Sain uu,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! I'm happy to say that this is the last birthday that I'll have to say my happy birthdays over an email, and I was glad to hear that you still had a great day amidst all the moving craziness. I love seeing all of your views of this move, I've seen as our family has trusted in our Heavenly Father all of your letters have become more positive, hopeful, and resolved. The Lord gives us amazing opportunities to change and draw closer to him and as a family, each one of us are having those experiences now. I love it!

This week has been busy. Elder Quinton and I headed out Tuesday at 5 to Baganuur for companionship exchanges. As the zone leader each transfer I will have the opportunity to do at least one companionship exchange with every district leader in the zone. In the Bayanzurkh zone their are 4 districts covering 6 different wards or branches, half of the zone serves in the UB West Stake and the remaining districts are part of the UB East District and a total of 26 missionaries. Baganuur is the farthest district out, 2 hours away by car and so doing companionship exchanges with the Elders there is a trip! Before I've always traveled in the mission vehicles and it felt really cool buying a ticket, loading up and hopping on a Korean "greyhound." Both the trip and the exchange went really well. The district leader in Baganuur, Elder Batdul, is serving with a temporary companion (everyone in Mongolia calls them "mini-missions") named Elder Ganshagai, a new member who has submitted his missionary papers. We arrived on Tuesday night and met up with the other Elders and got to work! The 4 of us went and visited a new member and her family before returning home and planning our temporary companionship's work for the next day. Elder Quinton taught English the next day at 5:30 and so we worked until 2:30, caught the 3:00 bus and we're in town at 5:15. It was a very quick day! I loved the opportunity to go out with Elder Batdul and learn more about the area and the district. This week companionship exchanges will be in the city so Elder Quinton will be able to stay in Selbe and work and then I will be going on Wednesday to Bayanzurkh to exchange with Elder Verdusco.

So Elder Quinton is back on his feet, going strong, and we've grown a lot as a companionship this week! Every time you get with a new companion you re-learn how to do the work in this new combination. Elder Quinton and I both have really strong personalities! So this makes the process really good for the both of us. Because of the companionship exchanges and English our work was slower this week until Saturday came around. English is just part of my assignment here and I've been learning a lot since being companions with Elder Neuberger about making it another side of my missionary service, really finding joy in it. I especially loved Church this week. I was really missing that "charge" that I get from the sacrament and church this week. Truly "the Sabbath Day was made for man" and for our blessing. We do find real joy in this life as we align our will with the will of our Heavenly Father. I feel that everyday on my mission and it has changed my view of what this Gospel means to me and the role it must have in my life. And then to bring that Gospel to others, to work to have the Spirit and convince all men that "Jesus is the very Christ" is such an incredible role and responsibility that we all have!

Love, Elder Jolley

P.S. I included 2 pictures. one is of the new member we met with, and the other is one that Elder Quinton shot on Saturday (it was really cold that day!), it doesn't turn out as clear in the picture but I had a sweet ice run up my hat.

Hey Family,

I can't believe it's already Monday again! This week has flown by and I'm loving getting to know the ward and people in Selbe! During winter in Mongolia there's a thing called Ес (or "Yus" ch yum uu), which is the 9 coldest weeks of the winter. We are now in the middle of week 4 and so these next couple of weeks will be cold and then until the end of the 9 things should start warming up real nice. And really, unless the winds picked up it's usually not too bad.

You see on the picture I sent of Elder Quinton and I that this morning it was nice and windy (super red faced), and we got a fresh layer of snow this morning.

The other picture is right smack dab in the middle of Selbe, the big store you see is the Ix Delguur (the State Department Store) from Seoul Street.

Then last Saturday we went with the new missionaries up to Zaisan! Neither of the new assistants have a drivers license yet and so I took machine #2 (yes, that's it's name) and followed them out there with Elder Quinton.

My new companion! His name is Elder Brandon Quinton, from Vegas ( I think over by Kelly and Anthony), and has been in Selbe the 4 months he's been in Mongolia. He's got a great desire to work and especially to contribute in planning and teaching- and he's been teaching me the area this last week as I'm trying to figure out where everyone lives. Because it's all apartment buildings it has been really easy that way and this last week I was able to get the general feel for the area. He teaches English right now for 10 hours each week to a family (way cool!) who wanted a private English tutor. They're really good friends with some of the Church Service Center Employees and though he teaches a lot he has a great opportunity in this next 2 years. My English teaching went up another hour and a half this week so we're definitely doing a lot of English, but fitting in missionary work as much as we can in between!

Selbe right now has a ton of great new members and right now to keep the work going strong we need to find some solid new investigators. We have one really great progressing investigator named Tserendulam, a 86 year old emee. Now for Mongolia 86 is a respectable age to hit, but on top of that she has a great understanding of the Gospel! We'll ask her about her Book of Mormon reading and she'll say she doesn't understand much except for........ and will recount the first book of Nephi to us! It's all about faith and desire people, that's all that matters! Some of her really good friends became members of the Church back in the 90's and have been faithful members since, so we are excited to continue to see her come closer to Christ. Every day this week we also had a lunch appointment with a different member family. Wow. I don't know how the Elders back in the States do it. After almost not eating in Sansar all this great food here is amazing! All Mongolian people in general are incredibly selfless and hospitable to missionaries, and the members take that to the next level. Almost every meal has had "courses." Friday was our climax, we had 3 back-to-back appointments where we were fed huge amounts of food and my companion got sick from it! Starting Friday night and all Saturday he wasn't able to keep much food down and was so wiped out he couldn't leave his bed. So I did what Mom would've done- I called the other Elders and had them pick up materials for honey toast! Worked like a charm. More importantly the other Elders and I gave him a blessing Saturday night... soon after eating a bit he again parked off. Finally about 3 in the afternoon on Sunday, comes out, the color's come back to his face and we headed out to make our evening appointments, we even got fed heart and liver buuz that night and he ate them up. It was a great opportunity for me to help and serve my companion in that time and I'm glad he's back on his feet now (I was getting cabin fever being in the house so long!). Today we're going to go get him some material to make a deel so we can both sport deels for Tsagaan Sar. You guys will get the pictures over Tsagaan Sar (it's going to be the last week in February this year) so be ready! Also I found out today through the Pass Down that our all mission conference has been postponed from the middle of February to the middle of March to include Elder C. Scott Grow (spelled right yum uu ugui yu?)! So lot's of exciting things coming up!

To close I'd like to share a cool scripture I re-found today in personal study. I have been re-reading the New Testament and finding passages and doctrines that match the Book of Mormon and cross-referencing them, it's been an great learning opportunity for me.

The scripture is Romans 10:14-18

14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?

17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

18 But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.

As I have been reading the New Testament it has strengthened my testimony of the restoration of this the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Because God continues to give us His word through modern prophets and has given us another witness of Christ our faith in Him can lead us to act and bring "faith unto repentance" as we prepare to again meet our Heavenly Father. I love you guys, pray for you and I love this work!

Elder Ryan Jolley

Hey Family,

Sain uu! Soo much has happened and these emails hardly do it justice.... more than anything I can't believe about all the changes going on outside of Mongolia (moving/missions/marriages). Who is Brittany marrying?! Crazy. You'll also have to let me know where Sister Brunsdale is serving, she'll be an incredible missionary. Right now more than anything I'm having office withdrawals, I keep feeling like I'm on a companionship exchange and that this is just a temporary thing. I have learned so much this past 6 months! I loved what Elder Mickelson said about helping with transfers. He will learn so much about the process of receiving revelation in the next few months. I want to do everything perfectly and sometimes lack that godly patience that I need- but more than anything I have seen my mission setting apart blessing and so many other promises from the Lord fulfilled in these last few months as I have been supported and strengthened beyond my capacity through Him. Working with President Clark and the other leaders of the church/mission have been incredible!

So Monday... last preparation day with Elder Neuberger. We went to the Zakh to buy some more fabric for Elder Neuberger's deel and with the leftover money we had bough Mongolian belts and ping pong paddles (every church building here has a table and members here are GOOD!). More than anything it was fun to be walking around chatting with my comp. Then we went to the office and suddenly preparation day was over! The office tends to do that, lots of work pops up. But I was able to do some great language study that day translating some interviews. Later on that night we went to Bro. Purev and Sister Nyamsuren's house and taught them how to hold a family home evening. It was a great night! I've said this before but every time I'm over at their house it feels like I'm at home. The Spirit is there and their desire to now live and follow the Gospel is growing each day! I knew that night that I wouldn't be meeting with them regularly anymore and that was hard for me, but I know it's right.

Tuesday we had district meeting, President Clark had a few calls to make to Hong Kong and so we went to our own district meeting rather than attending with him and Sister Clark. It was great to be with the district and it is amazing to see how Elder Neuberger and Elder Boyd (the two "new" missionaries in our district) are progressing in Mongolian. They seem so much farther ahead than where we were at after our first transfer. Tuesday we started wrapping things up in the office (cleaning/organizing) and did that until I had to teach English at 6.

Wednesday and Thursday were crazy! We spent almost half a day ordering/buying plane tickets and doing a lot of financial and logistical prep for transfers. We sent off an Elder Bayarjargal Thursday morning to be the new branch president in Bulgan and so his companion, Elder Stranski stayed the night with us (which turned into a tuna bacon sandwich fest). I love transfer week. Game time for the assistants! So Wednesday we had our battle plan and notified the zones and districts. Then starting Thursday morning we began to run missionaries out to the bus stop and airport or send them by taxi where possible. Elder Neuberger is a stud and was super patient with all the companionship splits and changes that were required for that. Realizing that I wouldn't be serving with Elder Neuberger hit me on these days. He has had a truly unique and challenging first 12 weeks in the mission and now I am excited to see him dive into doing the work 24/7, but sad that I couldn't be there with him! But he couldn't have gotten a better companion than Elder Bayartsogt! He's also only been on a mission since August but has charity and patience and a desire to serve unlike any other missionary! Their going to love Khailaast. Other than that, today the cafe across the street (Us Ug) started serving aarts! Yeah! We talked about aarts over Christmas so I won't describe it again but it's been nice having it back (restaurants only serve it in the winter). Sooo good.....

Friday we welcomed 3 new missionaries from the Manilla MTC! Originally the plan was to go pick them up around 1:30 but because of weather problems in UB (smoke I think), the plan was delayed and didn't get in 'til about 9. So Elder Neuberger was out teaching most of the day and I was with Elder Myagmardorj (the other assistant) training him about the duties of the office. Being a split companionship as assistants was super tricky and I would have really loved a transfer to work with Elder Myagmardorj- he's an incredible Elder. Now that he and Elder Huff are a companionship the will take things and run with it. We had a missionary that came in by bus at midnight and went to pick him up. I don't know how anyone (including myself before the mission) can survive on anything but the 10:30 to 6:30 schedule!

Saturday started early with a 5:45 run to the airport to take an Elder to Khovd. Did a lot of driving and moving people and luggage around this day! This was the official transfer day, and with the MTC Elder and Sisters behind on their orientation we did a lot of their training this day as well. So Elder Huff and Elder Myagmardorj went up to the mission home for training and I manned the transfer from the mission office with temporary companions as my new companion, Elder Quinton, taught English. Then I translated the departing missionaries interviews and because of a lack of drivers and car space we took machine #2 with a few Elders to Zaisan and read the dedicatory prayer with the Clarks and the new missionaries. The original plan was then to ditch the office for good and get out to Selbe with Elder Quinton, but then a few of the new missionaries and their trainers had problems getting out Elder Myagmardorj and I helped them while Elder Huff and Quinton went to our appointments. So we got to my new home through the bags in, planned, and went to bed.

Now Selbe! I'm in the city center, so it's west of Sansar, surrounded by apartments and "high-risers," not one ger in the whole area... so the dynamics of this ward are a little different. Sunday I LOVED personal and companionship study and love even more that my study is now going to be consistent. Enjoyed a lot of pondering and recording my impressions in a new study journal I got. Then we headed off to church! Where in what's called the Old Central Building and it was a great great day! Met investigators/members/ and the Bishop- this is going to be a great transfer! The Elder's Quorum teacher is a "ex-patriot" (what the members call foreigners) named Jared who is out here working at the Oyu Tolgoi mine headquarters (a Rio Tinto project). So I'll be able to keep translating on Sundays in sacrament and for his lessons which I was really excited about. After Church we got to go around the area a bit until the fireside for departing/arriving missionaries at 6:30. This was an especially exciting fireside because the Church's website was released in Mongolian!!!! To show the new site we recruited a Brother Tserennyam, a member of the Church's Mongolian Media Committee who is studying at BYU Hawaii. So Elder Huff and I arranged a presentation that he would give over a web conference at the fireside; he ran the computer and I worked the translation for President and the senior couples. Our missions translation receiver was in a mission car that got in a wreck so I fought the receiver for the whole fireside trying to keep the static and noise down so those listening could enjoy and understand the testimonies/presentation. We ordered a new transmitter but for some reason it isn't connecting with the headsets and so I got super flustered/bugged at junk technology. This is something that I would have done before my mission but has rarely happened on my mission... but don't worry this story has a good morale to it. Now of course this doesn't help my translation and so the whole process was self destructive in that way. I had prayed at the beginning of the fireside that everything would work out and my translation could be a benefit to others and at the time it seemed like that wasn't happening at all. Then after the presentation President Clark said a few closing words and I,(still flustered) translated. I got down and told Elder Myagmardorj "that was terrible." I love Elder Myagmardorj, super straight forward and he responded in a honest but loving way, telling me to get over it. I had done what I needed to do, everyone understood and I should have a little faith in myself. Just what I needed! As I thought about this throughout the night it was so clear that everything, especially the presentation, had gone almost flawlessly; and though the translator wasn't crystal clear everything worked great. I'm not perfect in the language but I was promised in my setting apart that I would be able to express myself clearly in the mission language and I have seen that blessing over and over. So I was blessed with a change of perspective and it was a great blessing to me.

There are so many other things that I wish I could throw in but to close I'd like to share a favorite scripture, Galations 4:7

Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

We are blessed, as members of this Church, to have such a close relationship with our Heavenly Father that comes with a knowledge of Him through the restoration! It literally changes our perspective and purpose in worshiping and following Him.

Khairtai Shuu! I know I didn't write a ton about Elder Quinton today, but I'll write a bunch about him next week. Have fun moving!

Elder Jolley

Hey Family!

It's been a week of big changes here... and from the sounds of it the same for you guys. I'm so excited to hear that you are started on this great change in life and I can't help but think of that few months we spent in the town home, a summer to remember! Please continue to let me know how it goes.

First off, on Saturday the transfer call was sent out... and I'm out! I cannot believe how fast the time has flown by.... these last 6 months have been the best of my mission. I'm off to Selbe to be the Bayanzurkh zone leader with an Elder from Elder Neuberger's group, Elder Quinton. So... big changes all around the mission! My MTC group "gevel" Elder Huff is coming to serve as President's assistant in my place, Elder Reeve is staying in Sukhbaatar, and Elder Wilson will be the Songino zone leader. Elder Neuberger is off to Khailaast. Man I'm grateful for the time I've had with him! I felt like I've spent the last 3 months with my brother, but I couldn't be more excited for his next assignment- a great area with a great, young missionary. I wish I could communicate the excitement that comes with transfers among the mission to you. We talk about transfers, measure time by transfers, and it has a way of bringing change and new opportunities into missionary work. More than anything I'm blown away at how fast my remaining transfers are dwindling... 2 full transfers until July. My new area... is great! It's the literal center of UB, different from most areas because (I'm pretty sure) there's no ger districts. I'll be meeting in what's called the Old Central Building, it houses the Enkhtaivan and Selbe wards, and I've heard nothing but good things about my new area. The new apartment puts me closer to my English class which is nice, and it's not too far from Elder Quinton's sponsor. Elder Quinton was trained by Elder Wilson for the last 3 months and I've had the chance to get to know him a bit, enough to know that we're going to get work done! But expect more about my new companion next week... for now I'm betting there's a blog on him that you could check out?

If we were to tally it up.... I've been in Sansar for almost 13 of the 17 months in country and now I'm almost sure I won't be back. I love this area! I've also been so grateful for the time I've had to serve here. It's been a blessing to my mission and it's been a place of so much growth and change in my life. Especially the last 6 months we've been working with investigators and new members that will be a blessing and a support to the ward, not being able to meet with them will be the hardest thing about leaving. But all of our new members are getting callings, starting their family history and even setting goals for the temple! Especially Bro. Purev and Sister Nyamsuren are incredible. They've even bought a computer and printer for their home so they can get their family history done quicker! We'll be meeting them tonight. It seriously feels like I'm at families house over there and we've grown really close in these last few months. I'll find a picture to show you if I can, but Selbe is "on the other side of the street" from Sansar so I'm not exactly "gone" in that way! I am excited to now look at this work from a new perspective and in a new place.

Times up. Gotta go. I love you guys so much; know that I am loving the work, I love this Gospel and the people here!

Та нарт хайртай шүү!

Ахлагч Райн Жолий

Sain uu

Happy New Year! I can't believe that it's already been a week since we talked- I feel like I've got tons to fill you all in on. With 3 months up and transfers coming up on the 15th there's sure to be some changes in the Neuberger/Jolley companionship, so we're really trying to make the most of these last couple of weeks. More than anything I'm blown away at how big everyone's gotten. Mom and the girls keep getting prettier and Skyler gets taller every time we talk (the Jolley men group has lost some numbers!). This week Elder Neuberger had no English classes and so it's been a great week to catch up on new missionary training and now we're ready to dive in to a new week.

Monday we went to the Zakh and started making our deels, between that and our Skype call it was an awesome preparation day! I will show you a picture when it's finished but it's going to be awesome! I also bought a traditional Mongolian hat to go with it, and the deel's being sewn this week. Writing the BYU essays then took up a big part of the day (after talking with you guys), got shopping and cleaning done, and then we finished off the day by playing some ping pong at the Bayanzurkh Building.

Tuesday was spent preparing a lot of information for the transfers and such, so between that and my English class most of the day was gone. Without the morning English classes we had the opportunity to have some really great companionship study sessions and learned a lot about improving our work here in Sansar. We receive revelation for our investigators through the Spirit, and then as they respond through the same influence of the Holy Ghost that's when we see real progress in our investigators lives! So we have been focusing on having more spiritual power in our lessons and are being blessed as we try!

Every Wednesday we have a morning staff meeting, and then at 4:00 we go with President Clark and meet with investigators and their missionaries throughout the mission. I have so far to go on my Mongolian, but especially in translating the blessings promised in my setting apart have been realized and I'm very grateful for that. And now that I'm getting close to finishing my time as assistant I look forward to the opportunity to dive into more frequent language study. Then Thursday we had a great meeting with the Bishop, met with some new members and did some translating for President. We have a couple from Canada that we are meeting with, and we met with them on Friday and talked about the Book of Mormon, they've been a pleasure to meet with and I'm improving my ability to teach in English- I've never really done that here and so it has a "new" feel to it. With this couple I have seen how the Lord prepares His children to receive the Gospel and that really, no matter what background you come from, the Gospel blesses our lives!

Saturday and Sunday were also really low key. Saturday we sent a lot of packages and branch equipment out to the countryside from the bus stop here and got back in time to spend New Years Eve with our newly baptized new members, Brother Purev and Sister Nyamsuren. It was a great night, Mongolians are incredibly hospitable and I love the people here, especially in the Sansar ward, I feel at home here. Mongolians really love their fireworks, they were going off like crazy all night long, but it led to a snow storm that cleared out all the smoke! So New Years Day was warm, blue sky... a crisp, clean, beautiful day! We attended services at Sansar and then in the afternoon went with President and Sister Clark to Khailaast. So had a nice reunion there and had a wonderful fast Sunday. I've been finishing up the Gospels this last month, I'm reading in John right now and have been impressed with the words of the Savior, the power and authority by which He taught. I am so grateful for His influence in my life and for this opportunity to serve the people here, I love Mongolia and I love this work.

Khairtai shuu, Elder Jolley

P.S. Finished the BYU application!