Hey family, you guys all look b-e-a-utiful! I loved the pictures that you sent (are there a mother/father shot as well?), and I'm sending some pictures your way. You asked how cold it was... it's starting to get really chilly! A couple of towns got snow this week. We haven't had hot water in our apartment for the last week or so and so showers have been like Deer Creek water... so with that and a couple of cold nights I've gotten a bit of a cold. Then the hot water came in today.... it felt like a million dollars!
This last week the office was really quiet while President and Sister Clark went to Hong Kong for Area Mission President Training. So we had a great opportunity to do a little bit of catching up in the office and then lots of lessons from the afternoon on! It was a great week and I continue to love being in the Sansar ward. We have so many people that are ready to accept the Gospel, to follow Christ and have had a lot of success with part-member-families in the last couple of weeks. There is a returned missionary named Bayasgalan who ran into a relative that he hadn't seen in the last several years (Sodoo) and invited him to learn more about the Gospel and he agreed to meet with Elder Tuvshinbayar and I. We enjoyed a great discussion as we taught him the Restoration and then gave him a new Book of Mormon and committed him to read from Moroni 10. The next time we met I had to teach English and so my companion and I did splits with two ward missionaries. They met while me and my companion went to teach at the New West. Right before I left Sodoo came up to me and was excited to tell me that he had read the chapter, but that's all I was able to find out. Later as Elder Tuvshinbayar met with him he said that as he prayed he had received a confirmation that night that the Book of Mormon was true. Truly the Lord works by faith! We've been gone all weekend, but will hopefully meet with him tonight. I love Mongolia! There are so many people here that are ready to come unto Christ and this is a place and a people that have been prepared for the Gospel. We have 5 investigators that have been faithfully preparing for baptism and so I will be excited to let you know what happens in the next 2 weeks! My only regret is not having been to Sansar's sacrament in the last few weeks (the Sansar missionaries have become less active in their own ward) as we've been attending different sacrament meetings throughout Mongolia. Last week we were in Khailaast, this Sunday we were in Selenge, and we may be in Darkhan next weekend. But it's a great blessing to be able to go around and see all the areas of the Church in Mongolia. I'll take the rest of the email to talk about our trip:
This last week the office was really quiet while President and Sister Clark went to Hong Kong for Area Mission President Training. So we had a great opportunity to do a little bit of catching up in the office and then lots of lessons from the afternoon on! It was a great week and I continue to love being in the Sansar ward. We have so many people that are ready to accept the Gospel, to follow Christ and have had a lot of success with part-member-families in the last couple of weeks. There is a returned missionary named Bayasgalan who ran into a relative that he hadn't seen in the last several years (Sodoo) and invited him to learn more about the Gospel and he agreed to meet with Elder Tuvshinbayar and I. We enjoyed a great discussion as we taught him the Restoration and then gave him a new Book of Mormon and committed him to read from Moroni 10. The next time we met I had to teach English and so my companion and I did splits with two ward missionaries. They met while me and my companion went to teach at the New West. Right before I left Sodoo came up to me and was excited to tell me that he had read the chapter, but that's all I was able to find out. Later as Elder Tuvshinbayar met with him he said that as he prayed he had received a confirmation that night that the Book of Mormon was true. Truly the Lord works by faith! We've been gone all weekend, but will hopefully meet with him tonight. I love Mongolia! There are so many people here that are ready to come unto Christ and this is a place and a people that have been prepared for the Gospel. We have 5 investigators that have been faithfully preparing for baptism and so I will be excited to let you know what happens in the next 2 weeks! My only regret is not having been to Sansar's sacrament in the last few weeks (the Sansar missionaries have become less active in their own ward) as we've been attending different sacrament meetings throughout Mongolia. Last week we were in Khailaast, this Sunday we were in Selenge, and we may be in Darkhan next weekend. But it's a great blessing to be able to go around and see all the areas of the Church in Mongolia. I'll take the rest of the email to talk about our trip:
President and Sister Clark flew in Saturday at 11, took a few minutes to re-pack, and then we loaded up and headed off to Darkhan. We took the 2 mission cars, the Clarks and my companion and I in one car, and the Fords and our mission secretary Jiguur and his wife in the other car. We arrived about 7 o'clock, grabbed a quick bite to eat, and then while President and Elder Ford met with the district presidency, Elder Tuvshinbayar and I headed off to meet with a new member of his in town. We weren't able to meet with Brother Raixan, but had a great chance to explore the city a little bit (see the picture I sent with the technicolor bridge)- Darkhan's a beautiful city!
Elder Tuvshinbayar and Elder Jolley in Darkhan
We then spent the night in the District Leader's apartment, in the un-used bedroom (with the bug bites to prove it!) with Elder Mungunsukh (who was my old zone leader) and his new companion Elder Bayartsogt. Sunday morning we got up early and went to Selenge! We were scheduled to be at Sacrament meeting by 12 noon and with the extra time we had President Clark take us up to the Russian border. 1 check off the bucket- list as I saw "Mother Russia" with some comrades (pardon the lame Russian jokes). But it was an area where 90 years before the Mongolian general Sukhbaatar fought the Chinese in the last battle for Mongolia's independance from China. The red wooden building that Elder Tuvshinbayar and I got a picture with was Sukhbaatars battle headquarters/office. But no one was home...
Sukhbaatars battle headquarters
Russian border
We had a great branch meeting with the saints in Selenge (I translated for the Ford's and then Jiguur translated for the Clarks), and meetings until late evening where we then headed back to Darkhan for the night. The Fords and the Clarks stayed at the classy Jasper Hotel and we spent the night with Elder Myagmardorj, the Darkhan zone leader. We then woke up this morning and headed back to UB.
I'm truly blessed to have the opportunity to work in this area and have this assignment. Besides a constant dose of humbling, I have been blessed from the Lord to help do the needed work and receive way too many blessings from Him. This morning as we drove back, speaking with President Clark, I counted it an incredible opportunity to be able to work so close with him and the list goes on and on! I love you all, I love this Gospel, and I am blessed to be counted worthy to do the Lord's work.
Elder Tuvshinbayar and Elder Jolley in Darkhan
We then spent the night in the District Leader's apartment, in the un-used bedroom (with the bug bites to prove it!) with Elder Mungunsukh (who was my old zone leader) and his new companion Elder Bayartsogt. Sunday morning we got up early and went to Selenge! We were scheduled to be at Sacrament meeting by 12 noon and with the extra time we had President Clark take us up to the Russian border. 1 check off the bucket- list as I saw "Mother Russia" with some comrades (pardon the lame Russian jokes). But it was an area where 90 years before the Mongolian general Sukhbaatar fought the Chinese in the last battle for Mongolia's independance from China. The red wooden building that Elder Tuvshinbayar and I got a picture with was Sukhbaatars battle headquarters/office. But no one was home...
Sukhbaatars battle headquarters
Russian borderWe had a great branch meeting with the saints in Selenge (I translated for the Ford's and then Jiguur translated for the Clarks), and meetings until late evening where we then headed back to Darkhan for the night. The Fords and the Clarks stayed at the classy Jasper Hotel and we spent the night with Elder Myagmardorj, the Darkhan zone leader. We then woke up this morning and headed back to UB.
I'm truly blessed to have the opportunity to work in this area and have this assignment. Besides a constant dose of humbling, I have been blessed from the Lord to help do the needed work and receive way too many blessings from Him. This morning as we drove back, speaking with President Clark, I counted it an incredible opportunity to be able to work so close with him and the list goes on and on! I love you all, I love this Gospel, and I am blessed to be counted worthy to do the Lord's work.
Elder Jolley
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