February 16, 2007

Imagine lightning striking, a bullet train, Superman, etc. They're all pretty fast, right? Well I found something faster: Surprise Sister Transfers. One minute I'm in Khailaast with Sister Hunt and then in the blink of an eye I'm serving in Sukhbaatar [still in UB] with Sister Uugantsetseg. That's right, I now have a Mongolian companion. There were four sisters getting off their missions this past week, and no sisters coming in to replace them so they decided to pull sisters out of Khailaast and Choibolson to fill in the gaps. There weren't any sisters in Khailaast before Sister Hunt and I got there, and now they've taken us back out again.

Our branch doesn't even know we're gone yet, and they're gonna be bummed. The father of the family who has invited us to their FHE every week happened to run into some of our elders and they told him we were being transferred. He did not take the news very well. Elder Wheatley called us and told us to call the family to say goodbye. I've never talked on the phone to a Mongolian before except to say, "Hold on, let me get my companion," but luckily they were talking loud enough that Sister Hunt could hear their side of the conversation and could tell me what to say. I was only in Khailaast for a month and a half, and I am definitely sad to leave, but the branch I'm serving in now meets in the same building so I'll still be able to see my old investigators and branch members.

So, Sister Uugantsetseg is pretty cool (pronounced "o-gan-tse-tseg," it means, "eldest flower"). Sukhbaatar branch is in the same zone as Khailaast so I'd met her before. She has a big mole on the tip of her nose, but she's still as cute as anything. She's from Murun, which is reportedly the most beautiful place in all of Mongolia. There's a huge lake right next to it and everything, but they only have elders there as of right now so I won't ever get the chance to go there.

Sister Hunt went to Enkhtavan branch, and I may not see her again before she gets off her mission in June. She tried to give me the rundown on having Mongolian companions, which I probably will for the rest of my mission. Sister Uugantsetseg and I get along really well, at least for two people who can't communicate with each other. I've heard that the mission is supposed to be good preparation for marriage. I'll keep this experience in mind in case my life takes a significant turn for the worse, and I end up with a mail-order groom.

This Sunday is Tsagaan Sar, the biggest holiday in Mongolia. It’s kind of like Chinese New Year, but in Mongolia. The holiday only lasts for about two or three days, but the whole country has been slowing down for a couple of weeks now. We haven't had hardly anyone show up for English class since the middle of last week, and every other referral we've tried to contact for the past month has said not to come back until after Tsagaan Sar. I'm just excited because I get to wear my del [traditional costume] again.

I know other stuff has happened this past week, but I just can't think of it. The transfer still has my head spinning. I hope everyone had a happy Valentine's Day, and for those of you who chose not to observe this holiday (Elizabeth) I hope Black Wednesday wasn't too bad. V-day was my last day with Sister Hunt, so we decided to go all out and go to Mongolian Barbeque one last time. I got a huge brownie sundae and I made sure to savor every last bite.

Oh! I remembered something. We taught Luke the security guard this past Monday. It was kind of weird at first because I don't think he really understood what we were going to do when we came to his house so he just puttered around making food and we just sat there trying not to look at the TV. Its polite to let the host make the first move, but if he doesn't understand why you're there it could take a while. Finally we got him to sit down and we started teaching him. He said at one point that he talks about God sometimes with his friends, but they all say God doesn't exist. He told us that he usually tells his friends, "If God doesn't exist then we wouldn't exist either." After he shared that, Sister Hunt grabbed the opportunity to share 2 Nephi 2:13 with him.

2 Nephi 2:13 And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not there is no God. And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away.

After reading it he just sat there for a second and then said, "Well...I guess I was right." We only got to teach him one lesson and now we've both been moved, but I think we laid a good foundation. I'll still see him around the building so I'll be checking up on his progress.

I thought I explained it in my previous email, but we call Luke "Luke Skywalker" because the lettering on his security jacket is written in Star Wars font. His real name is Bat-erdene, or "firm treasure," but I think "Luke" is cooler. The other two security guards are Chewie and Han Solo, and yes they are actual security guards for our meetinghouse. Luke had to bodily remove two drunk people from the building's open house, but mostly they just have to deal with annoying kids pushing the doorbell to the gate all day long.

Yes I did get your Valentine package in time for the holiday. Thank you for the socks and all the updates and info. El also sent me a package, which I was able to pick up from the mission office right when I was meeting my new companion. That was a double blessing because El packed all kinds of easy to make American food and Mongolian Sisters just eat out all the time so there wasn't any food in the apartment when I got there. Tell El that I don't deserve her and that her pile of Mongolian souvenirs is just getting bigger and bigger.

The diarrhea has subsided a little, but it’s just not going to go away. It’s a part of life here in Mongolia, and not just for foreigners. Mongolians get it all the time too. It’s just not a very clean place, but we do all we can to be as healthy as possible.

Signing off now from the Axe Hero Branch,
Saikhan bayarlaa! (Happy holidays!)