Mongolia Mission Week 74 - Market snapshots, meaningful interactions, and multinational Conference!

 Mongolia Mission Week 74

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). 

This week we want to share with you what some of our typical markets look like. In these markets, we get a good idea of what imports are currently accessible for Mongolian shop owners. We see lots of Russian and German chocolate, Vietnamese chips, and Korean kimchi. Sometimes something like baking powder or cheese will disappear for weeks until supplies make it to this landlocked country. 

Generally speaking, market shelves are packed as tightly as possible.

Clothing markets don't often have dressing areas.

There's often an eclectic selection of products.
It's not uncommon to see women's bras for sale
in the same store as hardware.

You can enter a doorway off the street and find a whole maze of shops owned by different people, usually sitting on stools behind counters full of merchandise. Sometimes it's hard to tell where one person's goods end and another's begins. Cash boxes are often cardboard and kept somewhere under the counter. Sometimes shopkeepers will pull out the box, set it on their counter, and run to the next vendor to get your change (They generally need close to exact change.). It's a refreshingly trusting society. 

There are little indoor food markets on every street, sometimes multiple food shops on one street. Walking into one is very much like walking into another one, although some may specialize more in produce or try to stock international foods like cream cheese when they can. Each has at least one freezer section. You can buy frozen chicken or dumplings by the piece from an open bag. Or in closed bags. There are many different ice cream bars available.

 This is an interesting ice cream cone treat kids like,
flat-topped and only covered with a blue piece of plastic. 

Choco pies come in a variety of flavors and are very popular. They are
like cookie sandwiches with flavored cream filling, covered in chocolate. 

Dried meat dates back to the times of Chinggis Khan. People soften it in soups or gnaw on it.

Little food markets usually have a big selection of alcohol,
especially Russian and Mongolian vodka.

Most little markets have a dizzying supply of snacks, candy, and chips. Chips come in a
variety of flavors (usually not plain), from barbeque to squid to onion and sour cream.

Most markets have a large supply of Ramen-type soups,
from Japanese to Korean to American, sometimes
with hot water to prepare it on the spot and eat at tables.

Each market also has shelves and coolers of juice and soda. 

Secondary schools don't always have school lunch programs, but they often have breaks where kids leave the school and go grab snacks. Now the weather is warming up, we see lots of ice cream bars being eaten on the streets. 

It's hard to completely portray these markets that are a very interesting piece of our experience here and offer us plenty of chances to meet friendly shopkeepers and let them know they can get free English classes.

Now for our amazing week in Sainshand!

On Thursday we had an open house at our church. Several folks came from Ulaanbaatar to conduct the open house, bringing their posters, pictures, snacks, and experience. The open house, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, had nice attendance. We experienced several miracles in the people who attended. Following the open house, all of us involved (our guests from UB, our English teachers, and several local members) all donned "Helping Hands" vests and went to clean up a park and war monument that overlooks the city. 

Our team, along with our pile of collected trash.

Two deacons who contributed a lot that day.

The open house featured displays about several church programs and the initiatives of our related charity, "Deseret International Charities." Attendees learned about humanitarian projects, self reliance and addiction recovery programs, family history, and of course, English teaching programs.

Odmaa talked about English programs offered through the church.

Mandy helped participants sign up for Family Search,
the world's largest genealogical database.

Pujee showcased humanitarian projects happening all over Mongolia.

Chukka talked about our group and exhibited church magazines for different ages.

One of our church members who served as an usher.

It was an event where leaders and members of our community learned more about us. There was a wonderful feeling as Mongolians expressed to other Mongolians things near and dear to their hearts. People in this city (and in our little church group) caught a glimpse of the worldwide impact of our church and its members. "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them" (Matthew 7:20, Holy Bible, King James version)

Then on Saturday and Sunday, our congregation watched General Conference. It's when the President of our church, the 12 apostles, and several other church leaders speak. This time was extra special because it was the first Conference following the death of President Russell M. Nelson, so the first meeting included a "solemn assembly" where each group of members, worldwide, stand and sustain the new prophet and his counselors. Even in Sainshand, Mongolia, where these new members raised their hands to show their faith and support. 

 

Because of the variety of ages in our group, we set up tables and provided coloring pages, conference Bingo, and other activities - and food - for people while they watched.

We can't find root beer, but multiple flavors of Fanta are everywhere.

Between sessions, we went for a walk and had to investigate a potential car behind our church - we need a new car when we get home!

Weekend multitasking included making cabbage salad, 

banana bread, caramel corn, and macaroni salad.

We were also watching the return of the Artemis II spaceship from the moon.
And fitting in video cleaning checks of young English teacher apartments.

Altogether, it was just another not-so quiet week for the Roses while the schools were still on break between terms. But it was amazing with with the open house and General Conference weekend. The love of the Savior was very evident. So was the fact that, by the Spirit, we can get answers to our sincere questions. The messages and spiritual uplift were wonderful. We are so blessed to be led by a prophet, apostles, and other leaders. We know that Jesus Christ leads His church through those called to lead and receive revelation and that this church blesses people's lives in many ways.