Christmas = Skype

[From Jennifer's parents]
After months of buildup, Christmas finally came this year, and culminated in the Skype call with our missionary.

Trans-world family reunion over Skype.

Some tidbits from the Skype call:
- 1 hour
- The cold doesn't bother her, much.
- She misses American food
- She plays the piano every week in sacrament meeting

Merry Christmas from ninus 30 degrees

Holiday Greetings from her English Class

Kirby, Lichtenberg, Me

Me & Sister Mason (companion)

Nomin is a good hugger

The MTC gang back together

Christmas advent calendar from the Kerrybrook ward with pictures of
Christ and a message from ward members behind each day!. 

Elder Cowles family sent a bunch of t-shirts from a soccer tournament which were well received.

My MTC companion and good friend

Jennifer send a few videos to the family, including this one featuring Erdenbayer (from Sep 19):

Sheep Head Round 3

Well, Christmas is coming!! Which means Skype is coming!!! I'm so excited!

These 2 girls showed up at my English class, and were so cute and awesome and said I was the first foreigner they had ever spoken with!!! 

This week we had zone conference, and it was so awesome. I cannot describe to you the love, appreciation, and respect I have for the Harpers. I learn so much just from watching them work. Sister Harper always knows exactly what needs to be said, and gives the most moving and genuine talks, I am so grateful for my mission president!!

Because we can't congregate as a mission, at zone conference we did a little white elephant gift exchange for our Christmas party, and it was so fun!!! I am so grateful that our mission is so small, because we are all such good friends, and I really have grown to love each of these missionaries so much. Some of these people have become my very best friends.

B had her baptismal interview this week, and is all set and ready for her baptism on Friday!! We are so excited! It was also her birthday on Sunday, and we announced her baptism in church and she is just so cute and excited. I love her.

B's birthday party

We had a devotional Sunday night put on by Zion, our all-church-members choir on Mongolian's Got Talent!!! It was awesome! They bore their testimonies, then we watched a little movie about who they are and why they do what they do, and we got to watch their performances, and they sang for us! It was so fun. You may be able to find them on YouTube. Maybe.... it's probably all in Mongolian, so good luck.

I had a very significant experience this week regarding love and forgiveness. It was an incredible opportunity for me to see my growth on my mission, and my confidence in the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Zone conference also helped me a lot with this, and President Harper shared a quote from David O McKay about finding joy in self-conquest and not letting our emotions control us. Satan wants us to believe that there is no growth, no progression, and no change. But this is false. I am living proof of that. I have been changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ, and by His atonement.

I love being a missionary! I love this work! I am so excited to speak with you all on Monday :) Have a very Merry Christmas!

Sister Hansen

Also, my companion told me this morning that I've started sleep talking in Mongolian.

Sheep head round 3 (3rd time eating it)

Question from Mom: "Ugh. That is the ugliest thing I've ever seen! How do you do it?"
Answer: "with a knife."

Question: "Is it good?"
Answer:"Some parts of it. I actually really enjoy the tongue. The jaw is pretty chewy"

Question: "You're kidding, right?"
Answer: "Not kidding. It's pretty good."


Email me at: jennifer.hansen@myldsmail.net

1 pair of camel leggings is warmer than 3 pairs of normal ones

TRANSFERS! Sister Mason and I will be staying in Jargalant! I am happy. I love Jargalant, and I am so excited to see B get baptized next week.
O and G had a slip up with the Word of Wisdom recently, so we're going to wait a little longer to get them baptized, and make sure their faith and desire is ready. But don't worry. They'll get baptized this transfer.
So other transfer updates: my district stayed the same- so I still have Elder Lamb and Moulder in Jargalant, and Khosbaatar and Batkhuyag in Khovd, for now. We have another mini transfer in 3 weeks with 5 new Mongolians coming, so there will be more changes.
Sister Kofoed went to Erdenet!!!!! I am so excited for her to serve in the countryside, but I'm also gonna miss her a ton! We got super close this last transfer because we went on exchanges so often, and she'll probably finish her mission out there, because she only has 2 transfers left!

Last time teaching with Sister Kofoed

Elders Fillmore and Ramos, and Sisters Hawkins and Rue all flew back to America. Elder Browning is still hanging out in Mongolia for a week with his dad and brother here, and Sister Tao will be in Cambodia for 2 weeks with her family, then go to America. Elder Rodriguez is the new AP.
Sister Bottorff and Guild are finishing training the 2 new American sisters, Shreeve and Tillary.
Whew. Ok, got that out of the way.

So, English is so fun at the BZ. Mendjargal has come a few times, and it is always so fun to see him! He's getting ready to go on a mission!!!! Wow. The kid that Sister Gardiner and I taught every lesson- in like 3 weeks mind you- and saw baptized, is now preparing to be a missionary!! It's so amazing. He also met Nomin at English and they became friends and are gonna go to mission prep together! Dang. It's all too good.

Haha speaking of Nomin, I did a really mean thing. I had told her before hand that I most likely will be staying in Jargalant until February, so she didn't need to worry. Then when transfers came out (which also happened to be her birthday) I called her and told her I was going to Erdenet with Sister Kofoed. She started crying. I was holding the phone away from my face so she wouldn't hear me laughing. I let it sit for just a minute, then told her I was kidding and am really staying. I guess it wasn't the nicest birthday present hahaha.

They smiled until we got the camera out.

Things always change at transfers, and now Sister Mason is teaching English on Mondays, and it's super complicated and there's a lot of other companion switches, but long story short, I ended up with Sister Lichtenberg all day yesterday!!! It was SO FUN! We kind of just relived our transfer together in one day, and it was just so good to be back together. We'll get to work together next Monday as well, then she might get switched at the mini-transfer, then we'll have to figure something else out again, but it was still awesome.

Also, 1 pair of camel leggings is warmer than 3 pairs of normal ones. Just thought you should know. I put that theory to the test yesterday and didn't wear the camel wool. BAD DECISION. Lesson learned. Always wear the camel wool.
Stay warm out there!


Sister Hansen

I've never climbed that icy mountain so fast

Do remember several weeks ago that woman with the little twins that we met on the road and we were super excited about teaching? Well, we met with her a few times, but she was not super into it and not keeping any commitments and I didn't really see her progressing, then she stopped answering our calls, so we kind of just set her record to the side.

Me, Nomin, Lichtenberg

Then last Saturday night, Nomin had a dream that we were in Byambatsetsegs house again teaching a lesson. Then Sunday she couldn't stop thinking about her. Then Monday, while going home, she wasn't paying attention and missed her bus stop, and when she got off at the next one, guess who she ran into on the street? Yes, Byambatsetseg. She talked to her for a bit and asked if she would like to meet with us again, and she said she would. So, the very next day, we went to her house, and she opened up about worries she has for her 17 year old daughter, and how she wants to have a better relationship with her and she wants her to have a better life and learn English and all this stuff that the gospel of Jesus Christ can help with. So we told her just that. She seemed so much more prepared and open the second time around. We told her if she wants this for her daughter, she needs to set the example and start living the way she wants her daughter to be. We invited her to come to church again on Sunday. She said she would.

My friend that's getting baptized Dec 23rd

So then Saturday comes, and I call to remind her of church tomorrow, and she was nervous about bringing her babies out in the cold, and said if it was warm enough she would come. I had such a strong feeling about her coming to church- I wanted her there so bad.

Sunday morning- it's freezing. So cold. We get to the church early to try to come up with a plan, maybe we can find somebody with a car that can go pick her up, just anything. Then Nomin comes, and I'm worried that it's not going to happen today. But I just have a huge urge to go to her house. It's almost 11:30, church starts at 12. I asked the Elders to find someone to press the button on the piano, we grabbed Nomin, jumped in a taxi and I've never climbed that icy mountain so fast. I think Byambatsetseg was a little surprised when we showed up at her ger, and it took quite a bit of convincing, but we finally got one of her twins layered up and ready to go to church- the other baby stayed home with dad.

Horses in the street

We got to church 20 minutes late- missed the sacrament, but I felt so right, and so good about Bymbatsetseg being there. She listened so closely to the testimonies born in sacrament meeting. I think she really loved seeing kids and families together at church. It also made my heart so happy when we got there and Oyun and Gompil were already sitting and listening in sacrament meeting!!
Then the principles class was on eternal families- so perfect. Bymbatsetseg was so focus and involved in the lesson. I really believe that she felt the spirit at church, and am so grateful that we followed the promptings of the spirit to go pick her up and bring her to church. We have a follow up appointment on Wednesday.

This is the type of bus that ran over Sister Nelson

Last Sunday, in a coordination meeting with our ward mission leader, we were having a bit of an argument on the topic of ward missionaries, and my ward mission leader said to me "you should never teach a lesson without a Mongolian because your Mongolian is good, but not good enough." and it kind of tore me apart, because in the moment, I believed him. I was super pissed that he said that to me, but then I let that get into my head, that my language is good, but still not REALLY good. Then I was pretty upset the rest of the day. The next day during comp study I was talking to Sister Mason about this, and she had no idea what had happened because the whole meeting was in Mongolian. Then she said something like "Well, he told you that in Mongolian, and you understood him perfectly..... the irony" then I just felt better. Yes, my Mongolian is not perfect- and it never will be- because I'm American. But I have been so blessed with the gift of tongues, and I can teach the gospel with power and authority. That is why I'm here- to help bring people closer to Christ, and my language ability right now is sufficient for the Lord's needs.

We added Korean Walmart lights to our tree! Mason's mom send a huge package of presents.

Also, high five to myself for directing the Elders through a ger district over the phone. See, I can do work.

Also, Sister Tao is finishing her mission this week, so she came back to Jargalant to say goodbye to all her people from when she served here, and she happened to be on a split with Lichtenberg for the day, so we spent the day all 4 of us plus Nomin going around visiting all our people!! It was so fun!!

Lichtenberg, Tao, ?,?, Me, Mason

Christmas is coming! Keep the spirit of service and love in your hearts! Have a great week!
Sister Hansen

Email me at: jennifer.hansen@myldsmail.net