Learning lessons

I'm learning many lessons these days, like how to interpret between Mongolian and Sign Language, or learning that losing a wallet is unpleasant and a big headache. I am learning through my work here how important it is to be and have a righteous father. I thought about that on Father's Day.  I'm learning more about the city of Ulaanbaatar since we get around in teaching our investigators.  My companion and I met up with one of our investigators in a big city square near a giant statue of Chinggis Khaan--a different one than we visited a few weeks ago.  I'm always learning more about how to work hard and be an effective missionary. I'm grateful for the time off from teaching school so that we can work full time as missionaries.

The Silent Life

Well, I have had my first week in my new area assigned to teach in Mongolian Sign Language.  You forget you can talk sometimes.  At least, you forget that most people can hear you.  I am learning so much.  We teach in all areas of the city as needed, which means a lot of time spent on busses.  Of course, that means teaching and meeting wonderful people!  But it also means we get to see some of the surrounding countryside, as much as most American missionaries get to see, anyway.  In the summer, the mountain outskirts where many of our investigators live are very green and nice.

Learning signs in Mongolian Sign Language isn't too hard, but the language isn't really standardized.  Many people who are deaf don't speak it that well, and so it can be difficult to interpret what they are trying to say.  We do a lot of miming.  And sign language leaves out grammar; you just sign root words to make yourself understood.  If you do a sign one way, it might mean "teach me," but the same sign done another way can mean "teach you."

It is fun to teach about the Restored Gospel in Sign Language!  The signs are cool.

In my district, the sister missionaries know some sign language and one of the other Elders was the previous Deaf teaching missionary, so we all get along well.  My companion is very hard working and he knows the city very well.  We work hard.  I can communicate with him fairly well.  It can be hard to understand others sometimes because everyone signs differently, but I'm getting there.  Yesterday, we taught a brief lesson to a speaking family (which we can also do), so I taught most of it and also translated for my companion.  Actually, I have to translate a decent bit now.  So when we go to a store, I do the talking and I translate for my companion.  Probably seems weird to Mongolians to see an American do this.  It's great training for me in both languages!

Since I don't teach English during the summer, we have three months to be full-time missionaries!  Hooray!

Signing Off from Unur

Well, my time in the beautiful Unur Ward has come to an end.  We have had some good times here.  We really have great investigators.  We have to hand them off to the new Elders in our area, but they'll be in good hands.  KFC and Cinnabon have opened in Mongolia, so we Americans have enjoyed some nice American food.  The KFC is way better than I ever remembered it in America!  

I have received my new assignment to the Enkhtaivan area across the city. 

But wait, there's more! My companion will not be a native speaker of English....or of Mongolian! My companion, whose name is Oyunsukh,  speaks Mongolian Sign language and soon, so shall I. I have been assigned as Sign Language Elder, an Elder-at-large who teaches all deaf investigators. (Deafness is relatively common here.) It will be a different experience than what I have had so far. I have a lot to learn in a short amount of time, but as it says in the Book of Mormon: "Believe in Christ, for all things which are expedient unto him are possible to him that has faith in Christ."  Since this is my assignment from the Lord, I know it is expedient in Him.  I must have faith.  

But wait, there's more! In my district of six missionaries, two are sisters, two are zone leaders, one is deaf, which means.... I'm district leader! No joke. 

 Well, there's my new assignment. 

School's Out

I handed out final exams this week, and assigned final grades; that was an experience. My students did pretty well.

I've had some great experiences recently. Nothing amazing, but good. A few days back I wasn't feeling too well.  I would have liked to just go back to our apartment, but I knew I had to keep going to visit our investigators. Even though drinking watered-down milk isn't the most appetizing thing when you don't feel well, we had some great visits and went to many people. Our last visit with an investigator family of ours was short, but the mother said she liked having us over because she felt such a warm feeling when we came. I was so glad that, because I was patient and chose to have a good attitude, we were able to bring the Spirit and hear an investigator witness that it is there. I've been trying to keep a really good attitude no matter how good or bad the day is (for example, it's snowing today!) because I want to be able to let our investigators feel the Savior's love for them.  It's surprising how good you can feel when by all rights you should be feeling crummy.

Weather is Fun

This week we had both a dust storm and snow! Weather is fun.

I was reading from 1 Nephi 17:2-3. Nephi recounts their hardships in the wilderness, but then notes that the Lord gave them the ability to eat raw meat and strength to do their work, and he counted himself greatly blessed because of it. Sometimes a mission is like that: even when it gets tough, we can see that the Lord is blessing us with the ability to succeed and then we can count ourselves greatly blessed, as well.

Our investigators are good; we are teaching a family.

My school's term ends soon and we will have a break for the summer. I just have to administer some tests and issue grades, then I can focus just on missionary work. That will be great!

Mother's Day Skype

It was great to see the family on Skype Sunday and to show off my growing skill with Mongolian sign language.  It is popular among the missionaries, even though only one is really assigned to teach in sign language at any given time.  The rest of us just like using it, and it helps us communicate when we meet someone who is deaf.

My English students are nearing the end of their semester; some of them are doing really well.  Others not so much, but I hope they will keep trying.  This will be my first experience with issuing grades! While I teach at a community college, my companion teaches at an elementary school.  I prepare my lessons while he teaches, but I also listen in at times.  At the elementary level, they teach English through music--so I'm learning a lot of little songs about colors and things.  It's fun.  But I think I am better suited to teaching adults.

We have been sharing Mosiah 2:41 with a lot of the people we meet with.  It is a great scripture about the blessings of the Lord:

"And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God.  For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness.  O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it."

Another truth to think about:  The more we serve, the more the Lord replenishes us, which lets us have more than we could have had otherwise.

Bluff doesn't translate

I played Bluff (aka Balderdash) with my English students.  It ... didn't go very well.  They had a hard time understanding the rules, but they want to try again next week.  English class is interesting, but I'm figuring it out.

Fast Sunday was busy, and we were running around serving until nearly 7:00 before we could finally make dinner.  We made some delicious spaghetti!

We have a lot of investigators and the work is going well.  We also minister to the members here, as that is really important.  I was in Elders Quorum and thinking about how it winds up just being a discussion so often.  From General Conference, I gather we should include more time for thinking about how we can help our members, especially the less active ones.