Sain uu,

What a week! We have spring coming on in full swing here! I remember last year how great 30's felt and I've learned on my mission that "good temperatures" is all a mind game that all depends on what you base "cold" off of. Yamar ch gesen, it's really warm right now! Today after email we're pulling out the frisbee and going to go play with a few of the Elders to take advantage of the nice temperatures.

So this week we've seen a ton of progress with investigators. Bumbayar and Batbayar are now attending seminary and mutual, and ar eprogressing towards their own baptismal date (the 20th of April). We had two investigators, Nyambayar and Itgel, who we haven't been able to meet with as much lately, start coming back to church and meeting with us again.

I reread Jacob 5 this week in my reading of the Book of Mormon in Mongolian, and so the first transfer here in Selbe was slow, a lot of digging, pruning, and cutting, but lots of little branches are being put forth! I'm grateful that these things are done in the Lord's time and not my own. We've got transfers coming up on the 7th of April (right before Conference!!!), and I'm not sure of what will be happening in the next couple of months from that, but that will really decide where I'll be for the last portion of my time in Mongolia and so this transfer really has a bittersweet feel to it. My plan: just keep working as hard as I can, go as fast as I can, and then I'll have time to think over all of this later! I've been given a year and a half to gain experience, sharpen my skills, and by continuing to use them to the best of my abilities, while still relying on the Lord is one way I can show gratitude to Him for all of the amazing blessings I've received on my mission.

I wanted to share a great experience that we had on Thursday. We had the opportunity to go out with Bro. Jared Armstrong (a member of the ward who's here working for Oyu Tolgoi, a Rio Tinto mining project) and do some home teaching. Our main purpose for going was to show him the house and translate, but if needed, I want to do this with every priesthood holder in the ward! As home teachers we don't understand how important this work is! We have hundreds of examples, success stories, and Liahona articles that tell us so, but somehow we think that ours is a different situation. IF you're reading this email and you're not on a mission- go and do your home/visiting teaching. Those families will be blessed through your service! Okay, off the soap box and on with the story. This family is one that we've met with a few times, trying to activate and heard a lot about them (hometeachers), but now they were excited to have a home teacher of their own! The message was simple, but it brought the Spirit and again I was grateful that after my mission I'll have that opportunity. The final part of this story is another testimony of what we here in Preach My Gospel over and over and over again: while we were there it just so happened that some relatives were there, recently moved from the countryside, and they sat in on our lesson. We were then able to share with Erdenegerel and her 3 children about God and prayer, and they are now taking the discussions! Sister Erdenegerel closed the lesson with her first prayer, and all 3 of us were really impressed by her sincere desire to learn and act to come closer to God. I walked home that night really grateful to have seen the Lord's hand in our work.

May's coming up quick! Someone mentioned the possibility of a 3 way call, I'd be all for it! Take a look at it and let me know what you find out. I love this Gospel, I love this work, and I am proud to be a representative of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! To close I'll share a favorite section of the Doctrine and Covenants:

" Now, what do we hear in the gospel which we have received? A voice of gladness! A voice of mercy from heaven; and a voice of truth out of the earth; glad tidings for the dead; a voice of gladness for the living and the dead; glad tidings of great joy. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that bring glad tidings of good things, and that say unto Zion: Behold, thy God reigneth! As the dews of Carmel, so shall the knowledge of God descend upon them! And again, what do we hear? Glad tidings from Cumorah! Moroni, an angel from heaven, declaring the fulfilment of the prophets—the book to be revealed.... Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free. Let the mountains shout for joy, and all ye valleys cry aloud; and all ye seas and dry lands tell the wonders of your Eternal King! And ye rivers, and brooks, and rills, flow down with gladness. Let the woods and all the trees of the field praise the Lord; and ye solid rocks weep for joy! And let the sun, moon, and the morning stars sing together, and let all the sons of God shout for joy! And let the eternal creations declare his name forever and ever! And again I say, how glorious is the voice we hear from heaven, proclaiming in our ears, glory, and salvation, and honor, and immortality, and eternal life; kingdoms, principalities, and powers!"
(D&C 128:19-24)

Love,
Elder Ryan Jolley