A Garage Sale in Mongolia?

Our Dear Family:

We just returned from our meetings at the Khan-Uul Branch. They were very good. Linda and I both spoke, she on families and family history and I about how blessed we are to be members of the Church and our responsibility to help our brothers and sisters who are less-active or need help in other ways. From the scriptures I read Ephesians 3:19-21, Doctrine and Covenants 76:5-10, and Mosiah 18:7-10. Our words seemed to stir some souls in the congregation.

Both Tsegmed and Erica were at the meeting with us. Tsegmed is the artist I brought to Utah for training (he was then President of the Mongolian University of Culture) and then back again after he feel into a canyon and suffered brain trauma; we brought Erica to Utah to study, and just after she graduated from UVSC cancer developed in her brain. We arranged for brain surgery, but after the second time, the doctors said they could do no more. We brought her back with us when we came to Mongolia. She seems to be doing better now, despite her need for seizure and pain medications from the U.S.

After our meeting we saw a very precious young woman whom we brought to Utah to study when she was seventeen years old. When she graduated from UVSC, we lost track of her until we saw her on Temple Square wearing a missionary nameplate. She had gone from UVSC to BYU-Idaho and was baptized and called on a mission there. She is a bright light in her branch here.

We are now preparing dinner for the new senior couple, the Caldwells from Magna, who arrived here this week. Josh and Kim will join us also. We are roasting a chicken and will also have cooked beets, carrot salad, Mongolian meat-filled bao-tzu called boz, and whipped potatoes with chicken gravy (I actually found a electric hand beater this week. It was made in Turkey and is very good quality). We will have bottled peaches for dessert.

On Thursday of this week, we attended a zone conference (there are three zones in Ulaanbaatar and conferences were held on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday). I spoke about our missionary search program and asked the missionaries to strengthen their help in this effort--actually I gave the same speech in all three conferences. Being there brought good memories, especially since President Andersen referred often to his mission in Taiwan with us.

I have finally gotten agreement from both BYU-Hawaii and the Mongolian University of Science and Technology that they will meet in the spring and work out a cooperative arrangement between them. President Wheelwright at BYU-H was one of President Andersen's professors at Harvard; all of the people I am working with at the university here were in my training groups in Utah. They have not had English teachers from the Church, so I will start teaching there soon.

I have located quite a few missing missionaries this week: one of them walked into my office on Monday and asked if I was Elder Jackson. Another missionary had forwarded my weekly e-mail to him. He was converted in the Czech Republic while attending University there and called on a mission from there. He served in Roseville California and then came back to Mongolia for a few months. For the past five years he has been in Korea working in a hotel. He is anxious to be active here; too, I introduced him to the front desk manager at the Chinggis Khan Hotel (a returned missionary) and he will probably get a job there.

On Thursday morning Bat-Ulzii came to my office to see me while I was out with Jargal, the missionary from Korea. He left his number so I called him. He said he had heard I was here and wanted very much to see me. He was in my branch at the MTC. He now owns two "Mongolian Barbecues" here, patterned after the ones he saw in Utah. He wants to treat us to dinner but will be out of town this week. We will get together next week.

Yes, a garage sale in Mongolia. When we attended the election party in the clubhouse of Star Apartment, where most of the embassy personnel and wealthy business people live, I picked up a flyer advertising a garage sale yesterday. Being somewhat of an expert on garage sales, I went about an hour early and with my honorary consul ID was allowed into the compound without waiting for the 2:00 p.m. start time. I did get some good things we need, and even a copy of Porter Rockwell: A Biography. I have one at home, but it will be fun to read in this one occasionally here. I had what I wanted when they let the crowd in at 2:00. I looked out the window and thought for sure Chinggis Khan with his horde was bearing down on us. A crowd of Mongolians were truly rushing the door. I got out of the way just in time to save my neck and my treasures, but the horde were soon shoving, elbowing, kicking, and crushing the tables. I made my way to the door and walked back to our apartment, picking up our blue bucket filled with six liters of fresh milk on the way. Our elevator has been out of order for four days, so I quite wore myself out climbing the nine flights of stairs to our apartment.

It continues to cool down almost daily now. This morning it was a few degrees below zero. We hardly notice it with our warm coats on, and fortunately the little bit of snow that has fallen is melted.

We love you.

Love,
Mother and Dad