march 23-29 (Week 70)
Mar. 29, 2009
Aloha Family and Friends,
Another week has flown by. I can hardly believe how fast time is flying. Last week as I was preparing district meeting I was looking over how my district was doing with the goals we had set for the transfer and it dawned on me that there was only two Sundays left before the transfer ended. I swear that it was just yesterday that I was picking up my companion from the airport and now it seems that it’s time for us to split. However we’re trying to use the best of the time we have left (little over a week). I don’t know if it was something I said in district meeting or if the rest of my district realized that our time is limited but we finally managed to get over 130 people to church. That might not seem like a lot but for our little 25”x 50” chapel it was more than we could handle. Children sat on parent’s laps and sometimes two to a chair while the many of the youth stood. We’re going to try our hardest this week to reach our goal of 150, but I’m not too worried about the goal. The most important thing is that those who came had an opportunity to renew the covenants they made at baptism. Some who came haven’t renewed that covenant for a very long time.
I’ve been so focused on fixing all the problems in the branch that I admittedly haven’t put as much focus as I should have on finding new investigators. However, this week I’ll get to see one of my investigators get baptized. She is a 12 year old little girl named Nyamdari. She’s been coming to church since before I came to Murun and has been more receptive to the gospel than anyone I’ve ever met. She’s a little irritating at times, but I suppose that come with being a 12 year old. Unfortunately, though her mom gave permission for her baptism, and is a very kind lady, she is always leaving to tend livestock so we’ve never really had a chance to meet with her. Her old sister was adamantly against her baptism, but after meeting with her she reluctantly accepted. My companion and I are going to continue to meet with the rest of the family. Hopefully her older brother who attends a different church will eventually hear our message. He said he’s going to start coming to the English class I teach so we’ll see.
Outside of that, all of our work with less active members is starting to pay off. We’ve started meeting with quite a few people’s relatives and friends, in turn giving them the opportunity to share the gospel. On top of that some of those who have started to come to church again are bringing friends on their own with out any nudging from us. I’m starting to see a real change in this branch, and in its members.
Anyways, that’s all for this week,
Elder Pitt
march 15-21 (week 69)
Mar. 22, 2009
Aloha Family and Friends,
Not much to report this week. Meet quite a few people, taught quite a few lessons, and learned a ton. I’m really tired, but what’s new. Hopefully I’ll get a few minutes of shut eye today so I’ll be able to function for the rest of the week. Not really sure what to write today. I’m trying my hardest to become a better missionary and to actively engage myself in the work.
This week I just tried to engaged myself in doing good. I baked an apple cake, with a sauteed apples on top for one of my less active members, chopped wood at one member’s home when there was no male at her house and we were not able to meet with her, and made contact and checked up with many of our members and investigators that we were not able to contact by phone. Not to mention we went home teaching with my home teaching companion.
Um, outside of that nothing much new. I’ll send some photos off today, hopefully it will make up for my lack luster email.
That is all for now,
Elder Pitt
March 8-15 (week 68)
Mar. 15, 2009
Aloha Family and Friends,
It’s been a long and eventful week. I really don’t have a lot of time to write so I’ll give you the highlights.
Monday was p-day and was spent running errands and generally not enjoying myself. That night my companion and I conducted family home evening. Then after that we had a really good lesson with one of our less active members. After which we asked her if she needed any help and she said she would really like to contact an American doctor about a disease her 3yr old daughter was suffering from. The mission doctor just happens to be a retired pediatrician so I told her that we would contact him and see if he knew any thing about it
Tuesday as I was preparing for district meeting I got a call and found out that my 12 year old wonder investigator was at the church crying, and complaining of severe stomach pains. She had been complaining of such stomach pains for the last several months, so I wasn’t surprised, but we ran of to the church to make sure everything was ok. We got there to find her with her head on the table crying and decided to give her a blessing. After which we took her to the hospital to see a doctor. The doctor told us it was a cold, which seemed a little farfetched, seeing that she had been complaining about it for the last several months. Anyways, it just added to my reasons to call the doctor. Later that day after a short not well prepared district meeting I called the doctor who was thrilled to hear that there was something that he could help with. After describing the symptoms of my investigator he determined that it was probably just a bad case of constipation that little kids her age sometimes suffer from, go figure. I also found out that the doctor had previously treated 3 patients with the same rare kidney disorder that my less active member daughter was suffering from and would be happy to talk to her. Remember when you’re helping your happy.
Wednesday we got a call early in the morning saying that a member needed help building their ger (Mongolian round tent house thingy), so we dropped what we were doing and ran and did that. After which we spent the rest of the day doing our planned work.
Thursday was uneventful
Friday was also pretty uneventful.
Saturday however, was eventful. Saturday morning we got a call saying that one of our members had to move at the last moment because of a misunderstanding with the owner of the property she was living on and that she needed our help. So the three other elder and I dropped everything we were doing and ran off to help break down her ger, and move the entirety of her possessions. This normally wouldn’t too much of a problem but it was an exceptionally windy morning. After breaking down her ger we moved it all via a big truck we hired to a members property on the other side of town. After which we started preparing a spot to rebuild her ger. However, as we are doing so the wind decided to pick up and turn into a giant dust storm. The dust was so thick at some points that we couldn’t see 10 feet in front of us. We struggled so for a while and then decide to take cover inside the member’s ger. Once inside we busied ourselves with inspecting our dust cover faces and clothing and washing out our dust filled mouths and eyes. As we sat and talked Elder Enkhbayar quietly bowed his head, and less than obviously began to pray. After a while I poked my head out to see that while the wind hadn’t stopped the dust had settled. Upon announcing the conditions Enkhbayar just smiled. As we exited the members house the wind started to pick up a little, but not deterred Enkhbayar gathered us all to say a prayer before we commenced in the work. The winds continued for the rest of the day, but after our prayer they never got so bad that we couldn’t complete our work, and the dust for the most part stayed on the ground. All in all it took us the entire day, and we weren’t able to meet with any of the people we had planned, but if we weren’t there with a two of the priesthood brethren there would have been no one to help this poor lady.
Anyways that was more or less my week
~Elder Pitt
March 2-8 (week 67)
Mar. 8, 2009
Aloha Family and Friends,
Well I survived the holiday and things are slowly but surely getting back to normal. A lot happened this week so I'm not to sure where to start but we'll start at Wednesday.
On Wednesday my district took a long ride up to a little town called khatgal for the ice festival that takes place every year at lake khuvsgul, the biggest lake in Mongolia, so big that they call it a sea. The whole festival takes place on the iced over lake and it's quite the event. There are all kinds of ice sculptures, races, contests, and venders selling all sorts of odds and ends. Usually cars drive across the lake to get to the festival, but since there was an American in our vehicle (me), and the police had set up a post we decided it was best to get out and walk from the shore in order to avoid any silly fees. So the other three Elder's and I ended up walking/sliding the last 5 miles across the ice, while the rest of the members that had come along and the sisters went by car. I call it a car, but it is more of a Russian off-road four-wheeling twinkie shaped van. Anyways, it was really fun and I got to see all sorts of cool thing. I'll try to send some pictures today if the computers cooperate. Speaking of pictures I apparently showed up on Mongolian TV wearing my big fox hat. I don't remember being around any TV camera's but apparently they saw me.
Saturday was spent at the church running all kinds of different activities for Mongolia's women's day. My companion is the branch young men's president so we spent the morning with the young men putting on an activity for the young women in the branch. I made something like unto fried apple pies, and the young men decorated a room and set up tables with candy fruits and beverages. After that we got sucked into helping with the activity that the Elder's quorum was putting on for the branch relief society. It was a big to do with lot's of singing and food. Just about everyone was forced into singing a song, they called me up and tried to get me to sing, but unfortunately/fortunately I don't know any songs about mothers in Mongolian or English, and I'm much to stubborn to fake it.
Sunday night the missionaries put on our own women's/mother's day fireside . We planned all week for it and prepared a number of musical numbers, talks and recorded several members feelings about their mothers on my camera. My companion, and the branch president (my previous companion), both spoke. I originally wasn't supposed to speak or do anything, but at the last minute they asked if I could just share my feelings. Outside of that all the missionaries sang solo traditional Mongolian songs about mothers, except for me. It was a real touchy feely event, I don't think there was a dry eye in the building except for me, and the little kids who weren't paying attention. It's awkward being the only one who's not crying, makes me wonder if there is something wrong with me. Anyways, seeing that I was told at the last minute I wasn't sure what to share but at the last minute right as I stood up to take the pulpit I remembered how when I was little and Mom had stepped out for a moment while I was taking a nap, and how I woke up and couldn't find her and how thought I would never see her again. I don't know if that's my own memory or if I remember it because Mom and Dad told me about it later, but it's one of my earliest memories. I told how scared I felt and related it to the Plan of Salvation and how through the plan of salvation I never have to fear not ever getting to see my mother again, because through the plan of salvation I can live with her for ever. It was a good moment for me. Despite not being able to prepare I felt no anxiety and the words seemed to flow out of me easily. The spirit was truly in that meeting, and when it ended everyone quitely got up and left with same reverence and spirit. I kind of wish mom was here to have seen it, but even if she was she would have never understood any of it.
Anyways that's my week in a nutshell....
sorry it looks like I can't send pictures this week I'm out of time
White Month (week 66)
Mar. 1, 2009
Aloha Family and Friends,
Dad's email about being sick must have been inspired as I was sick as a dog this last week with explosive diarrhea! I don't know why but I can't mange to not get sick some how over Tsgaan Sar. Such is life I imagine.
I spent all of Monday at a members house making buuz (meat dumplings). Tuesday I taught our district meeting and then spent the rest of the day chopping wood at a members house before going to another members house for bituun (Tsagaan Sar eve), of course they prepared a ton of food, and of course I got sick.
Wednesday was the first day of Tsagaan Sar, and despite the need to use run to the bathroom every 15 minutes I let myself be drag from house to house all day. I imagine I should probably explain a little of what Tsagaan Sar is for this to be understandable. Tsagaan sar translates into white month or white moon, and is the celebration of the lunar new year. Mongolian celebrate the holiday by dressing up in traditional clothing and going from house to house greeting relatives with a traditional greeting (do you have rest, are you renewing, is you calf becoming muscled.... not a good translation, nor is it complete, but that's about the gist of it). Apart from that every house is prepared to feed all that enter with a ton of buuz, and other appetizers. If you don't eat it's rude, and people prod you to eat until all the food is gone. Needless to say having a sick stomach is either a good thing or a bad thing depending on how you look at it.
After being dragged around all Wednesday I was a little more than reluctant to go out again to say the least. However my companion gave me the biggest sad puppy look ever when i suggested that we just stay home that I agreed to give it a try, and try I did. I think that 5 trips to the out house the first hour along with my stomach backing up my unpleasant disposition with it's own vocal protest was enough to convince my companion that going home was for the better. So the rest of Thursday was spent sleeping and sitting on the toilet at home.
By Friday my stomach was fine and I was out and about again but I still refused to eat.
Needless to say at one point or another just about everyone of the missionaries in my district was sick, lots of fun!
unfortunately people still hadn't finished celebrating Saturday and Sunday, so they were same as the previous days, except this time missionaries couldn't play dress up.
Anyways that's last week in a nut shell.
Enough said,
Elder Pitt
