The Lord's Hand is in This Work

Dear Family,

This week has been great!  I have seen the Lords hand in our work this week so much, and I am incredible grateful for it!   Just to answer your question, we will watch all the General Conference sessions next week.  They have to translate it into Mongolian first. So we are looking forward to that!

So the whole mission received a letter from President Benson.  He is calling this month a "Baptism Month."  He wants every companionship to have at least 1 baptism, and hopefully more.  If this happens, there will be over 40 baptism his month, which will be incredible!  So we got straight to work.   He wants us to invite and commit the investigator in the first contact to baptism, so no matter what we taught, we have just extended that invitation!  It has been great!  We found a new investigator at the church this week.  His name is Tsalthmon.  He is 30 years old and has an incredible story.  He was working in Korea a few years back, and he was driving his motorcycle while intoxicated when he was hit by a car.  So this being said, his body is pretty messed up.  Bad leg and hand, but his spirits are great.  He admits that he is a partier, but he is looking for change.  How great is that!  Also, he is a huge fan of American rappers so I have rapped with him a little bit, but not enough to drive the spirit away!  ;)  He is so great, and he has committed to baptism April 25th.   He told us his parents are Buddhist and that Buddhism just wasn't for him.   Just today, Monday, we found him chilling at the church.  I asked him what he was doing and he literally was just hanging out.   We can tell that he just really wants to know more.   Yesterday in church he participated in all three blocks, especially priesthood meeting.   More to come regarding him

Great guy.  He is so receptive and at church yesterday he was involved and participated in the investigators class and priesthood

Upcoming Baptisms:

April 11th:  We will have my first Baptism.  Remember Althma from my first area?  Well she is getting baptized this week and asked her new Elders if I could do it.  President Benson approved so I am so excited.  Elder Ulziibayar and I taught her everything, so it will be a very special experience for me and especially for her.

April 18th:  My companion, Elder Baldandorj, will baptize his mother.

April 19th:  Another investigator named Himbayar.  We are teaching him now.  He is great, and has expressed a desire to serve a mission.  He's an all around great kid, and he will be a great member.  My companion, taught him in his last area, but then he moved into Bayanzurkh, so Elder Baldandorj has know him for a few months. From what he tells us, he has never missed church on Sunday.

April 25th:  Brother Bimbaa and our new investigator, Tsalthmon.

The Lord is truly blessing us.  I can see his hand in this work, and it is so obvious.  A man, Tsalthmon, a self-admitted partier, just shows up at church and says he wants to change and is now hanging out at the church.  Coincidence?  I think not.

So we have also been teaching my three English students the Gospel.  They live in Shar-Khad, which is my favorite area within our area by far.  It is kinda ghetto and the shadiest characters are everywhere.  Everyone stares at me because I am probably the first white guy they have seen in years.  But getting back to my English students, their Grandma wants "girl" English teachers for them, even though their mother approved.  So I, not wanting to rock the boat or do anything that would jeopardize my visa, decided that we will just pass them along to the sisters in our area, Sister Ackley and Sneddon.  I'll be honest, it was hard.  I wanted to keep teaching them, but that is just the pride in me.   I am trying so hard to be more humble every single day.  Pride is the destroyer and there is no room for that out here.

So since you all have seen conference, did China open yet? Any special news?

I love the Book of Mormon!  This week I have almost finished Alma.  I love the 2000 Stripling Warriors so dang much!   Such studs!   I have always loved them, but as a missionary it is so much better.  I would like to share something I have never noticed. They are referred to numerous times as "little."  Alma 56:19...Our little Army.   Alma 56:30... My little sons...  Alma 56:33... Little Army.   Alma 56:39... My little sons.  I have always thought that these young boys were buff and huge.  At least that is the artist's depiction.  But no! They were small!  Small in numbers and size.  Even though they were small,  Alma 53:20 says...."They were true at all times to whatever they were trusted."  Alma 56:47..."Taught by their mothers."   Alma 57:20..."Firm and undaunted."  Alma 57:21..."Obeyed with exactness."   And this is my favorite, Alma 57:27...."They are young and their minds are firm and they do put their trust in God continually."   Can we all just strive to be like these little guys!  THESE LITTLE GIANTS!  They were delivered from two battles not because they were strong and the best warriors, but they all lived because they had the FAITH OF A GIANT!  Sorry I am getting carried away but I just love this story so much more now.  Right now, there are about 88,000 Stripling Warriors throughout the world.  Missionaries.  Small, but "firm and undaunted."  We learned in the MTC that when everything is said and done, less that 1% of everyone who ever lived will have been missionaries.  Crazy, huh?   We are small.  So what?  We are bringing the world His truth.

Love,

Elder Harris  

One of our investigators, Tsalthmon

The view from my apartment window. 

Our apartment. It's pretty nice.  

Your package arrived! Thanks mom and dad!

Nice view from our apartment. 

One of my favorite meals here: eggs, meat, veggies, and rice, oh and a dumpling-like thing. 

Some gross lake fish.... but I ate it though.

Little kids from our area. 

They love us!

Cow chasing in Shar-khad. 

Quiet.... Quiet...

Got 'em!