Blessed with a New Assignment, New Responsibilities, and lots of Traveling

Dear Family,

So this week has been pretty hectic.  Transfers came out and there was a lot of work to be done getting missionaries to their new areas.  I have a new companion, Elder Murat.  Elder Murat and I trained the new group of Mongolian missionaries this week.  We are APs now (Assistant to the President), and with this calling comes TONS of new responsibilities.  We also worked a lot for the upcoming Zone Training Meeting.  It’s a lot of work, but it’s fun.  I am now in the Selbe Ward, which is in the Stake.  My first Sunday in the Stake was nuts!  There were like 25 elders in the Ward.  I have never seen that in Mongolia.  Literally nuts!  This is the last area of my mission, and they have a “Feed the Missionaries” pass-around schedule!!   Can you say “Blessed?”   This week we ate a lot of food.  That was awesome!

To answer your question about what my new responsibilities are, well as an AP we work very close to President. We are the connection between President and the missionaries for the most part.  We meet with him pretty much daily, over such things as transfers, training for new missionaries, monthly trainings for missionaries, we have weekly staff meetings with everyone running the mission, etc.  We are not office Elders, so yes, we do missionary work as much as we can. We are in the office a lot though doing clerical work.  Right now we are in the Selbe Ward because they are the most self-relient, and not-really-needing-missionary-work-ward in the country.  Of course, they need tons of missionary work like everywhere else, but we cannot commit to the full load, if that makes sense. Two other sisters are in the ward with us and they carry a huge load and lead the missionary work for the most part.  We travel a lot.  This coming week I will be traveling to Zuunharaa, Mongolia, about 3 hours by train from UB north.  I am doing splits with some Elders who needed some extra help, so President is sending me Saturday night by train for a few days.  Tomorrow night we are off to Darkhan for a Zone Training, then off to Selenge for splits with Zone Leaders. We are going to Murun soon with President too!  So lots of traveling.   

My birthday was great.  Elder and Sister Hill took some elders and I to Shargrila (A HUGE BUFFET LIKE AMERICAN STYLE) for my birthday!  I was amazing! Also, Sister Hill  made me a amazing pumpkin cake!!!  I have missed that flavor!

Well I am so excited for General Conference!!  I think we are all going to watch it in Mongolian this year so we will see how that goes!

I read a talk by Elder Bruce R. McConkie this week called, “The Seven Deadly Heresies," and I really loved this quote:

"And so what we do in this life is chart a course leading to eternal life. That course begins here and now and continues in the realms ahead. We must determine in our hearts and in our souls, with all the power and ability we have, that from this time forward we will press on in righteousness; by so doing we can go where God and Christ are.  If we make that firm determination, and are in the course of our duty when this life is over, we will continue in that course in eternity.   That same spirit that possesses our bodies at the time we depart from this mortal life will have power to possess our bodies in the eternal world. If we go out of this life loving the Lord, desiring righteousness, and seeking to acquire the attributes of godliness, we will have that same spirit in the eternal world, and we will then continue to advance and progress until an ultimate, destined day when we will possess, receive, and inherit all things."

What I learned:   His is ours to have! 

Have a great week family!  

Love, 

Elder Harris

Here is Ganbayar (Naraa's son who we baptized a year ago).  He is now a mini-missionary for a whole transfer!   So proud of him.  He will be a valiant missionary.

 My new companion and I, Elder Murat.

 Tsendee, a 17-year-old who we used to meet with in the American Denj Branch.   Great kid.