8/7/16 Blessed by the Swiss and said Hello to the future

We met a couple of travelers from Switzerland two brothers they asked if they could bless us before they left, and we were like... sure... it was a prayer, they prayed for us and it was really nice. We met a man named Ireedui = Future.

So this week was pretty good, we had a baptism, Blorerden. She really wanted to be baptized, and it went really well. Not very many people but her mom was there and she had been baptized last month and has a really great testimony so she helped out and was excited for her daughter. Our new investigator and his less active wife have been reading the Book of Mormon which is very encouraging. This week I have really been working on Charity and my Purpose as a missionary. I want to be more effective as a missionary and to love and serve the people with all that I have. I've been going into preach my gospel more and more, therein lies the secrets to missionary success. Following the promptings of the spirit and the council of the prophet.

The biggest thing that I learned this week was to just follow those little promptings of the spirit. We ran into a couple of Swiss brothers that were traveling through Mongolia and I saw them trying to communicate with a taxi and thought, we could probably help them considering we know Mongolian, and they looked like travelers (who in my experience almost all speak English). Sure enough we helped them out and spent about an hour walking with them and talking about the gospel and our beliefs (which is really different in English). They were really cool guys and had really great faith in Christ it was awesome to see, and hear their own beliefs in the savior and his saving atonement. I had an English Book of Mormon on me and gave it to the one, some seeds planted as we walked along the Mongolian wayside. 

Also this week while we were checking a potential investigator, Iweel his brother Ireedui told us that he wasn't home, but he gave us a ride, and in the car we found out that Ireedui"s wife was a member, and his younger brother was too and had served a mission. So that has helped our understanding of Iweel's interest more understandable and now we will try even harder to meet with him and his family.

We got helmets for the bikes too, and while Elder Rodriguez was in Nalaikh we had him take a look at them and do a quick tune up, he worked in a bike shop before his mission, it was really cool. I have some pretty decent bike fixing skills, but I learned more from Elder Rodriguez. 

I just saw the pictures of the new Philadelphia temple and it is incredible! Philly Temple Pictures

Ахлагч Jonathan Wilding

Peanut butter and hot sauce straight from America

Bikes with helmets

Bolorerden's baptism

7/31/16 Bikes and the work is growing :)

This week we have been blessed with a lot of new potentials and a new investigator. A member of the Sansar ward called us on Friday night and gave us a list of her family members who were less actives and a co-worker of hers that lives in Nalaikh. Her co-worker isn't a member but is interested in the church. She came to church on Sunday, but says that we can't meet at her house. I think that her family members don't know that she is investigating a Christian church and she is afraid to meet at her home because of that. Regardless she sat in all of church and asked really good honest questions, I hope that we can meet with her and find some way to teach her. 

We talked to the Zone leaders and they gave us the go ahead to get bikes and we did. We got them on Saturday, and they really changed the work in Nalaikh. Because we have to walk everywhere in the area, bikes cut travel time down by half at least. It’s a lot more efficient and I think that we can check a lot more people and not have to worry about going all around town. If we get burned by an appointment we won't have wasted so much time in just walking there and we can get back out to try more people! This week is going to be really good! I'm going to give it my all. 

We're going in to the city and are going to record some songs by the request of Senior Elder Maynes, so that will be a good project to help out with. 

-- 

Ахлагч Jonathan Wilding

We got bikes

Went out to Gordok on a split with Elder Lamb

and we checked some addresses, and took a couple of pictures.

We walked a lot and it was boring

The subject line says it all.

Work is starting to pick up. We have two new less actives to work with. One of which is a husband that's not a member but is interested. We got a new investigator as well and have another good potential, so that might pan out... I really hope that it does, our teaching pool is still very small. All of that new progress was made yesterday. So this week we have effectively had one investigator, and did a lot of walking. 

teaching English class practice with elder Bayarmagnai

We met some JWs this week it was interesting. Not much to say except that I'm really glad for the MTC and all of the training and preparation I've had. It was just two women that stopped us on the street. One was a Kazakh woman who spoke English but not Mongolian, the other was a Mongolian woman that I believe was part Kazakh (cause she was easier to understand, Mongolian spoken with a Kazakhstan accent is much clearer)

weather conditions - Russian wildfire I hear

All in all the work is hard cause it’s been slow, it’s been rewarding to do service, and I don't know how to help the branch. I am growing and learning and having a fun time with my companion Elder Browning and with my district, Elder Lamb and Elder Bayarmagnai.

 D&D with other elders

The work this week

The work in Nalaikh has been really slow these last couple of weeks, we only have a handful of investigators right now and with Naadam last week most were in the countryside. We have been doing good service though! We helped our new member Mashbat build his house which service has been really needed mostly because of his wife's taken offense from the branch, which is actually unfounded and without cause but her feelings have been affecting him recently so It has been really good that we serve them. We also helped a woman in the ward and gave a blessing to one of her relatives, a less active member, Tulga, He passed away later last week he was 23 too. We helped the family by chopping some wood for them. 
We started up english classes at the church again, we're working on advertising it and getting more people to attend. This week we're going to go to the city to to learn more about what the stake wants us to do with the Scouting program in Nalaikh. 

I got to give a talk in Sacrament meeting yesterday with 0 prep time too! it went pretty well regardless, I implored the congregation to read the Book of Mormon and pray daily and go to church every week.

I also gave a talk during our Zone training too, It was my lucky week. It is kind of cool to see that I can do that with out much preparation. I am becoming Competent in my language skills!!

All else is good, I really enjoy my companionship.-- 

Ахлагч Jonathan Wilding

Editor's note: These are the pictures referenced last week. I found it rather amusing that they are so similar to the photos I found online! Same stadium. Almost same seat!

naadam with Elder Ames- a new elder

Nemekhbayar our golden investigator

BSM - Boy Scouts of Mongolia!

Work has been really slow, our investigator pool has been really small recently and those that we do have have been gone to the city a lot, probably for Naadam. The Branch is doing really well, we had branch conference and President Adeabold (New Stake President) and President Batbold (Stake Presidency and works for the Mission) and other people from the stake came to Nalaikh. We had a ward leadership meeting, the first that has happened since I've been in Nalaikh - almost 4 months. Anyway that was really good for the branch!

It was really great when President Adeabold looked over at us missionaries and asked, "Your'e all scouts right?"

"Yeah," we said.  

Then, "And you're all eagle scouts right?" 

"Yeah we are." 

"Good," he said. "You're going to start a scout troop in Nalaikh."

So that will be fun and should help out the branch! 

Naadam was incredible! I've never felt so impressed by the Mongolian Culture! It brought me to see just how much I love Mongolia and the people, and the culture, everything! I am so grateful to be serving here. 

(Pictures from 2006 celebration- courtesy of Wikipedia)

Elder Maynes said that we are good to start up English again in Nalaikh so we'll start that this week, hopefully we can get more potentials and investigators from that, we certainly need them. 

To not be the newest missionaries anymore is a really interesting experience, I can see just how much I do actually understand and can do now by comparison to where I was 16 weeks ago. This week was a good week for reflection as I hit my 6th month mark on my mission this week, I really realized how important good records are and to record your personal conversion frequently, as well as the things that you learn. 

Elder Browning and I are doing well together we have a lot of fun and I'm learning a lot from him! 

No pictures this week, sketchy internet cafe, but just picture me in a white/cream mongolian traditional shirt tsamts.

Also you should all look up Naadam the Mongolian Summer Festival, it was the most incredible! If I can ever go to the Olympic opening Ceremonies I totally will! 

Ахлагч Jonathan Wilding

7/4/16 Laser Dragon Fishing

So this Week with Elder Browning has been really fun.

I have become the branch piano player for the past two weeks since the last girl just left on her mission, I'm doing well enough with my one finger playing, sometimes its two! 

We went with the Branch elders quorum for an activity last tuesday, they killed a sheep (Shawn) and then we ate him, I got one of his Shagai "sha-guy" Ankle bones, they use them to play different games, we've recently been using them as dice. 

We've been meeting with this investigator Dulguun "Duh-th-goon" and he is progressing really well, Its really great to teach him because he's 18 and there is no pressure for my language so I easily just say what I want or get the help when I can't find a word, its very cool because I can actually communicate pretty well.

I turn 6 months in 2 days!

Elder Browning got the greatest package with two remote control cars and two Nerf guns so in our free time - after nightly planning, we have a lot of fun. We also practice our music for our album, Laser Dragon Fishing, a silly thing where we're coming up with ridiculous songs.

The mission is good, and time is really crazy the way that it flies. 

Mosiah 5:13 - For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?

-- 

Ахлагч Jonathan Wilding

6/27/16 The All American -INGs

First off - I bought a Murin huur (hore) and I can play it ... kind of. It only sounds slightly terrible.

 Murin huur (hore)

Elder Sexton left back to America and it felt like a break up.

I'm now with Elder Browning: 23, 6'4, graduated from BYUI studied Religious Anthropology, from Tennessee. He loves cats and plays really good guitar, makes really good food, is ridiculously funny, we have a blast, our DM. 

​me and elder browning​

The Missionary work was alright this week, kind of slow because of transfers, packing Elder Sexton and numerous trips to the city. The branch is doing well, they're having an activity tomorrow so that should be really good! A couple of weeks ago this young guy approached us and asked if he could go running with us in the morning, (He'd seen us go and was interested in joining us.) We thought it a fine idea, so we've got a running buddy, Bugaa. On Sunday morning we invited him to church and he came! It's way cool. Hopefully we can teach him too, that would be awesome. 

Studies are going great, This week I've been working on getting more out of my studies by 

1.Study 

2.Synthesize 

3.Ponder 

4.Apply 

5.Evaluate

It's been really good I'm remembering more from what I study.

We bought 10 Ice cream cones and put them in the freezer for the new elders in Nalaikh, they loved it.

got a picture with president benson and his family! 

With the Bensons

we made fried chicken mashed potatoes and gravy like 4 times this week and it was divine!

Chicken and mashed potatoes

I helped our new member Mashbat build his fence​

​"Batman" - one of the dogs that lives our side our apartment​

​Elder Lamb and Elder Bayarmagnai - brand new missionary​

Ахлагч Jonathan Wilding