Half-Transfers

сайн байн уу миний гэр ьүл ьас найзууд!! (Google translation: Friends often, as my family)

Last week we had to say goodbye to our good friends the Cambodians and Vietnamese. Good luck to them in the field, we love you and miss you! So now with the old Thai's gone, we are now the oldest group in our zone, and also in the MTC. We welcomed in a new group of Thai's including 2 Malay and an Indo. Our branch is very small and cozy now! 

Yesterday we were eating our dinner and out of nowhere a senior couple came up right close to my face and pushed my hair aside to look at my name tag. Then her face broke into a huge grin and she said "сайн байн уу!! I've been looking for you all day!" Turns out they served as a couple  in Mongolia 2010-2011, and are now serving again in Salt Lake! They were so excited to find the Mongolians, because they loved their mission there so much. Another witness that the people there are the kindest in the world, and that we will love the country with all our heart. 

These last couple weeks we are doing "half-transfers" meaning we're kind of splits for certain teaching appointments. Sister Guild and I are companions for a couple investigators and also TRC. Besides that we stay with our normal companion. I really enjoyed teaching with Sister Guild this week. It was interesting to try studying and preparing with someone new, but also really good because we'll be getting new companions all the time over the next 16 months! We taught well together, and were able to help each other fill gaps where our language slipped. Last night we did another Skype TRC lesson, and the sister we were talking to in Mongolia spoke SO FAST. Even one of our teachers came over during our lesson and said "Goldenflower (her English translated name-I don't remember her Mongolian name) you are speaking very fast! Slow down!" She laughed and said sorry, but then didn't really slow down at all, so we pretty much didn't understand a word of what she said the entire lesson. So that was a great taste of what we'll be getting ourselves into in 2 weeks!

Enjoying some nice rays at our temple walk! Being outside is the best!!

Another really interesting teaching experience we had this week was with our less-active member, мягмардорж (pronounced Meyigmardorj). We've been meeting with him for several weeks now, and it has been a really testing experience for me. He served a mission, and has told us many times that his mission was the happiest time of his life, and yet now he doesn't want to go to church and he says the spirit makes him feel guilty. This was so frustrating for me. Each time we met with him I only felt myself getting angry and impatient, and I was always very shaken up after each meeting. This week I made a point to pray specifically for мягмардорж, and to feel more sensitivity and love for him. Yesterday when we met, we did not really prepare a specific lesson, but instead an idea, then went to our appointment dependent on the spirit helping us. Once again, before we went in I could already feel that frustration building up. But the minute we entered, I felt the spirit take over my heart I wanted nothing more than to help this man, and I wanted nothing more than for him to recognize the spirit that I get to feel every day. I so wanted him to be happy and to feel how much God loved him. I wanted him to come back to church. When I looked at his face and saw sadness in his eyes, it made me want to cry. We somehow got through the lesson begging him to not give up, bearing our testimonies and praying that the Lord would prepare a way for him to come to church. 

After our meeting, our teacher told us that was the last time we would teach мягмардорж. I don't know why this surprised me as much as it did. If he would have told us that last week was our last meeting, I would have said hallelujah. But now I was only broken-hearted. Because of мягмардорж I can feel the Lord changing things inside me. I can see the Lord repairing my desires and outlook of being a missionary. Although this has been a very hard thing for me to experience, I'm so grateful for it. 

Just so you know, because we'll be at the ELC next week, our P-day is changing to Saturdays for the last 2 weeks... So we kind of get 2 P-days this week! Cool.  

Thank you all for the love and prayers- we need every last one of them. 

Love you and miss you, 

Хайртаи, 

Ханьсэн Эгч

Dad, 

I'm grateful for all wonderful experiences you're having in the temple. When you told me about sealing Alice Emily Boyce I almost got a little emotional- I don't really know why I feel I bit of connection to her, but I'm so happy all her temple work is complete. When you said you thought of me as well it made me grateful to have an awesome dad who would give the shirt off his back to anyone who needed it. I love you a lot.