March 7, 2008 - Selenge Rocks & Temp is Up

Sorry for the no email last week. I knew I was sitting at the Time Bomb Computer when I came in (you never know when it’s going to crash), but there was no where else to sit at le internette gazar (that’s Frongolian for “internet cafe”). Sure enough the computer went into epileptic shock as soon as I hit send and then everything became rice (it doesn’t matter if I speak in English, there’s still no way any of y’all’s gonna understand me when I get home). Aaaaand here is where we end the game of trying to use parentheses in every sentence (it’s just too much work).

Ugh! Guilt…shame…acceptance…confession! The computer did crash last week, but I didn’t actually write a letter to you! For some reason I just didn’t feel up to it, and we were short on time anyways, so all I did was write a note to my mum repeating my request for the big Kraft© Jet-Puffed™ Marshmallows and other such chukhal things. [2 bags are in the mail.] Please forgive me.

Now let’s get into the good stuff: Selenge Branch is getting awesomer and awesomer by the week! When Elder Humpries (our district leader) first got here three transfers (about 8 months) ago, the average weekly attendance for Sacrament Meeting was around 30-40 people. When Sister Bayarmaa and I arrived at the beginning of the next transfer, they were getting about 50-55 people per week, and that’s when we set a district goal to get the attendance up. Since that week, we have seen a steady increase in attendance every week and not once has it gone down. We have been meeting with inactive members, finding more investigators, and, most importantly, just praying our hearts out that people would come. Last week we had 94 people in sacrament meeting! 94!

I usually sit in the primary class after Sacrament Meeting to help out. We don’t even have a “Do As I’m Doing” to spice things up a little—bi uuruu orchuulakhaas… but last week I really felt like I should stay in the gospel principles class with our investigators. I was really afraid of what I would find in Primary when I came in for the third hour, especially when I heard that there was only one teacher there that day. I opened the door only to find…everybody sitting quietly (in their chairs!) listening to Bayanzul as she showed them pictures. She got them from the library ahead of time! She prepared her lesson!

She talked with them about Jesus’ life as a child and what Israel was like at the time. The children participated in the discussion and we came to the conclusion that some things were the same--he had parents, he learned how to walk, he went to school, and that some things were different--no computers, he didn’t speak Mongolian, etc. Then everybody made cards for the women in the branch for Women’s Holiday this Saturday. I was even able to get our Satellite Kid (there’s always one who’s gotta “orbit” out in the hallway the whole time) to come in by waving a crayon out the door into the hallway. Thank goodness for crayons.

In short, things are going really well. It’s also really warm out now! I remember last year promising myself that no matter how cold it was I was just going to stop wearing my big fat boots as soon as it hit April because I couldn’t take it anymore. I started wearing some regular shoes, and I froze for a couple of weeks, but it was soooo good to stop wearing them. Now it’s the very beginning of March, and I swear it’s up into the 40’s! But I don’t have any other shoes, or a lighter coat for that matter, because I forgot to get them out of storage when I was last in the city and I am dying of heat! Sister Oyunbat and I are going to scrounge around the zakh today to see if there are any reject shoes and coats from Beijing that will fit my American frame.

That’s all for this week! Talk to ya later!

P.S. Shout out to Sister Stitt and the fish story! It probably happened about a year ago, but I just got your letter this past week and I was reading it with rapt attention.