Mongolia Mission Week 32 - Small efforts matter!

 Mongolia Mission Week 32

Our hope with this blog is to share highlights with our family and friends about our exciting opportunities and awesome responsibilities in Mongolia. It's an impossible task, though, because it's hard to condense everything into a few words and pictures. So ask us individually if you'd like to know more about anything! You can contact us by email (jrose219@gmail.com or krose213@gmail.com), Facebook messenger, or you can text Kathy's phone (515-537-3273). 

Sometimes we need to be reminded that even though there are just a few of us working together to make a meaningful difference in this part of the world, we can still accomplish more than we think we can. That reminder came as we walked home from the church one day and saw an ant dragging home an insect many times his size. He had a mission, purpose, and confidence. What a wonderful reminder it was to us!

Right after that, a boy on a bicycle rode past. He had to stop and rest because of the hill, so we caught up and asked if we could take a picture of his jacket: "From small beginnings comes great things." (Plus a few random alphabet letters!) Two separate messages of encouragement. We already know that there are great things in store for Sainshand. We have felt it since it arrived in the city. But we keep getting reminded - and we appreciate it.

This is such a different place than the frozen wasteland we found in December. There are many more people (especially children) wandering around, and we can see their faces rather than just the thick scarves everyone wrapped up in back then. Black pants and coats and boots are gone. Many women and girls enjoy wearing dresses. People are showing their toes in sandals. Couples stroll along the sidewalks.

People are out every evening enjoying the wonderful
weather (about 70 degrees). Days are getting into
the high 90s, but evenings are marvelous.

We thought the bouncy houses in the "Family Square"
were for Children's Day. Nope, they reappear evening.

As do the shish kebabs.

And soft ice cream shops!

One Friday there was a birthday celebration for Sainshand. It was a vibrant evening! There were musical groups, programs, a big screen set up to show a movie, and fireworks we could hear as we went to bed.

This looks like a suspicious group walking off into the sunset. Have we told you we really stick out? 

But every time we walk down the street, all the kids playing on the playgrounds and passing us yell out "Hello!" or "Hi!" so they can practice their English. (Assuming that we are English speakers, of course.) Most don't know any other words, but they exuberantly greet us every time they see us.

We have also noticed interesting plantings in the town square area. We can't wait to see what this looks like as it grows and develops. Yet another example of small beginnings of faith and hope. We all know that winter will come back, but that does not stop people from beautifying their grounds and enjoying the summer while it's here.

Around the edge of the playground of our apartment complex, we came home one night to find a tractor and auger drilling yet more holes. These bushes look very much like Korean lilacs. What an effort, especially since these will all need to be watered by hand. Someday this will really look nice.

Every Saturday we have a youth Mutual gathering at the church, open to whomever wants to come. With school being out, though, it feels like the city has emptied. So many of our regular church members or English students have gone - to Ulaanbaatar, to the countryside, to China or Korea, or somewhere. We never know who to expect at these activities or for our Sunday church meetings. And yet we had a nice turnout to play "Minute to Win It" type games on this Saturday. So much fun!

And in news from home, the Forsyth Fire in Southern Utah is on the back side of the mountain from our home. 450 people there (basically the size of the town) were evacuated from their homes and 13 homes were lost to fire. So far, over 10,000 acres have burned, and it is 8% contained. Things are hot, dry, and windy in Southern Utah these days. We're grateful that, so far, New Harmony is safe, and that the Lord's hand is over us all.

This is a historic church in Pine Valley.
Luckily, it was preserved.

 

Our week ended with emotional highs and lows. We had a group of young men walk into church together Sunday morning. Two are Deacons. Two were a couple of Primary-aged member boys we hadn't seen for a while. Two were non-member friends of the group. All six came wearing white shirts. They looked so good!

After sacrament meeting, we decided (like we always must at the last minute) who would teach which second hour class: adults, kids, or a combined group class. We never know who will come to church or what their specific needs will be until it's time to teach. We all show up with broad knowledge of the Come Follow Me lesson and a lot of faith in the Spirit's guidance. This time Kathy taught the young boys while the young missionaries taught 3 investigators who came (no adults members were there), and John set up two adorable little girls with coloring pages. Teaching the youth was an incredibly sweet experience. (Good thing they all had at least some English expertise and that we had one or two who could help translate for the others.) These are all such new members that they didn't even realize what the Doctrine and Covenants is (a special book of scripture that contains revelations pertaining to us today but also features the early history of the Church). 

But when we discussed how the Church began with 6 members, rather like it began in Sainshand, Kathy asked the member boys to explain to the other boys why they got baptized. And those boys who so often act like obnoxious, rowdy teenage boys said things like, "Because I want to be a good person," and "Because I can repent" and "Because it's true!" They were so sincere and obviously remembered with tenderness those feelings they had when they got baptized, those feelings which propel them to church by themselves on Sundays, white shirts or not.

It's such an amazing experience to be involved with the teaching of children of God (of any age) who have so much to learn about basics but know by the Spirit that this is the right place for them to be. And it's inspiring that they have faith enough to accept what we have to offer while they work at developing further understanding. And thanks, Elders (you know who you are!) for your efforts to encourage an understanding of reverence for sacred things. Those efforts are paying off!

On their last Sunday in Mongolia, our mission president and his wife participated in a special farewell fireside. Their two teenage boys performed amazing music and shared their testimonies. They included raw moments about how they struggled to adjust when they moved to Mongolia 3 years ago but are so grateful for their experiences now. It was a powerfully spiritual meeting. We love the Namgurs and will miss them and their vibrant testimonies. They have had a tremendous impact on Mongolia and the people living and serving here! In fact, President Namgur was a major driving force behind the temple announced for this country. The Lords knows what Mongolia needs and when it's needed, and He blesses those who sacrifice to serve Him. 

We gathered and watched the fireside over Zoom.