Happy Tsagaan Sar!!! The Mongolian new year is at the door and Elder Quinton and I are doing great in Selbe. The transfer call came out this last Saturday- and for the first transfer in a long time I had that wonderful "transfer day" feeling, wondering what was in store! While working as assistant transfer was an incredible opportunity to learn and understand how to receive revelation.... now out of the office it's a time to see what the Lord has in store for this mission during the next six weeks! I've always looked at them as a time to re-evaluate where I am and what I need to improve on and so..... I'm staying in Selbe for the next 6 weeks with Elder Quinton!
There wasn't too much changed around this transfer and so now I'm really working on lifting where I'm standing and really trying to bless this area. Right now we really, really, really need new investigators! There's things that as a companionship that we need to
do better and then I think the Lord will bless us with the investigators that we both want. So this next transfer needs to be an improvement on all fronts. I really don't like being called the old
missionary or the "experienced missionary." I loved the feeling in my first few transfers of just fighting and struggling and working to be the Lord's servant and I'm trying to create that kind of a environment of continuously desiring and focusing on that change and improvement.
This last week we were able to find 3 new investigators who have friends who are members, and so we are really excited to begin meeting with them frequently. Tsagaan Sar starts this Tuesday with Bituun and officially ends Friday with Shinii 3, but usually carry on throughout
the rest of the week. I'm planning on stuffing my deel with pass-along cards and using this as a week to show an "example of the believers" every where we are and I believe that will lead us to some of the people that the Lord is preparing for this area. Then there's the eating side of Tsagaan Sar..... there's going to be a lot of buuz eaten this week! Elder Quinton is ready to dive in to the buuz fest and we've both made a goal to pound down 175. You guys better be excited because I'm going to make all these foods for you guys when I get back- your going to love them! We've been working a lot with the ward leaders and even started Ward Council up last Sunday- so a lot of good things are happening in the ward. The members are all really loving and last week we had the opportunity to get out and fellowship some of the members by making buuz with them (which is a huge thing in the weeks before Tsagaan Sar. Every family makes between 1000-2500 buuz- all to be eaten over Tsagaan Sar). So you'll see that in the pictures we're sending. Also... no one in Selbe thinks that American Elders can eat Mongolian food. I don't know if this is because of previous Elders or what but I think they think we're all light weights! Elder Quinton and I are always asked "Can you eat meat? Have you learned to eat meat since coming to Mongolia?" So this week when one of the sisters in the ward invited us over for food I requested
чансан мах, boiled/cooked meat, to put an end to all this. When I was in Chingeltei we ate chansan max all the time but they don't do it much in the city. Чансан мах is legit Mongolian food, just a bunch of boiled mutton (sometimes with the head and intestines like we saw on
Bizarre Foods) with potatoes and carrots. Then all the foods placed in a big bowl in the middle of the table, every takes knives and goes for it. By far my favorite Mongolian food. I've sent a few pictures of that for ya.
To close I want to share a scripture that I've been studying this last week:
63 Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently
and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall
be opened unto you.
64 Whatsoever ye ask the Father in my name it shall be given unto
you, that is expedient for you;
65 And if ye ask anything that is not expedient for you, it shall
turn unto your condemnation.
66 Behold, that which you hear is as the voice of one crying in the
wilderness—in the wilderness, because you cannot see him—my voice,
because my voice is Spirit; my Spirit is truth; truth bideth and hath
no end; and if it be in you it shall abound.
67 And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be
filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that
body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things.
68 Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to
God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil
his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own
way, and according to his own will.
Truly God lives. He is as close to us as we want Him to be. If we can but desire these things, just desire to have him in our lives and make the necessary changes all things are possible to us through our Father and His Beloved Son.
Love, Elder Ryan Jolley
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