Apr 30 - May 2 (week 75)
May. 3, 2010
Another week down, time really flies too fast. The weathers warming up which means the drunks are roaming free. This week has been really difficult in that respect.
My new member’s husband beat her this week and left her with a nice fat black eye. We were in the area and we happened to run into her. She was an emotional mess and as we tried to console her, her husband showed up; a little less than drunk a little less than sober. She started screaming at him, and demanding that he return a bunch of things (they live separate). He went two hit her a few times but I imagine two 6 foot something thick American boys were more than a little frightening for the 5 foot little guy. He even picked up some decent sized rocks trying to intimidate us. I really wanted to just let him have it, but I’m afraid my little nametag held me back. In the end I got her calmed just enough to give up on getting her stuff back and I sent the bewildered little man on his away, before taking her to one of the member’s houses to chill. After talking to her for an hour or so and sharing quite a few scriptures we realized that we needed to go. It was 9:20 and despite the fact that we needed to be home at 9:30 and were at least 20 minutes or so from home I felt that we needed to walk.
As we walked we talked about how as Americans who grew up in good families it was out of the question to even think about hitting a woman. However our conversation was interrupted by the scream of a woman from about 50 yards up the road. My companion and I rushed to see what happening just to find some drunk guy trying to drag some girl along, as she desperately clung to a fence. As we approached yelling at him he stopped hitting her. He told us it was none of our business and that we just need to go away. I told him if I see anyone hitting a woman it’s my business and that if he didn’t stop I was going to take him to the police. He some how got her up off the ground and to agree to go with him. But my companion and I followed him just to make sure he didn’t try to hit her again. We kept our distance and for a few seconds they left our sight, in those few seconds we got worried so we rushed up the place where they went out view. When we got there we found the guy on the ground moaning with blood dripping down his face as he clutched his head, and the girl was gone. In the end it looked like she got him pretty good.
God seems to have blessed me with a great deal of patience and common sense. As much as I wanted to kill those two guys, I didn’t. Not because I was afraid but because I knew it wasn’t the right thing to do. And while it probably would have made feel a lot better to beat the snot out of them, I have no regrets that I didn’t.
I also realized from this experience how blessed I am to have parents who love me and who love each other and have instilled in me correct values.
I could probably right a couple pages about all the alcohol related problems my branch has, my time is up.
Until next time
Elder Pitt
Apr. 20-26 (Week 74)
Apr. 26, 2009
Aloha family and Friends,
Another busy week has flown by. I’m more tired than ever, but what ever that’s life I suppose. This week was as busy as ever with lots of service and other things to do. Work according to the numbers wasn’t great but I seemed to be as busy as ever.
Wednesday the priesthood went on a picnic which was fun. We traveled 10 minutes outside the city to the middle of nowhere, where we butchered a sheep and made a Mongolian dish called a Khorkhog. Which I think can best be described as a Mongolian imu. First they put a bunch of stones in a fire until it burns down. After which they put the stones along with meat and veggies (potatoes and carrots) in a metal milk can with water, cap it and let it pressure cook. It was really good, but man is mutton greasy. The Mongolian countryside really is beautiful, just miles and miles of endless nothingness. Monday after I emailed last my companion and I took the bikes and went out past the city to see what there was to see. My companion, who’s from the middle of nowhere Utah, said that it is a lot like where he used to live. I imagine it might remind dad of his childhood stomping grounds.
Friday my companion and I helped a family move; and when Mongolians move, they really move. We got to their house at about 10am and spent the rest of the day breaking down their ger and moving the hole of their possessions to a different property on the edge of town, and then building their ger again. It was pretty fun, the other set of elders couldn’t make it so my companion and I , with no said experience, were left to try to help two visually impaired short 40 year olds do everything. Luckily the older of the two has good enough vision that he doesn’t run into things and can tell who you are by looking at you so he was able to direct us a little, while the other fumbled around. It was pretty tiring to say the least.
Outside of that not much else of note happened. My companion and I have been going to the church early every day to watch conference in English. This conference was really good, but at sometimes it was almost a little bit frightening. Judging by the messages there’s a lot of hard work in my future in order to survive. I know I can work hard, but ability and desire are totally unrelated. I’ll do what I have to though. Conference seemed to be more meaningful than ever this time around. It seemed like every message was specifically tailored to me and an answer to the many things which I have been weighing heavy on my soul. Some of the talks humbled me while other, gave me the path I need to take to overcome obstacles that I have been facing, while others simply reminded me of and re-affirmed the truthfulness of things that I have always known. This conference I gained a stronger witness than ever before that our leaders are truly called by God and that God through these simple servants reaches out and gives aid to us his children.
Yesterday I sat by the river here, after having taught lessons to two of our new members there. Despite the tiredness that weighed me down I smiled. I don’t know why I smiled, but I felt a certain peace, that seemed to wipe away worry of the ticking clock and the tied tongue, and left me calm.
Until next time,
Elder Pitt
Apr 13-19 (Week 73)
Apr. 19, 2009
Aloha Family and friends,
Well another week has flown by. Life really goes much to fast. As I said last week on Monday I went to the airport to send off my old companion and pick up the new. It’s definitely different being with an American again. After being the only American in Murun for so long it is hard to remember what language to speak when. I think I’m going to just give up and only speak Mongolian. It was kind of weird to speak Mongolian with another American at first but I’m much to concerned about what little language abilities I have going to pot to care. It’s only been a week and I’m starting to notice it slipping. I guess all I can do is study hard and pray harder. I imagine The Lord will bless me when I really need it, so I shouldn’t worry too much. I’m just a born worrier, I guess.
Anyways, in other news I still haven’t seen conference in any language which is a bummer, but now the DVDs are in Murun so I should get an opportunity soon. Though I don’t know when I’ll get to see it in English seeing that there is only 1 DVD player at the church. I thought about getting a DVD player just to watch it, but for some reason they are really expensive here, so I guess I’ll just have to wait. And watch it over a few P-days or something.
The DVDs came with the new Branch President this last Saturday. He’s only been here for a few days, but he seems like he will be able to do all right. At least I hope so. He’s been a branch president before so it should be all right. This branch needs a lot of help so hopefully The Lord will bless him with the abilities necessary.
My new companion, Elder Alder, is a really good guy and he’s really falling in love with Murun. He’s a country boy to begin with; coming from a graduating class of four, and having grown up on a farm out in the middle of no-where, Utah. It’s hard not falling in love with a place like Murun where there’s just nothing piled up on more nothing. Now all the nothingness is turning green, and it’s turning into a real beautiful piece of nothing. We’re planning on taking the bikes and riding to the river next p-day,
Anyways,
Love you little less fatigued than last week missionary,
Elder Pitt
Apr 5 - 12 (Week 72)
Apr. 12, 2009
Aloha Family and Friends,
It’s another beautiful week here in Murun. I’ve been sick which is always less than enjoyable. To be honest it’s been a less than enjoyable week, outside of being sick, I think I’m just burnt out. Last Monday the mission president came out and on Tuesday we had one conference, but despite all the words of inspiration being thrown around I just wanted to sleep. They left on Wednesday and since then everything has gone back to normal. I’ve been trying to work hard despite my cold, but my hearts not in it and as a result our works been less than successful. The branch president seems to have had a mental breakdown which doesn’t make life any easier. I got word today that he’s leaving on this next Sunday, which scares me. He put everything he had into the branch, the members love him and he loves the members. I think he’s just burned out, but the mission president diagnosed him with depression and he’s headed back to the city. I hope that is the right thing for him. I imagine depression could be a factor but I think we as missionaries sometimes just put too much stress on ourselves and it eventually breaks us down.
In other news transfer calls came last Friday. I’m staying in Murun, unfortunately despite President’s saying that my companion and I wouldn’t be splitting, I’m taking my companion to the airport in about an hour, and picking up a new companion. Don’t know much about him other than the fact that he’s fairly new and he’s American, which scares me. I liked being the only American missionary in Murun, even if my language isn’t perfect it certainly got better these last few months. Hopefully my language doesn’t go to pot again like the last time I got an American companion. I have enough to worry about I don’t need to worry about whether people understand me or not again.
Hopefully this cloud of darkness will pass with my cold, because to be honest I’m tired of it looming over me. To be honest I’m tired of being tired.
Don’t worry about me too much I’m probably fine, just need to take a nice long nap, maybe if there is still a bit of p-day left after I pick up my new comp, I’ll take the bikes and go down to the river for a awhile. I just need to relax, if I don’t I’ll probably break down as well.
Regards,
Your favorite fatigued missionary
Elder Pitt.
march 30- april 5 (week 71)
Apr. 5, 2009
Aloha Family and Friends,
This week was particularly difficult for my district, and I’m not sure why. I ran exchange Thursday night and the other set of elders seem to be doing fine now. Then on Saturday I had interviews with the sisters and talked to or rather just listened to them for over an hour. I’m not sure what happened but I think everyone was tired, and needed an ear to pour their souls into. If the other sets of missionaries have been working like my companion and I have, then they have been going non-stop, taking no thought for themselves. I think everyone just needed to stop and take a breather. I myself have been exhausted lately, but despite that I kept pushing. It got to the point that I couldn’t focus, I couldn’t think and the only reason I did anything was because If I wasn’t working then I felt like I was wasting time. Not the happiest feeling ever.
Anyways from now on I’m going to try to take it a little easier. There’s no point trying to push if in the end it’s only going to have a negative effect on the work, and make me miserable, not to mention physically sick.
I’m still tired, but that will probably pass in time. I imagine that if I could have watched conference it would have been a nice refresher; however we don’t get to see it until after Easter. Even then I’m the only American out here so I might never to get to see it in English. The mission President is on his way here and we will be having mission conference tomorrow so maybe that will provide the spiritual refreshment I need. At the very least he will bring mail which is always nice.
Sorry I can’t think of what else to write this week. Love you all,
~Elder Pitt
