We had transfers this week, but I stayed in the Sansar Branch as zone leader with my companion, Elder Papenfuss. He's been in this area since he came to Mongolia 7 months ago.
We taught a good number of quality lessons this week and were blessed to have 6 investigators come to Church Sunday!
The weather has been wonderful, and we have even been able to walk around in just suit coats sometimes.
When things go well, I think about how important it is to make sure I try as hard as when things don't go well. The Nephites would always grow so much when they were humbled, and they would fall so much when they grew prideful. Imagine if they had maintained their spiritual growth the whole time they were being prospered as well.
This week, I came across Ecclesiastes 12:8-13:
"Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.
And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.
The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.
The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.
And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man."
To me, this talks about the excessive words of the "wise," which I take as talking about unimportant little doctrines. In response to endless analysis of doctrine, the preacher says we should remember the big picture, the only one that matters: Fear God and keep the commandments. Fearing God is to respect, worship, honor, obey, trust...all of those things. If we do these things, we will become more perfect and we will love God better.
Have a great week!
Monday, March 31, 2014
Monday, March 24, 2014
Catching Up
Some weeks just aren't all that exciting to write about, and so why would I take your precious time? But now it's time to catch up...
First if all, my family's Christmas box finally arrived! Just in time for Easter, I guess.
Our stake had some boundaries re-aligned this month, with some branches made into wards and some wards into branches--all in order to help every unit grow stronger and larger. So, I'm still the zone leader and haven't moved but am now serving in another branch. It's called Sansar. So I left the smallest branch, which became the biggest, and went to the biggest ward, which became one of the smaller branches.
One of the changes for me is that we have been serving in areas where most people live in the ger (yurt) district, and this branch is more in the city. Everyone lives in apartments. No more slippery mountains for a while.
Anyway, we met one of the members who told us her conversion story. She had been in some hard times and wanted some peace in her life, so she called the information hotline number and asked about nearby Christian churches. They gave her two church locations near her house; one of them was ours. When she came to our Church building, she thought it was so nice she decided that it must be the one. And she joined the Church! I've heard of member referral converts, tracting converts, converts who randomly walked into Church, but never conversion by operator!
We are meeting new people and doing a lot of follow-up visits, but things still fall through sometimes. We keep trying and hoping. I realize all I can really do is focus on being the best missionary I can be. The Lord knows how to save His children. All I have to do is be suitable to help where needed.
We met a man from Poland recently. Actually, he came to us, and so I think he has sincere desire to learn. It's hard for him to keep appointments, and he has some opposition at home, but the man is a nice fellow and I hope we can help him.
So, that's missionary work in Mongolia for now. The weather is getting a little warmer, and that makes us all happy.
First if all, my family's Christmas box finally arrived! Just in time for Easter, I guess.
Our stake had some boundaries re-aligned this month, with some branches made into wards and some wards into branches--all in order to help every unit grow stronger and larger. So, I'm still the zone leader and haven't moved but am now serving in another branch. It's called Sansar. So I left the smallest branch, which became the biggest, and went to the biggest ward, which became one of the smaller branches.
One of the changes for me is that we have been serving in areas where most people live in the ger (yurt) district, and this branch is more in the city. Everyone lives in apartments. No more slippery mountains for a while.
Anyway, we met one of the members who told us her conversion story. She had been in some hard times and wanted some peace in her life, so she called the information hotline number and asked about nearby Christian churches. They gave her two church locations near her house; one of them was ours. When she came to our Church building, she thought it was so nice she decided that it must be the one. And she joined the Church! I've heard of member referral converts, tracting converts, converts who randomly walked into Church, but never conversion by operator!
We are meeting new people and doing a lot of follow-up visits, but things still fall through sometimes. We keep trying and hoping. I realize all I can really do is focus on being the best missionary I can be. The Lord knows how to save His children. All I have to do is be suitable to help where needed.
We met a man from Poland recently. Actually, he came to us, and so I think he has sincere desire to learn. It's hard for him to keep appointments, and he has some opposition at home, but the man is a nice fellow and I hope we can help him.
So, that's missionary work in Mongolia for now. The weather is getting a little warmer, and that makes us all happy.
Monday, March 3, 2014
Stake Conference
Well, I got my voice back and am healthy again.
There were some changes in stake conference this week, where two branches were combined and one ward was made into two branches to better balance out the stake and the district. The goal is to create three stakes and begin the work to qualify for a temple in Mongolia. That is a great goal that would help so many people who otherwise have to make an expensive trip to Hong Kong to attend the temple. It will take a lot of work, but it can happen!
There were some changes in stake conference this week, where two branches were combined and one ward was made into two branches to better balance out the stake and the district. The goal is to create three stakes and begin the work to qualify for a temple in Mongolia. That is a great goal that would help so many people who otherwise have to make an expensive trip to Hong Kong to attend the temple. It will take a lot of work, but it can happen!
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