July 7-13 (Week 84)
Jul. 12, 2009
Aloha Family,
Anyways, I’m still alive. Works been really slow, but we’re trying. I need to pick things up a notch, last week was kind of lazy and I’m feeling really guilty for not pushing harder. There is a million excuses as to why I didn’t push harder, but a million excuses can’t make up or the fact that I only have such little time before it’s all over and that I need to use my time as wise as possible. It’s kind of frustrating being in a new branch for the last few months of my mission. Murun had a real family dynamic, and I felt like I was a part of it all and that I was needed. I’ve been here in Bayanzurkh for over a month now and I don’t feel like I’ve made any progress or that it would make a difference if I was here or not. Despite my best efforts I still really don’t know anyone and no one knows me. That kind family dynamic just doesn’t exist in the branch. I don’t think it exists in the city. I imagine there is something for me to do here or I wouldn’t have been called, so I just got to keep trying my best.
My companion and I set goals today, so hopefully we’ll be able to fix the lack of work my last companion and I created through our bad relationship. I’m actually feeling really good about life today, which is a nice change. I’m usually too tired to feel anything. I couldn’t sleep well last night so after 30 minutes of tossing and turning I went and slept on the couch. I think part of my tiredness lately can be accounted to a bad bed, and not exercising properly in the morning (I’ve only been doing a few crunches, before just laying sprawled on the floor). Hopefully putting another pad down on my bed solves it because I’m tired of getting frustrated with myself because I’m too tired to think properly, but too obedient to sleep in or take a nap.
I almost forgot this last week was Naadam, the second largest Mongolian holiday. It’s a three day sports festival with wrestling, horseback riding, and archery. The whole mission went out to the opening ceremonies, which is something like a giant pep rally or halftime show. It was all right, but I think that last year was better. I didn’t take any photos this year; my camera still hasn’t got here yet. After that my companion and I opted out of the horse races and went over to a nicer restaurant and split a pizza, and then spent the rest of the day sitting around since everything was closed and there was nothing to do. It’s actually really creepy how few people there are in the city right now. I guess everyone goes to the country side for holidays.
Anyways that’s all for this week,
Elder Pitt
Jun 30- Jul 6 (Week 83)
Jul. 6, 2009
Aloha Family and friends,
Well after writing if my adventures last week, I’m afraid I don’t have any cool stories this week. Last week Tuesday after the phenomenal fight I had with my companion, on Monday, we decide to just talk during companionship study. After a long talk we found that the root of all our problems was that he just wasn’t used to people not following what he said, and not letting him do what he wanted to all the time. So my always trying to work as a team, making suggestions, and telling him things were not allowed seems to have been what was making him mad. Anyways we were able to pass the last few days of the transfer with out a single problem. It’s a shame that we couldn’t figure it out sooner, but at the same time I’m glad it’s all over.
This last Saturday was the transfer, and I’m now with Elder Ganzorig. He seems like a real sweet kid. Though, he’s been a little despondent since he’s been here. He’s been outside the city for the last 6month and I think he is just finding the transition a little hard. I know I did.
After the transfer on Saturday morning we all headed over to Star apartments (a little gated community where the embassy workers and other wealthy foreigners live) for the annual 4th of July party. It was kind of boring, but on the upside I did get to eat real hotdogs for the first time since last years forth of July party. I ended up spending up most of the time hanging out with an elder from my district, and a Mongolian elder by the name of Khuagaa. He was trying to learn English and we were trying to learn silly things I Mongolian like to “cut in line”, all in all it was pretty fun.
I went to the black market today and picked myself up some Mongolian clothing, what I got is almost like Mongolian sports coat. I think I want to get a suit made but I’m not sure. If I got it made it would end up costing about 75$’s total, and that’s with a fancy silk inner lining, and a vest. What do you guys think, should I do it? If I did what color should it be? I’m kind of thinking of a brown, or maybe a black with pinstripes. The possibilities are endless it could be purple, camouflage, or even corduroy.
Anyways, that’s about all for this week.
Regards,
Elder Pit
Jun 23-29 (Week 82)
Jun. 29, 2009
Aloha family,
Well as mom requested I have some pretty wacky experiences that happened this last week to share with everyone.
Tuesday was zone conference which was amazing. After which we grabbed one of the branch missionaries who was going to show us where one our inactive members lives. Sure enough the drunks were out in force and while we managed to avoid the first few finally ran across a drunk that we couldn’t avoid without retracing our steps for a large distance. So we took our chances and tried to walk past him unnoticed. However when you’re 1-2 feet taller than everyone it’s hard to go unnoticed. I just blew right past him unfortunately my companion and the branch missionary weren’t as fast. He got hold of my companion and started asking for alcohol. My companion of course declined to which he started calling my companion a puppy, which in Mongolian is pretty offensive. My companion got mad and asked if he was really so drunk that he couldn’t distinguish a dog from a person. To which the drunk decided it was time to threaten to beat my companion with a rock, a threat which my companion welcomed. Seeing that my companion wasn’t deterred he gave up dropped the rock and decided to see if he’d have better luck with me. Of course he thought I didn’t speak Mongolian so he had my companion translate which caused more problems seeing that my companion doesn’t know English, and he didn’t believe that I spoke Mongolian. After a little talking I convinced him both that I spoke Mongolian and that under no circumstances would I buy him a beer. He of course didn’t please him so he decided to pick up a rock and hit me too which I just skipped away in a playful manner. While this is all happening of course our branch missionary is simply terrified. Anyways after giving up on hitting me with a rock he decided that he was be a little impolite and decide that he wanted to apologize. Unfortunately he had forgotten that I spoke Mongolian and so he called my companion again to do another amazing Mongolian to Mongolian translation. I told him I forgave him, but that wasn’t enough he decide that he needed a kiss, and no not from the female branch missionary, but from my companion. My companion told me that he wouldn’t kiss, to which the drunk said that he had to according to Mongolian tradition. When my companion refused the drunk accused him of being Chinese which to a Mongolian is very insulting. When my companion refused again the drunk went for another rock, and when the rock yet again failed to intimidate, he gave up and switched his focus back to me for another round of Mongolian to Mongolian translation, and demanded that I kiss him. I of course refused and tried to just leave, but he managed to grab hold of my companion’s bag before we could escape. After arguing for a few minutes I finally gave up called the guy over wrapped my hands around his head and laid a nice big kiss on his forehead. After which he smiled and wandered off peacefully. Needless to say we all had a good laugh about that.
That night I went on a split, and another elder from my district, Elder Warner came with me on my work. The next morning after study we grabbed a branch list and headed out to my area for a day of searching for lost inactive members. After getting off at the last bus stop we started looking at the list trying to figure out where the people we decided on trying to find lived. Warner suggested we ask the police who were sitting in their car a little ways from us but for some reason I didn’t think it was a good idea. Then a few seconds later another police officer dressed in officers formal clothing, came walking down the road and called us. I didn’t have a good feeling about it but I knew that it would probably just be worse if I ignored him. He told us to follow him, after which he lead us to the police station and told us to sit in his office after which he started barking orders at the workers and lower officers. Finally he turned his attention to us and demanded our documentation. Looking my passport copy over he noted that Pitt was an English name, and asked how much longer I would be in Mongolia. I replied in Mongolian that I would be leaving at the end of September. He then looked at Elder Warner’s passport and noting that Warner was a German, and then yelled at us in German for a bit and then remarked how sad it was that Warner didn’t know his mother language. Then for the next 20 or so minutes he interrogated us asking questions such as how many wives we had and other silly things. While constantly making jabs at what ever he could. About half way through we were interrupted by a lot of hysterical screaming coming from room next to us, but it didn’t deter our Fascist Police “General” host, in fact I think he tried using the occasion to scare us even more. All in all after a nice long interrogation, not being able to find anything to hold us on he decided to let us go. As we were leaving he made me translate a sign on the door that said that “all must leave this room happy”, after which he lead us out of the police station, but not with out first showing us the source of all the screaming, which was some guy hurled over in the fetal position clutching his face with a massive pool of blood under him while two police office stood menacingly over him, as he continued to scream. Upon leaving he demanded that we return the next with a report on all that we do in the area of his jurisdiction. After we were a safe distance from the police station I called the Aps who called the church’s public affairs department. Needless to say I’ve never had to go back. I have however run into that Police officer twice since then. Upon which he calls me makes the same demands of a reporting of all that I’m doing and then lets me go.
So those are my stories for this week. I won’t get you down with all the issues I’m still having with my companion. I’ll just say that we got in yet another fight again this morning, and while we haven’t quite resolved everything. We did go bowling as a district which seems to calm him down. In his anger he drove a pair of scissors into the table which scared me, but I guess if I die it might as well be at the hands of an insane companion. I feel really bad that I even got mad at him; I had been so patient for the last few weeks.
Anyways, hope this is all understandable, seeing as how i wrote it very quickly.
Regards,
The constant needer of divine assistance, Elder Pitt
June 16-22 (Week 81)
Jun. 22, 2009
Aloha Family and Friends,
Not much in way of news this week. My companion and I haven’t gotten in any fights since last week, but it definitely hasn’t been easy. I think he’s using our resolve to not argue to try to push me to the edge. Lately he’s just taken to lying on the couch and falling a sleep whenever he gets a chance. This last Saturday I cleaned the house for four hours after several failed attempts to wake him. As tired as I am it would be so easy to just join him, but I’ve got too much to do. As frustrating as it is I guess I should be grateful that I finally got our apartment to the point that it feels comfortable enough for me to study, because it was such a mess before there was no way the spirit could dwell there. I should also be grateful for the opportunity to get all the things done that I need to at home.
I think Gods is punishing us for not getting along better. It seems like over the last week all of our work has just dropped off the planet. We’ve had all but two of our investigators move somewhere else, or go to the country for the summer. Of those two left over investigators one got baptized this last Friday, and the other is really difficult to meet with. Perhaps it’s not a punishment, and just a window of opportunity to work better with the branch like I’ve been meaning to. With all the good I was hoping to do in this branch it’s kind of discouraging to realize that more than a month has past and everything I’ve talked about has just been talk.
My time is short. I guess all I can do is try to do my best with what the Lord has given me. I really need to learn to be more optimistic about things. One of the biggest things I fear right now is feeling like the last few months of my mission were a complete waste. I need to throw off all the rusty shackles that are pulling me down, the frustrations with my companion, my lack of self confidence, my narcissistic pathetic pessimism, and move forward with a steadfast hope in Christ. This is my resolve. I know that by no other means am I going to find joy in the remaining months of my mission. I just pray that I’ll have the will power to move forward. Too often have I made similar resolves just to forget them shortly after.
Oh…sigh… perhaps I take life too seriously.
Regards,
Elder Furrow Brow Pitt
June 8-14 (Week 80)
Jun. 14, 2009
Aloha Family and Friends,
Well after a week of one sided arguments, blow ups and the silent treatment from my companion we have finally started to make progress. I don’t know what exactly he was getting mad about, but today after yet another blow up I had it and raised my voice to him and told him that I didn’t know what it was I was doing to make him mad but it was never my intention to make him angry. Every time he has gotten mad at me it’s been about the silliest things. Like suggesting that it would be better to write in pencil or telling him that I was pretty sure that a store didn’t carry something. And, every time I’d just let him throw a tantrum. However, silent perseverance hadn’t shown any results so today I snapped. Snapped is kind of a strong word. I guess you could say I just put my 2 cents into his one sided argument. Anyways, he left the room for a few minutes came back pulled out a book and said we need to read a poem together. It was saying how we needed to be like the sky. The meaning behind it was just that we need to be patient. Then he told me how he used to be really angry and fight a lot, and how I had been testing his patience, but that he was going to try to be more patient, and was grateful that the mission president put us together.
I still don’t know what I was doing to make him mad. I think I’m just the first companion who didn’t follow him and allow him to do whatever he wanted. I tried getting him to tell me what it was that made him mad, but he couldn’t come up with anything. He did say something along the lines that if he wasn’t arguing he wasn’t happy, not sure what he meant by that, perhaps it was a Freudian slip.
All this just reminds me of what dad used to say, and that is that “we’re all mentally ill, just some of us our worse than other”. To say the least I had a confusing week.
Anyways, you’d be proud of me despite all this I still tried my best at all times to serve him the best I could, and set a good example. I made breakfast for him, cleaned the house, polished his shoes, it all fell on blind eyes but whatever I felt good doing it. I mostly did it out of the idea that I could leave nothing for him to complain about, which might have been wrong. But right or wrong I was a super missionary. I talked to everyone I could on the street even though he didn’t support me at all, and tried to carry on with work the best I could.
I think I was blessed however in the fact that all our work fell through. I don’t think our lessons would have been any use to people with the division that was between us. I was actually afraid to meet with people because I wasn’t sure what he would have done in a lesson. If it was anything like our street tracting it would have been a complete failure.
I guess we’ll see what this week brings. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get our act together. If not the transfers coming soon, and the way things are going I’m don’t think we’ll make it passed that. I don’t think I would be to happy if we did.
All in all that is my rant for this week. I still don’t understand what happened, but writing about it makes me feel a little better.
Enough said,
Elder Pitt
Oh I almost forgot I got to sit in the new missionary fireside for my friend that was leaving. It was a really good feeling to see her on the stage wearing a name-tag and bearing testimony. I haven’t seen a lot of success, but I think I can be content knowing that my efforts aren’t going to end with me.
