January 4, 2016

I understand that life can be difficult sometimes and that we don't always know why some things happen to us, but just remember that we have a loving Heavenly Father and that our loving Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us. We need to trust in this plan and have faith that all will work out. Something that is always hard to keep in mind, I know this better than most, is that we will be given it in His timing and in His way. We don't always understand how things happen but our Father in Heaven knows. He knows everything and He has a reason for doing things the way that he does them. President Monson said, "He who created us and who loves us perfectly knows just how we need to live our lives in order to obtain the greatest happiness possible." Heavenly Father only wants our happiness. He has provided us with this gospel so that we may be able to receive that happiness. As we follow what we have been taught and keep the covenants that we have made and will make, be steadfast in our faith, be hopeful, and do all that is asked of us. Heavenly Father will bless us. He wants to bless us. He knows the things that we stand in need of and in His timing will it be given to us. Sometimes he just requires our faith and is testing how far are we willing to go for Him. We are given these experiences in our life to help us grow. He stretches us and sometimes he stretches close to the point where we feel we might break, but we never actually break. We are only stretched into something stronger that is able to withstand more than we were able to before. Little by little he molds us into the people he desires us to become. Don't worry if things are not working quite how you are expecting or wanting them to. Just know that they are happening the way that it is intended to and that it will work out in a way that will benefit you. As we rely on our Savior, He is able to help us overcome all things. I have developed a deep and abiding testimony of Him. I know that He lives, I know that He loves us, and I know that through Him we are able to become perfected and like our Father in Heaven. We are capable of so much more than we know. Don't look at yourself through mortal eyes, but see yourself through our Heavenly Father's. He sees us as his sons and daughters with the potential of becoming like him.

I wanted to share this with all of you as well. I know that you have hard times in your life as well, but keep looking forward with hope in the promised blessings and faith that they will be given to you. Remember all the blessings that you have received. Remember to thank our Heavenly Father for them and show your gratitude. I honestly don't think that I thank Him enough for all that I have been given. I encourage all of you especially since it is a new year now to reflect on this past year and what you have received. You will come to realize how much you have been given and have to be thankful for.

So this has been an interesting week for me. After I talked with you guys we were leaving and got on the bus to go home and I got robbed! It sucked, the day after Christmas and I get robbed. They took my new wallet that my companion gave to me, luckily it didn’t have a lot of money in it but i was super sad about the wallet: ( don’t worry i am okay. it just sucked is all. Then we were invited to a members house for new years and they live in a gert district and so they live about 30 minutes from us. We take a bus there but then we have to take a taxi up to their house because it is on a mountain and we didn’t want to walk all the way up there cause it was freezing. It had just snowed so the road was super bad. We didn't know how to get to the members home so we called her and then had her explain the directions to the driver. As he was driving us up the mountain his car kept sliding and it was not a very good car so of course it was sketchy going up this mountain in a crappy car and I am worrying we are gonna get stuck or he will hit something cause the road is so narrow. Once we got to a steep part his car wasn’t haven’t it anymore. He stopped moving and couldn’t get up the hill, he was basically just sliding around. Well after several attempts of trying to move we finally just paid him and got out. We thought her home was just at the top of the hill.... so once we climbed up there what did we see.... Nothing! He didn't even drop us off close to where she lived. Tuguldor was with us too cause we were teaching him a lesson at their home and so we were all lost. Solongo called the member and we tried figuring out where we were. We were basically walking around this mountain for almost an hour until we found there home. That was fun... haha. As we were trying to find it Tuguldor and I were just having fun in the snow and sliding down the mountain. So even though it was cold and we were lost, we definitely made the best of it. The lesson we taught went great too! We taught him the third lesson and it was amazing! I was able to speak and gave an example of faith using America as an example. I asked him if he had ever seen America and if it existed type thing and he said no but of course it exists. and I asked him how does he know and he was like he believes it does. I told him how this was faith and how even though we can’t see God, we believe in him and have faith in Him even though we can't see. It was a really cool lesson:) It was around 7:30pm when we left their home and as we are walking down this mountain it was super dark but luckily Tuguldor had his phone light on so we could see. Anyways we are walking down and this is one of those neighborhoods with the dogs that people have to guard their home so they are super mean.... so wait for it.... we are walking down and just talking and all of this sudden this dog comes around the corner and starts barking at us and running towards us! HE was freaking huge and Solongo and I were so scared. Luckily Tuguldor was with us because even though he was terrified of dogs himself he was so brave and started yelling at the dog and was trying to scare him away from us. He kept coming towards us but Tuguldor was doing kicking motions so the dog was staying away. Eventually we passed this persons home and was able to get away and the dog fortunately didn't follow us. It was scary but it was funny cause Tuguldor was yelling at the dog and saying "Dont bark at my sisters!" haha so cute. But yea those were my experiences for the week... fun!

Well this is it for the week! I love you all! Have a great week!

 

This was a bus from the mission home, they rented it so we could deliver all our gifts. Where we delivered was about 2 hours away. Not all buses look like that but close to it.

 

 

 

 

 

Surenhyy bought us some presents for new years. this was one of them. haha. I loook good i know;) That hole is by our apartment and sadly people live down there so we decided to take them some of our cake and surprise them.

Love,

Sister Kerby

December 28, 2015

What a wonderful time of year it is! It is a special time of year as it is the time our Savior was born. We are so blessed to be able to live with the knowledge that this gospel has provided for us. May we remember our Savior and His life and the many things that He has done for us. He has given us everything and as I have reflected this week about Him and His life I have realized that His whole life was spent giving to others and He never once asked for anything in return. I was thinking about how hard the mission is at times but then I turn to my Savior and think about His life and how if it wasn't easy for Him, why would it be easy for me? Preaching the gospel is hard and not everyone is interested or willing to keep the commitments we extend them but it is a message that is continually worth sharing because you never know when you will find the one person that will accept it. I thought of how the Savior willingly gave his life and that He knew not everyone would accept him. He knew that many would reject what He did for us, but the Savior still made the sacrifice. I am so grateful for His example and for the chance I have to continue to strive to be more like Him. May we press forward with steadfastness in Christ and a perfect brightness of hope. Life isn't easy but as we remain faithful and keep our eyes on the Savior, we cannot fail. We must continue to take the next step. We only fail when we stop trying. As Peter walked on the water towards the Savior, he had the faith to do so until he saw the waves and the storm and he began to fear. That was when he started to sink and he cried out to his Savior for help. It says that Christ immediately stretched forth his hand and lifted Peter back up and questioned why he had so little faith. Our Savior will always be there to immediately stretch forth his hand and lift us back up. We can't let worldly distractions, doubts, fears and things like this that take our eyes off our Savior. As long as we stay focused on him and make him our foundation. We cannot fall. 

Christmas day we were able to Skype with Kristin. She is doing great and looking good. She was not able to write this week as the internet was down but was able during the week to send us some pictures she wanted to send us. She sent us the thought above which we wanted to share with everyone. 

 

                                                                                                                                 Kristin with her new hair cut

Going out with the district to hand out gifts to those who didn't have a lot. Kristin said this was the best experience of her mission so far. She really felt the spirit as she gave to those who didn't have much.

To the right and below are areas that she is either teaching individuals or visiting members. The round tent like homes are Yurts.

December 11, 2015

Hello Everyone!

YES I AM ALIVE AND GREAT! There is nothing better you can do with your time than teaching the gospel! Especially to those who have no idea what it means. In Mongolian, gospel is actually translated to "good news" so when we talk to them they are always like so what is this good news. haha. How some of the words translate over doesn’t quite mean the exact same thing so we have to explain it really well. Our church pretty much has its new language that our investigators have to learn as well so I am in the same boat as them. haha

Well another week has flown by and it is crazy to think that is almost the end of December! Transfers are this week so I will find out whether or not Solongo and I will stay companions for the next 12 weeks. I hope so because although it is difficult getting used to a companion and we have faced a few challenges, having a Mongolian companion truly is a blessing and I have learned a lot from her. I have also been able to learn a lot about myself in the process. This truly has been an eye opening experience and I only continue to hope that I will work on becoming the missionary I need to be to best serve these wonderful people. The people in Mongolia are so special and they are so different here. They are such a hardworking people and they are caring. I am blessed to have the opportunity to serve here and I am only beginning to realize what a blessing this has been to me. I didn't realize before what a unique opportunity I have to be here and this has been what has helped me change my attitude. Mongolia is being prepared to receive this gospel and I have the opportunity to be one of the few servants that are able to help push this work forward. No matter how difficult it may be or challenges I face along the way. I am making experiences here that I wouldn't change for the world. I have been able to come to know my Savior and learn more of Him and the knowledge and testimony I have gained since being on my mission is one that I will never give up.

Most of my group are with American companions. There are only about 3 of us who were able to have a Mongolian companion so I should consider myself fortunate to have that opportunity to learn from her. 

After our English lesson, we don't take time to prepare for the next one. We leave our school and take the bus back to meet with our companions. After we get back together we either have to finish our studies or we go and teach lessons to the people we planned to meet with that day. The way that our program is set up for English makes it so that we don't have to prepare a lot to teach the lesson which is really nice since we don't have enough time to prepare. But we are prepared enough so that when we do teach, the students are able to learn as much as they can from us. 

Sister Nelson and I were walking to the bus and we found a huge Christmas tree that was set up so we decided to take a picture with it! They actually don't really celebrate Christmas here so the only thing that makes it feel like this time of year is the snow. Plus my companion loves singing Christmas songs. I just taught her Rudolph the red nosed reindeer so she has been memorizing that and we sing it a lot. 

 

Here is my new coat!

 We also went to this place called Sara's Bakery which is so delicious! I had this caramel cake and it was so cheap! It was only about 75 cents in American money! It was one of the best desserts I have had here! They have a lot of different foods and candies that are so good; I can't wait to bring some home so you can all try some!

We also put up some Christmas lights in our apartment. You can’t really see them but they are fun! They flash and everything so it’s like a party in our apartment. haha 

Love,

The sushi thing, it was actually really good!

Sister Kerby

December 7, 2015

I know that we all have our weakness and struggles, but I have learned from the book I am reading that the closer we come to Christ, the more apparent our weakness are. I am thankful for my weakness and although they are at times hard and during the moment it is hard to overcome. The beauty of it all is that we can overcome it! Through our Saviors help, it is possible. "For when I am weak, therefore I am strong" (2 Cor 12:10) or something like that. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn and to grow as I have on my mission and I know that I will only continue to grow.

We have a lot to be grateful for in this life and I encourage you to look for those blessings in your life no matter how great or small they may be. Heavenly Father is always blessing us and we have so much to be grateful for. Sometimes we lose sight of that and I know that as we recognize these blessings we will be so much more thankful for that which we have rather than that which we lack. I have realized this week that they Lord truly blesses us in so many ways and no matter how hard we try, we will never be able to give back for what we have received. The Lord blessings us 1000 times more. 

So let me tell you all about my English teaching! So far it has been great! I am so glad that I have sister nelson as my teaching companion. We are able to make class so much fun! So I teach at Orkon University and then Orkon Secondary School. I teach at the university on Tuesday and Friday from 12:00pm to 3:10 pm. I have two classes on this day and I am teaching students who are preparing to be English teachers themselves. They actually graduate this year. They still have trouble speaking English so it is good that we are able to help them as much as we can before they become English teachers themselves. They are preparing to teach English to people in Russia and Mongolia. On Friday we teach all the faculty members in the university who are interested in learning English so that has been interesting. They know pretty much no English so we have had to start with the very basics. We have a program called side by side and we use a powerpoint program that has been created for us to teach our lessons. It makes it a lot easier and doesn't require much preparation which is nice considering we have like no time to prepare a lesson. It has been great helping these students though. Most of them have a strong desire to learn the language and so it is such a wonderful experience being able to help them further their knowledge and improve their skills. The English language will change their life so I am happy to be apart of that. So many more opportunities will be available to them if they learn this language so i am happy to help. On Wednesday we teach at the secondary school for 8:00am until 2:00pm and we have class back to back so it’s pretty much 6 hours of teaching that day which is long but it’s not too bad. We have a variety of students that range from 9th grade to 12th grade. Our youngest students are 14 years old. Some of them can be a handful but we have learned how to deal with it and we make class fun and they respect us. Some of the other students also help keep them in line. It has been a great experience. Actually since I am certified it makes me want to travel somewhere else when i get home and teach English :)

Sister Nelson

We had our zone conference on Saturday which was really neat and afterwards. Sister Hill one of the senior missionaries invited us to her home and her husband and her made all the sisters dinner so I was able to talk to sis B then. She is doing great and we talked some. She truly is awesome and I am so glad she was my MTC companion. I do see my district fairly often so it has been nice. Elder Espinoza has been in Hong Kong the past couple of weeks. His visa didn't come through so they had to send him to Hong Kong for 2 weeks while they are working on getting him a visa through the church. Which is great news for him because through the church this means he won't have to teach English at all on his mission which will be cool. I am glad that out of all of us he has been given this opportunity. He is a great elder, he is from New Mexico. I learned a lot from him so it will be cool to hear about all his experiences. The rest of the district is doing well. We have all finally gotten over the adjusting period and are doing a lot better.

The weather isn't that bad, I mean it’s cold all the time but I am handling it really well. The coat and my scarf/ boots are keeping me warm. The orange scarf in the picture I bought and it is super warm. I am getting my jacket today and will send a picture of that next week. My boots have been good. The lowest it has gotten here is negative 20 degrees but the thing that is nice is that although it is cold it doesn't snow. There is snow on the ground but that happens at night, it never snows when we are walking around because it is just too cold for that but I have been fine. No complaints there, plus our apartment is really warm as well as our investigators home so while inside we are fine.

INVESTIGATOR TIME ;) so I absolutely love our investigators, they are awesome and are wanting to learn the gospel. It is so amazing. It has been fun teaching them. Right now we have 3 progressing investigators whom we are working with and have baptisms set for January! They are always so patient when I speak and they even help sometimes with the words and they try to understand me. They make me want to be better and they are what keep me going. I think about them and they keep my mind focused on what is really important. Last night we had a lesson with one of our investigators and we had it at a members home and while I was teaching this time I felt more confident. I spoke more than I usually do and really tried to say all that I could. Even if I didn't make 100 percent sense and they didn't understand me all the way. What was important is that I opened my mouth. I have been trying to be better this week and last night I really took a step forward by opening my mouth even though I was scared. I realized it doesn't matter if I can’t speak the language, I am trying and they see that, plus it is the spirit that speaks to them, not me and I know that unless I open my mouth I won’t get better. The members also helped me out because they understood what I was trying to say so they helped me explain it. It was a great experience and it helped me realize that I can do this. Little by little I will improve and I just need to have the patience to do so.

I hope that you have a great week! 

Love,

Sister Kerby

The closest thing that comes to Sushi! haha