Our Dear Family:
We celebrated our 49th wedding anniversary with lunch together at the Ukraine Restaurant and dinner with President and Sister Andersen. Most of the day, however, we were very busy with our work.
We would hope all of our children could be here in Mongolia on August 28th next year to help us celebrate our golden wedding anniversary. We will start saving now and will pay for one ticket for each couple if you can pay for the other. I have checked fares this month, a most airlines are flying round-trip Salt Lake City - Ulaanbaatar for $1168. If you can plan ten days or so, we can arrange some very good experiences for you. Please let us know what you think.
President Anderson came to my office this past week and asked if we liked our apartment or if we would like to move. The other senior couples live in much older, darker apartments with no view except the buildings around them. I think I told you our apartment is new and we are on the ninth floor with an elevator and a huge bay window overlooking downtown Ulaanbaatar. We have one bedroom, a modern bathroom, and a large kitchen, sitting area, and dining area. Needless to say, I told President Anderson we would prefer to stay here. He agreed that we should.
With Joshua's help we finally have wireless internet on my laptop. We bought a very small internet modem made in Korea called G-Mobile that will pick up internet anywhere in Mongolia and installed it yesterday. It is good to have internet in the apartment so that we can take better care of personal correspondence.
Both of us spent the week organizing our assigned duties. It seems that the things we are to do have been quite neglected in the past. It would be easier if we knew the local leaders and had more support with things that will otherwise take too long to learn. Linda does have part-time help in the Family History Center; I am trying to get secretarial and translation help in my office.
We continue to see old friends and it is very pleasant for us. This week we went to lunch with Batayev, former chief of the police academy and now a partner in a business firm, and with Uyanga, who worked as assistant to the former chairman of parliament who helped us with our livestock project. We have also talked to several others on the telephone.
The senior couples here have gotten together the past two Saturday nights and played games and had a good meal. We do have a ping pong table and pool table in the basement area of the Church headquarters building. Last night we had a new member of the group, a woman from BYU here on a Fulbright Scholarship.
I am amazed at the construction here in Ulaanbaatar. Without turning my head, I can see through our by window thirteen huge construction cranes; and looking 180 degrees, there are twenty-two. Also, there are many more buildings under construction by Chinese companies that are building the old Chinese way with pine poles for supports and a lift on the side of the building to haul construction materials to where they are working.
Several of our friends are coming to Church with us, including Bolormaa, whom I have known for ten years and has been in Utah several times. I hope her husband comes with her today.
I am getting closer to having a listing of all missionaries called here in Mongolia. When this is completed, hopefully this week, I will have it translated and send a list of missionaries called from each of the twenty branches to the branch presidents and ask them to report on what they know about these missionaries. Then I plan to meet with each of them and teach them what should be done to find lost missionaries, keep them active, and utilize their abilities in the branch. It will be a big job.
Please call or visit Mother as often as you can. I call her once a week. Last night her only two complaints were her almost total lack of sight now and her lack of visitors and telephone calls.
We love you.
Mother and Dad
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
Weekly Update
We love and miss all of you so very much, and we do appreciate greatly the letters some of you have written this week.
It is getting to be winter here. Two weeks ago it was in the '90's; today it is in the mid-50's and we have had rain off and on for several days. Fortunately our offices are in the Church office building where we have good heat and cooling. The apartment we are in is very comfortable but we do not know how long we will live there. I would like to stay, but Linda thinks it is too far from the office. The one we live in now is new and very bright and on the 9th floor; the apartment that is being vacated in a month by a couple is in a very old building with the usual broken shower, toilet, etc., and very little light. It apparently takes seven minutes less time to walk to the office from that apartment, so Linda thinks she wants to move.
After our meetings yesterday, Josh and Kim came to our apartment for dinner. We had a long evening just talking. It was good to be with them. Kim loves her school and teaching assignment.
Linda is moving ahead very well with her family history work; I am trying to get government relations, public relations, and the activation of returned missionaries better organized. Working with the returned missionaries will take most of my time. I spent three hours with the mission president today and we brain-stormed endless problems and almost as many solutions.
As you probably heard or maybe even saw on TV, the Mongolians won their first-ever gold medal at the Olympics. In fact they won two gold medals and one silver medal. The celebration here started immediately after the announcement yesterday and went on all through the night. It was extremely noisy and wide-spread.
Saturday night some of the senior couples had a party at the headquarters building and called us at the last minute. We joined them and watched "Akeela Bee", ate popcorn (your mother did not mind at all), ate chocolate cake, and drank good fruit juices. It was a pleasant evening.
Linda just came back from shopping with the Sister who is going home in a month and now they have gone to their apartment so Linda can see what it looks like. I am trying to analyze my discussion with the mission president and put it all together in way that I can build on what I have already done and get better organized for the future.
Our prayers are with our family always. One of you please share this letter, and each week's letter, with mother. I have spoken to her on the telephone once but have had trouble trying to get through since then.
We love you.
Grandpa and Grandma
It is getting to be winter here. Two weeks ago it was in the '90's; today it is in the mid-50's and we have had rain off and on for several days. Fortunately our offices are in the Church office building where we have good heat and cooling. The apartment we are in is very comfortable but we do not know how long we will live there. I would like to stay, but Linda thinks it is too far from the office. The one we live in now is new and very bright and on the 9th floor; the apartment that is being vacated in a month by a couple is in a very old building with the usual broken shower, toilet, etc., and very little light. It apparently takes seven minutes less time to walk to the office from that apartment, so Linda thinks she wants to move.
After our meetings yesterday, Josh and Kim came to our apartment for dinner. We had a long evening just talking. It was good to be with them. Kim loves her school and teaching assignment.
Linda is moving ahead very well with her family history work; I am trying to get government relations, public relations, and the activation of returned missionaries better organized. Working with the returned missionaries will take most of my time. I spent three hours with the mission president today and we brain-stormed endless problems and almost as many solutions.
As you probably heard or maybe even saw on TV, the Mongolians won their first-ever gold medal at the Olympics. In fact they won two gold medals and one silver medal. The celebration here started immediately after the announcement yesterday and went on all through the night. It was extremely noisy and wide-spread.
Saturday night some of the senior couples had a party at the headquarters building and called us at the last minute. We joined them and watched "Akeela Bee", ate popcorn (your mother did not mind at all), ate chocolate cake, and drank good fruit juices. It was a pleasant evening.
Linda just came back from shopping with the Sister who is going home in a month and now they have gone to their apartment so Linda can see what it looks like. I am trying to analyze my discussion with the mission president and put it all together in way that I can build on what I have already done and get better organized for the future.
Our prayers are with our family always. One of you please share this letter, and each week's letter, with mother. I have spoken to her on the telephone once but have had trouble trying to get through since then.
We love you.
Grandpa and Grandma
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Weekly Update
Our Dear Family:
We have heard from a few of you but would like very much to receive regular e-mails from all of you. Please write.We do watch your blogspot, Joseph and Stephanie. Thank you for this special regular update for your family.
We continue to be very busy, but are settling in a bit better. Linda loves her work in the Family History Center. I continue to find more lost returned missionaries and now a committee together to help me. This primarily for Ulaanbaatar; but as we get more names and addressed and more experience, we will reach out to the other ten branches throughout the country. The active returned missionaries I am working worth are exceptional.
Yesterday we attended zone conference for one of the zones here in Ulaanbaatar. It was very enjoyable hearing the missionaries speak and bear testimony. President and Sister Andersen especially gave wonderful talks and instruction. Both of us spoke briefly as well.
Kim and Josh are fully moved into their new apartment (with the help of the Elders in that area). We have not seen the apartment, but have been told it is very nice. Kim had her first meetings at the school.
The hot weather here is gone today. It rained most of the night and is still raining. It looks and feels very good.
We are mostly recovered from our jet lag; but Linda is still quite tired. We are pacing ourselves mostly for her sake.
We love you. Please write.
Dad and Mother, grandpa and grandma
We have heard from a few of you but would like very much to receive regular e-mails from all of you. Please write.We do watch your blogspot, Joseph and Stephanie. Thank you for this special regular update for your family.
We continue to be very busy, but are settling in a bit better. Linda loves her work in the Family History Center. I continue to find more lost returned missionaries and now a committee together to help me. This primarily for Ulaanbaatar; but as we get more names and addressed and more experience, we will reach out to the other ten branches throughout the country. The active returned missionaries I am working worth are exceptional.
Yesterday we attended zone conference for one of the zones here in Ulaanbaatar. It was very enjoyable hearing the missionaries speak and bear testimony. President and Sister Andersen especially gave wonderful talks and instruction. Both of us spoke briefly as well.
Kim and Josh are fully moved into their new apartment (with the help of the Elders in that area). We have not seen the apartment, but have been told it is very nice. Kim had her first meetings at the school.
The hot weather here is gone today. It rained most of the night and is still raining. It looks and feels very good.
We are mostly recovered from our jet lag; but Linda is still quite tired. We are pacing ourselves mostly for her sake.
We love you. Please write.
Dad and Mother, grandpa and grandma
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Our First Week
Our Dear Family:
We have had a very busy first week here: orientation, moving into our apartment, meeting people, getting telephones, going to Church meetings, attending an all-Mongolia youth conference, seeing old friends, beginning our specific missionary responsibilities--family history for Linda; public affairs and reactivation of less-active returned missionaries. We also spoke at a fireside in President Anderson's home last night. It has been busy.
We have a very nice apartment on the ninth floor (with an elevator) of a relatively new building. We have one bedroom, a nice sitting and dining room, a modern kitchen and bathroom, and a balcony. This apartment, however, is only temporary. The couple we are replacing leave in about six weeks; and then after their apartment is refurbished, we will move there. It is an older apartment but is closer to the mission home and office. We have a large picture window facing west, so it gets very hot in the evenings.
Our beds were harder than pavement, so we first tried using comforters to make them comfortable. This did not work too well, so I searched the large open market and found two single deluxe air matresses. Now we sleep well.
It is still quite hot here and will not really cool down for another month or so. We walk to the mission office and other places not too far from our apartment and find it quite hot.
The food is very good. We can buy almost anything we can get in Utah, and there is a supermarket on the ground floor of our apartment building. Too, the other senior couples have had us to their apartments for dinner several nights already; and, we have three dinner invitations this week. We really are not starving.
We have had quite a bit of time with Josh and Kim. They love Mongolia and are doing very well here. They have been staying in the guest house of one of our friend's university and will move into their own apartment at the American School of Ulaanbaatar on Friday of this week. It is a nice, large apartment and is quite near the mountains just south of Ulaanbaatar.
The youth conference was especially impressive. The local leaders did most of the planning and implementation, and young people came from every branch (20 of them) in the country. Some rode for three days in old Russian vans. There were 368 youth at the conference and about forty leaders. They worked on a quilt service project; were taught various Gospel principles in small groups; and enjoyed a lot of group games, including Western line dancing.
We have enjoyed the photo and letter album immensely; and we have shared it with several friends already. Thanks to each of you for doing this for us.
Andrew: we will see Ganbat and his wife tonight. She leaves for two weeks in the U.S. tomorrow. Many of our friends met us at the airport, including Tuya, Sodnomdorj and Yanjin, Odnyam, Ariunaa, Segee (who made the painting of the house in Fremont and the two Mongolian figures on our mantle for us), and others.
Tamar: please read this to mother tomorrow when you see her and give her our love. We will call her as soon as we get our telephones in order. Also, we do not have internet in our apartment, so we will write as we can each week from our office (which will be ours early next week).
We love you.
Mother and Dad
We have had a very busy first week here: orientation, moving into our apartment, meeting people, getting telephones, going to Church meetings, attending an all-Mongolia youth conference, seeing old friends, beginning our specific missionary responsibilities--family history for Linda; public affairs and reactivation of less-active returned missionaries. We also spoke at a fireside in President Anderson's home last night. It has been busy.
We have a very nice apartment on the ninth floor (with an elevator) of a relatively new building. We have one bedroom, a nice sitting and dining room, a modern kitchen and bathroom, and a balcony. This apartment, however, is only temporary. The couple we are replacing leave in about six weeks; and then after their apartment is refurbished, we will move there. It is an older apartment but is closer to the mission home and office. We have a large picture window facing west, so it gets very hot in the evenings.
Our beds were harder than pavement, so we first tried using comforters to make them comfortable. This did not work too well, so I searched the large open market and found two single deluxe air matresses. Now we sleep well.
It is still quite hot here and will not really cool down for another month or so. We walk to the mission office and other places not too far from our apartment and find it quite hot.
The food is very good. We can buy almost anything we can get in Utah, and there is a supermarket on the ground floor of our apartment building. Too, the other senior couples have had us to their apartments for dinner several nights already; and, we have three dinner invitations this week. We really are not starving.
We have had quite a bit of time with Josh and Kim. They love Mongolia and are doing very well here. They have been staying in the guest house of one of our friend's university and will move into their own apartment at the American School of Ulaanbaatar on Friday of this week. It is a nice, large apartment and is quite near the mountains just south of Ulaanbaatar.
The youth conference was especially impressive. The local leaders did most of the planning and implementation, and young people came from every branch (20 of them) in the country. Some rode for three days in old Russian vans. There were 368 youth at the conference and about forty leaders. They worked on a quilt service project; were taught various Gospel principles in small groups; and enjoyed a lot of group games, including Western line dancing.
We have enjoyed the photo and letter album immensely; and we have shared it with several friends already. Thanks to each of you for doing this for us.
Andrew: we will see Ganbat and his wife tonight. She leaves for two weeks in the U.S. tomorrow. Many of our friends met us at the airport, including Tuya, Sodnomdorj and Yanjin, Odnyam, Ariunaa, Segee (who made the painting of the house in Fremont and the two Mongolian figures on our mantle for us), and others.
Tamar: please read this to mother tomorrow when you see her and give her our love. We will call her as soon as we get our telephones in order. Also, we do not have internet in our apartment, so we will write as we can each week from our office (which will be ours early next week).
We love you.
Mother and Dad
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Getting to Mongolia
Dear Family:
We arrived safely in Mongolia at 10:30 last night. Our plane was almost two hours late leaving Salt Lake City, so we barely caught the plane in San Francisco (with one minute to go before the doors were shut). And, in the process Delta lost one of our bags--my suits and a lot of other important things. Our friend Odnyam is trying to find it today.
In additon to our mission president, many of our good friends met us at the airport. It was fun meeting them. Gonchigdorj, member of parliament, had made good arrangements for us at the airport. Also, one of the very first people I met in Mongolia in 1993, Chimgee, now a top official in Mongolians Customs, took care of getting us through customs (her son, Taylor, leaves this month for a Chinese speaking mission in England).
Of course, Josh and Kim met us at the airport. It was a true joy to see them. They are doing very well and love it here.
We are now living in a brand new apartment which will be occupied by two sisters in about two months. Our apartment will be vacated by then and renovated for us.
We have spent all day today with the mission president and other member of his office staff--senior missionaries with specific assignments.
We survived the trip well and are not too tired today.
We love you.
Mother and Dad
We arrived safely in Mongolia at 10:30 last night. Our plane was almost two hours late leaving Salt Lake City, so we barely caught the plane in San Francisco (with one minute to go before the doors were shut). And, in the process Delta lost one of our bags--my suits and a lot of other important things. Our friend Odnyam is trying to find it today.
In additon to our mission president, many of our good friends met us at the airport. It was fun meeting them. Gonchigdorj, member of parliament, had made good arrangements for us at the airport. Also, one of the very first people I met in Mongolia in 1993, Chimgee, now a top official in Mongolians Customs, took care of getting us through customs (her son, Taylor, leaves this month for a Chinese speaking mission in England).
Of course, Josh and Kim met us at the airport. It was a true joy to see them. They are doing very well and love it here.
We are now living in a brand new apartment which will be occupied by two sisters in about two months. Our apartment will be vacated by then and renovated for us.
We have spent all day today with the mission president and other member of his office staff--senior missionaries with specific assignments.
We survived the trip well and are not too tired today.
We love you.
Mother and Dad
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