Sain uu,

It's been an incredible week here- so much's been going on in the last week on top of swallowing the fact that Brayden will be in the MTC this week! When we talked about the time that Brayd and I would both be on missions, but I'm still don't understand the magnitude of that yet. But wow I'm excited for you Brayden, the MTC is the best (next to the mission field), take this time to have a spiritual feast for the next couple of months. And first thing, go find the Mongolian Elders for me and tell them hi (they've been delayed a week or so but it'll be sweet for you to run into them. And also tell the MTC teachers "sain uu" for me/try to get them as your TRC investigators). By the way- I was just kidding about the weekly email switch off! Bad joke Mum, sorry :) I look forward to now hearing about the other Elder Jolley's experiences and we're going to have to work it out so we get one anothers emails.

It feels really good being back in UB! We just flew in about 2 hours ago and all the weeks events are now weighing on our eyelids. We started our trip last Wednesday at 6 and drove all that day until 11:30 and stayed in a place called Tosontsengel for the night. The countryside was everything from beautiful fall colors to deep snow in the mountain passes, a total of 1500 kilometers with the larger portion being dirt roads. So we had our trusty mission GPS and map along for the ride- it was an exciting way to travel. Thursday we woke up early and finished our trip, arriving in Khovd about 8:30 that night. Khovd, in a missionaries perspective, is as far out in Outer Mongolia as it gets- if you Google Earth it you'll see it's near Kazakistan and by far my favorite city in the countryside (I've included a picture in this email) in a lot of ways. The branch, the people, and the land are incredible. We then led out the branch's first youth conference in the same style as Murun; activities all Friday and Saturday with a closing testimony meeting Sunday morning followed by branch conference. We had about 35 youth attend and we had an incredible couple of days of strengthening testimonies and the youth in general. I admire these youth, who are literally pioneering all of these programs in Mongolia and the biggest thing that is needed right now is the tools and training to go forward. Khovd is a branch in the mission district and so the Mission Presidency re-organized the branch leadership during the week so there was much to do!

Elder Tuvshinbayar and I had the opportunity to stay with the Khovd Elders and had a great time working and being with them. I also had my first tarvaga, or marmot. In Mongolia it's a special dish and the former branch president worked it out so we could have it Sunday night. We were fed way way way too much food thanks to the generosity of the people of Khovd ( I think we ate 4 or 5 full meals on Sunday) and I think Elder Tuvshinbayar and I will be fine not eating for awhile. By the way, he's still walking around in crutches or a big stabilizer boot until the first week of December, it's now been a month since he messed his foot up. Transfers will be coming up the week the new Elders arrive (probably the last week of October) and we've got a lot of changes coming- I'm excited to see the growth! I'm grateful now for the opportunity to be with Elder Tuvshinbayar and love serving with him. Anyways, we got up this morning early, packed up, got a few things done and then headed off to the Khovd Airport. The mission financial clerk/translator Battsetseg and her husband Munkhdorj flew to Khovd with the Fords and Clarks, but then decided to drive back and we took their place! It was strange to see a 2 day trip being cut down into 2 and a half hours and it felt really good to be on a plane again- I was having deja vu of coming to Mongolia and loved that re-boost! How it's already been over a year in Mongolia I have no idea, I feel like I've been caught up in a dream mission and will be incredibly sad when it's all over. With only 8 months left that means I have a little over 2 full transfers and I look forward to all that will be done in this time- and I want to finish sprinting. Sometimes we get so used to being missionaries that we begin to overlook the miracle that is the Lord's work! I don't want to be that way and am trying to be more grateful and goal oriented than ever before. I love you guys and I hope you continue to see the miracle of the Lord's hand in your lives. To borrow the analogy given by Elder Bednar in last Aprils conference- the blessings of the Lord and the changes that He brings into our lives is like the rays of the morning sun. Look back on how different we were when I left- how the Lord has been pouring out His blessings upon us as we will put our trust in Him and go forward with faith! It is as night to day. I am grateful for the sanctifying effect that comes into our lives through the Savior and I hope all of you will continue to realize the Lord's hand around you- it is awe inspiring and unmistakable.

Make sure to let me know about all that goes on this next week, thoughts, impressions, and such- and let me know when Brayden's preparation day is, I look forward to hearing all about Elder Jolley's first week!

Love, Elder Jolley

P.S. A little explanation of the pictures being sent:

The first picture attached is Elder Tuvshinbayar and I along the way to Khovd (Wednesday afternoon). Right after this we spent about an hour in a snowy canyon wondering if we would get stuck or not! I was glad we chose jeans because we ended up helping dig a stuck car out of the snow bank.

The next picture is countryside. Pretty.

The next picture is the Youth Conference group picture taken at the end of Saturdays events. There's Elder Tuvshinbayar and I as well as the 4 Khovd missionaries, and the young mens/womens presidents.

The next is a landmark shot of Khovd. It's surrounded by mountains, the biggest and most recognizable being Yamaa Uul, or Goat Mountain. Cool eh? Khovd has a real Gobi feel to it.

The last shot is of Elder Tuvshinbayar and I getting on the plane in Khovd. In missionary work you get Spiritual rushe,s but not many adrenaline rushes and so to be honest, it was nice to be in something with a motor and feel a bit of "the rush." Elder Tuvshinbayar always cracks jokes that all of the things I did before my mission are written in the missionary handbook as things we're not allowed to do. It was a fun flight. Za amjilt!