From Todd Campbell (Ryan's uncle):
How many areas in your mission? How many missionaries? Are there several dialects?
What kind of things do you do for fun on p-days?
What kind of things do you do for fun on p-days?
R: Hey Todd & Family! There are 6 zones in the mission right now. 3 in the city and 3 out in the "Khoodoo," or the countryside. Right now we have 120 missionaries in the country, 7 American and 110 + Mongolian Elders and Sisters. Thankfully no dialects! Super pleased with that, but there are accents and some of them are tricky! When the weathers warmer we will be able to go out, see some of the big monuments and sites around the country, but the last 2 weeks we've been going to the "Children's Park." It's the first ever theme park in Mongolia, it's going to be a hit! It's not finished all the way yet, but they've got all the simple rides like: a ferris wheel, bumper cars and that kinda stuff, nothing intense. Most of the missionaries have never been to a park like that. It's more fun for me to see their reactions- every new ride is the coolest thing ever! It's pricey and so I hope the fad is wearing off!
Elder friend and Ryan with the Children's Park in the background.
Elder Amgalan and Elder Jolley at the Children's ParkFrom Lindsay Hogg (second cousin):
Ryan, What is one lesson you have learned from your mission that you will share with your future children?
R: Not to be selfish with what we have. At home we have a sense of ownership with everything and it's a bit selfish. In Mongolia there's not even a possessive word. You describe something as being with you and I think that's kinda cool. Everything is shared here, sometimes it's different to me and I'm working to get out of that habit that I have to automatically hold back, because it's "mine."
Ryan, What is one lesson you have learned from your mission that you will share with your future children?
R: Not to be selfish with what we have. At home we have a sense of ownership with everything and it's a bit selfish. In Mongolia there's not even a possessive word. You describe something as being with you and I think that's kinda cool. Everything is shared here, sometimes it's different to me and I'm working to get out of that habit that I have to automatically hold back, because it's "mine."
From Uncle Brent and Aunt Mary Hall:
What tribe do these people get assigned to in their patriarchal blessings? Where do they think they come from?
R: As of last year, all the ten lost tribes have been found in Mongolia! Cool huh? I'm not sure what the "norm" is for here yet though.
From Jonathon Hogg (second cousin):
Trivial question for you. How many 12 apostle quorums can be on the earth at one point in time?
R: Right now, I say just one quorum. But then I think of when Christ ordained Apostles in Jerusalem and the Americas and that gets tricky. Is that correct??
From Aunt Linda Campbell:
What kind of fruit do they have in Mongolia? What are the youth like? Are they very interested in the church?
R: Right now tons! Naturally almost none is grown here, but we have tons of imported fruit that are in street vendors' stands throughout town, but I'm not sure what'll happen when the cold weather hits, so we'll see. Found canned peaches this week though.... PARTY! So I'm saving those. The Church as a whole is super young here, most youth preparing for missions have callings like YM/YW presidents and such. Faithful RM's are seminary teachers and other various callings. It's really cool to see them carry their calling! The church is such a different lifestyle here that the active youth have to really work at it to live the Gospel, but they're strong and the YM/YW stuff is really starting to catch on!
From Uncle Bob Hogg:
What is a major obstacle missionaries face in introducing the gospel to the Mongolian people (other than being able to communicate as well as you would like to in the language)?
R: Hmmm.... probably commitments. I think that's a problem everywhere, but living the gospel here is a struggle, their culture is not built on Christian values and history like ours is. Feeling the Spirit and accepting the truth, but then changing your life to follow it is a big jump! Retention is a big problem here because it's so easy to slip out of that way of living.
What is a major obstacle missionaries face in introducing the gospel to the Mongolian people (other than being able to communicate as well as you would like to in the language)?
R: Hmmm.... probably commitments. I think that's a problem everywhere, but living the gospel here is a struggle, their culture is not built on Christian values and history like ours is. Feeling the Spirit and accepting the truth, but then changing your life to follow it is a big jump! Retention is a big problem here because it's so easy to slip out of that way of living.
From Jen Fullmer (Ryan's aunt):
I don't have a "real" question so I will just ask.... how is the Mongolian Beef in Mongolia?
R: Hey Jen! I have yet to eat beef here.... EVERYTHING IS MUTTON! But they do eat food that is similar to the Mongolian places in the States, it's called tsoivan and it's dee-lish. My favorite Mongol food. Mutton is the staple of everything here and it's cheaper, so not many people dig beef here. It's kinda sad.
From Mom:
I wonder about the holidays there.... do they celebrate any of the same holidays as we do? What other holidays do they celebrate? Do you/can you wear your mission badge everywhere you go?
R: The Church members celebrate Christmas from what I've heard, but other than that I think American holidays are out. The two big holidays here are Tsagaan Sar ("White month" in February), and Nadaam (in July, kinda like the national holiday here). Outside the church buildings Americans aren't allowed to wear tags as of now! I hate taking it off every time I leave....
From Kelly Pia (Ryan's aunt): Hey Ryan!
1. Are the grocery stores the same there as they are in the states?
2. How much is a gallon or pint of milk? How much is a loaf of bread?
3. What kind of cars do they drive? Make and models?
4. Do they have a McDonald's there? Have you eaten it? If so, is it good and is it priced the same.
5. Do they have any American stores there? Example...Target, Walmart, 7 Eleven?
R: Hey Kelly and Family! I haven't found any store here that is found in America. There's not even a Mickey D's here. Mongolia is still considered a "developing nation" and that is part of the reason. The milk here comes in 3% or higher and it's less than a dollar for one liter, a loaf of bread is about the same. Here 1300 Tugrugs equals one dollar, and the biggest bill is a 20000 and that's about 15 bucks. Everything is pretty cheap here, when I eat out I never spend, on average, more than 3 dollars. The " Honda Civic " of Mongolia is a Hyundai Accent, they're super junker cars though! There's a mix of left and right driver's side cars here and it makes driving kind of tricky! Mostly every car is from Japan or Korea, but the super rich will drive Mercedes and American SUV's, Hummers are boss cars here!
I hope that gives you guys a bit of a better look into Mongolia! Forgive me for the short emails and answers, email time is a blur! I love you guys, thank you for the support, and know how blessed we are by our Heavenly Father... we really have no idea!I wonder about the holidays there.... do they celebrate any of the same holidays as we do? What other holidays do they celebrate? Do you/can you wear your mission badge everywhere you go?
R: The Church members celebrate Christmas from what I've heard, but other than that I think American holidays are out. The two big holidays here are Tsagaan Sar ("White month" in February), and Nadaam (in July, kinda like the national holiday here). Outside the church buildings Americans aren't allowed to wear tags as of now! I hate taking it off every time I leave....
From Kelly Pia (Ryan's aunt): Hey Ryan!
1. Are the grocery stores the same there as they are in the states?
2. How much is a gallon or pint of milk? How much is a loaf of bread?
3. What kind of cars do they drive? Make and models?
4. Do they have a McDonald's there? Have you eaten it? If so, is it good and is it priced the same.
5. Do they have any American stores there? Example...Target, Walmart, 7 Eleven?
R: Hey Kelly and Family! I haven't found any store here that is found in America. There's not even a Mickey D's here. Mongolia is still considered a "developing nation" and that is part of the reason. The milk here comes in 3% or higher and it's less than a dollar for one liter, a loaf of bread is about the same. Here 1300 Tugrugs equals one dollar, and the biggest bill is a 20000 and that's about 15 bucks. Everything is pretty cheap here, when I eat out I never spend, on average, more than 3 dollars. The " Honda Civic " of Mongolia is a Hyundai Accent, they're super junker cars though! There's a mix of left and right driver's side cars here and it makes driving kind of tricky! Mostly every car is from Japan or Korea, but the super rich will drive Mercedes and American SUV's, Hummers are boss cars here!
Elder Jolley
Editors note: thanks to all for your questions... I think he really enjoyed giving feedback. Please keep the questions coming.... we'll do it again as soon as we get a good handful of them gathered.
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