Mountain River = Mongolia

From September 5, 2016

We were asked to share about missionary work on Sunday in the English branch so we made cookies and related sharing the gospel is like sharing cookies. So pretty much being a missionary is awesome! We just share cookies all day long! (:

I learned what Mongolia (or in Mongolian mongol) means, mon means mountain, and gol means river. Mountain river (:

We also made peanut butter cookies :D you know its a good week when you have peanut butter cookies at home! (:

We also made pizza for lunch which almost didn't turn out, we slaved for this pizza! and then we were so happy when it was done! then we went and met with some members house and they have ordered pizza :P haha

We have double church duties! so fun and so crazy too! We have people come up to us and we aren't 100% sure who everyone is yet :P haha we met a lady last week she told us she was thinking about going to a christian church and so we invited her  and she CAME!! (: it was awesome! she said her daughter said "let's go to church!"! (: 

We are still trying to figure out our area! It's coming little by little! that's probably why my email is short, sorry!

Sister Bennett (:

Beautiful view from a hike!

A log cabin?

That's better!

A ger outside our apartment?  A day later it was gone.

BYE SANSAR!

From August 29, 2016

Well transfers came out and I left Sansar ): I definitely cried. I have served there for 10 months! I pretty much just felt like a resident, that's probably why I got moved. #toocomfortable

Anyways, now I am in Han-uul and Tuul, and my companion is Sister Nelson. Neither of us were serving in this area before so we are white washing! :O But our area is beautiful. It's right up next to the mountains! There is a river dividing our two areas! 

Zaisan Hill

Before transfers happened this week we met with a grandma from Sister Hartley's old area and she said its already FALL! Its still August!  Summer is so short here!

Sister Nelson's momma sent her Ramen and we ate that on Friday it was beautiful!!!!!!!!! (: thanks Momma Nelson!

Sipping Ramen through a straw

Saturday we went and Sister Kirby taught us Han uul and a little bit of Tuul it should be good, we should get tooo lost now (:

We were trying to talk to everyone at church and get appointments and names! It's a good thing there was two of us. 

Then Sunday night we met with bishop and a member family in our ward. We taught a lesson about service, but I know they served us more than we served them. They gave us buuz and a ride home! I'm really excited to be here the members are great! Its gonna be a good transfer!

Sister Bennett

New area

New area

I LOVE SANSAR!

From August 21^st

This week was full of a whole bunch of really cool lessons!

One of our investigators pointed out the Muslims stopped with the old testament and then how the Christians study also the new testament. BUT IN OUR OPINION it didn't stop there either, we have the Book of Mormon and general conference. It’s sooo cool that we have continued revelation.

It’s really crazy how I was sick for two weeks and we taught maybe a total of 3 lessons those two weeks but now being able to teach the gospel again makes me really grateful to teach the gospel!  What can I say it’s pretty great being a missionary! (:

On Tuesday we spent 1 hour and half total planning for Wednesday (calling on the bus, during lunch and dinner) and then on Wednesday ONE by ONE they cancelled on us, until everyone had cancelled on us. :P Sometimes you just have those kind of days. haha

This week I also wanted to say the phrase don’t settle for less, but I didn’t know how so since I couldn’t tell that person I’m gonna tell you all, DON’T SETTLE FOR LESS. God has a lot in store for us but we have to have faith in Him and his plan for us, even if it’s hard.

We were making huushuur this week and Saturday night Sister Hartley had put potatoes in the oven to make them baked potatoes to put the potaotes in the huushuur and one of the potatoes exploded! That was fun to tell our people in Mongolian That Sister Hartley made a potato explode in our oven. I finally got to use the word to explode. (I’m not sure how I learned that word) We should probably clean it up... :P

Why are prophets important? I learned this cool example this week. If you have a bunch of people sitting in a room with a bunch of books trying to figure it all out they just ask one another what do you think? oh I don’t know what do you think? and they just try and figure it out. BUT as soon as you put a teacher in the room, there is a leader someone to ask questions and someone for guidance. That’s why we need prophets! They make it so much easier!

We had an FHE with a family this week and the entire family sat in on it, even though they are not all members!!! :D It was the best, and everyone participated! Then we played candy land and we ate ice cream sundaes! Their job was to get the ice cream and we brought toppings of crushed up oreos, kit kats, snickers, cookies and sour gummy candies. They were so iffy about it at first. Little culture lesson, real fast: Mongolians put fruit on ice cream, not candy. but they LOVED the candy on ice cream!! haha I love that family sooo much!! (: it felt like home!

I love my ward! (: it’s pretty much the best!

Transfers are this upcoming WEEK!! dun, dun.. DUN!!!! #whoknows

Yeah that was my week!

Sister Bennett (:

Sometimes things have to get harder before they get easier.

August 14^th

  

Sometimes things have to get harder before they get easier.

Last Friday I started having a pain in my side.  It hurt to breathe and hurt worse to cough. I didn’t want to be a complainer so I really tried hard not to complain. It even hurt to sleep on that side. But it was bearable, so I just bore it. I was also having these silly wheezy coughs. Then Monday night I remember praying more sincerely that it would go away and then Tuesday morning it was hurting worse. So after personal study I prayed even more sincerely than before. Then we were getting ready to leave the house to go teach English and we pray right before we leave the house and right as we were about to pray I’m pretty sure it just got worse and I couldn’t handle the pain anymore and just started crying. A few moments later the Mission doctor’s wife, Sister Sutphin, knocks on our door to bring the other sister something (Sometimes God send little miracles right to your door). Then after I was able to get the pain to calm down we walked to the doctor’s office. He told us I still had bronchitis and that a normal person would be better by now, so he gave me the third round of antibiotics :P and told me I have probably pulled a muscle in between my ribs. (nonetheless we cancelled English that morning)

BUT WHAT I LEARNED from that was that I prayed harder and it just hurt worse! That just seems backwards right?! I was pushed to the point where it had to hurt worse in order for it to get better to get more medicine to get the bronchitis to fully go away and to get pills to get the pain to go away. Sometimes God has to push us to a breaking point in order to have us change something. Sister Hartley and I would have gone and taught English if I hadn’t hit that breaking point but in order for me to fully recover I needed different antibiotics. God answered my prayers by what might seem like making the problem worse but I know that's what it needed to be. That was my lesson of the week.

Thursday: Taught a training and Sister Hartley noticed i didnt cough at all during my part! Yay! 

(the bronchitis is going away!)

SUNDAY! BAPTISMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously, baptisms are the best!! Her stepmom gave a talk and her dad baptized her. It was so great. My favorite part of all the baptisms I've attended over my mission is afterwards when the investigator shares their testimony. It’s so powerful! I love it.

LIFE IS GOOD! (:

SISTER BENNETT (:

Happy day!

These are my Sansar buddies

Special day!

I haven't seen her since October!  My 2nd companion in Mongolia!

I'm a rock star but Sister Hartley is the best!

From August 8th

This week we went to the doctors and got an xray and she told me and my companion "she’s got a bit of baad bronchitis in both er lungs" haha! so she gave me a different antibiotic (which I took the last one of today!!) and told me to pretty much not move too much for 3 days :P so we didn’t meet with very many people this week either, but now I’m feeling much better so I think this week should be better! (:

From church this week, I really got the feeling of how much we really strengthen each other. One person goes up and bears their testimony and then another person goes up and said how they felt obligated to come up because so and so came up. Then also how in our testimonies we bounce off of each other’s testimonies and it’s just so great that’s why we go to church! So go to church peeps. Then you can strengthen and be strengthened. 

This week we taught my little English class of a bunch of 5 year olds about colors and sang old MacDonald probably 15 times (not exaggerating), twinkle twinkle, the hokey pokey and our abcs. They are soo cute but these little shinanigans are crazy! one time we turn around and this little boy is doing a headstand?! You are going to break your neck child!? another time another litttle boy ran into the door for fun and just about broke the door! :P but it was our last time teaching them this week. I might miss their absolute craziness but only a little bit. :P

I know God sends us little blessings and Sister Hartley has definitely been one of those these past two weeks, she makes sure I take my pills when I’m supposed to, has made food every day this week, and tells me "I’m a rock star" all the time ha ha! She’s the best!

My favorite scripture of the week was about Alma and Amulaek are teaching the people and Zeezrom was wicked and had been lying to the people guiding them away from the truth and then he realized what he had done and he says, "his soul began to be harrowed up (distressed) under a consciousness of his own guilt; yea he began to be encircled about by the pains of hell." as I read it, that is what true remorse is for sins, and I would say that the way the scripture put it was really accurate for how we should feel when we are trying to repent. I will be sharing that will my investigators from now on. (:

Anyways yay for a little less bronchitis this week! and wish Sister Hartley and I luck we are teaching a training this week! (: yay!

Sister Bennett (:

So here's a little paragraph from Sister Hartley's email the same week...

"Well I don't know what to fill you all in on! 

Last monday we went to the doctor and sister Bennett had xrays and turns out "she got a bit a baaad bronchitis in both er lungs". (The Doctor was a really nice lady from South Africa with a cool accent)  So we got a ton of heavy meds and syrups and stuff and I've had to remind Sister bennett when and what to take almost every time cause the pills kinda make her pass out and forget. Poor girl, her cough sounds  horrible and NO missionary likes to be sick...EVER. not even with the sniffles and here she is.. with THE BRONCHITIS IN BOTH HER LUNGS. She's slowly getting better though! Saturday night neither of us slept too well because she was coughing soooo much. Last night was really good. We set goals this week for me to give more sympathy and her to try not to complain. Haha. I actually love my companion with all my heart and feel the need to put that in here because the love is so real. We learn lots form each other daily and have really good conversations. She's got my back and I've got hers."

 

Also from Sister Harley, Is Sister Bennett still praying or is she asleep?  Poor girl!

"I have Bronchitis! AIN'T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT!!"

From July 31st

I'VE NEVER TAKEN THIS MANY PILLS IN MY LIFE!!! but before we talk about why lets talk about Monday. We meet with a family we have been meeting with since February and the mom is a member, the daughter just recently got baptized and we were teaching about eternal families and temples. The father was home, (we have been working on him for a long time, little by little) he decided to sit in the lesson!!!!!!!!!!!! he even read from true to the faith and scriptures! The goal of this lesson was hopefully to get them to do Family Home evening together. We also hoped the father would be home and he was!! they all promised to do FHE with us this week! It should be good!  #miracleoftheweek

Oh for pday we also went to Shangralaa a buffet. that was super yummy. then we thought we made friends with this little boy, he started to pretend to bit us and then he literally BIT ME!! :P NOT COOL little man! (:

Tuesday- Exchange with bayanzurhk sisters, met the first Mongolian member in Mongolia! All of her children had served foreign missions it was amazing!! (: the exchange was great except... i was running a fever all day. then i died that night coughing and have a fever!

Wednesday- cancelled English, slept, ran a fever, cancelled lessons, coughed...

Thursday- went out taught English  ran out of breathe singing with the kiddos, Sister Hartley did half of the class! haha then on time they were being a little rowdy  and Chimka (alady who works at my school) came in and told the kids in Mongolian " Your teacher has a cold, love her a little bit alright?" then we continue and as class was ending we asked the kiddos what did you learn today and and one little boy said "love your teacher" hahaha!! then we came home I was soo winded and tired we had to take a break walking home and  I had a coughing fit when we got home. and we called the doctor. he told us to rest Friday through Sunday.

Friday and Saturday - slept, did weekly planning, ran a fever, coughed studied Mongolian, coughed called EVERYONE and told them to come to church, coughed, fell asleep, coughed again you get the idea hhaa (: 

Sunday we did walk down and partake of the sacrament but didn't stay for all three hours.

So the doctor told me "I have Bronchitis*! AINT NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT!!" (:

(*he said i either have bronchitis, a viral upper respiratory infection, pneumonia, but I like calling it bronchitis!) 

I have been taking 4 pills everyday! and then some repeat again during the day (: Aren't you proud of me mom!! (: So that was my week! (: but hey I'm feeling much better today! This next week will be great! DON'T GET BRONCHITIS, AIN'T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT!! (:

Sister Bennett (:

Don't bite me!

Shangralaa Buffet

a little walk on pday

Sister Hartley in our home made sauna

me in the sauna

bad week!

taking pills - sick all week!

Well I can cross that off my list of "now I've eaten that."

 From July 17th

Mongolia is beautiful!

Monday and Tuesday were a blur :P we prepped for zone training.

Wednesday! had zone training and then We went over to a member to make huushuur for Naadam and our investigator was there. So we talked about what she had read from the pamphlet and learned about prophets over making huushur #onlyinMongolia (: then we all sat down and were eating and the member a returned missionary (who served in the neighboring ward when i was in Unur) offered us horhog. SO I ATE HORHOG for the first time!  that was yummy (just some really famous way of cooking meat). Then she offered us this really weird looking piece that was off the bone. we asked her what it was all she said is its really good for your body :P Sister Hartley downed it like a champ! I looked at it for just too long that it was a little harder to eat. then We asked what it was and our investigators points to her nose and signals like snot and says a new word and we both interpreted it as like snot! and we were like ew!! gross!! and they got a kick out of that! :P but apparently what it really was, was bone marrow. well I can cross that off my list of now I've eaten that :P haha 

Making Huushuur

Thursday We went to met with a new investigator family that we received as a referral!! It was so exciting!! (: and then we figured out he doesn't live in our area!... so we passed them to the missionaries in their area. So we were on our way home to do big plan. On our way we were talking about how they translated chinggis xaana to ghenggis khaan and how we think they should have translated it so English speaker wouldn't read it sooo awfully wrong :P and then this little boy with his dad purposefully walks right in front of us looking at our hands to hand us flowers each, that he had already picked. It was soo cute!! Little blessings from heaven! (:

Saturday Everyone was able to meet with us on Saturday and we had four solid lessons!! It was great!! I'm grateful to teach the gospel all the time . We also counted how many times we had prayed that day it was 23. We pray A LOT! But I'm grateful for it! It always helps my companion and I focus better. Prayer is amazing! (:

Anyway life is good! (: I've also been better at journaling this week, So if your not journaling I would recommend it (: 

Sister Bennett (:

Cute!

Baptism of a young girl in our ward.