Happy Sunday!

Hey guys! I wanted to answer back from all your letters and also give you a little more into my work here, I'm going to do the letter questions from each person that asked them:

Sky Guy — The pics I'm sending this week will show you how I'm dressing... but we've been scoring as far as the temperatures, it still really warm here! Here it's not about bigger coats, but lots of layers and so I've got a bunch of cheap sweat type stuff that you wear under the suit. Ахлагч Амгалан sent me a really cool gift this week too, a beanie made of camels hair (super thick and warm), yeah buddy! How was the Haunted Forest bud? I never heard about that one.... freaky?

Brayd — Don't even give me that ab ripper talk! I bought some dumb bells last week though and that has been sweet to do in the apartment. Before I could run and do pull ups and all that outside, but with the cold coming on that won't happen again until about May. How much are you putting up right now? Wait til you get back from your mission all soft... he he. You asked about the "mission transformation," the biggest thing you can do right now is not slack on the preparation! How's your college prep? Most importantly are you working and SAVING? The one thing I promise you'll regret more than anything is not being ready on the money side of things. I wish I had done better and with you not going to college before you've got a really good opportunity ahead of you! In your next email let me know what your doing with all that. Then I would say to especially get more specific in your study, each week do a different topic, write down your impressions and the scriptures you have found. That preparation you have put in before will mean you will be able to teach with the Spirit- you having a for sure knowledge that it's true and not just a scripture you looked up before the lesson. Also, get yourself set up for college after the mission.

Andraya — Sweet witch costume! I loved the Halloween pictures. Give me an update on how school and friends are okay? You said that you guys were thinking about selling the wii, are you still doing that?

Kendyl — Check out my pictures, I met Michael Jackson! It was kind of a surprise... христмас баярийн мэнд хөөргья! That is how you say Merry Christmas in Mongolian (Christmas Biar een mend khuurgii!). Thanks for the picture you and Draya drew for my package, and you're looking good in the bangs!

Mom — Okay somethings up with these computers, I'll attach the pics and then they disappear (....Windows....). But the pictures I'm sending this week are of my area and with one of my investigators, Ерөө Ах (Brother Ерөө). He's a painter and an artist and really digs Michael Jackson, there's paintings and memorabilia of him all throughout the house! His wife was just baptized a couple of months ago, he was going to be baptized as well, but had a bit of a faith shaker when his younger sister died. In this new area the work has been really slow starting... this week has been a lot of figuring out where things are, trying to find old investigators that fell through the cracks, trying to find new investigators (which is tough without being able to street contact or tract!), and we've been fighting to get just 2 lessons taught each day. This last week we met with a lot of new people, are starting to build up those associations and I'm really excited for this week! Our hard work is starting to show some fruits and I'm hoping it really takes off this next week with the goals we've set! We committed one of our investigators, Наранцэцэг to be baptized! She has a really cool story. Ахлагч Амгалан and I met with her originally about 6 weeks ago, she told us that she had met with the missionaries before, and really wanted to join the Church! That was a cool lesson. She was not in our area at the time and so we referred her to the missionaries in what is now my area and hadn't heard anything else. Then when we were whitewashed (both missionaries transferred to a new area), Ахлагч Ганболд and I began meeting with her again. She had been taught all the lessons, was wanting to be baptized, but her husband would not allow it! He REALLY didn't like us coming over, but respects his wife and she was able to keep coming to church and meeting with us. So, we made the goal to befriend him and teach him the lessons as well... and this last week Даваатөмөр came with his wife for a tour of the Church and we taught him part of the first lesson! Knowing more about the Church and what we do as missionaries has really warmed him up towards the Gospel, and know Наранцэцэг is going to be baptized on the 21st and we are going to keep meeting with her husband. Наранцэцэг struggles with the scriptures to understand them (the scriptures in Mongolian are really hard to understand, even for a lot of Mongolians!), and we've been meeting with her, sharing scriptures and principles of the Gospel and helping explain what she has read. Everything about our teaching here is the simple, simple truths and our lessons are very basic, I love it!

Elder Jolley and Ерөө Ах (and Michael Jackson??) : )

I guess that Skype is fine here and so it will be up to you guys on that! I don't know about the Christmas call stuff yet, but I'll ask around this week. Whoa... I almost forgot.... We have a new mission president coming! President and Sister Clark from Mapleton, Utah have been called and are scheduled to be here as early as the first week of December! I don't know anything more than that right now, but we found that out this week. The Powell's will return to being senior couple missionaries until they leave in April, and the Mechams will stay in the States to ensure a full recovery. I've known for a while that they wouldn't be returning and that's sad, the Mechams were incredible and I loved being able to meet them before coming. That also means that before the end of my second transfer I'll be on my 3rd mission president.... not many missionaries can stay that!

Dad—You asked about English teaching, it's really calmed down a ton. The students I teach now are the really committed learners and it makes the lessons a lot easier and more tuned to their needs which is nice. This last week my lessons were canceled for 3 of the nights and I didn't teach much which gave way for more time to search out our members/less active members and investigators. The roads and addresses here don't follow any reliable pattern and so finding houses can take forever! This week we were looking for a house that was on the 28th road and the 274th house. All the house roads branch off from the main road leading to the city, so we were walking and passing 26th road, 27th.... then all of the sudden we were at the 33rd road. Wha??? So we searched around for a while, but it was time to head back. The next day we were about 1/2 mile away from there and found 28th road, and that's the address system out here!

About Christmas. Would you start checking around for a slim, bifold wallet with 2 bill dividers? My companion wants an American wallet super bad so I've been trying to figure out what kind he would like, nothing too expensive, but quality so it can take a beating out here. Also, he loves Mormon shows like The Best 2 Years, if you can find a DVD of that he would love it! I don't really have any big needs... you know that Degree deodorant I always buy? Maybe send one or two of those and I'm set. I'll add in next week if I can think of anything. Other than that just stuff from home! I bought a pair of winter boots and dumb bells, so that's why I transferred cash from my account. Have Dad work his magic and see if anyone will buy my guitar off KSL and then that can also go to that card as reserve cash. Have him email me when he does it to check the price and stuff. But other than that I'm living really well! I'm making sure I budget the cash and it's really rewarding to have some money at the end of the week to go out to eat or something! I'm usually the sole cooker at my apartment (the other 2 Elders have moved out so it's only our companionship), and so I'm having fun with that. This week I'm makin' my own bread!

My thought for this week is to have you all do a cool FHE. Look up Preach My Gospel page 3. I've been learning a ton, having a companion, about the power of a good relationship and the affect it has on our work! I love the way that PMG sums this up and it would be a really cool thing to do as a family. Will you all do that with me? We'll talk next week and remember that just reading and talking about it does nothing! Goals are probably the coolest and most under-utilized things we have! After you guys read and discuss, talk about what you are going to DO! I love you guys, hope that this would be able to give you a better look into things here.

Elder Jolley