This coming Friday we are saying goodbye to Sister Olsen and Elder
Lamb. It's always so sad to send missionaries home! Especially now that our
mission is so small, it's hard to give up anyone of them.Today we are having a
little farewell party for Sister Olsen.
Sister Uree also got home from her mission, and it was so good to see her
again! She's the one that we met in the MTC that taught us how to say "hairtai
shuu" and that Corey met at temple square. She spoke at stake conference
yesterday and did a wonderful job.
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| Guild, Uree, Me |
Stake conference was super great. President
Funk from the Asia area came again, and focused on temples and eternal
marriage. Pretty much told all the missionaries to go home and don't postpone
getting married. No pressure. He also announced the new policy that the temple
patron fund can now be used not only for receiving personal ordinances, but also
to be a witness for immediate family, which will make it possible for people to
make it to the temple more often, and urged every member to always carry a
temple recommend, even if they don't think they can make it back to the temple
for several years. President Harper spoke about faith. One thing I love about my
mission president is that he never tries to blow your mind with incredibly deep
or profound doctrine. He always teaches the basic, simple truths, and bears pure
testimony of things that he knows.
Sister Guild had an investigator in Bayangol last fall named Narmandakh,
around 60 years old, who she loved, and he wanted to be baptized so badly, but
is really addicted to alcohol. A lot of other missionaries gave up trying to
teach him, but Sister Guild hasn't. A couple months ago, he got run over by a
car and both of his legs were terribly smashed. He can't walk and can't receive
proper medical treatment. He was bed ridden at home, and us and the American
Denj elders were meeting with him for a while, and he wanted to be baptized. But
then he had a friend who brought him alcohol at his home and he relapsed. He
felt so terrible and guilty that he moved out of the city and is now in a ger
all by himself with a dog and a cat so he can completely avoid alcohol. We've
gotten permission to continue teaching him over the phone, so each week Sister
Guild and I have been calling Narmandakh and visiting for a while. His faith is
amazing. He reads his scriptures every day and understands them. He says "I'm
alone out here but I know I'm not really alone because I can always talk to
God. And my dog and cat." We call him each week for the long distance branch and
he offered the closing prayer a couple weeks ago. He has more desire than a lot
of people I've met on my mission, he is just so trapped by the chains of
addiction. But he wants more than anything to overcome it so he can become a
member of the church. He is a very sweet, good man, and we are praying and
pulling for him to receive help and strength.
We saw a lot of answers to prayers and the power of fasting this week in
tiny miracles. I love this work that I'm doing, and can't believe how fast it's
coming to an end. This week I will begin my final 6 weeks. I love Mongolia, and
don't like to imagine what it will be like to have to say goodbye. I guess
there's still a lot of work to do at home too.
Have a great week.
Sister Hansen
Great!
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