Сайн байцгаана уу! I hope you are all doing well this week! I apologize for forgetting to write again last week but I will catch you all up on our adventures in this email.
To be honest, so many fun things have been happening lately but I have been terrible at writing in my journal so I am forgetting them all. I'll try and summarize some of the highlights I remember though.
First off, Sister Stark and I have hit the ground running trying to catch up in our new area. Like I mentioned before, we both got emergency transfered to this area and had to whitewash it which was a big task. But this is my third time white washing so it wasn't too bad. The only hard part has been the fact that we came to American Denj at the same time as the big Mongolian Summer Festival Naadam, meaning everyone we wanted to meet with was out of town until this past week. We are still pulling teeth trying to meet with some people but on the bright side, we have been able to successfully contact mostly everyone in the ward.
We've had some really awesome member visits recently. Last Friday, we wanted to visit this one really cute emee (grandma) so we called her and set up an appointment for 3, thinking that would give us plenty of time to teach English class at the church at 6. So we found her house at 3, knocked on her door, and low and behold she was not home. Neither of us could understand her very well on the phone either because she likes to talk super fast and loud but we figured she was on her way home. She asked to meet in an hour, so we just went to a nearby park and contacted people for an hour. Then we came back to her apartment and she still wasn't home. We called her and told her we could reschedule the visit because we didn't think we would have time to visit her and get back in time to prep and teach. Then it started pouring rain (like really really really hard) and she called and told us to wait out the rain at her apartment. We waited for her for another 30 minutes, then decided we needed to start heading to the church so we started running in the pouring rain. Then, just as we were about to get on a bus, she called again and asked us where we were. Then this guy popped out of no where and took my phone and started talking to her about where we were (side note: Mongolians are always so helpful and kind so it's completely normal for them to take the phone from you and help you get directions because they know you don't speak Mongolian very well so this wasn't shocking to us haha). Then he gave me back the phone and told us to follow Him. So we chased him in the pouring rain to the next bus stop over and finally found the member we were trying to meet. We were about to tell her again that we didn't have time to meet because we had to teach English in an hour and I don't think she understood us (or cared) because she just started pulling us along and saying "let's go to my house now!". We didn't have the heart to tell her we had to go so we got the Elders to cover English for us. Then, at her house, we had small talk for an hour. Just when we were about to share a spiritual thought with her, she told us we were going to go get water from a well for her. So we traveled a mile away to get her some water which ended up being super fun and super wet haha. Finally, we got back to her house and then she told us she was going to teach us how to make buuz and we spent the next bit of time cooking and eating. We closed off with a spiritual thought and prayer, then waited at the bus stop for an hour to get home. Overall, we spent 5 1/2 hours on this endeavor. It was such a fun experience and I learned that I am really bad at understanding the flow of member visits haha. Also during this adventure, we found blood all over the floor of her apartment's elevator so that was a little concerning.
We did an exchange this past week as well so I got to be companions with one of my young adult friends from Darkhan who just became a missionary this past transfer. We were good friends in Darkhan so it was fun to be actual mission companions for the day. She is just the cutest and she taught me so many fun new words. During that exchange, we visited another cute lady in the ward whom I love with my whole heart. She is so tiny (about 6 inches shorter than me) and just so so funny. We went over to her house and had some fun small talk. Then she made us some rice and meat stuff. She gave us huge helpings of rice and after finishing, she gave us another huge helping of plain rice. Then she gave us a double helping of plain rice each after that. I think all together we ate about 4 whole cups of rice each and we wanted to throw up. Sister Egshiglen was crying and laughing hysterically when she gave us the double helpings. But the sweet emee was just the kindest soul and I felt so lucky to have had the privilege to meet with her.
Also, a mini miracle happened for us at church this week. One of our older investigators came to church and recently we've been struggling to find her some friends in the ward because she's so old. We talked to lots of people and asked them to introduce themselves to her. Then during sacrament, this sweet emee came and sat next to her and they started chatting and long story short, they became besties. The emee convinced our investigator to actually stay for second hour of church (which has never happened before) and then they went home together in the pouring rain arm in arm. It was the cutest thing ever!
Also, we just found a new investigator! The sad thing was that some missionaries in the past had gotten her contact info because she told them she was interested in the church and then they never contacted her again. But because of the power of area book cleaning, other missionaries were able to find her and give her to us to teach. She is such a strong, faithful person already and every lesson we've had with her so far has been filled with the Spirit. I have felt the Holy Ghost so strongly this past week helping me to teach what Heavenly Father wants His children to hear. I have felt that guidance and that strength in my teaching this week and I am thankful for the power and support Heavenly Father has promised His missionaries. I feel so blessed to be here on a mission serving these people!
When we first came to American Denj, we didn't have an English teaching assignment but we were able to pick up one of another group of missionaries' assignments, so now we teach Advanced English online and it is soooo fun! The class always ends up turning into a fun discussion where we spend most of class just listening to the students and learning about their lives. They are so awesome and even though we are online, I feel so close to all our students. From time to time, we also get the chance to teach other classes when the missionaries are busy with other things during teaching nights and those are so fun to! We taught a kids class once this past week and it reminded me of my last area Enkhtaivan which made me a little homesick haha. I love teaching here in Mongolia!
Other fun things that happened this week:
- We played basketball and volleyball at a ward activity (only 5 people showed up but it was still fun)
- We also ran mutual this week and tried to pirate a movie but it didn't work
- It rained a lot this week so Mongolia started flooding again (please pray for Mongolia)
- Because it was raining after church many of the Mongolia emees wore trashbags from the church cleaning supply closet to keep them dry
- The bakery under our apartment finally opened so we get delicious treats all the time now
- We went to a fancy Chinese restaurant after district counsel
- There's a park close by our apartment so Sister Stark and I like to run there every day
- Sometimes we have been playing basketball or Frisbee with our district for exercise time at the park as well because we all live really close
- We had a sleepover with the BZ sisters and I ate watermelon for the first time in 8 months
- Our ward and two others had a combined baptism for a total of six baptisms! It was awesome!
- One of thr girls we baptized in our ward was someone I used to teach in Enkhtaivan so I was her first missionary! It was such a cool experience
This week, I had some really amazing personal studies. Lately I've been feeling very discouraged about my language abilities and at some points, I felt like this discouragement was interfering with my ability to teach by the Spirit. So I was studying a lot recently about how to improve as a missionary when I was impressed to simply open the Book of Mormon to where I was last reading and start studying from there. I started reading in Ether 12 and during my study, I came across verse 27 which struck me very powerfully:
27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them
I have read this verse many times before but have never felt the Holy Ghost so strongly while studying it before. This verse humbled me a lot because I realized that I was spending a lot of time comparing my language abilities to others' abilities instead of just focusing on improving through the Lord's help and grace. I think that Heavenly Father's grace is the most precious gift and it is sufficient enough for everyone to receive it. Through the Atonement, we receive God's grace for us. But I know that it is only through Christ that we can improve with the Lord's help. I also really liked verse 4 which says:
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 know that through faith in Christ, we can receive hope, which anchors us. This hope lays the foundation for us to lead a fulfilling and good life, full of God's grace and love. I am thankful for the hope that Christ gives me and I know that He is my Savior. I know that Heavenly Father loves us and I know that if we simply ask, we can receive answers to all the questions we have in this life through the Spirit and the scriptures. I testify of these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Love,
Sister Potter
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