Excited for Tsagaan Sar this Week!

Dear Family,

So the white-wash blues are getting better.  Members are becoming a better help to us, slowly but surely.  Please help the missionaries in our ward!  Missionaries need member's help so much, no matter where we are.  Without them, we can't do anything. 

This week we only taught 4 lessons again. It's really hard getting into people's homes or even scheduling any appointments this time of year.  But our 16-year old investigator is getting baptized on March 6th, and we are super excited about it.  She is doing great.  She comes to church every week, and is doing great about reading from the book of Mormon, so please pray for her to continue the way she has been!  Her mother is struggling a bit with lack of time to meet with us.  She's super busy with a ton of responsibilities.  We will continue with work with her.   Other than that, with Tsagaan Sar this week, (White Moon, the biggest Mongolian holiday), NO meetings will take place, so we will just be patient and will try our best to get many referrals.  

So, as I said, the big Mongolian holiday is this week!  Tsagaan Sar, or White Moon.  It will be a lot of fun, and I am really excited to experience it.  Today Elder Papenfuss and I bought Mongolian cowboy hats to wear because it will be too hot to wear our Fox hats all day.  I also bought a horoog (the bottle of "smells" or fragrance that people share with each other) and I am really pumped about it!  I haggled pretty good for it :)   Because of the holiday this week, we will go out a lot with Missionaries in our Zone all day, and go to members and investigators homes for buuz (Mongolian dumplings) and whatnot.  I am not 100% sure what will be going on, because this is my first White Moon, but next week I promise a full description and pictures.

I'm so grateful to be here in Mongolian and to experience the things I'm experiencing and to learn the things I'm learning.  I learned something this week from President Benson that I have thought about a lot......I have been given these two years to become the best person I can become, and to acquire good habits that will carry me through the rest of my life.  President Benson likened missionary service to a master violinist who played for 10,000 hours over a life time to become a master.  I will serve for only two short years and I have the opportunity to become a Master in Christ-like attributes, reading and applying the scriptures in my life, and to develop an unbreakable character, in that short amount of time.  As President said, "The battle is really between the natural man, and our ability to be disciplined in choosing what is right."  I am starting to realize that as I change through the atonement and develop good habits, I am not just putting off the natural man, but changing the natural man into a more obedient and disciplined man, one who does not desire the things I once did.  I love that, and I love learning these lessons that President Benson teaches.

Not too much else this week. Not too many crazy things happened besides the random men yelling at us on the bus, then getting more mad when I understand them and talk to them, or people at the Market trying to rip me off because I'm an American and they think I can't communicate with them, and then I haggle them down just because I can...haha.   Also, a new Senior Couple came this week, and I am so pumped to be friends with them. They are from Idaho, Rupert, I think.  They are the Harpers.  They are ranchers, so I am looking forward to getting to know them. 

I have a really good story to tell you guys about something that happened this week, but I am saving it for when I get back home. Wait patiently please :)  Sorry, I know that is a major cliff-hanger.

I love you all!  I love my Area and I love my calling!

Elder Harris 

My companion, Elder Bilguun, and I.

 My Zone Leader companion, Elder Higgs.

 Elder Pappenfuss and I just chillin'.

District Meeting Shenanigans!

 KFC Monday!

Valentines left on my desk from Elder Higgs!  haha