Ger Bul Mini Ee

Tsag maani er ni yachvaa? Daraagiin doloo xonogt yavlaa gexed itgemeergui bgaa shuu. Neg l bish ee! What a great time to be knee deep in the Lord's work, what a great time to be a missionary! This last week I've been in that stage where everything seems surreal, too good to be true. I'm trying to soak it all the feelings/sights/sounds in my mind and heart, I know that I'm in a place and at a stage that I'm going to miss like crazy in the next couple of months. So like you asked Mum, I'm not doing very good at transitioning my thoughts for the next stage, but Яах вэ? That'll come eventually.

I've now just hit the week mark with Elder Haas, but it seriously feels like we've been working together for months, things just clicked and have been going really smooth from the first day on in our companionship and work! We've been super busy with both of us teaching English and then showing Elder Haas the area as fast as I can. Transfers are this Saturday and so I've only got 5 more days to show him as much as possible! On top of that we've had a couple of incredible experiences finding new investigators. I'll share just a couple of the great experiences we had this week:

Friday we had another powerful testimony builder that the Lord truly does lead people that are prepared to receive the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ! We decided to head over to 13r Khoroolol a bit early and do some of our study outside the house before Elder Haas's English lesson at 10:00. As we were about to begin studying a man came, sat down, and started talking with us. He said to us, "I have a great job, a car, an apartment, but I'm not happy." From there we began talking a bit about the Gospel and then he invited us over to his house. The night before he had a dream in which a man in white clothes came to him and said that God's grace would find him, woke up not knowing the meaning of the dream. Then the next morning as he was going out to drink he ran into us. He knows that God can help him overcome his addiction but doesn't know where to go.We were able to testify of God and His restored church and arranged for him to start meeting the the missionaries in that area.

Saturday we spent most of the day digging a well for our a family in our ward! The hole started to get deep enough that they were starting to have trouble getting out! So we took the hole down to what I think is the "bed-rock," we started having trouble getting farther with the tools we had and water started to flow. I've included a couple pictures of that in the email!

Elder Jolley and Elder Haas. Well digging.

Then on Sunday we met a great, great new family! They have 10 kids! Most have all left home and are living separately. Their daughter is a member of the Church in Korea and sent their information over. They know nothing about Christianity apart from what their daughter has said over the phone, but are having a lot of struggles right now and want to have a strong, united family and have incredible faith that Jesus Christ and His gospel can bring that change. We both left that lesson just glowing, and the Lord is blessing us to find those who will be a strength to this ward.

I kind of mentioned this in my email to Mum, but Sunday was my last time attending the Enkhtaivan branch. The meeting was especially good. I don't know why, but I just felt uplifted, refreshed as I looked out on all these great Mongolian saints. Then to finish the meeting Bishop Damdin announced that I was leaving and we all sang "God Be With You 'Til We Meet Again." Oh man! That was a hard dose of reality. I love these people and couldn't be more grateful to my Heavenly Father for sending me to this place.

Now there is much left to do, but so, so little time. I love you guys, talk to you soon. See you soon!

Elder Ryan Jolley

P.S. I also threw in a couple of pictures...

Elder Haas and I planning in our wrestlers hats (don't ask)

Our meeting with Brother Purev and Sister Nyamsuren.

They have a temple date set for the middle of April!!!!! Baka.

New members from Sansar with Elder Newberger and Elder Jolley

Dear Family mini ee,

Happy Fathers Day Dad! Ta shuu!

I've been tempted a bunch to write an email to ya'll in Mongolian, but I'm pretty sure there's no Google translation for Mogol xel right now. But... don't worry, I'll make it up by rambling off in Mongolian to you guys. Tehuu? Nuguu Elder Jolley's email reminded me of that.

It has been a most excellent week. A ton has gone on!

We had a baptism.

I have a new companion.

A ton biz? So let me explain:

Monday after I sat in internet we went and met with Brother Byambsaikhan and Sister Otgonbayar and had a wonderful family home evening! Their family along with my companion wanted to learn to make pizza and so we made pizza together before the lesson. They are now attending church as a family each week and their oldest daughter also came for the first time in a while, they're an incredible family!

Tuesday we originally going to Nalaikh to conduct a baptism interview, but that fell through and we were able to attend our own district meeting. It was overcast and rainy and felt really good to be out in a suit coat. After eating lunch with the district we headed out with Bro. Byambasaikhan to his house and dug a well hole with our two district sign language Elders. Bro. Byambasaikhan could no longer get out of the hole that he had thus far dug and called us for help! So we took his meter deep hole to a good 2 plus meters. It feels nice to roll up the sleeves and do a bit of manual labor once in a while! Then Brother Byambasaikhan surprised us by making us a khorkhog while we dug. I'm definitely showing you guys this food when I get back. You make a khorkhog by heating up rocks in a fire, then throwing the rocks in with rib and leg meat, whole potatoes, carrots, and onions in water, sealed in a pressure cooker, and let it stew over the fire. Delish! I had tons of cool pictures to show you, but then the pictures were deleted.... so that was a bummer. After service we then went to companionship exchanges with Elder Bataa and Elder Davaadorj in Nalaikh; Elder Bataa and I were in Nalaikh and then Elder Davaadorj and Elder Tugsbaatar stayed in Enkhtaivan.

Elder Bataa is actually the older brother of a new member of mine in Chingeltei named Urangoo. We had an incredible day Wednesday! Elder Bataa's last 3 companions have been on their last transfer and he's really pulling at the reins wanting to feel that missionary fire in his companionship. No complaints here! So we spent all day Wednesday working like crazy and it was a great exchange for both of us. Having known him before his mission and he knowing me as a young missionary it was very easy to see the way that missionary work had changed us for good. I love how we are able to become the more Christlike versions of ourselves through the strengthening and enabling power of our Savior's Atonement. I have seen that change in myself over this last 2 years, and more importantly, I have found such joy seeing that change occur in other peoples lives- missionaries and investigators.

Thursday Elder Tugsbaatar and I settled back into work in Enkhtaivan, then things got shaken up on Friday! While we were doing our personal study Friday morning the assistants called and told us that President Clark wanted to meet with us at 9:30. So we rushed out the door and headed to the Bayanzurkh. In the meeting there were Sisters Oyun-Erdene and Uyanga, because of some immigration office issues in Khovd the 2 foreign missionaries there (1 Elder and 1 Sister. Amerik gesen ug) were being sent back to the city and Elder Tugsbaatar and Sister Uyanga would be flying out at noon on Saturday! With the baptism also coming up that didn't give us much time. So we spent the whole day  preparing for the baptism and packing up in between. I conducted the baptismal service and Elder Tugsbaatar performed the baptism. Khishgee Egch was nervous, but the service went great and she is a great addition to our ward! I attached 2 pictures that we took at the baptism- 1 is of Khishgee with Elders Tugsbaatar, Huff, and I (Elder Huff was the missionary that first met with Khishgee almost 2 years before), and the other is of a member that we are working to reactivate and his son is preparing to be baptized, Baldorj Ax and Taivansanaa.

Elder Huff, Khishgee, Elder Tugsbaatar and Elder Jolley

Baldorj Ax, Taivansanaa and Elder Jolley

So Saturday morning we had a sister in our district really ill and so Elder Tugsbaatar and I were at the hospital in the morning. We thought it may be an appendicitis, she was having a lot of sharp pain and couldn't leave the apartment and so we hopped in a taxi and got them over to the hospital for some tests. After they were situated we headed back, got packed up, and went to the Bayanzurkh Building.

I've saved all the info on my new companion for last. Elder Haas! He came to Mongolia with Elder Verdusco and I couldn't be more excited to work with him for the next two weeks! In this next two weeks he's getting training on being a zone leader and then with the next transfer will be paired up with a new missionary as the Bayanzurkh Zone Leaders. I don't have a picture of us together yet but I'll send you one asap. He has a lot of enthusiasm to learn and grow as a Mongolian speaker, as a missionary and a mission leader and so we're going to pack a lot into these next two weeks! I get excited every time I think about it, Elder Tugsbaatar was a bit bummed at first about his new assignment, but it will be a blessing to him and I learned lessons with him that I could not have any other way and I'm very grateful to him for that. After I met up with Elder Haas Saturday we had a weekly planning session, and still got out for 3 lessons before the day was over. It was a good way to start our new companionship off!

Then Sunday we attended Church (next week will be my last week in Enkhtaivan, the following Sunday, July 1st, I'll be in a companionship with the other departing missionaries and attending Church in Sansar). Khishgee Egch asked that I give her the gift of the Holy Ghost to her, then after we spent the day introducing Elder Haas to everyone! After the block we headed up to Nalaikh for that nuguu baptism interview. It was Elder Haas's first time conducting a baptism interview and it went great!

This week I'm finishing up Moroni in my Book of Mormon reading. I love the different perspective and new insights I've received from studying it in Mongolian. To close I want to share a small passage from the Book of Ether, Chapter 12:

1 And it came to pass that the days of Ether were in the days of Coriantumr; and Coriantumr was king over all the land.

2 And Ether was a prophet of the Lord; wherefore Ether came forth in the days of Coriantumr, and began to prophesy unto the people, for he could not be restrained because of the Spirit of the Lord which was in him.

3 For he did cry from the morning, even until the going down of the sun, exhorting the people to believe in God unto repentance lest they should be destroyed, saying unto them that by faith all things are fulfilled—

4 Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God."

I love you all, and I love this work! What a great opportunity we have to submit our will to the Lords and to be then blessed and changed!

Elder Jolley

Dear family min ee,

Isn't it weird now that we've passed the June 9th mark? This week has been really rewarding and has gone by too fast! The highlight of the week would definitely be Zone Leaders Council on Thursday. It was a spiritual feast and the time went by way too quick. I had a lot of questions that I had been asking the Lord in my prayers and I was getting back to back answers throughout the day! We finished the council by having PPI's with President Clark, this was probably my second to last interview with him... I really don't know where the time has gone. I love this time I have to be a missionary.

This week our investigator Khishgee is getting baptized and we have 1 more baptism scheduled before I head home. Most of our work right now is with part member families and it's very rewarding to see the Gospel basics bringing joy to the lives of these people on a family level. It reminds me of a quote in PMG that goes something like this, "The study of gospel principles will improve behavior a lot faster than the study of behavior will improve behavior" (President Boyd K. Packer). A lot of times in our work, families, and personal lives we tend to focus on the problem, taking us only farther away from the source that would bring us relief. We are seeing this right now with Bro. Byambaa and Sister Otgonbayar's family. This family was inactive but have recently began coming back to Church because they have seen how not living the Gospel principles has effected their children. Now they are experiencing some bumps on the road as the try to get their family back on the Gospel track. But... as they focus less on the problems and more on Gospel principles their problems go away! As we look to our Savior we can see this change in our own lives. Whether it is doubt, anger, temptation, contention, the solution is the same, I really love what the missionary Aaron said about finding hope as we turn to God, In Alma 22:16 he says:

"...If thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest."

Other than zone council and a companionship exchange with the Baganuur Elders, this week has been pretty calm. I'm still teaching at the New West Hotel and they're especially having me do a lot of editing and translating on their company material before I head out. This week we have scheduled splits with the Nalaikh Elders on Wednesday, and on Tuesday we're going to dig a well hole with the Bro. Byamba that I mentioned above. There's a lot to do and very little time to do it!  Elder Wilson and I also spent the morning filming our MTC application videos. We taught a 10 minute lesson and now that will get sent into the MTC for evaluation.

I'll have to include pictures in next weeks email, I forgot the chord at home. But after what's been going on down South I'm just glad to have my camera... Elder Jolley must have gotten really skinny or something cause I wouldn't rob him! I have to put a little shout out to relatives and friends who have sent emails. Thanks much for sending word out here and please forgive an Elder for being so slow at replying!

Love, Elder Jolley

Hey Family,

Sain Uu. I've got a lot to write and so little time! Skyler.....you're 16! And you've got a license!

This week we've had opportunities to grow closer as a companionship. It's been a harder week for my companion and I have been praying for ways to help lift and bless him. My top two solutions have been patience and work! And so we've been doing a lot of that this last week. You heard from Brother Raal about our meeting on Sunday. What a cool experience! The world is a really small place eh?

Brother Raal and Elder Jolley
(Brother Raal was a missionary in Ryan's Dad's
 mission in South Africa) 

An update on the missionary visa situation. First off, my visa is set until September and so as long as I make it to July we should be fine! On the 1st of June, 4 of the Elders from our mission were scheduled to be deported from the country. We even met as a zone on Tuesday with President Clark to learn more about what was going on, at the time we had no way of keeping those Elders in country by our own means, and we began praying and fasting as a mission for this situation to be watched over by the Lord. Thanks to prayers by people in and outside of Mongolia- the legal action following this visa situation kicked in and though a solution has not been reached, the missionaries have been allowed to stay in country while the matter is solved. This came out of the blue on Wednesday and was another reminder that the Lord is watching over this mission!

Sorry, but times up.... I love you guys and I'll talk to you more this next week!

Love, Elder Jolley

Dear Family,

It's been an incredible week here in Mongolia! Right now the weather can't decide on spring or summer and so we're getting a little bit of everything throughout the week. How crazy is it that Elder Reeve is back?! This week was our last zone conference and so the week has flown by.

Monday Elder Tugsbaatar and I had an opportunity to meet with President Clark and among other things plan for Thursday's zone conference. I can't tell you how grateful I am for President Clark! I've seen over and over throughout this last year and a half how the Lord calls leaders with certain traits and abilities needed for the assignment. It was really cold and rainy Monday but we held strong and got a few hours of basketball. Since Elder Reeve was delayed Elders Huff, Munkh-Erdene, Tugsbaatar and I all hit up BBQ Chicken (a Korean Restaurant here) with him and had a great last preperation day with him.

Tuesday we had our first district meeting with our new district leader, Elder Usukhbayar. Elder Usukhbayar is a sign language missionary and so the dynamics of our district meetings have changed, but it's interesting to see how that doesn't interrupt the workings of the Spirit at all! We had a great district meeting focused on PMG chapter 1 and then headed over as a district to Bishop Enkhbaatar's house for lunch (the Selbe Wards Bishop)- his wife and daughter are in Utah right now, and he just got his visa and is heading over there to see a new grandchild. They're the family that are going to do the FHE with us and so Bishop came up and excitedly informed me that he'd see me in Utah Valley! He's great and I can't wait to introduce you guys to his incredible family, a true pioneer family in Mongolia's terms. We then had 4 hours and knocked out lessons with all of our investigators with baptismal dates- especially working with them on receiving their own testimonies through reading the Book of Mormon. It's so crucial to an individual's growth in the gospel and so we're really focusing in on that early on.

Elder Jolley and Tumen-Ulzii

Wednesday we had a very interesting service project. We spent the early afternoon sorting spuds at this underground vegetable storage shed! We all grabbed knives, sat around huge bags of potatoes and cut the nasty ones and made them "seedlings" and then repackaged the good ones. I taught again at New West because of zone conference on Thursday. They know I'm getting close to leaving and they're redoing all of their brochures and such in English and having me help them get their name out a bit on the web. I think they call in "storm chasing" back at good old Riser. We got back, the Baganuur Elders were scheduled to spend the night with us so we picked them up, headed home and prepared for Thursday.

Thursday. The last zone conference! We got up early and were at the Bayanzurkh Building by 7:30. The conference started at 10 but President and Sister Clark along with the rest of the zone went down to the International Intellectual Museum for a tour before zone conference started. It was founded by one of Mongolia's brightest minds and the museum holds all of his creations- carvings/puzzles/chess boards/etc. I included a picture with me and the founder, Tumenulzii Ax in the email. So I can send out more pictures I'm going to send this email in 2 parts.   Tur Baka

Part 2. Okay we're back. As you can see I put one of the Elders to work on my camera today and got a few basketball pictures on preparation day. Elder Tugsbaatar and I found a place with Derrick Rose jerseys for dirt cheap and so I bought him and I jerseys 2 weeks ago.

So back to Thursday. After the museum tour we had zone conference from 10-3 p.m., 5 hours filled with training on the message of the Restoration. We especially focused on helping the missionaries realize the importance of using Joseph Smiths own words when teaching about the First Vision. You cannot sincerely read/hear/recite these words without feeling the Spirit!

"I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!"

Joseph Smith truly did see our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ. And the message of Christ's restored gospel, when sincerely prayed about, brings light and testimony. Applying the Gospel that this, the Church of Christ teaches, leads to the mighty change of heart that gives us the power to change our life! Elder Tugsbaatar and I had the special assignment to demonstrate the teaching of the Restoration, along with the baptismal commitment, to the rest of the zone. It went really well and it lead to a great discussion. Then to close Elder Huff, Elder Davaadorj and I, all leaving in the July transfer, had the opportunity to bear our testimonies to close the conference. The fact that there's only a month left still hasn't really hit me yet.... Following the conference Elder Wilson and I were invited to attend a translation analysis meeting with a Brother Tod R. Harris (from the Church's scriptural translation department) to review the current translation of the Mongolian triple combination scripture. Elder Lloyd and I were on temporary exchanges and actually ended up running around with Brother Harris from the end of the conference until the analysis meeting helping him get a Mongolian SIM for his phone. What a cool career! From what I understood he heads the Church department that oversees the translation of the scriptures around the world. Definitely a lot of traveling but it's got its perks! Elder Wilson ended getting caught up in some visa meetings and wasn't able to attend but Elder Lloyd sat in with me and we reviewed about 20 different scripture passages and compared them with the English translation. Cool! I learned from Brother Harris about a lot of opportunities within the Church for volunteer translation work and found out a few ways to keep my Mongolian up back at home. Also heard that he was on his way to Cambodia and so I sent a letter to Elder Mickelson through him. We'll see if it gets there!

Friday was our weekly companionship exchange day. Elder Lloyd and I had already planned splits for Friday and so after the translation meeting we split and headed off to Enkhtaivan while Elder Call and Elder Tugsbaatar headed to Bayanzurkh. Elder Lloyd and I had a great day of work! We found a new family who has heard a lot about the Church from relatives who are members and began meeting with them. The wife, Sister Gereltuya, was especially excited about the opportunity to pray, and asked us if she could pray about everything we had talked to her about. (OF COURSE!)

Saturday we spent most of the day doing service with members of the Enkhtaivan ward. June 1st is Children's Day in Mongolia and their was a primary activity in which the primary presidency decided to make pizza and asked me if I would head that effort. So we popped out 4 pizza's and then headed off with a less active family of ours to their лагерь (that'll make sense to no one... it's like a cabin home outside the city?) with our district and helped them till and plant their garden. I sent a couple of pics that we took while working. Then at night we met with Sister Unenbat and her husband, Brother Amaraa, who's struggling a lot right now to kick his alcohol addiction. His wife's example and faith is really helping him to want to have that change!

Sunday we spent the day meeting with less actives and new members in our ward. Our ward has not fully applied the "home teaching" principles and so we are really working with the members to fulfill that responsibility. Right now there are a few visa issues going on, but nothing too specific as of yet. But unless something else comes up my visa is fine until September! So that's a big blessing. Some other missionaries aren't in the same boat right now so please keep them in your prayers. Love you guys!

Elder Jolley

Dear Family,

Sain Uu. Has it already been a week since we talked? It was too good having that time to talk together, I can't believe how blessed I am to have such a family! Neree shuu. This week we were blessed to find a bunch of new investigators, a total of 8 comprising of 2 families and then a great young man named Tulgaa.

I've always heard stories of missionaries that have that "glow" about them (Alma 5:14), and had a cool experience with that last Sunday with this new investigator Tulgaa. He was introduced to us at the Stake Conference last Sunday by a member friend then on Tuesday as we met with him for the first time - he remarked that though he had investigated many religions and a lot of different Christian faiths, many of the people he had met did not have the change in their lives that he believed should follow their faith. On Sunday as he met with us he commented on how he saw a light and a countenance in our faces that was the "change" he was looking for and is very enthusiastic about learning more. I have seen similar things throughout my mission - most of the time what we say stands small in contrast to the light in our countenances that comes from living the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is undeniable evidence of the joy that comes into our lives through the Atonement and it has a great effect on those around us:

"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all theenergy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen. (Moroni 7:48)."

That is a gift that only comes through continued faithfulness and obedience to the Savior and His teachings - and it gives us a strength that can not be found anywhere else. I've been relying a lot on that strength a lot this week, it's one of the greatest blessings of my mission and I'm grateful for the opportunity to draw closer to my Heavenly Father.

As things start to warm up in the city we've been able to get out and do a lot of service. We were up in Zuun Ard Ayush fixing Sister Unenbat's fence on Wednesday and then Saturday we helped a less active family tear down a shack next to their house. We have so many great great people to work with in Enkhtaivan. The field truly is white!

This next week I'll be sure to get a few pictures out! My times really short this week - love you guys!

Elder Jolley

Here's a few pictures. I'm feeling super lazy on the emails today.... sorry but it's true.... after talking with all ya'll the emails feel super lame!

Love ya!
Elder Jolley

Sister Unenbat's baptism on May 4th

 

 Elder Jolley and Elder Tugsbaatar

 These last two pictures... Elder Jolley with some of his Mongolian friends