finding some rather creative solutions. And when I say creative, I mean ugly—but effective!

They managed to get fuel by siphoning gas from military trucks, being escorted to the front of very long lines, getting fuel at gas stations after hours, and even having gasoline delivered to the middle of the lake on a wave runner!  It certainly wasn’t the prettiest way to keep things moving, but it worked!

The fuel situation is still very difficult. Currently, fuel purchases are limited according to license plate numbers, and even then, only a small amount can be purchased.

In Other Mission News…

We were displaced from our office again! They are redoing the floors and installing all new office furniture, so we temporarily moved into the brand-new West Mission office.

This week was also transfer week, and we welcomed 19 new missionaries! And, as you can imagine, that means a LOT of baggage!

It was also a little emotional to see the sisters who were in the MTC with us heading home. Watching them leave, along with receiving an email from Church Travel containing our own travel plans to return home on September 24th, was another reminder that our time here is quickly coming to an end.

We have absolutely loved every minute of this grand adventure. Mongolia and Micronesia/Guam have given us memories, friendships, experiences, and stories that we will treasure for the rest of our lives. But after all the adventures, the cold showers, the fuel shortages, the boat rides, and even the occasional unexpected swim in Khuvsgul Lake, come September 24th we will be ready to see our family and begin our next grand adventure at home!