Mission Conference this week with Elder Wong from the First Quorum of the Seventy.

Dear Family! 

This week was awesome here in Mongolia for Elder Radman and I.  Starting off, we were fed American meals for every meal this whole week except two. Blessed are we!  So amazing to eat Brownies and Ice Cream and Cafe Rio pulled pork!   I love Sister Hill, one of our Senior couples here! 

We had Mission Conference this week!  Elder Wong, from the First Quorum of the Seventy, came with his wife.  You will recognize him from General Conference.  He recently gave a talk in Cantonese.   I was blessed to personally meet him in Missionary Leadership Council with the Zone Leaders, Sister Training Leaders and the Assistants to President, and then I got to know him even more over the next four days.  He is one funny man!  Mission Conference was so GREAT and I learned a lot about BECOMING!  I love that.  We have the potential to be like God.  I know it.  Too much to write about, so I will talk about it in December! :)  Also, Elder Radman and I were invited to sit up on the stand during District Conference to help translate for the senior couples and the newer missionaries.  Then Elder Wong called on me to come over and translate for him his talk into Mongolian….in front of the entire group!  I have never been more nervous in my life.  He is a GENERAL AUTHORITY!  Anyways, I did well, and felt the gift of tongues coming up clutch for me in that moment.  He really liked Elder Radman and I over the week, so we each "gifted" him one of our Mongolian ties with our names written on the back :)   He loved them!   Needless to say, I feel so blessed to be here at this time and to learn from Elder and Sister Wong, and from President and Sister Benson.  I loved every talk given and all the words that were spoken. I am so happy and so blessed to the Lord's missionary here in Mongolia. 

I want to share what I learned this week while preparing for a talk on the Lord’s Sacrament from John 6:48-50, 53… 

"I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you."

Manna as defined in the Bible Dictionary: It is impossible to find any natural product that will answer to the requirements of the scriptural narrative in regard to this heaven sent food.  With regard to the name, we are told (Ex. 16:15) that the people, seeing the small scale-like substance, said one to another, “Man-hu,” “For they wist not what it was.”  This also translates “What is it?”   Manna provided for Moses and his people daily substance for 40 years. Without it, they would have died.  It was not a over abundance  but enough to make it day to day, for 40 years as they journeyed in the wilderness. They survived from this heaven sent food.  But Christ said, "Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead." Christ was the one that provided that substance day to day, but says more or less, that it literally has no importance and no more relevance because they are no longer here living among us.  

He is the Bread of Life.  We must go to church and partake of His Sacrament, and live.  I love the Sacrament.  We should never take it for granted.  We need it for weekly change and perfection.  We should use it the way He instated it, in remembrance of our nothingness and dependence on Him.

Well, this is the last 3 months of my mission and I have work to finish.  I love my companion, Elder Radman.  He is a huge example to me of someone who understands his calling. He works hard, and receives revelation for his sheep.  He pushes me to be better.   He has a huge heart, and truly came on his mission with a strong desire to serve his Father in Heaven.  We are doing great together and I am happy.

Well, I love you all.  Got to go!

-Elder Marc Harris

Elder and Sister Wong on the right at Mission Conference.

Me and my Companion, Elder Radman, at Mission Conference

 My group for Mission Conference.

 President Benson and four of his children with me and Naraa, my eternal friend from Choibalsan, who I baptized one year ago.  She’s heading to the Hong Kong temple on September 15th for her endowments!!  I’m so happy for her!

 My comp and I out on our balcony, overlooking UB.

 Elder Hatton, Huckvale, Harris, and Radman.

 Elder Radman and I.